Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hey, this is Pinkshuchan. I'm glad there are people that are still looking forward to more chapters of Prince of Damonen. Again, I will try to get new chapters updated as quickly and as much as possible. So without further adieu, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 24

The Blooming Beauty and the Blazing Beast

Misaki bolted out of sleep and sat upward the moment he felt a bump. He didn't remember falling asleep but maybe the exhaustion due to the events of the storm brought this on him. He then remembered everything that happened; the Damonen Knights, what they knew about his brother, he and Miyagi escaped the ship…

And then he remembered Akihiko. He helped Misaki and Miyagi escape before heading to save Hiroki. With how far they got, it was unknown whether they made it out of the typhoon or not. His heart felt heavy at the memory.

"Nice to see you're awake."

Misaki looked over to see Miyagi smiling at him. "We've finally hit land," he alerted the princess. The brunet haired boy examined his surroundings. They appeared to be on a beach with nothing but sand. The backdrop beyond it looked like some sort of forest; however Misaki couldn't recognize the trees. They were no doubt in another continent.

The question was where.

"There may be people here," Miyagi continued as he stepped out of the boat; assured that the boat was secured on land. He lent his hand out to help Misaki out of the boat. "We'll just have to explore the island and see."

The princess took the older man's hand, allowing him to help him out and began walking. "I wonder what we'll find here."

"Who knows," the raven haired man replied, "We may possibly meet up with Akihiko and Hiroki. That is, if they made it to this island."

Miyagi could see Misaki's face show a sign of worry. He no doubt hoped they were okay, especially Akihiko. Indeed, that was the expression of someone who loved someone enough to be terribly frightened for the worst. He knew that they couldn't worry about that however. The first thing they needed to do was to find out where they were.

As the older had suggested, they began exploring what they could on the island. Misaki, while still worried about their fellow companions' safety, couldn't help but stare in marvel at the sights around them. As for Miyagi, he took note of everything they passed, searching for any familiarity that would help them figure out where they were.

When they got past the trees and reached another beach, the raven haired man made his conclusion. "Judging by the atmosphere of this place, we must be in Ozean."

Misaki looked over at him. "You've been here before?"

The older man nodded. "Though, it's not important to talk about right now. If I remember correctly, there should be some sort of village somewhere. However, if this is Ozean we're talking about, it's possible that it may be on a different island."

Before any more words could be said, they heard footsteps run towards them. They turned around to see people they didn't know before appear before them. It came as a great shock to both sides to see the other. Misaki and Miyagi took a good look at these residents. All of them were men dressed in different coloured shorts. Some would also have accessories on. Other than that, they were only dressed in those shorts.

Upon hearing Misaki and Miyagi's story, these men, who were revealed as residents of Ozean, agreed to take them back to their village, which was on another island not that far from where they were. They explained that their reason here was to harvest food that could not be harvested on the island where they live. Accepting their offer, they headed to the village by boat.

The village was absolutely beautiful. Many huts were standing on wooden docks that extended from the island while some rested on the sands themselves. The people were dressed in interesting clothes that almost reminded Misaki of the attire the people of Erden wear. It was almost as if he never left. The men were dressed in only shorts with some accessories; similar to the men that found them, while the women wore bikinis with wraps around their hips, all of different colours like a rainbow. Torches were placed in certain areas on the docks and on the island itself, most likely to provide light should night come.

"Yep, this is definitely Ozean," Miyagi concluded.

While Misaki truly admired how it looked compared to the familiarity of Erden, another thing anxiously made him wonder; were Akihiko and Hiroki here as well? Miyagi looked over at him and noticed it as well.

"Even if they're not here right now," he continued, "I'm sure they'll make it here eventually. We just need to be patient, Princess."

Misaki looked over at the older man. "I hope you're right. One more thing! As long as we're outside of Erden, would it be alright to just call me Misaki? Similar to Usagi with his title, I want to keep my identity as Princess of Erden a secret. I don't want to cause any trouble should there be anything."

The older man nodded. "I apologize, Pri- Misaki! That would possibly be the best option if we want to keep a low profile while searching for the last two items." With that in agreement, the two decided to wait until any news regarding Akihiko and Hiroki would turn up.

What they didn't know was that Akihiko managed to make it safe on another island close by. After they got caught in the wave, it pushed the older man to shore with the help of some swimming. Unfortunately, it meant that he was separated from Hiroki. Did the cinnamon haired man survive the storm? Akihiko knew Hiroki. The latter wouldn't easily throw away his pride and just die. Not even if he couldn't swim.

That only brought more fear onto Akihiko however. If the cinnamon haired man couldn't swim, it wouldn't be easy to make it to land safely without some sort of help. The silver haired man had this feeling however. Hiroki was obviously still alive and he too was on this island. It was just a matter of finding him.

His theory was not off. A little bit of distance away on the same island was an unconscious Hiroki who made it to shore by the waves. At least that's what he assumed. As he slowly started to regain consciousness, he felt someone kneeling over him; big hands running through cinnamon locks. Hiroki wasn't sure what was going on. With the size and gentleness of the hands, he would've automatically assumed that they were Akihiko's hands. However, something was off about them. Akihiko's hands usually were freezing cold, but these hands were warm.

He slowly opened his eyes, confused as to what was going on. The sun was in his line of sight so he was slightly blinded but he could see the figure as a silhouette. What was the most unusual were the glowing sapphire eyes. Hiroki closed his eyes again, feeling the pain from the light of the sun on them, and tried to recollect what had happened and whether this was some sort of dream or not.

"Hiroki!"

That voice! "Akihiko!" Hiroki cried out, turning to where he heard the voice. But then something else caught his attention. After he had turned, splashing noises were heard in the ocean. He turned back in the direction he laid down in and saw nothing but an emerald green sea, perfectly calm as if nothing affected it. He also realized that those hands he felt had left as soon as he turned around. He was confused. What was that?

Footsteps trotted on the sand as Akihiko got nearer to his half demon friend. He noticed Hiroki's confused expression and spoke up to see if he was alright. The cinnamon haired man stared up at his silver haired companion before giving a slight nod and tried standing up.

With both up on their feet, they decided to explore to figure out where they were and where Misaki and Miyagi were. Akihiko was worried for his fair princess' safety, but trusted that if he was still with Miyagi, he had to be safe. They searched the entire island for a village or some place where their fellow companions would be at but with no such luck. However, they did find something interesting. This place seemed to be made out of multiple islands. Maybe if they got to another one of them they might find the island where their companions were.

The question was how.

Although it appeared like the islands were connected, they didn't seem to be any methods of getting across to the next one except to swim. To Akihiko that would be no problem, but Hiroki wouldn't be able to make it. Akihiko also considered that they use Saitou to fly across but that would just be too risky. It was possible that there may be people around. And then he saw it, the very thing to help them.

"A boat!"

It was a rowboat, to be exact. Could that be the rowboat Misaki and Miyagi were on? No, they would've rested on land by now. If that was the case, then what does the rowboat belong to? Maybe they would help them get onto the other islands. Akihiko called out to the rowboat, trying to get their attention. Hiroki, realizing what Akihiko was doing, eventually joined in. The rowboat heads over in their direction, indicating that they had spotted them.

They came onto land, heading over to the direction of the two. They listened to their story about the storm and being separated from their companions. They didn't bother explaining about the monster they saw though. It would either scare them or they would probably think that they were crazy. The men on the boat agreed to take them to the village, as a way to rest up as well as the best way to look for their missing companions. They rode the boat and went to the village on one of the other islands.

The moment they finally reached the island, it was decided between the two that they would ask around to see if they saw anyone that looked like Misaki or Miyagi. It was relief for Akihiko when he heard that they were in the same village. It was only a matter of meeting up with them. Akihiko began to wonder how Misaki would react when they see each other again. The idea of Misaki running into his arms, swooning over him and looking up at him with eyes of love, made the silver haired man feel all giddy, though there was no way he was going to show it in front of anyone. He could just imagine the whole thing.

"Usagi!"Misaki stares up at the silver haired man with stars in his eyes, "You were so brave to save every one of us. However, it was scary not having you by my side to protect me."

Akihiko smiles as he holds his dear princess close. "You don't have to worry about a thing, my beautiful Misaki. I will always be here to protect you from anything that's comes in our way."

"Oh Usagi!"

"Akihiko!"

The silver haired man breaks out of his thoughts to see Hiroki trying to get his attention. He looks over to see what was going on to see Miyagi walking over to them. It was good to see their friend again. However, to Akihiko the biggest question was where Misaki was.

"He's fine," the older man assures him, "He's just over helping some of the villagers with a few things; things to keep his mind off some of the bad things until you show up. He was really worried about you, you know."

Miyagi also explained a few other things as they went to look for Misaki; the fact that Misaki wanted to keep his royal title a secret, the fact that they managed to find temporary residence until they have completed their task, and the fact that they were mostly waiting for them before going out to search for their next item, water that has never been tainted.

They finally found Misaki playing with some kids. Akihiko smiled as he saw the princess and the children smiling and laughing. Miyagi called out to Misaki and motioned towards Akihiko and Hiroki. Misaki appeared frozen in surprise the moment he caught sight of the silver haired man. He stood there for a bit before finally running over towards them. The entire time his eyes only stayed on Akihiko, but who could blame him, especially what Miyagi told them.

"Usagi! I-!" he cried out as soon as he reached him but shortly stopped. He forcibly tried to make himself look calmer, though it was obvious looking into his eyes that they wanted to let out so many tears. "I mean… Good to see you're okay."

Akihiko didn't exactly think that this would be the reaction he would get from the chocolate haired boy after their separation from the storm but at the same time he felt like he couldn't expect anything less. The young princess wasn't one for wanting to share the burden of his emotions, if brought up that part of this was the trauma in his life. Instead the silver haired man just smiled; just knowing that he was in the boy's thoughts this entire time was enough for him.

With the four back together, they began to talk about things that they had learned. They were in the continent of Ozean, which is separated into many different islands. Apparently the different islands contained different soil in some areas while at the same time shared soil that truly showed that they were islands in the same continent. The only way to get to any of the islands would be by rowboat.

Once the subject of the events of the storm were brought up, Akihiko brought up the monster he and Hiroki encountered while trying to escape from the typhoon. It was most curious how a creature would come out and attack during a storm. However, this did bring up theories that could explain why the storm felt abnormal.

"You think it might be a demon?" Miyagi questioned.

"I don't think so," Akihiko shook his head, "There are different types of demons, yes, but I've never heard of a demon that's a specific element. Plus, that thing looked like it might have been on par with the Slifer, maybe stronger. Still, what the heck was that water monster anyway?"

"Did you say 'water monster'?"

The four heroes turned their attention to an old woman, dressed in a long orange summer dress and held a cane. Her expression was surprised and yet held a little bit of fear to it. "Forgive me for eavesdropping but you mean to tell me you saw a monster made entirely out of water during the events of an abnormal typhoon?"

This brought surprise onto the four now. "You mean you know something about this creature?" the silver haired man asked.

The old woman nodded and asked the four to come along with her, explaining that what she had to tell them was something that wouldn't be safe to talk about in front of others. They followed her to one of the huts off the docks and went in. She offered them seats on soft pillows of different colours to make themselves comfortable. Once they were ready, the old woman began.

"What you had caught sight of was a very rare creature, created by Ozean himself as the guardian of his precious treasure. What you had met was the creature known only as the Water Typhoon. It is said that because he feared that his precious treasure would be tainted in the hands of mortals, he asked Damonen for the ability to summon demons. Damonen was not sure if he should give a power to someone with a naïveté like Ozean's, but decided that he will pass the power to him only to create one creature. He warned Ozean that whatever creature he creates, the moment it is created it cannot be erased from existence. Ozean took light to Damonen's words and created what we know as the Water Typhoon."

She brought out what looked like a book and as she flipped the page, a glow of light that turned out to be a magical hologram of the very creature Akihiko and Hiroki saw appeared before them. They stared at it in awe. For some reason, the hologram's version of the Water Typhoon looked different from the one from the storm. The one from the storm appeared menacing and terrifying, but this one looked like such a magnificent creature. Maybe this was because the one in the hologram was the ideal image of the creature.

The old woman continued. "Ozean did not realize just how dangerous the Water Typhoon was, however. Yes it protected Ozean's treasure, but would attack even innocent bystanders just passing by. Ozean planned to destroy it when he remembered Damonen's warning; once created, it can never be erased from existence. Instead, Ozean ended its life, but only temporarily, and while he knew that one day the creature would reincarnate and cause trouble with the continent again, he was relieved that he was able to rid of it for now."

"And you're saying that it had reincarnated itself and is back to life once again?" Miyagi asked.

"Indeed," the old woman responded, "However, we have learned something about the Water Typhoon that makes things easier for us to avoid dealing with it. It will not attack as long as we stay away from a certain island. That is the island where the rumoured treasure is."

"And what exactly is this rumoured treasure you keep talking about?" Hiroki spoke up.

"Another creation of Ozean's; his most cherished. After the birth of humans, many of the waters he had created became polluted. He offered the water to them but worried that there would be disaster if all water in the world became tainted. The treasure is the last source of pure water in this world; water that has never been tainted."

Water that has never been tainted? That was the next thing they needed to collect before leaving Ozean. Warning or not, they needed to get to that island. The old woman realized this and asked them to follow her once again. She led them to what appeared to be some sort of graveyard. However, the sight was something they did not expect nor did they wish to see.

A few bodies were lying in a pile in the middle of the graveyard. While they still had their skin, their entire bodies appeared like they were nothing but bone. Hair was dry like hay and it appeared like something was oozing out of what used to be their eyes. The entire sight was nauseating. Stomaches were woozy all around. Miyagi tried to keep his mouth closed. Misaki covered his eyes and was pulled close by Akihiko, who tried looking away. Hiroki stood there like a statue, unable to take his eyes off the disturbing sight.

"You now see what happens to those who try to intrude on the Water Typhoon's island," the old woman continued, "All these corpses had all the water from their bodies drained out of them. Water is a major part of life; without it, then you are dry and lifeless like these corpses."

She led the heroes back to the village. She asked them if they were still willing to go onto the island. Akihiko brought up that they had no choice but to go to that island. It was agreed that they would receive a rowboat and head to the island tomorrow. The old woman walked back to her hut, pitying the choice of these visitors, and gave her farewell before reminding them of the price they will pay.

The rest of the day went quiet. Akihiko, Hiroki, and Miyagi were sitting in the guest hut they were staying in while Misaki went back to playing with the children. The image of the dried out corpses were still fresh in their minds. Akihiko was deep in thought. A monster that would not hesitate to take away someone's life by taking away water. A ruthless creature like that was too dangerous.

"Guys?" he broke the silence, getting his fellow companions' attention, "I think it may be best if I go to that island on my own."

Shock flooded the room. Was Akihiko serious? Was he really planning to go to that island and deal with the Water Typhoon by himself? Hiroki spoke up after him. "Why the hell are you thinking of doing something as reckless as that? Is it because of what that old hag told us? I don't fucking care how dangerous this 'Water Typhoon' is; I'm coming with you," He crossed his arms. "Besides, it's not like I have a home to return to. I have no one waiting for me."

"I agree with Hiroki that you shouldn't go alone," Miyagi also responded, "I will be accompanying you as well. Despite having my job as blacksmith back at Stahlern, there's nothing I have to lose."

Akihiko lowered his head. "I appreciate your offer. But while thinking about it, I wonder if it is really alright to have you risk your lives just for my own selfish reasons. Ever since we all met, you became dear friends to me. I don't want to take advantage of your help. I've also realized that after already going through Feuern, Stahlern, and Erden, that from here on out it will be most dangerous the closer we get to Damonen. It even makes me worry about Misaki."

Hiroki and Miyagi's faces both showed that they understood what he meant. While the others didn't hold any strong connections from their home continents, Misaki was the princess of Erden. Everyone was expecting him to return safely along with his brother, the king. Also, while Misaki is a good healer, his fighting skills were weaker compared to the others. Would they be willing to take him with them and deal with the Water Typhoon? All three shared their opinions that possibly keeping him in the village may be the best option to keep him out of danger with their reasons why. Indeed, they agreed that this would be dangerous for the young princess to join them in.

Until they heard a pot crashing down to the ground and shatter near the entranceway.

All eyes turned to what appeared to be the said princess, standing there at the door. A broken pot lay at his feet with what appeared to tropical fruits among it. He kept his head lowered; emerald eyes hiding under chocolate bangs. Had he heard what they were saying? A calm tone with a hint of sorrow rested in his voice. "I'm sorry. I brought us some fruit to eat when the pot slipped out of my hands. I'll go get some more." He quickly left before anyone could respond.

"Misaki!" Akihiko called out; running after him, leaving Hiroki and Miyagi alone in the hut. The aura around the room was dark and depressing. Then again, Misaki would've found out anyways so it was better that he learned sooner than later, right? Hiroki felt agitated. One small thing and Akihiko follows the chocolate haired princess loyally; completely devoted to him. How nice it must feel to have someone who would care for you no matter who you were.

He stood up. "I'm gonna head for some fresh air myself," he spoke up, heading out himself. Only Miyagi was left in the hut. He stared at the doorway for a while before moving his gaze to the ground. He reached his hand under his shirt and pulled out a locket from around his neck, looking at the picture inside of it. He gave a sigh, wondering what would happen now.

Back with Akihiko, he was still trying to catch up to Misaki, who had begun running. He followed him, calling out his name, until he finally managed to catch up to him on a private beach. He took hold of Misaki's wrist and refused to let go, despite the younger's protests.

"You know, if I was really a burden then I would've appreciated it if you told it to me up front instead of talking about it amongst yourselves," the princess cried, still struggling to get out of the silver haired man's grip.

Akihiko shook his head. "It's not like that! It's just that it's too dangerous-!"

"I know that it's dangerous! I don't need to be overprotected! While I'm not a strong fighter like all of you, I can still fight. And I have my magic and healing!"

"Healing will not help against a monster that drains out all the water from your body! I would rather not risk your life on something like this!"

"So I would be a burden if I came with you!"

"I just said that wasn't it! I really don't want to see the one I love get hurt!"

The air became silent. Akihiko let go of Misaki's wrist but the princess didn't run away. He only avoided eye contact with the silver haired man. After taking a deep breath, Misaki broke the silence, continuing in a much calmer tone. "You know… for someone who says that he loves me, you don't seem to trust me in taking care of myself. And don't make up some bullshit excuse that I can't protect myself from anything that comes after me. If there's anyone here who can't be trusted to take care of himself, it's you."

Akihiko was confused. "What do you mean by that? I've managed to survive anything that's come my way."

"But sometimes you would disappear! Your disappearance always has people worrying on whether you might still be alive or not, like that time we first met and you were separated from Mr. Hiroki or Mr. Miyagi. Or just recently when we were separated because of the storm. You shouldn't say you'll protect someone when you can't even protect yourself!" Tears began welling up and sobs were sounded. "If I'm too weak to take care of myself, does that mean I can't do anything to help you? Would that mean that you would risk your own life as long as I was safe and I can't do anything to make sure you stay with me? WOULD YOU GO SACRIFICE YOUR LIFE FOR MY LIFE'S SAKE JUST LIKE MY PARENTS AND I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BRING YOU BACK?!"

Both violet and tear filled emerald eyes widened in shock to those words. Misaki tried to wipe away the tears; still avoiding eye contact. "I-I mean, err… What I was trying to say was… I mean, I wasn't trying to…" He couldn't come up with anything. He blurted all that out and never considered Akihiko's feelings towards this. Surely the silver haired man thought less of him.

As for the latter, he couldn't understand what Misaki just said meant. Misaki's parents died to protect him? From demons? Was that why it was all traumatizing for him? He wrapped his arms around the lithe body of the chocolate haired princess. "Misaki, I promise that no matter what happens, I will always be with you. Whether it is by body or spirit, I will be there so you won't feel lonely. And I'm sure that your parents are the same. Even if they're not alive physically, they are still with you as long as you remember them."

Misaki didn't know how to react to that. Was it really possible for someone to stay alive after being killed? He knew it had to be impossible, but he didn't have the heart to say that to Akihiko, especially since he was trying his hardest to cheer the younger up. He hugged back and rested his head on the silver haired man's chest. "Thank you."

Akihiko smiled. He rested his head on the princess' own and relaxed. Misaki himself felt comfortable in the older man's arms, a fluffy sort of feeling within his heart. It was strange to him considering he never had this feeling before. But was it possible that this meant that he…?

"Usagi? I… think I love you," he spoke softly, not wanting to be completely heard from the silver haired man yet wanted to say it as his own way of comfort. And the feelings weren't a lie. At least, he didn't think.

The older man smiled. "You mean you do," he replied as softly. They held each other like that for who knows how long.

Hiroki, who had just wanted to walk around and get some fresh air after the incidents that happened, stumbled into overhearing everything between the two lovers. The aura that surrounded them was that of a couple who were truly, indefinitely, in love with each other; a love that would never dare let the other get hurt in a bond far stronger than that of friendship. He felt his heart tighten with pain then shatter into a million pieces the moment he heard everything. His heart heavy, he slowly dragged himself back to where the village was.

Akihiko and Misaki loved each other; that much was certain. And that meant that there was no chance for Hiroki to have the silver haired man's love. After all, Misaki was a blooming beauty; someone who shares kindness to everyone as well as being talented and beautiful. Meanwhile, Hiroki himself was a blazing beast; someone who always loses his temper and considered a monster. He could feel his eyes burn and warm tears stream down his cheeks. He began wiping them away just as quickly as they came out. He continued walking across the beach; a warm orange sunset shining beside him, a feeling that would naturally be romantic but only served as something to mock Hiroki.

But then, an unusual feeling came over him. He felt as if he was going through a change or something. His eyes widened and he looked down at his hands. His nails grew longer and were turning black. He could feel his face shifting. In a panic, he grabbed the gourd from behind his back and hurried in drinking some of the water inside.

Or he was planning to until he spit the water back out. The taste was funny and not the way it should've tasted before. What could've happened? He then had a theory and he ran close to the ocean shore hoping it wasn't true. He took a taste of the ocean water and stood there frozen. Before drinking it he didn't realize that the gourd was already open. He must've forgotten to close it when the storm came in. Now, it was filled with salt water.

This was a disastrous blunder on his part. With the fountain water from the volcano in Feuern replaced with salt water in a gourd that keeps an endless supply of it, Hiroki would have nothing stopping him from turning into his demon form. Throwing away the gourd, he knew he would need to hurry and get to the others to warn them before any villagers saw him.

But it was too late. The villagers already saw him; a monster with the body of a man and the head of a lion. Women screamed, children cried, and the men grabbed anything they could to rid of the horrible creature. With no other option left, Hiroki ran.

He ran as far as he could to wherever his legs would bring him. He couldn't go look for Akihiko now. No use putting him in trouble now. He would need to find some place to keep hidden in until a good time when he can find the others. He ran until he saw something that looked like a cave. With no other option, he ran in, hoping it would help him escape. Unfortunately, with how close they were behind him, it wouldn't do him any good. As he backed up farther into the cave, he realized that it wasn't really a cave but a tunnel. Taking this opportunity, he continued running. Many weapons were being thrown at him, trying to bring him down. However, he was able to dodge all of them.

But then another problem arose. Some of the weapons went too high that they ended up hitting the ceiling. With the force being used to hit the ceiling, the rocks merged together began to shatter. Water began pouring out, flooding the whole tunnel. Everyone tried to get out their own ways, Hiroki went the way he was heading while most of the villagers ran back. The half demon ran as fast as he could, hoping to outrun the waves and get out safely.

He finally found the exit at the end of the tunnel. He managed to get out before the water flooded it. He ran a little farther before finally stopping to catch his breath. He stared at his surrounding, finding himself to be in a tropical jungle, similar to that on all the other islands. But the true question was where exactly he was. The sky had grown dark since that time and clouds came in, pouring rain on the unlucky half demon. He roared in frustration, letting out his anguish and hatred against water. Water was what got him into this mess. He hated it with all his heart. He didn't want to deal with anymore of it.

But his thoughts on the matter froze the moment he sensed an attack coming his way. He dodged the attack to see that one of the villagers had managed to catch up to him.

"I have you now, you monster!" he growled, "We already have that water creature to deal with. You chose the wrong continent to torment."

Hiroki would have wanted nothing more than to explain that this was all a misunderstanding. However, due to his demon form the only thing that would come out would be roars. Unless someone could understand lion, he had no way to talk his way out of it. He could try running again but it won't do him any good considering how easily this guy was able to catch up to him. He didn't want to fight, but if he had no other options, he would have no choice.

A roar sounded from a distance and it was not from Hiroki. The villager froze up, looking around the area. "Wait a minute! This doesn't look like the jungle near the village. So then where-!"

He couldn't say another word. They could hear something coming this way. More roars could be heard, growing louder and louder. Both Hiroki and the villager could not move. They could feel that they were in danger yet their feet refused to move.

And finally, it appeared before them.

"The Water Typhoon!"

Yes, the Water Typhoon, exactly how Hiroki remembered it from the storm. A giant monster made entirely out of water; a lizard's body with the head and tail of a dolphin with the exception of teeth. Sapphire eyes eyed the villager; a look of want visible. The villager, whimpering like an injured animal, slowly backed away, preparing to dash away and try to escape the water monster. However, it appeared that the Water Typhoon had other plans. Before the man could run, the creature grabbed him using its teeth and threw it up into the air before devouring him.

Even though he was inside of the monster, the villager was still seen, trying to get out. Hiroki watched in horror as the man slowly grew weaker, his body mass reducing to that of a skeleton. Once the man no longer existed as a normal human being, the Water Typhoon, satisfied of its work, spit the body back out. Hiroki stared at the remaining body with widened eyes before looking over at the water creature. Would he be the next victim to eat? What should he do? Should he run or fight? With the rain, it would be impossible to use fire and it would most likely not be effective. He doubted any physical attack could work on it as well.

He was about to consider his last option of running when something unusual started to happen. The Water Typhoon, though had its sights on Hiroki, did not share that same aggression like it did with the villager. The creature closed its sapphire eyes and appeared focused on something. Before long, it glowed bright blue and slowly began to change. Its body shrunk, its shape changed, and the most shocking was that it didn't appear as a creature made entirely out of water. Hiroki could not believe his eyes.

It changed! It changed into-!

Pinkshuchan: And we end with a cliffhanger. For some reason, I find myself writing longer and longer chapters. But at least I'm still on the story. What shall happen next? You'll find out soon. Read and Review!