Chapter 7: The Mystery of the Castle

By nightfall of Zipang time, the transport ferrying the delegation crossed the border guard in far-western Tsuchi no Kuni. Once they crossed into Kaminari no Kuni, and then into the Capitol province of Kami no Kuni, an aerial transport was waiting at the Palace. This jet-equipped transport, although capable of flight, was only slightly bigger than the dignitaries' litters, able to transport no more than ten people without throwing the rest in a ventral cargo hold, and even then the hold was more suited for carrying small cargo. The steamers used to travel abroad could hold much more. In addition, until the advent of the Protoss, Zipang only had one for each province barring Kori no Kuni due to the sparsity of the population there at only a handful of small villages in those frozen mountains.

Hikaru, Katsurou, Corsair and Sanae boarded the transport, while Takumi, Akira and Iori remained behind at the palace. Although the ship was going to Scion, there were some other administrative matters to sort out with regard to Zipang's management. The other four would return ahead and give Yuto the data to analyse.

The next morning, Takumi, Akira and Iori dealt with what they needed to deal with in regard to management, largely confirming crop and meat incomes, mined resource turnouts, approval for testing of an experimental Sasori walker cannon created in Kaminari no Kuni and more technology briefings from the people in Tetsu no Kuni who were reviving old weaponry from schematics provided by the Protoss. Once that tedious mess was sorted out, by early afternoon, the three of them boarded another private air transport for Scion.

Looking through the windows of that transport, it was hard not to be amazed at the scenery flying into Scion. It started with approaching the frozen mountains of Zipang's Kori no Kuni province, and watching as the ship ascended higher and higher, rising until reaching the peaks just before the clouds. One of the mountain peaks had a large hole, and the transport would fly into that hole and descend down a diagonal, yet almost vertical tunnel, where the farther down you went, the more the light leaking into the hole faded.

Deeper and deeper the transport descended, until finally emerging through another hole known as the Porta Lucis, or Gate of Light, into the hollowed out area underneath the mountain. The new sight prominently featured nine massive beams of white-sky blue light, one in the center of a large city and the other eight in the surrounding Black Forest in a circular pattern, which blazed towards the chamber ceiling and gave the impression of fluorescent lights. Although the beam of light was almost a pure white, the light given off to the surrounding area gave off a blue hue and was only strong enough to illuminate the routes people took in the city and the forest. The end product of that was the lights providing a blue tint to the chamber walls and ceiling, while creating a black/dark blue silhouette of the city and the surrounding Black Forest. On the far side, directly opposite the Porta Lucis hole, was the silhouette of the three towers of the Seminary of the Amber-Inlaid Path.

The transport continued to fly over the buildings of the city, approaching the towers and landing on a helipad right near the edge of the city on which they were built. From there, Takumi, Akira and Iori walked to the towers, where they were greeted by Hikaru, Katsurou, Corsair, Sanae, Yuto and Yua, the last four of whom bowed, and verbally welcomed the three new arrivals.

"Takumi no Kami-sama," Hikaru spoke, "…the Cardinals have expressed a wish to meet with you and the rest of the Ascended of the Brotherhood in an hour."

"Thank you, Hikaru," Takumi replied, after which everyone went their separate ways. Corsair and Yua walked to the Athenaeum, while Sanae and Yuto returned to the Sanctuary. Takumi, Akira, Iori, Hikaru and Katsurou walked towards the Magisterium, each going to their separate Havens inside. Although there were Havens inside mainly the Sanctuary, there were also some Havens in the Magisterium reserved for those who had Ascended.

Takumi entered his Haven, and he couldn't help but be in awe at the sight, even though it was simple living quarters; just featuring his Amber Shrine of five amber spikes in a semi-circle, his bed, a wardrobe and a few other necessities such as a computer. The real beauty of the room was that the light in the center of the ceiling, which would light up the room with an amber-colored shine, was off, allowing the Scion Light Beams to cast his room in a dark blue hue. It was for this reason that unless he needed to work on the computer or search for clothes, he would keep the light off and the curtains open.

He walked to his bed and lay down, gazing up at the dark blue hue of the walls and ceiling. The recent eruptions of the Zerg under Windbloom was deeply unsettling, but according to the Protoss reports, no Nydus Worms had managed to sneak past the Wall. If that held up, then the Zerg on this side had to be there since the beginning. If Windbloom was only attacked right then, that had to mean a dormant Brood, but that force was far too small for it to be a proper Brood. The fact that there was a Hybrid there was also deeply disturbing.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Who is it?" Takumi asked.

"General Akutagawa," a female voice spoke. "May I enter?"

"Yes, General."

The door opened to reveal Yua's silhouette in the passage, her light blue/cyan hair coming into view as she closed the door behind her, along with her green Steel Warrior armor and side-holstered custom rifle. "I just came to inform you that the Observer you had Golden Boy send to Windbloom has reached its target."

"Golden Boy? You mean Executor Urun?"

"Whatever. Preliminary scans came in, and so far, things are looking terrible. The Zerg are underneath pretty much all of Windbloom, but the few reprieves we have are that, given the nature of the sediment between where they are now and the surface, it will take five days for them to emerge, so we have plenty of time to send in the weapons."

"Five days… maybe there is a connection to that organ sound?"

"Really unlucky I wasn't there, though. I could have stayed with you when viewing and gotten the perfect sniping spot. I'm glad you were able to save Windbloom, though."

"So am I, General."

"Takumi-sama, can you please call me Yua when we are in private? At this rate, you are probably going to have to change your name to Tokiha Takumi no Kami Kyuseishu."

"Thanks, Yua, but I don't think I can usurp the title of Kaneshiro-sama; his work saved Zipang."

"So is yours," she replied, sitting down on the bed by his torso and placing a hand on his cheek. "So far, you've done a commendable job… as have I during the Battle for Zipang, Ta – ku – mi – no – ka – mi – sa – ma." Her thumb massaged his cheek as she spoke.

"Yu- Yua?" A blush crept onto Takumi's face.

"Just relax; I'm sure you could use this."

"Thanks, but I need to report to the Cardinals soon."

"Really? Disappointing, but I guess you need to do what you need to do. I'm nowhere near finished with you though."

"Careful, I don't want you to fight with Akira-kun again."

"She can threaten me all she wants, but we both know I'm too valuable a warrior to this country to lose. Besides, you don't like people dying for political reasons, do you?"

"T-true."

"I'll leave you to meet with the Cardinals then," Yua finished, standing up and walking to the door. "Bye, Takumi no Kami-sama"

After Yua left, so did Takumi, although taking a different path to her. He was walking from his Haven to the Cardinal Chambers. Outside, he met with Hikaru and Katsuroi, also waiting, while Iori and Akira came soon afterwards.

The five of them present, they stepped into the holy chambers and approached the five Cardinals, who were sitting at a counter on the opposite end of the room: with their backs to the blue glow of the cavern wall outside.

"May the stone of life bless us with your guidance, O Holy Cardinals of the Amber-Inlaid Path," the five Ascended Brotherhood members spoke in unison.

"May the stone of life illuminate the paths we take, sacred Brothers and Sisters of the Amber-Inlaid Path," the Cardinals chanted. "Firstly, there is one issue we need to discuss, Brother Takumi."

"Yes, Your Eminence?" Takumi asked.

"Two names have appeared in the scrolls of those who have taken the Oath of Secrecy: they are Natsuki Kruger and Shizuru Viola. Can you explain why they have appeared so?"

"That is true, but under the circumstances it was unavoidable. Zerg have appeared in Windbloom Kingdom to the west, and Otomes were involved in helping us pacify the forces that emerged."

"Was it just the two?"

"No, there were two Otome trainees involved in the battle, and one of the Otome I had swear the Oath was not involved at the time."

"Reckless use of the Amber Scribe Rings, Brother Takumi. Why did you let the children go unsworn?"

"Hikaru and Katsurou took them out of the area before I divulged what information I did. I had a feeling that I couldn't trust them to keep an Oath of Secrecy, or else as is customary with Oathbreakers, we would have had to remove them from society when they broke the Oath."

"What information did you divulge to the two Otome you did swear to secrecy?"

"I only told them of our name, and how we had used amber to unlock the hidden powers of our genes to be able to combat the Zerg Swarm. I did not give them any information regarding membership number, command structure or location, so Scion should be safe."

"We see. We thank you for guarding your gift of information to these people, although the actions you took are still risky. There is another issue we need to address: a Frumentarius bug has been activated, and the Legion has tracked it to central Windbloom."

"That is in relation to the loud organ we heard a week ago, Your Eminence. I was in Windbloom before the other Brothers and Sisters arrived, and during my travels, I was shooed away from the Queen's castle, although pursued by someone using a SLAVE creature. That aroused my suspicions such that I asked Corsair to investigate, and bug the castle."

"According to the reports, there is something in the castle's basement that is giving off trace amounts of psionic energy at present, but it can generate much more if the other readings are to be believed."

"Something has just occurred to me, Your Eminence. General Akutagawa relayed to me a Protoss Observer report that the Zerg are underneath almost all of Windbloom, but that it would take five days for roused Zerg to reach the surface. I think that the psionic energy emitter, whatever it is, can rouse that Brood."

"Worrying… we were only just able to hold the large Swarm back with your Wall, but the presence of Broods on this side is extremely disturbing. If that Brood is asleep, then there shouldn't be a need to worry. If the emitter activates, we will need to be ready to leave for the Kingdom at a moment's notice."

"I agree, but my country of Zipang has vowed not to interfere in the affairs of the Western Nations. The council of Daimyos is unanimous in the opinion that to intervene would bring harm to us."

"One final matter we wish to discuss, Sacred Followers, is that of the Awakened Corsair."

"Does something intrigue Your Eminence," Akira questioned.

"Yes, Sister Akira. The time has almost come for Corsair to take the Tests of Ascension, and when that time comes, we want to hear your judgments in addition to our own."

"We would be honored, and I want to see how he does, as he shares a profession with me."

"Indeed. This conclave is adjourned, and may the stone of life guide you."

Takumi and the other four members of the Brotherhood walked out of the Cardinals' Chambers, where they found Corsair waiting directly outside. "What have they made of the bug?" he asked, his voice still stern.

"It appears to be a psi-emitter of some sort. It is probably what roused the Zerg in Windbloom," Akira responded.

"Disturbing…"

"The Cardinals are convinced that as long as the emitter doesn't activate-"

"It will."

"Why do you say that?"

"Folly and greed, Okuzaki-dono."

"You make a good point. The Western nations have destroyed themselves in the past, and if this is a weapon, then there's nothing to say they won't do so again."

"Indeed. Farewell."

With that, Corsair vanished. The next three days passed by quickly, but on the fourth, the Awakened known as Iseyada Yuto no Kori requested the Ascended of the Brotherhood, along with Corsair and Yua, to meet him in his Athenaeum Haven. Takumi, Akira and Iori were the first there, who the blue-grey haired short child in a yellow toga. "Ave, Brother Takumi," he spoke.

"Greetings, Yuto-san," Takumi responded.

"I see Brothers Hikaru, Katsurou and Sisters Sanae and Yua approaching, but where is Brother Corsair?"

"Ave, Yuto," a voice spoke from behind him. Corsair had already gotten inside. The other four arrived soon afterward.

"Anyway if you all… will… come inside, some of my research… has borne fruit." Once everyone was inside, Yuto spoke again. "I have… come to a preliminary conclusion regarding the data you have provided."

"And?"

"Based purely on the schematics, and the sheer detail that has gone into them, I can only conclude that the Schwartz group that is building the castle is also arming it with a cannon."

"So the Queen isn't just vain, she's paranoid?"

"I doubt it. The items you photographed in the safe show among them the fact that Queen Mashiro is not aware of the construction plans or their presence. The Otomes are also unaware of their activities."

"A coup?"

"Possibly, though it is difficult to determine anything at this point without a clear history of the organization. There is one anomaly I wasn't able to solve though: they have what I can only ascertain to be a power core in the upper reaches of the castle, yet they have plans to fill it with a bio-preservative liquid in preparation for a body."

"For what?"

"I don't know. I am not sure what exactly can turn a human body into a power source, but I cannot make any requests to the Frumentarii."

"Just throwing this out there," Yua interrupted, "…but does your Legion know that you are among us?"

"They do, Sister Yua, but they don't care: I'm too much of a heretic. They only care about me when they need me for some design project and the other architect legionaries are busy. The only reason I was part of the design team that built this place was because I was pushing for an assignment for some time."

"Wait, so the Seminary?"

"…is so far my finest piece of work. The major parts of this place were founded on designs that I drew up. My first year of work with the Castra Legion was marked by that project. Since then, I haven't had much to do, just examine the rare design of a new building that happens comes my way."

"So you've got it easy here? Why do I feel envious of you?"

"It isn't as enjoyable as you make it out to be, Sister Yua. The Castra Legion is the most industrious of the three Legions, so there is always something to do, be it from maintenance to research, or even construction and design. There's lots of work, but the Centurions never see fit to send any my way most of the time; it is usually when everyone else is busy. So despite my intelligence and love of the work, I am persecuted. Even the Frumentarii, who share my interest about the outside, would rather have nothing to do with me."

"But you can still raise the Frumentarii to look into this, can't you?"

"They're a different Legion, and I'm only a recruit legionary in my Legion, so I cannot hope to influence the Frumentarii Legion with my position, even as a son of one of their members. I'd need to be at least a Centurion for them to take heed, and even then, I already said I am too much of a heretic for them to listen to me. If you want covert operations in that country, you will have to beseech the Shadow Warriors of the Zipang Imperial Army."

"So any other leads on this building?"

"I'll look over things again, but at this stage, I don't have any theories. If I can solve that bio-preservative mystery, I might get somewhere."

"Okay. Best of luck with that, Iseyada-kun. Bye!"

"Vale, Sister Yua, everyone," Yuto spoke as the other eight of the Brotherhood walked away from the Seminary. The treasure trove that they got from looking at his findings was interesting in that the castle cannon was unprecedented. They also had to look out for that one other feature he mentioned, the fact that a castle would use a body.

"We have to do something," Sanae spoke. "We know now what they are doing, so we can't just sit back!"

"Inadvisable," Corsair stated.

"Corsair, we can't just leave the West to its fate!"

"We can, Funabashi," Akira interjected, "…and we will. Kaneshiro-sama did what he did precisely because of what's happening now: they are destroying themselves. Takumi, don't let them destroy Zipang as well."

"Okuzaki! How can you say such a thing?!"

"She has a point," Yua reasoned. "Kaneshiro saved Zipang from destruction by cutting us off. She's kinda justified in saying we shouldn't get ourselves killed over Western nations crossing swords."

"Akutagawa, you too?"

"Stop and think for a minute, Sanae-chan. There are other things to consider. We only know that a certain group of people is constructing a castle with a weapon in Windbloom. They haven't taken any illegal action yet. If we charge in there and destroy the castle, we will be seen as invaders and Zipang will have to cope with invasion from the West."

"So we do nothing?"

"Until we have solid proof that they're undertaking illegal activity or they make a move, yes. You heard Iseyada-kun, we know they are doing, but we don't know why they are doing it. Until we can determine such a motive, we have no grounds for intervention."

"I'm sorry, Funabashi-san," Takumi finally spoke. "…but I agree with General Akutagawa. We will not interfere with the affairs of the Western nations for the moment, but I will request Urun to have his Observer monitor Windbloom. I will let you know if any incidents occur."

"Thank you, Takumi no Kami-sama," Sanae said, her voice having regained some composure.

More time passed, and the Observer reports relayed by Urun indicated that the Castle was almost complete. Yuto was still having trouble finding out the remaining mysteries of the facility, and it wouldn't have been possible to get a message to Windbloom or Garderobe fast enough, even with the abilities of someone like Corsair. The day had also come for him to take the Tests of Ascension; the ritual to determine if an Awakened member of the Brotherhood should be considered Ascended.

Corsair stepped into the Chamber of Ascension. It was a room in the Magisterium that was forbidden to all but the Awakened that would be tested, Ascended and Cardinals. There were fifteen Amber Spikes, triple the length and four times the width of the average Amber Shrine's spikes arranged in a circle four times the diameter of the Amber Shrine's semi-circle, and a flight of stairs to a raised circular platform in the center, the beginning of which being where a sixteenth Amber Spike would have been. Corsair ascended the flight of stairs, stepped onto the circular platform in the center of the Amber Spike arrangement and, with black lightning enveloping his body for a second, reappeared in his black-scaled, bone-masked Divine Form. The stairs separated from the platform and withdrew into the ground, after which a sixteenth Amber Spike rose up, closing the circle. All of the spikes started pulsing with electricity. Soon, bolts of amber lightning hit the platform, and electricity continued to stream there. Immediately after the electricity hit, a large mystical orb started growing, the platform directly at its core, and continued to grow and expand, stopping just before contacting the Spikes. The Ascended knew that inside the Orb was in a very literal sense a world of its own. This was it, the tests had begun, and by looking at the 'Amber Orb', the Cardinals watched his progress. It was only to their eyes that Corsair's progress could be monitored.

The first two tests focused a lot on what was taught to the Awakened, especially handling the battles the way the Brotherhood were taught. These teachings taught you to find your opponent's weakness and exploit it, to be aware of your surroundings and how you can utilize them, to be aware of your powers and how you can efficiently utilize them, to be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses and to always be aware of your opponent's actions. These tests especially emphasized the need to sometimes do away with threats quickly enough that you can move on to more pressing matters, for in those instances, if you took time to gloat over your enemies, it could very well cost you dearly. The first test itself seemed to focus on your strongest areas; the world reflected had a problem you had to get around using your strongest ability or area of expertise.

After Corsair completed the first test, the Orb that held him rose to the top of the Amber Spikes, its vertical height such that the platform in the center should have been on the same level as the Spikes' tips. The angle of the lightning bolts joining the Orb to the Spikes was now perpendicular to the spikes themselves. The stop of the Orb's ascension signified the beginning of the second test. The Chairs the Cardinals were sitting in, the Rising Throne also rose as the Orb did, now having risen to the same height. This test, for the Awakened, focused on your weakest areas. You were placed in a world where your abilities were at their weakest or most ineffective, and you had to get around that somehow, using what you had been taught.

Once the second test was completed, the Orb then rose until the lightning bolts angled at 45 degrees, hovering above the spikes this time. This test was among the most grueling of all; you were confronted by a phantom with the exact same abilities as you, and you had to overcome that phantom. Only the Awakened being tested knew what form that would take.

A while later the Amber Orb disintegrated, leaving Corsair on the revealed circular platform. This platform was now inside what was previously an empty circle linked to an Amber-colored stairway with Amber Spires for guardrails, the Stairway of Ascension, leading to a position directly above where the Cardinals used to be, only close to the roof of the Chamber of Ascension now. The five of them had already risen up into what was an empty crevice when the Orb rose to its last position. The Cardinals were in agreement, as were the five Ascended Followers who were there: Corsair had earned the right to join the ranks of the Ascended. If he had failed, then the Orb would have descended back to the floor. Corsair stepped off the platform and ascended the stairway until he had reached the Cardinals. He came to stand on an Amber circle that touched the area of the Rising Throne, in easy reach of its occupants

The Cardinals instructed "Kneel, Corsair." He complied, and they stood up, removed his Amber Tear Necklace and placed it in a circular stand directly in front of the Central chair on the Rising Throne. "Thou hast triumphed in the Sacred Trials and proven thyself worthy of Ascension!" they spoke. Sides of the pillar opened up, revealing two Amber Tears on short chains, chained to the surface itself. "Thou hast proven that thou'st ready to not merely walk, but stride on the Amber-Inlaid Path!" The link of the chain connected to each Tear split open on one side after which they were slotted into a crevice on the Necklace, on opposite sides, next to the three that were already there. This new Amber Tear Necklace was then lowered onto the neck of a kneeling Corsair. The Cardinals boomed "Now rise, Corsair, Ascended Brother of the Amber-Inlaid Path!" Corsair stood tall, the five tears of his Amber Tear Necklace shining. "As one who has Ascended, you have earned yourself a place in the Magisterium, and for easy proximity, you will be required to move there. We can provide help moving your possessions if you so require."

"I won't," Corsair stated.

"If you so wish, like what your Brothers Hikaru and Katsurou have done, you can tutor the Acolyte and Awakened Brothers and Sisters."

"I won't."

"We will require you for possible callings to the overworld."

"So be it."

"Welcome to the ranks of the Ascended of the Brotherhood of the Amber-Inlaid Path. Now take your place on the Amber-guided lift on which you ascended and return to your compatriots."

Corsair returned to the platform, after which it descended back down to ground level, where the sixteenth Amber Spike vanished and the staircase resurfaced. Once he returned and acknowledged his now-equals, he returned to his Haven in the Sanctuary to clear it out. This was the first Ascension in a while, but there would undoubtedly be more…