It was a quiet time after Regashi had died.
By morning, most of the nation was in shambles, the land torn from the earth—it also was not incredibly safe when the massive portions of land that Lord Phoenix had lifted into the air started to fall back down from the sky. Both Shanti and Zebulun were undoubtedly alerted by that point, if not far prior.
But, to some, what was even sadder was that the beloved prince, born under the rule of Oritsu Kestueki and always revitalizing Furusato under his strength and determination alone, passed away after successfully subduing Lord Phoenix permanently. Most villagers sparked arguments that Regashi should have put an end to the masked lord far sooner than he had, which is why so much was presently destroyed—but their outrage had never been heard for long as the sorrowful villagers of Furusato mourned deeply.
However, the pain that the villagers felt would be considered dwarfed by a significant margin when compared to the sadness that rapidly encroached on the Ketsueki family. The passing of a hero, a prince, who was also a part of their family, had been exceedingly taxing on Oritsu's, Hana's, and Kenji's minds.
Oritsu, as king, believed he had failed in protecting his very own son. He was the ruler and protector of the village, not just Regashi. Despite the fact that human offspring had double the potency in their Aura Sense, the guilt would not subside.
Hana, as a mother, suffered from an array of violent emotions, stormed by her own mind in ways that created irrevocable damage to her psyche.
And then there was Kenji, the cherished sibling and youngest son of the Ketsueki family. Housed a magnificent prowess in ingenuity but was quite lacking in all other aspects when fitted under the umbrella of being a warrior. The main reason for such was due to the fact that Regashi maintained an interminable shadow over the younger brother, the fear of Kenji receiving a horrible, twisted fate being a consistent variable in his restrictions on the world of warriors.
"He'd want you to grow, Kenji. Who else in our family has the same potential as him, if not more?" The quiet voice of Oritsu Ketsueki reaching out to the youngest son, Kenji.
Though his voice was laced with grief, he still had a family to reassure.
Kenji Ketsueki, with his jet-black hair hanging over his brilliant blue eyes in a manner evoked by immense sadness, struggled to formulate a properly structured sentence past his quivering lips. Kenji was there, standing between the fight hosted by Lord Phoenix, Regashi, and the new kid Tanjo, who had a striking resemblance to the youngest son.
Why could he not help? Why did he not intervene?
He was weak, and that was the only reason. Without Regashi to dawn security on him, he had no choice but to strengthen himself for the sake of Regashi's ambitions and for Kenji's own.
"I… was there. I was as helpful as a fearful bystander…" Kenji mumbled tearfully, his words causing sorrow to ripple through his father much more than before.
Oritsu took a hitching sigh. "I was at the scene too, Kenji. Don't shift the blame onto yourself when I failed to do my job."
The funeral was heartbreaking, like a kick to the gut or a carve in the soul, excising an entire facet of who the Ketsueki family was.
The prince's body was gradually lowered into the ground inside a black casket, proceeding to be sealed six feet under for all of eternity. Although his body was to be under, his spirit was and had always been soaring above everyone else. The sheer benevolence that Regashi harbored and the love he shared for anyone in Furusato or even beyond the village walls were astounding. He was what most would call a "generational prodigy," hailed as the true embodiment of a hero in a tremendously corrupt world.
Somewhere in the vast crowd of people congregating before the funeral, Tanjo had his head bowed. Sadness had indefinitely pooled within the cloaked boy, but it was not all that dominated his very core. It was confusion, slightly infused with bewilderment.
'Why…? Why was Regashi so… good in this universe?' Tanjo questioned silently, staring at the cold ground.
Memories flocked together inside Tanjo's brain, forging together the moments with the Regashi in his home universe and how cruel he had been. How maniacally sadistic the rogue Regashi Ketsueki was. What had led to such a major difference? What caused the deaths of presumably thousands in Furusato, along with the king and queen?
And why did Tanjo separate from the Ketsueki family so early in life? Why was he spared?
'Kronos would probably know…' Tanjo thought, reflecting on the god's powers. 'Though, knowing him, I highly doubt that he'd just tell me what had happened…'
Hesitantly, Tanjo crept up further into the front of the crowd full of sobbing individuals, growing closer to the Ketsueki family at the very front, who were rightfully distanced from the rest of the village during the funeral.
Then, taking a preliminary step forward, Tanjo managed to move his way to the very front, his blue eyes locking onto the king, queen, and youngest son of the family. As he spied on the royals, Tanjo subtly induced his hearing with his Aura Sense, heightening what was audible around him, including distant conversations.
'This is so wrong… they're grieving and I'm spying… but they might clue me in on what I'm missing.' Tanjo regretted being so invasive, but if he was truly a member of the family in his own universe, some questions deserved to be answered.
So far, all Tanjo could tap into were the ever-failing condolences handed out by each of the Ketsueki family members, meant to brighten each other up. Tanjo remained tenacious, not letting his hearing drop for a second.
Fortunately, Tanjo did manage to learn something.
"Oh, by the way," Oritsu spoke up arbitrarily, "I invited Uncle Hotaru… he's already devastated from the news…"
Hana Ketsueki nodded softly. "It has been a bit since he left… Mr. Nozomu has been quiet without him."
Mister Nozomu? As in, Tanjo's old man? Kaminari Nozomu? Other than that, Oritsu had revealed that there was an uncle in the family, and that Nozomu knew him.
But how could Tanjo know that the Nozomu they spoke of was his guardian back at home?
"Uncle Hotaru's been missing Kaminari and us as well." Oritsu said assuringly.
There was Tanjo's answer: Kaminari Nozomu, otherwise known as Old Man Nozomu to the jet-black-haired boy, knows who "Uncle Hotaru" is. Another problem then surfaced: how could Tanjo question Old Man Nozomu without being dragged back to Buraun for good?
"Oh, excuse me!" A loud voice pierced everybody's ears, including Tanjo's.
Perking up and glancing to his left, Tanjo could see someone pushing themself through the mourning crowd of villagers hurriedly.
Oritsu and his family turned to face the newcomer with ghostly smiles. Kenji was the first to step forward and welcome the man jostling into everyone around him:
"Welcome back, Uncle Hotaru!"
Uncle Hotaru proceeded to step into view, shocking Tanjo for what seemed like the millionth time in this alternate universe.
'Uncle Hotaru… is him!?'
XXX
After many hours had been spent, the funeral had come to a close, prompting everyone visiting to depart afterward, tears staining their faces as they ventured back to their daily routines.
Tanjo, however, dashed out of the village and into the forest.
"Kronos!" The boy cried out, his eyes shifting in every direction. "Where are you!?"
The jet-black-haired boy had no luck, with the God of Time remaining unfound. Was he busy? Typically, Kronos had time to spare, which is ironic for the type of god he was.
"Kronos!" Tanjo called out to the god once again, raising his hands to his mouth.
A familiar voice rang in the boy's ears. "You called?"
Spinning on his heels, Tanjo made direct eye contact with the blue-haired God of Time, appeased to finally see that Kronos had made himself known.
"I want to go home!" Tanjo declared with an absolute tone.
The god hummed affably as he spoke, "Good, because I was waiting for you to go back to your training."
The cloaked boy curled a brow at the god's statement, craning his head to the side curiously. "Couldn't you have sped time up for yourself?"
"Who said that I didn't?" Kronos retorted lamely, his monotone voice matching his blank expression.
Tanjo huffed. "So you're just that impatient?"
The God of Time pondered the subject with his index finger tapping his chin repeatedly, his eyes drawn upward as he pretended to be interested in the sky. Kronos finally came up with a response after a few seconds of thought, leaving the boy dumbfounded.
"Maybe."
"Now you're just wasting time." Tanjo muttered, sighing.
The god folded his arms, his white sleeves hanging loosely. "Our perception of time is varying. A year to you is a second to me."
"Just take me home, Kronos! I have a few questions and I also don't want to leave Asami in the dark for any longer than I need to." Tanjo ordered, stomping his foot on the grass.
*KRRSHH!*
The Disruption of Reality soon surrounded the two, expelled from Kronos' own hands. After a few seconds, the God of Time clenched his fists as he said:
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions. But, worry not, I won't be answering any of them."
XXX
Very quick chapter, but I simply desired to get this alternate universe part of the story sweeped up so I can dive back into the main plot involving other characters. I love Tanjo, but I need to attend to other sophisticated people—like the Furusato Unit, Yuso, Class 1AB, and others. What will happen next? Who was Uncle Hotaru? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_