That's it—my kingdom is now known and
at peace with the twenty kingdoms. And now I can attend the meeting," Peter
said.
"Well, ok, that's fair. No point in
lying. We welcome you with open arms," Ryuu said, bowing.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Ryuu and Mr.
Taka," Peter said, bowing as well.
"Don't thank me. I didn't do
anything," Taka muttered.
"Well, now go back. Your kingdom is
waiting for you," Ryuu said.
"How do I get back?" Peter asked.
"Don't worry. I'll teleport you. The
next meeting is in four months at the Great Village. Until then, stay safe,"
Ryuu said with a smile.
"Ok," Peter replied before vanishing.
"You could've dodged that. Why'd you
let it hit you?" Taka noticed.
"Because I wanted his kingdom to have
peace with us all. No need for war," Ryuu said with a smile.
"Well, let's head back to the
village," Taka said.
As they walked, Ryuu wondered, "I
wonder what the Spiritual Kings and Queens will think."
"Who cares? If they disagree, just
kill them," Taka said coldly.
"No, that's stupid," Ryuu replied.
"Well, that's just how I think," Taka
shrugged.
"Instead of teleporting, let's walk
this time," Ryuu suggested.
"Alright," Taka agreed.
Back in the Laybirth Kingdom
Peter hit the ground.
"Dang it… at least give me a warning,"
he said.
As soon as he looked up, people
surrounded him.
"King, is that you?"
"King, are you okay?"
"Do you want something to eat, King?"
"How was the meeting with the twenty
great villages?"
Inside the Golden Palace
"What's all that noise?" Zeya asked.
"They're probably doing something
stupid," I replied
Suddenly, a butler rushed in.
"Excuse me, madam, I bring incredible
news!" the butler said.
"What is it?" Zeya asked.
The butler smiled proudly. "The King
is back home!"
"Really? He's back?" I said, shocked.
"Let us go down," Zeya said.
"No need," Peter said from behind her
as the wind blew.
"That voice…" Zeya gasped.
"It's you, Peter," I said in relief.
Zeya and I ran to him, hugging him and
asking questions. Peter told us everything.
The kingdom prospered—we built an
army, more people came, and we grew close with the twenty kingdoms. Even though
Joe was still mad at Peter because of the world law, it was a happy kingdom.
Years passed, and Jinko was born—a sweet child loved by everyone.
And that… was the origin of the story.
Present Day, Laybirth Kingdom
"Cool! Your brother met my
grandpa—that's awesome!" Ryju said excitedly.
"What a story. I definitely wanted to
hear that," Kaji said.
"So what do we do now?" Rei asked.
"What can we do?" Goro added.
"I can tell you more stories," Mara
offered.
They all agreed.
Hours passed, everyone asleep—except
Kaji, who wasn't there.
Ryju opened his eyes. "Dang it, I
can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I remember that bastard's face," he
muttered angrily.
He looked at the glowing full moon.
"It's beautiful… I might as well go
for a walk until I get tired," he said.
Then he realized—"Where's Sensei
Kaji?"
The Great Village – Spiritual King's
Office
Lloyd and Okata were talking when Kaji
appeared.
"What's up, buddies?" Kaji greeted.
"Hey, Kaji—got an update?" Lloyd asked
casually.
"Yo," Okata said.
Kaji's face grew serious. "You need to
talk to the Spiritual King or Queen of Jinkawa Village."
"Why?" Lloyd asked.
"Because they sent ninjas to invade
the kingdom… and every last one of them is dead."
"What?!" Okata gasped.
"Why would they do that if they knew
we were coming?" Lloyd shouted in anger.
"Exactly what I said. And if they
expect me to risk my mission—let alone my students—then they deserved what
happened," Kaji said firmly.
"I'm sick of these kingdoms! They
don't care about people. All they want is power and money!" Lloyd yelled,
slamming his desk.
"I know. So, what are we going to do?"
Kaji asked.
"Oh, I'm going to pay Jinkawa Village
a visit," Lloyd said with a smile before vanishing.
"I wonder what Mr. Taka is doing,"
Okata muttered.
In the Forest
Mr. Taka walked along the dirt trail
until he reached a fork with three paths—right, left, and forward.
"Ok… I'll rest here. Tomorrow I keep
going forward," Taka said, leaning against a tree, sword gripped tightly.
In Jinkawa Village
The lights were out, the people
indoors, the streets quiet.
Suddenly, Lloyd appeared in the office
of the Spiritual King of Jinkawa Village.
No one was there.
"So, he's home. Guess I'll pay him a
visit," the Spiritual King whispered with a smile.
From the sky, Lloyd came crashing
down.
Boom!
He smashed through a wooden house,
landing on the Spiritual King's stomach. Blood splattered as Lloyd froze
time—only himself and the Great Village's King able to move.
"Hey, Makoto," Lloyd said with a
smile.
"Lloyd?! What are you doing here? Why
attack me?!" Makoto demanded.
"Because I'm sick of the twenty great
villages' bullshit!" Lloyd roared.
To Be Continued…