The remains of the city walls stood before them. The location of the gates were further to the east of where they were now, but they would be easy to find if they decided to follow the main road. Still, none of them savored the idea of walking out on a road or any other open place.
“Maybe we could climb over? Nah…let’s just walk around until we find a place with easy access.”
This time Wataru took the lead, with Kee Keema bringing up the rear. Lady Zophie cowered behind Wataru’s shoulder, walking as close to him as she could without actually bumping into him. Wataru could feel Meena’s eyes burning into the small of his back.
“You remember that old couple that prayed for Kutz back there?” Meena said suddenly. Kee Keema and Wataru were busy searching through the wreckage and listening for any sign of people. It seemed that Meena had entirely forgotten their purpose for coming here. Her face was frozen in a scowl, her eyes glaring at the girl’s slender back. “They said that about ten years ago their children left for the south, taking their grandchildren with them. They were looking for a way to escape. That’s why they said those prayers to the Goddess. It didn’t make sense for believers in the Old God to be asking the Goddess for forgiveness.
“Just like my family,” she added in a small voice. “For the people living in the Northern Empire life was hard, even for those who were lucky enough to be in the rich capital. The only people living any kind of good life were the royal family and those surrounding them. Everyone else struggled to make it through every day. And now that the seal on the mirror has been broken, not only the North but all of Vision is in danger. What good did the emperor ever do? None! I bet even now he’s run off somewhere, worried more about saving his own hide than helping his country.”
This was more than Zophie could stand. She whirled around to face Meena. “My father is dead!”
“Father?” Kee Keema’s eyes opened wide. “Then you’re…”
“Zophie, the daughter of Gama Agrilius VII,” she said, standing tall and looking straight into their eyes. “I am the successor to the throne. Now that my father is gone, it falls to me to defend the country and move our armies.”
Meena stood dumbfounded. But she quickly recovered, a belligerent gleam in her eyes. “Then what in the Goddess’s name are you doing here?! Shouldn’t you be off somewhere leading?”
Wataru stepped between the two. “Stop this.”
“Stop what?!”
“It’s not like you, Meena, to talk this way.”
The fire went out of Meena’s eyes as though doused with water.
“She might be the empress-in-waiting,” said Kee Keema, “but how is she supposed to do anything all alone like this, huh?” Meena turned her back to him, whipping her tail around so fast it slapped into Wataru’s side.
Kee Keema looked up at the wavy top of the wall. “How far do we plan to walk tonight? I still think it’s too dangerous to go inside.”
“It would be nice if we could climb up somewhere—get a view of the city.”
“We won’t be getting up the wall here. Too high. There must be a place where it’s fallen down a bit.”
They began walking along the wall again. After a while, they heard a faint noise, like a person weeping. They all stopped and perked up their ears. After a moment they realized it was only the whistling of the wind.
“Still, that’s an odd sound. I wonder what it’s blowing through. Maybe something up there?” Kee Keema pointed up ahead to a place where rubble had spilled out through the city wall. Burned beams jutted out of the wreckage like leftover fish bones after a meal. “Maybe we can climb up on those?” Kee Keema walked over and tested one with his foot, but it crumbled almost immediately. Though it looked solid, it was like trying to climb a hill of sand.
“That’s funny…” If these were the remains of a house or some building, they should be a bit more solid, Wataru thought. And what’s with all the sand and rock?
Then it hit him. It’s a golem. This mountain of rubble was the remains of a giant golem.
Mitsuru’s words rose fresh in his mind. Each golem required materials: sand, rock, and a person. The stone giants that wreaked havoc in the city were themselves more sacrifices to Mitsuru’s cause.
“Wataru,” Meena said, grabbing his sleeve. “Do you see something glimmering in there?”
Wataru looked in the direction she was pointing, and there, in between the lumps of sand and earth, he could see a tiny shining light.
Could it be? But how…
Still uncertain, Wataru put a hand on the hilt of his sword. The light flared brighter, shining on his face.
There was no mistaking it. Wataru calmly drew his Brave’s Sword and held it up before his eyes.
The spirit in the gemstone spoke to him.
—Alone I waited a long time in my prison for you to come, Traveler.
A pure curtain of light began to spread before Wataru’s eyes. The curtain opened, and the figure of a tall man stepped through, wearing long-sleeved robes of platinum, and a veil of the same color over his hair.
The fourth gemstone. Even now, when all seemed lost, and Wataru himself was nearing the depths of despair, the gemstones still hadn’t given up hope on him.
—I am the one who honors what is true in people, the spirit of mutual grace and friendship. Though many of flesh and blood lived here in this northern land, they had long forgotten to honor life. They had long forgotten the true path. I was buried in the frozen earth, embraced by stone, and made to sleep.
Wataru knelt on one knee before the spirit and lifted his eyes.
—Do not waste your life in vain, or take life in vain. Where there is faith, there is also kindness and forgiveness, and where there is forgiveness, there will you find true balance—the most coveted prize of all. It is easy to stray, misled by one’s own greed, or by easy pleasure. Men are weak, and many step off the path never knowing it. It is nothing but a gentle lie to say that most will find heaven when they die. Traveler, by your faith, forgive those who stand in your way. Yet, if they should seek to betray truth, then wield justice to bring their journey to its rightful end.
The fourth gemstone came down, like an angel descending from on high, and found its place in the hilt of Wataru’s sword. The Brave’s Sword glimmered once, sending a wave of energy coursing through Wataru’s body.
“D-did you see that, Wataru?!” Kee Keema gasped, then quickly knelt on the ground and bowed his head low. “It’s a sign, a sign from the gemstones!”
Then he leaped to his feet, picking up Wataru in his arms and lifting him high over his head. “Did you see it? Did you see it? The Goddess is still waiting for you! Your journey isn’t over yet, not by a long shot!”
Wataru’s eyes swirled with the sudden motion. How can he have so much strength after today? “Okay, okay! I saw it, Kee Keema! I saw it! Now let me down!”
Kee Keema didn’t cry when he heard about the death of Kutz. But now tears streamed down his face.
“You’re a Traveler too?” Lady Zophie said, almost staggering in surprise.
“Yes. Mitsuru and I—we come from the same place in the real world. We were friends.”
“Then you, too, will follow Mitsuru to the Tower of Destiny?”
Wataru’s momentary elation quickly cooled. He still lacked the final gemstone. His Brave’s Sword was not yet complete. Mitsuru had already found his—the Gem of Darkness—in the mirror room of the Crystal Palace. If his was there, then where could Wataru’s be hiding? Did he even have enough time left to find it?
The wind whistled through the wreckage once again.
Meena’s ears shot up. “What’s that sound?
Fweeew…
“That’s not the wind! That’s something calling…”
The four tensed, looking around, trying to determine the direction from which the strange whistle came. On top of the city wall? Beyond the mountain of rubble? Hidden in the night grasses?
Just then a cloud moved away from the moon
, and the night brightened around them. Something small and swift darted under the clear moonlight, slicing through the wind.
They heard the sound of wings flapping nearby. But before they could react, a bird of pure white appeared suddenly, perching on Wataru’s shoulder.
“Now, now. No need to be so startled,” the bird said, its red beak snapping open and shut.
“Wh-what’s that? A bird?!” Meena practically shouted in surprise, forgetting where they were. Zophie slid behind Kee Keema’s back. The waterkin’s big mouth was wide open.
“Why it’s me,” the bird replied, and the next moment was enveloped in a cloud of white smoke. Wataru leaped back.
Wayfinder Lau was standing before him.
For the space of several seconds, no one said anything. Wayfinder Lau stood with his jaw firmly shut, obviously expecting someone else to break the silence.
“Well, say something,” the old man said at last.
Wataru’s jaw moved, but no words came out of his mouth.
Wayfinder Lau’s long eyebrows lifted, then sank. “Is this all the greeting I get? I would think such a reunion deserving of a bit more fanfare.”
“F-f-fanfare?” Wataru squeaked. His heart was doing somersaults in his chest. “Wayfinder Lau? What are you doing here?!”
“What, this old coot is the Wayfinder?” Kee Keema snorted.
“This is the guy who guides all the Travelers?” Meena asked incredulously.
Wayfinder Lau lifted his staff and gave Wataru a sharp crack on the head. “You ask me why I have come? I came because you called for me! But if you’ve no need of me, I suppose I’ll be on my way.”
“I-I called you?”
“You wanted to know where the last gemstone might be found, didn’t you?”
At once, a palpable tension spread over Wataru and his friends’ faces.
“You’d tell me?” Wataru asked, his voice cracking. His heart did another somersault, refusing to settle back into place.
“If you have the will to continue your journey, then I shall,” the Wayfinder said almost casually, looking up at the night sky. “Yet you must hurry, or the demonkin will pick up your scent for sure. Now is no time to tarry.”
Suddenly, time lurched back into motion. The clock was ticking. Wataru felt a chill run down his spine. “Tell me! please!”
Now that he wanted him to hurry, Wayfinder Lau stopped, staring long into Wataru’s eyes. Wataru remembered when he first met the old man at the Village of the Watchers. Then, as now, the Wayfinder had looked at him long and hard, as though judging him, measuring his worth…
The way he’s looking at me now, it’s even harsher than when I first came here. He’s measuring me on a different scale. Have I become heavier somehow? Is the old scale not big enough to measure me anymore?
“Will you confront Mitsuru again?”
“Huh?”
“Listen up, boy. I’m asking if you plan to confront Mitsuru—if you’re ready to face him.”
Wataru looked back at Meena’s face, then up into Kee Keema’s eyes. “I am,” he answered at last. “I’ve pretty much already been doing that for a while now.”
“It won’t be like it was before,” Wayfinder Lau said, tapping at the ground with the butt of his staff. “You see, the fifth gemstone, the one you need to transform your Brave’s Sword into the Demon’s Bane, is none other than the very same Gem of Darkness that Mitsuru has already claimed. Though there may be two Travelers, there is only one final gemstone.”
Then how am I supposed to get it? Mitsuru’s already left. Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?
Wayfinder Lau watched Wataru’s eyes, reading his thoughts. His staff connected with Wataru’s forehead once again, just as it had in the Cave of Trials.
“It will not do to make such an ill-mannered face at a Watcher, boy. Yes, the final gemstone you need is in Mitsuru’s hands. Therefore, should you wish it for yourself, you will need to take it from him. Understand? Take it from him.”
Up until now, Wataru’s competition with Mitsuru had been a kind of parallel race. He had never had to challenge him directly. He had never tried to take something away from him.
Why does the last challenge always have to be the hardest?
“Then I have to fight him. I have to fight him and win,” Wataru said, halfasking, half-telling himself. Wayfinder Lau said nothing.
You can win, someone said. For a moment he couldn’t tell who it was. It was a voice he had never heard, high, yet firm, and full of resolve.
It was Meena. Her eyes glimmered in the reflected light of the crescent moon. “You can win. I know you can, Wataru. You will win. You have to go.”
How can you be so sure? Wataru felt his heart shrink. I couldn’t even draw my sword when we were standing on top of that golem. I can’t even win an argument with Mitsuru. How can I win a fight?
Meena hadn’t seen any of that. She hasn’t seen the weak me.
“You will go even if you cannot win. You will go because you must. If you do not know this in your heart, I will not open the way for you.”
Wataru looked up, into the Wayfinder’s eyes. An old man’s eyes, wrinkled and teary. How does his gaze skewer me like that, like a knife going right through my heart?
Though the old man’s mouth was closed, his question rang in Wataru’s mind.
—What will you wish for at the Tower of Destiny? What do you wish for most, right here, right now?
What do I wish for most? What?
Wataru could hear Kutz’s voice as though she were standing right next to him.
—You’re a Highlander. You swore an oath to defend Vision. If you would break that oath, you aren’t fit to wear the firewyrm band.
Wataru looked down at the band, still circling his left wrist. He touched it lightly with his fingers.
What do I wish for most?
Then he saw the meaning behind the Wayfinder’s question. He knew what he was searching for. How could he not know? It was a straight path—there could be no stepping off. But once he chose that path, he would never be able to choose another. Am I okay with that? Is that what I want? Will I not regret it? Will I achieve what I set out to accomplish in the first place?
Charity and wisdom, bravery and faith, all in the sword.
It isn’t my destiny that has to change.
It’s me.
Wataru looked Wayfinder Lau straight in the eye. “I’ll go. I’ll confront Mitsuru and take the Gem of Darkness from him. I have to go to the tower. Wayfinder, open the way for me.”
Chapter 52
Wataru Alone
A single column of light rose into the night sky.
Even the moon seemed surprised, its light becoming focused as if it were squinting in disbelief. Below, the clouds stopped in their rolling path for a moment. Only the Blood Star maintained its cold composure, glittering red where it hung in the vault of the sky.
A pure circle of light lay upon the ground before Wataru. Just one step and he would be inside. Wayfinder Lau had opened the way for him.
The Wayfinder stood off to the side, leaning upon his staff, watching over Wataru. “Well, will you go?”
Wataru nodded. He turned to look at his friends, Meena and Kee Keema. They wore the same expression: something close to, but not quite, a farewell.
“You’re going alone, aren’t you,” Meena asked, but it wasn’t really a question.
Wataru found himself smiling. “Yeah. This time I can’t take you with me, no matter how much you kick and scream.”
“Was I always that difficult?”
“You were just trying to keep me honest, I think.”
“You kept me honest too,” Kee Keema said in all seriousness. “And somehow, I think you were always right, Meena.”
“Me too.” Wataru looked at their faces again and the realization hit. They were not heading out on a new adventure. This was farewell. From here on, I go alone. No matter what lies in store for me, I’m leaving them behind.
There was only one thing left to say.
“I’m going.”
Meena suddenly launched herself into his arms. She was shaking. “Be careful, Wataru. Please.”
“I will.”
Wataru hugged her tightly, feeling her warm, slender body in his arms. Kee Keema stepped over and embraced the two of them in a great big bear hug. “Sorry we can’t help you anymore.”
“No, you can,” Wataru said, reaching up to give Kee Keema a friendly punch on the shoulder. “We’re all still fighting for Vision—even if we have to do it in different ways now. We’re still helping each other.”
Meena’s eyes, wet with tears, opened wide. “Wataru—wait, what are you going to ask the Goddess?”
Wataru smiled, cutting her off. “It’s a secret.”
Wataru stepped back from his friends’ embrace. “Kee Keema!”
“Y-yeah!”
“Still think I’m good luck?”
“You bet!”
Wataru’s smile broadened. “Then let me wish good luck to you. May you win all your battles.”
Kee Keema clasped his hands together tightly. “Leave it to me! I’m going to fight those demonkin for every inch of this land, mark my words!”
Wrapped in cold and solitude, Lady Zophie stood apart from Wataru and the others. But when Wataru turned his eyes toward her, she said, “Forgive me.” Her fingers were intertwined, her head hung low. “It was I who told Lord Mitsuru the whereabouts of the Gem of Darkness. It was I who told him he could reach the gem if the seal upon the Mirror of Eternal Shadow were broken. And the result—was this.”
Her voice was choked with a tide of painful remorse welling up from inside her. The more she said, the more her words pressed upon her with greater and greater weight. “I never imagined this might come to pass. I merely—I sought to ease Lord Mitsuru’s sorrow. He seemed so sad, trapped inside the Crystal Palace—so lonely. It grieved me to see him so.”
Slowly, Wayfinder Lau spoke. “Mitsuru deceived you. He used you for his own ends.”
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