#anyway. next part is a lot more shining force. it has like the greatest recurring element ever

[claire-starsword]

Bloodline of the Sacred Dragons - Chapter 3-3

The rear of the Pao Train had a small deck, for embarking and disembarking and connecting to the other cars.

Deep in the night while everyone slept soundly, Camallia stood there alone.

As her hair blew away freely with the wind coming from both sides of the train, she enjoyed the scenery of the mountains surrounding the Pao Plains. They were like a pitch-black painting, moving as quietly as the stars in the sky. No matter how unchanging they looked, they were slowly but surely being passed by.

She hadn't started this journey for sightseeing.

Camallia berated herself.

Karin and Karna, and Bleu. She had no intention to meet people like them at the start. That wasn't the reason she had come to this land, was it? Those thoughts had her shaken. Because she also had the feeling deep in her heart that she had met just who she had to meet there. One day, liking it or not, she would find out which one of those thoughts was right. Though she didn't yet know when that day would come…

It's easy to drown in your own thoughts. And also, to tear them apart.

With a small noise, the door opened. Someone came by.

"…There you are."

Karin closed the door behind her.

"Do you need anything from me…?"

Camallia asked her amicably, showing a calm smile under the moonlight.

Karin didn't answer right away.

"It is very late already," Camallia warned her, ignoring how the same could be said for herself.

"I do want something…" Karin finally said after a good time, "I have a request. Don't take Bleu with you."

Her words came out like a dam had burst.

"Why is that?" Camallia asked back politely, watching Karin's face as she spoke so directly.

"He wants to go to Parmecia with you, but as long as you have the Manual you don't need him. We can just give it to you."

"Is that so?" Camallia played dumb. "Would it really be wise to give away his precious Manual to someone else? And then, what would I do about the Dragon Blood Crystal seal? Also, his people are waiting for him in Parmecia. Those are reasons enough for him to come, no? The only reason for him to stay back is some meager, selfish fear surrounding the Manual, and that's it. More importantly, Bleu himself decided to go, so no one should be able to stop him."

"No!"

"Why." She answered sharply to Karin's shout.

"Don't take Bleu away!!"

"What a weird thing to say. When have I taken Bleu away, and from who? Sure, he — Sacred Dragons are interesting. Yes, they are perfect, beautiful, and noble creatures. A simple human can't compare to them. So I want to be with him just a little longer. I want to watch up close how he feels, how he thinks. Those are my upfront intentions right now."

"I want to be by his side, too. I want him with me forever."

"Like a pet? Sacred Dragons aren't the kind of creature for that."

"No! Of course that's not what I mean!"

"No, I'm right. Sacred Dragons don't exist for your entertainment."

Karin couldn't find the words against Camallia's scathing criticism.

"He's not yours."

"And not yours either. What are you to Bleu, anyway? A mother? Sister? Or maybe, a lover…?"

Camallia knew she was tormenting her, but even so, she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"…A friend. Yes, a precious friend."

Maybe Karin didn't know yet what name to put to her feelings. Maybe humans were coward and weak creatures.

"Yes. Of course. There shouldn't be any romantic feelings between different species after all. I shouldn't fuss over what you two look like together. As a human, it doesn't concern me."

To Camallia, that was a terrible thing to say. Was there any bond more powerful and mysterious than love in this world? Someone had been asking that kind of question to the stars and wind countless times until just now.

It suddenly occurred to Camallia that she might have had some Sacred Dragon blood mixed in herself. The memories of healing Bleu's wounds came back vividly in her mind.

"Protecting someone and setting someone free are not the same thing. All you're doing is tempting him to run away."

"Wrong. Bleu is bewitched by that Manual. And you drove him to that."

"Oh my, really? I shouldn't have that kind of power. But, if he's really obsessed with the Manual, then I want to see with my own eyes what he'll do when everything is over…"

Camallia began to walk away, stopping by Karin's side as she had her head down.

"They grow up fast, don't they?" She whispered in Karin's ear, and passed her by.

Pushing the door open, Camallia entered back in the train. Closing the door, the darkness of the night and Karin within it both disappeared from her sight.

>To next part

Translation notes:

I hope the feeling came across through the translation so far, but to spell it out: Camallia usual has the most formal speech out of all characters. The moment Karin start shouting at her here, she basically drops it altogether. She's in no way rude, but far more casual and assertive.

Camallia's little monologue about love is about romantic feelings specifically, she uses the same wording as Karin does right before, I just felt it would sound very clunky in that line.