"So let me get this straight, this merchant came here from the far east?" Indra asked, both his arms were folded above his chest and his back was leaned against the railings.
"That is according to him actually, Master Indra!" The advisor standing before him simply replied.
"I see!" Indra whispered to himself. "So, did he say anything else to you while I was gone?"
"No!" Futami simply replied. "Well, nothing that much important to tell you honestly."
Releasing a deep sigh, the prodigy then said "Father may have taught us to never judge a book by it's cover. But still, regardless whether everything this Gyeoul Bing told us was the truth or not, my guts are telling me that man can't be fully trusted."
"I see what you mean, Master Indra. Running a business composed of marketing items that are quite obviously fake is bad enough. But claiming that he has developed a medicine that is capable of curing an illness, rather make one immune from it, now that is extremely dangerous."
"Creating a medicine made specifically for curing an illness is a very long process. There's thorough research and testing whether the medicine would work or not, which is also the dangerous part."
"Right! There's also the impending risk of allergic reaction, the medicine not working, making the sickness worse and overdose!" Futami said as he lifted each of his fingers in gestureo to the many items he had just mentioned.
"The pride and ambition in his eyes were as clear as crystal, and we have already seen that this Gyeoul is one smooth talker. Which made me realize, I don't think he's leaving this place anytime soon." Lifting himself away from the wall he was resting against, Indra then added "Futami, keep a close eye on that fraud, same goes for his little pageboy. Make sure none of them do anything funny!"
And with that, the prodigy began walking away.
"Also, make sure to tell Ashura to stay away from those guys too!"
That's when he realized.
Spinning himself to look back at his father's advisor, Indra then said "Speaking of which, where is he anyway?"
"Do not fret, Master Indra. Master Ashura said he was just going out with his friends, so there's no need to worry about the young lad!" Futami reassuringly told the younger male.
"Oh, those guys!" Indra quietly whispered to himself, immediately knowing what that meant as well as whom the advisor meant by friends.
For some reason, a hint of exasperation could be heard from within his voice.
"Seriously, Ashura is better off doing something more productive than waisting his time hanging out with a couple of losers." Turning himself away from the older man, the brunette then added "Ok then, I'm off now!"
Right when the teen was about take a step and begin walking away, he was stopped when...
"And Master Indra, before you go!"
Once again, the prodigy then turned to face the advisor.
"I don't mean to intrude in your personal life. But if I may, those two may be complete strangers to us. However, I can't help but notice how cruel you were when you spoke to them."
"Your point is?" Indra asked as he once more folded both his arms above his chest.
"What I'm trying to say is even though they may be suspicious individuals, that doesn't mean you have to act as bitter as you were moments ago. But not only them, the same goes for a whole lot of other people. Take your brother for example. All he wanted to do was just help, but you turned him down."
Indra opened his mouth and was about to retort something to the older man. Sadly, he himself didn't knew why, but he just can't spit the words out of his throat.
"Don't get me wrong, Master Indra. You absolutely have the right to fear for your brother's safety, since his weak body may easily catch the contagious disease and all. But you must remember, Master Ashura is no longer a child. Just as the same as you, he is growing up. And if you keep treating him like he is a fragile boy, then how is the young lad supposed to take care of himself. You must know this by now, you can't always protect your brother. Time will come for you to realize that you can't do everything on your own. Master Indra, you are truly strong and incredibly smart, but even a person as talented as you need help and assistance from others."
Turning heels, with his arms neatly folded behind his back, Futami then began waking towards the opposite direction of the hall Indra was supposed to be heading to.
"Mark my words, Master Indra. You are a good leader, I know you are. But be careful, if you keep up that cold attitude of yours, people will see you more as a tyrant instead of the leader you are trying to become!" That was all the advisor said without stopping nor looking back at the young prodigy.
Not even once has the younger male's dark eyes left the advisor as he slowly walked further and further away from him. With Futami now gone, the brunette was left in the open hallway with his thoughts. Indra may take pride on his methods in leading and taking care of things, people specifically.
That's when he remembered why his father made Futami his most trusted advisor in the first place, it was literally his job to make sure the person his watching over doesen't make the wrong choices. Especially him, a young teen in his early years of growth and discovery with a big ambition to walk in his father's footsteps and become his successor. That's why Futami's words honestly and surprisingly troubled him in the same time, leaving him in the empty halls with his own thoughts.
That's when he suddenly noticed something a bit odd. It may not be the very same words, but he suddenly remembered someone other than the advisor himself saying something rather similar to him a few days ago. The causes may be different, but the reasons remained the same.
"I think, then maybe during practice with everyone, um...you could go a bit easier on all of the others? It's just that...well, when you're all serious, then they end up getting hurt you know!"
His younger brother's voice and words were as clear as crystal when they echoed across his mind. He then lifted his head to look at the sky and out of the terrace where he stood, he then found the sky a bright orange and the sun ever so slowly sinking behind the mountains.
"It's a sunset!" He quietly said to himself. "Huh, what a coincidence!"
What makes it a coincidence you say? It looks like the very same sunset Indra saw when Ashura said those very words.
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With the sun finally set, the moon was then allowed to rise, bringing forth the dark but beautiful blanket of the night sky. There at a veranda that faced an open area from within headquarters, there neatly sat atop the floorboards of the porch was none other than the albino female herself with a golden flower within her hands. Well, what used to be a golden flower that is.
Whatever it is she was now doing, it looks to be that she was just simply collecting the black seeds of the flower in her hands, to which were dropped at the small woven basket that sat above her lap whilst humming a merry tune to herself. Her sweet humming was then interrupted by what sounded like loud cawing noises. Turning her head to see, her gaze then landed on an all too familiar black bird.
Judging by the way how it looked at her with those dark beady eyes, it was quite obvious that the feathered creature looked to be studying her. Finding this curious behavior quite adorable, Krishna couldn't help but lightly giggle before scooping a few dark seeds into her palm and drew it close towards the bird. And with that, the raven then picked up the seeds one by one, using it's curved beak to break the hard shell of the seed open and began consuming the edible part.
Suddenly, Krishna's ears took notice of the sounds of soft footsteps coming from her left. This caught her attention and made her twist her head to see, her pale eyes then gleamed as soon as they landed upon an all too familar brunette coming closer towards where she sat. Listening to the way how she gleefully hummed, if only she had the ability to speak, she would've called out the male's name right now.
As soon as the raven saw the human male come closer, from the looks of it, it seems the bird itself couldn't wait any longer when it let out a caw before flying off towards him. Noticing this, Indra's arm was automatically raised, allowing the black bird to neatly perch itself atop his limb.
"Well what do you know, you really do want to stick around after all" the brunette said as he raised his free hand to light brush a finger atop the raven's head. "Thanks for giving her company while I was gone, Kuro!"
Said raven only responded to the human male by simply letting out another caw before hopping it's way to take a sit atop the male's shoulder. Soon after, Indra then soon took notice of the familiar yellow flower in the female's hands as well as the small pile of black seeds that sat inside the small basket on her lap.
Lifting a finger to point towards either the flower or the seed mound, he then asked "Is...Is that...? Did...Did you just...?"
His questions may be incomplete, but the girl was able to understand what he was trying to ask her. So she simply replied to him by nodding and humming in agreement.
"So, are you gonna make some roasted seeds out of those or something?" Indra curiously asked as he approached the albino and drop himself to take a seat right beside her.
Once again, Krishna simply replied to his question by nodding and humming yes. Afterwards, the prodigy for some reason decided to raise his head and look up at the beautiful night sky above him.
"That sounds nice!"
Right when Krishna was about to return to her work in plucking the tiny black seeds off the flower, she immediately paused herself the moment she took notice that the male beside her was making that look again. Specifically, that deep expression he always made whenever something was bothering him. And from the looks of it, it seems the brunette had this feeling that someone was starring at him.
Because he had this sudden urge to drop his head and turned to his right side, only to indeed find the pale girl pausing from her work and starring at him with those curious white orbs.
"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Indra asked with a seemingly emotionless tone, one of his brows were raised in a bit of suspicion.
Setting the basket on her lap down on the floorboard beside her, she then handsigned:
I. Know. That. Look. On. Your. Face.,. Something. Happened.,. Am. I. Correct.?.
Understanding this, it shocked the brunette a bit and caused his entire body to tense. But just as always, he was able to keep his composure and kept his emotions to a limit.
"Am I really that obvious?" He asked, as expected, with a tone completely void of any emotion.
Krishna did not respond with a hum nor a nod this time. However, he already got her answer anyway just by simply taking a glimpse at the stern look in her eyes. Soon after, Indra just heaved out a heavy sigh before whipping his head to look away from the girl.
For a few seconds, the pair remained in complete and total silence. Eventually, the female then gently placed a pale hand over the male's very own. It didn't startle him, but it did caught his attention and made him turn to look back at her.
Finally, a small hint of emotion could be seen in his eyes the moment they were met with the albino's worried ones.
Raising her other hand, she then handsigned:
Please.,. Tell. Me. What. Happened... Whatever. It. Is.,. I. Know. It. Is. Bothering. You... Besides.,. Maybe. I. Can. Help. You. Feel. Better...
Alas, Indra highly doubted that sharing something that is severely bothering him can help him get over it. But that didn't mean sharing it can't lessen the feeling a bit, he knew that. Besides, it's just her after all, the only one he didn't mind at all showing his soft side, but not too much.
It's better than someone other than her anyway.
Heaving out a deep breathe, he then finally spoke, his tone was low and sounded a bit cold as well "Krishna, be honest with me!" Raising his head to look back up at the dark night sky, he then added "Do...Do you... Do you think I'm a tyrant?"
The very moment the question had rolled out of the prodigy's tongue, the air between the brunette and the albino just like that was filled with an awkward silence. For awhile, the two teens just nervously sat there. That's until from out of nowhere, before Indra got to even blink, Indra suddenly felt something painfully pinch his right cheek.
Of course, it made the prodigy let out a shriek of pain, but it was slightly muffled by his cheek. And in an instant, the sudden pinching feeling disappeared. However, the pain didn't.
Rubbing a hand to soothe the sore area, Indra then soon afterwards angrily whipped his head to the side. It only took a short moment for him to realize that it was in fact the girl herself whom was the one who had pinched his cheek, for no good reason too.
Shooting the albino a glare, Indra then sneered "Ow, Krishna! What was that for this time?!"
From the looks of it, it seems the female was not at all interested in giving him the very reason why she had acted impulsively at him all of sudden. Because she just immediately stood up up from her place and began stomping away into the household. In the process, the male teen was left all alone in the porch, stuck in a mix of emotions between anger, slightly annoyed and extremely confused.
"What is up with her this time?!" He angrily but quietly sneered to himself in between tightly clenched teeth, his left eye twitching a bit and a small nerve then appeared at his right cheek.
Dropping his head to look at his right, it turns out the male was actually not entirely alone, because his gaze soon landed upon an all too familiar dark feathered creature.
"She can act weird sometimes for no reason. Get used to it if you really want to stick around for the rest of your life, especially around her!"
Once more, it seems Kuro did not at all understand the drama going on between these two teens and was left tilting it's head to the side. Presumably it's way of showing the human male that it was as confused as he was. Suddenly, just after a few seconds had passed when Krishna left, she was suddenly back in an instant.
Deny it as much as he wants, but he honestly felt a bit alarmed upon the girl's sudden return.
"What the?! That was fast!" He slightly yelled in shock, a single drop of sweat appearing at the back of his head.
Soon afterwards, she then proceeded to make her way back to the male before dropping her knees to be in equal level with him.
"Uhhh, Krishna! Mind explaining to me what has gotten into you all of a sudden?" Indra asked, one of his eyebrows were arched in a bit of confusion.
Lightly growling to herself, all Krishna did was just pull out from beneath her sleeves what looks to be a small book. Indra's dark eyes suddenly widened a bit in shock, because the book the girl was now holding on to was all too familiar to him. The very same book he has not seen since these two were just mere young children.
"I...I can't believe it. After all these years, you still have it!" Indra said, a hint of slight shock could be heard within his stuttered words.
Krishna finally replied to him by humming and nodding her head yes before opening the book and began flipping through it's pages. Finally, she then stopped and with both hands, raised it and kept the book wide open to show the open page towards the male. Raising his hands to take it into his own hands, the male then set the book down atop his own lap.
And the very first thing his eyes took notice of were the two images that obviously looked to be hand drawn on each page. Besides the intricate details the sketch had, what allured him the most was the fact that both images appear to be a pair of chimeral beasts. The first one resembled a deer covered with dragon-like scales all over it's entire body.
It has a tail like an ox and it's body as well as it's flowing mane are covered in blazing fire. In spite of the fact that the image was of a mysterious creature that looked to be a taxidermist's work of different animal parts being sewn together to create an entirely new abomination, Indra immediately recognized what the mystical beast was. Averting his gaze to look at the other one, just as the same as the first, this as well was a chimeral beast.
Because this time, it was of a detailed and explicit sketch of what looks to be a creature that resembles a white ox. However, what made this sketch different from an ordinary ox was the fact that it had nine eyes, three on its head and three on each of its broad sides as well as six horns. But other than the beautifully drawn images of these two mythical creatures, his dark as well took notice of the two names written in bold that approximately sat at the very top of each of the two images.
"KIRIN"
"HAKUTAKU"
Brushing his fingertips above a short paragraph on one page, there was this deep and longing look in his eyes as his gaze closely studied every character in that piece of paper. The same as the very few images hidden within these pages, even the characters themselves were handmade.
"I don't understand, what's the point in these things?" Raising his head to look at the girl, Indra then asked "Why are you showing me this? What does this have to do with my question? You still haven't answered it yet."
Releasing a deep sigh, the albino seems to feel a bit frustrated and very disappointed that this genius of a teen has still failed to see what she was trying to tell him. So she just simply pointed a finger towards a certain paragraph at the first page. Specifically, the page with the characters 'Kirin' written at the very top.
The way how her finger lightly tapped against the paper, it didn't take much for Indra to realize what she was trying to ask him to do.
"You want me to read it?" He asked, just so he could be certain.
Thankfully, Krishna replied to him by simply humming and nodding yes. So focusing his gaze at the very paragraph the girl was pointing at, he then began to read aloud.
"The Kirin, a gentle animal that never eats the flesh of other beings and takes great care never to tread on any living thing, even insects. When it walks, it does so without trampling a single blade of grass. They are seen only in lands owned by wise and benevolent people and during the reigns of noble and enlightened rulers, where they herald a golden age. Although, the Kirin may never harm good and pure souls, but they are swift and fierce to attack if threatened, breathing holy fire from their mouths."
The moment he finished reading the paragraph, the brunette manged to catch the female's pale finger moving towards the next page. Her finger then landed on the very paragraph that was approximately located below the bold characters of 'Hakutaku'.
He didn't need to ask and just went on to begin reading "The hakutaku are creatures with incredible knowledge of the various kinds of spirits and monsters. They are extremely good omens and symbols of good luck and their mere presence wards against evil spirits, disease, and other malicous yokai. Hakutaku can speak human languages and are highly knowledgeable about all things in creation, because the hakutaku knows all, it was even believed that evil yokai would stay away from it." Releasing a deep sigh, Indra then lifted his head and said "Krishna, I don't know whether this is related to my question or not, but I still don't understand what you're trying to tell me."
Even his voice was unusually low all of a sudden. There was no doubt in the girl's mind, but she couldn't help but notice that there was this hint of sadness within the male's dark eyes. She may have no idea why he was suddenly acting such way, but that didn't mean she can't make it disappear.
And she did this by placing a pale hand above his very own. Feeling her cold hand atop his very own this time startled him a bit. But just as the same as always, feeling her cold skin against his made him instead feel this weird but warm sensation in his chest.
That's why he suddenly felt this heavy feeling of emptiness the very moment he felt the albino's pale hand slowly slip away from his.
A. Long. Time. Ago.,. You. Told. Me. Demons. Are. Not real... It. May. Sound. Very. Strange.,. But. You. Said. It. Yourself... If. You. See. Any. Of. These. Creatures.,. Then. Your. Question. Will. Be. Answered.!.
And without another word, she then then stood up from her place and took the basket that sat at the kitchen counter.
I. Will. Be. Excusing. Myself. Now.,. Make. Sure. To. Get. Some. Sleep. Tonight...
That was all she handsigned with one hand before spinning away from him and proceeded to make her way back into the household, once again leaving the prodigy in the veranda lost and a bit confused. It seems all that feeling of loneliness he had has been completely replaced by irritation and a bit of anger, because he was once again left with clenched teeth and a twitching eye.
Seriously, why does she always give me these ambiguous messages everytime I open up to her?!
Releasing a deep sigh he then dropped his one hand to place it atop the other. His fingertips brushing over his skin, that very same area where he felt the cold sensation of her hand.
But still...
Within his mind, he then reminisced every single moment of her holding his hand, from this morning until moments ago.
Her hand feels so cold. Yet, for some reason, it felt so warm.
He then managed to notice the book she brought in still resting on his lap. Closing the small book, he then lifted it just so he could take a closer look at the very cover. Just by simply starring at the small book's plain and simple blank cover, it made the brunette realize something. When was ever the last time he haf laid eyes on this book?
Let alone, the last time he held it or red it. With this deep expression stuck in his gaze, an image of smiling woman suddenly flashed through his mind for some reason.
Krishna...Raising his head to stare back at the starry sky above him, he then continued What are you trying to tell me?
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Trivia:
The qilin (Chinese: 麒麟), or kirin in Japanese, is a mythical hooved chimerical creature known in Chinese and other East Asian cultures, said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler.
Chilin
Kirin
Baí Zé (simplified Chinese: 白泽; traditional Chinese: 白澤; pinyin: Baízé; Wade–Giles: Pai-tse), or hakutaku (白澤) in Japanese, is a mythical beast from Chinese legend. It's name literally means "white marsh".
Bai Ze
Hakutaku