What they saw truly shocked them. Izumi saw golden dragons guarding the entrance. Their massive size was bigger than that of Cuojue.
“How will we go across the long bridge?” Izumi asked Hiroki.
“I know them. The one on the left is Jinhai and the one one the right is Juyin. The brothers of the dragon land gate.” Hiroki said.
Hiroki walked up to them and waved.
“Hello Jinhai and Juyin.” Hiroki said.
“Who are you?” The dragon on the left asked.
“Are you not Jinhai?”
“they are our parents.” Both dragons said.
“Where are they?” Hiroki asked them.
“They are now Yokubou guards.” They responded.
“I know your parents may I see them.” Hiroki said.
“We have heard a lot about you you may go through.” They said moving aside.
Hiroki signaled for the other to come near him.
“These are my companions who will travel and seek information here. Izumi. Yeong. This is as far as I can take you. I will return to my home. I bid everyone farewell.” Hiroki said, waving.
Hiroki flew up and asked the two dragons what names were.
“Jian” the dragon on the left said
“Aoi” the dragon on the right side.
Hiroki bowed and flew off.
“Do you see it jian?” Aoi asked.
“Indeed…” jian said
Cuojue turned into a winged horse and flew to the dragon's ear and whispered.
“His power is awakening; you must be silent about it for he will endanger his destiny and wars will break upon us.” Cuojue said
“Yes…” jian and Aoi said.
Izumi and Yeong walked on the bridge and Cuojue flew across. After what seemed so short, they reached the cage yokubou stayed in.
“Are you Jinhai and Juyin?” Izumi asked the dragons.
“We are. Who might you be?” They asked.
“We are here to speak with Yokubou. We were escorted by Hiroki.” Yeong said
“Hiroki came?” Jinhai asked.
“Yes he did. He greeted your children and left.” Izumi said.
“I see.” Juyin said, looking away from them.
“Juyin…” Jinhai said, looking at Izumi’s heart.
“He doesn’t know” Cuojue said telepathically to them
“Uhh… Yokubou, you wanted to speak yes?” Jinhai asked
“Yes.” Izumi said.
“Follow us,” Juyin said.
Jinhai turned and faced the cage Yokubou was in and moved aside for them to pass through.
There stood Yokubou looking at Izumi.
“So he has it!” Yokubou said like a crazy man.
Izumi looked at him and walked closer. Yokubou looked directly at his heart.
“He has been going on about the scroll since he was imprisoned here.” Juyin said.
Yokubou reached out to touch Izumi. Yeong seized his wrist and pulled, making him hit the cage.
“Don’t touch him.” Yeong said, letting go of his wrist.
“You have a guardian to protect you huh?” Yokubou said scoffing.
Izumi was taken back to what he said and saw many scars on his body.
“I see how well you’ve grown... just like me,” Yokubou said, pointing at Izumi making him lose his grip on the cloth covering his wings.
Izumi tried grabbing the cloth back but it was too late. The golden dragons and yokubou saw his pitch black wings. Izumi covered them in shame and Yeong covered Izumi with his first layer tunic.
“You are my flesh and blood!” Yokubou yelled and laughed till echos ran across the cave.
Yokubou once more lifted his hand and revealed a shimmering light glowing within Izumi.
“What are you doing...” Izumi said.
The Danketsu scroll was revealed. Yeong and everyone else saw the scroll moving within his heart.
“It can’t be...” Jinhai said.
Yeong threw his sword at Yokubou, piercing his heart. Dropping to the floor.
“It’s too late. He’s done for...” Yokubou said, fading out of his body.
Izumi looked at his heart and the shimmering light faded leaving a strange mark on his chest. The seal, dealing him and the scroll together.
“He is the son of Yokubou..” juyin said slowly.
“We can’t let you go, you will make the same mistake as your father once did 2 hundred years ago.” Jinhai said to Izumi.
“He could never do that! He isn’t like that!” Yeong protested.
“He will need to stay with us till the glow subsides.” juyin said
“What glow?” Izumi asked.
“Yokubou opened you, he made you a target for creatures to get a hold of you and kill you or something less worse than killing.” Jinhai said
“What is the other option?” Izumi asked
“They can’t tell you, for they do not know,” Cuojue said.
Yeong looked at Izumi’s chest glowing and stood in between Izumi and the golden dragons.
“We will not be held against our will here,” Yeong said.
“Then we have no choice but to use force,” Jinhai said.
Jinhai and Juyin surrounded the three and used their powerful wings to swoop them up and carefully put them near an empty cage. As they got closer Cuojue formed into a dragon as well, he circled around Yeong and Izumi. He broke the winds current and Yeong held onto Izumi and flew off in the opposite direction of the golden dragons.
“Yeo…” Izumi started.
Yeong didn’t look at him and just kept flying away. Cuojue caught up in time and floated under them allowing them to rest on his furry back.
“Are you ok?” Yeong asked Izumi.
“Yes” Izumi said, remembering his expression “why can’t I see the glow?”
“Because Yokubou made it open to others so they can kill his only bloodline…” Yeong said, trailing his sentence.
Izumi was lost at words. Though he couldn’t say much because he thought Yuma was his father.
“Then… Yukio isn’t my brother.” Izumi said, looking at Yeong.
Yeong was confused by what he said.
“Yukio is not your brother?” Yeong repeated.
“That means…” Yeong froze “You’re the rightful heir to the throne.”
Yeong looked at Izumi and kneeled awkwardly with his hand out because of their necklaces that are still conjoined.
“I should have known. Your royalty. Leader Izumi of Tenshi.” Yeong said
“Cuojue you said that I wasn’t ready to know something…” Izumi said “was it this?”
“No.” Cuojue responded “something worse than your bloodline.”
Izumi thought about what Cuojue said. Though he couldn’t understand.
After some time and distance Izumi and Yeong saw Hiroki battling the same creatures before they arrived in the Dragon lands.
“Hiroki!” Yeong said.
Hiroki was stabbed and eaten.
“Hiroki!” Izumi and Yeong shouted.
Yeong tried to fly where Hiroki was but Izumi stopped him.
“Stop. You're going to die too.” Izumi said, taking Yeong’s wrist.
Yeong thought if he went Izumi was right, he would not only kill himself but Izumi as well.
“No…” Yeong said faintly.
Izumi hugged Yeong Grieving along with him.
“We have to head back to jigoku and sort things out.” Cuojue said.
They headed back which took them 5 days. During those days they ran into multiple demons, and creatures. During that time their necklaces still remained together.
Cuojue fell fast asleep while Izumi and Yeong laid awake near the fire.
“We have to find a way to undo this. We can’t keep fighting with us trapped together. When we get back to our home we have to find a way to break this.” Izumi said.
“Yes.” Yeong said guiltily.
Izumi fell asleep on Yeong’s shoulder while Yeong was still awake.
“Truthfully… Izumi I know how to break this… but I’m not ready to do what is needed…” Yeong said, as he wrapped his arms around Izumi.
The next morning as it was for the 3 days they faced monsters, another creature came and tried to kill Izumi.
“This will be difficult… go! I hold it off.” Cuojue said using his transformations to fight off the creature.
Izumi and Yeong flew off in the direction of Jigoku.
In the next two days they finally reached Jigoku but once they got there, they weren’t able to go inside because of the glow within Izumi…
A special treat... chapter 8 and 9 will be released on November 18 and November 20.
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