"This world is falling apart",ohka says faintly as she sits on her brown clothed zaisu,I wish huan and hue where still alive,Mulan muttered as she closed her eyes in agony, squeezing the part of her robe which was between her fist and her thigh, livanchen smirks;we all wish that...she said,but we can't change the past.
Ohka coughs,whooping as her chest bangs deeply and harder like an execution drum,she managed to weave up and she faintly say;go to the tian shrine, anything you feel will be useful take them,you have my command,ohka lays backward,.you guys get going livanchen orders as she adjust ohka on the zaisu mat. Okay;rangi muttered as she stare at ohka with a pale face.
Rangi, gogjen and leeyang all make their way to the shrine of the tian clan,rangi push open the giant shrine doors,with a loud rustling sound they opened,...in the shadow being dismissed by the sunlight was someone...,
Who's there!? Gogjen asks..., it's me gogjen,the young man replies, leeyang comes in,luten? Is it you?
Yes it's me... replied luten...,luten added,"I heard about your banishment,I came here to actually have a lone time...this is where I actually come when I'm sad"
That explains it..rangi replies as she walks towards the giant tian PAINTING OF HISTORY along side leeyang,rangi stares deeply at the paintings writing,her mind dwelling on them... gogjen stays behind as he sat and asked a subtle question,"why where the seven great nation always at war,and we're supposed to be the leaders of the smaller nations yunno...?. We are the leaders and still no matter what happens we always protect the lower nations under our government.Luten added,"yes and the great leader of the 7 great nations all took their part in helping the smaller nations around them"
Rangi stares deep at the painting,but she was silent as her thoughts took over "yes,the zhurong of the nation of fire,the raijin of the nation of lightning,the sha Huang of the nation of sand,the sarutahiko of the nation of earth,the shuimu of the nation of water,the kasugami of the nation of mist,and fengshi of the wind" she turned sharply at luten and asked;"luten please will you accompany and help us in our search for the dragon blade?" Luten portraits and replied;yes my lady...your wish is my command., gogjen looks at luten as he burst into tremendous laughter,he then said;you don't need to do that to the queen of loud mouth yunno, Rangi slams her palm to Gogjen's face,as she then added;yes he doesn't need to be all formal to me,but I'm no queen of loud mouth yunno!!.
Leeyang then steps in to cool off the storm,"hey guys our time is ticking and it seems we didn't find anything useful here, let's just go,the earlier we leave will be better for my mom". Rangi and gogjen nods their head simultaneously in agreement to leeyang.... The sun sets,night fall as they leave the imperial city....
And thus, their journey began.
Dust and wind danced over the charred earth as the team traveled for hours beneath the late sun. The landscape beyond the capital bore the scars of war — broken stones, shattered fields, and forests too quiet to feel alive. This was the path of exiles.
Gogjen walked a little behind the group, his white hair bobbing as he adjusted the straps on his travel bag.
"Do you think the Dragon Blade is even real?" he asked aloud.
Rangi didn't answer. She was several paces ahead, scanning the horizon with a hardened expression. Leeyang, walking beside Gogjen, gave a small shrug. "It doesn't matter. We find it, or we die exiled."
"I'd prefer the first one," Gogjen muttered. "Just saying."
The group eventually reached a signpost: worn, crooked, but still standing. Painted in faded ink: Maragi Village – 1 Mile.
Longchen stretched his arms and yawned. "Finally. My legs were starting to argue with me."
As they entered Maragi, they were met by silence. Houses with soot-scarred walls, marketsdeserted, and the scent of ash in the air.
Children peeked from behind doors. A few old women watched from shaded porches. But no one spoke.
Rangi stepped forward. "We're not enemies," she said, loud enough for the villagers to hear. "We're descendants of Lord Huan. We've come in peace."
An old man with milky eyes stepped from a doorway. "Peace?" he rasped. "You bring the Zhurong name to this village, and you speak of peace?"
Leeyang's jaw tightened. Gogjen looked away.
Rangi bowed. "We understand the pain your people have suffered. But we're not here to rule. We're looking for someone."
"Everyone who can fight left this place years ago," the old man said. "All that's left are bones and memories."
A girl stepped out from the shadows then — about their age. Blue hair, tied back. Sharp eyes. Wore light blue robes like running water.
"I'm Huwue," she said. "You're looking for the Dragon Blade?"Rangi nodded. "We are."
Huwue studied them. "Then you'll need a guide. And luck."
Longchen grinned. "We'll take both, if you've got them."
And so they stayed the night in Maragi, unaware that in the woods beyond the village, a shadow was already watc
hing.