Zodiac

~ Chapter 12 ~ Dragons Collide Part 1

 Upon entering the room, a strong scent filled his nostrils. It was musty and strong, as if it were ancient. Personally, kinda gross. Densu covered his nose with his hand. Taking a few steps into the room, Densu noticed Siramaki wasn't continuing to walk with him. Densu was tired; he didn't want to play games, nor did he want to have a history lesson. The floor was harsh and made a clunking sound as Densu walked across it. The floor was stone that had been smoothed down. It looked way more like a shrine than it did a cave. Vine and small greenery were peeking up out of the cracks in the stone. In front of Densu, in the back of the room, was a staircase of stone going up very far that he couldn't see where it ended. Densu, hesitant to go up the flight of stairs, turned his head back to Siramaki, who gestured with his hand to keep going. Densu gave in and started climbing the long flight of stairs. Torches filled with golden fire shimmered as they lined the walls. As he walked up, Densu thought about all the things that had happened to him in the past few days. He went on two whole missions, and now he was learning all about the secret cult he had been mistakenly placed into. He just wanted to get the amulet that his mother had worn. He remembered it was his father's once, and when he was in the hospital dying, he had given it to her to wear to remember him once he had passed. My mother wore it religiously, and since it was such a pretty shimmering shade of blue, it practically went with every outfit.

Upon reaching the top, he was met with a wooden wall looking like a Japanese hut. He slid the door open. Inside was a typical Japanese eating room, which had mats lining the floor. Animal chirpings could be heard, but they seemed to be outside the room. In the center of the room was a journal of sorts. Densu picked up the book. Looking at the cover, he saw a dragon face on it. Flowers of pink and gold blossom around it.

The Journal was about the first Dragon Wielder, who was named Keegan Thorne. He lived a simple life in a simple town in northern Japan. He would help his father tend the soil as they were all farmers. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happened in that town until one day, when that statement would change. Densu, after reading that prologue to the journal that wasn't written by the first dragon wielder (He could tell by the different handwriting and pen), he felt intrigued to continue. The second paragraph seems to be written by someone else. Not Keegan Thorne, but maybe his grandson wrote it.

Keegan Thorn, the hero, used to live in a small village with his family. He was a newly found father, and his daughter was nearing her first birthday when war broke out. Japan forced men between the ages of 18 and 35 to participate. The evil raiders were fighting valiantly, and Keegan tried to keep up with his comrades, but he seemed to always fall short. His training was 3 brutal months of non-stop labor. The only thing Keegan liked about it was the time they spent on a power nap. The morning over those three months would always start with a brutal and chilling sounding siren that made soldiers jump out of bed in absolute fright.

Although this training boot camp wasn't all wretched but it did have some upsides to it. Thorn found himself making a friend even with all the terrible things happening. His name was Chillie Corona. Chillie was an immigrant from either Spain or Mexico (People have said several places). Chillie has a nice, rich brown skin color with shaggy, dark brown hair that barely covers his eyes. He wore brown glasses with a wooden frame. The glasses looked like they had been repaired several times. He had a great smile. Keegan wished he could have been stronger and that he might have been able to save him.

The regret started once Keegan thought of going hunting. The provided food was tasteless and got worse as each day went on. He made a plan. Asking Chillie for help, the two men snuck into the forest past lights out. They were tired from the day's labors, but the craving for actual good-tasting food kept them going. Hiking down steep hills filled with shrubbery, the two men came upon a stream. It was glistening. The powerful rushing streams were filled with fish. The stones in the river were almost as beautiful as the water itself. Keegan found a stick that someone who had previously been there had carved. The stick had been carved into a spear. Keegan picked up the spear and held it tightly in his right hand. He knew that this seemed too perfect to just be randomly found. After a few seconds, he dismissed the threat and looked into the stream. Chillie sat on a tree stump nearby, watching Keegan attempt to get food for the two of them. 

As many attempts were made Chillie could barely keep himself up as he was laughing so hard. Keegen wanted to punch his face so hard. "Oh really! If you are going to laugh and me, why don't you give it a try!!!" Keegan said in frustration. Chillie smirked and took the spear from Keegan's hand, who had his pants all wet from jumping in the river to retrieve the spear. He launched the spear into the rushing water. Within a few seconds, he leaped into the water and pulled out a spear with a fish pierced through the gills. Chillie smiled cheekily at Keegan. Keegan, in embarrassment, put his hand on his head, not believing that he was able to do it first try. After preparing the fish, both of them dug into the delicious fish. It was getting dark

Strange sounds were coming from all around them. It sounded like a rustling. Dear, or maybe a rabbit could have caused it. The two men stood back to back, looking around them to see if something was going to attack them. Leaves flew and branches broke. A woman came out of the shrubbery. This woman wore the clothes of a man and cut her hair. Keegan and Chillie felt a weird presence coming from the lady, and they were right. This lady wasn't ordinary. She was out for blood. The women pounced, and the two of them, with a sharpened spear in their hands, came right towards Chilie's chest.