"What's your favourite colour?"
That's the question that I haven't answered yet to her. But it was all too late for me to answer that. What the heck am I talking about right now? To clarify, if we turn to the dial back during my first day in Infinity Academy, I've come across a young lady who asked me this question. But I wasn't able to answer her as she quickly walked pass me. That moment has repeated itself today. But it was the last time that it will happen.
-
"What is your question, human?" Kitsuneki asked me from his throne.
I tried to stand up but a Yokai pushed me down to my knee. It was probably done like that so that I didn't disrespect their lord. I had to follow the rules for now.
"What is your plan, Kitsuneki? And why are you doing it?"
The Chaos Shogun crosses his arms and said, "My plan? I have many plans...which one do you want to know?"
Ethereal was on her knees as well, "Enough with the mind games, shogun. Tell us, what are you trying to do with that blade?"
"The Mikazuki Blade?" Kitsuneki brought out the blade from behind his throne.
The blade was still in its scabbard. From the looks of it, chains and locks were all over the blade. It was almost like the blade was never supposed to be opened at all.
Kitsuneki stands from his throne and walks around with the blade and continued, "I have been waiting for years for me to finally get my hands on this blade. Telling you what I'm planning with it isn't enough for you to understand...you need to know our history as well."
"We already know that" Ethereal interrupted him, "The humans invaded your land. They pushed away all of the Yokai to the uninhabited areas and stole everything that the Yokai had made. They stole your plants, technology, literature, art. They also stole your culture and tradition."
"That is true!" The Chaos Shogun immediately blows up one of the decorations in the room with his chaotic energy ball. "And do you know what's worse than that?"
Ethereal swallowed her saliva and said, "The higher up of Nihon now tries to diminish a portion of the Yokai cultures and traditions..."
"Do you know why?!"
"I..." Ethereal drops her head and looks to the floor and said, "I don't know..."
Then all of a sudden, her head was brought up. It was because Kitsuneki pulled her hair and grabbed her throat.
"It's because you humans are selfish creatures!"
"Not all of us...are selfish..."
"What are you talking about, outsider? You people are just the same as any other creatures living in this world. You people are carnivorous! You eat everything that moves and breathe! You made something out of other creature skin. Much as you do the same thing as well to us Yokai..."
"There's people...who...ate Yokai?" Ethereal was surprised to hear about this.
That goes the same for me of course. But in any case,
"I'm not blaming you for being ignorant of this. You are just a mere outsider. You shouldn't have gotten yourselves involved in our problems."
Ethereal was out of words as Kitsuneki let go of her hair and continued to walk around the room.
He then continued, "I'll tell you what I'm going to do now...I'm going to take back what's belonging to the Yokai. We're going to take back Nihon! With this blade, I'll be able to summon the fallen Yokai from The Rift of Time. Thousands of Yokai will come and join me. Victory is assured. Every last human in Nihon will feel the wrath as they felt during The 2nd Great War!"
"...This...this is wrong..." I tried to plead to him.
"Wrong?!" Kitsuneki charges another chaotic energy ball and hurls it to me.
I was sent flying to the corners of the room. Yumiko was standing next to me. She looked at me with a disgusted look.
"What do you think when your own people have been slaughtered and killed by another creature? You would definitely feel something from that! What do you think when they took away something important from you?!"
Yumiko smiled as she heard that last sentences.
"If it were me...I would have just move on and forget what happened..." I told him so.
"Is that so? Perhaps you haven't really felt what I meant. Yumiko!"
Yumiko answered, "Yes." She made a blind shot somewhere in the room, creating a portal.
Suddenly, someone came out of the portal. It was Zenith and Recordia. Recordia was trapped inside a small cubical cage while Zenith's hands and legs were tied by a rope.
"Zen! Recordia!" I shouted as soon as I saw them fell to the floor.
"...W...White...? You came..." Zenith finally opened her eyes.
"Recordia! Are you there?!"
Yumiko laughed and said, "Silly White. That little fairy is busy looking up for something that I asked her. Wouldn't it be bad if something were to happen when she doesn't even notice it?"
It was then where I finally realized what Kitsuneki was conspiring against me.
"I'll leave it all to you, Yumiko. I'll be at the rooftop to open the rift..." Kitsuneki left us.
"What are you trying do to them, Yumiko?!" Ethereal was furious.
"Ah...the shorty's big sister..." Yumiko walks to her and raised Ethereal's chin with her flintlock. "It is so nice to see you two here. I'll be able to hit two birds with one stone...Oh wait. There's only one bird here." Yumiko hysterically laughed as she implied Zenith's curse.
"What's the difference you're going to make? She's still going to come back later!" I told her off.
"Oh White..." She turns her focus to me. "What if I told you that I am a liar? What would you think of me?"
"You're a horrible person..."
"You say that every time something like this happens but then you moved on and forgiven me. Are you really saying I'm horrible or not?"
"..." I wasn't able to answer her.
"Then I'll tell you something." Yumiko begins to tell the truth, "It was all a lie all this time, White. I was never a part of Vatherion schemes. I was only there as an observer. I told him that Nova has appointed me as an inspector. But that's a lie of course." She laughed.
"But I already know that once you helped me fight him."
"Did I? Very well...Moving on, this might surprise you but...I never ate a single Infinitum Crystal like you did, White. There was never a dragon inside of me, doofus. You think I would somehow be a part of your small little kingdom? That's funny, alright."
"You're wasting time..." I was getting tired of her charade.
"But you should listen this last one, White. It's related to Zenith's curse..."
"What is she talking about White?" Ethereal asked me.
I explained to her, "Zenith is cursed by a snow phoenix. She's going to resurrect every time she is killed..."
"That might not be the case..." Yumiko interrupted. "Her curse will be broken after this. Why? Because it's her last life..."
I couldn't believe what she was trying to say. It was probably a lie, right? Right?
"No...you're lying again, right?"
"This isn't the time to be lying, White."
"White..." I can hear her voice. She doesn't sound as monotone as I used to hear. It sounded very human. "I don't want to die..."
"Zen..." My heart skips a beat as I felt her strong emotion.
Yumiko begins to tell me something else, "The Shogun's other plan is this...He intends to release The Snow Phoenix that he has placed on her several years ago. That Snow Phoenix is his pet and he wants it back."
"Impossible..."
"It is what it is, White. "
I quickly went to Zenith and tried to talk to her with my tied hands.
"Zen...This isn't happening is it?"
"White...Can you stop calling me that...?" Her voice was getting quiet.
My body begins to tremble as I opened my mouth and said, "Z...Ze...Zenith...Zenith. Zenith Feather..."
She suddenly made smile that I never seen before. It was warm and cold at the same. But it was pleasant.
"Hey White..."
"Yes, Zenith..." I grabbed her hands with my tied-up hands. It doesn't feel as cold as I hold her before this. It was as warm as a blanket.
"What's your favourite colour?"
I paused for a few second and lightly laughed and said, "My favourite colour? I haven't told you yet, huh? It's..."
But before I even able to say it...she's no longer there to hear it as the only thing I could hear was the sound of a live bullet going through me and the person in front of me. We fell down to the floor as I faintly hear Ethereal's screaming.
Zenith's eye was wide opened. My eyes were wide opened. Our faces were close to each other. But...her hands weren't as warm as before. She doesn't disintegrate into snow as usual. Yumiko didn't lie. She pulled the trigger. I wasn't able to answer Zenith's question. The person that I have strong feeling toward has gone right in front of my eye. She's no longer in the realm of the living...she has reached...her zenith...
However, the blood that was spilled at my stomach suddenly heals as it slowly covered with scales. I felt like throwing away everything that I have as my entire body begins to be engulfed by the same dragon aura that I've used against a certain Dragonlord.
"Z...Zenith..."
TO BE CONTINUED