006 [Written]
[Now that Luke can stay awake for more than an hour, he'd really like to get back to the people of Auldrant as well as the friends he made here in Luceti. He still can't hear anything, but... well, maybe no one has to know that. As long as they don't try talking to him, he'll be fine.
And being bedridden for these past few days has been ( Read more... )
And being bedridden for these past few days has been ( Read more... )
"I'm back". Those words--...right. That's all she needed to know to understand. Miyabi's look of confusion turned to a quiet understanding, and she nodded her head. Those idiot scientists really were starting to make her mad.]
Okay, but I'm going to speak so Akane can understand, okay?
[She smiles, then digs into the sleeves of her winter robe, pulling out a brush and some ink from a hidden pocket there. She'll make this story interesting for you in her own way, Luke, without talking. A picture's worth 1000 words, right? The poncle draws what appears to be a village on the paper, in long, quick strokes, writing under--]
Long, long ago... A tiny hamlet known as Kamiki lay nestled in a grove of proud and beautiful cherry blossoms. Each and every tree around the quiet burg was honored as a god.
However, the village was not without its dark secrets.
[Ah, this was nostalgic. Miyabi smiled and closed her eyes, remembering the time she told this story to Nami, when she was sick in bed, and how she enjoyed it. It was...definitely nice, sharing the tale again, to a new friend.]
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He's almost afraid that his writing will ruin Miyabi's pictures, so he'll just stick with the voice option, though his voice is quiet.]
Dark secrets...
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The next part of the storybook tale comes rather fast. Over the drawing of the little village, Miyabi draws eight thick, black, inky lines. She tops each with a head and rows of long, sharp teeth. The heads seem to be descending over the village, as if to engulf it.]
To satiate the appetite of Orochi, a fearsome, cave-dwelling beast, a young maiden was offered as a sacrifice at the annual festival. With a body like a mountain, and eight heads mounted on necks the size of tree trunks, its blood-red eyes alone were said to curse anyone who gazed into them. No one dared disobey the horrific beast.
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She turns the page of her journal, beginning a new picture. It's of the village again, but a different part.]
When the night of the sacrifice drew near... [She paused, and drew a picture of a wolf. If anyone else was paying attention, it'd be easy to tell it was Ammy, just without her markings and the divine mirror.] A mysterious white wolf appeared outside the village. This wolf, its coat as brilliant as snow, was dubbed Shiranui. The wolf kept a watchful eye on anyone who ventured outside the village, and made a habit of patrolling the streets at night.
People assumed the wolf to be a familiar of Orochi.
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A familiar of Orochi, huh...? Luke can guess that the wolf really wasn't.]
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One villager took it upon himself to face the fearsome Shiranui. The warrior Nagi attempted many times to challenge the wolf. But his attempts were thwarted by Shiranui's swift movements.
[Again, the page is turned, as if the story were telling itself in Luke's journal. This time, a single house is drawn.] Before long, the night of the accursed festival had arrived. A white plumed arrow heralded the coming sacrifice. Piercing the sky, the arrow sunk its shaft squarely into-- [The next strokes of her brush come in the blink of an eye. An arrow is drawn, right in the middle of the house. Miyabi even smudges the ink with her thumb, to give the effect that it had been traveling at high speed.] --the home of Nami, the village's most beautiful maiden.
[Miyabi can't help but smile a little. It was so ironic she told this story to Nami, who shared the same name as one of the characters.]
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Upon hearing that the maiden would be the next sacrifice, Luke sits up a little and can't help but interrupt-]
But Nagi's going to save her, right?
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Back to Luke. Miyabi picks up her brush and smiles in an almost motherly fashion. He was just like a child - it was adorable. |D]
Let me finish. The story is far from over. [She draws again, this time two people, a man and woman, facing eachother and holding hands.] Nagi, harboring a secret love for Nami, was enraged by this sign. Determined to put an end to Orochi once and for all, Nagi traveled to the beast's cave in place of his beloved.
[The page turns, and a wholly new picture is drawn, of a dark, dank cave and Nagi, facing the dreaded Orochi, blade pointed outwards.] The Moon Cave, a place as dark as evil itself, served as Orochi's home. As Nagi stood bravely before the entrance... A beast appeared, eyes glowing crimson upon eight thrashing necks. Orochi stood tall before him, anxious for another sacrifice. Nagi leapt with incredible grace, swinging his blade valiantly. On and on he sliced, into the moonless night... But Orochi's hide was like steel. The blade left nary a scratch.
[Miyabi pauses, for dramatic tension, looking up to the journal's camera with a little smirk. Quickly after, she writes--] Are you enjoying the story so far? Perhaps I should stop, if you're tired. You should rest.
[Don't give in to her trolling, Luke.]
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And then Miyabi stops.]
...Wh-No! No, I'm not tired! I love the story, keep going! ... I mean, if you want to.
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It's a real shame Luke can't hear, because his panic when she stops makes the girl laugh brightly. He really was a sweetie, wasn't he? S-So much unlike Asch... She's really going to have to ask about that one day.]
Of course. If it's not finished, I'm sure the story will take offense. It's really a wonderful story. Okay, quiet now, this is the best part.
[The page turns once more, and this time Miyabi draws Nagi, but he looks tired, leaning heavily on his sword as Orochi's eight heads slowly converge on him.] At long last, Nagi, his energy spent from the intense battle, dropped to his knees, fatigued and gasping for breath. He knew he was staring death in the face.
It was then that the wolf appeared. [She drew Shirnanui, quick but delicate strokes depicting the wolf standing before Nagi, facing Orochi with a fierce snarl.] As if to protect Nagi, it stood its ground before Orochi. In the darkness of the cave, the wolf's coat shone brilliantly. Alas, it was Shiranui, the wolf that dwelled outside the village. Baring its fearsome claws, Shiranui leapt towards Orochi. Orochi reared its heads, readying its fangs for battle. The two beasts struggled wildly, thrashing in the darkness.
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Still, the story's going on, so Luke brightens and pays attention again. The whole battle is making him lean forward a little bit, anticipating the outcome. Shiranui's going to win, right? He (because all the heroes he hears about are males) has to save Nagi and all!]
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She turns another page, drawing Orochi near the top half, one single head breathing a stream of flames at the white wolf.] Mysterious and terrifying, the spectacle continued. Shiranui summoned gusts of divine wind to counter Orochi's flame. [She takes her brush, and draws a loop-the-loop over the fire, and...maybe it's just his imagination, but Luke may feel a kind of soft breeze blow his bangs back. Very small, and quick, like someone blew on his face.] As Orochi closed in on Shiranui, sharpened claws glistening...
[She drew in the lower half of the page, Orochi's head slowing snaking towards Shiranui, then dotted the page with a spot of ink. Where the dot was, a flower burst up from Luke's journal, falling into his lap, and the girl just grinned.] A gigantic tree suddenly sprouted forth, shielding the wolf. Shiranui fought valiantly to gain the upper hand. However... Orochi, protected by a mystical power, was not easily bested. Shiranui, covered in gashes, majestic coat dyed crimson, stood exhausted before the mighty Orochi.
Orochi saw a chance to strike what would be the final blow. [The page turns, and soon Shinarui is drawn, head arched back skywards. Nagi comes after, holding his sword aloft.] But Shiranui refused to give in. With its last ounce of strength, the majestic wolf gazed heavenward and unleashed a mighty howl. Suddenly, the black clouds overhead dissipated. [She draws a crescent moon above the two, and it almost seems to glow. Better than Guy's stories, right? |D] The light from above glinted off Nagi's sword as a beacon of hope.
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As soon as Luke looks down, a flower bursts out of his journal, making him let out a "Whoa!" and jump back, nearly dropping the book in the process.]
What the-?!
[... Was that Miyabi doing all that? Quickly, Luke pays attention to the story again, totally enraptured by it, and once the moon is drawn... Luke can swear that the drawing is glowing, and that the atmosphere around him darkened a little.
omg this is so cool.]
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Guided by his sword, Nagi, who had been taking shelter in the shadows, stood proudly to face his adversary. Channeling all his strength into his scarred and battered arms, he leapt ferociously toward Orochi, his sword poised high. The golden sword danced in his hands like a puppet on a string. One by one, Orochi's fearsome heads separated from their owner.
[She turns the page, and draws - a scene of Nagi, Shiranui, and Orochi's severed heads around them. However, Shiranui was laying on her side, looking forlorn and weak...] Orochi's body collapsed in a lake of its own blood. In that instant, the curse that plagued the villagers was lifted. As the battle subsided, the sun shone once again in the sky. [Miyabi paused, and closed her eyes, smile fading.]
Shiranui had succumbed to Orochi's poison and struggled to breathe. Nagi scooped the beast into his arms and returned to Kamiki.
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