Wistful Colors

“Stinkin’ plight, you’re so bad at this!”

The great and revered Sapphire Fang, from the exceptional group Nine Fangs, had been on a laughing fit for the past nine minutes.

I…I don’t know what is worse.

Being criticized for every single thing he failed to do perfectly—

Or being mocked and laughed at whenever he screwed up, big time.

“I just need to get a better handle of it…I’m almost there,” he mumbled, the embarrassment drenching his every word as his face warmed up.

It had been a total of seventeen days since Yuushin first began his training with one of the Nine Fangs. And for the past three days of these seventeen, the man had been trying to take the first step into what his master called “Enhanced State”.

Well, things were not going that smoothly.

“You gotta find the core, boy. Your core, your itch. You’re not even close to touching it.”

…

How the heck am I supposed to find something I don’t even know what it is?

Three days ago, his master informed him he was ready for the next stage. And while she did explain to him what the Enhanced State was, and the idea behind the core—

“You feel an itch in the stomach, then you pull. And when it pops, you feel the world not like you’re part of it, but like you’ve become it.”

Ah…she’s the same as Kez, then…, was what Yuushin thought while his heart cried from within.

The core was supposed to be where all his energy was stored, something that should be like any other of his organs. Yuushin had thought, at first, his core could be the spark—the thing he would feel whenever he reached out for his Soma. But after countless failures, the man reached the conclusion it was likely something else.

That, or he wasn’t pulling hard enough.

Hah…seriously, how do I even do this?

Without any other mockeries or laughs, the Sapphire Fang watched him in silence. A breeze brushed against her white hair, making it move with the wind like in a slow dance, before the old woman stood up.

“Let’s have a break now.”

“Huh? N-no, but wait, it’s not even noon yet—I can still keep going!”

When he saw the fan coming for his face, Yuushin closed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact.

*tap*

Which was softer than a butterfly’s landing.

“When you can’t break a wall with your fists, you think it’ll be faster breaking it with your head?” Though there was the usual mockery in her voice, its tone was warmer. A warmth replicated in her gaze. “Follow me before I change my mind.”

Yuushin wasn’t stupid enough to decline.

They walked for a while, past the pond behind the shack, into the small trail amidst the trees—going farther and farther away from the city itself.

He noticed how the trees were different, with their blueish leaves and lighter wood, from the ones Yuushin first saw when he got into that world. Regardless, their humongous size remained unchanged, no matter where he was.

When the Sapphire Fang finally stopped, he found himself in the middle of a small glade. One surrounded by flowers, yellow and red particles of light, and sunlight. She walked with him until the middle, motioning for him to sit on top of one of the rocks beside her.

Neither of them said or did anything.

One by one, the thoughts that ailed his heart and troubled his thoughts went away, leaving his body lighter and emptier. Emptier so it could be filled with that beauty—the kind of scenery that brought Yuushin the same sensations and awe as when he saw the temple’s chamber for the first time.

Something that could only be truly admired and respected with silence.

It’s been a while since I felt like this…

So…at ease.

It felt nice. It was something he missed, after moving to Tokyo. Something he hadn’t felt for years. In that place—in that secluded spot, warded by nature—Yuushin felt…content.

“Did you know? The color of Soma is directly affected and influenced by our experiences—our memories.” The Sapphire Fang was the one who broke the silence, her voice so subtle, it perfectly blended with the wind. “It’s not that each color is unique, but that what fills and represents them is particular and special to their owner.”

Neither of them exchanged glances. Yuushin sensed it was not his time to speak, so he kept on listening. And as his master took a deep breath, the man noticed how her eyes were not looking at the same thing as him, but rather at a past he was not part of.

“Whenever I see your Soma, it reminds me of the golden hour. It’s quite beautiful, that color.” Finally, her eyes met his, a faint and warm smile touching her lips. “You had a spot too, didn’t you? A place you ran away to, whenever you craved for the silence.”

At first, Yuushin didn’t understand the correlation of those two sentences. How one related to the other.

Ah…

And then it hit him.

“My” spot…

One of the highest points in Okinawa. A spot where he would sit while hugging his knees to watch the sun set and rise on the sea’s horizon. With the ocean’s scent being carried by the cool breeze, the sun’s golden light reflecting in those waters in such a majestic way, it would take his breath away every time.

A place Yuushin felt, even if for those brief moments, was a place he could belong to—one that would welcome him.

“…yes, I did.”

With a soft laugh, the woman looked up toward the sky, a few wrinkles showing in the corner of her eyes.

“Then the god of your world must’ve been quite proud—seeing you cherished that spot so well.”

Somehow, her words got Yuushin thinking. If Earth had a God like Ekkarys. If their god could do anything different from all the other gods who got their world affected by Ekkarys’ ritual—if they would even care or bother to do so.

And just as Yuushin was about to open his mouth—

*FWOOOOSH*

A shadow covered the entire glade.

His master immediately jumped, putting Yuushin behind her as she took on a defensive stance.

“Boy, you better not do anything stupid.”

Even though Yuushin had barely moved a muscle, it seemed the Sapphire Fang knew him enough to anticipate the man’s impulses. Yet Yuushin had no time to move, or even think of a plan, before something landed on the ground ahead of them.

Something they could not see.

By the way the earth trembled and the dust rose, however, it was more than obvious.

This thing is big…

However, while Yuushin could only guess the type of creature by the sound it made and the shadow it cast, his master appeared to be different.

“Not only you show up unannounced, but using cloaking too? Your kind truly lacks manners.”It was the first time.

That Yuushin heard his master speak with such animosity in her voice—a different threat drenching and filling every word, making the air around her suddenly colder. Heavier. And in that moment, Yuushin realized something he was only aware until then. Something he only knew for a fact, but hadn’t felt it yet.

My master, the Sapphire Fang…

She was strong. No—

She was powerful. Absurdly so. In a way that made his heart falter for a second, on the smallest probability that such power could be directed toward him.

Then, little by little, the invisible creature in front of them took shape. Like a fading spell dissipating through a mist, their form started to appear—legs, wings, horns, teeth. One by one, the pieces were put together until the mighty red dragon stood before them.

Their eyes piercing through Yuushin’s.

…Wait…

Those eyes…

“Shouldn’t you stick to Yrun’Dïr or your own clan, child? Someone like you should have no business here.”

A low growl escaped through the dragon’s mouth, the creature bearing their teeth for a second. Red scales, black horns, and those golden eyes…

Without a second thought, Yuushin took a few steps forward. His master grabbed his arm the very next second, trying to pull him back.

“Boy, I told you not to—”

“Kez? It’s you, right?”

As the silence stretched, what had once been an unwavering confidence soon crumbled into nerves and doubt as Yuushin considered that maybe there were more dragons who resembled Kez.

Then the dragon began to shape into their human form.

With a long sigh, Yuushin turned toward his master with a smile—his voice sharing the relief in his heart.

“It’s all right, master. I know her.”

Yet when the female dragon closed their distance, Yuushin’s smile disappeared. And before he could even ask what was wrong—

“The priest. He’s your friend, right?”

“L-Lyr? He is, but, why are you even—”

Kez grabbed his wrists, her golden gaze locking on his. And Yuushin saw it, right then.

“He needs help. Those Veritux scum, they will kill him.”

How afraid the mighty red dragon truly was.