Awaiting The Dawn

16: Disoriented

((Please, please don't start the music yet!))

Hisa, Hak, and the princess sat by the massive tree located in the middle of the village. 

They were asked to wait for the white dragon warrior to arrive, and thankfully, the people kept a respectable distance after the fuss over Princess Yona's red hair calmed down.

Not too far away, Yoon was speaking with one of the villagers, with Hisa watching him from the tree.

The princess sighed, prompting Hak to ask if something was wrong. 

"It's extraordinary." She answered, retelling what the clansman had taught them. "When a child is born with the power of the white dragon, the dragon's blood disappears from the previous white dragon. The bloodline has to be maintained until the dragon's power is needed again."She slumped as if ashamed by her actions. "And I came to borrow that."

"Going to give up?" Hak smirked. 

"I made my decision." The princess said as Hisa heard a weapon unsheathe. She pointed it to Hak. "There's no going back. But if he doesn't help us, I want you to train me more."

It looked like they were having a moment, but it was interrupted before Thunder could reply.

((Start track here~))

Someone barreled toward them. "You there!"

Hisa stood up to get a better look. It was a young man with silver hair and blue eyes. More importantly, his right arm was covered in scales.

The white dragon.

 He came closer, and the moment he laid eyes on the princess, Hisa's heart squeezed.

She was engulfed in visions.

Visions of the white dragon. Thoughts same as the white dragon. Whether it was her blood that boiled and her arm that burned or his, Hisa could no longer tell.

But it hurt.

She heard the same indistinct voice he heard. Felt the confusion, pride, worry, and joy he felt. It was like a god was whispering into their souls.

But it hurt. And so did the visions that simultaneously flooded to her.

   "Kija. One day, your power will be needed by our king."

They all blurred.

   "How dare you trespass! "

Indistinguishable.

   "Granny? Granny...look at...my hand...it's no longer a claw. The sacred power...has left me."

So many voices.

   "White dragon! My husband is trapped in the rubble! Please save him!! I beg of you, white dragon!"

   "You liar...you said you'd visit me."

   "White dragon, would you like some fruit?"

   "How much longer do you think he will last? No white dragon has ever been born so weak."

   "Destroy the outsiders! We cannot let our bloodline be tainted!"

Soon, she couldn't handle anymore. When the visions and the pain went away, all she was left with was exhaustion.

.

.

Both the white dragon and Hisa collapsed! And everyone was in a panic because they had no idea what was wrong.

Yoon went over to Hisa, who was on her knees and covering her ears. The hat she always wore had fallen at her side. Her normally droopy eyes were wide, like they were looking at something no one else saw. 

Princess Yona moved to the white dragon, who laid on his back and surrounded by worried villagers.

Before she or anyone else could really do anything else, Hisa dropped her arms to the grass and the white dragon regained consciousness. 

His enlarged hand returned to a normal size. He stared at Princess Yona, not blinking even for a second.

"Um, white dragon?" She called out to get his attention, not knowing how to address him.

"Yes, I have inherited the white dragon's blood." He bowed low to the ground. "I have been waiting for you, my master."

"Master? What do...you mean?" Princess Yona asked as the other villagers followed the white dragon to go on their knees. 

.

.

Gradually, Hisa regained her sense of awareness.

She hadn't forgotten her name, but the shock of so many visions at once disoriented her senses.

Hisa had almost no feeling in her limbs. She felt that her hands were gripping something, but didn't know what. With her sense of hearing and sight a mess as well, Hisa almost thought she was in a dream.

The only thing she was left with was a scramble of thoughts.

Where was she? Why did she get a vision flood after meeting the white dragon? Did that strange voice belong to the white dragon, or a collection of predecessors? 

'Damn the dragons, everything is so loud.'

'Something feels warm and comfy.'

'Maybe sleeping will make everything better. Or eating Yoon's stew. Or some meat. Meat over a fire sounds good.'

Focus, Hisa!

With her vision completely blurry at the moment, she closed her eyes and tried to slow her pounding heart.

Her sight of past and future often reacted out of her control, but just one vision barely tired her out. Unless it was a flood.

It was uncommon to get a vision flood unless a powerful catalyst triggered her ability. But even those were never overwhelming enough to make Hisa collapse.

The strangest thing was that this one didn't seem to affect her spiritual energy, which naturally depleted when a priest used their ability.

Someone was supporting her upper back and shoulders, and she liked how warm it felt. 

Looking down, all her fuzzy eyesight could see was green. At one point or another while getting bombarded with visions, she'd gone on the grass.

Hisa decided to focus on the warmth on her shoulders, rapidly recovering the feeling in her hands and feet.

Slowly, with the help of the person holding her, Hisa managed to stand.

She was covered in cold sweat, and her breathing was uneven. Almost all her senses were temporarily impaired. The dizziness was worse than usual.

When her eyesight returned, Hisa turned around and realized Yoon was the one that helped her up.

She still couldn't understand what he was saying, as everything going through her ears was still a loud, jumbled mess.

The first thing that sounded coherent was the princess' voice. And so, Hisa did her best to block out the rest of the noise. From there, other voices became clearer, until she'd completely recovered.

The white dragon was eager to follow the princess, more than happy to leave immediately. 

From what Hisa could follow, the clan elder, a small old woman with poor vision, called for a feast to celebrate the occasion.

That meant free food!