The sun peeked through the thinning clouds, casting an orange glow over the ancient ruins of the Buddha Clan. Cracked stone pillars jutted out like broken fingers, and the silence was heavy—too heavy.
Haruka exhaled, arms crossed, boots resting on a crumbled wall. "So. Still think she'll show up?"
Sakata Buddha sat cross-legged in the dust, humming to himself while carefully balancing a twig on his head.
"She?" he said lazily.
"You know exactly who I mean." Haruka tossed him a sharp look. "Sakura. Fire Dragon girl. Red hair, anger issues, and a tendency to blow things up."
Sakata grinned. "You just described half the adventurers in the Eastern Territories."
"You dragged me to a ruin in the middle of nowhere based on a hunch, and now you're playing twigs?"
"I'm cultivating patience," he replied, eyes still closed. "A rare skill these days."
Haruka rolled her eyes, turning her gaze toward the old stone gate. "All I've cultivated is back pain."
Sakata chuckled—but then, as if on cue, the wind shifted.
Haruka narrowed her eyes. "You feel that?"
The air grew dry and hot, unnatural even for this side of the ruins. Something was off.
A small burst of flame crackled in the distance—not magic, not elemental. Controlled. Measured.
Sakata's eyes snapped open.
"Someone else is here," he muttered.
They both stood, instincts honed. Footsteps echoed over loose gravel, and out of the mist, a lone courier approached on horseback. He was breathless, dust-streaked, and in a rush.
"You the Monk?" he called out.
Sakata nodded. "I'm a monk. Depends which one you're looking for."
The courier tossed a scroll toward him. "From the Klyrode Guild—urgent post. Kingdom-wide distribution."
The scroll unrolled as it hit the ground. Haruka leaned over, then froze. Her expression darkened.
Sakata stepped beside her, reading the parchment.
A crimson seal blazed across the top: BOUNTY NOTICE.
Below is an illustration. Simple, but unmistakable.
Sakura Harasen — Fire Dragon Bearer.
WANTED: 100,000 Gold Coin Reward
"For crimes against the crown and conspiracy to ignite rebellion. Known to use destructive fire-based magic. Extremely dangerous. Lethal force authorized."
And scrawled beneath it in smaller ink:
"A bone for your head."
Haruka's lips tightened. "What the hell is this?"
Sakata's smile was gone. His voice was low and cold.
"They're not hunting dragons anymore," he said. "They're hunting people."
He looked up toward the distant skyline, the faint glow of a city beyond the mountains. "And someone just painted a target on the back of the one person who could burn the whole house down."
Haruka clenched her fists. "You think she did something?"
Sakata didn't answer right away. He simply stared at the poster.
"No," he finally said. "But someone wants her to."
---
To be continued...