#shoren

Phoenix: Earth(novel Author: 桜庭一樹(Sakuraba Kazuki) is set in Japan, China, and silk road Central Asia during World War II. This illustration is by Tsunogai.

One day, the ambitious young man Rokuro Makube, who serves in the army, hears a talk by Dr. Saruta about the Phoenix. After that, he is appointed to investigate the Phoenix together with his younger brother and the mysterious beauties.(tamami, princess sapphire, wato)

I like the atmosphere of the cover of Phoenix: Earth Edition and the character introduction at the beginning. All of Tsunogai's illustrations are great.

Tamami and Masato, who appeared in Phoenix Future Edition, also appear in this story. Masato is Rock's younger brother.

The characters on the cover of the second image are, counterclockwise from the top left.

Duke Red…三田村要造(Yozo Mitamura) Rock's adoptive father and president of a conglomerate. It is closely related to the Firebird. His wife is Yugao(夕顔), his mother-in-law is Nadare(雪崩), his eldest son is Garasu(硝子), and his eldest daughter is Shiokaze(汐風).

Shoren(小蓮)…間久部麗奈(Reina Makube) Rock's wife and Duke Red's second daughter. She played Black Jack's younger sister.

Wato Chiyoko…川島芳子(Yoshiko Kawashima). Princess of the extinct Qing dynasty.

Tamami…マリア(Maria). A mysterious beauty who is skilled with the flute.

Sapphire…ルイ(Rui) A handsome actor, but he has a hidden side.

Masato…間久部正人(Masato Makube) Rock's younger brother. He is actually a Communist spy. He has a pure and kind side.

Rock…間久部緑郎(Rokuro Makube)

He is an army major and very ambitious. He marries shoren, the daughter of Duke Red, and sets off on the Firebird Research Team.

The characters on the third page.

Saruta…猿田博士(Dr. saruta)

An indispensable character in the Phoenix series. Researching the Firebird.

Marukubi Boon…大滝雪之丞(Yukinojo Otaki)

He leads the "Otaki Expedition" that travels to unexplored regions. He was also the first captain of the Phoenix Exploration Team.

Black Jack…田辺保(Tamotsu Tanabe)

A childhood friend of Duke red. A genius engineering doctor, he invented the "Steel Bird Doll" that uses the power of the Firebird as energy.

Norse Necktall…道頓堀鬼瓦(Onigawara Dotonbori)

He changed careers from being an unsuccessful rakugo performer to becoming the founder of Onigawara Tobacco(cigarettes)

Acetylene Lamp…犬山元帥(Marshal Inuyama)

He was based at the Supreme Command of the Japanese military. He is a former navy officer and was previously the commander of the Phoenix Research Expedition.

Hamegg…黄金栄(kou kinei. golden glory)

The fearsome boss of the Shanghai mafia's, he plots to use Wato and sapphire to steal the Firebird.

As promised, here is the special prompt for SoJ's birthday!! I enjoyed making it, so I might consider doing another one if I see that you've enjoyed it, too!! ^^

(As usual, if you feel like you've spotted an error in the writing, please do not hesitate to tell me, it helps me greatly improve my writing!!)

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The sun was still yawning in its bed of mountains when the heir opened his eyes, greeted by the escaping stars that were about to leave the sky’s dark mantle. How long has it been since he last saw sunrise…? After he came back from that hellish trip, the beauty of a good night’s sleep kept Shoren in bed until servants started sieging his room’s doors, worried that the prince will miss his breakfast to His Majesty’s big displeasure. Royal duties and tight schedules weren’t made to enjoy one’s noble life – and yet, after his wanderings in the real world, Shoren saw life slightly differently than he did before.

Ah… he’s beating around the bush, isn’t he? Such memories were used to prolongate his rest, still laying on his soft, wide bed. There was no time for this today. Not today.

Standing up with a tired yawn, the prince allowed his bare feet to touch the castle’s naked stone floor, waking up all of his senses with a strong shiver from the cold marble’s stroke. With a wry face, he quickly made his way into his bathroom to bring his face a decent look, refreshing his closing eyelids with some water and brushing his blonde hair into its proper place. Five minutes later, a new, gorgeous man left his chambers with a calm smile, keeping his feelings under a mask of gentle happiness required by anyone who grew among the never-sleeping Court. Today, however, he needed to avoid as many people as it was only possible.

He had other plans in mind.

Stealing a loaf of bread and some jam from the kitchen – left there by a thoughtful chef – the prince made his quiet way into the eastern side of the castle, where an abandoned tower stood, closed to both visitors and servants. Once the Magician’s tower, now it had no use in the royal palace, as the Seers monopolised their close relationship with Hero’s monarch cutting the ancient link of magic and the crown. A heavy lock now hanged above the old, metallic door, one that Shoren didn’t take long to break with his own power. It was all oxidated, just like the door itself… no one was there to take care of this side of the castle, completely forgetting the history that hid within.

Screeching sounds of old wooden planks welcomed the heir into the ancient tower, keeper of many secrets, including his own. The spiral staircase that led towards the tower’s ceiling stood firmly despite the state of its deteriorated steps, creaking with only slightly ominous sounds each time Shoren put pressure on one of them. Slowly but confidently, the prince made his way towards the tower’s top, ignoring the half-ruined levels with locked shelves and destroyed chairs. The old pupil’s class, the library, the archmage’s office… all of that now existed far away from the main castle, locked in the academies, away from the common world. Mages enjoyed their new degree of mysticism, their self-inflicted segregation for years of draining studies: Shoren, however, never understood the beauty of travelling afar to learn something he could learn here, at Capital, with teachers just as skilled as the main mages of those schools that nonetheless allowed the nobles to interact and still carry their duties besides refining their abilities…

You’re rambling.

A shiver went up Shoren’s spine, making him shrink his eyes, his lips pursed tightly. Yeah, he was.

He had a mission here.

 *                                            *                                            *   

“Shoren, where are we?”

The adventurer’s sweet voice sounds increasingly impatient as they continue to walk, their bandaged eyes unable to peep towards the surprise spot where Shoren’s taking them. Their hand, locked in a tight grip with the man’s hand through their long fingers, remains as the sole link that the prince left for them to their surroundings, guiding his old friend with gentle pulls between the rocks and grass of the hill’s pathway.

“We’re almost there, just a bit more,” purrs the blonde man with a wide grin, letting his voice become a second anchor by which the guided guest could stabilise its pose. “Careful here, you have a step in front of you.”

“High or low?”

“…Medium?”

“…You should work as a guide.”

Laughter disturbs the peacefulness of the nearby forest, whose ominous branches shake in brief disgust in front of such pure feelings. Shoren, taking the second hand of his companion, helps them jump off the last bit of the way, finally stopping near a deteriorated wooden door with chains and locks hung all around it. At first sight, it looks like the whole race of demons was sealed behind it – and yet, it is, however, just a trick to scare thieves off, so no one dares to enter the main castle through the back door of the old tower. Knocking off the already broken ‘security’ that he destroyed beforehand, Shoren opens the path with a strong creak of rotten wood, smiling with just a bit of mischief towards the doubtful expression that forms upon his guest’s cute face.

“We’re almost there.”

“Is this safe?”

“As safe as it can be!”

Although the adventurer doesn’t seem quite convinced by Shoren’s reassurance, they don’t protest when the man takes their hand and guides them inside. After all, it’s Shoren – he’ll never put them in unnecessary danger.

The screeching sound of the old stairs brings shivers to their skin, and Shoren notes how his friend’s lips get pursed from slight, unconscious nervousness. Slowing down even more, the man stands next to his companion and pulls them into his soft embrace, his gentle hands covering the adventurer’s waist as he provides a safety net for their stability.

“Just a few steps more…”

Shoren whispers these last words into their ear, feeling his own lungs shrink from sudden expectation as they overcome the staircase of the tower. With new, silent planks under their feet, the mage steps aside from their warm body, placing himself right behind them and starting to untie the bandage on their eyes.

“We’re there?” the curiosity within the adventurer’s voice brings Shoren’s smile into an even wider grin, full of excitement.

“Yes, we are.”

As the piece of cloth falls from the companion’s eyes, an audible gasp accompanies their first reaction, dying the heir’s pale face into shades of dark pink. In front of them, the highest level of the tower has been renewed into a wooden attic, with a wide, circular window embedded into one side of its conical ceiling. A small lamp hangs from the top of the tower, its dim light barely lighting up the entire room: that is, however, solved with many small candles, placed all around the attic upon small piles of books and on the floor. A pair of carpets lie right in the centre, with short-legged tables standing next to them: upon those carpets, two bags made of soft fur rest peacefully waiting for their new owner, their fluffy texture making them comfortable even for the pickiest guest. A corner of the room holds a small wardrobe with some tea and sweets, prepared for that occasional hunger that doesn’t bother one too much to go and seek some proper food. The window, decorated with some runes, lets the stars’ shining reach one’s eyes with all its beauty, losing no sky spark to the illuminated room and letting thirsty contemplators enjoy their constellations without seeking the realm of total darkness.

“Do you like it…?” Shoren’s voice trembles as he watches his most beloved creature walk around, inspecting each small corner of his most hidden secret.

“Like it?”

Their voice makes Shoren’s heart stop, his blue eyes staring without a blink into the depth of the most beautiful of pupils. He feels his lips dry instantly, together with his throat…

“Oh, Fate, you’re so cute,” the adventurer’s sudden laughter shifts Shoren’s expression from fear to slight confusion, as he feels a pair of hands wrap around his waist and pull him forwards.

“I love it. This is amazing,” purrs the adventurer locking their gaze with his blue sight, and Shoren feels how all his worry gets washed away with the sweet feeling of fulfilment. He’s ready to look into those eyes for the rest of his life, to lose himself in them and make them his reality. With only echoes left of past shyness, he reciprocates the warm embrace as they come even closer, their noses touching each other’s tips. Shoren knows that his lips are smiling way too widely for his own sake, yet he cannot do anything about it: instead, he just closes his eyes and rests his forehead against the forehead of the adventurer, his blood boiling within him from a well-known, thrilling, overflowing feeling.

“Happy birthday,” he murmurs, accompanied by yet another laughter from his friend…

No, not his friend.

"There's nothing you could do or say

*SPOILER ALERT FOR TINY PRETTY THINGS*

U: Underdog

1. have they been bullied?

[Not really?  He’s always been a bit of a loner, not because people were mean to him, but rather because he’s never been a huge fan of other trolls.]

2. have they bullied anyone?

{I mean... It depends on your definition of “bullying”.  Has he taken part in juggalo cullings? Yes.  Does he kind of bully Oberon for getting hurt or continuing to steal even if it gets him hurt? Absolutely.  All of that is in good fun and out of love though.]

3. have they been physically attacked by a bully?

[He has been physically attacked before, but not necessarily by a “bully”,  These things happen when you’re a mercenary and as someone who’s (in most peoples’ opinion) just generally unlikable.]

4. have they ever been doubted?

[Sure!  His skills as a fighter were often doubted when he was younger.]

5. have they surprised people with being good at something?