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I couldn't hold it in when I saw Yona's face. It was filled with so much remorse that it hurt. It mirrored my feelings perfectly and it hurt.

I dropped to my knees again and just cried, raising my hands to my face in attempts to try and hide my moment of weakness but instead I just felt arms wrap around me.

Yona.

Yona's still here.

She's seen the rage the dragon gave this warrior.

She's seen the Colourless dragons cure and yet...

...shes still embracing me and crying for me too.

I moved my hands from my face and wrapped them around her as I cried into her shoulder.

°🏴‍☠️°

When I finally stopped crying, I stared over the mess I'd created.

"Arcane?" Travis walked over to me cautiously. I don't know whether it was out of fear of me for fear for me but something stopped him from approaching me as naturally as he used to.

"You know what the worse thing about this is?" I spoke up, my voice was hoarse and my throat sore, "I remembered that I didn't tell them that I loved them... Actually, the evening we started sailing home, I got into a huge argument with them. Now I'll never be able to apologise or tell them I love them."

He stayed silent beside me and looked down sadly.

"This whole time, I've been living, holding onto this one slither of hope that I may have, that one chance that could've lead me to my parents alive and well again," I raised the two wooden charms up and sighed, "but instead it brought me to the place they were mercilessly murdered for some sick sacrifice."

"It wasn't your fault," a hand dropped down on my shoulder before a hat was suddenly pushed down on my head, I pushed it up slightly and looked to see who the source of the voice was. It was Trent.

"You had no part in their deaths. I can assure you that when they did die, they only sent love to you," he told me, "so don't worry. I'm sure they forgave you for whatever argument you all engaged in and I'm sure they knew that you loved them."

"I hope so," I nodded as I frowned, "but I've caused a mess... A huge one..."

"You can say that again, kid," he grinned, "but to be honest, I didn't know there were people on this island. Wasn't it supposed to be animal and plant life only?"

"This people were animals," I snarled, turning on my heels and walking away, "they deserved to die like the swines they were."

°🏴‍☠️°

"You put on one hell of a show today, Arcane," Branton let out a slightly drunken chuckle, "You're one scary kid when you're angry enough to fight properly."

I didn't respond as I watched the crew move the bodies off the beach and into a giant pit. Captain didn't want a disease to break out on the island, if it did, the sea wind would carry it all around and who knows what'd happen... so it made sense.

"I'm going on a walk," I stated before turning and walking down the beach, when I was walking, I looked over my shoulder to see Branton talking to Iris who nodded and then disappeared. Knowing Branton, he's probably sent her to kill the rest of the village and bury them so there's no proof of our presence on the island.

The more I think about our work, the more I realise that it's not ok. This isn't freedom. It's a cage that's filled with death. How many people have I killed just because Branton ordered me to? Why did I let him order me around? Was it just because I was blinded by the fact I was probably all alone and they saved me in my moment of darkness? 

"Ah! This is so irritating!" I exclaimed as I walked, "can I just die? This would be a hundred times easier if I was a ghost or something... I wouldn't have to worry about anything."

Suddenly a strange smell hit my nose and made me want to wish I had no sense of smell at all. It was repugnant, absolutely disgusting. Doesn't help that I have enhanced sense of smell...

"Oh god..." I covered my nose and backed away, "that's disgusting... what is that?"

I turned to find the source just to come across a giant cave that had some of the ocean feeding into the mouth.

"What?" I tilted my head in confusion before a hand dropped on my shoulder, giving me a slight heart attack, "what the what?! Who--?! Oh. It's you, Shin-Ah. When did you get her? Never mind... Don't do that... anyway, since you're here, do you smell that?"

He nodded and looked to the cave.

"Well might as well find out what the hell that deathly stench is," I sighed before walking into the cave the blue haired masked dragon walking slightly behind me.

"Ugh--" I grimaced, "the smell is unbearable."

I crouched down and pulled my cloak up in attempts to try and filter out the smell.

It seemed the further we walked in, the more potent the smell became and it was suffocating. Or at least to me, glancing up to Shin-Ah, I see that he's just standing there not really wearing any kind of emotion. Is he always like that or is my sense of smell that much stronger than an average persons?

"Here," he passed me a large piece of cloth. Hold up-- he just spoke to me. Has he ever spoken to me before? Or at all? I don't remember hearing him talk? Or maybe I missed it? Hm...

"Thanks," I nodded as I tied it around my nose and mouth and stood up again, "my sense of smell is way too sensitive to this stuff."

"You have..." Shin-Ah paused, I looked to him for the rest of his sentence, "a strong sense of smell?"

"Uh-- yeah," I nodded, "the Colourless Dragon has enhances smell, hearing and sense of environment and surroundings. I'm sensitive to all changes around me. Not to mention I grow some badass blades from my knuckles... They are kind of dangerous though."

He nodded.

Oh. Did he see me rage on the beach...

"I-- uh-- I'm sorry you had to see me in a fit of rage," I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly as we walked through the cave, "it was unsightly and definitely monstrous, right? I'm sorry."

"No," he stopped, I turned to him slightly confused, "You're not a monster..."

I stared at him for a couple moments before exhaling a small laugh.

"You sound like you're talking from experience there," I chuckled, "anyway, I don't need you telling me that when I already know that if Yona wasn't there then I probably would've killed everything that so much as breathed in my direction. It didn't matter who it would've been, that's just how bad the red cloud was..."

"Was that... The true power of the Mushokuryuu?" he asked.

"I guess," I shrugged, reaching up to a ledge and pulling myself up before turning and offering the masked man my hand, "all I know is that whenever something pisses me off, I have these warning flags that tell me to calm the fuck down. But this time, I think my rage was too strong and I didn't even hear them, that's why I went into a blind rage. If only there was someone who lived during the first Mushokuryuu's time, then I'd be able to find out if that was what my power is supposed to be... The rage that's inside..."

He patted my head.

"Don't worry," he told me, "you won't be abandoned by us. No matter what you do."

I stared at him in surprise.

I haven't even said yes to leaving with them and yet...

They're so warm and kind. Especially Shin-Ah... He doesn't talk much, he's kind of tall and I guess intimidating but he's like a huge bear.

"Yeah... Thanks," I nodded before noticing a light at the end of the tunnel, "looks like we're coming up to the end of the tunnel here. Come on."

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