Chapter 15: May 1st, 1645

“Darkness...”

“Where am I?” a voice said out loud. “I see nothing but darkness all around me.”

There was an eerie sound. It was the sound of nothing. Only weightlessness permeated the male voice.

“I don’t remember anything ... just pain. I feel like I am spinning, but there is nothing around me. I feel weightlessness. What do I do?”

The sound of nothingness filled the scene once again. There was no sound as he looked, but again there was nothing. He opened his eyes and saw the blackness of space. The pain continued.

“Who am I?” he asked himself. “My memory, there is nothing.”

He did not know what he was or what he was doing. It was space that he felt.

“Perhaps ... I should just close my eyes. I feel so tired. I feel like something bad had happened.”

The eyes closed as the male voice feels sleep hit him. Suddenly he opens his eyes as he looks and can see a blue planet come into his view.

“How long have I been out? That ... whatever, that is, is getting close. I still feel tired ... maybe more sleep will calm me down...”

It was as if time was progressing but slowly. He stared at the blue ball in the darkness around him. The pain persisted in his body.

“Wha? ... What has happened? ... I have been asleep again. The ball is so big now. I see white, blue, and what looks like brown and orange coming from it. Perhaps I see green? ... Why is this happening? Why do I feel pain? I want it to stop. I feel so tired... , “ he said as he closed his eyes once again.

He felt the heat hit his body. His body turned red as he was being drawn to something. The heat did no damage, but he could still feel it. He opened his eyes once again.

“Fire ... I see fire everywhere. They make my ... scales ... I have scales?” he asked as he looked at his arm. “Yes ... my ... fire won’t stop. It’s as if the darkness became light instantly. I can’t ... feel like ... staying awake.”

Falling ... the heat vanished as he felt his body fall. His eyes were closed as his body fell at a terrifying speed. Wind and rushing air blew at him at a harsh rate. There was something in his hand as it opened. The item flew away and dropped. No one, but maybe he knew what flew from his hand. The speckled armor that he wore was cooked to a solid black. The blue scales were damaged, but he appeared to be alive. Alive but falling, but to where?...

During his blackout, his eyes momentarily opened up to reveal the blue stuff ... water. It was water that he saw. The falling was drawing him towards it as his eyes closed again. Time seemed to pass as he opened his eyes and saw an island. It was a large island like a piece of land that was near a massive continent. He saw the island get bigger and bigger. Besides, that island to the northwest was what looked like another much bigger island.

“I am falling ... to where am I falling?” he asked.

Time seemed to pass more and more. He looked at himself that he could and noticed that not only he had scales, but also wings. Part of his right-wing was torn and damaged. He could still feel himself tumbling in the air plummeting to the ground. He could feel what felt like a tail that swung freely in the air behind him.

“I feel ... the need to fly ... I must try...” he struggled to say.

He was still heading to the ground at a phenomenal speed. He could see the land get bigger and bigger. He was less than a minute before he would impact the ground. He struggled to move his wings, but he was too weak. He only continued to tumble in the air.

“I can’t move ... move them ... I must... , “ he said as he could see the blue sky and then the ground once again as he rolled in the air. He closed his eyes and knew his fate. Somehow he had been in space, and then he was tumbling to see the mountains, the trees, the green, and finally...

He felt branches as he could tell that he was in a vast forest. Trees rushed through his vision as his body slammed into branch after branch, ripping them off the trees in the process. Finally, with a massive crash, he smashed hard into the ground leaving a small crater-like hole where he landed. Dirt, grass, and rubbish from the trees flew in all directions. His massive body remained intact. The creature that fell back to Earth that knew nothing of what happened was unconscious. Only the pile of dirt in the large hole was any indication of what happened. His armor began to shatter and crumble. The blackness of the armor began to fade from him. The armor began to rust and turned into black charcoal-like sand as it began to float into the calm wind to disappear forever. Whatever he was carrying earlier was gone that flew from his hand. His body remained as it was with only the scales on his body to protect him.

As the creature’s eyes were closed, he knew nothing of his fate, what his identity was, or where he was. He remained asleep perhaps for minutes, perhaps for hours, perhaps it was days, maybe it was even years...

Not far from the Reigandō Cave near the city of Kumamoto Japan on the grand island of Kyushu, an older man walked out of the massive entrance. He walked with a walking cane as he stepped over some rocks. The man looked to be around the age of 60 years old, and he wore a white and red kimono along with his light sandals that protected his feet. His hair was dark gray as it traveled down part of the back of his head. He had a mustache that was dark and gray. He coughed a little bit as he struggled to walk outside the cave entrance.

“Ī tenkidesu ne ... Watashi wa hoshī ... to walk around the area some today,” the Japanese man said to himself. He began to traverse down the steps to the outside.

By the cave entrance was the typical and beautiful countryside forest of Japan. As he traversed down the makeshift steps, his body struggled to keep him walking. The sun was brilliant for the afternoon with a temperature of about 16 degrees Celsius or a little over 60 degrees Fahrenheit. He reached the bottom of the stairs as he took a deep breath. The smell of the forest that consisted of trees such as the black and white pine, along with various other flowers, grew along the path not far from the Uganji temple, where he tried to space himself from the monks. His feet pushed him as he lived a life of peace and relaxation. His long history would mark his thinking as he would walk under the torii wooden gate. His walking cane would smack the ground as he kept his balance. He could hear the various birds that chirped around him.

“Always good for yourself to keep walking... , “ he said to himself. His voice was light but steady. His skin mostly wrinkled marked his age as he kept walking.

As he traversed the small hill, he looked over and saw the Jizō statues that lined the hillsides. The little hooded stone and wooden figurine statues sometimes had the bibs put on them to honor the dead and pay respect for those that passed on. The hillside was covered with them as he walked past a monk and waved to him. The monk dressed in his red shaw bowed as he walked past him. The older man himself stopped and bowed to the monk before they walked and continued in their separate ways.

“I mean no disrespect to the monks...” the old man said out loud to himself. “But, I have learned what a reputation can do to oneself. Everyone will come to search for you. There would be no peace for me, and that is what I need more than anything else right now.”

He continued his long trek as he could see Mount Kinbō as he stopped to look at the tall mountain. He remembered all his writings on that mountain. Standing at an elevation of about 600 meters in elevation or 2000 feet, the mountain was covered in the green forests and trees from where it stood. What is now an extinct volcano, Kinbō was just a place to walk and enjoy. He knew not far were the fields where some grew various vegetables and crops as it got closer to Kumamoto itself.

“I can die happy what I have accomplished,” he said to himself. “I have lived a full life, and my pupils will continue what I taught them,” trying to reassure himself. His stagger would falter a little bit as he continued walking down the path that led away from his solitary cave.

He passed by the stone lanterns that were close to the temple. It was not his job to walk to the temple but simply get some fresh air.

He took a breath as he could smell the saltwater even if it were a little over a mile away from him. The trees did an excellent job masking the scent.

The older man would continue his long walk as he could feel the pain in his body. He could still feel the staggering in his breath.

“Ah ... the pleasure of getting old,” he joked to himself. “Yes ... if I die here in this beautiful place, it will be a good death. It will be away from every one, with only the few that I care close to me to honor me. It will be a good death, and my writings will continue on without me.”

The older man steadied himself on his cane again as he put his hand to his head, feeling the gray hair on his face. He looked at his side and thought about the wrinkled skin of his hand as he decided it was time.

“Time to head back. I have gotten far enough. My body will only take me so far. Yes ... I have gotten far enough.”

The older man turned around and began to walk back. He looked at the forest around him as he walked. His sandals crunched against the soft soil and rocks below it as his cane would push hard to the ground to keep him steady.

His eyes went to the forest to the left of him. He stopped again to look deeply at the trees. There was nothing but lush green trees and grass that lined the area, but something caught his eye. He had no idea what it was, but he swears he saw something. It was faint like it was in the far distance, but the trees carefully masked whatever it was.

“My age must be getting the best of me...” the old man remarked. He looked again, but he didn’t see it. He started to walk again as he then got the glint on his eyes. He stopped and looked back and was sure that he saw something in the distance.

“What is that?” he asked himself as he looked at the sight in the forest. The trees were thick as he tried to see what it was. Whatever it was, it was blue and didn’t appear to be what he thought it was.

“The spirits must be tricking me today ... yet,” he got near the edge of the pathway as he stepped behind a tree. His hands pressed to the bark as he looked at the blue speck behind more trees. He had to go and check it out.

Like curiosity in his purest form, his sandals walked away from the long path that led back to his home in the cave. Slowly but surely, he was careful as he would walk behind tree after tree trying to get to this thing or whatever it was. The walking stick he had kept himself balanced as he proceeded further and further. His kimono would occasionally snag against brush and plants as he stepped around them.

“I don’t know what is there, but I swear I saw something there.”

As the older man stepped behind another tree for what seemed like minutes, he could start to see damage to the trees near him. It was as if something significant fell from the sky and smashed into the trees, almost heading straight down. Branches and tree limbs were strewn about. Tree bark and debris were everywhere.

“How?... , “ the old man asked as he eventually saw it.

In the center of this damaged area was an anthro like dragon. He or what the old man assumed to be a “he” was lying on his back. He was the color of blue with his scales. His wings were torn and damaged. On his face were two long whisker-like tendrils, one on each side that went down to his chest. He wore no clothes, but there was nothing significant to be seen since it was all inside his body. It looked like he wore something, but it turned to black sand and was mostly gone from him. Part of his body showed signs of damage with minor pits in his scales. It had looked like he was in a terrible fight and lost. The tail showed signs of a small black scar that ran down to his spikes. He had two arms and two legs. His horns were chipped but still there.