Next Destination
After having solved the mystery of the missing princess number two, Shigure and his group left the kingdom behind after making a little... small detour.
"Just to be clear…" a purple hair onmyouji noted darkly, "This is only for Kamui and Corrin…"
"Yes, yes." Asugi grumbled, "You made that clear already, Sunshine."
In the wagon sat Rhajat. An omnyouji they had known for nearly over two years, well actually about fifteen including the years in this world. Without her pinpointing the princess's location, it would've been impossible for Nina and Asugi to have found the caves by the docks. Of course, this does meant that Shigure and his pegasus had to do a lot of flying across the borders of Lufure capital to the outskirts in order to find her father and her. After sharing knowledge between her and Tharja, the onmyouj has been cooped up in her home researching. Of course, knowing this, her father, Hayato, who was also an onmyouji, kept a close eye on her studies choosing not to leave her side this time while his wife goes to help her liege, Aunt Sakura. It was prying her away from her research, but, eventually, Hayato and Shigure's Father was barely able to convince her to leave her research to aid them. Even after that and finding the location, Shigure had barely been able to muster enough strength to seek the cave out and save the princess in time. Now that they have the Chronicles in their hands and what peace could be found in Okeanos was retained, Shigure and his group left the kingdom behind disguised as a band of nomads, thanks to Prince Fay's help. After discussing things with the royal family, they all agreed that such dangerous information should be kept a secret until the right time before chaos would break out. Now, reaching the border between Okeanos and Osius at evening, they came upon a bustling town filled with travelers to their surprise. Mages, warriors, and merchants.
"The place reeks of sweat…" Rhajat complained with a grumble.
"This must be a travelers town…" Shiro noted after looking around, "I've seen one just like it before when I was going to see Aunt Hinoka and Aunt Sakura for a visit with Father."
Seigbert nodded, "You mean the one that was just set up by our Uncles for trade."
"Yup." Kiragi replied with a nod.
"How about let's find a tavern for tonight." Soliel said with a sigh.
"You just want to make up for not being able to have tea with the princess." Ophelia said with a sigh.
"Well, what can I do? She rejected me." Soliel mumbled in disappointment.
"We were in the middle of leaving anyway." Seigbert grumbled.
"I'm going to scout around the area." Asugi mumbled as he walked away from the wagon.
"Meet us back at the center of the town!" Caeldori called out to him as he walked away with a wave.
Shigure turned to them, "Soliel is right though. We'll need a place to stay and food. With so many of us, it would be difficult for all of us to stay at an inn."
"We brought futons with us, so we could try sleeping on the ground of the Inn, then wash them later." Caeldori said, "It would save us the trouble if we make certain not to let the Innkeeper know either. Save us some travel money."
"That sounds good." Forrest smiled and looked to his retainers, "Then, Kiragi and I will go around restocking our supplies."
"I'll help." Shiro replied, "You'll need someone to help with the lifting Rhajat should come with us too."
"Do I really?" Rhajat muttered with a scowl before she sighed.
"Soliel and I will go looking for a tavern." Seigbert said with a nod, "Let's meet back at the center of the town two hours from now."
"All right." Shigure nodded.
Having left the group with Caeldori, the two Sky Knights searched for an Inn. Having gone to three, Caeldori grimaced, "This task is proving itself more challenging…"
Shigure nodded with a grimace, "There are a lot of travelers and the Inn Keeper from earlier said that this always happen in this town. We need to be lucky to find one open."
"Well, I'll keep watch of our steed." Caeldori said with a tyring grin.
As they walked into a fairly large Inn made of stone and wood tiles, he noticed a fairly large group of people rush out past them at the door. Shigure turned and saw the exasperated look on the woman's face as she walked out from their direction and looked to the man that must've been her husband who only scratched his head with knitted brows. Curious, he walked over to them, "Um, pardon me. Would you happen to have some rooms available? We have a large party with us."
The man shook his head and waved his hand, "We are full…"
However, on the front desk lay six silver keys. In bewilderment, he continued, "I'm sorry, but we just saw a bunch of people just left just now…"
The InnKeeper sighed shaking his head, but didn't say a word in hesitation. Finally, the wife prodded his side as he groaned, "Those rooms aren't available. One night stay there have given even the most tough axe man looking like a dead man the next morning."
"Nightmares?"
"Perhaps…" he muttered hesitantly.
"Then, influence of dark magic?" Shigure raised a brow, "When did this start happening?"
"A few months ago, actually." the woman responded, "It was after we brought in this… strange guest."
"We assumed he must be some weird guy, but he didn't stay for more than twelve hours, then left." the Inn Keeper said with a frown, "We've had a lot of shady guests before, but never this."
As he sighed, the Inn Keeper flipped through his book. Shigure thought for a bit with no idea of what to do before he realized that if he-
"We just need Rhajat's help."
Shigure turned around and saw Asugi and Caeldori, who should've been watching the steeds.
"Rhajat?" Shigure raised a brow.
"It's true that she's unwilling to do things without your father's orders, but I don't think Rhajat would leave this be." Caeldori said with a smile, "Let's give it a try. I know she won't mind if it interests her too!"
"Hold on!" the Inn Keeper looked to them in surprise, "Y-You'll help?"
The man frowned, "You should keep away from those rooms."
The woman elbowed him, "How about let's give it a try?"
"A risk rumors to spread like a wild fire?" the man grimaced.
"Rumors have already been spreading." the woman replied with a shrug, "Let's try hiring these fellow travelers and see if they could help us."
The man grumbled hesitantly as the woman continued to talk to him. Finally, he threw his hands up, "Fine! Fine! Have it your way. If you can solve this problem, we'll give you those rooms for free as payment."
"Understood, sir." Shigure replied with a small smile, "Thank you!"
After the Inn Keeper left the room, Shigure walked out with his companions.
"Are you sure it'll be all right? We haven't asked Rhajat or told her anything about this." he said wiith a frown.
"Best take your chances." The ninja grumbled with the lollipop stick still in his mouth, "The rest of the Inns are packed. It's either we get the job done or sleep outside."
"Seriously?" Caeldori grimaced, "Just what's going on today?"
"Who knows." Asugi shrugged, "I looked around and saw a lot of caravans."
"A market, then?" Caeldori raised a brow.
"A bad timing…" Shigure grimaced.
"An interesting proposal…" the onmyouji smirked with some books in hand.
"Then, you'll help?" Shigure asked hesitantly. He certainly wasn't expecting this.
"Except…" Rhajat said firmly, "In exchange, I want to see one of those 'vessels' you hold."
"Vessels?" Caeldori raised a brow, "You mean, someone with a contract?"
"I don't see anything else, do I?"
Shigure frowned, "I still don't have a proper contract yet and Caeldori has only just gotten better."
"I can let Rhajat take a look at it." Caeldori insisted, "I'll be fine."
Asugi shrugged, "It's not like Sunshine will do more than poke at it."
Shigure looked to Caeldori hesitantly, but nodded, "All right, then."
Needless to say, the boys were kicked out of the wagon as Shigure turned to Asugi, "By the way, Asugi. I thought that you were scouting around the area. How did you find us so fast? A coincidence?"
He shrugged as he sighed, "Maybe. Maybe not."
Again. Though, Shigure kind of expected this. Shigure had known Asugi and Caeldori around the same time as Rhajat. He recalled how many people had difficulty trusting him at certain times. One of them was when their food storage had been continuously been raided. At first, his aunt had a suspicion that it could've been him but didn't tell anyone except for Shigure's father. Since they were twins, it makes since that they would tell each other about a lot of things. However, they probably didn't expected their first born to have overheard them. At first, Shigure was curious because he hadn't met Shiro's retainer yet and the ninja was a thief who was against the thought of serving under someone. He couldn't help, but smirk as he said, "You haven't changed at all. It's been over a decade now too."
"Ya think?" Asugi raised a brow.
Shigure nodded, "It's not bad, though. I'm just curious about one thing."
"What?"
"When we were battling next to our families and friends, you were really clear about not wanting to be Shiro's retainer like your father. Everyone knew that too." Shigure said with a look of confusion, "What changed?"
"Nothing." Asugi shrugged, "I just have my own business."
"Oh, okay?" Shigure raised a brow, but didn't press for answers.
Whatever the thief had in mind, Shigure knew that it wasn't anything dangerous to them, at least.
"What about you?" Asugi raised a brow, "Last I heard, you were helping around Hoshido, then I heard from the Old man that you returned and became a prince too."
"Well, my intention was to gain experience of what goes on in the government, so I worked there for a while." Shigure responded with a frown, "What goes on between my Uncle's and my Father's Kingdom are different, but I needed to see what goes on there. However, after one year there, Father and my Aunt needed help around the castle. The only way I could help them is if I return and take the role. The people of Valla will also need much support after being under the Silent Dragon's rule for so long."
"Yeah." Asugi sighed and leaned back, "A lot of bad stuff went down during the war and all that. Shiro's dad became the ruler and a lot of bad stuff went down after their four eyes saw his kid."
Shigure nodded quietly. After they returned to their respective kingdoms, a lot of confusion to the future occured. Amongst them were four major events: the existence of Valla with his family's lineage, the treaty, and the expanding royal families. Though Shiro successfully became the crown prince, there was many disputes when it came to their other cousin, Seigbert, and the marriage between his mother and father. Shigure and Shiro didn't think that it would cause such turmoils in the kingdoms. Both Hoshido and Nohr were in shock when Seigbert's father arrived with his family consisting of more than just him and his siblings. The Council the former king once had were both outraged and upset that they discriminated against Shigure's Aunt, who is the current Queen of Nohr. According to Soliel, they not only discriminated against his mother, but also gave him and Hinoka awful names that Shigure's Uncle became furious. Out of the blue, he dismissed the entire council and rebuilt it. Thankfully, the majority of the kingdom was on their side after recovering from the shock. It goes to show how much trust Seigbert and his father has from their people. Before leaving their world, Shigure had heard that they've only just reassembled a new council completely and things were doing a lot better. So, needless to say, a lot of things happened. Speaking of promotions and time, a thought came to Shigure as the words slipped out of his mouth, "Speaking of which, during the time, all of our friends were getting promoted or traveling to places, but some of us had different thoughts… Wasn't it around this time that-!"
"We're back!" Caeldori suddenly walked out of the wagon with Rhajat who was taking some notes in a book, "Were you guys talking about something?"
"Caeldori!" Shigure's eyes widen in surprise, "That was fast."
"Pretty much." Caeldori smiled, "Rhajat was busy examining the stone while taking notes."
"I see."
Asugi yawned, "Well, I'll go let the others know. Take your time…"
As he walked away, Shigure noticed two familiar large figures walk away with him. Alarmed Shigure called out to him, "Asugi?! O-Our steeds!"
"Oh, I'll do the babysitting!" Asugi said as he waved without looking back.
Aside from his pegasus, Caeldori's pegasus didn't hesitate to follow the thief to their surprise as he walked away baiting his pegasus. Shigure was at a loss for words as he watched. Shigure looked to Caeldori who was in the same state as he was, but speechless.
"Come on. Let's get this over with." Rhajat mumbled as she put away the book.
"R-right!" Shigure managed as he attempts to bring himself back to the situation.
"Interesting…"
Shigure watches as Rhajat looks about the room. It was your average Inn room with three beds on a wooden floor, a couple of cabinets a large mirror and some paintings. Rhajat goes to each one of them and examines the entire surrounding before stopping in front of a mirror. Touching it, she smirked, "Found you…"
She suddenly threw a bottle of greenish- purple liquid onto the mirror, which was suddenly followed by a high pitched scream. Smoke began to rise out of the mirror as the door behind them.
"By the Celestials! What in the world is going on here-! The mirror!"
Shigure turned around and saw that it was the Inn Keeper. However, instead of a red or pale face, he was simply surprised. Shigure was at a loss for words. They had just ruined the man's mirror without permission and probably did not have enough to pay for the damage! Other world Prince or not, there was still a limit to his own money and, now that they were on a journey, money became much tighter when all you have is what you earned in this world. It was one of the focus when they first settled here and that was over ten years ago. Still not enough to pay for an expensive mirror and, seeing the gold rim and elaborate designs on it, it was obvious that the mirror was expensive.
"When did you get this mirror?" Rhajat asked without batting an eye.
Shigure was nervous, but this was certainly her normal behavior.
"A few months ago…" The man replied quickly followed by a pause, "Wait…"
"Looks like you got your answer." Rhajat smirked.
She lifted up her potion away from her as if it was no longer of importance to her as she looked to her deed with a sense of satisfaction, "I didn't think it would work this well… Looks like the thing won't come out of here now. Now, how much is per room?"
"Ten silver coins with meals included." he replied.
She touched her chin in thought as she grinned, "We're given the room for the night… If you add the meal, I can properly dispose of it. For now, I've only just sealed it in the mirror, which is no problem… unless you want your customers to experience the thrill of seeing a ghost or such things."
"Sealed?" The man grumbled, "In all three mirrors?"
"You got all three mirrors on the same day, right?" Rhajat responded with a dismissive sigh, "All three rooms had occurrences and, looking through this one, I can see through it perfectly. All three mirrors are tied together like passages."
The man was in deep thoughts before he nodded much to Shigure's further disbelief, "Okay. If you can make sure it never comes back again, then I'll add meals to the deal tonight and tomorrow morning."
"Perfect." The onmyouji smirked and pulled out her bag taking two more of the same solution out.
As she walked out of the room, she turned to the Inn Keeper, "Also, if you really want them to be gone, you would do well not to buy these things from suspicious merchants from now on."
"Of course." The man nodded undisturbed by her shady looks.
By the time their friends arrived, they already have three rooms that they could share. With Sophie's help, they were able to squeeze all twelve of them inside. Of course, one of them would be out on the lookout for their steed's safety, so it was a close fit.
As they sat in the tavern around a large table, Sophie asked, "So, where do we go next?"
"Osius Kingdom." Shigure answered firmly.
A sudden chill ran down their spine as Shiro grimaced, "Isn't that-"
He looked to Seigbert who nodded, "That was where I first investigated during my time in the Academy. Even though I was a messenger, I couldn't even take a single step inside, much less deliver the package. Proof or not."
Shigure nodded, "This time, we have the support of both Lufure and Okeanos. I hope this will make some changes for the better."
"But," Sophie frowned, "What if they don't let us in?"
Soliel stretched as she mumbled leisurely, "Well, we can just tell them the truth and-"
"Let's not do that." Shigure responded much to their surprise.
Forrest nodded, "The last time we did that, it was because we didn't have much of a choice. We were lucky that Okeanos believed that we went through is true, but that won't go for everyone."
"Seriously?" Soleil groaned.
"Speaking of everyone." Seigbert looked to his cousin, "What about Eriol, Forrest?"
"We explained everything to him in the end." Forrest responded receiving a nod of confirmation from his retainers, "He believes us since he's lost already without his memories."
Since they left Okeanos, Shigure and his cousins have decided to keep the young warrior with them. After his cousins' experience with what happened on the ship, they decided it was too dangerous to leave him to wander the world on his own for his memories. Instead, they took him in and told him everything. After all, they were the only one he could probably depend on now.
It was morning when Kamui left the tent. Catching the scent of food, he decided to go look for his wife who had left their tent before he did. He asked around and soon came upon the lake they camped around. The familiar melody of her voice drifted into his ears as a smile slowly came over his face. It wasn't long before he found her sitting on a large piece of wood by the banks in her blue dress. It had been so long since he last saw her wore the dress that it nearly threw him into a loop of confusion before he remembered that he was also wearing his old clothing and armor. After all, today was the "reunion". As he walked up to her, the melody was soothing and he realized that he couldn't bare to interrupt it. So, he stood there letting her voice drift in the air. It was enough to calm his weary heart after all the stress and travel.
"Kamui?"
Her voice woke him up from the tranquility as he saw her look to him with looks of surprise. He felt the heat raise on his face as he tried to smile, "Ah. S-Sorry! I was looking for you, but I didn't want to interrupt…"
She giggled, "That's fine. This isn't the first time you've done this anyway. Also, I did have an audience."
"You do?"
He raised a brow and approached her. It was then that he saw his niece fast asleep next to Azura's feet with her head in her lap. Yuki, her small white fox rested peacefully next to them.
"Suki…?" He whispered quietly.
Azura placed her finger before her lips and whispered, "She had a hard time falling asleep last night. We should let her sleep a little longer."
"I see." Kamui strained a smile, "She's not use to traveling like us. I'll carry her to Brother's wagon later, then."
Azura nodded her head quietly with a small smile as she stroked the silver hair on the girl's face, "She's grown a lot…"
"She has." Kamui nodded in agreement, "It felt like just yesterday when Xander and Hinoka brought her back."
"She was so small back then." Azura said nostalgically.
"I heard that brother had some trouble at first." Kamui said, "But, they adapted to the situations really quickly."
There was a moment of silence before Kamui spoke with a frown, "Tonight will most likely decide it all…"
The air grew cold as Azura's smile faded, "Thirteen years… Almost fourteen… It's been too long for all of us. But now, Rinne is missing."
Kamui nodded with a grimace, "She was the key to getting us back home and the clue to the Celestials. Now…"
"It all rest with Suki…" Azura muttered quietly in silent sadness, "But, she's still so young…"
Kamui nodded again, "Too young. Problem is no one will disagree how much she and Rinne look so alike. If possible, I want them to wait a couple more years, but we are growing impatient and there are children who are waiting for their parents back in their time."
"Is there anything we can do?" Azura whispered quietly shaking her head, "I mean, Rinne is also so young."
"We'll figure something out." Kamui whispered in a low voice that indicated how small his hope of this was.
Azura caught onto this and quietly nodded her head as well as her eyes fell on the girl and her fox.
That afternoon, they finally arrived at the meeting point. The Endless Plain. A large flat plain of dry grass with tents, horses, and soldiers resting over it. Because the place was uninhabited and unclaimed, yet surrounded by trees over a hundred kilometers away. The perfect place to hold a secret meeting away from the eyes of society. As Kamui and his siblings got down from their horses and wagon, a familiar figure walked over greeting them with a bright smile.
"Kamui! Corrin! Xander! It's been too long!" the figure said waving his hand and reaching out to them, "You seem to be doing well."
Kamui took his hand with a smile, "Likewise. Corrin and I was worried when we heard that you had to escape from Crimean Kingdom. Thank you for aiding my son and his friends."
Chrom chuckled, "So you say, but it should be your son who should take the credit. Had it not been for him and your nephew, Shiro, we would've still been in the dungeons of Crimean's castle."
It was then that Kamui saw Chrom's eyes shift to the wagons. Suki had just walked out of the wagon with her fox in her arms as she rushed over to Hinoka's side. Chrom raised a brow and whispered to him, "Isn't that your niece, Kamui? Are you sure it'll be safe with her here?"
Kamui nodded, "Yes, Chrom."
"We don't quite have a choice, ourselves." Xander said with a grimace, "There's much to share later."
Chrom nodded before seeing the girl stare up to him quietly. He smiled and offered his hand, "Hello, Suki. My name is Chrom. A friend of your parents and family."
"Hello…" She responded quietly taking his hand.
It was clear the child wasn't use to strangers, so Kamui turned to Xander and nodded.
"Suki? Could you stay with your cousins for now? Your mother and I have a very important meeting to attend with your uncles and aunts." Xander said patting her head.
The girl looked to him and nodded, "I understand, Dad."
As she ran off, Chrom chuckled, "It's almost hard to believe she was the small infant thirteen years ago. Anyway, we should start the meeting."
Kamui nodded as they begin to follow after the prince, "How is Lucina? I heard that she did her own fair share of travels for a while too."
"She's doing well." Chrom responded with a smile, "She and Gerome joined us on a few travels before we got here. Her swordsmanship has either gotten better or I'm starting to lose my touch."
"It's probably the first." Corrin laughed, "We should be the ones to worry since we don't travel to unknown places as much as you do, Chrom."
Leo sighed, "Just last week, Elise was able to get a hit on me with the Elfire tome. That rarely ever happened before. Since then, I've been training more often before school starts."
"Looks like Takumi is doing well, then." Chrom chuckled, "I saw him earlier facing off against Virion a while ago."
"Takumi is here?" Hinoka's eyes widen in surprise as she looked to Sakura who was just as surprised.
Chrom nodded firmly as the smile vanished, "He came in Ryoma's place."
Xander nodded, "We understand. We were told ahead of time that there would be a possibility that he wouldn't be present."
Chrom frowned, "I thought the same."
After passing many tents, they came upon a large tent where Frederick and Sully stood guarding the tent with Hinata.
"Hey! It's been a while!" Sully smirked with a wave.
Just as Kamui thought, everyone was in their usual clothes. Clothes they haven't worn in a long time. He smiled, "It has. I see you're doing well, Sully."
"Yup!" the woman pounded her chest plate with a fist, "Ain't letting some thirteen years turning me rusty!"
"Milord, Prin-!"
"R-Right!" Chrom interrupted and opened the tent door, "Takumi is already waiting inside. He arrive just this morning."
He then pulled his retainer aside, probably to let Frederick know the presence of Kamui's niece, Suki, in this "reunion".
"Sorry for making you wait this long, Takumi." Kamui said as he walked into the torch lit tent and saw his brother.
The archer sighed, "It's fine. It wasn't all that long, anyway."
Kamui took a seat as he asked cautiously, "About Ryoma… is he still…"
A frown came over the archer's face as he said firmly, "Yeah. He's still searching for his daughter with Orochi. I…"
He hesitated before continuing bitterly as everyone sat down, "I'm not going to lie, brother… But, the chances are slim…"
Hinoka looked ready to jump up, but Kamui quickly replied, "I know. But, let's not give up hope and don't tell that to Ryoma. Right now, he's doing everything he can to find her. For us and for his family."
"Right…" Takumi breathed a little possibly in relief, "Shall we begin the meeting?"
Chrom nodded as he and his retainer entered the room, "Yes."
He took a seat and began, "Shall we start with the recent incident with Rinne?"
Takumi nodded as he spoke amongst those around the round table, "The day the event happened, brother and I were going about our usual place working. It wasn't till that afternoon when Ryoma's retainer, Saizo received a message through the orb from Kagero. However, by the time we got there, the apartment room they stayed in has become a crime scene. The place was a mess and the windows and furnitures was broken. Rinne was missing and Kagero was severely injured."
The pale look on Takumi's face as he said this worried Kamui. He had known that the scene was gruesome, but to be there in person must've been an entirely different level than to hear it.
"Was there any clues that led to her whereabouts?" Xander asked.
Takumi shook his head, "According to Kagero, Rinne was returning from those idol exams she's been dying to take part in and messaged her that she was returning home. During that time, a man in white had already broken through the window with a Lost One in tow. She immediately hid and told Rinne to go on an errand to keep her away from the house before contacting us. But…"
As he hesitated, Corrin frowned with worry, "Takumi?"
He grimaced with deep confusion, "Nobody remembered her at all when we asked the people in the shops. Not them nor the people in that entertainment company. It was like she never even existed in that world."
"What?!" Sakura gasped.
"What about the people managing the apartment?" Camilla asked.
He shook his head, "All she could remember was Kagero. She never recalled renting out a room to two women. But, there was evidence that Rinne was there because her things was still in her room. The only confusing part is that we're the only ones who remember her."
Leo frowned, "Now that you said it, I did recall you contacting me and Sakura in the middle of the night. You asked if we remember Rinne, if I was correct?"
Takumi nodded, "Many of us were already panicking by then and I tried to settle things down by confirming that we weren't the only ones who remember her. Luckily, I was right. Since then, brother and Orochi has been searching the area in the human realm."
Kamui frowned and looked over to his siblings, "I'll send Kaze over to help with the search."
"Niles has been to the human realm before." Leo said firmly, "I'll have him help too."
Seeing Takumi caught off guard by their offer to help, Camilla smiled, "Rinne is important to us as well. She is a dear friend before she is our clue. I know, I'll ask Beruka to aid you and your brother too."
Chrom nodded in agreement, "If Ryoma needs help, he shouldn't hesitate to ask. Because it's only our four armies in this world, we need to depend on each other."
"Well…" Takumi hesitated nervously, "I was going to ask Kamui and Corrin… Th-Thank you…"
Kamui smile and nodded before Corrin spoke up, "Um… About Kagero… How is she doing?"
Suddenly, the embarrass look vanished from his face as he frowned, "That's…"
"Takumi?" Kamui raised a brow as a bad premonition weighed on his heart.
"She…" Takumi grimaced, "She will need time to recover still, but she will have to retire early…"
"What?!" Hinoka jumped in surprise as Sakura gasped.
Concerned, Chrom asked, "Takumi, was it that bad?"
Takumi nodded in silence before he said firmly, "She cannot continue her role as retainer in her current position. The injury was just too dire."
Stunned, Kamui couldn't find words and only looked to Azura who was just as shocked as he was.
"No way…" Hinoka grimaced, "But, Kagero and Saizo have always been by our brother's side."
Takumi shook his head, "We can talk about this later, sister. What about the Hopien Wars, big brother Kamui?"
Kamui frowned, "A lot of things are going on there right now. Good and bad. First, we know that there were two factions of the Hopien groups. According to the current situation, after it started, their tactician and her half siblings were all kidnapped a month later. One of them, however, escaped and took over her position. Now, their new tactician leads the war and have formed multiple unlikely alliances in the course of two to three months. One of them being with rebel monsters rebelling against the enemy monsters."
"Seriously?" Takumi's eyes widen upon disbelief.
Corrin nodded, "It's not just that. It seems that she not only formed alliances with the monsters and the other faction of Hopien, but also created weapons of Celestial metal with an ancient spell. A fairly dangerous one. However, in the faction, a group of six or seven Hopien has been gaining a lot of attention. They not only hold all seven weapons, but also are the strongest amongst them. According to our sources, the tactician advises the leader of the group and have won many battles pushing the war in their favor. It should end in the next couple of weeks."
"Weapons of Celestial metal?" Chrom hummed, "I've heard of such materials somewhere before."
"Milord." Frederick spoke up, "You're speaking of the Celestial metal from the Greek and Rome myths."
"That's it!" Chrom nodded with a smile before his eyes widen in surprise, "Wait. That's actually real?"
"Apparently so." Corrin responded with a frown, "And, their tactician have seemed to have acquired some to make seven weapons. Weapons that were immediately labeled sacred weapons."
"How did that happen?" Leo raised a brow.
"We don't know. The only problem is that…" Kamui continued, "It seems that they've lost nearly half of that number in their group just recently."
"What of those weapons?" Xander asked.
Kamui shook his head, "We don't know either. Our source came from a Hopien whom we share trust with. Yet, even this wasn't told to them."
Chrom nodded with a grimace, "It is the same with us, but it seems your source was willing to share more. We only know as much as the fact that the Hopien might end the war in the next couple of weeks. However, it seems that their tactician have suffered quite a bit of damage from the war. She might not hold up long enough to live through the post war."
"Chrom?" Kamui raised a brow, "I've rarely seen you into something as this before. Did something happened?"
Chrom was silent for a bit before he answered, "I think… I think our tactician was also a Hopien… Half Ancient, Half Human… or possibly even with Frian blood in her…"
"I wouldn't be surprised." Leo muttered, "According to your words, she's far too powerful to be a human. She has to be either a Frian or a Hopien. I suspect that she's a Frian, though. I haven't heard about her using a fire type of tome. But, the question I'm curious about is if she knew anything about the Lost Ones."
Chrom raised a brow, "What do you mean?"
"When we teleported to the world where your tactician came from, your deity, Naga, told us that the Lost Ones also originated from this world." Leo said with a frown, "If that's true, then could there have been any chance that she was involved with them?"
"I'm sorry, Leo. But, that won't sum things up." Xander said, "The Lost Ones only just started appearing in this world just recently. You were there to witness that too."
Leo nodded, "I know… But, the possibility that she met them before they appeared is still plausible. They are from the same world."
There was a moment of silence before Kamui shook his head, "How about let's talk of the situation with Shigure's and the children's journey."
Chrom nodded with a wide smile, "The last I saw them was in Crimean Kingdom and Goud kingdom. I recall that they got a spirit to accompany them on their journey. Then, I met with Seigbert's group. Soliel was their next chosen to form a contract with a spirit."
Kamui nodded hesitantly, "That's right. They've uncovered two of the Chronicles and, from what I heard, they also obtained the third."
"Just about each kingdom has a Chronicle, right?" Takumi asked.
Leo nodded, "That's right. Seigbert and Kiragi found the first one, but I'm surprised to hear that it was from our own library."
"That is unusual." Camilla agreed with a nod, "You've been there for over ten years collecting study materials for the students, so I'm surprised that you didn't come across the book."
Kamui thought for a bit as they said this and spoke, "Perhaps… Just like the spirits, the Chronicles were also waiting for the children and not us."
Corrin nodded, "It was only after we sent Shigure and Forrest on their journey that we started making progress. If they were waiting for the right person, it was unfortunate that we kept them from traveling so often away. But, it wasn't like we ever knew either..."
"None of us knew." Chrom corrected, "Right now, we are making progress. It's enough to boost everyone's morale too."
Kamui nodded, "Well, I have good news and bad news."
"Okay?" Chrom frowned, "Let's start with the bad news, then…"
"We'd have to start with that regardless." Corrin sighed.
Kamui continued, "The bad news is that it turns out that the king of Okeanos now knows amost everything about us."
"What?!"
The news nearly sent Takumi out of his chair while Chrom's eyes widen in shock as their brother spoke, "How-?!"
"During their time in Lufure, the royal family's crown prince was pleased with the return of his younger sister and offered to introduce them to his close friend, the crown prince of Okeanos." Kamui explained, "While they were there, the royal family found the children suspicious and forced the truth out of them."
Xander nodded, "It turns out that Presia once had contacted the problem of otherworld people to them before, so they knew something wasn't right when they heard that they came from Presia."
"Just our luck…" Chrom shook his head in dismay."
Kamui sighed as he continued, "The good news, though, is that, after aiding them with their problem, the King of Okeanos is willing to aid us with the search for information on the Celestials and keep watch out of the Lost Ones. Also, they gave Shigure the third Chronicle book."
"That's… unbelievable…" Takumi's eyes widen in disbelief.
In stupor, Chrom nodded silently as Kamui continued, "Yes. But, we told the children to refrain from doing that again in case the opposite effect were to happen."
"I agree." Chrom replied, "Even if the truth is better told, that's not always true in this case. Keeping it a secret will be safer than to reveal it again."
He smiled and continued, "However, it's a relief to know that there are those who are willing to believe and aid us than to suspect us."
"Their next destination is Osius Kingdom." Leo spoke up, "It seems that they were given letters and signatures from the King and prince of Okeanos for passage. My son told me that it's due to a close connection they have with the current ruler, but even they aren't certain if they would allow Shigure and the others passage."
"I heard the same from Shigure." Kamui replied with a frown, "However, I'm more worried about how things will go in Osius kingdom than their passage."
"What do you mean?" Elise tilted her head in confusion.
Camilla sighed hesitantly before she replied, "It's because… Osius Kingdom was the one who destroyed and conquered the Kingdom of Wyscun."
"Wyscun?" Elise's eyes widen, "You mean the one that became ruins?"
Xander nodded, "That was an even that only happened twenty years ago. Before we arrived."
"Talk about cutting it close." Takumi sighed, "If we had arrived any sooner, we would've also been caught up in the battle."
"Um…" Sakura frowned, "I also know that Osius was responsible for the destruction of Wyscun, but I've thought about this. Why didn't the other kingdom intervene or took part in it before?"
"I don't know…" Camilla shook her head, "The truth was never clear. Some said that their royal families had their own personal conflicts to take care of and didn't have time to aid either side. Others said that they just didn't want to risk losing their empire. In the end, the Wyscun Kingdom died away because the people of Osius and the royal family feared their powers."
"About that…" Leo interrupted with a small sigh, "It seems Forrest and the others heard Okeanos's side of the story to that plot since the kids were curious. Apparently, before this war there was another waged between Frian and Humans. All of the Kingdoms were involved with the war and some even fell. Those that fell joined with the remaining Kingdoms, but, during the war, the Kingdoms of Osius and Wyscun were considered inseparable allies and worked together to save the other kingdoms."
"Really…" Xander raised a brow.
Leo nodded, "According the Okeanos's King, the sole queen of Wyscun and the king of Osius were powerful warriors and fought alongside making them the strongest duo during the war. They saved the King when Okeanos had their waters polluted by the humans and the water is what the Kingdom survives off of. The two kingdoms had that close relation for years till the last generation. The King said that the former king of Osius went mad and, as Wyscun's power grew, so did Osius's fear that they would crush them down."
"Huh?" Sakura tilted her head in confusion, "How could that be…"
Leo shook his head, "Their guess was that the was either jealous or went mad for more power and used his people's fear to launch an attack on Wyscun."
"And, since they had such a good relation, I'm going to assume that they didn't expect it, did they?" Takumi questioned with a scowl.
Leo nodded, "When Okeanos's King arrived to stop the fight, Wyscun was already burned to the ground."
"That's horrible!" Hinoka grimaced, "How could they do that?"
Leo shook his head, "I don't know why either. However, according to the king, the crown prince of Osius immediately overthrew his father for the throne and ended the war. During that time, he had requested aid from Okeanos's king to help him achieve that feat. After they succeeded, the former king was thrown into the dungeons and the current repaired relations damaged by his father. I was told that he paid Wyscun a visit, but found no survivors."
However, we did was what Kamui wanted to say, but now was too soon, and he certainly didn't want to reveal Aurora without further confirmation of the situation.
"That explains a lot now." Chrom frowned, "This is almost like back then…"
"Milord…" Frederick muttered quietly probably out of concern.
"Back then?" Kamui raised a brow.
"Could you be…" Corrin though for a bit before continuing, "Are you talking about the war between Ylisse and Plegia?"
"Who told you that?" Frederick raised a brow.
"We heard about it a lot from the Shepherds." Kamui responded, "My apologies, it piqued our curiosity…"
"It's fine." Chrom responded with a small wave and smile, "It's not like we intend to keep it a secret regardless. It's just as you said. Their conflict reminds me much of the days when our sister, Emm,... and our father... took on the mantle."
Suddenly, his face grew dark. Kamui hesitated to ask, but Chrom continued regardless, "When our father was the Exalt, he waged war on Plegian soil claiming them to be evil and such… the violence… It was a brutal campaign that lasted fifteen years and ended only with his death. I don't know what my father saw then starting war with Plegia, but his actions were also unexcusable. To go as far as even conscripting farmers who only knew to hold a pitchfork when the army started to diminish. Only after the violence ended did my sister took on the title of Exalt. Plegia rightfully remembers their suffering as well as my own people. It took years before our people could forgive the royal family's actions… Emm, who went as far as accepting the stones thrown at her, worked tirelessly to quell the anger in the hearts of our people and nearly gave her life to save Plegia from their thirst for revenge and violent thoughts. Thinking about what goes on between Osius and Wyscun reminds me much of our own kingdom. Only they may never make amends to what had happened that day. I find that… very unfortunate..."
"I wonder what the people of Osius Kingdom are like…" Sakura asked hesitantly, "I mean… they can't be all that bad now, right?"
"I don't know…" Leo responded.
Kamui frowned, "For now, we should let them continue their journey into Osius Kingdom. Leo, can you tell them to tread carefully through those lands? It'd be good if they can continue making progress, but their safety is more important there. If they can't make past there, just go to another kingdom."
Leo nodded, "Of course, brother. Shigure and Seigbert understands that very well and is already planning their next destination."
"Good." Kamui nodded with a smile.
"As for us." Chrom said firmly, "Since we've yet to explore all of the underground, I'll lead the Shepherds through underground passages that we can find in this realm. If the Lost Ones first appeared here, then we shall start here."
"What about the aid from Okeanos?" Hinoka questioned curiously.
Takumi frowned, "Brother and Orochi are neck deep into Rinne's disappearance. It'll be difficult to have him leave when he got this far."
"But, all three ruler will need to be present for this one." Camilla responded with a grimace, "Okeanos Kingdom is a very influential kingdom and not making a good impression of ourselves would be… unwise."
There was a moment of silence before Chrom spoke up, "I'll talk to Ryoma and see if we can figure something out."
"Xander and I have plans to speak with the king. So, we already have that figured out" Kamui added, "Let me help. I'm also curious as to how far he's found on her."
Chrom nodded with a small smile, "That'd be much appreciated-!"
"Captain!"
Suddenly, Yarne rushed into the tent with eyes wide in panic as he tried to catch his breath.
"Yarne?" Chrom stood up with a look of confusion.
"I-I-I-It's Suki!" Yarne stuttered in a panic, "She's vanished!"
"What?!"
This time, Xander rushed out of his seat and to the entrance as Hinoka followed close behind him. Kamui was about to get up when he saw that the Taguel was about to faint. He grimaced and turned to Corrin, "Go! I'll take care of this!"
His younger twin nodded and rushed out the door while Kamui hurriedly helped Yarne to his seat. Leo and Takumi had already left the tent their siblings leaving only him and Chrom behind to take care of the taguel who was still catching his breath. He turned to Chrom, "You should check on the situation too, Chrom. Kaze, I need you to go with him."
"Understood, milord." The ninja responded.
Chrom nodded and rushed out of the room after them. Azura quickly took out metal canteen of water and handed it to Yarne who drank it greedily before finally speaking, "Th-Thanks…"
"Easy now." Kamui said with a frown, "Now, can you tell us what happened?"
Yarne nodded, "I-I-I was with Brady in the Mess Tent talking with Xing. Then, when we were done first, we left him and saw Suki walking out of the same tent as us. So, we talked to her for a bit when Xing came out and saw us. A-After that, I don't understand what happened well, b-but she started getting this really bad headache! A-And it wasn't just her! Xing also had the same thing, then he collapsed. B-But, Suki- She-... Th-This strange light came out of her a-a-and we c-couldn't see!"
"Calm down, Yarne." Kamui patted his shoulder, "What else happened?"
"W-Well…" He gulped for breath before continued agitated, "We heard her scream and then both her and that fox she has vanished into thin air. Brady tried to help both of them earlier, but he couldn't find anything wrong with either of them just before the light came. Then, Brady yelled for me to find Chrom quickly, so I ran here as fast as I could..."
"And Xing?"
"Brady is with him right now…" Yarne replied.
"I see." Kamui nodded with a small smile, "You did well hurrying over when you did. Take a break for now. We'll take care of this."
Kamui then turned to Silas, his other retainer, "Stay here with Yarne, Silas. If he passes out, take him to the infirmary."
"Understood." Silas nodded.
Kamui and Azura then left the tent. Azura looked to him with deep concern, "Kamui…"
Frustrated, Kamui slowly let out a sigh as they hurriedly rushed to the Mess Tent, "We… We shouldn't have brought her here…"
YueTian: Hooray for graduation! I'm finally free from college! Also, it's been so long! I had a hard time thinking of ideas to write about and my other stories. For now, I'm back to writing stories and working part time till I can make more money for my artworks. For now, you can expect more work uploaded in the near future! Till then, I see you all again!
6/20/2019 4:27 PM