“Do you know why my magic is what it is?

To be able to bend the light around me, it wasn’t that I was trying to create illusions or be invisible,

I just didn’t want to see my own refection ever,

To be honest, I don’t even know what I look like…

….

Are you listening?

….

Aki?”

“Huh, no, I wasn’t listening, but never mind that, I was thinking of a plan of attack.

All we need for this is you, me and that fellow with the shadow magic, Pinoki.”

(Why do I bother…) Shiryu sighs internally

“Three of us only?” he asks aloud

“I was thinking whether to bring Fuyu, since her requiem ability is useful even without her strength, but as she is now, it would make her liability I don’t want to deal with.”

“Did you discuss this with the leaders of Furlheim inside already?”

“I don’t need to,”

Fwk♪

Splish♪

Aki kicks a stone into the water…

At the east area in the asylum’s grounds sits a small lake barred by wooden fences, Shiryu and Aki sit at edge of the reflective body of water…

…..

“Do you not get along with them Aki?”

“No, that man Dexter is just weak, but he barks around as though he is a powerful force,

In Bakufu people like that get relegated to intensive labor not positions of power,

If I were you and that man were telling me to get out I would’ve broken at least one of his hands,

You stood looking stupid with your mouth wide open as ran down on you for being a beast,”

“….

You know Fuyu said something similar…”

“..W.who cares about her, don’t try to doge around what I said,

Don’t you ever show such weakness in front of me again,”

“Would you rather Id have mauled him and then really be seen as a monster?

I was trying to prevent conflict.”

“They would see you as monster either, plus you aren’t here to make friends,”

“Then what’s the point in saving people who hate me?”

“Glory,

As a warrior, stories of your great feat will spread,

When I kill that dragon, word of strength will reach the Wu-Tang, and they will be sure not to cause conflict with us for the next two hundred years or so of my life,”

“I forgot people here have long lifespans”

“That’s long for you?”

“Where I’m from we live to twenty-seven.”

“Twenty-seven!?” Ali repeats

“Are you serious or was that an attempt at a joke?”

“Completely serious, that’s why I don’t chase strength like you, becoming powerful will only inevitably make you weaker.”

“That is complete horseshit what you said getting stronger makes us stronger, are you dumb?”

“Obviously you get stronger, but I mean it like if you get too powerful the gods will punish you making you weak,”

“The gods are dead.” Aki gives him a blank stare

“Kag–”

“Huwah~

I’m going back inside,” Aki yawns over not wanting to start another ‘Kage’ debate

“I will find Pinoki to discuss the attack plans, don’t go wandering around again.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

….

….

(Nah)

Shiryu waits for Aki to leave his sight and immediately hops up to go roaming,

By this time it would be night, for the ones inside the city it just got slightly dimmer than normal,

Lights flash on and off through the barred windows of asylum, casting shadows outside as some people awaken and others now preparing for bed…

(Even if I go inside, who can really stop me?) Shiryu grips onto a widow bar preparing to bend it back,

“Hey, whatever you’re thinking don’t.” a voice snaps instantly and body jumps out of the shadows

“Sorry,” Shiryu takes his hands off the bars facing the little man Pinoki

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“I don’t know what I really was attempting there.”

“Dexter told me to watch and so I have, now you’re starting to make me suspicious of you as well,” Pinoki shakes his head disapprovingly

“Wait you were watching me this whole time?”

“Most of time, but you wouldn’t know when,”

“Then you know Aki is looking for you right now?”

“I do but if I don’t want to be found she won’t find me,

That plan of hers where the three of us brute force Ginobelucci, I don’t like it,

See I’m not much of a fighter,”

“You did really well against that monster when you rescued us.”

“I am familiar with those by now, they have thick impenetrable skin so the only way to kill them is to wait till the mouths open,

Look up.”

“Huh?

Is there something I’m supposed to be seeing?” Shiryu squints up trying to see through the fog

“What if I told you there was about a dozen more of those things hanging overhead?”

“There are? For real?” Shiryu looks up cautiously now half expecting a monster to fall on him

“Those things grow like fruits on a tree all over the city, that’s where our strength is going, the dragon isn’t just recovering it’s building a brood,

Even this ‘fog’ we are breathing is apart of that, if you succumb to hunger or are just too weak to move this fog will turn you into those brainless humans,”

“All the more reason why we should move to quickly exterminate the dragon before it is finished hibernation Pinoki.”

“I know that, but brute force is idiotic,”

“Do you have any other methods?”

“No, but I have an idea, of sorts, like maybe there is a way we could revere the draining on the dragon.”

(Hmmmm)

“That could be possible if magic was responsible for the draining, but it is dark energy,”

“Dark what?”

“It’s a different power type that angels and demons used, yin mana and yang mana, but we call the yin dark energy, and the yang mana,

To neutralize one you need the other,”

“Interesting, interesting….” Pinoki fully indulged in the explanation

“If that is the case, then what about me?

I am unaffected by the draining, with magic.”

“I don’t know, my hunch would be because you were in close contact with Kage for a while,”

“Kage can’t use any sort of magic, although he has a weird bow.”

“Kage’s body is made up of both kind of like me, expect hers is natural, and perfectly in balance, Kage can do anything she wants…”

“She? Kage is a woman?”

“Kage is god.”

“I really want to believe that” sighs Pinoki,

“From the time I’ve spent around Kage, he has always felt so otherworldly, so inhuman,

But, to say someone is God is insanity, and believe me when I say, the last person I met that was a ‘god’ caused nothing but hell for me, for my friends.”

“Well I can assure you Kage won’t do that.”

“Do you know Kage yourself? because not even I could figure him out.”

“I was the one who woke her up, back in desert Kage–”

“Wait, wait, wait….

I have heard this story before.” Pinoki stops him.

“Story?”

“Yes, from Kage, it’s a long story but I remember the part where he said in the desert, it was a purple beastman that saved him.”

(Kage talks about me???

I think my life just peaked)

“Kage remembers that?” Shiryu gives a wide smile showing off his razor-sharp teeth

“Put those away.” Pinoki blocks his own hand

“Sorry that actually made me happy,”

“Strange thing to be happy about but ok.”

“Is it? I just felt good knowing that my help didn’t go unacknowledged, it is nice to feel validated sometimes.”

“You know what Shiryu?

You may not look the part, but definitely I can tell you’re human.”