I stood up slow, I felt Kokuryu beat with a pulse, commanding me to swing. It was lighter than it's previous form, of almost equal weight with my arm. I looked down its edge, it had tapered to a threadlike black edge, air slightly distorting around it. It beckoned to be used. So I slashed at the nearest point of interest, the giant flame that forged Kokuryu. The next instant amazed me, the blade cut through the fire, leaving a gap between the flames, then a sudden rush of wind slightly pulled me towards the fire, as well as extinguishing the entire flame. I stood their in awe, staring at the blade in the moonlight, the pulsing replaced by a small ring made by the blade vibrating. I tried to piece together what had just happened, I looked at Keith who had the same dumbfounded look as I.

"Holy Shit-bags, that was AWESOME!" as I slowly replayed the instant in my mind it made sense, the blade was so light and so sharp, I swung with enough force to create a vacuum, stifling the flame to cinders. I sat down for a second, this is the power of a dragon. 3 more days I molded the remaining scale into a smooth black sheath and a hilt for the blade. Keith was Impressed by the design.

"Black... sleek... tight as fuhk! Yep this definitely passed Keith's swag seal of approval," I wondered how he had stayed under the radar by hiding his personality. But I'm afraid I had to talk with him.

"Keith, I need to talk to you... You can't stay with me," He had a look of utter confusion. I looked at him dead in his eyes.

"What's up man? Ain't you glad to see me?"

"Keith, this is your second life... I'm telling you this for your safety, you're a person who survived death, don't waste that chance. If it will make you trust me, yes, I AM pushing you away, If you have any last questions ask me. Right now, here," I gave him 4000 of the bits, "Take it, and head back to Stalliongrad, barter passage, rent a house, whatever, just... stay safe..." I wasn't going to let him die on an 'adventure', not the one I'm taking, "Go wherever you need to go, you could go on to Equestria, but..." I had to go out and say it, no way I was avoiding it, "You are the first friend I ever had..." I stood back up and turned around, "Write sometime, if it helps." He only looked at me and asked one question.

"Why? Why do this?"

"Because, one, you've got your whole second life ahead of you, don't waste it chasing to keep up with me, two, I promised to give you unlimited funding, this will probably get back to your scientific endeavors, and three, you can handle yourself, but not me." He almost objected, but I just waved and walked away, "Nice knowing you, and-" I couldn't believe I was going to say this, "-thanks for letting me test out the virus, saved me a couple of times." I walked away and didn't look back.

I didn't hear him anymore, confirming that my harsh farewell stuck. He didn't try to follow me, andI didn't go back. If you asked me, not once would I say I was a lone wolf, even though now I was alone. My reasons are my own, you can't expect any better than that.

I had to stop someplace. It wasn't on the map, but I knew where to find it. It was a rushing waterfall, to be specific the bottom half of one, I take off my clothes and place them on the rock next to me, then sat under the waterfall. It was something I learned in Asakusa; it clears the mind and allows you to focus on any thought you will. I decided the first thought I would focus on would be the combat implications of my new blade, focusing on every aspect of its power, its form, its movement. Contrary to popular belief, sitting under a waterfall isn't mad, but neither is it easy. Think of it, gallons of water constantly being dumped on you, and you have to sit upright, else you risk being crushed by the sheer force of it. With my new skeletal structure it becomes a little easier, but still difficult. I let the cold water rush over my back, and concentrate.

After a few minutes, something clicks. In a vacuum, there is no air, no air also means no resistance, leaving for an even greater force of a follow up attack due to the increased speed, but the second attack needs to be fast otherwise air collapses the vacuum and the second attack becomes harder due to the collapse. I had to create new techniques for this, ones that, if executed correctly, could give me an enormous advantage in battle. Kokuryu started to emit a slight ring from its sheath. I felt it, something else was missing. I spent a few moments more under the waterfall thinking. Something else was there in that instant, something important that I noticed but overlooked. What was it?... I feel a gust of wind blow in to the north... and it hits me.

I felt the wingbeat of a dragon...

My eyes open suddenly, I grab Kokuryu, with one motion I unsheathed it while still on the rock, then immediately turn and jumped off the rock, swing the sword in a full circle, the major arc directed towards the water, I was rewarded with the waterfall dividing horizontally a huge gash in the flow revealing the smoothed polished stone below the flow, and was rewarded further still with the indent of a cut into the stone. The dual wave made by my slash followed me into the water as I smirked. Not only did the blade divide air, it formed a moving blade out of it. I swam back up to the surface and shook myself dry, then retrieved my clothes and my gear from the rock, skipping back to the surface on the polished stones. I knew what I could do now. A full list of techniques entered my memory, Kokuryu still once again. I'm hoping this was the last thing it would teach me. An Overwhelming number of combat possibilities opened up to me, but it would take practice to utilize all of them. i decided to name my style, 'Kami no mukui (Divine Reckoning)' after that night.

I decided to put in my newfound skills to the test, I piled log after log until they reached as tall as twice my height. I gripped Kokuryu tightly, and jumped high to the point where I looked down at the top log,

'Tengoku no Girochin (Heavenly Guillotine)'

I tilted my body to become parallel with the ground, then spun once and extended my blade, causing a wide arc to ensue, the blade two feet away from the logs. I pivoted my body again and landed with my back to the logs and the blade extended away from my body. I looked back at the pile, cut precisely down the middle, to where there was a long score along the ground. I sheathed Kokuryu, satisfied with the results. The rest of the day I looked at the sunset eating a portion of rations, apples and other fruits mostly, since the shops in Stalliongrad didn't sell meat. I never really got to see the sunset until I came here, It's like experiencing life for the first time.

Night fall came, and I started to see small lights appeared out of nowhere, then noticed they were fireflies. They flew into the sky in what seemed like groups of a million, adding to the stars in the sky. Without even realizing it, I started to follow them, first from the ground when they were low, then climing and hopping across the tree tops, the wind following my every stride. I jumped and landed on the rockface of a mountain, quickly scaling it. I felt I mustn't lose sight of the fireflies, I didn't know why, but I made it to the mountain ridge and started running on the ridge, the fireflies gathering new families, new members, becoming brighter and brighter. I started running faster now, wanting to catch up, but their flight speed was fast. I ran faster and faster. I caught up to them, all the lights around me shimmering a spectral yellow, and time seemed to flow like a soft stream. Then the fireflies yellow glow became white with a soft brightness. I feel like I'm flying among with them, until I reach the cliff edge. I stop and sadly watch as the fireflies pass me. Then Kokuryu starts to ring softly, and I look behind me to see more fireflies, in even greater groups than the one I was with. I sit on the cliff edge, watching as each firefly floats past my shoulders. I draw Kokuryu slowly, the blade glowing with a soft golden luster, I hold it with both paw, the blade facing the direction the wind it's coming from.

It starts to hum, softly at first, but then as the winds change, it strums out a melody like one I heard long ago, and then I hear a small voice, like that of a child, singing in the wind as the fireflies fly past. It was just like my mother's...

My vision starts to go red again, I just sit there until the last of the fireflies dissapears into the night. Kokuryu loses the gold luster, and I sheath it once again.

"I never asked for your name, but whoever you were... Thank you..."