Pinkshuchan: Hey guys! Pinkshuchan here! Hope New Year's has been great for all of you! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 25
A Ruler's Request
The streets of the Kingdom of the Green Winged Clan were bustling like always. With people walking around, shopping, and chatting amongst themselves, how could they not? However, this proved as a problem for Asaka as she had no idea where her subordinate was. She was not used to crowds on the streets, for the streets in the Kingdom of the Black Winged Clan were usually deserted. She would like to hurry and finish her business so she could return to her beloved king's side.
After about a half an hour of roaming around, she caught sight of the one she was looking for; a man with long, unkempt silver hair with black wings just like her. He was sitting at a table in front of a small bar, chugging down his drink. She had no idea what he was doing, especially since she had ordered him to be keeping an eye on the knights of the Gold Winged Clan. She was about to find out as she made her way over to him.
"I found you." She whispered into the man's ear.
The black winged male jumped up off his chair and a few centimeters away from the table, facing the intruder. He flinched as soon as they made eye contact. "L-L-Lady Asaka!" the man stuttered, fearing what was about to come. "W-W-What a pleasant surprise!"
Asaka crossed her arms across her chest as she raised her eyebrow. "I'd hardly call it a surprise. You knew I was coming here after you alerted me of the knights's whereabouts."
The silver haired man nervously laughed. "Ah, yeah! That's right!"
The navy haired girl was starting to grow suspicious. She could tell that he was hiding something. She was about to bring it up when the man suggested that she sit down and rest after flying all the way to the kingdom of the Green Winged Clan from the kingdom of the Black Winged Clan and he would buy her a drink. Asaka agreed to take him on his offer but that didn't mean it would completely distract her from the question she needed to ask.
"So tell me." she spoke up as soon as she got her drink. "I noticed it as I looked around; the Gold Winged Clan knights aren't here, right? Why are you here when I ordered you to keep an eye on them?"
Upon hearing her question, the man flinched once again. "Uh, yeah, about that…"
Blue eyes narrowed. "Where are they?"
The silver haired male kept trying to change the subject and get her to forget about it, but Asaka was not falling for it. After some time had passed, she was able to persuade him to tell her what happened using fear tactics. Now that he was cooperating, her subordinate began to tell her what happened. He told her that he had been watching the two knights since he found them at the kingdom of the Green Winged Clan until recently. After a few days, he explained that a female gold winged knight then showed up (who Asaka immediately recognized as Captain Misaki) and the next thing that happened was the three getting on a carriage and flying off somewhere.
After hearing everything, Asaka glared at him. "You just let them get away?!" she snarled. "Why didn't you follow them?!"
"I-I-I figured you'd g-g-get angry if you showed up here and I-I wasn't around!" the man cried out.
"You could've followed them and then gave me an update with what was happening, you idiot!" She let out a loud, frustrating sigh. "I had to leave His Majesty's side for this…"
It was then that her subordinate realized something. "Wait! I-I remember! It's not that I didn't plan to follow them! It was that I couldn't! There was another with them!"
She stared at him. "Another gold winged knight?"
"No," the silver haired male replied. "This person had different coloured wings."
"Green wings?"
"Not green wings either. Their wings… they were-!"
XxXxX
The Sea of Clouds was peaceful this day. Not a single cloud was dark and gray. As the carriage flew above the vast white, Naoki and Kamui were unable to keep their eyes off the view, having never been this far away from home. Misaki simply sat there quietly, contemplating the previous events and the sudden visitor that appeared before them, leading to their current situation.
"Why are you here?" Misaki cried out upon seeing the familiar face before her.
Kourin crossed her arms as she gave the other girl an amused smirk. "What, am I not supposed to be here?"
"Th-that's not what I mean." the lilac haired girl stuttered. "It's just that I've never seen you leave the kingdom of the Silver Winged Clan."
"I normally don't." the blonde haired woman frowned. "But I'm here on business. I was sent here by Lord Takuto himself. He wishes to see you three."
The three gold winged knights shared glances with each other as they stood there confused. "What does the ruler of the Silver Winged Clan want with us?" Naoki asked. "And how did you know we were here?"
"In terms of your first question, I don't know." Kourin replied. "As for your second question, Lord Takuto told me I would find you here."
Her answer only produced more questions. How did the ruler of the Silver Winged Clan know where three knights of the Gold Winged Clan were? And why was he looking for them specifically? As much as they wanted to know, they weren't sure if they should leave when they had just found something proving the Red Winged Clan's existence. But was it wise to defy a ruler's wishes, even if it isn't the one they serve? They were at a crossroads.
"Oh, and," Kourin continued, "Lord Takuto brought up something else. He said that if you come, he'll tell you as much as he can about what it is you're searching for, whatever it is."
All eyes on the three knights widened upon hearing that. Did Lord Takuto know they were trying to learn more about the Red Winged Clan? Looking at each other, they were in unanimous agreement to go see the leader of the Silver Winged Clan, see what he wanted from them, and try to learn more about the Red Winged Clan.
And thus it led to present day with the three knights riding the carriage to the kingdom of the Silver Winged Clan. Misaki looked down at the scroll resting on her lap. They had to ask Gouki if they could borrow it, which he allowed as he saw no other use for it. Looking over it again, the captain noticed something about the family tree on the scroll that needed questioning and figured Lord Takuto might know the answer.
"This is gonna be amazing!" Naoki cried in excitement. "I never dreamed that I would ever get to go to the kingdom of the Silver Winged Clan! Heck, I never thought I would ever get to go anywhere outside of the kingdom of the Gold Winged Clan!"
Kamui gave the older male a smack on the head. "We're not here for sightseeing!" he reprimanded the senior knight. "We don't know what the leader of the Silver Winged Clan wants with us." He looked over at Misaki. "Captain, you've been to the kingdom of the Silver Winged Clan a bunch of times with Her Majesty, right? What is this Lord Takuto like?"
Misaki leaned back in her seat as she pondered. "It is true that I have accompanied Her Majesty to the half annual meetings since I became captain and I have met Lord Takuto. However, I wouldn't necessarily say I know him. To be honest, he is a complete mystery. I only know the things about him that everyone else knows."
"We're here." they could hear Kourin call out from the front. All three gold winged knights looked out the windows to see the kingdom of the Silver Winged Clan. As it was their first time here, Naoki and Kamui were in awe with the view before them, despite the latter just saying they weren't at the kingdom to sightsee.
None of the knights knew that things were going to change the moment they leave the carriage and step into the crystal palace.
As soon as they entered through the giant doors, they were greeted by a young girl with reddish brown hair (who Misaki immediately recognized as one of the other girls that serve Takuto alongside Kourin), rushing over to hug the blonde woman.
"Welcome back, Kourin!" the girl exclaimed, excited to her friend return.
Kourin gave the other girl a light pat on the back in response. "Hey, Rekka." she replied. "Is Lord Takuto in the audience chamber?"
The girl, Rekka, pulled away. "Actually, he's in the meeting room. He's currently discussing things with the ruler of the Aqua Winged Clan. I don't know what they're talking about though."
"Can you go and tell him that I've brought the three knights from the Gold Winged Clan like he told me to?"
"Sorry, Kourin." said the younger female. "I was just about to head out to do some shopping at the marketplace. Let me know how it goes!" Before anything else could be said, Rekka skipped out of the door. Kourin let out a loud, exasperated sigh as she massaged her temples.
"She always does this." she muttered to herself. She then remembered that she wasn't alone as the three visitors stood there in confusion. She faced the gold winged knights. "I'm sorry, but I'm gonna go tell Lord Takuto that you are here-!"
"That won't be necessary."
All four of them turned in the direction of the voice. A cyan haired woman stood on the main stairway, flashing a gentle smile at them. Kourin immediately recognized the woman.
"Suiko!" she cried out. "What do you mean by that?"
The older woman, Suiko, simply smiled more. "Lord Takuto is already aware of your presence and is finishing up his meeting with Master Leon of the Aqua Winged Clan. He asked that I tell you to wait for him in the audience chamber and he will join you shortly." As soon as she finished sending the message, she walked back up the stairs. Kourin let out another sigh.
"Well, there we go." she spoke up. "I'll escort you three there." The three gold winged knights followed the blonde haired woman up the opposite stairs the cyan haired woman walked up and walked down the hall until they made it to a set of giant doors. Kourin opened the doors and gestured for the knights to walk in.
The audience chamber in the crystal palace brought the one in the palace back home to shame. The room was gigantic, covered in crystal like the rest of the palace, with crystal pillars standing close to the walls holding the ceiling up. The entire room was decorated with different coloured crystal plants and crystal statues of owls. It felt like they had just entered a different world.
"Please make yourselves comfortable." Kourin suggested as soon as the knights walked inside. "Wish I could stay but I have some more errands I need to do." She then left, closing the door behind her as she left the three alone in the cold, giant, empty room.
The three gold winged knights had no clue how long they waited, but it felt like an eternity. There was nothing they could really do but pace. Both Naoki and Kamui threw out complaints every few minutes but Misaki told them to wait patiently. However, she could understand their frustration for she too was slowly starting to grow impatient. She began to question what Lord Takuto was doing that was taking this long.
After some time had passed, the doors loudly creaked open. The three knights snapped their heads towards the direction of the door to see the silver winged child walk in accompanied by a young man with aqua wings. Misaki immediately recognized them as Lord Takuto and Master Leon. Takuto flashed an apologetic smile as he and Leon walked past the knights. "I apologize for taking so long." he said. "Our discussion took longer than expected."
Both Naoki and Kamui leaned towards their captain while staring at the silver winged male. "That brat is Lord Takuto?" Naoki whispered in Misaki's one ear.
"And here I thought he was some old geezer." Kamui whispered in the captain's other ear.
The lilac haired girl smacked them both in the head. "Both of you!" she hissed at them. "That is Lord Takuto of the Silver Winged Clan you are talking about. Be more respectful."
Luckily for them, Takuto was too busy walking to his throne to hear anything his gold winged guests were saying about him. As soon as he sat down, he looked over at his guests, including Leon who stood beside the throne, cleared his throat to get their attention, and as soon as they were listening to him, he spoke up.
"Thank you for coming." he properly welcomed them. "I assume you wish to know the reason as to why I summoned you, knights of the Gold Winged Clan."
Misaki walked forward and bowed before the ruler of the Silver Winged Clan. "I am Captain Misaki of the Gold Winged Clan. I will confess that we don't understand what it is my knights and I can do for you that your knights cannot do for you."
Takuto frowned. "I will cut to the chase." He took a deep breath. "You and your knights have been searching for proof that the Red Winged Clan exists, am I correct?"
The three knights flinched. So he did know about it? For what reason did he call them then? He said he had info they wanted. Was he willing to pass the info to them nonchalantly? And why was Master Leon still here despite his meeting with Lord Takuto being over? Or maybe it wasn't over and Leon was just waiting until Takuto finished his business with them?
"You three must be confused about everything going on." Takuto continued with a sigh. "First of all, yes, the Red Winged Clan does exist. They were known as the Red Wings of Valor and were the bravest and strongest of all the clans. But then, tragedy struck when something happened to the clan. It was decided with the other clans that the Red Winged Clan be exiled from the Cloudlands, and thus they were sent to Earth."
Naoki stepped forward. "I heard from the black winged king that they created something that led to their exile."
The silver haired male nodded. "Yes, the 'tool'."
"Please, My Lord." Misaki asked. "Could you tell us what the 'tool' and why its existence caused the Red Winged Clan to be exiled."
Takuto frowned. "I don't know too much about it sadly. What I can tell you is that despite the name, the 'tool' is a living entity, able to think and feel like any other living being. What it looks like and the like are completely beyond my knowledge, however. As for what it did to get the Red Winged Clan exiled, I believe you knights should know about that more than I do."
The three gold winged knights looked confused. "What do you mean, My Lord?" Misaki questioned the ruler before her.
The young looking ruler leaned forward from his throne; his expression dark. What he was about to say brought fear to the knights. The moment he told them, everything began to make sense; the puzzle pieces fit and the actions of many thanks to this event became clear.
"The 'tool' attacked and then kidnapped the young Prince Aichi of the Gold Winged Clan when he was still a child."
The entire room was silent. No one suspected this to be the case. The event where Prince Aichi was put in danger and the event that led to the Red Winged Clan's exile were connected. Despite the red wings' exile however, the kingdom of the Gold Winged Clan were determined to make sure Prince Aichi didn't leave without an escort. The entire thing must've been tragic to the royal family.
Takuto continued. He leaned back on his throne and looked up at the crystal ceiling; the sun shining above it creating a beautiful light show above. "And now, I'm trying to lift their exile and return them to the Cloudlands where they belong."
The three gold winged knights stared at the silver winged ruler with shock. "You're trying to get them to return to the Cloudlands even after what they did to Prince Aichi?!" Kamui cried out.
"I know what you three are thinking." Takuto replied. "Why am I considering such a thing after what had happened? But let me explain; you three must have realized how much worse things have gotten recently."
Leon, who had been standing in silence, walked forward and spoke up. "The wind that flows within all of the Cloudlands has become more dark and foul; not only with the monsters of the Void roaming around, but some creatures and even people have been slowly possessed to serve the Void and its wishes. A good chunk of the Cloudlands has now become a breeding ground for the monsters. And all of this began after the Red Winged Clan was exiled."
"But in order to lift their exile," Misaki began, "All of the rulers of the different clans must unanimously agree."
Takuto gestured to Leon. "Master Leon and I recently discussed our agreement. I have also discussed this with Emperor Kenji of the Green Winged Clan."
"My knights and I don't have the power to convince Queen Shizuka if that is what you are thinking."
"I know, Captain. I was not going to wish that of you. And I know she won't be easy to convince. After all, it was her son that got involved in this mess and I'm sure she would not want the clan involved to be brought back regardless of the situation. However, I know how much she wishes for the Cloudlands to be safe from the Void's tyranny, so she may choose for the Red Winged Clan to come back despite her own personal wishes. My biggest problem is with King Ren of the Black Winged Clan."
"Why's that?" Kamui asked.
Naoki remembered back to when he and Aichi encountered Ren back at the castle ruins and what the young prince pointed out. "The king is possessed by the Void, right?"
"That is exactly why." Takuto replied. "With King Ren under the Void's control, we cannot unanimously agree for the Ren Winged Clan's return."
Kamui raised his hand. "Can't you just not include him in the vote?"
"We cannot. Unlike the Red Winged Clan who were exiled from the Cloudlands, the Black Winged Clan is still a part of the system and therefore King Ren's imput is still valid when discussing issues."
"Can't a majority vote work?" Naoki question. "You have three of the five clans agreeing and if you're counting the Red Winged Clan in that, it's four versus two. Their exile would be lifted and everything will be fine, right?"
The silver winged ruler shook his head. "We cannot do that either. Normally, I would agree on you with the majority vote. That was how the Red Winged Clan was deemed exiled in the first place. But with King Ren under the Void's influence, we can't take that chance. You see, I believe he might be waiting for us to act in a way that could start a war between the clans. Any move we make could ignite one, and with the Cloudlands as fragile as it is right now..."
Kamui pondered. "I'm surprised the Red Winged Clan didn't start one themselves."
"The king and queen were killed within the tragedy that led to their exile." Takuto explained. "The Witch of the Red Winged Clan, who was to take over the Red Winged Clan should anything happen to the royal family, accepted full responsibility and allowed her clan to be exiled." The silver haired child was deep in thought. "Thinking about it, she was given a choice between the clan being exiled… or the 'tool' being destroyed, which she was heavily against the latter. Then again, she was the one who created the 'tool' so I assume she grew too attached to it."
"But she was willing to let her clan be exiled for a monster to be kept alive?" Misaki questioned. "Why would she do that? It doesn't make any sense."
"That is what I'm wondering. There are so many mysteries that surround the event of ten years ago. That is the reason why I called you three. You have been searching for the proof that the Red Winged Clan exists. You now know that they exist now. You have two new objectives now; to find information about the 'tool', and to figure out a way to free King Ren from the Void's grasp."
The lilac haired woman stepped forward. "I just have a couple questions first. First of all, why ask for our help when you could send your knights to do the job for you?"
Takuto let out a sigh. "I would do just that… but therein lies another issue. You see, after the Red Winged Clan was exiled, something unusual happened. The remaining five rulers of ten years ago, including myself, were having a meeting to discuss what to do regarding our kingdoms in terms of how to treat the Red Winged Clan's exile. The next thing we knew, with the exception of the five of us and a few people joined with us for the meeting, every winged being in the Cloudlands forgot the Red Winged Clan ever existed. Of course, that number has shortened. The only ones still alive after that moment are myself and Queen Shizuka of the Gold Winged Clan. I doubt that the knights of the Silver Winged Clan would take my orders seriously if I were to send them."
"Yet you were able to-!"
"I didn't need my memories of the Red Winged Clan's existence to know that something was wrong in the Cloudlands." Leon replied. "Lord Takuto simply confirmed my thoughts. I believe Emperor Kenji thinks the same thing."
"There is another reason why I can't ask my knights and why specifically need your help." Takuto continued. "The things I need you to look into… may also involve Prince Aichi. Why did the 'tool' kidnap him? What would it gain from that? That's why if I ask you three to search these things, there wouldn't be any issue in case you would have to investigate your beloved prince."
Both Naoki and Kamui looked over at Misaki. They knew that this decision was not theirs to make, but rather their captain's. The female knight stood there silent, contemplating what would be the best option. What would happen if Queen Shizuka were to find out about it? She was only supposed to fetch her wandering knights and bring them back to the kingdom. Was she willing to go to such lengths. She sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. She ended up going this far. She might as well see it through to the end. Besides, this wasn't just a mission from the ruler of the Silver Winged Clan; it was a mission that might help free the Cloudlands for good.
"Very well, My Lord." she replied. "We'll take on your request. But before we do, I still have my second question." She pulled out the scroll. "My knights came across this while they were searching for proof of the Red Winged Clan's existence." She walked over and handed it to Takuto. "As you can see, it is a family tree of the Red Winged Clan's royal family, and I have examined it myself; it is authentic. However, I came across something while examining it. If you scroll down until you reach the bottom, the last name on the tree is crossed out. Do you know why that is? I mean, I rarely see a name being crossed off of a family tree unless something happened, whether the owner of said name was disowned or..."
As she asked, Takuto looked over the scroll. Once he reached the bottom and saw the crossed out name, he understood. "Do you remember when I said that the Witch of the Red Winged Clan was to take over in case something happened to the royal family? As I said, the king and queen died within the chaos of the 'tool's' actions. However, there was a tragedy much farther back than that. You see, around seventeen years ago, the queen gave birth to an heir; a prince."
"What happened to him?" Misaki asked.
The silver haired male lowered his head. "Not long after he was born... the baby boy passed away. From what I had heard… the poor child was born with a weak heart… he didn't even live for two days. To say that the kingdom was devastated by the young prince's death is an understatement. Both the king and queen were truly heartbroken when I saw them back then."
The three knights lowered their heads. To think that someone would die so young, not having a chance to properly live. How could life be so cruel?
After some silence, Takuto spoke back up. "The first thing I ask for you to do is to search the ruins of the Red Winged Clan's castle. I don't know if there's anything there, but it doesn't hurt to look. I had heard rumors that the Witch of the Red Winged Clan had a secret room where she practiced her spells. Try searching for that."
Led by their captain, the gold winged knights saluted with a "Yes, My Lord" before marching out the door. As soon as they were gone, Takuto leaned back and relaxed. "I hope everything goes well for them for all our sakes."
"I don't blame you, Lord Takuto." Leon spoke up, moving until he stood in front of the throne so they made eye contact. "The wind grows more restless with each day. The Cloudlands cries in agony with every move the Void makes." He lowered his head. "And the worst of it is that among those that have become one of the Void's puppets, it's not just a ruler of one of the clans, but a Psyqualia user as well."
"Yes…" Takuto replied. "The fact that a Psyqualia user is among the Void's puppets… we may be in trouble." He looked back up at the ceiling. "I am thinking back to what the Witch of the Red Winged Clan told me all these years ago. The 'tool'; she said that it would be capable of destroying the Void once and for all."
"Do you believe that?"
"I'm not sure. Only through those knights will we find the truth." He got off his throne and walked out of the audience chamber with Leon following him. As he left the room and closed the door behind them, he said this:
"Is the 'tool'... the tool to our salvation… or the tool to our destruction?"
Pinkshuchan: And that's the end of this chapter. Hope you enjoyed this first chapter of the new year. Read and Review!