Chapter 15

Months passed by and life goes on as usual for the world under the perpetual red sky. Rain still occasionally pour onto the town of Pandemonium as the rainy season slowly gave way to autumn. Everyone going about their daily lives without tension or apprehension of random crimes and destruction hanging over their heads.

Despite it was more than half a year, Taylor still impressed that this world was more peaceful compared to Earth Bet despite having more people with supernatural powers. Even news of tensions between countries brought to her ears by merchants from the distant lands still didn't sound as bad as what she experienced or saw on the TV back in her homeworld.

But as much as she wanted to explore the world out of the confine of Pandemonium, it was still out of her reach for the time being; she hadn't graduated from Yang's apprenticeship after all. Ditching the lesson mid-way was never an option when the craft she was studying involves the wellbeing of the people where mistakes could mean blood on her hands. Especially when it was an assassination technique modified for medical purposes, and Yang's lesson began to delve into the grislier part of the study as if to drive the point home.

It was terrifying how many ways he can murder or cause suffering in humans with a few pokes of needle or finger at the right place. But it was also astonishing that this skill was a hundred percent human's ingenuity without any aids from supernatural, magic, or parahuman power at all.

And with her steady growing proficiency in magic, she began to understand why Yang would be reluctant to teach his skill to anyone.

But Haku seems to have a different opinion from what Yang said during one of their regular indoor medicine lessons one day.

"Do you know that Haku has been asking me when will I take you as my pupil for a while now?"

Taylor's look turned into that of puzzlement before realization dawned on her expression, but all she could say was "Huh?"

"Huh, indeed…" Yang smiled at her reaction before he continued as if they were discussing weather; "You're not the first one to be put in this scheme of hers, most of the guards that happened to 'failed' her evaluation was in the same shoe as yours once, even if they didn't know it."

It took a while for Taylor to found her voice again "Why are you telling me this?"

Yang rose his eyebrows and questioned back "And you'd rather not know?"

Taylor was at a loss for word; she knew of his past profession in the bloody conflict on this universe's version of Earth already, Haku wanting him to find someone to inherit that skill was hardly surprising considers she was the shadow that keeps things from getting out of hand in Shiki's stead.

"Well, I'm…" Taylor paused as she put the book of herbal medicine down "…I'm glad that you trusted me enough with sharing this… but you're not going to teach me, are you?"

Instead of outright refusal, Yang sighed and looked to the distant window where the light shines in from the outside while vaguely replied; "Your eagerness toward solving injustice with violence has dimmed compared to when you first arrived, and I commend you for that. But to part my art to you, it remains to be seen…"

Thanks to knowing of his past, Taylor understood the angle he was coming from. She'd be reluctant too if the position was reversed.

"Besides, you have a busy schedule. One more will be a bit much, especially something as tiring as this. Don't be hasty, will you?"

Again, a reasonable argument that which Taylor could agree with. Yet one question remains:

"Why is Haku so adamant on you passing on your skill?"

"Why indeed…"

Yang mused, but somehow Taylor felt that the old man knows the answer but decided not to divulge it to her. Once more her thought was laid bare in front of the experienced old man when he spoke up a moment later;

"One day you may find the answer. But for now, can you please stop this inquiry here? Not because I won't answer you, but because the one who held the best answer you seek is not I."

Taylor understood what Yang meant immediately and back off. After all, the one who held the answer was Haku, even if Yang knows what the fox was thinking, it'd still a betrayal of their oath to tell her behind Haku's back.

'Maybe I should ask her instead.'

After the talk with Haku, the two of them seemingly reached an agreement of sort. While their relationship couldn't mend overnight, their minds were no longer plagued with animosity and it was hoped that they would, at the very least, be professional and not trying to antagonize each other.

'But asking something like this may be too much.'

However, the effects of their talk seem to extend beyond mutual understanding between the two into some degree of trust, as Taylor found out a week after the conversation with the old man Yang.

It was another rainy day where everyone opted to stay in the castle except for the town guards who has a patrol shift. Taylor had the privilege of being a maid in the castle and hence could enjoy the warmth indoor while doing her chore alongside her blonde senior without getting wet.

Despite going outdoor was not an issue to her at this point thanks to magical lessons, Taylor, like all other humans, prefers that they could put energy to use elsewhere or just don't have to use it beyond what was needed at all.

All except fairies, because the little buggers just couldn't sit still or not causing mischiefs, period. And indeed, most of the day was spent trying to clean up the mess they made in the castle. The only positive thing about having to do this on regular basis was that Taylor was becoming more efficient with her work, especially with the aid of magic power.

But on the bright side, it keeps her skills sharp, if nothing else.

Taylor was brought out of her musing by a chilling feeling and turned around with her broom sweeping low to knock down any mischievous fairies who tried to jump scare her. But the broom swept in a circle without hitting anything. And before Taylor could regain her balance, something fluffy pushed against her back and send her tumbling into a mound of soft white fur which conveniently placed to absorb the impact.

"Your reflex still sharp…" the almost emotionless voice that once filled Taylor's heart with anger and fear spoke up from behind her as the white fluff snaked around and wrapped Taylor in its tight embrace and turned her back to face the owner whose blue eyes looked at her with interest; "…but your footwork needs some works."

Taylor wasn't sure if Haku was mocking her or not with such disinterested expression and voice, but she'd try to think positive and assume that she wasn't. The warmness and fluffiness of the tails wrapping around her certainly have nothing to do with that.

"I guess someone is getting a bit comfortable, don't you agree?"

Taylor quickly struggled to get out of the tails as soon as the words registered in her mind. However, it was futile as she couldn't free herself, which was perplexing because Haku wasn't even trying to squeeze her, it felt comfortable…

"Sometimes, the more you tighten your grip, the easier it is to break free."

The voice reminded her yet again of her predicament. However, instead of continuing the silent struggle, Taylor asked back Haku who was looking at her; "Is that supposed to be a lesson?"

"Equally to myself and you. If that will make you feel better…" Haku replied with the same even tone which Taylor couldn't tell if she was mocking her or not, "However, I have a matter to discuss."

That got Taylor's attention; "What is it you want to discuss with me?"

Haku shook her head slightly while her tails slid off from Taylor without her noticing as she replied; "It would be best for you to finish your work for today first. Sorry for keeping you."

Taylor didn't know how to respond until another Haku's tails picked up her broom and handed it to her; "Eh, thanks…"

Haku nodded in response to her thank before she walked away and left Taylor to do her works in silence while pondering what Haku wanted to talk with... only for her thought to grinded to a halt when she noticed the colorful rainbow paint splattered all over the next hallway she walked into, with the childish giggling echoed in the distance.

"Those cheeky little…" Taylor could barely stop herself from sprouting profanity from her mouth before getting to work on the extra load the fairies dumped on her. She wanted to throttle these pranksters, but seeing that Yumeko and everyone told her that the lesson won't stick even when they died, she decided to save herself the trouble of going through a futile endeavor, which made the experience all the more annoying.

An hour later and the splashed paint was gone, leaving polished clear crystal bricks on the wall once again. Taylor paused to admire her work for a moment, feeling that she was getting more proficient in cleaning the mess than when she started, which was not surprising with good teachers like Yumeko and Shinki around plus magic.

'Now, let's find out what Haku wants with me.'

However, as she stowed the cleaning appliances away in her magical storage space, she realized one critical error;

She never knows where was Haku's office at all since she started working here…

But that was easily solved when she went to her senior who just finished cleaning up the rest of the castle where Taylor didn't or couldn't clean and was about to walk back to her quarter.

It was touching when Yumeko disagreed with her meeting with the fox alone and asked to come along out of concern, to which Taylor obliged as Haku never specify about meeting her alone. And so the duo made their ways through the winding corridor and finally arrived at an unassuming metallic door next to the council chamber which she always overlooked whenever she came to meet Shinki, which surprised her how could she didn't notice it before.

"You do not pay attention to it before as it stood next to something more obvious, Taylor." Yumeko calmly explained as they waited in front of the door after she knocked it, "Hidden in plain sight so to speak."

"Are you sure Haku didn't use any magic to hide it?"

"Because there's no point in doing so when my position required me to regularly speak to people, subordinates, or other people."

Taylor raised a valid point, but then the fox in question answered as she opened the door and looked at the surprised Taylor before her blue eyes stared at the blonde maid next to her impassively.

A minute of silence passed by as the senior maid and the chief security stared at each other, seemingly trying to discern the other's motive. Ultimately, Haku seems to decide that Yumeko could stay as she wordlessly motioned them to get inside her office.

As the two maids walked inside the fox's office, their postures stiffened as if walking into the lion's den even as they saw that the plain room was bereft of anything suspicious items while the owner strode to the neatly organized desk sitting under a magical lamp and sat behind it before addressing her guests.

"So, you brought company…" Haku spoke up, there was no change in her tone nor her expression despite Yumeko's hands twitched occasionally as if she wanted to grab her swords or Taylor's glare that fixated on her; "But your worry, while justified, is unfounded. Anyway, since Yumeko is here, this will be simpler."

"What do you mean by that?" Yumeko asked while narrowed her eyes in suspicion, while Taylor also silently eyed the fox with a questioning look.

"Do you think that Taylor is ready for your combat lesson?"

The question came as a surprise for both maids as they didn't expect Haku to discuss this topic at all. And Yumeko questioned; "Why do you ask this all of the sudden, Haku? Is this about security again?"

"No." Haku replied, "Our mistress instructed me that it'll be her choice so I will not force this on her. But at the very least I believe she needs some training and that's all."

In Taylor's mind, Haku was talking about the security of the castle after all despite denying it. But then the memories of her birthplace surfaced and she turned to Yumeko and said; "Actually, now that you mentioned it, I'm thinking about taking a lesson from you, Yumeko."

The head maid's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she turned to ask Taylor; "Will that not burden you too much? The schedule of working here, working and medical lessons with Yang's, and magic lessons with Milady?"

Taylor quietly admitted that Yumeko's concern mirrored that of Yang; while studying multiple subjects in the classroom along with working on jobs after school or college was not unheard of back on Earth Bet, those subjects or jobs rarely require physical exertion to the extent that they tired the students out, something that Taylor's felt will be the case for this one.

Regardless, her experience in this realm gives her an idea which she asked a moment later; "Is there a way to… I don't know… ask someone to create a pocket dimension where time flows differently than normal? Then we wouldn't have to worry about exhaustion, do we? It's just the reverse of our pocket dimension storage spell where we freeze the things we kept there in time."

Taylor emphasized her point by retrieved a wooden lunch box Yang gave her before coming here from her pocket dimension storage spell, before storing it back in.

Yumeko looked thoughtful, but then shook her head; "That required you to trust the one who creates the time fault dimension completely though. Because if there's a problem and he or she collapsed it while you were inside…"

The threat was left hanging, but Taylor gulped as she got the message. "I suppose there's no book around for me to study?"

"The spell you're using is the basic which all space-time related magic is based upon..." Yumeko answered with an uncomfortable look adorned her face as if she regretted bringing bad news to her junior, "The problem is that, from the records we keep, to advance further to the level you described is reserved only to the most talented individuals. Those that can use this pocket storage trick are quite rare already."

"But both you and Haku can use it."

But as soon as that argument came up, Haku quickly shoot it down with a simple question; "Have you been elsewhere other than the Pandemonium before?"

It was enough for Taylor to remember that there was an academy which aspiring magic users across the globe came to study in this town, and what effect such institution would have on the local population, and thus she deflated upon the realization; "It's out of my reach now isn't it?"

"You have the diligence and effort to see through the study of most thing you put your mind on…" Haku noted impartially, "However, time is a resource that all mortals have equally, as you well know from the failed attempt at my… haphazard test earlier this year."

Taylor grimaced; "So, to master this magic means I have to devote time and efforts into it, which means cutting away some from what I'm studying."

"Naturally."

However, Taylor's conversation with Yang surfaced yet again. And now she couldn't help but questioned Haku's insistence on the subject. Glancing at her fellow servant, she steeled herself, looked at the fox who stared back questioningly, before asking;

"Answer me honestly, is this another ploy to get me to learn Yang's martial art skill in a roundabout way?"

It was hard to guess what Haku was thinking with little expression shown despite the question, but the silence itself was enough to tell Taylor that she either didn't expect this, or she was thinking about how to answer.

Yumeko, however, silently took a stance close to her as if preparing to guard against incoming threats. Taylor was grateful for that silent gesture, even if it was unlikely that Haku would try something like their first meeting again.

After minutes passed by, Haku finally spoke in an indifferent tone, but her drooped fox ears which lasted only a second tell the other story; "It's the same reason you cited about not able to train in self-defense with Yumeko while also occupied studying other crafts – time."

Taylor was perplexed by the answer, but smart enough to know that the woman hasn't explained everything yet and waited, which wasn't long before Haku continued; "He is not like me, or most denizens of this realm, his life is approaching an end and no one has the power to stop him from willingly walk into it."

Taylor stared at the fox incredulously while berating herself for not seeing this reason coming. No matter how lively the old man Yang was, he was still an old man long past his prime and wouldn't live long. Not even as long as Taylor or Mao, let alone Haku, assuming that energy in this realm didn't mess up regular human's lifespan.

"So, you want Taylor to be Yang's replacement? Is all this time that you tormented the bunch of town guards under Milady's employ is not because of security but to find a replacement?" Yumeko accused the fox through gritted teeth before Taylor could've asked the same thing.

"I do no such thing!" Haku replied immediately. Her blue eyes glowed, her tails and ears shot up, and her voice raised slightly, breaking the stoic persona she carried; "To imply that my brother is replaceable like that is the same as saying that our bond is fake and easily replaced!"

Taylor and Yumeko were taken aback by Haku's sudden display of displeasure, which was surprising as Taylor thought that her senior should've known this. But when she thought it over, it wasn't that strange considering their relationship.

At least Haku quickly composed herself and apologized for the outburst quickly; "Sorry, that was uncalled for… But be careful on your assumption next time…"

It was unsettling to see the fox's mood shifted back to calmness so quickly. But maybe because Yang and Mao were rubbing off her, Taylor didn't feel like it was a bad thing when it was about controlling one's anger and stopped themselves from lashing out. Even Yumeko composed herself after the display as well.

That said; she would take her advice for future reference though, not just about Haku but for other interactions in general as well.

"I think we… and you… should let this matter rest for now…" Haku finally spoke up, as if the outburst earlier was some sort of a revelation to her "I have other matter to attend to, so please see yourself out… both of you."

There was nothing left to be said as Yumeko quickly ushered Taylor out of the fox's office. At least it gives her time to think about the conversation.

Still, there was one issue that troubled Taylor more than Haku's wish to find an heir to Yang's martial art; their conversation today reminded her of the loss she suffered when her biological mother died. And now that she finally found another parental figure in her new life, she was reminded once again that this happiness will not last very long.

The next magical lesson came by, and Taylor once again standing atop the tower where she practices this mystical art alongside her instructor and second mother. Initially, the lesson proceeded as usual as Taylor finds new applications through the wonder of magic without the need for Shinki to spoon-feed the knowledge that others has already researched before.

But once the lesson came to a close for that day and Shinki asked Taylor is she has questions, she sprung a tangential topic instead;

"Is it possible to ask the Judge of the Dead or those authority of the Afterlife to extend people's life beyond their lifespan?"

Shinki's grey eyes rose slightly at the question, her expression looked thoughtful before she asked back; "Remember our discussion about gods the other day?"

Taylor frowned a little as she recalled her memory before nodding, prompting Shinki to continue; "The Judges, and by extension, the Grim Reapers, are a special case. They're not quite gods created by the belief of the sentient beings. They are more like the concept of death given form through the living's belief of the Afterlife."

"How is that related to extending lifespan?"

"It's not. And that's the point."

The swift reply from Shinki surprised Taylor as she inquired further; "The afterlife does not have… I don't know… some kind of registry of every being telling them when one's approaching their death?"

Shinki asked back with a smile; "If that so, then you're implying that everything is predetermined long before anyone was born. Then why does Hell exist to judge the sinners? Why Eiki tried to dissuade you from going down the path of violence the last time you meet her?"

"…"

The silence let the ruler of Makai continued her explanation; "That's why I said they cannot foretell the death of people, for nothing is predetermined. And they also cannot resurrect the dead or extend someone's lifespan because it is not within their power. Their purpose is to bring the dead to the afterlife and continue the cycle of death and rebirth as it has always been since the beginning of time where the concept of Hell and Heaven were yet to exist. And the only reason they will intervene is when the mortal tries to cheat death in certain ways that they do not approve…"

Taylor was silent, pondering on the explanation as Shinki motioned her to sit down next to her on the parapet before the woman asked her out of concern; "What's bothering you, my child? You no longer think about the afterlife since that visit. Why now?"

It wasn't long before the girl spilled her source of worries to Shinki, and then finished with a question; "What's Haku's aim then?"

Shinki smiled sadly and replied; "Something to remind her of the man who she viewed as the sworn brother who pulled her out of the path of destruction she has been walking for centuries."

Taylor looked at Shinki with doubt in her eyes, to which the woman replied; "It's more impressive than it sounds, you know? For a mortal who just lived for a couple of decades to change the belief of centuries-old being with unfathomable life experiences. It's no wonder he left an impression on Haku as he did."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Taylor couldn't help but agreed with Shinki.

Shinki nodded and continued; "It's very difficult for the long-lived being to connect with mortal when they will always outlive them many lifetimes over after all. Do you not think it is impressive?"

Taylor would like to argue that another long-lived one that can connect to mortals was sitting next to her right now, but she held her tongue for it was not the time to sass.

"Is it fine?" Taylor muttered while averted her eyes to look up to the dark sky; "For me to be a… reminder of Yang for Haku?"

"It's not." Shinki replied before quickly followed; "…I think Haku just wants to remember him after he inevitably passed on, but that desire was muddled with her pragmatism of wanting his knowledge to stay as an asset to call upon to protect the peace and prosperity of Makai. And hence it mutated into wanting him to pass the torch to the next generation. It is the only thing that will continue to live on in the world after he passed away after all..." she then added; "Only if there're people to inherit them."

"He has Mao and she already learned his skill," Taylor argued while looked back at Shinki.

"That's only partly true and you know it."

Shinki replied casually, which Taylor couldn't argue for she was right. And so, she went back to the original question; "So should I do it?" upon the questioning look from Shinki, Taylor elaborated in a dejected tone; "Should I ask Yumeko to teach me self-defense to maybe convince Yang to teach me that secret martial art skill of his?"

Taylor was half-expected Shinki to tell her to go ahead, as however unpleasant it may be Taylor admitted that Haku was partly right; that time is something Yang didn't have anymore.

And secretly, Taylor wanted to has something to remember him by as well. He was like a cool old grandfather she never had, after all.

However, Shinki shook her head; "If only you want to do it. Yang will never accept someone who was forced into it, doing it half-heartedly, or with ulterior motives." seeing the surprised look on Taylor's face, she continued with a smile returning to her lips; "Else why he has no disciple in the fighting art he mastered yet despite numerous candidates Haku sent to him over the years? Candidates who, not to dismiss your effort or anything, more physically fit for the demand of that field of study than you are now."

Taylor's eyes widened at the explanation and whispered; "That… now that you said it…"

"However, because of this same reason, Haku cannot do anything more than she already did too." Shinki continued while smiling at her daughter. "After all these explanations, I think you already know why."

Taylor nodded in understanding; Yang would know if Haku pressured her, or anyone, into her scheme of continuing his legacy. The old man has an uncanny skill of reading people that even Taylor once wondered if he was a Thinker. Or maybe perhaps people from the era of strife like during and after the Great War were more skilled at reading people than the people sixty years in the future?

Regardless, it was reassuring that Haku wouldn't do anything more than asking her to consider the option. Taylor was quite certain that the emotion the fox displayed earlier that day was genuine, and with Taylor and Haku tried to mend their relationship, it was unlikely that she will push any further.

Not that it matters if Yang still refused, however.

But still…

"If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both. My child."

A wise word from Shinki broke Taylor's musing. She chided herself mentally for forgetting this just mere hours after telling the fox about lack of time; "Thanks… I guess I need that advise…" she muttered.

Shinki repeated the advice; "Your focus and determination to excel in what you put your mind on are admirable. But take one at a time so that you may truly excel and not just knowing half-baked. Especially when it's the art that can both save lives and end it." She then added; "Unless you think you're not fit for what Yang's teaching and want to pursue another path. Then the choice is yours. Yang wouldn't stop you, no matter how much potential he saw, just as I said before that he wouldn't teach anyone whose mind isn't on the subject. And at the risk of repeating it; Eiki, the Judge of the Dead, won't stop you either despite her warning, for it's you who make your choice, not them."

Had this offer came when she first arrived and still fresh from the previous life's experience, Taylor would've taken this offer in a heartbeat. But now, deep down, she believed that Yang would likely refuse to teach her. He regretted killing during the fall of the Qing dynasty and subsequent wars in the Middle Kingdom a great deal to the point of turning it into art that saves lives, after all.

Not that there were no other options available at all. Taylor overheard that the town academy also teaches both fighting art and mystical art, even though the latter was more renowned. And she was confident that she could get into the academy with or without the backing of people in the power position.

Still, when thinking about it for a while, Taylor found that what she was learning from Yang was more than enough.

Shinki, who was looking at her daughter/servant smiled knowingly. But that made Taylor remembered one thing that was mentioned in the passing sometimes ago and thought that it was a good time to ask.

"What about the 'becoming Magician to increase your lifespan' thing? Can it help Yang?"

The response she got was Shinki tilting her head slightly and asked back; "Why do you think that Yang never heard of this idea before despite living for longer than you and has already traveled around the Makai while you haven't?"

And just like that, Taylor's hope was dashed, but in place of it there was another question, and again it is shown on her face before she could even utter a word as Shinki again pre-empted her; "At this point, you should know that longevity doesn't always result in happiness. No?"

"…"

Shinki smiled; "Also, gaining longevity by becoming a Magician is more of a self-enlightenment. Only the practitioner can obtain it, and no one can force it upon others if they do not want it."

Taylor was silent, mulling over the implication of what they discussed until Shinki broke her out of her thought with a statement; "Oh my, look at the time, I think it's the time to rest, no? I think this should be all we have for today."

The maid turned and stared at the silver-haired ruler of Makai with a questioning look. It was a moment after before she replied cryptically; "Sometimes you can appreciate the value of something only when you realized how fragile it is." The woman's hand rose and placed upon Taylor's shoulder, placating her; "Treasure the moment you have. Making good memories with him and his family and avoid conflicts. So that when the time comes, you do not have any regrets."

That lightened her mood somewhat as she smiled back and replied before going back to Yang's house; "Thank you for your advice, Ma'am. See you later."

Shinki sighed lightly after the teleport circle started glowing and send Taylor back to Yang's house; "I'm just doing what parents and mentors should. I wish you well, my child. As I always do."

Author's Note:

It took forever to get this out. Well, real life issues and all that. There's not much to say here.

Again, creative criticisms are welcome. Stay safe everyone.