Red of Dawn

Red of Dawn IV

Welcome back to Red of Dawn's forth chapter! No artwork this time, but there's some for tomorrow, so look forward to it!

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Tenma sighs softly as he throws his head back to look at the sky. A storm is brewing above him and like always, he can feel it reverberating through his bones, a deep humming that leaves his usually-calm mana sparking with life and energy.

His mortal parents are in a nearby city, trying to check into a hostel, leaving him alone at their campsite. Not that it is much of one, their carriage still mostly packed with the exception of some food and eating utensils. It won't take long to pack everything and go on their way were the storm to break out, taking shelter in the city, and the waterproof canvas that covers the vehicle will keep their other goods dry.

He knows it the second the first drop from the sky, and the brunet is quick to hide their few things in the carriage. By the time he's done, the rain is pouring down already – it's a heavy one, this time – and he can see the first flash of thunder light up the sky. It takes a few seconds, but then the sound reaches him too.

And Tenma breathes in deeply and closes his eyes, and then he moves.

He lets the storm guide his movements, the thunderclaps the beat and the raindrops that clatter on the ground the melody.

His hair – held up in a high ponytail – whips around him as he spins, and he can feel the wet earth beneath his bare feet.

It's something instinctual, an urge, a drive that always hits him during storms. His father's domain always has this effect on him, causes his mana to act up – he always has so much pure, raw energy during a storm that he needs an outlet, if it's a spar or a parkour of sky-stepping, as he knows some of his half-siblings to do.

But Tenma? Tenma dances.

He's been doing it for as long as he can remember, even since before he left the camp where he grew up – although the camp directors certainly didn't like it, so he'd often hide out in the forest, his internal weather-forecast a huge help on that part. After he escaped with Kyousuke and Aoi, he could finally let himself go.

He'd dance, sometimes for hours, to the rhythm of the rain and the beating of thunder, lightning flashes his spotlights. It'd feel as if he was in a trance, nothing on his mind except the tranquillity of the storm and the freedom that came with being in his element.

Aoi and Kyousuke loved it.

And when later, they were joined by Hikaru, Kariya and Shinsuke, they'd been initially surprised to find two of their three companions sitting outside, underneath a tree to shelter them from the rain.

They'd understood when they saw Tenma, though, and had quietly joined their friends.

The same thing had happened with Shindou and the others, at first confused but then understanding. People might've called them crazy, but they'd sit outside for hours during the worst of storms just to see their leader dance, because that-

That was a whole new form of freedom.

Arashi's son might not have wings, but he could definitely fly even on the ground.

And as Tenma lets himself go, lets himself enjoy the moment before he has to be Akira again, he thinks of his Clan. He hasn't seen them in almost four months now, ever since he and his parents left the city, but like this he could almost imagine their individual auras wrapping around him, the strings of their mana caressing and soothing him.

When he opens his eyes again, the illusion is broken.

He is completely alone.

  ~'0'~