The koi wolf had huddled terrified all night. When the red sky of the morning broke she found herself curiously drawn to the spires that had appeared. The scent of her siblings had drawn her even closer. The eerie light overhead did nothing to dissuade her fears or anxieties.

The spires were strange, exceptionally tall, and frightening. As if they were shards scraping the sky. She looked around for her siblings and suddenly found herself without them! Her tail tucked beneath her, she looked about wondering where they had gone. The more she looked the fewer signs she could find of them! There were others about but none of them Jiro, Kina, Kaizen, Saiko, or Katsu! And she couldn't quite reorient herself out of here either! There were spires everywhere!

Maybe this was all a bad dream. Maybe if she huddled next to one of these spires and covered her eyes and ears she'd wake up and it'll all be over.

Speech // thought // Nihongo

Kea’s fear of worms hadn’t really shrunk in the long months since his encounter with the fireworm. It had changed something inside of him, given a blow to his confidence. But he was still and desired the chance to prove himself. If not for others, then at least to himself. To prove that he wasn’t less for his fears.

So despite how much the idea ate him up inside, he took his sword and made his way to the strange new land that had opened up. He arrived to walk beneath the spires, catching the occasional scent of wolf as well as other things he could not yet identify. As he walked further forward, he found the form of a small wolf, who looked uncomfortable and unhappy beneath the blood moon. He understood how she felt.

He took in a breath, and tried to assume an air of confidence. “Hello, are you here to investigate as well?”


"Ciaran Carpathius"

Asahi was just about to curl up in a bush and hide when a confident voice greeted her, making her jump out of her skin and slink into the bush. She was so used to hiding in the bamboo and sneaking up on her siblings, that no one had ever snuck up on her!

Bright golden eyes peer out between the leaves at the tall male. His dark form swathed in the strange red light of the red sun climbing higher in the sky. He had a sword with him and a kind face. Cautiously she pushed her face back and nodded her head sheepishly. None of her siblings were around to help her speak. She had been interested in this place, that was until she found herself alone.

The moan and near scream of the spires above them had her pinning her ears and closing her eyes for a moment until it faded in intensity. A breath steadied her and she pulled herself out, her tail still clung tightly to her belly. Maybe this black and blue knight had shown up in her dream to rescue her from this nightmare? 

Speech // thought // Nihongo