Even though they all considered each other siblings, Nimji always noticed Kimji and Somji closer than ever. He wanted to talk to Kimji about it, but never really got the chance. After all, they had lived together their whole lives. A big change like this might ruin their relationship. Nimji always noticed Kimji backing up Somji, and back when he had fainted, he was slightly conscious—he remembered Kimji crying really badly because of Somji’s condition. Maybe Nimji had misunderstood the situation—but then again… you never know.

Somji’s chase with the vulture was still happening. After she had transformed, she grabbed onto the vulture’s wings and twisted it sharply. The vulture was weakened. She performed moves she had learned in her training—swift, but fast.

The vulture fell to the ground faster than a rabbit.

Kimji and Nimji quickly ran to the spot where Somji was hovering. They saw the vulture lying there, half injured.

“NOW, CHOP CHOP—I HAVE QUESTIONS!” said Somji, pinning down the vulture against the ground with a branch. “WHO SENT YOU? WHY ARE YOU HERE? WHY DID YOU TAKE THE PEARL?!!” Somji’s voice had changed as well—it was louder, more powerful. Before, her voice was quiet and soft.

“Like I’ll ever tell you…” the vulture murmured.

“OH, I SEE. THAT’S HOW IT IS,” Somji twisted the vulture’s other wing, but not hard enough to fully damage it like the other wing.

“OKAY, OKAY—I’LL TELL YOU! JUST LEAVE MY WINGS ALONE! YOU ALREADY BROKE ONE!!” said the vulture. “I was sent by the Hantens—to slow you guys down, and give them the pearl that… that… that can end them forever.”

Somji hardened her grip on the branch. “HOW DOES THE PEARL OF LIFE END THE HANTENS?! IF YOU DON’T SPEAK, I WILL BREAK YOUR OTHER WING—I HAVE NO MERCY FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU!”

“I’LL TELL YOU, JUST LEAVE MY WINGS ALONE!! You have to first obtain the Pearl of Life and Death—you have to mix their properties and create a sort of potion with them. Then you have to unlock your inner dragon. Everyone has one—some people have small ones, some have large ones. While some dragons can be colorful, some can be black and white. You unlock your inner dragon by… uh… by… by meditating on the Mountain of Shi until you feel a, um… a loud hum in your chest. You take the potion of the pearls and feed it to your dragon—you just created a beast.”

In this world, there is a thing called Chikara—the amount of inner power a person holds, or their stamina. The amount that the Hantens hold is unmatchable. The average person is supposed to have a Chikara level of 6, while trained professionals can reach up to 10. But the Hantens? They have a maximum of 100.

Some people have a lot of Chikara, but due to pressure and reality, it’s buried deep inside them. The process of creating your dragon can harness your Chikara and manifest it into your dragon. The manifested Chikara is ten times more powerful, because it doesn’t just manifest your Chikara—but also your strongest emotions and your past.

Making it the only thing that could defeat the Hantens. No one knew about Chikara or their inner dragons—everyone thought that was just a myth, and the true legends were buried beneath history.

Somji let the vulture go and took the pearl with her. She had damaged his wing enough that he could never fly again, so he hilariously waddled his way back through the bushes. She noticed the intricate carvings on the pearl—it was beautiful.

“Now, let’s get that Death Pearl!”

“But… Mounchioun didn’t tell us how to get there! We’re supposed to be in the land of th—”

“WAIT!” said Nimji, cutting Kimji off mid-sentence. “Didn’t Mounchioun mention that the key to the Gates of the Dead is the Pearl of Life?”

“And he also told us that if the radar on the Soul Tracker starts to shine red, we’re getting closer to the gates. He just didn’t tell us which direction,” Somji said, glaring at Kimji.

“OKAY—so let me get this straight. We use the Soul Tracker to get to the Gates of the Dead, somehow use the Pearl of Life to open them, and then search the waters of the Land of the Dead for the Pearl of Death, WHICH IS BLACK, BLENDING INTO THE MURKY WATERS?!” Kimji said, half-sarcastic but also completely serious.

“CHOP CHOP!” said Somji, already ready to go. Kimji groaned—it was obvious that Somji was bold about this mission. Nimji teased Kimji with a playful shove, and Kimji rolled his eyes.

Somji flew up and held out the radar. Nothing.

“Maybe Kimji’s right. Maybe we can’t get to the ga—”

“HOLD ON! I HAVE AN IDEA!!”