"Yes Aosaki Toshirou-kun, what do you desire of me to help you with?" Yeong-ji asked the winter blue-haired teen standing before him and the elders. At his request all elders plus himself had assembled together, on the basis of a favour he had for them.
"I intend to perform my dues today. I have gotten what I need alongside the necessary information." Toshirou said.
"And what is it that you require, adventurer?" One of the elders, Byung-nim asked him.
"I need 2,000 of your soldiers assembled at the central city by the peak of noon. Evacuate all civilians from the town before that time. With this army, I will take command and lay siege on Min-ae, destroying it once and for all!"
The gazes of the Feudal lord and elders widened in shock, but for completely different reasons. The Feudal lord however, was the first to recover and addressed him.
"I presume you could not find a way around the violence." Yeong-ji said sadly.
"Unfortunately I could not. I decided to harken onto the words of my elders over there" - Toshirou stretched out his right hand towards the seats where the elders sat upon - "and I realized that there was no way I could avoid the spilling of blood, not after knowing the history of the feud between my hirer and his enemy."
"Young lad," Another elder, Byung-woo said, "I truly am surprised but pleased to know that you've changed your mind."
It was only for a split second but Toshirou caught it - a glimpse of Yeong-ji's face twisting in disappointment at the comment made by the elder.
"I had to," Toshirou replied. "It was unwise of me to act like I knew it all despite the fact I knew nothing. Please give me 2,000 men at my disposal to wipe out Min-ae."
There was murmuring among the elders, full-blown discussion concerning the request given by Toshirou.
Yeong-ji was saddened by this turn of events. Somewhere, no, at the center of his heart, he wished with a strong desire that Toshirou would find another way, a way that did not involve needless violence or bloodshed. Call him weak or simpleminded, he did not care. He knew that this was all a ploy by the elders but due to the security of his people, he did not want to compromise his position as a lord and feed in to personal sentiments and desires. He did not hold veto power, the elders held the power to remove him from his position despite the fact that lordship was hereditary. The mindset of the elders had been known to him from the start, and today would be the day where he would question the loyalty of the old men. With him, or with something. else?
"We have heard your request. Go, take up 2,000 men and do as you wish." The elders said to Toshirou.
"Aosaki-kun," Yeong-ji cut in. "I-"
Toshirou shook his head slightly as a 'don't', causing the lord to stop in his tracks and retract his statement.
Yeong-ji was genuinely surprised as well as confused. He looked at Toshirou again and Toshirou responded by shaking his head. There was something going on, but if this was the reaction of Aosaki-kun, then maybe he would wait to see how all this would turn out. The elders however, did not catch the silent communication between Toshirou and Yeong-ji.
"Very well then. Do as you wish, Aosaki-kun, but I must inform you, the Thessalonica should be protected at all cost. We can't let it fall into the wrong hands."
The elders stiffened hearing this declaration. Toshirou however, did not let out as much as a reaction at the words Yeong-ji spoke.
"Of course. I will do my very best to ensure the safety of the Thessalonica." Toshirou said, nodding towards the lord.
"I see. If that is all, then you're dismissed. We will evacuate the people just as you have instructed." Yeong-ji replied.
Toshirou bowed slightly and walked out of the throne room without saying anything else. As he left, the elders all had one thought on their minds; All obstacles must be removed.
...
The sound of the ringing bell in the tallest tower at center of the town spread far and wide, so much so that neighboring boroughs could also hear and were astonished by the sound.
A loud voice, belonging to that of the town crier that stood in the belfry of the tower, shouted to the people,
"Listen, O Jinhae! By the orders of the lord, Yeong-ji Choi, you are to evacuate the premises with your families and friends by noon at the strike of twelve!
Provisions of food and shelter will be made for each and every one of you!
Reside in the towns that are nearby the walls of the great gates!
Do not delay, for time is at stake!"
With that, the town crier concluded his proclamation. There was great bedlam in the town, each and every person confused as to why they were suddenly asked to leave their homes and belongings behind. A strange rumor had been circulating in the district for some time now, about the dethronement of the Feudal lord. Whatever the case, the people residing within Jinhae had strengthened their resolve and would follow their lord anywhere and everywhere. He had been wonderfully good to them and their faith and loyalty in him could not be easily wavered.
A boy of five years playing on the streets held on to his father as they came out the doors of a local food stall.
"Daddy, what did he mean?" The boy asked.
His father had on a solemn expression as he held his son's hand while they walked home.
"Exactly as he said son, exactly as he said."
...
"Aosaki-kun, is it true? You're going to-"
Toshirou cut in, interrupting her and preventing her from saying another word. He continued dressing, putting on his dark blue jacket and adjusting the belt on his waist that held his swords.
"Maybe, it all depends." He brushed some of his bangs away from his eyes. "I'm just tired of thinking. I'll just do whatever I want and get over it quickly."
Sung-nim was needless to say, disappointed with this conclusion. Thinking Toshirou might have been different, she placed hope in him that maybe, just maybe, he would be the one to settle the misunderstandings and calm the waters but alas, the human heart cannot certainly be trusted.
"I see then. I'm sorry for standing in your way all this time. It was rude of me to do so."
Hearing her revert to formal speech had Toshirou's attention. He stopped shortly, taking a glance at her and returned to the task he was currently faced with.
"Does it displease you, Sung-nim? Does it displease you that I am willing to take innocent lives?"
"I would rather not answer, Aosaki-kun. Do what you will if you must." Sung-nim replied curtly.
Toshirou didn't reply. He tapped the table beside him twice and a figure suddenly appeared in the room, startling Sung-nim. The figure knelt on one knee and bowed her head towards Toshirou.
"Is everything complete, Hazel?"
The figure replied, "Yes, it is all ready."
"That's good to hear."
He picked his watch, set it on the wrist of his right hand and bent his neck to the side, cracking the bones in them.
On one of the queen-sized beds, Raynell lay in deep slumber, not stirring in the slightest despite the bustling activity going on around her. Joel had left earlier to get some things Toshirou had requested for, but not before hearing of Toshirou's desire to truly eliminate the Min-ae village.
"Oi! Joel! Let's go!"
"Hai!" Came the reply.
Taking quick paces, Toshirou walked past Sung-nim towards the door and opened it. Outside Joel stood, he nodded at Toshirou and held onto the sleeve of his jacket. The two boys disappeared instantly, without a trace left behind.
"Lady Sung-nim, this is for you." Making her presence known, Hazel gave Sung-nim a cream-colored envelope and disappeared, the exact same way Toshirou and Joel just did.
Sung-nim held the note, confused as to why all this was happening. Today, Aosaki-kun was averted to the thought of killing, tomorrow, he suddenly changed his mind. Her mind held a lot of questions, she was troubled, unsettled, and yet, her heart held a strong conviction that she should trust Toshirou. She couldn't understand the reason why but in all her years of living, if there's one thing she's come to understand, it's that her heart was always right. It had never failed her and she hoped this time, it would not fail her.
'Aosaki-kun, please do not fall. You're our only hope.'
...
The outskirts of the city were riddled with lands of dust and sand. It was quite a surprise that the land near the gates were filled with such fresh vegetation. The fresh green land extended to about a couple of kilometers away from the gates, around five to six, the boundaries that defined Min-ji was in the form of a quadrilateral, four sides with gates at the middle of the boundaries, giving it a perfect coordinate; The Northern gates, Southern, Eastern and Western. All four gates led into the vast city that was the Min-ji village. Going further, different towns of varying sizes existed with one common destination which was the central town, Jinhae. Despite being a city, it retained its name as the Min-ji village because of the strong history that formed its foundation. The same reason applied to their neighbor, Min-ae.
Dae Chun-ja stood atop the flat surface that was the roof of her palace, her long brown hair sifting in the wind as she faced her entire village. Stretching out her right hand, she reached out towards the horizon, reminiscing about her past time with her daughter, the laughter and smiles they enjoyed together. She clasped her stretched out hand into a fist, making a silent promise to bring her daughter back home and redeem herself as a lord and a mother.
"It is time." She said.
She would now march forward, with 2,000 men, towards the land that suffered her much grief and agony. With this, she would end the dispute between the two cities.
...
The sun blasted its radiance in all its glory, casting a bright light upon the land of Min-ji. The central town was desolate, robbed of all forms of human life. The migration of the people from Jinhae to other towns was done successfully. This way, no casualties would be dealt, at least not the lives of the people.
Toshirou walked down the streets of Jinhae, taking note of the houses and buildings that filled the town. He did not want damage to go beyond the town and to do that, he would have to it wrap everything up swiftly. He kept a steady pace as he walked, his eyes were lidded as he moved past a duplex-looking structure. He suddenly stopped before the construct, facing it. An unwelcome yet familiar evocation sprung itself to life in his mind.
<"I... don't regret it... one bit, To-Toshirou-kun." The reddish orange hue of fire filled the entire space. The girl lay on the floor, debris mixed with wood and brick crushed her legs to the ground, rendering her unable to escape the den of flames that encompassed the room she was in.
"B-But..." The little winter blue-haired boy stayed on his knees. Shock, fright, disbelief, unbelief, fear, and all manner of emotions coursed through his veins. His head had been bruised badly, his arms and legs were turn up and dye red with blood. Blood mixed with sweat washed down the boy's face, down to his neck and torso. Tears mixed with his sweat streamed down his cheeks. He was just seven, what did he know about death? How could a child comprehend the meaning of life?
"Go out... I'll always... watch over you... and Ch-Chi."
Another pile of rubble suddenly came rushing down and crushed the head and torso of the girl on the floor, smashing her head and body to pulp as the heat of the fire suddenly increased, burning her battered body.
Those feelings aroused themselves intensely within the boy. Releasing himself into despair, the boy screamed in a loud voice,
"Chiaki!!!">
Toshirou shook his head, banishing the memory in an instant. He moved away from the building without sparing it a second glance and vanished into thin air.
Meanwhile, within the belfry of the tower that stood in the city, a black-haired male with bright golden eyes, grinned uncontrollably as Toshirou disappeared. With something like a thick black cord wrapped around his neck it, he pet what seemed to be the head and whispered to it.
"There, there, it's about time, isn't it?"
The bells encased within the belfry began to ring with all their might. The sound resonated loudly throughout the Jinhae town.
The peak of noon had just arrived.
...
2,000 soldiers assembled themselves in the center of the large town. The army was divided into three factions; the first faction held 800 men, the second held 600, and the third faction held 600 soldiers. Each faction had a General allocated to it, with the Feudal lord as the commander or overseer of the entire army, for it was a custom in Min-ji for the Feudal lord to be present in any and every battle concerning the city.
The three Generals lined up, one next to the other, with their allocated men behind them. The Feudal lord stood with personal bodyguards who were fully equipped for the art of war. Yeong-ji, fully clad in royal clothes which consisted of a flamboyant but well designed kimono with ancient symbols and patterns, sparkling silver necklaces around his neck, bangles made of gold on each hand and long flower earrings, one on each ear, stood before his Generals with a serious expression fixed onto his face. He wasn't the type of lord who engaged in combat... willingly, but when it came to strategic thinking and planning, he was truly gifted.
He faced his soldiers and shouted to them in a loud voice,
"Men! Today is the day we redeem ourselves! We will take back everything that has been stolen from us and will avenge the blood of our fathers!! In the name of His Majesty, we shall conquer!!!"
All soldiers raised up their fists and unleashed a deafening battle cry, fully motivated to go to war with their enemies.
From the midst of the crowd, a single voice suddenly made itself known, contradicting with the battle cry of the armed men.
"Sire!"
A young man came dashing out of the crowd, throwing himself at the feet of Yeong-ji. He was out of breath, painting heavily to regain lost air.
"What is it, young warrior?" Yeong-ji asked.
"Sire.. *pant*... the army of Min-ae.. *pant* are approaching!" The young man replied as he tried to calm himself.
Yeong-ji's gaze opened wide in shock.
"What did you say?"
"Sire... we've been surrounded. At least 500 men are on each side of the city!"
The army was stunned by this piece of information. How did their enemies know of their plan to attack? And when did they have the time to surround the village? Information had been leaked, but by whom?
Yeong-ji also had similar thoughts. This was no mere coincidence. Someone had been tipping Min-ae and had prepared them for this day. Surrounding the gates at this time, at this moment, was no ordinary feat. But who could have done this, and why? Nevertheless, this wasn't the time to ask questions. If information had actually been leaked, then the army would approach the central town, encasing them into a box.
"If that's the case, then there's no time to lose. Ready your weapons men!! General Lee, take your men into the empty buildings, at least ten men per building. Let them hide in them for an ambush attack!!"
"Yes, my lord!!" The General, Lee, faced his men and marched away, with his subordinates, 600 in number, following him as he left to perform his duty.
"General Kim, get your men to the rooftops of every building, prepare for an aerial attack!"
"Hai!" The General addressed, moved swiftly and all his men followed him closely as they climbed the rooftops. Intense military training had ensured the easy coordination of such a large number of people, it was as easy as telling a child to go left or right.
"General Hae, remain on the ground, and do not intercept the enemy."
"Yes, my lord." Came the reply.
So 600 soldiers stayed on land alongside Yeong-ji and his bodyguards. Each and every single one of them in deep anticipation of the enemy's next attack.
They waited and waited, but not for long. In less than fifteen minutes, footsteps of a large crowd drew nearer and closer to the center of the town. The soldiers of Min-ji waited with abated breaths as the footsteps entered into their territory.
Tens by tens, men wearing similar attires, yet different in color, marched into the center of the town, till all were complete. 500 soldiers stood before the Min-ji army. The enemy's army split into two columns, creating a narrow pathway in the middle.
Silver eyes shone with so much ferocity, brown hair flew in the wind as she walked graciously in the middle, coming to a halt at the front of her army.
Silver helmet with wings by the ears, brown hair the color of pine wood that majestically adorned her pretty face, a scarlet robe that indicated royalty and power, bronze pair of female boots that reached all the way to her thighs, a short metal colored skirt that stopped at her mid-thigh, brazen gold armor decorated with the talons of the sabertooth tiger that clung to her torso and accentuated her features, and silver white eyes that shone with intense anger and hatred.
Dae Chun-ja, stood before the Feudal lord of Min-ji, both parties facing the other head-on. The two lords came forward to address the other before the war began.
"It's been a while, Yeong-ji." Dae said, puting a hand on her hip.
"Likewise, Miss Dae." Yeong-ji replied, with his arms folded into his sleeves.
"Drop the formalities, you know what I'm here for."
"Do I really?"— he chuckled and gave her a polite smile— "I honestly don't think so. Care to share that information with me?"
Dae clicked her tongue in irritation. "I'm going to make it clear, just once. Hand over Raynell and the Thessalonica."
"Raynell? I see. Do you have some connection with the heathen girl?"
"Heathen? How dare you!?"
Dae instantly removed a sword from her waist and pointed it at Yeong-ji's neck.
Yeong-ji heaved a sigh and looked up towards the sky.
"Please, I advice you to drop the weapon. If you don't, my men are already set in position to shoot you down."
Soldiers equipped with bow and arrows revealed themselves from the top of the roof, all ready and set to attack Dae.
Dae's soldiers responded swiftly by drawing out their weapons, prepared to defend their lord.
"Hand over Raynell and the Thessalonica, and no one gets hurt, Yeong-ji. We both know I am more suited to war and battle than you are. I assume you would want to avoid unnecessary violence, so do as I say and we'll call this a day."
"Is that so? Well I can't do that because of three things,"— he made a three with his fingers— "One, there's a blade on my neck. Two, Huijin is well, out of my jurisdiction as of now. Three, no amount of persuasion would make me hand over the Thessalonica. It has caused too much sorrow and loss in the hands of your people."
"Don't screw with me! What do you mean she's not under your jurisdiction!? You're the bloody Feudal lord aren't you!?"
"So? Does it mean I have absolute power?"
Dae grit her teeth in anger. "The Thessalonica belongs to my people! You have no right to withhold it from us!"
"Withhold? The Thessalonica that your ancestors used to oppress my people!? The Thessalonica your ancestors used to murder innocent people and take children and women as slaves!? I will never allow such a tragedy to happen again!"
"What nonsense do you speak off!? You attacked our city because of your envy towards our blessing! You left our towns a wasteland and burnt our livestock, killed our able-bodied men, and showed me the impaled image of my daughter on a stake!! You still dare to play the victim in this scenario!? Our grandfathers told us everything, you deserve to die!!"
She raised up her left hand and swung it down. The signal has been given, her troops saddle their weapons and charged forward. A whistle was blown and the Min-ji archers readied the arrows, the men hidden in the buildings came out suddenly, to the the surprise of the Min-ae warriors, and charged against them. Each army uttering battle cries as they moved against the other.
War had begun.
The soldiers clashed into one another, each man fighting at least one opponent in the deserted city. The archers on the rooftops shot their arrows at the enemy, the sword-wielders engaged in direct combat with their foes, the shield-bearers provided defense for their offensive counterparts. Both sides were engaged in the full act of the art of war.
Dae swung her sword at the man that came after her by her left, stabbing the bade into his chest and pulling it out. As expected, Yeong-ji was nowhere to be seen. She knew that his forté wasn't in combat, but in strategic thinking.
'This is going to be more difficult than I expected. Aosaki Toshirou, where is he?'
Suddenly, there was a large explosion. A blue beam of energy shot itself towards the battlefield, creating a mighty explosion and disrupting the battle going on.
Dae was astonished.
"What the-"
"I'm afraid this battle would have to stop at this moment."
All soldiers, including the two feudal lords, looked up to the direction of the voice. The soldiers all had surprised expressions written on their faces.
Winter blue hair that bore resemblance to the snowy sky of the winter season, deep blue highlights of the blue sea adorned the edges of his hair, cobalt blue eyes shone like pure sapphire and gazed down upon the soldiers with such coldness in them.
"So this is what it all turned out to. You're both scum, the two of you. Is this what you're both fighting over?"
He held up a middle-sized orb, it glowed in broad daylight with different colors swirling inside of it. Dae recognized this object.
"If you want it,"— he threw the orb behind him— "you'll have to kill me for it." The orb vanished into a blue portal in the air.
"You!... Just what do you think you're doing!?" Dae shouted.
"I'm doing what I want, Dae Chun-ja. Both you and Yeong-ji-san, are going to die right here.
Recognizing the manner in which he spoke, her gaze widened in disbelief.
"That's right. I am Aosaki Toshirou," He spread out his hand, "and you've all been dancing... in the palm of my hand."