《The Wings of Storm》


 1- The Book with Glistening Eyes

    Dear Youka,


    What¡¯s most annoying about having two bodies and living in separate worlds is that almost no one will believe you. So keep this memoir a secret or people will think I''m delusional.


    Tahro Akagi.


    ***


    July 22. Nine going on ten years old. Japan.


    The book had glistening eyes.


    The irises of the characters on the manga¡¯s cover shone with an uncanny realness, like they were ever so slightly moving. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but I doubted it. The eyes had been the same back at the shop, where the midday sun had shone through the windows, like they were now in my room, with the tube light bringing everything into harsh clarity.


    I couldn¡¯t stop staring. The air around me became lighter, more windy in a way. A shiver went up my back.


    The book was white with red borders and had a large number one on its spine. Blade Fables, the title said in an ornate font. There were four kids; two of them holding strange swords; one reading a book much too big for his slight frame; and a tall boy with a cat-like creature perching on his shoulder.


    Their eyes.


    ¡®Tahro! It¡¯s time to study,¡¯ my mum called out from the hall.


    Already?


    ¡®Okay.¡¯ I sighed, prying my reluctant fingers off the still unbroken plastic wrap around the manga.


    Studying should be a child¡¯s priority, my mother liked to say. She¡¯d had to claw her way up to get a well-paying job, with American parents, blonde hair and blue eyes that made her stick out like a sore thumb in Japan. Often, she used to lecture me that I¡¯d have to do the same, seeing as I¡¯d favoured her features over my father¡¯s. Honestly, I¡¯d rather I didn¡¯t have any responsibilities yet, but I had to do what I¡¯d been told.


    My bookcase was full, some of the volumes packed so tight, I¡¯d have to struggle to get them out again. Standing on my tiptoes, I placed the manga flat over the highest shelf. Read you soon!


    Every step felt like I had an anchor weighing me down, but I trudged toward my desk. I have to study. Science had always been my favourite subject, so I lugged out that textbook from my desk drawer. Pencil lines marked the page, a keepsake from the first time I¡¯d gone through the book. Only for a couple of hours.


    My eyes skimmed over the material, reading the same sentences several times over. Science was my favourite subject, but however much I tried, the manga behind me crept into my mind.


    Should I read it now?


    I shook my head at the thought. No, if Mum found out-- well, I didn¡¯t want to know what she¡¯d do. No, I¡¯d just have to power through. After dinner, I could read as much as I wanted before bedtime. Just a couple of hours.


    For a few more minutes, I stared at my textbook. When I¡¯d read the word ¡®condensation¡¯ for the fifth time, I leaned back with a sigh. A couple of excruciating hours.


    Muted sounds of our TV made way into my room. My mum must¡¯ve been watching it. Heart pounding, I peeked around the doorway. Sure enough, her blond curls struck out from behind the sofa. Hardly daring to breathe, I crept back in, right past my desk to my bookshelf.


    My trembling fingers prised the book out of the covering. Every crinkle of plastic made me wince. Yet the sounds from the TV remained the same, and no footsteps made their way to my door. I returned to my desk with the book.


    Should I do this?


    I¡¯d never disobeyed my mum before. My skin prickled with fear, but also a dash of exhilaration. Like I was breaking a sacred oath, only to be set free. Guilt stirred in me, but I squashed it. I''d already covered the material anyway. One look at the cover and the clean winds returned, this time with whispers I could have sworn weren''t from the TV. Yes, I had to read it.


    I opened the manga a scant thirty degrees, careful so the spine didn''t snap.


    A fish-eye view of a town filled with sprawling buildings and tangled electricity wires spread across the first two pages. Heikisato, Saishuu Riku, 473 AE, said a little banner on the right-hand corner. One establishment stood out, with its mushroom-shaped dome and its many stories situated in the centre, like a mama hen coddling her chicks.


    The panels shifted, getting closer to this building. First, the wooden pillars that supported its dome grew more distinct, then the pipes running across the second floor, and finally a single window was the focus. On the other side of the window, a spiky-haired boy barged into a crowded room full of other teens. Saying something with a grin, he led in a girl, the two swords hanging behind her like a cross shifting as she doubled down in laughter.


    In her mirth, she bumped into an older boy who sat closest to the door. His thin frame, made even more so by an equally narrow face and long black shirt, fell against the wall.


    ¡®Oh no, I''m sorry,¡¯ she said, turning around.


    ¡®It''s--it''s okay,¡¯ said the boy, whose freckled cheeks turned several shades darker as he looked up at her. On his left shoulder was a little cat-like creature, with rabbit ears and a long arrowhead tail.


    The girl beamed at him before heading to the reception desk. He swung down his head, and his long framing bangs and glasses masked his shy smile.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I sensed an impending romance and groaned. Why did they have to include it in everything?


    ¡®Names please,¡¯ said the older teen at the desk, which was weighed down by stacks of folders, pens and sticky notes.


    ¡®I''m Kaede Touta and this is Ahio Sora,¡¯ the girl replied.


    She shuffled some papers until she found a couple of files, one with a picture of Kaede, and the other of Ahio. Clipped on to each was a small card saying Eleven. She removed these and handed it to them. ¡®Please wait for your turn, the Quest Master will call you in. Squad eight is now inside.¡¯


    Kaede began to speak but froze. On the receptionist¡¯s once neat ponytail was now a cat-like creature with rabbit ears and an arrowhead tail. It blinked and mewed.


    ¡®Ahhh!¡¯ the receptionist screamed and clutched her head, or rather, what was on top of her head. Before her hands could grasp it, the animal bit her wrist and leapt off onto the table. It tore apart some folders close by and made quick work of the papers inside. People started from their seats, and a few rose to help.


    ¡®I''ll catch it!¡¯ cried Ahio. He sprang upon the desk, arms reaching and flinging paper every which way. The little creature bounced away from his fingers and clawed at the wall, its sharp claws leaving marks on the wood.


    Before anyone could move, it let go of the wall, hopping onto one person''s leg, another''s head, then back on the desk. The kids yelled at the nearest ones to catch it and screamed in bravado as they tried. But despite how well they all sneaked up on it nor how exuberant they sprang, the little beast leapt away in time. Only two of the kids remained seated.


    One of them, a short boy with large eyes and wispy wavy hair, sighed and snapped his heavy book shut. He glared at the pandemonium in front of him. Turning to his companion, the same boy Kaede had bumped into before, he poked his arm.


    ¡®Excuse me, I believe that''s your pet,¡¯ he said.


    The other boy, who till now had been fiddling with his number card with one hand and his collar with the other, turned to face the younger kid. ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡®Your pet is disrupting my reading.¡¯


    The older boy started, his face losing the deep blush that had remained from before, and stared at the commotion with wide eyes. He sprang up and clapped his hands. ¡®Tayo! Come back here.¡¯


    As though a switch had been flipped, the animal stopped ripping another boy''s backpack, hopped to the teen''s side and clambered onto his shoulder. It nuzzled his neck. The boy giggled and stroked Tayo¡¯s muzzle.


    ¡®Ahem,¡¯ said the receptionist.


    He gulped and ran his eyes over the ruins his pet had left behind. The walls were indented with claw marks on various spots, some chairs had what little cushioning they held ripped out, several people¡¯s clothes were torn and everyone was scratched in some way or another.


    ¡®I''m--I''m sorry, katus c--can be a little...excited in new p--places,¡¯ he tugged at his collar and looked down, a blush forming once again.


    The girl rolled her eyes. ¡®Well, next time, make sure you contain that excitement. Now help me clean up before it¡¯s your turn in.¡¯


    They hustled a few minutes to bring things back to a semblance of normalcy with the help of a few other kids. Now and then, a squad marched out of the adjacent room, and another group of kids walked in. Soon, only a handful of people remained in the waiting room. The door creaked open, and squad ten walked out.


    ¡®Next!¡¯


    Ahio, Kaede, the older boy with the pet and the little one with the book filed in.


    ¡®Tahro, dinner''s ready!¡¯


    My heart jumped to my throat, as my mum''s voice pulled me out of the pages. Clinking silverware had replaced the chatter from the TV. Dinner? So early? She¡¯d have passed my room on the way to the kitchen. My hands shook, almost crumpling the pages they held. I thanked my stars she hadn¡¯t noticed what I¡¯d been up to.


    ¡®Coming mum, Five minutes!¡¯ My voice was shakier than I liked.


    Hearing no reply, I turned back to the manga, ears alert for creaking floorboards and swishing skirts. Just this chapter.


    Inside, a plump woman lounged behind a desk, holding a cigar to her lips. She scrutinized a file in front of her. The kids stood at attention, some more than others. While the rest waited as stiff as could be, Ahio bounced up and down on his toes, trying to peek into the file from afar. The woman glared at him.


    ¡®Get outta here if you wanna hop around, brat.¡¯ She took a puff of her cigar, eyes still on the boy.


    He fell back in line, smothering a frown. Kaede gave him a small smile and crossed her fingers behind her back.


    ¡®Good,¡¯ said the woman, waving her file. ¡®Kaede Touta, you¡¯re squad leader. Here ya go, take this.¡¯


    Kaede took it, beaming.


    ¡®Yes yes, congratulations.¡¯ The woman rolled her eyes. ¡®You gotta escort a runaway kid back home from Ohoro.¡¯


    ¡®What? Escort a kid back home?¡¯ Ahio burst out. Kaede elbowed him, but he brushed her away. ¡®I thought quests were supposed to be exciting! Aren¡¯t we going to fight anyone?¡¯


    ¡®Excitin¡¯? I¡¯ll give you excitin¡¯,¡¯ the woman snapped, spit flying on her desk. ¡®Rumour has it, kids are goin¡¯ missin¡¯. An¡¯ this one might too if ya¡¯ll don¡¯t hurry up. That excitin¡¯ enough for ya?¡¯


    ¡®Tahro, dinner''s getting cold!¡¯


    ¡®I''m coming. I''m coming!¡¯


    I breezed through the pages, fingers flicking them rougher than I''d like. My brain did it''s best to cram in the details of their quest. I really needed to finish this chapter before dinner for¡­for some reason.


    I''m sure you understand, Youka.


    A few moments later, not hearing my mum call, I slowed down to savour each page as before.


    Their meeting with the Quest Master done, the kids scurried out of her room. The last squad waiting outside rushed in and shut the door behind them. Ahio and Kaede ran downstairs, chattering about their quest while the other two followed.


    The boy with the katu pulled at his collar. ¡®T-thanks for e-earlier. I-I don''t know what I''d been thinking.¡¯


    ¡®No problem.¡¯


    ¡®I-I''m Tsubasa Date.¡¯


    ¡®Daisuke Kaho,¡¯ the younger boy said and flipped his book open.


    Both of them strode out of focus. The panels grew larger and darker and darker. Soon, one panel covered the whole page, showing a dim-lit room spilling with tomes and cracked parchment.


    In the midst of this loomed a cloaked figure. Their spindly fingers caressed a crystal ball. The pages were grayscale, just like before, but the ball glowed a faint blue.


    A tingle coursed across my back.


    They whispered, ¡®It''s almost done.¡¯


    ¡®I thought you were studying!¡¯ My mum¡¯s hand snapped the manga shut.


    Heart hammering loud, I looked up to meet her glare. She ripped into me, about what a naughty child I was, and how disappointing my actions were. I don''t remember her exact words. But they struck me like lashes. Yet despite the hurt, despite the fear that kept shaking my body, despite it all, I was sure of one thing.


    I regretted nothing.


    It was gradual, going to another world, like grains of sand slowly sucked into the bottom of an hourglass. And today was when the first grain fell.

 2- When a Soul Splits in Two- Part 1

    Over the next couple of days, I read the volume, not one, not two, but five times. The shadowy figure was never mentioned again, but that chill returned every time I read the scene. Six months passed as the new chapters of volume two, then three released every Wednesday on the manga site. Soon that became my favourite day.


    ***


    January 15. Ten years old. Japan.


    My door was shut. I wasn''t allowed to lock it, but no one said anything about shutting it. So I¡¯d shut it. Quietly of course, surreptitiously. When my parents were out buying groceries.


    Okay, maybe I was more than a little paranoid.


    Nevertheless, the door was shut, and I was free to practice my swordsmanship, or at least pretend to. With my makeshift blade, a long ruler, I made slashes and thrusts at the air, trying to copy the moves Kaede did the time a bandit stole their bags, or Ahio when the same bandit called his mates for help. Currents of exhilaration rippled through my arm, releasing a longing I''d always had but seldom acknowledged. Well, maybe I had acknowledged it. The shelves of books I owned held testimony to the call for adventure I''d heard since I''d learned to read.


    Leaping onto my bed, and then back onto the floor, I tried to propel myself higher and higher into the air. But I couldn¡¯t do the stunts squad eleven often did. In Blade Fables, everyone used inner spirit, their version of magic. They could run faster and jump further than any human in our world could. Some, who were mages like Tsubasa, could do more. As a nature whisperer, he had the spirit of every living creature under his beck and call.


    Sweat beading on my forehead, I dropped onto my bed, panting. For all the playacting I did, something was still missing. My heart called out for an answer I couldn¡¯t give. Knuckles turning white, I clenched my ruler. I wanted more. More than just reading, more than just my imagination. I wanted to see it, hear it, be it.


    Something glimmered in front of me, so faint I could¡¯ve mistaken it for a trick of the light. But my curtains were closed and my room in an afternoon shadow. What is it? My breath caught in my chest. While my study-table was in front of me, an image of something else superimposed on it. Something tall yet far away. Something with a glistening crystal dome.


    Heikisato¡¯s headquarters.


    With trembling legs, I stood. Have I gone mad? But regardless of how much I rubbed my eyes or blinked, the image remained. Is this real? I reached out my hands, fingertips brushing the apparition.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Clang.


    My parents had arrived. The vision before me disappeared to my dismay. I was so close. A spark of anger almost made me scream. But there was no time for that. I flung the ruler onto my study-table and heaved open the door. It wouldn''t do for them to find out what I''d been up to. Well, my dad wouldn¡¯t care. He never wanted to work, even to look after his kid, whenever he wasn¡¯t on his business trips and was home on holidays. But my mum would get ideas that I was becoming distracted, or violent. Or she''ll laugh at it as if it were too trivial to be given any more respect.


    As she peeked through the doorway, I was on my chair at my study-table, perusing a fourth-grade science textbook. Her blue eyes glinted with what I could only assume to be approval.


    ¡®You''re studying? Good. I wanted to talk to you about something.¡¯


    My back straightened, and I attempted to put on a calm face and smile. What had I done now? Had she seen me? I''d drawn the curtains closed too. Oh no, was my silhouette visible making swipes with stationary? Yet I couldn''t see a trace of anger around her eyes so I forced my thumping heart to calm. It couldn''t be anything bad.


    ''Yes, Mum?''


    She smiled, and more than anything, this made my breathing slow down.


    ''You''re going into fifth grade soon, so I thought it''d be best if we got a tutor for you. I met Mrs Hashimoto at the shop, and she told me her daughter''s teacher is a good one. I''ll be calling her today, and maybe we could set something up this week.''


    ¡®Tutoring?¡¯ My dad strode over, still sporting dark circles around his eyes from jetlag. ¡®Why does he need that? We can¡¯t afford it.¡¯


    I swallowed. Not again.


    My mum sighed, lips thinning into a frown. ¡®We could if you stopped dishing out our money so your sister can buy a second car.¡¯


    ¡®We¡¯ve talked about this already.¡¯ He glared at her. ¡®Asuka¡¯s in university. It¡¯s hard for them to manage with one car.¡¯


    She glared back, her voice rising with every word. ¡®I suppose they¡¯re too good for public transport. Why won¡¯t you understand? She has you wrapped around her finger. And now you won¡¯t pay for our child¡¯s education because you want to buy her a second car.¡¯


    ¡®How dare you tell me how to spend my own money?¡¯ Dad shouted.


    At this point my mum slammed my door, muffling their argument. Their voices still came through, words unintelligible but loud.


    Every other day my parents stayed in the same place promised an evening of arguments and silent dinners. I should be used to it by now. Yet I still shook despite myself. My throat dried out and tightened, but I didn¡¯t know why. They¡¯d go over the same quarrel, the same points before deciding to never compromise, only to start it again another day. I should be used to it.


    I blinked, refusing to cry. Just as my vision got cloudy, I spotted my volume of Blade Fables. With trembling hands, I grabbed it. The pages, now well-thumbed, captured me just as it had the first time. It was like a blanket, keeping me warm and safe. Soon, my parents'' voices drifted away and all I heard were imaginary clashing swords.

 3- When a Soul Splits in Two- Part 2

    Your uncle, Yuuhei, had been my best friend since first grade, and sometimes Mum would let me take a day off from studying and hang out with him. She often did it after big fights with Dad, when she¡¯d stay overtime at work and he¡¯d visit his side of the family. Today was no different.


    ***


    January 16. Ten years old. Japan.


    My arm was held hostage by Yuuhei, who towed it and sprinted into his mansion of a home. My shoulders popped in protest, and I stumbled behind him.


    ¡®Yuuhei, Yuuhei! Slow down,'' I screamed.


    ¡®Aw, wait till we go to my room.¡¯


    I sighed and shook my head. I''d need a new arm with this boy as my friend. While his antics made me grin, something else did too.


    Today was Wednesday.


    And not just any Wednesday. Today there''d be a new story arc. I hoped something exciting happened.


    We rushed through the wide hallways and skidded to a halt before his room. A thick spicy smell wafted from the kitchen. My stomach growled. I wondered what Yuuhei¡¯s mum had cooked. He let my poor hand go and stared at the ceiling, eyes moist.


    ¡®Oh, my room. I am back. Did you miss me?¡¯


    I laughed and swatted his arm. ¡®So dramatic.¡¯


    He shoved my hand, a toothy grin decorating his face. ¡®It''s time to read,'' he rolled onto his gigantic bed and circled his arms under his head. Despite the size, it was a wonder he had any space to do that. Dirty clothes from who knows when, pencils and papers of a budding artist and bags of chips he''d finished days ago took up most of it. A room twice as big as mine and this is what he did with it.


    Kicking away an odd pair of socks on the way to his laptop, I let loose a huge smile. The balls of my feet danced to an imaginary chorus, and exhilaration perfumed the air. Finally! I''d been waiting all week.


    ¡®I''ve always wondered how cool it''d be if all these manga were real,'' said Yuuhei.


    My eyes shifted to him. He broke contact with them and glazed over the hoards of books on his shelves and floor. ¡®You know, I read an article once. It was about some people thinking they could go to other dimensions, and how they had superpowers and stuff. Dunno if it''s true, but wouldn''t it be so cool if that happened to us?¡¯


    Time froze. My heart beat like it was trying to break my ribs, and my palms prickled with sweat. Was that what I was feeling all this while? Am I really¡­ Should I tell him I might be¡­?


    ¡®Yup, it''d be really cool.¡¯


    The loading finished, and a screen of bright Pocky Stickmon struck my vision. I opened the browser with shivering fingers and typed in the manga site. Was Blade Fables real? Could it be real? It took me a few minutes to realize Blade Fables was under Newest Releases.


    Even if it existed, could I really go there?


    ¡®It''s up, Yuuhei.¡¯


    ¡®Yay. Ugh, Tahro, help me. I can''t get up.¡¯


    Turning my head, I found Yuuhei flat on his back, one hand stretched limply at the roof. I scrambled over and pulled it.


    ¡®Tahro, at this rate, I don''t think I''ll ever get out of bed. Tell my parents this is it. And my sister that I love her. I can''t go to school anymore or do any homework,'' he sniffed. ¡®When I die, bury me with my action figures.¡¯If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Could count on him to change the topic, even unknowingly. I dropped his hands and crossed my arms. ¡®Get up, you lazy, morbid kid.¡¯


    ¡®Ugh, ugh,¡¯ he said and flopped to his side. Then, like a zombie, he pushed himself up with one trembling hand and chuckled. ¡®Okay, I''m up. Open the chapter.¡¯


    I grinned, double-clicked the thumbnail and waited for the chapter to load. The first page was¡­


    Notice to all readers.


    Due to extremely low ratings and other unforeseen circumstances, the Author has to temporarily withdraw from continuing the manga. We assure you that it will return full swing with a new exciting arc, but for now, we apologize for the hiatus. Thank you for your support and patience!


    A high-pitched whistle blew in my ear. The temperature plummeted, and whatever breath I had was squeezed out of me. My ears rang as if someone had taken the courtesy of boxing them. Why would they do this? What about everyone who liked it? And how will I¡­ Will I ever¡­know more?


    I saw my future laid out before me. What was I going to do when cooped up in my room if I couldn''t be a part of new exploits? What was I going to do when they fought? Those days when my parents¡¯ voices raised too high for me to shut out. How could I mute them if I had no new villains to play-fight with?


    Something precious within me, like a soul, a spirit, rushed out of me. I saw not through two eyes, but four. Two hearts raced together. Like looking into a mirror for the first time, there was another me.


    ¡®Hey, Tahro, are you alright?¡¯ said a voice which had travelled many many miles.


    I shut my eyes and clenched my fists. My heart banged on my ribcage, and one thought, one hope, clung to my mind.


    ¡®Yuuhei, Blade Fables is real.¡¯


    ***


    January 15. Ten years old. Saishuu Riku.


    Everything was a haze.


    A fog tainted my vision, like I¡¯d worn my grandma¡¯s glasses, and my ears were muffled, tinnitus the only sound I could hear. What¡¯s going on? Spots of orange, blue and brown light broke through the smog. The noises around me became clearer, growing into birdsong and footsteps. As the view before me grew more and more distinct, my heart raced. Is it what I think it is?


    Gone were the four walls of Yuuhei¡¯s room, and in its place stood sprawling apartments. But not the glassy twenty-storey kinds I knew. These were five floors at most, with quaint wooden elevators. Billowy red clouds ran across a sunrise sky over their gabled roofs. A cobblestone street replaced the marble that was under my feet only a few seconds ago. Unlike my neighbourhood lanes, there wasn¡¯t a suit, school uniform or suitcase in sight. Instead, the few early risers I saw wore light cotton layers and various kinds of satchels. At the end of the road stood a tall mushroom-shaped building.


    I¡¯m in Heikisato!


    Simultaneously, my thoughts screamed this is a dream and this is really happening! I didn¡¯t want to pinch myself, lest it was an illusion and I made it disappear. For even if it was a dream, it was a darn good one. Joy, of a kind I¡¯d never felt before, burst within my very soul. I wanted to scream and cry.


    Far away, I could feel another body moving, flexing fingers that weren''t my own, taking in air for another pair of lungs and having thoughts I wasn''t thinking. Like a tug in my gut, I knew that some part of me was in Yuuhei''s house. But I was in Heikisato. Do I have two bodies?


    My joints trembled with every move as I walked forward. My muscles felt like a thousand years, worn out and like jelly. I was so tired, as though I hadn¡¯t slept for days. My eyes begged to close shut. Yet I pushed on, past the vendors setting up their shops for the day, past the yawning children squabbling with their parents. Here and there I tripped on uneven stone but kept going. There was something I had to do.


    My determination grew with every step, and before I knew it, I broke into a run. Soon, the oaken doors of the HQ loomed before me. They beckoned me.


    With shaking fingers, I opened it. It actually exists. What little doubt I¡¯d had exited my system. The doorknob was cold and smooth to touch, as real as anything could ever be.


    The hall inside was more vast than the manga could show. Several doors and corridors opened out in the place, as though I was in the centre of a hive. Sleepy eyed workers flitted about, carrying paperwork or arranging their desks. Maybe it was too early, or just an off day, but in stark contrast to the chapters that I¡¯d read, the reception desk didn¡¯t have a queue. The man behind it sighed as I approached him.


    ¡®What can I do for you, kid?¡¯ He took a sip from his drink.


    I clenched my fists. This is really happening. This was what I wanted beyond all else. My heart drummed into my ears.


    ¡®I want to become a swordsman.¡¯

 4- The Very Weird First Quest- Part 1

    I discovered in Saishuu Riku that nothing I¡¯d read had happened yet. The year was 469 AE, not the 473 AE of the manga. Perhaps it had to do with how I¡¯d imagined squad eleven to be around my age, even though they were older in the manga. This only spurred me to train harder, in the hopes that I might one day get to work with them.


    While one me learned the art of being a swordsman, the other obsessed over the manga. Every day I¡¯d rush to the computer, hoping and hoping for a new chapter. For the hiatus to finally be over. And of course, it wouldn''t be. Then I''d refresh the page ten times, fifty times, sometimes for several minutes straight. And there still wouldn''t be a new chapter. After about a year of this, I began to calm down. By two years, I only checked each Wednesday. Yet every time I went to sleep, I wished for that one night, a lifespan of a dream, to only have one body and wake up in Heikisato. And every time I opened my eyes disappointed.


    Four years later, at long last, the author announced the hiatus would end.


    ***


    February 1. Fourteen and a half years old. Japan.


    It was time.


    I opened the web browser, missing the icon the first three tries with a trembling finger. My head felt light like I was floating up in the clouds. After years of waiting and waiting, the announcement had seemed unreal. A practical joke.


    The page began to load, and the circle spun.


    What would squad eleven¡¯s new mission be? How¡¯s everyone doing?


    The circle spun.


    My legs tapped in a frenzy, and I held in my breath. Any time now.


    The circle spun.


    It was taking a long time to load today. The Internet must be slow.


    The circle stopped.


    The page was blank save for one picture and a message-- Unable to connect to the internet.


    I stared at the words. For a long while, I couldn''t understand them. They were no more than a string of letters. No, surely not. Not at a time like this. It was fine yesterday.


    The screen in front of me seemed to vanish as a certain kind of warmth rushed over me. It was not the kind that made me feel all fuzzy inside. No, it made me feel as though my head would burst.


    ¡®Mum!¡¯


    ¡®What is it?¡¯ she called out from the hall.


    ¡®The internet''s not connected!¡¯


    ¡®I know.¡¯


    What did she mean she knew? Pushing away a vague but horrible idea of what she might have done, I marched to the living room. The hardwood floor seemed to bob up and down in sync with my heart. My mum was on the sofa, her back turned to me while typing away on her laptop.


    ¡®Can we fix it?¡¯


    The click-clacking of the keys stopped, and she sighed. The idea I¡¯d pushed back returned awfully clearer.


    ¡®Tahro, I¡¯ve blocked your devices from the wifi. It''s only until March next year, you can do whatever you want after that. I really need you to focus on your studies.¡¯


    I knew it. But even so, I couldn''t quite grasp it. Surely, surely not. Not after I¡¯d waited so long. Not today.


    ¡®You''re not serious?¡¯


    She pushed a curl behind her ear and pursed her lips. ¡®I''m very serious.¡¯


    The warmth from before morphed into something more, something white-hot and burning. A lid kept it trapped, but I didn''t know for how long. ¡®Can I just use it for today? I have some work to d--¡¯If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡®You can do that on my laptop. I''ll need to supervise you, though, so you have to wait till tonight.¡¯


    The lid cracked, and some fumes escaped. She¡¯d taken away hours of my life, making me study while other children played outside. She¡¯d stopped me from visiting Yuuhei since I¡¯d begun middle school. Even the bookshop trips I was allowed were shortened more and more every year. But she can¡¯t take away Blade Fables. ¡®The admission exam¡¯s a year away. I''m already first place in three classes; maths, English and mu--¡¯


    My mum''s eyes widened, anger flashing in them. But that only shattered my lid more.


    ¡®You need to be at the top of all your classes,¡® she said. ¡®How many times do I have to tell you? I used to study all day, but you can''t be bothered!'' she yelled, her eyes bulging. ¡®If you want to be a robotics engineer, you need to get into a good high school. So start studying seriously from now on.¡¯


    The lid dissolved, and the smoke clouded my mind. My eyes stung, and fledgeling tears blurred my vision. It was never enough was it? Whatever I did, how much I improved.


    But she will not take Blade Fables from me. I had a plan.


    I stomped to my room, making sure my footfalls reflected my anger. The idea that struck me guided my eyes to my bed, where lay my phone, carelessly tossed after a long day at school. I snatched it, my fingers leaving sweaty trails as I called Yuuhei. He could narrate the whole chapter.


    My hand shook as I held my phone to my ear. Yuuhei always had a way of calming me down, and I hoped he¡¯d work his magic now. To be honest, as much as I wanted to know what happened in the new chapter, I also just wanted to hear his voice.


    ¡®Hey, Tahro!¡¯ Yuuhei shouted into my ear. ¡®The chapter was amazing, wasn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t believe Ahio got kidnapped.¡¯


    What? I dropped onto my bed, jaw open. ¡®Yuuhei, I haven¡¯t read the chapter yet. My¡ª My mum¡¯s cut the internet. Ahio got kidnapped?¡¯


    ¡®Tahro¡­¡¯ The other end of the line fizzled into silence for a moment. ¡®Are you okay?¡¯


    I rubbed my eyes and took a deep breath. ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m fine. What happened to Ahio?¡¯


    ¡®Well, this man was hitting his donkey, and you know Ahio¡ª he can never stay silent seeing something like that. But the guy threw some kind of powder at him. I don¡¯t know what it is, but Ahio dropped to the floor, unconscious. Then the man threw him and the powder into his donkey cart. I wonder if that won¡¯t increase his dose and put him into a coma or something. But then again, it was in a pouch. I don¡¯t know.¡¯ Yuuhei stopped to breathe. ¡®Tahro, are you sure you¡¯re alright? You can talk to me, you know?


    ¡¯Thanks, Yuuhei, but I¡¯m okay.¡¯ Am I though? First, my mum decided to control my life even more, and now Ahio was kidnapped. I clutched my bedsheets, anxiety roiling in my stomach. Not to mention, right now the year in Heikisato is 473 AE, just like in the manga. So Ahio might be kidnapped any day now, maybe he already was. ¡®Do you know when he was kidnapped¡ªthe date? Where did this happen¡ª¡®


    Long fingernails bit into my hand, snatching my phone away. My mum towered over me, glowering. She cut the call. ¡®What do you think you¡¯re doing? I didn¡¯t cut the internet so you can waste your time talking to Yuuhei all day. I¡¯m going to take your phone too, and if you want to use it, I¡¯ll supervise you and make sure there isn''t any unnecessary chat, like that manga you two are always going on about. I don''t think that should be too hard, though. You meet him every day.¡¯


    Yes, I would meet Yuuhei tomorrow. But what if Ahio needed me now?


    My throat dried out and constricted. Every part of me shook to scream out. To tell her how Ahio was kidnapped, and I needed to ask Yuuhei more information. To tell her how very far Blade Fables was from ¡®unnecessary chat¡¯. How tomorrow might be much too late. All I wanted to do was burst out the truth.


    But what else would she think than that I was a whiny, perhaps delusional child who wanted out of studying?


    She left my room, taking my only chance to possibly save Ahio with her. Hot tears fell on my cheeks.


    I tugged a bunch of tissues from the bedside table and blew my nose. She was always on my case-- ¡°Why aren''t you the best in everything? Why is this kid better than you in this subject?¡± Never the perfect child. Never the perfect son she wanted. I blew my nose again, and the tissues became soaked, wetness getting on my palms. I threw them at the bin, but they bounced off the rim. It wasn''t like I had any other problems. Just because I was a kid, the only thing I should be worried about were exams, exams, and then, exams. And there my worth ended.


    I grabbed some fresh tissues and gave a trumpeting blow.


    Anyway, there was no certainty that something bad will happen to Ahio. He was one of the main characters. Main characters didn''t often die.


    But what if he does?


    I should¡¯ve listened. She¡¯d been threatening me about this for a few months, but I''d never thought she''d carry through. My eyes stung again, and a fresh bout of tears joined the old. Something might happen to Ahio, and now I might be too late to stop it. If only I''d listened. If only I''d, I didn''t know how but somehow, topped all my classes. The tissues were now too soggy to take anymore, but I didn''t care.


    If something happens to Ahio, it will be all my fault.


    Blackness sprang on me, filling my sight like a self-completing puzzle. It crushed me. For a moment, I was nothing, there was nothing. What breath I had, left. Then, as soon as it came, it disappeared. I could feel my limbs again but could not move them. My breath came back but softly, so softly. Everything, my arms, my legs, even my eyes were so heavy. All I wanted to do was fall.


    Fall into a dream.

 5- The Very Weird First Quest- Part 2

    February 1. Fourteen and a half years old. Saishuu Riku.


    Ring! Ring! Ring!


    The noise pounded my brain, each ring like a weighty hammer. I buried my face in the pillows and twisted them around my ears, but still, the noise persisted. Alright, alright! I slammed an arm around until it hit the buzzer. Finally, some peace and quiet. Sleep folded over me like a blanket, and I hugged my pillow tighter. Remnants of my dream flickered in and out. Something about a quarrel. Not the best kind, but anything was better than waking up. Just five more minutes.


    Then I remembered what day it was.


    My eyes snapped open, all the grime around it moving in to attack. I rubbed them and swung from the bed, swaying like a drunken man. After all this while, today was the day. A huge grin ran across my face.


    Today I¡¯d join a squad.


    As I pranced across my room, grabbed my towel and entered my citrus-scented washroom, I could hardly stop hopping on the spot. I''d dreamt of this ever since I stepped foot in Heikisato. Euphoria lightened me, and I¡¯d have sworn I could fly. For all the embarrassment I¡¯d had with being in the same class with people four years younger, this was worth it.


    Most people who joined general training were six, but I was already ten when I¡¯d begun. After graduation, the others had left to do special training with a mentor, something outsiders weren''t allowed. So I''d been assigned a squad instead.


    I was a bit nervous about meeting my new team, though. Even if I were only a replacement. Unfortunately, only outsiders recommended to or by the Minister were allowed to be permanent members of a squad.


    I hurried to the closet, swung it open and pulled out my outfit. The coarse cotton of my red jacket wrapped my fingers. Taking each piece of clothing reverently to the board, I ironed them. They must be perfect. Even the tiniest crease must be wiped out. I smiled and wondered what my mum would think if she saw me do all this housework.


    At the thought of my mum, something shook my very core.


    My iron dropped. It missed my pants by a thread but seared my fingers on the way. I sort of remember rushing to the bathroom and running cold water over them. But most of all I remember the images, the memories that flooded in like on the morning after a busy day. No matter how much I''d wished, both my selves had been separate, like two different, but the same people connected by a thread of consciousness. Yet today I felt what my other me was feeling. All in one second, I was excited, then anxious, then distraught. So angry and so afraid.


    I stumbled back into my room, my knees shaking. A pungent smell of burning fabric met my nostrils while I stared out my window. Fluffy clouds ran across the fiery sunrise sky that enveloped the town, the colours glinting off the crystal glass dome of the HQ.


    It didn''t matter what would happen to Ahio in the manga. I would save him anyway, even if he wouldn''t need it.


    My mum can''t control me here.


    In less time than I would''ve thought, I took off the iron, my clothes were on, my sword was strapped, and I was out of the apartment. Then I ran, up the street, down another, past shops and street vendors, their cries of trade falling deaf on my ears. Ran so fast I was surprised I didn''t barrel into anyone. Soon, in front of me was the great oaken door of the headquarters, with its weaving mosaic patterns made by a more delicate hand than mine. I raised my arm to open it, then stopped.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    This was it. If I told them--if I told everyone, I would never belong here. I''d forever be pressed for more details, at least until the manga reached its course and I didn''t have any more useful information. I''d be watched, or worse, be shut in a holding cell somewhere.


    Was it even right for me to try to change things? Everything happened in stories for a reason. I knew full well about the butterfly effect. What if something much worse happened if I stopped the kidnapping? But then, what if Ahio dies? I must, no had to stop it.


    I clenched my jaw and swung open the door.


    A cacophony of noise rushed outside. Children ran back and forth, stern officials yelled at them to stop, swordsmen argued over who knows what, and two people were even sparing in the humongous, crowded entrance hall. No sooner did I step inside than two kids bumped into me. I caught myself and speed-walked to the information desk. A queue stood in front of it. It looked like a long wait. I hated doing this sort of thing, but today I bulldozed right to the front, the glares of some twenty people burning my back. A man with a brown ponytail stood behind the desk and gave me a dirty look.


    ¡®You have to wait your turn.¡¯


    I placed my arms on the table as the man beside me mumbled about ¡®kids these days¡¯. ¡®This is important. I need to speak to the Minister. May I have directions to his office?¡¯


    The receptionist massaged his forehead, a drop of sweat trickling down his nose. ¡®No can do. Meetings with Minister Banji are by appointment only. You have to take it up with his secretary.¡¯


    I balled my fists. Just as I opened my mouth to protest, static rang in the air, making me jump.


    A woman¡¯s booming voice emanated from the many speakers overhead. ¡®Swordsman Tahro Akagi is required to come to the Third Grade Quest Master¡¯s office immediately. I repeat, Swordsman Tahro Akagi is required to come to the Third Grade Quest Master¡¯s office immediately.¡¯


    I unfurled my fists and took my elbows off the desk. What¡¯s going on? I was supposed to go to room number twenty, to meet my replacement team.


    The receptionist whistled, shifting some papers. ¡®Must be an emergency quest. Wonder what happened.¡¯


    Several cogs spun in my brain fast. The Quest Master wasn''t the first person I''d choose to tell such a secret. Not even the top ten. She was a rude, inconsiderate woman, and I did not like her. But telling her directly was better than wasting my time here. She might even get the Minister involved herself.


    The receptionist rolled his eyes ¡®Okay, kid, you''re holding up the--¡¯


    But the rest I didn''t hear because I raced through the crowd. My footfalls added to the noise, and everything and everyone around me faded into the background.


    Before I knew it, I stood huffing and puffing in the waiting room, near the door over which hung a huge silver plaque saying, Quest Master. My stomach knotted, and my hands and feet prickled. I heard nothing but my heartbeat. After a moment of hesitation, I opened the door.


    What I saw hitched my breath.


    The Quest Master sat behind her table, her face set into a frown. It was the first I saw her in colour, she''d always been in the black and white pages. She was brown-skinned, had very wavy chocolate hair with blonde highlights and wore a yellow kimono top. Her chubby arms lay upon the desk, which was weighed down by towers of paperwork. In front of her were my teammates.


    A bell-shaped girl with short hair gave me a small, encouraging smile. Two hooked swords hung behind her and formed a cross. Behind her was a tall and thin boy wearing mostly black and a pair of spectacles. His long bangs almost hid his ponytail. On his shoulder stood a little blue cat-like creature. Closest to the door was a short, pale boy wearing light clothes. The soft colours seemed like they would''ve made the boy vanish if it weren''t for his large, effeminate eyes.


    The tall boy smiled shyly, his glasses twinkling. In contrast, the very young-looking kid had on a small frown. The little creature yawned and stretched.


    My anxiousness sprang out to its strongest form, stopping just short of a panic attack. My limbs became numb as if they were about to fall from their joints. I think I gaped.


    It was none other than Kaede, Tsubasa and Daisuke.


    ***


    February 1. Fourteen and a half years old. Japan.


    I woke from a stupor I didn''t realise I was in and shook my head. After all those nights wishing, for the first time since I¡¯d split, both my selves had been in one world.

 6- The Very Weird First Quest- Part 3

    February 1. Fourteen and a half years old. Saishuu Riku.


    ¡®Are ya gonna just stand there or are you gonna grace us with yer presence?¡¯ The thick voice of the QM broke my reverie.


    Warmth rushing to my cheeks, I stepped into the room to stand by Daisuke, trying hard not to trip on my own feet. I¡¯m standing beside Daisuke! A thousand questions flew across my mind, yet it couldn''t wrap itself around what was before me. Was it fate? Just timing? Something more sinister?


    ¡®So-sorry,¡¯ I said.


    The QM grunted and shuffled some files. Right, I had to tell her about Ahio. Throwing off my anxiety as much as I could, I took a deep breath and--


    ¡®So, it turns out one o¡¯ yer teammates was kidnapped,'' said the scowling woman.


    The words died on my tongue.


    Kaede gasped and cupped her mouth while Tsubasa seemed as if he might faint. Daisuke¡¯s rosy cheeks paled to match the rest of him, and his frown grew deeper.


    The lady watched us, seeming to enjoy our reactions while she took a breath out of her cigar and blew back a smoke ring. ¡®I dunno why he chose a bunch of wimpy kids like you, but Minister Banji himself wants ya t¡¯ rescue him. Y''all have t¡¯ go along the forest road south o¡¯ Chisaiki Son. Reports from Shoubaiba says that¡¯s where they¡¯re headed. But more details are in this here file.¡¯ she said, pushing it forward.


    Kaede, her face frozen with steely resolve, jumped over to take the file and strode out of the room. Daisuke followed with slower steps, and left Tsubasa and I to deal with the shock on our own.


    Glancing up, the QM saw that we were still rooted to our spots. ¡®Well, get on with it, will ya!¡¯


    I shook my head and walked out, hearing the pitter-patter of Tsubasa¡¯s footsteps behind me. A few swordsmen rushed into the room before the door shut. This early in the morning, besides the young receptionist, we had the waiting room to ourselves. But the large empty white-walled hall seemed to constrict, trapping me in a bizarre situation.


    ¡®K-Kaede, h-how did--¡¯ Tsubasa tugged at his high collar, breathing fast. ¡®That was-- Ahio was--¡¯


    ¡®Tsubasa, calm down.¡¯ Kaede said in a low voice, giving the file to Daisuke. ¡®Ahio needs us now and we have to be calm for him.¡¯


    Tsubasa dropped onto one of the chairs, clutching his head with his hands. Tayo mewed and nuzzled him, long ears drooping. I sat on his right, not knowing what to say. Maybe how it will all be alright? But I didn¡¯t know that. It would be a tailored response and insincere.


    ¡®How long would it take to go to Chisaiki Son, Daisuke?¡¯ asked Kaede, her auburn hair shining pink in the sunlight flitting through the wide windows she stood by.


    He was bent over the file, big grey eyes focused in a way that didn''t suit his cherubic features. ¡®Twelve hours on foot¡ª¡®


    ¡®I-I can bring some horses.¡¯ Tsubasa said, still gazing at the mahogany floor. ¡®M-Ma has some, and they''d be much faster.¡¯ He looked up then, eyes red but breathing normally.


    ¡®Please go get them right now and meet us at the South road,¡¯ Kaede said, then gave him a small smile that didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes. ¡®Good job.¡¯Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Tsubasa¡¯s cheeks turned into a russet shade. With a nod, he marched out of the hall, wiping his face with one hand.


    Kaede sat on his vacated seat, rubbing her eyes. ¡®I¡¯m Kaede Touta, fighter and leader of squad eleven. I¡¯d say it¡¯s nice to meet you, but considering the circumstances¡­¡¯ She let out a bitter chuckle.


    ¡®It¡¯s¡ª It¡¯s okay,¡¯ I clutched my knees, the grey fabric of my pants wrinkling. ¡®I¡¯m Tahro Akagi, fighter too.¡¯


    ¡®Ahio is a fighter as well.¡¯ She glanced up at the ceiling. Her eyes were a lovely bottle green, one that the manga had never done service to. She sighed and looked at me with a not too real smile. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re not usually like this. The QM said you weren¡¯t from here. Is that true?¡¯


    ¡®Yeah, um, I¡¯m an outsider.¡¯ I steeled myself for the impending questions that the curious kids who used to be my classmates had always asked. At least I had ready-made answers now. Thankfully, no one could ask me more than the basics and never the details as there was a law against pestering outsiders.


    ¡®Cool,¡¯ she said, looking down at her shaking hands. ¡®Tsubasa¡¯s mentor is also from the outside. Maybe you two could meet-up.¡¯


    ¡®Yeah.¡¯ No. No, we should not!


    While Daisuke read the file, each flip of the page marking the seconds we were losing, Kaede introduced me to the rest of the team, even Tayo. I nodded along, hoping she wouldn¡¯t notice I already knew.


    Daisuke sighed and shut the file, pursing his lips. ¡®Something about this just doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯


    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ Kaede said, her high-set brows knitted.


    ¡®Ahio was kidnapped three days ago in Shoubaiba. The only reason Shoubaiba would ask for swordsmen from Heikisato to take over a case in their own province is if they couldn¡¯t handle it.¡¯ Daisuke gestured with the file this way and that as he spoke. ¡®But then, why would they ask us, third-grade swordsmen, to take the quest? And why did the Minister assign it?¡¯


    I frowned. He was right. As third-grades, we were the lowest, youngest, the most inexperienced. Why did the Minister give this quest to us, or at all? He never assigned a mission to anyone but special and first grades. There was something deliberate here, but I didn¡¯t know what to make of it.


    ¡®Whatever it is, there¡¯s no time to think about it now.¡¯ Kaede stood up, her face hard as though etched in stone. ¡®If you¡¯re done reading the quest guidelines, let¡¯s get going. Pack up for a day, and I¡¯ll bring some food for Tsubasa as well in case he forgets. We can plan more on the way to Chisaiki Son.¡¯


    As we walked down the cramped stairs, pushed our way through the noisy, packed entrance hall and strode across the blooming gardens, everything seemed to be hazy like I was in a dream. My stomach clenched with the thought of our quest and all the mysteries surrounding it. The weight of it pressed down on my shoulders.


    But wasn¡¯t an adventure what I¡¯d always wanted?


    ***


    Within half an hour we were all set and journeying away on Tsubasa¡¯s steeds. Except for a short lunch, we didn''t stop. Eight hours later, we reached Chisaiki Son. It was smaller than I¡¯d thought, only about a tenth of Heikisato, and with little stone cottages spread apart instead of the crowded apartments I was used to. We saw only a couple of people on the roads, loading up carts with lumber, who stared at us as we made our way across. Tsubasa left to lodge the horses in the stables. The next part of our quest required stealth, and it''d be harder to hide with huge animals.


    We ventured through the forest for an hour, keeping just close to the road, with enough foliage to shield us from the merchant carts that traversed it. The road was smooth and gray, one side flanked by a copse of spindly trees and the other running along the bed of a river, sloping into its depths as if to drown those who strayed to the edge. A dusty trail of a thousand wheels painted its surface.


    The air around me seemed solid and with an intent to push me back for every step I took. It was hard to focus on the nervous chatter beside me when the sloshing river and my own paranoid thoughts kept distracting me. I jerked at every rustle, expecting to see the kidnapper behind a leaf or a tendril. It couldn''t be long now before--


    A shriek came from behind a curve of the path and raked my eardrums. My stomach swung low, and my mouth was dry like cotton. Everyone''s footsteps faded away, and even the birds paused their song. Tinnitus rang in the air.


    I clenched my teeth and let out the breath I had.


    This was it. Just remember the plan. Just remember the plan.

 7- The Man Wrapped in a Scarf- Part 1

    ¡®Come on, climb up!¡¯ said Kaede. She ran to a nearby tree and kicked off the ground. The next moment, she was hugging the trunk and balancing on a branch twenty feet up. The rest of us sped to the tree. I grabbed one branch, its splinters biting into my hands, and stomped a foot to spring myself up. Sparks of inner spirit burst in my soles, propelling me far higher in the air than my other self could''ve done. With a practiced motion, I shifted my limbs; a grip here, a push there. The air whistled, and the tree¡¯s arms brushed past me in a blur. My eyes darted back and forth but only noticed the branches, as if they existed on a background of nothingness.


    Before I knew it, I was on the top limb with an arm curled around the trunk as the branch bounced up and down when Kaede leapt to the other tree. Shifting my body weight, I steadied myself, then let go of the tree and galloped across the bough to the neighbouring plant. Foliage slapped my face, and dangerous creaks filled my ears. My body slammed on the trunk, and I moved my feet on the bobbing branch, hands wrapped around it. My mouth devoured air. I cursed my low stamina, and therefore, weak inner spirit.


    Kaede stood beside me, rigid and head turned down. I peered over her shoulder, breathing hard. On the worn road below stood Ahio''s kidnapper, brandishing a colossal axe with his equally giant arms. Black ink coursed over his left shoulder, curling around his neck in the form of a cawing crow. Below him lay Ahio, the mischievous twinkle in his eye gone. Around one arm, a shredded sleeve stuck to it with blood, and the wrist of the other was pink, swollen with a tendril of purple snaking across. His sword slept useless in his hands.


    Kaede leapt down as two bodies crashed into me, and Daisuke and Tsubasa circled their arms close to mine. I was too numb to feel any pain, and the sound of Kaede''s landing was drowned by my heartbeat.


    But the kidnapper heard her.


    Like a hunting dog, he twitched his eyes from Ahio to Kaede. Stomping his feet, he lumbered to her, an ugly scowl visible even from afar. Before he advanced too close, Kaede threw a smoke bomb, and a blackish-grey cloud bloomed around the man, shrouding him from our view. And us from his.


    Now it was my turn.


    With one hand still around the tree, I tugged at the already loosened waist strap of my backpack. Once I''d made it as large as I could, I let go of the bough and hopped down, leaves and small branches crackling and snapping as I fell. A sensation of flying, of weightlessness came over me. With inner spirit blazing in my joints to soften the blow, I landed and gave the pads of my feet a little roll. Kaede stood with her back to me, feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent. She held three throwing knives in her right hand and one of her swords in her left. Behind me was Ahio.


    Tugging my backpack off, I crouched next to him. His blue eyes, with the whites more red than white, focused on me. I placed my arms around him.


    ¡®Can you stand up?¡¯ I asked.


    He jerked his chin and shuffled his feet, causing his sword to fall to the ground with a muffled clang. Tightening my hold around him, I pulled. After much kicking and flying gravel, Ahio was up.


    ¡®You need to put this on,'' I said, and shoved the backpack over his head. With one arm holding the right strap, I tugged the other till it went over his wrist. While shifting it to his shoulder I nudged his arm. Ahio winced, and his face twisted around his fastened eyes.


    ¡®Sorry¡­¡¯ I whispered, and dragged the other strap over his hand. As I moved it to his shoulder, Ahio gasped, and shiny tears bled out his eyes.


    ¡®Quickly, the smoke¡¯s clearing up!¡¯ said Kaede. I swirled around as my fingers meddled with the waist strip. Sure enough, the grey cloud was no longer opaque, and the silhouette of the man became clearer and clearer. We must''ve become clearer to him too. I swore under my breath. Too soon. Too soon. My skin prickled as the man marched to us. His rolling shoulders gained colour, and in his left hand was what looked more and more like an axe.Stolen story; please report.


    My sweaty fingers locked the waist strap around Ahio and me, the buckle nipping my index on the way. Paying no mind to the sting, I pushed both arms through the shoulder straps. Ahio whimpered again, and his body trembled. I just had to get him up the tree now.


    Kaede flung her knives when I leapt. Where before were sparks, this time a blazing flame within me pushed me up. A great echoey roar beat my ears mid-air, and Ahio''s weight on my back didn''t help. When I landed, my knees almost burst from their sockets, and the extra mass dug into my shoulder blades, nearly throwing me off. I should''ve tied Ahio to me after we got to the tree.


    The clanging and clashing of metal, and a sound of nails on chalkboard which made my teeth twinge came from behind us. I grabbed a low branch and kicked off, using more inner spirit than usual. We still moved up the tree slower, and my hands were dangerously clammy. But I kept climbing, using more points of contact than I was wont to.


    Two hands, one olive and one as pale as paper, grabbed me on the top branch. Once I got a proper footing, Tsubasa pulled my arms out of the backpack¡¯s straps. I hugged the bough and buried my face in the moss around its shredded bark.


    He was safe. Ahio was safe.


    While I fed oxygen to my searing lungs, a small click came, and the blunt pain on my back vanished. After a moment, I turned around, my chest still heaving. Ahio sat on the tree¡¯s limbs, supported by Daisuke while Tsubasa crouched on an adjacent branch and rummaged through his bag. He took out a silver card and popped it on its side to reveal a small white tablet. This he reached out and pushed it into Ahio''s mouth.


    Something broke, like crumbling rocks, below. I whipped my head down, fingertips barely holding onto the tree. Kaede staggered up from the ground a few meters away. The tree behind her had a rough oval burst out of it, and with a spin of his axe, the man lurched towards her. Cold shivers ran down my spine, washing away my relief. What was I thinking? It wasn''t over yet.


    The man''s back was to the carriage, and I remembered the pouch of powder Yuuhei had mentioned. If I was quiet enough, it could work. Instead of jumping off, I climbed down the tree as quick as I could. Every time my boots struck bark, I winced at its loudness. Finally, my feet slapped the leafy floor. The gurgling river was loud, and the clash of metal went on as strong as before. Still, I grimaced each time a weed snapped or a pebble rolled away as I sneaked to the carriage.


    It''s doors were ragged splinters jutting here and there. On opening, they screeched loud enough to wake a hibernating animal. Clenching my teeth, I hopped in. I didn''t have to turn to know the man would be on his way.


    The main lighting source now blocked, what little sunlight that got through the cracks was abysmal, and my impatience made things worse. I groped at everything, but none was what I was looking for. There were magazines and bottle caps and dirty old boots. But no bag of powder.


    ¡®Tahro, watch out!¡¯ rang Kaede''s voice.


    I jerked around, one hand drawing my sword from its scabbard. The kidnapper stood a meter away, some strands of his black mohawk sticking to his forehead, teeth bared. The tattoos on his arms and neck flexed as he raised the axe high above his head.


    I held my sword tight with both hands. I must¡¯ve practiced this move a hundred times, yet unlike the classroom, my hands shook with terror. The axe smashed against my sword. Sparks flew out, and the clash clawed my teeth. The blade came close to slash my chest, and it was all I could do to push it back. The force sent a current up my arms.


    The man swung his axe again, and I dodged. The blade broke through the carriage¡¯s wood and sent giant cracks across the floor, tilting the vehicle and throwing me behind. My sword, thankfully, fell handle first on my lap, its blade positioned to the side, but the carriage¡¯s walls flogged my sore back and several somethings pelted me. One of which was soft and squishy. And leathery. And fell on my palm.


    The pouch of powder.


    It should''ve consoled me. It should''ve been a mercy from heaven. But the man cocked his head and smiled, axe raised high, right over my head. There was no more space to move, no more time to gasp and certainly none to open a pouch and throw its contents. I braced myself to die.


    And hot blood splashed my face.

 8- The Man Wrapped in a Scarf- Part 2

    The moments stretched into minutes as I waited for something to come. An angel perhaps to escort me to heaven, or a devil to tell me I was destined for hell, like what my aunt said happened to children who didn''t listen to their mothers. All the while, I was nothing if not mildly curious. I waited to float away. Yet nothing changed. The rustling leaves were the same, the rushing river was the same, the sweat on my brow dripped down as it did before. All but a great thud.


    I opened eyes I didn''t know I¡¯d closed and saw the source of the blood.


    The kidnapper stood, his smile now twisted with pain. Where his left arm should''ve been was a bloody stump spewing a copious amount of hot red fluid. The hand lay on the ground, holding on to the axe till the end.


    I trembled. Relief washed over me, then horror, then finally the realisation of how close to death I was and how close the man was to it now. All these shook my body, and I couldn''t do more than sit there and stare. Stare into those dimming eyes of the man who seemed so dangerous just a few seconds ago.


    What happened next felt less real than a daydream. Like something someone else was watching. A man and a woman, whom I''d never seen in my life, pulled the kidnapper away and laid him down. They examined and cauterized the stump, singeing flesh leaving a cloying, sickening stench in the air. The bleeding ceased. Closer to me stood another woman, a blade in her hand, dripping red liquid onto the soil. On her back was a silver insignia of a sword notched on a bow. A Heikisato special squad member.


    I stared at the badge, a red light blaring in my head. But I didn''t know why. I don''t know for how long I sat there, transfixed, too tired to think, too tired to feel, just an observer of a confusing world.


    ¡®Tahro, are you OK?¡¯ someone asked.


    Remembering who I was again, I blinked and focused on Kaede''s face. The sights and sounds around me came back with harsh clarity. We were rescued. A God-given deus ex machina.


    My breath caught. Was this why Minister Banji assigned the quest to us? Were we really the quest to them? Were they assigned to protect us?


    ¡®I¡­yes,'' I told her. Several scratches ran along her face and arms. Her clothes were marred too, little rips here and there on her shirt and arm warmers. Yet her face, framed by tousled bangs, was the happiest I''d ever seen. ¡®W-what about you?¡¯Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡®I''m good,'' she grinned and grabbed my sword from my lap. I flinched at the movement, but staggered up, my legs like lead. Soon they started to prickle and regain feeling, and I scrambled out of the carriage. My back pulsed with pain. There was sure to be more than a few bruises.


    ¡®Congratulations, Tahro, you''ve finished your first quest,'' said Kaede. I glanced around. The special squad was leaving, kidnapper jostled away between them. Tsubasa, Daisuke and Ahio were still on the tree, all three with weary smiles. Even Ahio, whose arms were now bandaged and in splints.


    She was right. Something blossomed in me, something gold which coloured the leaves a brilliant green and made the song of birds melodious and clear. A huge smile broke across my features. We did it. Ahio was safe. Kaede was safe. I was safe. It was all over, and the world couldn''t have been brighter.


    ¡®Congratulations to you too,'' I beamed at her, then made to shake her hand and take back my sword. It was then that I realized that both my arms were occupied. They still held whatever had fallen on them before. The first, in my left hand, was the pouch, for all the good it did. And clutched in the other was a stone.


    I turned it over my palm. It was no bigger than a bottle cork and cerulean, with white spirals swirling in it like a whirlpool. It emitted warmth, gentle and flowing like a brook on a sunny day. The surface glistened where the light hit. Maybe it was something priceless, something the man stole or just a keepsake from his past. But to me it was a perfect addition to my veritable collection of pebbles, feathers, magnets, odd corks and springs that might come into use some day, if only for bragging rights.


    I shifted my attention to the pouch. The leather was maroon and tied up by a rubber band. Remembering not to breath in too deeply, I grasped the stone between my last three fingers and took off the band. Inside was the innocuous fine white powder that helped cause so much trouble.


    Someone stomped behind me, and Kaede gasped.


    I spun around. Kaede stood tense, her eyes wide and her hands retrieving her swords, mine left on the carriage floor beside me sometime when I hadn''t been paying attention. A man dressed in navy blue, whose face was hidden under a deep orange scarf held a knife to her rapidly paling throat. He brought Kaede closer to his chest and grabbed something from his pocket.


    Had you asked me a couple days later, I would''ve been mighty proud of what I was about to do. Make that a few months, and I would''ve cursed the heavens bestowed reflexes that made my actions possible. Yet in that moment, I saw nothing but the terror in beautiful bottle green eyes and a glistening blade with butterfly patterns on a milk-white neck.


    Before I knew it, there was powder in my hands. Just as the man made his clutch on Kaede tighter, I sprang on him, knocking her away. With a hand raised to throw the powder, I clawed off his scarf. A thin faced man with spiky hair stared at me. Then vanished.

 9- Inside the Crystal-Glass Dome- Part 1

    I toppled. Before my nose met rapidly approaching gravel, I splayed my arms out onto the ground and caught myself. Sand slapped my face. My breath gasped out ragged, while my muscles shivered against their will. Where did he go? I spun my head up, down and every other way, yet not a leaf fell that shouldn''t, no twigs creaked unbeknownst to the wind, the passarines all warbled and idle chatter continued on like nothing had had happened.


    Where my limbs rebelled as I scrambled up, Kaede''s were determined to keep her frozen upright. Her eyes stared at something legions away. She clenched her swords so tightly that her fingertips were blue.


    ¡®Kaede, it''s alright now,'' I said, my voice little more than a whisper.


    She blinked a few times and let go of her blades. For several moments she didn''t utter a word. I grew more and more concerned and was about to say something when she snapped her eyes and stared at me, a grimace of disgust marring her features. But for some reason, I didn''t think it was meant for me.


    ¡®I''m okay. We should get going now,¡¯ Kaede averted her eyes. ¡®Please don''t tell anyone how I reacted, I''m not usually that way.¡¯


    I frowned. She shouldn¡¯t be embarrassed by that. It was perfectly normal to freeze up when dealing with a knife under your throat. Besides, surely everyone would''ve seen what had happened¡­


    Except no¡­ Soft laughter and teasing words I''d disregarded as background noise before gave away, that indeed, the rest of squad eleven hadn''t noticed a thing. What had appeared like a minutes long brawl to us was nothing more than a silent assassination attempt of less than a second.


    ¡®I won''t tell them,¡¯ I nodded, ¡®What about the man though? Do you think we should get a second grade from Chisaiki Son to guard us on the--¡¯


    ¡®I don''t need to be protected!¡¯ she snapped, her eyes blazing in a way I''d never thought it could. Seeing my expression, her gaze softened, and she smiled faintly, ¡®Don''t worry about it, he must be a bandit, looking for travelers to kill and loot. Interesting disappearing trick though,¡¯ she looked away ¡®We can deal with it, I was just surprised, that''s all.¡¯


    I was sceptical but saw it was a touchy subject and decided to drop it. Besides, the man was from the other side of the forest around Chisaiki Son, not the part we''d pass through to reach Heikisato. So a guard might be useless. But something about the sheer speed with which he ran, for what else could he have done, sent a shiver down my spine and niggled at my brain.


    Well, I decided to almost drop it.


    ¡®Okay, but let''s report it to the Quest Unit tomorrow.¡¯


    Kaede frowned, but with a sigh, shrugged. I took that as a yes and walked away to pick up my sword, from beside the carriage, and Ahio''s, from between it and the tree we''d come down from. His was a neat little thing with two blades on both ends, and a little red button on the grip to pull the metal in and out. When I pressed it to safely store it in one of my leg pouches, the edges blinked a fiery orange. A touch of heat brushed my fingers as they slid into the handle.


    I shook my head. My body was still overridden with adrenaline, it seemed.


    We were greeted on the canopy by a drowsy Ahio succumbing to pain medications, and the relieved faces of Tsubasa and Daisuke. Kaede and I relayed the last couple of minutes to them, skipping the whole freezing part of course, and guilt stirred in me as we wiped their smiles off. Kaede calmed them down with the same words she''d told me, and before long, we were on our way back to Heikisato.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    It was past midnight by the time we reached the South Gate. My eyes darted at every creak and slosh each step of the way. Many times I had to calm myself down, remind myself that while bandits were common enough to encounter, the chances of coming head with another one, much less the same one, were low. Well, I tried, but I couldn''t help but be ready to draw my sword at a moment''s notice. Something told me the others, especially Kaede, felt the same.


    We decided to meet again in the morning at the HQ to file a case before heading our own ways. My wrecked body drifted straight to sleep after a quick shower. Dreams of a shouting mother, giant axes coated in blood and a black-haired man lunging at a little blue stone jumbled into one.


    ***


    February 2. Fourteen and a half years old. Saishuu Riku.


    I woke up the next morning with sore muscles and jelly-like joints. While practice sessions, especially at the beginning, often left me weak and tired, I''d rarely found big purple bruises down my arms and back and certainly never good-sized abrasions on my left shoulder. I should''ve realized when my shower last night stung everywhere, but honestly, I was in no state to care. After a few minutes panicking that the wound was now infected and trying to position the mirror, I ran my mind through a list of all the possible complications I knew of, did some first aid and decided to go to a doctor just in case.


    At ten am, after a stop at the hospital, I met up with the others in front of the great oaken door of the HQ. Noise so well kept in by wood and stone sprang out to the open as we entered, and I wrinkled my nose at the permeating mix of sweat and perfume. People shoved and jostled us every which way, and after a few annoying minutes trying to go left against the varying currents of the crowd, we reached the Quest Unit. Heads that rushed passed it hid and uncovered its sign in tandem. Four long queues fidgeted in front of the desks.


    ¡®I guess we can take one each, then switch to the fastest,'' I said.


    We dispersed and stood for what seemed like an hour, at least to my bored mind. It was uneventful, aside from someone who bumped into me and almost made me lose my spot. I shuffled my feet, scoured my surroundings a hundred times and bit my nails. I don''t remember what I''d been daydreaming of until I reached the end of the line, but it had something to do with dragons and inverted colours.


    Right as I was debating if everyone''s perception of colour was different and if it''d have an effect on the inversion, it was Daisuke''s turn. The other two and I shuffled to the front with him. A young woman with messy hair and dark bags under her eyes slouched behind the counter.


    ¡®How may I help you?¡¯ she asked and stifled a yawn.


    ¡®We¡¯d like to report an attempted murder,'' said Daisuke.


    The noise around us lowered minutely as everyone who stood near heard his words. The women frowned and sat up straight.


    ¡®Details please.¡¯


    ¡®We were in the woods south of Chisaiki Son yesterday afternoon when a bandit jumped down and tried to kill my teammate, Kaede Touta,¡¯ he said, pointing at the fidgeting girl. ¡®He--¡¯


    ¡®An attempted murder did you say?¡¯ A dark-haired man waltzed out from behind a nearby cubicle. He wore a stiff grey shirt and sent us all a jolly smile. A shiny badge saying Supervizor hung from his lapel.


    Daisuke frowned. ¡®I-- yes sir, luckily one of our teammates saw his face, he was--¡¯


    ¡®Well clearly it''s a bit of an important issue, come with me please,'' he beckoned us through the crowds. People scrambled away to let us leave, and we left the main hall. A few turns later, we reached another large oaken door, though less intricate than the one outside. Perhaps he was taking us to one of the Quest Masters, the second or first grade ones, to deal with a could-be murderer immediately.


    ¡®This is the only indoor lift in the continent,¡¯ he said as he grasped the knob and swung it open. Inside was a wooden cage, not unlike the ones lining the apartments. Only one place I knew of would need an indoor lift here.


    ¡®You kids are pretty lucky,'' he smirked. ¡®Not many so young get to see the Minister.¡¯

 10- Inside The Crystal-Glass Dome- Part 2

    Darkness enveloped us once he shut the doors. Four little bulbs on each corner of the ceiling gave us an eerie glow. I gulped as nervousness brushed all over me. As he tugged a lever to go to the highest floor, I ran through several scenarios and rehearsed my replies. I shouldn''t make a fool of myself in there. Should I also ask him about the special grades who helped us out? Or would that be out of line?


    The lift jerked to a stop, and the man reached through the bars to push the door outside before swinging the creaking cage open. We stumbled out behind him, the rest probably just as anxious as I. My eyes watered as they adjusted to the light, but before I could register anyone''s expression, I caught sight of the view around me. No, the mosaic around me.


    We were in the dome, where triangular glass span every which way to a height thrice my own. Fractals of a miniature town shone brick red and chestnut brown below, forming a gradient with the blue lights from the top. Sunshine bounced off the textured glass like never-ending rain. Why on earth was this built in a highly secured area instead of a tourist site?


    ¡®Yes, I do quite envy Minister Banji for this,'' said the man. Beside the lift was an antechamber, with red plush cushions framing yet another doorway. Just as I was about to contemplate slinking away, the man knocked on it and led us in after someone answered back.


    He shut the door behind us and left. High wide windows, bordered by stiff red curtains, surrounded the office and treated us to the view outside. Pictures of previous ministers, paintings of the earliest and photos of the recent, covered what space the walls had left. A large table, cluttered with documents, seals and various stationary, was in the middle. A few simple chairs stood in front of it, and a larger one resided behind. Seated on that was a man wearing a high-collared, red shirt with bars across like a changshan. Minister Banji.


    While I had seen pictures of him, on posters, in newspapers and in recent textbooks, the real version was¡­ ordinary. I didn''t know why I''d thought otherwise, but somehow a trim middle-aged man of an average height, with limp brown hair and dark green eyes that could''ve blended in anywhere in Heikisato wasn''t how I''d imagined him. On the flip side, my nervousness simmered down, as the image of the grim-faced, looming disciplinarian my subconscious expected didn''t exist.


    He gestured to the seats and smiled at us. ¡®Good morning, what''s the issue?¡¯


    After we stumbled to the chairs and greeted him back, we looked at each other, then Tsubasa, Daisuke and I settled our gaze on Kaede. Poor girl, but she was the leader.


    She shuffled in her seat and cleared her throat. ¡®Um, we were on a quest in a forest south of Chisaiki Son, sir. And there¡­ um,¡¯ she broke eye contact with the Minister and focused on her wringing hands. Her mouth twisted into a frown. ¡®A bandit... tried to kill me.¡¯


    Minister Banji leaned forward, and hard lines marred his once mellow countenance. ¡®Did you see what he or she looked like?¡¯


    She shrugged. ¡®No, he was behind me the whole time, sir. But Tahro saw him.¡¯


    I gulped as Minister Banji turned to me. Okay, I could do this.


    ¡®He was about average height, I guess¡­sir,¡¯ I scrunched my brows as I brought back the image. ¡®Black hair, olive skin and, um really sharp chin. Black--no, dark-brown eye--¡¯


    ¡®Did he disappear?¡¯


    My eyebrows shot up. ¡®Um, yes. We thought he ran pretty fast.¡¯If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Minister Banji nodded and leaned back in his chair. ¡®He wasn''t trying to kill you, Kaede. That man has kidnapped five children so far with his little vanishing trick. You''re the only one we know who''s escaped.¡¯


    My heart skipped a beat. A serial kidnapper. Who knew what had happened to those kids, and if it weren''t for me, who knew what would''ve happened to Kaede? Though, not that a serial killer was any better.


    Kaede paled, face as white as it was yesterday, and Tsubasa clutched her hand tight. Daisuke sat stiffer than I''d ever seen him before. It was one thing for a lowly bandit to threaten you and another for a high profile criminal to do the same.


    ¡®We''re tracking him down, but it has been difficult so far,¡¯ Minister Banji sighed and massaged his temple. ¡®Have you told anyone other than your team?¡¯


    Kaede shifted her gaze back to her lap. ¡®No, I didn''t get around to telling my parents. No one else knows.¡¯


    It still surprised me sometimes, how independent kids could be here. If that were my parents, they''d have known every detail the moment I''d returned. Actually, scratch that, I wouldn''t have been a swordsman in the first place, because of safety concerns.


    ¡®Good,¡¯ Minister Banji nodded. ¡®And I must insist it stays that way. This is a matter of high security, and I trust you to keep it under wraps.¡¯


    We nodded and agreed.


    ¡®If that is all, you are free to leave. Except for Tahro, I''d like a word with you please.¡¯


    The air in my lungs stayed trapped and my palms began to sweat. My skin prickled as the other kids¡¯ eyes fell on me, but my own were focused on no one but the Minister. His smile was as genial as before, nothing in it betraying what this was all about.


    Someone, or maybe all three, said goodbye before they left and I remember replying something similar back. But my heart hammered hard, doing its best to wake up my brain and make it replay everything I''d ever done in this world. Had I broken a law somehow? Was he going to discharge me? My knuckles whitened as I gripped my chair.


    ¡®I was made aware that you wanted to speak with me yesterday morning.¡¯ Minister Banji steepled his fingers.


    I sighed. He wasn''t going to kick me out after all. Not that he would''ve had a reason to, but give an overactive imagination a crumb and you''d have a feast.


    I opened my mouth then shut it at once. Ahio was safe now. I''d only look like a lunatic if I told him I lived in another world and read about certain events from a manga. Yesterday I might''ve at least had proof.


    I raked my mind for something else, anything else. But all it gave me were nonsensical reasons that would''ve fit right in a jester¡¯s repertoire. As the seconds ticked by and the Minister''s eyebrows raised, it was clear whatever I ended up saying would be suspicious anyway. I really needed some lying classes.


    ¡®Um, well, I actually wanted to talk to you about being a permanent squad member, sir.¡¯ My nose scrunched at the words. Maybe I should just boot it right now before he discharged me for lying. Could he discharge me for lying?


    His mouth quirked up. ¡®And that was so important you wanted to see me immediately yesterday morning?¡¯


    I fixed my gaze on my shivering hands, forcing them to stay still before they incriminated me further. Should''ve just let him think I had a screw loose. ¡®Yes, sir. I thought I should talk about it before being an official replacement.¡¯


    His chair creaked, as he shifted in his seat, and I looked up again. While the smirk from before remained stuck to his face, a certain stiffness around his jaw made my pulse quicken. I was doomed.


    ¡®While that may be so, I don''t think it''s important enough to ask for an immediate meeting with me. You should keep that in mind next time.¡¯


    A sigh almost burst out of me before I stopped it. ¡®Yes sir, I''m sorry.¡¯


    He nodded and gestured at the door. ¡®You may leave.¡¯


    I thanked him and let go of the arm rests. The chair creaked as, In my hurry to leave, my foot snagged on one of its legs. I fixed my eyes on the wooden grains across the floorboards, not wanting to give myself away at the last moment. My limbs still shivered as I approached the door. As my hand wrapped around the handle, furniture slid across the ground behind me.


    ¡®And Tahro?¡¯ said Minister Banji.


    I turned my head to see him standing up. His red changshan made a silhouette before the lights of Heikisato, no longer a man who could blend in.


    ¡®You''ll be a permanent squad member when I trust you.¡¯

 11- The Secret We Couldnt Keep- Part 1

    The very air smothered me, making my breathing quicken. I nodded and made it out the door before my limbs shook too much. What on earth had just happened? Like navigating in a fog, I pushed myself forward, out of the antechamber. The Minister''s words rang in my ears, on repeat, as if a sadistic part of me cherished them.


    The man who¡¯d brought us here stood outside the lift. What before had seemed a jovial grin, now mocked me with its cheer. His dark eyes glinted as he noticed me, and my skin crawled at the thought that he might have heard what had happened in the office.


    ¡®Everything okay?¡¯ he asked, as he pulled the creaking cage open.


    ¡®Ye-ah.¡¯ My voice cracked despite my best efforts, and I cleared my throat.


    Once he shut both doors, the glass outside that had enthralled me just minutes ago vanished. I didn''t know if I was ever going to see the lights of the town again. All that remained was the faint glow from above. It left us and most of the bars of the cage in shadow. Chains I couldn''t see clinked and clanged as the lift made its way down.


    ¡®Don''t worry too much, kid. I remember my first meeting, nerve-wracking too. He''s really not so bad though, once you get to know him,¡¯ The man said over the noise. Even amongst the darkness, or perhaps because of it, his teeth shone like a beacon.


    I ran a hand through my hair, strands sticking to my palm. For all I knew, he could be right. But I doubted he¡¯d told a fib a toddler could see through.. ¡®I guess, thanks.¡¯


    ¡®No problem, kiddo.¡¯


    The lift bounced to a stop, metal brakes whirring as it brought an end to its momentum. Muffled footsteps and far away voices snuck in the cage from the ground floor. My eyes stung as the doors flew open, and I blinked off the flashing afterimage.


    ¡®Tahro.¡¯ called out a girl''s voice as I made to follow the Supervisor along the corridor.


    Kaede, Tsubasa and Daisuke stood to the side of the room.. The first two waved at me, while Daisuke¡¯s nose was buried deep in a frayed mammoth of a book. Tayo circled Tsubasa''s feet, chasing an insect, as I joined them.


    ¡®You waited for me?¡¯


    Kaede crossed her arms, and frowned. ¡®Well, of course, we''re a team now.¡¯


    I shrugged and tried not to think about how much longer that would last.


    ¡®A-are you a-alright?¡¯ asked Tsubasa, his glasses failing to hide the crinkles of worry around his eyes.


    I plastered a smile on. ¡®Yeah. I was just nervous, that''s all.¡¯


    ¡®What did the Minister want though?¡¯ asked Kaede.


    His words echoed in my ears just as loud as when he''d said them. If only I could go home now, bury myself in my blanket and forget this whole thing even happened. ¡®I asked to meet him yesterday, so he wanted to know why. I, um, I told him I wanted to talk about becoming a permanent squad member.¡¯


    She unlocked her arms and beamed. ¡®That''s great! What did he say?¡¯


    Nothing Kaede thought, if I had to guess. ¡®Well, um, he said-- he said he needed more time.¡¯


    ¡®I''m sure it''ll work out fine.¡¯ She patted my shoulder..


    Tsubasa nodded at her words, although the crinkles around his eyes remained where they were. Could nature whisperers tell what a person was feeling? Or if they were lying? I sighed. As if I didn''t have enough things to worry about.


    ¡®I hope so.¡¯ And I wholeheartedly did.


    Daisuke slammed his book shut. A smirk tugged at his lips, as he shifted his attention to us. ¡®When are we going to see Ahio?¡¯


    Kaede frowned. ¡®I was just about to ask everyone if tomorrow noon is fine. We can meet here, and I could take everyone to his place.¡¯The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡®Is it?¡¯ asked Daisuke, his eyes now on me and Tsubasa.


    I didn''t have plans for anything else, so I nodded. Other than sleeping in for several hours that is. As soon as Tsubasa agreed, Daisuke swirled around and marched away, forgetting his goodbyes altogether.


    The rest of us walked out of the HQ as one before bidding farewell at the gates.


    It was a perfect day, just like every day in Heikisato, with a pale blue sky, wispy cloudlings and just the right amount of soothing wind. I passed through the lanes that I now knew better than the back of my hand. Who knew the back of their hand well anyway? Bird-song gave way to human chatter and laughter, as I left the main road and entered the winding alleyways. Several wooden lifts swished up and down apartments. while old ladies stood on their rickety balconies, gossiping with lifelong neighbours.


    Before I knew it, I reached my building, an old, renovated thing of four stories. While it was only to the second floor, I took the lift by the entrance. They were fascinating machines, with ropes, chains and gears everywhich way that interlaced to form a pulley within a gabled alcove above. While my other self would never set foot on something as creaky as these little wooden cages, here I feared nothing. Even if the rope did snap, as my imagination told me, I could at least jump off and save myself.


    But if I must be honest, most of all, I just hated the stairs.


    I hopped out onto the shared balcony once the lift jerked to a stop. Moments later, I reached my door. As I shuffled around in my pockets for the key, my gaze fell on a little white paper sticking out of the mailbox.


    I pulled it out. A wax seal with the sigil of a sword notched in a bow sealed the envelope shut. My heart began to race and the words I''d managed to forget came back to me. The last time I¡¯d gotten this mail, it was about when and where to meet my replacement team. But after today, I couldn''t be sure it was the same.


    My sweaty fingers creased the paper as I broke open the seal. The letter inside tore a little as I unfolded it with trembling hands. The Minister was going to discharge me. I just knew it. What was I going to do now? I had to start a new life, learn another trade.


    As my eyes skimmed the message, a gentle rain washed away my worries. I sighed. It was the same as before, the time and place to meet a new replacement team. With my key in hand, I unlocked the door and entered my room. I hoped it missed me. I sure missed it.


    ***


    A few hours later, I sat at my desk, a stack of new sheets on one side and a pile of crumpled paper on the other. The few I was currently writing on buried the diary underneath. It was a habit I was trying to develop. And a habit that I''m now grateful for having. Who''d have thought Yuuhei¡¯s niece would want his best friend to write a custom book for her?


    An untidy script scrawled all over the sheets in front of me. They spoke of everything I remembered from a day or two ago about both worlds. From the phone call with Yuuhei to the conversation with the Minister. Well, everything but whatever had happened to my other self after I¡¯d woken from my stupor. That part of the page stayed blank. Perhaps not as pristine and white as before, with all the ink-stains and creases, but blank nonetheless.


    Like the days before my other self''s memories had rushed in, all I could get was a vague sense of what I was doing in the other world.


    I flipped my pen around and sighed. This was important. I had to know what would happen in future chapters. What I''d thought would be an ordinary third grade quest turned out to be one for special grades. The lowly bandit I''d stopped was a wanted criminal. And now the Minister was on my case. If I''d screwed up anything, I needed to know.


    With a deep breath, I closed my eyes for the umpteenth time today. Somewhere at the edge of my consciousness, was a pull. While hard to do, once I focused on it, I could sense my breaths. They came and went in a slower rhythm from what I had now. Although I sat straight on my chair, this slippery sense told me that no, I was sleeping. Well of course I was asleep. It must''ve been the wee hours of the night in Japan.


    Yet no matter how long I waited, that sensation of fainting, of falling into a dream, never came.


    With a groan, I opened my eyes. This wasn''t cutting it. How on earth did it happen that time? Was it because I was distressed after arguing with my mum? How did any of this even work?


    I closed my eyes again. There must be something, anything I could see. I focused on the pull. A faint high-pitched voice whispered too soft into my ears to hear. And before I knew it, the beats of my heart smothered them.


    As I opened my eyes, my heart still raced. What if I had changed something in the manga? What if the man didn''t kidnap random children and had always had his eyes on Kaede? Did the Minister know about this and send the special squads to use her to track down all the children? I clenched my fists as my breathing quickened.


    After a few more tries, I took some deep breaths and forced my heart to calm down. The next chapter is still a week away, so panicking now will just slow me down. No, what I should do is be calm and focus on figuring out how to know everything my other self does. Then, if the manga reveals I¡¯d messed something up, I could deal with the consequences.


    I took a new sheet of paper and wrote down some helpful topics to get books on. It was time I stopped taking this-- ability? for granted. Books on inner spirit, on dimensions and maybe a few on quantum physics.


    As I scribbled away, my scratching pen kept one thought submerged deep in my mind. What if I''d already screwed up too much to fix?

 12- The Secret We Couldnt Keep- Part 2

    The next day, Kaede led us to Ahio''s home. We walked for a good thirty minutes into a part of town I hadn''t frequented often. While I''d explored everywhere I could, after the novelty wore off, I''d stuck to the places I''d known.


    Gone were the vendors and their shops. In their place stood groomed gardens, stately mansions and the occasional grocery store. A scent of flowers hung in the air. The top floors of one of the hospitals peaked over the rooftops. Where I lived, the apartments hid them from view. Cobblestone streets morphed into paved roads to cater to large carriages. For every child''s laugh, here, a hundred birds sang.


    Kaede stopped in front of a tall wooden gate. A house much larger than my own in the other world stood higher still behind it. She flipped a lever on the walls, and a bell rang loud enough within the house for even us to hear.


    A square-faced lady with an apron over her clothes rushed out of the house.


    ''He''s making my ears bleed, asking if you''re here yet,'' said the woman, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. She swung open the gate and grinned. ''Are these your teammates, Kaede?''


    We greeted her as Kaede introduced us.


    ''Well, I''m Ahio''s mum, nice to meet you guys.'' She ushered us into a trimmed lawn with shrubs of several kinds lining the walls. Daisuke, Tsubasa and I hung back as Kaede and Ahio''s mum led the way. Tayo gazed at the house with wide eyes and ears perked up.


    ''How''s he doing now?'' asked Kaede. ''My dad saw him on his shift at the hospital. He said he was still out of it late last night.''


    ''Oh, he''s fine enough to complain about everything now. Doesn''t seem too shaken up.'' The glint in her light blue eyes flickered away as she turned to face us. ''I don''t know how to thank you. Of all the foolish things to do... but I''m glad he''s home safe.''


    ''What did he do?'' asked Kaede.


    The woman scoffed as she opened the front door. ''Just ask him about it. I gave him an earful this morning. Never sending him out with his cousin again. That one needs a lesson too.''


    If this was about the donkey, I disagreed. Foolish he might''ve been, but Ahio did save it in the end.


    His mum left to the kitchen, muttering about checking up on a roast. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious. We followed Kaede upstairs, and she barged into one of the rooms by the landing. Glancing at each other, the rest of us shrugged and followed.


    Inside, a painting of stars and planets on a night sky covered the walls. A large window let in sunlight into every corner. Unlike what I''d expected, not a chair, pen or sock was out of place. Weren''t all rich kids messy?


    ''Kaede, do you know how long I''ve been waiting for you?'' said a voice on the far side of the room, where a comfy four-poster bed was. For all his bravado, Ahio''s face was pale and dark circles ran around his eyes. A thick cast enveloped one hand, and a bandage wrapped around the other. He grinned at us as we entered. ''Did you report the bandit?''Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Kaede sat beside him and sighed. ''Yes. We were taken to the Minister''s office actually. It turns out the bandit''s known for kidnapping kids.''


    A frown tugged on the corner of my mouth as the Minister''s warning to not tell anyone crossed my mind. I hoped this won''t bite us back someday.


    Daisuke and I plopped on the bed by Kaede''s other side, while Tsubasa pulled over a chair by the study table. Tayo hopped onto the floor and sniffed around the room under Tsubasa''s watchful eyes. Swinging his bag off, Daisuke lugged out the heavy book he''d had yesterday. Even this close, the letters on the cover were so faint, I couldn''t make out the title.


    ''The Minister called you in?'' asked Ahio, eyes wide.


    Kaede nodded. ''And he hasn''t managed to track down the other kids either.''


    Daisuke riffled through the pages, murmuring a page number too soft to hear.


    ''I can''t believe he hasn''t asked the seer for help,'' Ahio said.


    I cocked my head. What little I''d read about seers painted them as a rare commodity, though they actually couldn''t see the future as once thought. Regardless, who wouldn''t want someone who could track down anything, from a murderer to gold, on their side? Yet not one book gave a living example.


    ''A s-seer?'' asked Tsubasa.


    ''Well, I don''t know if it''s public knowledge, but my family does business with him.'' Ahio ran a hand through his messy hair. ''Heard he wasn''t a very nice guy though.''


    Kaede shrugged. ''Maybe he has, but we weren''t told. The Minister said it was a high-profile case. You aren''t supposed to know about this either, so don''t tell anyone. Not even your parents.''


    ''Wow. And who knows what would''ve happened if... if... huh, I''d never asked for your name.'' Ahio said and nodded at me with a grin.


    I smiled back and forced down my theories from yesterday. ''I''m Tahro. It''s nice to--''


    ''Found it!'' Daisuke said and laid the book on Kaede''s lap. She jerked, but I slapped a hand on the sheets before they turned. Tiny letters coursed all over the page, save for a little drawing of a ring. Made of grey metal, an engraving of scriptures I''d never seen before circled its surface


    ''W-what is it?'' asked Tsubasa.


    ''I''d been thinking about how that man disappeared,'' said Daisuke. ''He couldn''t have run fast. I couldn''t find any footprints leading out of the clearing except the ones the special grades left. And if he''d jumped up into the trees that quick, we''d have heard him.''


    My eyes widened. I''d never thought of these before.


    ''So it has to be something else. Well, I had a hypothesis and loaned out several books to research it yesterday morning.'' He smirked. ''And look what I''d found.''


    We drew closer to read the paragraph above Daisuke''s finger.


    Although evidence of the kinesis ring is hard to come by, as with any witch artefact, enough is known to confirm its existence. Each ring is scribed with the runes of only two different places, allowing a witch to teleport to either spot from anywhere. To use it, a witch must channel their inner spirit through the ring and flip it so the rune of their desired place faces up. Some rings have been known to store energy, for children who have not yet learned to control their inner spirit.


    Ahio jumped up. ''You think he''s a witch? I thought they were extinct.''


    Daisuke kept his smirk. ''Maybe they aren''t.''


    Something didn''t add up. If it was a ring, why wasn''t he wearing it? But an image of the man reaching into his pocket flashed in front of my eyes. No, itcouldn''tbe-- could it?


    ''Or maybe he isn''t a witch at all. Maybe he has one of those rings which stores energy.'' I said.


    Daisuke nodded. ''And if he''s kidnapped many kids the same way, he must have several of these rings with him. Perhaps from an abandoned witch''s home.''


    A chill shot up my spine. My mouth was dry like cotton, as I voiced out another possibility. ''Or perhaps a witch is filling up the rings for him.''

 13- The Lemur, the Bear and the One I Cant Stand- Part 1

    While the others grilled Ahio about his mission to save the donkey, I borrowed Daisuke''s tome and leafed through it. Some pages hung by a thread, yellowed and likely printed decades ago. From spells to runic prisons, the book spoke of everything scholars could dig up about witches. It showed diagrams of rituals that burned anything in the area, of amulets that could heal, and even a spell that could kill with the flick of a finger.


    Whoever this man was, whether he was a witch, found a witch or looted one of their homes, I needed to know what we were up against.


    While we stayed for lunch, a juicy chicken roast with sauteed vegetables, and didn''t leave till night set in, I could barely pry my fingers off the book and return it. My list of fields to research now held one more topic.


    That night, I stayed up late meditating. Every time I closed my eyes, I wished I''d read another chapter of Blade Fables, with Yuuhei by my side, grinning at me and saying something ridiculous. But every time I opened them, all I saw was my room in Heikisato.


    ***


    February 5. Fourteen and a half years old. Saishuu Riku.


    I was late.


    Or I would be if the queue dwindled away at the rate it was going. Swordsmen with quests to do, merchants who''ve had their goods stolen and officials with boring paperwork fidgeted around me in the HQ. I should''ve asked the receptionist where the replacement unit was when I''d had the chance last time.


    As the seconds flew closer to seven o¡¯clock, my stomach twisted. As if it weren¡¯t bad enough that I had to join a whole new team, now I was late. What would they think of me? What if they''d all been up early today and had to wait for me for ages? This was the price I had to pay for refusing to wake up with the sun on a Sunday.


    On my defense, it was Sunday.


    With five minutes to go, I reached the end of the line. Before someone could jump in and take my spot, I got the directions and squeezed my way through the crowd. If I ran as fast as I could, up two flights of stairs and a few corridors, I could do it. I''d arrive in the nick of time.


    A minute before my watch struck seven, I skidded to a stop in front of room number fifteen, where the letter said my team, squad six, should meet up in. My breaths came heavy and hurt my airways. First the queue, and now my own stamina wanted to make me tardy.


    Once I''d begun to breath like a normal human, I opened the door with a trembling hand and took a step in the well-lit, wood-panelled room. When a great brown bear jumped on me.


    As I stumbled and almost fell, my brain caught up. No not a bear, but someone with a ton of brown hair. Their arms encircled me tight in a hug. Perhaps they were a bear after all.


    As soon as it happened, they let me go and stepped back. My eyes no longer covered by a mass of curls, I saw the attacker. A slight girl, maybe my age or younger, crossed her arms and grinned at someone behind her.


    ¡®Hah, I told you it''ll be a boy! I win the bet.¡¯ As she laughed and turned around, her long curls bounced around her sky-blue dress,


    My cheeks grew hot. I''m never going to be late again. Not even on Sundays.


    ¡®Oh don''t be shy, you''re as red as a tomato. My name''s Cho and I''m a medic, you?¡¯ she asked, her nut-brown eyes glinting as bright as her smile.


    My cheeks grew even hotter. I did not deserve this for waking up late.


    ¡®Tahro--Tahro Akagi. I''m a fighter.¡¯


    ''Great to meet you Tahro, I was wondering if you''d ever come.'' She struck out her hand and winked. ''You''re not actually a girl though, are you?''


    With every word she spoke, the hopes of my blush ever going away diminished.


    I shook her hand. ''No.''


    ''Can we get back to business now?'' asked a new voice with a sigh.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    My gaze shifted to the corner it came from. A lithe boy my age stared at me from his seat by a window. Along with his raven hair, the unfolded collars of his navy-blue shirt framed a small face.


    ¡®I''m Kei, your team leader,¡¯ He steepled his fingers. ¡®If you''re done wasting time, is ten o''clock tomorrow okay for you to start our quest? The rest of us agreed on it while you were dilly dallying.¡¯


    As Cho told Kei to take it easy, his words stung me like wasps. It took all I had to not defend myself. ¡®Yeah¡­um, the time is good.¡¯


    The boy stood up. On both sides of his hip hung a v-shaped sheath. Boomerangs. Did he use them to fight? We,¡¯d never had them in general training. Could he use them to fight?


    ¡®If that''s all, everyone''s free to leave,¡¯ he said and walked closer. ¡®I hope you''re better than the loser we had before. And don''t be late again.¡¯


    This time I had to bite down on my tongue. I wasn''t even late, if anything, I was a minute early. As he passed by, Cho followed him and swat his shoulder, saying something about being too harsh. He''d better listen.


    As I swirled around to leave, my eyes caught the figure of a girl by the window opposite where Kei had sat. Of course, my last teammate, the informant.


    With her large round glasses and striped purple overalls, she looked like a ring-tailed lemur. On one hand she held a notebook, a thumb in between its pages, and with the other, she nibbled on the end of a pen. Her fluffy blond hair stood out against mahogany-like skin, as she stared out the window.


    Should I say hi? But it was too early in the morning to tactfully break someone''s trance. I''d meet her tomorrow anyway. I left the room and the girl with her thoughts.


    ***


    Once out of the HQ, I took a different path to the one that led to my apartment. Unlike the narrow alleys, the paved roads winded around the heart of Heikisato. Before long, I was surrounded by the training grounds and school I''d frequented for the last four years. Vast lecture halls, amphitheatres for mock fights and the library, a tower, stood side by side.


    The wind carried the noise of several clashing weapons and voices. Here and there, children ran to their classes, lugging heavy bags. Scant a month ago, that was me, rushing between these buildings with friends four years my junior. They''d all graduated too, now in special training.


    On route to the library, I kicked up some dirt. While being around people my own age was nice, it hurt to lose everyone I knew. Those I''d played with in the parks had left to train with their mentors. Some had gone back to their home villages, while others are too busy to meet up.


    I wished Yuuhei were here, with his shark-like grin and half-done art. We could have fun at food stalls, read books together and chatter all day long.


    If nothing else, I wished I could stay as a replacement for squad eleven. Ahio wouldn''t be able to go on new quests for a long while yet, so they needed one. But it seems I''d lost the spot to someone else.


    I stepped inside the library tower. Bookcases cramped around its circular walls, and sunlight flitted in through the windows in between. A chandelier at the top gave light that bounced off the railings that spiralled to each level. In the reading area on the ground floor, most of the armchairs and ottomans lay unoccupied. Aside from a few shuffling pages and whispers, the tower was as quiet as can be.


    I scampered up to the balcony on the third level. Texts on psychology lined the shelves, and a poster above each bookcase clarified its subject matter. I made a leeway to the area labelled Meditation.


    While I''d made little progress on using the connection between both my selves, I''d come up with enough theories to test out. If I imagined my situation as two souls connected together, as if with an umbilical cord, then some part of me, like my mind, could cross over. Like the time I''d fought with my mother. Perhaps, if I entered a deep trance, in Saishuu Riku while tugging at the cord, I could do it again.


    I fished out a few titles on falling into a hypnotic state. After getting some old tomes on witches from the second floor, I checked out the books and left.


    ***


    Several tries later, I huffed and opened my eyes. This was impossible. Regardless of the steps I''d followed, the number of deep breaths I took or how I''d made myself nearly asleep, the great mushroom-like HQ still stood outside my window.


    What had I done different that day when I''d wanted to save Ahio? I''d wanted to inform the authorities here. I''d wanted to know if Ahio lived or died. Now I wanted to know if I''d changed anything. If the Minister had planned something and I''d screwed it up. What was I doing wrong?


    My breath caught. No, I was not doing anything different. Every time I''d closed my eyes here, thoughts about Blade Fables, about Saishuu Riku swam in my mind. How had I not realized this before?


    I was pulling on the wrong end of the cord.


    A smile tugged at my lips, as I took a few deep breaths like the books had told me to. I scrunched my eyelids shut. They hid the sword by my door, and the crystal glass dome outside my room. This time I envisioned Yuuhei''s face. His shark tooth and messy black hair. The stupid conversations my heart ached to have again.


    What wouldn''t I do to speak to my best friend one more time?


    An eighth grade maths textbook flashed in front of me. The image disappeared as soon as it came like it were nothing but a product of my own imagination.


    A wave of euphoria washed over me and my heart beat quick. For the first time, I broke my meditation and grinned. I''d figured it out.

 14- The Lemur, the Bear and the One I Cant Stand- Part 2

    February 6. Fourteen and a half years old. Saishuu Riku.


    ¡®Get this letter to Anzenkai as quick as ya can.¡¯ The QM pulled out an envelope from her desk drawer and set it on top of a file. ¡®Make sure ya give it directly to Minister Fuyu¡¯s secretary.¡¯


    A smile tugged at my lips. Anzenkai. I''d read stories about it. History books spoke of it with wonder. It was the first city of the settlers, the only place where you could safely dock ships in the whole continent. Some had written, that if you looked hard enough, you could find the storm. The roiling clouds of lightning, the tumultuous waves and faint claps of thunder that stopped well away from the beach. Even if it weren''t part of our quest, I had to at least sneak off and see it.


    I narrowed my eyes at the letter. What could be so important that it had to be handed directly to the secretary of Anzenkai¡¯s Minister? But also inconsequential enough to be handed to third grades? Perhaps it was just a faster way to deliver normal messages. Who knew how long the mail service took to sort their letters out.


    Kei grabbed both the letter and the file, then strode out the room. We followed suit.


    Cho grinned at me, and I smiled back. This time I was earlier than all three, but we were called into the QM''s office before we had time to chat. I might have also sat hidden behind a couple of tall third grades. Cho¡¯s hug still pained my ribs.


    Somehow keeping up with Kei''s pace and not bumping into anything, the little lemur girl twisted her side braid, as she stared at her notebook.


    I sighed. I didn''t know her name yet. She didn''t look like she was going to introduce herself anytime soon, so I had to do it myself.


    Before I could say a word, Cho jumped on the girl. ¡®Maya, I''m waiting for the thirty hin I won yesterday!¡¯


    I winced at her bone breaking hug., as my cheeks burned. So this was how much they¡¯d bet on me.


    Based on the price of rice, one hin was equal to ten yen. Though if you used potatoes, one hin was five yen. And if you used rent, it was twenty yen. But rice conversion fit most situations.


    The girl-- Maya, started and blinked at Cho. ¡®Thirty hin? Oh, I almost forgot.¡¯


    She wriggled out of Cho''s arms and pulled out a pouch from her backpack. Even before the three coins left her fist, she was already staring at her notepad, drawstring pouch still gripped in the same hand.


    ¡®Uh, I think you should put your money bag back in, Maya.¡¯ said Cho. You might drop a few coins.¡¯


    Maya threw it back in her backpack, but her amber eyes left the page for only a moment. I wondered what it was that kept her so glued.


    ¡®Trouble with your story?¡¯ asked Cho.


    Maya sighed and flipped her notepad shut. ¡®I''m almost done with the last chapter. But I don''t think it''s good enough.¡¯


    ¡®What sort of story are you writing?¡¯ I asked, unable to keep out of the conversation any longer.


    Her freckles darkened into her complexion, as she stared at me like a deer in headlights.


    ¡®Um, it''s about--¡¯


    ¡®Come on guys, we have a two week trip ahead of us,¡¯ said Kei, well below us on the staircase. ¡®Stop talking so much and be a bit faster.¡¯


    Maya glanced at the floor, as Cho shouted something rude at him.


    Great. A two week trip with this prick.


    ***


    Ninth of February. Fourteen and a half years old. Saishuu Riku.


    Little animals and birds chattered on the trees around me. My legs were crossed on wild grass, sand sticking to my clothes. But my eyes were closed, shutting out our tents and what little sunlight got through to the undergrowth.


    Before long, flashes of my home in Japan filled my vision. My fingers, yet not my fingers, grasped a glass of milk. The beverage flowed down my throat, I could taste its heat. My heart, both hearts, beat fast. Today was Thursday. Yuuhei would''ve read the last chapter yesterday. Just as I thought it, the sensations of my other self flickered away.


    I was back in the forest again, the aftertaste of milk on my parched tongue. We''d set up camp on our way to Anzenkai. The others hadn''t returned yet, having gone to collect food and water. With a sigh, I checked the time. This meditation had lasted for a fifty-two seconds, eight more than my last. If I kept practicing and timed the meditation right, I might be able to know what happened in the manga today.


    Taking a few deep breaths, I ran through my mental exercises again to begin.


    ¡®Tahro!¡¯ .called out Kei.


    I winced and stood up, my legs heavy from sitting in the same position for too long. Kei strode towards our tent, a squirrel clutched in one hand. He glared at me, as he placed the animal down.


    ¡®I told you to watch the camp, not fall asleep,¡¯ he snapped. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡®I was meditating. not sleeping,¡¯ I said, removing any bite from my voice before it escaped.


    Kei sighed and shook his head. ¡®If you say so. Start the fire.¡¯


    By the time the dry wood got a good flame going from my lighter, the girls arrived. Maya came first with a jug of water, enough to last another day. Then Cho strolled in, a basket full of berries and wild herbs hanging from one arm. The safest people to send to collect edible plants were always the medics. They''re taught the smallest differences between what''s edible and what could kill you three days later.


    After a short meal, I began meditating again. This time I was in science class, listening to the teacher about how lightning worked. Sometimes I stayed in the trance for more than a minute, but other times, only half that. But my average increased every few tries.


    ¡®Tahro, want to spar?¡¯ asked Kei


    I grinned. The last time I''d sparred with anyone was in general training, and I missed the rush of adrenaline.


    ¡®Sure,¡¯ I replied.


    He waited by the edge of our campsite, far enough from the fire and tents. Cho looked at us with a frown, while Maya scribbled in her notepad, lost to the world.


    The first few minutes were exhilarating. Excitement sparked inside me as my fists flew, as I jumped around to avoid Kei''s attacks. Punch. Block. Punch. Counter. My heart raced. He was fast. But I''d only practiced against little kids before. Kei let out a kick. I leapt to my right. My breathing quickened.


    ¡®Stop jumping around so much,¡¯ said Kei, sweat trickling down his chin.


    ¡®Why not?¡¯ I frowned. Not a single punch or kick had landed on me, so I didn''t see why I shouldn''t.


    Kei sighed and lowered his arms. ¡®Sometimes I forget you''ve never had special training. Unless you have the stamina of a beast, when you hop around like that, you lose a lot of energy. You''re panting already.¡¯


    He had a point. I wiped off the sweat on my face and moved closer. We started again. Punch. Block. Kick. Counter. I swirled around to avoid his fists, resisting the urge to spring away. But one punch came at my face. I leapt out of the way.


    ¡®I told you not to jump.¡¯ Kei glared at me.


    ¡®Sorry, I couldn''t help it.¡¯ I panted. It''s not his problem anyway.


    We started again. This time, I let his blows come, always staying within a meter of Kei. Pain shot through my body when I failed to block or dodge. But being so close made my punches surer. My knuckles grazed his jaw as he dodged. His leg sweeped at my feet. I nearly jumped away before I caught myself. His kick hit my unsteady feet and I fell.


    I rolled over before my back hit the ground. The gravel scratched my elbows, as I turned. My breaths came out ragged. It had been a long time since I''d lost a fight.


    Kei rolled his eyes. While his hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, he didn''t breath heavy or seem otherwise tired. ¡®Should''ve known better than to spar with outsiders. Anyone without special training is useless.¡¯


    As he turned away, his words sparked red hot in my mind. How dare he? I clenched my fists. I wanted to shout at him. To shout I could fight just as well as any swordsman my age. It wasn''t my fault I wasn''t allowed to do special training. But I stayed on the ground, glaring at his back. Like I''d always done, I threw the embers of my anger in a bottle. A delicate, fragile bottle.


    Cho came over to check on me, and seeing I had no real injuries, strode over to Kei. She whispered something harsh at him, after which he shrugged and stalked off into his tent.


    As I tried to contain myself, someone plopped on the ground beside me.


    ¡®I think he was wrong. You both fought very well.¡¯ said Maya with a shy smile.


    I looked at the ground. ¡®Thanks.¡¯


    ¡®You know, if it were me, I''d take his advice just to beat him next time. He gives good tips, even if he''s a jerk about it.¡¯


    That brought a smile to my lips. ¡®I should do that.¡¯


    She shuffled around, as I turned to her. She had her notebook again, spiral bound on top with a green squiggly design on the cover. It must''ve held two-hundred pages, half of which were already written on and well thumbed. Though if she was nearing the end of her story, she must have many other filled notebooks.


    While it was three and a half days since our trip began, I''d never gotten around to asking her about it. Most of my time was spent meditating or helping around the camp. ¡®What''s your story about?¡¯


    She laid down her pen and twisted around her side braid. ¡®I don''t know if it''s very good.¡¯


    ¡®I don''t know a story I haven''t loved yet.¡¯ I smiled at her. Well, unless you counted romances


    She was silent for a moment. ¡®Do you know about the graveyard of stars?¡¯


    I knitted my eyebrows. ¡®No.¡¯


    ¡®It''s a legend my Dad told me about when I was little. He said they''re the graves of those who stopped the war between the elementalists and the witches. They weren''t just humans though. They were the spirits of air, earth, fire and water.¡¯


    I frowned. ¡®The history books never seemed to agree on what stopped the war. But none of them mentioned these¡­ spirits.¡¯


    She shrugged. ¡®It''s just a legend. Well, in my story, everyone has powers like those spirits. But not just those four elements. You can control trees, or ice, or electricity. But everyone''s only born with one power, and you have to train to be any good at it.¡¯


    ¡®I need to read this once you''re done. It sounds so cool.¡¯ I grinned at her. ¡®If I can control electricity, I''d give Kei a good shock.¡¯


    We laughed and chatted for a few more minutes. The sting of Kei''s words faded away. Before long, it was time to go to bed. We had an early start tomorrow.


    ***


    My watch beeped at eleven o''clock and dragged me out of dreamland. Slivers of moonlight sneaked through slits into my tent. I rubbed my groggy eyes. Eleven at night here is eleven in the morning in Japan. I''d be on lunch break right now, and Yuuhei¡¯d tell me how the manga went.


    I settled into a familiar rhythm. Breath in, breath out. Relax. Focus on Yuuhei.


    ***


    Ninth of February. Fourteen and a half years old. Japan.


    ¡®Well, Ahio was rescued,¡¯ said Yuuhei. But his dark eyes were fixed on his lunch box.


    My stomach churned and my noodles didn''t look as appetizing anymore. Yuuhei wasn''t one to take things so seriously. ¡®But?¡¯


    He fiddled with his chopsticks. After a moment of silence, he looked at me. ¡®A man kidnapped Kaede.¡¯


    My heart beat against my throat and doubts I¡¯d had for the past few days resurfaced in my mind. What if my conspiracy theories had been right? What if the Minister really did plan on tracking the man down using Kaede? I couldn''t breath- my muscles were frozen. What if, because of me, the man never gets caught?


    I clenched my fists and stopped my racing thoughts. All of them, in the end, were from my own imagination, my own theories. If none of them were true after all, then Kaede would''ve been in danger. No, what mattered now is that Kaede was safe.


    Yet those theories will plague my dreams for nights to come.

 15- Kidnappers, Killers and Conspirators- Part 1

    February 15. Fourteen and a half years old. Japan.


    ¡®Quickly, Tahro. We don¡¯t have much time,¡¯ Yuuhei said, as he tugged my sleeve and pulled me into the bathroom. The glistening marble floor and a wide mirror by the sink glinted off light to every corner of the restroom. A scent of lavender permeated the area.


    He''d been stalking the place till everyone had left, and now the two of us stood alone beside the stalls. Yuuhei glanced back at the door, but no footsteps came from the corridor behind it. He brushed his bangs away and sighed.


    I frowned. He''d been jerky the whole morning but wouldn''t tell me what was wrong. As soon as lunch break had begun, he''d rushed me in here.


    After a few more nervous looks at the door, he lugged out a phone from his shirt pocket.


    My eyes widened. Using a phone in school was a surefire way to get detention. That sort of thing showed up in school records when applying to highschools. His future could be ruined.


    ¡®What''re you doing?¡¯ I asked. My eyes darted back and forth between Yuuhei and the door. Gosh, if someone came in right now, he''s done for.


    He made a few swipes, typed something in and handed the device to me. ¡®Here, you can read the new chapter now.¡¯


    I stared at him. He''d spent the whole day anxious, jumping whenever anyone had come too close, evading my questions, all for something I hadn¡¯t even asked for? Of all the reckless things to do, he did this for me? Something warm, this time the kind that made me feel fuzzy inside, grew inside me. I owed him more than I could say.


    I took the phone. ¡®Thanks¡­but what if we got caught?¡¯ Though I knew the answer already. Both of us wouldn¡¯t be able to get into the schools we wanted. My mum might disown me if that happened.


    He grinned, shark tooth poking out despite the tension around his eyes. ¡®That''s what bathroom stalls are for.¡¯


    I shook my head and stepped into one. This better be worth it. As I closed the door, a stall beside mine clicked shut too. It would be suspicious if Yuuhei just loitered around the bathroom instead.


    My heart beat in a frenzy. The cramped space closed in on me, making me breath faster. I''d never thought this day would come so early. I could read again.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    A drip drip of the faucet outside timed every second as I opened the first chapter I''d missed. I didn''t have too long, perhaps fifteen minutes at best before we would be missed. Yuuhei was quite the socialite, and as good a liar as I was.


    I flicked through the first two chapters, taking everything in like a drowning man gasping for air. Squad eleven got a replacement who wasn''t me, but in the end, everything was much like what had really happened, with Ahio safe up in the trees and Kaede facing off the kidnapper.


    I swiped to the next page, thumbs shaking. Though Yuuhei''d already told me what to expect, I couldn''t shake off the hope that it would be different. The special squad jumped in and hacked off the kidnapper¡¯s limb when he swung his axe at Kaede. I held in my breath and swiped to the next again.


    Sure enough, the black haired man appeared, out of thin air like before. Whether it was the exhaustion, or a simple lack of reflexes, this time no one jumped in between Kaede and the man. This time, both of them vanished.


    The door outside clicked open and a few students stepped in the bathroom. Thoughts swimming with paranoia, I positioned my feet as though I was sitting. What if they notice something is off? But they bantered and laughed, as they did their business and left. Phew.


    With another gesture, I opened today''s chapter. Please tell me saving her wasn''t the wrong thing to do. Please tell me I didn''t screw things up.


    From within a dim-lit room, a woman stared out of a lone window. On her lap was a sword as tall as a full grown man. Gaze never leaving the landscape outside, she pulled a whetstone along her blade. Her dark hair formed a curtain around her form, pooling on the mattress she sat on. Hills and trees crowded beyond her abode, and a faint pitter patter of rain slapped the ground. But her brows remained knotted, as if she couldn''t find whatever it was she was looking for.


    Her sword made one more screech as she sharpened it, when two figures appeared on a hillock not too far away. One was a man with hair as dark as night and the other a girl frozen in fear. His hands held her in an iron grip as he pocketed what looked like a ring.


    My eyes widened and my heart hammered into my chest. Kaede.


    The woman''s eyes, the shade of darkest ink, focused now on her sword. A crinkle formed around her mouth. For several more minutes, she sharpened the blade, her arms moving over it as if she''d done it countless times. As the shadows grew longer, her crinkles deepened.


    Someone knocked on the door.


    ¡®Come in,¡¯ she said.


    The door creaked open and outside stood a woman perhaps in her late twenties. She was short but plump, with a curly mass of hair. Her dress was long enough to sweep the ground, though her height was responsible for that as well. Her eyes, wide and still childlike, held in it a grimace. ¡®Saeru is here. He has the girl.¡¯


    ¡®I know. And the stone?¡¯ asked the other woman, her eyes narrowed.


    Brushing her curly tresses out of her face, she sighed. ¡®I''m sorry, Shuurai. It''s a fire stone again.¡¯


    Shuurai placed the whetstone away and sheathed her sword. She stalked over to a wooden cabinet by her bed. Upon unlocking it, she lugged it open and counted something inside.


    ¡®Eleven,¡¯ she said. ¡®Enough to find another child.¡¯


    From inside, she pulled out a ring, silver, with ancient letters engraved in a spiral.

 16- Kidnappers, Killers and Conspirators- Part 2

    I wiped off sweat from my hands before it made trails on the screen. Several questions flew around my mind. What were these stones? Why did Kaede have one? Would they still go after her again for it? And the rings¡­ the way she''d counted them sounded like they were in limited supply. So a witch wasn''t involved to make more.


    ¡®Tahro, are you done yet?¡¯ whispered Yuuhei. ¡®I think my belly is hungry enough to eat me.¡¯


    His words made me snicker despite my unease. ¡®Almost, give me five more minutes.¡¯


    I flicked to the next page. At this point, it would be wonder if I had any appetite left myself.


    Several patrons crowded around tables in a dingy inn. Some gambled cards, throwing coins at the winners and groaning at their loses. Others gossiped with old friends, chortling even at their worst jokes. The noise of many clinking bottles mixed in with chattering voices.


    At one end of the bar, sat a lone woman. A hood hid most of her face, and her long hair obscured the rest, as she gazed down at the table. Her dress of dark green had seen better days, with fraying seams and patches. The bartender walked up to her for her order, but she turned him away with a wave of her hand.


    Two men made leeway to her table and sat across her. One was tall and broadset. He nodded at the woman, as if she were an old accomplice.The shorter one fidgeted around, not altogether comfortable.


    As she looked up at their arrival, her features were revealed. She was in her late thirties, with beauty that hadn¡¯t yet faded. But most peculiar were her eyes. They held an uncanny glow like molten gold.


    ¡®We have two stones for you,¡¯ said the tall man. He lugged out a bag from his pocket and pushed it toward the woman.


    With long spindly fingers, she took out its contents. The two stones, no bigger than a bottle cork, glinted in the light of the setting sun. One was as white as falling snow and the other green like a forest foliage.


    ¡®Only two? You disappoint me.¡¯ she said.


    The shorter man huffed. ¡®It was a miracle to find so many in four months. Especially with the kidnappings. Not that you didn''t kn--¡¯


    The woman turned to him, as the other man elbowed his side. He squirmed in his seat and glanced at the floor.


    ¡®I didn''t know, what exactly?¡¯


    The tall man sighed. ¡®There''s been a few kidnappings. All of them were children with these stones on heirlooms.¡¯ He paused for a moment, second guessing the wisdom of what he was about to ask. ¡®You wouldn''t happen to know anything about them, would you?¡¯


    The woman chuckled, a rusty sort of laugh from disuse. ¡®You think I kidnapped those children? No, tracking down the stones is your job.¡¯


    The tall man nodded, a tightness around his eyes fading away. ¡®And how many more do you need for your end of the bargain?¡¯


    For a few seconds, the woman played with the stones on her palm. ¡®Twenty one perhaps. Or twenty-two?¡¯


    After sharing a look, the two men pulled out a silver ring each from their pockets.


    ¡®We meet again in four months, yes? Same place and same time?¡¯ asked the tall man. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡®Yes,¡¯ she replied and took the rings. With a glance around at the other patrons, she moved her fingers over the jewelry in a practiced twirl. Moments later, the runes on their surface glowed blue. The lights dimmed away as soon as they appeared.


    ¡®If you find the twenty-two before then, use the other rings and come to me directly.¡¯ She handed the two in her hand back to the men. ¡®And step up your game. Those stones should be mine, not some low life thief¡¯s.¡¯


    ¡®Of course,¡¯ the two men murmured before they stood and made their way out of the inn. The woman stayed behind and purchased a slice of bread before she left too.


    My sweaty fingers smudged all over Yuuhei''s screen. A witch. She wanted the stones too, whatever they were. My stomach turned, but not from hunger.


    I needed to get to the bottom of this.


    The witch stepped into a children¡¯s park by the inn. Most of the playthings were abandoned, for with night soon coming, several parents had ushered their offsprings home. Yet some children still remained, on swings and seesaws. One of them, a girl of nine or ten, sat on bench further away from the rest. Her nose was smudged with dirt and tear streaks ran down her cheeks.


    The witch strode toward her and sat by her side. The little girl¡¯s shoulders tensed up, as if she were waiting to be reprimanded.


    But the woman brought out the slice of bread. ¡®Hungry?¡¯


    With wide grey eyes, the child nodded and started on her meal. Crumbs flew everywhere with the frenzied way she bit. Within seconds, the bread was gone.


    ¡®Why aren''t you with the others?¡¯ asked the woman.


    Fresh tears formed in the child''s eyes. ¡®They¡­they don''t like me ¡®cause I''ve got parents.¡¯


    ¡®Oh? Where are your parents then?¡¯


    The girl sniffed and wiped her nose on her arm. ¡®I ran away today,¡¯ she said in a quiet voice. ¡®I just wanted to give Mama and Papa a good scare. They gave me too many chores, see? But the cart I jumped into brought me all the way here.¡¯ The tears flowed down to her chin. ¡®I wanna go home.¡¯


    ¡®Didn''t you ask for help? From a swordsman maybe?¡¯


    The child blinked. ¡®I met these kids when I got here, and they promised they''d help. Till they found out I wasn''t an orphan, that is.¡¯ She gazed up at the witch, a smile forming. ¡®But I haven''t gone to the swordsmen. D¡¯you think they¡¯d help me¡¯


    The woman smiled.¡¯I know they will. But you look like you haven''t had a decent meal the whole day. How would you like to come with me and get something to eat?¡¯


    The girl nodded with a smile, her tears now dried up and forgotten. ¡®I''m Hana, what''s your name?¡¯


    ¡®Ameko.¡¯


    The two stood, but before Hana took a step, Ameko placed an arm around her shoulders. In the blink of an eye, the park around them morphed into a clearing within craggy mountains dotted with caves, some man-made. Faint indentations of ancient runes marked the rocks from place to place. The stink of death hung in the air.


    ¡®What just happened?¡¯ asked Hana, eyes wide.


    ¡®I''m very fast.¡¯ Ameko smirked and, with her arm still around Hana¡¯s shoulders, led her into one of the deeper caves.


    Inside were several ancient tomes, amulets hanging from walls and more runes. She motioned Hana to sit at a table, then took a seat facing her. On one end of the desk was a crystal orb. Wisps of blue light swirled around inside it.


    Hana frowned, eyeing everything as though it might eat her alive. ¡®Where are we?¡¯


    ¡®My home.¡¯


    For a while, Hana stayed silent, looking at everything but the woman in front of her. ¡®Are you¡­you''re not a witch are you?¡¯


    Smiling, Ameko leaned forward. ¡®You''re not afraid of witches are you?¡¯


    ¡®But you can''t be! Mama and Papa said they''re all dead.¡¯


    Ameko moved her hand in a circle around the child''s face. ¡®They''re wrong.¡¯


    As Hana¡¯s face grew pale, the witch flicked her second finger.


    The child flopped back on her seat. Her last breath stayed trapped in her chest and her muscles relaxed to erase her frown.


    Ameko waved her hands in a flurry of motion. Several ancient letters on the walls glowed blue, leading from the child to the orb. With each minute, the wall around the girl grew dimmer and the part around the crystal ball brighter. Before long, all the lights faded away.


    Hana''s body remained the same, her eyes wide in a parody of life.


    ¡®You shouldn''t have run away.¡¯

 17- Kidnappers, Killers and Conspirators- Part 3

    I closed the tab with a trembling hand. My arms were shaking so much, the phone nearly fell from my grasp. A chill, from so long ago that I¡¯d forgotten it, ran down my spine with a vengeance. I closed my eyes, but Hana¡¯s limp body still flashed in front of me. What had I got myself into?


    Checking for footsteps or voices outside, I staggered out of the stall. ¡®I¡¯m done, Yuuhei.¡¯


    He swung open his door and marched out, rubbing his tummy. ¡®Yes! I can feed this growling monster.¡¯


    For once the joke didn''t land, and I couldn¡¯t smile. Yuuhei''s grin faded.


    ¡®That bad, huh?¡¯ he asked, as I handed his phone back.


    ¡®Read it first. We need to sort something out.¡¯


    Several hushed conversations in class and bathroom breaks later, Yuuhei helped me figure out what to do next. It was high time I''d revealed everything to Minister Banji.


    ***


    February 14. Fourteen and a half years old. Saishuu Riku.


    The dim-lit room of the inn didn''t help my disorientation, as I opened my eyes. Sixteen minutes and eleven seconds. I''d broken my record. Yet I couldn''t bring myself to be excited about it.


    Hana''s unseeing eyes haunted my dreams for many nights to come.


    ***


    February 16. Fourteen and a half years old. Saishuu Riku.


    Everyone had bright hair in Anzenkai. Whether dyed green or a natural redhead, every person we crossed on the streets sported this trend. For the first time in my life, my blonde hair didn''t stick out.


    We passed shops and fish markets on the way to Anzenkai''s HQ. With sloping grey roofs stacked one on top of the other, the establishment was akin to those in feudal Japan. Further down the city, well past ports and calm beaches, the blue sky darkened into a storm. Perhaps I''d imagined it, but faint thunder sounded through chirping birds and chattering people.


    Handing the letter over to Minister Fuyu¡¯s secretary took only a few minutes, and we were done with our quest before we knew it.


    ¡®Now, to the beach!¡¯ said Cho, her curls going frizzy in the humid air.


    ¡®Beach? We have to go to Heikisato.¡¯ Kei crossed his arms. ¡®We¡¯d already waste two weeks without a mission on the trip back.¡¯


    A spoil sport as always.


    Maya gave a little smile and closed her notebook. ¡®The rest of us can just catch up with you later.¡¯


    ¡®That''s right!¡¯ Cho placed her hands on her hips. ¡®See how you can get a mission without three teammates.¡¯


    Three? I grimaced. ¡®Leave me out of this.¡¯


    ¡®Oh I know you want to see the beach, Tahro.¡¯ said Cho. ¡®Besides, do you really want to spend two weeks alone with Kei?¡¯


    She had a point.


    ¡®Alright,¡¯ Kei sighed.


    Cho whooped and headed down the cobbled street, her dress billowing in the breeze. Passerbys scurried out of her way. The rest of us marched down like civilized humans.


    Though the beach looked close from the HQ, the road spiraled down-hill for ages. A breeze softened the searing sun, but brought with it a stink of fish. It was Anzenkai''s main produce after all. The passing cartloads of fish and seafood shops were proof of it. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Ten minutes into the walk, I grew bored enough to make a game of counting people without bright hair. First was Cho, who was now so ahead of us, we could barely see her blue dress weaving in and out the crowd. Then was Kei, with hair so dark it had an azure shine. A brown-haired man argued over the price of prawns with a merchant down the street. A woman who strode into an inn we¡¯d passed had tresses almost as dark as Kei''s.


    Then a man with spiky black hair and an orange scarf around his neck rushed up the road.


    My breath caught in my chest. Beginning to tremble, I turned my head to get a better look. Though he got further away every second, he was the right height. His complexion was the same tan, and his hairstyle was just as I remembered. The kidnapper, Saeru.


    What was he doing here of all places? I swirled around. This was madness. But I had to know.


    ¡®Tahro, where are you going?¡¯ asked Kei.


    ¡®Uh, bathroom!¡¯ I shouted, as I ran up the street.


    Saeru didn''t stop somewhere close-by. Everytime I thought I''d caught up with him, he''d go around a corner. But his dark hair stood out in the sea of bright heads, and I''d always find him a few steps later.


    He ran into the HQ.


    My mind struggled to wrap itself around what was going on. Only one way to find out. Panting, I entered the building. While not as crowded as the HQ in Heikisato, the entrance hall was packed with a veritable number of people. After frantically searching for a few moments, I spotted him going through a doorway.


    The man rushed through a maze of corridors, then up several flights of stairs. Though my lungs were searing, I was so close now, only a meter or two away. My footsteps blended with the many swordsmen and officials walking up and down, and he didn''t seem to suspect he was being followed.


    By the time he reached the ninth floor, my muscles were burning. For whatever reason, no one stood around the last staircase or its corridor, not even guards. Goosebumps prickled on my skin. Something was weird about all this, but I couldn¡¯t put my finger on what. Saeru slowed down, turning his head this way and that, as if searching for imaginary onlookers. I crouched behind a corner, only peeking in to see if he¡¯d reached the tenth floor.


    Keeping my breathing steady, I followed him up as quietly as I could.


    The highest floor was deserted, and the roof swooped down to the side. A few chairs lined the area and a tapestry of sea creatures spanned the walls. From my right came the click of a door. I approached it, and my every footstep seemed to echo in the antechamber.


    Muffled voices, so soft I couldn''t make out the words till I was within a foot of the door, came from behind it. My heart beat loud and made it harder to listen in. If I wasn''t wrong, this had to be close to the Minister¡¯s office. Scenarios of getting caught eavesdropping into confidential information ran through my mind. But what was he doing here? Brave, curious or reckless, I peeped through the keyhole.


    Behind was a blurry image of an office. An oddly familiar man with cyan hair in a ponytail lounged behind a desk, while another one--My heart skipped a beat-- Saeru stood by the door, arms crossed. My mouth turned dry as I remembered the pictures I''d seen of the other man. Minister Fuyu.


    ¡®I hear you couldn''t get Kaede.¡¯ The minister leaned forward.


    ¡®We''ll have to try again, before the witch gets there first,¡¯ Saeru sighed. ¡®Minister Banji says he''s working on it. But what about the boy?¡¯


    I bit my tongue before I gasped. My heart drummed louder. What the hell was going on?


    Minister Fuyu waved his arm and grinned. ¡®He came here on a quest today--Banji set him up. The kid, what was his name--Tahro-- is no spy, Banji is just paranoid.¡¯


    His words hit me like bricks. Of course I wasn¡¯t a spy! I wanted to shout. But in my current position, that would make even Minister Fuyu believe otherwise.


    Saeru pulled at his scarf, brows furrowed. ¡®How could you be sure? I hear he appeared out of nowhere, just to become a swordsman. Genkoushi could''ve set him up. Or Kou Ta.¡¯


    What does Genkoushi or Kou Ta have to do with this? The towns of agriculture and mining had a peaceful relationship to Heikisato and Anzenkai, as far as I knew.


    ¡®It''s true that we never got notice of his arrival. The last person who washed off this shore was that nature whisperer, and that was fifteen years ago.¡¯ Minister Fuyu grabbed a candy from a tin beside his paperwork. ¡®But it''s likely we could''ve missed him. Maybe he snuck in a fish boat. But even Genkoushi wouldn''t trust a ten year old to spy for them.¡¯


    ¡®Minister Banji is less certain,¡¯ said Saeru. ¡®And I wouldn''t be surprised if someone who''d hire a witch would also use child spies.¡¯


    ¡®I know a spy when I see one, and he isn''t it. But I have no doubt Banji would imprison the boy the moment he could find a good reason.¡¯ Minister Fuyu rolled his eyes and offered the box of candy to Saeru. ¡®The kid better be in his best behaviour. Peppermint?¡¯


    Perhaps it was my imagination, but Minister Fuyu¡¯s eyes rested on the door a moment longer than it should¡¯ve before looking back at Saeru.

 18- Tussling in Turnip Town- Part 1

    February 17. Fourteen and a half years old. Japan.


    ¡®I ran away as soon as I could.¡¯ I pulled at my bangs with a sweaty hand. Memories from my other self from last night¡¯s meditation still swam in front of my eyes. My platter of noodles stayed untouched, although it was nearly the end of our lunch break. I¡¯m going to get gastritis at this rate. If only Mum knew it was all because she¡¯d cut off my phone, and I had no other time to talk to Yuuhei.


    The laughter of chattering students and the clatter of cutlery masked our conversation. Yuuhei sat across me, his half-finished dish forgotten. He stared, jaw dropped. ¡®Are you sure they didn''t notice you?¡¯


    ¡®Y-yes.¡¯ At least, I hoped not. Surely, they''d have caught me if they''d seen me. But the way the Minister had looked at the door rang alarm bells in my mind. No, I¡¯m overthinking this. At any rate, there was no need to worry Yuuhei.


    ¡®You should be careful, Tahro,¡¯ he said, leaning forward. He fiddled with his chopsticks, playing with the noodles in his plate. ¡®I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll do my best.¡¯ I smiled.


    But his frown remained, as though he wasn¡¯t convinced.


    He slouched back, opening his mouth but cutting himself off a few times. I took the opportunity to have a bite of my meal, wondering what it was he found so hard to say.


    ¡®Listen, you might not agree.¡¯ Yuuhei sighed, not meeting my eyes. ¡®But I don''t think you should go to Minister Banji about the witch just yet.¡¯


    I laid down my chopsticks, trying to wrap my head around what he¡¯d said. ¡®But she''s dangerous! What if she kills more children?¡¯ Hana¡¯s lifeless body still visited my dreams. If only I¡¯d known sooner as I had about Ahio.


    ¡®Do you really think you can explain how you know about it to the Minister?¡¯ asked Yuuhei. ¡®He¡¯d think you¡¯re in cahoots with the witch or something.¡¯


    Frowning, I clenched my fists. I hated how right he was. A shiver of disgust rattled my bones at the thought of being associated with a murderer like her. ¡®Still, this is bigger than me. I can¡¯t just let her get away with it.¡¯


    Yuuhei placed his chopsticks down. ¡®That¡¯s not the problem. He already thinks you¡¯re a spy. If you tell him this, he¡¯ll suspect you¡¯re trying to sidetrack them. That¡¯ll just make everything worse, and next time, you won¡¯t have the option of saving anyone.¡¯


    He¡¯s right again. Barging in could ruin everything. Perhaps waiting a little longer to come up with a clearer plan was the best solution. But I couldn¡¯t shake off my impatience. I wanted to act now before another child died.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡®Yeah, I guess so.¡¯ The words sounded alien. My heart couldn¡¯t come to terms with it, but I couldn¡¯t think of a better argument.


    For a moment, we sat quietly, picking at our lunch. More and more students filed in as the hour for the next period neared. I need more time. One other thing bothered me, something I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of.


    ¡®What about Kaede?¡¯ Were the Ministers trying to protect her from the witch? Was that why they wanted to kidnap her? Yet the scene I¡¯d read showed the kidnappers looking for the stones too. Who knew what they did to the kids afterwards?


    Yuuhei shifted his chair closer, his eyes fixed on his noodles. ¡®I know you wouldn¡¯t want to hear this, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right to warn her. It¡¯s the same as the witch, you¡¯ll only make everything harder later on.¡¯


    I was expecting that answer. The worse part was, I agreed with it. I had no idea if the Ministers were good, bad or shades of grey. What if, by stopping her kidnapping, I just put her in more danger?


    That moment when she was almost kidnapped, her green eyes wide with fear, flashed in front of me. A month ago, I might¡¯ve been able to keep the kidnappings a secret. But I know her now. Keeping this from her, letting her get kidnapped, scared, confused and alone revolted me. How much of a monster would I be if I betrayed her like that?


    Yuuhei placed a hand on my shoulder. His shark tooth poked out as he gave me a tentative smile. ¡®I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll know what to do as more chapters are released. Don¡¯t rush it.¡¯


    I sighed and nodded. It wasn¡¯t as though I had much choice. Finally finishing our lunch, we walked out of the class to clean our plates.


    A few students passed us by, discussing the high schools they were thinking of applying to. The melting snow in the school grounds outside, and the rising temperatures every day reminded me eighth grade was coming to an end. In ninth grade, I¡¯d have to apply to highschools. What if Yuuhei and I got separated? My heart wrenched at the thought of going to a different school from him. No, whatever happened, we had to go to the same one.


    ¡®Have you chosen your highschool yet?¡¯ I asked.


    ¡®I¡¯m considering my sister¡¯s old private school. They¡¯re known for their visual arts classes.¡¯ He grinned. ¡®They¡¯re pretty good at other subjects as well. We can go together!¡¯


    ¡®Yup.¡¯ I smiled, turning my eyes away. The moment he¡¯d said private, my hopes had sunk. Knowing my dad, he¡¯d put up a good fight against spending that much money on me. And this time, he might win. Yet looking at Yuuhei¡¯s face, at the glassy-eyed gaze he¡¯d always got when talking about art, and I hadn¡¯t the heart to tell him I might not be able to join.


    The rest of the day, my new decisions plagued my mind. Instead of doing sums in maths, I agonised over not reporting the witch to Minister Banji. Science class was when I tried to curb my guilt on not telling Kaede. And when I said goodbye to Yuuhei, going on our separate ways to our clubs, I wondered if we¡¯d ever meet each other so often in a couple of years. For the first time in my life, I wondered if I¡¯d bit off more than I could chew.

 19- Tussling in Turnip Town- Part 2

    February 20. Fourteen and a half years old. Saishuu Riku.


    Turnips covered every part of Kabuba, a village close to Anzenkai. Towers of the vegetable filled the carts and stores we passed by. Dried slices hung on posts, like shrivelled streamers. Shopkeepers stopped us on our way, bragging about the flavour of their turnips. A pleasant wind carried chopping noises from the shops. I wrinkled my nose, I''d never liked turnips, to begin with.


    We strolled toward an inn. The village, situated along the shortest route to Anzenkai, was a blessing. It meant proper food and a real bed. As much as I loved nature, finding a couple of spiders in your sleeping bag can disillusion you.


    Something crashed further down the street. Close to a shop, with a mound of turnips tumbled down on the floor, a man waved a knife. Around his arm hung a purse.


    ¡®Thief! Give back my bag,¡¯ cried an old lady, swaying as she pointed with her cane.


    I narrowed my eyes. Bandit.


    People closed in, shouting at the man. But his knife held them at bay. I turned to Kei with a frown. The swordsmen of Kabuba, if it even had any, weren''t present, so it would be up to us. He nodded and took out his boomerangs. I unsheathed my sword. My heart raced, as we approached the commotion.


    The man''s eyes widened when he saw us, or rather, our weapons. With a yelp, he took off. Everyone on the road backed away at the sight of his knife. We ran after him, twisting and turning around bystanders too slow to stand aside.


    He took a side road to our left, kicking a box of turnips on the way. The vegetables rolled around like large marbles. Skipping around them, we kept up, closing in on him. Before long, we reached the edge of town. The cobblestone path ended in the wild grass of a forest.


    Leaning on a knobbled tree was a decrepit horse cart.


    ¡®Help me!¡¯ called out the man, as he reached the cart, banging on its walls.


    Maya and Cho stood behind, while Kei and I stalked toward him. We kept close to each other. Who knew how many friends he had.


    Three people stepped out, two women and a man. The one we''d chased rushed into the vehicle. The bandits¡¯ hair hung lank and grimy, with clothes that had long lost their colour. Their sneering faces looked as if they hadn''t washed it in ages.


    And all of them brandished a sword.


    I parried the first blade. The woman''s grip was sloppy. Her sword nearly jumped out of her hands as mine hit it. I fended off another, this one close to Kei''s head. With every clash, my arms grew heavy. Kei stared at something above, not moving a muscle. He held some wires in his hands. My heart beat in my ears as I kept the swords away from both of us. What was he doing?


    As soon as I thought it, something hit two of the bandits at the back of their heads. Both of them toppled to the ground. With a jerk at his wires, Kei pulled back his boomerangs. Smirking, he threw them again.


    Show off.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The last one standing, a woman with bright blue eyes, glared and came at me. I warded her sword away before it slashed my nose off. A moment later, I saw the boomerang coming. But with a smirk, the woman leapt away from its path.


    Kei tugged at his wires, and his weapon hit the back of her head. She fell like a sack of potatoes.


    I panted and wiped the sweat from my face. ¡®Good one.¡¯


    ¡®Put your weapons down and go away. Leave us!¡¯ said a man''s voice. The first bandit now aimed a crossbow at us, the purse still hanging from his arm.


    Long ranged weapons were the worst. While I could jump away from the arrow, what about Maya? What about Cho? A bag wasn''t worth the risk. I glanced at Kei, expecting his sign to retreat.


    But he stood smirking as before.


    Just as I noticed wires leading from Kei to the ground around us, they snapped up. With a whoosh, they wrapped around the man, tying his limbs together. Kei''s boomerangs flew back to him, the wires tied to them growing tauter with distance. His crossbow now useless in his hands, the man stared at us wide-eyed.


    ¡®Get him, Tahro.¡¯ Kei pulled on his wires as the man struggled.


    I ran forward, sword at ready. If I hurt his arms, then his crossbow will remain useless and we could take the purse away safely. Just enough to wound, not kill. I raised my blade.


    An image of a hacked off limb, of blood spewing onto the ground, flashed in front of me. What if I hurt him too much? What if this time, his life really did leave his eyes?


    I sheathed my sword and took out a dagger. We just needed the purse anyway.


    ¡®Tahro, what are you doing?¡¯ snapped Kei. He pulled at the wires again, as the man almost wriggled one of his hands out.


    ¡®I''m going to cut out the purse.¡¯


    ¡®Then stop wasting time posing with a sword.¡¯


    The irritation I''d filled in a bottle throughout this trip seeped out. ¡®I''m not posing with a sword,¡¯ I turned around and snapped.


    A click came from behind me. Kei''s face paled, and the wires in his hands hung loose. Horror bloomed within me, as I swirled around.


    The bandit clasped a small knife between two fingers and aimed the crossbow at my heart. The wires pooled around his feet. ¡®I told you to put your weapons down,¡¯ he sneered.


    Something cracked, and he collapsed to the ground.


    Cho stood behind him, clutching a rock. How she''d gotten so close to the bandit I didn''t know. She threw the stone away and crossed her arms. ¡®Really guys? While you two were busy arguing, a medic had to take him down.¡¯


    ***


    After we''d tied the bandits up with rope, we trudged back to the main street of Kabuba. A cheer rang in the air, as the villagers crowded around us and slapped our backs. Kei ordered someone to house the bandits, now prisoners, somewhere safe. They''d be taken to Anzenkai''s jail.


    The old woman approached us, a smile wrinkling her already lined face. Cho handed the purse back to her. As if suspicious the bandit had taken whatever she''d had in it, she flipped it open and squinted inside. Her smile grew wider.


    ¡®My food is safe,¡¯ she said and pulled out a shrivelled up turnip.


    I blinked. All this trouble for a vegetable. It didn''t even look fresh.


    Perhaps it was the adrenaline that still coursed through our system. Or the happy villagers applauding us. Or perhaps even the realization that we could''ve just bought her a turnip and ended it there. But whatever it was, we, even Kei, burst out laughing.


    On the way to the inn, Kei fell in step beside me.


    ¡®When we get back to Heikisato, I¡¯ll take you to my mum¡¯s armoury,¡¯ he said.


    I frowned. ¡®Why?¡¯


    ¡®Just come to the armoury,¡¯ he said with a sigh, taking quicker steps and leaving me behind.


    This was no doubt another attempt to insult me, though maybe in front of his mother now. Whatever. Time to take Maya¡¯s tip.

 20- Tussling in Turnip Town- Part 3

    February 27. Fourteen and a half years old. Saishuu Riku.


    ¡®Welcome to the Smelting Pot,¡¯ said Kei, pushing the store¡¯s door open. ¡®If Mum asks, tell her I told you it''s the best armoury in Heikisato.¡¯


    He marched in before I could answer.


    ¡®Sure.¡¯ I said anyway and lagged behind him, studying the shop. While the students¡¯ armoury was large enough to have everything I¡¯d needed, this one made my jaw drop. Aisles upon aisles of stacked weapons and armour stretched out in a maze so far in front of me that I could barely see the walls at the end. Several display cases lined the walls to my left, showcasing intricate ceremonial swords and knives. The price tags on some of them made me gulp. I could buy a house with that money.


    A dark-haired woman sat behind the cashier desk, smiling at us. Something about her narrow face and eyes were just like Kei¡¯s. ¡®Have you brought a friend, Kei? And here I thought you¡¯re stuck with just Cho.¡¯


    ¡®A squad member, Mum.¡¯ Kei rolled his eyes. ¡®So¡¯s Cho for that matter.¡¯


    She laughed. ¡®Whatever you say. You sure don¡¯t mind sharing your interest in weapons with them.¡¯


    He huffed and strode further in. I gave her a smile and ran after him before I got lost in the labyrinth of metal and leather. We passed shelves of chakrams, sabers and nunchucks before arriving at one stacked with bo staves. They were lined up by size, but even the shortest towered over me. Some were only decorated with swirls of wood. Others were lined with gems.


    ¡®Are you sure?¡¯ I asked, scrunching my face. The few times I¡¯d used one in general training, they were hefty and difficult to swing.


    ¡®No.¡¯ He twirled one around, careful not to hit the shelves behind. ¡®But I want to get a better feel of your aptitude.¡¯ He handed me the staff.


    Before I could do anything with it, he marched off again toward the far end of the aisle. A door came into sight. Kei pushed it open without missing a beat and ushered me in.


    The room inside was spacious and bare, with nothing but a large mirror along one wall.


    ¡®Well, what are you waiting for?¡¯ He asked, an eyebrow notched.


    I spun it around, my muscles remembering the motions that were drilled in three years ago. Unlike the one we had in training, this one was full-sized and weighed several times more. My wrists hurt just a few seconds in. As the kata neared its end, I stumbled. Even though I¡¯d grown since then, I¡¯d yet to hit the growth spurt required to match the length of the stick.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Kei stroked his chin, scrutinizing the staff. ¡®I think I¡¯ve got it. Just stay here till I come back.¡¯


    He took the staff and sped out. Before I¡¯d stopped panting, he was back, holding two short staves. The polished black wood almost blended in with Kei¡¯s dark blue outfit. A short handle jutted out of each staff at one end. No, not staves, tonfa.


    I swirled them around, getting used to their weight. Their length made it easier to strike with, and the handle allowed me to twist them around in ways I couldn¡¯t do with the bo staff. Though perhaps it had too much freedom of movement. As a non-standard weapon, I¡¯d never trained with them before. At a particularly strong thrust, one flew away and crashed beside Kei.


    ¡®Sorry!¡¯ I braced myself for the usual jab. But all Kei did was grin, with a maniacal glint in his eye I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d see on him.


    Without a word, he snatched the tonfa from me and picked up the one on the floor before rushing out. This time, he returned even faster than before. And this time, he did hold two short staves. Their ends were notched, but otherwise the dark wood was plain.


    Twirling one around, I did the simple kata I¡¯d learnt for bo staves with my right hand. Then my left. Striking faster and faster, I tried both at once. They cut through the air, like a sword, but more balanced, like a bo staff, but lighter. I got into a rhythm, stumbling here and there, but not enough to trip over myself.


    The sound of clapping echoed in the room.


    ¡®Bingo,¡¯ said Kei, giving me a smile.


    Wiping sweat off my forehead, I grinned back. What had come over him since that day in Kabuba, I didn¡¯t know, but I sure was thankful for it.


    We traipsed back to the cashier through the winding aisles. On the way, I checked the price tag on the end of the staves. Two hundred and seventy hin. More expensive than anything from the students¡¯ armoury, though their quality usually had much to be desired for. While a month ago, this would¡¯ve blown a crater into my budget, now my payment from the quests could cover it comfortably.


    ¡®My mum should know swordsmen using these,¡¯ Kei said as we passed by rows of chakrams. ¡®I''ll ask around to see if they''d offer lessons. We can spar as well, to improve your close combat skills.¡¯


    ¡®Thanks,¡¯ I said, frowning. Something was still so odd. After all those snide comments, all that snapping, here he was smiling at me, helping me. Was it a brain-eating fungus? ¡®Why¡­ Uh, why are you helping me so much?¡¯


    He sighed, glaring at the ceiling.


    I backtracked. ¡®I mean, I appreciate it, bu--¡¯


    ¡®Cho gave me a talking to, and I realized I wasn''t entirely fair to you.¡¯ Now gazing at the gauntlets on a nearby shelf, he massaged his eyebrows. ¡®It''s not your fault you didn''t get any special training.¡¯


    I hummed, not knowing what to say. All I knew was I owed Cho. We walked further in, almost reaching the end of the aisles.


    Just before we turned the corner to be in view of his mum, he swirled back to me with a grin, eyes bright with the same glint from before. ¡®Besides, I hated seeing your skills wasted on an unsuitable weapon.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m flattered,¡¯ I said, grinning back.

 21- Of Birthday Parties and Tournaments- Part 1

    March 1. Fourteen and a half years old. Japan.


    My back was against the bathroom stall¡¯s wall. As I swiped Yuuhei¡¯s phone, my stomach flipped with butterflies. What would I find out today? Whatever it was, I needed to memorise everything. I didn¡¯t know when any of the information I¡¯d learn would be needed, and I might not have the opportunity to double-check the facts. With a deep breath, I opened the new chapter.


    The sky shifted into the yellows and reds of sunset, washing the four kids with orange light. As Ahio limped across the clearing, Tsubasa kept him steady. Whether from pain, despair or both, tears ran down Ahio¡¯s face. Daisuke stood at one end, eyes fixed on the spot Kaede had been moments before. The replacement swordsman, Gen, a tall girl with twin buns of burgundy hair edged towards the cart. She clutched her weapon, a chain mace, so tightly that her knuckles turned white against her brown skin.


    ¡®We have to get her back.¡¯ Ahio winced, trying to lift his arm. Tsubasa stopped him and wiped his face with a handkerchief from his pocket. ¡®We have to find her.¡¯


    ¡®We¡¯ll report it as soon as we get to Heikisato,¡¯ said Daisuke. ¡®That¡¯s the closest Quest Unit from here.¡¯


    ¡®No,¡¯ said Ahio. ¡®We¡¯ll go. There¡¯s no need to waste time going back.¡¯


    For a moment, Daisuke and Tsubasa stared at him. Only rustling leaves and Gen messing around with the donkey cart broke the silence.


    ¡®H-how are w-we supposed t-to do th-that?¡¯ asked Tsubasa. His eyes were red-rimmed behind his glasses. ¡®And K-Kaede¡¯s f-family, they have t-to k-know.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re also in no state to go on a quest, Ahio.¡¯ Daisuke frowned, gesturing at the other boy¡¯s arms.


    ¡®So what, you¡¯d rather wait here while who knows what¡¯s happening to Kaede?¡¯ Ahio snapped. ¡®Go back to Heikisato if you want, I will find her.¡¯


    Tsubasa nudged Ahio¡¯s shoulder. ¡®W-we¡¯re t-trying to help y-you!¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re not being reasonable, Ahio,¡¯ said Daisuke, brows furrowed. ¡®We can¡¯t find her without a plan. Did you check the ground? There aren¡¯t any footsteps to follow. Higher graded swordsmen, maybe even the special squads, would know what to do.¡¯


    Ahio trembled, hands balled into fists. Shaking his head, Tsubasa moved closer and ran his palms around Ahio¡¯s back in soothing circles.


    Something cracked.


    ¡®Oops,¡¯ said Gen, holding a piece of the cart¡¯s door. ¡®This guy had so much stuff inside. Do you think we can sell them for a good price?¡¯


    Daisuke took out a notepad and pen. ¡®We won¡¯t be selling anything. They¡¯ll be handed to the HQ as confiscated items.¡¯ He glared at her. ¡®Take anything valuable out. I¡¯ll keep track of them.¡¯This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Gen sulked but did what she was told. With Daisuke¡¯s help, she pulled out several knick-knacks, from little silver pendants to mouldy old boots. As the shadows grew long, Ahio trudged around the clearing once more.


    ¡®Ahh, look what I found!¡¯ Gen held out her arm in the air, a stone clasped in her fingers. Even in the waning light, the stone shone with a rippling radiance. It was cerulean, with white spirals that swirled in it like a whirlpool.


    My breath caught. Why¡¯s that stone mentioned here? My mouth grew dry as I tried to recall what had happened to it. I was going to take it home, going to add it to my collection when...when the man had jumped in. Did it fall? It must have. My heart beat in my ears. Oh gosh, I hoped I hadn¡¯t lost something important.


    ¡®Must be a gemstone.¡¯ Daisuke squinted at it. ¡®I¡¯ve added it to the tab, so don¡¯t think about smuggling it with you.¡¯


    ¡®Aww come on, can¡¯t I keep just this?¡¯


    As the two squabbled over the items, Ahio scowled at something glinting on the ground at the edge of the forest. He kicked it around, dislodging dirt and leaves. It was a little knife, with butterflies on its blade and hilt.


    ¡®Guys, come over here.¡¯ Ahio crouched, wincing as his arms jolted.


    ¡®W-what is it?¡¯ Tsubasa rushed over then stopped, staring at the knife.


    ¡®Is that¡­?¡¯ Gen picked it up, twirling it around. With every motion, the butterflies seemed to fly. ¡®It is! It¡¯s the kidnapper¡¯s knife. It must have been knocked away when my mace hit his hand.¡¯


    Ahio smirked, but his lips were too tight to resemble the mischievous one he¡¯d always had before. ¡®I know a seer in Genkoushi. With this knife, he can track the man down.¡¯


    Tsubasa fiddled with his collar. ¡®W-we¡¯ll still have t-to go t-to H-Heikisato. I-it¡¯s not right, n-not t-elling her f-family.¡¯


    Daisuke sighed, shifting his gaze from Ahio to Tsubasa, then Ahio again. ¡®Passing Heikisato is the fastest route anyway, with our current supplies at least. And I¡¯ll submit a report, in case we fail.¡¯


    ¡®Fine.¡¯ Ahio gestured at Gen to place the knife in his waist satchel. ¡®Let¡¯s get going then. I need my best friend back.¡¯


    I closed the tab. Streaks of sweat ran across the screen. As I wiped it off on my uniform, I replayed the chapter in my head, going over every detail to make sure I remembered. With the way things were going, maybe squad eleven would find out everything before the real Kaede got kidnapped. Then I¡¯d know what to do.


    The phone safe in my pocket, I pushed the door open. The large mirror showed an empty room with a glinting marble floor. Phew, no one outside.


    ¡®I¡¯m done, Yuuhei.¡¯


    ¡®Yay, I¡¯m hungry!¡¯ He rushed out, licking his lips. ¡®I think we have chicken teriyaki today.¡¯


    My stomach growled. I handed back his phone and smiled. ¡®Yeah, can¡¯t wait.¡¯


    We strode through the corridor, careful to not bump against the errant students. Several voices filled the hallway as kids gossiped, played and joked with each other.


    ¡®How did you do in the social studies test?¡¯ Yuuhei scowled and blew his bangs away. ¡®My grades were terrible. I¡¯m so done with that subject. Okay, so I didn¡¯t study for it, but it¡¯s so boring!¡¯


    I ran a hand through my hair at the mention of the test, but I chuckled. ¡®We have another four years of it, unfortunately.¡¯


    To tell the truth, my grades had been dropping. Not enough to warrant any attention from my teachers, but enough for me to notice. With everything that was going on, my mum¡¯s plans had backfired. And a small part of me, regardless of how stupid it seemed, wanted it to.

 22- Of Birthday Parties and Tournaments- Part 2

    In the next few Wednesdays, the manga showed Ahio¡¯s squad making their plans to save Kaede. I burned every detail into memory, never knowing when something or another might be useful. As the winter snow made way for spring flowers and summer grass, my head was ready to burst with this, my martial arts readings and schoolwork.


    The following weeks, in Saishuu Riku, passed in a frenzy of quests, meditation and training. For whatever reason, I was kept assigned to Kei¡¯s team, and he was the youngest workaholic I¡¯d ever encountered. Though all those quests did keep my pockets lined.


    I thought I wouldn¡¯t need to meet Kaede again any time soon. In fact, I preferred it that way. The less I met her, the lower the chance that my resolve to keep everything from her would break.


    But she invited me to her birthday party.


    ***


    May 21. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    Muffled shouts and laughter came from behind the door. I shifted her present, a box wrapped in golden wrapping paper, from one hand to the other. Okay, I could do this. With a deep breath, I knocked on the door.


    It swung open. Kaede stood behind it, a ceremonial scarf of white with intricate red paisley patterns draped around her shoulders. It contrasted against her plain red shirt and cloth shorts.


    It had been months. Months since I¡¯d seen her inviting smile or trusting green eyes. Months since I had to lie to her face. I have to tell her. My heart skipped a beat. I have to warn her.


    I shifted my eyes to the floor before I made any rash decisions.


    ¡®Tahro, you¡¯re just in time!¡¯ Kaede smiled. ¡®I was getting worried you couldn¡¯t find the address. Well, come in now.¡¯


    I smiled back and followed her, my hands leaving sweaty splotches on the wrapping paper. Wreaths of carnation, chrysanthemums and daisies hung from every available surface. The first time I¡¯d been to a birthday celebration in Heikisato, my friends had told me they represented love, birth and longevity. The pink, yellow and white flowers perfumed the air with their scent.


    On one end of the hall, Ahio, Tsubasa, and Daisuke lounged on a sofa. Tayo had his own seat on Tsubasa¡¯s lap. At the other was a tall man with an easy smile like Kaede¡¯s who had his arm around a woman with a salmon-pink pixie-cut. A little girl about nine who looked like a rounder faced Kaede stood between them.


    ¡®Welcome to our home. I¡¯m Chiasa, Kaede¡¯s mum.¡¯ The woman said, holding out her hand. After I shook it, she gestured to the sofa. ¡®Now that everyone¡¯s here, we can begin gift-giving.¡¯


    I squeezed in between Daisuke and the sofa¡¯s arm. My first time, I¡¯d been expecting cakes, loud music and candles to blow out. But birthdays in Heikisato weren¡¯t the same as in Japan. Here it was a solemn affair, meant to signify a person¡¯s growing independence and responsibility. And the day always started with gift-giving.


    Kaede took her place in the centre. She fiddled with her hair clip, her gaze fixed on the floor.


    Her mother approached her, holding out a flat box the same size as mine. ¡®I hope these will serve you well.¡¯This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Kaede removed the wrapping, fiddling with the tape to make sure the green paper didn''t tear. Inside was a wooden box. She opened it to reveal six throwing knives, with glistening edges and an ornate leather grip.


    ¡®Thanks, mum.¡¯ Kaede hugged her. ¡®I''ll need them.¡¯


    Her father was next, with a book by Eiji Goda, a previous Heikisato Head Swordsman. Then her sister followed, with a teddy bear for her bed-side table. With every gift, I squirmed in my seat. Ever since I got her letter, I''d been scratching my head, wondering what to get her. I hoped she liked what I''d picked out.


    As her oldest friend, Ahio went up next and gave her a hip satchel he''d had his parents get from the best leather crafters from the village of animal husbandry, Shuryoushi. Daisuke, Tsubasa and I glanced at each other. Tsubasa¡¯s cheeks grew redder, and I edged further back into my seat. I¡¯m not ready yet. Shaking his head, Daisuke sighed and went next.


    After he presented to her a set of fountain pens, Tsubasa and I looked at each other. After a moment of staring, I sighed. Fine.


    My fingers wrinkling the once neatly packed gift, I walked forward. She smiled at me with an eyebrow raised. My stomach flipped. Why had facing down a couple of bandits been easier than this? Visions of a disappointed frown on her face, of her avoiding my eyes when thanking me for the gift ran in front of me.


    ¡®I-I hope you like it.¡¯ With a smile, I handed her the present. ¡®I hope it protects you well.¡¯


    Handling the wrapping gentler than I had, she removed it. My heart raced as she opened the cardboard box within. Inside were a pair of leather gauntlets, the same plum and yellow as her usual outfit. On the sides of each was a little pocket, just large enough to hold a small knife.


    ¡®Tahro, I love it.¡¯ Kaede threw her arms around me. ¡®Thank you!¡¯


    I broke apart the embrace with a grin. ¡®You¡¯re welcome.¡¯


    Tsubasa finished off the ceremony with a tincture for cuts and scrapes he¡¯d made with the help of his mentor. After that, it was time for lunch. Kaede¡¯s parents brought out her favourites, chicken dumplings with spicy sauces, and lemon tarts for dessert.


    After they ate, her parents had to leave to take up their shifts at the hospital. The rest of us stayed to keep Kaede company as she brought out a board game. Our bellies were too full for much else, anyway.


    ¡®I¡¯m so excited about the tournament,¡¯ Kaede said, setting up the pieces of the game on the floor. ¡®Did everyone get the letter?¡¯


    Tayo grasped at the little plastic figurines, but Tsubasa pulled him back onto his lap. Kaede¡¯s sister, Kuri, tried to pet him, but a hiss from the animal put a stop to that.


    I nodded. It came a few days ago, wax-sealed with the Heikisato sigil. I¡¯d held my breath while opening it, wondering if Minister Banji was finally after my head. But it was only an invitation to a competition for every third grade who¡¯d done at least six quests in the past six months. With Kei in charge, I probably had eleven or twelve quests under my belt.


    Everyone else nodded too, well everyone except Kaede¡¯s sister and Ahio.


    ¡®Wait!¡¯ Ahio shouted, eyebrows raised. ¡®Do you mean the one that¡¯ll let you become a second grade?¡¯


    ¡®Of course, why did--¡¯ Kaede gasped, then placed her hand on her face. ¡®Oh, I forgot. You haven¡¯t done the minimum number of quests.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s no fair.¡¯ Ahio pouted. ¡®It wasn¡¯t my fault I couldn¡¯t fight with these arms.¡¯ He gestured to the scars on one hand, the other¡¯s broken bone having left no mark.


    ¡®T-there¡¯s always n-next year.¡¯ Tsubasa said as he chose a playing piece for himself.


    We played until the shadows grew longer and the dipping sun gave way to twilight. It had been ages since I¡¯d last stopped worrying and just let myself get dragged into conversations that lead nowhere. We told each other ghost stories and laughed at stupid jokes. But before we knew it, the night sky filled up with stars and Kaede¡¯s sister grew cranky with sleep.


    Daisuke pulled me aside before we left.


    ¡®Here¡¯s the book you asked.¡¯ He passed me a heavy tome of a thousand pages. Some of them stuck out, almost ripped from their bindings, and all of them were as yellow as the chrysanthemums on the walls.


    ¡®Thank you!¡¯ I squeezed it into my bag, pushing it this way and that to make it fit. With the Minister watching me, I figured it wasn¡¯t safe to look up witches from the library. So Daisuke and I kept up letter correspondence, sharing knowledge and theories to figure out the mystery of the black-haired man. And unbeknownst to Daisuke, the stones too.

 23- Of Birthday Parties and Tournaments- Part 3

    May 23. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    The early morning breeze leant the air a chill, just enough to raise goosebumps on my skin, but not enough to warrant an extra shirt. From purple to blue, the sky lightened with the rising sun. The streets were abuzz with chatter. Besides the usual merchants setting up their stores and their early regulars, several teenagers strode through the alleyways. Most of them walked in groups of four, laughing and gossiping about who knew what. Well, I had an idea. Today was the beginning of the Second Grade Tournament.


    The letter said the opening ceremony would be held at the amphitheatre. I¡¯d been there before, for lectures which all three streams, the fighters, medics, and informants, had. While it was only three or four stories at best, the building had a giant girth. Red and white marble adorned its walls, and several spiked domes stood on each corner like a sentry. Hoards of people swarmed toward it.


    I joined the masses, getting jostled and pushed along the way. An older teenager whacked my shoulder, too absorbed in her conversation to even apologize. Some people should really pay attention to their hands while talking!


    Past the giant arched doorway, the vast hall spread out before my eyes. Despite the large crowd, it wasn¡¯t stuffy. Two rows of giant windows ran across the walls, sending in the breeze from the outside. Staircases ran up and down between the ground floor and the balconies. People scrambled around, to find their friends or a better spot to stand. At the other end was a podium and a few chairs, but all the seats were empty. Back when I was in training, there¡¯d be chairs across the whole hall. But with this many people, it seemed they¡¯d had no space.


    I ran my eyes across the crowd, trying to find a familiar face. Beside the entrance stood a boy with spiky hair like Ahio, but it wasn¡¯t him. On a balcony across me was a short, large-eyed boy, but no, it wasn¡¯t Daisuke. Every time I thought I found someone, it turned out to be someone else.


    There!


    A few feet away, right below the second balcony to my right, was a head of coiled yellow bangs. I craned my neck this way and that to get a better look as people shuffled around. It was a dark-skinned girl in striped purple overalls, shifting around, and running her eyes over the masses.


    Smiling, I pushed through the crowd. I thought she¡¯d notice by the time I got close. But her gaze was still fixed on the wrong side of the hall.


    ¡®Hey, Maya.¡¯ I placed a hand on her shoulder.


    She turned around with a gasp. Her lips stretched into a smile, but froze as she saw who I was. She shook her head, her cheeks getting darker, and beamed at me again. ¡®Oh, hi, Tahro.¡¯


    What¡¯s that about?


    ¡®Is everything alright?¡¯ I frowned.


    ¡®Oh-oh, yeah!¡¯ she said, stretching out her neck to search the rest of the crowd again. ¡®I¡¯m-I¡¯m just looking for someone.¡¯


    ¡®Do you mean Cho and Kei?¡¯ But then, she said someone, not plural.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    She spun around, hazel eyes wide. ¡®Um- well, it¡¯s my--¡¯


    ¡®Tahro! You¡¯re here!¡¯ A girl¡¯s voice shouted from one side. Kaede broke through the rabble, one hand pulling a russet-toned Tsubasa and the other lugging Ahio. I hoped his injuries had healed enough to withstand that. Where¡¯s Tayo? Daisuke followed, his little nose wrinkled.


    I glanced at Maya, wondering what she was going to say. But she was already fixated on the crowd. Well, I¡¯d better leave her alone to find whoever it is. I turned back to the others. ¡®Hi guys. Wait, why are you here, Ahio?¡¯


    ¡®Hmph, like I¡¯m going to stay put while you guys have all the fun,¡¯ he huffed, crossing his arms. ¡®I¡¯m gonna attend every event and cheer you on!¡¯


    ¡®And wake us up at ungodly hours in the morning,¡¯ Kaede sighed. ¡®You know, my sister¡¯s very mad at you for waking her up with your incessant shouting.¡¯


    ¡®Mine too,¡¯ said Daisuke with a glare. ¡®And me too. Some of us like being on time. Not early enough to be the only ones in the room.¡¯


    Ahio smirked. ¡®You weren¡¯t even asleep! I saw you curled up with a book in your bed.¡¯


    Daisuke¡¯s cheeks flamed red. ¡®I always read for a few hours in the morning. Not this morning, thanks to you.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re welcome.¡¯ Ahio ruffled Daisuke¡¯s hair. ¡®I would¡¯ve woken you too, Tahro, but I didn¡¯t know where you lived.¡¯


    Thank God.


    ¡®That¡¯s alright.¡¯ I chuckled.


    ¡®Maya, there you are!¡¯ A more high-pitched female voice screamed ahead of us. A brown blur rushed out, enveloping Maya. Just before I could dodge, she got me too, crushing me in a bone-breaking hug.


    ¡®Hey Cho,¡¯ I gasped out, her curls getting in my mouth.


    ¡®We¡¯ve been looking all over for you two.¡¯ She broke the hug, leaving me and my ribs in peace.


    Kei strode out from the direction she came, rolling his eyes.


    Just as I was about to introduce squad six to squad eleven, a rush of static crackled in the air. All conversations came to a stop and only a tapping noise rang through the halls. I turned my eyes to the podium, and sure enough, a woman stood on the stage. She held a mic, tapping it to test it.


    A scar ran across her forehead and down her nose. Another ran up her arm, out of sight into the sleeves of her white cape. They were lighter than her tan complexion yet raised. That, and her short brown braid placed no doubt in mind on who she was-- the Head Swordsman, Natsumi Inoue.


    ¡®Welcome, to the Annual Second Grade Tournament.¡¯


    Cheers erupted in the air. Some hooted and whistled, each sound growing more in amplitude as people tried to outdo the others. Swordsman Natsumi tapped the mic again, and the crowd hushed.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure for many of you, that this year is not your first. And I¡¯m sure that for many of you, it won¡¯t be your last.¡¯ She paused, fixing her eyes on us. I gulped. ¡®We are looking for the best. We are looking for tenacity, guile and strength. A second grade would not be molly-coddled, would not need it. Everyone would be watching you, the Minister, myself, the first grades. You must prove yourself to us!¡¯


    For the next several minutes, she explained the protocol. The tests we¡¯d have to take over the next few days and the tasks involved. First, everyone would have a general test. Fighters would then have a one on one match. Afterwards, it was a team test. For some reason, she skirted around exactly what that task would entail. The floor was then open for questions.


    By the time the event was over, it was not even noon yet. I bid goodbye to my friends, already organising what I¡¯d need to prepare for the tournament. Despite how my mum had pushed me to the point that some books make me nauseous, there was something about competing that I enjoyed. The focused preparations, the adrenaline rush when finishing a task and the triumph when the final results come out. This was a chance to prove myself as a swordsman.


    I¡¯m not going to lose.

 24- A Flurry of Fire and Fans- Part 1

    May 25. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    The day began with a whirlwind of exams. From legal studies, geography and even basic mathematics, all the four hundred or so participants were tested on every subject they¡¯d had in general training. As someone who¡¯d taken similar exams only six months ago, I thought they were a piece of cake. Besides, compared to the tests in my middle school, they were nothing. But on the way home, I¡¯d heard several groans and complaints from the other swordsmen. Lucky. They¡¯d weep if they saw my Japanese exam.


    Still, as the hours went by, a nagging feeling grew within me I might have messed some questions up. I hoped I made it through to the next round.


    ***


    May 26. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    ¡®First place, Tahro!¡¯ Ahio yelled, bouncing up and down. ¡®Ninety-eight per cent! How did you even study that much?¡¯


    ¡®Huh, what?¡¯ My still sleep-laden eyes gazed at the scoreboard closest to me. The amphitheater was covered with the lists. The hall only held half the crowd of the opening ceremony today, just the fighters, so all the swordsmen had one in their vicinity. Over every glass window and bare piece of wall hung the large sheets of paper. And on the very top, they said¡ª 1) Tahro Akagi 98%.


    I rubbed my eyes and blinked. Sure, the exam was easy, and sure, I¡¯d scored well on much harder tests. But highest? Out of some two-hundred fighters?


    Exhilaration swept through me like the wind. Here was proof that, even without special training, I was just as good as the other swordsmen. At least when it came to academics. Until now, I hadn''t acknowledged that doubt, so deeply buried that I''d not even known of it. Buried yet adding up every time when Kei mentioned my lack of training or when I saw my previous classmates with their mentors


    ¡®Congratulations!¡¯ Kaede threw her arms around me in a quick hug. Her face sported a wide grin. ¡®I¡¯m through to the next round too.¡¯


    ¡®So am I,¡¯ said Kei, his lips twitching in a half-smile despite his usual unimpressed hands-in-pocket slouch.


    ¡®That¡¯s great!¡¯ I grinned back and skimmed the list. Kei was fourth place, and Kaede was thirty-first. Only the top one hundred fighters would move on to the next round. For Medics and informants, it was the top fifty, and they¡¯d had their scoreboards released yesterday and the day before. They¡¯d also done the next rounds, which focused on abilities specific to their specialties. I hoped all my friends had passed.


    Static crackled in the air, hushing the chattering swordsmen. Swordsman Natsumi tapped her mic, looking down at us from the podium. While some of the kids gave her large smiles or nervous grins, others frowned, glancing between her and the lists over and over again. Maybe they haven¡¯t made the cut-off.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡®Those who passed, well done! I hope your prowess in the classroom would reflect in the field as well,¡¯ said Swordsman Natsumi, her voice booming across the hall. ¡®To the rest, better luck next time. Too bad, you should¡¯ve tried harder.¡¯


    I winced. She¡¯s brutal.


    ¡®The next round will take place in the arena. You and your opponents will be chosen by raffle. Five judges, including myself and the Minister, would judge you based on your readiness to engage, ingenuity and tenacity,¡¯ she said. ¡®Each judge will give you points out of ten. If you are the winner, you will receive another ten points. Only those with the top thirty-six scores will move on to the next round. Any questions?¡¯


    After a few minutes of clearing any doubts, the swordsmen moved out of the amphitheatre, some rushing forward in a hurry and others trudging along with slumped shoulders. The streets filled with a sea of swordsmen, all moving towards the high-walled stadium neighbouring the HQ. Perhaps even the ones who didn''t pass wanted to see a good match.


    We marched through a giant archway, taking stairs to the right and left of the entrance. A field of various terrain, rocks and little lakes on one end, grass with poppies and shrubbery on the other, laid below us. People shoved each other to get the best seats. Just staying in the same spot took effort and lots of bruises. Soon, I lost sight of Kaede, Kei and Ahio in the chaos.


    ¡®Over here, guys!¡¯ screamed a voice. Craning my neck, I spotted Ahio on a seat three rows above me. Well, seats. He laid on his back across four chairs, glaring at anyone who dared come close.


    By the time I got there, Kaede and Kei had joined him. I didn''t know how they did it, but I chose to wait for the crowd on the stairway to thin. Best to save the bruises for the actual fight.


    Ahio was a blessing sometimes. The seats were high up enough to catch all the action, but not too much so as to miss any small details. They were dead centre of one edge of the field too.


    Still wouldn''t tell him my address though.


    Just after everyone settled down, the judges walked in. They strode across the stadium to the other end, where a bench and chairs stood waiting. A man lugging a large sphere-like contraption followed them. Its insides were filled with white flakes. It must be a raffle draw machine with our names in it! The man set it by one end of the judges'' table, his face red and sweaty. It must''ve weighed a ton.


    My palms grew slick with sweat as Swordsman Natsumi introduced the judges. Oh God, what if I''m first? The reality of fighting in front of all these people, under the eyes of the Minister and his top swordsmen to boot, set in like an icy downpour. Especially if I were picked right now, before getting the hang of the scoring system and what the judges prefer. How¡¯d I know to get the most points? Please please, don''t pick me.


    Minister Banji approached the sphere, the golden emblem on his cloak glinting in the sunlight. A hush fell across the stadium. With a flourish, he flipped a lever on the foot of the machine.


    The papers flew inside in a flurry, tossing and turning against each other. Somewhere in there was my name, battling against the odds to be chosen. Please don''t be first.


    A small clicking noise came from my left. I turned to see Ahio biting his nails, with one hand holding tight onto Kaede''s. He gave me a nervous grin. Lucky duck, he doesn''t have to fight.


    With a little clatter, the contraption spat out a slip of paper. Minister Banji caught it, raising the mic in his other hand.


    ¡®The first contestant for match one is,¡¯ He swept his eyes across the arena, ¡®Tahro Akagi!¡¯

 25- A Flurry of Fire and Fans- Part 2

    My legs were jelly as I stood up. Hoots and cheers rang across the air and everyone swept their eyes across the arena to find me. My cheeks grew hot and sweat ran down my fingers. I stumbled across the aisle. Wishes of good luck broke through the noise as I passed by.


    Perhaps it was the tension growing in my belly or the assault of my hearing, but the atmosphere was stifling. Every step I took down the stairs was one that threatened to push me back. By the time I reached the field, I could barely stand. Though I knew there were only a hundred or so spectators, a million eyes seemed to watch my every move.


    The Minister gave me a nod from the other side of the terrain. He turned back to the raffle machine. The crowd fell silent, a hundred breaths held at once. Minister Banji tugged the lever. The papers inside the contraption began to spin, with clickety-clicks and vibrations I could only hear now that I was closer.


    Get it together. I took a deep breath, willing myself to not drop down in a faint. You can do this. I had to clear my head. I had to figure out the best way to get to the next round, besides simply winning that is. Think, think! Alright, Swordsman Natsumi mentioned they¡¯ll score us on readiness to engage, ingenuity and tenacity. I didn¡¯t know how literal she was, but it was something. So as long as I attacked first, did some quick thinking and pushed on despite any injuries, I should be fine.


    My hands clenched into a fist. I could do this.


    The raffle machine stopped spinning and let out a piece of paper.


    ¡®Akira Sagakuru,¡¯ The Minister cried out. The crowd burst into cheers, whistles and hoots joining the fray.


    I forced myself to stare at the ground. The moment I looked up, at all the people who¡¯d stare down at me, I might puke. No, I¡¯d rather see my opponent when she reached the field.


    A clack-clack of boots came down the stairs I¡¯d taken. I shifted around, leaving enough space between me and the other fighter. She waved at the crowd, a smirk decorating her pointed features. Bright red hair framed her face like flames. A splattering of freckles covered her pale complexion, all the way from her nose to her shoulders, even her forearms. Everything she wore, including her leather armour and boots, were black.


    Akira winked at me, and I nodded in response. While she looked tough, that might just boost my tenacity scores.


    Minister Banji walked back to his seat. ¡®Remember, you must not aim to kill or maim. While injuries are expected, anything permanent will result in a loss of at least twenty points.¡¯ He fixed his eyes on the two of us in tandem. ¡®Killing of course, will disqualify you, and subject you to a hearing and possible arrest. Any destruction of property will cut down your points by ten per damaged item.¡¯ He pointed at a few swordsmen in the crowds. ¡®While we''ve enlisted protection for the bystanders, any attacks that go over the field will result in disqualification.¡¯ He nodded at the two of us. ¡®Any move that would result in a win in a real battle is a win here.¡¯


    We nodded at the rules and faced each other, waiting for the signal to start. I drew out my staves, their sleek wood glinting in the sunlight. Akira took out what looked like several blades in both hands before flipping them open. War fans! Kei¡¯d shown me a few in his mum¡¯s shop.


    My heart beat against my chest. Calm down! This was no time for nerves.


    Minister Banji clapped his hands. ¡®You may begin!¡¯


    With a spark of inner spirit, I leapt. Akira crouched low as I brought down a staff, using one of her fans to deflect the blow. Flipping beside her. I aimed the other staff at her torso. But before it could go far, her fan swatted it away. I stayed rooted to my spot, forcing her to react to my strikes. She was fast. But not as fast as Kei.


    Sometimes I managed to graze her. Her defence was impeccable, but a single opening was all I needed. Yet when my lungs began to sear, I figured out the folly of my plan.


    I was tiring myself out.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    That was probably her plan too. As my attacks grew slower, a smirk grew on her face. This is bad. I had to get away. Maybe I could figure another strategy before I ran out of stamina.


    A burst of inner spirit propelled me away from her.


    Before I could get steady on my feet, Akira advanced. Spinning her fans, she ran toward me. In a fraction of a second, the sharp blades were within a foot of my body. I somersaulted, above her, then behind her. My breath came out in pants. Damn it. So much for conserving energy.


    She didn¡¯t let me catch a breath. Like a fireball, Akira came at me nonstop, forcing me to jump over her as soon as I¡¯d landed somewhere. I didn¡¯t know how much longer I could hold on. Every time I leapt, my inner spirit came in slower bursts.


    Think. Think!


    As I jumped over her once more, an idea sparked in my head. Her back¡¯s uncovered. Mid jump, I brought down my staff between her shoulder blades. But she spun around, blade deflecting my attack. Damn her reflexes.


    Then perhaps, I needed a decoy. Hope this idea works.


    Working between jumps, I lugged out my hoop of wires and slung it around my right hand. Now was the tricky part. With as much inner spirit as I could let out, scraping at the bottom of my reserves, I leapt far away from Akira. I landed beside a pond at one end of the field. As she ran toward me, her fans in a deadly spin, I tied a knot around the notched part of one of my staves. Just as I pulled the wire tight, the blades were upon me. The remainder of my inner spirit burst within my toes. But before I could jump, a fan came at my torso. I deflected it with my left hand.


    In a flash of searing red, the other slashed through my arm. Before she could get far, I leapt away.


    My arm shook as hot blood fell on the grass. Sharp pain radiated up my forearm, all the way to my shoulder. I clenched my teeth. It¡¯ll all be over soon! Remember, tenacity. The fireball flew toward me again, but this time I stood in a balanced stance. My heart beat loud in my ears. Now or never.


    I threw my staff over her head, then pulled the wire.


    Whether it was because she was focused on me or because she thought I¡¯d missed the staff throw, but she couldn¡¯t move away in time. I was counting on that. After all, if that trick worked for Kei, it could work for me. A dull crunch came from her legs, and she fell to the floor.


    Dropping the other staff, I pulled out a dagger with my good hand and held it against her throat. Akira scowled.


    ¡®Tahro Akagi wins!¡¯ Minister Banji¡¯s voice rang out. The crowd burst into cheers even louder than before.


    Relief washed over me like a waterfall. I did it! Sheathing my dagger, I grasped the wound on my other arm tight. Blood stuck against my fingers and pain shot up to my neck, pulsating stronger every second as my adrenaline decreased. Medics rushed into the field, one helping Akira up and the other wrenching my arm away. I yelped as she cleaned the wound. She bandaged it, then shoved a few pills into my other hand. After some more poking and prodding, with whispered instructions to apply antiseptic and check for infections, they left us.


    The judges discussed among themselves for a few more seconds, then raised their scoreboards, first for me, then for Akira. The Minister dished out the most points, giving both of us a ten. Swordsman Natsumi was harder to please, giving me a seven and Akira a six. In total I scored fifty-one points, including the ten for winning, and Akira received forty. I hope that¡¯d be enough to put me in the top thirty-six.


    ¡®Good match, kid,¡¯ said Akira as we trudged up the stairs. Now that we were close up and weren¡¯t trying to hurt each other, I noticed she was an inch or two taller than me and maybe a year older. She reached out a gloved hand. ¡®Sorry about your arm.¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t fret, it happens.¡¯ And hurts like hell. I smiled and shook her hand with my non-injured one. ¡®It was a great match.¡¯


    A few more steps and several congratulations later, I was back in my seat. Ahio whispered to me all the juicy details, how everyone thought I was going to bleed to death and that I¡¯d clearly lost my marbles when I threw my staff up. Despite how long it had seemed down there, he said we¡¯d only fought for six minutes. I chuckled at his commentary.


    By the time it was eight at night, whether from exhaustion, the pills or both, I was knackered. Besides two fifteen minute breaks, the matches lasted the whole day. Each one only took five to ten minutes, but choosing the contestants and scoring the fights stretched out the time. A few matches got cut short when ranged weapons flew at the audience, disqualifying whoever threw them. Someone damaged the stairs and lost ten points for that. And the last fight was to end a tie between a kid who got thirty-sixth place and another who was in thirty-seventh.


    Kei¡¯s match was one of the shortest, with his boomerang trick taking out his opponent seconds after they began. Kaede¡¯s lasted for seven minutes. She used moves I¡¯d never seen before, linking up her hook swords to have a longer range. Kei scored fifty-nine points, getting second place on the list, and Kaede got fifty-two, coming in at twenty-eighth. I was right behind her at twenty-ninth.


    Despite all the excitement and victories I¡¯d had today, the moment I dropped on my bed to a blissful sleep was the highlight.

 26- A Flurry of Fire and Fans- Part 3

    May 31. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    I spent the next few days scouring the books I¡¯d got from Daisuke. Some were heavy tomes, with ink smudges and the blemishes of a thousand hands. Others were little hard-backs with polished white pages. Where the newer ones spoke of the witches and their artefacts as myths and legends, the tattered old books regarded them a science. Whether I could physically do them or not, I now knew how to make fire with runes, grind stones to dust with words and cut gemstones with a wave.


    But I couldn¡¯t find one darn reference to a fire stone.


    I leaned my head back with a sigh. My neck stiffened at the motion, sending shooting pains to my shoulders. Besides a few breaks in the middle, I¡¯d been sitting here all day and all night. Papers full of diagrams and notes littered my study desk.


    As far as I could tell, the only stones that held intrinsic value to witches were those they enchanted. Stones for protection from unseen assailants, or those that acted as bombs. But the way the kidnappers and witch spoke of the stones was as though they wanted to collect them. A certain amount, in the case of the witch, or type, for the kidnappers.


    What could it be? I groaned as the question swam in circles around my head like it had for the last few hours.


    Beep! Beep!


    My watch pulled me out of my musings. Twelve o¡¯clock already, huh? I scrambled up from the chair, stretching my limbs, then winced as a shock of pain ran up my arm. Gotta be careful with that hand.


    Time to meditate.


    ***


    June 1. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Japan.


    I clicked the Blade Fables icon, a picture of Tsubasa chasing Tayo, and choose the newest chapter.


    Daylight shifted through bright orange curtains, giving the office a sunset-like glow. A man with a cyan ponytail longed on the chair, his feet propped up on his desk. He hummed as he perused a file.


    My mouth grew dry. Minister Fuyu. Perhaps this was my lucky day when he¡¯d spill all the beans.


    Someone knocked on the door.


    ¡®Come in!¡¯ said the Minister, placing his feet back on the ground and his file on his desk. He straightened his collar and patted down his changshan, a smile working it¡¯s way up his cheeks.


    ¡®Fuyu, it¡¯s been a while.¡¯ A short-haired man entered, sporting a smile that rivalled Minister Fuyu¡¯s. A cape wrapped around his changshan, Heikisato¡¯s sigil in its centre.


    ¡®Hope you¡¯ll be staying for lunch, Banji.¡¯ Minister Fuyu gestured at the chair opposite his and offered him a box of candies.


    Minister Banji waved it away and dropped onto his chair with a groan. ¡®I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. The girl-- Kaede¡¯s mother-- has gone missing. It¡¯s been a nightmare, organising search parties and the like.¡¯The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡®What happened?¡¯ Minister Fuyu leant forward with a frown.


    ¡®My swordsmen went over to speak to her family the day after the kidnapping. While we filled her father and sister in on the details, the mother was nowhere to be found.¡¯ He massaged his forehead. ¡®We searched everywhere, the hospital, the library. None of her co-workers had seen her that day.¡¯


    ¡®What about her family?¡¯


    Minister Banji closed his eyes. ¡®That¡¯s the funny thing, they didn¡¯t seem one bit shocked. Scared yes, but not shocked. Not even when they heard about Kaede.¡¯ He looked back at Minister Fuyu with a frown. ¡®That¡¯s another funny thing. Kaede¡¯s squadmates are nowhere to be found either.¡¯


    Minister Fuyu whistled and sat back. ¡®You think the squad told her mother? And now they¡¯re all looking for Kaede?¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of.¡¯ Minister Banji paused, pursing his lips. ¡®Saeru mentioned he¡¯s missing one of his knives. I think I know who has it. One of the kids, Ahio Sora, comes from a wealthy merchant family who trade with several clients from Genkoushi. It¡¯s possible that he¡¯s heard of the seer.¡¯


    ¡®Oh dear. If they get into Genkoushi territory¡­¡¯


    I huffed at the sentence. What would Genkoushi do? There weren¡¯t enough pieces to complete this puzzle.


    Minister Banji clutched the arms of his chair tight. ¡®Yeah. We¡¯re trying to get them before that, but it¡¯s no easy task. The mother used to be a member of my special squads.¡¯


    ¡®Good luck to you then. And even if you don¡¯t catch them, I hope they don¡¯t ruin our plans.¡¯ Twirling a candy in his fingers, Minister Fuyu studied it, then popped it into his mouth. ¡®Speaking of Genkoushi, my swordsmen uncovered something. They¡¯re looking for twenty-one to twenty-two stones.¡¯


    So the men Ameko was talking to, they were from Genkoushi! I placed all the facts I had so far in order. The witch wanted the stones, and Genkoushi was helping her get it. They had some kind of deal with her and based on what I¡¯d heard at the real Minister Fuyu¡¯s office, Kou Ta could be in on it too. There was also some kind of enmity with Genkoushi and Kou Ta. Ministers Fuyu and Banji are trying to get the stones before them using the kidnappers. But the kidnappers are looking for specific stones.


    So the Ministers Fuyu and Banji must be trying to stop the deal. Whether the type of stone had anything to do with it or whether it was for the kidnappers own agenda, I didn¡¯t know.


    I swiped to the next page.


    ¡®Twenty-one stones, huh?¡¯ With a growl, Minister Banji slammed his fist on the table. The box of candy flipped to the side but managed not to spill its contents. ¡®Just twenty-one stones until the Sakashi incident repeats itself.¡¯


    That might be the clue I needed! Sakashi was a village, I believed, in Mori Chuo¡¯s territory. But as much as I tried, I couldn¡¯t recall anything special about it.


    ¡®All the more reason to speed things along.¡¯ Minister Fuyu pushed the file he¡¯d been reading across the table to the other man. ¡®The information you gave me was correct. After some searching, I found the boy you were looking for. His ancestors come from a village in the mountains far east. He might have a stone.¡¯


    Minister Banji flipped open the document, skimming the material. ¡®A fisherman¡¯s boy from your jurisdiction. How convenient. Now it¡¯s your turn to find out more about the child. Do you know if he has any heirlooms?¡¯


    ¡®Not yet, but my swordsmen are on it as we speak.¡¯ Minister Fuyu grinned.


    The two Ministers stayed in silence for a while, Minister Fuyu righting the candy box and Minister Banji looking over the file.


    The bright-haired Minister leaned forward, opening his mouth but saying nothing. After a few more tries, he said. ¡®I realize our business is concluded, but I did make a nice dinner. Shrimp soup, you know?¡¯


    Minister Banji stood up, lips quirking in a smile. ¡®As much as I love your shrimp soup, I really can¡¯t stay. I have errant swordsmen to catch and a document to pass on to Saeru. Make sure to eat twice as much for me.¡¯


    Standing up, Minister Fuyu laughed. ¡®Of course, I will! That soup is delicious.¡¯ He walked over to the other Minister, his grin fading. ¡®If only one of us had another job. Then we wouldn¡¯t be stuck in two different villages.¡¯


    ¡®Or better yet, if only a single village could have two different Ministers.¡¯ Minister Banji embraced the other man. Before too long, they broke off and Minister Banji exited the office. Minister Fuyu stood where he was, staring at the door with a half-smile.


    I closed the tab with a groan. Hope it isn¡¯t another romance.

 27- The Trial of Gold, Silver and Bronze- Part 1

    June 6. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    The day of the third task began bright with puffy white clouds and very much too early. The other kids in the auditorium had dark circles around their eyes just like me. Whose circadian rhythms did these early start times serve anyway? This time, everyone besides the current contestants and judges were squished upstairs in the balcony. Even Ahio, who gave everyone he knew a huge grin and two thumbs-ups from above.


    The scoreboards from Monday were now replaced with sheets that listed the top thirty-six fighters, eighteen medics and eighteen informants. Everyone I knew was through. Daisuke had come in at fifth and Maya was fifteenth out of the informants. Tsubasa had placed tenth while Cho was the fourteenth medic on the list.


    ¡®Congratulations on making it this far.¡¯ Swordsman Natsumi¡¯s voice boomed across the stadium, mixed with static. Her hooded eyes regarded us with a mock glare. ¡®But don''t get too cocky. Only twenty-four of you will become second grades this year. At most.¡¯


    I gulped but squared my shoulders. I''ll make it!


    ¡®The third round will be a team test. Your squads will be assigned based on your previous quests, background and skill compatibilities-- as it would be in a real quest.¡¯ She took out a scroll and unrolled it with flair. ¡®Come up to the front as I call your names and stand close to your teammates.¡¯


    I hope I''m with people I know. Based on the glances we stole from each other, everyone must have felt the same. Well, except Daisuke, whose large eyes fixated on the podium as a frown of concentration crept on his lips.


    She read out the names, and one by one, the contestants strode to the front to stand by the podium in fidgeting little groups. The fourth team began with Kei''s name. He sauntered ahead, hands in pockets. I wondered if we''d be in the same squad. Truth be told, I didn''t know if I''d be comfortable in his team. Sure, we''d got to know each other more in our sparring sessions. And sure, he was always so focused and got our quests done in no time. But boy, could he be bossy.


    ¡®Tahro Akagi,¡¯ said Swordsman Natsumi.


    Well, I''ve got to make the best of it whether I liked my team or not.


    Tsubasa and Daisuke joined us shortly thereafter. Seeing everyone together like this brought up memories of how they¡¯d been in quests. I grinned. Whatever my initial misgivings were, all in all, this was a pretty competent squad.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Team number five was made up of Kaede, Maya, Cho and a girl in lime green clothes. Though I''d seen her fight on Friday, I couldn''t recall her name. She''d had a javelin and used it as a staff till she''d worn down her opponent. Then she had landed a final strike with the weapon¡¯s sharp tip on his thigh.


    Once we''d all been sorted into eighteen teams, Swordsmen Natsumi rolled the scroll closed and put it back in its case. She fished out a key ring. Three keys hung from it, shining gold, silver and bronze in the sunlight. They were larger than the kind we used for doors here and had little decorative notches.


    ¡®Your quest is to obtain all three of these keys.¡¯ She jingled the ring and the keys clinked together. ¡®Eighteen keys, six of each metal, are hidden all over Heikisato. You will be given maps with the location of three keys, one each of gold, silver and bronze. But your maps will overlap, so strategy is important.¡¯ She smirked. ¡®Another way to get keys is by fighting another squad for it. Remember, property damage will not be tolerated, neither will life-threatening injuries. The boundaries of the task are the hundred-metre stones. Any fights beyond that will disqualify all squads involved.¡¯


    This was the first time I''d heard a use for the hundred-metre stones besides sight-seeing in modern times. Centuries ago, they used to represent the boundaries of safe zones. Back then, the witches and elementalists always warred against each other, causing several non-mage casualties. Besides establishing the swordsmen, non-mages built circles of stones around their villages, a hundred metres away from their edges. Any fights within these circles were prohibited. When the villages expanded, the stones were moved with them.


    The three first grade judges passed around maps and key rings. Daisuke took ours. He pocketed the ring and unfurled the map for everyone to see. It was made of dark parchment, with an inked compass on top and all the main buildings of Heikisato labelled in cursive. Large dots, two in the north-west and one in the south, were marked as the keys. But the map didn¡¯t say what kind of metal each dot was.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what the best strategy would be. If there were eighteen keys, then there must be six sets of the three kinds of metal. And there are eighteen squads in the competition. Assuming the sets are distributed equally, then each point would be overlapped for three teams. So we would be competing against two other squads for the same keys.


    Perhaps we should follow a squad going to a point we also had and ambush them? But no, that would only give one of the teams the advantage while we wasted time slowing the other one. Maybe the best way would be to go to the nearest location and hope the other teams duked it out. Then we¡¯d have the advantage.


    ¡®The informant must always be in possession of the keys, and they must be hung somewhere easy to see, for example on your belt.¡¯ She gestured at her brown belt buckle. ¡®You must come back here on the ninth of June, at twelve noon, with all three keys of each metal, to be promoted into second grade swordsmen. All the members of a squad must be present.¡¯


    Maybe it¡¯s time to ask for Ahio¡¯s services in case I oversleep.


    For a few moments, Swordsman Natsumi stared at her watch. The silence was palpable. My palms grew clammy with the expectation of what was to come.


    ¡®You may begin!¡¯ she said.

 28- The Trial of Gold, Silver and Bronze- Part 2

    After a quick nod to start with the point up north, we pushed through the dwindling crowd. With Kei at the front and me guarding the rear, we raced across the town. Here and there, we took shortcuts, jumping off of rooftops or bannisters. Daisuke shouted directions to us amidst puffing breaths. My senses heightened, just waiting for an opposing team to attack us. But it seemed they had had the same idea as us, and so we reached our location without any trouble.


    The building was an offshoot of the hospital, perhaps an abandoned storeroom or warehouse. Cobwebs crisscrossed under the eaves, with spindle-legged spiders crawling across them. A rolled-up poster of some kind hung over the door. The windows were all boarded up. I sure hope there¡¯s a lighting source in there. On one side of the door, a man with a cigar on his lips stood at attention. Perhaps he was an invigilator of some sort.


    ¡®Hey, do you know if any other team was here already?¡¯ Kei asked the man.


    He looked pointedly away and didn¡¯t say a word. Oh well, worth a try,


    With a huff, Kei strode toward the door, and we followed. Unlike the rest of the place, the door appeared new, made of polished wood and opened with nary a creak. I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the long tube lights across the ceiling. Their harsh white light bounced off of every nook and cranny in the room, including a patchwork of wood panels that ran across the floor. A little stool with a box on top of it stood at its very centre, on the only square spot of the floor without patterns.


    We gave each other a look. Surely, it can¡¯t be that easy,


    Our footsteps echoed loudly as we walked in. We were on the lookout for booby traps, but if there were any, they didn¡¯t get triggered.


    The little box was the size of my hand and had a glass lid, but was otherwise made of white wood. And inside it sat a golden key.


    ¡®I bet it¡¯s a trap,¡¯ Kei¡¯s voice boomed across the room. ¡®Don¡¯t touch it.¡¯


    He and Daisuke argued about what to do next, while I scrutinized the box. Nothing seemed suspicious. It wasn¡¯t connected to any wires, nor was there any room to hide projectiles in the edges. Kei was probably right, but the seconds ticked on, and we had to do something before another team got here. Perhaps the trap depended on pressure sensitivity or motion on top of the stool. I took a deep breath. Hope this doesn¡¯t go wrong. Before anyone could protest, I flipped the glass lid open without moving the rest of the box.


    The squabbling behind me paused. Kei¡¯s face froze in the middle of a yell, while Daisuke and Tsubasa stared at the box with wide eyes. My heart thudded against my ribs.


    Nothing happened.


    ¡®Much ado about nothing.¡¯ I gave a nervous chuckle. Of course, the reference went over everyone¡¯s heads.


    Kei shot me a glare, then picked up the key. It crumpled within his hands. ¡®What the--¡¯ he said. ¡®It¡¯s--It¡¯s made of paper.¡¯


    My stomach dropped in disappointment. I hadn¡¯t really been expecting it to be so simple, but some part of me hoped we¡¯d got the key. I stepped closer as he unfolded the origami. Lilted cursive writing ran across one side of the golden page.


    Trust not your ears nor what you see.


    For what you seek, the mission¡¯s key,Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Is where it always needs to be.


    A great rumbling echoed throughout the room. We jumped into formation, Kei and I at the sides and the others between us. Walls of some kind shot out of the floor, exactly where the patterns used to be. They locked into place with a clink. I swallowed at the thought of what would have happened if one of us had stood outside the clear patch.


    ¡®Is this¡­ a maze?¡¯ breathed Tsubasa.


    And not just any maze, as the reflections which stared back at us with dismay confirmed. A house of mirrors. Each was delicately curved, confusing the pathways even more, and right at their feet, showed the golden key lying on the floor somewhere.


    ¡®The echo, the mirrors, that must be what the first line was about,¡¯ Daisuke said as he scribbled in his notebook. ¡®The last two stanzas are confusing though. I would have thought the key of the mission is in the middle of one, as you have a journey to and journey from. But that doesn¡¯t make sense since we¡¯re already in the middle.¡¯


    ¡®Or maybe the key is the journey itself. So we¡¯d need to walk through the whole maze before it shows up somehow.¡¯ I said, knitting my eyebrows.


    Daisuke nodded. ¡®Either way, I think it¡¯d be smart to stick together and map out the maze.¡¯


    Kei growled and clenched his fists. ¡®That¡¯d take too long. What if someone else comes in and finds the key before us?¡¯ He fixed his sight on Tsubasa. ¡®Tahro told me you¡¯re a nature whisperer. Can¡¯t you keep track of everyone¡¯s locations if we split up?¡¯


    ¡®I-I can t-try, but I¡¯m n-not that good y-yet.¡¯ Tsubasa glanced at the ground, fumbling with his collar. ¡®It¡¯s a l-lot more complic-cated than anything I¡¯d d-done before.¡¯


    My eyes widened as I realised what he¡¯d meant. I¡¯d read about it a few weeks ago when I was researching witches. Inner spirit was actually divided into three; core, supplementary and life spirit. While most of us can only control our own supplementary spirit, a nature whisperer can manipulate something else¡¯s life spirit. Even a plant¡¯s! But to know something¡¯s location, the inner spirit of what you¡¯re looking for must resonate with your own. Unfortunately, if a nature whisperer tried to push out someone¡¯s life spirit, the person could die. Though there was one way to bypass this.


    ¡®You¡¯d need to make our life spirit push out our supplementary spirit, right?¡¯ I asked.


    Tsubasa stared, eyebrows raised. ¡®Y-Yes, it¡¯s very f-finicky.¡¯


    ¡®Well, just give it a try,¡¯ said Kei.


    Tsubasa gulped, and I gave him an encouraging smile. He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes shut. A few moments later, something tingled within me. Somewhere deep inside, a place I couldn¡¯t pinpoint. Like trickling raindrops, the sensation spread.


    Tsubasa scrunched his face, eyebrows raised in puzzlement. Poor boy must be trying to figure it out. More and more sweat drops dotted his features every second, as though he was doing some intense cardio. Just when he clenched his fists, and I thought he was going to give up, a surge of inner spirit burst out of me. It was the most odd sensation, like effervescent bubbles bursting out. While we can control our own supplementary spirit, most of us can¡¯t exert it outside our physical bodies. Only witches could do that. My heart beat fast, and my breaths came out in pants, as Tsubasa pushed out a fraction of my terrible stamina.


    ¡®I-I¡¯m sorry, I c-can¡¯t do it.¡¯ Tsubasa sighed, unfurling his fists. ¡®N-not for long, at l-least.¡¯


    Kei scowled. ¡®Guess it¡¯s plan B, then.¡¯


    With Daisuke at the helm, we clung to each other¡¯s backpacks and moved in. Our reflections moved with us in a thousand directions. Daisuke¡¯s map was visible from several angles, slowly growing with every step. We took only left turns till we met a dead end, then double backed. Our footfalls echoed loudly, further disorienting us in space.


    I wondered if we couldn¡¯t just break the mirrors. But that might be considered destruction of property and get us disqualified. No, I felt as though we were missing something, and there was a quicker way to find the key. Perhaps the riddle itself held a clue we were overlooking. Where does a mission¡¯s key always need to be? Or perhaps it wasn¡¯t figurative at all. Where does a key always need to be?


    I clashed against a mirror and pain shot across my forehead. What on earth? A hand clutching my head, I looked around, only to stare back at my own confused expression. Where was everyone? My hand was still up, clutching air instead of Tsubasa¡¯s bag. Here and there, I saw everyone else, but whenever I reached out, my fingers only met glass. Panic built up within me, pulsating with my heart.


    I¡¯m lost.

 29- The Trial of Gold, Silver and Bronze- Part 3

    ¡®Um, guys.¡¯ My voice came out high, its echoes reflecting back my agitation. Kei¡¯s going to kill me. ¡®I need a little help here.¡¯


    The others stopped in their tracks. Tsubasa turned around and extended a hand, only to meet air. His freckles stood out as his cheeks paled. ¡®We¡¯ve lost T-Tahro!¡¯


    While Daisuke only continued scribbling in his book more furiously than before, Kei''s face grew red. I braced myself for the incoming tirade.


    ¡®You''ve got to be kidding me!¡¯ He snapped. ¡®How did that even happen?¡¯


    ¡®I''m sorry! I think Tsubasa''s bag strap slipped out of my hands somehow.¡¯ Not to mention that I¡¯d lost concentration and forgot to pay attention to what I was holding. But for whatever reason, I didn¡¯t want to admit it to him.


    ¡®Now we¡¯re all screwed.¡¯ Kei scowled. ¡®Honestly, I expected much better from you. You didn¡¯t used to be so careless.¡¯


    Prickles of irritation gnawed at my brain. It was partly because I might''ve cost us all this task. And partly because I¡¯d let myself down. But in that moment, Kei¡¯s condescending tone bothered me the most. Who did he think he was? My mother? ¡®It''s not like I meant to get lost!¡¯


    ¡®Well that doesn¡¯t matter does it, if we failed our mission!¡¯


    We glared at each other via the mirrors.


    ¡®Can you guys quit it for a bit?¡¯ Daisuke snapped his book shut and pursed his lips. ¡®I think I have a plan. Tsubasa, can you tell us where Tahro is? I assume tracking him for a few seconds just to get that info wouldn¡¯t be impossible.¡¯


    Tsubasa sighed. ¡®I¡¯ll t-try.¡¯


    He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face. In a few seconds, something itched within my very core. It spread, then burst out of my skin. My pulse sped up and hoarse pants broke out of my chest. Stars swam across my vision, and I begged my trembling knees not to fall. Note to self, never get lost again.


    Tsubasa coughed and wiped off the sweat beading above his upper lip. ¡®T-ten o¡¯clock. About th-three meters a-away.¡¯


    Daisuke grabbed a little notebook, a pen and a coil of rope from his bags. He stuck the pen within the binding of the book and looped one end of the rope around the whole thing. Securing it with a knot, he handed it to Kei. ¡®Throw this at Tahro.¡¯


    Kei nodded. For a few seconds, he swung it up and down, narrowing his eyes at the direction Tsubasa pointed. I hoped he didn¡¯t get confused between the several Tsubasas surrounding us, but then, the real one was right behind Kei, holding on to his satchel. Clutching the free end of the rope, Kei flung the book up in the air.


    With a swish, it flew at me over the mirrors. I raised my hand to catch it, and the book smacked against my palm.


    ¡®Ahio wasn¡¯t lying, you really do have great aim,¡¯ Daisuke said. ¡®Tahro, try to come to us. Only take left turns until you need to double back. We¡¯ll stand right here, holding the rope. Map out your way, then we can overlap it with what I already have.¡¯


    I nodded and flipped open the book, careful not to let go of the rope. The pages were squared maths paper, perfect to keep track of distance. As usual, Daisuke''d thought of everything. This way, we wouldn¡¯t lose any time either.


    ¡®Make every two mirrors equal to one square,¡¯ he called out. ¡®And of course, the width of the path your walking on should be one square too.¡¯This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Taking slow steps, I ventured forward, making sure to mark down my every move. Here and there, I met a few dead ends but managed to walk back with the help of my map. As the seconds passed, the words I¡¯d said came back to me in awful clarity. Despite how annoying Kei was, I shouldn¡¯t have acted that way. But I squashed down the guilt. Right now, I had to focus.


    A few minutes later, and my map now half a page across, the rope between us finally grew shorter. Soon, I bumped into Tsubasa. Grinning, I passed the map to Daisuke and took a hold of Tsubasa¡¯s bag. Not letting you go now.


    ¡®Let¡¯s move on then,¡¯ said Kei.


    ¡®Wait,¡¯ I said, remembering the reason I got lost in the first place. ¡®I think there¡¯s something about the riddle that we¡¯re overlooking.¡¯


    ¡®What is it?¡¯ asked Daisuke.


    ¡®Well, what if the mission¡¯s key part wasn¡¯t metaphorical? What if it literally meant a place where a key should always be?¡¯


    Daisuke raised an eyebrow. ¡®Like a lock?¡¯


    ¡®But we already know it¡¯s somewhere on the floor,¡¯ said Kei, waving his hand at the reflection at our feet.


    Just then, I thought I noticed something wrong. Something I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on. Still holding Tsubasa¡¯s bag, I crouched down in front of one of the mirrors and waved my hand over the reflection of the key. Nothing waved back at me.


    ¡®Trust not your ears nor what you see.¡¯ I placed my hand on the mirror, meeting paper instead of glass. Digging my nails in, I ripped off the image of the key, leaving behind only a reflection of our feet. Everyone¡¯s jaw, including mine, dropped and Kei slammed his hand on his face.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go to the door at the entrance,¡¯ Kei sighed.


    Several minutes of wandering around later while still working on the map, we finally encountered the door, the only way out of this maze. It seemed innocuous enough, with a shiny handle and polished panels. Just as when we¡¯d entered, there wasn¡¯t a key in sight. I hope we weren¡¯t wrong.


    ¡®It¡¯s suspicious.¡¯ Daisuke tapped the door, narrowing his eyes. ¡®That the door is so new when the building is old.¡¯ A clink, so faint it could¡¯ve been imagined, came out when Daisuke struck a spot above the lockset.


    A smirk growing across his features, Kei stepped close to Daisuke with a knife. I held my breath as he made short work of the lock. Please be the key! Nuts and bolts in one palm, Kei prised off the lockset. With a clang, a golden key slipped out into Daisuke¡¯s waiting hands.


    Yes! I bounced on my feet, excitement sparkling within me. We did it! We high-fived each other, then Kei fixed the lock. It wouldn¡¯t do to risk disqualification, even if removing the lock was part of our task. When we made our way out, the man took one look at the key hanging from Daisuke¡¯s belt and took out a huge padlock. He secured the door shut, then unrolled the poster above. A huge golden X ran across the sheet. Now other teams would know the gold key was taken.


    There was still something else I had to do. ¡®Listen, Kei.¡¯ I squared my shoulders and trampled down my pride. ¡®I¡¯m sorry for what I said back then.¡¯


    Kei sighed and rubbed the back of his head, eyes on the floor. ¡®I¡¯m sorry too. I shouldn¡¯t have shouted like that.¡¯


    I smiled and he returned it.


    ¡®If you¡¯re done, let¡¯s move on to the next spot,¡¯ said Daisuke, rolling his eyes.


    Choosing the other point in the north-west, but still more south than where we were, we hurried off. This time it was a flower shop. But to our chagrin, a large bronze X marked the entrance. Deciding to not waste any time moping, we scrambled over to the southernmost spot. But yet again, a silver X hung over the door of a butcher shop.


    I went over our map, trying to figure out where the other locations might be. But as far as I could see, they were randomly placed. ¡®What do we now?¡¯ I asked, my nose wrinkling at the scent of blood wafting from the shop.


    ¡®I guess we¡¯d have to look for other squads and take their keys,¡¯ Kei replied.


    This time we took to the rooftops and balconies, running our eyes over the streets. But the seconds ticked by into minutes, then hours, and we couldn¡¯t find a single opponent. By the time we¡¯d explored a good eighth of Heikisato, the sun had dipped below the horizon, bathing us all in a red-orange glow. Besides a few bathroom breaks, none of us had had any rest and our stomachs growled for lunch. Just as we were discussing if it was time to go home and try again tomorrow, Kei stopped midsentence and pushed me aside.


    An arrow whistled past my ear.

 30- The Twin Archers’ Ambush- Part 1

    We shoved Daisuke and Tsubasa between us and jumped to formation. My shoulder stung from the force of Kei¡¯s push. Though it would¡¯ve been hurting a lot more if he hadn¡¯t. The arrows rained down on us, and I did my best to swat them away with my staves. The arrows themselves were lightweight and were aimed at our shoulders, arms and legs. They were clearly only meant to incapacitate us.


    Where are they coming from? I scanned the tops of the apartments between each attack, going over their gables and alcoves. There! I could just make out a girl sitting on some kind of precipice behind the bars of an elevator. An arrow came flying out from between the gaps.


    But Kei whacked away another arrow at the same time. I swallowed as I realized what that meant. Two archers!


    ¡®I see her behind a balcony!¡¯ said Kei.


    ¡®The other one¡¯s behind the elevator of the building three blocks away on my right.¡¯ I swatted away an arrow just in time, its feather tip scratching me as it fell. ¡®Can you hit one of them with your boomerangs?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s hard to see her clearly, and she¡¯s moving around a lot. But I¡¯ll give it a try.¡¯


    I spun around to cover for him as he took a shot. But if keeping away one archer¡¯s arrows was hard, two was nigh impossible. An arrow scraped my arm.


    Kei¡¯s boomerang swerved inside the balcony and hit something with a clunk.


    ¡®Dammit, I missed.¡¯ Kei swore. The wire in his hand became taut and refused to shift as he pulled it. ¡®She¡¯s got my boomerang!¡¯


    I shifted back to my position. Now what? Perhaps we should wait for them to run out of arrows. I tried to recall the girls¡¯ quivers back in the auditorium. But perhaps because I was too tired and hadn¡¯t had a bite to eat for hours, I couldn¡¯t conjure much more than a vague memory of a couple of teams with an archer. Should¡¯ve paid more attention. How many could they hold, about twenty arrows each? But they should¡¯ve run out by now. Then again, maybe one of the apartments was their home, and they had extra arrows available.


    Wait a minute.


    Not a single team had two archers as their fighters.


    As I put together the pieces, my recollection of today morning grew sharper. They were a pair of twins, but they were on two different teams. They¡¯re working together! Goosebumps prickled on my skin when the implication became clear. Where are the other two fighters?


    Something fell between us and clattered on the ground. Grey clouds billowed out in the streets, engulfing us as it spread. A smoke bomb! My eyes stung and tears ran down my cheeks. The smoke irritated my airways with every breath, forcing me to cough to get rid of the prickling, stinging sensation. The clouds were so dense, I couldn¡¯t even see my hands. A pitter-patter of footsteps came toward us. I raised my staves but lowered them in a moment. What if I hit my squad? Something pushed me away, and I stumbled blind.


    My heart beat louder with every second the smoke took to clear. I was certain the other fighters had moved in. They must have been as blind as us, but they probably took note of our positions while we were busy with the arrows. I clenched my fist around my staves in frustration.


    They¡¯d have gone for Daisuke.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    The grey haze gave away to prove my assumptions correct. A purple-haired girl held a knife against Daisuke¡¯s throat, her other hand around his waist, pulling him close to her. Daisuke¡¯s rosy cheeks were now pale, and his large eyes were wider with fear. A boy with snake tattoos running up his arm crouched beneath them. He pointed a sabre in our direction while trying to unlatch the gold key from Daisuke¡¯s belt.


    Unlike the time with Kaede, they were too far away for me to jump in between. At least not without them noticing and slashing Daisuke¡¯s neck.


    But would they do that? It would kill Daisuke and disqualify them from the tournament. They¡¯d have to be absolutely stupid to kill someone for a key they wouldn¡¯t end up needing. Inner spirit bubbled within my feet as I readied to leap.


    But what if they were that reckless? Even if they only wanted to scare us, they might impulsively end up pushing the blade in too far. There was no need to risk Daisuke¡¯s life over the key.


    Kei, Tsubasa and I glanced at each other. Kei raised his palm in a sign to not move, and I nodded. It seems we¡¯d come to the same conclusion.


    The boy struggled with the keyring, pulling it this way and that. Daisuke¡¯s tied it with at least three pieces of wire, looping them one into another in a knot only he knew to undo. Shaking his head, the boy pulled out a knife and tried to cut it off.


    Something flashed and slashed the wrists of the two fighters. The girl dropped her blade, hissing in pain, and I took the opening to leap toward them. Another set of footsteps landed behind us as I pushed Daisuke away. The boy had dropped his knife too but still held his sword. I pulled Daisuke with me further away before he recovered enough to strike us.


    Kaede stood in our midst, holding two hook swords that dripped a little blood from its edges. She gave us a nod, then glared at the two fighters. A grin spread across my face. Now it was a fair fight.


    The arrows began to rain down on us like a storm. I struck them away from me and Daisuke.


    ¡®Kei, go get the archer on the balcony,¡¯ said Kaede, whacking the arrows away. ¡®My teammate is already going for the one behind the elevator. Though I don¡¯t know what¡¯s taking her so long.¡¯


    The other fighters approached us with their weapons, their injuries apparently not bad enough to stall them for too long. The girl now held an odd wooden stick with a button on one end, not unlike Ahio¡¯s sword when drawn in. She pressed it, and a gleaming metal rope came whipping at me. No, not a rope, I realized as I dodged it. Several linked up knives.


    ¡®I¡¯ll take her, Tahro,¡¯ said Kaede, hooking up her swords. ¡®You get the guy.¡¯


    It made sense, Kaede had better reach with her linked swords, and could approach a longer-ranged fighter better.


    Blocking the arrows and dodging the whip of knives, we switched places. The boy leapt toward me, swinging his blade. I blocked and countered from below his strike. He held his body strangely to the side, perhaps from a subconscious desire to protect his injured hand, and got the full blow of my staff. As he tumbled away, I landed another one right in his solar plexus. It pushed him from the street and onto the porch of an apartment. His head banged on the door. With a groan, he clutched his scalp and glanced at me with squinting eyes.


    Taking his disorientation to my advantage, I pulled out some rope. He struggled a bit, but I grabbed his hands and feet. A few moments later, the boy¡¯s wrists and ankles were both tied up.


    Kaede had also finished her fight, tightening her knot securely as she looked up at me with a smile.


    The noise of several running feet came from above. I glanced up at the rooftops, above where the archer behind the elevator was. Kaede¡¯s teammate held her javelin in position to throw while the archer and two other kids fled from her, running on the precarious slope of the roof. But the girl didn¡¯t give chase, only watching as the other team scurried off.


    ¡®I got the keys,¡¯ said Kei. I turned around to see him holding up the key ring. A silver and gold key hung from it. Yes! We¡¯d got one more.


    Kei winced and clutched his leg, moving his hand to reveal blood. Tsubasa rushed over to him


    ¡®Are you hurt?¡¯ I asked, before I realized what a stupid question it was.


    ¡®One of the arrows got me on the way up.¡¯ He rolled up his torn jeans, revealing a bloody gash. ¡®It¡¯s not as bad as it looks though. It didn¡¯t stick in.¡¯ He grinned and patted one of the sheaths that hung from his belt. ¡®I also got my boomerang back.


    While we fussed over Kei¡¯s leg, Kaede¡¯s teammate hopped down onto the street beside us, sheathing her javelin. Kaede strode toward her, eyes glinting with a fury I hadn¡¯t seen in them before. She got close to the other girl¡¯s face.


    ¡®You¡¯re sabotaging us on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡¯ Kaede spat out.

 31- The Twin Archers’ Ambush- Part 2

    The girl stepped back and raised her hands. ¡®What¡¯re you talking about?¡¯


    What was her name again? Ren? Rika?


    ¡®Do you know how long I¡¯d been waiting for you?¡¯ asked Kaede. ¡®Fifteen minutes, Rina. Maya probably sent out the signal twenty times. Why didn¡¯t you signal back and attack the archers together like we planned?¡¯


    As if on cue, Maya and Cho crept out of a clothing shop nearby. I¡¯d been wondering where they were. Besides them, several other faces peaked out at us from the many windows lining this part of the street. Perhaps they¡¯d been hiding before while we fought, but now the apartments¡¯ residents wanted some juicy gossip.


    Rina rubbed the back of her head, glancing at the sky. ¡®I was distracted.¡¯


    ¡®What could you possibly be distracted by?¡¯ Kaede spluttered. ¡®You knew we had to attack them at the same time, or one of the sisters would shoot us down before we could finish off the other. In fact, Kei here got shot trying!¡¯


    So they were trying to ambush an ambush, and we just happened to stumble in as the bait.


    Rina shrugged, still not meeting Kaede¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®You¡¯re impossible!¡¯ Kaede shook her head and marched off into an alleyway on our left. Her footfalls were loud and sent dust clouds in their wake, probably intentionally.


    I¡¯d never thought Kaede could blow up at someone like this. She¡¯d always been calm and patient, even back when Ahio was kidnapped and she was barely holding it together. The only time she¡¯d been as upset was when she was almost kidnapped. And still, she¡¯d kept her cool for the most part. Was she this worked up just because they almost botched a plan that mostly ended up in their favour? What¡¯s really going on?


    I followed her into the winding alley.


    Leaving a few paces between us to give her some personal space, I trekked behind her without making much noise. I didn¡¯t want to startle her. We passed clothes hung to dry above our heads, looping electricity wires crisscrossing dangerously close to us and pipes with gurgling contents. A dank smell of fungi grew as we ventured deeper. The lane came to a dead-end, reaching the backside of an apartment.


    Kaede punched the wall.


    The crack of fist slamming against brick joined the sounds of leaky pipes and singing birds. She leaned on a rusty stairway opposite the wall, head in hands. I second-guessed my decision to follow her but stayed anyway. After facing a madman with an axe, how much worse could this be? My resolve building with every step, I approached her.


    ¡®Kaede, are you alright?¡¯


    She jerked up and blinked at me. I¡¯d half expected her to be crying, but thankfully she was not. ¡®Oh, Tahro! Yes, I¡¯m¡ª¡¯ She paused, glancing at the cobblestone ground. ¡®Well, no, I guess I¡¯m not fine. Sorry about shouting out there.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s alright. I guess Rina messed up pretty bad.¡¯Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    A flash of anger crossed Kaede''s features. ¡®I¡¯ve been putting up with her nonsense the whole day. First, it was the bronze key. She tripped on her own feet and almost got us all stuck inside a refrigerator. Only Cho¡¯s quick thinking got us out of that one. Then it was the silver, except this time we did get stuck in a rope making shop after she daydreamed in the middle of the task.¡¯ Ouch, that hit too close to home. ¡®It took a while for the invigilator to untangle us, and we weren¡¯t allowed to give it another go.¡¯ Now that she mentioned it, I noticed faint braid like bruises all over her arms from the ropes. She probably had more that were covered by clothing. ¡®And now she was distracted.¡¯


    ¡®That sounds terrible.¡¯ It could also be that Rina had had a bad day, but sympathizing with the object of her ire would probably make Kaede more frustrated.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just that she keeps screwing up.¡¯ Kaede sighed. ¡®She doesn¡¯t even seem to care. Every time, she looks disinterested and almost looking for ways to make things worse.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what to say, so I hummed in response. At this point, Kaede only seemed to be looking for someone to vent to anyway. At least, that¡¯s what I told myself.


    She strode forward and kicked the wall, dislodging bits of already cracked stone. ¡®I want to win this so much.¡¯ She clenched her fists. ¡®How well we do here is a factor when they promote us into first grades.¡¯


    Yet another piece of information I probably missed out from not getting special training. ¡®I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll still do great.¡¯


    Kaede gave me a smile, but it faltered. ¡®My parents didn¡¯t want me to be a swordsman, you know? We still fight about it here and then. My mum, she used to be in the special squads. An assassin. She never talks about those days, says they remind her of things she wants to forget. But every time they discourage me, the more and more I¡¯m drawn to it. I want to rise to the top ranks, become Head Swordsman. I want to stop the kind of things that hurt my mum. It¡¯s been my dream since as long as I could remember.¡¯


    The manga had shown her mother had been a swordsman, but never expanded more. Respect for the girl blossomed within my heart. For me, this world was where I could be whatever I wanted. But for Kaede, it¡¯s where she still had to fight for her dreams.


    ¡®I know you¡¯ll be one of the best Head Swordsmen there ever was. They¡¯ll be mad not to promote a great fighter like you. Take today, you didn¡¯t have to help us, but you jumped in anyway.¡¯


    ¡®Thanks, Tahro.¡¯ This time Kaede chuckled a bit. ¡®I couldn¡¯t stand there watching when Daisuke had a knife under his throat. But you know what it¡¯s like.¡¯ She bit her lower lip. ¡®I never did thank you for that day, did I?¡¯


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to.¡¯ And neither did I deserve it. At that time, I¡¯d been acting on impulse. Would I do it again, if I¡¯d had more time to think? I didn¡¯t know. Even now, knowing Saeru was after her, I kept it a secret. Yuuhei advised me to not warn her. But what did I really want?


    Unlike her, I really am just standing on the sidelines watching.


    ¡®Um, Kaede, I need to tell you something.¡¯ Common sense made me stop before I said too much. I was being rash. The points Yuuhei mentioned the day he advised me came back to me. I need to wait for more information from the manga. I¡¯ll warn her as soon as I knew it wouldn¡¯t screw anything up.


    Kaede stared at me, eyes widened with anticipation. Uh oh, what do I tell her now? My brain drew a blank, but I searched around for something, anything.


    ¡®Um, those gauntlets look great on you.¡¯ I blurted out, gesturing at the plum and yellow accessories I¡¯d gifted her. The edges were somewhat worn out, but they largely looked in great shape. Hope she buys this. Please ground, swallow me up now. My cheeks burned with fury.


    Kaede laughed, then cocked an eyebrow. ¡®Thanks Tahro. They¡¯re very useful too. Where did you buy them from?¡¯


    The subject thus changed to my relief, we chatted about armouries, swords and fighting techniques all the way out of the alley.

 32- The Twin Archers’ Ambush- Part 3

    No one had released our captives yet. The two fighters on the ground were placed next to each other, and the ones Kei had caught gazed at us from the balcony. Judging by their glares and the whispers they exchanged, they were probably cursing us to high heaven. I was sure they¡¯d attack us given the chance. Thank God my friends were smart enough to keep them trussed up.


    Daisuke was still tying up our share of the loot to his belt. He muttered under his breath as his fingers struggled to intricately loop the wire. Maya, on the other hand, had already attached hers with a simpler knot and was digging in her pockets for something. The golden key stood out against her purple overalls.


    ¡®We were talking about exchanging maps,¡¯ Cho said, shooting us an inquisitive glance as we stepped within the quasi-circle of our group.


    ¡®Sounds like a great idea.¡¯ Kaede nodded, then looked around. ¡®Where¡¯s Rina?¡¯


    Cho sighed and shrugged. ¡®She said she¡¯s had enough bossing around for one day and left. I told her to meet up at my place tomorrow at seven o¡¯clock.¡¯


    ¡®Oh. Good for her, then.¡¯ Kaede pursed her lips.


    ¡®Uh, here¡¯s the map,¡¯ said Maya, handing out the brown parchment to Kei. Tsubasa and I shuffled over, while Daisuke joined us after giving ours to Kaede.


    This time, one point was exactly south, while the others were more south-west and south-east. I mentally plotted in our own spots, wondering if there was a hidden clue somewhere. The task so far had seemed a lot more riddle based than I¡¯d thought. I drew in a breath as I saw something peculiar.


    ¡®Guys, the distance between our south, their south and south-west points, do they look equal to you?¡¯ I traced the lines with a finger.


    Daisuke pulled out a ruler and pen, and started measuring. ¡®They¡¯re placed two centimetres apart. I think you¡¯re onto something.¡¯


    ¡®It looks like the HQ is in the middle of all the spots as well,¡¯ Kei pointed out.


    Daisuke measured the distance, and he was right. All the locations were a little less than six centimetres away from the headquarters. Taking out a large book, Daisuke crouched on the floor, map on the paperback. With a compass¡ª he sure comes prepared¡ª he drew a circle centred on the HQ that intersected with the three dots on the map. Then it was short work to plot the other points in, each two centimetres apart from the other. All of us, even Kaede¡¯s team, crowded around him. Maya held our map closeby to double-check the points, and sure enough, they overlapped. There was no way we¡¯d have figured this out without another map. Was this task also about forming alliances between teams?


    Kaede grinned. ¡®We can split up and check out all the other locations! Actually, since you¡¯re missing a bronze and we don¡¯t have a silver one, why don¡¯t we collect either of those if we find them? Then we can meet up somewhere and exchange.¡¯


    ¡®Only if they¡¯re still available,¡¯ Maya said, twisting her side braid. ¡®Our gold key was already taken, remember?¡¯


    ¡®And so was our bronze and silver, but it¡¯s still worth a try,¡¯ I said, when another idea hit me. If the points on the map themselves hadn¡¯t been random, what if the placement of the metals also followed a pattern? ¡®Which were gold, silver and bronze to you?¡¯


    Maya showed them. The three points close to each other in the south, one of ours and two of theirs, were gold, silver and bronze going clockwise. Continuing that pattern further, the metals of our north-western dots and their south-eastern one matched up. A mix of pride and excitement made a smile grow across my face. We figured it out!


    A few minutes later, after deciding on a rendezvous point just in case and untying our captives, we were off on our separate ways. To my growling belly¡¯s relief, we hit a street food stall first and had a quick meal of roasted sweet potatoes.


    A bronze X marked the entrance of the hair salon at the first point we checked out. Moving clockwise, another X greeted us before the doorway of a spa. Then a third X swayed in front of a pet shop. By the time we reached the fourth and last bronze point we hadn¡¯t tried, sparkling stars had filled up the night sky and violet residues of twilight hung over the horizon. I¡¯d never seen so many stars in Japan.


    We didn¡¯t have much hope for this location, but the doors of the smithy stood uncovered, the poster with the X still rolled up above. Unfortunately, a giant padlock kept it shut, and there wasn¡¯t an invigilator in sight. I guessed they¡¯d gone home for the night.


    Deciding to come back tomorrow at the crack of dawn, we made arrangements to get some dinner and stay at my place. It was safer that way, just in case someone tracked down the informants to their homes to steal the keys.


    Tsubasa had to go back to his house and fetch Tayo. He¡¯d learnt from the fiasco at the quest centre and was trying not to bring the feline to crowded places like the amphitheatre. But apparently, the katu preferred to cuddle with Tsubasa at night.


    The only thing we could bring ourselves to do once we reached my apartment was to pick a spot and fall asleep.


    ***


    June 7. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Kei might have been the temperamental opposite of Ahio, but he was just as enthusiastic at waking us up. He threatened to splash us with water if we didn¡¯t get moving. Now, I didn¡¯t want to mop up my apartment afterwards so I helped him get everyone up. That boy was getting bossier by the day.


    ¡®Stop,¡¯ said Daisuke as we neared the smithy. We¡¯d kept to the rooftops, the chilly morning air raising goosebumps on our skin. ¡®I¡¯ve been thinking about this the whole night. It¡¯s odd that all the other bronze keys would be taken, but not this one. How come no one has tried to take it? I feel like we¡¯re walking into a trap.¡¯


    ¡®Makes sense.¡¯ I nodded. ¡®They might be using the key as bait to rob us of our other keys.¡¯


    ¡®If it¡¯s another ambush, then the team should be somewhere close by. Let¡¯s try to find them from here.¡¯ Kei said.


    We peered over each other¡¯s shoulders and took precarious steps on the sloping gables to survey our surroundings. The smithy was still a couple of blocks away, a sigil of crossed swords hanging over the railing of its second floor. Plumes of smoke rose out of its chimney, and an invigilator lounged on its red brick walls. Hopefully, we were hidden enough behind a large water tank that the other team¡ª if there even was one¡ª didn¡¯t notice us.


    ¡®T-there!¡¯ Tsubasa pointed at a quartet of kids waiting around the corner of an alleyway right below us, which led out of the main street. Anyone stepping in front of the smithy would be in their full view. Right now, they were chatting with each other seemingly bored, but the fighters held knives and swords in their hands.


    ¡®I¡¯ll take them.¡¯ Kei smirked and unsheathed his boomerangs. He threw them straight down in an arc, circling around the kids. The wires looped behind the swordsmen, tripping them. Quick as a whip, Kei flung a few knives at them, each one pinning their clothing onto the wall. He jumped down from the roof, landing with a thump, and began tying up the struggling kids.


    After a few moments of checking whether other teams were also involved, the rest of us climbed our way down. The invigilator, a short bald man, smiled at us. He was probably the only one who still needed to monitor his location. With any luck, we¡¯d get the key, and he could be off soon as well.


    ¡®I¡¯ll patrol outside just in case there¡¯s another ambush planned,¡¯ said Kei. ¡®You guys go on ahead and get that key.¡¯


    We nodded and walked through the door.


    A wave of heat burst out, stopping us in our tracks. The furnace at the other end of the room, glowing a brilliant orange in the dim-lit store, emitted it. Wires crisscrossed throughout the place, over the stone benches, the cabinets with half-wrought knives and the anvils. Most of the tools and weapons were arranged in the strangest ways across the room. Some were attached to the wires, others were positioned next to tin cans with string. And right beside the furnace, in a little glass bowl, was the bronze key.


    I gulped. A Rube Goldberg Machine. The whole set up was made to ensure a domino effect, one tool moving another until something happened. I ran my eyes over it, trying to figure out what. My stomach swung low as I realized the answer, and gasps came from beside me as my teammates did too.


    There were three glass bowls over the furnace, each one on top of the other and connected to a myriad of chisels. The bronze key was on the topmost bowl, and if it fell, it would land in the bowl below it. Then in the bowl below that.


    Then into the red hot furnace.


    Someone needed to shuffle across the room without touching any of the wires to get the key from the bowl. Someone small enough, flexible enough. We could try sending Tayo, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the bowl. Not to mention, sending an animal that close to the furnace would be irresponsible. Tsubasa and I looked at Daisuke. He was a good fifteen centimetres shorter than me, and twenty less than Tsubasa.


    ¡®I¡¯m not agile enough!¡¯ Daisuke spluttered.


    ¡®Maybe Tsubasa could help you out with his nature whispering,¡¯ I said. Just controlling movements with his life spirit shouldn¡¯t be too hard, no more than placating a katu. At least, that was what the books told me.


    ¡®I- I can d-do that.¡¯ Tsubasa nodded.


    Daisuke glanced between us with wide eyes, then sighed. ¡®Fine.¡¯


    He gingerly stepped into the rigged zone. Daisuke was right. Unlike Kei, whose footwork was as though he was born to fight, Daisuke¡¯s movements were stiff. He bent awkwardly to avoid the wires, and shakily held his balance between them. Tsubasa had to stop him several times, freezing a hand or leg in motion before it touched a wire.


    But even Tsubasa can¡¯t work miracles.


    Not five steps later, Daisuke pushed one with his fingertips. The whole place whirred to life, a hammer pounding on a can, blocks of steel pushing a pair of tongs. All of it ended with the key falling into the second bowl.


    Daisuke had another fifteen steps left to reach the bowl. I doubted he could get that far without pulling any more wires.


    We needed another plan.


    I went over all the tools and weapons, their connections to each other and how they set off the domino effect. The task was riddle based so far, and there must be a chink in the system we could exploit. Maybe if we took out one of the tools, the chain reaction wouldn¡¯t work anymore.


    I frowned as I could find nothing to disrupt. For every line of the domino, there was another one connected to a different tool. I should be good at this! For the past couple of years, I¡¯d been interested in engineering and robotics. I¡¯d made a few of these machines in my spare time, not that most of them had worked. Yet no matter how many times I went over the system, there wasn¡¯t a single way I could find to disrupt it without setting it off from another angle.


    Daisuke snagged another wire, and the key tumbled into the last bowl.


    Think! Last time, the riddle had been deceptively simple. What was deceptively simple about this? I facepalmed when I figured it out.


    We didn¡¯t have to disrupt the system at all, but just the bowls. If we tipped it to the side instead of forward, the key would just fall safely to the floor.


    ¡®Stop!¡¯ I called out. Daisuke froze, and Tsubasa glanced at me with raised eyebrows. ¡®I¡¯ve got an idea, but I need Kei for it.¡¯


    Ushering a bored Kei in, I explained the plan. Naturally, he was reluctant to throw his boomerang, but a small knife would do. I held my breath as he threw it just onto the side of the bowl. Please work! The knife flew straight into the fiery pit, but the bowl tipped to the side and the key clinked onto the stone floor.


    Daisuke walked forward, setting off chain reactions every which way, and grabbed the bronze key.

 33- The Mystery of Souls and Stones- Part 1

    Now that we had all the keys, we might as well spend the time in someone¡¯s home than risk an ambush. Tsubasa¡¯s was the closest from where we were. The day was still brightening, and I hoped to snag a nap after lunch.


    Where Ahio¡¯s side of town held increasingly spacious houses and well-kept gardens, here were cottages with stables, untidy pastures and the occasional glimpse of the forest beyond Heikisato. If I squinted, I could see little white flecks at the edge of the forest¡ª the hundred-meter stones. I wondered if anyone actually fought for the keys so far away, even though we were allowed to. The nearest hospital would be half an hour away, in case anyone got serious injuries.


    Tsubasa¡¯s home was a blue, two-storey building full of sloping gables, little arched windows and chimneys aplenty. It looked like one of those rustic houses in snow globes or the ones in the children¡¯s books I¡¯d read as a toddler. Only an overgrown hedge separated it from the road.


    ¡®M-mum, ma, I¡¯m h-home!¡¯ He said as he ushered us through the doorway.


    The inside was just as cosy as I¡¯d imagined. Flower-patterned curtains were drawn to allow sunlight to bathe the room in a warm glow. A fluffy beige carpet covered the floor, its edges a little worn out, and lots of scenic pictures adorned the walls. Two older ladies, perhaps in their fifties, lounged on a couple of rocking chairs by the windows.


    Tsubasa introduced them as his mothers; Mrs Himari, a broad-set lady with salt and pepper hair who was finally happy to meet ¡®Tsubasa¡¯s little friends!¡¯; and Mrs Sana, a tall woman with frizzy curls who hugged us tighter than Cho ever did.


    After a hearty lunch of rice noodles and various side dishes, we split up. Kei sauntered off to the backyard to work out, and Daisuke rushed to the library as soon as Tsubasa mentioned his mum had one. I was tempted to follow, but there was something else I¡¯d wanted to see-- the horses. I¡¯d always loved animals, but my parents had never let me have pets. Mum considered them a waste a time, and Dad thought they were a waste of money. This was, perhaps, the one thing they agreed on.


    Tayo on his shoulder, Tsubasa led me to the stables.


    An earthy smell hit me as we entered the wood-panelled building. Bits of hay were littered on the ground and several hoof prints were faintly visible on the hard soil. A few horses gazed out at us over their gates, neighing as we entered. I bounced on my heels and a smile burst out of me. This reminded me of the trip to France we took as a part of my dad¡¯s business trip when I was eight. The horses had been a welcome relief after listening to my squabbling parents all day.


    I reached out a hand to pet the nearest one, a beautiful palomino with a fluffy white mane and inquisitive blue eyes, but drew it back as the equine jerked its head forward.


    ¡®D-don¡¯t worry.¡¯ said Tsubasa, stroking the horse¡¯s cheek. ¡®I¡¯m k-keeping her c-calm.¡¯


    ¡®Is someone there with you, Tsubasa?¡¯ said a male voice further in the stable. The door to the last enclosure was open, and a man stepped out, his brown bun of hair falling apart and sweat staining his clothes. He held a grooming brush in one hand and moved a straggling lock of hair away from his face with the other.


    Is that his mentor? My heart rate picked up as I recalled what I knew about him. He¡¯s from outside the continent! I let out a silent prayer. Please Tsubasa, don¡¯t mention I¡¯m not from Saishuu Riku.


    ¡®T-this is T-Tahro. He¡¯s my f-friend¡¯ Tsubasa said with a smile. ¡®H-he¡¯s also f-from outs-side the c-continent, you kn-know?¡¯


    I stifled a groan of frustration.


    ¡®Is he now?¡¯ His mentor gave me a small smile. ¡®I¡¯m Cesar Alvare, Tsubasa¡¯s mentor.¡¯ I gave him a nod. Hopefully, he won¡¯t ask me which country I¡¯m actually from. But he turned back to Tsubasa, stretching his arms. ¡®Can you fetch me a glass of water? I¡¯ve been grooming them all day, and Jun is still not done.¡¯


    Tsubasa hurried out, assuring me that the horse, a mare called Kin, was gentle and wouldn¡¯t bite my hand off. Mr Cesar went back into the enclosure, murmuring something to his horse, Jun. With a sigh of relief, I turned back to Kin.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    I ran my fingers over her coarse fur, along her muzzle and around her ears. She grunted as I rubbed her neck. My muscles relaxed and a wave of contentment spread across me. All the stress from the last few days, all my worries, melted away like ice cream on a summer¡¯s day. The only thing that existed was this beautiful horse.


    ¡®So, what kind of mage are you?¡¯ Mr Cesar¡¯s voice came from far too close to me than it should. I jerked around to find him leaning on the gate opposite Kin¡¯s, his eyebrows quirked.


    It took me a moment to comprehend his words, but even when I put them together, the question made little sense. ¡®What do you mean? I¡¯m not a mage.¡¯


    He snorted at that, narrowing his upturned eyes. ¡®Really?¡¯


    ¡®Yes!¡¯ I said, knitting my brows.


    ¡®You must have run from something. Even Tsubasa¡¯s birth parents,¡¯ he snarled at the word, ¡®abandoned him to the streets as a toddler. He would¡¯ve ended up like you if his mothers hadn¡¯t been kind enough to take him in.¡¯ I opened my mouth to tell him he¡¯s got me all wrong, but he shot me down with a wave of his hand. ¡®Or do you expect me to believe a completely normal boy braved the storms to get to Saishuu Riku just to become swordsman?¡¯


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s exactly why I came.¡¯ I narrowed my eyes. ¡®Wait a minute, how do you know that?¡¯


    ¡®I have my sources,¡¯ he said with a smile that this time, didn¡¯t reach his eyes.


    A chill crawled up my spine. Who was the source-- Minister Banji? Was he trying to see if there was any credence to the theory that I was a spy? Or was this something else entirely?


    ¡®My reasons are my own either way. The law says so.¡¯ I curled my fists.


    Mr Cesar waved his hand again. ¡®The law! No one¡¯s listening in on us, and no one would care.¡¯ Does that confirm he¡¯s acting on Minister Banji¡¯s orders? He took a step closer, and I moved away, my back hitting against Kin¡¯s gate. She trotted further into her enclosure, though whether on her own accord or because Mr Cesar made her, I couldn¡¯t say. My palms prickled with sweat and my heart rammed into my ribs.


    ¡®Now, you can¡¯t be an elementalist. There hasn¡¯t been one since what went on in the graveyard of stars.¡¯ His gaze locked onto mine as if he was looking for a reaction. I glared back. ¡®Not a nature whisperer with the way you handled the horses, though perhaps you¡¯re good at hiding your ability. Not a seer, or whatever country you were from would¡¯ve locked you up to use your power. Then perhaps, a witch?¡¯


    ¡®I told you. I¡¯m not a mage.¡¯ And even if I were, this was none of his business.


    ¡®There¡¯s one way to check that.¡¯ He smirked. ¡®Allow me to control your life spirit. Then I could tell if your supplementary spirit can be pushed out as easily as a witch¡¯s.¡¯


    He was crazy if he thought I might agree to that. Back in the day, or based on Tsubasa¡¯s past even now, nature whisperers were feared for how easily they could kill. They didn¡¯t even need to push someone¡¯s life spirit out. They could simply make a person walk to their own death off a cliff or into the ocean. With sufficient will, any human or animal could throw off their control. But if I allowed it? He¡¯d have too much control of me too soon. I trusted Tsubasa, but not Mr Cesar.


    In fact, if he wanted to kill me, he could do so right now, by forcibly pushing out my life spirit. My muscles trembled at the thought, but I clenched my fists harder so he wouldn¡¯t see. I need to get out. Now!


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but no. It was nice...nice talking to you.¡¯ My voice cracked as I walked away. The stable now seemed to constrict, closing in on me. Outside the door was escape, away from this insane man and his could-be plotting with the Minister.


    My hands stopped short before I could turn the doorknob. Something like a faint breeze tickled within me then spread out and enveloped every part of my body. It clouded my senses like I was stuck in heavy smog. Mr Cesar! I struggled to scream as it latched on to a tug in my gut, the fog creeping across, away and out. Out to my other self.


    The haze flickered away.


    ¡®Stop!¡¯ I yelled, swirling around. But it was already over, and the last faint grasps on my inner spirit were gone. My pulse beat into my ears like a drum. I wanted to run away, but his expression stopped me in my tracks. His tan complexion had lost its colour, and his eyes were wide with fear. Had he learned something?


    ¡®What...what are you?¡¯ he asked, voice in a whisper.


    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ Dammit, has he figured out I live in two worlds? What would happen to me now? Even if he figured that out, he wouldn¡¯t know about the manga. But would they lock me up, trying to see if I was a new kind of mage?


    ¡®Your life spirit...a part of it is outside your body.¡¯ He stared at me as if waiting for an explanation. His brows crinkled and the fear morphed into concern.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡¯ I said and rushed out of the stable.

 34- The Mystery of Souls and Stones- Part 2

    Beautiful, glorious outside air, complete with the scents of wildflowers, hit me. I sucked in deep breaths as though I was drowning. Unkempt grass scratched my calves as I ran to the house, trying to put as much distance between me and the stable. Tsubasa was walking toward me, a glass of water in his hand. He called out something with a frown, but I passed him by without a second glance.


    Oh God, had he noticed something was off too? Yesterday in the maze-- It felt like that was aeons ago-- Tsubasa appeared confused while manipulating my life spirit. Of course, it could be nothing. Maybe he just needed more practice with his abilities. But my panicking heart refused to calm.


    Once inside, I asked Mrs Sana directions to her library. I needed to be somewhere quiet and calm, where I could be left alone.


    The little room she led me to was just perfect. It was cramped, with three tall cabinets of yellowing books and a couple of armchairs crowded together. It was filled with a musty smell. Daisuke was curled up on one of the chairs, scouring the fat book on his lap. I didn¡¯t think he noticed my arrival.


    Grabbing the closest volume off the shelf, I flipped to a random page. I didn¡¯t actually feel like reading, but I didn¡¯t want to look suspicious in case anyone came in. Would anyone come in? Minister Fuyu¡¯s words of Minister Banji waiting for a good reason to arrest me echoed in my mind. My breathing quickened, and I began to tremble. Oh God, any moment now, swordsmen are going to knock down the door and arrest me!


    Minutes passed and no one came. The birds outside chirped just like before, and Daisuke occasionally flipped the pages of his book like nothing was wrong with the world. Fear drifted out of my system, leaving me exhausted. Before I knew it, I nodded off to sleep, head falling between the pages of my book.


    Daisuke shook me awake in time for dinner, and I placed the book back on the shelf, murmuring a sorry for wrinkling its pages. My bones were lead as I walked downstairs. Would he be there? But thankfully, Mr Cesar was nowhere to be seen. Throughout dinner, I tried to calm down, tried to not think about anyone barging in, Mr Cesar pointing me out to the swordsmen with angry eyes or Minister Banji sentencing me to a life in jail. Tomorrow was the new chapter, and I had to meditate in a few hours. It wouldn¡¯t do to be so shaken up.


    But I still had to try a few times before I could see through my other self¡¯s eyes.


    ***


    June 8. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Japan.


    A man leaned over a table on which were papers splayed haphazardly. He twirled a pencil around his fingers as he ran his eyes over messy diagrams and words that were brought to sharp relief by the many candles around him. A pair of crutches were propped up against his chair. He tutted to himself while crossing out a few letters here and adding a few there on the papers.


    I drew in a breath. Those were witching runes! The books I¡¯d read had referred to about fifty of the most common ones, and I recognized a few from the picture. A semi-circle of radiating lines-- ¡®to release¡¯-- a double line for ¡®to resonate¡¯ and the symbols for the four elements; fire, water, air and earth.


    Release the elements? Was that it? Or release the elementalists! The conversation my other self had had with Mr Cesar drifted into my mind. Without adrenaline coursing through my body, it was easier to pick it apart. He had mentioned that there weren¡¯t any elementalists since an incident in the Graveyard of Stars. They¡¯d disappeared in 0 AE, the abbreviation itself standing for After Elementalists. While history books argued over what had caused this, Mr Cesar had seemed certain.


    Had the elementalists¡¯ powers been sealed away? Was this man-- a witch?-- trying to break the seal and release them? Why?


    ¡®How¡¯s it going Hayai?¡¯ A woman sat on the chair across him, her curtain-like hair framing her frown.


    It was Shuurai, from the kidnapper¡¯s group!


    Hayai leaned back with a sigh. Wrinkles circled around his eyes, though the rest of his face looked young. ¡®Not too well,¡¯ he said, running a hand through his dark, wavy hair. ¡®Every array I¡¯d tried requires all four of the stones. Those old witches were pretty smart. Their seals are hard to break.¡¯ He bit his lip and gazed at Shuurai. ¡® Actually, there is one array.¡¯A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡®What do we need for it?¡¯ Her narrow eyes fixed on him.


    Hayai cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the floor. ¡®A nature whisperer, a seer, an element channelling object...¡¯ he trailed off.


    ¡®Minister Banji knows a nature whisperer, and someone easy to rob must have one of those objects as an heirloom,¡¯ She lowered her eyebrows and bit the nail of her left pinky. ¡®There¡¯s a seer in Genkoushi, which makes it hard enough, and he¡¯s not the most approachable. But we have a chance if we explain the situation.¡¯ She frowned at Hayai, who still avoided her gaze. ¡®What else do we need?¡¯


    ¡®A witch.¡¯


    Shuurai shot up from her seat, eyes wide. ¡®You¡¯re not doing it, Hayai.¡¯ She gestured at his legs, which seemed much too thin for a man his size. ¡®Look what happened last time you cast a spell.¡¯


    He gulped, staring at her. ¡®There¡¯s no guarantee it would happen again. Besides, we don¡¯t have a choice.¡¯


    ¡®Yes, we do.¡¯ Her jaw stiffened with resolution. ¡®We¡¯ll get all the stones and do the ritual. If that¡¯s not possible, we¡¯ll deal with it in another way. But no spells Hayai.¡¯ Her ink-black eyes softened. ¡®I don¡¯t want to lose you.¡¯


    Hayai sighed. ¡®I understand.¡¯


    Besides feeling exhausted, witches didn¡¯t have other side effects from using a lot of their magic, much less cast only a single spell. He must¡¯ve been a half-witch, able to push his inner spirit out, but his body unable to temper the release. Though according to my books, besides a few exceptions, most half witches either weren¡¯t witches at all or were as strong as any other witch.


    I swiped to the next page, hoping it would reveal more of their plan or their location. What did they do with the kids after they kidnapped them? If the stones were keeping the elementalists sealed, then why was the witch collecting them too? Why did she need a certain number instead of type, and what was up with her crystal orb? More and more questions whizzed around my head.


    The next few pages showed the remaining members of squad eleven and Kaede¡¯s mum arriving at Genkoushi. Their journey hadn¡¯t been easy, with swordsmen dogging their steps. I closed the app with a huff as yet another chapter ended with most of my questions unanswered. Just wait a little more, Kaede. I¡¯ll warn you as soon as I understand what I¡¯m messing with.


    ***


    June 8. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    To my relief, we moved to Kei¡¯s for the next day. His home was a modest penthouse in an apartment not too far from my own. We heard noises of a scuffle on the way but didn¡¯t dare go close enough to investigate.


    Kei¡¯s room was a little armoury in itself, with ancient and impractical weapons no one could use adorning his walls. Kei wouldn¡¯t stop talking about them the moment we asked what they were, and I found it a welcome distraction after yesterday¡¯s events. We spent the rest of the day moving from one conversation to another about the weapons, who we expected to complete the task and our future lives as second grades. Though I noticed Tsubasa throwing me a few concerned glances here then, he didn¡¯t broach the subject.


    ***


    June 9. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    The last day of the task began with Kei¡¯s dad surprising us with sweetened buns for breakfast in bed. All of us were pumped up and could talk about nothing but the end of the tournament. Though we waited till half an hour to twelve before we left, just in case someone decided to try a last-minute attempt at the keys.


    Wreaths of flowers, with blue, yellow and purple petals that interlaced with other, hung on the walls of the auditorium and filled the air with their sweet perfume. Several cameramen shuffled around, the flash from their devices making me see spots. A huge crowd was squished to the edges of the place or were up in the balcony, their sparky chatter lending an atmosphere of excitement. As the clock ticked toward noon, us contestants filed into the centre, facing the officials seated around the podium.


    I couldn¡¯t stop grinning. Winning this tournament, it was proof that I was a good swordsman, proof that I belonged in this world. I was on the same level as my peers, with or without special training.


    A stack of red pieces of cloth was placed next to Minister Banji¡¯s seat. The second grade Heikisato insignia! Every swordsman, second grade and above from Heikisato¡¯s province wore one, just in different colours based on their rank. Third grades didn¡¯t have any, being deemed too inexperienced to properly represent their provinces. I couldn¡¯t wait to receive mine.


    Only three other teams stood with us, clutching their keys with big smiles. One of the teams with archers was also here, the girl with violet hair scowling at us while the tall archer winked.


    Only sixteen so far out of the four hundred we began with will become second grades this year, and a lot of them were from the villages in Heikisato¡¯s province, not the actual town. Though I¡¯d heard that all third grades with at least five years of experience and a few other qualifiers were allowed to take another exam to get promoted. The tournament was just to give teenagers a chance at furthering their careers sooner, being allowed to go on harder quests and earn more money as a result.


    Where¡¯s Kaede¡¯s team? As the deadline drew closer, I stole glances at the entrance, waiting for Cho to pop in with her exuberant smile, for Kaede to greet us with a nod. But they didn¡¯t come. I clenched my fist as I realised they¡¯d probably lost. Poor Kaede must be feeling terrible.


    Just as the clock struck twelve, Swordsman Natsumi rose, regarding us with a pleased expression. The hubbub in the hall stifled as everyone¡¯s attention fixed on her. She tapped her mic. ¡®Welco--¡¯


    The door burst open behind us, its noise making a few people jump. Maya walked in, doubling over and gasping. Tear streaks lined her cheeks and her eyes were red-rimmed as they moved from one person to the other, finally settling on Minister Banji. ¡®It¡¯s Kaede,¡¯ she panted. ¡®She¡¯s been kidnapped!¡¯

 35- An Assassin’s Rag-tag Team- Part 1

    For a moment, no one dared to breathe. The cameras stopped flashing, the static of the mic died down into a silence too sacred to break and even the flowers seemed to lose their scent. Time ceased to move, leaving only a single thought floating in my head.


    I was too late.


    Kaede flashed in front of my eyes; the day she¡¯d congratulated me after rescuing Ahio, face struck with bruises but still sporting a smile; when she¡¯d hugged me on her birthday, a party she¡¯d invited me to even though she¡¯d only known me for a few days; and the time she¡¯d spilt her heart out, confiding in me her dreams of the future. She¡¯d trusted me, but I¡¯d never warned her. For fear of changing the story told in the manga, I¡¯d pushed aside my fear of losing a friend, convincing myself she would be safe for now. I¡¯d failed her.


    What kind of a friend am I?


    Someone cried out, and the spell freezing the auditorium broke. People scrambled toward Maya, exchanging harsh whispers with one another. I pushed them away, my legs hurrying forward even before I told them to. The first person to reach Maya was Kei, who hugged her shaking body with a tenderness I wouldn¡¯t have expected of him. He held her wrist and led her to an alcove below the stairs going up to the balconies, keeping nosy folk away from the sobbing girl with a frosty look. Wisteria blossoms hung from above, their delicate beauty shielding the teens.


    I pushed the flowers aside and rushed in, colliding into an Ahio who¡¯d already gotten there somehow in the chaos. Daisuke and Tsubasa followed after me.


    ¡®What do you mean Kaede was kidnapped?¡¯ Ahio snapped at Maya, earning a glare from Kei. The manga had never done justice to his expressions when he¡¯d lost Kaede. It showed the fire burning in his eyes, but it could never show how his jaw clenched in worry nor how his fingers twitched with panic.


    A fresh bout of tears rolled down Maya¡¯s freckled cheeks. ¡®This man, he-he just jumped in and grabbed her while we were fighting another team.¡¯ she wrung her hands together and looked at the floor. ¡®I¡¯m sorry! Rina was nowhere to be found when he came, so we didn¡¯t have any fighters with us. Cho threw a rock at him, but I don¡¯t know how-- but somehow!--he vanished!¡¯


    ¡®The man with the witch ring.¡¯ Daisuke whispered. His face was ashy as he held Tsubasa, who was collapsed on the floor, rubbing his eyes in a frantic way.


    ¡®This-This was all we could get. He dropped it when Cho hit him.¡¯ Her fingers shook as she reached into her bag. She lugged out a throwing knife, with butterfly stickers twisting over its blade and hilt.


    My breath caught in my chest.


    This was the key to finding Kaede. It was the key to ensure the future of this world is just like the one told in the manga. If anyone else got a hold of it, we¡¯d be screwed. Between the wreaths of purple flowers, I caught sight of the Minister making his way here through the unruly crowd.


    I grabbed Maya¡¯s hand, pushing the knife back into her bag. ¡®Listen, you have to trust me,¡¯ I shifted my eyes between the four kids¡¯ shocked faces, my heart pounding with fury. ¡®Whatever you do, do not give the knife to anyone or tell them you¡¯ve got it. Especially not the Minister. He¡¯s involved in all this. I swear, I¡¯ll explain later.¡¯A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡®I-I¡ª¡® stuttered Maya, her amber eyes wide.


    I locked my gaze onto hers. ¡®Please. You¡¯ll have to trust me!¡¯


    Something rustled behind me. I jumped, letting go of Maya as though struck by electricity. Minister Banji stood before us, pushing aside the wreaths of wisteria. ¡®You five, come with me,¡¯ he said, his features hard as though hewn from stone.


    Everyone stared at us as we marched across to the other end of the auditorium, several older swordsmen helping clear the way. Swordsman Natsumi gave orders to her subordinates to quiet the crowd, stopping here and then to ask the people to calm down with her mic¡¯s booming voice. Behind where the Minister sat was a white door, almost blending in with the walls. It opened into a small room that was crammed with unused furniture stacked one on top of the other.


    Minister Banji led us in and shut the door, quelling the noise outside. A single window high up on my left let in shafts of sunlight into the otherwise dark room.


    ¡®Tell me everything.¡¯ The Minister looked at Maya, rubbing his temple with one hand.


    Stuttering and sniffling, she told him how her team had fought another for one last try at the keys just within the borders of the hundred-metre stones, how Kaede was kidnapped, and what the man looked like.


    ¡®Cho went to the Quest Unit.¡¯ Maya twisted her side braid, not meeting the Minister¡¯s eyes. ¡®She sent me here because everyone important would be here and so someone will find her soon.¡¯


    Minister Banji sighed. ¡®As some of you in this room know, this man is a well-known kidnapper. Kaede¡¯s not the first child he¡¯s taken. He¡¯s proving hard to catch, but we¡¯re on his track.¡¯


    ¡®Oh yeah?¡¯ Ahio spat out, glaring at the Minister as though he was no more than a teen like us. ¡®And what about the other kids? Have you got them safely back home yet?¡¯


    ¡®No, but we¡¯re doing our best¡ª¡®


    ¡®If your best means Kaede won¡¯t be back like all the other kids, then I doubt you¡¯re making an effort.¡¯ Ahio clenched his fists.


    ¡®I understand you¡¯re all distraught.¡¯ Minister Banji fixed his eyes onto Ahio, meeting his glare with a cold look. ¡®And for that, I excuse all of you from fulfilling your quest quota this month. You can calm down at home, knowing the best swordsmen are on this case, one that¡¯s much more complicated than you think. But I am still your Minister,¡¯ he said in a low voice, ¡®and I will not be spoken to this way.¡¯


    Ahio clenched his fists tighter, still staring daggers at the Minister, but didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡®I hope that¡¯s clear. Do you have anything else you¡¯d like to know or anything you want to tell me?¡¯ Minister Banji shifted his eyes to each of us.


    Please keep the knife a secret.


    Maya and Daisuke gave me a sideways glance, Ahio too busy watching the Minister and Tsubasa staring somewhere far away, as though he wasn¡¯t even a part of this conversation. I begged them with my eyes, hoping the Minister wouldn¡¯t catch our silent exchange. Please, guys, you have to trust me. My skin prickled with sweat. Please. Please.


    ¡®No, sir, nothing¡¯ said Maya, gazing at the hardwood floor.


    I let out a breath I didn¡¯t know I was holding.


    ¡®Very well then. This is a highly confidential case, so keep what we¡¯ve discussed here to yourselves. You may leave,¡¯ Minister Banji said, opening the door.

 36- An Assassin’s Rag-tag Team- Part 2

    We rushed out, staying close together in solidarity against everyone¡¯s stares. Kei held Maya¡¯s hand, holding his head high and daring anyone to pester her over the details. Several older swordsmen cleared out a path for us among the crowd. Just as we got through the main door, Minister Banji entered the hall. His mic enhanced voice beginning to address the crowd was the last thing we heard from the inside before the door shut. The only noise now was from chirping birds and laughing children, a carefree world mocking our problems.


    Ahio turned around and clasped my shoulders. ¡®What do you mean the Minister is involved?¡¯


    I gulped. What was I going to tell them? It was an impromptu decision to even say what I did, but I didn¡¯t know how else to stop Minister Banji from getting his hands on the knife. Now, I had to think my way out of another mess.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think we should discuss it here.¡¯ Daisuke whispered, looking this way and that at the wide street we were on. No one was there of course. At this time of the day, people were either at work or school, and today, in the amphitheatre. ¡®My house is really close and my family¡¯s still in the hall. Let¡¯s go there.¡¯


    I sighed, thankful for the extra minutes to think.


    Ahio gave me a look as if he already knew I wasn¡¯t planning on telling them everything. ¡®Sure.¡¯


    Five minutes later, we reached Daisuke¡¯s home. It was one of those neighbourhoods which seemed to copy one house onto every block. Every front yard had a well-trimmed hedge of the same height, and every house had sloping brown roofs and two white-walled floors. The little golden numbers hanging on the doors were the only difference between them.


    Daisuke led us in, and we settled on some couches around a coffee table in the living room. It reminded me of my own home, with not a sofa cushion out of place, white furniture without a speck of dust on them and abstract paintings on just the right spots.


    Ahio sat on a plush sofa across from me, crossing his arms. ¡®Well?¡¯


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were on me, from Daisuke¡¯s wide grey ones, filled with curiosity and concern, to Tsubasa¡¯s hazel, lined with worry behind his glasses. I took a deep breath, rehearsing in my head what I¡¯d planned on the way.


    Half-truths were still true, right?


    ¡®Back when I went to Anzenkai, I saw the kidnapper.¡¯ Everyone shifted in their seats and Daisuke gasped. My fingers curled around my red coat as I shifted my gaze to the floor. ¡®Kei, Maya, do you remember when I ran off saying I had to go to the bathroom all of a sudden? Well, I actually ran after him. He went to Anzenkai¡¯s HQ¡ª to meet Minister Fuyu.¡¯


    I glanced up to see shocked faces, jaws gaping and skin pale. ¡®I eavesdropped on them. They were talking about some sort of plan to kidnap children, saying Minister Banji was in on it too.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think I should tell them about the witch just yet. It might give someone cold feet, making them refuse to go looking for Kaede. In the manga, everyone in squad eleven had gone, and it might turn out later that they needed to do. Though I¡¯d have to fill the shoes of the replacement swordsman, Gen.


    ¡®Then they said that they thought I was a spy for Genkoushi and Kou Ta because¡­¡¯ I paused, this was pushing it. ¡®Because I¡¯m an outsider who stopped the kidnapping. I got out of there as soon as I heard that, though I¡¯m not sure if they didn¡¯t notice.¡¯If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Face twisting with fury, Ahio grabbed my neckerchief. ¡®So you knew all this time?¡¯ he shouted, spittle flying on my face. ¡®You knew and didn¡¯t tell us?¡¯


    I winced. What do I say? The thought of lying to them made my stomach churn. ¡®I¡ªWell, I¡ª¡®


    ¡®Ahio, stop! How would him telling us have done anything? It¡¯s not like he knew they were going to try and kidnap Kaede again,¡¯ Daisuke snapped, glaring at Ahio till he reluctantly let go of me.


    Except I did. I knew that they were going to kidnap her, and I knew what they were looking for. But opening up about the stones, the confusing conspiracies I¡¯d learned about in the manga and about my two bodies? That was a can of worms I should keep closed. I rubbed my neck and stared at my other hand, not wanting to meet anyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®So you didn¡¯t know they were going to try and kidnap Kaede again?¡¯ asked Ahio.


    Nausea swirled in my throat and filled my mouth. I nodded.


    ¡®All this seems like too much of a coincidence,¡¯ said Daisuke, picking at his nails. ¡®They think you¡¯re a spy, but then send you on a mission to Anzenkai at the same time as their meeting with the kidnapper? No, this has to be a set-up. They must¡¯ve wanted you to eavesdrop and then scare you from looking too deeply into this.¡¯


    I rolled his arguments over in my mind. They made sense, but why would the Ministers make so much effort just to scare me into not digging further? In fact, I¡¯d been more obsessed after the incident.


    Kei snorted. ¡®Seriously? All that work for a mere third-grade swordsman?¡¯


    ¡®No, no it all checks out,¡¯ Daisuke said, waving his hand dismissively. ¡®Tahro and I started researching more about the kidnappings after I found out a witch may be involved¡ª¡®


    Maya gasped. ¡®A witch?¡¯


    ¡®Yes, but that¡¯s not the point,¡¯ Daisuke pouted, ignoring Maya¡¯s bewildered expression. ¡®It might¡¯ve been harder to set something up to scare me, but Tahro, an outsider with no connections to anyone important? They probably expected him to drop the subject and make me stop too. This must be something big, especially if Genkoushi and Kou Ta really are involved. I think this was a warning for us to stay out of the way.¡¯


    The kid better be on his best behaviour. The last words I¡¯d heard before I¡¯d run away from Anzenkai¡¯s HQ echoed in my mind. Daisuke might be right.


    ¡®Okay, but Kaede is still kidnapped!¡¯ Ahio pointed at me, light blue eyes narrowed. ¡®I don¡¯t care if you were too scared because the Ministers thought you were a spy, or that you didn¡¯t know they were going to target her again. You¡¯re a spineless coward for not even warning us in the least!¡¯


    I fixed my eyes on the floor, blinking fervently. He was right, even if I hadn¡¯t warned them for completely different reasons.


    ¡®What if you really are a spy?¡¯ he shouted. ¡®We can¡¯t trust you now.¡¯


    That hurt right to the bone, his words sending sparks of pain shooting through me. ¡®If I were a spy,¡¯ I said in a low voice, ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have risked my life to save Kaede the first time.¡¯


    The room grew quiet. Quiet for the secrets I kept, that had festered into something nasty. Quiet for the faith that was shattering around us, both in our friendships and those in charge. And quiet for the girl who should¡¯ve been in this room, disappointed at not having won the tournament but vowing to try again next year. I squeezed my eyes shut.


    Kaede, I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡®Tahro...¡¯ Maya broke the silence with a tentative voice. ¡®What did you want the knife for?¡¯


    ¡®I¡ª I got the idea from Ahio,¡¯ I said, still gazing at the floor. ¡®He said there¡¯s a seer in Genkoushi. We can track down the kidnapper, and hopefully Kaede. with it.¡¯ And bring us closer to the manga¡¯s story. Nausea erupted in waves within me as I realized what I was doing. But was it really manipulation if they¡¯d pick this choice anyway?


    ¡®Well, then what are we waiting for?¡¯ Ahio said, standing up. ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯

 37- An Assassin’s Rag-tag Team- Part 3

    I looked up. We still had to get Kaede¡¯s mum to come with us. Was she in the auditorium? So many people had crowded around Maya, but I didn¡¯t recall Kaede¡¯s parents in the fray. I needed to convince everyone to get her.


    ¡®W-we have t-to tell her fa-family first,¡¯ said Tsubasa, his voice hoarse.


    I smothered a sigh of relief. Thank you!


    ¡®It¡¯s a waste of time.¡¯ Ahio scowled, clenching his fists. ¡®Besides, they would¡¯ve already heard the news.¡¯


    ¡®Th-they weren¡¯t in th-the auditorium,¡¯ Tsubasa glanced at us with red-rimmed eyes. ¡®W-would you like it? If someone¡¯s g-going t-to look for Kaede and didn¡¯t t-tell you? Her family w-will be worried s-sick!¡¯


    Ahio glared at Tsubasa but unfurled his hands. ¡®Fine, but let¡¯s make it quick. They¡¯re probably at the hospital at this time of the day if they weren¡¯t in the auditorium.¡¯


    As Ahio strode across the hall and the rest of us rose from our seats, the front door creaked open. An older girl of about eighteen marched into the room, running a hand through her long, blonde ponytail. Her face was heart-shaped like Daisuke¡¯s, with the same big eyes, albeit brown.


    ¡®Oh! you¡¯re here.¡¯ She took a step back, scanning the room. Her gaze locked onto Daisuke. ¡®What on earth is going on? There¡¯s chaos in the auditorium. An absolute pandemonium! Mum and dad are still stuck there, but I got out to look for you. I can¡¯t believe your friend got kidnapped.¡¯


    ¡®Sayuri, We--¡¯ Daisuke said, but his sister had only stopped to take a breath.


    I flinched on his behalf. Where I was from, calling your older sister by just her name is a sure-fire way to get an earful.


    ¡®That poor girl must be terrified. They say it happened within the hundred-metre stones, can you believe it?¡¯ Sayuri gestured wildly with her hands. ¡®You¡¯d think the tournament was supervised. Where were all the swordsmen on the lookout?¡¯


    ¡®Sayuri?¡¯ Daisuke started, but his voice was drowned out by hers again.


    ¡®And now, they¡¯re saying Heikisato will be under curfew for the next few days, Apparently, the kidnapper¡¯s probably still here.¡¯ She rolled her eyes. ¡®I¡¯d just planned a date with Kitaro tomorrow. But, we have to stay inside in the evenings.¡¯


    ¡®Sayuri!¡¯


    ¡®Yes?¡¯ she said, one eyebrow raised.


    ¡®We¡¯re going to Genkoushi to find Kaede.¡¯ Daisuke squared his shoulders as if already knowing she wouldn¡¯t approve.


    ¡®Absolutely not!¡¯ Crossing her arms, she narrowed her eyes at him. ¡®It could be dangerous.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m a second-grade swordsman now. I¡¯ll be sent to much more dangerous quests soon.¡¯ Daisuke glared back.


    ¡®The Minister will take care of it.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m going, whether you like it or not.¡¯ He clenched his jaw. ¡®I just wanted to let you know so you, Mum and Dad won¡¯t worry.¡¯


    ¡®But--¡¯ she spluttered.


    ¡®She¡¯s my friend, Sayuri,¡¯ Daisuke sighed. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be right to do nothing when I know there¡¯s a way to get her back.¡¯


    Sayuri grew silent, staring at Daisuke with wide eyes. He marched out of the hall, head down as he passed her by.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡®Daisuke, wait!¡¯ She grabbed his hand. ¡®Stay safe, okay? And don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡¯ She paused, then planted a kiss on his forehead. ¡¯Make me proud, little brother.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m not so little anymore,¡¯ he muttered.


    ¡®You can say that when you¡¯re taller than me.¡¯ She ruffled his wavy hair and let him go, her fingers pulling away slowly as though to keep him safe for longer.


    Daisuke still needed to get a few books, and then we were off, waving goodbye to Sayuri. She watched us go with her arms crossed, frowning as the wind swayed her sleeveless pink dress.


    Kaede¡¯s parents were both surgeons in the biggest hospital in Heikisato, Pao¡¯s Provincial Hospital, named after the town¡¯s fourth Minister. Ahio took us through all the shortcuts, having traversed that way a hundred times with Kaede when they were kids. The building was a newly painted white, spanning several blocks and was many stories high.


    We rushed up the stairs to the neurosurgery wards, where Kaede¡¯s mother, Chiasa, worked one floor lower than her husband. I thanked my stars it wasn¡¯t the other way around. Daisuke stumbled here and there when we took two stairs up at a time, but Tsubasa always pulled him back up. Once we reached the floor, Ahio went over to the receptionist, a chubby man who was pounding furiously on his typewriter, and asked for Chiasa¡¯s whereabouts.


    ¡®Sorry, Dr Chiasa is in the theatre right now. You¡¯ll have to wait a bit,¡¯ he said, still glaring at his half-finished paper.


    Ahio glanced at us, then at the door leading to the theatre. A nurse waddled by, balancing a tray awkwardly as she punched in a pin to open it.


    Gesturing with his head, he ran to the door after the nurse went through, catching it just before it closed. We rushed after him, sneaking glances at the receptionist who still had his eyes on the paper.


    A strong chemical smell permeated the air. The bright light overhead brought out the contours of our face in sharp angles as we walked down the narrow corridors.


    ¡®Ahio-- Kids, what¡¯re you doing here?¡¯ Dr Chiasa walked out of one of the doors, a mask still on her face and her scrubs bright green in the light.


    Ahio froze for a moment, then broke into a run, throwing his arms around her and nearly toppling the woman.


    ¡®Ahio, what¡¯s going on?¡¯ She took off her mask, brown eyes wide.


    I looked at the others, bracing myself for the news.


    ¡®It¡¯s Kaede.¡¯  Ahio pulled away from her and glanced at the floor. ¡®She was¡ªshe was kidnapped.¡¯


    Dr Chiasa stared at him for several seconds, maybe minutes, her face frozen in shock. She fell against the wall, and Ahio rushed to catch her. ¡®My baby¡­¡¯ she said, cupping her mouth with her fingers.


    One hand on her shoulder, Ahio told her everything we knew, from Maya¡¯s account of the kidnapping to mine of the Ministers¡¯ plans. He didn¡¯t forget a single detail, voice cracking and tears rolling down his cheeks. For all his bravado at Daisuke¡¯s house, Ahio was breaking underneath. I fixed my eyes to the marble floor, wondering what she thought of the boy who could¡¯ve saved her daughter but chose not to.


    ¡®Where¡¯s the knife?¡¯ she asked, standing up straight.


    ¡®I¡ªI have it.¡¯ Maya said in a small voice.


    ¡®Give it to me.¡¯ Dr Chiasa extended her hand, her face hard with resolve. ¡®I¡¯ll go find her. You all can stay.¡¯


    ¡®No, you can come with us. We¡¯re going.¡¯ Ahio said, and I nodded at his words.


    ¡®You¡¯re just children,¡¯ Dr Chiasa snapped.


    ¡®We are swordsmen!¡¯ shouted Ahio. He glared at her as if willing his gaze to soften her conviction. ¡®If Kaede was here, and one of us was kidnapped, she¡¯d go look for us.¡¯


    She sighed, then looked at us with narrowed eyes. ¡®Do your families even know you¡¯re doing this?¡¯


    ¡®I live alone,¡¯  I muttered as Ahio yelled that he didn¡¯t care. Kei scratched his head, staying silent while Tsubasa gazed down, also saying nothing. Daisuke nodded.


    ¡®My father is away to trade in Shoubaiba.¡¯ Maya wrung her hands together. ¡®And my mother is Tadae Fumi, Shuryoushi¡¯s Minister. Neither of them will notice.¡¯


    I took in a sharp breath. She¡¯s a Minister¡¯s daughter?


    Dr Chiasa ran a hand over her face. ¡®Regardless, you¡¯re too many. A team of five or six would be hard to manage, especially with this curfew. I doubt anyone is allowed to leave Heikisato. Seven is impossible.¡¯


    ¡®I guess I can stay.¡¯ Kei shrugged. ¡®Someone has to tell Cho why we won¡¯t be going on quests for a while.¡¯


    She looked at each of us once more, top to bottom as if to see if we met her standards. ¡®Alright then, swordsmen.¡¯ Dr Chiasa marched toward the direction of the exit. ¡®Get your gear and meet me at my place in half an hour.¡¯

 38- In the Middle of a Merchant’s Brawl- Part 1

    The trudge back to my apartment seemed the longest I had to take. In the midst of bartering merchants and their clients, giggling children and gossiping neighbours on the streets, I was finally alone for the first time today. And I hated it.


    I hated how long it would take to reach Genkoushi, that every second which passed as I entered my apartment was one too many. When I packed my bag, making sure to bring along my research books, I despised how I¡¯d manipulated everyone. My throat crawled with nausea. But most of all, I loathed myself. Loathed myself for keeping secrets. Loathed myself for wanting to follow the manga''s plot, as if Kaede and the others were no more than chess pieces.


    On the way to Dr Chiasa¡¯s, I caught glimpses of swordsmen surveying the alleyways; one brown-haired man on a balcony three floors up, his hand clutching a sword; a woman wearing square glasses, looking this way and that as her blue insignia fluttered with her cape; and a girl holding daggers in both hands, glaring at anyone who passed by.


    Ahio was already outside the gate when I arrived. He stared at the wispy clouds above, his sky-coloured headband keeping his spiky hair from falling into his frowning brows. A part of me ached to approach, to comfort him and bring him back to his loud cheerful self. But when he turned, the look in his eyes stopped me in my tracks. I had no doubt that if we weren¡¯t on a time sensitive quest, he would beat me up right now. And I wouldn¡¯t stop him.


    My shoulders shook, and I swallowed something tight in my throat as I glanced away.


    Two sets of footsteps sounded behind me. Daisuke and Tsubasa arrived, Tayo nuzzling the older boy¡¯s neck. Maya came by soon after, followed by Kei with Cho beside him. We nodded in greeting.


    Kaede¡¯s family didn¡¯t have a garden, their front yard carpeted with fine sand instead. A three-seater swing stood on one end, swaying empty with the wind. The door opened and the family stepped out. Little Kuri was shaking, as her father gripped her shoulders. His once tan face was pale.


    Dr Chiasa hugged the girl, whispering something in her ear before planting a kiss on her forehead. Her husband clasped her hand, untold words passing between their eyes. Breaking the grip, Dr Chiasa strode to the gate, her gaze fixed on us third-grades. A blaze of determination burned in her brown eyes.


    ¡®How was the patrol outside?¡¯ She wrapped a hand around the hilt of the sabre hanging from her belt. Her green scrubs were now replaced by a dark-grey shirt and loose black pants.


    ¡®A swordsman every street,¡¯ said Daisuke.


    Dr Chiasa nodded. ¡®We¡¯ll have to split up. You two.¡¯ She gestured at Kei and Cho. They jumped to attention. ¡®You¡¯re in charge of distracting the guards at the North road. Don¡¯t do anything stupid and make sure no one can trace whatever you do back to us.¡¯


    ¡®Wait.¡¯ Daisuke glanced at Tayo, who was grooming his long ears. ¡®I have an idea.¡¯


    We made our plan to get out of Heikisato as fool-proof as we could, then split into four groups of two. Dr Chiasa and Ahio took an alley to the left, hoping to blend in with the crowds along the markets on the way. Tsubasa and Daisuke chose the main road which led directly to the HQ, then went further North. A street on the right branched a few metres in, and Kei and Cho took the shorter route. My path was a series of cramped alleyways, and Maya strode with me. The musty smell of mold, gurgling pipes and peeling paint of the apartments around us reminded me of that last day I¡¯d seen Kaede.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I shook my head. This was no time to get distracted.


    Halfway across our route, Maya stole glances at me a few times and I pretended not to notice. It was odd to see her without a notebook in hand, chewing her pencil as she gazed at the clouds. She¡¯d known Kaede for only a few days, yet somehow she was coming with us in this vigilante mission. Had she realized that, being a Minister, her mother might be involved?


    Maya cleared her throat and bit her lower lip. ¡®Tahro...I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have done any different if I were in your shoes.¡¯ She fiddled with her braid, glancing at the cobblestones beneath. ¡®When¡ª when she was kidnapped, I did nothing.¡¯ Her voice cracked.


    I drew in a breath, wanting to shake her shoulders and tell her that wasn¡¯t true at all. ¡®You¡¯re not a fighter. You shouldn¡¯t blame yourself for it.¡¯ Something suspicious struck my mind. ¡®Where was Rina anyway? And the team you were fighting with?¡¯


    ¡®We lost track of Rina¡ª she was the one who told us another team was camping out just within the borders. They ran away before the man jumped in.¡¯ She shook her head and sighed. ¡® I see the set-up. Cho was so brave¡ª we wouldn¡¯t have this knife if not for her. I wish you or Kei were there. You would¡¯ve stopped him.¡¯


    Which side of me would¡¯ve won had I been there? The one that would¡¯ve jumped in to save Kaede? Or the side that would¡¯ve snatched the knife and let her get kidnapped, just like in the manga? Or perhaps I would¡¯ve stood back, too afraid to choose either.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know, Maya.¡¯ I kicked a stone off the road, dust flying around my foot. ¡®In reality, I did nothing.¡¯


    ¡®Not anymore.¡¯ Maya grabbed my hand, turning me around. She locked her amber eyes onto mine, her round glasses glinting in the sunlight. ¡®We aren¡¯t going to wait in the sidelines anymore.¡¯


    I nodded. Manga or not, we were getting Kaede back.


    We marched the rest of the way in silence, battling against our own deprecating thoughts. As we neared the North road, carts and carriages of all kinds, pulled by donkeys, horses and even a few small ones hauled by people, backed up on the street. Swordsmen kept them at bay, manhandling a few merchants who attempted to push through. Some screamed at each other to move, and others took it up with the swordsmen, begging them to allow them to leave Heikisato to trade.


    Maya and I came to a stop between two horse carriages, so that one merchant would think we were the apprentices of the other. My heart raced as I looked at the nearby swordsmen, but none of them spared us a glance. Phew.


    Tsubasa and Daisuke stood a few carts ahead of us, and to the right were Ahio and Dr Chiasa, having a mock argument. Cho¡¯s blue dress fluttered further away, next to a horse cart that hid the rest of her. Kei should¡¯ve been on top of one of the apartments, but I couldn¡¯t find him. Perfect.


    Tsubasa turned around, scanning the area before giving a nod.


    The horses beside him reared up, neighing, their eyes wide with the whites showing. They sprang forward, knocking into the carts in front and spooking the other animals. The merchants screamed. They pulled on the reins, but the animals brought them down, stomping on the road and taking off every which way. An assortment of vegetables, clothes and several boxes of who knows what flew across the area. Shouting, neighing and braying filled the street. As I tensed my body, a blue arrow-head tail swished across the hooves of the horse beside us, setting it off in a gallop.


    ¡®Come on, Maya!¡¯ I grabbed her hand and rushed into the chaos.

 39- In the Middle of a Merchant’s Brawl- Part 2

    We dodged hooves and side-stepped fallen packages, twisting and turning our way through the rabble. Somewhere to our side, Cho screamed that her bag was stolen at the top of her voice, making the merchants around us clutch their possessions in fright. The remaining swordsmen still on the sidelines jumped into the fray to catch the imaginary thief. Maya and I rushed to the edges of the road, to the nooks and crannies along the last buildings this side of Heikisato. Just beyond them was a few metres of wild grass, then the forest. The little white hundred-metre stones peeked out between the copse of trees. Thirty seconds of running, maybe less, and we¡¯d be concealed by the trees too.


    We hid in an alcove between pipes, cobwebs sticking to our bodies. A single swordsman guarded the meadow, his colleagues too busy calming the crowd.


    Tackling him and exposing our identities wouldn¡¯t work, as Minister Banji had no doubt imposed the curfew both to appease the public and as a ruse to make sure no one got out to ruin his plans. He¡¯d probably guessed that someone, at least Ahio, would go looking for Kaede.


    The guard paced across the road in boredom, his large blade held with an iron grip and a blue Heikisato sigil on the back of his shirt. I gulped. Not that I can take him down anyway.


    A stone wooshed passed us, hitting a row of trash cans at the end of the street, toppling them. The guard rushed over to investigate. Now!


    Maya and I creeped out of our hiding place, then galloped across the meadows, the grass beating against our ankles. My lungs seared and Maya huffed beside me. We didn¡¯t stop till the trees shielded us with their boughs. The forest chirped with wildlife, and no footsteps came chasing after us. The plan had worked.


    Thanks for the stone, Kei.


    ¡®There they are!¡¯ Ahio¡¯s voice broke through the sounds of nature. He marched out from behind a twisted mossy tree, Dr Chiasa behind him.


    ¡®Glad you got out safe,¡¯ she nodded.


    Huffing and puffing voices came from just behind us, and Tsubasa and Daisuke ran through the foliage. Daisuke¡¯s face was red as he slumped on a knotted trunk, and Tsubasa clutched Tayo with shaking arms. The little animal blinked at us with its golden eyes, as if it hadn¡¯t just caused a commotion.


    ¡®Let¡¯s get going.¡¯ Dr Chiasa stepped across a gnarly root, marching further into the shadowed depths of the forest. ¡®They¡¯ll catch on sooner or later that we¡¯d left.¡¯


    Shafts of light flitting through the leaves lit up the sprawling mass of undergrowth. Vines curled up the trees which stood in our way like sentinels, little red flowers dotting their tendrils. We trekked across the uneven terrain, just to the right of a road that wound through the forest. Everytime a merchant cart passed by, we held in our breaths and crouched behind the trees. Now and then, we¡¯d stop and look around, startled by the snaps of breaking twigs. But they¡¯d turn out to be forest creatures. Once I even saw a katu, its green arrow-head tail swishing across a branch.


    Six hours later, when the sky had morphed into the red glow of sunset, we came to a stop within a clearing. My muscles cramped, but it wasn¡¯t time to sit down yet. Dr Chiasa put us to work setting traps around the perimeter, showing us the easiest and most effective ones she¡¯d learned back when she was a swordsman. Twilight set in and the earliest stars shone by the time we finished.


    We sat beside each other in a circle, taking out our packed food.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d need so many traps,¡¯ said Ahio between bites of his sandwich. ¡®Thought you¡¯d protect us well, seeing as you were an assassin.¡¯


    ¡®Assassins are taught more to stay in the shadows. They¡¯re not like fighters, barging in swords blazing.¡¯ Dr Chiasa glanced at him. ¡®We have some training with close combat, but most of it is focused on silent take-downs, traps and poisoning. I use a blowdart as a long-range weapon too, but others use arrows or¡­ or throwing knives.¡¯ Her voice faltered and she fixed her eyes on her lunchbox.


    My throat grew tight and the sandwiches on my lap didn¡¯t seem as appetizing anymore.


    ¡®She used to be scared of butterflies.¡¯ Dr Chiasa laughed bitterly, a tear falling across her cheek. ¡®She always froze when she saw one. We never grew flowers in our garden for her. I used to scold her for it. but since she graduated basic training, she promised me she¡¯d grown out of it.¡¯ Dr Chiasa wiped her face as more tears fell from her pained eyes. ¡®We¡ª we were planning a surprise party for her today. To make up for not being able to attend the ceremony.¡¯ She closed her lunchbox, food barely touched, and walked off to the edge of the clearing. Her shoulders shook.


    None of us took another bite, gazing at the grassy floor beneath us. It was in a clearing like this that I¡¯d seen Kaede freeze for the first time. My eyes stung.


    ¡®I wish my mother was like Dr Chiasa.¡¯ Maya said in a low voice. ¡®If I were kidnapped, I don¡¯t know if she¡¯d go looking for me.¡¯


    Her words broke our trance and we turned to her. But she picked at her food, ignoring our stares. I wanted to tell her her mother would be just like Dr Chiasa. Any mother would go look for their child. Wouldn¡¯t they?Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Would my own mother, if I chose a lifestyle she didn¡¯t approve for me? Would she, even if I wasn¡¯t the perfect child, the perfect son she wanted? Would she, if I ran away from home? ¡®I don¡¯t know either.¡¯


    Only the sounds of the forest, of cutlery and soft chewing broke the silence for the rest of the meal.


    Dr Chiasa volunteered for first watch, and we took out our sleeping bags, arranging them to give each other as much legroom as possible. Ahio strode to the opposite end of the clearing from me. I brushed away the hurtful truth of what that meant and placed my sleeping bag next to Maya¡¯s.


    She gazed at the stars, her mouth quirked with a mournful weight. Everyone was like this, lost in our thoughts with the quest pressing down on our shoulders. If only I could turn back time, to when we were in real squads, battling against bandits, laughing together and competing in tournaments. Or to the uncertain future, with Kaede back.


    ¡®How¡ª¡® I cut myself off as I got into the bag. Obviously, she wasn¡¯t fine. This is way harder than I thought. ¡®Um, what¡¯re you looking at?¡¯


    Sighing, she turned my way, her curls bunching up beneath her head. ¡®Nothing really. It¡¯s stupid.¡¯


    ¡®You can tell me.¡¯ I smiled.


    She bit her lower lip and looked away. ¡®I¡ªI was wondering if there was somewhere out there where we were really meant to be born.¡¯


    Her words struck a chord in my heart, at that longing I used to feel before I came here. The calling my other self still has. ¡®It¡¯s unfair, that there are so many places to be born in and we were never given the chance to choose.¡¯


    Her arm rose as if to touch the constellations above us. A crescent moon hung like a beacon leading us into the depths of the universe, plumes of purple clouds the remnants of travellers before. Though our view was marred by crisscrossing branches and leaves, the skies were infinite, swallowing us whole into its starry mouth. ¡®Do you ever feel like¡ª like breaking away from everything? Running away somewhere with nothing to hold you back?¡¯


    I crossed my arms beneath my head, eyes transfixed on the velvet sky. ¡®Always. That¡¯s why I came here, to Saishu Riku.¡¯ Lifting my arm, I grasped at the stars with Maya. ¡®Somewhere out there, there¡¯ll be a place for you too.¡¯


    ¡®Maybe only in the stories I write.¡¯ She chucked.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t sound like a bad place to live in.¡¯ I grinned. ¡®Especially with those cool elemental powers.¡¯


    ¡®If I were in my book¡¯s world, I want to have the power of fire.¡¯ A little smile grew across Maya¡¯s cheeks. ¡®Most people hate it, but it¡¯s not afraid to show everyone how beautiful it is.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what mine would be. I¡¯d like earth or plants or something. They¡¯re peaceful.¡¯ But it would probably be storms, messing everything up without meaning to. ¡®How are the powers different from the elementalists¡¯ by the way? Besides having more than four types?¡¯


    ¡®Elementalists controlled the elements like they were a tool. They even made weapons with the help of witches to imbue their powers in them.¡¯ Maya said, her voice infused with fascination. ¡®But in my world, the elements are a part of you. Your inner spirit itself is like fire, earth or the other elements, just like the spirits who stopped the war. They were part people and part element.¡¯


    ¡®I see.¡¯ Part element. My heart skipped a beat, then drummed into my ears. Several clues fit together in my head, forming a jigsaw of clarity.


    What if the stones were part element too, instead of enchanted by witches like I¡¯d thought? Did they have something to do with the spirits¡ª were those even real? I clutched my sleeping bag, the coarse fabric rubbing against my fingers. Way back when, Maya¡¯d told me the spirits¡¯ graves lie in the Graveyard of Stars. Mr Cesar had also said there weren¡¯t any elementalists since something happened in the Graveyard. Were they connected? Did the spirits¡¯ death cause the elementalists to lose their powers?


    My breath hitched as I recalled the runes from the manga. Release the elementalists¡ª No, release the elements!


    What if it were the spirits that got sealed away? Sealed away in the stones.


    0 AE was when the elementalists lost their powers. Records from that time should mention these spirits and maybe the stones, if I was right.


    I threw my backpack onto my lap, fingers scrambling for the straps and zippers in the dark. My heart beat with fury, with excitement. Grabbing my little wind up torch first, I dug into my bag, looking for one of the books I¡¯d gotten from Daisuke. It was written by a witch in 103 AE. Unlike the abridged volumes for children they¡¯d used in my classes, this covered all important events from 50 BE to 100 AE in detail, though with ample presumptions and little citation. I¡¯d hoped to find something about the Sakashi incident in it, but now it had a different purpose.


    Finding the book, I flipped to the contents page. My eyes scanned over it, till it stopped dead on three words.


    23: The Elemental Spirits


    Breath held in my chest, I caught a glimpse of another chapter title below it, just within the beam of yellow light.


    27: The End of the Era of Spirits


    Torch in my mouth, I riffled through the book. The chapter was only a few pages long, but impatience burned in my veins, wanting to know the answers right now. I skimmed the well-thumbed pages for the word stones, passing by references to an unrest among witches, an ancient ritual and sealing the spirits away.


    There!


    After the spells were complete, Mama said the mountains gave a mighty rumble, dislodging bits of rock with parts of the spirits trapped within them. A year or so later, some suckers began collecting the stones, saying they brought luck to their sorry lives. Fire stones for the swordsmen, Water stones for the fishermen. The farmers believed Earth stones helped their harvest and the merchants said Air stones led them to smarter deals. What fools they were. I¡¯d heard rumours a few were even trying to bring back the spirits. Hah! As if anyone could break such a powerful curse.

 40- Hatching a Witchy Plan- Part 1

    I stayed up all night reading the dusty old book with the little torch in my mouth.


    Every twenty years, a comet would pass by, showering the skies of the Graveyard of Stars with a blazing display of shooting stars, which was how it got its name. Well before 0 AE, witches figured out that with the shower came a burst of inner spirit in the surrounding areas. Some of the bloodiest events of the war between the mages happened on these days. Sick of the war, a witch and an elementalist came together on the night of the shooting stars to cast the strongest spell anyone had ever tried.


    They created the elemental spirits.


    In the process, they lost their lives, and the elementalists lost their powers, no longer able to control nature. But with the help of the spirits, peace was restored, and non-mages lived without fear. Though the witches, now pushed to the fringes of society, didn''t care for it.


    Twenty years later, when the comet passed by again, the witches sealed the spirits within the mountains of the Graveyard of Stars.


    I didn¡¯t know how true any of this was, as more than once, the text seemed to be no more than the ramblings of a mad witch. But if it were true, it certainly explained the kidnapper¡¯s runes. My head was pounding and my eyes stung by the time the sun came up, but I couldn¡¯t take my nose out of the book.


    Over the next few days, in between our trek, meals and little sleep, I scoured its pages. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t mention the Sakashi incident too, but the history of Saishuu Riku, even if the account may be false, was fascinating.


    But once midnight drew close on Tuesday night, I shut the book, now almost complete, and cleared my mind.


    Time to meditate.


    ***


    June 15. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Japan.


    Water dripped from the faucet outside, masking my sigh as I locked the phone screen. Another chapter without Kaede¡¯s location. This time, Ahio and the rest had managed to find the seer, and had told him about the kidnapping. But the chapter finished before he could reply.


    The rest of the day passed by with a flurry of classes. The teachers were pretty hard on us, now that we were ninth graders. I¡¯d got my grades up again, though of course no where near the level my mum wanted them to be. When the last bell rang, we walked straight home, many of my classmates muttering to each other about their grades and exams. I missed the days when we took part in extracurricular clubs after school instead.


    ¡®Have you decided on high schools yet?¡¯ asked Yuuhei, a toothy grin across his cheeks. Even he had dark circles around his eyes, took more notes in class than he ever did before and joked around a lot less.


    ¡®I¡¯m thinking of your sister¡¯s old school too,¡¯ I said, kicking a pebble. ¡®Mum liked it when we went in on their open day to check it out. She¡¯s already looking for after school classes to help me pass their exams and ace the interview.¡¯


    Yuuhei bounced on his tiptoes, and threw his arms around me. ¡®Oh my gosh, we¡¯re going to the same school! I¡¯m so excited.¡¯ He pulled back and chuckled. ¡®I mean, if we get admitted, but I¡¯m sure we will!¡¯Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡®Yeah,¡¯ I said with a smile. Except I¡¯d yet to talk to Dad. I didn¡¯t want to, until I found a way to convince him, perhaps by getting a scholarship. But even after weeks of searching in newspapers and asking around, I couldn¡¯t find any. It would¡¯ve been much easier if I could¡¯ve used the internet.


    I¡¯ve got to keep looking.


    For the rest of the way, we jumped from one topic to another, from new anime to Saishuu Riku to a video game he enjoyed. After an impromptu bag fight, we waved goodbye to each other at the end of the lane.


    I¡¯m going to the same school as Yuuhei no matter what.


    The cherry trees in my garden waved at me with the wind as I swung open the gate. My parents'' voices drifted out of the front door. I sighed and placed my shoes beside my dad¡¯s on the rack. He¡¯d arrived last night, eyes red with sleep and barely spoke a word to me or Mum before he went to bed. I preferred it that way. At least he was too tired to fight.


    Both voices stopped abruptly as I entered the hall. My dad glared at my mum from across the coffee table. Unlike last night, his dark hair was neatly combed and his face didn¡¯t sport the wear of travel.


    Mum pursed her lips, leaning forward in her armchair. ¡®We were talking about high schools.¡¯


    I clutched my backpack''s straps, my fingers growing clammy. I¡¯d told her not to bring it up to him yet. ¡®Oh?¡¯


    ¡®I was just telling your father about that wonderful private school we visited. Didn¡¯t you say Yuuhei¡¯s sister¡ª what was her name?¡ª Yumi Shinguchi went there?¡¯ She sent a sideways gaze at my dad, and he groaned. ¡®She¡¯s a doctor now.¡¯


    ¡®Public schools are just as good, but don¡¯t steal your money while they¡¯re at it.¡¯ Dad rolled his eyes. ¡®He doesn¡¯t want to be a doctor anyway.¡¯


    ¡®Maybe not a doctor,¡¯ my mum said. ¡®But the school has contracts with a few prestigious engineering universities across the country. If we budget well enough, we can easily afford the tuition.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s a waste of money! What, isn¡¯t he good enough for public education?¡¯


    I opened my mouth, then closed it. Never, in all the years they¡¯d fought, have I ever added my own input. But this was about me. Shouldn¡¯t I have a say? Yet my hands trembled and my jaw remained shut.


    Mum rose from her seat with a glare. ¡®If you stop spending so much for your sister and yourself, we wouldn¡¯t have to worry. For once in your life, think about your son¡¯s future!¡¯


    ¡®I am! You¡¯re the one who¡¯s always pushing him, now into a school I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t even want to go to.¡¯ He clenched his teeth as he spoke.


    I took a deep breath. ¡®I actually want to go to the private school.¡¯


    He turned to me. After all those times we¡¯d lived in the same house, never had I felt he¡¯d truly seen me till now. I used to wish he¡¯d talk to me, play with me, acknowledge me. Then I¡¯d stopped hoping. But today, he looked at me. There was anger in his eyes, but for once, it was toward me.


    ¡®Don¡¯t talk back to your father. Go to your room,¡¯ he said.


    I nodded and walked away, eyes on the floor.


    Pens and pencils shot away from my clumsily aimed bag as I threw it onto my desk. If I had been my swordsman self, I could¡¯ve thrown it perfectly. I sat down and clutched my head. If I had been my swordsman self, I wouldn¡¯t have to listen to the shouting outside.


    My eyes stung, and I squeezed them shut.


    That¡¯s right, I¡¯m a swordsman! I had much bigger problems to worry about. I might not be as strong, or fight and use weapons as well as my other self, but I was still a swordsman. Little problems like this, about parents and high schools and best friends, shouldn¡¯t worry me. I had to think about ancient magics and kidnappers. About the butterfly effect. These issues were a waste of time.


    My throat tightened and the first tear fell on my desk.


    I won¡¯t cry about this. I won¡¯t cry about this!


    More tears dropped onto the table as the shouting outside grew louder every second. My body shook.


    I wish I was nothing but a swordsman.

 41- Hatching a Witchy Plan- Part 2

    June 20. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    A streak of red clouds ran across the horizon, bringing with them the stars of twilight. We¡¯d passed through the forest a few days ago, and after spending so much time between trees, the open ground gave me goosebumps. Unruly grass brushed our knees. A distant splashing sound signalled that River Kin was ahead of us, though we couldn¡¯t see it yet. Once we crossed that, we¡¯d be in Mori Chuo¡¯s territory. We wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any swordsman dogging us, as we¡¯d be out of Heikisato¡¯s jurisdiction.


    Though there was a bridge only a few hours away, swordsmen no doubt patrolled the area. We¡¯d have to swim across the river. I sighed. My swimming skills had much to be desired for.


    ¡®Mind your every step,¡¯ Dr Chiasa whispered, looking around with narrowed eyes. ¡®There¡¯s always a lot of traps between borders. Especially outside designated crossing points.¡¯


    I glared at the gravel beneath me, my little torch illuminating a section of the meadow we were in. It looked clear, for another few centimetres at least.


    Daisuke, who walked in front of the rest with Ahio, held out his arm, stopping the other boy. ¡®The ground here is odd.¡¯ He crouched down. ¡®Smooth and shiny, Like it¡¯s made of¡­granite.¡¯


    ¡®Duck!¡¯ Dr Chiasa¡¯s eyes widened as she pushed Tsubasa down beside her.


    A rushing sound blew through the air just as I moved. Several somethings hit me from the left, throwing me onto the gravel. Rocks scraped against my skin. I reached out for my staves, but my hands caught in a net of rope. Inner spirit burning in my palms, I pushed with both hands, but the net didn¡¯t budge. Ropes crisscrossed over my vision. I¡¯m trapped.


    More wooshes and thuds sounded around me, and my heart drummed against my ribs, muffling those out. It can¡¯t end like this. Fingertips sparking with inner spirit, I struck the rope as hard as I could, pain shooting across my arm in protest. It can¡¯t end like this!


    Through the grass and ropes obscuring my vision, I glimpsed a woman strutting towards us. Her dark clothes blended in the twilight sky, and she held a small crossbow in her arms. ¡®I was hoping you were out of shape,¡¯ she said.


    Dr Chiasa leapt at her, her blade slashing across the air. The woman swirled away, more as if she were dancing than fighting. A silver insignia decorated the back of her hooded cape.


    ¡®Now, that¡¯s a rude way to greet an old friend, Chiasa,¡¯ she said, her voice lilting as though this were a game. ¡®Do you treat your patients this way?¡¯


    ¡®And it wasn¡¯t rude to take out my team?¡¯ Dr Chiasa spoke through clenched teeth. She swung her blade at the woman, but she leapt away with ease.


    ¡®You¡¯re criminals, I¡¯m only working on my orders.¡¯ She shot an arrow at Dr Chiasa, but it whistled through empty air as she dodged. ¡®Besides, what team?¡¯ She danced away from Dr Chiasa¡¯s dagger and notched her crossbow. ¡®Last I checked, Toju was your teammate.¡¯ A smirk on her face, she dodged another strike and positioned her bow. ¡®Oh, I forgot, you killed him.¡¯If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    For a split second, Dr Chiasa froze. But that was enough. The little arrow pierced her shoulder before she could move away.


    No! My eyes stung and the rope cut against my palms as I shoved as hard as I could. Yet still, they wouldn¡¯t tear. Dr Chiasa dropped to the ground, jaw clenched as she glared at the woman before her. ¡®How...how dare you?¡¯ Her words came out slurred.


    The woman shrugged and turned around to me, her crossbow notched yet again. ¡®Don¡¯t worry kid, it¡¯s just a tranquiliser.¡¯


    A sharp pain pierced through my arm, and the world grew darker and darker.


    ***


    June 20. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    Unintelligible words sounded around me, pounding a headache into my head. My legs, my fingers, even my eyelids felt stiff and immovable. Someone coughed far away. Or were they beside me? A bitter fluid filled my mouth, the pungent odour churning my stomach. Wake up. Wake up.


    ¡®Wake up!¡¯


    With a hacking cough, I opened my eyes. The bitter taste remained in my mouth, making me gag. Urgh, what is that?


    Dr Chiasa knelt in front of a sleeping Daisuke, pushing something into his mouth. The others were sprawled around us, Ahio and Tsubasa looking around and grimacing while Maya was still out of it. Long grass struck out between us.


    ¡®Don¡¯t spit it out. It helps wear off the sedative.¡¯ Dr Chiasa said.


    ¡®What?¡¯ I choked out.


    ¡®Yami leaf extract. It¡¯s the antidote to the standard issue sedative given to special squads, which is also derived from Yami leaves.¡¯ Daisuke woke up coughing and gagging. ¡®Don¡¯t spit it out. I¡¯m not allowed to take any from the hospital supply, but I thought we might need it.¡¯


    ¡®Where...where is the swordsman?¡¯ Ahio breathed out.


    ¡®I came to just as she lowered us into this pit-- I had a Yami pill between my teeth. Her carriage is probably on the road a few kilometres away.¡¯ Dr Chiasa strode towards Maya.


    ¡®P-pit?¡¯ Tsubasa adjusted his glasses.


    I blinked and looked around. The floor was hard and smooth, though grass sprouted out of it, and there were walls around us, as dark as the sky above.


    ¡®It¡¯s a sort of trap, made to keep someone captive after you ambush them along the border. The whole thing is built of granite and makes a false floor that could be lowered down.¡¯ She sighed. ¡®I guess I am getting rusty.¡¯


    Daisuke staggered to his feet. ¡®How do we get out?¡¯


    ¡®Maybe we could make footholds on the walls. Then we can climb out.¡¯ said Ahio.


    ¡®I doubt we can do it before she comes back, or at all. The walls are very strong.¡¯ Maya came to with a cough, and Dr Chiasa repeated her instructions.


    ¡®A grappling hook?¡¯ I asked.


    ¡®The granite spreads at least a metre around the periphery of the pit, and there aren¡¯t any trees to get a hold of either.¡¯


    ¡®Then what are we going to do?¡¯ Ahio shouted and stomped his feet. ¡®She¡¯s going to drug us and take us back!¡¯


    Dr Chiasa sighed. ¡®I think our best option is to pretend we¡¯re still sedated when she comes back. Then when she raises the pit to collect us, we¡¯d have to attack her. Though I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯d be alone. Usually, special swordsmen work in teams of two or three. They must¡¯ve been spread thin across the border for her to be here alone.¡¯


    I clenched my fists. Was this where it all ended? A showdown with special swordsmen where there was no way we¡¯d win? What had we done so different from the manga that we were caught while the characters crossed the border with little trouble?


    ¡®What about¡­¡¯ Daisuke bit his lower lip, shifting his doe like eyes at each of us. ¡®What about a spell?¡¯

 42- Hatching a Witchy Plan- Part 3

    Ahio huffed. ¡®Didn¡¯t know anyone is a witch here.¡¯


    ¡®No, I¡¯m serious.¡¯ Daisuke said, glaring at the other boy. ¡®Tahro and I have been studying witches and their spells for a while. I remember one about raising the ground. It had the runes for link, earth, and flight. Do you remember, Tahro?¡¯ He looked at me.


    Did I? A vague memory of reading about such a spell flashed before me. It was to¡­escape from something. Pits made by earth elementalists during the war to trap witches? I must''ve read it only a few weeks ago, but with everything going on, it felt like years. What were the symbols, the array in which we should draw them? Not to mention, how on earth were we supposed to perform a spell without a witch?


    ¡®I think I read about it, but I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t remember how to do it,¡¯ I said. ¡®How...um...how are we supposed to do it though? Without a witch, I mean?¡¯


    Before Daisuke got a word out, Maya chirped in. ¡®Tsubasa.¡¯ She wrung her hands at our stares.


    ¡®H-huh?¡¯ Tsubasa backed away, hitting the wall of the pit. He pushed up his glasses with a trembling hand. ¡®Wh-what do you m-mean?¡¯


    Just then, I put two and two together.


    ¡®A witch can let their inner spirit out of their bodies and into the runes they draw. That¡¯s why they can perform spells while we can¡¯t,¡¯ I said, glancing between Maya and Daisuke to see if I was on the same page. They nodded. ¡®But if there was a way for us to release our inner spirit, then theoretically, we could perform them.¡¯ Tsubasa gulped. ¡®Like when you tried to track us in the maze...you could make our inner spirit come out.¡¯


    I¡¯m not volunteering this time though. My skin crawled at the thought of a nature whisperer taking control of my inner spirit again. What if Tsubasa figures out that something is weird too? But what was I doing, worrying about such a petty problem in the middle of a situation like this?


    Hands still shaking, Tsubasa clutched his face. ¡®I c-can¡¯t! T-that day, it was j-just for a moment, a-and even t-that was so h-hard. D-do you know h-how d-diffic-cult it was to r-release your inner sp-spirit without k-killing you?¡¯


    ¡®But you didn¡¯t kill him.¡¯ Dr Chiasa placed a hand over his shoulder. ¡®You can do it, Tsubasa. Nature whisperers are told to be much more powerful than we think.¡¯


    ¡®N-no, I really c-can¡¯t.¡¯ He took a few deep breaths and lowered his hands, gazing up at her with bloodshot eyes. ¡®If M-Mr Cesar was here, he c-could d-do it. I¡¯m not that g-good. You¡¯ll d-die.¡¯


    Dr Chiasa tightened the grip around his shoulder and frowned. ¡®When the swordsmen come back and we fight them, I don¡¯t know if we will all make it out alive, or even win. No, I know I will fight to the death to get my child back.¡¯ She sighed. ¡®So please, Tsubasa. You can do this. You must.¡¯


    ¡®N-no.¡¯ He glared at her.


    ¡®Do it only on me. I¡¯ve had a lot of training in controlling my inner spirit. I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t accidentally push out too much.¡¯ Her voice, usually commanding and calm like her daughter¡¯s, had a pleading tone.


    I let out a relieved breath at her words, then bit my lips in disgust with myself. Not the right time to be thinking about who was going to volunteer!


    ¡®I¡­¡¯ Tsubasa scrunched his eyes shut and curled his hands into fists. ¡®I might k-kill you.¡¯


    ¡®No, you won¡¯t.¡¯ She sighed, gazing at the top edges of the pit. ¡®But when they come back, they might. And it could be for vain, the rest of you might not even be able to escape.¡¯


    For a few moments, no one said a word. Was this really the best plan we¡¯ve got? There must be another way, a perfect way where no one got hurt. Something we were overlooking. But as much as I dug through my brain for an idea, any idea, I came up with none.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡®Al-alright¡¯ Tsubasa took in a deep breath. ¡®I¡¯ll d-do it.¡¯ His words sounded cold, as though he was already ready for the worst.


    Daisuke cleared his throat. ¡®I¡¯ll draw the array in my notebook. Then we can paint it on the ground--I have some ink in my bag. Ahio, measure the circumference of the pit, and Tahro, can you oversee the symbols, at least those you remember?¡¯


    With a nod, I strode to his side as he took out a pen and book from his backpack. The little torch in hand, we whispered to each other while Daisuke drew on the lined paper. First was the shape of the array, in this case a circle or an oval which must be drawn along the edges of the ground we want lifted. Then the symbols, each one designed to shape the inner spirit into doing what we wanted as it flowed through the circle. There were a total of twenty.


    I couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that the spell might be wrong. What if Daisuke forgot something and it blew up in our face. But he seemed sure, never doubting what he remembered or erasing any symbol to replace it with another. I hoped he knew what he was doing.


    Daisuke sighed. ¡®It¡¯s done. I¡¯ll paint it myself actually, the distance between each symbol and their sizes should be the same, so it¡¯s better if one person does it.¡¯


    Using Ahio¡¯s measurement, Daisuke walked around the pit, crouching every now and then to push away the fake grass and draw a new symbol. The rest of us moved to the centre away from the runes.


    Fifteen more to go.


    What was the special swordsman doing now? Is she already on her way back or was her carriage parked further away?


    Ten more to go.


    What if she finds us awake, drawing witch¡¯s runes on the ground? There¡¯s nowhere to hide, she¡¯d shoot us down like last time. Did Dr Chiasa have more of the antidote?


    Five more to go.


    I shook my head. No, no, we¡¯d hear her footsteps if she approached, especially if she came here with more swordsmen like Dr Chiasa suspected. Could we erase the symbols in time to pretend as though we were still sedated? My heart drummed with fury. What was taking Daisuke so long?


    ¡®Done.¡¯ he said, standing up and pocketing the brush and ink. ¡®It¡¯s your turn now, Dr Chiasa, Tsubasa.¡¯


    Tsubasa took in a deep breath and nodded, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses, while Dr Chiasa clenched her jaw with resolution. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ she asked.


    ¡®Come over here to the first rune, to absorb.¡¯ Daisuke said, pointing to his right. ¡®The one that looks like a circle.¡¯


    She stepped forward and looked at Daisuke, an eyebrow raised.


    ¡®Just hold your palm out, like you¡¯re going to shoot something out of it into the circle-- That¡¯s it.¡¯ He turned to Tsubasa. ¡®You just have to push her inner spirit through her palms and into the circle.¡¯


    Tsubasa nodded and closed his eyes, perspiration dotting his forehead. His face scrunched up as the seconds flew by.


    ¡®Ah!¡¯ Dr Chiasa said, as a blue light broke through the darkness. It swirled around her palm, vanishing a few centimetres away.


    ¡®Open your eyes, Tsubasa, you¡¯re not directing it to the circle!¡¯ Daisuke snapped.


    The older boy sighed and did what he was told, clenching his fists as sweat rolled down his nose and cheeks.


    This time, the light shot down to the ground instead of wandering around aimlessly. The symbols lit up one by one, each a vivid electric blue.


    ¡®Urgh.¡¯ Dr Chiasa clutched the arm with her other hand, her face scrunching up with pain. The veins on that limb were bulging, and her skin broke out with red bruises.


    The light coming from the palm flickered to a stop. Tsubasa gazed at her arm with wide eyes.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay, Tsubasa!¡¯ Dr Chiasa said as the blue of the symbols began to dim. ¡®It¡¯s just a bruise, keep going!¡¯


    With another deep breath, he clenched his fists and concentrated.


    The light beamed onto the ground again, brightening up the symbols to their previous vivid colour and spreading to the adjacent runes.


    The bruises spread across Dr Chiasa¡¯s skin, sometimes breaking into small open wounds. But she bit down her lip, clutching her arm with an iron grip. It must hurt like hell. But if she made a sound, Tsubasa would stop again. His eyes were focused on her palm and nothing else.


    By the time the final rune, a simple line meaning to link, glowed blue, a patchwork of red and blue had worked its way up Dr Chiasa¡¯s right arm, her neck and even over her jaw. Her lip was bust on one side as she continued to hold her arm over the symbol.


    The earth rumbled below us.


    With a jerk, the ground shot up. We fell, clutching each other for dear life as the walls sprang past us. What if the ground kept moving up? Did the spell have a way of knowing when to stop? My heart raced. Stop thinking of weird things!


    The floor ground to a halt, perfectly level with the rest of the earth.


    ¡®We-We¡¯re out,¡¯ Ahio chuckled, lying on his back as Tsubasa retched into the fake grass.

 43- A Town of Death and a City of Gold- Part 1

    Dr Chiasa could barely stand and Tsubasa wasn¡¯t much better off. The moment he saw her broken skin, he dropped down to the ground, eyes fixed on the bruises. Tayo clambered up his back and nuzzled his cheek as the boy shivered. The grass rustled with the wind and I shifted around, looking for any sign of the swordsmen. Who knew what a racket the spell had made? We should get out of here.


    The others must¡¯ve thought the same. Ahio and Maya held Dr Chiasa steady while Daisuke and I helped Tsubasa up. A glance at his compass later, Daisuke guided us toward the river. I kept one hand wrapped around a knife. If she came back and threw another net over me, I would rip it apart.


    The rushing sound grew louder with every step. Before long, the river spread out before us, the other end blending into the night sky. Stars glinted back on its surface, rippling with its current. It had to be a hundred meters across at least. And after that, Mori Chuo¡¯s province. I gulped. This wasn¡¯t going to be pleasant.


    The other two stood on their own now and helped us shove our possessions into waterproof bags. I¡¯d hoped to never use them back when I first bought the standard swordsmen tool kit. While we stripped down to our underwear, Tsubasa bandaged Dr Chiasa¡¯s wounds, mumbling an apology with every breath though she reassured him each time. Daisuke tore up one of the bags and handed them to the other boy. That¡¯d keep the water from soaking into the wounds.


    Ahio jumped in first, splashing across the river faster than I ever could.


    The first step raised goosebumps on my skin. With a deep breath, I dove in, water clouding my vision. The current pulled me off to my left, but I thrusted my limbs against it, keeping sight of the shore whenever I came up to breathe. Here and there, I could see the others, their bodies hitting onto mine on the way.


    A few minutes later, I clambered onto the shore, shivering as the wind bit into me. Maya was out too, putting on her clothes while Ahio was already dressed, his hair hanging limply over his eyes. I helped Daisuke up before I took out my bag. Tayo came out next, giving us a mini shower with a shake of its fur, then Tsubasa, and finally, Dr Chiasa.


    As we set up camp, a little light broke through the darkness on the other side of the river. I smiled and a rush of triumph ran through my veins. For now, we were safe.


    ***


    June 21. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    For the first time in days, there were houses on the horizon. Dilapidated red roofs struck out from the cloudy sky, signalling a village close by. Sure enough, a row of white stones spanned across the grassy meadow.


    ¡®Should we go around it?¡¯ I turned to Dr Chiasa. But then again, we weren¡¯t in Heikisato¡¯s territory anymore, so we were unlikely to be caught. Mori Chuo, the city of lumber, wasn¡¯t known for its swordsmen. And Minister Banji wouldn¡¯t want to publicize the search too much. I hoped.


    Dr Chiasa¡¯s expression darkened as she gazed at the buildings ahead. ¡®Not this one, no one comes through here. We should be safe.¡¯


    ¡®Sakashi,¡¯ said Daisuke, skimming across a book. ¡®It says it used to be a middleman to a gem trade from Genkoushi territory. Used to? What...oh! There was a disaster¡ª it doesn''t say what¡ª and no one lives there now.¡¯


    A chill ran through my spine. The Sakashi incident. My heart raced. What was the disaster? The buildings took on a macabre tone as we approached the village, the windows hiding secrets within them. Sharp winds blew around us the closer we got, bringing with them a frosty cold air. My gut screamed out to me that something was wrong, unnatural about the place.


    We entered the town through an alleyway between two run-down houses, their gardens overflowing with twisting weeds. The air grew more biting, and I shoved my hands in my pockets. I hadn¡¯t watched many horror movies, but none of this was a good sign.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡®Why is it so cold here?¡¯ asked Ahio, glaring at the surroundings as if to force it to grow warm.


    ¡®You¡¯ll see soon,¡¯ Dr Chiasa said as we turned around a corner, entering the main village square.


    Or at least, what should¡¯ve been the square. Instead, a hole broke through the cobblestone ground, several meters into the dirt and rocks underneath. Cracks ran from it and onto the road, with some of the pavement hanging precariously over the edge. Visions of the cracks spreading and swallowing us into the hole flashed before my eyes. I shivered, this time not from the cold, and stood firm on my spot. I wasn¡¯t going near that thing.


    Dr Chiasa strode forward, peering over the edge. ¡®They had their spirit absorber taken.¡¯


    We¡¯d learned a bit about them in geography class back at the academy. Saishuu Riku hadn¡¯t always had such great weather. In fact, it was known for frigid temperatures and rocky waves few could cross. But the first immigrants, who were mostly mages, had an idea. After conquering the seas, they sought to tame the land to suit them. Much of the weather was caused by the ups and downs of the inner spirit of the elements; air; water; earth; and fire, and in a great show of solidarity, witches and elementalists came together to build spirit absorbers. They were devices that kept the levels of elementary inner spirit within an area constant, thereby keeping the weather constant. Each town had one.


    Why would anyone remove that?


    ¡®Are you sure it¡¯s safe to stay here?¡¯ Daisuke rolled a pen around his fingers, gaze shifting from one house to the next.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about the weather. The spirit absorbers from the surrounding villages wouldn¡¯t let it get much worse than this.¡¯ Stepping back from the hole, Dr Chiasa walked toward a nearby house, pushing open its creaky wooden door. ¡®Coming?¡¯


    We followed her in. A musty smell filled the hall and cobwebs spanned across every surface. I gulped as a spider, with dark legs as long as my fist, scuttled over a greyed-out sofa. Maybe camping out is a better idea.


    ¡®You¡¯ve been here before,¡¯ Daisuke said, dusting off a wooden chair by the dining table.


    ¡®Yes,¡¯ Dr Chiasa sighed, wincing when her bruised arm knocked against the table as she sat down. ¡®I was called in after the disaster, purely on a medical capacity. Well, my history as an assassin would¡¯ve helped the selection.¡¯


    My heart banged against my ribs. ¡®What...what happened?¡¯ I sat down, trying to make myself small and keep from squashing any spider.


    Dr Chiasa leaned forward, running her fingers in circles over the dirt atop the table. ¡®No one really knows yet,¡¯ she said after a while. ¡®We were called in to treat any survivors after a merchant passing through saw the bodies, but really, all we did was pronounce them dead. Everyone.¡¯


    ¡®How did they die?¡¯ Ahio whispered.


    ¡®Some were stabbed in the throat or the heart with knives from their own kitchens, others were crushed beneath heavy furniture and still more were beaten to death with household objects.¡¯ She paused, clenching her jaw. ¡®But the weirdest were the babies. All dead in their cots with no sign of any harm.¡¯


    A shiver rippled across my body.


    Just twenty-one stones until the Sakashi incident repeats itself.


    A massacre. Twenty-one stones till a massacre.


    ¡®All the gems were taken, and so was the spirit absorber.¡¯ She leaned back on her chair, licking her bust lip. ¡®For a while, they kept looking, but with no leads, they stopped and I heard it¡¯s a cold case. It¡¯s been fourteen years. They didn¡¯t publicise it much, though the papers ran pieces on the incident for a few months. It¡¯s the swordsmen''s biggest failure and embarrassment.¡¯


    I placed all the facts I knew in order as we had dinner in that dingy house. The witch wanted twenty-one stones, and Genkoushi was giving them to her. When she got them, something like this would happen again¡ª another village would die. The ministers are trying to get the stones before this, to stop this, though their goals with possibly releasing the elemental spirits were unclear. Or what they did with the kidnapped kids.


    The way the babies died... my hands trembled as I bit into my sandwich. Wasn¡¯t that how Hana died?


    It must¡¯ve been the witch. She must be collecting inner spirit, and maybe took the spirit absorber to siphon out what it held. But why?


    Questions rolling around in my mind, I wandered off into the village while the others did their own thing. I imagined an old lady in a nearby vegetable shop, its shelves empty and filled with cobwebs. She smiled at me, her face crinkling, and offered me a carrot. A few steps ahead was a school, its sign hanging askew from a nail that had long rusted away. Imaginary children rushed out, skipping to their homes and waving their friends goodbye with bright grins. As I passed by a dusty window, inside was a little crib from which a baby¡¯s laugh would''ve travelled onto the street.


    The village of fourteen years ago flashed before my eyes with every step, only to be replaced by the rusty, battered reality.


    Just twenty-one stones until the Sakashi incident repeats itself.

 44- A Town of Death and a City of Gold- Part 2

    June 29. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Japan.


    Dr Chiasa lay sprawled on the gilded marble floor, a pool of blood soaking into her clothes. On the dark grey fabric, the splotches looked black. A gash ran down her chest, from the collarbone to her waist across the torso, revealing gleaming white ribs and red viscera. Blood trickled down from her nose and mouth, staining her face as her expression was frozen in shock. Her chest stopped heaving.


    My heart drummed into my chest as I stared at the image, unable to pry my eyes away. Last chapter, she had sneaked into the seer¡¯s home, hoping to speak with him alone or even to threaten him to find Kaede¡¯s location. Before she had got the chance, this chapter had begun with a fight between her and one of his guards. And now¡­


    She was dead.


    My hands shook and I clutched the phone tight with sweaty fingers, afraid it would fall onto the bathroom floor. The air felt thick, as though it was choking me. Why is she dead? I swiped to the next page, hoping I was wrong.


    But the rest of the chapter only confirmed it. The kids had broken down upon learning of her death, and the seer had pitied them, finally convinced they weren¡¯t headhunters or stalkers. On the last page, he began meditating to find Kaede.


    The chapter was done, but I didn¡¯t want to leave the stall. My breathing came in quick bursts. Why did she have to die? I clutched the phone tighter as it almost slipped away.


    Did she have to die, for us to find Kaede?


    I shook my head. No, no, no! There was still a way to get through this without anyone getting killed. When the seer finds Kaede¡¯s location next chapter, I¡¯d just have to inform the group without arousing suspicion. I ran a hand through my hair, the strands sticking to my clammy palms. Then Dr Chiasa wouldn¡¯t break into the seer¡¯s house.


    Yes, I just had to wait till next week.


    ***


    July 5. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    The golden fittings on Genkoushi¡¯s homes glistened with the sun. Its buildings were taller than those in Heikisato, though nowhere near the skyscrapers in Japan. With each floor, they narrowed and rose up to a point, like pillared mountains. The dusty streets teemed with people and carriages. Everywhere was the noise of clanging metal, of hammers and of whirring machinery. While cartloads of precious metals passed us by, the people riding them looked worn and sweaty. I wonder who¡¯s getting rich from that.


    Something sounded familiar, and it took me a moment to put my finger on it. The way the people spoke was just like our QM. She must¡¯ve been from Genkoushi.


    ¡®What¡¯s the seer¡¯s name and address?¡¯ Dr Chiasa eyed the street, stepping aside to let a blacksmith walk past.


    Ahio rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish expression. ¡®Um, I don¡¯t actually know. But I¡¯m sure everyone here¡¯s heard of him. Let¡¯s ask them!¡¯


    I gulped. Tonight the new chapter would be up, and I¡¯d find out where Kaede was. But if we found the seer before that, and he rejected our plea, then Dr Chiasa would sneak into his house before I¡¯d have the chance to change anything. It wasn¡¯t easy to get people to talk in the manga though. I hoped it stayed that way.


    Ahio stalked towards an old man standing outside the restaurant we were by. His back was hunched and he held a cane with one shaking arm. In his other hand, he had a cup of steaming tea.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡®What is it, boy?¡¯ he rasped, his long white beard twitching. It struck out sharply against his dark, weathered skin.


    ¡®Do you know the seer?¡¯


    ¡®Yes.¡¯ The man swirled his tea and took a sip.


    ¡®Great!¡¯ Ahio grinned. ¡®Do you know where he lives?¡¯


    He took a sip of his drink, then grimaced at the taste. ¡®Yup.¡¯


    ¡®Where? Could you tell us?¡¯


    ¡®No.¡¯ The man continued sipping his tea. ¡®Too much sugar,¡¯ he mumbled.


    Ahio¡¯s eye twitched. ¡®Why not? Tell us where the seer lives!¡¯


    He chuckled. ¡®Oh, ya don¡¯t wanna know.¡¯


    Ahio grabbed the man by his shoulders, causing some of the tea to spill. ¡®We need the seer¡¯s help to find a friend of ours. Come on, tell us where he lives!¡¯


    ¡®Now look what you¡¯ve done. You¡¯ve spilled it!¡¯ The old man glared at him. ¡®An¡¯ the seer doesn¡¯t like to be bothered. We¡¯d both be in trouble if I told ya his address. Poor old Kinari wanted to find his dead wife too. Claimed she wa¡¯ still alive somewhere. Didn¡¯t end too well for him, did it? Came outta the building with a limp leg he did.¡¯


    ¡®But Kaede is alive! She was just kidnapped.¡¯ Ahio clenched his fists.


    ¡®That¡¯s what they all say.¡¯ The man sipped his tea.


    Daisuke placed a hand on Ahio¡¯s shoulder before he yelled back. ¡®We¡¯ll ask someone else instead. Come on, Ahio.¡¯


    We split up, planning to meet in front of the restaurant after fifteen minutes. I strolled around one narrow street, asking people here and there half-heartedly about the seer. Most of them walked away faster, with an anxious look on their face, while others loudly promised that they knew nothing. Only a couple said they knew, but they refused to tell me.


    It had been the same in the manga, with the exception of an old lady working in a noodle shop who had spilled the beans. I wished none of the others encountered her. Atleast, not today.


    When we met up again, I sighed in relief. No one had been successful.


    Throughout the day, we scoured the streets, asking one person after the other for the address. Everytime, my anxiety flared up, convinced that my plan was going to fall apart. But by the time the sun dipped below the horizon and the streetlights brought the golden city to life at night, none of us knew where the seer lived.


    It took me a few tries to meditate later that day. Visions of Dr Chiasa¡¯s dead body, blood smeared on her face, kept breaking my trance.


    ***


    July 6. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Japan.


    I took a deep breath and mumbled a little prayer as I opened the new chapter. It began innocuously enough, with the seer meditating for a few days and the first few pages on everyone else coming to terms with Dr Chiasa¡¯s death. My stomach clenched as I read through those parts. She was still alive, I reminded myself each time. She won¡¯t die in the real world.


    ¡®Take this,¡¯ said the seer, handing Ahio a little golden spyglass.


    He twisted it around, frowning. ¡®A telescope? It¡¯s got runes on it.¡¯


    The seer nodded. ¡®It¡¯s an old witch¡¯s invention. They¡¯d use it in the war to organize troops. Only the government has it now, but I¡¯d bought a few for myself.¡¯ He pointed at one of the runes. ¡®I¡¯d calculated the coordinates and set the point. Look through it to see where your friend is at.¡¯


    Ahio placed it over his eye. ¡®I don¡¯t see anything.¡¯ He turned around shrugging, then gasped. ¡®Wait, there¡¯s a blue light over there!¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s the direction you¡¯d have to go.¡¯


    I flipped to the next page, but a dark screen came up, saying I¡¯d reached the end. My heart beat against my eardrums as I stared at the phone. No. An icy rain of dread washed over my body.


    No.


    That can¡¯t be the end. What were the coordinates? Something burned in my chest, urging me to scream out. But I bit my lip hard.


    No.


    Where was Kaede? My legs grew weak, threatening to give away, and I leaned against the stall. Every muscle in my body seemed to lose strength. I was tired, as though I¡¯d run for days. Bile rose up in my throat.


    Did Dr Chiasa have to die, for us to find her?

 45- How to Break a Seer- Part 1

    July 5. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    The manga plagued my thoughts all night long. When daybreak arrived and the birds began their song, I hadn¡¯t slept a wink. Nor had I come up with any sort of plan beyond waiting for the chapter in which they reached the location. Maybe it would be next week. Or the week after that. Or even later. All I could do was wait and hope the others didn¡¯t find the seer before I had all the answers.


    We started the search early, splitting up to question the crowds in the many cramped streets of Genkoushi. Daisuke¡¯d bought a map of the city yesterday, and he¡¯d divided it up so we¡¯d cover as much ground as possible. This time, I asked nobody, not even half-heatedly. Just in case someone did tell me, I didn¡¯t want to lie anymore.


    We met at the rendezvous point, outside the little hotel we¡¯d stayed overnight.


    ¡®No luck for me,¡¯ said Daisuke, scribbling on a portion of the map. ¡®I asked every house on the street and they told me to leave them alone.¡¯


    ¡®Me either.¡¯ Ahio scowled and kicked the pavement. People passing by gave him a strange look and he glared back.¡®What is wrong with the folks here?¡¯


    Tsubasa rubbed his eyes. ¡®I-I couldn¡¯t f-find anything.¡¯


    ¡®Same,¡¯ I said quickly.


    Dr Chiasa sighed. Her bruises had turned green and the wounds were now just scars, but in my minds¡¯ eye, a gash slit open her chest, spilling her innards and gushing blood out onto the pavement. I shook my head. It¡¯s not the manga, she¡¯s alive!


    She glanced at Daisuke¡¯s map. ¡®We still have a lot of ground to cover, so let¡¯s have some lunch and begin again. There¡¯s a food street nearby.¡¯


    On the way, we pushed through the crowd; grimy-faced miners, blacksmiths carrying hammers and even a scrawny beggar with a couple of coins in his hat. In fact, I¡¯d seen a few more around when I was strolling the streets before. There weren¡¯t anywhere near as many in Heikisato.


    Tsubasa and I dropped a few coins into his hat, and he looked up at us with a grin full of rotting teeth. Mum had always told me not to give beggars money, saying they¡¯d just use it for drugs or alcohol. But something warm blossomed in my heart when the man thanked us. Mum could be wrong.


    The food street was lined with restaurants and cafes, their patios decked with cosy chairs and shaded by giant umbrellas. Several smells, from barbecued meats to rich caramel, blended to form a mouthwatering scent. Daisuke strode off to the nearest store, a little noodle shop run by an old lady. Her stove was out in the open and everyone could watch her cook, slicing and dicing in record speed. Yet she still found time to chat with her customers while the sauces simmered.


    Just like the noodle shop lady in the manga who¡¯d told the seer¡¯s address, her pepper and salt hair was tied up in a bun and her apron had a picture of the sun smiling.


    ¡®Shall we go here?¡¯ I pointed at the adjacent store. A sign showing a bowl of fried rice hung above its door. ¡®This place looks...cleaner.¡¯Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    The lady frowned and shot me a dirty look while her customers scrutinised her store for the supposed lack of hygiene. I¡¯m sorry!


    We made leeway to the patio of the other restaurant, settled down under one of the giant umbrellas and gave out orders to a hurried waiter. We were lucky a group had just left, as all the other seats were taken. A slow music drifted along with the several conversations around us.


    ¡®This place is almost as crowded as Shoubaiba.¡¯ Ahio glanced around at the packed street and the waiters running back and forth.


    ¡®A lot of people in Shoubaiba are merchants who¡¯d only gone there to trade for a few days,¡¯ Daisuke said, pushing aside a glass of water to make space for his plate. ¡®Genkoushi is actually the most populated city in Saishuu Riku. Metal workers, architects and engineers also move here to learn their trade for a few years. Even their number of swordsmen is almost as high as Heikisato¡¯s.¡¯


    ¡®The districts are getting less dependent on each other now.¡¯ Dr Chiasa took a bite of her rice. ¡®Heikisato has also started giving incentives for people to farm, especially in the villages within the province.¡¯


    ¡®I wonder if they¡¯re going to become separate countries one day,¡¯ I said.


    Dr Chiasa shrugged. ¡®We¡¯ll have to see.¡¯


    ¡®Has anyone been to the other provinces?¡¯ asked Ahio, mouth full.


    ¡®I-I¡¯ve gone t-to Shuryoushi w-with my mentor once.¡¯ Tsubasa said, feeding Tayo some fried meat. The little animal bit into it with fervour. ¡®T-they have a large n-nature reserve. There w-were many rare animals; g-giant centipedes, pygmy eagles and k-katus of course.¡¯ He smiled at Tayo and it licked his hand.


    ¡®My family¡¯s dragged me to Anzenkai a few times, to the beach.¡¯ Daisuke sighed. ¡®I hated the sand, but my sister loved it and made us go again.¡¯


    Maya gave me a glance, then said ¡®Tahro and I have gone to Anzenkai too.¡¯


    ¡®I think I¡¯ve been everywhere.¡¯ Dr Chiasa tapped her chin. ¡®Shoubaiba, Mori Chuo, even to Genkoushi twice before.¡¯


    ¡®I haven¡¯t gone to Mori Chuo the city itself, but Kaede and I went to a little village in its province two years ago. I forgot its name, but they had a huge pub.¡¯ Ahio had a small smile, his eyes fixed on his plate. He chuckled. ¡®Our mentor left us alone for a few hours and we sneaked in to try some alcohol.¡¯


    Dr Chiasa cleared her throat.


    ¡®It was just a sip, I swear!¡¯ He threw his hands up, the rice in his spoon flying in the air. ¡®Don¡¯t tell Mum though,¡¯ he whispered.


    ¡®We''ll see about that when we get back to Heikisato.¡¯ Dr Chiasa narrowed her eyes and he gulped.


    A girl passing by stopped in her tracks and turned towards our table. ¡®You¡¯re from Heikisato?¡¯ she asked, eyes wide. She couldn¡¯t have been older than twelve, with black hair tied into two short ponytails and her copper complexion standing out against her light blue shirt.


    ¡®Yes.¡¯ Daisuke said, knitting his brows. ¡®And who are you?¡¯


    The girl pulled a chair away as another customer stood up. Ignoring the shouting behind her, she sat at our table between Dr Chiasa and Daisuke. ¡®My name¡¯s Yukiten!¡¯ Her black-brown eyes shone as she looked at us. ¡®Are you¡­ are ya¡¯ll swordsmen?¡¯ Her voice was almost a hush.


    ¡®We are¡ª¡® Ahio said, before the girl squealed.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe it! I¡¯d always wanted to go to Heikisato n¡¯ become a swordsman.¡¯ She leaned forward and grinned. ¡®I¡¯d heard so much about Heikisato¡¯s swordsmen n¡¯ their excitin¡¯ quests. The swordsmen trainin¡¯ here is no good, besides, my uncle won¡¯ let me. Can you take me with you when you go back? I¡¯d been tryin¡¯ to learn to fight and control my inner spirit and stuff by myself for years, but I wanna have a mentor and really master everythin¡¯. How many adventures have ya gone to? Is it as dangerous as they say? Are ya¡¯ll on a quest here?¡¯ She stopped to catch her breath and gazed at everyone with hungry eyes.


    ¡®Um, I don¡¯t know about your other questions, but we¡¯re here because we¡¯re looking for the seer.¡¯ Ahio said, a bewildered look on his face.


    ¡®Oh, that¡¯s my uncle.¡¯ Yukiten grinned. ¡®I can take ya to him. Also, did ya get to fight a lot of bandits on the way here?¡¯


    I coughed, choking on a spoonful of rice.

 46- How to Break a Seer- Part 2

    The rest of the meal passed by in a haze as the others kept talking. My heart drummed against my chest, and I forced myself to breathe normally. This can¡¯t be happening!


    We followed Yukiten through the streets of Genkoushi, over its hills and to the edge of town, where mountains towered over the buildings. Here and there were tunnels where the mineworkers were busy labouring with their tools. The clink clank of metal on rock echoed across the land.


    The whole way, I followed the others feeling like an outsider watching my body from afar. Just going through the motions. It was all I could do to not scream at everyone to stop following the girl. But they would think I was insane. Perhaps it would be different from the manga, just like when we were caught in the pit. Perhaps the seer in real life would tell us what we needed. I repeated the words to myself every few seconds.


    She approached an intimidating pyramid-like building. Several guards surrounded its gold wrought gates, their backs straight and expressions stern as they held the swords still in their sheaths. A sigil of a coin was stitched onto the shoulder of their robes.


    A few metres before the building, Yukiten turned to us with a sheepish smile. ¡®I have to leave ya here. I¡¯m not really supposed to be out without my bodyguard, see? Please don¡¯t tell my uncle I showed ya his place. He hates visitors.¡¯ She pointed at the guards. ¡®Tell them ya¡¯ll are here on business. N¡¯ don¡¯t say a word about finding your friend until ya meet my uncle. Good luck!¡¯ She scampered off to the back of the building.


    Dr Chiasa approached the guards. ¡®We¡¯re here to meet Mr Mahato. For business.¡¯ She looked them in the eye without so much as a blink. I must¡¯ve missed the seer¡¯s name back at lunch.


    They nodded and opened the gates to let us into the courtyard. One of the guards, a tall man with a goatee, followed us in. Several trees laden with yellow fruit stood by the walls of the courtyard, and a large oaken door, also flanked by guards, led to the inside of the building.


    Our steps echoed and we were under close watch as we walked through to the vast entrance hall. Plump sofas lined its walls, and the floor was gilded marble. My stomach churned as Dr Chiasa¡¯s blood on the marble flashed in front of my eyes. Stop! She¡¯s still alive.


    ¡®Wait here, I will fetch Mr Mahato,¡¯ said the guard, his voice a deep rumble. He strode off through a doorway on the right.


    A few seconds after we sat down, the side door opened again. In walked a bald man with a round belly, his dark skin contrasting against the long white robes he wore. My heart skipped a beat. The seer! The guard stood by his side, narrow eyes fixed on us.


    ¡®Odd to see children comin¡¯ along for a business proposal, but it¡¯s nice to meet ya, Miss¡­?¡¯ Mr Mahato dipped his head, then settled down on a sofa.


    ¡®Dr Chiasa.¡¯ She bowed back. ¡®And...I¡¯m not here looking for an investor.¡¯


    His expression grew dark. ¡®What is it then?¡¯


    She took a deep breath. ¡®My daughter was kidnapped, and I need your help to find her.¡¯If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    My heart raced. Please don¡¯t refuse. Please don¡¯t refuse!


    For a moment, he stared at her, then burst out laughing. ¡®Daughter? I hadn¡¯t heard that one for¡­ five years, I think. N¡¯ the other kids, are they supposed to be her siblings? Ya should¡¯ve chosen a few who looked alike¡ª¡®


    Whatever hope I had diminished when his words came out identical to the manga¡¯s.


    ¡®We¡¯re her teammates!¡¯ shouted Ahio.


    ¡®Ah, swordsmen, are ya? A squad of what, six people includin¡¯ the girl?¡¯ His chuckles died down, and he leaned forward, steepling his fingers. ¡®Alright, the charades up. Who are ya really? Are ya head hunters? Does the girl have a bounty on her or somethin¡¯?¡¯


    ¡®No, she¡¯s my daughter! She was abducted a few weeks ago by a serial kidnapper. The Minister¡ª¡® she cut herself off, then began again. ¡®None of the other kids had been found yet, and I don¡¯t want her to be lost forever.¡¯


    ¡®Ya should have your story straight first, before comin¡¯ here. Clever trick with gettin¡¯ a meeting with me though.¡¯ He sighed and rose from his seat. ¡®I¡¯m bored of your antics now. Get out.¡¯ Gesturing at the guard, he walked towards the side door.


    ¡®No, wait!¡¯ Ahio shouted, striding forward. ¡®We just want our friend back.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m no swordsman to solve cases. Go to them.¡¯ Mr Mahato shut the door behind him.


    The guard grabbed Ahio before he could reach the door. Swearing, the boy unsheathed his sword, though the blades were still drawn in. Without sparing a second, the man took out his sabre.


    ¡®Stop.¡¯ Dr Chiasa clutched Ahio¡¯s shoulder. ¡®We¡¯ll leave.¡¯ She pushed him in front of her and strode towards the courtyard. Ahio glared daggers at everyone he passed. We followed them out, the guard a few steps behind.


    Once outside the gates, Ahio shrugged off Dr Chiasa¡¯s hand. ¡®Why did you stop me? I could¡¯ve gotten him to talk!¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t be stupid, you would¡¯ve been killed,¡¯ she snapped. ¡®We¡¯re outmatched in there, and I don¡¯t want any of you getting hurt.¡¯


    ¡®Well, what¡¯re we supposed to do now?¡¯ Ahio clenched his fists, giving the guards a death stare.


    Dr Chiasa glanced at the building, her brows lowered in a calculating look. ¡®We¡¯ll have to try again.¡¯


    ***


    While the others discussed negotiation tactics in the hotel room, I shut myself in the adjacent bathroom. They probably thought I had a stomach problem by now, but I needed some space to think. If the manga was any indication, Dr Chiasa would sneak into Mr Mahato¡¯s house come sunset. Outside the tiny bathroom window, a tinge of orange already coloured the sky.


    I clutched my head as tinnitus sounded across the air. What am I going to do? Was her death really the only route to get to Kaede? There must be some other way, any other way. But my mind drew a blank, just as it had over the several minutes I was in here.


    A vision of blood on the gilded marble floor, of Dr Chiasa¡¯s chest with white ribs visible, flashed in front of me.


    My hands trembled and I shook my head. She¡¯s still alive! But for how much longer? A feeling of dread suffocated me, like a plastic bag cutting off my oxygen.


    How am I to act as though I didn¡¯t know she was getting killed as everyone else slept? My skin prickled and it got harder to breathe. How would I face Kaede, knowing I could¡¯ve stopped her mother¡¯s death? How could I look at myself, and accept the fact I had a woman¡¯s blood on my hands?


    She was someone I knew, someone I¡¯d talked to, fought for, someone I¡¯d come to care for. And even if I didn¡¯t, who was I to play God with her life? But not making a decision was the same as making one.


    If only time would freeze and sunset never came.


    But the warm light from the outside deepened every second, bathing me in its mocking glow. My legs shook as I staggered to the door and my heart rammed against my chest like a hammer. I clutched the doorknob with clammy fingers.


    Shouldn¡¯t I at least try?

 47- How to Break a Seer- Part 3

    Dr Chiasa was nowhere in the room as I stepped out. Tsubasa wasn¡¯t either, but there were sounds from the kitchen and Tayo was inside, sleeping on an armchair, so that should be him. Ahio was sulking on the couch and didn¡¯t seem to notice me, while Daisuke and Maya were whispering about something while pointing at a book. Mumbling that I was going for a walk, I left the hotel. A fine line of red light hung over the horizon, signalling the last vestiges of the sun. Dr Chiasa wouldn¡¯t sneak into the seer¡¯s house till it was darker, but I still had to hurry.


    I rushed through the hilly streets, sidestepping the denizens of the city. Every step was like I was wading through crocodile infested waters, deeper into danger yet not knowing if turning back was worse. My lungs seared as I approached Mr Mahato¡¯s house, the golden fittings on the roofs glinting like embers with the waning sun. Panting, I went around the building. There should be a park, and that was where Dr Chiasa would wait before the time came.


    Sure enough, in front of the base of the mountains, an enclosed field stretched out in the vicinity of the house. Trees with wrangled roots stood amongst the playground toys, but the place was nearly deserted. The only people left were children refusing to go home as their parents dragged them away. I wandered in, between the slides and swings and sandpits. Where was Dr Chiasa hiding? A headache pounded into my skull and my skin both burned and was icy cold, like I had a fever. Though whether this was from a lack of sleep or the fear spreading through my veins, I didn¡¯t know.


    A figure leaned on the trunk of a particularly large tree in front of me, their face covered by the foliage and plump, yellow fruit. That should be her.


    My throat tightened, and each step was as though weights were tied to my legs. If a flap of a butterfly''s wings could cause a thunderstorm, would this decision be that flap? I¡¯m going to screw this up, every fibre of my being cried. But the image I¡¯d seen in the manga pushed me to keep walking.


    ¡®Dr...Dr Chiasa?¡¯ I said as I reached the tree. My voice seemed awfully high pitched.


    She jerked around, brown eyes wide and a hand clutching the sword hanging from her belt. ¡®Tahro? What¡¯re you doing here?¡¯


    I shuffled my feet and looked at the grass. ¡®Walking. What about you?¡¯


    ¡®Nothing much.¡¯ She scowled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. ¡®It¡¯s getting late. You should go home.¡¯


    My chest rattled as though it was freezing. I took a deep breath. ¡®I know what you¡¯re planning. I know you¡¯re going to sneak into the seer¡¯s house.¡¯


    Dr Chiasa stared at me, her expression shocked like a deer caught in headlights. ¡®I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. You should go home, Tahro.¡¯The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡®Not¡­¡¯ I balled my fists. ¡®Not without you, I won¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡®I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ She grimaced and massaged her temple. ¡®Listen, I have to do this. Just go home, Tahro.¡¯


    ¡®No.¡¯ How much should I tell her? ¡®His guards, they¡¯ll take you down. This won¡¯t end well.¡¯ My mouth dried out as the image flashed before me again.


    ¡®I¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ She glanced at the house, the lights from its windows bright against the twilight sky. ¡®I¡¯ll be back before you know it with Kaede¡¯s location. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡¯


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter, they¡¯ll take you down!¡¯ My voice grew louder with every word. ¡®Please¡­ how would Kaede feel if we lost you on the way?¡¯


    Dr Chiasa froze, then her eyes blazed with anger. ¡®And how are we supposed to find her if we don¡¯t try our best? You children shouldn¡¯t get involved with anything dangerous, but I can take care of this. So go home.¡¯


    As she turned away, I grabbed her arm. ¡®Not without you.¡¯ I met her gaze with resolution as an idea sparked in my mind. ¡®Let¡¯s ask the seer again like we did today. We¡¯ll make him listen to us and convince him. Let¡¯s try one more time, and if that doesn¡¯t work, then¡­¡¯ I scrunched my eyes closed. ¡®Then you do it your way tomorrow. Deal?¡¯ This wouldn¡¯t buy me much time, for who knew when the manga chapter with Kaede¡¯s location would come. But stalling was better than nothing at all.


    She raised her brows with skepticism. ¡®How would that go any different from today?¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t know, but we have to try.¡¯ I let go of her hand, my own trembling despite the warm weather. ¡®He just doesn¡¯t understand why we don¡¯t go to the swordsmen instead.¡¯


    Dr Chiasa glared daggers at the tree. ¡®How could we? When the Minister¡¯s involved. But it¡¯s not like we can tell the seer that.¡¯


    ¡®Please¡­ Your plan¡ª it¡¯s too dangerous without having tried everything else first.¡¯ My throat clenched and I had to choke out the words. ¡®I-I don¡¯t want to lose you.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine. You worry too much.¡¯ She smiled bitterly. ¡®But I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s difficult to go through life without losing anything. Not if you¡¯re a swordsman. Not if you have to fight for something important to you.¡¯ Dr Chiasa sighed. ¡®Alright. We¡¯ll try again together tomorrow. But if he still refuses, I¡¯ll make sure he tells me where my daughter is my way.¡¯


    I nodded, finding it easier to breathe. The binds that had wrapped my chest loosened.


    We walked out of the park, Dr Chiasa in front of me. My eyes never left her. Well they almost did once, when a bush beside us wriggled like an animal was hiding behind it. But I shook my head and focused on Dr Chiasa. I shouldn¡¯t lose sight of her, lest she took the chance to run off to her death. But she never looked back at the pyramid-like house, her gaze fixed resolutely ahead as she took large strides through the grassy field, then through the streets and then up our hotel¡¯s stairs.


    Even back in the room, when everyone had gone to bed, I fought to keep my eyes open throughout the night. My mind swam with questions of what I¡¯d do tomorrow, when the seer would refuse us again. But somewhere along the way, the exhaustion of the last few days defeated me. I drifted off to sleep.

 48- The Spyglass, the Sword and a Book like One Other- Part 1

    July 6. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.


    The morning was bright and clear, with cloudlings wisping across the sky and the chitter-chatter of birds blending with the noise of the crowded town. Too bright. Too clear. Too loud. The delicate gold fittings over the roofs shone so cheerfully as if mocking me for the unease brewing in my heart. A couple of kids shoved their way through our little group, laughing, the noise grating at my eardrums. I laughed easy, Yuuhei always said so, but now, I couldn¡¯t think of a more foreign gesture.


    Scant a year ago, I would¡¯ve jumped at the chance to explore Saishuu Riku. Now all I wanted was to go back to Heikisato, back to my apartment, back home, with everyone I knew, everyone I loved. Yet with each chapter in the manga and step of this ill-gotten adventure, that was becoming more and more of a pipe dream.


    I had to force myself not to run when the pyramid-like building loomed ahead of us.


    The guards flanking the golden gates narrowed their eyes as we approached. Dr Chiasa turned to one of them, a dark woman with a square jaw. ¡®We¡¯re here on business.¡¯


    My fingers shook as I ran a hand through my hair, blond locks sticking to my clammy palm. They were different from the guards yesterday. Would they know we¡¯d been here already and were turned away? What if they didn¡¯t let us in? But the woman nodded and swung open the gates, washing away the additional wave of anxiety that had rocked me. As we stalked past her into the courtyard, she followed us in.


    Mr Mahato was outside today, laughing with his guard-- the same one with the goatee from the day before-- while reaching at one of the plump yellow fruits from the tree beside him. His lips froze as we came into sight, the words he¡¯d been saying cut short. Then his expression morphed into an ugly scowl. ¡®You!¡¯ he spat. ¡®What¡¯re ya¡¯ll doin¡¯ here again?¡¯


    Ahio made to speak-- or rather shout, knowing him-- but Dr Chiasa laid a hand on his shoulder, shushing him. She stepped forward, her eyes on the sandy ground but blazing with determination. Kneeling down, grains of sand sticking to her dark clothes, she looked up at him. ¡®Please. I¡¯m looking for my daughter.¡¯


    If he¡¯d been shocked before, now he was taken aback, his brows furrowed in confusion at her display. ¡®I told ya, I am not a swordsman. If ya daughter was truly kidnapped, ya should go to them.¡¯


    ¡®We tried,¡¯ And for the first time since the day of Kaede¡¯s kidnapping, her voice cracked, showing a smidgeon of the pain she¡¯d hid under layers of false calm. She was much like Kaede that way. ¡®She is not the first child who¡¯s gone missing, and they hadn¡¯t found the others yet either.¡¯


    Something shifted in Mr Mahato¡¯s dark eyes, so fast that I couldn¡¯t tell what it was. but he shoock his head and glared at her.


    ¡®Do ya think of me as a charity? I do not know who ya¡¯ll are. I do not know if ya¡¯ll are crooks or kidnappers yaself.¡¯ He gestured at the guards. ¡®Ya¡¯ll are not special. Go to the swordsmen. Take them away.¡¯


    Ahio grabbed at his sword as the woman clutched Tsubasa¡¯s arm to pull him away. Seeing what he was about to do, she gripped her own blade. Pages of the manga flashed in front of my eyes, the guards slicing Dr Chiasa¡¯s chest open, too fast for her to dodge. And other flashes followed, Dr Chiasa¡¯s face replaced with Ahio¡¯s, his blood spilling onto the ground, the life in his eyes fading away. No, no, no. They¡¯re ordered to fatally attack if provoked.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Not Ahio.


    ¡®No!¡¯ I yelled and shoved Ahio¡¯s sword back in its sheath before the boy drew it out fully.


    His glare burned into me, and just as he opened his mouth, Dr Chiasa shook her head at him. He faltered, looking between her and me, then nodded and let go of his sword.


    ¡®We will not leave till we know where my daughter is,¡¯ she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.


    Mr Mahato sneered and waved his hand in a preemptive goodbye. The other guard gripped Maya¡¯s arm and pulled her out, her protests sounding over the clash of the closing gates. The woman took Tsubasa next as he stuttered good luck. And Daisuke, his rosy cheeks now pale, followed the man without fuss when he came back.


    Dr Chiasa stood up, brushing off the sand from her clothes, and Ahio and I stalked close to her. She grabbed our hands in each of hers, her expression affirming what I knew. We were Fighters. We wouldn¡¯t be so easy to chase. And we wouldn¡¯t leave till we knew.


    The woman entered first, her expression stony as she pulled at my arm hard enough to leave bruises. I dug my heels in and clutched Dr Chiasa¡¯s hand tighter.


    I did not see her fist coming.


    My stomach burst with pain as I doubled down, clutching my abdomen with a trembling arm. Stars swam behind my tightly closed eyelids. Someone shouted. Was it me?-- but another thud sounded behind me, so perhaps not. The guard''s nails bit into my arm, pulling me as I hung like dead weight. No. I glared at the woman and shook her off, standing up. Not until we know where Kaede is.


    Dr Chiasa and Ahio were on the ground, though the boy was getting back up, clutching his side with a growl. I grabbed Dr Chiasa¡¯s hand and pulled her up as she groaned. Blood spurted from her nose. We aren¡¯t leaving.


    The woman rolled her eyes and moved too fast to block. Sand grazed onto my elbows as I fell to the ground. Coughs burst out of me, each breath driving the sharp pain on my side deeper and deeper. How were they so quick? I couldn¡¯t see her coming. A surprised chuckle broke out of me, my body throbbing from the movement. Fighting against kids had been a joke. Even Kei was never this fast. Never this strong.


    She grabbed my hand again, but I pulled it away. My knees shook as I stood up. The other two weren¡¯t much better off, groaning in pain and struggling to stand back up. But we glared at Mr Mahato in unison as he ate his fruit, pretending not to notice us. We aren¡¯t leaving.


    She kicked me to the ground.


    My body burned with agony each time, my legs protesting as I sent out burst after burst of my inner spirit, forcing myself to stand, to keep standing. I had to. Black spots filled my vision with every strike as I fought to stay conscious. They mustn¡¯t drag me out. I tasted blood in my mouth, then sand after she sent me face-first onto the ground. My wrist trembled and pain shot up every joint as I pushed myself up. We can¡¯t leave. I can¡¯t leave.


    Because if we did¡­


    I knew it somewhere deep inside me. I knew it when I¡¯d been struggling to sleep. I knew it yesterday when I¡¯d glanced at myself in the mirror. I knew the secret I¡¯d held from even myself but never wanted to acknowledge.


    If we left now¡­


    My body trembled with pain and something more, something that wrenched my heart like it was paper, something that hurt deeper, rawer. The realisation punched me worse than any the guards could ever give.


    If the only way to rescue Kaede was Dr Chiasa¡¯s death¡­


    Then I might let her die.


    I stood up, only to be kicked down again, pain burning like fire through my every bone.


    We can¡¯t leave.


    ¡®Stop!¡¯ cried a voice behind us.

 49- The Spyglass, the Sword and a Book like One Other- Part 2

    Footsteps rushed into the courtyard, dark, lithe feet stopping just before me. I blinked bleary eyes and winced as I raised my head to look up. Who is it? Someone lugged my arm up, their fingers prising into the bruises which ached across my skin. My joints creaked and groaned as though they were eighty years old, and I wasn¡¯t entirely sure that nothing was broken. It had been a while since my last fracture: my forearm once when I¡¯d been sparring three years ago. It had hurt like hell. Damn guards.


    Yukiten stood before us, the grin that had gone up to her dark eyes before now replaced with a frown. Her gaze softened as she turned to look at us before swivelling her head toward her uncle once more. ¡®What¡¯re ya¡¯ll doin¡¯?¡¯


    ¡®Stay outta this, Yukiten.¡¯ He waved at one of the guards to lead her away, but she shook off the woman¡¯s hand with a glare. Unlike how she¡¯d dealt with us, the guard held back with a sheepish expression and shrugged at Mr Mahato.


    ¡®Why won¡¯t ya help ¡®em?¡¯ Yukiten pointed at Dr Chiasa. ¡®She¡¯s just lookin¡¯ for her daughter.¡¯ Dr Chiasa nodded, a drop of blood, having trailed down her nose to her chin, falling to the ground at the motion.


    My breath stuck in my throat as tendrils of hope grew through me. No one had met Yukiten in the manga. Please convince him. I clenched my fists, thumbs grazing against the scratches and bruises across my fingers. Please.


    Mr Mahato¡¯s expression darkened like a thundercloud had passed over him. ¡®How do ya know that?¡¯


    ¡®I¡­¡¯ Yukiten shuffled her feet, drawing circles on the sand with her toes. Her cheeks darkened. ¡®I heard ¡®em talkin¡¯ about it and told ¡®em to come here.¡¯


    He spoke through clenched teeth. ¡®Ya were outside? Alone?¡¯


    ¡®I went to get fried rice.¡¯ She jutted out her chin in challenge.


    ¡®Ya could¡¯ve told one of the servants to buy it, ya stupid girl!¡¯ He spat. ¡®Ya know how--¡¯


    ¡®Well, I¡¯m glad I went ¡®cuz I met ¡®em an¡¯ know about the missin¡¯ girl!¡¯ She took a step toward us as if protecting us from his wrath. ¡®Father would¡¯ve helped--¡¯


    Mr Mahato froze for a moment, though whether at Yukiten¡¯s disobedience or what she¡¯d said, I didn¡¯t know. ¡®Don¡¯t bring yer father into this. We are not swordsmen to help every riffraff that comes our way.¡¯


    She glanced at us, her brows lowered in apology. ¡®Well, they can¡¯t. Ministers are involved with the kidnappin¡¯.¡¯


    How does she know that? The air around me seemed to chill despite the blazing sun. Had we let it slip somewhere? My muscles shook as a wave of frustration hit me. Mr Mahato would never believe us now. Or help even if he did. Who¡¯d go against Ministers?This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Damn it.


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t ya look if it were me?¡¯ Yukiten took in a deep breath but held her gaze fixed on her uncle.


    ¡®Ministers are involved?¡¯ Mr Mahato asked, jutting his chin in our direction.


    ¡®Yes,¡¯ Dr Chiasa said, her voice scratchy. ¡®They¡¯d targeted her once before but she got away.¡¯


    ¡®How do I know ya¡¯ll aren¡¯t some kinda criminals? Why would the Ministers take her, if yer story were true in the first place?¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t know!¡¯ Dr Chiasa shouted. ¡®Even if we were criminals, which we aren¡¯t, my daughter isn¡¯t. She¡¯s an innocent child and I need to find her.¡¯ She wiped off some of the still running blood from across her cheek. ¡®Please¡­¡¯


    ¡®Father would¡¯ve helped.¡¯ Yukiten stomped her feet.


    Mr Mahato¡¯s gaze shifted onto something far away, or perhaps long ago, as a pensive expression took over his face. I dared not to breathe, hope growing on me like vines, threatening to suffocate me with anticipation. Please agree.


    ¡®Fine, but I¡¯ll need somethin¡¯ of yours before. If I hear I¡¯d been tricked and ya¡¯ll aren¡¯t who ya say ya are, my guards will hunt ya down wherever ya are.¡¯


    Something lifted as though I could see after being blinded, breathe after being drowned. I wanted to scream and shout, let the world know my joy, but I squashed it down. A traitorous part within me expected the other foot to drop, for him to tell us he was joking or hadn¡¯t meant it. Celebrations could wait until we found Kaede.


    Dr Chiasa stepped forward, prising a ring off of her finger. ¡®I¡¯d worn this for twenty years. It should have my trace.¡¯


    ¡®An¡¯ somethin¡¯ of the girl or the kidnapper?¡¯


    The words drilled into my brain, putting a stop to my thoughts. Something of the girl? What? But of course. A bitter laugh almost burst out of me before I smothered it. Kaede¡¯s things would show her current location, more reliably even than the kidnapper¡¯s. Why hadn¡¯t I thought of that before jumping in and half-revealing everything?


    Because that¡¯s what happened in the manga.


    They hadn¡¯t been in Heikisato and Ahio had planned to rush after the kidnapper from there, even if they¡¯d gone back later at Tsubasa¡¯s request. They hadn¡¯t had anything of Kaede¡¯s so Ahio saw the knives as his only shot.


    Stupid. Stupid.


    How could I have been so blind?


    A rush of horror chilled my spine as I watched Dr Chiasa hand over the butterfly-patterned knife and Kaede¡¯s old pair of arm warmers. Dr Chiasa, battered with scratches and scars and bruises but alive. Still alive. And I had, only moments ago¡­


    What else was I blind to?


    ¡®Come back in three days. I should know her location by then.¡¯ Mr Mahato said and gestured at the gate leading back outside.


    Dr Chiasa thanked him and led us out.


    Throughout the whole way and the next couple of days, I averted my eyes whenever she was nearby, finding great interest in my fingernails, or trousers or whatever else was in front of me. Whenever I caught a glimpse on accident, her chest seemed to split open, her blood spilling everywhere, coating her clothes her hands, the floor. She¡¯s alive, she¡¯s alive, I repeated as a mantra.


    But I couldn¡¯t let go of what could¡¯ve been. What I¡¯d have let it become.

 (Deleted Prologue)- A Letter to Youka

    Dear Youka,


    Happy birthday kiddo! Please take a large drippy marker, scribble with it all over this letter, snip the paper into tiny pieces and throw it in the bin. I don¡¯t want anyone other than people like us to know this is an autobiography. If someone else asks, tell them it¡¯s one-hundred percent fictional.


    You might be confused as to what I¡¯m talking about. Well, it¡¯s that book you asked me to write almost a year ago. I hope you like this. It¡¯s your birthday present.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. This is the story of the boy who lives in two worlds at the same time.


    Enjoy.


    Your secret-keeper,


    Tahro Akagi.

 (Deleted) Chapter 1

    Dear Youka,


    What''s most annoying about having two bodies and living in separate worlds is that almost no one will believe you. So keep this memoir a secret or people will think I''m delusional.


    Tahro Akagi.


    ***


    July 22. Nine going on ten years old. Japan.


    Rambling voices and an aroma of new books filled every nook and cranny of the shop. People scuttled around like ants. From toddlers who clung to their parents'' arms, staring at picture books, to old people in the Archives section, going through newspapers of yesteryear.


    A looming bookcase filled with manga demanded my attention. Each cover depicted the protagonists in heroic poses.


    I squeezed my wallet, and its scratchy surface drew sweat from my palms. Four hundred yen, enough for one volume.


    I tapped the top of the books, flipping some here and there. Where one beckoned me with promises of cool gadgets, another would do the same with the most marvellous creatures. One day, when I become a scientist, I''d earn enough money to buy this whole store.


    Towards the end of the shelf, I pulled one out. Blade Fables. The book was white with red borders and a large number one on its spine.On the front were four kids; two of them holding strange swords; one reading a book much too big for his slight frame; and a tall boy with a cat-like creature perching on his shoulder.


    As I stared, the more their stylized eyes glistened. The air around me became lighter, more windy in a way. A shiver went up my spine.


    I shook my head and turned the book.There, the blurb.


    Heikisato boasts of the best swordsmen in Saishuu Riku. Ahio, Kaede, Tsubasa and Daisuke of Heikisato have graduated into just that. Finally, their years of hard work are going to pay off. And their first quest is... to escort a kid back home?!


    A run-of-the-mill shounen manga. Who knew if this was any good?


    But the thought of leaving this behind disgusted me. Left a bad taste in my mouth.


    I checked the price, wondering if I''d have enough change to get ice-cream afterwards. Four hundred and twenty yen. My heart sank. I riffled through my wallet, hoping I''d find twenty more yen somewhere in its folds. But there were none. I''d have to run back home to ask Mum for more cash. Would she give it to me, if I promised to study an hour longer tomorrow?


    But what if someone bought it while I was away? I stared at the book, not wanting to place it back. Were there more copies? I ran my eyes along the shelf, pausing here and there at other white books with red borders. But none of them were Blade Fables.


    I should hide it.


    I turned around to look for a good hidey-hole when I knocked against something beside me.


    The word ''sorry'' was halfway out my mouth before I saw who or what I''d hit. It was a who, a short raven-haired boy whose arms embraced several volumes. Some of the manga teetered on the edge of falling, and it was a wonder they hadn''t already. A tinge of envy coloured my thoughts. How could he afford all that? I remembered him from school. Who wouldn''t though? He was famous-- always in plays and spelling bees.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Yes, Youka, that was your uncle. The one and only Yuuhei Shinguchi.


    ''Sorry, sorry!''


    ''It''s OK,'' said a high-pitched voice. ''Hey, you''re Tahro, right? I''ve seen you at school.'' Yuuhei grinned, one sharp tooth poking out from under his upper lip.


    That was a new one. It wasn''t every day that someone asked for my name rather than ''You''re that hafu kid from school!'' Being half Japanese and American wasn''t all that it was blown-up to be. Sure, all my classmates wanted to be blonde with blue eyes. But when you''re born with it, everyone and their mother thinks you''re an interesting specimen to stare at and investigate.


    ''Yes, I''m Tahro Akagi. And you''re Yuuhei, right?'' I smiled back.


    ''Yup, what kind of manga do you read?''


    I was hoping that was that, and he''d leave. The store would close soon, and I needed enough time to convince Mum. ''Well, I like Digital Front, Pockeymum--''


    ''Pokeymum!'' he exclaimed, his dark eyes flying open like window shades. Everyone around us shifted their eyes toward us. Yuuhei covered his mouth, and I waved my fingers in the air. He gave a curt nod and continued in a whisper.


    ''I love Pockeymum. Those cute little pokey sticks are so awesome. We have so much to talk about.'' He crept closer. ''By the way, am I quiet enough now?''


    ''Yes,'' I said and chuckled. His darting eyes and frown made it seem as though we were discussing some secret mission.


    Just as I was about to wish him a good day, one of his manga decided it had had enough and fell. I stooped to pick it up. As I returned it, I asked a question that still burned in my mind. ''Are you buying all that?''


    ''Yup,'' he said. ''I''ll let you borrow them if you''ll look after them carefully.''


    No way. Excitement bubbled within me, and a big smile grew on my face. ''Wow, really? Yes, I read books carefully.''


    ''Good. What manga are you buying anyway?''


    I glanced at the cover again. The clean winds returned, this time with whispers I could have sworn weren''t from people around me. Where did they come from? I wanted, no, needed to know.


    If only it wasn''t so expensive.


    ''Blade Fables. But I-- I don''t know if I can afford it yet. I''m twenty yen short.'' I swallowed, bringing the book close to my chest. ''I''m going to go home to ask Mum for more money.''


    ''Oh. Can I see it?'' He reached out to take it. The pile of books in the other arm wobbled like pudding. I hoped it wouldn''t fall. It''d cause such a racket if it did. Everyone would stare at us again. What if we got kicked out? ''It looks interesting,'' he said, giving it back to me. ''I''ve never heard of it before. Must be new.'' Thank God, now he could hold his pudding with both hands. ''I''ll lend you the twenty yen.'' Yuuhei grinned.


    For a moment, I thought I was in a dream. My heart skipped a beat. ''Would you? But Mum always told me to never accept charity.''


    He scoffed. ''She doesn''t have to know. And I did say lending, didn''t I? You can just give it to me when we meet at school once you get more pocket money.''


    I ran a finger down the book''s spine. He was right. Relief washed over me, and I clutched the book tighter. I was glad he had stopped to chat. ''Okay.''


    Yuuhei beamed and strutted up the aisle a few inches before being forced to duck his head and tuck in his stomach. The pudding of books swayed but somehow remained intact. ''Yay. Now let''s pay for these. Oof, excuse me, miss.''


    I prepared to navigate the crowd, holding onto the book like a lifeline.


    ''Wanna come over to my place after?'' said a head now lost in the sea of bodies.


    ''Sure.''


    Yet I can''t remember what I did the first time in his home. All I recall was longing for a breath of that fresh air again. A longing to hear those whispers and wondering why a chill had run up my spine. It was gradual, going to another world, like grains of sand slowly sucked into the bottom of an hourglass. And today was when the first grain fell.

 (Deleted) Chapter 7

    A soothing humming filled the air, and little flecks of sawdust flickered in and out of my view. Some of them tickled my nostrils, and, resisting all my efforts to rub it away, I sneezed.


    ¡®Lucky we''re early, eh?¡¯ said Kaede. Her mouth was turned up, but her eyes lacked the crinkles of a true smile.


    ¡®Yes, except¡­¡¯ said a scowling Daisuke.


    Except two paths lay before us, and we didn''t know which to take. The one on the right was smooth and gray, flanked on each side by a copse of well trimmed trees. A dusty trail of a thousand wheels painted its surface. The other ran along the bed of a river, sloping into its depths on one side as if to drown those who strayed to the edge. Trees closed it off, their boughs and roots moving in to trip the unwary. Weeds and stones littered what cobblestones remained from decades ago.


    ¡®If I remember correctly, the path on the right is the newer one,'' said Daisuke, ¡®It certainly looks it.¡¯


    ¡®But isn''t that one quicker?¡¯ asked Kaede, pointing at the other one.


    Daisuke raised an eyebrow. ¡®You sure?¡¯


    She rubbed her eyes as if she hadn''t slept for days and pushed her bangs away. ¡®Yes, our mentor told us it was when Ahio and I came here on a quest with him.¡¯


    ¡®I can check that,'' he said and lugged out a giant sepia book from his backpack. A backpack he wore in addition to a side bag. It was a wonder he didn''t develop any spine problems. The frayed letters of the book spelt Living by River Inu-- A Comprehensive Text on the Villages by the Longest River.


    ¡®Three eighty-four, three eighty-four,'' Daisuke murmured as he turned the pages. The rhythmic shuffling of paper reminded me of the seconds ticking by. Seconds in which Ahio continued to be in danger. Now I knew what the delay was.


    While Daisuke searched and Kaede helped, I stepped closer to the wooden gate. A river was behind Ahio when he fought, and unless it crossed over to the other path along the way, the correct road had to be the one on my left. Now, how to tell them without giving myself away?


    ¡®Yes, the left path is quicker,'' said Daisuke. ¡®It takes forty-four hours to travel from Shoubaiba to Chisaiki Son, while the other takes forty-seven.¡¯ He flipped to the page and placed a small finger on it¡¯s aged text. ¡®However it says here that nobody uses this path nowadays. Even though it''s shorter, it''s very slippery and dishevelled because of the river along its length.¡¯


    Aha. So the river didn''t change paths.


    Kaede narrowed her eyes and stayed silent, staring at nothing in particular. I crossed two fingers behind my back, my mind racing for a contingency plan. Please choose the left path, please choose the left path.


    She glanced at me and Daisuke, her auburn hair shining pink in the sunlight. ¡®So we''re going to take the path on the right. Now that that''s clear, we should think about how to free Ahio.¡¯This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Dammit.


    I took a deep breath and stepped forward. The tips of my fingers prickled, and cold sweat ran down my palms. It was the wrong time for self-consciousness, but there it was. ¡®I, um, I think we should take the other path.¡¯


    ¡®Why?¡¯ asked Kaede. ¡®Daisuke says no one really uses it. We''ll waste a lot of time if we take that path.¡¯


    Time for the contingency plan. I could do this.


    ¡®No one uses it much, but it''s not closed off. People can use it if they want to. So the kidnapper might''ve taken that path,'' I ran over my calculations again. ¡®At any rate, the left path saves three hours of a traveller¡¯s time. So, if the kidnapper used that path, he''d only be an hour away from here. But if he''d chosen the other path, he''d be four hours away. We can check both paths for the kidnapper if we start with the left one.¡¯


    Daisuke''s eyes widened and his peach lips parted. ¡®Oh.¡¯


    Kaede''s brows knitted tight enough to form a unibrow. She shifted her gaze from me to Daisuke. ¡®I don''t get it.¡¯


    Sighing, I crouched and took the sawdust ridden sand as my blackboard. I hoped it wouldn''t be like the countless times I''d spent explaining maths to my classmates, all the while banging my head on a metaphorical wall and trying to hide it.


    I drew two lines on the sand, one four times longer than the other. Then I divided the bigger line into four, each division the same size as the other line.


    ¡®If we search the left path, we should encounter Ahio within an hour. Assuming the kidnapper didn''t take this path, we''ll have to double back. So we''ll lose two hours of our lead maximum. But that means the kidnapper, if he was on the other path, would still be two hours away from here,'' To illustrate the point, I swept off two units from the longer line and the shorter line all the way. ¡®So I think we should take the left path first.¡¯


    Kaede''s brows were still knitted, but soon, they leapt back to their place high above her eyes. I let out a breath I didn''t know I¡¯d held. She grinned, her chin appearing pointier than it was.


    ¡®I get it now. You''re right, we''ll take the left path. Well done.¡¯


    Daisuke gave me a nod and a small smile. My cheeks burned, and I shook my head to get rid of it.


    ¡®So here''s what I''ve been thinking,'' Kaede said and crouched next to me to draw on the ground. We spent the next few minutes discussing battle strategy. It was amazing how well people could plan whilst not knowing, or pretending not to know, the details.


    Soon, a small pitter-patter came from our right and grew louder. It was Tsubasa, his glasses askew and black hair frizzy in his ponytail. Tayo yawned and stretched on Tsubasa''s shoulder, clearly bored by all this.


    ¡®Alright, then,'' said Kaede, who stood and swatted the back of her clothes. ¡®Now that everyone''s here, let''s move. We''ll strategize more along the way.¡¯


    ***


    It was almost an hour since we¡¯d left.


    The air around me seemed solid and with an intent to push me back for every step I took. It was hard to focus on the nervous chatter beside me when the sloshing river and my own paranoid thoughts kept distracting me. I jerked at every rustle, expecting to see the kidnapper behind a leaf or a tendril. It couldn''t be long now before--


    A shriek came from behind a curve of the path and raked my eardrums. My stomach swung low, and my mouth was dry like cotton. Everyone''s footsteps faded away, and even the birds paused their song. Tinnitus rang in the air.


    I clenched my teeth and let out the breath I had. Kaede turned to us, her face stiff like it were carved of stone.


    This was it. Just remember the plan. Just remember the plan.

 Announcement (27/02/2020)

    Hi everyone!


    I want to let you know that I plan to extend my hiatus for another month, until the 28th of March 2020. A few unexpected things happened which bit into my free time a lot. I''m still doing some very extensive edits, and I''m excited to start the next quarter, however I don''t want to post a rushed chapter. I hope this is okay with you ^^. Thank you for sticking with me for this long! It''s been a journey and I can''t believe I''m half-way through. The edited first chapter is already posted, in case anyone''s curious :).Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Have a great day!