When I woke up, I found myself on a riverbank next to a cave.

Of course, a cave wasn’t anything weird. We had lots of caves in the area, after all. It was the things in front of the cave that caught my attention.

Torches. The same kind of torches that we put up for our ring, with the same kind of decorations and everything. But that wasn’t the weirdest thing.

I didn’t know what came over me. But when I saw those flickering flames, it was as if I was possessed by something. Instinctively, I had an idea of what I had to do.

My body was still wet from the river, so traces of water remained on my arms and legs. I raised my arm, then flicked the water into the flames.

… That wouldn’t put it off? Of course it wouldn’t. But a regular flame would at least have a reaction. Sizzling sound, smoke, a light change in its size and composition, anything you could imagine. But not this one. The flame remained constant.

My thoughts were like yours at first, too. I didn’t believe that it was enough water, so I went to the riverbank and scooped another handful. With that much water, any regular flame would be doused, that I was sure of.

Yet, this one was still unchanged. The water, as soon as it hit the torch, just disappeared, as if nothing was there from the start.

I didn’t give up, however. I thought that maybe the flame was too hot, and I did know that if the fire was too strong, water alone wouldn’t put it out. So I tried another approach—by mixing the water from the river and the dirt nearby, I had a pile of dense mud, surely able to snuff out any pesky flames.

Nothing happened again. In fact, the mud disappeared even faster than the water when I dumped it over the torch. It was as if the torches were immortal, placed by a deity as a mark of their sanctuary, and any mortal’s feeble attempt at disrupting the air of reverence would be burned asunder.

At that point, curiosity had trumped all of my other feelings and rationality. I needed to know. What was that cave? What was inside it? How could it have these forever-burning torches? The desire was so great that it devoured my heart and mind, making me forget my current circumstances, as well as my friends and home.

Tempted by the unknown, I took my first steps inside.

It was nothing like I’d ever experienced before. Contrary to the cave’s shining exterior, inside was only a singular color of pitch-black, a never-ending abyss that would swallow any traveler whole. But that was not all—within the cave, like the constantly stirring spoon in a bowl of murky soup, there was a wind current. Or rather, a tornado. The winds were enough to break bones if you just took a single wrong step, while its motion could mean that your body would be torn limb from limb if you were caught in its wild movement.

Yet, I was fine. The moment I touched the raging wind, I felt… like I was at home. The screeching storm was my guiding light, the howling tornado was my long-time companion. There was a sense of familiarity… nostalgia, even. Running my hand along the wind, I felt like it was a part of my limbs that I never knew I had. With it, my eyes pierced through the darkness as clear as day—whatever direction, whatever obstacle, everything was given to me by the wind.

When I made my way to the center of the storm, the wind stopped. Along with it, the area lit up once more, with a burst of flame from the same torches as the one outside. Before me lay a single raised stone tablet, along with what could only be described as a marble coffin—a slab made from smooth, shining rock, with precise cuts and edges only made possible by a master at work.

I tried moving the slab, but it was stuck to the ground. This was before I’d gotten my current strength, but I doubt I could make it budge an inch even now. But that was when I noticed—on the raised stone tablet were carved writings:

He who is blessed by the Wind will be the key to power

The words likely meant the tornado from before—it was a test for whatever inside the cave to test for worthy people. As for what they were worthy of… I only knew when I touched the stone tablet to examine the writings.

It was something that would be hard to put into words even now. There was a voice… but unlike what you and I were familiar with, this one felt like it was spoken directly into my brain. I couldn’t block it even by covering my ears, and not only that, there was this… buzzing sound along with it, while my arms and legs periodically got numbed with each word it spoke.

[Child of Wind… You have come.]

Kid, have you ever experienced euphoria?

Oh, wait, of course you have, that was rude of me. Shinbachira honey.

Well, to put it simply, the voice was like that. Sweet. Alluring. Addicting, even. Each word it said made me feel special. Like I was something. An important figure in the stream of history, ready to leave his mark on the world, with only time by his side. Even now, I would still get chills whenever I thought about it.

So you should know how much it was to kid me.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Who… are you?” I asked, turning my head around to check for any suspicious person.

[So, my children have forgotten me to this extent… I am saddened by such thoughts.]

“Are you supposed to be someone important?”

[Indeed, my child. I am what your people refer to as “God”.]

There was only one being who was given that name. And with that realization, I immediately took a step back from the stone tablet.

“The… Dragon God…”

[Indeed, it is I. But looking at your reaction… you must have heard the legends that your forefathers told you about “me”.]

“I thought…”

[They told me that I was dead? Or was it sealed?]

“The… latter.”

[And they are correct. I might be the Dragon God, but the current “me” is only a part of Him—one of the six body parts of the whole God, given a will of my own after a long time separated from the original. I am His left leg, blessed with the rising currents.]

The first reaction when hit with an undeniable truth, do you know what it is?

Anger.

“Then what are you trying to pull?” I shouted. “I’m not falling for your tricks!”

[Oh, but I’m not pulling anything. I only wish to be free.]

“Do you think I would just undo your seal?”

[You are mistaken, my child. Who ever said anything about undoing my seal?]

“... Huh?”

[When I mentioned that I wished to be free, I do not mean in a physical sense. I wish to be free of this chain of destruction, to be rid of this mortal plane. I am a higher being—physical desires are naught but a passing muse.]

“So you mean…”

[To put it in terms that even the likes of you can understand, I wish for someone to destroy me. I am now only a part of the Dragon God. I do not bear His full strength, but I was given a will of my own. Henceforth, I shall decide what I would do with this new life of mine.]

It was surprising to say the least. A God wanting to kill himself. But perhaps… he was right. I couldn’t understand it at first, but now, after all the fighting I’d been through… maybe he had a point after all.

What good would fighting do? Why do we continue our endless struggle against the Omushi? We can defend ourselves when they become hostile, but if they’re not fighting us, then why are we fighting them?

The questions were familiar, of course. It was the same ideal you once said, kid.

Living in harmony with nature, instead of fighting against nature for dominance. Back then, if you’d ask me about the village’s prosperity, I would also say something along those lines. I’m sure Red would say the same things too.

But of course, I didn’t fully understand what it meant back then. All I knew was, there was a way to speed up the prophecy, and I took it.

“Sure, I’ll kill you,” I answered, almost grinning.

[You cannot kill me right now, child.]

“Huh? Why not? I know the prophecy; sure, I’m not the swords, but I’m still the wings! If there’s anyone not Aka that can kill you, it’d be…”

[Of course, I know that you are the wings. You unlocked the path to me, after all. But you still cannot kill me, merely for the fact that you have not grown into your adult form yet.]

“I’m not, but I’m going to soon!” I retorted. “Just you wait! Soon, both me and my partner will come back for you and put you to rest!”

[... Child, do you not know what happens when you become your adult form?]

The God limb was surprised. Back then, I didn’t know what it meant, but now…

[I see. It seems that you have also been deceived by your own kin. I pity you, child.]

“Shut up! You don’t know me, or Aka, or anyone else in the village!”

[Touch the tablet, and you shall see the truth to your Evolution.]

The voice was firm.

I hesitated. Its words were unmoving. But more than that, it was confident. As if it was sure my world would forever change with that event.

And it was right.

As soon as I touched the stone tablet, I became aware of the atrocity our species had made.

Omushi and humans… no, nature and human, caught in an endless struggle. A never-ending cycle of eat or be eaten. By eating others, we evolve. By eating us, they evolve as well. The Dragon God was no exception—it was the perfect harmony between human and nature, made possible by devouring every species in this world. Whether it was human or another creature, no one knew anymore, not even itself.

But from it, I saw.

Cries of critters from all over the world. Their symphony, made by their begging. Their tears of lament whenever their fellow members fell to our hands. Their seething rage when they nibbled on our corpses.

And it was the same with us humans. We cried when our comrades died. We cursed the creatures for taking what was important to us. We fanned our flames of vengeance when we chowed down on their flesh and bones.

From there, different branches of “humans” formed. The one who ate winged creatures sprouted wings. The ones who ate aquatic life grew fins and gills. We merged our skin with the Omushi’s shell. It was raw. It was ugly. But it was nature.

Unfortunately, it was also something a kid could never take.

“I… You’re lying!” With tears flooding my eyes, I cried out. “I don’t believe you! You’re saying that in order for me to become an adult, I have to… I have to…”

“I don’t believe it!”

I ran away. Fleeing from that truth, once and for all. I couldn’t take it. Or rather, I refused to take it in. But the thing with reality, well…

It would always find a way to catch you.

When I ran away from the cave, I got lost in another forest nearby. But soon enough, I heard a familiar voice calling out to me:

“Midori? Midori, it really is you! We were worried sick, man! You’ve been gone for a week! I had to do the ritual first, but don’t worry, you can still attend yours if we make it back within today!”

“Aka! Thank good—”

Standing before me was someone who bore Red’s voice, but it was no longer the boy with messy crimson hair I came to know anymore.

No. It was instead a thing, donning a crimson set of armor, with bladed gauntlets sharp as the Onigiri’s scythe limbs. “Its” face was like a masked helmet, with giant jet-black eye sockets that stared straight into your soul.

“Aka… You’re…”

“Yeah, I’m now a full-fledged Mujin,” he said with a smile. A sickening smile. “Let’s go home.”