Be prepared for an insane amount of Druid wisdom ;)
CHAPTER 25
Kyoko knew she was dreaming the moment she opened her eyes. Everything around her was white, except for the man who seemed to wait for her as he slowly smoked his pipe and contemplated the mysteries of the universe.
Opening her mouth to call him, no sound came out. However, even so Kyoko fulfilled her intent to attract Lory's attention.
"Ah, there you are! I am sorry, but here you will not be able to speak. After all, we are in my mind, where only who I invite enters and where only my voice can be heard."
Conjuring something in his hand, he surprised her by revealing the bluish stone Kuon had given her when they were both children.
"I did not foresee that this would come to you. Such a mystery was not revealed to me. When a desert boy begging for guidance presented this item to me, I knew I was before a magic almost as old as the world. A Stone of Wishes, as I named it; a Genie or Djin, as other cultures call it."
Kyoko's astonishment was evident and made Lory smile.
"I can see you know what I mean. You probably heard the legend of the lamp in which a bluish creature with human appearance was imprisoned and condemned to grant three wishes until a generous Master decided to release it. Well, be warned that such legend is false in every way. Geniuses are not creatures, but magic in the raw state. The human form with which they are portrayed is nothing more than a poetic attempt to personify something notoriously powerful. Lastly, the lamp was just a distraction to deceive looters and evildoers. Only the color is correct because there was no need to lie about it, since it is possible to find bluish stones everywhere."
At that moment, Kyoko could only think that she had a goddamn Genius in the bottom of her underwear suitcase.
"When Ruto brought me this stone, he had another name. A name that we had to bury in the desert so that he would be forgotten and the stone remained safe. He was nothing but a lonely and lost boy, who had no idea what to do with such power. I welcomed him, obviously, but just like him, I did not want such power for myself. So what to do with the Stone of Wishes? How to ensure that it would never fell into the wrong hands?"
At that moment, Lory became deadly serious and just moved to take a pull at his pipe. He seemed lost in memories and thoughts while Kyoko was preventing herself from shaking him to keep him talking.
"Magic items are dangerous, my dear. A wise person can spend the life trying to learn how to use them properly and die without success. That is exactly why the Genii are portrayed as evil beings, but I strongly disagree. The secret of the magic is to be painfully simple. There is no ethics or notion of right and wrong. This is just a stone imbued with ether. In lay terms, when you desire something fervently, a piece of your being equivalent to your determination penetrates the stone, and it is from this union between the unwavering will and the ether that the wish is granted. Therefore, the problem is always in the desire made: wanting a fortune is okay until your family dies leaving everything to you; wishing fame seems harmless until you are unjustly accused of serious crimes that will put the world on your toes. This little stone has heard a young woman's desire to be the most beautiful in the kingdom, and as a consequence a terrible plague has caused permanent scars on everyone's face except her own. Thus, various people discovered, in the worst possible way, that there is not always an advantage in getting what one wants, especially when using shortcuts, but instead of learning this valuable lesson, they attributed to a Genius the human characteristics of greed and perversity."
Kyoko swallowed hard. At this point, Lory placed the stone in her right hand, fitting it perfectly between its callosities.
"I can clearly see a lonely and insecure young woman wishing with all her heart the opportunity to live a life where people love her for herself, not out of a sense of obligation or interest in her fortune. Perhaps she even cursed the wealth and convenience of her life since they had brought everything except a love to fill her. As a result, such young woman is reborn in a new life full of tribulations and without a coin to call her own, but with the guarantee that when she is loved, it will be for real. Do you understand what I am saying, time traveler?"
Kyoko gasped at the revelation. That was really a very dangerous item if it had determined that she would go through so many difficulties in her future life.
"Knowing what to ask and how to ask is crucial. On the other hand, imagine that you have unraveled the secret of the stone and know that you need to think carefully before making a wish. Does such a desire, after being so adapted, have the intensity necessary for it to be granted? Will you be able to make the request with an unshakable determination despite the fear of your request going fabulously wrong?"
Kyoko's eyes told Lory everything he needed to know.
"It seems that you have realized what such an item represents in the wrong hands and how complicated it is to use it: do not know the risks, make a request, and innocent people may suffer; know the risks, make a request, and your caution will prevent your desire from being strong enough to be granted. Or, if such power is in the hands of an unscrupulous person, the scenario will be the worst possible. I fear for the world if such a tragedy happens one day."
At that moment, all Kyoko could think of was discarding the stone, preferably returning it to Lory, who seemed to have listened to her thoughts for what he said next.
"I think staying with the stone would be the most risky decision I could make. After all, everyone hopes to find a magic item with a Druid. Therefore, I decided to give it to a good, noble friend who would never use it, even if he knew what it was about. It seemed the perfect plan: Kuu was sentimental enough to treat as a treasure any gift he received from a friend, and he was too doting with his life beside his perfect wife and son to want to change anything in it. I just did not predict that he would give the stone to his son, let alone that Kuon would give the stone to you. I confess I'm a little hurt with Kuu..."
Lory put a hand on his chest theatrically, giving Kyoko a glimpse of all the drama he loved to put into everything he did.
"On the other hand, it was providential that it happened this way. The universe has its own means of ensuring its equilibrium. In a few days, three beings of light left the world. No doubt, this disrupted the balance between good and evil. You see, however much it may seem that there is more wickedness than goodness in the world, a small flame is enough to dispel the darkness of a room. What I want to say, little one, is that beings of light are lighthouses that guide the naive in the way of good, away from bad influences. It was obvious that the universe could not allow that to be the only possible reality and revealed to me how it would be possible to revert the history to a timeline in which the three heirs survive and the promise that you and Kuon shared could be fulfilled."
Kyoko's questioning was evident in her furrowed brows.
"Have you forgotten, child? With the Stone of Whishes in your hands, you both promised to be always together, even when separated. This is quite a promise, since it has united your souls forever and assured that one will never know full happiness without the other. On the other hand, such a promise does not surprise me at all, since you are what people call soul mates."
Kyoko felt that she would cry at any moment, which was strange considering that it was a dream that was supposedly happening in Lory's mind. Still, there was a doubt that bothered her and that Lory could sense.
"Do not look at me that way. You may think that a promise is not a wish, but I ask you what a promise is besides the deepest desire of our heart. Every day husbands promise their wives they will come home safely, even when it is not something they can guarantee. In the same way, mothers promise their children daily that they will protect them from all evils, even knowing that there are evils against which they are powerless. Can you see the legit manifestation of their sincere wishes in the form of promises? I could spend all day citing examples, but I think you've got the gist of what I'm saying."
Kyoko nodded, still somewhat shaken by the revelations she was hearing. However, Lory was not over yet.
"I confess that it was not easy to find the right combination that would put all the actors in their proper places, let alone bear the anguish of not knowing if everything would go as planned. I had lost you, Kuon and Maria. I knew that my granddaughter was too young for such a responsibility, and with Kuon imprisoned by his own guilt, I only had-"
Unable to hold back after what she had heard, Kyoko grabbed Lory's arm to stop him. The urgency in her golden eyes pleaded with him to explain what he had just said.
"...Oh I see. I still have not explained about the curse, right?"
Relieved by his understanding, Kyoko nodded quickly.
"That may be a shock to you, but... there is no curse."
The perplexity in her face was so comical that Lory had to struggle to keep from laughing.
"My dear, your family died in a tragic shipwreck. There was no magic involved, just a fatality. You died at the hands of an insane young woman and her greedy chambermaid. Kuon was killed by the same insane young woman and his tendency to become obsessed with things to the point of losing sight of what should be his priority, like his own health. Finally, Maria died because of the tragic combination of a bored child and distracted adults."
Kyoko's restless eyes made it clear that she needed a better explanation than that.
"How else would I protect the east of the kingdom if I did not spread the rumors about a curse out there? Have you taken a close look at the stupid cowards that infest our Court? Besides Kuon, who else would be able to take such responsibility? Who else would be feared and respected enough to keep enemies at bay and smart enough to seal the right alliances for the kingdom? Lord Reino?"
Kyoko immediately shook her head, her eyes wide that seemed to scream "Anyone but him!"
Lory smiled.
"Yes, I invented the curse. I gave it credibility. My influence with the sovereign ensured that he signed the decree I wrote determining the prerequisites for hiring the housekeeper of Hizuri II, which would only happen five centuries later. All to get to you, whatever your name or origin when reborn. I knew you would be single, since your soul would always search for Kuon, so I knew you would inevitably be drawn to that place. Finally, knowing that only you would not be scared away by the rancorous ghost, I established that the picture and the stone, the last keys that the universe showed me, would be given to the woman who lasted long enough in Hizuri II."
Kyoko's mouth opened in a muted gasp. All the relationships she had tried to have, the humiliation of being abandoned at the altar... everything was bound to happen, considering that she would never be truly happy until she found Kuon. Her soul would always be searching secretly for him. Going further in her conjectures, Kyoko realized that even her fascination with the hotel industry and all the unique experience she had gained in her various subsequent jobs could be a conspiracy of the universe to prepare her for the task of restore its balance, as Lory had said.
Apparently oblivious to the swirl of emotions that plagued her, Lory continued his narrative.
"Obviously Uesugi thought my request was strange, but no one disputes the Druid wisdom as much as no one contests a royal decree. At the same time, I protected the east of the kingdom by encouraging the more creative minds to add details to the rumors about the terrible curse. I imagine that this has made your life difficult in the 21st century, trying to find a trace of minimally reliable information, but I do not regret anything since it has ensured the safety of our people. In the same way, I will not regret disclosing that you are a Druid like me."
Kyoko grabbed Lory's arm again, the expression of panic and surprise so clear on her face that he was amused by her ability to physically express everything she felt.
She would make a great actress if she gave the career a chance.
"I'm sorry but it's done. While you are unconscious in my castle and your astral projection is in my mind, receiving the information you need, my physical body has already told Kuon that you are a time traveler and have already told the Court that you are a Druid like me. Uesugi is exultant! Kuon, on the other hand, lost control. He owes me a new office!"
Kyoko's eyes watered and she began to punch Lory's arm.
"What? I needed to say something to them! With Yashiro telling me that you were not the Kyoko he had corresponded with for two years and with Tina reporting how you seemed to know in advance, about Maria's drowning, some explanation I needed to give! Not to mention that the Court was already commenting how you raised from the dead, saved Kuon's life and resurrected my granddaughter. These people are unpredictable, my dear. In the face of the evidence, they could both glorify or kill you. I chose the safe path: Druid! Like that, they cannot do anything against you, just as they do not act against me."
Slightly appeased by the explanation, Kyoko left Lory's arm in peace. Yet her despair was still visible.
"Do not worry; Kuon is not mad at you. He is angry with himself. When I told him about the original timeline he was incredulous at first, but then he remembered the interactions he had with you after your miraculous awakening and heard the reports of Yashiro and Tina and began to believe. At the moment, the boy is a chaotic mass of guilt and shame, sulking in a corner of my destroyed office while thinking about everything that he made you go through..."
Unable to control herself, Kyoko started pacing. Compassionate, Lory apologized.
"I apologize for taking from you the chance to tell him, but I figured he would take it better if he heard it from me. After all, I am the authority of the kingdom in supernatural matters. On the other hand, your story only you can tell, and I bet he'll be willing to listen to it."
Lory did not understand that Kyoko did not intend to tell Kuon. As far as she was concerned, he would never know that there was a reality in which his fiancée died and they only met again five centuries later, when he was stuck as a ghost and-
Kyoko's head immediately turned to Lory, who just watched her closely as he smoked slowly. Unaware that her face was an open book to the world, Kyoko credited what seemed to be his ability to read thoughts to his druid powers.
"... On second thought, you could say that there was a curse in your paths. Yes, remorse can be defined as a curse, especially if we consider how such a feeling destroys us and controls our lives. In the timeline from which you came, Kuon died in guilt. His recurring thoughts about the mistakes he made prevented him from making the crossing, so obsessed - and I never get tired of using this word because I finally talk to someone who understands it - he was with the idea of punishing himself for your death. So he waited for the day when you would come back and forgive him, but more than that, he needed to forgive himself, and this was something that might never happen."
Lory's words echoed deep inside Kyoko. The compassion she felt for Kuon at that moment made her want to see him immediately and comfort him. What kind of feeling was it that made him condemn himself to five hundred years of martyrdom? Why was he so hard on himself?
For the first time she thought of the privilege of having returned to save him. Hard as it was to adapt to a new century, a new body and a new life, it was easy compared to the suffering he had been through for five hundred years. It was also a privilege to be able to save Maria's life, but so many changes in the timeline certainly caused drastic changes in the future.
"I see you still have many doubts, child. Questions for which I do not have all the answers...yet. On the other hand, cheer up! I know exactly who can help you."
Without any other explanation, a puff of Lory's pipe enveloped her and Kyoko felt herself in free fall. With her mouth open in a mute scream and her eyes closed revealing her panic, she suddenly realized she was lying down. There was a characteristic smell of antiseptic in the air and the sound of a persistent, paced beep that could only come from a machine.
As if the evidence was not enough, the pain in her chest made it clear that she had returned to the twenty-first century, directly to her recovering body in one of the wings of the local hospital.
A / N - Hello, my beautiful ones! How are you? XD
First, the references: Ruto is my Aladdin! Lory is my Jafar; did you notice the physical resemblance? XD Of course I did what I wanted with the story, Jafar / Lory is not villain etc. The fact that Ruto and Lory buried the name "Aladdin" in the desert is a reference to the manga, when Kuu buried his stage name.
The bluish stone, the bluish Genius... this one was easy!
I played a little more with Kuon's obsessive tendencies, with Kyoko's transparency and Lory's wit.
I imagine you're at the ends of the chairs, wondering how I could send Kyoko back. As Lory said, Kyoko still has doubts, and as I said in the previous chapter, she has a soiree to attend that night ;)