Chapter 4: Fate
"Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws people together, not words."
Kamui opened his eyes. His entire body was sore and he could barely move. He was looking at the roof of a room, which was odd because the last thing he remembered was…
"Elise!" Kamui shouted sitting up, causing a sharp pain in his back, "Gah!"
"Oh! Master Kamui!" A panicked voice broke in, "You're awake!"
Kamui looked to his left to see one of his Nohr servants, Lilith, pouring tea at a little table next to his bed. Her blue and red hair swinging slightly as she gave the tea to him.
"Forgive me Master Kamui," Lilith apologized with a bow, "I only just brought you here. I didn't expect you to wake up so early."
"Are we in Nohr Lilith?" Kamui questioned as he drank the tea. The tea was surprisingly sweet, and the aroma that it gave off seemed to move through his entire body. The tea seemed to ease away all of his injuries as well.
"I'm afraid not Master Kamui," Lilith answered, "I shall explain everything I promise. How was the tea?"
Kamui tipped the cup slightly as he drank the last drop, "It was amazing Lilith. I feel better than ever. Thank you."
Lilith beamed a smile, "I'm glad you think so Master Kamui. I guess it was worth the effort. Now if you could follow me please I'll explain everything."
Lilith guided Kamui out of his room. As she opened the door, Kamui noticed that they were inside a treehouse the entire time. The house overlooked a wide area of land that was surrounded by walls. There was a huge temple at the very back of the area. As Kamui descended from the ladder, Lilith was already waiting for him.
"So how should I explain this…" Lilith muttered to herself, "I guess I should start off by saying that I saved you from falling down that cliff Master Kamui."
"Really?" Kamui babbled, "But I didn't see you at the camp…"
Lilith gave a stern nod, "It is my duty to protect you Master Kamui…even if you don't notice," Regaining her posture, Lilith continued, "Secondly, the world I transported you in is not the same world as you're used to, so think of it as a third world in a sense. I should be able to teleport you back safely, but I cannot come with you I'm afraid."
"I see…" Kamui pondered, reviewing the information, "Wait… why can't you come back with me?"
Lilith sighed, "It's because…" she began as light engulfed her. The light shined brightly for a second before fading, revealing a blue and red dragon, "I'm not human Master Kamui."
"S-So you're a dragon spirt?" Kamui stated, taken back by the sudden transformation, "That's really cool Lilith."
"You flatter me Master Kamui," Lilith chuckled, "But you should hold still. I'll be taking you back to your world now."
"O-Oh of course," Kamui stuttered, "Do your thing."
"Just to let you know Master Kamui," Lilith warned, "I don't know exactly where you'll end up so…. Hopefully you don't end up in a rock or something."
"Wait. What?" was all Kamui could say before his vision turned completely white.
In a flash Kamui found himself kneeling besides a lake. The sun looked like it was starting to set as orange colors reflected off the water.
Kamui held his stomach as he tried to recover, "Oh gods… If I ever see Lilith again, I don't know whether to praise her or tell her how rough teleporting is…"
As if answering her name, a blue and red emblem fell on Kamui's head and dropped to the ground next to him.
"What?" Kamui said before picking up the emblem, "What is this? It sort of resembles Lilith…"
But before Kamui could examine the emblem any further, a voice sang…
"Following the path of the flowing water,
Those hands will open a new tomorrow of peace,
Yet the waters forever change,
Flowing like time, you will brush against the tide…"
Kamui was running as he tried to find the source of the voice before coming upon a light-blue haired girl standing on a wooden pier, her back facing him. She seemed to be wearing white dancer clothes and her hair was inches away from the ground. Kamui slowly walked towards the girl as she sang, but he must have stepped on a stick or something because the girl turned around suddenly and faced him, her expression surprised at first but slowly turned more serious.
"O-Oh forgive me," Kamui apologized, dismissing the brief expression of the girl, "I was just at the lake side when I heard your voice. Your song was very soothing haha. You're really talented."
Despite his comments, the blue-haired girl just continued to stare at him with her golden-brown eyes.
"Gods…" Kamui cursed, "You probably think I'm some stalker or something. I should introduce myself. I'm Kamui."
"I know who you are," the girl remarked, "I am Aqua. I was born in Nohr but raised in Hoshido… unlike you."
"Unlike me?" Kamui repeated, "What do you-"
"Lady Aqua!"
A voice broke out behind him, but before Kamui could see who it was, something hit the back of his head and knocked him out.
Damn it
"He's been sleeping for some time now…" a soft voice whispered.
"I believed you hit him too hard Rinka," another voice sighed, although this one sounded like a man.
"I-I didn't know he was anything special!" another female voice, she must be Rinka, "He looked like a Nohrian soldier! I had to protect Lady Aqua!"
"It's alright Rinka," the soft voice chuckled, "The Fire Tribe has trained a very dependable warrior."
"You have my thanks Empress Mikoto…"
Empress Mikoto!?
Kamui shot up from the bed he was in. Frantically looking around at his surroundings, he saw drawings and toys before his eyes set upon the three people standing before him. One was a dark-skinned woman who had a tribe like mask resting on her head. She wore two red gauntlets and a mace-like weapon at her side. She must be Rinka. One of the others standing in front of him was a green-haired man who wore attire that suited an assassin; however, Kamui didn't know his name. Finally, the woman who was wearing white robes must be the Empress Mikoto. She had black hair and wore a golden-hairband.
"Oh! You've awoken Kamui," The Empress announced, "I'm glad you are alright."
"Uh…umm," Kamui sputtered, unsure how to address the Empress of Hoshido, "You… You have my gratitude Empress Mikoto… for… not killing me."
"Empress Mikoto…" the Empress sighed, disappointment in her voice, "Rinka, Suzukaze… can you leave us for a moment?"
"Of course Empress," Suzukaze answered with a bow before leaving the room. Rinka following him without a word.
A few moments of silence entered the room as Empress Mikoto stared at Kamui. Kamui would look away, but he noticed concern and sadness with her expression… why would that be?
"Do you know who I am Kamui?" Mikoto questioned, breaking the silence.
"Oh… um," Kamui hesitated, a little surprised by the question, "Judging by your robes you're the Empress of Hoshido. You seem to be a kind ruler despite what people in Nohr say…. And you know my name it seems." Kamui added, realizing the importance of that last detail.
"You're quiet perceptive," Mikoto giggled, "And yes, I do know who you are Kamui, although you might not remember."
"Might not remember?" Kamui blurted, "What do you mean by that? Who are you?"
Mikoto winced a little, obviously a little hurt, "This might be a lot to take in Kamui, but I know your name because I was the one to give it to you. I'm your Mother."
"You-You're my Mother?!" Kamui chocked, "But that doesn't make sense. You're the Empress of Hoshido and I'm a prince of Nohr."
"Just let me explain Kamui," Mikoto sighed, her body getting tense, "You were born in Hoshido, but due to an accident that happened to you and your father in the capital of Nohr, you were taken from us. In other words, you were born in Hoshido but raised in Nohr."
"So King Garon isn't my real father…" Kamui muttered to himself, "Then that dream I had…"
"Dream?" Mikoto interrupted, "What dream?"
"O-Oh! Nothing Empress!" Kamui sputtered, "Sorry, it's just that this information is a lot to take in all at once..."
"You're right, my apologies," Mikoto confessed, "I didn't mean to cause you any stress. You are a Hoshido Prince after all, so explore the castle to clear your mind. I'll have Rinka and Suzukaze be your personal subordinates for the time being."
The door swung open as Suzukaze stepped in, "My apologies for interrupting, but Lord Ryoma has news for you Empress."
"Oh, of course. We'll be there right away," Mikoto nodded, "Come Kamui, let's meet your big brother."
"My big brother…" Kamui whispered as they left the room.