Entry 1
682 B.C.
Ju
Today was one to remember. Especially since I lived for so long in my village. Never going out pass the ridges that surround us. I never was someone who had much going for myself for many years. My father did right raising me to be an excellent farmer in the rice paddy fields we owned for generations. My mother had so many skills of art in both drawing, pottery and singing that always entertained and eased my mind.
She would sing many great songs to us as we worked. Sometimes we would just stand there and listen to her powerful but soothing voice. Always made our work much more effective with us inspired by her voice. But I always never did anything impressive.
Always safe. Rarely talked to people. Always failed to find a woman. Always they gave no attention to my presence and I never succeeded in making any connection with not just women but any person other than my family. For years I always followed my parents’ advice to stay safe, work hard.
Always had our visits from distant relatives come to us and I rarely went into the village on my own. So, I made a change on this day. The day of my birth. Now 17 years old. To leave the safety of the village and journey out first to the nearby town to see my relatives.
Then into the hills of the larger town to see the people and eventually the clan entirely. The long day of packing to prepare food, a weapon to defend myself and a small axe for chopping trees, extra clothing, medical tools I got from my village’s local Healer, then some materials for making fire and a tent. Finally, at around 8 in the morning, I began my journey. I was always healthy and fit being a farmer and had no trouble traveling through the road and passing the village and reaching the hills. Found many in my village and relatives I visited surprised by my desire to go beyond the region. The villages’ Warriors found my action impressive having been so quiet and basic my entire life. They wished me good travels and one gave me a small Katana to learn how to use on my travels showing some basic skills. Replacing the small knife I used for cooking once. Still kept it as it would remind me of my mother teaching me all the recipes she made over the years. The special ones her mother and her mother’s mother passed down to us.
I left around 11 that morning. Onward to the towns, which luckily was not very far. The skies were clear and birds were chirping in their songs and deer even walked pass me with little concern of my presence. Like most things. Then they quickly looked towards my direction. Still and alert. The birds suddenly flew away and all was eerily quiet. I began to feel very unsafe being on the road. On my own and no skill with a weapon. I glide my hand to the blade slung over my shoulder. There was a sudden rush of wind, then another silent eerie moment. A shadow passes over me. The red wings of a dragon above in the sky. Suddenly it rushes pass me and I fall on my back as the wind from the creature rushes by. I hear a cry of deer for a moment and the rustle of bushes as the others run into the forest. I lay on my back for a moment, remaining still as the creature heats and devours the prey. I then bend my neck back to see the creature.
The world upside down from me laying on my back, but what I see isn’t a monster or dragon. It is human. More specifically, a woman. Dressed in red clothing, that has a few tears and medium length black hair that is partially messy. She eats with no sense of manners and highly animalistic ripping into the still burning flesh that has been charred from her fire. Small patches of red fire around her on the ground and a few bits covering parts of her body.
No care or attention to my presence. One I very much was happy for once in my life. I imagine the terrible possibility she may turn her attention to me. No idea what she may do, this Wielder before me. One I have never seen before. I look around for a way to escape this area, quietly. I move my pack while standing up and look back to make sure she doesn’t hear my tools and weapons banging against each other. I get nearly to my feet and turn to my left to use my hands to push myself up. Facing to her direction.
I look up one more time to be sure she is still not paying attention to me. Then my heart races and fear tears into my mind. Her red eyes, looking over her shoulder. Blood dripping from her mouth, partially open and her eyes wide as a predator staring down her prey. That new prey being me. I freeze, unable to move.
She makes no sound and no moves for a long time. Waiting for me. To make the wrong move. The one I want to make, to run. She slowly turns her torso a little more, lowering her hand to then almost go to all fours facing me. Begins to crawl towards me. The sweat running down my face. My breathing getting out of control. My mind running rampant with fear seeing those eyes. I throw away my pack to run faster and trip for a moment and then regain my balance as I run towards the forest to lose her in the trees.
I look behind me and she is standing on both legs this time. She goes from her crazed predator stare and quickly turns into a grin. Revealing her dragon teeth. Excited for the hunt. I kept running for my life through the bushes and branches for a few minutes and run around various paths I make to elude her. Then find a moment to hide under a fallen trunk of a tree that has some space between two massive boulders.
I waited there for more than five minutes catching my breath and breathing through my nose to keep myself as quiet as possible. The air is thick and still. The temperature warmer in here than outside the forest. No animals around making any sounds. Once I calmed my mind, I started to wonder what she was. Clearly some dragon hybrid it seems and obviously a Wielder. It dawned on me that I have no chance with her being one. Her powers can give her almost any kind of improvement to her body. Too fast and strong. Her fire can easily incinerate me in seconds.
I did think for moment though, that she allowed me to leave. Maybe was just to have sport or a sadistic act to give false hope. It was then I had leaned against the boulder looking up to the log and see her crouched on top of the log above me. Resting her arms on her knees and staring down at me with that insane grin.
I stand up, but she jumps down in front of me and stands up straight. I take out my blade and hold it in front of me as the Warrior had shown me. I was shaking slightly from my fear. Then I relax as much as possible. For at that moment, I had accepted that I will die here today. But will die going out with a fight. She waits there. Looking at me for a few moments. I start to have my nerves take over to go and strike.
I tighten my grip. I move to strike and her movements make me freeze once more. Her speed so fast I didn’t even react to when she caught my blade with her bare hand. The sweat still running down my face as she stares at me with a normal smile without that grin from before. Her eyes are a little less crazed wide eyed. It still looked like that of a mad woman.
She then takes a few steps towards me and she let go of the blade. I hold my position, but she gets closer and closer until I am forced backwards until I hit the boulder again. She stands in front of the blade. The tip visibly shaking before her. She gave it no thought as she did not break her gaze. Finally, she makes a smirk and looks over to the blade’s tip and taps it with her left finger. She almost stroked the blade with the sides of her fingers which made me feel unbelievably uncomfortable. Thinking she had some psychotic fetish with her human victims.
She grabs the blade with her hand and begins to squeeze the blade until it begins to bend. Her powerful grip is unbelievable, but it did cut her hand open. A small trickle of blood runs down the blade onto my hands. I saw red fire emit from her hand and burn the blade into a liquid. Melting it over her hand and drips onto the ground. Leaving only my handle and melted lower end of my blade.
I had finally given up now. I just dropped my blade and lost all sense of fear from facing this woman. She seemed so much more like a demon but yet, beautiful. When she is not acting insane.
She relaxed herself and her eyes almost seem to dim in its red glow. Almost becoming a bright jewel of red like a ruby. She continued to stare. The awkward silence created a strange feeling within me seeing her look at me. Her clothes are very lacking in proper custom. Her top being nothing more but a fabric wrapping around her chest and sternum but stops before going over her arm pits. Her arms have two black bands above her right elbow. Her hair covers ear rings that resemble a circle of five dragons.
She has a gap between her top and shorts revealing her belly button that has a few light abs showing a very fit build overall. Not overly muscular. She has a large cloth acting as a belt wrapped around her waist and her shorts stopped half-way down her thighs. A little loose and her calves are exposed. She has no shoes of any kind and is barefoot.
It was then I remembered a story of a woman in red fire that has appeared across the lands. This must be her. I can see her wanting to say something, but she struggles to move her mouth. Hesitant or shy in her own strange but aggressive way? Not sure even now.
I make the first move, “Hello”.
She is almost startled by my calm greeting. I make a bow and tell her my name and she acts confused for a moment of what to do. Was she not used to someone openly greeting her?
“You have a name?”
She looked away to think for a moment and tried saying something to me but mumbles a few syllables. I think she tried saying “red”.
“Red? You call yourself Red?”
She nods enthusiastically and violently taps my chest saying my name clearly. She quickly picks up our language at least. I hold my chest from the pain and she bows to apologize. She tried to massage my chest to sort of heal the pain and instead caused even more pain. She panics and massages even harder than before and it felt like someone is pushing a stone through my lungs. She sees it getting worse but gets angry. She knew she was failing and yells out, “I fix this!”
Finally, after enduring this torment, making the strangest sounds I ever made suffering pain, I finally punch her arms to make her let go and she refuses, ignoring me. “No, I help this!”
I decide to do the impulsive thing I wanted to do earlier to make her stop. I gently grab her face and she looks at me surprised. I kiss this woman. I kiss a woman for the first time. She stops moving. We hold this kiss for good while. I stopped and I lean back from her and see her with a surprised look. She lightly touches her lips looking at me. She lets go of me and when I try to talk to her, I see a massive blush across her face. She jumps into the air and leaps across the trees. Red Energy wings forming on her back as she flies into the sky.
I stood there looking into the clouds through the trees. And I somewhat, happy. Not just for living, but for having a first kiss. With what seems less of a demon and an actual dragon or god. She just looked like the Dragon Sages. Is is she a new one or the only one of her kind?
It seems I lived the first dangers of this world. I kind of wonder if I should see her again. Maybe she will be less aggressive this time. I hope so. I had to take a moment on this tree trunk to write this down. Think back on this strange and yet fond experience.
