Are You Willing to Burn?

Somehow, Yuushin thought it was funny.

How no one screamed then.

Perhaps, just like he did, the others knew that whether they cried until they dried out, or screamed until their throats bled…

They were doomed.

“J-Jay, what do we do now?”

“You have a plan, right?”

“I-I’m scared…I don’t wanna die here.”

People flocked around Jay, some on the verge of breaking down, while others kept staring at the man with desperate eyes, hope crumbling in their voices.

*FWOOSH*

Once again the dragon flew above them, its roar so loud it made his ears ring.

Yuushin turned to Jay, his heart racing so fast it was as if it wanted to jump out of his chest. 

“How far are we from the post?”

As those green eyes locked on his, Yuushin didn’t see only fear reflecting in the man’s gaze.

“Close enough.”

He saw a determination that even surpassed his own.

“Then we run.”

Jay nodded at Yuushin’s words, turning to the rest of the group. “Everyone! Stay together, and don’t stop running. We are almost there!”

Some guys were sprinting ahead before Jay had even finished his sentence, and as if something had cracked—even with Jay’s instructions for them to calm down—more than half of the group just lost it, running amok and screaming at the top of their lungs.

Jay let out a curse, glancing at Yuushin one last time before both of them followed suit. Yet Yuushin realized, soon enough, how he was nowhere near a good shape to be sprinting like that. Usually, he was a pretty good runner. But in that moment, not only was he starting to lag behind, it felt like his lungs were about to burst.

Another roar exploded above them, forcing Yuushin to cover his ears unless he wanted to become deaf. And as they ran, at random intervals, the dragon would shoot fire in the area—flames erupting from the trees, spreading with insane speed.

In an act of desperation, he tried to search for that warmth again. That energy. But as soon as he began to concentrate, an intense and insanely sharp pain ran across his entire body, almost knocking the air out of him.

At this rate, my legs will collapse before we ever leave this forest…!

Then, he recalled his conversation with Jay.

“A spark… Yes, guess I felt something similar. But it wasn’t the same for me.”

If Jay had used a different power, something different than aura…

…could Yuushin access it too?

“It was like an electric current. Something shocking.”

Something shocking, he said…

Jay said he also felt a spark. So, what if their starting point was somewhat similar, but only their directions diverged?

What if—

“WATCH OUT!”

The shout was not directed at Yuushin. It was for a small group ahead of them, as a tree began to collapse right in front of them, barely being held by its roots as it was consumed by flames. And though most people had crossed past the tree—

Yuushin would not make it in time.

He clenched his fists, bit down on his lips.

“Jay!” They locked eyes for a split second, never slowing their pace. “Go ahead with everyone—get help. I will try to make sure it won’t follow you.”

Jay’s shoulder tensed for a moment before the man glanced at him over his shoulder one last time.

Without a shred of hesitation in his gaze.

“I hope you won’t die.”

For a moment, and only a brief moment, Yuushin saw. A faint light contouring Jay’s body, before it faded out. Then, as his speed increased in only a couple of seconds, Jay never once looked back, not even when someone tripped behind him, or a guy’s pants started to catch on fire. And when the tree finally collapsed and blocked the trail, Yuushin had already slowed down his pace.

Because even if he ran at his top speed, he would still be crushed under that tree.

Yuushin was gasping, the flames' heat making his skin burn as he fought for air, coughing whenever he inhaled the smoke.

Was I ever this selfless? What the heck was I even thinking?

Yet if he wouldn’t make it in time, the least he could do was help the others, right? But above all, it was not as if he was planning on dying there.

He looked up at the sky—

*FWOOOOSH*

Right on time to see the creature flying right above him. Then, Yuushin took a deep breath, his hands a bit shaken.

“Hey, down here, you bastard!”

Through trees and smoke, even from that distance, the man could see its monstrous shape, hear the force as it flapped its wings. In that creature’s perspective, Yuushin was probably no better than a bug rolling in the dirt for attention.

“Hey! Are you blind?! Look here!”

If the dragon ever had any interest in him, it was gone. Yuushin could see its form moving away, the enormous shadow going forward—toward Jay and the group. If they all died, then what? Would Yuushin even be able to make his way to the post in his current state, with trees falling left and right?

Would he win against a dragon?

Of course not.

Then what?! What should I do?

the question is what can you do

His heart skipped a beat. The thing he could do, the thing he wanted to do…was to survive. And to survive, he had to make sure the others would escape and reach the guard post.

And for that, this stupid dragon needs to pay attention to me.

That feeling, that spark—he could sense it. But Yuushin knew, almost instinctively, how he couldn’t access that aura. Yet what about that other thing? The one Jay did. Not a warmth, but something…

Electrifying.

Yuushin didn’t think it through. He just did the same thing he had with the aura. He poured all his focus into it—really concentrated in expanding on that feeling.

And fell down on his knees.

It was as if something got a hold of him, of his very soul. And as its grip got tighter—stronger—Yuushin could feel it. Like a current of millions of volts, rampaging through his body, making his heart beat so fast and loud it could make him deaf.

And that energy, it was so intense…so much…

Yuushin had to let it out.

He had to make that monster turn back.

It took him less than a second to spot the dragon’s silhouette. It took him a heartbeat to let out a shaken breath. To find his voice.

For the energy to drench it.

“OI! LEAVE THEM ALONE AND FOCUS ON ME!”

All the energy accumulated, that electric force flowing within his very being, exploded.

Around him, the air bent and expanded, the sound of his voice reverberating like waves. Waves that ran across the forest, amidst the burning trees, as if they wanted to be faster than the light. until they reached the dragon itself. And Yuushin knew the second his voice reached the creature.

For the dragon let out a cry, one so loud and fierce, it shook the forest itself.

Yuushin watched, breathless, as the dragon kept roaring and throwing flames up in the air, as if it had completely lost its mind. But then, almost like a pull, the dragon turned around. And even when it shouldn’t be possible—among all that smoke, from such a distance—the man knew.

He knew the dragon’s gaze was locked on his.

“…pretty please.”

Perhaps it was too late to be polite.

There was only enough time for Yuushin to stand up with shaken legs before the monster charged at him, the sound of its wings as sharp and loud as a whip. Yuushin started running as fast as he could, away from the trail and the falling trees, trying to find a good enough spot for him to hide.

But where could I even go?

The dragon made the choice for him.

Meters ahead of him, something crashed against the trees. No, not crashed—it broke them in half. The force of the impact made Yuushin lose his balance and fall. Before the dust settled, taking one step at a time, it finally revealed itself to Yuushin.

Deep scarlet scales, golden eyes glowing as if they were aflame, black claws and sharp teeth, with long horns across its head and a pair of wings at its back. Yet the creature’s gaze…that was something else.

It made his entire body shiver.

The dragon roared, the sound ravenous and maddening. And also…

…wrong?

At that moment, Yuushin noticed two things he wished he hadn’t. Things he had no idea what to do with, much less how to deal with. The first was the dark stains on the dragon’s body, their forms moving and growing. As for the second, no matter how many times he looked, Yuushin was certain of it.

The dragon was crying.