For a while, the frightening sounds were silent, but whenever something happened to the girl Akemi, they made nonstop noises. The townspeople thought they were nocturnal insects.
Aunt Shigao was very ill, and those voices were affecting her health. It seemed as if she might collapse when the sounds got close to the wall. I addressed them, saying, "Please calm down. Stop screaming."
But when I heard the reply, "Daughter of Akemi, we are coming to you," tears fell from her eyes. She said, "For your sake, my granddaughter, I will be patient. Are you alive, or are they just seeking your voice?"
Those voices traveled to the university beneath the dust, sensing the lost golden ring. When they reached the wall of the chamber, they cried out under the earth. The white cloud descended, carried the ring, and ascended into the sky, clinging to the gray clouds. Akemi woke up, looking at her sister, and said, "Dear sister, look at the clouds. My sister has returned my golden ring. I believe you have come to tell me that my happiness does not diminish when you are near me. My sister, I am standing, although the pain has not gone away. I will stand up for you, for my dream, and for our mother. You are the pilot with me, and I am the pilot beside you."
"O cloud, do not take me away from my sister. I can still see part of the red cloud swirling around me, but it doesn't hold me back. O bright image beneath the clouds, speak, pilot Shenmue, and tell me when we shall descend for my sister's wedding day. Tell me, do you see those little red clouds swirling around your eyes or not? If you see them, it means we have entered the red cloud."
"Pilot, my friend, look—the golden ring is back. I'm saving it for my wedding day."