*sha*
A shadow fell relentlessly on the frail blades of grass, mercilessly bending them underneath its weight. As the source of the shadow lifted again, the grass mysteriously sprung back up as if nothing had happened.
*sha*
The same thing happened once again as the gray wolf slowly neared the four kids in 2-2 formation with spears in their hands. Suddenly, the wolf stopped and became very, very alert.
It even felt the looming shadow of death in that instant. It was because Asura Ryuu lowered his spear for the first time from the upright position.
The wolf's paw stopped in mid-air, completely frozen just like the wolf itself. Its pale yellow eyes with visible red lines contracted even more, forming slit-like shape that more resembled an oval form than that of a slit. Its lower jaw relaxed, slightly lowering, but it still wasn't enough for its teeth to be visible. Nevertheless, it was ready to attack - or rather, defend itself.
The wolf felt a threat through its instincts and didn't dare proceed further. It just stood in place and observed its 'prey' carefully, waiting for the exact moment to strike. But as they say, the best defense is offense. The wolf may not know that saying because it's a wolf, after all, but there was someone who did.
Asura Ryuu lowered his back, opened his stance and positioned the spear horizontally, pointing to the wolf's head, staring deep into the two black oval dots shrouded by pale yellow. The mysterious feeling came to him through the spear, as if it wanted to devour the wolf, yet he didn't understand why.
*step*
*sha*
Two steps - one from wolf, other from human, shortened the distance between the two. One was strong and left the mark on the grass, while the other was barely audible because of that same grass, yet they were still loud enough to be heard by each other.
The similar thing occurred several times. The human and the wolf continued staring at each other's eyes as if the slightest movement would break that frail balance.
Gentle spring wind blew and carried a gentle fragrance in its wake, but it didn't affect the human and the wolf at all.
Surely you wonder, why didn't the other three besiege the wolf together with the human in front and get rid of it quickly? Because it was his wish to test his prowess out right here and now.
Asura Ryuu felt his heartbeat and found that it was oddly calm and steady but somewhat quiet. He didn't expect that. He did not expect the human body of a heavenly dragon to have that kind of heartbeat, even more so after all the thrill of killing in previous lives he had been through...
Asura Ryuu: "Why? Why do I feel nothing???". He felt slightly desperate and troubled.
He could not understand. It was confusing, mysterious and somewhat worrisome.
Asura Ryuu: "Why is there no reaction?!"
As if feeling the slight disturbance in Asura Ryuu's mental state, the wolf shot off from its place and pounced on Asura Ryuu's leg as its eyes flashed with ruthlessness.
The creature's intelligence genuinely surprised Asura Ryuu. Instead of attacking him head-on, the wolf aimed for his leg to disable him and then slowly enjoy its prey.
But which one was the prey? The wolf? Or him?
The answer presented itself in form of the spear that stabbed in a straight line towards the wolf's head. It was quick, swift and even though it didn't seem powerful at a glance, the power behind it was not small.
Asura Ryuu's body was already bent forward and lowered slightly, causing his center of gravity to shift and making him more stable. At the same time it caused the power behind the spear to rise, but there was a slight deviation in the spear's path, possibly because Asura Ryuu was still a child physically.
*Ka~!*
The sound of something being pierced echoed from the tip of the spear, followed by the gut-wrenching sound similar to the one produced by a hand falling into jelly. It was one of the spear penetrating the wolf's eye membrane, very unpleasant and repulsive.
However, that didn't prevent the hand holding a spear from thrusting farther in, splattering the blood all around it together with a strange liquid, obviously from the wolf's eye being smashed into pulp. The spear carried its momentum and tore everything in its way but suddenly stopped.
Did the spear's advance reach its end? No.
What happened was a very audible *crack* that produced a tingling feeling up the spine of the Xun siblings behind Asura Tenka, which came from the wolf.
The spear was blocked by the wolf's inner skull which caused it to be stopped in place, yet the power was still coming behind it because Asura Ryuu's left leg was lifted and his entire body was pressing on the spear.
Under the huge pushing power, the wolf's skull shattered together with the stone fragments from the spearhead. As the part of the skull that was blocking the spear's advance shattered, Asura Ryuu suddenly sped up under the absence of the counterforce from the spear tip and another part of the spear submerged in the wolf's head, taking its life away.
Asura Ryuu felt his heartbeat again and noticed the faint increase, but it was caused by the physical activity and not fear, excitement or anything else. He was disappointed yet again because there was no accompanying emotion. Suddenly, the sound of someone puking brought him back to reality. He turned his head over his shoulder and saw Xun Bao crouching and clutching his stomach as everything he recently ate returned to nature.
He could only awkwardly smile and go comfort him because he knew how hard it is for someone upon taking the life away from a living thing, or witnessing the process in person for that part. But before he could say anything, the old man appeared next to the little guy and his big hand fell on Xun Bao's shoulder.
"You will need to face scenes similar to this several times on your journey through life. It's okay to feel weak for the first time but don't shift your eyes away. Look at the creature as it dies because that's how you show respect in its final moments, even if it's hard."
Old man tapped Xun Bao on his shoulder several times, stood up, and came to the other three. His brows faintly rose when he saw the look in Xun Meng's eyes - it was the look of excitement combined with iciness. Asura Tenka's eyes stared at the wolf indifferently as if she knew the outcome the moment it attacked and her eyes fell on Asura Ryuu who was holding the spear with a missing tip in his right hand.
Asura Ryuu's gaze was on the wolf all the time, excluding the moment when Xun Bao started puking, because he was the one who took its life away. It was his duty and responsibility to send its soul off to the afterlife. He suddenly rotated the spear and stabbed it to the ground. His hand met his fist in front of his chest, and then he bowed towards the wolf at an angle of 45 degrees forward.
His right hand was clenched into a fist while his left hand held that fist, which was the custom when showing respect in his last life on Earth. After a few seconds, his back straightened as he turned around, his eyes appearing in front of the other three. They were the eyes of determination that meant, "I took its life away and its destiny with it. It's my duty to carry this with myself from now on, therefore - I must remember this moment."
Xun Meng saw the look in his eyes and the feeling of worship overwhelmed her. Blood flowing down the spear eventually landing on Asura Ryuu's hand holding it refracted the sunlight which caused a strange glitter to appear.
She put her hands in front of her heart unconsciously and felt its beating.
*thump!* *thump!!* *thump!!* *thump!!!*
Gradually increasing heartbeat got stimulated by a very vivid scene reflected in her eyes. A boy slightly shorter than her stood in the spring wind magnificently, unmovable and firm. His eyes stared into the distance, but the glittering blood on the pitch-black shaft made him seem like a triumphant general after the battle. It was an unforgettable scene for her still inexperienced heart, but there was enough space for it to fit somehow. This was precisely the moment when her blind worship for her little brother was born.
There were four pairs of eyes staring at Asura Ryuu with different yet similar emotions.
Indifference.
Breathlesness.
Worship.
Awe.
They were the eyes of Asura Tenka, Xun Bao, Xun Meng and the old man, respectively.
Yet, the one who was being stared at by everyone suddenly lowered his eyes, staring at the spear.
The reason was the aura emitting from the spear shaft.