The Omyouji association's five important figures had their heads turned from left to right. On their left, the head of the association had summoned the Rat Yokai, which had them thunderstruck.
Just as the Yokai vanished, they heard a loud sound from the right side. As they turned their heads towards the source, they saw the unconscious body of Asahi. They were wide-eyed at the sight, as the boy should have long fallen unconscious.
Mr. Kobayashi was the first to stand from his seat, and as the servants raised Asahi's body, they walked towards the guest room.
"This bastard!" Maruyama Kenji cursed under his breath.
A long time ago, Kenji had his eyes on Asahi as he emitted powerful spiritual energy, but his spiteful grandfather refused to let him be taken by the House of Maruyama. Back then, he had vowed to make them pay for the insult, and so he made sure the association never even had a spark of interest regarding them.
It worked for many years, yet he had never expected to be taken down by the brat.
"What happened, Kenji? Your hands are shaking." Hayashi Tokoe had a soft-spoken tone in his voice.
"I have this sudden urge to stab that child. Perhaps it's the guardian's sign," he replied, taken over by his fear.
"Stupid" Takahashi Kaito spat on the rug while glaring daggers at Kenji.
"Who are you calling stupid, huh? Do you think it's my choice? We all know that our emotions are more or less controlled by our guardians. Watch me as I eliminate that child." He breathed heavily. His eyes dilated. His hands were shaky, and he gestured to a servant to bring his wheelchair.
He rested on the wheelchair, and the servant pushed him towards the guest room.
He felt absurd about how his allies were now siding with that stupid brat. Stupid? Ha, he was much more intelligent than all of them combined; after all, he was the wealthiest after the house of Kobayashi.
'If this continues, then my position as the dragon guardian will be gone. I just need to kill him while he is unconscious.' Kenji bit his index nail in annoyance.
He knocked on the door twice before entering the room where Asahi was soundly sleeping. His body was laid flat on the queen-sized bed. The blanket covered his stomach, and he had an extremely peaceful expression for someone causing Kenji an extreme headache.
"You should have known your place, bastard." Kenji barked like a menace. His trembling hands took out the dagger from his hakama. He raised his hand, positioning it to land it on Asahi's neck, just as he used all his force to kill Asahi.
~
(In the dreamland, the time when Asahi falls unconscious)
"Uh…" Asahi whined as he roughly landed on the hot sand. He could feel those scratches being painful, almost equivalent to being bitten by hundreds of red ants in the same area.
"Awake now, boy?"
Asahi heard the voice of a much older man who spoke in a mocking sense. He gathered all his senses and vigilantly turned his eyes around the area, but it was just a stranded desert with nothing but endless sand.
"You seriously think you can find me like that? Tsk tsk"
Once again, the man had a sardonic tone, and with each word, Asahi felt his blood boil. The man was underestimating Asahi too much. Although the pain was eating him through and through, he somehow managed to stand up.
"Why should I find you when you should be the one coming to me? After all," Asahi paused his words. His nonchalant face was now filled with an alarming smile. His sharp eyes held not an ounce of guilt or emotion yet, and his lips had sheer joy as if he were in nirvana.
"Your friend is no longer conscious as well. It's quite rare for a yokai to be poisoned, isn't it?"
This time it was Asahi who gave a scornful face to the invisible man.
"Indeed, it is. How about we make a bet? Let's fight, and if I win, hand me over the antidote."
"What do I get when I win?" Asahi raised his eyebrows while the invisible person scoffed.
"Well, if you win, I shall let you be the guardian then. The highest gambit you could ever seek out for."
"Sure," Asahi smirked, and as if a deity had landed, the entire ambience changed from a dessert to a white jade ring. In less than a nanosecond, Asahi stood opposite a man similar to his age, but with a snide expression. His head had two horns, and he had blood-red eyes.
"Let's fight, little boy," he said, and without warning, the creature landed its fist on Asahi's cheek. He could feel being flown away by the immense power, and yet, reaching the very top, he was met by an invisible barrier that sent him back, clashing his body with the jade ring.
The pressure was immense, and Asahi felt as if each part of his bone had been broken into tiny pieces, yet not a drop of blood had stained the jade. The jade, too, didn't have any cracks, and the place was as pristine as Nirvana.
"Oh, come on now. Where did all your baffling go?" The man with a horn in his head scornfully gazed at Asahi, who was crushed to pieces. Asahi could barely move his limbs, yet his lips trembled in desperation. His eyes still held that determination, which impressed the man.
He strode towards Asahi's fallen body and picked him up by the collar of his shirt, making them face-to-eye.
"It seems like you need to learn much more, kiddo." The man smirked and once again threw Asahi to the other corner.
But this time, he bit his thumb, and despite having shaky teeth, he gritted it, and a single drop of his corrosive blood touched the jade.
~
That very instant Asahi could feel his consciousness resume, he heard "You should have known your place, bastard" from Kenji's foul mouth.
Although Asahi wanted to open his eyes and frighten the man, he stayed still while the desperate Kenji raised his dagger, and as he was about to plunge it into Asahi's heart, Asahi swiftly raised his right hand, preventing the tip from reaching his flesh.
"Shouldn't you know your place? You son of a bastard." Asahi spat Kenji's words back.