002

My sword flies off as I fall to the ground. The beast is over me. I stare with terror in my eyes as it's wound begins to heal. The beast opens it's mouth, fangs sharp, it's drool falling onto my face. I feel more disgusted than scared. But I definitely didn't want to die, so I close my eyes, focusing on my chakra. Maybe if my chakras alligned, I could defeat this monster right here. I can hear the beast snarling. I see galaxies in my mind as I struggle to think what to do. I can not focus. 'Is this the end,' I think to myself. "Mu li a Xiang" I whisper.

I hear a loud sound, as if something was struck by lightning. I open my eyes to find no megasaur over me. I try to get up.

"Duck" I hear a voice.

I turn around to see a young lad clothed in decent animal skin coming towards me. He is riding a huge Haurus. I see him pull at the arrow in his hands. I duck in time - the arrow, as it speeds towards me, breaks into a number of itself alike. They fly over my head.

* THUDDDD *

I spin around, hands over my ears. It's lying on the ground, tumbled, with a spear in it's side and a number of arrows stuck in its flesh. The megasaur is bathed in blue blood. I hear it howl at the moon, a tear falling out of its eyes.

''Did you just kill it?" I feel a shiver down my spine.

"You were lucky" says the boy, jumping off his mate.

"That could've eaten you up in two bites. I'm Jade" he offers a hand.

I take it. "I'm Hua. And–"

He cuts me halfway.

"Hua as in the general who defeated the greatest Megasaur known?"

"That's my dad – the general you talk of. And that was brilliant. How did you do the arrow breaking thing?"

"Oh, those arrows are our heirloom" Jade grins.

"That is brilliant! It's such a powerful weapon."

He walks up to the Megasaur he just killed. I walk right behind him. I can not believe I just feared my death by the creature that is now dead before my eyes. Jade pours sand over most of the blood.

"What are ya doing?" I ask.

"Watch."

I stare, without blinking.

The blood crystallizes and it looks beautiful. He holds it up to my face.

"You see this? I am gonna make it into a weapon."

I blink, stupified. "We can?"

"Why not" he nudges.

That is definitely an idea worth trillions. Why did it not occur to me ever? I take the crystal in my hand. It's hard and heavy. I push it down right at my knee, in a futile effort to break it.

"Woah! Easy there mate" Jade says.

"I'm sorry. I was only checking. It's pretty hard, you see."

"Sure is. I had always wanted to kill a Moon beast to collect this crystal. They're fools to make jewelleries out of it instead of weapons."

Moon beasts are the Megasaurs that draw power from the third moon, whose blood is blue and crystallizes when covered in sand. The one Jade just killed was a Moon beast.

"Ever killed one?" he asks.

"Naah. I'm not as great as my dad. I'm not even half as good" I sigh.

"Take me to your father, will you? I have a really important message for him."

I lead Jade to our cavern.

Baba sits on his throne. We greet him.

"Son! You killed a Moon beast I see." he exclaims.

"Actually, I didn't do it. He did" I point to Jade.

"I am Jade Marth from the Marth tribe. I have a message for you, general Hua" he bows.

"Marth." I see something flicker in his eyes. "Reminds me of the good old days. Speak, what is it that drove you this far?"

I don't exactly know what the good old days refer to, but Baba is probably talking about days when he didn't have to fight Megasaurs.

Jade unrolls a scroll and starts reading out a script unbeknown to me.

"Greetings to the general, my dear heart. I, Trelene write on the behalf of my tribe to inform you of the danger that lurks over my people. The people of Marth are being killed every red moon. We wake up to find a pile of corpses outside the temple, everytime. Who or what is killing them is perhaps a Megasaur (or maybe they come in a group) but what is astounding is that they lay them in a pile instead of eating them. Every corpse misses a body part – some a hand, some a foot, some the head. I had been staying up all night since the past two red nights but no good did I see come out of it. I ask for your help, much more as a Junan general than a friend close to your heart. You are the only one I can reach out to. I await you."

I wait for Baba to say something.

"Are you Trelene's son?" he asks.

"Yes, her only child" Jade replies with the hint of a smile that disappears as soon as it spread.

"I will come with you to your tribe after sunrise tomorrow and Hua, I expect you to be good to him until then and afterwards if you get the chance. Keep him company, and if the Lord wishes, he'll prove to be great friend."

"I won't disappoint you" Jade bows before leaving.

I take him to the lavender fields. That's my favorite place to be at. We walk about eating cookies Mama baked and berries I freshly plucked. Jade tells me about his tribe and his encounters with Megasaurs. I watch him with the eyes of a child watching the red moon for the first time. It's alluring; to listen to people's stories. I start wondering how I would've fought in their stead. We decide that we'll sharpen the crystal and shape it after we return to the cavern at night. The sun sets in a blink of eye. How time passed so fast, I do not know.