It was not long before it was revealed that the guy that Kaminari Nozomu knew was none other than the Chief of Buraun's military—Haishi. After carefully sneaking into the village barracks, the group immediately discovered the pony-tailed Chief, leading to a surprising turn of events.
Which was why the three Tansu vessels, Oritsu Ketsueki, and Tanjo Nozomu managed to successfully flee from the village.
Haishi had been more than elated to let the group go. In fact, the Chief believed that letting the Tansu vessels go was reasonable, especially due to the rogue Tansu vessels that would certainly cause problems down the road. Haishi simply wished that the blame would not be pinned on him for the sudden disappearance of the village's Tansu vessel, Reberu Manabu.
Outside Buraun's walls, Nozomu sighed as he spoke, "It feels so good to get out of that armor."
Instead of garbing himself in the mandated gray armor, Nozomu had opted to clothe himself in his white cloak, previously used when the village had been invaded—the same day that Kit the kitten had passed away.
"Where did you say you got that again, Kami?" Manabu arched an eyebrow at her white-haired friend, eyeing his clothing ponderously.
Nozomu exhaled, "My old teacher; Oritsu knows him."
The bearded man in question grinned, crouched on a tree branch as he peered down at Nozomu. "Lord Kokoro?"
"Well, at least you managed to find peace in life, Nozomu." Asami murmured silently, stretching her back.
Nozomu hummed, "Before or after my second family was murdered?"
Tanjo sighed exasperatingly. It had not even reached the thirty-minute mark of being outside of Buraun, and all the teenage boy wanted was to end it. The sun was not going to be in the sky for much longer, and more people were dying with every passing second. It was safe to say that proceeding would be the best course of action.
"Asami, am I right to assume that you remember the way to Furusato?" The jet-black-haired teen inquired, hopping down from a tree branch.
The blue-haired Tansu vessel jabbed a thumb into the air. "And this time we don't have to run at a slower pace! I doubt that with a war going on, Adonai will panic if a group of people are sprinting through the lands anyway!"
"Then can we get a move on?" Nozomu queried tonelessly, "I don't like owing favors and I know Haishi will hold this over my head for as long as he and I live."
It was clear as day that Nozomu was not particularly excited to meet Imawashiki once again. The wind-using Tansu vessel, which Tanjo nor Oritsu did not know, could guess that he was less of an apparent worry; although, that did stump the father and son due to them remembering that all Tansu were relatively equal in battle.
After a moment of silence, Asami nodded before ambling forward. On the inside, she was being torn apart. Reuniting with her old friends was fantastic, but it also meant that she had to end the lives of one or two others. Knowing how powerful they all were, a lot of land was bound to be ravaged, and someone during the clash would most likely perish, whether it be Manabu, Nozomu, herself, or one of the rogues—Imawashiki and Heiki Shototsu—Asami was aware that her past would ultimately be put to rest.
"The faster we move, the less time we have to stress." Oritsu chimed in, breaching the group's thoughts. "We have a team together; focus on maintaining that. There's nothing more important during this mission than us sticking together, no matter what happens or where we end up."
Nozomu spared a glance at the past king. "I still forget that you're not always a jokester, Oritsu."
"It's good to smile sometimes, Nozomu. I hope you'll learn that sometime soon." The bearded man replied softly.
Suddenly, Manabu clasped her hands together, garnering everyone's attention. "Alright, Asami and Tanjo! Lead the way!"
XXX
*BOOM!*
The Detrimental War had refused to cease. It was staying true to its title as it proved to absorb most, if not all, of Adonai's village's resources and warriors to hold Shanti back. It was no longer a rare sight to see a PTSD-stricken troop out on the field, frozen in place with a stare that seemingly ventured into another reality from sheer shock alone.
Warriors were being bombed, bludgeoned, and utterly eviscerated on both sides. The sky's typical blue hue proceeded to transition to an orange glow, indicating the severity and total devastation of the battle between the two nations.
"...So this is how bad it's gotten…" A man whispered to himself, his eyes narrowing at the battlefield in the distance.
A feminine voice spoke up: "I say it's time we join in."
"I can't help but agree, Chinatsu." A third individual added.
As the three observed the war, a fourth person made their presence known. "Where is Kyoshiro? Surely he is not backing down as a Kyuujo."
The four rulers of Shanti asked themselves the same question, surveying the land around them. Among the four, who were wrapped in similar gear, there was a dark-skinned woman named Chinatsu, her dark hair resembling the void that dwelled beyond her emotionless eyes.
"He always did seem weak at heart." Chinatsu stated callously, no longer bothered to search for the missing Kyuujo.
Another was a man named Chikao—an aged man with scars that littered his entire body, his most notable mark stretching from his chin to his forehead.
"He'll be punished for desertion if such is the case, Chimon." Chikao said rashly, his jaw clenched.
Chimon, a middle-aged man with an empty eye socket, huffed. "He is rather young, so I'm not entirely staggered."
The final of the four was a man named Masashi, who stood behind the rest with a curious gaze. "I'm sure he'll return before we know it, Chikao."
Chikao grumbled, "This isn't his first time being late, Masashi—!"
"Calm down, I'm right here." A new voice rang through the four Kyuujo's ears, prompting them to look in the same direction.
Chinatsu glared at the fifth Kyuujo. "Actually arrived, Kyoshiro? You know that a war is quite the hassle, right? We can't have you ditch last second because you can't handle it."
The dark-skinned man sighed, "I already scoped everything out. It's nothing we can't handle. We should be able to join in and end the war pretty quickly."
Masashi grinned and patted Kyoshiro's back. "And that's why you were made a Kyuujo! The confidence and power that dwarfs entire armies!"
"Don't egg him on, Masashi." Chikao muttered tersely.
Chinatsu folded her arms across her chest with a bored countenance. "Are we going to make a move or let more of our men die?"
"She's right," Kyoshiro agreed, cracking his neck. "In and out."
Unknown to the Five Great Kyuujo's, a certain brown-haired and green-eyed ruler was smirking atop a castle in Adonai.
XXX
Another short one, but these quick chapters are getting the plot in motion. Once everything serious begins to happen, there is no slowing down or stopping—I have had the latter half of this novel planned out for almost 2 years and I want to be able to execute it the way I desire. I may be indecisive with how things float, but the result will be the same. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_