1,618Koibito no Ryu
Chapter 29
Before his rage-tinged vision she began to heal.
At first the white dragon didn't notice the change in her state, so terrified of her sudden transition from wakefulness to unconsciousness was he. But then he noticed gradually the odd movement on her bloodied neck. Her badly slashed throat was rapidly knitting itself together, and even as he watched the ripped flesh sealed itself completely to reform the graceful line that was her neck.
Her mating mark flared impossibly bright, so much so that it lit up the entire clearing. Before long, the her body was glowing a soft shimmering shade of gold, and her temperature skyrocketed to such a degree that it should have been unbearable holding on to her, and yet it had only felt to him as if he was immersed in lukewarm water.
The subduing collar could not stand the strength of the powerful heat, and the magicked silk melted off her slender neck like butter. Their bond reconnected with a great jolt.
Trust me, Tentei.
Her transformation was immediate. A flash of intense golden light lit up the entire clearing, nearly blinding all who were present. When Tentei's eyes cleared, Sarea was no more.
Unlike her mate, her other form was small but in no way less powerful.
Kaji and Aoi appeared at the scene just in time to see the elegant, swan-sized avian spread its large golden wings and take to the skies. Its plumage was of pure gold except for the tiny cobalt blue crest that shimmered gently on the side of its neck and its eyes a mesmerizing crimson. It had the long graceful neck of a crane and the small sleek head of a peacock, and twelve long, colorful plumes in various shades of red, blue, yellow, white and black adorned its tail. Gold dust shimmered from its gilded body with every movement it made.
The two younger princes Changed back to their human forms beside their brother.
"The Phoenix," Aoi breathed, his tone slightly disbelieving and his indigo eyes filled with awe. On the other side of Tentei, Kaji merely stared, his mouth slightly agape. Even the reaction of the Elven King was one of muted astonishment.
It was, after all, nearly a millennium since the Immortal Realms had last seen the legendary bird.
The beautiful avian flew around the clearing once, and as it did so it opened its beak and trilled the sweetest sound of joy. Precious gold powder rained down at its wake, and the long beautiful tail feathers trailed gracefully behind it as it eventually made it's descend to its mate.
Not for once did Tentei's sight leave that of Sarea's and when she neared he silently lifted his arms to her.
The fragile, hollow bones meant specially for flight solidified and lengthened to form a small body and long limbs; glittering ruby orbs lightened to a soft dove grey; the tiny beak disappeared to be replaced with full lips and a small, pert nose; the golden plumage melted off to reveal soft smooth skin, and glorious red hair that waterfalled down a small back with careless abandon.
Sarea had evolved back to her human form successfully. Well, almost. A physical manifestation of her true form, the golden wings refused to be hidden away; but other than that Sarea is as Sarea was.
"Tentei!" the redhead whispered breathlessly as she wrapped her arms around her mate immediately. She had no idea what had happened earlier but was too glad by the sight of the white dragon to bother much about it at the moment. The redhead did not care if everyone present could feel her emotions; she poured every ounce of delight that she possessed as well as all the love she had for Tentei through their bond.
Tentei's grip tightened in response to her powerful feelings of affection.
Then just as quickly he released his grasp on her and started to hand her over to Kaji.
"Take her back to the palace immediately." Crimson eyes narrowed immediately and locked upon cool golden ones. "There is something that I have to take care of."
Sarea protested immediately. Her wings fluttering behind her with agitation, she held on tightly to Tentei and was surprised when Kaji actually came nearer to his brother to pry her off him. She struggled helplessly but the stronger flame-haired teen restrained her easily.
"I am sorry, Sarea," Kaji said apologetically, "but this is the way of our people."
Before Sarea had a chance to reply to that, Aoi slipped behind her and laid cool, violet tinted hands upon her scalp. With a soft whimper, the redhead succumbed to the velvety darkness of sleep immediately, becoming a dead weight in Kaji's arms. The flame-haired teen quickly swept up her up bridal style and as one both brothers turned to Tentei.
"We will see you back at the palace."
The white dragon nodded once, and kept silent watch as his brothers faded away into thin air with his mate.
Then he turned to regard the blond elf who had by now wandered to the center of the clearing. Telemnar looked disinterestedly at Tentei.
"You are not going to be able to protect her forever, you know."
Tentei stood unmoving as the elf continued to close in on him. His carriage was erect but his muscles deceptively relaxed, ready for anything the elf might throw at him.
"That would be my worry, and not at all your concern, is it?"
Telemnar did not agree nor did he deny. He merely kept silent, but that was already an answer in itself.
Tentei stiffened, and his pupils narrowed into dangerous slits.
"The late Elven King never told you the truth before he died, did he? He made you think that everything was the fault of my parents. You would go so far for revenge?" the white dragon growled almost inaudibly.
Telemnar stopped before the Dragon Crown Prince.
"It seems that you spend more time worrying about the feud than I do, Prince Tentei," the blond remarked sardonically. "Contrary to popular belief, I have read the betrothal contract."
Tentei continued staring coolly at Telemnar although he was inwardly surprised by the piece of news.
"Such a coincidence, isn't it? Not only did both our mothers share the same first name, their maiden names were but a letter different. It was an easy enough mistake for my Father to make, don't you think?"
"Your Father refused to see the truth. It was nobody's fault but his own."
Telemnar agreed. "True. But can you blame him? For one happy moment he believed that he had the woman of his dreams. She was beautiful and loyal, and she possessed such fire within her that he could not help but be attracted to her the more time he spent with her." The blond's voice was soft and silky, and Tentei felt his hackles rise at the insinuation he was beginning to suspect had no relation to his mother at all.
Golden eyes sharpened. "Don't worry; he paid dearly for his obsession. It was a lesson that I have learnt very well." The Elven King's voice was cold and hard now, his facial features emotionless and forbidding. "He was a bitter man to the end, while your parents played the happy couple. The sheer irony of Fate.
"It disgusts me."
Tentei crossed his arms. He looked as if he was nearly bored to death by the elf's account, much to the anger of said elf. Telemnar switched tactics. He smiled lazily.
"But that's the past. Let's talk about the present, shall we?" Telemnar glided nearer to the white dragon, his eyes half-mast but there was mistaking that glint of pure malice in those golden depths. "Let's talk about your lovely mate."
That regained Tentei's attention. Crimson eyes narrowed. The blond smirked.
"You know, I was prepared to make her my Queen."
Tentei lowered his arms, his hands loosely curled. The expression on his face was impassive, but his eyes revealed his ire.
"Thanks to you, I have nearly lost her today," the white dragon growled. "Your little joke has gone too far."
"Not nearly far enough."
If it had been Telemnar's intention to rile Tentei up, he had certainly succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Tentei's eyes blazed with icy rage.
"In that case, I will just have to make sure that you will be incapable of carrying out your threats," the white dragon growled savagely, the fine shimmering scales of fury glinting under the moonlight.
Telemnar shrugged in a deceptively nonchalant manner as he slid into a defensive posture.
Tentei attacked.
When Sarea woke up, she found herself in the gigantic bedroom that she and Tentei shared. Immediately the events that had occurred earlier flashed past her mind, and she slowly lifted herself to a sitting position. Her flexible golden wings had allowed her to lie on the bed comfortably and now twitched slightly behind her, an indication that what had happened earlier had clearly not been a dream. Her head didn't hurt like that last time when Aoi had used his magick on her, and for that she was infinitely relieved.
"You are awake." Sarea's eyes focused quickly on the sitting form of Hoshi. The Faye Queen had been sitting by her bedside and Sarea smiled slightly at her.
"Hoshi."
The white-haired female looked at her kindly.
"Aoi told me what happened. I have checked for injuries on your body but found none. Not a surprise really, phoenixes are rumored to be blessed with incredible healing abilities."
"Oh," Sarea muttered. No wonder her head didn't hurt. A worrying thought occurred to Sarea. "Has Tentei returned to the palace already?"
The Faye shook her head, and Sarea frowned.
"It is the way of all dragonkind. When Telemnar took you away from my son, he knew what the consequences would be. As Tien's mate, you are the most important person in his life. He would do whatever it takes to eliminate anything, or anyone, that might cause harm to you."
"But Telemnar is dangerous." Sarea remembered how the elf had nearly tortured Cameron to death, and he didn't even have to lift a single finger in order to do so.
"Do you trust Tentei?"
The redhead looked mildly insulted by that question. "Yes, I do." Her answer was immediate, and Hoshi smiled.
"He would be happy to know that. Now," Hoshi started in a no-nonsense manner, "I heard that the High Prince Telemnar has just awakened. Would you like to see him?"
Sarea knew that the Faye Queen was trying to divert her worries and was extremely appreciative of her efforts. She smiled at Hoshi even as she decided inwardly that she was definitely going to give her inconsiderate mate hell for making her worry about him when he came back. Until then, a visit to Cameron would just have to suffice.
"Yes, that would be great."
Sarea quickly changed her mind when she got out of the room and saw the two persons that were lurking there. She started to scowl at the identical expression of guilt that adorned the faces of her mate's two accomplices.
"Hi, Sarea, I am glad that you are recovered," Aoi murmured sincerely. Her cantankerous scowl deepened, and both Aoi and Kaji cannot help but realize how much she took after Tentei in that expect. They looked nervously at the pint-sized redhead. Unlike their confident brother, they knew better than to underestimate Sarea. Judging by her mischievous manner, their brother's little mate could easily spend the next fifty years or so making their lives hell if she wanted to.
The two Ryuhara princes glanced not-so-discreetly at their mother for intervention. By Sarea's side, Hoshi merely tilted her head slightly; her violet eyes alight with humor. For almost three decades she had been the only female against this boisterous household of men; there was no way that she was going to take their side against Sarea now.
Sarea moved into action then, and the two males had to prevent themselves from moving back with alarm when she stepped before them suddenly. Clearing expecting a blistering lecture from the irate redhead, they were instantly wary when her fierce frown smoothed away from her face to be replaced by a sunny smile.
That was seconds before she went on tiptoes and grabbed their ears with each of her hands.
Aoi yelped whereas Kaji gave a surprised holler when Sarea proceeded to cheerfully tug their faces down to her level. Hoshi had to cover her mouth with a hand as she muffled her laughter. All her sons had never been treated thusly before, but she could not say that this was a bad experience for them.
"What have I said about doing your little magic trick that puts people to sleep?" Sarea asked Aoi sternly.
"I apologize, Sarea." The blue-haired teen knew enough to placate the redhead. "I promise that I won't do it again."
"You better make sure of that."
Aoi's 'kicked puppy' expression was too much for Sarea to handle, and the redhead released him immediately. The youngest prince straightened embarrassedly and Sarea turned her attention to the still but softly cursing Kaji.
It was obvious that Sarea had the advantage. The flame-haired teen knew better than to try to forcefully maneuver his way out of Sarea's hold. For one, he was taught better than to roughhouse with a female. His Mother would have his head. For another, his protective elder brother would flambé him alive if he came back and found Sarea hurt.
He had better chances taking on a nine-headed Hydra.
"What have I said about carting me off like a sack of potatoes?" Sarea asked sweetly of Kaji.
"But you didn't say anything about- Ow ow OW!" Kaji howled when Sarea expertly twisted his ear. "Ok, ok! I promise not to ever do that again!"
Sarea glanced suspiciously at the flame-haired teen. "Promise?"
The second Ryuhara prince jerked his head. "Word of honor." He would rather suffer Tentei's displeasure than to go through this embarrassment again.
Sarea let out a soft feminine grunt of satisfaction before releasing Kaji. The relieved teen straightened immediately and backed a step or two away from the redhead. He shot Hoshi a wounded look in the process. "Mother, I am really hurt that you had done nothing to help us out. How could you alienate your flesh and blood like that? This is utterly heartbreaking!" Kaji cried out theatrically.
Hoshi looked unimpressed by her son's flair for melodrama.
"Don't think that I have forgotten how you, Aoi, and Tentei have conspired with your father to run off in the middle of the night into a potentially dangerous situation."
Whenever Hoshi used that tone, it usually meant that she was starting to get serious. Kaji's sapphire eyes widened. The Faye may project a gentle persona most of the time but all three of her children knew better than to think that her temperament would always remain that way. "But, Mother-"
"That's enough, Kaji," the beautiful white-haired female cut in sternly. "Whining does not become you, young man."
"Yes Mother," the flame-haired teen replied promptly. Aoi looked faintly amused by the way his older brother could never seem to keep himself out of trouble and Kaji narrowed his eyes slightly at him, much to Sarea's hidden amusement.
"Boys will always be boys," Hoshi sighed.
"Hello, my love! Why did everyone neglect to inform me about this family gathering in the hallways?"
Tenga appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He stopped beside his wife and started to snake his arm around her slim waist. He got a sharp smack for his efforts. He promptly shot his wife an injured look and Sarea quickly realized where Kaji got his love for over exaggeration.
"Why, Hoshi my beloved, do you not love me anymore? Your rejection hurts my heart more than my flesh and I-"
"Tenga?"
"Yes, dear?"
The Dragon King's look of innocence was highly amusing. Even Kaji was coaxed out of his little sulk to observe the hell that his mother was sure to be giving to his father. Hoshi took a page from Sarea's book. The Faye turned towards her blissfully oblivious husband and before he could react she reached up and grabbed both his ears.
The look on Tenga's face was priceless. It was obvious that Hoshi had never done anything like that to him before, and before she could help it, Sarea burst into laughter. Aoi and Kaji weren't far behind, although they were certainly more discreet about their sniggers.
"Darling!" Tenga's tone was one of pained surprise. "Why are you manhandling me so?"
His darling wife smiled sweetly at him, and for a moment the blond dragon could not help but feel himself soften at the gentle look in her beautiful violet eyes. Then those same indigo orbs sharpened and before he knew it said darling wife was happily twisting his ears everyway she pleased.
"This," the sweet smile never left the Faye's face, "is for endangering my babies."
"Mother!" the two younger princes protested immediately. "We are not babies anymore!" Sarea merely snorted to herself. She tried to picture an incredibly brassed off Tentei with a rattler and a baby bib and had to bite her lips to prevent herself from laughing out loud again.
Hoshi did not reply to her sons' complains. She glared fiercely at her husband. "Tenga, really, what were you thinking? How could you agree to something like that? Especially when Tien is in such an unstable state; and in the middle of the night too!" Sarea could not help but notice that Hoshi's grasp on Tenga got tighter and tighter as she became more agitated. She decided to help Tenga before his wife accidentally pulls his ears off.
"Hoshi," Sarea coughed. "Er, about Cameron…"
The white-haired female came out of her annoyed glare at her mate to stare at Sarea with confusion. Sarea could not help but grin a little. Had someone told her that she would one day be part of a family as wacky as this one, she would never have believed him. "Cameron?" Hoshi echoed.
"Uh…the High Prince Telemnar."
A look of dawning understanding appeared on the Faye's face and Hoshi looked almost apologetic. "Ah! I am so sorry. I forgot! Let's go now." She released her husband immediately and by then Tenga's ears were a bright tomato red. He rubbed them ruefully as the women started to hurry past them.
"Hoshi, love! Does this mean that I am forgiven?" he called after her retreating back. Hoshi merely turned around once and gave him a narrow eyed-stare. Then she turned back and disappeared around the corner with Sarea.
Kaji clasped a hand on his father's shoulder, grinning slightly all the while.
"Methinks that you are going to be spending the night in one of the guestrooms again, Father."
Sarea promptly burst into tears when she saw Cameron.
Her dear friend was wrapped in so many strips of bandages that he looked like a living mummy. She felt so guilty for landing Cameron in such a bad situation. The redhead went to the elf's bedside immediately.
"Cameron," she whispered softly. The Elven High Prince opened his eyes immediately and although he could not speak those golden orbs glowed with gladness for her safe return. "Oh god, Cameron. I am so sorry."
The elf lifted a hand and waved away her apologies, as if trying to tell the redhead that it was a small matter.
"No, it's not. That was a very brave thing for you to do. I will be grateful to you forever, Cameron."
Once again, the golden eyes glimmered and the elf shook his head slightly from side to side. The redhead merely smiled tearfully at him.
"No, Sarea is right. The Ryuhara family would never forget your act of valiance, Prince Telemnar." That was from Hoshi, who had come in with Sarea.
Cameron acknowledged Hoshi's gratitude with a polite nod. Sarea's eyes filled again as she witnessed severe discomfort that her friend must be in. The pain must be unimaginable. She sought to distract him from his suffering.
"I finally learnt what my powers are, Cameron." Sarea announced; her voice husky from tears. She turned around and pulled a golden wing to Cameron's line of vision. "See, I am phoenix and I have this pair of golden wings to show for it! Isn't that cool? I still can't control it yet though, but oh! You should have seen me when I transformed just now! I will show you when you get better, ok?"
Cameron smiled wryly at the redhead's contagious enthusiasm and nodded an agreement. Sarea frowned then; she wished that Cameron could talk. The redhead turned to Hoshi.
"Is there something wrong? Why is he healing so slowly?" Sarea asked the Faye sitting by her side. One of the first things that she had learnt was that most Immortals had amazing regenerative abilities, and although it was a little more than twelve hours since Cameron was injured, he should have been at least half healed by now.
"The High Prince has been severely injured, and there has been a lot of internal bleeding as well. The body's instinct is to heal what is most important first, and that will be the liver, the kidneys and the lungs. The external wounds will just have to take a little longer to mend." Hoshi hesitated awhile, and then continued. "Although you might be able to help speed up the process."
"How?"
"Legends have it that the tears of a phoenix have amazing restorative powers. That is not a sure thing though, because it has been nearly a thousand years since we had a phoenix in the Immortal Realms."
If Sarea hadn't been so worried about the wellbeing of her friend she would have stopped to wonder about the significance behind Hoshi's words. As it was the redhead merely heard the first sentence uttered by the Faye.
"So how do I do that? Do I just shed tears above Cameron?" Sarea was determined to try anything that could help her Elven friend. It was after all, her fault that he was injured so badly.
Hoshi nodded uncertainly. "Your tears would probably need to be in contact with his skin."
Sarea nodded, and lifted Cameron's bare hand to her. It didn't take long for the tears to fall; all Sarea had to do was to think of the stressful events that had taken place that day. Three drops of warm, transparent liquid dropped onto Cameron's skin, and both Hoshi and Sarea watched anxiously as they rolled off the elf harmlessly.
Nothing was happening.
Hoshi frowned. Maybe the myth wasn't true after all.
Our tears of healing do not spring from sadness, but from joy.
Try again.
It was that voice ringing within her head again, but rather than to feel scared by its presence, Sarea merely felt comforted. She decided to heed that voice, and started to think happy thoughts.
All the time that she had spent with Sun, laughing and talking about their plans for the future. The first time that she had met Tentei. The knowledge that her mate's family is also hers now.
The knowledge that he loves her.
The tears that leaked from beneath her eyelids this time were thick and resembled liquid gold. The fat droplets rolled down her cheeks and landed with a splash onto Cameron's bare hand, leaving wet glittering tracks of faint gold on Sarea's face in the process.
The effects were instantaneous.
Like mercury, Sarea's tears seeped under Cameron's skin in a way not unlike diffusion. It was incredible. Cameron could feel the change going on within him the moment the golden liquid hit his blood stream. The aching, insistent discomfort disappeared immediately, and so did the raw stabs of pain he had to endure each time he breathed lightly through broken ribs and damaged lungs.
Cameron found that he could take normal breaths, and he did so with great relief. All of a sudden, the overwhelming lethargy that was always present during a regenerative healing disappeared and he actually felt quite energetic.
"This is amazing," Cameron breathed, and he looked surprised that he could talk. The intense torture had nearly destroyed his voice box and broke his air passage, and all his earlier efforts to communicate had been rewarded by regurgitated blood and extreme pain. The fact that he was talking now convinced Cameron that Sarea's phoenix tears had really healed him completely; not just numb him from the immense pain that he had been going through.
"Are you feeling better?" Sarea asked anxiously as she regarded the look of wonder on her friend's face. "Did it work?"
Cameron surprised the females when he sat up suddenly. He grinned at their stunned expressions.
"Did it work?" he echoed Sarea's question. He ripped away the slightly bloody bandages that covered his chest with a strength that an invalid would not have and looked down at the woundless span of warm skin. Hoshi stared with amazement. Just a few hours ago, his messy maze of wounds on his chest had been a healer's nightmare. "You healed me completely, Sarea."
"I…did." Sarea began to grin shakily. Then she threw herself at her friend to wrap him in an impulsive hug. Cameron caught her and embraced her just as tightly, much to the redhead's surprise. "God, Cameron, please don't do anything like this again. I don't like it when you get hurt because of me."
Cameron drew back to look at Sarea innocently.
"But isn't that something friends would do for one another?"
Sarea would have burst into tears once more had a messenger not burst into the room at that exact moment.
"Prince Tentei has returned!"
A/N : One more chapter to go, folks!
Yup, some of you have already noticed the mild significance behind the Dragon/Phoenix pairing. In ancient China (Japan and Korea as well, actually), the paired reference of a Dragon and a Phoenix symbolizes auspiciousness and marital bliss, and although both mythical creatures are highly respected in their own rights (one a creature as wise as the sages and the other the King of Birds) it is believed that when seen together they bring peace and harmony on earth. The Imperial Palaces of the Forbidden City are filled with motifs of majestic Dragons and Dancing phoenixes, and they each represent the Emperor and Empress of China respectively.
Haha, sorry that I'm babbling happily away again. I always get carried away when I touch into this particular topic, and no, I'm not a student of anthropology, just the typical geek studying in aerospace but with a great interest in all kinds of mythology. Basically, I was trying to explain why I chose the Phoenix as Sarea's blood beast but I think that I'm just making a muck out of it.
So moving on (and please ignore my ramblings if you become too confused)…special thanks to Lulai and Mori for beta-ing this chapter!
Next, to answer some questions posed by various reviewers…
To some-one :
You said that Immortals live as long as the Dragons. But what about mortals? Does that mean Sarea will die before Tentei?
No, Sarea will not die before Tentei. As a bond mate, Sarea shares the lifespan of Tentei. Their lifeforce are entwined together after bonding so unless Sarea (or Tentei) suffers a mortal wound they are both going to live long and ripe lives.
To BR :
Do the Dragon's colours mean anything? As in, are the colors just random or do they symbolize an aspect of their personality?
Haha, you have just discovered my not-so-secret way of creating my characters. Yes, you are right; the colors of the Dragons do symbolize some parts of their character. For example, Tentei is white like the arctic landscape because of his wintry temperament whereas Aoi is deep blue for the ocean; placid most of the time unless provoked. The direct opposite, Kaji is the orange of fire because of his unpredictable as well as friendly temperament. Lastly, Tenga would be gold for the regal and all powerful King that he can be but normally chooses not to and be warm and approachable instead; i.e. my personal impression of a warm golden glow.
To akaCHEEKS :
The blood that she drank… is that the Phoenix?
No, the Phoenix was residing within Sarea all along. As mentioned before, all beings in this fic, be they mortals or Immortals, possesses magick; just that most humans have so little traces of it that the magick is nearly almost dormant within them. Not for Sarea though; the powerful Phoenix is like her slumbering blood beast, her subconscious, and it needs a catalyst to be awakened i.e. in this case, Sarea was in grave danger before the base instincts of the phoenix finally kicked in for self-preservation.
As for the blood that she drank from Tentei; that contained the tiniest trace of essence from his blood beast. That forms the foundation of the blond bond, and was the reason how Tentei could detect the scent of blood when Sarea was injured.
To K :
If the change comes with the blood beast, then how could Aoi and Kaji Change too? Can the Dragons Change at will as well?
Lol. I think that you have gotten a little confused. All Eastern Dragons are born with the blood beast within them. Since Tentei, Aoi and Kaji are siblings, naturally they are able to Change into their bestial forms as well.
As for the second question, here's where it gets a little complicated. A Dragon can change at will up to a certain age. As you can see from the fic Aoi and Kaji's Dragon forms aren't fully grown yet. That's why they are much smaller and the blood beasts are easier for them to control. Once the blood beast reaches full maturity however, only the presence of a bond mate can control the beast, and a Change from an unbonded Dragon would be most discouraged for a full-fledged blood beast is extremely powerful and volatile, which is why a bond mate is extremely important to the Dragons and brings us back to the reason why Dragons cherish their bond mates above everything else.
To hidden-starz :
What does Koibito No Ryu mean?
Well, it is supposed to mean Dragon's Beloved in Japanese but I have some readers who have kindly informed me that I have got it all upside down and it is in actuality Beloved's Dragon. Oh well.
To Cookiesncream :
Are you going to have any romance going on for Kaji or Aoi in the sequel?
Not in the next sequel for two reasons mainly. The sequel Soulmates would be a direct continuation from KnR in terms of the timeline and seeing that Kaji and Aoi are basically still in their teens their blood beasts are not matured yet so therefore they have no way of locating their bond mates. The second reason would be that I would like to focus on another race of Immortals in the sequel, namely the Fox Clan and a few others in between, so Kaji, Aoi and the Eastern Dragons would probably make cameo appearances in Soulmates but the focus won't be on them. In the sequel after Soulmates maybe? Lol.
To Ivory Shadow :
How long will it take for the sequel to be posted after KnR is finished? And do the Draconians have accents when they speak?
I don't think that it would take months if that is what you mean, but I don't dare to give you an estimate because the Soulmates is still a little rough here and there. We will see, I suppose.
As for accents…lol. I have never thought of that, but in my mind…yeah. They do have accents, but only a little, mind you. Eastern European perhaps?
And that's all for this chapter! Thanks to all reviewers for their questions. Thanks for liking this fic enough to want to know more about it. You cannot believe how pleased I become whenever I receive queries, weird as it may seem, so fire away, people!
Until next time!