Tales of Centellia

Akihiko's Kindness

Normally I would've taken the time to schedule a meeting with Barnes, but the reason I was going to meet him wasn't exactly normal. I got the feeling that I would get laughed at for suddenly coming to him and talk about changing the past because of what some stranger told me and a dream I had, but I needed to get into that library.

My resolve grew stronger as I prepared myself to use teleportation magic. The Ryu Clan was rather far and if I tried to go there by foot it would take me the entire day. A shimmering orange light enveloped my body as I cast the spell. I had used teleportation magic several times, but I would never get used to the effects it had on my body. I was overcome with nausea and my body tingled. I knew that this sensation would last for less than a minute, but I still hated it.

I arrived at the entrance of the Ryu Clan. I fell to my knees and I started to salivate. I knew what was coming next, so I scrambled to get away from anyone's view. I ended up vomiting on the cobblestone road. My throat and nose burned, and my eyes started to water.

"Ugh."

I wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my brown kimono. I was disgusted by what had just happened, but I needed to hurry and find him. Barnaby's younger half-brother, Akihiko happened to be passing by at this time. Once he saw me he rushed over and crouched down beside me. His kind blue eyes showed concern for me as he gently started to pat my back.

"Jade, did you come here looking for Barnaby?"

I nodded my head in response. The blue haired boy offered me a hand and helped me get up. He was surprisingly strong for how small he is.

"He's out on official business. If I could help you with whatever you needed I would be happy to."

His teal paper thin wings flapped lightly as he spoke. His gray coral antlers and long scorpion tail added a sort of quirky cuteness to him.

"Thank you. I need to talk to him and use the castle library."

"Oh. You should really get something to settle your stomach first. I'll let you into the library afterward and if I can be of any assistance I would be glad to listen."

He smiled softly at me before taking my hand. His actions gave off a motherly vibe. Although we had polite small talk before this was the first time I had actually noticed how different he was from his arrogant brother. It was almost like they were complete opposites. I couldn't help but accept his kindness. Being around Akihiko was empowering in a way.

After a few more minutes he stopped in front of a tea house and spoke, "They have herbal tea here and their snacks are delicious."

Only now did I remember that I hadn't eaten anything. That combined with the lack of sleep I was getting was probably the reason I had gotten sick after using that spell. I walked inside and was soon greeted by a plump elderly woman. She led us to a table and handed us menus. Akihiko already knew what he wanted, so he put his menu to the side. I decided that I wanted chrysanthemum tea and sesame seed balls. Once I was finished looking I closed my menu and glanced at him.

"I came here for a crazy reason. You'll probably think I'm a crackpot if I tell you, but I'm desperate for any help that I can get."

His expression was gentle and he didn't seem the least bit judgmental.

"Go ahead and tell me. You shouldn't have to worry about what I think."

Those words reassured me and I decided I could trust him with the whole story. I thought for a few seconds about exactly what I would say.

"I'm sure you already know the legend about each naga being a human that was reborn because they had a goal to them that they weren't able to fulfill in their previous life."