Chapter 3: Souls united since childhood

At Smiling Dragon Elementary School.

Sorato was known as the "Rebel Dragon." His antics were as legendary as the scales of an ancient dragon.

One day, while the teacher was trying to establish order in the middle of the classroom, he slipped away with a mischievous smile and a can of black paint in his hand.

With feline stealth, he headed to the backyard, where a white wall begged for a touch of rebellion. Sorato did not disappoint her. With quick and precise movements, he transformed the wall into a canvas of creativity.

—.I'm almost done! Perfect! "Teacher, come see!" he shouted, with a mixture of challenge and pride in his voice.

The teacher, hearing her commotion, left the classroom with a frown. Seeing the transformed wall, her face froze in a grimace of comical horror.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE WALL?!" she exclaimed, with her hands on her hips and her mouth wide open.

A huge black dragon roared ferociously, its scales glistening in the afternoon sun on the wall.

He shrugged with a mischievous smile.

"I have improved it," he responded, as if the wall had been a blank canvas and he was a misunderstood artist.

A few days later, Sorato was climbing a metal pole, with his eyes fixed on the ground. A group of children looked down at him, whispering expectantly.

"Get ready to see something that will surprise you!" he shouted, his voice full of emotion. "Watch, everyone!" I, Sorato, am going to jump from this place and fall transformed into a dragon!

The teacher, who had been alerted by her screams, came running to the scene, her heart pounding.

—Sorato, get off that pole this very instant! "It's dangerous!" she pleaded, her voice trembling.

The 10-year-old boy, oblivious to the teacher's pleas, swung on the pole, a defiant smile on his face.

—Never, teacher! "This is my opportunity for a great feat that will surprise everyone and earn his admiration," he declared, with a tone of grandeur that contrasted with his small stature.

The other children couldn't help but giggle at Sorato's bold statement. Did he really believe that he could transform into a dragon?

—.Be quiet! I will do that! I will transform into a fierce, fire-breathing dragon the size of a building! I...!

But then, the most unexpected thing happened...

From the top of the pole, Sorato could see a white limousine stopping in front of the school. It wasn't just any limo. It was a work of automotive art, with elegant lines and an impeccable shine that seemed to defy the sun. The rear doors opened with a soft whisper, revealing a cream leather interior and gold accents that gleamed with discreet ostentation.

A figure emerged from the limousine that immediately captured Sorato's attention. She was a 10-year-old girl, as beautiful as a fairy tale princess. Her short blonde hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, framing an angelic face with turquoise eyes that shone with an intelligence and warmth that moved him.

"Is it...?" she whispered, not being able to believe what she saw.

At that moment, all the children turned around, confused, and then made way for the person coming out of the limo. Sorato, including the teacher, was stunned.

Finally, the girl reached him and looked up. Sorato, once again, felt as if her eyes reflected his, a sensation he only experienced with...

"She!" he exclaimed, with a mixture of disbelief and surprise.

Sorato, just 5 years old, begged a group of older children to let him join their gang.

"Do you really think you have what it takes to join us?" the group leader questioned, with a mocking smile.

—.Of course! "I promise!" answered the young man with black orbs, closing his fist with determination.

The boys looked at each other and whispered something. The leader then turned to Sorato.

—.Okay, orphan boy. You can join our group, but with one condition.

The little boy, without hesitation, nodded his head.

"I just wanted to be part of a group and play with other kids."

"The condition is simple," said the leader, with a defiant tone. "You must ride your bicycle down that steep hill that is on the outskirts of the city." If you make it, you will be one of us.

Sorato looked towards the hill the leader was pointing to. It was high, with a steep slope and full of rocks. His heart began to pound.

"What if I fall?" he asked, with a thin voice, swallowing saliva.

The leader laughed.

"If you fall, it will be your problem," he said, with clear cynicism. "But if you dare to do it and manage to reach the end, you will earn our respect."

"I knew it was a dangerous challenge, but it was also an opportunity to prove my bravery and be accepted by a group."

"I will," he said firmly.

The scene suddenly changed. Now Sorato stood at the bottom of the steep hill, his bike ready to begin the descent. His heart was pounding in his chest, a mixture of fear and determination washing over him.

Sorato looked down from above, observing the steep slope and the rocks that seemed insurmountable obstacles. Doubt took hold of him for a moment.

What if I fall?

That question resonated strongly in his head again.

The taunts of the other children echoed in his mind: "Chicken! Chicken!" But inside him, a stronger voice urged him to continue forward.

"I'm not a chicken," he said firmly, clenching his fists with determination.

He placed the helmet on his head, adjusting the strap tightly. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and gained momentum.

"Go ahead, dragon!" he shouted, opening his eyes decisively. "If I really want to become one, I shouldn't be afraid of anything!"

The other children watched him with a mixture of amazement and fear. They could not believe that such a small and orphaned child would dare to perform such a dangerous feat.

With a final push, the descent began. The bike slid down the slope, gaining more and more speed. The wind whipped his face and his hands gripped the handlebars tightly.

"The wheels of his bicycle rolled as if they were singing a funeral song. Each stone he dodged was one step closer to the abyss."

"I felt the cold of death touching my skin, as if the gates of hell had opened to receive me. And I said, Will this be the end of me? Will I end up here, at the bottom of this hill, a victim of my own stupidity?"

However, not far away, under the shadow of the hill, a black limousine stopped with a soft purr. A little girl descended from her, accompanied by her faithful butler, a rather old 55-year-old man.

"We have arrived, Miss Sayuri," she said, bowing respectfully. This is the place you wanted to visit so much.

Little Sayuri, with her big turquoise eyes and her blonde hair like the sun, observed the surroundings with curiosity. Her lips pursed into a slight pout as she crossed her arms thoughtfully.

Suddenly, a small movement caught her attention. A snow-white bunny poked its nose out of the entrance to a hole in the ground.

Sayuri, with a sparkle of joy in her eyes, let out a tender whisper:

—.Aawwww, bunny, bunny, bunny.

Without thinking twice, Sayuri started running through the grass, chasing the bunny with a radiant smile on her face. Her crystalline laughter resonated in the air, mixing with the singing of the birds and the murmur of the wind.

She ran after the bunny excitedly, her little legs moving quickly across the grass. The clever and playful bunny jumped and dodged the girl's attempts to catch him. The chase took them down a winding path, among wildflowers and leafy trees.

Finally, after a long while, the bunny stopped in front of a burrow hidden among the roots of an old oak tree. Sayuri, panting a little, knelt by the entrance, watching curiously.

—.Eh... I think I got too far away, Chespiaaaaaaaan.- She exclaimed, calling her butler!

But...

—Huh and that other little animal is...?

Suddenly, a sharp and unpleasant sound interrupted the tranquility of the place. A raven black as night, with its curved beak and piercing eyes, perched on a nearby branch, fixing its gaze on the burrow.

She watched in horror as the crow approached the entrance, ready to attack the defenseless inhabitants of the nest. Without a second thought, the little girl stood up and, with a firm and clear voice, she screamed.

—.No! Leave those bunnies alone!

The crow, surprised by the girl's unexpected appearance, hesitated for a moment. Sayuri, taking advantage of her hesitation, picked up a stone from the ground and threw it hard towards the bird. The stone grazed the crow's wing, causing it to caw in pain and fly away into the sky.

The mother rabbit, who had been observing the scene from inside the burrow, cautiously came out, followed by her little babies. Her eyes shone with gratitude as they approached her heroine. The girl, with a radiant smile, tenderly stroked their soft fluff.

Sayuri, with a calming voice, turned to the rabbit family and said.

—.Do not be afraid, little friends. I won't hurt them. In fact, I want to help make this place a safe home for you.

The mother rabbit, still suspicious, watched the girl with her big brown eyes. Sayuri, with a warm smile, approached carefully and offered them some food that she was carrying in her pocket. The bunnies, tempted by the aroma, approached timidly and began to eat from Sayuri's hand.

—.Aaww they are too cute, don't worry, I promise that without a doubt...

However, that moment of peace was interrupted by a thunderous sound.

"I can't stop, help meeeee!" Sorato shouted, appearing and descending at full speed.

Sayuri observed with horror that one of the bunnies was right where Sorato was about to go down, calmly eating a leaf, oblivious to the danger that was coming. The girl knew that she had to act immediately.

Without thinking twice, she ran towards the rabbit with all her strength. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she jumped with an instinctive impulse, managing to catch the bunny and preventing the boy from running him over with the bicycle.

Sorato, surprised by the girl's sudden appearance and her heroic act to save the bunny, was unable to react in time. The bike swayed under his weight and, with a cry of surprise, he ended up losing control.

—.Who was that?! Whaaat! "Agh, ouch, damn it!" she screamed as she fell down the slope.

Her body rolled uncontrollably, avoiding rocks and bushes, until finally flying and ending up falling into the cold waters of a nearby lake. An icy splash completely submerged him, soaking his clothes and taking his breath away.

"It was very close, are you okay, bunny?" he asked the small animal, which jumped out of his arms scared and quickly returned to the burrow.

However, his attention was immediately drawn to the spot where the boy had fallen. A few seconds later, a desperate scream emerged from within the lake.

—.HELP HELP! "I DON'T KNOW ANYTHINGARRR!" he screamed desperately between splashes, visibly terrified.

The girl looked at him with a mixture of surprise and fear. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she watched the boy struggle to stay afloat in the waters of the lake. Not knowing what to do, she looked around her for help.

—.Resist! Ugh... CHESPIAN, a child is drowning!

"What was he thinking?!" "I don't know how to swim, and yet I dared to ride my bike down that hill at full speed. I guess this was my punishment for wanting to make friends at any cost."

Sorato, resigned to his fate, sank deeper and deeper into the cold waters. His lungs burned from lack of air and his strength was quickly exhausted. Darkness surrounded him completely, and the only light came from the weak rays of sunlight that penetrated through the surface of the lake.

In the distance, he saw the girl standing on the shore, staring at him. At that moment, Sorato felt a wave of regret. He had been reckless and selfish.

The last thing he saw was that girl's face, increasingly blurry, before darkness completely enveloped him. His eyes slowly closed, and he thought that was the end.

"However, it was not his time for the final yet"

Unexpectedly, Sorato opened his eyes slowly, in disbelief that he was still alive. His mind was clouded and confused, not knowing where he was or what had happened.

—.Where I am? "Who?" he asked in a weak voice, trying to focus his eyes on him.

Opening his eyes fully, he found the girl's face right above him. His turquoise eyes looked at him with a mixture of concern and relief.

However, what surprised Sorato the most was that the girl was getting closer and closer to his face, her lips about to touch his.

"Resist, please!" she exclaimed, ready to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

But at that moment, Sorato realized that he was already breathing on his own. His lungs filled with fresh air, and the feeling of suffocation disappeared.

"Thank God, you're okay!" the girl sighed in relief, moving her face away from his.

Sorato, still dazed by the experience, placed a hand on his stomach. Suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over him and, without warning, he vomited up all the water he had in his stomach.

"PUAGHHPUAGHHPUAAGH!" he shouted, expelling the liquid forcefully.

After vomiting, Sorato shrugged and frowned, embarrassed by his reckless behavior. Tears threatened to well up in his eyes, blurring his vision of the girl who looked at him with a mixture of concern and confusion.

"But that was very dangerous," the girl said with a firm voice, trying to remain calm despite the torrent of emotions that flooded her chest. "Exactly what were you doing going down a bicycle at that speed and down such a hill?" dangerous?

Sorato did not answer her question. Instead, a sob escaped his lips, breaking the awkward silence that surrounded them.

—.Sniff sniff, those guys were right! I'm not a dragon! "I'm just a chicken!" she shouted with a voice full of pain and frustration.

His heartbreaking confession rang through the air, filled with deep sadness and low self-esteem that the girl had never witnessed before.

While Sorato looked broken inside after her confession, the girl continued to watch him in silence for a while.

"Her heart beat with compassion for him, understanding the deep sadness and pain that flooded his soul."

Sorato could not contain the tears, which flowed incessantly down his cheeks like a river of repressed emotions. His mind was clouded with doubt and insecurity, wondering if he would ever be good enough to fit in with a group.

Suddenly, the girl leaned towards him, her turquoise eyes filled with a determination and understanding that surprised him. Carefully, she lifted her tear-soaked face and stared into his eyes.

—."Listen to me," she said with a soft and firm voice. "Friends are those who are interested in you without asking for anything in return." Friendship is based on mutual trust, not simply filling a void due to not having friends.

Sorato was speechless, not knowing what to say. The girl's words resonated in his mind like a melody she had never heard before.

—.If a friend asks you to do something crazy just to keep liking him or being part of his group, he is not your friend. It's just bad company that you should forget.

Her words hit Sorato hard, but not like a blow of pain, but like a real blow.

"Thank you," she said in a whisper, feeling a wave of gratitude for the girl who was in front of him. She had rescued him from the lake, and now she was rescuing him from the darkness of loneliness and low self-esteem.

"You're welcome," she responded with a warm smile. "We all make mistakes, but the important thing is to learn from them and surround ourselves with people who love us and support us for who we are."

As Sorato and Sayuri shared a moment of deep connection and understanding, a familiar sound interrupted their conversation.

"Miss Sayuri!" the butler shouted, appearing where they were. "The limo is ready to leave."

Sayuri sighed in resignation. She knew it was time to leave.

"I'm coming," she responded with a sad voice. "Just give me one more minute."

She turned to Sorato and gave him a wistful smile.

—.It has been a pleasure to have helped you.

"She," she gave him another kind smile, "I hope that from now on you will be more cautious."

Sorato nodded, feeling an emptiness in his chest. He didn't want her to leave..

He watched her walk away from her, her elegant, kind figure disappearing into the trees.

"After that I could never forget her,"

Although her moment of meeting for the first time was brief. His souls once again got the opportunity to meet again.

Again at the age of 10 it finally happened.

But what will this new second meeting entail?

Both boys, him from very high up and her from down there, stared into each other's eyes.

Dragon x Fenix ​​Chains 3 End.