The royal palace did little to hide its unambiguous splendour from the public. There were scarce few days when even a single citizen would go without glimpsing the decorated shingles of its pagoda high above their heads. The upper city was an amalgamate of temples and parliamentary buildings playing host to Shukora's most influential minds. The grand staircase which led to the beginning of the district had developed an auspicious air of grandeur, becoming a symbol of ambition for those who dreamed of one day living amongst the clouds.
Barion and a hidden Fusala idled within a crowd of disparaged commoners, huddled upon the well-maintained soil of the palace gardens, gathered to witness the young emperor's annual cherry blossom viewing. Spring was a time of rebirth within Anjima--when exiting from Winter, vows for the new year were made and differences were put aside between business owners and former friends. The day of the emperor's cherry blossom viewing, then, became a commemorative occasion.
"Must be boring for him." Barion muttered, catching glimpses of the young boy through gaps in the crowd, "I wouldn't want to be an emperor at that age."
"Anjima's royal lineage predates the history of writing as we know it." Fusala pointed out, her voice echoing in his head, "To honour tradition, it is necessary to prepare the boy for ascension to the throne proper. Though it is likely that the interior ministry will attempt to assassinate him before the appointed day in order to preserve their influence within the city."
"He certainly has a strange life ahead of him." From behind Barion, the spring roll cook spoke up, "The ministry will have already arranged a wife for when he comes of age. I imagine it will be one of his elder sisters, if previous emperors are any indication."
"That's no way for a child to live." Barion frowned, "...In any case, do you think he's possessed? Doesn't look like it to me."
"I don't believe so." The man crossed his arms, "At the very least, he seems as docile as ever. But I'm certain that the trade embargo is linked to the presence of a Demon in some way."
"If we don't figure it out within the next couple of days, the city's going to fall into chaos."
"Are you familiar with the legend of the cavern that resides beneath this city, Barion?"
"I'm not."
"It's said that in a time uncomplicated by Demons and heroes, a spirit of the earth was enraged by the construction of Shukora--back then a village of barely 100 people, and took on the form of a dragon to wreak havoc on the settlement." The man recited, "But, with a sword taken from the mountain summit, infused with the dragon's bane of lightning, a lone warrior journeyed to the dragon's lair and beheaded it while it slept."
"Beheading a dragon? That's just plain unrealistic."
"You of all people have no right declaring what is realistic and what is not, Barion." The man cleared his throat, "However, the dragon, as a manifestation of the earth itself, could not be killed by having its physical form destroyed. Only with the aid of the village priests was the spirit contained within a great boulder and moved to a cavern which is said to still exist beneath the city today."
"You think an earth spirit is responsible for this? But the stone-"
"Beings harbouring great resentment may find themselves transformed into Demons. Indeed, being subjected to such a fate would move even the mightiest souls to devilry."
"So, you think the spirit's managed to break out?"
"Assuming the legend is true."
"I'm not sure. There are a lot of steps to fixing a problem like that. We'd have to find the cavern first to see if it's actually true, then we'd need to track down the spirit in question."
"I've already done my research into that." The man smirked, "There's a shrine close to Shukora's gates founded near a cave which runs beneath the city."
"What was the point in coming here if what we're looking for is outside?"
"Wait a moment and you'll see."
The gathering for that year's cherry blossom viewing was a serene sight. Couples and families of all classes lounged upon the short grass and watched as the petals fell to dye the world around them a soft pink. Even the emperor was only flanked by two royal guardsmen, when normally he was surrounded at all times by an armed escort. For a moment, Barion took those words to mean he was in some kind of danger, but for a few minutes, nothing seemed to happen.
"...What?"
Reaching a hand out, Barion muttered that in confusion as a cherry blossom petal, which had become as black as tar, slowly fell into his palm. As he caressed it with his thumb, the petal chipped like a piece of thin charcoal, dissolving into nothing.
He was brought back to his senses by a distressed shout from the people in front of him. As he raised his head, the blooming trees which decorated the garden and lined its extravagant pathways continued to sway gently in the breeze despite the veins of darkness that had begun to show beneath their bark. One by one, the petals upon each tree were subsumed in a black substance, which was met with cries and screams of fear from the onlooking crowd.
"This is…" Barion muttered, "...a curse?"
"Think of it as more of a warning." The man replied, "As if to say 'the soil beneath your feet is my domain', or something like that."
"And you knew it was going to happen." He sighed, "Do you still… see things like that?"
"I am a man of the world, Barion. A man who was scorned, but one who remains subjected to fate's whims. I am no hero, like you--someone gifted with the power to fight against the very will of the cosmos. My premonitions continue regardless of who lives and dies."
As chaos spread throughout the garden, and the emperor was quickly ushered away from the scene, those two men stood there, preoccupied by problems of a different sort. While they were invisible to the panicked crowd, an eagle-eyed onlooker would have thought it strange that neither of them seemed particularly bothered by the curse that was propagating right in front of their eyes.
"I don't believe that." Barion replied, "I don't believe… that someone can't change their fate."
"It's been this long, and you still think that way?" The man sighed, "Some of us are not destined for greatness. Some will die painful deaths they don't deserve, or be treated unjustly for crimes they did not commit. But, at the same time, there are those whose destinies are to wield unimaginable power or to live long, fulfilling lives."
Regarding the poisoned cherry blossoms with a look of sadness, he continued, "You are the anomaly, Barion. Someone who has no destiny. It is by your hand that the lives of those who are poorly may be lifted, and those whose own destinies are evil may be vanquished."
"What's your point?" Barion asked, "I've heard all of this before."
"The world is changing." He explained, "-And not for the better."
"Wha-"
"There will certainly come a time when the two of us will meet again as enemies." The man prophesied, "Though, not quite in the way that you would expect."
Turning to face him fully, the man's gaze was piercing, "Fighting against fate isn't always the answer. Sometimes it's better to allow bad things to happen to good people."
"Even when you're serving spring rolls, you still think about this kind of stuff, huh?" Barion replied.
"Just consider it a prediction. I don't mean to threaten you."
"Are we going to the shrine or not? I'd rather not stay in this garden any longer."
"Lead the way. It's barely a stroll from here."
As they began to walk, those words became stuck within Barion's mind. There weren't many people who could provoke him to worry so easily. It was easier for him to face life in a half-hearted way, but every so often, a reminder would appear as to what sort of person he was truly meant to be.
"Barion, I am detecting an uncharacteristic pensiveness from your soul." Fusala reported.
"Please don't go digging around in the essence of my being."
"My apologies, but that is not possible." She explained, "Are you feeling well?"
"This guy has a way of getting under my skin. It's nothing new."
"Based on my assumptions, I will consider that a reasonable response."
The three of them descended the grand staircase leading down from the upper district towards a crowd that had begun to form. The cherry blossoms were still somewhat visible from below, and the torrent of citizens sprinting down the stairs had started a worried commotion.
"I suppose that just confirms we're dealing with an earth spirit here." Barion concluded.
"It's only natural that the seal keeping it trapped in the boulder would eventually wear down." The man replied, "Not to worry. I'm certain that getting rid of it permanently will be quite a simple affair. You still have the Sword of Light, don't you?"
"Don't just say that out loud…" Barion complained, "But yes, I do."
"Excellent. Let's just hope it doesn't transform into a dragon and cause a scene."