Within Buraun's barracks, the three siblings—Mizuki, Sona, and Toshiro—were sitting idly by inside their current home's living room, patiently waiting for anything to happen.
Lately, the children have grown anxious upon hearing the latest news on electronic devices and in newspapers. The mere utterance of war spawned fear within their hearts, frightful of what future may come for the three.
Haishi, a man who checks up on the three kids frequently, had worn a look of frustration and stress during the last few times he had been present. Toshiro initially attempted to draw out a reason behind the Chief's shift in moods while Sona callously called the pony-tailed man a wimp; however, Mizuki could practically resonate with the man's depression.
Mizuki had been tossed through the throes of the world quite early in life, which enabled the young boy to know what desperation felt like—deep-rooted helplessness—and to be more than unwilling to see what reality would offer next. To want something better so badly but to wince and recoil at every development, not mattering if it was good or bad.
The Chief also desperately wanted to assign Mizuki to a therapist for harboring feelings that were mutual with a military leader, but some things must wait.
*CREAK!*
Hopping from the couch, the three kids raced to the front door the moment it began to open. The newcomer that strode into the home was none other than Kou, smiling the second her eyes landed on the children.
"Must be pretty boring here if my return is a highlight in your day!" The woman chuckled, shutting the door behind her.
Sona was the first to jump forward, clinging to the woman's leg. "Are we going to die during the war!?"
Kou blinked slowly. It was quite concerning to hear an adolescent worry about dying within the confines of their own village, so the woman's incoming response was more than rational.
"What!?" Kou hollered in shock.
"She's asking if the "Detrimental War," as it's been dubbed, will prove to be dire to our lives." Toshiro pitched in, his voice resembling one of a diplomat.
Kou shook her head. "No! You guys shouldn't worry about it, you'll be more than safe here in Buraun. The… conflict is basically on the complete opposite side of the nation from us!"
It was Mizuki's turn to speak:
"Then why is Chief Haishi worried?" The brown-haired boy asked, rubbing his arm nervously.
Softly, the military woman lowered herself down to Mizuki's height and ruffled his hair affectionately. "He's always a little… concerned about things, Mizuki. He's just starting to lose himself in all of the bad news."
The kid became despondent. Mizuki could unfortunately relate to the feeling of being lost, literally and figuratively. Being used for one objective, only to dream of another—to be roped in one direction, only to pull toward another.
"Will he ever find himself again?" Mizuki questioned with a sliver of hope in his eyes.
Kou hesitated to respond, her words dying before she could even speak. "Haishi… will. If he fights for his identity, he will retain it. The same goes for everyone, Mizuki."
"And I already know that I'll become a kick-ass warrior!" Sona shouted giddily, pumping her fist into the air.
The stars in her eyes were practically visible.
"Not if you can't perform rudimentary mathematics." Toshiro dampened his sister's mood in an instant.
Sona clenched her jaw in anger. "Sure! I'll make sure to tell my enemies what the square root of twenty is when I'm putting them six feet under!"
Kou laughed and said, "See! Now you're getting it! Now, get to the table, kids. Time to eat!"
XXX
Principal Manabu was currently departing from Buraunmajikku Academy through the entrance doors with a cup of coffee in her left hand, humming a melodic tune as she closed up for the day.
The day was like any other, and it was going to end like any other. The sun was going to hang below the horizon while she laid her head against a soft pillow for the night.
"Gods… the restrooms are always so trashed! I feel bad for the academy's janitors." Manabu said to herself with an exasperated sigh, brushing her neck-length hair.
As Manabu was locking up the entrance to the academy, she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice:
"Would have never guessed that a Tansu vessel would be complaining about bathrooms."
With her eyes bulging out of her head in a fit of panic, the woman spun around and spotted the source of the voice.
"Oh!" Manabu exclaimed, "...wait, what did you say?"
Standing before her, Oritsu Ketsueki grinned happily at the woman. The bearded man was perplexed to see that this was the second time he managed to sneak up on a Tansu vessel, especially when they could harness powers that dwarfed his own. That alone was a terrifying feat.
"You are Reberu Manabu, right? The one with the stone turtle inside as a soul?" Oritsu queried, scratching his beard awkwardly.
The brown-haired woman narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
While Manabu was treated quite humanely, it was annoying to be prohibited from utilizing her magic in the slightest without the presence of danger. She was nothing more than a basic person on a calm day.
Oritsu's smile widened. "A friend of a friend."
The principal was prepared to ask another question before a voice that turned out to be familiar rang in her ears:
"He's with us, Reb!"
Manabu dropped her coffee.
Whipping her body around at what looked like the speed of light, Manabu's eyes locked onto a blue-haired woman dressed in a cloak. Tears began to slide down her face as she cupped her mouth.
"Asa…?" The principal asked hesitantly.
Asami grinned excitedly, waving at the brown-haired woman with exuberance. "Long time no see, old friend! I also brought a few others!"
Standing next to the blue-haired woman were Tanjo and Kaminari Nozomu, the duo remaining silent as they patiently waited for the two females of the group to rejoice during their reunion.
"Kami! How did you find her!? And… Tanjo? You came back? We had an entire unit searching for you!" Manabu screamed in surprise, her eyes darting between the two males.
Nozomu raised his hand. "Relax, Manabu. We'll talk most of it over later. For now, we need your help."
The principal paused. "My help? With what?"
Asami's expression morphed from glee to solemn. "The Detrimental War. It was orchestrated."
For a few brief moments, Manabu reflected on her old friend's words, trying to make sense of what was being told to her. Orchestrating a war? Between Adonai and Shanti? Who could successfully manage such a grandiose task?
"Elaborate." Manabu requested, her visage becoming staid.
Tanjo took her response as a cue to speak up, quickly inhaling as he prepared to present information to the principal of his old school.
"The rogues that come from Furusato have procured a curse that revives the dead. They're using zombified warriors in Adonai gear to trick foreigners into thinking that we're waging war with them." Tanjo stated calmly, surveying the brown-haired woman carefully.
Manabu arched her brow. "What?"
"Believe it or not, but the bearded nice guy behind you is Oritsu Ketsueki—past king of Furusato before it was razed sixteen years ago." Nozomu suddenly mentioned, making the principal glance at the man behind her.
"Oh…" Manabu murmured, "I thought he looked… familiar. Looks exactly the same as the pictures in the text books."
Oritsu waved happily, smiling. Manabu waved back, blinking repeatedly.
"We need you to help us in taking one of those rogues from Furusato down, and I think you know who I'm referring to." Nozomu voiced gravely, his gaze locking with the principal's.
Manabu nodded as she recalled the day the Furusato rogues had stormed Buraun. more precisely, the incident where Imawashiki, one of the rogues, broke into the academy. He sneaked into the building and faced her there. Luckily, Nozomu had already come a short while later.
"You want to get the drop on him. Finally put him to an end?" Manabu queried slowly, her voice dropping to a whisper.
Asami, remorsefully, answered, "Yes… whether he backs down or not, he needs to be… put down."
The principal walked closer to the blue-haired woman, placing a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry to know that you need to do such a thing. I remember how much he meant to you."
"Imawashiki is not 'him.'" Asami replied sharply, sighing irritably. "Imawashiki is entirely different."
Manabu smiled. "I'm happy you can see through it, Asa. I would love to help, but the village has me stuck here. I can't leave without severe ramifications."
Nozomu shook his head.
"Leave that to me. I know a guy."
XXX
Don't mind all the dialogue! I'm simply staging what is yet to come! A lot is about to happen and quickly, so I want there to be enough context and reasoning behind it. Also, I wanted to briefly highlight a small facet of this novel's moral story: never give up on finding who you are; never give in to the indifference of the world—everybody struggles on deciding on who they want to be, what they want to achieve, how they want to live. You'll find it, just be patient and fight through the trials and tribulations. Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_