Chasing Dreams (Dropped)

Chapter 42: Beginning Of The End

As the rays of the sun subtly crept between the openings of the clouds, the noises of people began to spread throughout the temple.

These voices varied, from voices of excitement, to those of worry, and even to those who had foreign voices. However none of these voices captured the tone of a young girl, who was about to burst from excitement.

The young child wore the same garments as everyone else within the temple which were a pair of warm colored clothes, allowing her skin to be shielded in shades of red, orange, and gold. Although despite the young girl adhering to this seemingly mandatory uniform, hers was a bit different than the rest. She had small tears along the end pieces of her cloth, and the color of her robes appeared to be a little more faded than the rest.

In addition to this she held a slightly strange appearance compared to the other members of the temple. Her eye shape was much rounder, her teeth much more shark like, and her skin was lighter than everyone else's.

"Geez you're such a loser."

The green haired child turned her head only to meet the eyes of an uninterested violet haired boy. He held a similar appearance to her own, donning the same monk like attire. However unlike the girl his eyes were more narrow than hers, and held a crimson color like cloth that he wore.

Her lips folded as a deep growl seeped from the cracks of her mouth. It was easy to tell the growl was supposed to be a warning, but the purple haired boy ignored it nonetheless and continued to tease her.

"You got nothing to say dragon mouth?"

A small vein formed along the base of her forehead and began to throb. The girl took a deep breath ignoring the comment, and trying to channel in her excitement.

The boy's lips wiggled as another insult was going to fall from his lips when he felt a strong hand grip at his head.

"That's enough Itsuki."

The young boy looked up to see a man with a similar appearance to his own. Wavy purple hair, and red narrow eyes. However the man seemed to be much older, with fine lines of silver being present in both the hair along his head as well as on his face. His skin was hard and weathered similar to that of old leather, causing him to look much older than what he actually was.

The older monk looked at Itsuki briefly before focusing his attention back on Erica. His eyes were light and a warm smile bequeathed his lips.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting Erica, I had a few things to take care of."

Erica looked up at the man and gave him a childish smile before looking at Itsuki and sticking her tongue at him. Itsuki rolled his eyes at her childish act and simply sat beside her only to cross his legs and pick at the bottom of his sandals.

Erica's eyes glimmered as she watched people begin to fill the arena. Most of the people who occupied the area wore robes similar to their own, with different sigils to represent the teachings that they invoked.

But as Erica's attention shifted around the arena she  noticed a group of people wearing clothes very different from their own. They all wore a similar uniform with darkly colored linen pants, white dress shirts and matching dress shoes.

They all carried a similar vibe to them, filled with confidence but also rather serious. The young girl stared at them nervously unsure to think of these people. It was the first time she had seen anyone who lived outside of the temple, but it also wouldn't be her last.

To her they dressed strangely, fabricating themselves in odd dark colors, and exerting thick scents that only made her nose burn.

"Master Issho who are they?"