Arc 1: Siblings' Tale

Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihonkoku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.

Arc 1: Rodenius:

Siblings' Tale

The wind grew stronger as she held her hands tight and continued her prayer.

The peace and quietness of the surroundings are what helped in maintaining her high spirits throughout the morning.

How she remembered begging her big brother to take her again to this certain place, much to the latter's warning that it wasn't safe anymore and she was aware of these dangerous times.

Although, her love for her mother had prevailed and she wanted to pay that last respect.

A small smile crept across her lips as she silently reached out for the Sun God to bring her prayers and to also bless her long-departed soul. At the same time, recalling the last of the wonderful memories with her.

"Thank you for your blessings!" The little girl muttered, her voice reaching out to her big brother who was watching her from a nearby lone tree.

It was the only place that they could lay her to rest. With just a simple large stone with their mother's name engraved on it. Apparently, The local town cemetery was already in full capacity due to the number of deaths caused by the ongoing war.

A lot of people were handpicked or selected to participate in the defense against the Empire's attempted raids and attacks. To a relief, the town was still intact and would avoid violence for the next weeks ahead,

The brother had a solemn look on his face as he observed his little sister still kneeling in front of their mother's grave.

It had only been a year since her death, and the once-close family had finally disintegrated. As the primary protector and breadwinner, the burden had been shifted entirely to him. He knew somehow he had to find a way for them to escape dangerous territories once the time has come.

He promised his mother that he would never ever let his little sister get in harm's way.

Not too long, the little sister finally finished her prayers, and stood up and headed towards the latter, giving the older boy a smile.

He was quite a bit unsure of his decision to allow her to come along with him, though he had no choice since his overprotectiveness was much stronger.

The big brother nodded slightly as he walked straight to their small wagon to prepare and set up the horse for the next phase of their journey.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

It was often windy weather everytime travelers or merchants would pass through the Algora Highway, a long route that connects the various provinces of the Principality.

A highway that resembles the ancient roads of the classical and medieval ages, It had been the main route for generations, it served as the stepping stones for the economic growth of the Qua-Toyne and the surrounding towns and villages. It was also a part of a network of trade routes across the Rodenius content, with it being one of the longest. Nowadays, the traveling population along the highway had diminished severely due to the fear of the news regarding the ongoing conquest of the Saderan Empire. As the Empire's military operations escalated and started to take control of towns and cities, the so-called invasion forced traders and travelers to seek alternate paths, and cases of looting and ransacking resurfaced in the news.

The imperial soldiers were known for that kind of reputation.

Nonetheless, people still used the highway as a means of continuing their daily lives for survival.

On a much more peaceful day, a small horse wagon traversed through the highway. The horse's driver, a 15-year-old boy named Parun, piloted it. He was also not alone as he was being accompanied by Asha, his little sister, who was a couple of years younger than him. Together, both siblings headed towards a certain farm to collect some supplies to which their Uncle had ordered. Though originally, it was supposed to be just the older brother, who'll be going out of the town.

Asha had apparently persuaded her big brother to let her accompany him on the journey. Something that the latter had not fully agreed with. Though their uncle had approved the girl's permission, he was still filled with worry and hesitantly accepted it. He was not a stranger to the rumors of the Saderan Empire's activities near the town and despite that, he found himself being part of the continuing economic activities.

Only when they reached the most peaceful section of the highway were the boy and his younger sister were able to strike up a conversation.

Asha sat in a specific spot of the wagon near her big brother; for the rest of the journey, she had been more focused on watching the moving scenery around her.

It's been months since she had a chance to travel outside of town.

When she learned of her big brother heading to the local farm area, she quickly grabbed the opportunity.

Besides, wanting to help him out with the goods, she also wanted to experience seeing the beautiful countryside again. She recalled a certain memory where her mother used to take her and her brother to the grassy field to oversee the majestic view.

A smile crept across her lips remembering it. Unfortunately, it was the only way she could meet her mother, who had died not long ago as a result of an illness.

"Asha."

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by her big brother, who called to check on her.

Parun slowly adjusted the pace of the journey as he took a brief glance at his little sister, who was still gazing at the countryside view.

"Everything alright there sis?" He asked, eagerly waiting for her response.

"Yes Nii-chan." The young girl smiled and nodded.

"Thank you so much for letting me come along!" She cheerfully said, hugging her big brother from behind.

Parun was startled as he almost lost balance and control of the cart." Settle down Asha!" He told the younger girl, who immediately let him go.

"Sorry, Nii-chan." Asha said, giving an innocent look and grin.

Her big brother could only give a sigh, though he would soon smile.

"It's okay Asha-chan." The boy replied, before adding." But please just stay with me throughout." He told the girl, reminding her that it was still dangerous to wander around outside of town.

"I know Nii-chan." She said, in a slight somber voice.

The younger girl was aware of what was going on around recently. What worried her the most was the fact that many of the people she knew, from friends to other relatives, had already fled due to the threat of an oncoming Saderan invasion. However, the fact that nothing significant had happened for months added to the confusion. Life, as far as she knew, goes on.

Asha took a little deep breath as she finally asked the question.

"Nii-chan, Do you think we'll be moving out soon?"

The question elicited a brief silence from the older boy. To be honest, he didn't know what to say to her. He, too, was perplexed by their Uncle's decisions.

For them, life was pretty harsh right now.

They had nowhere else to go but their Uncle, who took them in after their father was recruited and drafted into the military by a neighboring state to fight the Saderan Empire's invading forces. So far, there has been no recent news about their father, no letters, only rumors that the neighboring state has been captured and ransacked.

They knew it would be difficult once an official word had been confirmed. They had already accepted the fact that they were orphans. The only thing that remained in the back of their minds was that to survive this ordeal.

Parun shook his head. "I'm not sure, Asha." he stated. "As much as I wanted to leave our hometown for the city, Uncle wouldn't even let me." He elaborated.

His younger sister remained silent, though she nodded in agreement.

Despite the ongoing threat of invasion, their Uncle refused to leave town. It was something that made them feel a sense of urgency. They'll have to pack their belongings and leave sooner or later.

Even so, they were still on the safer ground for the time being.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Continuing on with their journey, the scenery began to change around them.

Passing by a certain old lone statue of the Dark Oracle of Emroy, was the last time they were going to see the familiar view of the countryside.

Slowly but surely, the ground was changing as the once short-grass-dominated landscape became much taller in took shape in the form of tall corn stalks, that almost block their view of the afternoon sun.

As they fully entered another part of the lands, they could sense the change of atmosphere throughout.

It slowly became eerie and a bit dim-lited, though they assumed that the sun was on its way on setting down.

The Journey came to a close as the view of a certain barn house could be seen from a few distances.

The siblings were now surrounded by hectares of cornfields. Everywhere they look, the tall stalks were waving at them as the wind grew stronger in the midst of a quiet mid-afternoon.

"We're almost there."

Parun informed his little sister as he directed the horse straight to their destination, making a few turns, heading to a shortcut that the boy was already familiar with. He was now focused on reaching the barn house as soon as possible, wanting to get the job done at an earlier time.

His little sister on other hand continued to watch the surroundings around them.

Asha found herself being mesmerized by the continuously moving corn plants as they towered above her.

She felt a shiver run down her spine as the never-ending column of stalks gave her an uneasy feeling. It reminded her of the dark forest at night, and how dangerous it was to go there by herself. Most of the dangerous creatures, from three-headed lions, water beasts, and even elemental spirits resided there. Though unlike the scenery she was seeing right now, she was unaware that it would serve as a place that would save her and her brother from death in the near future.

Furthermore, a part of her had told her not to stop staring at the sky for the rest of the time.

Her big brother, on the other hand, paid no heed to his surroundings.

For the rest of the time, Parun had been in the middle of his own thoughts. Specifically, he was trying clearly recall the number of baskets that he was supposed to order once they arrived at the said barn. It was a bit of a struggle since his Uncle didn't give enough details, though as usual he was tasked with this particular job at hand. He kept glancing at the cart to mentally measure how many baskets of corn could fit at the current available space, slowly he was finally getting the idea.

"I think somewhere around 7-8 baskets."

He took a mental note as he finally stopped the horse just right in front of the Barnhouse right after entering the small wooden gate.

What's more surprising is that there were several horse wagons and carts lined up at the barn area, apparently waiting here to collect their orders. Fortunately, enough, Parun had acted quickly, directing the horse towards the line and took the spot.

The boy sighed, realizing that this was going to be quite the wait. He then turned around to check on his little sister once more and to his relief, the girl was doing alright, though she kept staring at the sky for some reason.

Something that left him puzzled and confused.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Parun and Asha, What are you two doing here at this time of the hour?"

A middle-aged man greeted them as soon as the wagon had finally arrived for its turn to be loaded, giving a look of concern towards the two children.

The man turned out to be the owner of the barn house and the farmer of the nearby cornfields. Darvyn was his name, and he had still opened his farmlands for business during these perilous times. The nearby villages saw him as one of their last hope for providing food for their community, which is why many people from various towns and villages had traveled to his barn to buy and collect baskets of harvest corns. He saw this as his only means of assisting his fellow citizens.

Though, on one of these days, He was glad to see the children of an old friend of his.

Since the two were the last in the line, He took advantage of the little time he had to converse with them and to see how they were doing.

"We're sorry Grandpa Darvyn, but our corn supplies ran out again." The boy explained. "Uncle wanted to restock earlier because of-" He was cut from finishing his sentence.

The older man nodded in understanding and slightly raised up his hand.

"It's alright my boy, there is no need to explain." He smiled, before beckoning one of the storekeepers to assist the boy in loading the baskets of corn on the back of the wagon.

"Thank you, sir!" The boy grinned and replied, as he soon got to work loading the baskets.

The older man's attention would soon shift towards the little girl.

"Little Asha, How are things so far back in your home?" He asked, also wondering why the girl was staring at the sky for quite some time now.

The Girl could only smile solemnly. It was enough for him to realize that things weren't the same as they used to be.

Though he could see that there was a glimmer of hope from the girl's eyes.

"Everything is fine so far, Grandpa." She replied, attempting to sound cheerful. "We're still trying to adjust to life without Mama." She went on to explain.

The older man nodded." I see." He said." I'm sorry for your loss once again." He apologized.

He also did not bother to ask regarding the children's father. He was aware of the news that men from across villages and towns being selected to defend the small provinces of the Principality from the Empire's attacks. It was inevitable and based on what he was seeing from the two, they act as if they were the only ones left.

Darvyn sighed as he motioned to one of his colleagues to take something from the food storage. However, cups of water were distributed to the children to quench their thirst.

In his mind, He hoped by giving them these delicious and unique snacks would elevate their day.

It didn't take long enough for the boy to collect the baskets of corn as he placed them on the back of the wagon one by one. It turned out that his guess was right all along, as all eight of them exactly fitted on the cart, though, saving a vacant spot where his little sister could sit on.

At the same time, the farmer's colleague had arrived carrying what appears to be a colorful light wooden thin box of some sort. It was enough to get their attention as both siblings widened their eyes curiosity.

Darvyn smiled. " Here are the snacks I'm referring to." He said this as he handed the boy a one-of-a-kind packaging. " You two should eat them as soon as you get back home."

Parun nodded as he took the small box from the farmer. For a moment he observed and examined the box and asked." Thank you Gramps! But where do you get this?"

"I bought it from a baker's shop at Maihark, though from what I've heard, these snacks came from the Northern Lands across the Great Orient." He explained." And it was made by the Great Cook." He added.

"Great Cook?" Both siblings asked, wanting to know more about this legendary person.

"Yes, some say he has a fiery temper, but all of the food he has prepared has been blessed by the Gods." The man recalled how the baker had excitedly told him about meeting the Great Cook in person last year. From what he could learn about this Great Cook, He seemed to be as important as one of great heroes of the past.

"Have you met this Great Cook before Grandpa?" The girl asked.

The older man simply chuckled. "I'm afraid not, Little Asha, but if you want to see him, you'll have to travel across the seas," he stated. "Only in Maihark will you find the ships that will take you there."

The little girl's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at her big brother, who sighed but smiled.

Parun placed a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"We'll get there Asha, eventually."

It didn't take long enough for their conversation to end as realization struck them that they have to go back home as the night was slowly approaching. They quickly boarded back to the Wagon and bid their farewells to the farmer.

"Be safe and healthy!" Darvyn extended his hand to the siblings, who had finally left for home.

He can only hope for the best for both of them, and that they will be able to move on to a better place after this temporary war.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The snacks, in turn, were not anything that they had seen before. They appeared to be small pieces of oval-shaped dough that had been strangely deep-fried and sugar-coated. Furthermore, they were surprised that these snacks tasted really good because when they took their first bites, a sweet cocoa-like flavor overwhelmed their tongues and taste buds, solidifying the goodness of their afternoon snack time.

The farmer told them that it was made by a cook hailing from a country across the great orient and rumor has it that this certain cook had established small stalls somewhere in the continent, selling the same sweets.

It was around late afternoon when the two siblings found themselves on the highway once more, heading back towards their hometown.

The sun had begun to set, providing the two with a lovely sight to look at as they traveled.

They were still surrounded by the cornfields.

Asha had eaten the last of the dough, her stomach was now satisfied for the duration of the journey.

"I hope Grandpa Darvyn has more of these little sweet...I mean doughnuts?" She commented, not sure of the real name of the snacks.

"You're correct Asha, I think they are called "Doughnuts." Parun replied back." What weird name to call it, to be honest." He added.

Asha gave a chuckle." I agree that maybe they could find an opportunity to start a new life in whatever place that mysterious establishment is.

"I mean Grandpa Darvyn said that Maihark is a good place to start and to settle down."

Parun could only sigh, sensing that her sister had forgotten an important part of the story.

"I'm aware of that, Asha, and I'd love to move out and work there." The boy went on to explain. "But you're forgetting that we still have a life back home."

Silence befell them.

"Besides, Uncle still won't allow us to leave."

The mood slowly became gloomy. Silence filled amongst them as the topic had switched into something more sensitive.

They had nothing more but bad memories about the Empire. They grew up knowing the atrocities committed, the wars that the nation had caused, and the many people that had to suffer.

Even though they were just kids, they were forced to grow up, not even experiencing a proper childhood all the way. Truthfully, their "Hometown" was one of just many places they've been to.

Their original home was long gone, destroyed by the numerous raids and attacks that the whole family was forced to leave.

To the siblings themselves, they had no permanent address.

Furthermore, the town that the siblings have to settle into, was on the verge of being invaded anytime soon.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Time continued to pass and by the time they were halfway in through the cornfields, the siblings suddenly encountered something they were not expecting.

"Nii-chan"

Asha called her brother, her voice filled with worry, slowly raising her hands to point a certain direction towards the sky.

Hearing this, Parun turned towards his little sister, who had looked up at the sky once again. This time she was frozen in fear as she pointed towards a mysterious object heading towards their direction.

The horse wagon came to a halt as the two siblings stared at the object. At first, they all thought it was some kind of bird, or possibly a patrolling wyvern Knight from the Principality.

Moments passed and the object grew larger and larger until it neared them. By then it finally revealed its true form.

The large red wings and massive scaly body were enough to startle the older sibling and gave him a sudden realization.

"N-No this is not true.." He muttered to himself in denial.

He always dismissed it as a fairy tale, a creature that only existed in myths.

The legend had been passed down from generation to generation, and he had even heard it from some of his friends, who used it to scare themselves out of fun. There were people that claimed to have seen it before and even on the brightest day.

No one ever really believed it at first, until numerous travelers started to tell tales of seeing a massive red-winged creature flying across the skies.

He was now actually seeing the beast in front of him, which was more than enough to persuade the boy that their entire lives were on the line.

"Asha!" He called out, bringing his little sister out from her trance.

The younger girl heard her brother's pleas as she immediately left her spot.

Fortunately, they were still in the middle of the cornfields, and Parun quickly came up with an idea as he wasted no time, grabbing his little sister's hand, and led her directly to the heart of the cornfields, where they could hopefully shelter or hide from the approaching beast.

Those moments of running through the tall corn stalks felt like an eternity as if they were in a dream-like state that felt very real. They couldn't figure out why they were moving so slowly.

Fortunately, they ended up finding a suitable hiding spot, and both immediately hid in the densest part of the cornfields.

"Stay down!" Parun instructed the girl, as he pulled his little sister in a tight embrace.

"Nii-chan, I'm scared.." Asha muttered, though able to maintain her composure.

"Don't move or say anything!."

As the beast approached, there was a loud thud and the ground shook slightly. Following that, massive footsteps could be heard amongst the cornfields, as if the beast was searching for something.

The boy kept his grip on the girl and looked her in the eyes for the rest of the time to calm her down. Asha, on the other hand, was not attempting to be overcome by her own fear. She could feel her tears welling up, but she was able to keep them at bay. Though, they could feel their heart beating faster than ever.

They could see a massive body of red towering over them from their vantage point, but it didn't notice them to their luck. The siblings were determined not to make even the slightest movement or noise and after several minutes of laying on the ground like statues.

Much to their relief, the beast suddenly flapped its wings and flew away from the fields leaving their still shocked faces. It took them a moment to realize that the nightmare was finally over, and it was during that time that they began to make sense of what they had witnessed.

They've never seen a creature with such presence and power. It finally convinced them that the beast was not a myth, but rather the real thing.

The Legend of the Flame Dragon is real.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Minutes had passed as the silence finally reigned again. The siblings slowly recovered from the ground and made their way back to the main road as fast they can. Also to their surprise and relief, the horse, the wagon, and basket of corns were in one piece, left untouched by the creature.

"Quickly, unto the cart Asha!"

Parun said, receiving a nod from his little sister.

"Buckle up!"

Without further ado, the two boarded the only mode of transportation available to them. Parun trotted the horse through the highway as fast he can, dragging the wagon behind him in seconds. Asha, on the other hand, tightened her grip on the wagon while keeping her eyes on the surroundings for any signs of the beast. She could still feel her entire body trembling from the close encounter.

They were still safe, much to her relief.

"Please guide us..." The girl muttered, gripping her hands together as she prayed to the Gods once again to keep them safe.

She cast a glance at her big brother, who was now completely focused on getting them safely back home. She decided not to speak for the rest of the time and tried to find ways to relax. Fortunately, the view of the sunset remained, which was more than enough to keep her entertained for the remainder of the journey.

Parun, on the other hand, never took his gaze away from the road, remaining serious throughout. He rode the horse as if he were one of the continent's best riders, even though the boy's only goal was to get himself and his sister out of harm's way.

Surely, no one will believe what they had encountered today.

The only thing they can hope for is that the dragon does not attack their current residence, knowing that such a powerful and dangerous creature could decimate a village or even a city in an instant.

Their journey concluded when the sun had finally come down. Great relief filled their minds as they reached the gates of the town.

The town of Gim.

CHAPTER END