Chapter 10
Beneath the branches of a small wooded area, a lone figure sat on a fallen trunk, eyes fixated on the object in her hands. With practiced movements, elegant fingers pulled a blade of grass taut, completing the final row of intersecting lines.
Shizuru lifted the finished product — a small weaved basket — toward the light and casually inspected it. Despite the simplicity of the pattern, the strands were straight and evenly placed, and although not perfect, it would have been considered acceptable even to the strictest of sanctuary teachers.
Well, perhaps all except one…
The sour face of an older woman flashed in her mind, and Shizuru banished the thought with a small shake of her head. She placed the basket on the ground next to a set of other weaved items and ran her eyes over them; after days of passing time through practice, she could see a marked improvement between her first creation and her last.
A small chuckle escaped her lips. How funny — should she be really feeling this proud?
Shizuru propped her chin in the palm of her hand, eyes twinkling with amusement. Ah, well. Not that it mattered much anyway; soon enough, she'd forget it all again.
Without another thought, she tilted her head upward and turned her gaze to the branches, watching lazily as they swayed against the breeze. Beyond them, even farther up, she could hear the pleasant sounds of birds chirping, and around her, the rustling of small animals tickled her ears. In fact, there seemed to be one nearby now, somewhere among the trees...
"Bawk!"
Shizuru raised a brow, head quickly turning at the odd noise. A crow?
Her gaze wandered, stopping on a dark shadow a little ways away; there it was, half hidden behind a trunk, black eyes staring at her with an eerie intelligence. With a swoop, it flew up in an arch and landed on a branch directly above her, revealing a red ribbon tied to its foot. Hanging from it was a small bundle of letters.
This… A thought clicked in her mind, and Shizuru rose from her seat. This was it, the bird Lin had told them to watch out for.
With careful hands, she reached up and tugged on the end of the ribbon. But the crow didn't wait — before she could fully undo the tie, it flapped its wings, springing up to the sky with a sudden squawk. The ribbon unraveled in a flurry, and amidst the remnants of drifting feathers, the bundle fell straight into her palms.
Shizuru blinked in surprise. Must Yamada's messengers always be in such a hurry? With a brief glance up at the crow's fading silhouette, she shook her head lightly and turned her attention to the letters.
Penned on the first one was their next location:
The village of Nawa welcomes you. The wagon will take you there.
Wagon?
Shizuru stepped up on the log and scanned her eyes across the fields in the distance, but just as she had expected, there was not even the slightest sign of movement on the dirt paths. She gave an absentminded hum — if that was any indication, they would still have much time yet.
Well, no matter. Shizuru switched the papers in her hands and read the next one. Although sent through Yamada, this letter was different; she could recognize Reito's scrawl anywhere.
To my dear friend,
A follow up to your first request:
The moonlits are changing and the nectar is different. Use the black liquid on a dying flower and watch it bloom.
For your second request:
Marked royals? Nothing found yet, but soon.
So it's the nectar, Shizuru mused, cogs spinning in her mind. Her gaze shifted down to a small patch of red flowers. Now, if she could only find out where the vial of scratch went, then perhaps she could attempt that little experiment.
However, she soon paused the idea, distracted by the faint sound of footsteps. With the slight tilt of her head, Shizuru peeked through the gaps in the foliage. Across the meadow, Natsuki seemed to be absentmindedly making her way through the tide of grasses.
Well, what do we have here?
Shizuru's lips curved up into a mischievous smile, and she quietly stepped further into the shelter of trees. It was only when Natsuki's foot touched the edge of the wooded area that she moved again.
With feline grace, Shizuru advanced, circling around until she could see the back of the unsuspecting woman. She strode silently behind a patch of dense, leafy growth, and with eyes honed in on her target, slowly inched her way closer. Just when she was a few arm widths away, an unimpressed voice rang out.
"What are you doing?" Natsuki said, looking straight through the branches to where she hid.
Shizuru abruptly froze in place, eyes widening just a fraction. Ah. So she had been caught. A small smile crossed her lips, and with a brush of her hand against the leaves, she stepped out to reveal herself. "What gave me away?"
"Nothing, really."
"Then how did you know I was there?"
"Just a lucky guess."
Hm… Shizuru's smile only widened. She wasn't quite sure what to think.
The pair fell silent soon after, and for the next little while, Shizuru leaned up against a nearby trunk, curiously watching Natsuki's explorations through the trees. However, with the quiet buzz surrounding them, it wasn't long before she found herself lulled back into her thoughts.
Now, what exactly was she doing before this? Oh, right.
"Natsuki," Shizuru said, making her way towards the woman, who had settled down on the log she was using earlier. "The vial with the black liquid, do you know what happened to it?"
"Lin took it." Natsuki reached down to pick up one of the weaved items.
Lin? "She did?"
There was a nod. "Before we had to move."
Shizuru frowned. Really? Now that she thought about it, it wasn't totally unexpected; scratch was becoming increasingly expensive and getting harder to come by. Still, she'd have to have a word with Yamada — with luck, he'd be able to promptly compensate her for it.
Shizuru absentmindedly tapped the side of her thigh. Yes, I need to get more soon.
Nearby, Natsuki had placed the first object back on the ground. She reached for another one — the newly weaved basket — and spun it lightly in her hands, catching Shizuru's attention with the movement.
Shizuru's lips tugged up slightly at the corners. "So, what do you think?"
Natsuki made a sound of approval and traced the side of the basket with her fingertips. "...Did you take lessons for this?"
"I did as a child. Although, sometimes it was more for fun."
Shizuru picked up a different item and looked down at it, biting back a laugh. How terribly made this one is. After a moment, she lifted her head, meeting green eyes with her own.
"And you — as a child, what did you do for fun?"
Again, Natsuki twirled the basket in her hands. "I spent most of my time in my room."
"But what of the other palace children?"
"What about them?"
"Did you not play with them?"
This time, Natsuki did not respond and instead looked down, smiling wryly.
Shizuru raised a brow at the sight — she'd take that as a no, then. She set down the weaved item and took a seat on the far end of the log, discreetly looking at the woman beside her.
Unlike Natsuki, she rarely had a moment alone in the sanctuary she grew up in. There was always a crowd of them — children, teachers, elders — all expected to attend the same bustle of activities, day in and day out. Yet despite their busy schedule, her classmates had always taken time to sneak out for some much needed leisure. Even now, she could still remember how much trouble they got into on the off chance they were caught.
A faint smile graced her lips. It wasn't until later that she realized how lonely things could be.
She leaned back, turning her attention to the view around them. When her eyes caught the sight of a few small stones, she perked up. That reminds me…
Shizuru walked over and picked up two of the stones: one red and one blue. With a glance over her shoulder, she asked, "Do you want to play a game?"
Almost immediately, Natsuki shook her head to say no, and Shizuru gave a soft laugh. "Well, if it's because you're scared of losing, I promise to go easy on you."
"I'm not scared," Natsuki said dryly. "But we're not children."
"Ah… how rude of me. I forgot I was speaking to a Princess."
Natsuki snapped annoyed eyes in her direction, lips pulling into a frown. "You…"
"Yes?" Shizuru kept a pleasant look on her face, innocent enough to be a little disarming.
Natsuki's expression faltered. "Nevermind."
Another silence befell them, but it didn't last long. With a heavy sigh, Natsuki spoke again. "What game?"
Oh? Shizuru bit back a smile. "Well, if you're interested, I can show you."
She walked to a clear patch of grass and gently took a seat, beckoning for Natsuki to do the same. Once Natsuki sat down facing her, Shizuru glanced at the space between them.
"Our knees should be touching."
Obligingly, Natsuki scooted forward, only stopping at the warm contact. Their eyes locked, and Shizuru suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. When she had played this game as a child, it never felt this close. Well, nevermind that.
"Have you heard of a game called Stoneshot?" she asked.
As expected, Natsuki shook her head.
"Well, luckily, the rules are quite straightforward." Shizuru held out the rocks she had picked up, with the red in one hand and the blue in the other. "The stones will be thrown straight up in the air, and one person will call a color: blue or red. To win, you simply have to catch the matching stone."
Natsuki nodded in understanding.
"Then let's do a test round, shall we?" Shizuru tilted her head toward the woman in front of her. "You can call the color, and I'll throw the stones."
She positioned her hands in the middle between them, and gave Natsuki a small smile. "Ready?"
"Yes."
Shizuru counted down, and just as the stones left her palms, she heard Natsuki's voice.
"Re —"
Without a second thought, her hand darted out, snatching the red pebble midair like a strike of lightning.
Natsuki looked at her incredulously.
Shizuru flashed a teasing smile. "I'll let you in on a secret. Would you believe me if I told you that I never once lost a round?" Seeing those green eyes narrow at the words, she almost laughed. "Well then, let's try again — this time we won't know which color is in what hand."
She picked up both stones and moved them behind her back, mixing them up, before holding out two closed fists in front of them.
Again, just as the stones left her hands, Natsuki's lips moved. "Blue."
Once more, Shizuru swiped the rock in the air before Natsuki could even lift a finger. Natsuki furrowed her brow, and Shizuru smiled, handing her the stones. "Here, let's switch."
This time, as Natsuki threw the stones, Shizuru called the color.
"Red."
Shizuru waited a moment longer before moving but still won. Natsuki looked at her with a hint of agitation.
"Again," Natsuki said, almost in a huff.
Shizuru couldn't help but to chuckle.
By the time they took a break, Shizuru had lost count of how many rounds they had played. She gently rubbed her calves, feeling the sensation of pins and needles running up them. Any longer and I'll lose my legs, she thought, and when she next lifted her head, caught the sight of Natsuki's flushed cheeks.
Shizuru smiled. "Perhaps that's enough for —"
"One more."
Restless green eyes stared straight at her, and Shizuru raised a brow. "Are you sure you want to?"
"I'm sure."
Seeing how serious Natsuki was, she reluctantly agreed.
This time, Shizuru could tell that something was different — Natsuki had shifted slightly, putting more weight on the front of her legs. Her body was taut, like a spring pulled back, ready to leap out at any time. When the stones were thrown and the color was called, they both leaned forward, quickly moving for a catch. As swift as Natsuki was this time, Shizuru was still a bit faster, but just as her fingers reached up to wrap the pebble in her hand, she felt a warm breath on her cheek.
What is —
Her eyes shifted at the sudden sensation, and there it was, a close up of Natsuki's face. Dark lashes, fair skin, and pink lips framed her view. For a fraction of a second, their cheeks were almost touching, and she could feel the heat from Natsuki's skin. A feeling of being shocked ran through her, and she froze before her mind could register what was happening. Too close.
Almost immediately after, Natsuki pulled back with a small look of triumph, opening her hand to show the red stone that sat inside.
Shizuru lowered her hand slowly. What is this? She felt a warmth running up her neck, and when Natsuki raised her eyes to meet her own, she stilled.
"Was that your first time losing?" Natsuki said, looking at her with a taunting half smile.
…I lost?
Those words hit like a hammer on ice, and it was all it took to clear Shizuru's mind. She cast away the feelings, and with narrowed eyes, spoke.
"Let's play another round."
Reito hummed to himself as he closed the book with the quietest of claps. Again, he had found nothing of importance — nothing new. If not for the fact that he was sitting in the busier portion of the Great Archive, he might have placed his head on the table with a sigh. Instead he placed a pleasant smile on his face and slid the book further away, keeping up the facade for the many pairs of eyes that watched him now.
It wasn't often that the Master Scholar ventured to the smaller libraries, away from his private study — but Reito had been in a focus, feverishly consuming everything he could about the royal family. Most of the information he gleaned were things he already knew, and the things he didn't weren't related to his pursuit.
Markings in the royal family? Everything that he had touched thus far had said it wasn't possible. Perhaps it wasn't, and that was the only answer he had to give when he wrote to Shizuru next. But how curious it was… Did Shizuru know something he did not? Just what was she up to?
Oh, if only he knew.
The scholar wracked his brain. Just where else could he look? After a moment, a wry smile crossed his face. Well, there was always one more person he could ask… The thought of it made his skin crawl.
My dear father, Reito mused, picturing the stern face of the man. A sigh left his lips. Well, I suppose I have no choice this time.
He pushed himself quietly away from the table and left the library, heading for the fifth floor.
Although his father, Tatsuo Kanzaki, had stepped down from his post years ago, he was still fairly involved with the runnings of the Great Archive — especially in overseeing much of the preservation and storage of rare books. Reito couldn't complain; it was better for him this way. While the old man stuck to the confines of dark rooms, he could run things in the open as he liked.
Well, here we are. Reito stared at the large red door in front of him. Honestly, how bad could it be? Well… There was only one way to find out. The scholar smoothed out his hair, plastered on a stiff smile, and walked in.
In the room there was very little light, save for the glowing of a lamp placed on the corner of a table. A tall figure stood nearby, staring down at a pile of large books.
"Father," Reito greeted.
The man spared him a sharp glance. "What do you want? Shouldn't you be busy with your other duties?"
Reito's mouth twitched at the corners. Ah, yes… The man was as delightful as always.
"I won't bother you for long. I just wanted your input on a question… It's for the scholar exam," he lied.
This seemed to pique his father's interest. "Continue."
"I've been doing some reading on the royal family. And well, you see — "
"Out with it," Tatsuo sounded irritated.
"Is it really true that everyone in the royal family is born without a mark?"
In a sudden movement, his father slammed the book shut with a thump.
"What brought you to question that?" The older man's voice was low, almost dangerous; Reito felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, but he dared not show it on his face.
"It was merely a passing thought," the scholar said.
"A passing thought?" To Reito's surprise, his father gave a mocking laugh that ended with a smile. "Ha — what a mess." His expression turned suddenly serious, and he stared at Reito, looking deep in thought. After a moment, he spoke with a grave sigh. "Well, given the current circumstances, perhaps it's time for you to know. Come."
Reito followed the man to a pair of velvet chairs, and his father sat down, gesturing for him to do the same. The last time his father had acted similar to this, it was to break the news of his mother's passing — and for the first time in a long time, Reito felt some apprehension.
"What I'll be telling you next is highly confidential. Like all the prior Master Scholars, you too will be held to an oath of secrecy." Tatsuo looked at his son with darkened eyes. " Speaking of this to anyone besides a select few is punishable by death. Do you understand?"
Reito cautiously put on a solemn face. "Yes."
"Good… Then to answer your question, despite what they say outside the palace, it is possible for a member of the royal family to be born with a mark."
…So it is possible.
"But why hide it?" Reito asked slowly. "It's just a mark, isn't it?"
"Just a mark? Don't be a fool. All royals are automatically given gifts — so there's no need for marks to discern whether or not they have powers." His father gave a heavy frown, shifting in his seat. "No, there's a different meaning behind a member of the royal family being born with a mark. It's a sign they are to be sacrificed to the gods."
A sacrifice?
"As the Master Scholar, this was always going to be a part of your responsibility… I just didn't think it was time," his father continued, pulling a large key out of his pocket. "But alas, here we are. Perhaps it's a sign from the heavens." Tatsuo handed the key to the younger man. "This is yours to keep now. Hide it well."
The dark metal felt heavy in Reito's hands. Just what is this for?
As if seeing the questioning look in his eyes, Tatsuo answered, "In the vault where we keep the historical texts of The Gift of Flowers, we also have some hidden records locked away — another set of writings only the royal family is granted access to: the legend of the First Princess Noya, Slayer of the Flower Demon."
Reito was intrigued. "A Flower Demon…"Could monsters like that have truly existed?
"Yes… a Flower Demon." Tatsuo seemed as serious as ever, and Reito composed himself. The lamp flickered in the corner, moving shadows across the walls. "My boy — Master Scholar — I will only repeat the story once. Remember what I'm going to tell you next."
"...Hundreds of years ago, things were different. Fuuka was much smaller than it is now; the Moon and Star palaces did not exist, and all of the royal-born were of the Sun Palace. The Queen had borne two children, seven years apart. The first child was a girl, Princess Noya, and the second a boy, Prince Kaito.
Princess Noya was described as beautiful and lively, shining brightly like the sun in the sky; while her brother was the opposite, cold like the shadows when darkness falls. Some say he was even a little strange. For you see, First Prince Kaito was born with a mark — something that had never happened within the royal family before.
At first there were talks within the family that perhaps Eibin especially loved the Prince — why else would he be born with a mark? Perhaps the boy had been kissed twice when he was born. But it was proved not to be true — the Prince did not have any extraordinary powers, and in fact, he was described to be quite troubled.
As it happened, the boy had a sinister streak; he liked to draw blood, often beating his servants savagely like a wild animal. Even his own family — his mother — was no exception. But that wasn't the worst of it. The boy had a bizarre hunger, one that could never be satiated…
But it wasn't the usual delicacies he craved.
No, the strange boy only ate moonlits."
Moonlits? Reito felt goosebumps run up his arms. It was hard to imagine an innocent child gobbling up the life-giving flowers, and the scholar couldn't help but to picture a flash of sharp teeth.
"Incidentally, as the Prince aged, it became even worse. In fact, it became almost an obsession. Wherever he stepped foot, he would run amuck, searching for the flowers — and when he would find them, he would gobble them whole.
At first the members of the royal family had tried to stop him, but the Prince would have none of it. He would screech and claw at their faces, cutting them bloody with his long nails.
It wasn't long after that the flowers began to wilt — like the spreading of a disease, moonlits everywhere started dying.
During this time, the Prince's physical body began to morph. His hair began to turn green, like the color of swamp algae; protrusions grew on his forehead, like horns wanting to burst out of tented skin, and worse yet, his eyes — milky white, as if he could see everything yet nothing at the same time.
You see, the great wilting of the moonlits was the boy's fault — his existence was not normal. It was a blight in the natural order of things, and in punishment, ruin was to befall the land if this was not corrected.
Princess Noya knew this, for Eibin had spoken to her in her dreams, many, many times. Every night in her sleep, she pictured the scene of a lake, and the floating body of her brother, steeped in blood the color of the night sky.
…And in her hands, she held the handle of a dagger.
A sacrifice — that is what Eibin had whispered to her. All gods needed blood in some way.
Then one day, Princess Noya, along with her trusted Guide, lured the Prince into going to Moon Lake. With the flowers dying across the land, food for the boy was getting scarce. So when the Princess dropped a trail of moonlit petals, the Prince readily followed.
When they got to the lake, he ran about, eating and eating. He was so focused on gathering flowers that he did not notice when his sister unsheathed a dagger — and when his back was turned, she plunged it straight through to his heart.
The Prince died, falling into the lake.
Princess Noya was inconsolable. She wept and cried in the arms of her Guide, watching as the Prince's black blood colored the water. Despite everything, she had loved the boy — but what is the cost of one child's death for the sake of humanity?
Not long after Prince Kaito died, they say his blood could be seen in the waters. You see, all rivers that flow through Fuuka feed in and out of Moon Lake, allowing the bloody concoction to spread across the land. When the water touched the shores, as if curing the affliction, the moonlits would stop their wilting and start to rebloom.
It was from then on that those born with marks in the royal family were killed at birth, and their bodies were given to Moon Lake."
Reito processed the story in his head, stunned and unsure what to think. He studied his father's serious face — to this man, the details in these records were nothing but fact. Passed down from generation to generation, how could it be anything but true?
One heavy question that fell upon Reito's lips. "...Dare I ask how many?"
Tatsuo paused. "What do you mean how many?"
"Children," Reito said, his eyes clear and focused. "How many children were sacrificed?"
"Many, Reito." Tatsuo seemed to drop his shoulders slightly. "More in the recent generations, that much I know. But it's hard to pinpoint exactly. Most of them weren't given names, except…"
Except? Reito held his breath, waiting for the man to finish his sentence.
"The Princess of the Star Palace."
What? The Princess? Reito's eyes widened as he felt a piece of the puzzle in his head fall in place. Could that be the reason for the moonlits dying? Then itwas no wonder why he couldn't find any rational explanation for the flowers wilting. But…
"She wasn't killed at birth," Reito said, thinking. "Why was she left to live unlike the rest?"
Tatsuo gave an unhappy smile. "Isn't that just the thing; it seems as if members of the Star Palace kept the secret — it was being hidden. What a selfish lot. If that new maid hadn't reported seeing the mark, who knows what would have happened. Fortunately, luck is on our side. Whoever set the Star Palace on fire has resolved all our problems."
"Then was the fire —"
"No, the fire wasn't planned," Tatsuo said, raising a hand. "That part, at least, is still a mystery. But what truly matters is that the body of the Princess has been returned to Moon Lake. It shouldn't take too long now until the moonlits recover. Finally we can move past this fear of failed harvests and dying lands."
Reito felt the subtlest frown tugging on his lips, and he mulled the words over in his head. Really? So that's the end of it, then? Everything will be resolved, and yet…
He wasn't convinced. Why did it seem that everything was getting worse, when it should be getting better? Exactly how long had it been since the fire?
Speaking of which… Reito's eyes narrowed, and he gripped the key in his hands tightly, thinking of the healer. Whatever this was, only Sakomizu would have the answer.
He needed to find him — and quickly.
A/N: Hope you're all doing well and taking care of yourselves out there! Thank you all for your reviews and encouragement - it seriously makes all the difference! This chapter took longer than I had anticipated, especially given how busy this year end was for me. There was lots of me of trying to fit in time for writing, but hopefully after the new year things will be uploaded at a steadier pace. Anyhow, thanks again for following along, and I hope to hear your thoughts on this chapter!
