Tai walks into the control room where only Keiji stood near the control panel.

  He turns and looks at Tai. “How did it go?”

  He scans the room ensuring they were alone. “His mind only recites the prayer. I can’t see beyond that.”

  “The training a Grand Master must go through must be rigorous if that’s the case... And Miss Kaori?”

  He looks out of the window with a strict expression.

  “I understand you have shown her paradise.”

  His gaze remains stagnant, listening intently to Keiji.

  “I’m going to ask you a very simple question, something that needs to be clearly answered...”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Yes or no” He replies quickly, unusually firm.

  He stays silent, the tension between him and Keiji weighing on the room heavily.

  “And now what?” He asks softly, taking Tai’s silence as his answer.

  He turns to Keiji, sharp seriousness in his eyes. “I’m going to trust you. Leave it. The moment you do something is the moment Noroc loses its last chance.”

  “We’ll see what I can do...” Keiji replies evenly. “But know there is nothing that even Yaban can do when it comes to these types of matters.”

  He turns back to the window as the clouds cleared to show a bright blue sky. “It’s nothing but a test of my acceptance of my fate. We’ll have to leave it at that.”

  He studies Tai quietly, noticing the defeat in his stance despite the strength in his voice.

  ?

  Kaori sits on a golden throne with a large headdress and a large scepter in one hand in a place far different than she’s ever been. The chamber surrounded by a soft light teetering between a memory or a dream. “I would like to know her whereabouts,” she says calmly, looking down at a man dressed in white robes and shimmering white wings behind him at the bottom of the steps below Kaori.

  He bows deeply in respect. “My lady, Akiko... Akiko has fallen. We are no longer able to see her.”

  Her expression tightens at his statement.

  “I’m afraid the humans did not teach her the lessons we intended. They’ve read the scriptures wrong, changed them even. They will continue to fear Yaban and use each deity until they reach you directly.”

  Her gaze lowers. “Thank you.”

  “Lady Goddess...” He looks at her expression with concern.

  “Summon my council immediately,” she says quickly with a fluid movement as she stood, the golden headdress chiming softly as she moved and turned away, the man bowing in obedience before leaving to do as told. “Prophet,” she says with an air of elegance.

  “Yes my lady?” Yogen’s familiar voice says gently.

  She looks at her scepter, the orb glowing lightly. “The eldest Yaban... Is he well?”

  “Currently he is in no harm and of no harm.”

  “Please continue to keep watch over him.”

  “Might I assume his punishment to be lifted soon?”

  “If I could do so, I would have deemed it done by now... His fate lies with Aduro, and Aduro alone,” she says regretfully, closing her eyes for a moment. She opens her eyes and walks down the steps, meeting two council members as she entered a room promptly.

  “Lady Kaori, we’ve heard of Akiko’s fall. Any of us are ready to go at your word,” she says with a bow.

  Kaori looks at them, firm as she spoke. “No. I will no longer send any of my people to Noroc.”

  He and the woman look at each other with confusion. “What will we do? If Aduro doesn’t come home Noroc will become the enemy of this realm.”

  “We as a people shall do nothing,” Kaori says unwavering in her strength. “Noroc is of my father’s creation, and as the current highest power, I am the only one who is responsible for it. I regret letting those who have gone before leave so easily in the name of my lineage... We have lost them to the humans’ meaningless objective. But no more. They want only one thing; and that is the power they cannot control to defeat an enemy they themselves created. There is only one possibility left that can end this.”

  “You don’t mean... Going yourself?”

  “Any of us are ready and willing to go in your place my lady. We will not fear death on Noroc,” he protests.

  Kaori shakes her head seriously, the golden headdress chiming softly around her. “You may not fear your own lives for the sake of mine, but I fear losing each of you. This war, this endless battle, will no longer continue. I have made my decision to give them what they’ve wanted, it will be up to them to handle the consequences.”

  “How will you be protected?” He asks with worry.

  “What will you plan on doing?” She adds in the same tone.

  “When I reach Noroc I will have all my memories cast aside for the purpose of maintaining an unobstructed view of the world. Should I come to the conclusion Aduro is right, then we shall deem his ways ethical, if not.” She pauses, her mind wandering for a moment. “I will risk everything to bring him home. During this time I will ensure to keep the drive to stay under the protection of Yaban leader, including the immortal,” Kaori sighs thoughtfully and nods lightly. “If I remember correctly, Yaban have Guardian Souls hidden away. Their leader is aware of them, and will no doubt collect them once I have decided to put trust in their kind again. I will find them and with their power I will be able to save the souls of the loyal four and finally defeat Aduro once and for all.”

  The woman frowns, saddened by Kaori’s response. “And if they cannot be reached?”

  “Upon going into their darkest moments, their weaknesses will be found. I know along the way they will need to be lead to judgement and I will not hesitate in the slightest... When it comes to Aduro... It depends on his willingness to listen to reason.”

  She goes toward Kaori and lowers to one knee. “We beg of you to return if ever need be... We are your loyal followers and cannot stand idly by as our beloved ruler becomes a lost soul herself.”

  Kaori smiles kindly. “I am so grateful to have such loyalty. It will make me strong enough to get through the hardships.”

  He bows as well, looking up slowly. “Once Aduro is defeated, what of the immortal?”

  “I will do my best to return the favor, even if it isn’t forgiveness,” Kaori releases her scepter, knowing it stood steadily beside her before disappearing, then reaches for her headdress; gently taking it off and hands it to the woman as she had stood up. “Please... My trusted council... Watch over the heavens until we meet again.”

  Tears form in the woman’s eyes as she took the headdress, holding it close to her. “Please take care...”

  Kaori gently places a hand on the woman’s shoulder then looks at the man with a saddened smile. “My blessings to each and every one of you.”

  “We bid you good luck my lady...” He says with a mournful look in his eyes.

  ?

  Kaori opens her eyes lying in her bed on the air ship, her eyes tired. “Ugh...”

  “Was this answer suitable my lady?” Yogen asks gently as he stood at her bedside.

  She sits up, looking at Yogen, ignoring the dull throbbing pain in her head. “I chose to come here. I had a plan to be with these people. To defeat the loyal four by finding their weakness. Weakness...” She looks down thoughtfully. “They are the strongest in Noroc. What weakness could they have?”

  He moves close to Kaori and places his forehead on hers, closing his eyes lightly.

  Her eyes widen at Yogen’s actions, the pain in her head quickly fading as she felt Yogen’s hand gently move to rest on her face, yet her flustered expression remaining.

  “The other gods wish for me to tell you they were deeply worried to see you marry a human. Even if it was the Emperor. They are also saddened to see him taken from you suddenly.”

  “Y-... Yogen.”

  “They know your heart weeps at the thought of him, and again consumed with guilt when happiness is present. But you need not fear your own emotions. Do not let them become who you are. Because when you do, it will be the day you truly lose sight of yourself.”

  “Don’t fear my emotions...” She closes her eyes, unmoving as she felt Yogen’s hand gently pull away from her face. “If I fear them... I become consumed by them.” She feels Yogen’s presence fully move away from her as his image starts to fade. “I become my fears...” She opens her eyes suddenly just as Yogen had left her and stands up immediately. “That’s it!” She hurries out of her bedroom and down the halls until she reached the control room, hurrying in to see Tai and Keiji turn to look at her, not caring she was out of breath. “I know how to defeat them!”

  Tai looks at Kaori blankly, then turns to Keiji.

  “Defeat... The loyal four?” Asks Keiji curiously.

  Kaori nods with determination. “Yes. I have to reach out to them. I know they have a soul. It’s lost, but it’s there, consumed by their worst fears, and taken advantage of by Aduro. If I save them, they will no longer be a threat.”

  “What is the price to pay?” Tai asks sternly, suddenly causing Kaori’s excitement to falter.

  “Uh-... I...” She looks down. “Lead to judgement... I will lead them so then...” She looks back at Tai, her eyes showing her answer was difficult for her to explain.

  “There’s always a price to pay for peace Kaori, and saving those who willingly gave up their souls is a very hard thing to match,” Tai says darkly.

  Keiji notices Tai’s hardened and somewhat angry expression before turning to Kaori who was looking down with disappointment. “We’ll have to see when the time comes,” he interjects. “In the meantime, it would be best to finish collecting the last of the souls. The wind and light are the only two left.”

  “Right,” Kaori mumbles softly.

  He turns to Tai, almost as if trying to convince him to speak to Kaori gently, only to sigh as Tai glared at him in return and walk out angrily.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “I’m sorry...”

  “It’s quite alright,” he says with a smile. “He acts this way when he’s worried.”

  “Worried?”

  “There’s always going to be a risk of losing you the closer you get to the loyal four, be it your physical self or your mental state... Either way, what of the world after that?”

  “I... I see.” She looks behind her at the door with worry, her gaze wandering down. “Keiji...”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you think he... Changes his mind quickly?”

  “What do you mean?”

  She places a hand on her arm lightly as she moved to look down at her feet. “Does he easily go back on his word?”

  He looks up thoughtfully. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen him do so. He’s not the best when it comes to following my orders, or anyone’s for that fact, but if he says something he feels, it’s more than likely something he will never turn away from.” He smiles warmly at Kaori, as if to set her mind at ease. “I’m sure whatever is bothering you, shouldn’t be something that can match the strength you have.”

  She looks at Keiji with self-determination in her eyes. “I think I’m ready to tell you what’s been on my mind.”

  ?

  Shomei sighs lightly and looks at Vicious as they both stood with Tai just under the airship on solid ground. “You didn’t have to force yourself to come.”

  “No. I should pay more attention to Kaori. She needs it more than ever now,” he says regretfully.

  Tai rolls his eyes carelessly before looking back to see Keiji walking toward them with Kaori at his side, her head down.

  “Wonderful day isn’t it?” Keiji says with a smile.

  “Let’s just get this over with-,” Tai is interrupted as large explosion shatters any sense of safety they had before them.

  Kaori covers her head as Keiji had wrapped his arms around her, protecting her from falling debris. She peeks through his embrace, seeing Tai on the ground struggling to get up from the rubble.

  Tai gets up, catching sight of a large man blindfolded with a metal plate and a wide, chained, stone sword over his broad shoulder. His muscles barely covered by his dirty tattered clothes as he moved toward the group. “Damn it,” Tai glares at the man as he approached and steps back.

  “Miss Kaori, please keep behind us” Keiji says gently before releasing her and standing in front of her.

  She stands worriedly behind everyone as the man edged closer toward them, suddenly stopping and pointing in her direction.

  The man raises his finger toward Kaori, adjusting his large heavy sword on his shoulder.

  Tai pulls out his own sword quickly. “I don’t have time for this crap.” He charges forward aiming to attack the man but is taken off guard as the man had quickly turned and used his chained sword to knock Tai across the area and into a large moss covered stone, breaking it as he hit it.

  “Idiot” Vicious says irritably as he saw Tai get knocked across the area.

  Kaori starts to run after Tai but stops as Keiji held up his hand to block her.

  “He’ll be fine... Do not leave my safety,” he says with focus in his eyes.

  Vicious takes several discs from a holster behind him and throws them toward the man before running in the opposite direction, quickly catching the discs as they returned to him after cutting the man’s side, yet not seeming to have an effect.

  Shomei hurries around and starts shooting at the man as she had taken out her arrows quickly, not losing focus even as the man had used his sword to block her attempts.

  The blindfolded man moans loudly in agitation and walks toward Kaori and Keiji, the attacks from Vicious and Shomei having no effect on him.

  Keiji stands defensively, his eyes fixed on the man. “Miss Kaori, please do me a favor and run as soon as I tell you.”

  “O- okay,” she replies nervously, stepping back as Keiji moved forward a little.

  Keiji closes his eyes lightly as if listening for a moment, then opens his eyes; creating a forcefield around him and Kaori just as the man raised his sword and tried to throw it down upon them.

  Kaori winces lightly as the sword stopped between them, hitting an unseen forcefield.

  “Go!” He yells suddenly, signaling Kaori to run.

  “Right!” She runs as fast as she could away from the man, looking back to see the others fighting with him. She trips over a rock in the grass and falls to the ground hard. “Ugh...” She gets up seeing her knees slightly scraped before starting to run again, only to fall back as the familiar pop-bellied man grinned before her.

  “Dear Goddess, I see the pain in your eyes. Come with us to a place where you can rest easy from this ungrateful world.” Says the familiar cryptic voice of the outcast in a malicious tone as he held out his hand to her.

  She backs up lightly, the fear in her eyes apparent. “What am I going to do... I’m not strong enough to do anything now.” She closes her eyes tightly, a sudden image of the dream where she and Tai were being forced apart as she lay on the balcony floor during their wedding, flashing through her mind.

  He reaches for a fearful Kaori, backing away as her body had become engulfed in flames around her.

  She opens her eyes lightly, unaffected by the heat of the flames. She hears Yogen’s voice speaking behind her lightly, offering her slight relief.

  “You can do this...” Yogen’s voice whispers softly.

  She kneels down and touches the ground near her, the earth starting to come up as hard stone before wrapping around the Outcast and crashing down to become as flat as it was before. The flames around her fade quickly as she looked at the open path ahead and continuing to run as Keiji had instructed. A sharp pain burns at her side causing her to stop in her tracks and to the ground. She sits up weakly and looks down seeing the pain coming from a deep gash on her side and the familiar chained sword lying on the ground near her. She places her hand on the blood-soaked area, her vision unfocused for a moment. “Uh...” She tries her hardest to get up and keep going but falls once more, her blood covering the ground around her quickly. “I can’t... I can’t give up... It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt...” She stares at the sword near her and reaches out to it, hearing heavy footsteps coming closer toward her. She struggles to place her bloody hand outward and barely touches the sword, causing it to sink into the ground easily. She closes her eyes in pain as a loud, angry groan can be heard as a large hand gripped her neck tightly and raised her off her feet with ease.

  The man’s body language remains stoic as Kaori struggled breath, her hands gently touching his. He raises her up higher in an attempt to throw her back down as hard as he could until his body suddenly became still, and he fell to his knees.

  She looks at the man, who slowly let her go and falls to the ground in pain, yet instantly noticing Tai standing behind him with his sword through the man’s shoulder, his expression filled with rage as blood ran down his face.

  The man lowers his head lightly, his body becoming a cloud of smoke and fading away.

  Tai puts his sword away as the man had gone and everything around them was peaceful, his expression softening slightly. “Kaori.” He looks at her with widened eyes and goes to his knees at her side. “Are you alright?”

  She smiles weakly, speaking hoarsely as she breathed slowly. “Not really...”

  He looks behind him as Keiji had walked up, his exhaustion on par with Vicious and Shomei behind him, every one of them trying not to show it.

  “Miss Kaori, can you hear me?” Keiji asks with worry.

  “Yes...” She replies in a whisper as her eyes closed lightly, still able to hear them all speaking around her.

  Vicious runs to pick Kaori up in his arms carefully. “We have to get her back to the ship.”

  “If we do we’ll miss the chance to get this soul, they know what we’re after and will be waiting,” Tai interjects seriously.

  “Is it really that important?! She’s on the verge of death!” Vicious yells angrily.

  “If she doesn’t get to the cavern now she very well could die,” Tai argues back.

  “She could die on the way! She has to go back!”

  “No one asked me what I wanted...”

  “You’re going to have to accept the fact that you don’t know what’s best for her anymore Vicious.”

  “And you do?! Since when have you ever cared for anyone other than yourself?!”

  “She’s going to the cavern.”

  “I won’t let her die.” Vicious protests.

  “Then for once let someone else do what you couldn’t!” Tai yells, clearly hitting a nerve with Vicious as he received only a shameful silence in response.

  Kaori feels her body move in the silence around her, the pain becoming nearly unbearable. “Hmn...” Her body becomes weak and limp in what she assumed was Vicious’s arms until she completely blacked out, only hearing Ryota’s voice.

  “Tai’s always been like that you know. He says I don’t know everything about him, but I’ve been keeping an eye on him for years now. He won’t show it but he’s in pain in many ways. Try to help him out if you have time, huh?”

  Kaori feels the pain slowly start to come back to her with her consciousness, seeing Tai leaning against the wall of a dark cave. “Hng...” She grips her side, no longer seeing the wide-open gash that was once there.

  He gets up and goes to Kaori’s side on his knees he heard her move, the walls starting to glow as Kaori’s consciousness became stronger. “Kaori?”

  She looks up seeing Tai, noticing his clothes covered in blood, and his face showing he was tired behind his stern expression.

  “You okay?” He asks softly, his eyes fixed on Kaori’s.

  She looks up at him, her eyes worried. “You stayed with me?” She shakes her head.

  “Are you hurt somewhere else?” He asks looking down at her as if making sure she had no other injuries.

  “I’m sorry, I already failed against the man of blindness.”

  “No, you did what you were told,” he says quietly. “No one is upset with you for that.”

  She looks down worriedly, her thoughts going silent as Tai spoke.

  “Breeze gave me some potions before we left the ship. She still hasn’t worked out an exact formula for you so it should take a while for you to be back at full strength. Keiji went on ahead through the cavern, Vicious and Shomei are outside.”

  She moves to an unstable stand, falling forward onto Tai, who carefully caught her in his arms.

  “Stop trying so hard, you just recovered from a serious injury.”

  “I’m fine really,” she says with determination as she tried to push away, yet unable to find the strength to move from Tai’s gentle grip around her arms.

  “Don’t be so reckless again, alright? We can’t afford to lose you,” he says seriously, letting her go once he knew she was stable.

  “We...” She whispers softly to herself.

  “Right. You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone.”

  “I saw what it was like in the heavens...” She says suddenly, her soft voice showing how saddened she was.

  He looks at her intently, listening to every word she said carefully.

  “I really was the leader they loved and trusted... One that no one wanted to risk losing... We had been watching Noroc closely for hundreds of years. I regret that I stood by and watched for so long but, at the same time I understand that my people needed someone to guide them, to let them know that in the end it would be alright... But because of that, you have come across this fate.” She clenches her fists at her side in frustration. “You keep saying your past has nothing to do with me, but I stood by and watched everything happen that’s happened to you. All the pain and anguish that not just you have gone through, but everyone else who has suffered because of this war... I don’t know how I can be considered someone so pure and just if I’ve let so many lives become ruined.”

  He looks at her blankly, letting Kaori go through her emotions in tears as he stood by her silently.

  “I knew my people were being used as tools of power and control, I knew the Yaban were being treated as outcasts, and I knew the Temple wouldn’t stop until I came to Noroc. But I did nothing to stop it because I was foolish enough to have hope that Noroc would change on its own. So please don’t say I don’t have to prove myself because it’s not about that. It’s about making up for everything I let happen. It’s righting my wrongs no matter the cost to myself.”

  “I just... Don’t want to see you hurt” he says cautiously breaking the heavy silence Kaori’s admission left behind. “Right the wrongs you’ve done if you feel it’s necessary, just remember to stay alive to see it through, okay?”

  She looks up at him and smiles weakly.

  He sighs, turning to look down the cavern. “Keiji said he’s already at the entrance of the altar room. I can carry you if you can’t walk.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  He glares at Kaori for a moment, then picks her up effortlessly. “Don’t be stubborn.”

  She feels a warmth rush to her face, immediately blushing beyond her control. “N- no really.”

  “Just shut it. You want this over with right?” He starts walking down the cavern, the walls around them glowing softly in the light created by Kaori.

  She feels a pang of guilt as she lowered her head, remaining silent as she resigned to his gesture.

  He stops as he reached what seemed to be a dead end where Keiji was waiting.

  Keiji turns and looks at Tai who held Kaori in his arms. “Ah, Miss Kaori.” He smiles kindly. “How are you feeling?”

  She stands uneasily and nods as Tai let her down. “I feel better now, thank you.”

  Tai looks down at Kaori a little, a flash of worry in his eyes before looking at Keiji coldly. “You can open the door now. You know how.”

  “Of course,” Keiji turns to the door, touching it lightly watching as the glyphs shone brightly before the large stone wall moved upward to reveal a small room where a glowing sphere stood on a stone altar. He turns and looks back at Kaori. “After you.”

  “Okay.” She walks through the entrance, Tai about to go in behind her until he stopped suddenly and was pushed back from the threshold with such a hard and unseen force that he hit the wall to the side.

  He falls to the ground after hitting the wall, getting up slowly in pain. “Damn it.”

  “It seems whoever sealed this one refused to let humans to come in...” Keiji says looking down at Tai calmly.

  “It’s been hundreds of years; you can’t expect me to remember everything,” Tai says looking irritated.

  “I can do this on my own.” Kaori gently reassures.

  He looks back at Kaori directly, his eyes staring into hers. “Don’t leave,” he replies flatly.

  “I won’t...” She turns and looks at Keiji and nods. “I’ll return soon.”

  Keiji nods lightly in reply, watching Kaori turn and enter the room, the wall lowering down to seal her inside. He turns and looks at Tai, a kind smile on his face. “Seems you had good judgment to continue going.”

  “Breeze gave me what we needed before we left, and the girl has shown that she heals faster once she receives a guardian soul.”

  “You could have easily mentioned it to Vicious,” he says with a cunning smile.

  “And then what? He would have thought I was lying. He could see the Temple murder entire innocent families and he’d still follow blindly.”

  “I suppose leaving him to worry is punishment enough,” he says with a thoughtful nod.