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Chapter 226: Vol. 4 – Chapter 25

Sinneah

Ten Years Ago

“It is not enough to feel the flame, you must embody it,” Gurron told her. 

They were currently on a cliff, overlooking a vast landscape. In the distance, Sinneah could see one of those strange human-made places that Gurron had told her about. However, what she was meant to see here was not that, but the sun, which was rising over the horizon. 

Sitting with her legs crossed, a young Sinneah was listening to Gurron as she took deep breaths, trying to get a sense of the fire that was supposedly inside of her. They had been trying this for some time now. 

“Once you have taken hold of it, let it rise and surge out.”

… But, is that possible for me?  Sinneah asked herself.  I am not like you, after all. 

She’d seen them, a few times. Those humans walking through the trees. Sometimes, Sinneah wondered why she resembled them so closely if she was a dragon-like Gurron. According to him, her mother, Tomoe, had been one of those humans, but Sinneah never met her. 

Still, she remembered things. Memories that were not her own. Things she could see from her own eyes, that she knew she’d never experienced. She could see herself sitting in front of a dead human, her own tears falling over them. She could see herself in some strange building, with people all around her, a crown placed over her head. 

However, beyond that, nothing more. Sometimes she wondered why those memories were in her mind, why she felt like she couldn’t forget them even if she wanted to. Regardless though, none of them were helping her at this moment. 

Look for the flame,  she told herself.  Feel it within yourself. 

She thought she had it. It was a strange, low, burning sensation, inside of her heart. If she focused on it too hard, it nearly hurt, but she guessed that this was what she was looking for. 

“Have you found it?” 

“… I believe so,” Sinneah muttered, staring ahead. 

“Prove it then. Let me see it.” 

Nodding, Sinneah took a deep breath. If she had indeed found it, then the next step was supposed to be easy. Breathing steadily, she put her hands together, her tail curled around her. That feeling of something simmering within was intensifying. 

Bring this fire out. You are a dragon,  she told herself.  It should be easy. 

Once she felt the fire was strong enough, she clenched her fists and opened her mouth. 

“… Aaaag-“

And she started coughing as all that came out was a bit of smoke, and her throat felt dry. 

“Agh!” She punched the ground, coughing a little more. 

“Unfortunate,” Gurron said next to her. 

“Why can I not do this!?” Sinneah yelled out. 

“With time, it will come. You were born of a dragon, after all. You are as much a dragon as I am, after all.”

—

Now

“Sinneah,” Metsumi asked, and Sinneah raised her head. 

“Yes?” 

“You haven’t touched your drink!” 

Looking down, she saw one of those strange objects filled with a black liquid. She nodded wordlessly, picked it up, and put it to her lips. What slid down her throat was something that felt like fire, but Sinneah forced herself to bear it. She liked this feeling, it packed a punch. 

“What is this?” 

“Liquor,” Metsumi replied. 

“I see…” Sinneah looked down at it and drank more. Beside her, Yumi was doing the same, though she was coughing often as a result. 

So far, human civilization had done a good job of distracting Sinneah from her father’s death. Still, like right now, sometimes she’d recall that moment and she’d have to fight the tears away. How her father asked her to end his life, how she’d agreed and the moment just before her fist pierced his body. 

She needed that reminder though, she understood. Although it hurt, it let her know that now, she was truly alone, and needed to learn to fend for herself. That said, what exactly was she supposed to do? A part of her felt like leaving this place right this moment and running out to face the world on her own. Another was so scared that she hoped she’d never be out there again, without Gurron. 

In her left hand, her father’s eyes, as solid as stone, were still there.  What am I meant to do with them? She asked herself, but Gurron himself had explained this to her. In reality, she was considering whether to part with these eyes at all, as they were the last piece of Gurron she had.

“Let’s not drink too much,” Satsuhiro muttered. “One lapse in judgment could mean we get robbed, or worse.” 

“Oh, come on, Satsu,” Metsumi told him, “let everyone live a little! Things have been so heavy lately, we’re due some relaxation.” 

“And relaxation can only come in the form of being drunk?” Satsuhiro asked. 

“No, but it sure is one of the best ways to relax, at least for me. Kaori would definitely…” She trailed off. “Sorry about that.” 

The atmosphere changed so quickly that even Sinneah noticed it, though she had no idea why. 

“S-Sure,” Metsumi said, clearing her throat. “How about we all go back to the Manor now, then?” 

“Fine by me,” Satsuhiro shrugged, and everyone else agreed. One by one, they got out of their table and walked out of the building. 

Moving along the dirt road, Sinneah remained behind everyone. By her sides were Keiko and Yumi. The shorter one tapped her wrist gently and as Sinneah looked over at her, she was smiling. 

“If you do not understand anything, don’t hesitate to ask any questions,” Keiko let her know. 

“… Okay,” Sinneah said. “Why are all these humans looking at us?” 

Keiko blinked, tilting her head. She looked around, confused. 

“I don’t see anyone looking at us.” 

“No, they certainly are,” Sinneah said. “I can feel it.” 

She’d noticed it since before they had arrived at the restaurant. It was one of the things she’d learned from living in the wilderness with Gurron. Sometimes, she’d go out to hunt on her own, and during these trips, she would have to be sensitive about this sort of thing, or risk getting attacked by surprise. She had developed the intuition to know if a pair of eyes as a matter of survival, so being here, she knew she wasn’t wrong. 

“The ones with weapons,” Sinneah added. “Those are the ones looking at us.” 

“What?” Satsuhiro asked from the front, pausing. He turned toward her. 

“Yes,” Sinneah turned as well, pointing to the nearest one. “That one, that one over there, and that one.” 

All of the men and women she’d pointed at looked away as she did. 

“They were watching us. Is this normal?” 

“… Well, they are guards,” Satsuhiro shrugged. “I suppose it’s their job.” 

“… I see.” 

It was something she’d have to get used to then. Still, she couldn’t help but feel shivers whenever one of those guards’ eyes landed on them. 

—

Ash

All in all, her time with Alys was well-spent, she felt. She started learning a few new Dark spells and a couple of Light spells, but more importantly, she’d learned how to create Light magic, and was reminded of the Sites of Power that she hadn’t yet visited. 

As she walked out of the library, her thoughts drifted to Kaori, and she took a deep breath. 

“Fuck, I miss you… But I’ll be getting you back as soon as I can,” she said, out loud. 

Now, though, she was left with nothing to do. So, she walked out of the Manor, into that garden of sorts where she’d been training with Sinneah in the Divine Arts. Here, she sat down at a bench, crossing her legs as she looked up at the sky. 

So… Now what? 

She had several options. She could try to learn some of those spells, she could go hunting, she could go over what Sinneah had taught her. It was a little overwhelming, actually. 

As she considered her next move, she noticed something out of the corner of her eyes. She looked to her right and saw that same girl from when she and her group had arrived at the Manor. A white dress, bright, rose-colored hair, and clear eyes. She was walking around carrying a broom in her hands, like a few of the servants were. She actually ran into two of them, and they bowed to each other. 

“… Wait,” the servant asked the other one next to her, “when did she start working here?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe she’s new,” the servant shrugged. 

“Ah. Probably.”

The rose-haired girl just waved at them as she walked away. Raising a brow, Ash watched as she basically skipped along the flowers, until she ended up right in front of her. 

Their eyes met and the rose-haired girl stood still, looking at her with great curiosity. 

Ash narrowed her eyes at the girl and she then performed a small curtsy, just like Ash had seen the other servants do. Ash, nonchalantly, asked something that was on her mind.

“Why is your hair so weird? Did you paint it like that or something?” 

“…” At that, the girl’s lips parted. She stared at Ash with wide eyes.

“So?” Ash asked. “I mean, if you don’t want to tell me, don’t, I’m just wondering.” 

Instead of answering, the girl just turned around and borderline sprinted away from her. 

“… Okay. It was just a question,” Ash shrugged. “Now, what the hell do I do?”