tranquility / trăng-kwĭl′ĭ-tē
The quality or state of being tranquil; serenity
•••
There's never been a day in my life like today, a day where I feel idiotic, stupid, and annoyed all at once.
My tan cloak hid my amber eyes, eyes that many found breathtakingly beautiful. Maybe if I hadn't had faked my death, I would be allowed to take off the cloak and expose my skin to the cool, summer air. But, Hak and Jae-ha forced me to wear this unusual cloak to hide myself from the officials.
Yona coughs into her hand before resting it on her hip. "This whole area belongs to us now. Hand over all your money if you want to get out of here alive!" She orders the government officials who've been increasing taxes.
"Bandits? Doesn't look like very many. Go get rid of them." Lord Tol-bal orders his men. They all look at each other, not moving one bit.
"Big words, little men. Take a good long look and quake the terror at the sight of the Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch!" Yona yells. Hak rests a huge, iron ax on his shoulder and smirks, trying to intimidate the Fire Tribe officials. I didn't choose the name, 'Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch.' It was Zeno's idea (put the blame on him).
This all started three days ago after driving an official and his men out of Katan Village. And here we are, now threatening officials and forcing villagers to hide their food and other necessities.
We decided on becoming bandits to protect the villages. After all, that was the only 'career' that made sense. In order to play the part, we had to show the villages around here what we're about. If we demonstrated that we were 'evil' and they had to obey us, then they could blame everything on us if the officials complained.
Everything was set in stone — we'd become bandits for a few days if we could help the Fire Tribe residents.
"T-these are the taxes we just paid to the officials!" A village chief stutters as Yona pulls a wagon full of supplies from the farm.
"If you don't want to get hurt, put that stuff back into your homes!" Yona orders. The villagers stare at her with confused expressions, wondering why she was helping. "Bring out every last child in this village!"
"What do you want with our children?" A woman asks, hugging a young girl. Yona pulls out a small bag and passes the girl a few pieces of candy.
"Here's candy! We'll sell any child who doesn't take it!" Yona smiles while her stomach growls. The child's mother gasps in surprise.
"Yoon, which village should we go to next?" Kija asks.
"Right around now, the officials should be going to Shu Village," Yoon replies, leaning against a wall.
"Is that far?" I ask, resisting the urge to fiddle with the folds on my haori. It was a habit that I wanted to get out of.
"Kind of. What should we do? They might also return to Katan." Yoon sighs.
"I'll pop on over there and keep watch."
Jae-ha says.
"That helps a lot." Yoon replies before look and Yona and I. "Yona, Himari. I want you both to wait here. I sigh, knowing that today will be boring.
"How come? I'm going too." Yona picks up Ao and places the squirrel on her shoulder.
"Our next destination is far off, we don't know when an official could show up. Our fighters are Thunder Beast, and... well, we should be alright with Kija and the Flash." Yoon says.
"Then Zeno will be staying here with the young lady!" Zeno exclaims. Kija grabs his shoulder before he can make his way towards Yona.
"All you do during battle is run around. I'm going to teach you how the Four Dragons are supposed to fight." Kija's gaze darkens.
'They must be a hassle,' the Orange Dragon whispers in my left ear. I laugh quietly.
"Yeah," I mumble, trying not to draw attention to myself.
"Take care of her highness and Himari,
Shin-Ah." Kija looks at the masked man.
Yona, Shin-ah, and I sit on a rocky step while we watch Kija, Hak, Yoon, and Zeno walk away and exit the tiny village.
"I guess it can't be helped. I'm not a fighter after all." Yona sighs.
"The real question is why I can't go. I am a fighter after all." I say. The princess stares at me in annoyance before averting her gaze.
Yona glances over at Shin-ah, who's messing around with Ao. She slowly extends her arm and reaches for the masked man's sword, but Shin-Ah immediately notices and leaps away. I'd kill for vision like his, and although I can obtain it from the Orange Dragon, I honestly don't know if it's a smart idea. I might regret it in the near future.
"Please Shin-ah! Lend me your sword." Yona began before looking at the silver sword attached to my obi. "Or, Himari, I can use your sword... I really want to practice!"
Shin-ah and I shake our heads in disapproval.
"Ugh..." Yona grumbles. "In that case, show me your sword techniques!"
Shin-ah draws his sword and swings it a few times. His moves were quick and efficient, but the way he wielded his sword was much different from the way I do.
His moves were graceful, whereas mine were choppy and full of bloodlust. I would start out fast, and end fast. There was no 'slow' in my fights.
Yona stared at Shin-ah's movements in awe. "Shin-ah, why do you learn to use a sword?" She asks. "You have the eyes of the dragon, don't you? If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay too."
My eyes flicker over to the masked man, waiting for his response. I wanted to know why as well.
Shin-ah stares at the dirt path. "The person who taught me to use a sword told me never to use the power of my eyes."
"How come?" I ask.
"The power is a double-edged blade."
"Does that mean it'll hurt you too?" My eyes widen in surprise. "What kind of power do you have?"
Shin-ah's legs shake and he covers the eyeholes on his mask. Yona makes her way over to the man and presses her forehead against Shin-ah's mask. She moves his hands away so she can look into the dark eyeholes.
"I'm sorry, Shin-ah. We won't ask you about it again." Yona apologizes for me as well and reaches for the edge of Shin-ah's mask. The blue dragon realizes what she's trying to do and swats her hands away, turning around and standing up. "You can't take it off? Shin-ah, you don't have to use your powers. I just want to look at your face when we talk." Yona smiles at the masked man. "There's no rush. And someday, show me your smile, okay? I bet it's awfully cute when the corners of your mouth turn up."
I ship it.
But I also ship Hak and Yona...
I chuckle at my crazy thoughts before looking up at the clear blue sky. I shut my eyes and let the wind blow my honey-colored hair into my face.
"Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch's boss lady!" I hear a young boy yell. I glance over at Yona, who's basically our boss.
"Yeah?" Yona looks at the child, trying to get into the role.
"I want some candy." The boy requests.
Everyone's stomach growls, including mine. "We don't have any more," Yona responds and stands up. "Hang in. I'll shot down a bird." I follow the redhead, making sure she doesn't get abducted by real bandits or anything.
Rather be safe than sorry.
Yona stops walking once she finds an open spot and stares at the sky. After a few seconds, she sighs. "Hm... no birds anywhere."
"I'm hungry, boss lady." The boy complains.
"Just hold on. She'll find one." I smile. I'm not amazing at handling kids. That's probably the reason why I'll be a terrible parent. I look at the princess who looks as if she's about to pass out.
"Hak and the others sure are late." She mumbles and looks to her left, noticing a huge crowd of people.
More officials?
"Yona. Let me handle the..." I observe the people in the crowd before noticing a boy with black hair. Blood pours out from his mouth, and my eyes widen in fear.
This isn't like Port Awa, this time I'm scared.
"Tae-sik! Tae-sik!" A woman shakes the child, hoping he's still alive.
"Hey, it's not my fault." A voice sighs. I look towards the right. My eyes land in a black-haired man with a scar on his nose. "Teach your brats not to point swords at people."
"Are they... real bandits?" Yona asks. She gasps in surprise and covers her mouth. "That's Shin-Ah's sword! How did they get it? That child's going to die..."
The boy grabs my sleeve. "Our village belongs to the Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch, right? Beat them all up like with the officials!"
I sigh. It's not as easy as this boy thinks. I could get everyone killed if I mess up.
The boy stares at his feet before running towards the bandits. "Forget it then!" He yells.
"Hey! Don't go over there!" Yona reaches out to stop him, but isn't fast enough and grabs the air.
"Yona... give me a second." I draw my sword and climb over a brick wall.
Hak... everyone... lend me your strength... and your courage!
I hold my sword in front of myself. Yona follows me and draws her bow.
"You! Get out of here now!" I yell, raising my sword to cut the bandit's shoulder.
The bandit grabs his shoulder, trying to stop the blood. "That hurts! Who did that? I'll kill them!" He yells, looking around the crowd before seeing me, standing in front of the people. A few droplets of blood drips from the silver sword and lands on the floor.
"Go home before I kill you!" Yona yells. "This region belongs to the Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch! We're not handing anything over to you sorry excuses for bandits!"
"'The Dark Dragon and the Hungry...' what was that?" A bandit laughs.
"Don't make me repeat myself you
snot-nosed brat!" Yona yells, ready to release the arrow.
"They're just two girls." A bandit sighs.
"If you don't scram, I'll cut your head off next." I threaten.
"Okay honey, calm down. What exactly have we done wrong?" A blonde-haired bandit asks. My gaze darkens.
No one calls me 'honey.'
"For starters, you attacked a child..." Yona stops speaking. A bandit grabs her right leg and pulls her to the ground. She screams in fear before shutting her eyes. I stare in confusion, still processing what happened.
A hand covers my mouth and I drop my sword, trying to yank the bandit's hands off of me. Bandits walk over to the princess, making me squirm around.
"Come on, go easy on her." A bandit sighs and pulls Yona's hood off. "She's better looking than I expected. Lucky us! It's mostly dried-up old hags in these parts."
The bandit covering my mouth lifts me up and over his shoulder, finally uncovering my mouth.
"Take every scrap of food! We don't want any officials showing up." A bandit orders.
Shin-ah...
I hit the bandit's back, trying to make him release me.
"Stop moving." The bandit slaps me. "You were the one who cut my shoulder. I reserve the right to do two times worse to you."
Before I can speak, a masked man punches the bandit talking to me. The bandit coughs a bit of blood before falling onto the floor.
Shin-ah!
"Who's that? What's with the mask?" A bandit asks.
"Yona... Himari... those girls. Give them back!" Shin-ah commands.
"He's a friend of their's? He's unarmed. Just kill him." A bandit orders. Two of the bandits charge at Shin-Ah, swords drawn, and they both land hits. Shin-ah still stands though.
That is, until a sword cut through his hip.
"Shin-ah!" I yell. Yona opens her eyes and looks at the masked man. I look at the bandit with the scar on his nose. "Let me go!"
"Stop squirming. He'll be dead soon. Take a good long look."
"Stop! You have what you want, isn't that enough? Just stop hurting Shin-ah and these people!" Yona yells.
"Shut up!" The bandit slaps Yona. He seems to have a thing for slapping people.
"Because you hurt a child..." Yona mumbles.
"That's right girl. In these lands, a human life is worth less than nothing. It's kill or be killed." The bandit holding me says.
"I like the way you think," I smirk, only to get slapped.
"You're supposed to take this seriously, amber-eyed girl!" The bandit with a scar on his face yells.
"If you don't want to starve... if you want anything good in your life... you have to take it. Sometimes it means killing the people who have it." The bandit holding me finishes. "Do you know how it feels to be so hungry, that killing people seems like a fine idea?"
"Yeah, I do," I say, only to get slapped again. But hey, I wasn't lying. I felt that way in Awa.
"Get rid of that masked guy however you like." The bandit orders. "We're going on ahead.
"Shin-ah! Shin-ah! Stop! Don't kill him!" Yona yells.
I look down and touch my swollen cheek. If I keep messing around, we'll both be taken away or worse: killed.
It's true, I'm completely powerless. I don't have a better way to offer them. Right now, I can't even save one person. I'm just letting them take me, because fate wants this, right?
Fate always wins.
Which is why I'm going to win this time. I'm not letting someone like this take me away.
•••
Strength.
Strength.
Strength.
•••
Once again, my emotions are whispered into my ear.
How long has it been since I was last in this void?
Days? Weeks? Maybe even a month?
I can't remember, but it was most likely not too long ago.
'Accept my power,' the Orange Dragon orders. I glance up to stare into the dragon's midnight black eyes.
"You've told me to accept this power too many times. I don't want it." I reply. I clench my fists, even if it feels weird to. "I hate this... why do you gods ruin my life?"
'I did no such thing.' The dragon sighs. It's just us, yet it feels like an entire crowd is yelling at me, forcing me to accept the dragon's power.
"I don't want it. I don't want your power. Give up already." I say. My eyes water a bit, but I have no intention of crying in front of this dragon.
'Time stops whenever you enter the void. I can only keep you here for a limited amount of time, so accept my power now.' The dragon says. 'Perhaps your lifespan will not shorten... after all, unlike the other dragons, I choose who gets my power. Children are not born with my divine power.'
Divine power... how silly.
"Well, we don't know that." I scratch my shoulder. I'm always brought to this empty dimension, or whatever it is, for the same reason. I always decline, so why am I starting to consider it?
I take a few deep breaths before averting my eyes. I refuse to make eye contact. "Fine. I accept your crazy power."
The dragon shuts its eyes. 'It took you long enough to accept,' it says. One of the dragon's scales slowly peels off on its own. Blood spills out from under the Orange scale, and the dragon floats closer to me. 'Drink it. Just a little bit will be alright,' the dragon orders.
I cringe in disgust. "Is there not a better way to do this?"
The dragon shakes its head. 'Unfortunately, no. You need my blood inside of your body in order to obtain my power.'
I dip my index finger into the blood before shutting my eyes.
This is gross and really unsanitary...
But I have to do it.
I lick the blood off of my finger before looking at the dragon, wondering if it was enough blood.
'That's plenty.' The dragon sighs. I wanted to kill myself as soon as I tasted the taste of metal. Blood tastes gross, I feel bad for vampires.
The dragon's blood quickly dries and a new scale appears. All I have to do now is wait for a bit, I'm guessing.
Kija is going to sense a new dragon soon.
"Are we done here?" I ask.
The dragon doesn't reply, and instead fades away. My head spins a little, and before I know it, I've passed out, in the void.
•••
Words: 2862
I apologize if this chapter doesn't really make sense. I was writing from imagination, and now I realize that was a mistake.
Yes, I know this was gross, but if Zeno drank the Yellow Dragon's blood, then we're good... sort of.
I want my readers to feel the emotions I'm trying to get a cross, so let me know if I'm doing a bad job at that lol
I hope everyone is staying safe during quarantine. I've been on a few walks with friends, but for only about ten minutes just to be cautious.
Thank you for reading, and I'm sorry for not updating until now :)