The Phoenix Empire Pilgrimage: Chapter 3 (Láng)

After the encounter with the strange zombie, we continue down the Eastern Phoenix Road. We've been walking for what feels like hours, and Lunar Forest has just now come into view.

“Everyone, look! We're almost there!” Grey says, pointing to the forest in the distance. He starts to run, leaving the rest of us behind.

“Hey, wait, Grey! No need to rush!” Flèche shouts, running to catch up with him.

As I continue to walk at a normal pace, I find myself walking alongside Shu... He's staring at me. What do you want, boy? I stare back, and he looks away. After I stop watching him, he stares again.

“If you're gonna say something, say it. I'm not a mind reader.”

“Oh! I, uh...” He looks away again, shaking and sweating. If I wasn't so irritated with having to drag this little pussy around, I'd be laughing at him right now.

“Come on, kid, you've got a mouth, don't you? Speak. I'm not going to bite you, or anything.” My tone may have scared him even more, but it can't be helped.

“Wh... who are you calling kid, anyway!?” Ah, looks like I've upset him. “How old are you, again?” He looks right at me, saying this, acting as if no one has ever spoken to him this way before.

“Sixteen.”

Dead silence. Shu and I stop walking. The irritation disappears from his face almost immediately, but is just as quickly replaced with incredulity.

“Honestly? I can't believe you're three years my senior.” He looks ahead and keeps walking. “You don't look like it... or act like it.”

“Do I look like a liar?” I ask, walking alongside him once again.

“Not necessarily.”

“Ah, so you choose your words pretty carefully, eh?” He doesn't respond. I guess he's finally gotten sick of me. “Okay, I'll leave you alone,” I say, throwing my hands up. “Just don't tell Grey I was mean to you, alright?”

“I'm sure he can hear us. He's not that far ahead.”

Not knowing what to say to that, I just shrug. “So, Shu, what were you going to say before?”

“Oh, that's right,” Shu says, “I had a question. It's about Flèche.”

“Why don't you ask her?” I say, pointing to Flèche's back. “She's right there.”

“I just don't want to risk offending her with--” Oh... I know what it is.

“'What is a blonde girl doing with us', right? Yeah, we get this question a lot, actually.”

“Y... yeah, exactly.” He blushes. Maybe I should have just let him ask the question himself. “Well, if you don't mind me asking, what is she doing, here?”

“Okay, let me start from... when we first met. It was two years ago. Me and Grey were on our way back to the Heart of the Phoenix after completing an assignment. We were to see someone to the Northern Port in the Head of the Phoenix. As we were about to leave, we saw a ship come in from the north.

“As we watched the people get off, someone stood out to us. A little blond-haired, blue eyed girl, couldn't be older than twelve, wearing a coat the color of the Bevelish royal purple and a matching cap, getting off the ship by herself.”

“...and that girl was Flèche?” Shu asks.

“Yes,” I say, nodding. “Anyway, me and Grey left the port, and Flèche just happened to be walking behind us. As we went through some woods, we heard some people shouting, and looked back to see Flèche surrounded by thieves. She shouted something in Bevelish, and--”

“What did she say?” Shu asks, interrupting me.

“I don't know. My Bevelish is terrible. Grey has always translated for me, and I couldn't even talk to Flèche at first without him to act as an interpreter, but that's jumping ahead a little bit.” If I had to guess, it was probably something as simple as: 'I don't have any money'. I'll never know for sure, though. “So, we went back to save her, but then there was a powerful gust of wind... Grey and I knew it was magic. Most of the thieves got blown away and the others ran for their lives.

“We walked over and talked to her, asked if she was alright and all that. She smiled and said 'yes'. Flèche seemed impressed when we told her who we were, and she was grateful when we offered to walk her to the Heart.

“As we walked, Flèche talked a little about who she was. She was a Magic Knight, like us. She said she was a friend of Princess Violet Rolando, daughter of the King of Bevel. Something bad had happened over there, she didn't say what, and she ran away. At this point, she said she was just wandering, she didn't know where to go or what to do... she had no one to turn to. To me, she just seemed like the loneliest girl in the world.

“She made me remember the loneliness I myself had experienced. All by myself, lost and confused, not a soul in the world to help me out. I knew how it felt, and sympathized with her. However, I met Grey and things changed. I now had a home, a wonderful friend, and people who needed me. That's probably why I wanted to do the same thing for Flèche, that Grey did for me. I asked her if she would be willing to serve the Emperor alongside us. She was hesitant at first, but by the time we reached the Great Hall, she had made up her mind to stay with us. Emperor Ōtori saw her, and eventually decided to take her in as one of his Magic Knight. She's pretty much been one of us ever since...”

Shu continues to stare, looking as if he's thinking. “Wow, what a story, Láng. I can call you that, right?”

“Go ahead.”

“If you don't mind,” Shu says, now looking into the sky, perhaps to avoid eye contact, “can you tell me about some of your other adventures?”

“Maybe some other time. Let's go into the forest and complete your quest.”

I continue to walk, Shu right next to me, when I notice that Grey and Flèche have stopped. “Láng,” Grey shouts, looking back, “come look at this.”

I shrug. It's probably nothing, but I shouldn't mess around, anyway. “Come on, Shu.”

When I get caught up, I notice that there is a figure standing in front of the forest. Wearing all black and coming this way. It appears to be humanoid. I can feel a menacing aura all the way from here...

“Shu, get back!”

“But--”

“Move!” I push him away and place my hand on my sword. “It's dangerous. Let us protect you.” Ah, I sound so professional, saying that... never mind. This... thing is practically right in front of us. A long haired, pale skinned humanoid covered by an armor made of what appear to be black scales. He looks at us with cold, lifeless eyes. If he was a human, he ain't no more.

“Who are you people?”

Everyone gasps. He spoke? Quite clearly, at that. What is this creature? He's different from the zombie from before... “Someone try talking with 'im,” Grey whispers.

Flèche steps forward. “Hello. Can you understand me?” He does not respond. “We are guiding this young man on his pilgrimage. We have no intention of harming you. Can you please move aside?”

“The Lady is in the forest,” he says. Looking more closely, he seems to have a sword, as well, and it seems he means to use it. This does not look good. “I will not let you near my Lady!”

Flèche is flustered, as are the rest of us. “Wait! Who is 'The Lady'? Why are you drawing your sword on us? We don't understand!” Ignoring her words, the man brandishes the dark, long sword, stabbing it at Flèche.

“Look out!” Grey dives into Flèche and both of go falling onto the ground. As Grey starts to stand back up, I notice that his right arm is bleeding. “Dammit!”

“Grey, are you alright?” I ask, running up to him.

“I'll be fine. I-It's just a scratch.” I take closer look at the wound. A deep gash in his upper arm. Stop trying to act strong, you fool...

Ignoring his pain, he starts to pull out one of his Weapon Scrolls. He opens it. This one is marked “剣”. As his hands glow with the otherworldly power of magic I can feel him pouring his mana into the scroll. “Sword!” Just as he shouts, a sword hilt emerges from within the scroll. He grabs it and pulls it out, and the blade comes out along with it. Looks like a katana, common amongst warriors in the Phoenix Empire, but I'm willing to bet that there's something special about the one he's holding.

“Láng,” Grey says, “we'll take him together. I'll go in first--”

“No! You're already hurt. I should be the decoy.”

“Listen!” He whispers, harshly. “This'll... This should heal on its own. You don't have powers like that. I won't have you risk your life unnecessarily.” He turns to Flèche. “Prepare a healing spell, just in case.”

She nods. “Got it.”

With that, Grey holds the grip with one hand and places the other onto the blade. “O plain blade of steel, reject your nature as a mere mortal's weapon and make me the lord of the battlefield! WarMaster!” Suddenly, his blade starts to glow with the force of his mana.

Grey runs forward, towards the inhuman monster that stands in our way. I fight the urge to run forward, putting my trust in him, for now. He raises the blade, preparing to perform a vertical slash. Grey was never the fastest swordsmen I've met, even with all his fancy magic powers, so I can see our foe blocking or dodging this without a problem. However, while the enemy is doing that, he should be distracted. That should be my chance...

Thinking of this, I grip my katana again, letting nothing enter my mind but the thought of seeing that opening and taking advantage of it. Finally, Grey swings, but the creature easily dodges, despite the heavy looking scales he's wearing. Doesn't look like a good time to strike, as not only does he quickly counterattack, kicking and catching Grey off guard, but he seems to have taken notice of me, seeing that I've taken an Iaijutsu stance. He approaches me, running at high speed, faster than I would have expected. His abilities... are definitely beyond human limits!

"Ventus!"

All of the sudden, the armored monster is hit by a strong gust of wind. I don't have to look to know that Flèche cast a wind spell rather than casting healing, like Grey asked. I don't know what possessed her to try doing this, but I do know that the time to strike... is now!

I feel as if time has stopped. I kick off the ground, dashing forward at as high a speed as I can, toward my enemy, who is completely defenseless in just this one, perfect moment... I draw my blade, aiming right for the neck!

It happens in an instant. My blade forms a horizontal arc, slashing at his throat, tearing it open, bringing an alien, black liquid gushing forth... My momentum continues to carry me forward, until my feet skid across the ground, kicking up dust. Standing behind the pale humanoid, I look back at him, and see him fall onto his back. I sheathe my sword.

“It's done.” After a short moment of silence between the three of us, I walk over to Grey, who had been knocked off of his feet by the creature. “You alright?” I reach out for his left hand, he takes mine and pulls himself up.

“I'm okay. The, uh...” Grey points to his right upper arm, I look and can see that the wound is closing. “The regeneration magic is working. I'll be fine.” That's right, when a Magic Knight is chosen, they gain a few special magic abilities along with it. A rather common one is regeneration, which is exactly what it sounds like. Not as fast-acting as a good healing spell, but it can keep someone from dying when they are killed... to a certain degree, at least.

I let out a chuckle. “Sometimes I forget the 'Knighting' gives you powers like that... I'm jealous.”

“Ah, don't say that,” Grey says. “You know how guilty it makes me feel.” He scratches his head and looks into the sky.

A moment of awkward silence. I suddenly find myself fighting the urge to laugh... and failing. 

“Pfff...!”

“?”

“Oh, Grey... you are so... ha, ha, ha!” I look at Grey's face again, and he looks a bit embarrassed. This makes me laugh even harder.

“Oh, come on!” Grey sounds like he's irritated, but he's actually starting to smile. “That's... not funny!” Despite saying that, he starts laughing, too.

“Uh, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I get it,” Shu says, wondering what we're laughing at. Flèche seems a bit puzzled, as well.

“Ah, it's nothing--”

Just as I turn to look at Flèche, I notice that the corpse is gone. That guy's not dead. He couldn't have gone far. He doesn't want us to get any further. Reacting on instinct, feeling a sinister presence, I roll forward, just barely dodging the longsword's strike.

“What the hell!?”

The cause of Grey's surprise is obvious. The creature, whose throat I just cut open, is moving... His head still barely hangs onto the rest of his body, the black blood continuing to gush forth.

“What kind of dark art is this!? I killed you!”

“I cannot be killed, for I am already dead. Life is given to me anew by my Lady, the Dragon of the Forest.”

"A dragon!?" Grey shouts.

"That's right, a dark beast from parts unknown, with powers beyond human imagination..." as he says this, he grabs his head, and begins to pull upwards... more and more... the sounds of tearing flesh and breaking bones... until the head comes off.

Silence... no one says a word or knows how to react. I myself have never seen anything like this before. We can only watch as the strange, undead man holds his head in his hands. Suddenly, his eyes snap open.

“Can you see? Even something like this...” He now places his head back on his neck. The muscles, bones, and skin regrow and reattach themselves. It is as if I never cut it... “means nothing to me.” He points the long sword he's holding at me. “No matter what kind of tricks you come up with, you will never defeat me. You have two choices: leave or die.”

Well, both of those options suck. Not even giving it a second thought, I reach for my sword, starting to draw it. I don't care if he says he is immortal, I have to try. I have to win! I just know he has some weakness that I can figure out. I just have to bait him into showing it to me...

...another presence. To my right side. Approaching fast. I turn just in time. Any slower, and I'd have likely been sliced clean in half. The force behind the strike is still enough to send me backwards, tumbling across the ground. As I get up, I realize that I recognize this presence. Ah, dammit, this is bad enough as it is. When I look forward, my eyes confirm my fears.

“Ghostmask...!”

The masked ghost swordsman... he appears before me again!? What is he even doing here? He faces me, wearing a smooth, white, featureless mask under the dark hood of a black robe with red flames.

“You, whose name is Xuè Shísān, your power has yet to reach its peak.”

“Shut up! This is a bad time!” I shout.

“ Xuè Shísān?” I hear Shu ask. “Th-there's no one by that name here!”

Silence...

“You guys...? Who is this Xuè Shísān person?”

Grey is the one who says it. “He's talking about Láng.”

I can hear Shu's gasp in response to Grey. “But that's... I don't understand!”

“It's a long story, Shu!” I shout, trying not take my attention off of Ghostmask. “Just be quiet! There'll be time to play twenty questions later.”

“I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you...” The pale creature grips his sword with both hands, taking a fighting stance. “Because right now, you're about to die!”

At that moment, Ghostmask draws his sword, as well. Then, he points his finger at Grey...

The sound of a fast moving projectile. I did not see what it was that flew, but I look in Grey's direction and see that his right knee is bleeding. “Ah!” He falls.

“No!” Flèche starts to chant a healing spell, but with his other hand, Ghostmask throws a magic seal in her direction, which affixes itself onto her forehead. She won't be able to cast a single spell with that, even if she is a Magic Knight...

“What in Luna's name...!?” I hear Shu shout.

Ghostmask finally points his sword at me, and the pale humanoid creature stands there, waiting. 

“So that's how it is... you're serious.” I'll have to fight both of them at the same time, then. This is not good. Still, I can't help being a little excited. I can feel that I'll have to push myself to the limit if I want to win... if I want to live. “Shu, get back.” I take a defensive stance. “Don't worry about us. We'll be fine.”

“You sound confident for one who hasn't a prayer,” the undead in black says.

“Well, I've been in some pretty tight spots before,” I say, smirking. “Besides, I don't run away from anything. I'm not concerned with whether or not I'm sure I can win. I would never let the enemy see me flee. I would rather die.” Hearing me say all of this, the knight starts to laugh, like a madman.

“Ha! So you're one of those... The kind that lives only for battle. What a disgusting woman...” He suddenly charges forward! “You'll die with an attitude like that!” He lifts the black sword, then brings it down. It clashes with my blade, but...

The sensation of the clash is... wrong. Snapping my blade right in two, the blade I had just blocked is now headed straight for my torso. Acting as fast as I can, I quickly roll out of the way.

Coming out of the roll, I feel a sharp pain in my chest... When I touch it with my fingers, they come away bloody. Dammit, I wasn't fast enough. It's not enough to kill me, but it's no mere scratch, and it hurts badly enough to hinder me. Then there's the issue of my broken blade...

I don't have time to think about it, though, as Ghostmask is charging toward me, as well. He swings with his right hand, but I can see it coming. A horizontal slash, aimed at my midsection. Crouching right under it, I avoid it completely, and the blade goes slamming into the monster's armored torso. Nearly unfazed, he kicks at Ghostmask with his just as heavily armored leg, but Ghostmask stops it with his sword.

“Láng!” Before I realize what's going on, I see two swords flying my way. Grey must have summoned them from his scrolls. I reach out and grab them both, and I can feel the power in both of them. They're light, yet I feel they won't break so easily. There's obviously some kind of magic at work, here, but I can ask Grey about that later.

"Heh..." I can feel the smirk on my face again.

The dead man is right.

I live for fights like this.

A fight, where I'm not sure where I'll live or die. In a place like this, I feel like this is where I truly belong.

And yet...

"I will live."

If I die, here, I won't be satisfied. I won't let even something like this kill me!

So, I go charging into the fight once again.

The two clash blades, and I decide to strike while they're locked. I jump towards the undead, and, as he has no chance to react, I stab him in the eye. Sure, he claims he can't die, but I can still hinder him like this.

I then swing at Ghostmask, who steps back just as my blade reaches where his head would have been. The undead now swings at me, bringing the huge blade down from overhead, but his eye is very much affecting him... The swing misses completely. While this would be a golden opportunity to counterattack in any other situation, I realize that Ghostmask is right behind me, likely to attack at any second. Seeing that the undead is still immobile, I quickly slide between the space between his legs. Ghostmask instead charges at the undead, hitting him right in the torso again.

Just as I start to relax, Ghostmask suddenly vaults over the currently stunned undead knight. He is in midair, sword drawn...

...he's going to attack me from there.

Not waiting to see this happen, not even thinking about how it's possible that he can, I roll. I look at where I was standing and see that the ground looks as if it's been struck by a sword. I was right to move from there...

As soon as he hits the ground, Ghostmask dashes towards me. It happens so fast I barely have time to process what I'm seeing. There's no time to dodge, and he'll be expecting me to try and parry his blow, so there's some kind of trick he's got up his sleeve.

Acting faster than I can think, my right foot goes flying forward. I don't see him moving to react to it. Ha, I guessed correctly! He wasn't expecting me to try and fight back, so he's left his guard down! How pathetically predictabl--

“!!!”

Impact. Pain. From behind. Suddenly, my world shakes. Ghostmask is gone from my sight, nowhere near where my kick went. I feel weak and dizzy... I fall forward.

...what the hell just happened? He was right there. How could he have possibly moved so fast?

I slowly recover and try to get up, but as soon as I am able to focus, I realize that Ghostmask is still behind me. When I turn to face him, his sword is pointed at my face. He suddenly thrusts the sword forward...!

...the sword stops before stabbing through my face. However, it is not by Ghostmask's hand that it stops, but my own. I grabbed the blade with my hands. The gloves I'm wearing have saved me from some of the damage, but it still hurts like hell. Before he is able to pull the blade away, and take some of my fingers with it, I quickly rise and smash my head into his mask. It takes me a second to realize that that actually connected, but I do immediately notice that his grip on the sword has loosened. Not letting this opportunity get away from me, I kick at his left arm, and he finally lets go.

I hear someone charging from behind... Ah, the undead knight! How could I have forgotten!? I turn around and see that with his next swing, he will try to take my head. He's fast, but compared to Ghostmask, he might as well not even be moving... I'm easily able to duck out of the way. Ghostmask dodges, but manages to keep his footing, and offers the undead a powerful counterattack...

He drives his right fist into the knight's torso. I have to wonder why he... wait, I see something glowing. As Ghostmask pulls his fist back, I see that the glow is coming from where he broke the armor. That means... ah, it makes sense, now.

Suddenly, the sword in my left hand, Ghostmask's sword, starts pulling away from me. Or perhaps, Ghostmask is pulling the sword to him? Unable to maintain my grip, I let go.

It takes until now for me to realize that I am completely unarmed.

Dammit! In the chaos, I let go of the swords Grey gave me and let them lay somewhere. Here I am, standing in-between the two of them, unarmed...

The undead knight charges forward, coming for me. Before I can think to dodge or do anything else, Ghostmask appears in front of the knight, and slashes diagonally at his torso yet again. I cannot allow myself to get distracted. My swords are where Ghostmask was previously standing. I run, quickly, and grab them from where they were resting. This battle has gone on too long. I'm starting to feel fatigued. I have to try and end this now, or else...!

Ignoring the pain, ignoring the exhaustion, I charge toward them at full speed.

Right now, the undead is preoccupied with Ghostmask, who looks like he'd be caught off guard by my attack, but the truth is that he's most likely awaiting my next strike as much he is the knight's. I have one chance. I must do this perfectly...

Steel meets steel... sparks fly... blades clash...!

I now stand between the two of them, in exactly the way I wanted. The undead has his sword pointed at Ghostmask's heart. Ghostmask has my sword locked with his own. The sword in my left hand is aimed at the hole in the undead's armor, which seems to have been enough to give him pause. Neither of us move an inch...

Suddenly, the knight's longsword disappears into a black mist. “...I have wasted enough time playing here. I must return to the Lady of the Forest.” He starts to walk away, but shouts back to me: “Do not wander within, human, for it will cost you your life. There will be no distractions, there...” The undead knight vanishes into the forest...

After that, Ghostmask steps away and pulls out a smoke bomb.

“Wait--”

My words go unheeded. The smoke obscures my vision. I breathe some of it in, and start to cough. When I finally regain my senses, I see that Flèche's seal is removed, and Ghostmask is gone.

“Láng... You did it...” I hear Shu say this, having remained silent for so long. Wow, did I really manage to fight both of them off? I must really...

...oh, crap.

The bleeding... all that fighting... it's finally gotten to me. I can't see straight... or stand up at all... Before I realize what's going on, I'm watching the blue sky as my consciousness fades...

“Láng!? Hold on, Láng, you're gonna be okay! Hang in...”

The Phoenix Empire Pilgrimage: Chapter 2 (Flèche)

“Hey, Láng.”

“Something wrong?” Láng asks, as we continue to walk down the Eastern Phoenix Road.

“You weren't trying to insult Shu back there, were you?”

“What!?” She's completely taken aback. “No! I was just making sure whether he wanted to walk or ride a horse!” She looks at me as if I insulted her by even thinking she would do such a thing. (She would.)

“Truly?” I say, looking closely at her, to see if she might be lying. She nods with no hesitation. “Even still, you may have hurt his pride. No matter the meaning behind them, you must choose your words very carefully around some people.”

“Tch, what are you, my mom?” Ironic, considering Láng is two years older than me. Ah, she's not listening. Why must she be so difficult... “It's not as if the kid has any balls or confidence, to begin with.” She looks back at Grey and Shu, who are starting to catch up with us. “I'm willing to bet--”

“Shh!” Suddenly, I sense something nearby... Something's approaching us. I have heard rumors about something dangerous going on outside town, but what is this presence I sense? Thieves? Some wild beast?

I can hear Grey and Shu coming from behind. “Oh, look!” I look back at Shu, and see he is pointing at someone. “A lost traveler, perhaps?” I take a closer look at the person he's pointing out. They start walking toward us, and I can now sense that something is wrong. My heart speeds up. My mind is screaming... “Hello, there!” Shu walks over to this “person”.

As he comes closer, I see them reach for the sword at their hip. This is bad... “Shu, get back!” I pull him away as fast as I can, then we both lose our balance and fall.

“Are you okay, Shu?”

“Wh... what's happening?” Shu looks back at the pale, shriveled “person” who slashed at him.

“The pain... somebody... please... stop the pain...! uUuuUuUuUuUuuGHgHgHgGGH...” They've started to spasm unnaturally. What kind of nightmarish phenomenon am I bearing witness to? “AAAAAAAAAAH!” It comes running right at us! The “person” raises its blade...!

...the sound of tearing flesh and spilling blood. However, it's not me or Shu that is cut. When I look up, Láng is standing in front of us, sword drawn. I stand up, and notice that this “person”'s sword arm has been detached from the rest of its body. It's become obvious that Láng stood in front of us, drew her blade, and sliced its hand off.

“Be careful, guys. He ain't human.” I guess Láng can sense the same “dangerous feeling” I do. I've never felt a human being give off an aura like this.

“Kill me... kill me... uuuuugh...” The more I observe this “person”, the more I think... ah, that's it!

“Wait, stop!” Shu grabs hold of me as I approach the “person”. “Th-this man might just be sick! You don't have to--”

“Let go of her, Shu!” Láng shouts. “This guy is already dead.” The horror on Shu's face is clear. “A zombie. There's nothing we can do for 'im.”

“He... he's dead?”

“Yes,” I say to Shu, in as gentle a voice I can manage, “he's dead, so at least let me grant him rest.” 

With that, he reluctantly lets me go.

“O poor lost soul who is doomed to wander the mortal plain for eternity...” As I approach the zombie once more, my right hand now glows with a white light. “...let that eternity end for you, now. May you find peace in the next life. Inmortuorum Vertunt.”

I reach out and touch the zombie's heart. He begins to crumble to dust.

As his body begins to fade away, he looks at me one more time, smiling. “Thank you...” and now, even his head has turned to dust.

“What the hell was that?” Grey asks. I don't blame him.

“A zombie,” I say. “They're usually just corpses animated by magic, but there was something different about this one. I've never felt such a terrible aura, not even from magicked zombies...”

“There could be more stuff like this on the way to the forest,” Láng says, looking at the pile of dust.

“In that case, we need to be extra careful.” I turn to Shu. “Is something wrong? You didn't get hurt or anything, did you?”

He shakes his head. “I'm fine. It's just... this was once a human being. I wish we could have saved him somehow. What could have happened that would cause him to end up like this?”

“I hate to say it, but I really haven't the slightest clue.” I hate this. I'm supposed to understand magic, yet I'm stomped by this. Maybe this isn't magic at all?

“It's alright, though. You said we just have to be careful, right? I'll try not to worry about it too much.” Shu forces himself to smile. “Well, we can't stay here forever. Shall we be off?”

After that, we continue east along the path. As we walk, I notice that Grey has been deep in thought ever since we encountered that zombie. “What's wrong, Grey?”

“Nothing, really, but I might as well tell you what I'm thinking about. That presence... the 'aura' we felt from the zombie, I've felt it before.”

“What? Why didn't you say something earlier? What is it? Where do you recognize it from?”

“I can't really say. I just know that it felt really familiar. Sorry I can't tell you more.”

“Don't worry about it,” I say, then I continue walking in silence. So Grey recognizes that aura? Perhaps it was something happened to him in his childhood, in Dragon's Cradle. Grey never talks about that horrible disaster, though, so all I can do is wonder... however, rumors had spread all around right after it happened. Some say that the Cradle was torn apart by a dark power...

A power beyond even magic.

The Phoenix Empire Pilgrimage: Chapter 1 (Grey)

“Láng? Hey, wake up, Láng.”

The girl in front of me covers her face as if to hide from the sun shining in from her window.

“Come on, we're gonna be late. We were called to the Great Hall. It's my responsibility to come and gather all of us...”

“...”

“Wake up! I'm the one who gets in trouble if we're late!” I start shaking the bed.

“Okay, stop it... I'm awake...” The black haired, red eyed girl finally comes out from underneath her sheets exposing her near-naked body, which is only covered by a sarashi.

“So, what is it you want?”

“We were called to the Great Hall. They have an assignment for us.”

She makes that same irritated face as always...

“Come on, don't be like that. Flèche is already there, waiting for us.”

“Tch... fine. Let me get dressed.”

...

After a few minutes, Láng is outside, where I stand waiting for her. “Okay? Now let's go.” We walk down the peaceful streets of the city...

“...Láng, you really should take better care of yourself.”

“What's wrong? I'm not sick or anything.”

I shake my head. “No, I mean, you know you'd be stronger if you fed yourself a bit more, right? Plus, it doesn't look very good for you to be so skinny...”

“Bah... I'm not skinny. You're just saying that because you like fat girls.”

“That's not true!”

I feel a little embarrassed when I say this, and it must look like it, too... because Láng starts laughing.

“Th... that's not funny, Láng!” Saying this, I'm actually fighting the urge to laugh, myself...

“It's okay, your secret's safe with me.” Why does it seem like she's happiest when she's picking on me? Ah, whatever. At least she's happy...

We continue to walk to the Great Hall, with a few people greeting us with a “Hello!” or “Good morning, Magic Knight Grey!” The citizens always seem happy to have me and my team around, which is nice.

After some time, we arrive. As I predicted, Flèche, our blonde, blue-eyed archer, is standing outside the Great Hall's main entrance, waiting for us.

“You're late, you two. Everyone else is inside.”

I scratch my head and flash a nervous smile. “Heh, heh, sorry... Remember to beg the Emperor for forgiveness for us later on, would you? You're a better speaker than I am, after all.”

Flèche shakes her head. “I doubt Emperor Ōtori would punish you for only being a few seconds late. He treats you like family, doesn't he?”

I nod. “Yeah, but me showing up late is bad for our reputation... I'd rather not risk that.”

Láng, having remained silent up to this point, says: “Well, we should hurry, then. Come on, let's not make things worse.”

“I agree,” I say, walking toward the guard at the door. “We've been called by the Emperor. Please, let us through.” Perhaps I should have introduced myself, but this guard recognizes us, anyway. With a quick nod, he steps aside and allows us to open the door.

“Ah, thank you for showing up, you three. We've been waiting for you,” Emperor Ōtori says, smiling. As Flèche predicted, he isn't angry with me for being late. Not wanting to draw any more attention to myself, I spot three empty seats at the table, and sit in the one closest to the Emperor, Flèche and Láng taking the other two.

I quickly look around the room. Aside from the usual council members, another person is here with us today. A middle-aged man, unremarkable looking, aside from the priest gown he is wearing. Breaking the silence, the Emperor begins to speak. “This man is the High Priest of the Order of Luna. He has come to ask a favor of you. High Priest, if you would, please...”

With that, the High Priest stands up and speaks. “Greetings, Magic Knights. I am the High Priest of Luna, Jiro. Nice to meet you.” He bows. “I beg of you, could you listen to this one request?”

I look around at the faces of my allies. Flèche and Láng both give an approving nod. “We will hear you, so please, speak.”

“As you may know, the time of the pilgrimage has come.”

“Pilgrimage?” I hear Flèche ask. Ah, that's right. Flèche is from Bevel, and had only come here about two years ago. She doesn't quite know everything about our religious customs.

“Oh? Ah, well, you see,” the priest starts to explain, “this is Luna's Day, the day that the goddess Luna sent her children from the Spirit World to help us humans. Everyday this year, we have someone go on a journey to pray in the forest, at the base of the tree that Luna left for us, as thanks. This year, we are sending my son, Shu, on this pilgrimage. All I ask is that you guard him from any dangers that might be on his way. Can you please do this?”

I turn to the Emperor, who gives me a nod of approval. Now, I smile at Priest Jiro, saying, “Yes, we will watch over your son on his pilgrimage. We will travel with him to the Lunar Forest and back. Thank you for relying on our services.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!” Jiro bows again. “Now, I'll bring the boy here. Just a moment, please,” he says, walking away. We wait...

...

“G... greetings, Magic Knights,” the boy says, wearing a similar gown, after coming into the room with us. “My name is Shu. I must say, I'm very excited to go on this journey for the goddess with you all. I'll try not to get in everyone's way, so please, watch over and protect me.” After saying that, he looks around nervously, then bows.

“I'm pleased to meet you, Shu,” I say, extending my hand. He just looks at it for a moment, seemingly unwilling to shake it. Seeing this, I awkwardly retract my hand. “Don't worry, you're in good hands. We will let no harm come to you.”

“You know the way to Lunar Forest, right?” Flèche asks.

As if he had just noticed Flèche was in the room with us, Shu stares at her. I'm not surprised, since there aren't many foreigners here. She is probably the first person he's ever seen that looks like that. “Ah, well, miss, Lunar Forest is miles and miles east of here. We'll have to travel the Eastern Phoenix Road to get there.” He looks back at me. “So, shall we be on our way?”

I nod. “Yes. Let's be off.” I turn around to face the Emperor, and bow. “We shall return to you as soon as possible.” With that, we exit the Great Hall.

“So,” Láng says as we head for the East Gate. “Will we be taking horses to Lunar Forest? It's a pretty long walk, especially for someone who...” She looks at Shu, seemingly doubting that he's willing to walk there.

“No, it's okay. I can walk that far,” Shu says, coming to a stop. “Exercise is good for one's Qi flow, after all. Besides, I'd rather not have you waste money on horses because of me.” He still seems very nervous. Whether the cause is us, this assignment he's been given, or some combination of both, I can't really say for sure.

“Are you sure? If you don't feel like you can handle it, then we don't mind--”

“No, no, I insist. I-I don't want to be a burden.” He starts staring at his shoes... Smooth move, Láng.

“Well, if you say so. We're off!” Láng walks out of the East Gate and starts on the trail. We follow her.

Flèche walks up ahead with Láng, leaving me to talk with Shu. “Hey, Shu, don't be discouraged. Láng is always like this with other people.” As I say this, I find myself wondering why I have to apologize for her behavior...

“It's not a problem, Magic Knight Grey. It's not her fault... I don't have much confidence in myself, to be honest.”

For a moment, I think to myself. Why would they send this boy on this pilgrimage? This boy, who seems so frail and unsure of himself? “Surely they must have chosen you to do this for a reason, right, Shu? Wouldn't they have sent someone else otherwise? Even still, couldn't you have asked them to send another?”

“You're right, I was chosen, but because my family has carried out the pilgrimage every year, for a long time, now. It's supposed to be a great honor to be chosen to go on this journey. I just couldn't bring myself to say no...”

“Hmm... you know, I can see why you had a difficult time with it.” Shu looks surprised that I express sympathy for him. “Let me tell you a story. I wasn't supposed to be a Magic Knight at first. I was just a normal kid living in Dragon's Cradle, but seven years ago, a disaster occurred, and I nearly died. A Stargazer on his way to the Phoenix Empire was there at the time, and, out of compassion, he gave me the power that saved my life.

“I traveled with him to the Heart of the Phoenix, where Emperor Ōtori was waiting for the Stargazer to arrive and choose someone from within the Empire. Imagine his surprise when I, a boy from some island, had already been chosen! Anyway, he asked me if I would be willing to serve him in place of the other person who the Stargazer would have picked.”

“You couldn't say no, could you?” Shu asks, understanding where I was going with the story.

“That's right. I said 'yes', not because I really wanted to, but because I felt I had to. However, look at how I've been rewarded. Sometimes... well, a lot of times, there is a difference between what you want to do and what you must do, but it doesn't always have to be bad or make you unhappy. It hasn't been easy, being a Magic Knight. I have to put my life in danger for others, and there are people who would have tried to kill me to be in the position I'm in... but I feel that it's worth the hardship. I've been blessed with wonderful friends, and I get to make the Empire a better place, little by little. I'm happy I ended up on this path.”

“Oh, I get it... So, you think I'll be glad I went on this journey, even if I didn't really want to?”

“That's what I think, yeah,” I say, smiling. “Even if you lose heart, you've got good people guiding you. We'll help you do this.”

Shu smiles and nods. “I understand, now. Thank you, Magic Knight. I'm happy I had this talk with you.”

I look ahead. Láng and Flèche have gotten quite far from us. “We better hurry, or we'll be left behind. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Shu says. “Let's go.”