It was not like a normal fire. The dragon fire was capable of burning everything, any tissue, any material. The power of water was also minimal against that ancient weapon.

Yoichi looked at his companions, standing in their hiding place. Among some broken wooden beams amid the rubble of the last hut destroyed by the Hebigure, Shioko and Enatsu looked at him as if he were a monster. ​​

Kenji approached its tamer, touching his leg with its horned head. Moving like a cat looking for purrs, the baby dragon sensed a strong emotion when it approached Yoichi: unlocking its first dragon skill, it had strengthened its bond with him.

Another crucial piece towards the awakening of his ancient powers had been added to the puzzle of the young tamer's experience. Looking at Kenji with love and admiration, Yoichi walked towards his companions.

When she saw Yoichi, Shioko pushed Enatsu away. The red-haired girl clung to the wooden beam with one arm and stood up, quickly moving backwards. "Stop, don't get any closer!" she exclaimed, knowing she could not fight with her arm in those conditions.

Yoichi obeyed, trying to calm her down. "Hey, man... you've never done anything like this... that... that fire... from where..." Enatsu murmured, failing to formulate a complete sentence.

"From here" Yoichi interrupted, resting a hand on his chest.

The wind increased its intensity for a moment, waving the beach's sand, and the moonlight shone in upon the area.

"Shioko, I... I can explain," the young tamer repeated, raising his hands and showing his good intentions. Shioko did not answer, sitting on the wooden beam and looking at her guildmate with wary eyes.

"I hope your explanation is worthy of my expectations. In my whole life, I've never seen a Nekage do those things," she commented, looking at Kenji. The little dragon tilted its head with curiosity as if it wanted to understand the girl's words.

"Ouch!" – unable to hold back a verse of pain, Shioko squeezed her wounded arm. The bandage that Enatsu had tied with care was soaking wet. Blood was dripping on her forearm and her hand, pouring from her fingers to the ground.

"I think it's best to ask for help first... I am sure that someone in the village will be able to help us!" Yoichi suggested, approaching her. Suddenly, Shioko pulled a small dagger out of her boot and pointed it at him.

"I said you must not come any closer!" she yelled, threatening him.

"Shioko, Yoichi just wants to help you..."

"Same goes for you! Stay away!" the red-haired girl grunted, interrupting Enatsu's words. A mixture of her own blood and that of the snake demon covered half of Shioko's face.

Knowing that gentle manners would only have wasted his time, Yoichi changed the pitch of his voice. "Is that any way to thank someone who has saved your ass twice? The real question is, 'why was a giant 20-metre-long snake able to heal its wounds? If you want to stay here and be mad at anybody, go ahead! I won't waste any more time!"

With a note of irritation, Yoichi quickly walked away from Shioko, entering the village. For the first time, he had responded harshly to that girl, standing up to her.

She stood still looking at him, with the dagger clutched in her hands. Enatsu, bored by her behaviour, shot an angry look at her and followed his friend through the destroyed huts.

At the same time as the two companions began searching for survivors, Taya approached Shioko. The mare did not seem to have suffered any permanent damage.

"I... I'm confused, brother," Enatsu spoke. He jumped over yet another piece of wood on the sand, "that demon oozed wickedness from every pore. Besides, when you defeated it, you didn't even get a chance to tame it. By the way... how did you do that? I mean... how did you create those hot flames out of nowhere?" he asked.

"I don't know, Enatsu. I just did it," Yoichi coolly answered, still annoyed by Shioko's behaviour. As soon as he realized that he had responded acidly to his friend, the young tamer apologized to him, "excuse me, Enatsu. That girl really pisses me off sometimes. I risked dying to save her ass, and what is she doing? She's pointing a dagger at me? Pff! I don't care if her rank is higher than mine. Without my help, she would be in that monster's belly by now," he snorted, kicking a piece of wood.

The kicked object bounced off the sand, hitting some other rubble. The inner area of the village had suffered more damage than the outer part. Four huts on the left side had been razed to the ground: on what remained of their wooden walls, the blood and pieces of organs of the Hebigure victims.

"I've always told you it's impossible to have a discussion with her. You've been too smooth, but I'm sure you've now received the lesson you deserve. Er… how many people will it have killed?" Enatsu inquired, looking at the human remains that stained the debris. The young merchant covered his mouth in disgust.

"I have no idea... I wonder how it did through..." while answering his friend's question, Yoichi stepped on something noisy. He stopped and lifted his toe.

Under it, thin, dry roots were barely visible under a layer of earth. The two companions walked on a square of ploughed soil about ten meters per side without noticing it.

Yoichi followed those familiar-looking roots with his eyes until he identified the plant from which they branched out. Struggling to realize what they were looking at, Enatsu and Yoichi looked at a bush identical to that of the Crimson Lotus.

Its leaves were dry and defibrated, as well as its branches and thorns. On the sides of the bush, red and dried flowers were hung upside down.

"What the fuck..." Yoichi murmured. Enatsu knelt before the bush, approaching his hand to a flower without saying a word. As soon as one of the petals touched his finger, the Crimson Lotus broke away from its stem, falling on the palm of the merchant's hand.