Pov Author
The soft scent of cherry blossoms filled the air as Anna slowly opened her eyes. For a moment she couldn't move — it felt like she was waking inside a dream.
Everything around her shimmered pink. Petals drifted down from the trees, swirling slowly, dancing with the breeze like tiny feathers. They covered the ground in a carpet of blossoms so thick it almost looked like snow.
Her head hurt. When she touched it, she felt something wet — blood. It wasn't much, but enough to make her heart skip. She looked around, completely lost. Where am I?
The sky glowed strangely, soft gold bleeding into silver. The cherry trees were impossibly tall, their branches swaying gently in the glowing light.
The air itself felt alive, almost humming with energy. It didn't feel real — it felt like a painting that moved.
Then she heard it.
A flute.
The sound was faint at first, drifting through the wind like a whisper. It was soft, calm, almost too perfect to be human. Each note wrapped around her heart, smoothing the panic that had begun to rise in her chest.
She breathed slower without even realizing it, her eyes following the direction of the sound.
And then she saw him.
Under a huge cherry tree stood a giant fox — not just any fox, but one with nine long silver tails shining like liquid moonlight. Its fur was glowing faintly, every strand of hair flowing as if it was underwater.
Sitting on its back was a man.
He looked like he had stepped straight out of some ancient legend. Long brown hair tied back loosely, a few strands falling near his face. His robes were wide and flowing, old-fashioned but graceful, with patterns that shimmered when he moved. His face — calm, sharp, and almost too perfect — but it wasn't cold. There was kindness in his blue eyes, something that made her stop breathing for a second.
The flute stopped.
The man looked at her directly. "Yōkoso, Shou Feng no densetsu e," he said. Welcome to the Legend of Shou Feng.
Anna just blinked. "...What?"
He smiled softly like he understood. He patted the fox's back and jumped down easily.
The huge creature let out a very dramatic sigh, curling its tails around itself as if it was bored.
"Watashi wa Kiyoshi Hitoko," the man said, bowing a little.
Anna tilted her head. "Uh, sorry, what?"
"Kimi wa boku no kotoba ga wakaru ka?" — Can you understand me?
She stood still , not moving an inch.
"Ah, wakaranai ka." — I see,
you don't understand me.
He smiled again, patient, and reached out his hand. She hesitated but took it. His touch was surprisingly warm, and his grip firm but gentle.
He helped her stand, his eyes quickly noticing the cut on her temple and the tear in her sleeve.
Embarrassed, Anna looked away.
Kiyoshi said nothing. Instead, he reached into the sleeve of his robe and pulled out a small glass bottle. The liquid inside glowed faintly, swirling gold and white like light trapped in water.
"Sore wa doku ja nai." — It's not poison.
"Nominasai." — Just drink it.
Anna frowned, clutching the bottle. "Yeah right, I totally understand whatever you are saying ," she muttered. But seeing the potion she knew he wanted her to drink that .
But then, for some reason, she remembered Alex. The memory of his betrayal — the things he said — flashed in her head like a stab. Her chest ached. Maybe it didn't matter anymore.
Maybe this was a dream. Maybe if she returns home Alex might kill her , he didn't even hesitate to cheat on her so why will he hesitate to kill her it's not like he loves or anything .
She sighed and took a deep breath, then lifted the bottle to her lips.
The liquid was warm, sweet, and surprisingly gentle, like honey melting in tea. A strange comfort spread through her chest, her heartbeat slowing.
"Can you understand me now?" Kiyoshi's voice
suddenly said — in English.
Anna froze. "Wait— what?!"
"It's a magical potion," he said, smiling faintly. "It helps you understand any language."
She started in disbelief .
"Magical potion? Seriously?"
"Yes," he said easily, like it
was the most normal thing in the world.
"My name is Kiyoshi Hitoko, and you…" His eyes flickered in the sunlight.
"You're not in your world anymore."
Her breath caught. " Eh? What do you mean?"
"You're inside a book — the world of Shou Feng."
She laughed once, disbelieving. "That's impossible. I can't be inside a book!, this is ridiculous"
Kiyoshi gestured around them. "Isn't this proof enough?"
"Send me back," she said quickly. "Now."
His calm expression dimmed slightly. "You can't leave until you complete at least one mission."
"Mission? This isn't some game!"
"This is a rule," he said quietly . He didn't argue. He just waited, quietly, until her frustration faded. F
inally, she groaned, crossing her arms. "Fine. Then tell me what I have to do."
"You must free Shou Feng from the Kingdom of
Tsukigawa," he said. "They've captured him."
She frowned but nodded. "Alright. Then let's go."
"First," he said, reaching into his robe again, "you'll need to heal."
She stared at another potion in his hand. "Seriously? You have, like, a whole pharmacy in there?"
Kiyoshi chuckled softly. "You could say that."
Anna sighed and took it. The potion glowed green this time. She drank it quickly just to get it over with. A warm wave rushed through her body, and before she could react, soft light wrapped around her.
Her wound disappeared. The torn sleeve stitched itself with a shimmer of gold light. Her whole outfit changed — turning into an elegant Japanese-style dress that somehow fit her perfectly. Even her hair changed, falling softly with little glowing cherry blossom clips pinned into it.
She stared at herself, completely stunned. "It's… beautiful," she whispered.
"Thankyou" she added without thinking.
Kiyoshi smiled faintly. "One last potion."
She gave him a suspicious look. "And this one's for?"
"For power," he said simply.
She laughed lightly. "Oh sure, magical power. Why not? We've already gone this far."
She drank it without
hesitation this time.
Light exploded inside her — not painful, but shocking. Energy shot through her veins like fire and lightning mixed together. Her eyes glowed faintly, her hair rising slightly with the wind.
"What the hell—" she gasped.
Kiyoshi's calm expression flickered. "Interesting…"
"What?!" she asked, looking down at her glowing hands.
But he didn't answer. Instead, he turned toward the nine-tailed fox — which had started chasing a small rabbit through the petals.
The rabbit tripped, letting out a squeak and leaving a streak of red on the grass.
"Kitsune!" Kiyoshi called, his tone scolding. The fox stopped instantly, ears flattening in guilt.
Kiyoshi bent down and picked up the small rabbit gently. "Touch the wound," he told Anna.
Anna hesitated. "Uh, okay…?" She knelt and placed her hand over the rabbit's tiny paw. The moment she touched it, a white light spread from her palm — soft, pure, warm. When it faded, the wound was gone.
Kiyoshi's lips curved into a small, proud smile. "You have healing power."
Anna blinked. "That… actually makes sense. I'm a doctor."
That made him pause. He looked at her sharply. "What's your name?"
"Anna Brown."
His eyes widened immediately.
"What?" she asked, frowning.
"Nothing," he said too quickly, looking away. "It's just… healing powers are dangerous.
"The last people who got them here…" He trailed off. "They… melted. Or exploded. One of those."
Anna's mouth fell open. "You almost killed me?!"
Kiyoshi raised his hands defensively. "You seem perfectly fine!"
"Perfectly fine?!" she snapped. "You didn't even warn me!"
He gave her a sheepish smile. "I didn't think it'd work that fast."
Anna groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "You're unbelievable."
"Thank you," he said lightly.
"That wasn't a compliment!" she shouted, but she couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips.
Kiyoshi's eyes softened. "You're quite remarkable, Anna Brown."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she muttered, but there was a flicker of pride in her eyes. She stared at her glowing palms, the power still humming faintly inside her.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and thought of the name he'd said — Tsukigawa.
The air around her shifted. Wind rose, swirling petals into a spiral. Light bent and folded, forming a circle in front of her — a portal glowing silver and blue.
Kiyoshi stepped back, stunned. "You… opened a gate by yourself?"
Anna gave him a half grin. "Guess your potion worked better than you thought."
Without another word, she stepped into the light.
The portal shimmered once, then closed behind her with a low hum, leaving only drifting petals behind.
Kiyoshi stood there for a while, staring at where she had vanished. The nine-tailed fox padded up beside him, its tails flicking softly.
"She's trouble," the fox seemed to say with its eyes.
Kiyoshi just smiled faintly, looking up at the cherry blossoms.
"Yes," he murmured, "but maybe the kind we need."
The wind blew again, carrying a storm of pink petals through the glowing forest — and somewhere far away.
End Of The Chapter