Now In The Flame Dancer Faction, What Conflict 's Will Arise?!
Jason, Aria, Aaliyah And Selene Walk Through The Streets Of The Flame Dancer Faction…
Temples And Shrines All Over The Place, Women And Children All Roam The Streets As Lanterns Float Around…
Aria(Awe): This Is, Amazing!
Jason(Looking Around): I'm Gonna Go Find Kaida, And See What She Means Of The Conflict Going On.
Selene Looks Over To Jason, Her Eyes Lowering As She Gives Him A Worried Look…
Selene(Worried): You Gonna Be Alright?
Jason Turns Around, And Takes A Moment Before Answering…
Jason(Nodding): I'll Be Fine, Thank You.
Jason Then Walks Off As Selene, Aria And Aaliyah Continue To Roam The Streets Of The Flame Dancer Faction.
Selene(Calm): Mom, I Need To Talk To You About Something That Happened In Our Fight Against Cain And Ashe.
Aaliyah(Curious): What's Up?
Selene Takes A Deep Breath Before Answering, Her Eyes Locked Onto The Ground As They Continue Walking…
Selene(Calm): After Me, Aria And Athena Managed To Help Jason Regain Control Of His Body…
Selene(Calm): He Had A Panic Attack, And It Was Bad.
Aaliyah's Eyes Widen In Worry As She Stops Walking.
Aaliyah(Shocked): What?! W- Why Didn't He Tell Me?
Selene(Softly): He Didn't Want To Worry You, He Said That He Didn't Want To Burden You By Adding On To You're Already Immense Stress.
Selene(Softly): It Came Out Of Nowhere… He Started Shaking, Couldn't Breathe, And Just Collapsed. I Didn't Know What To Do At First But I Managed To Calm Him Down.
Aaliyah Clenches Her Fists, Her Gaze Hardening As She Processes What Her Son Had Been Through…
But Then Her Gaze Turned Into Small Tears As She Begins To Think To Herself…
Aaliyah(Thinking): Damn It! He Always Does That… Shouldering Everything On His Own. I Should've Seen This Coming.
Selene(Softly): We Thought It Was Just Exhaustion From The Fight, But It Was More Than That.
Selene(Softly): He Was Terrified, That He'd Hurt Me And Lose Control To Malum. I've Never Seen Him That Scared Before, And…
Selene Clenches Her Fists As She Starts Shaking A Little, A Tear Dropping From Her Eye…
Selene(Voice Cracking): I'm Tired Of Seeing Him Suffer Like That. Sometimes I Wish, That It Had Been Me That Was Malum's Vessel So He Wouldn't Have To-
Selene(Composed): …
Aria Places Her Hands On Both Selene And Aaliyah's Shoulder's…
Aria(Calmly): I'll Go Talk To Him, I've Been Meaning To For A While But…
Meanwhile, At The Center Of The Flame Faction, Jason Finds Himself At The Main Shrine Where A Flame Dances Inside Of It…
**Sign**: 永遠 炎(Eternal Flame).
Jason(Intrigued): Hm.
Unfamiliar Voice(Friendly): Interested? That's The Shrine Of The Eternal Flame.
Jason Turns Around To See A Woman Clad In A Red Kimono With Her Black Hair Tied Up And Red Lipstick On…
Unfamiliar Voice(Friendly): You Must Be Jason Right?
Jason(Nodding/Blushing): Y- Yes, Thank You Very Much For, Welcoming Me To Your Faction…
Jason(Serious): I Heard That There's A Conflict Going On Between You Guys And The Southern Tribe.
Unfamiliar Voice(Somber): Yes There Is. Lord Hotoke Masayoshi, Is Currently At Odds With Princess Kaida…
Unfamiliar(Calm): I Assume You're Looking For Her?
Jason Nods As The Woman Gestures Her Arms For Him To Follow Her…
Jason(Nervously): If It's Not Too Much, May I Ask Your Name?
Woman(Smiling): Ayanae. Ayanae Himura.
Jason Nods, Still Slightly Flustered By Her Presence. He Follows Her Through The Bright Streets Of The Flame Faction…
The Soft Glow Of Lanterns And The Distant Murmur Of Chanting Fill The Air, Lending The Moment A Strange, Otherworldly Calm.
As They Approach A Nagaya Home, Ayanae Glances Back At Jason, Her Smile Fading Into A More Serious Expression.
Ayanae(Calm): Kaida Will Want To See You… But I Must Warn You, Things Are More Tense Than They May Seem.
Jason Narrows His Eyes Slightly, Picking Up On The Shift In Her Tone…
Jason(Concerned): What Do You Mean?
Ayanae Hesitates For A Brief Moment As A Cool Breeze Blows Past Them, They Stop At The Entrance Of The Home…
Ayanae Puts Her Hands On The Sliding Door, The Flickering Light Of The Eternal Flame Casts A Shadow On One Side Of Her Face.
Ayanae(Softly): Lord Hotoke And Princess Kaida Aren't Just At Odds With Each Other Over Territory Or Politics… There Are Deeper, More Personal Wounds Between Them.
Jason Tilts His Head, Now Fully Attentive.
Ayanae(Serious): We Should Go In Now. You Should Hear The Details From Princess Kaida Herself.
Ayanae Opens The Doors As They Are Met By Kaida Sitting In Front Of A Shrine With The Picture Of A Woman And A Girl Right Next To Each Other…
Kaida, Barefoot With A Black Kimono On With Red Accents And Her Hair Flowing Down Her Back With Her Nails Painted Red And Red Lipstick On, Her Eyes Closed And Her Hands Together As She Silently Says A Prayer To The Dearly Departed…
A Tear Falling Down Her Eye As Jason And Ayanae Silently Watch…
Moments Pass As Kaida Finally Opens Her Eyes And Stands Up… She Turns Around And Smiles Slightly, Greeting Both Jason And Ayanae.
Kaida(Directing): Come With Me, Jason.
Jason Nods As He Follows Kaida To A Back Room Down The Hall, The Wall's Painted With Flames Reaching All The Way Down The Hall…
They Reach Kaida's Room As Kaida Point's To Her Bed As If Asking Jason To Take A Seat, Jason Then Sits Down As Kaida Sits In A Chair Sitting In Front Of A Mirror Facing Jason With Her Legs Crossed, And Her Posture Well.
Kaida(Smiling): You Have My Thanks For Agreeing To Meet With Me.
Jason(Nodding): No Need To Thank Me.
The Smile On Kaida's Face Slightly Lowers In A Somber Tone, As If The Atmosphere Has Suddenly Become More Serious…
Kaida(Grim): I'm Sure You're Well Aware Of The Conflicts Going On Between The Tribes, Due To The Incident Two Years Ago.
Jason(Nodding): Yeah. I'm Sure You Probably Distrust Me As Well.
Kaida(Shrugging): Honestly. I Dunno Yet…
Kaida(Unsure): Everyone Says That You're Nothing More Than A Demon. But That's Not What I Sensed When I First Shook Your Hand And Met You At The Tournament.
Jason's Eyes Slightly Widen…
Kaida(Unsure): When I Came In Contact With You. I Felt Two Flames Within You, One Giant Black Flame And One Small White Flame…
Kaida(Softly): The Black One Symbolizes Malum's Presence Within You Fighting Against The Human Part Of Your Essence, And To Me It Felt Like You Might Just Be More Human Than Anyone Else, Depending On How You Look At It.
Jason's Eyes Flicker With A Sense Of Curiosity And Confusion…
Kaida(Softly): But This Isn't A Matter Of Trust And Distrust, Jason. It's Far More Complicated Than That.
Jason Frowns Slightly Feeling The Weight Of Her Words…
Jason(Curious): Whaddya Mean?
Kaida Looks Away, Her Expression More Serious As She Takes A Moment To Gather Her Thoughts.
Kaida(Sighing): The Southern Tribe's Representative/Leader Is My Father, Hotoke Masayoshi…
Jason's Eyes Widen In Surprise…
Jason(Thinking): "Her Father"?!
Kaida(Grim): The Southern Tribe Has Always Been Impossible To Negotiate With, But After What Happened One Year Ago… My Wounds Are Still Fresh. My Father Had Killed My Sister Chikai In A Conflict Within The Tribe.
Jason's Eyes Widen In Realization…
Jason(Grim/Serious): That Shrine… It's For Your Sister And Mother, Right?
Kaida Nods, Her Eyes Momentarily Softening As She Glances Towards The Room They Had Just Left.
Kaida(Somber): My Fa-…
Kaida(Somber): Lord Hotoke Has Before And Since Then Passed A Law Across The Southern Tribe For The Women To Conceive Male Sorcerer's Children In Order To Increase The Number Of Sorcerers, And If The Women Refuse Then They Will Be "Forced" To Mate With The Sorcerers.
"Jason's Expression Hardens"…
Jason(Serious): Oh I See… So After Your Father Caught You're Sister Trying To Escape Alongside You, He Killed Her And For You…
Kaida Nods, Her Eyes Closed Momentarily As The Atmosphere Darkens…
Kaida(Nodding): Yes… And Right Before My Sister's Death, She Told Me… That I Had To Live And Become A Leader, Someone Who The Other Women Can Look Up To And Depend On…
Kaida(Slightly Shaking): I Know I May Sound Weak For Saying Something Like This… But I Just Can't Do This, It's Too Much Pressure And My Father Has Far Too Much Power That No One Should Have…
Kaida(Somber): And Against That. I'm Nothing, How Are The Others Gonna Feel If I Fail Them And Get Them All Killed In A Losing Battle?!
Jason Looks Kaida In The Eyes, Seeing A Reflection Of Himself In Her Glistening Eyes…
Jason(Serious): I'll Help You…
Kaida's Eyes Widen In Surprise…
Kaida(Confused, And Yet Relieved): What?
Jason(Serious): You Remind Me Of Myself. I Understand Slightly How You Feel With The Weight Of The Immense Pressure Placed Upon You By This Corrupt Society. It's Crushing And Suffocating…
Jason(Serious): Just Like You Said. No One Else Can Do This But Us, And That Fear That You Feel Of You Failing Those Who've Put Their Faith In You…
Jason(Serious): Use That Fear In Order To Motivate Yourself Into Working Harder In Order To Win. And With That Determination To Win… Nothing And No One Will Be Able To Stop You From Achieving You're Goal.
Kaida Gasp's As A Resemblance Of Her Sister And Mother Stands Aside Jason…
Kaida(Teary Eyed): Thank You So Much!
Jason(Sighing): No Need To Thank Me. I Do Owe You This Much…
"Meanwhile In The Southern Tribe. In The Main Quarters…
A Sorcerer Walks In A RoomWith Some Papers In Hand…
Man(Serious): Lord Masayoshi. A Letter From The Elder Of The City Of Sorcerers.
Hotoke(Grim): Place Them On My Desk!
Hotoke Walks Over To His Desk As He Sits Down And Reads The Letter… Moments Pass As He Finally Puts The Letter Down…
Hotoke(Grim): "I See… Kaida… You Have Sunk Do Low As To Work Alongside Something That Isn't Even Human. And That Caused The Death Of Your Dear Elder Sister.
With That Mysterious And Yet Dark Expression On His Face… What Is He Planning?!
To Be Continued In Chapter Fifty-Eight…