[นิยายแปล ภาษาอังกฤษ] A Tale Of Thousand Stars (นิทานพันดาว by Bacteria)

ลำดับตอนที่ #2 : Chapter 12 (The First half)

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I DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO USE MY COPY TO TRANSLATE INTO ANY OTHER LANGUAGE.

I GOT PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR (BACTERIA) TO TRANSLATE THIS CHAPTER.

THERE WON'T BE ANY OTHER CHAPTERS... PLEASE WAIT UNTIL THE OFFICIAL ENGLISH COPY FROM NABU PUBLISHER.

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A Tale of Thousand Stars... นิทานพัน๸าว... Chapter 12 (The first half)

The second half will be published later.

(Please do not request for the second half. I'm doing this as a hobby. So I'll do this on my own free time. Please do not request, ask, or push me to do any translating with your private message or reply. I have my own schedule. Sorry to be super direct and understand. Meanwhile, enjoy na. Love Love. -JayBL)

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A new school was not as large as the old one, yet the new structure seemed so much stronger and looked larger than the previous one. Both soldiers and people from the village helped using the construction material made from nature to build this big 'hut' in a very strong sunshine afternoon.

Tien wiped those sweats out after working under that heat for hours. He still got sored from the previous incident, but he would like to help as much as he could, so he helped tightening these roofs, which were made from dry leaves.

The new school was almost done. However, he had to wait for new teaching material and facilities shipped from Bangkok anyway. Biang-Lae told him we would get them before the new year if we were lucky. Or else we have to wait for a few more weeks after the new year. Tien couldn't wait to teach the kids again. Also, he would invite that Giant Captain to play the kites with kids again.

Tien tightened those roofs with a little bit down feeling inside. He should ask for more medicines from the doctor before coming here. Actually, this new heart didn't show any rejective reaction much lately. Should he adjust the schedule for taking the pills? So he would have enough medicine for the next month?! Tien kept thinking about this for the whole afternoon.

In that evening, people started to leave after working on this new school for the whole day, except for two soldiers who were waiting for him. They were his bodyguard to bring him back to his hut. Tien kept on digging into that burnt structure right next to the new school and found something left unburnt inside that old structure. He took them along with some nails and a hammer. He climbed up to stand on a new strong short bookshelf, put the nail on the wall, and hung a picture of the king, which was burnt a little bit around a corner up to that wall. It's a good symbol to remind students they are Thai. Tien looked around to see the new room. From that high view, he remembered the days he had good times with students to play and to learn. It had been only two months but he felt the strong bond between him and them.

... I don't want to leave.

No matter how risky it would be. He would like to try. He wanted to stay there as long as he could.

Since the operation day, which was a few days ago to destroy the camp and the base of that illegal logging and trading mafia, there were always two or three soldiers taking the shifts to guard Tien. Even during the night time, they were standing around his hut. They must be worried that some mafia friends of Sakda would come back to harm him.

After Tien walked back to his hut alone and left those soldiers, he felt that someone was inside his hut. Tien regretted to tell those soldiers to stay a bit far away from his hut since he would like to have some privacy. 'Bad decision,' he thought. Tien looked for a wooden stick and stepped up to his hut quietly and yelled.

"Who's that?"

There was no answer. So he took a peek, dropped the stick, and ran into the hut shockingly and gladly.

"Captain!!!"

Captain Phu still had a big splint on his right arm hung up on a shoulder sling. That dark handsome face was still pale, yet he looked so much better than two days ago. Those thick lips smile a little. It made happy Tien paused a little.

"Why are you discharged from the hospital this fast?"

Tien looked at PhuPha and started to worry.

"I need to finish some tasks"

That low tone of voice said like he was programmed. It sounded like a robot.

"About those mafia?"

Captain PhuPha looked into those light brown eyes with his empty feeling eyes. He walked to the windows and looked away into the forest. The young city guy started to worry even more. Phu looked different today. He looked at Tien like they were strangers, but when Tien was about to ask, Phu spoke first.

"Do you have a good time staying here?"

"Huh?"

Tien was super confused.

"What's going on? Captain. Are you feeling ok?"

PhuPha paused and turned around to face Tien.

"I believe you have had enough fun. Now it's time to go back home."

"What do you mean 'fun'? I don't understand."

"Your dad is very worried about you. You should go back home now."

That sentence shocked Tien. Dad!?!? Now, he got everything connected. Tien tightened his fists and asked.

"How do you know my dad?"

Captain paused for a few seconds and replied calmly.

"... Your dad was the former director of my current boss."

"So they picked you to take care of me?"

Tien yelled back at PhuPha, who's standing still like a sculpture. He felt hurt and disappointed from being kept from this secret. It's a mixed feeling. PhuPha nodded his head. He seemed exhausted and enervated from this chaos. 

"You wouldn't think that a captain like me having enough time to pamper you like this? Teaching you how to boil some water or washing your cloth."

Harsh... That's so cold and harsh... Tien squeezed his lips and stared at Phupha's eyes trying to look inside those deep dark eyes into his heart. It was like Phupha became a stranger he never met before. 

"Are you saying that you did all of these because you are following my dad's orders?"

"... Correct."

Tien kicked a water bottle to the wall right next to Phupha as soon as he heard the answer. The water from that bottle splashed into Phupha's face. Tien grabbed Phupha's collar angrily and yelled to his face.

"And now what? He orders you to take me back home? You are such metal of honor soldier."

"Tien. Please let go of my shirt."

Phupha thought he would use his calmness to stop Tien's hot-headed temper, but instead, he was pouring a tank of fuel into the fire. 

"No. You are such a liar. Hear me? Liar!"

The more Tien yelled at Phupha the more he could hear himself crying.

"Nothing's true, isn't it? There is nothing true at all."

Tien closed both eyes with sadness and disappointment. He pushed his face on that strong board shoulder. It used to protect and held him up when he was so weak.

What's going on?

Captain Phupha looked at Tien with his heartbroken feeling. He would like to hold Tien back as long as possible, but Tien deserved a brighter future. He had to let Tien go even though it was the hardest decision he ever made.

We are... too different.

It's time to go back to reality. Phupha took a deep breath and shield up to his strong duty and emotion.

"You came here to fulfill someone else's wish, didn't you?"

The city guy looked up curiously with his scared-of-the-truth face to look at Phupha.

"What do you mean?"

"The woman in that diary."

Phupha looked at the sweet color diary, which is now placing on the futon. 

"I knew the truth. You don't have to lie anymore."

Tien was so mad because Phupha went into his personal belonging without asking for his permission. Tien pushed that big body with anger. His body was shaken and both eyes were red from crying. 

"I... never lie to you."

"And you never tell me the truth either."

"What truth do you need from me?"

Tien yelled back at Phupha.

"The truth that TorFhun's heart is inside of me? And suddenly, she manipulated me to come this far to live her life? x!!!"

Tien punched on a wooden wall and it shook the whole hut a little. He was extremely mad. This went too far from what he first expected. Those sharp-looking pair of eyes sparkling and shaking a little. Phupha grabbed that fist closer to him.

"Are you telling me that a rich guy like you suddenly has a generous and understanding poor people enough to come this far in the forest and volunteer to be a teacher by yourself? You are joking, right? You have had enough fun and it's time to go back to the city. You should start to pack. Tomorrow morning, I'll ask Yod to pick you up and drive you to the bus station."

It's true and hurt. Yes, at first, Tien was actually excited to see the world and did something new. Then it was because of his ego to push him to stay in this village longer... Until today he felt related and bonded to everyone and everything here. What did that mean? Tien wondered.

"I'm going back home for sure. But not tomorrow."

Tien took his hand out from Phu's hand and wiped his tears out.

"Actually, I was sad because of TorFhan's death and I took her heart. If you have read her diary, you should have seen her last sentence."

PhuPha seemed a little bit sadder.

"She wanted to..."

But before PhuPha finished that sentence, Tien interrupted.

"Give me 5 days. Right before the new year day."

Tien stared at PhuPha's eyes.

"Your last duty is to wait for me there on that hill at midnight."

Tien padded on his left chest firmly as a promise to TorFhun's heart.

"I'll take 'her' to the place she wanted to be."

At that moment, it was like every five senses were shutting down. If he left tomorrow, it would be only one-time hurting. But now waiting for five more days, it was a soft slowly killing and more painful. PhuPha took a tiny but sad smile to himself at a corner of his mouth. He had no choice except to accept that decision and pity himself.

"... as you wish."

Tien looked away as a winner and yelled at PhuPha.

"Now go away. I don't want to see your face anymore."

Captain Phupha swallowed all of those hurtful feelings inside and turned around to leave the hut. The sun was setting and the temperature was dropping. It gave even more chilling cold feeling into his body and heart. He left like a body without a soul to his motorcycle and fell down on his knees... That was the last energy he had. Phu looked at the hands he used to wipe out those tears for Tien. But at that moment, he didn't even have any energy to raise up his hands.

"I want you to be... here... with me..." forever.

Those low tone of voice faded away with the breeze of freezing wind. Those words would never be heard by him... anymore...

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In an afternoon, Biang Lare visited Tien by himself with a tower of a lunch box. He looked worried and care about Tien's feelings. Tien didn't leave his house for two days. Whenever he visited the young man, he kept on laying there looked sad and miserable. Tien told Biang Lare he got sick a little and needed to get some sleep. Yet Biang Lare planned to take him to a hospital in the town today.

Before that happen, Biang Lare got his curiosity answered, when Serg Yod came by and told him everything. The new teacher was leaving after the new year's day, which was not exactly as the plan. The new teacher was supposed to stay for one more month. So basically, Biang Lare hadn't got any answer to his question yet. As same as Captain PhuPha, he had been disappeared since the day he came to the village as soon as he was discharged from the hospital... Do they have a fight or what?

"Teacher Tien?"

Biang Lare called Tien out loud in front of his hut, but no one replied. He decided to walk into the hut and saw stuff and cloth all over the room. Tien was hugging his both knees at a corner of the room quietly. An older guy put the lunch box on the floor and kneel down right next to him. 

"Teacher. Do you wanna have a meal now? You should. They are still warm."

"I'm not hungry."

That cracking voice sneaked out of those knees. Biang Lare sighed and sat down. Seemed like the physical wounds healed, yet the emotional wounds had not yet recovered. How can he help Tien?

"Serg Yod told me everything. You are leaving a day after the new year. Time flies, don't you think?"

Tien squeezed his lips tightly. It's not about leaving, but the fact that he took care of him because of his dad's order. What about the other things he did? Are those for real or another lie? What about those warmness or tenderness feelings he felt from Pha? Did those feelings become one side thought? All he did was because of his dad's order.

... x!!! This hurt even more than a heartbroken feeling.

Tien looked up and showed his swallow face and eyes from crying too much. Biang Lare worried. So Tien told him the truth.

"Actually... I ran away from home."

Biang Lare looked surprised but didn't want to pry. He waited until Tien talked by himself. Tien looked over to a diary on his futon.

"My dad was former deputy commander-in-chief of Royal Thai Army and he now retired. I wrote a letter to him before I left. Now... When I think about it, it was actually strange. Because he should have sent a searching party looking for me by now, but it turns out to be that I'm under his radar for all this time."

Again, when he thought of the first day he arrived here, Tien starts to cry again. This was actually not freedom, but it was temporary permission to see the world. Tien laughed to himself. He felt so stupid. 

"When it hits the news, 'he' takes an order to send me back home."

Biang Lare believed he knew who 'he' was Tien mentioned. He tried to be supportive but all he could do was only looking after them from afar. They fought a lot, yet never be mad enough not to talk to each other like this. Biang Lare could tell from how PhuPha treated Tien that 'he' didn't do things because of the orders.

"Even though it was because of the orders, Captain really cares about you."

Biang Lare wasn't there to see the cold look PhuPha gave to Tien. 

"I don't want to hear his name again, please."

Tien seemed serious about that, so Biang Lare gave up. If Tien didn't have any feeling for PhuPha, would Tien be this mad at him?

"Ok... Got it."

Biang Lare rubbed his face to relax a little. 

"You didn't leave the house for a few days. So you may not know that we are having a new year party together in the village."

"A party?"

When Biang Lare got Tien's attention, he started to explain more. 

"Typically, for Akha Tribe, we would have our own new year party at the end of September. We do an Akha Swing Festival or Chiangrai, but lately, we moved to do that at the end of December instead. We are having a 3-day and 3-night party." 

Biang Lare opened up the lunch boxes for Tien.

"My wife cooked a lot of foods for everyone. But she cooked some light food for you. She knows you are not feeling well."

Tien looked at some tofu soup, omelet, and warm steamed rice with gladfulness and appreciation.

"Thank you very much."

Tien didn't want to refuse their kindness, so he started to eat. Since he hadn't eaten well in the past days, so his stomach didn't work well. Yet, he kept on eating until they were all gone. Biang Lare invited Tien to join the party with other people from the village. 

"Since you don't have much time left to stay here, why don't you use it to keep your best memory back home?"

That suggestion awoke Tien and convinced him enough to pull himself up from the futon, refresh himself by washing his face, and be ready to join the new year party.

A folk song in Akha language flew from afar. It's a fun and enjoyable song which was perfect to celebrate in such an occasion like this. It was time to rest, relax, and have a good time with their own family after working so hard for the whole year. Women were in full dresses in their own tribal regalia. The cute sound of those silver tokens on their hats or dresses hitting each other became quite perfect for the music and dance they were performing for people who are eating, drinking, and having a good time together. Akha kids ran around playing with each other stopped immediately when they saw him walking into the ground area of the village. They ran and came around their favorite teacher who clearly looked so much skinnier than a week ago. 

"Come this way. We got so many foods from the town."

MeeJoo pulled her teacher's hand to a large wooden table that had so many people surrounding it. Tien saw several guys in the soldier uniform and a bit hesitated to go to that direction, but then he didn't see that person, so he followed MeeJoo. Those soldiers brought some snacks and soda from some supermarkets to share with the kids as a new year gift from the army. A little girl handed Tien a red can of soda with a very bright smile. 

"P' Crayons. Try this black soda. It tastes really good."

Note: Kids called Tien as "P' Crayons" because he preferred them to call him as a "P'" instead of "teacher" because he didn't feel like he's a real teacher. More like a volunteer. And Crayons in Thai is "See-Tien". Kids are more familiar with that word more than just a simple word like "Tien".

"... You are still popular among your students."

That low tone of voice spoke right next to Tien's ear and made Tien jump up a little. When he turned around, he saw...

"P' Doctor Nam"

A Chinese-looking guy moved his glasses a little and smile widely.

"Why are you so jumpy like that? Are you expecting someone else?"

"No!"

Tien lied and opened the soda to drink frustratingly. 

"Ok... No is fine then."

The medical doctor spoke as he didn't buy that answer. But then he changed into a serious mode.

"Can I have a talk with you?"

The volunteering teacher looked away.

"If you want to talk to me about your best friend, then you don't have to. I  don't have anything to talk about him."

"But I do."

Wasan grabbed that small hand tight.

"So many things I need to tell you."

He looked directly into those light brown eyes. He didn't wait for the answer from Tien but pulled him to a direction far enough from people. Tien wasn't happy about that, but he let Wasan took him to a waterfall area. Instead of speaking as Wasan told him to, Wasan asked him to sit under a big tree to avoid the sun and dipped their feet into the water. Tien did as he told him too, but then he started to hit the surface of the water with his tiny legs because Wasan had been quiet for too long.

"Are you talking or should I leave?"

"Cooling you down with this water seems not working, is it?"

Wasan laughed looking at Tien who was super mad at him at that moment. 

"Ok, but before I started. Can you tell me what you two have talked and broken apart like this?"

"He told me to go back home"

"That's it?"

"... He said I lied to him. He said I'm here just to have fun. Me being here is his burden. He has to take care of me, which he doesn't actually want to do it."

Tien threw tiny rocks into the water and yelled out.

"Actually not me. He's the one who lied to me for the whole time. Following my dad's order and acted like he does everything by himself. He should be nominated to an Oscar Awards next year."

"That's true... Because now the inner is eating up the actor badly. The actor who is eating his food and drinking his own tears at the same time every day."

Wasan simply said, but fully caught Tien's attention.  He took a deep breath and looked up to the sky.

"... Captain PhuPha is a pertinacious kind of guy. Once he made a decision, even if it's eating him alive, he would go through with it alone. But, actually, I'm not surprised that he chose to do this."

He looked at Tien's flawless face.

"Because if I do care, someone, this much. Someone who has a brighter future ahead of him. I would do anything to help and support that person to the end of the tunnel. Even if I have to die. I wouldn't be such a selfish guy to hold that person back since their two worlds are too diverse.

Tien heard every single word from Wasan and his head became super heavy. He took his time and looked into the clear and sparkling steam before saying something.

"He should have talked to me nicely. Instead of..." making me feel so sad.

Those words broke along with his voice that Tien swallowed them into his heart.

"Phu knows. If he begs you, then you won't leave."

Wasan added. And that sentence stabbed right to Tien's heart and mind. Tien opened his eyes widely and tried to cover his own feeling, which seemed like Wasan could see through his mind. 

"No... I'm not..."

Tien tried to cover that up but not convincing enough to make an evil in the saint body like Wasan believing him. Wasan smiled brightly and grabbed Tien's tiny arm.

"You know exactly so well that Phu's feeling is REAL. You can look over his words that hurt your feeling. Because those words had come back to hurt him badly."

"What's going on with him?"

Tien didn't actually accept he worried about PhuPha, but he did.

"Like a body without a soul. Like a dying person."

Wasan was serious. 

"And if there is an attack from those illegal mafias, I'm quite sure he would be the one who's ready to die on the battlefield because he's already felt like he's already dead. Rather die than be alive and alone like this."

Wasan took a glance at Tien and saw Tien was shaken. So he went even further.

"If you don't believe me, you can take a look by yourself. Then you can make a decision on how you want to end this."

Tien didn't say anything. In his head, it was like a war between being rational and using his own subconscious to make a decision. But in the end, he let Doctor Wasan put him into his Jeep and headed to Pra-Pirun based camp, which was 3 kilometers away from the village.

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Inside the Jeep, nobody was talking. It took about a while with that uncomfortable feeling inside the car. Tien looked out through the forest without saying anything. The battle inside his head was still going on. One said he shouldn't come with P'Doctor Nam, but another one said only a peek wouldn't hurt and not planning to meet Phu face to face, so there was nothing to worry about.

"Nong Tien, please allow the guard to do his job."

Wasan spoke and woke Tien up from the battle in his head.

"Oh... Ok..."

Tien let the guard check on him as a routine to go into the camp. The soldiers checked on him and the car before soluting to the doctor and opened the gate for them. Wasan parked his Jeep into a garage and led Tien to the camp. These buildings were the residents of their commanders so they seemed quieter than the office building outside. The sun is setting soon, so the sky turned orange yet enough to show the Thai structure of these residential buildings. The winter wind from the deep forest and mountain blew and gave a chilling feeling to a new visitor like Tien.

"I'll leave you here. Phu must be still laying on his bed inside the house."

The doctor told Tien who's standing at the stair of a house.

"Can you give me only a minute? I'll take a look at him and I'll be leaving soon."

"I believe it should take a while. I rather wait at the canteen."

Wasan smirked a little and walked away pretty fast leaving Tien there. Tien was confusing and frustrating. Wasan didn't even listen to him at all. Took Tien for a while to make a decision walking up to the stairs. It shouldn't hurt to take a quick look. Tien thought. 

He walked slowly and quietly to the main door and sneak a peek after opening the door. Tien looked around the room and saw PhuPha sitting on a temporary bed. Right next to him, there was a small chair with a bowl of pork porridge. The young captain looked so much skinnier than several days ago they met. Those jaws looked even clearer than they were before. Those dark circles around his eyes told Tien he wasn't sleeping well. Phu was trying to use his left hand to grab a spoon and eat like he didn't want to. The spoon dropped down on the floor. That picture hurt Tien's feelings even more. Phu stared at the spoon like he didn't even want to pick it up. 

He was completely sick physically and now emotionally. Phu tried to pick up that spoon but suddenly heard someone opened the door. Tien stormed in to pick up and cleaned the spoon before trying to feed Phu a spoon of porridge. Tien slowly blew some winds to that hot porridge and hand it to Phu's mouth. It took a minute for Phu to open his mouth and eat. Phu looked surprised and confused, but glad. Yet something reminded Phu that the person standing right in front of his face was only 'somebody else'. It hurt him again.

It's amazing that somebody who's dying got an organ from another person can survive. It's also unbelievable that the person knew about the information on the doner and manage to get the diary. It's even fascinating to see a young bright future guy who felt guilty and decided to leave the civilization to come this far and he tried to 'live other's people life' before becoming one another. That thought ate PhuPha alive. It was like he never knew the real Tien at all. 

Tien stopped when PhuPha didn't open his mouth anymore. Phu looked at Tien quietly, so Tien put down the spoon uncomfortably. 

"... I didn't mean to intrude but you are not fully recovered. I just want to repay you and that's it."

Tien tried to speak like he didn't actually care. Still, PhuPha sat quietly. That drove Tien mad a little.

"This is not right. I should be the one who had that feeling. Not only because you told me to leave but I've also been monitored by my own family for months."

"True..."

PhuPha replied with his broken voice.

"You must be disappointed, but not this sad, perhaps."

Tien frowned and got madder.

"Being sarcastic. Huh? How do you know my true feeling?"

PhuPha smirked lightly a little. He looked at Tien with the empty feeling eyes.

"You are right again. I don't know your 'true feeling'. Never."

Tien tried to stop his own madness and calmed himself down. He just told Phu that he wanted to repay, so he shouldn't start a new argument. Tien decided to change the topic.

"Let's eat more. I'll help you."

Tien started to grab the spoon but Phu stopped him.

"That's ok. I'm full."

"Why are you this stubborn? If you eat this little, how can you be recovered?"

Phu smiled lightly again. It's not for Tien, but it's a sarcastic smile for his terrible destiny.

"I will never be recovered. Tien."

Tien knew so well, which wound Phu was talking about. But when it came out from a strong giant soldier as Captain PhuPha, it broke his heart into pieces. 

... I cannot take this anymore.

Tien slapped on the bed madly and burst out his own feeling.

"If you knew that you would be like this why didn't you speak nicely to me a few days ago? You knew I have to leave anyway, why don't you try to keep our beautiful memory together?"

Tien started to cry and looked at PhuPha's eyes.

"OUR beautiful memory with you."

PhuPha paused before putting his big hand on Tien's face and wiping those tears away gently. 

"Sorry."

Phu spoke gently and lightly.

"I wasn't ready."

"Wasn't ready? To know that I've got Teacher TorFhun's heart?"

"I didn't expect you to have TorFhun's diary."

"I knew it's my fault. I shouldn't find the doner's information."

Tien tried to explain. Captain PhuPha moved his big hand to rub Tien's hair and said something that stunned Tien.

"That's ok. Just from now on, please do not live other people's life."

Tien opened his eyes widely. He couldn't really keep the breathe correctly. He felt like he was seeing a very bright light for a few seconds. He knew people's kindness, the love from children, and even knew PhuPha before coming here to this village after reading that diary.

... Is this because of TorFhun?!?!

Tien was very confused and cried. This was Miss TorFhun Chalernpon's dream, a beautiful mind of a volunteer teacher. Not Mister Tien Sopaditsakul's, a very rich but spoiled young man. Nothing belonged to him. Not even PhuPha. 

"No... That's not true."

He spoke like Tien lost his mind. His whole body shook like he didn't want to believe that idea. PhuPha closed his eyes. His heart was broken too. He would like to take those feeling to himself, but Tien wouldn't be free from that feeling.

Even if it hurts so badly, we have to get pass through this. 

Captain grabbed Tien's hands and wiped his tears.

"It's like my body and my heart broken apart into two. What should I do next?"

"Just go back to the beginning. And try to think why do you want to be here?"

The city guy stopped and tried to think. Tien tried so hard to organize his thought again. And finally, he got the answer. 

"I'm here to fulfill TorFhun's final wish. She wanted to make a wish with the stars on the new year eve and confess to the one she loved on that hill."

PhuPha took a deep breath. That dream was coming to the end soon.

"Do you know the real meaning of 'Pha-Pun-Daw'? Pha means hill. Pun actually comes from a Thai word 'Phun', which means thousand. And Daw is stars."

"Pha-Phun-Daw"

Tien repeated that word. It's a powerful concept.

"There is a folk tale saying that if we count a thousand stars on that hill, we can make a wish and it will come true."

Tien tried to absorb that tale before saying something out.

"If I can count one thousand stars, then there will be a miracle, right?"

The young soldier smiled with that hopeless face.

"I don't know. Nobody has ever finished that before."

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(End of the first half of Chapter 12)