The Dragon of Life | Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction |

11 | Finding Him

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        Along with my newfound strength came an overwhelming surge of unexpected stipulations.

The voices of the forest that I'd finally started to get used to were amplified tenfold. I could hardly focus on anything as my eyes aimlessly scanned my surroundings. The grass was so much greener than before, and the natural grandeur of the woods appealed to my senses in a way that almost made me delirious.

This is insanity, I quickly realized as my gaze flitted to the pool next to me. All I did was touch the water . . . Then again, it sort of spoke to me, which also didn't make the slightest bit of sense, but I was still able to hear it. I thought that my abilities were restricted to things that grew, not elemental stuff!

My thoughts were going a mile a minute as I looked down at my arms and legs. They'd been hurting like crazy ever since I'd begun my daily little quests, but all of that pain had been diluted into something else. The tingling that raptured my skin felt similar to the after-effects of Ik-Soo's salve, and yet there wasn't that sense of relief that followed its application . . .

        The first step I took forward proved all of my suspicions at once.

        Even though my muscles didn't look much different from before, they were oozing with power. Any signs of my past aches were nonexistent. Only memories of my struggle remained . . . And despite that truth I still couldn't wrap my head around what'd just transpired.

        I'd tampered with the flow of power that brought harmony to the earth's surface. And to top it all off, I'd also taken some of it. It was the reason why my senses were so intimidatingly sharp as I stood there in my lonesome with wide blue eyes.

        Curtly shaking my head, I clenched my fists and started walking back toward the place where I'd left my bucket. Ik-Soo was still waiting for me further up the mountain, and it seemed I had some things to discuss with him, if I could even find the capacity to do such a thing. If I hadn't already been disconcerted by the idea of talking aloud, then I sure as hell was after obtaining the power of water itself.

        The flowers that follow my steps are slightly bigger than before, I noticed as I strolled across the land. Something told me that traveling back the way I'd came would only lead to a conflict of power. There was no telling how my body would react to being in contact with the very element I'd stolen from. How am I going to deal with this? I sighed to myself, clueless. Ik-Soo didn't witness any of this, and he was the one who wanted to help me with my powers as a Dragon in the first place. He'll be confused to bits!

        I tried not to think about his reaction as I reached my bucket. It hadn't moved an inch and was still full of water from the stream. In a way, it reminded me of myself. I'd been nothing but an empty bucket before, but the emptiness had been swiftly outlawed by the weight of strength.

        My fingers grabbed the edges of the pail and I pulled it up from the ground. It weighed next to nothing, and I was able to carry it with ease. No soreness, spams or aches. Every movement I made was fluid and filled with the deliberateness of a warrior.

        The hike back to the hut was a similar experience. I walked, fearing the results of falling down the cliffside, but I hadn't a doubt in my mind that I could've ran up that hill an immeasurable amount of times if I wanted to.

        I was scared when Ik-Soo's hut came into sight. The bucket was peacefully resting in my arms and I wasn't hunched over or panting like I usually was. I was sweating, but the reason for that had absolutely nothing to do with exertion.