Fate of the Empires

Another restless night! My dreams are becoming as real as they are frequent. The blinding light from past dreams has taken shape. A city on the clouds. Caeleum. I can see Caeleum! Everything is still hazy, but I can make out the tower of Draco Magus beyond the pearly white structures that make up the heavens. I am outside of the city on a beach. A beach overlooking a sea of stars. It is the most breathtaking sight I could ever imagine. There are two other figures standing on the beach. It is my mother…and father! They are not clearly visible. A haze surrounds them. They look at me. “It is almost time, daughter,” my father says.

“Time for what?” I ask, “Why do you speak to me in riddles?”

“You will know your destiny soon enough, child,” my father replies.

“I spent years searching for you! I deserve some answers! Where have you been?! Why did you leave?!”

“Everything is complicated, Leaia,” my mother answers, “You will have the answers you seek, but you must be patient.”

“I am tired of being patient!”

“She has your temper,” my mother says to my father.

“But she has your grace,” my father replies.

“At least tell me your names,” I plead.

“Of course, child,” my mother says, “My name is Kayla. I grew up in the village of Aqari.”

Aqari. It is a small place on the coast between Akkarr and Windfall. She was definitely not a warrior or a noble. I wish I knew more, but at least knowing where she is from is a start. If she still has family there maybe I will have a place to call home. “Is father from there as well?” I ask.

“No. I’m afraid your father was born much farther from Athusia than you’d think.”

Why is everything such a secret? Is any of this even real? I’m dreaming. My mind could be making all of this up! Why?! What is wrong with me?! “There is nothing wrong with you,” my father says.

“Stop it! Get out of my head!”

I run away. I run towards the stars, but as my feet leave the beach I begin falling. Falling into nothing. I scream and I tumble towards oblivion! Wake up. Just wake up from this nightmare. “Leaia,” I hear Jun’s voice.

Jun? Help me! Where are you? All I see is darkness. Everything is cold as I continue to fall. “Leaia!” I hear Jun shout.

I feel him. He grasps my arm. Suddenly my eyes open. I spring up in my bed to find Jun kneeling beside me. It was all a dream, but I can’t calm down. I am out of breath. Tears roll down my cheeks. Jun reaches up and wipes them away. His touch is so gentle, but why is he here? “Are you alright?” he asks, “I was passing by your door when I heard you scream.”

“I was having a nightmare.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t know.”

“It might help.”

“It was about my parents. I’ve been having a lot of dreams about them lately. I don’t know what it all means.”

“Perhaps it has something to do with what has been happening to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Leaia, I’ve tried to ignore it, but when you walk through fire without getting hurt it’s a little difficult to look the other way.”

I should’ve known this would come up sooner or later. I’ve tried not to see it, myself. I’m changing. Getting stronger. It frightens me. “I was wondering how long it would be before someone said something.”

Jun takes my hand in his own. His warmth is comforting. “I care about you and I just want to make certain that you are alright.”

“I don’t know what is happening to me, but I doubt my dreams are related. They have just been on my mind a lot since we got to Densetsu because of…”

“Because of my parents.”

“Yes.”

Jun lets go of my hand. I can see the sadness within him come to the surface. “Maybe I should be asking if you are okay,” I say, “Ever since we arrived here you haven’t been yourself.”

“You’re right. I apologize.”

“What’s troubling you?”

“It’s General Fang.”

“What is it about him that’s-”

“He’s my father.”

I didn’t quite expect that. It explains Jun’s detached behavior in the General’s presence. I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s been thinking about. I do know that he’s still not sure what to make of his father. “Does he know about you?” I ask putting my hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not sure.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I am going to do as I do with everything else,” he gently pulls my hand down from his shoulder, “I will put my feelings aside.”

Is he talking about us too? He caresses my hand, but he says nothing. “You cannot keep holding those feelings in.”

“We have a job to do, Leaia and I can’t let the way I feel about anyone get in the way of that.”

“Emotions are not a hindrance! They’re not a weakness!”

Did I just say that? Do I even believe that? I curse my own emotional outpours as a sign of being weak. Why do I now defend it? It’s Jun. I’ve never felt this way about anyone and it has me all confused! He looks into my eyes. I want to melt into his arms, but I keep my composure. He moves into me. We are so close I can feel his breath on mine. He stops just short of touching my lips…

“Leaia, I…” he starts, “I…I can’t be this attached to you.”

“But you are.”

“And it’s got me going in circles. I can’t do this.”

“Because of the mission or are you afraid of something?”

“I’m not afraid of anything.”

Jun abruptly stands and lets go of my hand. I can sense that he doesn’t want to leave, but feels that he must. He stops at the door. He looks back at me. I have come to know the sadness in his eyes all too well. “I need to think,” he says, “If you need me I will be in the training yard with Draccus.”

Jun quickly exits the room leaving me in the darkness of the night. Now I shall have even more to ponder as I try to sleep. I feel I have repressed my emotions for so long that the physical and mental changes I am going through are some sort of a backlash. I believe that is what’s affecting my dreams as well. I don’t know what it all means. There is no rational explanation for any of this! I must pray to Arus for guidance.

The morning does not bring any answers nor any relief. We go to meet again with General Fang. Jun has decided to cooperate with him, although I’m not sure for what purpose. Knowing him it’s all business. And it’s true; we must find this traitor before it is too late.

We meet again in the dining hall. There is no magnificent feast awaiting us this time, however. The General is knelt at the head of the table with a scroll sitting in front of him. Jun and I sit on one side of the table while Magnus and Draccus sit on the other. Lieutenant Motori is present at the foot of the table. The General and Lieutenant are both dressed in their armor. I’ve not seen the General so serious. He has an ornate Densetsun sword at his side. The handle is a snake carved from ivory. The craftsmanship is unlike anything I have seen before. The sword must be ancient.

“Lieutenant Motori tells me you have decided to aid our cause,” the General says to Jun.

Jun stays poised this time. He doesn’t let on that he knows the General is his father. It’s funny. Now that I know it, I can see the resemblance. It is slight. Jun must take more after his mother. If the General has any idea about Jun he doesn’t show it either. “Yes, war between Densetsu and Athusia must be averted at all costs,” Jun says.

“Then as an act of faith I ask that you share any vital information you may have,” the General replies.

“The man who attacked us on our way here was an Athusian archmage of the Black Flame,” Jun says.

“Why did he attack you?” the General asks.

“That would be my fault,” Magnus says.

“As Lieutenant Motori, I’m sure, has already informed you, we were also attacked by a small group of Kodasai,” Jun jumps on Magnus’s words.

“Yes, that was stated in the report,” the General confirms.

“The Kodasai were acting on free will,” Jun says, “They were not under any magical enslavement which means that the Athusian archmage was working with them.”

“So our traitor already has ties within the Kodasai,” the General sighs, “That is not something I wanted to hear.”

“I believe there is a man named Slade walking amongst the Kodasai,” Jun says, “He was once part of the clan, although I assume under a different name.”

“I shall investigate this immediately,” the Lieutenant responds to the General’s reaction.

“No,” the General stops him, “I have a better idea. I want the four of you to go to the Kodasai compound and find this traitor.”

“Foreigners are not allowed within the walls of the Imperial Palace,” Lieutenant Motori says, “The Kodasai will not react with cooperation.”

“Will they use force?” Draccus asks.

“Not all of the Kodasai must be in this and you will be acting under my command,” General Fang interjects, “If they give you any trouble they will answer to me.”

“Yes, my lord,” Lieutenant Motori bows and stands, “I will make the proper arrangements.

The Lieutenant leaves the room. “The Kodasai will be informed of your investigation,” General Fang stands, “You are officially agents of the Imperial Government.”

The four of us stand. “Who is the current head of the Kodasai clan?” Jun asks.

“His name is Kwon Zhang,” the General answers, “Although I doubt he will make his presence immediately known to you. Not even I have seen his face. He doesn’t trust anyone.”

“That is something we have in common,” Jun says.

We are led even further into the Imperial Army base. Security is a lot tighter the further in we go. The appearance also becomes less extravagant. The outer training yard, dining hall, and barracks must be for show. Within the base’s inner walls the comforts are stripped away. All the beauty and simplicity I have seen from this culture disappears into a cold, efficient military machine. Statues and shrines are replaced by large weapons of war. Rice-paper walls and doors become reinforced steel. Soldiers watch our every move waiting to strike at us if we make one wrong move. All the trust the rest of their society is based on is forgotten.

The Lieutenant explains that the actual location of the Kodasai headquarters is not within the Imperial Palace, but is just below it high up in the mountain. We will not be entering through normal means as we are not privileged enough to know this exact location. We are taken to a two-way teleporter called a stable gateway. The magic of a stable gateway is semi-permanent. A teleport spell is cast and then held open by a series of runes or a talisman of some kind. The gateway can then be opened and closed by the caster without exhausting the same magical energy of recasting the spell.

Lieutenant Motori is first through the teleporter. Even though I cannot voice my opinion I don’t think I’m alone in not liking this set up. Anything could be waiting for us on the other side of this gateway. The Kodasai were told we were coming and if they want us dead this would be the perfect opportunity. I am ready for them. My hand is on my sword. Jun leads the four of us through with Draccus bringing up the rear.

In an instant we are on the other side of the gate. We are in a small storeroom. Wooden crates and barrels line the walls. The room has a blue tint from the light of the portal. Lieutenant Motori waits for us by the door. This room is too small to stage an attack, but what is on the other side of the door? The door opens. A Densetsun dressed in all black enters the room. He is bald, although not by age. He greets us with a bow. “Lieutenant Motori, a pleasure as always,” the man says.

“These are General Fang’s investigators,” the Lieutenant introduces us.

“Of course,” the man looks to us, “I am Sato, your guide. Please, follow me.”

“I will wait for you on the other side of the stable gateway,” the Lieutenant says with a bow, “Good luck to you.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” I say.

Lieutenant Motori steps back through the shimmering teleporter. Sato looks at us with his hands held behind his back. He turns and walks out the door without a word. Jun glances back at the rest of us. He shrugs before following Sato out the door. The rest of us look at each other. We shrug then follow Jun through the door. We walk down a short hallway that opens into an enormous room. The ceiling seems to go up forever. This could be dangerous. The rafters are covered in darkness and if the rest of the Kodasai are dressed as Sato, any number could be hiding up there. There are no windows in this room either. We are at a complete disadvantage here. “I understand you were attacked by some of our men,” Sato says as he leads us across the stone floors, his voice echoing throughout the vast room.

“Yes,” Jun answers, “Four of them.”

“How can you be certain they were Kodasai?” Sato asks.

“I’ve had a run in with the Kodasai before,” Jun says.

“Interesting,” Sato says.

Sato stops in the center of the room. I notice the air is thinner here than it was at the base. We must be up high. I wonder how far up the mountain we have gone. Sato faces us. “How can the Kodasai assist you in your investigation?” he asks.

“We would like to speak to Kwon Zhang,” Jun says.

“As you wish,” Sato says.

Sato starts to back away from us. As he moves I see other faces appear in the darkness. A circle forms around us and Sato falls into its ranks. This feels very familiar. All of the men standing around us look the same. Each one is in black and each one has their head shaved. They all give us an unflinching stare. “Who amongst you is Kwon Zhang?” Jun questions.

One of the men steps forward. There is nothing that makes this one stand out from the rest. “I am Zhang,” he says.

He is not Kwon Zhang. General Fang said he would not reveal himself so easily. Jun and I exchange glances. He knows this is not Kwon as well. “We have questions for you,” Jun says.

“I will answer your questions after you pass a test,” the fake Zhang says.

“Another test,” Magnus sighs under his breath.

I glare at the mage. He is going to get us killed with his blatant disrespect. He glares back at me. He is highly irritated by all the tests and rituals of the Densetsun people, but he doesn’t need to show it all the time!

“I will challenge one member of your team to unarmed combat, if they can defeat me I will answer, truthfully, any questions you have.”

“We will pass your test,” Jun boasts.

“I challenge the woman.”

Arrogant male fool! He assumes I will be easier prey because I’m a woman. That’s a mistake. I unsheathe my sword and hand it to Jun. “Be careful,” Jun says, “These are not common soldiers.”

“I can handle this,” I say with a smile.

Jun, Magnus, and Draccus back away from the center of the circle as the Kodasai fighter moves in closer. He bows to me and I to him. This is going to be an experience. I don’t have any formal training in unarmed fighting, but I do know how to throw a punch.

I am barely into a fighting position before this Kodasai is all over me. His strikes are too fast for me to block. The best I can do is avoid them. I back away as quickly as I can, but he continues to advance. Jun wasn’t joking. I am solely focused on blocking a barrage of punches when my legs are knocked out from under me. I hit the ground hard! There is not even time to react when a kick catches me in the ribs. My Athusian-Densetsun hybrid armor pads the blow a little, but not nearly enough. “Leaia, get up!” I hear Jun shout.

I cannot lose this fight. I manage to roll away from my opponent and get back on my feet. If I don’t go on the offensive I’m going to get killed out here. I charge at the Kodasai with a series of punches. He blocks every attack and retaliates with a succession of counterstrikes. I stumble back, my arms and ribs having taken a beating. He quickly moves behind me while I am disoriented. He wraps his arms around my neck and proceeds to choke me. Can’t breathe! I land an elbow into his side. He eases up on my neck just enough for me to get his arm up around my mouth! He does not have armor on, only black cloth. I bite down as hard as I can. I hear him wince as he lets go of me. I swing around and land a punch to his temple. He falls back.

I try to catch my breath. The Kodasai shakes off the punch and comes at me once more. I need to think quickly. As he attacks I duck down and put everything I’ve got into a shoulder strike. I connect with his midsection throwing him backwards and knocking the wind out of him! He gasps for air. I rush in and attack with a knee. He manages to bring his arms down quick enough to block the knee and he counters with an uppercut to my chin. I hit the ground again. Another kick to the other side of my ribcage. I can’t take much more of this!

The Kodasai stops his advance. He backs away. “Stand up,” he orders, “This is no challenge.”

I pick myself up. My vision is blurred. I wipe the blood from my mouth. The sight of my own blood triggers something. Something inside. I feel it! The same feeling I got when the fireball hit the carriage. I feel invigorated! I can see again. I look at the Kodasai. “I’m not done yet,” I say calmly.

“Then let’s see it,” he responds.

“Take him down, Leaia!” Magnus shouts encouragement.

“She’s got him,” Jun says to Magnus.

The Kodasai looks back at Jun, seemingly confused by his words. In his mind, this ninja warrior has already defeated me. He looks back at me. He is vexed by the words of my friends. He attacks. Either I am moving faster or he is moving slower. None of his attacks take me by surprise. I see each strike almost in slow motion as it comes at me. I grab one of his punches and pull him off balance. I deliver a punch into his stomach. It’s strong. It lifts him into the air, but he is far from defeated. He lands a kick to the side of my face before he hits the ground. These Kodasai are good.

We attack each other again. We match blows, strike for strike! My endless stamina begins to wear down the Kodasai fighter. He battles through his exhaustion, but he makes a mistake that opens him up for a solid hit. I gather my strength. He swings high. I go low, crushing his ribs with a side elbow! He stumbles back. He attempts to brush the hit off, but collapses instead. He grabs his side as he stands back up. He cannot go any more. His ego is bruised, but he bows to me. “You are the victor,” he says, “I am defeated.”

I feel myself return to normal. Somehow I am completely healed though. There doesn’t seem to be any drawbacks to what is happening with me. I don’t wish to discover any either. I look at my defeated opponent. “Will you answer our questions now?” I ask.

“I will speak the truth to anything you ask,” he says still holding his ribs.

“Where is Kwon Zhang?” Jun asks.

“The Master is not here right now,” the Kodasai answers.

“Who ordered the attack on us?” I ask.

“The Master made an accord with an Athusian.”

“What were the details of this agreement?” Jun questions.

“Our men were to distract you while the archmage took out that one,” the Kodasai points to Magnus.

“It’s good to be loved,” Magnus says.

“So you weren’t trying to kill us?” I ask.

“No, of course our men were not supposed to die either.”

“Then they should not have attacked us,” Jun says matter-of-factly, “Where is your master now?”

“The Master is-” his words cut short as a metallic object strikes him in the throat.

“Leaia, move!” Draccus yells.

I step to the side just in time to see two star-shaped weapons fly passed me and hit the already injured Kodasai fighter. The life fades from his eyes as he collapses to the ground! I look up. A masked figure leaps down from the shadows above and runs to the hall we came out of. The other Kodasai rush to the aid of their fallen comrade. Jun, Magnus, Draccus and I take off after the masked assassin.

Someone doesn’t want us to know the truth. I am amazed that the Kodasai warrior kept his word to us. He must’ve known someone would silence him if he said too much. His honor cost him his life. Unfortunately, his answers only left me with more questions. We need to catch this assassin.

The hallway only leads back to the storeroom, but I doubt the killer is waiting there for us. We enter the storeroom with our weapons drawn. As anticipated, we find the room is empty. He must’ve gone through the gateway. The Lieutenant is on the other side. Perhaps he caught the killer when he went through the teleporter. Jun leads the way into the light of the gate.

We find Lieutenant Motori on the other side of the portal. He sits on the ground with a metal star lodged in the shoulder of his sword arm. The attack was very precise, striking right between the plating on his armor. His sword lay on the ground next to him. “He went through the door!” the Lieutenant points to the door opposite the gateway.

“Magnus, stay with Lieutenant Motori!” Jun orders.

Magnus nods as the rest of us exit the room. We find two dead guards outside the door! They didn’t stand a chance. Both of their throats were slashed before they could even draw their swords. This is a very skilled assassin. Is it really this Slade character?

We continue though the compound in search of our killer. We find nothing. No witnesses. No signs of disturbance. Nothing. Eventually Draccus stops running. He looks around. “The trail has gone cold,” Draccus says, “The assassin is gone.”

“We should get back to the Lieutenant,” I say.

“Agreed,” Jun says.

We make our way back to the gate room. Magnus has removed the metal star from the Lieutenant’s shoulder. He has wrapped a piece of cloth around the wound to slow the bleeding. Draccus and Magnus help the Lieutenant to his feet. “By the grace of Arus,” I cast, “Heal.”

I touch the Lieutenant’s wound. His face slightly cringes before relaxing. “That feels much better,” Lieutenant Motori smiles at me, “Thank you.”

Jun picks up the star and examines it. “What is that?” Magnus asks.

“It’s a shuriken,” Jun answers, “A Kodasai throwing star. You are lucky Lieutenant, this one was not poisoned.”

“Thankfully,” Lieutenant Motori replies, “Did you catch him?”

Jun lowers his head. “He got away,” Jun says.

“We need to lock down the base!” the Lieutenant says urgently, “I want this traitor found!”

The Lieutenant walks over to the gateway and pulls a small gem out of a holder above the portal. The blue shimmering goes dark as the gem is removed. The gateway is closed. “Lieutenant, did you notice anything about the assassin that might help us track him down?” Jun asks.

“He was masked…but he did say something. It was foreign. Athusian, I believe.”

“Slade,” Jun says, “He won’t be disguised, but he will be hard to find.”

“I must find the General!” Lieutenant Motori says rushing for the door.

The Lieutenant stops in the doorway. He looks back at us. “You four get back to the training yard. I will meet you there with General Fang. If this assassin engages you along the way, kill him!”

The Lieutenant runs out through the door. Jun looks to the rest of us. “Alright, let’s move,” Jun says, “If we do run into Slade, no one is to attack him alone! Am I clear?”

We all agree with him. Unfortunately, I don’t think we will see Slade coming when he attacks. We move from the room towards the outside of the compound. The entire base is in an uproar! Soldiers file everywhere, clearing out rooms, overturning beds, interrogating anyone who might have seen the Lieutenant’s attacker.

I try to sort out my thoughts as we run. The leader of the Kodasai is in league with Slade. Makes sense if Slade was once a Kodasai himself. It then also stands to reason that Kwon Zhang might be the traitor who is after the Imperial Seal. If the Kodasai are completely loyal to their master, why have they not moved on the Emperor yet? They are poised for the perfect strike. They are the Emperor’s personal guards. And if they want it to look like it was done by outsiders, I am certain they could arrange it. There has to be more to it than we know and we may not be able to find out what that is. This move by Slade could mean we have forced Ethan’s hand. Our only chance is to find Slade and press him for information. I’m afraid we may be running out of time.