Suna of the Seventh Sun - Prologue: Imprisoned
"We've had so many chances, Suna…"
"What are you talking about?"
"We've had so many chances to fail. One mistake, one slip-up, ONE wrong turn, and it would have all been over. Yet against all odds, we made it this far. What do you call that, if not a miracle? A stroke by the hand of Taiyoo himself…"
"Fate, Juno? It's the only other explanation."
"I do not believe in fate. If fate had dictated our lives, I wouldn't be standing here with you. I would have perished long ago if it hadn't been for you, Suna. It was not fate that led us to find each other, that kept us alive, and it is not fate that will save this world. It will be you, and your will."
"Well, I WAS born to be the Hero you know. Champion of the Western Forest, Hero of the Seventh Sun and all that..."
"You may have been born to be the Hero, but you were not born to succeed. No one is. They do that on their own."
"And what have I succeeded at? What have WE succeeded at?"
"Stealing each other's hearts, for one thing."
Suna opened her eyes as she brought herself back to reality. Many times before, she had escaped into her memories for meditation, and always took a moment or two to find herself once she returned from them.
The ever-present smell of mildew and stale air assailed her as she regained her sense of smell. The tentative light of the torches perched on either side of the steel entrance illuminated the cell, granting her sight, though the light itself provided little comfort in contrast to the dark, block-worked stone walls.
A dull ache crept its way up from her chest, through her arms, and settled in her wrists. She tensed against her restraints, relaxing again once the pain had dulled. Every part of her body ached greatly, every muscle pleading for relief, yet the heavy iron shackles encasing her wrists, ankles, and waist had forced her into a standing position, denying any chance of that. She hung her head and let her neck relax, blocking out as much pain as she could.
I wonder if he's thinking of me, she thought, letting her eyelids fall closed.
His face came to her. The constant look of determination and strength on his face, the energy of his youth, but also the kindness and devotion to the ones he loved in his eyes…the spark of wisdom and cleverness that shone brightly through them…
For the first time in many days, Suna smiled. A small, thin, heartwarming smile that renewed her spirit and dulled the pain, if only for a brief, fleeting moment. She flexed her hands as she thought of the times he had held them…of the times she had woven her fingers through his…of the times she had grasped his dark hair…of the times she had wrapped them tenderly around his neck…
A longing, exhausted sigh escaped Suna.
As she breathed out, she realized that despite all of her training and discipline, of all her study and meditation to prepare her for who she was to become, she had always had a soft spot for him. The only hole in her otherwise impenetrable mental armor.
Her body hurt, but it was her heart and soul that were truly in pain.
"How did it come to this…" she murmured.
How long had it been this waking nightmare began to crawl over their world, stretching its limbs and fingers as far as it could reach? Days? Weeks? Years?
She had lost count. It was as though time itself had rushed ahead of the world, leaving a maelstrom of darkness and despair in its wake. Events happened too fast for the world to respond to the danger.
It began with the Day of the Sun's Death.
She could remember it as vividly as though she was still living it. It was the day that she had turned eighteen, on the day of the summer solstice, the day she had been waiting for what felt like her entire life had finally arrived.
Suna was to finally be granted her birthright, to be recognized as this generation's Hero of the Seventh Sun, as her father had before her and her ancestors before him. A guardian and protector of her people, a paragon for all others to follow. She had endured the trials to prepare her for this day, when she would finally become who she was born to be. Her training, study, discipline, and meditation…eight years of her life that she had spent in preparation for this one day, and indeed, for the rest of her existence.
There was only one task left for her to complete, her final assignment.
Suna was to prove herself to the Dragon of the Sun.
She was to face Taiyoo the Eternal.
She remembered the confidence in her steps as she strode out the village gates with the cheers of her family, friends, and neighbors ringing in the late afternoon, the tails of her red and white hero's armor catching in the breeze.
She remembered her heart trembling with anticipation, her pulse racing with excitement as she ascended the steps to the dragonshrine, a short distance from the village, wrought into the westward face of Mount Kuushan.
She even remembered the sudden rush of fear as she knelt before the shrine, placed her ancestor's amulet in the offering basin, and turned to face the setting sun. Rather than the sun, though, she stood facing an immense golden dragon.
Her terror was instantly replaced with otherworldly awe.
Taiyoo's scales shifted constantly as the sun set behind him, flashing through so many colors of the spectrum that her eyes could barely register it. Hues of brilliant, fiery red were replaced with the calm glow of orange and yellow in a heartbeat before shifting again. A pair of large horns swept back behind his head and a line of pointed ridges ran down his back and tail, which ended in a spearhead-shaped tuft of loose fur. Gleaming white talons completed his awe-inspiring visage. Though he was sitting in full sunlight, he cast no shadow against the rock wall, and his entire being was cloaked in a faint orange glow.
The Dragon of the Sun had been described to her of course, but even the most vivid painting or description of words hardly scratched the surface of the being that sat before her now.
Yet, despite his imposing form of incredible power, Suna felt only peace radiating from Taiyoo. He embodied the balance of his charge; his judgment would be as benevolent as it was harsh, just as was the sun.
Taiyoo's eyes burned white with an ancient intelligence as he sat on his hind legs and contemplated the small creature before him who was to be this world's hope.
"T-Tai…Taiyoo…" she breathed, "the Eternal…" Suna's voice failed her. Her instincts kicked in and she immediately sank to the ground, pressing her forehead against the rock in a display of complete submission.
Taiyoo's eyes narrowed and his tail flicked in annoyance.
"Stand, girl, and face me as the hero you were born to be. You will not defeat the enemies of this world by groveling at their talons." His voice flowed smoothly and kindly, but still held authority and wisdom.
Suna brought her rush of emotion under control and did as commanded. She raised her verdant eyes and met Taiyoo's burning white and piercing ones before rising unsteadily and standing before the great dragon. She held his gaze and waited patiently. This was not something she could afford falter on.
Despite her discipline, she could not help but feel a tinge of fear and a whisper of doubt in the back of her mind.
She pushed them aside and gulped, awaiting the Sun Spirit's judgment.