1222-11-21
Shin Utsuho:
The castle stands tall, built in honor of the Supreme Leader. Red banners hang from every wall. Each one splits clean down the middle, half black, half red. I've never seen that flag before.
I walk through the halls. Everything feels different here. Cleaner. Richer. The air smells better. People live better. I see it in their clothes, their posture, the way they move. It's nothing like the life I had. Not like the fishermen. Not like the soldiers. Not like us.
I stop at a window. Outside, far from the city, I see a lake. In the center stands a single tree with red leaves. The water surrounds it, still and quiet. It feels distant. Untouchable.
I'm never alone here. A soldier always walks beside me. Maybe they think I'll get lost. I know the truth. They don't trust me.
I'm new. I haven't been here long. Not like Yua. Not like Riku. I didn't even know Yua existed until now.
Still, it isn't all bad.
I've grown stronger. I've reached one of my goals. I've made friends.
I pause.
Would Ino be proud of me?
Would she even recognize me?
I look at my hands. They're rough now. Worn down. Not like they used to be. It's been almost two years.
I think back. The long days that repeat over and over. The moments I feel nothing. The moments I feel everything. The small victories. The new abilities.
The air shifts. There's a faint smell of fish.
Or maybe not fish.
Dragons.
I've started seeing them more often on the way here. Moving beneath the water. Hiding in plain sight.
Dragons.
They're so …
(
"Beautiful?"
"Terrifying?"
The shadow's voice lingers, almost amused.
I almost answered. I stop myself.
"I was going to say something else," I mutter.
Ino used to talk about dragons. I remember her voice. Quiet. Certain. She said that one day I'd have to decide what I think about them. About dragons. About the Lion.
I didn't understand then.
I barely do now.
Dragons are rare here. Most come from the east, from the islands people used to call the Pirate Isles. Now they call them the Draconic Isles. It fits better. Fire dragons rise from molten rock. Earth dragons from the land itself. Others from places no one has mapped yet.
"What do you think of them?" the shadow asks.
"I don't," I say.
It stays silent.
"I'm impartial. People get hurt by them. People get saved by them. Same as anything else."
"That sounds like hesitation."
"It's not." I shake my head. "It's the truth. I haven't seen enough. I won't form an opinion on something I don't understand."
"And that doesn't make you weak?"
"No." I meet its gaze. "It makes me honest. My view will change when I see more. When I meet them. When I understand what they are."
The shadow lets out a low laugh.
For a moment, it doesn't fade right away.
I see more of it this time.
A clearer shape.
Long black hair.
)
We continue down the hall. The smell of spices grows stronger. It fills the air.
I stop.
The guards stop with me.
I look out the window.
Riku trains in the courtyard. A wooden sword in her hand. She cuts through the air with clean, sharp strikes. The same form. The same rhythm. I've memorized it without trying.
She glances up.
Our eyes meet.
She looks away.
Nothing about her has changed.
Everything about me has.
I haven't trained in days. It feels wrong. Like something is missing from my body.
"How do I get down there?" I ask.
They don't answer.
One steps forward. I follow. The other stays behind me.
We move through curved corridors. Statues line the walls. Old kings. War leaders. Names I don't know.
One statue stops me.
A man with long hair stands tall. A weapon rests in his hand. Words are carved into the base.
Thorne Aido. The Sixth Law. Edict name. The Arsenal Eternal.
"Aido…" I murmur.
"Yes," one of the guards says. He wipes dust from the stone. "Thorne Aido. He created the Sixth Law. The law of edicts."
"What's an edict?" I ask.
"It's power," the guard behind me says. "Power from the soul. It lets you reach your peak for a short time. It expands your influence. Shapes the world around you to match your will."
I listen.
"Each edict works in its own way. Some form barriers. Some create circles. Each one is different with some overlap."
"Overlap?" I ask.
"There are five main types," he continues. "Barriers. Small zones around the user or target. Circles. Fixed areas where your power exists. Then boards."
"Boards?"
He nods.
"Only one person ever had that."
"Who?"
"Aldric Kundra."
The name hits me.
"His edict turned the world into a chessboard. He saw people as pieces. Ranked them by threat. By value."
I stare at the statue again.
A system like that doesn't miss.
It decides.
And once it does, there's no changing your place.
{
"Remember this," the shadow tells me.
Its voice is quieter now. Not distant. Close.
"Power doesn't decide worth. People like him only make it look that way."
I stay silent.
"A system like that feels perfect," it continues. "Clear ranks. Clear roles.Clear values No doubt."
I glance back at the shadow.
"A king who sees pieces forgets they can move on their own."
I feel its presence shift.
"You're walking into that world now. Don't let it name you before you understand yourself."
The shadow fades.
}
"A board," I think.
"So what's stronger?" I ask. "Circles or barriers?"
"It depends," the guard behind me says. "Circles move with you. You control space while you fight. Barriers are better when you know you can win. They lock things down."
"You said five types. What are the other two?"
He pauses.
"We don't know much. One is called heretical. It belongs to the Aido family. Even generals don't talk about it. The last one… no one here knows."
I take that in.
"You can change your type," he adds.
"How?"
"What type are you?"
"Barrier."
He nods. "Barriers and circles are the easiest to switch between. No one here has ever made a board."
"How long does it take?"
"Depends on your soul. Some adapt fast. Some don't."
I look down at my hand.
I think about Riku.
Why is hers so much longer than mine?
"How long an edict lasts," he continues like he can hear my thoughts, "that's genetic. Random. You don't control it."
"And when two clash?"
"Two outcomes. They cancel out. Or the stronger one wins."
I stop walking.
"Can you cancel someone else's edict without using your own?" I ask.
They laugh.
"That's impossible," one says. "You'd have to overpower their will. Their soul."
Riku.
Just how strong are you?
We reach the courtyard.
I see her.
Same stance. Same focus.
Soldiers stand around her. Watching. Judging.
They look unimpressed.
They look down on her.
Something in me snaps.
They don't know.
They haven't seen what I've seen.
I step forward. I grab her arm. Her wooden sword almost hits me.
"Riku," I say. "Show them."
She laughs. "Why?"
"They think you're weak. They think we're nothing. Show them why Keiko chose us."
Her expression shifts.
"You were chosen," she says. Her voice sharp.
She pushes me back.
"We're not the same."
She turns and starts to walk away.
I clench my fist.
"Riku!"
She stops.
Slowly, she turns.
There's something in her face.
Not anger.
Something heavier.
Something she's trying to hide.
Why won't she tell me?
Why is she acting like this?
Is it what I said? I only said that so Keenan would live. She wouldn't understand.
"Fight me, RIKU," I shout.
"I won't," she yells back.
"Then I'll force you."
"EDICT," I yell, clasping my hands. "Truth Stray."
The grey barrier expands fast. It seals us off from the world.
Riku raises her hands. The same motion she used before. The one that cancels it.
She pauses.
A smile forms.
"So this is what you do?" she laughs. "All this just to talk to me? You like me that much, Utsu?"
"Shut up! I hate when you call me that!"
"Utsu …"
Her voice breaks.
Tears fill her eyes.
She runs at me. Wraps her arms around me.
My head rings. My vision shakes.
"Run away with me," she says.
I freeze.
I don't know what to say.
I don't know what to think.
Run away?
Where?
How?
What about everyone else?
My mind runs through it all. Too fast.
"I know what you're thinking," she says. "We can get out. It's not impossible."
She pulls back, still holding onto me.
"We can leave. We can win this. We can be normal."
Her voice trembles.
"We'll take everyone. Keenan. Yua. Ren. Sora. Tatsuya. Kaede. All of them."
She stops.
"I don't know how much longer I can stay strong."
She falls back into me.
"Riku…"
"Utsuho …" she whispers.
"I love you."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++1
Riku moves closer.
I hear her heartbeat. Fast. Clear. I hear her breath. I feel her warmth. I smell her. Everything about her fills my senses. It pulls me in.
She presses into me.
My energy shakes. The barrier starts to crack.
"We can't stay," I say. "We have nowhere to go."
"I don't need a place," she says. "As long as I have you. As long as we have everyone. As long as we have our family."
My resolve tightens.
"I… I…"
"What will it be, Utsu ?"
I look at her.
"I'll run away with you, with them," I say. "I love you too, Riku."
She moves closer.
Our lips meet.
I pull her in. I feel her arms around me. My heart skips. Everything else fades.
The barrier shatters.
I don't care.
I only see her.
I keep kissing her.
I hear movement. Soldiers getting closer.
I don't stop.
Nothing else matters.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++1
Riku moves closer.
I hear her heartbeat. Fast. Clear. I hear her breath. I feel her warmth. I smell her. Everything about her fills my senses. It pulls me in.
She presses into me.
My energy shakes. The barrier starts to crack.
"We can't stay," I say. "We have nowhere to go."
"I don't need a place," she says. "As long as I have you. As long as we have everyone. As long as we have our family."
My resolve slips.
"I… I…"
"What will it be, Utsu?"
I look at her.
"I'll stay," I say. "I don't want anyone else to get harmed."
I raise my hand to my mouth as she leans in.
The barrier breaks.
I jolt back.
"Looks like you win," I say with a weak laugh.
Footsteps close in. Heavy. Fast.
I look down at Riku.
She looks off.
I want to tell her. I want to say it. I love her too. Not like that. Not like this. The moment slips past me.
She stands.
Turns away.
"I know you changed it," she says, tightening her fist. "I wish… I wish you chose another future."
The soldiers kneel.
I feel it before I see him.
Kuzan stands behind me.
I look at Riku.
She doesn't turn back.
"It's time to go, Utsuho," Kuzan says.
I look between them.
I made my choice.
I'll keep them alive so we get another chance. So I get to tell her the truth.
If that means killing a foreign leader, I'll do it.
I whisper, "Riku… wait for me."
I turn away.
1222-11-22
Negu is a port city. Nothing special. Hundreds of merchant ships. Easy to slip onto one.
I'm an assassin. Or I'm supposed to be.
Before I leave the castle, the Supreme Leader tells me my target.
Tafari.
A name everyone knows.
They say dragons avoid Loret because of him. They say he killed his own father. The Twelve Great Families fell by his hand. He rules with force. No one stands against him.
I don't know his age. I doubt he's anywhere near mine.
I'm given no weapon. No tools. Nothing.
Only a second lead.
"A boy," the Supreme Leader had said. "A Ghar boy. Curly black hair. Purple eyes."
"I want you to find this boy and confirm if he's alive."
That's all.
I look back at the castle. It still rises over the skyline.
I let out a breath.
I want to see her again.
But I don't.
Everything I do now is for her.
"I'll get stronger," I whisper. "I WILL pardon you."
At the docks, I spot a ship.
A black diamond sits on a pure yellow flag. Workers move in and out, carrying crates.
I stay close. I listen.
"Where are we going next?" a child asks.
"Mara," an older voice answers.
I check the map. Mara sits near the center of the world.
Perfect.
I wait.
Then I move.
I slip onto the ship. No one sees me. I find a crate near the corner of the lower deck and hide inside. It reeks. Rotting fish. Strong spices. The smell clings to everything. It makes it hard to think.
Time passes.
The ship starts moving.
I stay still.
Not long after, they find me.
Hands grab me. They drag me to the top deck.
The light. A blinding light.
"Who are you?" a girlish voice asks.
The light hits my eyes. I blink. Adjust.
I see her.
She's about my age. Maybe younger. Bright pink hair frames her dark face in a sharp bob. Vibrant eyes of the same hue glow with an inner light. She wears a heavy burgundy cloak. Golden thread traces rose patterns across her shoulders. A single blossom rests against her head. She looks toward the horizon.
She looks like she's in charge.
I bow.
"My name is Shin. I'm running away from home."
"Shin?" she says. "Isn't that for nameless families?"
"Yes."
"Then what's your name?"
"I don't have one."
She studies me.
"Was anyone important to you?"
"My adopted mother. Ino."
She smiles.
"Then from now on, your name is Ino."
I pause.
"That's disrespectful," one of the shipmen says.
"No, no," I replied quickly. "I don't mind."
"My name is Rose," she smiles. "Why are you running?"
"My family is abusive. I want to go to Ahk."
"Ahk?" She tilts her head. "You mean Pallas?"
"Yeah. My mistake."
"Why there?"
"I can find safety."
She thinks for a moment.
"We're not going to Pallas. But we can stop at Miso."
"You'd do that for me?"
She smiles wider.
"I swear on the name Rose Montague. I'll help you get there."
One of the shipmen speaks up. "Isn't dropping a child in Loret dangerous?"
"He's right," another adds. "It's safer to take him to Sha'tar than send him to his death."
Rose looks me over. She studies me.
"He seems capable," she says. "And Tafari is harsh, but I doubt he'd harm a kid."
She keeps going. "There are stories. He helped a Tethambian family escape to AHK. Utsuho will be fine."
"Those are rumors," one of them says. "His country spread them to soften his image. We should take him with us."
"Rose, you need to forget this. There are no more Tethambians. Sha'tar slaughtered them. The ones who escaped were killed later by the Serpent's Maw or Tafari." A shipmen sighs.
"Is that why you're here?" I ask. "Looking for Tethambians?"
"I've only ever met one," she says. "And now I've made it my goal to help her find another in my travels."
Rose turns back to me. "What do you think, child?"
Child?
Aren't we the same age?
"I'm fine traveling through Ghar," I say. "If it means I can find peace."
One of the crew steps forward. "Are you sure? This delays us. Your father won't like it. He told us to avoid Ghar."
Rose shrugs.
"Then we won't tell him."
She steps closer. Holds out her hand.
"Come on. Eat something!"