by Tj Dixon
“Grace, ask whatever you need to.” Peter says patiently. People make way for her and I see a small black girl standing there with a familiar looking group behind her. Ah, she’s the leader of our rival club that we once competed with to use the arena for practise.
“Our parents are slaves. If we join you, will you help us free them?” Grace asks.
“Where are your parents?” Peter asks.
“In the Black Forest.” She says and Peter winces.
“In the slave farms?” Peter asks.
“Yes.” Grace says nervously.
“I’m sorry. There’s no easy way to say this. The slaves living there were all killed by the enemy.” Peter tells her.
“You’re serious?” Grace asks in a small voice.
“I’m sorry.” Peter says.
“When?” Grace asks.
“Before the tournament ended.” Peter answers.
“But Mayor Perry assured us they were all safe just before the academy was besieged.” Grace says.
“I would never trust Perry, but might she have moved them somewhere else?” Peter asks.
“No. She said they were still there.” Grace answers.
“If you or any of your friends want to stay here a while before making your choice you are welcome to do so, or before leaving even if you have made the choice already.” Peter tells her.
“I’ll stay, but we will want to see our parents’ fate for ourselves. If they truly are dead there’s no longer any reason to bow down to that evil mayor. Besides, a land without slavery is something I would gladly fight for, even if it is too late for the ones we care most about.” Grace says. The girls behind her nod angrily, though there isn’t a single girl among them that doesn’t have tears in her eyes.
“I’ll make sure you have a chance to see what you need to, but prepare yourselves. Does anyone else have any questions that need to be answered to make their decision?” Peter asks. He is met with silence. “It seems that everyone has made their decision. I wish those who are leaving the best of luck for the future. That is doubly true for my friends from future’s forge.”
I follow Peter’s gaze and realise that most of the newest members of our club are leaving. Some look a bit sheepish whilst others look nonchalant. I suppose they mostly joined because we more or less forced them to for the sake of making up numbers. I’m glad that most of the original members are staying. In fact I can’t see a single one of our original members there, but with every student and teacher from the academy here I can’t be sure. There are many more students leaving than staying but there are lots of students staying too. I would estimate perhaps around a hundred are staying.
“Goodbye.” Peter says with a smile and then everyone who decided to leave is gone. Peter wipes his left eye as if to wipe away a tear. Can he even still cry when his eyes are pure fire? “I am truly happy that so many of you decided to stay. This room is filled with my friends and my comrades. The future is uncertain, but together we have the power to shape it, or perhaps out of respect for my old club I should say to forge it.
“Regardless of any pretty words though, there is much hard work and bloodshed ahead. I would like everyone standing here to survive the war, but I cannot promise that will happen. This place is Kuroneko’s temple but she has kindly agreed to share it with me for now. There are a few unoccupied large rooms like the one we are currently standing in. When you leave this room the three nearby doors lead to the other rooms. With the help of any earth mages among us it should be possible to create beds and any other furniture you need. You can decide to split up however you wish. For now please make yourselves comfortable whilst I talk in more detail with Sor.” Peter finishes and then ports away, presumably with Sor. Juliet and Kuroneko port away a moment later.
“Why Sor?” I ask myself.
“More importantly, when do you think we can see Midori?” Tabi asks.
“I doubt it will be long. At least we now know everyone is safe, well, except Misty.” I say.
“I feel a little bad about her now.” Tabi says.
“It does feel a little silly.” Tomo says. “We were worrying about some drawings whilst we were surrounded by enemies trying to kill us all.”
“They were pretty sick though.” Niji says from behind me. I turn to face her.
“She didn’t deserve to die because of them though.” I say.
“I didn’t say she did, but that doesn’t mean we were silly to worry about them.” Niji says.
“It’s not like she was causing anyone any harm, and now she’s dead. It sounds like she died because Jade either betrayed or abandoned her too. That’s just too sad.” I tell Niji.
“We already thought she was dead.” Niji reminds me.
“I know, but that doesn’t make it any less sad.” I tell her.
“I’m sad for her too, but aren’t you glad that everyone else is alive and safe?” Niji asks.
“Of course I am!” I protest.
“I’m jealous.” Grace says.
“I’m sorry.” I tell her honestly.
“It’s not your fault, but you could at least accept how lucky you are.” Grace tells me.
“I know I’m lucky. Most of my friends are alive and my family may be alive. My mother and sister are fighting on the frontline if they’re still alive though.” I tell Grace.
“I hope they are still alive, but right now I don’t want to hear about other peoples’ families. None of us do, so we’re going to take one of the rooms just for us. I hope you can all respect that.” Grace tells me.
“I’m sure everyone will.” I tell her.
“Since you’re one of Peter’s friends other people probably will if you back us up.” Grace says.
“I don’t know if being his friend makes much difference to that, but if you have any trouble let us know and we’ll do what we can.” I say.
“Thank you.” Grace says and bows her head for a moment. Her friends bow their heads too. Then they all head towards the door. Everyone else is still talking amongst themselves but as they move away from us Neko squeezes past some girls that I don’t know. They’re wearing the same uniform as us so they’re either in year 2 or 3.
“He’s alive, nya!” Neko exclaims and hugs me. Grace and her friends don’t look back but there’s no way they didn’t hear.
“Yes, he’s alive.” I say quietly but happily. I hug Neko back tightly.
“Mirai, Tabi, Tomo!” Midori cries out and I turn my head to see Midori.
“What are you wearing!?” Tabi exclaims.
“This is my miko uniform. I designed it. What do you think?” Midori asks. I can’t help staring at the uniform that leaves her side mostly exposed. It covers what it needs to, but even so… That is daring. There’s no way I could wear something like that.
“Miko uniform?” Tabi asks.
“I’m Peter’s miko now.” Midori says with a huge beaming smile.
“What exactly does a miko do?” I ask.
“Oh, Aventurine, you were there were you?” Midori says with a scowl. “A miko basically supplies power for Peter.”
“So you kiss him to provide mana?” I ask.
“No, he connects our souls and then takes it directly. That’s way more intimate than simply kissing, but I wouldn’t mind kissing too.” Midori says happily.
“Looks like you beat Rin and Cherry.” Tabi says with a grin.
“Peter is a god though, so I don’t have him all to myself.” Midori says looking a little less happy again.
“Is Rin a miko too?” I ask.
“No, but Hermes is.” Midori says. “It’s fine though. I was prepared to share Peter even when I thought he was mortal. As a god it would be weird if I didn’t have to share him.”
“I couldn’t do that.” Tabi says.
“Me neither.” Mirai agrees and Tomo nods.
“The whole miko concept seems weird to be honest.” I admit.
“Does it?” Neko asks.
“Don’t you think it’s weird?” I
ask.
“It seems like common sense.” Neko says.
“Why don’t you try becoming a miko then?” I suggest, not really serious.
“You don’t mind?” Neko asks.
“Why would I?” I ask.
“Then I will, nya.” Neko says with a grin.
“Are you sure?” I ask dubiously.
“Yes, nya.” Neko says happily.
“Sure about what?” Cherry or Sherry asks. The other twin is right behind her but I still have no idea which is which.
“Becoming one of Peter’s miko like Midori, nya.” Neko says.
“Is that why you’re wearing those weird clothes, Midori?” Cherry or Sherry asks.
“They’re not weird, but yes.” Midori says.
“You’re next.” Sor says and a moment later I’m ported into a small grey stone room. It’s about six feet by six feet in here and doesn’t have any furniture, windows or even a door. Peter is right in front of me just a foot away, but it still feels weird to see him looking like this. It also feels weird being alone with him or quite so close.
“I saw Trinity not that long ago and she was safe at the time. Your mother was fighting somewhere else but as far as I know she’s ok.” Peter tells me.
“Thank you.” I say gratefully.
“How have you been?” Peter asks.
“It’s been scary, but I feel much safer now. I’m just glad almost everyone was ok. We thought Yu Kii and Juliet were dead so finding that they’re alive was like a miracle.” I tell him.
“Miracles are what I need to create right now, but I can’t do it alone.” Peter says.
“I don’t know what I can do, but I want to help.” I tell him.
“Will you let me share my mind with you?” Peter asks.
“Sure.” I say. He places his forehead against mine. His thoughts and memories flow into my head in a huge torrent. It only takes a moment but when he removes his forehead from mine I understand. It’s not something trivial that he wants. In fact what he wants scares me to the very bottom of my soul. In fact in a sense it is my very soul that he wants.
“You’re scared.” Peter says.
“I am.” I admit. There’s no point denying it.
“Think about it and let me know when you reach a decision. It is a big decision so rushing it would be foolish.” Peter tells me.
“Is there any other way I can help?” I ask.
“Everyone can help in one way or another, but what I need most is the power to defeat my enemies. Of course even if we win we will need to consider what comes next. There is no point to victory if there is nobody left to enjoy it or if we leave behind a situation just as bad as defeat.” Peter tells me.
“I will think about it but I’m not sure. I’m sorry.” I tell Peter looking down at the ground in shame.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. You’re taking your future and your soul seriously. That’s all.” Peter tells me and raises my chin up so that I find myself looking him in the eye. “Whatever decision you make, you are important to me. Your soul reached out to me even when my memories were buried. You are more like me than you realise. When I look into your soul it is like looking into a mirror distorted by time. I truly am glad you decided to stay.”
“I, um, don’t quite know what to say.” I admit with a blush, my heart racing.
“You don’t need to say anything. Just take your time and think about it.” Peter tells me.
Chapter 9 (Sor)
I’m so embarrassed. It was humiliating to have to be told by Peter why I wasn’t able to form a soul link with my miko. It was even worse that my soul link to Emi wasn’t in fact the connection of a miko but merely that of a lover. In other words I thought that I had thirty miko but I didn’t even have one. Utterly humiliating. Worst though was the Kuroneko’s hearty laughter and that way Juliet looked at me as if I was some unwanted mouse that a cat had brought her. The Kuroneko should have just told me from the start!
I tried so many methods to form a soul connection with my other miko. I assumed that I just had to connect with them the same way I connected with Emi. So I toyed with them, teased them and made fools out of them just like I always have with Emi, but of course nothing worked. I did consider that we needed to become genuine friends, but that just seemed like a weird way to form a connection between a god and her miko.
At least now I have finally managed to form the soul link with my miko, even if it did take Peter’s help. With the proper soul link Emi gives me more power than I would have imagined possible. The other twenty nine miko combined only give me about a tenth of what Emi gives me. It seems that numbers alone aren’t enough to make me strong. It needs to be people that I’m already closely connected to. Sadly the only person who I have that sort of connection with is Emi.
It was amusing that two of my miko tried to escape when Peter gave everyone a choice of staying or leaving. When I ported them both from the other side of the room and glared at them the look on their faces made me wonder whether they were about to wet themselves. To have the audacity of trying to break a contract with me! I promptly reminded all my miko of the consequences of breaking the contract though, so they won’t be trying that again.
It seems that Peter is hoping to form a miko connection with some of his friends. I’m jealous of the number and strength of his connections. Both Midori and Hermes look to have a connection with Peter that is just as strong as mine is with Emi. It’s just so annoying that even now I’m a god he’s still stronger than me.
If all Peter’s close friends became miko his strength would be unimaginable. He’s not going to force any of them though, so I doubt many will be willing to make that sacrifice. Even with just two though, he has much more strength than me. I could probably still beat him at the moment. Actually who am I kidding? I doubt I would stand more than a one in ten chance of winning even like this. With a third miko that would be less than one in a hundred or perhaps even less than one in a thousand.
There is one ray of light though. Peter agreed to teach me soul stealer lightning, provided I sign a contract to never use it on any pure souls. That means humans, elves, dwarves, nature spirits etc. So I can use it on enemies such as demons and goblins. In return he wants my help to defeat Maou Ferdinand, the evil demon lord that killed my mother. Needless to say I agreed without a second thought.
My one hesitation with working with Peter is that he killed Emi’s mother. It was in the arena and he had no choice, but Emi is my most special person. Now that he has his memories back, does he remember killing her? If he doesn’t, does that make it better or worse? I don’t know.
For now I’ll work with him. That’s why I’m here in this dull grey stone room with a couple of dozen goblins in mouldy leather armour chained to the walls. They can’t move so all they can do is glare at me with fear and hatred. Soon I’ll make them despair. They’ll get no pity from me.
As for Peter, it’s not like I hate him. Neither does Emi despite knowing he’s the one who made her an orphan. We agreed to forgive him before he returned to the academy and I fought him in the tournament. That was before he got his memories back though.
Now isn’t the time to hesitate. I want to kill Ferdinand. If he hadn’t come to the aid of that world of demons my mother was assigned to conquer she’d still be alive. He had no reason to agree to the summons. Now I have a chance to make him truly regret it and then to end his life. I lick my lips in anticipation.
“You’re eager.” Juliet says in her native language. I can understand her thanks to the translation magic Peter used on me, but it feels odd.
“What did you bring her for?” I ask Peter in annoyance.
“Juliet can use some practise too. Her technique is still very inefficient.” Peter tells me.
“At least you didn’t bring Kuroneko.” I say with a sigh.
“I came along to watch and laugh at you.” Kuroneko says from right behind me and laughs haughtily.
“Be nice, Kuro.” Peter
says.
“I am being nice. I’m not eating her.” Kuroneko says.
“That’s because we have a contract.” I tell Kuroneko with a glare.
“The contract is weak. I could still eat you if I wanted to. What matters is the promise.” Kuroneko says.
“Did you bring Kuroneko to improve her technique too?” I ask Peter.
“No, I taught Kuro everything I could a long time ago.” Peter says.
“So even the great and glorious Kuroneko had to learn from Peter.” I say with a victorious grin.
“Sor, Kuro… both of you, please be nice to each other.” Peter says glaring at us both.
“I will be, if she’s nice to me first. For now I’ll forgive her if she bows down to me and apologises for all her rude comments.” I say.
“Sor…” Peter says having closed the six feet between us instantly. For the first time I sense danger.
“Just kidding.” I say taking a step back.
“Kuro, I’m sure you’re too busy to waste your time here.” Peter says.
“I’m leaving.” Kuro says seeming a little nervous for the first time.
“Sor, do you still remember how you formed a soul link with your miko?” Peter asks.
“Of course.” I answer.
“Stealing a soul is very similar to forming a soul link.” Peter says.
“Isn’t it unpleasant when the enemy is a filthy goblin?” I ask.
“Yes, very.” Peter agrees.
“That sucks, because you won’t let me steal any clean souls. So all I get are filth like this.” I say with a sigh.
“Having your soul stolen is far worse than simply dying. Would you really want to steal another human’s soul?” Peter asks.
“If it was an evil human or my enemy I don’t see the problem.” I say.
“In this life they may be evil but in their next life they may be a good person. That new life will never happen if you steal their soul. With goblin and demon souls once you purify the soul and get most of their power you release it. Taking everything uses more power than releasing the last dregs. With a human soul it is very hard to take only a little. Kuro managed to take only a bite from your soul but she is very experienced. For you that would be impossible.” Peter explains.
