I'm one of those types of people that really love to wake up early. But today, I chose to wake myself even earlier than usual. "It's today," (No commas to be outside quotation marks.) I said to myself. The day when I actually thought about what fate really had in store for me. You can somehow say that I'm bored of my usual occupation of being Kasu Village's dancer of strength, but I'd say I more of grew out of it. Every big thing starts out small. (I remember there was a better saying…but I forgot what that exactly was. ^_^;) And for me, it is this day when that 'big thing' is in pursuit. (And for me, today is that day. I kinda like that better.) The words of my sister Tenyou still ring in my head: "what you've been made for"... This is what I wanted to know today, and I shall go on that path today. I think I'm ready...

...except for the part in which I don't have a lead. Before I can start on (I think so.) my walk to fate's door, I have to find that door first. Or rather, I'd have to make that door myself. (Maybe…)I'll open myself to the opportunity that everyone is waiting for... which I really think they shouldn't be doing, as they have to open themselves to that opportunity and seek it out themselves. This is precisely what I wanted to accomplish today. (Wait wait… Everyone is waiting for Ryougen’s opportunity? Am I reading this right?)

My initial mindset is that I am was built to be a warrior. But there isn't really any 'war' going on here in physical terms, so maybe I'll just settle for being an... adventurer? No, that actually makes me sound a bit weaker than what I really want to be (want to be? or ‘currently am?’. I don’t know. D:) . One thing's for sure, however: in order to unlock my inner strength, I will need to reach for a goal that will prompt (trigger?) that hidden self (You were talking about destiny, so why not saydestiny?) of mine to reveal itself. Basically, I am not surprised if this journey of mine will take me to places beyond those that this universe actually knows.

I keep a storage far from the actual house. Dawn wasn't even breaking yet, and I was already leaving my bed and heading towards this storage house (Storage house has a space between them.) of mine. Maybe, just maybe, I can get a glimpse of what I really should be looking for. I really don't think I'll forever just be a dancer for the world's stage, one that gives strength to the world... I would like to give myself strength as well, and obviously I can't do that by just dancing.

I opened that storage of mine, unlocking it with a deep scientific lock that only responds to the bloodline of our clan. Some of Tenyou's stuff was (‘Stuff’, technically isn’t plural. Well, not in this case at least.) here too, and probably some stuff of those of from our ancestors as well. Even though I call it a storage, it actually kind of looks like an unmanned museum: it contained every important artifact (Spell check is saying ‘artefact’ but I’m pretty sure that’s British.) that has been passed down or discovered that is related to our bloodline. Important could mean many things, however, as sometimes I question the existence of some items here, such as Tenyou's one and only violet-colored underwear; she treasures it that so much, she actually doesn't wear it, but she still keeps it here. I still don't know the reason as to why she did that, but you get my point. (author's note: sorry I had to bring something so trivial up... I just couldn't help it, these guys are too cute @_@)
There are indeed some beautiful relics here, such as the so-called "Venus Shard" which was owned by some distant relative of mine, and left it here for some odd reason, but even my unemotional self can tell that there's power emanating from it. Continuing to look for something that'll truly spark up that fire soul inside me, I got to the more personal part of the house. The artifacts kept here are directly related to our bloodline, such as the first ever letter that my distant ancestor Loudo wrote to whoever his mate was. I didn't really want to peer too long into this side of the room, but it was here where in which I found it... the discovery that might change how my whole life is supposed to be. I found a simple picture frame with our family name on top of it. It was a simple frame divided into 3 parts. The left side was designed to look like glorious fire, and the right side was designed to give the feel of a mystic heaven. The middle part was designed to depict the existence of a red and blue wind, symbolizing opposite meanings of both strength and grace. Yes, the design of the frame is of some importance, actually; (I’m going to learn the use of semicolons soon. Yay. ^_^) let's move on to the actual picture. In the right side of the picture was a very small creature with cat-like ears, wearing a simple orange clothing and has some sort of cute green key in hand, where the handle of the key looks somewhat (Not a suggestion, this was the wrong word order.) like the skies. If you haven't gotten the hint, this was Tenyou as a child. Man, she's actually already kinda tall for her age even back then... On the left side was an... 'awesome' looking creature, with ears that resemble wings of a petit dragon, and was wearing a cool red cape and vest... and his undergarments over his vest? What the hell? I'm pretty sure I did NOT wear them like that! You have got to be kidding me! I refuse to believe that this was me as a child... I swear! Oh you, Ryougen.

Then we move on to the thing that sparked that inner fire inside me. There was this third being in the middle of the picture. She looked younger than me, but older than Tenyou. The picture is kinda old though, so it's kind of difficult to see her details yet, (author's note: this description has changed due to a final confirmation from the artist) but her ears look like those of a canine with long ears, and they're purple. Really purple. She really seemed to love purple and its subcolors (sky blue and pink), for she wore a robe that had sky blue lining on the left and pink lining on the right, along with a purple neckline formed like a petal. She wore a special kind of compass and some sort of necklace with a cube that resembled a Menger Sponge. I don't know if it's just me, but I say they seem to be mystical artifacts. Enough with her physical description, however, for one thing is the big question here: why is she part of this picture? This was supposedly just to be a family picture, yet I don't even remember seeing her anywhere. And judging from how we look in this picture, it was like we actually know each other!

This was kind of a major mystery for me, so I took this picture frame and out of the secret house I go. (I’m not sure if that’s a mistake or not. Doesn’t seem suitable for this… You can keep it as is now or possibly change it to something like “so I took the picture and left the secret house” As bland as that may sound. D: . Also, excuse me, I like leaving out my pronouns.”) I needed answers. And if anything, There was one place I know I could go to when it concerns (”comes to” might be better in this case…) anything about our bloodline.

I head over to a village not too far away from Kasu Village. It is called the Shimizu Village. This is the real area where our bloodline was born, so in truth I should really be familiar with this place more than Kasu Village, but my stay in Kasu Village is already as a regular villager there, and even though this is my province, I'm actually just a visitor now. Since it was still really early, the place was still a bit quiet, and it only takes me around 15 minutes to walk there. I immediately headed over to the village head's house, where I already have permission to go inside due to me being part of the bloodline. (That sentence after the comma sounded a bit icky…I don’t know why, I just get a bad vibe. It might be because novels don’t word stuff like that… Ah well…)A bit both (Can’t have “A bit both”, either remove the ‘ a bit’ OR the ‘both’. Either works.) hesitant and excited, I rush over to the room of the village head, Rezo. (author's note: hahahaha. Sorry I couldn't think up of a better name ) If anything, he knows more than most people should know [b](I see how it is, secret information that can hurt people, huh? XD), but he's a good-willed man, yet he's more of the energetic type. Even at his age, he's still one of the most energetic people in our bloodline. He is famous almost worldwide, actually. Heck he's actually also a minister of some distant town. (Wat?)

You would've guessed by now that he's actually awake. (Never would have guessed, thanks for telling me. XD) I ran up to him with quite a determined voice coming out of my mouth. (Where else does a voice come from? Sorry for the latest comments, this isn’t sarcasm one bit.)

"Rezo! I would like you to explain something to me." I said with much composure.

"...Ryougen? It's been a while since I've seen you, yet you come running here with almost no respect or whatsoever..." he replied.

"'Respect'? I thought you said we cou~"

"*smack* (RP a lot? Sadly, this isn’t acceptable for a piece of writing. D: You gotta fully write it out, description, action and everything. ) hahahaha, of course I'm kidding! Just a bit startled to see you here! And from your expression, it seems like something big's up! What is it that you wish to know?"

"Well, you see, I think this is the day I'm about to make a discovery... or rather, when I will start to hunt down that discovery of mine. Please take a look at this!"

I handed him over the picture frame. Even without him holding it, I already saw that change of expression in his face.

"...so you dug deeply into that storage of ours, huh. I didn't actually expect the day that you'll be finding this."

"So you know something?! Please tell me!"

"However, Ryougen, I would want to ask what prompted you to go in there and dig that deeply."

"Well, you see, I just go~"

"Got kinda fed up with the usual routine you have of being just in the village, and felt that the fire inside you was telling you that this usual life of yours isn't actually what it's fated for?" (I laughed because he just trolled Ryougen by asking him something he already knew.)

"..."

"Figures, because that's precisely the only thing I was waiting for."

"Waiting for?"

"Ryougen, even since your childhood, I already had the feeling that you will part of the other side of the Mai family, the one that seeks his inner strength rather than be the strength of the world. After realizing that, it's not long after that the start of the timeline that I will about to tell you has happened. Have a seat, for I'll be giving quite an explanation to you... something that I kept from both you and Tenyou for quite a while now."

"Ever since my childhood, huh..."

I took a seat. I already had a feeling I was going to know something that will really change my life now.

But before he can start talking, the beaded curtain from afar unruffled, and out came another entity that was familiar to my eyes. It was Tenyou.

"...how did you..." I just had to exclaim to her. (He had to? Can’t he just keep his mouth shut? Wait, I shouldn’t be saying that…I like dialogue. D: )

"I figured something was up, for you being too early on your waking time ”,it seemed too early for you to wake up”. Then I felt that the storage house had someone in it, so it had to be you. Seeing as I can't find you anywhere in Kasu, I decided to go here." she replied. (Oh crud, she searched all of Kasu. Oh geez.)

"Ah, Tenyou, great timing. I was about to tell quite a story to your elder brother here, but I should probably also tell this to you as well." Rezo said. Tenyou also helped herself to a seat, as Rezo started to tell the 'secret' that's he's been hiding from us.

"Truth is guys, you are 3 siblings, not just the two of you. This middle entity that you are questioning? She is also part of not just the clan, but she's actually the middle in ages of the two of you. She is younger than Ryougen, and older than Tenyou. She was quite a unique girl, like many of our ancestors. At a young age, she has already shown a great deal of ability in dancing, and at the same time she has shown herself to be affiliated with a mystic property of the wind. She kept these as a secret from both of you, though the only thing you may have noticed is that she often is out of the house. She has developed her talents way earlier than the two of you. Her name, by the way, is Senpuu. Senpuu Mai."

So that was her name. It kind of sounded familiar now that I heard it. Senpuu, huh...

"She kept it as a secret to you, Ryougen, so as not to activate that sense of jealousy within you. See, even at a young age, she was already very oriented to many of the world's truths. She is truly something else, a great gift that has been born here in Shimizu Village. Even until this day, a miniature parade is all set just for everytime that she arrives at the main stage. Almost everyone here looks up to her."

"She's that great of a woman? Where can we find her, then?!"

"...and this is where the bad part comes in. Better listen carefully, Ryougen.
Senpuu not only had the spirit of a maiden, but she also had the spirit of a warrior, much like you Ryougen."

"Excuse me, I'm not a ma~"

"Wait, oops, I worded that wrong." (I-I have the spirit of a maiden! >w<)

"..."

"Anyway, moving on. Knowing this, she went on to research on her own about more of the world's conflicts. The most fascinating thing that interested her was the legends of the Nisen bloodline. I can't actually recall much of the details from that thing, but it's what she set out for. Of course, she didn't do it recklessly; she had to plan it so that no one would know that she actually had something big in mind. What that big thing is, even I don't know. She just told me one day: "Rezo, I'll be going on a quest.", so I helped her out in 'escaping' the village undetected. Where she went, I actually have no leads on. One thing is for sure though... she has never come back yet even until this day."

"What?!" I just had to scream with that last sentence. Apparently, this Senpuu is a sister of mine, an extraordinary child born along our lineage, and yet I don't even remember anything about her, and he comes to me telling that she's been MISSING ever since I was a kid?!

"And the reason why you don't remember? Well, remember the day when you were finally going to be assigned as training dancers in Kasu? Just right after you were moved there, that's when Senpuu 'mysteriously disappeared'. The both of you were so excited, you forgot about them. I suppose it could've ended up differently, her being a family member of yours and all, but to our surprise it actually worked. Over the years, no one has talked about Senpuu. I kept the worrying to myself, anxiously waiting for her return. And I kept it from you so that your childhood won't be scarred..."

I'm suddenly a bit silent here. I don't know her much... 'anymore', yet I get these feelings of sadness. The only reference I have for her existence and personality is the picture and Rezo's story, yet I already have that heavy feeling inside.

"But... seeing you here, I think it was the most appropriate time that it could've been revealed to you.
Ryougen! You do want to embark in some sort of new adventure right? Something that will hopefully awaken that spirit of the warrior inside you?" Rezo asked.

"Spirit of a warrior? Ryougen, what is he...?" Tenyou was puzzled.

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you Tenyou, but thanks to your words yesterday, I think one of my eyes have finally opened. You told me that "dancing is what I've been made for", as if it was my destiny since birth, but of course like the rebel I was, I was able to think otherwise. Tenyou, I am actually going to retire this early." I calmly replied.

"...! Ryougen! You can't just... you can't just do that! It's been how many years that we've been doing this...! Don't you actually feel affection for the life that you already have?"

"I do have, actually. However, it's just that feeling of something lacking inside me... it's as if this wasn't really what fate had in store for me. For that feeling alone, it leads to all this, all in the span of a night's sleep."

"...Ryougen..."

I faced Rezo yet again. "Yes, that is correct."

"Then this is the only thing I can tell you: Senpuu is waiting. How you take these words are your journey is up to you." he replied with a strong tone. He threw the picture frame back at me, and explained some more. "The compass that she has is a secret artifact that only she knows of its true potential. However, she told me that this is also some sort of emergency device, for it can point the wielder in the direction of its true owner. This is a big hint for you. If you can find this item, chances are you might be able to cross paths with her!"

Senpuu's compass, huh. Well, I'll refer to it as that for the timebeing.

"So... Ryougen? What do you decide on?" Rezo asked me, and seems like it's the final question he'll be asking me.

"...don't tell anyone of anything. I'll be doing this on my own. I'll make it known to those that must know." I replied with a simple answer.

"If that is your decision then. Well, take what I have just told you however you want to interpret it. If you wish to do something, then go back home. Dawn's already at hand."

"Alright, thank you Rezo."

I head back to Kasu Village with Tenyou, but on our way back there, Tenyou had that really blank expression on her face. She was wide awake alright, so she must probably be in a situation of shock right now. What, with your elder brother suddenly revealing that he'll be leaving for a long time, who wouldn't be surprised. Oh well.

After we arrived at home, Tenyou still wasn't saying a word. I approached her in my attempt to fix that.

"...look, I love you; you're my sister after all. But do me a favor and stop being so emotional. At least live this day normally, I'll fix everything by tomorrow. I'll be staying for this day just so I could explain everything to everyone here."

She still doesn't have a response. Figures. I simply ignored it and went on to the usual day. To be honest, I myself was actually excited on this. I actually have a large scale goal in my hands! And not only that, the mystery that is my sister is kind of intriguing to think of. I'm still kind of furious because the entire Shimizu Village kept this from me, even wiping out my memory of her, but I guess being able to vent out this frustration via journeying for truth is something that seems to be a really satisfying quest.

The day went on as normal and the stage of tonight is set for yet another performance. As usual I was up last, but this time I persuaded the stage assistants that I'll be doing really, really, REALLY flashy (author's note: for a while I thought dirty there. Sorry.) moves tonight, so I set up the stage for a very extraordinary display.

Time passed, and I noticed that Tenyou's performance was still as graceful as usual, though you can feel the kind of slower feel of her dance today. Last up, it's me. The 'host' of the show made his introduction really flowery, even revealing that the music that I was going to use was Ryougen no Mai! Damn it! That song, Ryougen no Mai, was... no, IS the best dance I have made ever since I started! I was going to make it a surprise, and the stupid host spoiled it. A bit furious about it, I suddenly pulled a rope that initiated a minor fire explosion that happens in the middle of the stage. This of course surprised the host, and many of the crowd, but I immediately shouted "Way to ruin my surprise, damn it!" from the back, and I'm pretty sure even the crowd heard me. So the host kind of briefed up the introduction after that and quickly welcomed me to the stage. Since people already know that I was going to perform that saikyou dance of mine, they were going really, really, REALLY wild. Doning my classic outift from a few years ago, I made people feel that they were living that performance mine all over again. I can't tell the details of how the dance went this time around, but needless to say, I have never seen the people so awestruck in such a long time.

After my performance, the applause was way wilder than what I have seen in the course of my days as a dancer. I didn't immediately go backstage, so I was standing there for a long time listening to the applause. And since people noticed that I wasn't leaving, some were even screaming "Encore", which I totally never, never do because it just makes me look more like some hooker or something... Anyway, I stayed on the stage for a reason. After I realize that the crowd was getting tired of clapping, I grabbed this odd device they call a 'mic' that can modulate my voice through the walls of the stage, and started talking.

"Everyone! Please listen!"

I started.

"Well... so..."

Then suddenly someone shouted "RYOUGEN-SAMAAAAAAAAAAAA" from the crowd, and a lot of people suddenly followed. I had no choice but to just wait with a sweatdrop until such time that they fell silent again.

"Okay, so as I was saying...

You might be wondering why I performed such an awe striking performance today, seeing as how there isn't really a special occassion. Well, for me, it's a special occassion, actually."

From this point on, I could notice even the staff was listening.

"This is my most special dance. And... this is possibly the last dance I will be doing here."

As I said that line, I heard the loud gasps that came from every direction within the stage. Mumbles here and there, as what you would expect. I know it would be kind of hard for people to accept, as I kind of startled them there, but I had to be straightforward.

"Yes, I'm sort of... retiring, if that's how you can call it. However, I am doing this for a reason that means a lot to me.
For the really mature ones here, do you remember that one point in your life, when you just realize that you have that entirely new inspiration? Out of the blue, you just suddenly feel like doing something big... Some of you may have been able to do it, some of you may have just barely reached it, but there's no denying that this stage of life has struck you at least once.

Well, for me, I think it just came to me today. I'm going on a quest, guys. What that quest is and where that leads me, I do not know. But I assure you that I shall return here, and hopefully add to the many stories that exist about this village. People of Kasu, you have been so great to form me into who I am now. Every one of you has been very significant, and I thank you greatly for it. Now I think it's time I return the favor in a much larger scale.
Tomorrow, I shall go on to the outside world. As I said, I do not know what will await me there, but hopefully it shall bring glory to this village, as well as my family...
...I know this is a bit too sudden, but I am asking this politely of you. I may be a higher authority here in this village, but I would want to ask you people for your opinion.
Will you people... allow me to start my own adventure?"

I turned my back after that last sentence.

"...either answer you give me however, I will not change my mind..." I followed it up with that. (Wait…what? Why ask the questi—Bah, forget it. Silly Ryougen.)

Just as I was almost disappearing back to the backstage, I felt something being thrown onto stage. It was... a rose. And later, different flowers were being thrown on to the stage. I could hear the people saying "Good luck, Ryougen-sama", as if in support of the journey I was going to embark on, which I think they really are. I think I heard some break into a few tears, but in general I felt that supportive environment of the Kasu Village around me. Not looking back, I continued to walk out, shedding a single teardrop, for it's possible that this may be the last time I will ever be on this stage. Backstage, a lot of the staff were asking me questions, which I simply ignored as I walked back home. The Village Head Fuun escorted me and Tenyou back to the house, and drove the crowd away from our house. I noticed Tenyou already went ahead straight to her room. A bit worried and sad as I was, I was still overcome with excitement, so I headed over to my own room to take a good rest.

The next day, I woke up early as usual. I first went to the village head's house as he told me he was going to give me something before I leave, so I headed over. He handed me over a bag with the necessities of an outsider, and some scrolls and other remembrances of the village. Well, it wasn't like I was gonna disappear forever; did I really mean that much and the people didn't want to let go of me? Nevertheless, I'm still pleased that the people still accept me even after this decision that indirectly implied that I will leave them for good.

I headed out of the house, only to find that there was a blue carpet surrounded with fire that was scattered with various gems. This carpet led all the way to the outskirts of the village. A lot of people were gathered around the carpet. As they saw me, they suddenly did the village's motion of praise, as if I was their leader or something... To be honest, I actually don't like the idea of fame itself, but if the people really like you so much, I guess you'll have to bear with it... even if you still look like a sleepyhead. Man, they even made small preparations just to see me off... these guys...

Just almost at the end of the carpet, there was a really beautiful entity there. It was Tenyou, but I have never seen her wear such beautiful clothing. Tying a red ribbon across one of her ears, wearing a green thing which kinda looks like a kimono, designining (Are you trying to say ‘designing’?) herself with probably the most beautiful accessories in moderation, and a violet keystone in hand, she was the final person to greet me at the exit of Kasu Village. Seems like even she's come to accept this, although her actions are somewhat heightened compared to the villagers', what, me being his elder brother and all...

"Ryougen..."

"Tenyou..."

"Come back safely, OK? You still have unfulfilled promises to me~"

"...oh I will. Don't you worry.
People of Kasu Village..."

I noticed everyone kneeled down, including Tenyou. They were all looking at me.

...wait, they're probably waiting for me to say something... to be honest, I don't know what to say.

"...goodbye, everyone! We shall meet again in the near future!" I just shouted. Well, I'm not that much of one that talks with a lot of words, actually... hell, I didn't really expect something this grand to be prepared for me.

Then I heard some cheer for me. "All hail Ryougen, the knight of Kasu!", which I don't really know who shouted. The crowd suddenly went wild as this finally meant farewell to the village. I really couldn't leave just yet, seeing as how they were just too close to me. Compared to the tears of yesternight, this was actually the true moment of tears. Tenyou hugged me for the last time before I was able to leave, which of course I returned. I normally don't do this, for people know me more as an unemotional person, but I guess it's just natural for everyone to have feelings, huh.

I finally shouted "I'll be back!" as I proceeded to walk away from the village. The village gate was closing, with me being on the outer side of it. Some of them were still trying to prevent the gate from closing, wanting their last glimpse of me, but it had to be done. Without looking back, I proceeded to walk further and further away from the village. "This is the beginning of fate's path, it seems." I said to myself, as I continue to walk.

I could hear Tenyou's faint voice from the other side, saying that the festival for that night will be one of the most grand (Apparently, there’s such word called ‘grandest’. I didn’t know that, I thought the superlative was ‘most grand’ too… Ah well. I don’t think ‘grand’ is a great adjective to use here…) ones that they will be conducting. And they're even marking the calendar to this day as a special day... I'm not sure how much I feel about that.

Anyway, that's the least of my concerns now. What I am looking at now is the field of the outside world, a mysterious world where I can finally expand my horizons. Maybe, just maybe, I can find my true self through this journey.

My destiny is beginning to be made clear to me.

It's been a while ever since I left Kasu Village. I started walking away from the village just a little bit after afternoon striked [i]’arrived’ or ‘hit’ would be better.. Looking at the position of the sun, I think it's already around 3 hours after afternoon [b](I’m pretty sure you mean ‘midday’ and can’t you just say 3 o’ clock?), and the only actual landmark I've actually noticed was Shimizu Village. Is the world really this empty or something? If only I had a map to guide myself with, damn it. (Long description alert…Must…stay awake…)

You may wonder which direction I'm going. For starters, I've always believed that west was a lucky direction to go in, so after seeing Shimizu Village I immediately turned left and walked straight from there. I don't really have a compass with me so I don't know if I'm really going west, but my perception is actually "west of the village" and not "west of the world". I really just hope I can get somewhere before I starve or thirst...(to death?)

I try my best to take my mind off the dullness that is walking to somewhere you don't know by imagining the things that could be waiting for me. What sort of other creatures will I encounter? Will other people accept me for who I am? What sort of glorious objects will I find along the way? And more importantly, will I find Senpuu's compass? Will I be able to find Senpuu by embarking on this journey? I haven't been outside of our area much, so I don't really know answers to these questions. for my The only real reference would only be the books that I've read before, both academic and fiction. But my expectation of the world is that it is totally different, and just reading and studying isn't enough to know what is real or what is not.

As I continue to walk, I suddenly notice how much sweaty I am already. The wind is a bit weak in the path I'm going in, and that really bright star that's giving power to the world is kind of raging at our surface for some odd reason. I can usually adapt to hot environments; I like it in hot places, actually. But in this case where there isn't even a sign of wind to compliment the rays of that star, this is an unreasonable degree of hot.

It now seems to be five hours after afternoon, and the sun is already beginning to set. Even though the surface is already cooling off a little, the lack of wind is really getting to be troublesome. I look ahead and still don't see any landmarks, so I took a towel from my Supplies Bag and replaced the red cape, just so I could dry myself up. I also brought out a small container which had drinking water, which isn't as troublesome as neutral water in that I actually have to intake it, so I drank a few just so I could take my mind off the heat; I don't actually know when I get the chance to refill this with water anyway, so I actually have to save up on it. After a few minutes where I felt I could go on, I put on my red cape again and continued to walk in the direction I was still facing.

It was almost night time (Word says ‘night-time’ but I have NEVER, EVER, seen it like that…EVER.) as the sun had almost disappeared. It was getting kind of difficult to see, so I was considering whether I should stop and camp out here in the middle of some unknown territory for the night. It's a shame I didn't even get to see any landmark that I could take note of for the first day of my journey, but there's still tomorrow to continue exploring.

I put down my supplies bag to pull out some covers. As I opened it, however, the wind suddenly blew strongly, which kind of startled me. In fact, it startled me so much, I accidentally waved my hand and hit a really hard tree with it. As natural reaction, I flinched in pain. It can't get any worse, right? Or so I thought... after flinching, a branch fell on my right foot which made me flinch in another direction. With my instincts confused as to whether to relieve the pain of my hand or my foot first, I eventually tripped forward and rolled quite a distance... I'd say around 12 steps away from where I placed my supplies bag. After I stopped rolling over and stood up, I suddenly saw what seemed to be a 2-story building to the distance. "Finally, somewhere worth going to" I thought, so I quickly stepped back and got my supplies, then continued to walk in the direction I was facing; this time I was walking faster as I already know I'm going somewhere. It’s like I’m watching anime!

Just before the sun completely disappeared, I finally arrived at the place. Looking at the two-story building that I saw from before, my first impression was that this place was supposed to be some sort of town. But as I got to what seemed to be the entrance of this 'town' (the walls were made evident enough to be the border of that landmark), it actually looked like a series of abandoned residences, more like a ghost town with nothing in it. "Well, it's better than having to sleep outside", I told myself, so I went in.

A basic layout for a town, really: a main street, houses to the side, and alleys just in between the houses. I walk along the main road, looking left and right repeatedly, looking for signs of life anywhere. Well, it was already night so it was a bit hard to see, but oddly enough even this abandoned town have the nightlights working. I continue to walk, and if I don't notice any sign of life here when I reach the other side of the town, I'll just go inside one of the houses and try to sleep there. Maybe I can even find some leftover supplies, too.

With the sun not visible anymore, I didn't know how to tell the time. It was at this time that I suddenly remembered that I could tell the direction I was going to by (Two prepositions right next to each other. lol) looking at where the sun was setting. Since the sun was setting to the left of me while walking outside, I must have been walking north all this time. I brought out a paper and brush and started to somehow plot out a map from there: I first drew the NESW compass to the upper-right, then I drew Kasu Village and Shimizu Village near the center, then a few distances 'north', I drew this nameless town. Just when I was finished plotting it out, however, I noticed that I was surrounded. There were suddenly a number of bandits that were surrounding me... well, at least they somehow look like bandits. Their stance however wasn't like one, for they took on stances that are familiar to me as martial arts, and their weapons were actually still sheathed. Not really panicking here, though it just startled me that I'll be attacked in such an odd place... well, not really 'odd'; I'm walking alone in an abandoned town, I should really be expecting this.

Time passed and they still didn't do a thing to me. Nothing was going on. Then later another entity showed up from behind the circle of 'bandits', which I assume would be their leader, or something like that. She had (author's note: this part may change due to the reference picture being very unclear at the moment) feline-like red ears that were kind of pointy, and she seemed to have long yellow hair which was straightened perfectly, but curved nicely back by some black object attached to the back of her head. She wore a violet vest which allowed for a great deal of mobility, and she was actually kinda tall. Coming from behind the crowd, she walked up to me.

"Hm, we don't get visitors here often, and less likely people not from the town." she said to me. "I haven't seen you anywhere, so how did you get to this place?"

"I just... got here? I was just walking in some direction, and I eventually ended up here." I replied. She seemed to have then taken notice of my supplies bag.

"Going on an adventure or something? It's kind of odd to see people here that have no idea where they're going."

"Something like that, yes. Since it was night time, I figured I needed to look for a place to at least spend the night in comfortably. I almost settled for sleeping outside, but then I saw this place, so I walked here."

"How long have you been walking?"

"Maybe around 6 hours."

"6 hours! Some trip you're going on, here."

"I came from Kasu Village, which is just 6 hours south of this place. By the way, my n~"

"I did not ask for your name yet."

"why are you so pushy?"

She didn't answer me after that, as she suddenly swiped the supplies bag I had, opened it, and dropped everything in it. Of course this frustrated me.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" I exclaimed. She seemed to scan the contents of the bag carefully, very carefully. My first impression was she was looking for something to take from me.

"Oh you wouldn't dare!" I shouted at her, then assumed a standard fighting stance just to defend myself if ever I needed to, in which this situation actually kind of calls for it. After she was finished skimming through my things, she threw the bag wide open in front of me. After that, she proceeded to kick my things one by one back into the bag. Well, so much for being stolen from, so I assumed a normal standing stance again as I was assured that she wouldn't steal something from me. Eventually, all of my things were back in the bag.

"So... just a place to stay huh. Can't say we own this place, anyway, so feel free to use this house over here." she said, as she pointed out a specific small residence that seemed to be well clean enough for someone to live in. "I always take care of this house just in case there was a time that I needed to find another residence, but I guess you can use it for now." she continued. "My name is... no, rather, you can call me Kiluna."

"Ryougen. Ryougen Mai of Kasu Village.
Thanks so much for letting me stay here." I replied.

"However, you must leave this place early tomorrow, for this still isn't your house, as it is not mine as well. It's kind of a bad habit to just take houses like that, you know. I'll make sure that I kick you out early tomorrow morning."

"Fine by me, I'll continue going tomorrow morning anyway...
Just a quick question, are there any other landmarks nearby here where I can hopefully resupply?"

"Well, Ugoshi Town isn't far away from here. This place used to be Ugoshi Town, but due to some accident from long ago, the place had to be relocated. Now this place just serve as the faraway slums of the town. The walk isn't that far from here. I could take you there tomorrow morning if you want."

"That would be great, thanks. If you'll excuse me, I really want to rest for now."

"No problem. Just don't do anything stupid."

"...do I really look that type of person?"

"Well, you're a complete stranger, how would I know?"

"...true. Anyway, thanks again."

"You're welcome. Don't cut the light in your eyes, now." (Phew, I downloaded the map just before I had my internet taken away from me. lepi did a great job.)

"...what's that supposed to mean?"

"...just go to sleep -_-"

"...whatever."

I went inside that house that Kiluna said she's taking care of. Well, it was a really simple house with one room... in fact it was just enough for one to be able to do normal residence functions in except the lack of a dining room. There was a wooden bed with a small ragged cushion on top of it, a few shelves and a cabinet, with one lamp and an overhead light. This was enough to stay in properly, so I unloaded myself, locked the door, and jumped on the cushion due to me being so tired from that long walk.

The night was kinda dull in this abandoned town. The only signs of life here was Kiluna and her gang, so there was minimal noise outside at this time. Moments like these are when I wish I could still sleep in Kasu Village. Nevertheless, I tried to drift off to sleep as I continue my journey tomorrow. Who knows, I might even have to walk longer after I resupply tomorrow morning...

But just before I can fully drift off in deep slumber, I suddenly heard commotion outside, and I was suddenly disturbed. I couldn't get to sleep. Annoyed, I looked out the window to the left of the room to see what was going on. By the way, this house was just on the border of a tall upward part of the main road, so the corridor to the left of it was pretty much a bird's eye view.

At the dead end of the alley, I saw Kiluna, and her face seemed to be frustrated... or more of in a fighting expression, as she was also in some fighting stance and had some of her combat equipment drew out. I looked to see who was attacking her, and to my surprise, it was actually her group of 'bandits'! "What's going on?!" I wondered, so I stuck my ear out of the window and used my stronger-than-normal hearing to eavesdrop on the dialogue down there.

"We've been waiting for the full moon all this time, Kiluna! Now hand it over!"

"Hand what over?! Why are you guys suddenly attacking me like this?!"

"The hidden brooch of the full moon! Give it!"

"...since when did you know about this?!"

"Just a few moments before 'we' formed this group... We're just mercenaries, after all. It doesn't matter how long it takes to get the job done, as long as we get paid for doing it in the end!"

"So that's what you guys were after for, all this time?! This thing?!"

I proceeded to look down afterward, then I saw Kiluna holding up a brooch with a red gem in the middle. For some reason, it shone very brightly under the full moon's light. Judging from the conversation, these guys are after this brooch, in which they will either profit from it or they have been hired to take it from her. So in truth they were actually mercenaries, huh. Kiluna somehow does look like one too.

I was a bit confused as to what to do. This was going to be a bit bloody, and I didn't want to get in a fight that wasn't my business. However, my concern for Kiluna kind of dominated over me, so I wore my red cape and vest quickly as I ran outside the house, and to the mouth of the alley where Kiluna was cornered. It seemed like they were already rushing toward Kiluna to attack, so I ran in and grabbed one of the guys there, punched him fiercely on the face, and threw him forward, which took 2 other guys out as well. This suddenly startled the group as they suddenly looked at me.

"It's the 'visitor'! So Kiluna, you had us figured out all this time, didn't you?!" The mercenary directly in front of Kiluna shouted at her.

"What are you talking about? I don't know this guy! I don't even know where his so called village is!" Kiluna replied, but her heavy breathing actually kind of made her look like she was lying even though she wasn't; it infuriated the mercenary leader, and ordered a good number of other guys to stop me.

There were quite a number of them, and they had everything to attempt to take me out, even to go so far as injuring me, or maybe even killing me. I, however, although not that skilled in fighting, cleared my mind as I tried to think carefully of how to take them out. It was simple, really: using my techniques in the dances that resembled some ancient moves, I was able to anticipate the moves of the mercenaries, which I think I can rightfully call bandits now, and hopefully drive them to the wall one by one. Right now, my goal was to get to Kiluna and get her out of here, and fend off these bandits for good. Not necessarily knocking out the guys here, I continue to dance my way forward (which actually seems to have formed my fighting style... the warrior's dance, mostly, was especially helpful here), I saw Kiluna trying to combat that bandit leader and protect that brooch that she was wearing. Eventually after dancing all the way to the end of the alley, I stood next to Kiluna.

"Ryougen?! What are you doing, this is none of your business! Leave at once!" Kiluna shouted at me.

"It may be none of my business... but you guys are disturbing my sleep." I replied sheepishly. In truth, I was actually concerned about Kiluna. She may have only did a small deed for me, but anyone with common sense would be able to tell that Kiluna needed protecting here; even if I didn't know her, I would help her out anyway. "So to you guys... I suggest you back off away from her before things get really messy." I said to the bandits.

"Back off? What a laugh! You're not even armed in anyway, and you fight like a sissy! Why should we fear some stranger such as you?" the bandit leader replied to me.

"Because... because...!" I was kinda infuriated by his statement. Moments later I suddenly lost track of my emotions here and suddenly let out a burst of what seemed to be spirit energy, the same energy I let out when I do my most powerful dances. I wasn't able to think straight here, as I just continued to do some hand motions that resembled a familiar dance technique of mine: I waved my hand quickly downward, then quickly pushed my palm forward with my arms crossing at the wrists. Then suddenly, red fire was suddenly coming out of my left hand, while blue fire was coming out from my right hand. Since I really wasn't able to think straight right now, I seemed to have pulled off a move that I was meaning to keep secret to myself... the Ryougen Beam. This was essentially it, but instead of using it for a fireworks-like display, I used it for combat instead. This suddenly prompted the group of bandits to back off as there were 2 enormous fires rapidly coming at them in alternate groups of 6 waves, colored blue and red. I was shouting a bit at this point, for I was exerting quite an amount of spirit energy. This moment of mine that took the spotlight seemed to have given me time to get my head straight, and eventually after I was conscious of my actions again, I stopped the Ryougen Beam. Everything suddenly feel silent after, except for my heavy breathing with a furious face towards the gang of bandits. A few moments later, I heard the bandit leader say "Pull out! Pull out!", which had all of them scattering away. The alley was clear again.

"...Ryougen..." I heard Kiluna speak. Still with my furious face, I turned to her and shouted.

"If you're going to give me a place to sleep, at least let me sleep in it!" was what I shouted. I then turned away from her and away from the alley, up the road, and back into the house that Kiluna provided for me. I jumped on the bed in hopes that I can finally cool off.

"...so much for the first event in my journey." I said, as I was finally able to sleep.

What happened in the middle of the night that I was asleep, I don't know.

Next thing I knew, morning already came. Sunrays were already evident, so I got up and prepared to leave the place and go to Ugoshi Town. Then I suddenly remembered that Kiluna was supposed to take me there today, so I fixed myself quickly so that I can find her as soon as possible. But while I was fixing myself up, I suddenly noticed that Kiluna was inside the house, which suddenly made me startled, tripped over the bucket of water that I was washing myself with, and the water splashed on me. So much for being awake in the morning...

Wait, WATER?! I suddenly stood up panicking, looking for a towel. Kiluna threw me one eventually, and I quickly dried myself with it. After I was done fixing myself, I finally approached Kiluna. How did she get in here in the first place? Oh wait, she has the keys to this house, duh.

"Apparently you don't know what privacy means, do you?" was my first statement to her.

"...how rude! I was gonna say good morning..." she replied.

"Still, you don't barge in to people's rooms without their permission. Anyway... you were going to take me to Ugoshi Town, right?" (This ain’t your house, Ryougen. Blah blah blah.)

"Yes I am. But... can we talk for a while, please?"

Hm, I'm pretty sure she won't forget what happened last night. So I sat down for what she had to say.

"Ryougen... I'd like to thank you for what you did for me last night. You protected a total stranger such as myself..."

"...don't be ridiculous! I just wanted to get to sleep, that's all!"

"Is that really so? Judging from how you reacted, it was like you were actually concerned as to what was happening."

Well, it's true... I just wanted to conceal the fact that I cared for a complete stranger. I wanted to retain that... 'cool' image of mine, like how most wanderers' personalities are. She could probably see through my facade the entire time, however.

"But I could conclude that you were eavesdropping on us, which prompted you to go and fend them off, isn't that right?"

"Yes, I heard the situation clearly. That brooch of yours is special, and basically those bandits wanted to steal it."

"They were thieves all along, those, imbeciles...! But my main concern now is that you know at least a bit of one of my biggest secrets..."

"The brooch? It's not like it concerns me, after all."

"It's still possible, however, that people may begin to ask you about it; since the guys got away, the possibility of them spreading out the news will be unavoidable...
So please... can you at least keep a promise? Promise me that you would act innocent about this... I'm sorry for getting you in this mess!"

"Sorry...? I have no concern for the brooch, whatsoever. It's so easy to act innocent, for I am not concerned of it."

"...that's a relief to hear."

With those words, I finally stood up.

"Now, if you would please take me to Ugoshi Town, if you may."

"Wait, Ryougen! Now that I think about it, I have one really, really big request..."

"And that is...?"

She fell a bit silent for a while. She probably is going to request something so big, she's even having trouble saying it.

"...come on, say it, I don't have all day." I prompted her.

"...Ryougen! Please let me go alongside you on your adventures!"

What?! This was all too sudden. Kiluna, a mercenary that I only knew for less than a day, asking me to take her on my journey even though she doesn't know where I'm headed!

"What?! What kind of... do you actually know what you're saying?!"

"Ryougen, you said yourself that you didn't know where you were supposed to go, wandering wherever your instinct takes you. Well, I'd like to also go to places too! I have my own goals which I just can't settle because of my duty in Ugoshi!"

"You have your own goals? Is this duty of yours in Ugoshi that much that you can't let go of it?"

"TO tell the truth, I am actually under the impression that being a mercenary will also take me places... and it's also my only main source of income. However, I have objectives that require me to wander around places with freedom! As a mercenary, I can only do the job and report back quickly, so I'm basically still locked in a cage. But after seeing you, a wanderer that has no money of his own and only relies on supplies that he finds, it suddenly sparked the idea in me that I don't actually need money to do what I want to!
And... with the guys running away from me, I have no actual group now and I may not be able to perform my requests anymore... To tell the truth, I've been thinking all night about where I can go now...!"

"You can just embark on your own journey! Why cling to me?"

"It's just... you know, different when you're going in a group. You may be a total stranger, but I know even you have friends and family that you cling to in times of need, right?"

As she uttered those words, I'm suddenly reminded of Kasu Village.

"And as you fought yesterday... I saw that strength in you. And the fact that you are the first person I saw to actually display spirit energy... it's the perfect opportunity for my actual quest!"

Quest? She must really be actually after something.

"Let me journey with you, Ryougen! I feel that my destiny may lie along the path that you're also taking!"

Destiny's path? OK this girl is too identical to me now. It's kinda hard to turn her down now, so...

"...how could I say no after how you described yourself? You yourself found out that I am concerned about others, so..."

"So is that a y~"

"It's a yes, yeah."

"Ryougen! Thank you... thank you so much!"

"However! Since you're the one tailing on me and not the other way around, my decisions will be first priority. You're not the leader of the group this time."

"Of course... I worked my way up to become the leader of Ugoshi's mercenary group, anyway..."

"But unlike jobs, there's no 'rank up' system here; you go with my journey, you'll have to follow my path. Understood?"

"Yes, yes, of course!"

"However, since I don't necessarily 'own' you, you may leave and go on your own path during anytime. I won't stop you."

"Uh, okay."

"So... can we go to Ugoshi now?"

"Of course, of course! When we arrive there, just tell me what you need and I'll point you to the appropriate section that has them. I also have to do some things in Ugoshi so as to cut off all connections (Heh, cut off… Also, fixed spelling ‘connections’) to me there, signifying my leave as a mercenary, so I really do need to go there anyway."

"Well alright, let's go."

I got my bag of supplies as we left the room, and Kiluna seemed to also have herself prepared on a journey too. We walk out of the slums of Ugoshi to go to the main town.

"After we're out of the town and just wandering around, would you mind telling me this quest you talk about? I'll also describe to you my quest, which is kinda mystical in nature as well." (It would kinda help me if you’d specify who’s talking…since either one could be saying this. In my eyes, that is.)

"Yours too, huh? I have a feeling my own quest is also a bit fantastic by nature, so sure!"

"Alright, let's go then."

We now walk away from the abandoned town and on the way to Ugoshi Town, where we can stock up on supplies before leaving for a really long walk. To be honest, I feel kind of happier that I actually have someone accompanying me on a journey. Guess no one really is an island, huh. Shame I didn't get to see her abilities beforehand, but who said we needed to physically fight on our journey? There may be some rough moments, but our objectives will always be at sight. Fighting is only for necessity, even though I do sometimes like seeing the fighting abilities of other people.

Let's go on an adventure, shall we?

Before I... rather, we progress to the continuation of my journey, we head over to the first town I find along my journey. The extensive walking that I did yesterday seemed to have hit my initial stock of supplies too much, so while we're still here, we'd stock up for another walk we don't know how long will take. One thing's for sure though: I can count on this town to be my initial 'base' of sorts; I think I can keep coming back here when I need to. Walking all the way back to Shimizu or Kasu Village just isn't worth the re-visit, plus I don't think I can get that much supplies there anyway... they're just villages.

Hm... what if I do make this place my actual base instead? Just for sleeping quarters.

"Hey Kiluna." I turned to her while we were walking toward the town.

"What?"

"No one's living in that house that you let me sleep in yesterday, right?"

"I thought you would have figured that out by now."

"I was just wondering whether I can just make it temporarily mine for a while?"

"Make it yours?! Uhm, uh..."

Hm, is there something I overlooked? Considering the fact that she already let me sleep yesterday, I figured that she doesn't care that much about that house. Looks like she's still reluctant to give it to me. What I think is that she may have been taking care of that house for too long, she may have grown attached to it. Many people find that trait of being attached to inanimate objects weird, but as one who has encountered quite a number of people (even with my kinda silent personality...), I won't find anything new as weird. Heck, I've grown attached to my own cape. However, if she was truly attached to the house, she would have said "no" outright. I wonder what's keeping her...

"Uh, I'll think about it, ok?"

She can't even spew out an answer right now. Well, guess we should keep moving toward the town then.

We eventually arrive at Ugoshi Town. As this is actually the first time I've been to a town (remember that I'm a village boy), I'm amazed by the sheer number of buildings there are here. More than that, I'm surprised how modernized things can get around these places. Electricity in our village is just used mainly for basic appliances, like lights. If this is what a town looks like, what more if I see an actual fully modernized city? It would probably be very astounding in my eyes.

"Here we are! Ugoshi Town. Man, why don't I feel excited anymore when I come here...?"

"If these are your origins, I think I won't wonder; your teamma... no, the bandits might actually be around here, according to what you describe."

"True, but it's not that... I'm pretty sure I can handle them on my own."

"Yet you were pretty much helplessly cornered yesterday night..."

"...can we drop that event for a while, please?"

"Actually, I'm under the impression that you're just excited to go out on the journey."

"...you know what, that's actually kind of true! I'm not 'not' excited to come here, in fact I can't forget my origins; bottomline here is I can finally go places and solve that big myster of mine!"

"So before we get to that, could you please show me now to the markets or whatever you call them around here?"

"Markets... hahaha, an evident village boy right here. You may have to get used to calling them shops, as they're kinda defined differently."

"Moreover, I do not have any monetary item with me right now, so uh..."

"Well, if we're going to stock on much, I don't have that much with me right now. So let's go visit my 'office' first..."

"Office...?"

Kiluna dragged me over to some building in the middle of the town. It appears empty, and assuming from the name of the office "Don't Cut", it's probably hers.

"Okay, wait here."

So I was just outside her 'office', waiting for her to come out. Eventually she did, and she was carrying a subtly sized bag. Of course I had to ask:

"What's in that?"

"All the office stuff I leave inside it. Since I figured I wouldn't be going back here for a while, I took everything as it might help us on the trip.
And since I don't actually do this job anymore..."

She pulled some almost invisible lever near the grass that was surrounding her office. And as soon as she triggered that lever, the building suddenly collapsed. Of course that startled me so much, seeing as how such a well-structured building would just break down into pieces. This also made all the townsfolk suddenly look at us, what with all the racket that caused.

"..." was my only reaction.

"Nothing to see here, guys! Go on!" Kiluna commented, which actually made some of the people move along, despite the building just destroyed. Then someone approached Kiluna.

"Yep, I'm shutting the place down for now, so you can take that off the town map. However, I still claim reservation of this lot, so no touching it." Kiluna said to that other guy.

"Alright, we'll cover the lot in a few.
Alright guys, we got another one here!"

I assumed that this person was somehow the one managing the land around these parts. You have to wonder if it's actually just a town, or it has the potential to be a full blown city.

We left that lot alone shortly after that, and proceeded with these places she called 'shops'. And my first impression? It's just like a market, only way better... The environment of one will actually enable you to think clearly, and the stuff here are actually organized. It makes looking for things easier, and the shopkeepers actually seem approachable. Well, the market owners back at Kasu and Shimizu are too, but still... Must be nice, living in a place where the environment is peaceful like this. I proceeded to get a good stock of necessities for the journey, which I was actually able to quantify nicely this time. As I was paying up on the counter (I've actually kinda learned already, heh), Kiluna picked up an antique-looking piece of folded paper from some container located on top of the counter. She gave the paper to me.

"We will definitely find this handy."

"What is this?"

"Open it. Oh and by the way, you're holding my cash."

Hm, for some odd reason, her bag of money somehow ended up in my hand, so I gave it back to her. I then open up the paper she just gave me.

"It's a copy of an old map that depicts the area for a good how many miles around the town. We could use it to get an idea where we'd want to go first."

Very helpful indeed. I took out my own map and started to draw on it, adding locations based on this new map that we got. The map, like any other good map, also has the NESW symbol, so it was pretty easy redrawing everything onto my own map. After I was done, the transaction of the items we ordered were also done, so we head out. I think we're ready to get out of the town.

"So, we should probably get going now..." I recommended Kiluna.

"Not so fast! You're going to leave so soon, but you've forgotten something that wandering travellers always do!"

I'm no wandering traveller... well, at least I don't call myself one. "And that is...?"

"Info gathering! Walking aimlessly usually gets you nowhere, causing you to walk for at least six hours straight..."

Hm, it's true... I didn't have any sort of information prior to leaving Kasu Village, leading me straight here, when I probably would have encountered a nearer town or something...

"Alright, information gathering. However, I'm not really sure if which of these people could give us the information we need...?"

"The only pub around here is usually brimming with tons of info, even those that seem so unreal. You might be able to eavesdrop on some people on what you need, or just read the articles around there. In Ugoshi, almost everything within knowledge come across the pub, so it's worth a shot."

"Guess we don't really have much of a choice for that, so let's go."

We head over to the place. For some reason, it doesn't look as different as the organized drinking stations (...alcohol drinking stations), so it felt pretty comfortable here. Hell, there were actually some bottles over here that had familiar labels. Is drinking really that popular? Well I must say, it's kind of a great hobby, though it hasn't been that much of a good entertainment source lately in the village...

And what's the best way to eavesdrop than to sit in a place where you can pretty much hear everyone and pretend that you're spacing out? Kiluna prompted the... bartender, I think what they were called, to get a drink for me. Seems like Kiluna is actually kinda popular around the town and usually get these things for free, or whatever...

"He's just a newcomer, so we probably should go easy on him for now." I heard Kiluna comment. I just had to reply.

"Hey. I may be a foreigner here, but that doesn't mean I'm a weakling with these kinds of stuff."

I'm quite the drinker back in Kasu, actually. And I don't regret it at all: this stuff is good, real good. It also, believe it or not, helped me to develop stabilization of my mind; as the alcohol tries to mess around with your nervous system, you'd want to condition your body to be ready for it. I've developed various techniques to keep myself sane for the most part, and those techniques also help in normal life, allowing me to think deeply even in the most chaotic situations. Drinking is kind of my meditation supplement, if you can put it that way.

"At least hit me up with something original here." I said to the bartender. The selection over at the village kind of gets repetitive after a while of being there, so I'm not letting this opportunity of having something new pass up. Of course, I couldn't just forget what I came here for; as soon as I got my bottle, I proceeded to sit down just there in front of the bar. It should be a good enough spot to hear the entire place. Oh, and before I forget to mention (author's note: yes I forgot to actually mention this earlier), the other people over at Kasu Village said that the size of my ears contribute to my ability to hear. Now unless I entered someone else's brain, I wouldn't really know if it's actually true. Anyway, time to concentrate on a spot to eavesdrop on.

"Just curious, what topics mainly interest you anyway, Ryougen?" Kiluna asked me.

"...new places. Faraway lands. Basically anything that I haven't heard of. I'm pretty sure these people wouldn't know anything about this mystical objective of mine, so I'll start with the most basic concept of 'heaven is right there'." I replied.

"Fine by me, I'll eavesdrop on my own concerns as well."

So here I am, sitting in front of the bar, trying to overhear conversations from within the entire place. Let's see which conversations I can whip up...

"But that was totally not my intention! I seriously didn't think it would be too much!"
"You got one of the more classic sounds, THEN put in something that doesn't even resemble it's tune! What do you think you're doing?!"
"Well, I was trying to soar... soar high..."
"...you seriously have to stop drinking, BHM."

Ooookay so I don't think that's actually that interesting. Let's try another spot...

"So that dude, he was... *jumbled up words* and I was like YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... And and and... that girl saw them and then she was like *jumbled words* and then I was like YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

Uh, I don't think that's even of any sense... Moving on...

"Man, what... what the hell do you think this is?
"It's... IT'S...
IS NAHMKOW BABY!"
"Central *jumbled word* Coast, yeah baby!"
*some noises coming from some device...*
"Oops! That *jumbled words* say, DENIED."

...OK these conversations make me totally feel like an outsider now. Isn't there any serious conversation I'll hear here...?

"Hey, uh... question, if I may ask."
"What is it?"
"You know that girl across the street along *jumbled words* corner?"
"That weird girl that *jumbled words* potions and stuff? What about her?"
"I think she somehow stole something precious..."
"Something precious, you say...?"
"My precious thing..."

I don't even want to know what the hell they're talking about. To think I actually thought it was something of value this time...

"There's however, this one place on this stinking map I still don't know what's in it."
"What place? This sort of cave over here?"
"Yeah, this one over here. It's said to be filled with ca*jumbled sounds* , and I actually saw them just outside! The fog was kind of thick, and after a while I couldn't see anything... that's why I turned back before the ca*jumbled sound* were going to eat me, and just ran away... no way am I ever going back to that cave again!"
"Sometimes you actually have to wonder if it's all worth it... going to that cave and finding that special treasure, if it's actually even there..."
"I've had numerous scary moments in my exploring, but this one is kinda bit too much! I'm not going back there!"

Cave? I wonder what cave they're talking about. Is it somehow this unnamed cave in the Ugoshi Map I just got? Definitely looks like a place of interest...

"Hey, you heard of that guy? You know, the one that uses his giant bow-sword-whatever hell that thing is as a toothpick?"

What?

"Actually, all you have to do is count the number of *jumbles* and divide it by 4. By the time you get to *jumble* 100, it should equivalent to the amount of increase in that *jumble*."
"I actually kind of know that already. However, I still do not understand why different *jumble jumble* end up with different *jumble* even at *jumble* 100..."

Math? Not my thing, let's move on to somewhere else...

"Have you been to AC City? The one on *jumble*"
"No, actually. What's there?"
"Only the most improved technology to ever exist on the face of this world! It's unbelievably modernized so much, you'd think they'd be able to spy us talking about the city right about now!"
"What? How is that possible?"
"It's either that 'GPS' thing or the highly advanced 'satellite-driven' cameras or something... I have no idea how these newfangled things work, don't ask me! But basically saying, this place is AMAZING in terms of modernization."
"If you describe it to be that well, it actually seems like a place I'd go to."
"Oh, very. And if you get the chance, go look for the popular genius there named Aco*jumble* when he puts up a seminar... it sometimes actually looks more like a show rather than a *jumble*, and *jumble*"

Hm, interesting. Let's see...

"Hey you! Yeah, you there, moving your ears around with that drink rotting around in the 3 hours that it's been there!"

Uh, I think someone was actually calling me this time. I turned a few angles around to see that it was just someone sitting also at the bar. He had blue skin, blue cat-like ears that are smaller than Tenyou's, and... actually, I couldn't help but notice how weird he is clothed. He wore a miniature crown on his head, with what I believe to be some clothing that royalties wear that makes them look fatter than they are with some ruffles; rather than look like a prince, I'd say he looks stupid, in all senses of the word.

"Are you actually going to drink that or are you going to continue making an idiot of yourself there?" he shouted a bit.

"Excuse me? Who's the idiot?" I replied.

"I'm looking at him."

"Oh, is that so? I thought I was looking at him..."

"You're one to talk, outsider boy!"

"Whatever, my reason for being here is none of your business, so could you please just un-stick your nose out of what I'm doing, please?"

"Well, I'd normally let you continue being an idiot, but after calling me one, I think I can't let that slip away now, can we?"

I actually thought of replying "You mad?" (I got to do it again some time. “Ya mad, brah? YA MAD?!” Thanks, Zek.) to him, but I figured that would taint my outsider personality a bit, so I waited for the next thing he'd do. I didn't see what he actually did, but suddenly there were 2 bottles of the same drink in his hands. He slammed both on the table, one near me and one in front of him.

"Think you're up to it?!"

Is he seriously thinking of challenging me into what I think he's going to? Maybe those times slacking off in Kasu may just pay off today. I held the glass I had, and literally threw the liquid in it all the way into my mouth, splashing inside my oral orifice (author's note: ?). Since I was pretty much challenged to something, I didn't get a taste of what that drink tasted like.

"We drink in bottles." I said confidently.

"Fine by me!" the other guy shouted, though there was this slight tremble in the one of his voice somewhere... I think it was on the 'fine' part. He kind of has the advantage here since he knows about the brands here while I don't, so after making sure that he's giving me the same bottle, I'll just chug it down.

Quite a number of bottles emptied out already, and my body was starting to feel different. It seems like his is also becoming unstable too.

"Alright, I think... this is where it all gets exciting." I got cocky enough to say that.

"You *hic* are not going to win this." was all he replied.

Time to fully use the techniques I learned myself back then. The next two bottles came on. Holding both of them up, gulping them like there was no tomorrow, I closed my eyes as I fully 'seal my sane self on my entire body system' so that my actual soul will never leave. This usually has me end up thinking of other stuff quickly, so that I don't re-enact them in the real world. Not being able to see helps a lot since it actually renders your imagination wilder.
For these bottles, for some odd reason, the image that formed in my head was Kiluna... and she was... never mind. (Thank God that was SFW, otherwise I would have cried…and I usually cry myself to sleep every night anyway.) I had to open my eyes all of a sudden and drop one bottle down on the table because of the sudden image that formed in my head. I saw that the other guy wasn't doing that much better either. I just hope that... those kinds of images don't form again the next time I try to do this. Finishing up the current bottles, a few more were handed to us. The other guy still seemed strong, but I can feel that imbalance of his starting to kick in. However, this was also kind of a bad situation for me as I was feeling my nervous system dulling over earlier than usual... has it been that long ever since I 'practiced'? This will probably be the final bottle (author's note: wow, unintentional pun right there), and whoever keels over last will probably win it.

This next bottle however, was much different. As I gulped it down and closed my eyes, a pulse suddenly started inside my body... or how can I describe it? It's like this bottle worked like a magic potion, as I feel rejuvenised a few seconds after drinking some of this... is this really an alcoholic beverage or something? It's probably obvious that I had no problems gulping this one down, but it seems like I was starting again from my first bottle; it was that magical.

When I dropped the empty bottle down, I looked to see the other guy with his face on the table, quite literally here. Seeing as how it seemed to be over (without regards to whoever was watching us), I looked at the label of the bottle, only to find out that the label has faded so much that it's not readable anymore. And I was looking forward to getting me one of these for some other time...

While Kiluna was staring at me intently, with an "Wow, I'm impressed" face, I figured it was time to leave. Leaving the stranger behind, I walk out of the pub along with Kiluna without saying a word. Before I was able to leave the door however, I felt something pounced on my cape, but it was weak enough for me to just ignore and step straight out of the door.

"That was... some immense 'skill' there. Especially for a village boy." Kiluna commented immediately just after the door closed.

"I've got quite an experience. Anyway, he was really getting annoying anyway... I'm just glad that it didn't turn into something too drastic and it ended quickly."

"Wow, it's like you're not even dazed one bit! I could totally hang out with a drinker such as you."

"Why, you're not that proficient yourself?"

"Not really. I only drink for the taste."

"You and I the same, really. To be honest that was the first time I even attempted at a challenge like that."

"You've got to be joking me!"

"Well, the guy was pretty weak anyway... it was probably just a waste of time.
Anyway, what did you hear?"

"Nothing too interesting, except for some mysteries going around the town lately about the sudden influx of cats..."

"Influx of cats, huh. Didn't really hear that one... wait. I did hear one conversation that may have mentioned something about cats, but I couldn't make out their words exactly... Something related to that cave a few distances to the east of Ugoshi (facing North)."

"Cave? You mean this unnamed cave? Well, I haven't actually been to that place... and I don't think anybody has; it doesn't even have a name yet."

"Well, all the more reason to start moving."

"Wait, you plan on going there?! You're not scared from what you heard?"

"Well, how bad can the fog get? Exploring on things you can't see all just makes it more exciting."

"Yeah, but... well, okay, your call."

"Well, it'll probably be always like that.
So, let's 'officially' begin this adventure now, once and for all."

We proceed to walk toward the town's outskirts, but I have a feeling I probably might have forgotten something...

I didn't think I could actually endure that much drinking from that crazy event that happened yesterday. That guy in those stupid clothes... what the hell was he thinking? It must have been unfair for him, I guess... In my opinion, there wouldn't be a person who would be that outright rude to just make those remarks at me. (Word order, Zekira. However, now that I changed it, I don’t think it even makes sense… It’s the word ‘that’ that bothers me. Might just be me.) We don't even know each other, so it's probably that he because he was minutely drunk already before the bottles started coming. Probably. (I think those corrections are right…)

We eventually arrived at the border of the town, and proceeded to completely leave the area.

"So now that we're outside, care to tell me now of this objective you say?" I asked Kiluna. I'll tell my own story to her later after she's done.

"Alright then. The main item of interest here would be this brooch."

She flashed the brooch that was hidden beneath her clothing (why do I have a feeling I saw her do that somewhere else...?). (Goddamnit, Ryougen. T_T) Before taking it out completely, she looked around for a while, probably to check if there was no one else around. From that time Judging from yesterday, it seems like she really has to protect this brooch with all her life. I'm pretty sure she'll proceed to telling me what's behind all this.

"I kept it as hidden as possible from the world. Some fanatics call this the "Hidden brooch of the Full Moon", but from what I read before, this brooch is called the "Moon's Tears", said to have been dropped onto the world during the moon's Lunar Cry which happened in ancient times."

The Lunar Cry? I've never heard of such an event from happening, even if I've read that much on the world's history.

"The Lunar Cry? Is it some phenomena where a large amount of water comes down from the moon and drops it here?"

"Well, it's correct only up to the point where a large amount of something dropped. What actually dropped still remains a mystery, though this brooch is definitely a genuine item itself. From the full moon yesterday, you may have noticed this brooch somehow shining a bit. It actually only does that on full moon nights, and I didn't even tweak it in anyway, so there's got to be a magical power behind it."

"Where did you get this thing anyway?"

"I found it in the stash of my ancestors. I forgot exactly what prompted me to go and look through it, but I found this wrapped along a piece of old writing medium."

She brought out some sort of paper that looks like it's been there for a million years or something... it's just really old. She opened it, and there I found some sort of ancient alphabet that I don't understand. It seems as if she can read bits of it, however.

"I don't memorize exactly how this is read, but this definitely defines the brooch as the Moon's Tears. Keywords from this scripture include: moon, lunar cry, mystical power, another dimension, finding one's self... that's basically the only things I can read from here.
My actual objective can go in two ways: I find what this brooch really is, or I learn the entire alphabet from which this text is written, and try to decrypt whatever it is saying. From my travels as a mercenary, I've only received very, very minimal hints as to what this text says."

"What's in it for you, anyway? After you find out what this brooch actually is, what will you do with it?"

"That's exactly the thrill in it! So much unknown knowledge in (I think, it depends what you are trying to say though… Kinda confused here.) that you'd always be looking forward to something unexpected. It's that feeling of being able to discover unknown horizons that keeps me going on motivated into trying to unlock this."

"What if you indeed 'unlock' this? What will you do after?"

"I'm pretty sure my answer to that question will not differ if I ask the same question to you."

...wow, it's true. After I find Senpuu, what will I do after that? Wait, I do have an answer for that...

"Oh, but I actually do have an answer to that, mind you."

"You... do?"

"I actually have something to look forward to after I'm done with my 'quest' here. Actually, it would help if I describe first what I've set out to do."

"Please do. I'm really interested to hear something different... actually, I'm just interested in what people do for their lives, heh."

From my bag of supplies, I took out the family picture of the Mai siblings.

"Is this a childhood picture? You're cu~ why are you wearing your underwear on the outside..."

"N-never mind that! A-anyway!
Ryougen Mai, Senpuu Mai, Tenyou Mai. 3 siblings of the clan from the Shimizu Village. Bottomline here: I don't remember anything about Senpuu. Neither does Tenyou."

"Don't remember anything?! She out of the village or something?"

"For more than an amount of time I couldn't even remember. The whole village was hiding the fact that we had another sister."

I described more of the situation to her; how my life was in Shimizu and Kasu Village, my 'occupation' as the dancer of strength for Kasu, and how the entire Shimizu Village has been keeping a secret from me until now.

"...I still have something to look forward to after this. Once I've found my lost sister, I'll continue to be the pinnacle of strength for our villages. And it's possible that I may also find something interesting on our journey that will keep me occupied for after I find Senpuu. (Now that I realize it, you use WAY too much commas. As much as I like to use them as well, there has to be some limit. Try not using commas before ‘and’ because 99% of the time you don’t need to use it.) I've been living such an isolated life inside those villages, as you may have noticed from my very limited knowledge about a town, questioning terms such as 'shops'..."

"It must be a blast for you then, to be able to get out and walk to such far places. I haven't actually been to those villages that you described... I'll be sure to visit there when I'm not occupied."

"Well, OK... good luck walking for 6 hours, heh."

"Hey, by that time I think we have a reliable way of transportation... I guess? I'll probably learn about the vehicles or something..."

"Vehicles...?
Wait wait WAIT. You kind of haven't answered my question yet..."

"You might have noticed by now that I'm trying to drive the question away... goes to show that I don't have an answer yet..."

"...well, good luck finding something... Thinking about the future is something that everyone should have."

Then some other foreign voice suddenly echoed from a short distance from us.

"Oh yeah? Then tell me why you're just walking unwarily forward?"

I could swear this voice was familiar, though I just can't remember exactly where I heard it before. Of course, this foreign voice alerted me so I looked away from Kiluna and forward to the path I was walking. And what did I find? We were surrounded. By bandits.

"You guys again...?! I thought you learned your lesson for good!" Kiluna reacted. Turns out this was the same group that attacked Kiluna yesterday. If memory serves me right, they still want the Moon's Tears. What are they going to do with it anyway? Sell it?

"I'll gladly burn you this time around, if you still choose to interfere." I said to them. I have to make them remember what made them scurrying away yesterday night, so with a few efforts, I lit a fire on my hands.

"Well, that's not what we're here for now, anyway..." the bandit reacted. I was wondering why that was so, when I just noticed now that we were already chained to the ground. What kind of a trap was that?! And how come I didn't notice something so restraining? (Wait, they’re chained now? Since when? T_T)

"Alright, good." another voice came from beneath the circle of bandits. Some of the bandits stepped beside to allow entrance for another entity. Blue skin, funny attire, with a crown on his head... Wait a minute! This... this was...

"You?! That fool from the pub in Ugoshi..."

"'Fool'? You should realize how absent-minded you are for being caught so easily, to the point that I was able to walk ahead of you while you were babbling about stuff that I'm probably not concerned about."

Yes, it was indeed that same guy. Were we too preoccupied in talking in that we walked so slow? And to think, I thought he was already on the verge of vomiting his guts out when I left the place! It's either he was bluffing it, which I highly doubt, or his powers of regeneration are very strong... Now, what does he want from us and that we're chained to the ground? How is he related to Kiluna's former group of bandits?

I saw that same guy hand over an envelope to the bandit leader.

"Alright, this is the only thing I wanted you guys to do. You may leave..." said the blue guy.

"Wait, we're kind of not done here... we wanna hurt that girl over there a bi~" the bandit leader said, but was interrupted.

"I. Said. LEAVE. Or do you want me to take that money back from you and make you fugitives instead?" the blue one said. It appears he has some sort of power or something, though it doesn't seem like it... he probably just has the money to manipulate people, like these mercenary-bandits. Without further delay, the group walked away from us, and scurried out to some direction. I couldn't really see that well because there was a bit of fog in this area already.

So it was just me and Kiluna tied to the ground, in front of that blue drunkard. We can't really do much in this position, but he's going to have to explain himself as to why he has us bound here. Is he that much of a sore loser?

"Firstly, I'd just like to say I'm impressed of your drinking powers, draggy boy."

'Draggy Boy'? What the hell? Also, why is he complimenting me?

"But that's not really what I'm here for. I'm here for one thing: that girl."

He's here for Kiluna? What for?

"Me?! What... I don't even know you! What business do I have with you?!" Kiluna shouted.

"That's none of your business! I'll have to take you to the place I have to take you to!" the blue guy said. From that statement, it actually sounds like he doesn't know why he's doing this, which is kind of odd. Even if he does say that it's none of our business, the tone of his voice hints at the fact that he's doing this with no real objective. Of course I can't just stand here...

"You can't just take her with you, for no one owns her. She went with me by her own will. Why does she have to go with you?" I said.

"Why don't you just get straight to the point: you wanna fight, right?" he said. A fight? I didn't really imply that, but it seems like it will eventually lead to it...

Then I noticed that he suddenly unlocked the chains binding our feet. Surprised, me and Kiluna didn't even try to run away. If he really wanted something to do with us, why would he just let go of us like this? Surely there must be a reason, so I asked.

"...huh? You are doing this... why?"

"Yeah... and I thought you had a great sign of strength underneath those stupid clothes..." Kiluna reacted.

"S-stop talking about my clothing! God damn it! I did not unlock this just so you could walk away!
I just want one simple thing: I want a battle... a physical kind of battle. Whoever wins gets to take the girl."

What is this?! It's not like I own Kiluna or anything! What is he implying?!

"To be honest, I couldn't really bring myself to resort to sneaky unfair tricks just to get what I want. However, that's because I'm the strongest! (author's note: Is it a coincidence that Shito's skin color is light blue, just like a certain ice fairy? I swear this was unintentional!) And I don't need to make any effort to get what I want... I can just beat anyone down for it! Now, face me! Or is drinking your only capability?!"

The strongest? He wears stupid clothing; does he expect me to believe him? I am not accepting a stupid challenge like this!

"...very well, I shall put myself on the line." Kiluna suddenly retorted. Of course, this got a surprised reaction from me.

"Kiluna...?! You can't just do that! Whatever happened to go~" I replied, when Kiluna cut me off.

"Ryougen! I am not owned by anyone, that includes you! Without my job, all my actions are mine alone! And I say... may the man with the most honor win." she replied.

Honor...? I never really expected her to be talking of such; I didn't think she actually cared. But since she's the one who wants it, I guess we have no choice...

"...very well, you heard the girl. I shall battle you, here and now. Any 'rules'?" I said to the blue guy.

"Well, it's a good thing you're stepping up to it! I am Shito, the strongest being in this entire world! You are just an example of all the lowlives that surround the environment! And I'll prove it to you!"

"Answer my question! By the way, I am Ryougen Mai of Kasu Village."

He suddenly flinched a bit when he heard "Kasu Village", but then regained his composure quite a bit.

"Rules, huh... doesn't really matter, first to be taken down loses!"

After that statement he suddenly charged at me, attempting to connect a simple punch to my face. He was fast, but not fast enough to render my reflexes amock. (Do you mean, ‘amok’?) Again, using the only moves I know, the dances of strength, I quickly get out of the range of his attack by hopping to the right and getting my balance quickly. I tried to lunge at him with my own choice of hand 'martial arts' in the form of palm strikes, finger strikes, and hand slashes, so I started out with a swift palm strike while he was still recovering from the whiff'd punch. It hit him, but not as much as I expected it to, for he just flinched and got his balance quickly. He almost grabbed my hand, but I quickly drew it away to attempt to jump and kick (Silly spelling mistake, Zek. XD) at him. He tried to grasp my foot as it was coming at him, but his reactions were too late and I was able to hit him straight to the face. He almost fell over, quickly stood up as I was still getting my balance on the ground. He quickly recovered, and brought out which looked like effective projectiles that might actually wound me. With much accuracy he threw those projectiles at me. The distance was quite at my disadvantage, so I had to keep moving sidewards until such time I can close in, that is, when he stops throwing stuff at me. But seeing from how quick he's throwing these at me, it doesn't seem like he'll run out anytime soon... I think my stamina wouldn't last this long. Eventually I noticed that I was dancing slower and slower, and that my body was reacting slower than my reflexes could recognize. Eventually one of these was coming straight at me, and I was in a bad position; I knew I couldn't dodge this one, so the only option I could think of is to try and block it with my own body. With some burst of fear from my inner self, I placed my palms forward in attempts to block the projectile. My mind blanked out a bit. Then suddenly the surrounding became a bit hotter than usual, and I think it's actually coming out from my hand. I slowly looked forward again to see what was happening... and I was doing it again! The Ryougen Beam! Red Fire coming out of my left hand, blue flame coming out from my right hand... and at their crossing point, the projectile was there suspended. I tried to calm down in order to shut the fire off; it did, and the projectile just fell on the ground, with a few burnmarks on it. I then looked at Shito, to see his face with some fear. Figuring that my powers of fire could come in handy now, I lunged at him to take advantage of his shock and with my hands still ignited, I tried to see if touching him with it will finally take him down. I was able to connect a palm strike yet again, but the power seemed to be increased with the fire in my hands even though I used less effort. Seeing as he still has composure, I tried to do a standard mystical technique that people that can control fire do: throw a ball of fire at him. Clearing my mind of much things, I tried to concentrate on that spiritual power inside me the same way I have access to the Ryougen Beam, throwing 'air' just in front of me... and it worked! Fire came out of my hands as a projectile and it effectively hit him. I can't believe I'm not dreaming... I actually really do have 'powers'! I'm not sure how exactly they're called, but from fantasy books that I've read (which doesn't seem to be as fantastic now!), that's how they commonly refer to mystical powers.

It seemed to be really effective, as he was now lying there. The strongest, he says. What a laugh. I turned away now to face Kiluna who was just sitting down watching the fight, and proceeded to walk away, when I heard Shito's voice again.

"...it's good... this is all good...
I did say there weren't much rules now, is there? We don't have the right to kill each other, yeah... However..."

I faced him again to see him still trying to stand up. Looks like fight's not yet over, it seems.

"Since I now know that you have something inside you... I have no reason to hold back!"

To hold back? I don't think he's faking this; he barely has the energy to keep himself bala~

What is that thing coming out of his back...?!

"Yeah, you felt it right, someone worth crushing this time, and he's all ours!
Ryougen, Kiluna! I'd like to introduce to you Blackrose!"

Is that a dragon much bigger than him coming out of his body?! Usually only spirits can do that, which its form seemed to have formed into as it was missing limbs (permanently attached to Shito), but he really seemed like a part of the existing world... That black figure, permanently frowning eyes and a smile that resembles that of a killer... Is this Shito's power?!

Then I heard the dragon speak.

"It's been a while since I've been out... I was waiting for a moment like this!" the creature named Blackrose commented.

"Alright Blackrose, let's take him down!" Shito complied. Looks like the fight indeed isn't over, as I now have to figure out a way to take down this spiritual partner of his...

And it's as if the previous events didn't happen; Shito was lunging at me faster than he was moving before, bringing Blackrose closer, and and the dragon proceeded to try and swipe at me. Getting myself out of the shock, I barely was able to get out of the way. That huge black serpentine was whipping like crazy though, and after all of those intense movements you would've guessed that a few of them hit me. Blackrose, although technically just a spirit, still seems to be physically present in this realm, evidenced by the fact that it was hitting me with its body. I could hear Kiluna shouting with a worrying tone, but I couldn't make out her words since I was too concentrated on figuring out what to do. Eventually after much more dodging, I noticed something peculiar: Shito's legs are still trembling. It's evident that the only thing that's allowing him to stand is a second wind. And since he needed to move in order for Blackrose to actually approach me, I knew exactly what I had to do. So Blackrose proceeded to whip me again with his body... but this time I tried something else: I placed both of my hands forward, palms facing the dragon, and with my remaining strength, tried to hold the dragon in place. My idea was to put him in place so I could somehow either get past him while he's still trying to shake me off, or the better option... jump on his body and walk towards Shito. I just need to deliver a fierce kick to Shito's legs, and...

Holy what?! Blackrose is...

"Burn, burn, BURN weak creature!"

He opened his gaping mouth and from out of it came an enormous blue fire, directed at me. I had no choice but to put my arms in a blocking position just to shield myself from this attack. It burns, it really does... it's hot... does it really feel like this? Is he just taking revenge of the fact that I burned Shito down first...?

Wait... but it's just fire... Let me try lunging with this blocking position and hitting his head... It doesn't feel so hot anymore... it's more of warm, actually!

...right on spot! With my arms, I was able to hit Blackrose's snout and knocked him over a bit, stopping the blue fire from his mouth. Taking advantage of his raised body, I quickly dashed forward to get to where Shito was. Shito, noticing this, tried to move away a bit, but Blackrose was still flinching, thus hindering even Shito's movement itself. Trying to control Blackrose to hit me instead (by using him as a weapon, which was a real laugh for a moment), he grasped the heavy spiritual figure and tried to swing it to me. But he was too late; I was already in a sliding position (firing up the ground as I was sliding... don't know why), making Blackrose's body whiff me, and my foot already positioned to kick his legs.

Then it hit him.

He finally got completely off balanced, and fell down flat on his back a second time. Now sufficiently weakened, Blackrose seemed to have been forced back into his body, leaving only the immobile Shito lying on the ground. I guess NOW the fight is over.

Kiluna rushes over to me as I stand up, knowing that everything is now done.

"Ryougen! I knew you could do it! However, I haven't seen this much mystical power in action ever in my life...!" she just had to exclaim. As she said, she gets excited when seeing new things, so although this is a surprise to her, she seems to have that smile on her face despite the fact that I'm a bit hurt.

"Yeah... glad I pulled that one over. I'd want to practice this newly found fire powers of mine though... I didn't know I could actually do this."

"How lucky I am, to be accompanied by a being with spiritual power... it makes this journey even more to look forward to!"

"Heh... if that's a compliment for me, thanks anyway. We have to get going now, though I don't remember which direction we were walking to originally..."

The fog was already quite evident in this area, for some reason. Tracking Kiluna's footsteps, we eventually were able to tell the direction we were going and moved forward. Then I heard Shito still speak again, though this time he's significantly weakened. It's a surprise to see him be able to stand on his knees though, even after all that he's gone through...

"Wait... wait! This battle... it was all a fluke, I swear!" he said. He's still that cocky after losing that bad?! What kind of a person is this?! "But... I have to tell you one last thing!" he continues, then there was this slight sign of fear from the tone of his voice. Because of that particular tone, I had to listen to what was up, so I faced him. "I came for the girl because another being blackmailed me to do so... If she finds out that I'm lying down here, she'll kill me for sure...! I couldn't really refuse even when I realize her evil motive because she 'caught' me..."

OK this is weird. First, the bandits were paid by Shito to capture us, and now we find that Shito is being manipulated by some other being? Whoever that is, he or she wanted Kiluna, or something from her. It's probably the brooch...

"Where is this particular person you speak of?" I asked Shito.

"You're... already facing in the direction of Nihyaku Cave, right...? She's there. I don't care how you get there, or if the fog will blind you, just... if you don't want to see the strongest person in the world get killed, go there and reason with her! I can't really move yet... and she'll be looking for me soon!" he replies. So we have another suspect at hand that wants Kiluna, or probably her brooch rather. And we were right on track as we were going to Nihyaku Cave anyway.

"...well, if you insist, we'll take care of that for you. Kiluna, whoever that person is, he or she will probably keep on aiming you, so keep your guard up."

"I'm not really the type that spaces out, so you can count on me in protecting myself." she replies.

Shito then makes one last remark before we disappeared in the dark.

"The next time we meet... the next time we meet is where I crush you down to a crisp! Ryougen Mai! Do not forget my words! This battle... was... all... a fluke...!" was what I could make out, then a loud thud afterwards... seems like he actually fell face flat on the ground this time. He'll be unconscious there for a while, and after what he did to us, I couldn't really bother helping him. Kiluna and I then proceed forward on to Nihyaku Cave.

The fog is getting thicker and thicker...