A long time ago, there was a nation that worshipped and believed in the seven lucky Gods. They believed they would be blessed with prosperity, wealth, and health if they pray to them.
Damian recalled this old myth as they walk on the silent streets of the seven city. No people were roaming around the lighted streets of the city. It was something that Damian and Maki found rather odd. But, Maia didn't.
She continued walking down and turned left in an alley. It seemed like she knew her way which made the two men more curious.
"You've been here before?"
Maia glanced at Damian before leading them down another alley.
"Twice… when Leticia wanted this city under her control."
"Under her control?"
"Leticia wanted me to instill fear into the people of this city but it backfired as soon as the people saw my eyes"
"Your red eyes?"
Maia nodded at Maki. She stopped at the end of the alley and so did the two following her. Maia peeked and saw two soldiers down the street.
"What is it ate?"
"Soldiers"
Maia replied shortly, Damian and Maki also tried to peer until they saw it too.
The two soldiers were having a chat and laughing in front of a store with a beer sign up front.
"Must be a bar"
"Can't believe they still have the time to go into one"
Maia grinned, if only they knew, she thought. She was able to dig deep into her memory a few days ago, and she was able to know everything.
The structure of every city, the soldier's habits, the government's plans. Everything was discussed in her presence as she was thought to be just a brainless killing machine. Who knew she would've been able to get so much information.
After the soldiers went inside, Maia instructed the two to follow her further as she ran across the street down to another alley.
"Now, where were we?"
Maia inquired to Maki, indicating a response to where they left off from their previous conversation.
"Something about your eyes"
"Ahh right, while other people found it menacing and cursed, the citizens of the seven city found it to be a blessing. They believed that I was a reincarnation of one of the seven lucky Gods."
"You?"
Damian couldn't believe what he was hearing. Does everyone in this town find abnormal things to be a blessing given by the Gods? He met several of them while under the bunker, and he had always labeled them to be nuts.
"Which God?"
Maki couldn't resist asking. Somehow, he was curious about the seven lucky Gods. He didn't know why, but it felt just important.
Maia was supposed to answer but then she looked up and stopped. Damian and Maki looked up and saw from the
"希望"
"That sign… it's in a different language"
"It means hope?"
Maia and Damian both looked at Maki who spoke.
"Maki… how did you know what it means?"
"I…"
Maki didn't know how, but he knew. Somehow he did, even though this was a language that was spoken by another country.
"I don't know, I just know that it means hope"
Maia dubiously stared at his brother. But the three instantly becomes alert when the front door opened wide.
"Jurojin"
An old man in his 60's stared at Maia in awe and bowed at her. He looked at her companions until he finally landed his gaze on Maki. He stared at Maki longer than he did at Maia and Damian, which the two found rather odd.
"Old man shizu, we need some shelter"
Maia spoke which made the old man gazed at her. His eyes begin to water as he hugs Maia.
"Jurojin, you finally could speak. This is my happiest day, come come, inside inside"
He let go of Maia and ushered her inside. Damian and Maki who didn't know what was happening just went along with it.
The place was a bookstore. It may have looked small on the inside but the hundreds of bookshelves lined up proved it to be wrong. Maki shifted his gaze to the old man who was now bowing at Maia.
"Sto… stop it"
Maia who was embarrassed enough stopped and made the old man sitting at a chair.
"Ohhh jurojin, what had happened? How can you speak now?"
"Jurojin?"
Damian asked as he sat next to Maia.
"That's the name of the God that they said I was."
"Because you are, and this is great news now"
The old man who looked excited stood up and went to a mini kitchen counter. He took four tea cups and a kettle that was placed on a stove.
"I was brewing some tea before when I heard someone outside. Imagine my surprise when I saw who it was"
He placed the cups in front of all of them before pouring their contents.
Maki and Damian doubtingly stared at the tea in front of them. Something that Maia just took a sip from.
"Hey Ate"
Maki almost scolded her for not being cautious. They were as a matter of fact in a stranger's home.
"He's no stranger to me"
Maia shortly replied before adding.
"None of the people in here are strangers to me"
The old man smiled at this declaration and can't help but feel proud of it.
"I need to properly introduce you. This is Damian and my brother Maki. Eventhough I called him old man, he's actually sort of my master"
Maki and Damian gaped at this newfound information.
"Master? I thought you only have been here twice?"
"Being in here twice didn't mean I only stayed for one day"
"Oh she certainly didn't"
Maki and Damian now stared at the old man who was smiling proudly in front of them.
"She stayed here for a duration of one and two months respectively."
"That long?"
Damian glanced at Maia who had already finished her tea.
"Eventhough I was called as Leticia's favorite, I wasn't that welcomed among the line of soldiers. Most of the times they would gang up on me. And the only times that they didn't were either because they were scared of me or someone stood up for me"
"And the people of the seven city stood up for you"
Maia nodded at Damian who was now feeling indifferent. Truth be told, all of the horrors that Maia had mentioned before, are something that he couldn't imagine.
He thought that losing her was enough torture for him but this just topped off everything. He just wanted to give the woman he love a hug but instead, he just held her right hand under the table.
He squeezed it tightly. Maia glanced at Damian and felt that he must've felt her pain. She squeezed his hand tightly in return before returning her gaze to Shizu.
"The first time we met her, everyone in this city was mesmerized by her hair and eyes. And when we saw that glow from her, we knew she was one of the Gods."
"A glow?"
"Young man, do you know why this city was believed to be the home of the savages?"
Old man Shizu asked Maki who slowly shook his head.
"The people of this city were one with nature before"
Damian squinted his eyes, he was sure that this was taught to him before. How these people were uneducated and were behind in everything.
"We were akin to savages truth be told, but being one with nature had its advantages. It helped us strengthen our mind, body, and our soul."
Maki and Damian listened intently to old man shizu while Maia helped herself with another cup of tea.
"Since the beginning, we worshipped the seven lucky Gods. Believe it or not, there are people inhabiting this city who could see the aura and soul of a person. And Jurojin's aura was colored golden, as well as her soul."
Maki and Damian both stared at Maia and squinted their eyes. Maia finished her tea calmly before looking at the two guys.
"You wouldn't be able to do it, if you haven't tried to be one with nature so stop trying"
"Just wanted to give it a try"
Maki and Damian just shrugged their shoulders before motioning for old man shizu to continue his story.
"Gold symbolizes prosperity and good luck, and having an aura that is of that color was a rare thing for us. As a matter of fact, that was the first time we saw it. Even the ones who had been living in this city for over 100 years claimed that it was a first"
"Then you could see our aura too?"
Old man Shizu nodded lightly before staring at Damian.
"Yours is red, a color that symbolizes passion, courage, energy, caution and love."
The old man emphasized the word 'love' and as if he had known him for so long shifted his gaze to Maia before smilingly staring back at Damian. For the first time in a while, Damian felt bare. He didn't know why, but maybe it was in the way that he spoke but he just felt so bare.
"While yours young man, is another fascinating one"
Maia also glanced at Maki as soon as she heard old man Shizu's comment.
"Why? What's his?"
She was curious, her aura may have something to do with the fact that she was an experiment. If so, then her brother might be the same.
"Light yellow, the lightest tint of yellow that it would almost turn white"
Maia stared at her brother then at old man shizu.
"Is it a first?"
Maki curiously asked.
"It sure is young man. And you are a first"
Old man Shizu stood up from his seat and went to one of the bookshelves in the back. While the three patiently wait for his return.
"Ahhh found it"
Old man Shizu returned with a large book in his hand. The cover and binding indicated that it must have been older than 60 years.
"What's that?"
"This is a book about the symbolism of colors of the aura and soul"
Old man Shizu placed the book gently on the table before lifting its cover.
"How old is that?"
Maia asked as she stared at the yellow sheets of paper.
"About 75 years"
Maia, Damian, and Maki's eyes widened and disbelievingly stared at the old man who didn't mind them and just continued flipping the pages of the old book.
"Do I even want to know how you were able to preserve such a book?"
Damian finally asked.
"Oh this is my life's work so you don't need to worry about the process. I am accustomed since childhood to preserve and care for books and archives"
"Figures"
Maki let out a comment that the old man didn't even bother replying to.
"Found it"
Maia peered over at the page that old man Shizu stopped at.
"Shades of yellow?"
"Yellow aura is the hardest and rarest to find of all. Your golden aura is a shade of yellow that signifies prosperity or duplicity"
"Duplicity?"
"Isn't that a negative thing?"
Maia who had only heard of this for the first time asked.
"It is. Your aura's color could both have a positive and negative trait. That is to keep the balance within you. The yin and yang."
After having explained it, old man Shizu continued speaking.
"So far, there have been only seven records of shades of yellow"
"Is that why you correlated it to the seven lucky Gods?"
The old man nodded at Damian's question. It might be a trivial thing, Damian had thought. But who was he to not believe in Gods and miracles? Especially when someone who was supposed to be dead was standing next to him.
"Citrine yellow which signifies spontaneity and betrayal. Canary yellow for positivity and egoism. Saffron yellow for humor and jealousy. Yellow chartreuse for wisdom and cowardliness. Sunflower yellow for happiness and sickness. And light yellow for creativity and spring."
Maki's eyebrows raised at the last sentence.
"It didn't have a negative aspect?"
"It does young man"
The three confusingly stared at the old man. He closed the book before staring at them.
"Creativity doesn't always mean goodness. Creation is a fearful gift. It can lean on either good or bad. You can use it's gifts to create war and pain or you can use it for peace and happiness. That alone is its negative aspect"
Maia quickly understood. Just like how her mother decided to create and experiment on them. The same thing could happen to anyone who has the power to create.
"So you think I'm one of those God too?"
Old man Shizu smiled at him.
"Yes… Just like how your sister was determined to be Jurojin. You might also be one too"
"But how did you even determine who of the seven lucky Gods Maia was"
"Longevity Damian"
Maia was the one who answered Damian. The three men all stared at her.
"This city watched me took a bullet through my heart and still be able to come back alive"
Old man Shizu cleared his throat as Damian felt his eyes warm up. Maia smilingly looked at Damian, as she gave a squeeze to his hand.
"It was in the past. Jurojin was said to be the God of longevity, a deity incarnate, and it was believed that there were two souls in his body"
"Two souls?"
"Fukurokuju and Jurojin were once believed to of different souls that inhabited a single body. In her case, it might be because she had two different personalities"
Maki stared at Old man Shizu before glancing back at his sister.
"Then…"
Maki trailed off as he tries to think which God was he.
"You might be Ebisu's reincarnation child"
Old man Shizu stood up as he went to Maki's place.
"Ebisu?"
"The God of creation and hope"
And just like that, Old man Shizu dropped down to his knees and bowed at Maki.
Hope? Maki thought.
Like the meaning of the symbol, he was able to read earlier.