[Shendu (Shin-dü) is a Demon Sorcerer (specifically a Fire Demon, a title which he shares with his future son, Drago), and is arguably the overarching primary antagonist of Jackie Chan Adventures]
Matou Sakura stared at Roland blankly, and carefully moved his head so that he could lie on her in a more comfortable position.
She didn't understand what was happening to Roland, but since the other party had given her an order to wait, Matou Sakura would obey it.
Thinking about things, doubting, and making your own decisions, this logic has gradually been abandoned in Matou Zouken's education.
However, this cannot be attributed entirely to grandfather, after all, Sakura is an abandoned child.
——No one needs me.
This was the biggest feeling Sakura Matou had in the past year. Before being sent to the Matou family, her father sternly told her not to call herself Toosaka. In order to avoid suspicion, she was not allowed to get close to her sister or mother even if she met them.
Because she is a member of the Matou family.
After arriving at the Matou family, the cruel reality quickly lay before her. Although Matou Zouken promised not to torture her physically, he did everything he could to torture her mentally.
He didn't even need to invent any monsters, he just had to present the reality.
Zouken Matou explained clearly why the Tohsaka family wanted to adopt her, and showed her her future in the Matou family.
And what would happen if she resisted.
No one would come to help her, neither her parents, sister, or anyone else. At that time, Sakura Matou felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff and would completely collapse if she was pushed again.
The person who gave her the final push was actually Matou Kariya, the person she had placed her hopes on before.
That man said he wanted to return her to Tohsaka?
Does he really know what he is saying? The existence named Matou Sakura has already come into contact with the secrets of the Matou family's magic. For a family of magicians, exploring the magic that they have inherited is equivalent to a fight to the death.
This is something that even a young child like her understands. The Tohsaka family will never accept it and will send her back immediately. Even if they don't do that, she will not be able to live outside this city in the future and will be closely monitored by the Matou family to prevent leaks.
Become a wandering soul with no future and no place to stay.
But she couldn't even say the words of refusal. This innocent kindness pushed Sakura Matou completely into the abyss.
That day, Grandpa announced a fact to her.
The magical education of the Matou family will stop for her, and if Uncle Kariya wins, she will be free.
Finally, she lost her last shelter.
In the Matou family, Matou Sakura is a transparent person. No one dares to talk to her, no one will get close to her, and no one needs her.
Sakura, she has nothing except this name.
In the first nights, she would feel resentful, resentful of why her father gave her away. Later, she began to resent why her sister was not chosen.
In the end, Sakura Matou began to numb herself.
She is not as strong as her sister, not as kind, and not as frank in character. In fact, she is a bit of a bad kid by nature, but in order to get praise from her parents, she will act well-behaved.
In recent times, Sakura Matou even began to resent herself for not jumping into the wormhole. At least she could have an identity that she could recognize herself, instead of being needed by anyone like she is now.
Suddenly, grandpa said he wanted to send her away.
After being abandoned for the second time, finally, the last trace of her in the Matou family disappeared. However, thinking on the bright side, at least the other party gave her a surname that could be called.
It doesn't matter anymore. No one will need Sakura Matou. It's just that she will live the same life as usual in the new environment, and then be abandoned again.
Until the dawn of light.
The strange young man said: "I need you."
Matou Sakura belongs to him and he will not give it to anyone else.
Such a vile declaration made Sakura Matou tremble. She was finally needed and she finally saw the hope of redemption.
Even if she faced danger or death, it was nothing compared to entering the worm cave. Even if she was simply used, being able to die as Sakura Matou, who belonged to Roland, would be enough to satisfy her.
Sakura Matou leaned against Roland's body, and what she felt and smelled was an extremely unfamiliar masculine scent.
When Roland first approached her, her body reflexively wanted to push him away. This was a child's instinct to be wary in an unfamiliar environment, but soon, her desire overwhelmed it.
Since leaving the Toosaka family, she hasn't had such close contact with other people.
"Roland-sama... is shaking?"
Because their bodies were pressed so closely together, Sakura Matou noticed something wrong with Roland's body.
Even though he had lost consciousness, his body still honestly reflected the drastic changes Roland was experiencing.
This is a miracle that is better than magic, a sublimation of the soul.
Although she knew nothing about this, Matou Sakura understood that Roland was in a weak state.
Clearly, she had been talking to that scary grandfather in a friendly manner before, but until now, when she saw a hint of childishness and helplessness on Roland's face, Matou Sakura realized that the other party was not a mature adult as he claimed.
But he was a person in a weak state who needed her care.
The huge contrast in impressions and the recognition of value, such a shocking impact, completely stimulated Sakura Matou's nature and overturned all her past emotions.
Roland's waiting and approaching were both silent invitations to Matou Sakura.
Looking at Roland's current appearance, Matou Sakura's gratitude, awe, and slight fear all turned into a wonderful emotion.
——Want to take care of him.
"So Roland-sama needs me, too."
Matou Sakura's face was red. Even if it was only a part of Roland's weight, her body still felt sore and numb with her body size, but she remained motionless.
She looked at Roland's face so close to her, stretched out her fingers, and gently played with Roland's hair. Looking at her own strange behavior, for some reason, Matou Sakura laughed softly.
"Roland-sama needs me."
This thought took root in Sakura Matou's mind. Her face was filled with a maternal glow and a gentle desire to protect.
"Sakura?"
Roland slowly opened his eyes and woke up. He looked at the beautiful face of the girl in front of him, which was full of tenderness, and the comfortable feeling from her hair. The back of his head was lying in Matou Sakura's arms.
"I'm sorry, Master Roland, did I wake you up?"
"It doesn't matter. How long have I been unconscious?"
Roland's words interrupted Sakura Matou's apology. He realized what had happened before, so there was some sincerity in his eyes when he looked at Sakura Matou. Although he didn't know what had happened, Roland still realized that the last bit of estrangement between him and Sakura Matou had disappeared.
Although he was confused about how this strange improvement in favorability was achieved, he now had more important things to do.
"Sakura?"
Roland propped himself up, but Sakura, who behaved very well, did not answer him immediately. Instead, she looked at his face in a daze.
"Ah," Sakura Matou came back to her senses after Roland's call. As if to confirm, she looked at Roland's face again before answering.
"Probably less than two minutes."
"Yeah?"
Roland showed a thoughtful expression, stood up from the sofa, and walked to the mirror on the side of the living room. It was a half-height peep show left by the previous owner.
Then, he squinted his eyes slightly and looked inside.
Proper and unobtrusive clothing, pale and beautiful hands. As his eyes gradually moved upwards, Roland saw his own face clearly.
That was no longer his face, and it didn't even belong to a human. Instead, it was a dragon head that stood out, carrying an aura of mystery and simplicity, noble and majestic.
In those slightly darkened eye sockets there was still a burning blood-light like a flame, indifferent yet enchanting.
He was very familiar with this appearance, because the spirit hovering on the scabbard before was exactly the same as it.
Roland turned his head slightly, and the demon with a dragon head and a human body in the mirror was perfectly reproduced. He touched his face, and the touch was the same as before, without any change, but the image in the mirror was completely different.
This obvious fact made Roland realize that the power of the Shendu's Soul already belonged to him.
[Spirit of the Shendu]
Representation: Your image in the mirror will reflect the appearance of your soul.