Saya had been fifteen minutes late for her shift, and, despite her boss's forgiveness, she worked her hardest to make up for it. About once a week the café had a cosplay day. This being one of those days, she decided to suck up her pride and dawn a lacy maid uniform, acting sweetly, submissively, and resisting the urge to shove a fist in the faces of certain customers.
Her urge became particularly hard to resist when, towards the end of her shift, her friends came in. Knowing it was a cosplay day, Katsuro had brought a camera. Saya wondered if she could break a camera with her bare hands. Probably not. But people were always saying to believe in yourself…
Yui, dolled up in a peach and banana-yellow sailor suit, was mistaken by several customers as an employee, forcing Saya to intervene. One such customer, one who had received quite a few warnings before for harassing female employees, continued to hassle the pink-haired girl to the point that Saya's boss gave Tetsuya and Katsuro consent to escort him out. When he attempted to reenter the establishment under the pretense of wanting another parfait, Saya, with her boss's permission, delivered him said treat by pouring it over his head. All in all, it was perhaps one of her best shifts.
When she finally got off work, her friends invited her to hang out, but she politely declined, explaining her promise to spend more time with Aoi. After they left, she leaned against the front of the café and dialed up her guardian, nervously tapping one converse-shod foot against the sidewalk. After two rings he picked up, sounding somewhere between fully awake and groggy.
"Hello?"
"Aoi, it's me. Do you have time to meet up today?"
"Ah, well, I'll have plenty of time tomorrow if you want to go out to eat or-"
"No, it's not- I need to talk to you, Aoi. Something happened. Something to do with my wrist, and my father's book, and the Slate. I don't really understand myself. I… I think I'm going crazy, Aoi."
"… Be at the house in an hour. Whatever it is, everything's going to be fine, Saya."
"If you say so."
"I do say so."
…
Aoi's house, which Saya had been raised in after the Kagutsu Crater Incident, was an immaculate white two-story with royal purple shutters and shingles. Window boxes overflowing with elegant blue hydrangeas, Saya's favorite flower, competed with feeders for hummingbirds, Aoi's favorite winged animal. Using her spare key, Saya let herself in to the comfortingly familiar parlor decorated in varying shades of orange. Hanging both her satchel and jacket on the coatrack while kicking off her shoes, Saya swept her gaze over the room, noting that Aoi had left several magazines on the coffee table. She flipped through them, noting particular items, such as a deluxe fishing pole, that Aoi had circled in red marker.
"At least I know what to get him for his birthday," she mused to herself.
Climbing the curved staircase, which as a child she had used to play Rapunzel, she marched past Aoi's room, two guest rooms, and an extra closet before coming to the baby-pink door at the end of the hall. Her name was painted on it in elegant gold script, one of the many things Aoi had done after first adopting her to make her comfortable in her new home. Opening the door, she saw many of his other attempts.
As a wealthy government official, Aoi had spared no expense on his adopted tragedy-stricken child's room. The walls were painted with murals of enchanted forests. A bed far larger than herself was smothered in plush pillows, silky sheets, and cozy comforters, with elegant lavender bed curtains encasing the entire thing. An antique robin-egg-blue wardrobe gilded in silver dominated one corner, and Saya knew it was filled with fluffy coats, frilly dresses, and stylish shirts. A full vanity, the top cluttered with lipsticks, glitters, blush, creams, brushes, hair bows, nail polish, and perfumes, crouched in front of a cushy desk chair. Silvery curtains embroidered with stars threw shadowy patterns down from the windows. The entire room was illuminated overhead by a beautiful crystal chandelier. It would not be unfair to say that Aoi had been a doting parent and had spoiled Saya rotten.
Since Saya had not moved very far and still spent the night at the house quite often, neither she nor Aoi had bothered to empty her room out any. She continued to keep clothes and books here, and the room was always ready for her use. To be honest, more of her possessions were here than at her own apartment. Aoi insisted he did not mind, however, so Saya did not feel too badly.
Flopping onto the soft bed with a contented sigh, Saya thought about how she was going the earlier events of her day to Aoi.
There was a voice, no , not a voice, voices… There were voices in my head, and they said that the Red Sword of Damocles wasn't going to fall today… And I already sound like a complete mental case.
She just had to trust that Aoi wouldn't think she was one. After all, Aoi had seen her at her absolute worst, when he'd found her in the ruins.
…
Aoi came home shortly after, bearing take-out rapidly going cold. He commanded that they eat first, which Saya complied with, albeit by shoving her entire meal down her throat in a few gulps and nearly choking. She then spent nearly fifteen minutes anxiously watching Aoi calmly finish off his own plate in delicate, sophisticated bites. When he finally swallowed the last morsel, he wiped his chin with a napkin and disposed of both his and Saya's paper plates and plastic utensils before washing his hands in the kitchen sink. They both settled into their favorite seats in the parlor, his a paisley armchair, Saya's an emerald-green loveseat.
"Now," he intoned, folding his hands into his lap. "Tell me what happened."
Saya relayed her tale to the best of her ability, trying to remember the exact words the voices had used, the exact order of events, and the exact feelings she was having at the time. Aoi listened in silence. When she finished, he asked several questions, only a few of which she was able to answer.
"I just don't understand, Aoi," Saya huffed, her voice on the edge of a sob from accumulated stress. "The last time I saw a sword like that, I lost everything. But now I saw two, there are voices in my head, and I might be… connected to whatever it is that happened last time. I mean, I always wanted to know what was up with my wrist, and my father's research, and all his writing about Kings, but…"
As she trailed off miserably, Aoi looked at her with his own misery shining in his eyes.
"Saya, what if I told you I knew what your father's research was about; what the Slate has to do with the Kings?"
"Wh-What?"
"Just… I'm not saying I know exactly what you have to do with it, because I don't. Just… Just listen to what I have to say and know that I haven't told you all this time because I've been trying to protect from the same people your parents were trying to protect you from."
They looked each other in silence for a brief moment before Saya gave a small nod.
"The Dresden Slate, as you know, is believed to be an ancient artifact. In Dresden, Germany, it was revered as a holy relic. What you don't know is that during World War II, it was studied in hopes of creating a super-soldier. It is believed the Slate was created by an ancient civilization to speed up the rate of evolution, making some humans evolve to be far more powerful than the rest of humanity. Using rats to test the Slate's abilities, it was found that seven subjects could receive power far beyond that of a normal subject. These seven subjects could then bequeath lesser powers to others, subjugating them to their will. When the process moved on to humans, the seven powerful individuals became known as Kings, and those they gave power are their Clansmen. Those Swords of Damocles you saw are manifestations of a King's power; if the sword is breaking, the King is losing control. If the King completely loses control, the sword falls, and you get a Damocles Down, such as The Kagutsu Crater Incident. Have you ever wondered why the incident is called that?"
Saya nodded.
"Kagutsu is the name of the King who lost control. Now, each King is different, with different powers and abilities. The First King, the Silver King, Adolf K. Weismann, was the Slate's head researcher in Dresden. You must understand that as far as we know, the Slate picks Kings out of its own volition, and, during a bombing, it seemed to choose Weismann as the First King to protect him. He is now apparently immortal, and flies above Japan in his private airship. Have you ever seen his white airship while you were going about your day?"
Saya thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it."
"It seems he no longer has any real connection with life down here on earth. He watches over us without interfering, and without any Clansmen. Then, there is the Second King, the Gold King, Kokujoji Daikaku, who was a soldier during World War II. He has the final word over the other Kings, he protects the Slate in Mihashira Tower, and it is safe to say that at the moment he is Japan; he controls a massive percentage of the economy and government. Even the Prime Minister is completely subject to his commands. Mirashira Tower is also known as The Palace Out of Time, and his mysterious Clansmen, who wear gold rabbit masks, are simply known as Usagis. Next is the Third and Red King. The previous one was Kagutsu, who lost control and caused the incident. The current Red King is Suoh Mikoto, who leads his Clan, known as Homra. They control most of the city's underworld, dispersing groups performing activities they don't approve of, such as drug dealing and human trafficking. They're known as the most violent of Clans. Then there is the Fourth and Blue King, Munakata Reisi. His Clan is known as Scepter Four, and functions as a police unit against rogue power-users, such as dangerous Kings, Clansmen, and Strains. Before you ask, Strains are those who, despite not being part of a Clan, are gifted power by the Dresden Slate. Their powers have endless variations. The Fifth and Green King is a bit difficult. It is known there is one at the moment, as he has once challenged the Gold King and runs the popular computer program known as 'Jungle', but he stays under radar and has not made his purpose clear."
"Wait, 'Jungle' is ran by one of these Kings? But it's just a... It's like a game! Why?"
"Endless numbers of people use 'Jungle' for their everyday activities. Effectively, this gives the Green King access to endless information. Also, the rumors that if you get to a certain level, you'll receive powers, is true; he may make high-level players his Clansmen."
"Is that why you never let me use 'Jungle'?" Saya had always thought that was odd; Aoi typically let her do as she wished, but he had put his foot down about not allowing her to download 'Jungle' to her phone. Aoi nodded.
"The Sixth and Gray King. The last one died during the Kagutsu Crater Incident, and to my knowledge, another one has not been chosen. And finally, the Seventh and Colorless King. Each Colorless King has a power original to him and different from his predecessors. The previous Seventh King, Ichigen Miwa, had a form of clairvoyance and could see possible futures, but he passed away several months ago."
"Okay. I think I understand. But, why didn't you tell me any of this until now?"
"... For decades, The Gold King didn't let anyone but his own Clansmen study the Slate. Then, around fifteen years ago, he allowed one promising archaeologist, a man I had the honor of knowing, study it as well; Konohana Natsume."
"My father."
"Yes. He made many leaps in research, narrowing it's possible origin, translating inscriptions. Then, after several months, Kokujoji-sama allowed Konohana-san to bring along his curious daughter. Imagine everyone's surprise when the child began chatting with the Slate like it was a person. You claimed it was talking back to you, telling you stories. Suddenly, the Slate lit up, and those symbols appeared on your wrist."
"I sort of remember that. Not the part where it was talking to me, though."
"After that, many people tried to push for you to be enrolled into a research program, originally meant for Strains. Your father, however, had heard of the rumors surrounding the program, such as human experimentation and overall cruel treatment. He took you and your mother and fled the city, although he unfortunately fled directly into the path of the Incident.
"Your father was an acquaintance of mine, and I was one of the minority who disagreed with the research program. After the Incident, I was assisting with the search for survivors. It was pure chance I found and recognized you in the ruins. I decided to protect you as your father tried to. There were so many orphans in the chaos following the Incident; it was almost too easy to adopt you and give you my family name without anyone noticing. Those who knew about the girl who could talk to the Slate now believe she perished with her family in the Incident."
"But what am I? The Slate said it chose me, but for what?"
"I can't say for sure. Guessing from your experience today, we can theorize the symbols on your wrist light up when a King summons his Sword of Damocles. And you can apparently mend a sword, which was thought to be impossible."
"All of this is impossible."
"True."