A mythical dragon with crimson-black scales flew above a massive battlefield where cultivators were using innumerable techniques, some so awe-inspiring that normal men would faint from witnessing them. The dragon sniffed and scanned the battlefield, eyeing the person he was searching for. He dove down into the fray, searching for his master, his elongated body whipping this way and that, smashing into unsuspecting cultivators or blocking stray techniques. It scoffed, “These humans think they can stand with Master? Pathetic.” A raging boom sounded across the battlefield, shaking the earth to its core. The dragon smiled a wide, toothy smile, knowing only one man had that capacity for destruction. Speeding up, he moved his humongous serpentine body faster and faster. Another blast sounded out, and then he saw it: the magnificence of his master.
He was swatting cultivators as if they were flies, dressed in his majestic white clothes, his black hair waving in the wind, laughing maniacally. The dragon dove, and his master looked up and smiled.
“Ah, Ryuu, you look dashing as always! Quite the battle, no?” his master asked.
“Thank you, Master, and yes, it is quite the battle, but as always, we will fell them just like all the others.”
His master smirked. “That we will. It will be glorious,” he said in his domineering yet high-pitched voice.
“Now to get this over with,” his master said matter-of-factly as he let the shackles binding his unfathomable qi loose. A roiling wave of pressure spread out, his master at the center. A collective breath was taken by both armies; some cultivators closest to him simply passed out, unable to withstand his might and awe. Ryuu smirked; it reminded him of the time he met his master all those years ago.
Deciding that he too should add his strength, he released his power. A bestial presence melded with that of his master. His master looked at him with a grin plastered on his face.
“You know, you might have just won us this war,” he said, and the dragon knew it too. His master was a force of nature, but together they were unbeatable.
Another toothy grin spread across Ryuu's reptilian snout. “Maybe, but I tire of this useless squabble. Don’t you agree, Master?” the dragon said, looking down at his master, who just answered with a half-hearted shrug. “Although that may be, it’s better than being cooped up in our quarters back in the sect. So stuffy!”
To that, the dragon could agree; it had become stuffy, but he did miss his unlimited naps.
“As you say, Master,” the dragon started to say but was interrupted by a competing aura blanketing the battlefield as the enemy's troops began to cheer. A wave of fire qi exploded from the other side of the battlefield. The flame tyrant had arrived.
Ryuu looked to his master, and he did not expect anything less. His master had the most jubilant, bright smile plastered on his face. Noticing Ryuu's gaze, he exclaimed, “Finally! Let’s go meet this so-called flame tyrant. Let’s hope he can at least give us a fight, yeah?” His master said to Ryuu, and the dragon nodded, bowing down. It wasn't necessary, as his master could just jump or float up, but it was a point of pride to show them all that his master was superior, and he was proud to be his companion.
His master climbed up, but instead of straddling him like a horse, he sat in a lotus position.
“Let’s go, Ryuu,” and the dragon obeyed. He shot up into the sky, leaving a resounding boom behind as he broke the sound barrier, his long serpentine body coiling behind him as they raced toward the tyrant.
The tyrant flew up to meet them. “Ah, we finally meet at last,” he said in a voice that sounded as if someone had taken his throat and ground it down in a stone mill; it was so gravelly that Ryuu almost couldn't make out what the tyrant said.
“Indeed, it has been what, three hundred years since we last fought? I see you have gained some power,” his master said, not moving from his seated position.
“Enough power to finally put an end to your reign,” the tyrant retorted, and Ryuu couldn’t help but snort at that statement.
“As if, you puny insect! My master's power knows no bounds!” he sneered at the red-headed man.
“You be quiet, snake! I have little time and patience to deal with an overgrown reptile.” He looked back at the master. “So if we are done, I would like to finish this. I tire of this. Come, oh great supreme, let me show you what true power really is!” The tyrant released his full might.
“Agreed, let’s get this over with,” his master answered as he too unleashed his might, and the snarky grin on the tyrant faded like dew on a summer morning.
“Let us begin!” He leapt off Ryuu's mighty back straight for the tyrant. A resignation clouded the tyrant's eyes, but as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, replaced by the fire he was known for. He too leapt into the air, fist pulled back; Ryuu's master did the same, ready for the clash of the century—no, the clash of the millennium.
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That’s until a sweet old lady popped right in between them, looking at his master. “It’s time to wake up, young master. Your guests have already started to arrive.”
Confusion spread across his great master’s face. “My guests?”
But before anything else could be said, Rin's dream came abruptly to an end as he was doused in frigid cold water and summarily spluttered.
“What?” he said, spitting out some water that had gotten into his mouth. He looked to see which demon would be cruel enough to wake someone like that, and who did he see? An old, frail-looking woman standing next to his bed.
“Mrs. Chuu?” he asked.
“Indeed, young master. I apologize for my roughness, but the missus did say to get you up as quickly as possible, and so I did,” the old woman said. He squinted his eyes conspiratorially at her.
“Now, don’t look at me like that, young master! I only did what the lady asked. And with you having been healed, I thought it best to get you up as soon as possible instead of me trying to wake you the normal way,” the normal way being waking up with warm tea and the usual gentleness that Mrs. Chuu is known for.
A slight breeze blew in from a half-open window, and Rin realized he was still lying in a puddle of ice water, shivering. He leapt out of his bed only to realize too late that he had no underclothes on. In fact, he had no clothes on whatsoever, trying to cover up as he realized he was naked as a newborn babe.
“Oh, please, young master! It’s not like I haven’t seen it already! Who do you think cleaned your bottom when you were but a baby?” she asked, hiding a soft chuckle.
“That doesn’t matter!!” he yelled as heat burned across his face. He probably looked like a ripe tomato right now.
“Now let me get you ready! There are a lot of guests here and—” but before she could continue, he cut her off.
“No, it’s fine! I can get dressed myself. Mother has already told me which robe to wear.”
“But—” the older lady said.
“Please, Mrs. Chuu, I can do this myself,” he said as authoritatively as he could.
Seeing his stern expression—he hoped it was stern—she relented. “Fine, fine, as you say, young master, as you say,” she said, giving him her iconic grandmotherly smile. She turned and left for the door, but just before she exited, she turned back. “Ah, yes, young master, before I forget: the medicinal hall elder said he has given you some herbs to help with the pain, but that is only for tonight. It should wear off sometime tonight, so please don’t hesitate to call for us. He said the pain was going to be quite horrific.”
Rin shuddered; he had forgotten, hadn’t he?
“That is all, young master. I will be waiting for you outside to escort you to the party,” the old woman said as she moved to exit his room.
Rin waited until she left and closed the door behind her before moving to get his robes, the ones his mother picked out for him about a month ago.
*Mother always did like to go overboard for these things.* I wonder what happened to Master Hwei? Hopefully, I don’t have to see him anytime soon, but the chances of that happening were slim at best. Not many could stop his mother when she wanted her way, and if she wanted them out of the sect, Rin was pretty sure they would have left hours ago. He chuckled, just hoping that Mei Mei was alright. He vaguely remembered that she started a fight with the arrogant young master when he kicked him halfway across the courtyard.
*Or, well, it looked like it was a fight. Maybe he would be able to see her tonight and get the details then.* Slipping into his robes, he made sure to wear the ones with the shorter sleeves so they wouldn't bunch up on his new bracer, which he just realized he wasn't wearing.
Panicking for just a split second, he looked around his room but found the item in question relatively quickly, as it was next to his bed on his nightstand. He wondered if his mother or maybe Mrs. Chuu removed it, or it could have been the elder. Bah, it doesn't matter so long as they didn't take it. He didn’t want to try to explain to Mei Mei what happened with her gift. Yikes, that would have been bad for sure! He fastened the bracer back onto his arm, once again marveling at the intricate script work. *I really need to meet this master scripter before he leaves. I wonder what he would charge to give me some lessons.*
As he finished getting dressed, he darted toward his bedroom door. As he opened it, Mrs. Chuu was waiting for him, just as she said she would be.
“You look dashing, young master, like royalty.” Some heat traveled across the back of his neck. “Don’t try to flatter me; I know you’re just trying to make me forget about the rude awakening you gave me,” he said.
“Oh, come now, young master! There is no need to pout!”
“I am not pouting! Men don’t pout!!” he said indignantly.
“As you say, young master, my mistake. But truly, you look very dashing! Young Miss Mei will be quite flummoxed when she sees you,” the older woman said, chuckling.
His face went beet red. “Wh-Why would she care how I look? Could we please just get to the party now?” he said pleadingly.
“Huhu, yes, yes, young master, let us go,” Mrs. Chuu said.
Finally!!
They started moving down the passageway. Although their house was one of the grander ones in comparison to the mortal lords, it was still small in terms of high-achieving sect members, which was fine. He preferred his home to have a more homey feeling than the monstrosity of a house like Mei Mei's; it was a palace. So it didn’t take them long to get to the main hall, but just before they went in, Mrs. Chuu stopped and turned to him. “Ah, before I forget, this is from your mother as an apology for being late,” she said, handing him a bag with a lotus flower stamped on it.
“Is this sweet buns from Mamoru's?” he said, his mouth starting to water.
“Indeed! Now, I have placed the rest in the kitchens for you and Miss Mei, but I think you should have at least one as the birthday boy,” she said, smiling.
He didn’t waste a second; he tore into the bag, not worrying about the litter of paper he was making around him. But before he shoved the bun into his mouth, he stopped.
“Sweet buns are better enjoyed together,” he said, breaking the bun in half, its sweet honey glaze glistening in the soft light glow of the script lights.
*Manners cost you nothing, and kindness is free.*
The old woman hesitated for a brief second before accepting. “My gratitude, young master.”
He beamed at her as he shoved the bun into his mouth, savoring the sweetness.
*I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest!*
And that is how a boy and an old lady stood outside a room where some of the most influential people had gathered, eating sweets. But little did they know that Rin's world, as he knew it, was coming to an end.