A young boy wandered through the forest, straying far away from the paved roads specifically made for wanderers and travellers as of like. He willingly chose to take the obstacled path, hoping to get out of plain sight, for the young boy didn't want to be seen.

He was wearing tattered clothing, dirty and tousled from days or even weeks of being outdoors. His legs were bare and dirty, scratches covering the soles of his feet, worn from walking for so long.

One might've wondered if the boy came from one of the less fortunate villages of Kouka, with the way his body was underfed and from the blank look of his eyes. Maybe he was one of the many victims in the kingdom whose village's able-bodied men were taken from them to be enrolled for the army, leaving their homes to fend for themselves without them.

But upon closer look, one might notice how the garbs and clothing of this young boy were almost foreign---nothing like how you'd see in the capital's usual boutiques and merchant stalls. They were colourful and light, and more revealing than how you'd usually see, as if fit for a different climate and weather.

He was dressed almost like a dancer---one who might've ran away from somewhere and aspired to never return. It might explain his lack of footwear, for some dancers preferred to be barefoot when they performed. And from what few jewelry he had, they gave him the impression he was valued---valued enough to be bestowed with such gifts to wear, adorning his arms, ankles and neck, almost like decorative chains.

But what exactly did this young boy perform?

Maybe he was once in a travelling troupe, who wandered from village to village to spread name and message of their performances. But that was merely a guess.

The boy then suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring at a mother doe and her fawn children a few trees away.

The boy wondered if he might've been like that fawn once. At peace with a family, sleeping under a birch tree without a care of the dangers of the world.

"He's over there!!"

Boy felt his breath hitch and chest tighten.

They found him. They're going to bring him back---!!

With heavy limbs, he tried running further into the forest, hoping that the greenery would hide his form from unwanted attention. He felt tears prick his eyes, gritting his teeth as he ran. His legs and back and entire lower half were in sore pain, but anything would be better than returning to that place---

"He's over here!"

"Get him!! Get that damn wh---!!!"

Chiaki woke up from the dream, drenched in sweat.

Molten orange eyes were blown wide as he frantically scanned his surroundings, finally calming down when he rested his eyes upon the small campfire he had made out of a few branches the evening before.

He settled his breathing and clutched at his chest to calm the flickers of flame that were tickling the back of his throat, screaming silently from the events of his dream.

Chiaki was safe. Those days were gone.

Burying his face in his hands, he stifled a sob.

But he couldn't remember exactly what those days were---and why they plagued his dreams like memories turned nightmares.

It wasn't rare that he dreamt of walking in a forest, dressed in what seemed to be tattered dancer's garments, as if he just escaped a travelling troupe of entertainers.

Sometimes the dreams varied. Other times, they weren't as extreme. Often, it was merely him walking past trees before his eyes landed on that same mother fawn and her doe.

Sometimes, it was him, walking through several villages, head hanging low and bare feet dragging behind him. In others, he saw himself back in the alleyways of Kouka's capital, still and quiet when he should shivering during cold nights, or stealing from the many merchant stalls along the streets. Sometimes the dreams included him meeting Mundeok for the first time, who he had attempted to steal from before the man took him in.

Chiaki took in a deep breath before he peered up towards the sky.

He cracked a small smile.

"... The trees are blocking the view of daybreak."

With something akin to a miserable sigh, he gathered his stuff into his bag and set off the hunt whatever unfortunate animal that would cross paths with him.

The silence of the forest, besides the occasional ruffle of leaves or the twittering of birds in nearby branches, was almost too suffocating for Chiaki to bear.

He enjoyed peaceful silences. But to bask in the deafening sound of loneliness was never something he enjoyed.

He closed his eyes and took in a shuddering breath, listening to an old folk song that never left his head. He doesn't remember who was the last person who ever sang it to him, but something about it resonated with his scattered memories.

"Akai hana tsunde, ano hito ni age yo..."

Chiaki never liked hunting.

As much as he liked his meat ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), being the one to actually physically harm an animal made him feel a little bad, but he knew it had to be done. He could've made some stew out of some of the weeds he saw around, but to his regret, he didn't think of bringing a pot.

"Ano hito no kami ni, kono hana sashiteage yo..."

So with his gift of the Umeryuu's lungs, he resorted to flaming mushrooms that he knew from his limited knowledge were edible and collecting whatever few wild berries he saw, hoping that none of them would be poisonous to his system.

Spotting a wild boar a couple of meters away from him, Chiaki took out one of his throwing knives. Stilling himself, he raised his arm, aiming at the animal, before he threw the blade with practiced accuracy.

Chiaki heard the boar let out a small cry before it quickly fell silent.

"Akai hana, akai hana... ano hito no kami ni."

Walking towards his prey, he knelt down, clasping his hands together in short prayer, before he picked it up and walked back to his camp, absentmindedly petting its bristly fur. Maybe he was hoping it would appease its soul in the afterlife--or maybe it was just Chiaki being desperate to feel the texture of something other than grass, dirt and leaves.

"Saite yureru darou, ohisama no you ni."

Throwing in some extra twigs in his circle of stones, Chiaki blew more flames into the fire to make it grow.

He let out a sad laugh.

"Umeryuu-sama, you're truly scary," he muttered quietly to himself as he watched the flames flicker in response.

-----

Somewhere far ahead, a White Dragon and a Thunder Beast viciously fought a gang of bandits, almost rivalling each other in strength, determined to keep their Master safe.

White stared at the mere mortal man, astonished, but unwilling to admit it out loud, that this human man, void of any kind of blessing from the Dragons, was able to match eyes with someone with the gift of a monstrous claw like him.

"This is great," the Mortal man grinned, a glint in his eyes. "Back at the palace, there was only ever one person who could give me real work out."

He suddenly laughed, hair casting shadows over his eyes as he hunched into himself.

"Ahh.. I miss him... That guy was so doubtful of his skills, he couldn't even see how great he was... You know.. you and me, we.. we should..... sp..ar..."

The White Dragon's eyes slightly shifted to his King and noted how her small frame seemed to tense at the bodyguard's words, amethyst eyes darting down, suddenly sad.

He would've questioned who this person the Thunder Beast was referring to so highly might be, but the man suddenly swayed on his feet and collapsed to the ground.

-----

Chiaki was starting to get a little exhausted.

He had bathed in a river he had crossed a little while back, but that wasn't enough time for him to relax or take a proper breather. He wanted to catch up to the closest light as fast as possible---he had no time to waste.

The odd connections he had with the other lights pulled on his heartstrings whenever he concentrated and closed his eyes, and it made him yearn to finally meet them.

The thing didn't always work, however.

He wasn't quite sure how to make it do what it does, but when he did manage to cloud his vision in darkness and seek out those warm lights, Chiaki started to feel a little less alone amidst this vast forest.

For something so dense in flora and fauna, he felt so lonely.

Chiaki hated being alone. Something about it made him think back to Kouka's alleys and the times he's spent before everything turned for the better.

He wanted his friends back. He wanted his family back.

He missed seeing Yona and her flaming hair so badly, and he would do anything to hear her voice call out to him again. He wouldn't even mind if it was to tease him and call him cute---anything would've been alright, as long as he heard her voice. He even desperately yearned for even the smallest of Hak's annoying remarks, no matter how his sarcasm and humour could tick him off sometimes. He'd like to spar with him again, even when he knows he'll immediately lose, because the difference in their skills was just that much.

He wanted to prepare snacks with Min-soo again and hear the gossip from the court maidens and cooks. He wants to play a round of go with His Majesty Il and he'd gladly lose the match if it meant seeing his fatherly round face again.

His vision blurred for a second, and he unconsciously tilted his head down, hoping that his coolie straw hat would be able to hide his face from the rest of the world before he remembers:

Yeah.

There wasn't anyone here to see his ugly crying face anyways.

He choked on a sob, head turning towards the sky.

He wants his family back.

He tried finding the coloured lights in his mind again, searching through the darkness but failed to make them appear before him. He tried concentrating, desperately yearning to feel the connection with whoever these lights were and who they belonged to, but still failed in doing so. With a small cry of frustration, he lifted his sleeve up to wipe the tears off his face, feeling the heat start to stir up in his lungs and throat.

"Hey, hey... Are you okay, mister?"

Chiaki immediately stilled, and instinctively tensed up, looking around to find the owner of the voice.

His vision cleared itself of their tears, and his eyes focused on the young man in front of him, clad in warm orange robes that were only slightly dirty, like he hadn't changed in quite a while. The man was around his age, and he found something oddly familiar in those bright blue eyes of his.

"... H-Huh..?"

The young man laughed, voice light and merry, and the sound of it put Chiaki at ease. His face was lightly coated in mirth and Chiaki noticed that he couldn't be any older than him---not with how cheerful he looked, liveliness still sparking in his eyes like a child.

"Now now!" the yellow man soothed, gently patting his shoulder. "Don't cry! What's making you so sad, kid?"

Chiaki couldn't help but huff a small laugh.

"Kid, you say," he giggled softly, wiping the rest of his tears. "You don't look any older than I am."

"Well, you know what they say: looks can be deceiving!" The yellow stranger laughed once, winking his eye. "But never mind that---are you okay?"

Chiaki chuckled sadly, and he purposely tilted his head down to hide his face. He felt ashamed of himself, for crying so hard because he felt lonely. There were so many things that were worth shedding tears over, but he chose to cry over something as small as this.

"I guess I---" Chiaki sniffed, fiddling with his hands. "I really miss my... my family. I just... I mean, it's stupid of me to think this..." Chiaki tentatively looked up to meet the yellow stranger's eyes and was faintly surprised when he saw the almost understanding look he was giving him.

".. I just, the thought of.." Chiaki gritted his teeth. "The thought of being alone makes me... scared. Is that a dumb thing to be afraid of?"

"Not at all," the young man responded gently. Chiaki met his eyes, and he relaxed. Something about this man felt familiar and warm. "In fact, it's perfectly normal."

They don't end up talking much, Chiaki and the yellow man.

They part ways almost quietly, with small waves and smiles.

But Chiaki doesn't feel as lonely anymore.

He still is. Just a little less.

With a steadier heart, he closed his eyes and concentrated, hoping to find the lights.

He sees White and Blue slowly approaching each other. Green was still occasionally blinking out of the map, but his presence can faintly be felt.

And...?

There's a Yellow light that flashed for a short second in the dark, it's presence almost enveloping him like the warmth of a sun, before it faded away, concealing itself in its presence.

Chiaki turned around and wondered if he had just unknowingly crossed paths with someone important.

¤¤¤¤¤

End of Chapter 5

"warm like the sun"