The Golden Dragon Warrior || Akatsuki no Yona

Legendary dragon stalker

(3rd person POV)

As they were walking on a gravelly path in a forest, they could hear some birds chirping and the afternoon sun was shining down on them. It was peaceful, and besides the chirping birds, their steps were the only things that could be heard. They had small conversations a little now and then, but they were mostly walking quietly.
Suddenly, the crimson haired princess accidentally tripped on a stone, which just happened to be where she stepped. She let out a screech of surprise, and started to fall towards the ground.
The others turned around, since Yona had been walking at the back with Hak.
-Yona! Kija exclaimed with worry. Hak was quick to react, and caught the crimson haired princess.
-Are you okay, Princess? He asked as Yona started to open her eyes again, seeing that she had closed them during the fall. Yona had a small pink hue on her cheeks when she saw the situation, and stood up on her own.
-Yes, I'm fine, thank you. I just tripped on a stone, she said. Yuri walked past her, bent down and picked up what she had tripped over.
-Yona, this looks far from a stone, Yuri said and held up the thing she had picked up. The group looked in Yuri's direction, and saw that she was holding a small jar with a lid on, and with a small green ribbon tied around it.
-A jar? Yona said with question in her voice, and just like everyone else, was wondering why that was on a gravel path in the middle of a forest. Yuri squinted her eyes a little bit at the jar as she noticed something.
-Hey, I think there's a piece of hair in here. It's green, too, she said. Yoon walked up to her and looked inside the jar.
-Yeah, that definitely looks like a few strands of green hair, he said. The others walked closer too, to get a look for themselves.
-Doesn't that kind of look like Jae-ha's hair? Kija questioned.
-You're right! It does! Yona said with her eyes a little wide. Jae-ha took a closer look on it himself.
-It does indeed look like my hair, he said — deep in thought about why someone would have a few strands of his hair.
All of a sudden, Yuri looked in the direction they had come from, which confused the others.
-What is it, Yuri? Yona asked. Without turning to face her, Yuri answered,
-I hear quick footsteps approaching, like someone is running towards us, she said. The rest looked in the same direction as her, and soon enough, a man with really messy, dark brown hair, seemingly in his late thirties, was running in their direction and was panting a lot.
-I know- it must be- here some-where, he said to himself between the inhales. He then noticed the small jar in the golden-blonde haired girl's hand, and a bright smile was plastered on his face. He ran faster, and made a very ungraceful stop in front of her, consisting of almost tripping and falling.
The group of legendary dragons, ex-general and self proclaimed handsome genius stared at him — all thinking the same thing: Who is that?
-Thank goodness you have it! I thought I had lost one of my precious items for good! He said and snatched the jar from Yuri's hand.
-"Precious item"? Yuri said. The man made a closed eye smile, and happily explained.
-For my collection! A collection of amazing things! He said and opened his eyes. When he saw the group — which had 6 people with weird, bright hair colours — his eyes widened. A small blush became visible on his cheeks.
-Oh my god! Don't tell me you all are...! He said, and in a flash, he was next to Kija — holding his dragon arm while inspecting it.
-Wh-What?! Kija said, startled by the man inspecting his hand with a small blush on his face.
-Such magnificent claws and white scales! He said, and again, he was next to someone else in a flash. This time, he was next to Jae-ha, and had somehow removed his right boot and was inspecting his dragon leg.
-Just as I expected! Magnificent scales here too! The man said.
-Amazing, right? My dragon leg is beautiful! Jae-ha said to rise his ego, not freaking out like Kija had. The mysterious man then went to Shin-ah, who was hiding behind Yona.
-As expected! You're wearing a mask to cover your eyes. Now, could you take it off—, Before the man could take Shin-ah's mask off, he ran away from him.
-Well, he's no fun~, he said before walking to Zeno. Zeno was wondering what he would do, and didn't have a good feeling about it. The man took out a needle from who knows where, grabbed one of Zeno's fingers, and stabbed it.
-OWWWW! Zeno exclaimed with tears in the corner of his eyes. The man didn't let go of his finger, and continued to watch it. Soon enough, the small wound was covered with yellow scales. The man's face brightened up.
-Fantastic! Amazing! He said before moving on to Yona.
-Such beautiful, crimson locks! To think there was a reincarnation of King Hiryuu too!
Before he could touch Yona, Hak stood protectively in front of her — spear in hand. The man seemed to be disappointed, but then noticed Yuri.
He suddenly stood next to her, and had a piece of her hair in his hand.
-Golden-blonde hair of the golden dragon.., he said, and then sniffed her hair. Yuri looked really creeped out.
There was a 10 second silence.
-Please don't sniff my hair, Yuri said and had an irk mark on her forehead. She raised her fist, and landed a punch on his cheek  — sending him flying. He landed by Jae-ha's feet.
-To think I was punched by a legendary dragon, what an honour! He said and touched his injured cheek, sparkles visible in his eyes.
-He kind of reminds me of you, Jae-ha, Hak said.
-Oh, I wonder why~, Jae-ha replied with a smile, pretending to have no idea about what he meant. He then noticed that the man still had the jar in his hand.
-Hey, is that actually my hair in that jar? Jae-ha asked him. The man was dragged out of his daze, and stood up. This time, he grabbed Jae-ha's hair and sniffed it.
-Yes! It definitely is. They have the same, lovely scent~, he said and let go of Jae-ha's hair. While he was looking at his precious jar and was in his own world, the group wore really creeped out expressions — except Shin-ah, of course, who held it in.
-I take it back, Jae-ha. You might be a pervert, but this guy is on a whole other level, Hak said. Yoon stepped towards the strange man.
-Now, what I'm wondering is; How did you get your hands on Jae-ha's hair? He asked, pulling the man's attention away from the jar.
-Oh~, I was in Awa just right after that one pirate crew took out Yan Kum-ji, because I had heard of one specific pirate who could fly, and I stumbled upon a place with a lot of girls who said a green haired man had visited regularly before the pirate crew disbanded. And voilà, I found a few strands of green hair on one of the couches~, he explained.
-A place with girls? Is that the same place Hak went to once when we were in Awa? Yona questioned and looked at Hak.
-As I said before, you got it all wrong! Hak said irritatedly.
-Oh, that reminds me! Would you please come with me to my home? I have always admired the legendary dragons, and it would be an honour to serve them some tea! The man asked with a hint of sparkles in his eyes.
-Doesn't that seem kind of suspicious? How do we know you aren't leading us to an army of people who want to take us down? Yoon asked, suspicion in his voice. The man looked a little offended.
-Why in the world would I do such a thing to my beloved admirations?! He said as he clutched the fabric of his clothes with one hand, just above his heart. Yoon let out a sigh.
-You're lucky that we are more than capable of defending ourselves, so I guess this shouldn't hurt, Yoon said. The man seemed to beam with light at the statement Yoon made.
-This is the best day of my life! I'm going to make my best quality tea I have! Oh, and follow me, please! He said and started to walk away on the gravelly pathway. The group hesitantly started to follow him. Hak walked up beside Yona.
-If that weird man tries to do anything, I'll protect you, he said — attempting to reassure her. Yona's lips curved into a smile.
-Thank you, Hak, she responded and looked back at the weird, skipping man in front of her.
-Hey, we can't just call you "the weird man". What's your name? Yuri asked him, tired of referring to him as "the weird man".
-Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, how silly of me!~ My name is Myohan! He introduced himself.
(A/N His name literally means 'strange' or 'peculiar'.)
-Okay, so, Myohan. Where do you live, exactly? We're in the middle of a forest, Yoon questioned, still not completely trusting him.
-We're here, actually! Myohan announced and stopped walking, gesturing to the left. The rest's eyes followed where he was gesturing, and spotted a cave entrance.
-You live in... a cave? By your self? In the middle of a forest? Yuri said with disbelief. Myohan turned around to face her, a slightly offended look on his face.
-Yes, I do! Is that so strange, Golden dragon? He said with a slight defending tone. Yuri adverted her gaze to the left.
-Well, it's kind of strange..., She almost muttered. Suddenly, Myohan clapped his hands together, making some of the others slightly jump at the sudden noise.
-Now, let's stop chitchatting and go inside! Welcome to my home! He said and entered the cave. They followed him, and after walking a bit into the cave, it actually started to look like someone was living there.
Well, not so strange because there was someone living in there.
Myohan sat down on one of the cushions that were lying scattered on the ground, and gestured for the rest to do the same. Once everyone had found a cushion each, Myohan started to do something that they assumed was making tea.
-There aren't any bugs in here, right? Kija asked with a worried tone, looking around the cave for possible insects.
-They do come from time to time~, Myohan replied while continuing to make tea. His reply made Kija wear a horrified expression, and he started to check on the ground around him so there weren't any close to him.
-You don't need to worry about the bugs, White snake. You probably reek of sweat and they won't come because you smell so bad, Hak taunted. An irk mark found its way onto Kija's forehead.
-For your information, I am very clean and hygienic! Kija defended himself.
-Yeah, keep telling yourself that..., Hak muttered.
-What did you say?! Kija was about to go at him when a certain person's voice interrupted.
-Hak, Kija, stop fighting! We're guests here, show some manners, Yona scolded. They both stopped and sat back down on their cushions.
A certain golden-blonde haired girl noticed a few shelves on the wall of the cave opposite to her, and decided to ask about them.
-Hey, Myohan, what's with all of the shelves with random things? Yuri asked him. Myohan's attention was directed from the making of the tea to the girl for a few seconds, looking at the shelves she was asking about.
-Oh, those are my collection shelves! He answered and his gaze turned back to the tea making.
-Collection shelves? What do you mean? Yuri asked once again. Myohan answered this time without looking away from his precious high quality tea.
-They are shelves for my collection! For years I've been collecting anything that has had any tie to the legendary dragons. I've got my hand on quite a lot of things, if I do say so myself! He replied. Yuri rose up from her seat and walked over to the shelves, curious about what he had gotten his hands on.
They were all in myths and legends, so there were many people who didn't believe that they existed — therefor it can't have been easy to get this many items.
As her eyes were tracing along the shelves, her eyes landed on a small jar — similar to the one they had found Jae-ha's hair in, except the ribbon was white and it wasn't hair inside the jar. Instead, there was a small, white, oval-shaped piece of who knows what.
-Hey, what's this? Yuri asked and held up the small jar. Myohan looked at the jar, and a smile became visible on his face.
-Oh, that's the scale of the White dragon that I got my hands on! He said proudly, but it made Kija make a confused frown.
-Where did you get it? Kija asked with slight confusion and suspicion in his voice.
-I stumbled upon this man on one of my journeys, and he was selling a bunch of them! He's a lucky man, to be able to get so many of your scales! He explained. Kija rose an eyebrow.
-But that's weird, I was isolated from the world my whole life until Yona came. The same goes for the previous White dragons..., Kija said. Yoon had started to pick up on what Kija was indicating, and rose up from his seat and walked over to Yuri. He took the jar from her hand and took off the lid.
-Hey, be careful with that! It's one of my favourite items! Myohan warned, clearly worried. Yoon ignored him and took out the small, white scale and squinted his eyes at it. After some poking and examining it, he came to a conclusion.
-This is fake, Yoon said, which made Myohan react very strongly.
-No, it's not! Can't you see?! He complained. Yoon held up the "scale" in between his thumb and index finger.
-This may look like the real thing, but it's too smooth and it's not in the least flexible. It's made out of a white type of stone that is easy to use for carving and making details for different things, it's mostly used for making decorations on furniture and houses. That man you bought it from probably carved out a bunch of scale-shaped pieces of that stone to earn some money, Yoon explained.
Myohan looked like his life had been a lie. He quickly got up and walked over to his shelf and took one of the items, and held it up. It was a flower-shaped brooch with golden details.
-But what about this?! It's a brooch the golden dragon used to own! Myohan said and tried to prove that his collection wasn't fake.
-I'm sorry, but I've never seen that brooch before, Yuri said, making Myohan come closer to facing reality. As a third attempt to convince everyone, he now held up another one of his items. This time, it was a pair of earrings.
-But what about these, then?! They're earrings that king Hiryuu has worn himself! He said, getting desperate at this point.
-King Hiryuu has never worn those, I would have remembered, Zeno confirmed.
-And looking at the material they're made of, they wouldn't have lasted over a millennium, which you're claiming them to have had, Yoon added. Myohan sunk down on the floor with a depressed aura surrounding him.
-Yeah, you've gotten really scammed, Yoon said with no mercy.
-B-But... I've always loved the legends of the dragons... and I've worked so hard to gather as many connections as possible to them! Myohan said depressingly, tears at the corners of his eyes. Yuri crossed her arms and turned so that her back was facing him.
-Don't talk like that, you're going to make me feel bad for you, she said. Myohan's eyes lit up.
-Sympathy from the Golden dra—!
-But that's still no excuse to be a pervert and sniff people's hair, Yuri interrupted him, which made him freeze in his actions. She then turned slightly around to face him and wore a serious expression.
-And, no matter how much of a fan you are, it was pretty insensitive to Zeno when you poked his finger with a needle. The action itself may not be a big deal, but Zeno has mixed feelings about his instant-regeneration, so not considering the people you admire's feelings isn't good at all, she continued, and Myohan's eyes widened a little. The crimson haired princess decided to step forward.
-I agree with Yuri, your feelings of admiration took over and you didn't consider how we felt. The same goes with when you bought all of these items, you only thought of the "connections" you'd have instead of if you were scammed or not, Yona said with a soft smile. Myohan's gaze rested on the floor.
-You're right, I'm sorry. I even basically forced you all to come here and drink tea with me.., he said.
-It's okay! You apologised, and that's all in the past! Zeno said. Myohan looked at Zeno, and then wore a smile.
-B-But... I CAN STILL KEEP MY ITEMS, RIGHT?! Myohan then unexpectedly yelled with worry.
-Sure, you've already been scammed so it's up to you what to do with the things, Yoon said with a slight chuckle.

The group consisting of strange varieties of people ended up staying at Myohan's cave-home for a cup of tea for the afternoon in the end before continuing to walk in the forest, searching for a good destination.

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Super weird chapter, I KNOW, but it was necessary. For the story to continue on I had to have something happen before the next arc could start. And then I thought of this.

I'm not even going to ramble on about how much I'm sorry for the long wait, since I think it might get annoying since I do it in every single chapter... I am sorry, though! A lot came up.