Chapter 34: Under The Sword Cave (Part 1)

Sarah's perspective

Finally, Operation 1172 had been operated, we were now doing patrol around the sword mountain. For some reason, our mobiles had been confiscated by two of our superiors before getting to the mountain.

They said we wouldn't need to use them while doing patrol, there was a thing that I always wondered about after our superiors left to return to the coast. That was why John was the only one who had the military helmet, I and my sis were doing the patrol without it.

About our equipment, our gears such as grenade pouches, leg protectors, the pistol holster, the bulletproof armor...were all inside the Alrotz bags but we had to wear them on our own after getting up the sword mountain.

I was now still wondering about the purpose of this operation.

"Ah! So boring, there's nothing to do here except patrolling around!"

"Sarah, stop being so lazy and stay focused on your duty, we still have one hour left until this operation end!" - John shouted loud to me, seemed like he was open, friendly with me but when we were on any mission, he would go seriously

I was so lazy to do the mission, I just wanted to sleep! I saw John was now stepping closer to my sis, she was now scouting, watching for anything unusual with her M21 Sniper Rifle.

"See anything out of there 500 meters ( about 1640 feet )?" - John asked my sis

"Ie...Commander...!" (No...Commander...) - My sis answered John

"Stop using Japanese, Hatano! Speak English!"

"Roger that...Commander..." - My sis answered John, he was always serious, yikes!

I thought I was so idle so I looked around the sword mountain, its entrance led to the sword cave was placed in the middle of the twin slates.

I have now noticed two ammo crates that our two superiors brought to us for the patrol.

"Commander, why do our Lieutenant Kaori and Colonel Amanda have to bring us this much ammunition? We don't even need to use them!"

"Stop idling around and do the mission, Private Sarah, we still have less than 1 hour left until this operation end, don't ask! A soldier must fulfill their mission to the end!" - John, again! Shouted to me

"Commander...can..you please...speak to...Sarah...more softer...?" - Ah! Thanks sis, you just protected me

"Ah! Okay, okay! Hatano, I will try!" - Why did John suddenly listen to my sis?

Then I looked around again, there were twin slates behind me, I was sitting near them, they seemed to be written in the languages that I didn't know.

Maybe I should go closer to watch them while idle!

But there was another thing that made my eyes target it, it was the sword mountain's entrance.

I was now very wanted to get inside them to see what it looked like under the sword cave.

"Hey, Commander! Can I get under the sword cave to look around? I'm so lazy to do the mission!"

John looked at me, then he walked toward me until his face was so close to me, what was wrong with him? Why did you touch your face so close to me?

"Sarah! Our mission is to patrol around the sword mountain, not patrolling under the sword cave!"

"Instead of sitting, lazying around, why don't you look at the ocean a little bit?" - John said to me with a low threatening voice, yikes!

"Can you please, ask our superiors their permission to patrol under there?"

"Sigh! Okay, okay! If Hatano wasn't here with you then I wouldn't be dumb enough to do that! Right away, you brown-haired princess!" - Eh? What was that kind of talking, John?

Then I saw John pull out a talkie which he placed on his bulletproof armor, about to call back to the headquarters for permission.

"Krieg 2 -1 calling 1172, do you copy, over!"

No one responded from the other side, John asked again.

"Krieg 2 - 1 calling 1172, do you copy, over!"

The other side was still silent, few seconds later, there was a response.

"1172...call...ling...K... 2 -... ( talkie interference )" - Seemed like the sound had been interference

"Damn! What's wrong with this talkie?" - John seemed didn't know much geological about the sword mountain, which was the reason that led to this result

"Commander! You don't know? At the time we step up the sword mountain, every electronic device will be error or broken for no reason!"

"What?" - John's face seemed very shocked to know

"But Commander, there are so many deaths of the scientists caused by falling rocks by the lightning strike hit the above of the mountain. Why doesn't our military create something to cover the entrance?"

"Don't ask me, Sarah! Both of my moms are the heads of the research project about the sword mountain, nothing can be made without their approval!" - John said to me

Then John after talking to me, he went back to look around the ocean with my sis but then noticed the twin slates, he seemed a bit curious about what was written on them.

Then John sat down near the stone slate on the left side, he began to ask me some questions because I also followed him.

"Hey, Sarah! You know Japanese, right? Maybe I should ask Hatano to come here too! Can you read what is written on this slate, they are written in 5 other languages but there is the Japanese line down here, translate it for me!" - John asked me to translate to him what is written on that slate

"Commander, the slate on the right is already translated in English, you can read it over there, don't need to ask me!"

"How? I know these twin slates are written in the language we don't know and the details that are written on two of the slates are different!" - John asked me

"Uh! Commander, one year after the military found these twin slates, they had removed the slate on the right to bring back the science lab for the translation. They had created a new right slate that translated the details of the left slate!"

"First language that written on the upper line of the left stone slate seems a bit similar to our English, looks like the last character had been deleted on those words, strange!" - John wondered

"There were actually two languages that can be read, not one like the rumors on the internet, Commander! But no one can explain why the language that looks like our English has to delete their last character."

Then I saw John turn his head to the right stone slate to read the details that were written on it.

We are here today to announce to the Goddess about our thoughts, you Goddess, we do not surrender our fates, this world's fate is in our hands.

We are here today to announce for you one thing, Goddess, today, all five of the continents of this world will be united into one. An organization named "United continents" will be created to fight against the intrusion from the sky.

Different races, religions, cultures or anything are not important! We are all together now, we will step together out of the challenge that the Goddess set to us.

You Goddess, you said to me that you would destroy this world, you said that this world is so boring for you to watch but you said you would spare us if we get through your challenge. Remember to promise!

The day before this world gets invaded will be less than a day now, this world will either be destroyed or survived through this, send to the Goddess, Katia.

Day 25 of the third Winter, year 1177.

I don't need to write according to your calendar, you Goddess Katia! Every calendar is now united with yours! 

"What is this exactly? It looks so fantastic!" - John seemed very surprised after reading the details on the stone slate

"Yeah, me too! Commander, I can't understand what is it written about!"

Then I accidentally turned my head down while my watch on my right hand was now under my right leg because I was crouching while looking alongside John to see the twin stone slates. Ah! The watch had now at 00:00 AM, the operation we were doing was now over.

"Commander, my watch has now at 00:00 AM, Operation 1172 has over, Commander! We may return to the mainland soon!"

John after hearing what I said, he looked at his watch to see the proof. John then sighed, then he looked at me.

"Our mission has been done, soldiers! We may soon return to our homes at any moment now, just need to wait for our superiors to go pick up us!"

Then I looked back at my sis to see her, then I found something, something that standing next to her, a figure that was glowing in yellow-colored.

I took a look closer, then that yellow glow shut off, the thing that appeared in front of my eyes now was a figure of a woman.

That woman was white, she was now wearing a slight green dress, she had blonde long-haired, her face, I mean! Her eyes, both of them had been closed for some reason.

"Sis, there is someone next to you!" - I shouted for my sis to know

Then John heard what I said, he turned back in surprise, also me!

About my sis, she was now stepping back a little bit away from that woman, my sis was now about to draw her Katana out in case.

About John, he saw that blonde-haired woman then slowly stepped toward her, when he was away from that woman just a few steps, he shouted.

"Who the hell are you, woman? How did you get here?"

Then that blonde-haired woman said no word, she was still like that, closing both of her eyes. Then that woman raised her right hand and pointed to the entrance of the sword mountain.

"Get inside!" - That blonde-haired woman said a slight word to us, then she looked at each of us, me, John and my sis while closing her eyes

After saying that word, three of us saw an aura around that blonde-haired woman, that aura then glowing yellow-colored.

Then that woman's figure slowly vanished in front of us, those yellow auras later separated into things like nuts then vanished into the air.

"What the hell! This can't be happening!" - John seemed a little bit confused, he yelled quite loud at the time he saw that woman vanished

Me too! I was also shocked, was that a ghost? That woman figure was a ghost? About my sis, her face seemed still emotionless as always.

"My sis! You don't seem shocked, you have seen these things too much, sis?"

Then my sis stared at me, she said a word.

"I was shocked...a little bit...are you...okay...Sarah?"

"Yeah! I'm fine, sis! Just a bit shocked! That woman, the way she vanished just looked like a ghost!"

"Was that woman a kind of strange phenomena in this sword mountain?" - John asked me, his face still now shocked

"I don't think so, Commander! I don't, I don't see any clues about it on the internet!"

"Just forget about it! Girls, maybe we just have stayed up too late so that must be our paranoia!"

"Yeah! Sure, definitely! Let's head back home and sleep, staying up late is not good!" - John was now still denying what he saw

"But there is no way three of us can see the same thing if we have paranoia, Commander!"

A few seconds after I talked to John, suddenly I felt the ground shaking, it was quite huge, was that an earthquake? An earthquake that would happen here, in the sword mountain.

"Sarah! Hatano! Don't worry, the boat that our superiors come to pick up us must be near now, it's just an earthquake, it will end in a few seconds!" - John trying to calm us

Then suddenly!

"Bang!" - A lightning strike suddenly struck down near where I stood

"Ah!" - I was shocked and fell to the ground

Then I heard more and more lightning strikes, they were sounding in the sky, some of them also struck down the mainland of Virginia beach.

John was very panicked right now but he tried to calm his nerve, then John looked at two ammo crates that were placed near the twin slates and shouted to us.

"Sarah! Hatano! Move those ammo crates inside the sword cave now, it's very dangerous if the lightning strikes hit them! I will watch for the boat. When the boat gets near us, all of us will jump onto it!" - John shouted to us

Then my sis and I carried the ammo crates then moved them inside the sword cave, we managed to move them fast inside.

John was now still looking for the rescue boat from our superiors, he kept looking around the mainland, hoping for a signal of the rescue.

"Dammit! Where is the damn boat, where are Kaori and Amanda, where the hell are they!" - John shouted loud outside

I was about to move outside the sword cave to call John to go inside with us but I was so scared. The lightning strikes were now hitting more and more on the ground near where John was standing.

"Commander, please get inside! It's very dangerous out there!"

John heard my word inside the sword cave, he was now choosing to get inside with me and my sis or stand there to wait for the rescue boat.

The ground was now shaking bigger, the earthquake didn't stop at all. Maybe now the mainland of Virginia beach had been affected by it a little bit.

"Tch!" - I saw John run inside the sword cave, he seemed given up waiting for the boat from our superiors to save us

"Bang!" - A lightning strike suddenly struck down John's position when he was running

I saw John had now lost his momentum and fell to the ground, his head hit the ground so badly while running.

That fall may affect his brain, even losing his life.

"Commander! I will go out to help you!" - I was about to run outside but my sis held me up

"Stop! Sarah! Forget about John Rigen! Your life may be in danger if you save him! Stay with me, Sarah! I don't want to lose anyone in my family again!" - My sis suddenly changed her emotionless behavior, she seemed very worried if I go save John

"Get off me, sis! I cannot let John die, he is our Commander!" - I shoved my sis away, she seemed very hurt, I'm sorry, sis!

"Sarah!" - My sis chased me

Then I ran as fast as I could to John's position, he was now still lying on the ground, I hope he was still okay!

"Sarah! Get back here! I'm now your Commander! I order you to get inside with me, John Rigen is dead, Sarah!" - My sis managed to grab my right hand, she wanted me to go back to the sword cave with her

"Commander is still alive! Sis, you are so mean!" - I managed to get my hand off my sis and slapped her face

Then my sis stood there, stared at me, her eyes seemed about to cry, sorry, sis! I cannot leave John alone.

"Commander!" - I called John when I got to his position, I saw his right hand still twitching to me so I grabbed his hand and led him to the sword cave right away

"Ah! My helmet! I just dropped it!" - John seemed woke up when I was leading him inside the sword cave

"Stupid! You care about your life or that helmet? Sarah would be safer if she didn't go out to save you!" - My sis suddenly shouted to John's face while he was running with me, it was the first time I had seen my sis lose her control like that

Then all of us managed to get inside the sword cave, when we got inside, suddenly from behind, a lightning strike sounded upper the sword mountain.

I heard a lot of noises, those noises were the noises of fallen rocks, before I could realize it.

The rocks had covered the entire entrance of the sword mountain. We were now trapped inside, no way out.

"Dammit!" - John shouted loud, he even ran toward those rocks, trying to lift them out

"There is no way we can make it out, Commander! We must wait for the rescue team!"

"Rescue team? Dammit!" - I saw John pull out his talkie, trying to call the headquarters though that way would be useless either way

"1172, answer me! Kaori, Amanda! Answer me! What were you two intentions for trapping me here with these girls? You know there will be an earthquake happening this hour, don't you!" - John shouted loud to the talkie, waiting for the other side to answer

No one responded, but a few seconds, there was an answer from the other side.

"My son! Amanda and I are here, we are talking to you by using a special frequency inside the sword mountain! I know maybe you very hate us right now, but listen to me, my son!"

"You, Sarah and Hatano will now have a long journey! Operation 1172 has over for us, but it's just the beginning for you, this is the start point for the three of you, in the sword cave!"

"My son! I'm so happy that you have finally called us your moms in the last moments before you went on this mission! You may now want to withdraw those words but, it's okay, my son!"

"Shizuka Hatano, Sarah Hatano, you two please take care of our son! This may be our farewell, my son! Operation 1172 only ends when the three of you return to the sword mountain, but not in this time! Good luck, my son! Moms love you!" - The call stopped

"Hey! Hey! What the hell are you two mean by saying that, I still not understand yet, get back here!" - John shouted loud to the talkie

"Stop! Commander, we now have to take care on our own, just calm down!"

John sighed, he slowly calmed his mind down, breathing steadily to calm then walked toward me, about to tell me something.

"Sarah! When your father got trapped here with the other scientists, how long did it take for the rescue team to come?" - John asked me about my father's death

Seemed like John wanted to according to its details to know how long would the rescue team come.

"According to what my sis told me, Commander! The rescue team had got here late about 10 days, when they got inside, all of the scientists had died."

"About my father, they didn't find his corpse but they announced he died!"

"Then your father must be still alive somewhere!" - John said to me

"Then why he didn't get home? He must have died deep inside the sword cave, Commander! Deep under the sword cave is something that beyond our explanation."

"Anyway, we must check our rations before they run out, we must also know about how much water we have."

"If we don't have food, we will have a chance to stay alive in about 3 weeks but if we don't have water, we can only live in 3 days!" - John said to me

"Hey, Sarah! Did your father ever tell you if this sword cave has water under it?" - John asked me this, I didn't know how to answer

"No, Commander! I-"

"Deep inside...there is...a large lake...that has...strang water glowing blue...but drinkable..." - My sis said to John

"Thank for the info, Hatano!"

"I see there is a way looks like a tunnel leads down there, Sarah! We will prioritize finding water, you will go with me to find water, Sarah!"

"Private Hatano, you will guard the ammo crates!" - John gave the order to us

Then I saw John go a bit down the tunnel, I would go with him when I done the talk with my sis, I wanted to apologize to her.

I saw my sis, she was now still holding her left cheek, seemed still hurt, I walked toward her slowly, about to apologize.

"Sis! I'-"

"Sarah!...you don't...have...any...fault...I was so selfish...I'm sorry, my dear little sister!" - My sis suddenly gave me a hug, she held me very tight

"Sis! I'm sorry!" - I also hugged my sis to comfort her

Then my eyes suddenly locked on the things that my sis brought with her. That was a bag that contained 10 things like small round jewels that glowed blue. I wonder what those things were.

"Sis! The things that look like round jewels, what are those, sis?

Then my sis took one of ten round jewels out of the bag, she held it in her right hand, that thing was glowing blue, it looked so beautiful.

"You...want to...take it...?" - My sis asked me if I wanted to take it or not

"Yes, sis! Please!"

Then my sis gave me that jewel, I looked around it, trying to figure out how that thing could glow.

"How can this thing glow, sis?"

"I don't know...either...but don't lose it...we need it...to get out...of this place..." - My sis told me

"Eh?" - I tilted my head, trying to figure out what my sis meant

"Sarah...I think...you must go now...good luck...my dear sister..." - My sis said goodbye to me

"At least smile a bit, sis! Please smile!"

Then my sis heard my word, she began to open a slight smile, but I saw her smile still hard a little bit.

"Sorry...Sarah!...It has been...a long time...since the last time...I smiled..." - My sis stopped smiling and turned back emotionless

"Sis, good luck! I will go now!"

"You too...Sarah..." - Both of us said goodbye to each other and went on doing our mission

Then I went down the tunnel with John, he was waiting for me for quite long. The way deep the sword cave was quite dark for me, I may need to use the flashlight for it.

"So finally you are here! Alright! Flashlight on!" - John ordered me to turn on the flashlight

Then I took out my flashlight with John and went on searching down the sword cave, the place that was dark, narrow and mysterious.