Disclaimer: Neither K project or FFIX is mine…I really really really want them though...
Note: Time to insert another new character. ^_^ Still dedicated for Kasuyorai.
Mikoto shook his head, allowing some droplets of raindrop on his hairs to scatter away in the air vainly, only to be completely soaked all over again under the heavy rain. He brushed back the bangs that fell into his eyes with his hand carelessly with a huff. He inspected down to his shirt and raven jacket, which were completely plastered uncomfortably against his skin as they were drenched as soon as they stepped into the border of Burmecia.
It was known as the country with eternal rain, other than the flourishing country in terms of culture and sculpture. Rumors said that there was something special about Burmecian's terrain, allowing the rain to keep pouring every minute of country's life. Most citizens of Burmecia probably had forgotten the brightness and the warmth of sunlight, as they were completely used to the murky gray cloud and dark weather. Yet, they never longed for something they didn't know to exist. Burmecia had remained peaceful as it kept advancing in their cultural heritage; never had a sliver of ambition to wage war and spread their territories to taste the sun.
Mikoto's eyes swiveled toward his companion, only to find Misaki shivered lightly under the cold rain while Kuroh simply closed his eyes with tilted head, as if reeling the familiarity of his home country to his heart. A thin mist escaped Misaki's lips as he sighed irritably at his sodden condition. He was only a heartbeat away from asking the others to seek shelter from the merciless downpour, but Kuroh understood enough to propose with a sympathetic smile. "Let's go straight to the palace. It must be uncomfortable for people who aren't used to this harsh rain."
Misaki briefly grinned back with a slight chatter of his teeth out of cold. Giving a quick look on the entrance of the small kingdom, he quickly followed the raven vassal to lead the path to the palace.
The situation of the inner city was comparable to the gloomy climate. There was only silence to greet them, and only eerie howling wind interrupted the stillness of the sound. The houses were left barren, abandoned, mostly in shambles. A remnant, which resembled of a market before it got destroyed, brought a pained expression on Kuroh's feature. He whispered under his breath, only be withered by the pitter-patter sound of the rainfall, "This place used to be so crowd with people and kids…" The red-haired men remained silent, letting the Burmecia's knight to swallow his emotion and compose himself. After all, he left this place, full of life with its daily routine, only to return to find it void of everything he had known for years.
On their path to the front gate of palace, the grim sight only seemed to be a refrain of what had occurred in Gizamaluke Grotto. The nightmare of splattered blood on the burned walls and broken doors seemed to follow them even to Burmecia. Corpses of dead soldiers with washed blood by the rain were everywhere, and accumulated more as they went closer to their destination. The pungent smell of iron was getting thicker, despite the perpetual downpour.
Kuroh seemed paler as he advanced, and his feet felt heavier as if they were shackled. He was not exactly prepared for the worst scenario he had been dreading over ever since he departed from Lindblum. What if all he found that he failed to protect his king, the one who had taken a good care of him and nurtured him like his own father even before he could learn to take care of himself? What if there was nothing left for him in this homeland because he was away during crisis? It felt like he was condemning his country to destruction because he took so long to accomplish his mission to meet the Regent and Kuroh just couldn't forgive his oversight. He should have known that there were other countries that laid eyes on Burmecia's prosperity. He should have prepared a countermeasure to anticipate this from occurring. These kinds of thoughts kept replaying in his head, without him noticing that they had already stood before the grand gate, which connected the city to the palace.
Mikoto gave a quick look to assess the situation of the locked grand gate. While the thick, metal door was unscathed, the wall of the gate was already half-damaged. Although there was no sign of forced opening of the door, seeing that they hadn't faced any obstacle to this extent could only mean that the enemy had, in fact, infiltrated further beyond this gate. There was a giant silver bell, sharing similar mechanism with the grotto, up above the gate. Green, creeping vein and leaves swirled thickly on the metal framework which connected the bell and the gate.
"It seems to work like in grotto, right?" Misaki asked with a suggestive motion of shaking a bell with his hand. "Where can we find the small bell to open it?"
A dark gloom fell on Kuroh's face as he searched for his pocket. "Every soldier in Burmecia always carries one with them, in case of emergency since all of our entrances and exits use same system." When his finger traced the intricate design of the silver bell, he slowly pulled it out and brought it up to the air. "Because of this system, the enemy probably kills the soldiers in the city to harvest this key."
A gentle shake of his hand and the silver key chimed lightly against the harsh gust of wind. It sounded like a glimpse of bright spring in the middle of waging winter. As if piercing through the ruthless tempest, the giant bell started to sway and toll loudly, as if to notify the host that the visitor had made his arrival.
"If it rings so loudly, don't you think we're actually broadcasting our presences here?" Misaki asked out of blue, with his fisted hand on his chin.
"Doesn't matter. If they show themselves, it will make work easier." Mikoto flashed a smirk, which was in the border of mischief and wickedness.
"It might be dangerous," Kuroh added with his head turned to his companion. "But this is the quickest way to the palace. We can't afford to take a detour." As the heavy gate was opened before them, there was a high, straight flight of steps, surrounded by stone columns and illuminated by fire torches on each pillar like a colossal tunnel. Every time their feet stepped on the higher stair, the sound of it echoed against the wall. "Beyond this step is where the palace is."
Kuroh huffed heavily once he reached the last stair and lifted his eyes, only to be greeted with another despair which didn't really surprise him anymore. In front of him was a small shrine in the open field, with barely a remaining of the statue of guardian deity placed just in the entrance, which was used as a symbol of protector of the royal family. Under another stairs leading to higher ground of the inner palace beside the holy place, there were corpses of priestesses and more soldiers, which were completely drenched by the rain, as if they were forsaken to their sad fate by whatever deities they had worshipped.
The view didn't make him stop from going and wishing for the safety of the king. Kuroh only ran faster and faster until he reached his last stop. The castle was quiet and cold, much colder than the weather itself that he couldn't resist a shiver along his spine. It was almost like an abandoned necropolis. The raven-haired vassal couldn't resist the burning blood in his veins and the painful bursting heartbeat against his ribs. He leapt off the drenched and slippery tall statue of the deities beside the castle's entrance with grace in one take of inhale as he caught a whiff of blood. It was high enough for him to reach the connecting hallway in the second floor of the castle. Kuroh glanced down at the gawked Misaki and whispered with his index finger over his lips, "Please keep it quiet. We might be able to ambush the enemies. I can tell that they are inside."
He immediately landed on the broken marble floor, which quickly was wet under his feet before he rushed to the closed door, keeping watch for any patrolling enemies. Yet, there was only silence to other side of the door. When he decided to slip in through the slit of the wooden door, both Mikoto and Misaki were already on his tail without any sign of exhaustion on their features. If he really had time to marvel, he would praise their stamina for being able to catch up to him easily. Kuroh signaled them with a curt nod before he crawled through the opened door and swiftly hid on the shadow, using the darkness to conceal his presence. There was a large cracked hole on the rooftop of the castle, allowing the rain to pour down heavily and flood the ground floor. From that gap, he could see some creatures like dragons soaring above it. They were probably the reason for the broken rooftop. From where he crouched, he could hear a soft conversation held in the middle of the hall on the floor below.
"This rain is completely annoying. I'm completely soaked down to my toes." A young man with silver hair scowled as he lifted off his robe from the pooling water. However, the corner of his lips quirked up almost instantly. "But with this great victory, I guess I have to endure this."
"As I've suggested before, sire, it would be better for you to command from HQ, thus you would not have to go through so much trouble here." Awashima said with a neutral look, although her eyes spoke the otherwise. It harbored deeply-rooted suspicion although her gesture revealed nothing of sort.
"How could I stay behind when Your Majesty leads the troop himself?" He grinned with a mixture of feigned naivety and malevolence. "Moreover, with me leading the legion of dragons personally, it makes the conquest so easy, doesn't it, Your Majesty? There is no need for Alexandria's knights to be sacrificed. Now that you've seen the strength of my pets first-handedly, surely you no longer hold any doubt of what they are capable to accomplish?"
The older man in his deep red robe simply gave a hollow look at the young counselor before him with a short nod. "True. Although my only concern now is finding the king of Burmecia. We must take care of him."
Kuroh bit down his tongue to refrain a loud gasp at the news. It felt like a sudden breeze had entered into his lungs and the unbound relief nearly brought him to tears. Nevertheless, he realized that the king was still far from safe when these hunters wanted him dead.
"I have searched the perimeter, yet I have not seen the king. Should I perform another check?" Awashima suggested with straight back.
"You're wasting your time." The young man giggled eerily. "They must have fled to the sandy tree house once they noticed our invasion."
"Sandy tree house…You mean, Cleyra?" The king hesitated for a brief second. "If it's true, then it will be quite difficult."
"Unless we can get through that sandstorm, it will be impossible to attack them." The General stated as she gripped the hilt of her saber tighter.
"Worry not, Your Majesty. I will present you a marvelous display of my power. I am certain that you will be most pleased. It would be wonderful if you could gather your troops near Cleyra. As much as I'm certain that my dragons would be quite helpful to bring victory to you, but they might not be enough since these conspirators would definitely retaliate at full-force." The man in white robe bowed politely before the king, who nodded at him pleasantly.
"I'll wait for good news."
"I can't allow you to do that!" Kuroh leapt off from the second floor, only to stand before them with pointed sword toward them.
"And who might you be?" A pair of azure eyes was locked on the sapphire ones; hostile and biting cold. Awashima stepped forward to get in between her king and the new guest. Her eyes were calculating, as if measuring the opponent's skill.
"I'm a knight of Burmecia. I can't allow you to do as you please after what you've done with this country." Kuroh narrowed his eyes, focused on the Alexandria's general. He had heard about her achievement. Despite her being a woman, she was not someone he could underestimate. Her strength and glorious battle feat were well-known throughout the continent. She was rumored as merciless and severe, both with her words and her blade. He was often tempted to challenge her in friendly competition; but it never crossed his mind previously that he would indeed face her in such situation. To begin with, no one had thought that Alexandria would be the first to betray the alliances.
"Then I have no choice but to slay you here." She unsheathed the blade in her waist and took royal knight's battle stance. Her demeanor was calm and composed like a still iceberg, waiting for him to land the first strike. Kuroh took the challenge and leapt off with a low strike, only to be parried easily. They were in stalemate for a second, resisting with the blades grinding against each other before Kuroh took a step back and exchanged more quick blows with the general.
There was a glint of thrill in Awashima's eyes. It had been a while since she had found a good opponent to polish up her swordplay since no one really dared to challenge her but the royal highness who was currently missing, although at this rate, the raven-haired vassal was only as good as sparring opponent. Nevertheless, it was a perfect opportunity since she was desperate for a kind of release from her piling stress. They still hadn't found Reishi even now and there was no news. The last thing she knew was that he was on board of that accursed theatre ship and that said airship had crashed into evil forest, burning into crisp.
People said that he was probably dead, but she wouldn't believe it. How could she believe such unwarranted news when the royal prince was supposed to be in par against her skill with sword, if not even better? She had asked and even volunteered herself to deploy a search team to rescue the royal heir, only to be rebutted instantaneously to her disappointment because there would be no men to be spared. Just as soon as Reishi had gone from the castle, the king commanded a war against the neighboring countries, saying that there was trusted information that alliance countries shifted their eyes on Alexandria, planning to raid it and an early counterattack measure was necessary. That being said, it was a pre-emptive strike and the first country to fall was Burmecia.
Honestly speaking, Awashima was doubtful regarding the source of information and she was suspicious that it was all the chief of royal magician's atrocious plan to manipulate the king to destroy the alliance among three biggest countries in Mist continent. Nevertheless King's words were law and she was not about to question his decision anytime soon. She was the blade and the shield of Alexandria, nothing more, nothing less; just a tool to protect Alexandria. If the king had decided that stomping through Burmecia was for the good of Alexandria's people, she would not hesitate to bare the sword to the battleground.
As much as she would love to indulge in sweet sensation on how her muscles scream with every maneuvers, the king seemed to oppose her from having a little fun as he tapped his foot impatiently. Just as soon as she was about to land a finishing move, more intruders had joined in to the knight's rescue. There were two men; one was much younger than the next one, approximately on the same age with Fushimi, and both of them shared similar scarlet hairs, as red as burning sunset.
Kuroh panted heavily as he pulled back to catch up with his breath. He realized that the female general was simply having her fun with him and she was probably only used half of her true power. She hadn't even showed any of her killing moves, she simply exchanged blows and parries as if she was a professional dancer in a stage stained with blood. He bit his lower lip in frustration at his weakness. He knew that there was still quite a room for him to grow and polish himself, but he was impatient to get the strength to protect. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to protect anyone.
"General, please don't play around anymore. Now that we have more rats coming, take care of them at once." The king demanded chilly, staring his eyes at the blonde's back. Without even looking back, Awashima understood her order. She gave a curt nod and answered, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Awashima casted a magic and bestowed it upon her sword, enveloping with a soft blue glow. In a flash speed, she leapt forward and the metals clanged loudly as Kuroh attempted to block her attack, only to be paralyzed by sudden surge of lightning. Not anticipating the abrupt hit of area attack, even the lightning struck Mikoto and Misaki. Kuroh's whole body jerked into a locked spasm before he lost all the strength to stand up. He immediately fell and collapsed against the cold, wet floor, fighting the seizure vainly. He could hear loud splash of water and bodies colliding against the stone surface beside him, knowing that he had condemned his new friends into abyss. He cursed his weakness for being unable to fight, and now he was at the mercy of the enemy, waiting the certain death to come.
Mikoto was quite surprised with the sudden attack; he didn't foresee it that the general was capable of magic herself. And quite a strong one to boost. He struggled, attempting to lift his body with his shaking arms and fighting the tingling electric current coursed through his limbs. However, before he could even bring himself to sit, a heavy weight suddenly pushed him back down to the ground. With a great effort, Mikoto glanced through his shoulder, only to find a growling dragon stepping on him. Its claws scratched his ribs, threatened him between a crushing squeeze and a deadly stomping.
A merry snicker voice rang just before them with sickening sweet poison, "Now, now, don't try anything foolish. If possible, I want you not to soil my favorite dragon's claws with your filthy blood. But I also can't allow you to hinder our plan."
"Come, now, General. We must prepare to attack Cleyra. Isana, you too. Just leave them, they don't merit to anything."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Awashima bowed politely before the king before she turned her back against the fallen opponents and walked away without a second glance.
Isana pouted slightly before he shrugged and climbed on the dragon. "Well, it seems you still get to live. Next time, you won't be so lucky." As if to emphasize his threat, the dragon lowered its feet on Mikoto, squeezing air out from his lungs and his ribs cracked slightly from the pressure before it completely detached its claw. Misaki whispered a muffled curse at the sight, wincing painfully as his body jerked all over. His voice wouldn't come out because of the recent shock of lightning. Before he could finish with his protest, with a sudden gust of wind and loud beat of its wings, the silver dragon soared to the ash-colored sky through the hole on the roof, leaving the devastated men with bitter sense of defeat.
He still couldn't cease down the amazement from the scenery before him. Fushimi had heard about Treno, the city of nobles, where the city was always shrouded in eternal night as a small part of the world which the sunlight could never reached. Most of the citizens were the nobles from various countries, who spent their idle lives in luxury and worldly temptations, such as gambles, card competitions or antique auctions. In other words, it was more like a resort city, where the rich spent their money and time for entertainment. Thus, he could see rows of colossal, beautiful building, bright with golden crystal lamps from the windows as soon as he crossed the entrance gate of Treno. There was a small fountain with clear, sparkling water pouring and hundreds of coins gold and silver coins at the bottom of the spring.
Although the city looked so stunning from the first glimpse and several guards placed all over the place, Fushimi knew better than to drop his guard around here. A place where wealth gathered always attracted more criminals, just like the light always casted shadow. Rumors said that it was also a den for thieves in a hidden part of the city. He only hoped that the person Reishi had searched for was not one of the slum members.
"So, where will you meet this person?" Fushimi raised the question, only to feel irked when Reishi scanned around the area, as if he didn't consider asking the direction to the meeting place beforehand. "Don't tell me you don't know where to meet this guy?"
The royal prince didn't even spare him a brief look as his violet eyes kept searching the highest building. "I only know his new address from the last letter, about 3 years ago. We never wrote to each other afterward, so I didn't have a chance to ask him that. I figure I can just ask around."
Fushimi nearly barked at the royal heir, only to hastily clench his teeth and swallow down his anger. Nevertheless, his voice quivered as he asked with restrained emotion, "To begin with, this city is pretty crowded and he might have changed address. Even if he doesn't move, what will you do if he's not home?" He realized that his behavior was inappropriate, but Fushimi's patience was already at the end of the rope. They had left Alexandria long enough and he had skipped his work for more than a week. Although he could reason that he was acting as the prince's bodyguard all these times and he was not slacking off on his duty, he couldn't be as certain about his safety, both his life and his salary, if the General had decided on punishing him. The longer it took for them to return, the higher likelihood for him to earn the wrath of General Awashima.
Moreover, all these detours meant more work for him and posed more danger to the only heir of Alexandria's throne. After all, even a single trip to Lindblum didn't go as smooth as he originally thought.
In addition, his annoyance swelled into edginess because of the accursed ugly and foul smell of the dye on his hair. He really wished to get rid of it as soon as possible, but they barely stopped to rest, let alone to wash away this chestnut stain from his strands. He didn't mind the clothes, no matter how dull it made him, but he couldn't tolerate the dye at all.
"I wouldn't be worried about such things." Reishi finally turned to give his knight a reassuring smile. "After all, there is only one observatory tower in this city and the person I knew was quite a scientist that he often got too engrossed with his study to come out of his room for a week. And look, at the farthest across us," Reishi pointed his index finger at the tower hovering so high as if it could reach the full moon hanging low in the sky. "That must be the tower."
Next to the tower, there was high stone wall like a fortress surrounding the whole city like a large circle. The tall tower was located secluded from the rest of the city, which seemed to be peculiar. It was like a lone existence, forgotten and neglected, while the middle of the city was abundant with vibrant life and pleasure. Fushimi sighed in defeat and stood back behind Reishi. "Fine, then let's go."
Along their way, even Fushimi couldn't say that he was not tempted to look around at what Treno had to offer. There were nobles everywhere in their most sophisticated outfits, laughing and chatting around as if they had all the time in the world; as if there was no looming war upon this continent. He didn't take interest of what idle chat those nobles might have shared among themselves, but the beautiful sculpted shops and houses, selling luxurious and rare commodities, including weapons. In Alexandria, it was rather peaceful country until recently that there was not much selection range of weapons. The palace only supplied the same cheap metal scrap that barely could be called saber or knives, saying that they were only for defense. He often envied the General since she had a lot of opportunities to visit various places to buy or even synthesize her own weapon since the prince always brought her and her squad on field mission. When he sparred against her, he knew that her possessed sword was a finest-quality saber, suited to her fighting style.
Reishi seemed to understand that he suggested with a little smile. "Although this city looks safe, but we probably need to inspect around. Treno is still under Alexandria's protection. Why don't you look around to see if there is any way of this city being involved in the war?"
Fushimi looked quite tempted, although his stubbornness didn't allow him to be easily persuaded. "We have to hurry to the castle to stop the war, didn't you say that?"
"We won't know what we might find here. If you recalled, we hadn't expected Dali village to have a factory to manufacture war weaponry, yet they did."
The raven knight scowled half-heartedly before he glared and declared, "Fine! One hour, then we'll meet in front of the auction building."
Reishi only waved nonchalantly, feeling a sense of relief for getting rid of his escort and having time to himself ever since in Dali. Fushimi's back quickly vanished before him as he took a sharp turn, leading to the center of the city. He carried his feet until he walked passed through the colossal theatre building, surrounded by clear lake, which reflected the light of street lamps. At the end of the road was the auction building, where the rendezvous point was. Deciding that it would be utterly tedious to wait for an hour doing nothing, Reishi pushed open the door and entered the structure in front of him.
There was a large hall, lit by golden crystal lamps hanging on the rooftop dome. There were several tables, covered by white tablecloths and a small vase holding a single rose. Around the tables were fully occupied with nobles on the elite-like chairs, speaking in hushed murmur. Reishi only caught fragments of words, but he figured out that they were mumbling their admiration at the auctioned goods. Several feet away from him was a big stage with burgundy-colored curtains latched to marble pillars, and the auctioneer cheerfully spouted numbers. "The original, legendary painting 'Goddess's Tears' for 100,000 gold! Any more offer?"
Reishi took a seat at the most rear and watched at the flow of the auction in silence. Most commodities were indeed gorgeous and a treasure to find, while some claimed merchandises were fakes, but he pretended not to notice. After all, he only spent time here to relax his aching legs after walking quite a distance from the cable car station to Treno while waiting for Fushimi. The last thing he would do was to gather unwanted attention. His troubled mind was quickly drowned in the noise of the crowd.
It was still quite a distance between Treno and Alexandria, and this city was high likely a neutral zone from war, thus he loosened up his nerve before the hurdle he had to confront back in Alexandria. Therefore, he didn't realize that from the second floor in VIP balcony slightly above him, a pair of amber eyes was locked on him with malicious glint in them.
Fushimi ran as fast as he could to the auction building, looking distressed as he was late 10 minutes from the promised time, although a small smile tugged in the corner of his lips. He might not find the strongest weapon yet, but there was a new saber clasped on his belt. It was called blood sword; probably due to the color on its blade, as crimson as blood. There was a gold inscription along the sharp steel and the hilt was colored in contrast blue. The first time his eyes landed on it, he felt a kind of attachment. It shared the same color which he had struggled to hate, only to admit that he actually loved the color that reminded him of his old childhood friend.
As he sneaked into the building, as if trying not to make his presence unknown although it was unnecessary with the guests completely engrossed with the enchanting items before them, he easily caught a look on the man who shared the identical dyed hair. Without his regal cobalt hair and appropriate attire, Reishi could pass as an ordinary civilian if he remained quiet, making him rather standing out for sitting among the rich men. When he approached the said man, Reishi noticed him before he was beside him. With an easy smile, he asked vaguely, "Did you find anything?"
Fushimi clicked his tongue and looked away with a flustered face, "Nothing much. Let's go."
Reishi rose from his chair quietly with pleased smile and left to tread their way to the observatory tower.
The silver-haired young man seemed quite amused as his eyes sparkled with manic glee. "I never imagine running into him in a place like this. I thought he would never leave the safe cradle. Guess the canary is returning back to its golden cage soon. That's good." Or else, I would have to destroy everything you love to smoke you out.
"What do you mean?" The host of the auction cocked an eyebrow at him.
Isana only shook his head dismissively and smirked, "Don't mind me. Have you prepared the jewel that I ask you?"
"Yes, an artificial ruby jewel with appearance nearly as genuine as the real one." The man in black suit pulled out a black case made from silk with a fist-sized red stone in it.
"Good. The transaction is complete." Isana carefully reached out to grab the black box with his hands. After looking at it with pleased expression, he spun around and disappeared to the backstage of the auction. "Now, let's welcome him with open arms."
Determined, Reishi knocked the door so loudly for the third time, as if he attempted to wake the dead in the most isolated area of the city. Fushimi started to shift uncomfortably, trying to cease down his impatience. On the fourth vain knock, the knight finally decided to spill out his thought, "I told you, he might not be at home and obviously not expect any guest."
Reishi leaned against the wall next to the door, staring down at his companion, only one step below him. They stood on the stairs in front of the door for ten minutes, and yet there was no sign of life occupying the tower. There was no answer from the other side of the door either. "I guess this is rather unfortunate. Maybe we come in the wrong time."
"Then, what should we do? Should we find an inn and try again tomorrow?"
Reishi seemed to contemplate the option when there was a click sound from the door before them. In the next second, a middle-aged man with aquamarine head and deep blue eyes greeted them with a hesitant smile through the slit of the slightly opened door. "Who might you be? How can I help you?"
"Doctor Habari, long time no see." Reishi immediately lightened up with a glimmer of naivety in his smile.
It took several seconds for the later to comprehend the situation and get rid his confused expression before he shared the same delight with Reishi. "My, prince! You look…quite different, I almost don't recognize you." The latter finally opened the door fully to welcome them. Under the faint moonlight, Fushimi took a good look on the older man that he didn't recognize. This Habari person looked rather lax and kindhearted, although he saw a pool of wisdom from his demeanor. He was slightly taller than Reishi and him. Chest-length straight hair with the color of light spring blue sky fell slickly on his shoulders with bangs draped over his eyes. Just like Reishi, there was always a smile tugged on his lips although he showed a rather gentle one, almost paternal. He wore a long dark blue robe down to his feet and a white shirt underneath it.
"Ahh, I have a reason to these. I'm sorry for the confusion I cause you." Reishi trailed off as he held his side bangs with an apologetic gesture.
"Please come in," Habari stepped aside, ushering them to get inside. "Let's talk inside. It's quite a pleasant surprise. It has been a while since I last have a guest. Let's go to the top floor of the tower, so we can talk at ease."
Fushimi almost regretted it that he had to accompany Reishi to his reunion with an old friend. As Habari closed the door behind them and locked it, there was a long flight of stair, spiraling so high that Fushimi couldn't figure out just how high was the top floor. He almost couldn't imagine that this man, older than him, was capable of walking up and down these steps of hell. No wonder he never received a guest. No one would enjoy this torturous trip just for a small chat, and it was no surprise if the host didn't hear someone knocking. If Reishi shared the same thought with him, the said prince clearly did a fantastic job in masking his discontent regarding Habari's residence.
He begrudgingly started to climb up the stairs, only to gawk in awe as Habari moved forward as if he was walking on the flat surface. There was no shortness of breath and he didn't sweat or look fatigued while Fushimi and Reishi seemed to start to have trouble catching up with their breath. Even vast Alexandria's palace didn't tire him out like this. The stairs forming into an endless spiral drained him mentally since he couldn't see the goal. As he stopped for a brief moment, panting heavily and trying to muster his energy to confront the hurdle in front of him, Fushimi could see the scarlet full moon just from the window tower, so large and close, as if he could reach it if he extended his hand.
Once his legs were more agreeable to handle more steps, Fushimi attempted to catch up with the men who had walked ahead. Habari didn't cease to amaze him when he kept conversing in light tone along the way. "It had been a while since I last saw you, prince. You have grown into a fine man. I'm quite pleased to see you again."
"How long has it been? Eight years?" Reishi slightly wheezed as he spoke, gulping down the air greedily as he continued to follow Habari.
"Time passes quickly. I travelled quite far in search of a sponsor for my research after I departed Alexandria. I finally found one here in Treno."
Reishi huffed loudly as he reached the last stair, connected to the spacious room with books scattered all over the floor and a giant globe collecting dust in the corner of the compartment. Beside it were a telescope and more bookshelves. It was more like a library than a dwelling. From the top, he could see the whole Treno underneath, blanketed by the jet black sky as if the horizon was engulfed and there was nothing beyond the night city.
Habari spoke delightfully with spread arms, "Here we are. Welcome to my humble abode."
"Mind-controlling magic and how to revert it, you ask?" Habari leant back on his chair, folding his arms across his chest as he pondered deeply.
"Yes. I assume that there might be involvement in magic for father's behavioral change." Reishi gave a last rub on his wet cobalt hair with the dry towel, staring straight at his ex-teacher while sitting across to him. Fushimi stood at the back, leaning against the wall with a tiny sigh of relief for being able to wash away the noxious chemical from his hair. The smell still lingered faintly, but it no longer insulting to his nose.
"I've read such magic existed in ancient documents, but it has been lost ever since." Habari lifted his eyes with a grim look. "I've once taught you about the dark era of summoners and magicians. During that time, all talented magicians and summoners were hunted and executed, because they were feared by normal humans because of what they were capable of, including controlling someone's mind. The human kings worked together to put them into extinction. Some might be able to survive, but the art of magic had waned with fading generations. It was only recent century that the hatred toward magicians and summoners had thinned out, thus allowing the surviving magicians to get a place within society once again. But their powers are now nothing comparable to their predecessors. I don't think there is still a magician who is capable of performing such old, forgotten magic."
"I wonder if such past magic truly vanishes. I've seen with my own eyes that Alexandria has built a plant to produce an army of silver dragon; a species which supposedly extinct centuries ago."
"Silver dragon?" Habari snapped his head with surprise. "I see…so the king's forces have already grown quite powerful. Now I understand your reason to rush. Well then. I might be unable to help you with your questions, but I may be able to assist you to reach Alexandria."
Habari rose from his chair lithely and beckoned for the royal heir to follow him, only to stop on his track when Fushimi stood before him; his hand gripping the saber on his waist. "If you're unable to do anything about the king, you're just exposing your life to danger!" Fushimi interjected them with a glare at Reishi. "You want to get back to Alexandria to stop him and the war, but we still have no idea how to cut the control on him! Do you have a death wish? He might as well throw you to the dungeon or execute you, if that damn magician commands him!"
"I'm thinking of taking my father away, out of his reach," Reishi said with a light tone, despite the severe offense he was suggesting.
Fushimi was stunned for a moment with a long silence hanging between them, before he finally nearly screamed, "Are you saying…kidnapping the king!? Are you insane!?"
Reishi gave a look of disapproval as he countered, "Well, if you have to put it in the worst term, yes, we're kidnapping him. And we have to do so before Yashiro can use him to wage war in the name of Alexandria. When you rescue him, I have to take out the root of this problem."
Fushimi took a deep inhale and scratched his head in frustration, "Do you think you can win against him?"
"…If I manage to defeat him, we can avoid the war from spreading."
"If you lose, you're dead and Yashiro takes over everything!" Fushimi reminded with a high voice and added with a little sinister in it, "You should ask help from Lindblum or those thugs to do the kidnapping since they are so professional at it."
Reishi chuckled softly at that and replied, "They are fully occupied with aiding Burmecia and preventing Alexandria from invading them. Moreover, any involvement of Lindblum in this affair will only worsen the international relationship. We have to take care of these ourselves."
"I have to agree that this is too dangerous though, prince." Habari said solemnly, lowering his head to stare at his feet.
"Doctor Habari, if we can bring father here, do you think you can figure out how to get him back to normal?" Reishi asked quietly with clenched fists on his sides.
"I can't promise you but I will do anything in my power to help you. Nevertheless, it's still too dangerous for you…"
"Then, please lead us the way to reach Alexandria without delay."
"Your Highness!" Fushimi exclaimed in protest, only to deter begrudgingly under the final sharp look. With a click on his tongue, the raven-haired knight glowered at the floor in his strained silence.
Habari shook his head in defeat and strode to the hidden corner of the room behind the wall. "I had an old transportation device remodeled in the case of such an emergency. This way, please." The azure-head scientist squatted beside a hole and pushed the metal cover on it. He crawled to the inside and climbed down the ladder. Reishi took a peek to the depth of the hole, looking in awe as he indistinctly saw another ground in the dim light; probably a tunnel. He followed Habari without hesitation, leaving Fushimi behind to contemplate his choice. After a long grunt and cursing, Fushimi hastily chased after them and went down the ladder.
Halfway down, he could hear a howling wind and the echoes of clanging and creaking sound as their shoes stepped on the steel ladder. Once the ladder ended, Fushimi leapt off to the ground. He quickly assessed the new compartment around; there was a large circle area with a connecting passageway, leading to a bigger tunnel.
"This is Gargan Roo, an ancient travel route between Treno and Alexandria, built long before even the invention of airships. This tower is built on top of disused tunnel." Habari spoke with delight before he gestured for them to follow him to the walk the passage.
"But this place looks fairly new." Reishi argued as he looked around with curiosity.
"I convinced my sponsor to remodel it." Habari continued on until they reached a small station before the gigantic subway. "We must activate the tunnel-connection sequence and call the gargant inside." Habari pulled a lever at the edge of the station and walked back to the entrance tunnel as if waiting for something. "Gargant Roo Treno station is shaped like a circle. When we pull the lever, gargant circles around the station continuously."
Fushimi gasped loudly when a giant beetle-like insect, twice larger than average human, with a small cart attached on its back crawled upside down along the thick vines on the rooftop of the tunnel. "What's that!?"
"That's gargant that pulls the trolley. Don't worry, it's not dangerous. Now we have to halt the gargant." This time, Habari pulled the lever near the entrance. Then, there was a clink sound of chain and cart full of grass and leaves being lowered from the top of the station. The gargant immediately stopped before it and started to gobble down the content of the cart.
"Now, you have to hurry. It'll resume once it's finished eating." Habari ushered them to step into the cart. It was painted new with comfortable cushion in it, covered with cotton velvet.
"Are you sure it won't keep going around in circles?" Reishi asked hesitantly before he marched into the cart. Fushimi followed the suit; uncertainty showed in his face as the cart wobbled when he shifted.
"It won't. I will reverse the connection sequence and let the gargant out of the station. It knows where to stop as it reaches Alexandria station." Habari pulled back, waving his hand at them with a smile. "I wish you good luck."
"Thank you, Doctor Habari." Both Fushimi and Reishi gave a curt bow from their seats. They nearly yelped in surprise when the gargant suddenly moved forward and picked up the speed. In no time, Doctor Habari was no longer in sight and Treno seemed distant away.
The underground tunnel seemed to have no end as the gargant kept crawling on the vines on constant speed. Thus it surprised both Alexandrian when the insect quickly slowed down and abruptly halted on the similar Gargant Roo station in Treno. They hastily leapt off from the trolley, and once it felt no longer the heavy weight upon its back, the gargant walked away leisurely into the next unknown area of the tunnel.
When they stepped out of the connecting tunnel, there was a wide crossing bridge made from granite, with endless ravine on its sides. One mistake and they shall meet their demise. Across the bridge was a dark old structure that resembled an abandoned part of the Alexandria castle, but Reishi didn't recognize the place. Even after twenty years living in the palace, it seemed that there was still space which he had not ventured.
"Where is this? Is this really Alexandria?" Fushimi looked around while being careful with his steps as they passed the bridge.
"…Let's keep forward to see where this passage leads to." Reishi answered as his feet reached the end of the bridge with a wide dusty hall with the only stair leading to upper ground in front of them. However, before they could get close to the only path ahead, there was sudden loud clang and a high fence made from metal bars was erected before them. Reishi immediately wheeled around to run back to the bridge but before he could even take a step forward, another fence shot up, imprisoned them in between.
"You know…this place is built by royal ancestors to keep enemies from invading," A soft feminine chuckle came from the upper ground. A girl with chestnut hair showed up and stared down at the intruders from the edge of the wall. "Would you ever imagine that such device would be used to capture the royal family member itself?"
"Yukizome-san!" Reishi exclaimed with surprise at the appearance of her. She was sitting by the edge of the wall with the eyes of taunting, sneering as her dangling legs rocked back and forth playfully. "What's the meaning of this!?"
"Who is she?" Fushimi interrupted, preparing to unsheathe his sword.
"She is the former and the youngest chief of court magician until Yashiro makes his appearance and takes over her position," Reishi replied while his eyes remained locked to the lime ones. "She used to be a good friend with General Awashima."
"It would better for your own safety not to retaliate," she laughed merrily and signaled for a number of Alexandrian troops to surround them from above. "Your Majesty had issued the order to capture both of you. Oh, while at it, I have a message to convey from my master, 'if you resist, you'll endanger everything you hold dear'."
Reishi narrowed his eyes but he lifted a hand to stop Fushimi from showing any offensive stance. "Lower you sword, Captain Fushimi."
"Are you insane?" Fushimi growled at the man before him. "The plan fails. We have to pull back."
Reishi simply shook his head and smiled thinly, "We are trapped in here. In addition, this is a good chance to get close to my father. Yashiro will be by his side as well; this might be the only opportunity I have."
"There is no way you can win! Yashiro is one thing, but you also have hundreds of soldiers against you because of the king!"
The Alexandrian troops already marched down the stairs, while some remained posted around the wall with bows and arrows aimed at them threateningly. When the metal fence in front of them was lowered, the Alexandrian knights swiftly surrounded the royal heir and bound his hands at the back with tight rope. Reishi acknowledged the familiar faces, the ones that used to be under his wings in military army. Some of them showed a darkened, guilty look, whispering a quiet apology to the prince. "I'm sorry, Your Highness…"
Fushimi clicked his tongue and glowered at his colleagues as they shackled his hands with metal chain. The raven-haired knight resisted a growl when they hauled Reishi away, separated from him. While Reishi's figure disappeared beyond the tunnel leading to the upper level of the castle, Fushimi was thrown into the dark dungeon. There was a foul smell inside the compartment, with boulder walls in every direction, but the front side with sturdy prison bars, locked with a padlock. Inside it was a large, thin, rag cloth, probably as a bed cover and nothing else.
Fushimi sat with his back against the wall and folded his legs together. He burrowed his head between his knees and sighed at another misfortune he had encountered. The image of calm prince as he was taken away to confront death frustrated him too. He didn't spend days keeping him safe only to have him deceased under his watch.
The young captain ran his bounded hands to his hair with a loud sigh, only to flash a hidden smirk as the tips of his fingers felt the cold metal hair pins.
