Kenji
"Hmm... today's mission is to collect and deliver herbs from Marine Village to Zia Village," I read from the mission board, trying to suppress a yawn.
"This time, we're allowed to carry our weapons," Taka added with a smirk, his hand resting proudly on the hilt of his katana.
"Finally, a real mission," I said, stretching like I'd been locked in a cage. "Let's go!"
We left the base, heading southwest. Miss Annette had given us a map, but since Yushiro was the human compass between the three of us, he took point.
As we walked, my eyes wandered across the parchment until I noticed a bold red line cutting across the middle.
"What's this red line for?" I asked, pointing.
Yushiro didn't even look up. "Just a marked trail to help travelers. We're taking the forest route—it's faster."
I didn't argue. Yushiro led the way, silent and efficient, with Taka and me trailing behind. The path twisted through dense green, the scent of moss and damp bark rising from the undergrowth. Hours passed. According to Yushiro, we were still only partway to Marine Village. A day and a half, he said.
Yeah, no.
"Taka. Yushiro," I called, brushing aside a low-hanging branch.
They both turned.
"There's no way I'm spending a day and a half walking to a village. Let's run. Use Flow. I'll release a bit of my Hashi."
Hashi—the energy of the world. It flowed through the land, the sky, and us. Internal Hashi boosted strength and speed. Flow, a technique from The Way of Nature, made that energy move in perfect harmony with the body. My brothers had to concentrate to shape their flow. Me? I had so much Hashi, I could just crack the valve open.
Taka eyed me with a smirk. "You sure you can keep up?"
I met his gaze, serious. "Yeah."
He gave a little shrug, then closed his eyes. I felt his Hashi stir—a focused pulse wrapping around his muscles. Yushiro folded the map and gave me a glance that was somewhere between "Fine" and "Don't die."
I inhaled, then released my Hashi. It surged through my limbs like lightning through iron, raw and wild.
We crouched low.
Then we ran.
The forest blurred around us—trees flashing past like streaks of paint, roots threatening to trip us up at every step. We moved in sync, dodging branches, leaping over streams, speeding through nature like we were born to.
Taka kept pace, graceful as ever, though the terrain made him adapt constantly. That slowed him—just enough for me to start gaining ground.
I smirked.
Where the hell is Yushiro?
A flicker above.
I looked up and nearly stumbled.
Yushiro was in the trees.
That bastard wasn't running—he was leaping from branch to branch, bypassing all the ground-level chaos.
I clenched my jaw and pushed harder, but then a blur shot past me.
Taka?
He surged ahead, a dust cloud in his wake.
"Damn it!" I shouted, gritting my teeth.
Forty grueling minutes later, I exploded out of the tree line, legs burning, lungs on fire. Tall grass whipped at my knees as I dragged myself forward.
Taka stood up ahead, hunched over, hands on his knees, breathing like he'd just coughed up a lung.
Yushiro?
Already sitting.
In the grass.
Sweat on his brow, calm as ever.
I collapsed beside them. "How… far are we?"
Yushiro pulled out the map and pointed to a large clearing. "Sunny Fields. About halfway."
I groaned, wiping the sweat from my face. "Let's rest… then… race again… to the village."
A second later, another thud—Taka had dropped like a tree beside me.
After a short break, we moved again, with Yushiro leading. The sun dipped low, painting the forest in hues of amber and deep gold. Dusk crept in, shadows stretching long and sharp. We didn't stop. We couldn't. We weaved through trees and fading light, careful not to draw attention from anything that might be watching.
Seven hours in.
Taka and Yushiro suddenly stopped.
I caught up, panting—and then I saw it.
Lights.
Faint, scattered like fallen stars in the distance. Warm, golden, flickering in windows and along walkways. A village cradled by forest and field, resting peacefully under the evening sky.
We'd made it.
Marine Village.