by Brandon Chen
“However, that isn’t the only reason you’re valuable, Keimaro. You are also valuable because of that necklace you wear—the one with the key.”
Keimaro blinked, looking down at the key that dangled from his neck. “What does this have to do with anything?”
“It is the key to the chest that will decide the fate of this continent,” Z said with a slight smile. “I’m not sure you understand the full story of the Hayashi clan yet, Keimaro. Do you even know why the Hayashi clan is doomed with these demonic eyes that make others judge you?”
“I always figured that we were born with it in our—”
“Members of the Hayashi clan share the same ancestors as ordinary humans. At a certain point in time, their genes changed, making the Hayashi clan different from all other humans,” Z said as he pulled out a cigar and handed it to Keimaro with a smile. “This will be a long story. Will you light this for me?”
Keimaro snapped his fingers, lighting the end of Z’s cigar with a flicker of flame. He leaned back into his seat, waiting for the elder to begin speaking.
“I am an extremely old man; that is a given. Whether or not my looks may deceive you, I am one of the three immortals that dwell on this world. My name isn’t really just Z. It is Zylon. I am four-hundred years old due to a journey long ago when I sipped from the Fountain of Youth. Now I am blessed and cursed with eternal life until killed by unnatural forces. This means that I was around when the Hayashi clan was first created and separated from the rest of humanity.
“It may be hard to believe, but long ago dragons were common. They would fly in the sky and lay eggs on the highest peaks of mountains. They would swallow humans whole—and for an age, humanity despised the beasts and sought to obliterate their existence from this world. Humanity had gathered so much hate for the majestic creatures because of their ability to take everything away from a human in a single instant. Humanity’s pain drove the creation of the Hayashi clan.
“Skytera was a flourishing, massive island that was embedded with ancient runes that allowed the chunk of land to float in the air. These runes were created by the dragons themselves, and thus the majestic beasts found a place that they could finally call home. Soon they created a huge chain of islands that floated in the sky and hosted most of the dragon population. There, they would mate and bear their children out of the reach of any human. Dragons, the superior race, continued to grow in strength, safe in their haven above the clouds.
“Humanity searched for decades to find a way to the clouds so they could destroy the dragons for good. But they never could. So, the dragons slept safely above the clouds and rained jets of flame down on human cities during the day, pillaging and obliterating all in their path. They drowned themselves in their favorite ore in the world, gold, and continued to destroy kingdoms in search for more.
“That was when the first human conquered a dragon.
“The first human who ever mastered magic was Kuro, the creator of the Hayashi clan. Kuro had obtained his power from a meteor that fell from the sky. Using his newfound abilities, he conquered one of the strongest dragons at the peak of the highest mountain in the world, battling him with the most advanced magic known to exist even to this day. Mountains were crushed; the continent quaked with fear as the two forces battled for dominance. A single human against a dragon, it was unheard of. And Kuro won. He defeated the dragon and chained it up.
“The king of dragons demanded that Kuro release their brethren, but the man insisted that there be an exchange. In exchange for the dragon’s release, he was to obtain the all-seeing eyes of a demon to become dominant over humanity. Kuro was granted his wish and betrayed the deal. With his newfound power, he looked into the eyes of the dragon that he had captured and began to control it. Using his power and the strength of this dragon, he was able to fight the entire race of dragons and defeat them. Thousands of dragons were massacred, and the rest transformed into impenetrable statues to avoid being killed off by Kuro. The statues were left at Skytera to rot for eternity.
“I met Kuro myself. Together, we were the first ones to arrive at the Fountain of Youth and take a sip, obtaining eternal life. Over time, Kuro’s demonic genes began to spread to other humans through his offspring. Generations passed, and eventually people noticed the difference in the eyes of humans with Kuro’s genes. They began to be categorized as a clan known as the Hayashi.
“The gods supposedly didn’t favor Kuro, for he had obtained his power from luck that was out of their control. Finally, seventeen years ago, the time for the purge had come. The High Priests, the only humans who can communicate with the gods, ordered that every human empire in existence must purge their population of members from the Hayashi clan. And, thus, the Hayashi clan massacre began.
“Kuro himself watched as the gods destroyed members of his family. They were killed off one by one before his eyes, executed by the humans that he had always found to be his brethren through his centuries of survival. It was then that he developed a hatred for humanity. In fact, he developed a hatred for the gods as well. He declared war upon the world two years into the Hayashi clan massacre. He promised the world that he would be the one to destroy everything that the gods had ever created and that he would then rule the world in place of the gods. That would be their punishment for destroying his family without any true purpose. And so, he created an organization known as the Bounts. He formed the organization in order to destroy humanity.”
“Destroy humanity?” Keimaro exclaimed with disbelief, slamming his hands on the table. “What? The creator of the Bounts is a member of the Hayashi clan? I’m related to him?” A bead of sweat began to form on his brow.
That would explain why Tobimaru is in the organization. But what’s all this talk about dragons? How could dragons give someone the eyes of a devil? Were they really that powerful that they could grant wishes like that?
Z nodded. “Kuro Hayashi is currently the most dangerous person on the planet. The only reason that he hasn’t destroyed humanity is that he is currently in a slumber due to an event that happened six years ago. He is strong enough to obliterate humanity already, but with every day that he sleeps, he becomes stronger. No one is quite ready to wake him in order to finally put an end to him. Humanity would rather just wait in hopes that he will never wake up.”
“What does this all have to do with the chest?”
“Within that chest is a single whistle. That whistle will awaken the strongest dragon in existence that was controlled by Kuro. Did you ever wonder why the Forbidden Forest has its name? Did you ever wonder why there are so many monsters in that forest or why it’s pitch-black in there? The ominous aura of the most evil beast in history slumbers underneath that forest. The dragon will awaken along with Kuro, and that will signal not only the end of the continent or humanity, but the world,” Z said, leaning back into his chair. “So, that’s quite an important key you’ve got there. The king of Bassada has gotten his hands on your chest. But, as long as you have the key, it won’t be possible for the dragon to awaken. The Bounts know this, which is why they are beginning to take matters into their own hands.”
“What do you mean by that?”
With his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed, Yuri began to speak. “It means that the Bounts are going to try to take over the Faar Empire so that they have access to the largest army on the entire continent. Then they will use their army to find you, kill you, and take the key to awaken Kuro,” he said simply. “That’s their current plan, from the looks of it. Once Kuro is awakened, it’s over, so you need to keep that thing safe. But, at the same time, you are the only one with foreign magic. So, we can’t let someone as strong as you just sit around and lounge, doing nothing. We still need your help to stop them, so that’s why we ask to take your key—”
“No.”
“What?”
Keimaro touched the key with his hand, feeling the bronze against his skin. “This is a memento from my father. It reminds me of his
death. It reminds me of my mother’s death, and the destruction of Bakaara and my clan. It reminds me of my pain. I won’t let you have it.”
Yuri stood up from his chair, towering over Keimaro with an annoyed look on his face. “Look, you stubborn bastard! This is more than just you! Stop being selfish for two freaking seconds and think about the world! Your goals aren’t the only things that matter here!”
Keimaro’s eyes glowed red with the Shokugan, and he glared at Yuri. “Yeah? Why would I trust some random strangers that I just met with a key that I treasure more than anything else?” He stood up with his face inches from Yuri’s. “My existence is formed from my goals. The only reason I haven’t killed myself to end my pain is that I want revenge. I want the Bounts to suffer as I have. And I want the king of Faar dead at my feet.”
“Not exactly the hero type, wouldn’t you say?” Lena said with a roll of her eyes, leaning back in her chair and looking away with a scoff, tapping the leather arm impatiently with her index finger.
“I’m not here to become a hero,” Keimaro muttered, “nor am I here to satisfy anyone else but myself. I am here to obliterate all of my enemies. So? If the Bounts get their hands on me, it’s the end of the world. Interesting. What are you going to do with me then? Lock me up? Attempt to take this key from me?”
“Neither,” Z said simply. “We are merely going to cut down the government slowly. There are many political leaders as well as military leaders that need to be brushed off. You seem to have no problem with killing others. In that case, we will have you cut down all of the king’s supporters. If we kill the king straight away, the power will only go to someone else with the same intentions as the previous king. We need to cut down anyone who supports the king.”
“In other words,” Keimaro said, leaning forward in his seat, “you want me to become an assassin to fulfill your little deeds and do whatever you want? Huh, I came here to kill the Bounts and the king, not kill his henchmen.” He was tired of arguing. He just wanted to rest. His eyes were heavy, and he could feel his head going completely blank. At this point, he didn’t even know what words were coming out of his mouth. He could hear Z speaking, but the words passed straight through him as he felt exhaustion finally hitting him. Before he knew it, he was asleep, leaning back in his chair with his eyes shut.
Z was about to continue talking and smiled when he saw that Keimaro was asleep. “He must be exhausted. Yuri, Lena, make sure that Keimaro is escorted to his room safely. Be sure to be careful; we wouldn’t want to disturb his sleep.”
***
Yuri rolled his eyes as he heaved Keimaro’s arm around his shoulder, the other arm around Lena’s. Together, the two of them walked down the hallway toward the nearest open room. Yuri gripped the doorknob and heaved Keimaro onto his large bed. He didn’t bother turning on the lights since it might wake him up. Still, the kid must’ve been pretty tired if he was able to sleep through Yuri and Lena dragging him across the hallway. Yuri had never seen someone fall asleep faster than this boy had. “He’s had a long day,” Yuri said, turning to leave the room. “Let’s give him some rest.”
Lena stood in the doorway, looking at Yuri with worried eyes. “Yuri … do you actually think we can trust him? He’s dangerous, and … I mean, how do we know that he’s the one? Can’t you just defeat the Bounts like you did at Horux? Wouldn’t that be easier than trusting a complete stranger?”
Yuri stopped walking forward with one hand in his pocket and smiled at Lena. “No, I don’t think we can trust him. Quite frankly, this boy is out of control. He is consumed by hatred to the point where he would probably kill anyone, even a child, in order to obtain the revenge he thirsts for. His aura is evil; I can smell it. His eyes represent the devil, which he seems to resemble with such heinous intentions. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned on all of us and killed us all. However,” his look became serious in a mere instant, “I can also see good in him. He cares for his friends and allies. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have come all this way for his friend, Yata. He wouldn’t have fought us with such fierceness. I feel that there’s more behind him than just a hateful boy. After all, he’s had the chance to assassinate the king, being his guard and all. Yet, the king still lives.”
Lena lowered her head, looking away. “You really think that he can kill them? That he can accomplish what you can’t? You’re stronger! So much stronger….”
“Yes,” Yuri said with a chuckle. “For now. The thing about natural magic is that it reacts with your emotions. I, too, have natural magic, though it isn’t from a foreign source. Keimaro’s magic is different. It fuses with his hatred and becomes stronger. It can evolve into a much stronger form, where mine stays the same. Keimaro has the potential to become something stronger than even me.” He scratched the back of his neck with a sigh. “Though, we don’t know if he will live long enough to get there. Tobimaru Hayashi will be after him; that’s for sure.” He stepped past Lena, glancing at her over his shoulder. “All we can do is trust that he will become strong—strong enough to destroy the enemies that we can’t.”
Lena’s eyes watered as memories began to flow back into her. She sniffed and shut her eyes as she reached for Keimaro’s doorknob. She was betting everything on a complete stranger. She wasn’t sure whether to be worried or not. Could she put her trust in Keimaro? Would he destroy the Bounts in a representation of their revolution? No one could know, not even Yuri. She opened her eyes and watched the sleeping Keimaro as she slowly closed the door, the shadows eventually swallowing the young boy in darkness. All that she could do was hope.
A New Reason to Fight
Keimaro’s eyes opened, finding that the ceiling was rather blurred. Hmm? Where am I? Everything came back into focus at once. The room was dark and silent, and he was lying on something extremely comfortable. That was all he knew. He sat up, slowly leaning forward and rubbing his forehead with a groan. He was on a bed. Where? He didn’t remember going to an inn.
Memories of the previous night began to flash back, and he sighed, looking down at the white blanket that covered him. Everything was much more complicated now that he knew what the Bounts were up to. World domination using a dragon, a mythical creature. It sounded absurd, but it was possible. After all, Keimaro hadn’t even seen much of the world yet. He had to assume that any legends or stories that he had ever heard about were real after seeing werewolves, magic, and falling stars. He had to assume that dragons really did exist. But the mere thought of such a majestic, yet frightening beast, sent shivers through his body.
He reached up and touched the key that dangled from his neck, feeling the cool metal on his fingertips. Yuri or Z could’ve stolen this from him and simply left him. But they hadn’t. Instead, they had just given him a place to stay. Can I really trust these guys?
The door suddenly flew open, and a burst of light filled the room, blinding Keimaro. He covered his eyes with his hands and groaned, leaning back into his pile of soft pillows. The ephemeral light blinded him for a few seconds, and he saw the outline of a shadow that reminded him a bit of Aika. But, as his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that it was only Lena.
She harshly threw a loaf of bread at Keimaro and crossed her arms over her chest. “Get up and get ready. Z wants to introduce you and your friends to our plan for today. Hurry up,” she snapped and turned around, walking out of the room, leaving as abruptly as she had entered.
Keimaro caught the bread barely, still a bit drowsy from his sleep. He rubbed his eye with the back of his hand and sighed. “What’s her deal?” he muttered to himself as he took a swift bite from the bread and pushed himself out of bed. He didn’t know girls were so harsh. Whatever.
Stuffing the rest of the bread in his mouth, he threw his cloak over his body and walked out of the room, giving Lena a slight nod. He noticed that they were in one of the winding hallways that went in a circle around the tower, apparently on the very top floor. He glanced over the railing of the left side of the platform and
whistled, looking all the way down. It looked like a very long fall and a very long climb to get up here. He blinked and realized that Lena was already ahead of him, opening the door to a room. He stumbled after her and followed her into the room.
Keimaro smiled when he found himself walking into a room made completely of wood. It was a rather large room that contained an impressive array of weapons all along the walls. Some were weapons Keimaro didn’t even recognize, and each seemed to come in many sizes and versions. There’s enough weaponry in here to supply an army, he thought. He looked across the room and saw Gavin and Yata standing to the left of Z. To the right were Yuri, Noah, and Lena.
A wave of relief filled Keimaro when he saw that his friends were unhurt. “So,” he said simply, “what exactly is your plan then?”
“Well, we test your abilities today. You are quite the angry person, I noticed,” Z said with a sly smile, “so why don’t we allow you to break loose a bit? You go under the name of Riku Hikari, correct? Well, now I will allow you to reveal yourself as Keimaro Hayashi, the rebel against the king.”
“You want me to be myself?”
“While wearing a mask.”
“What am I, some kind of masked vigilante?” Keimaro murmured, crossing his arms.
“Pretty much,” Z said with a smirk. “You will be yourself underneath a mask while you are an assassin, but you will be living the day as Riku Hikari, a member of the Royal Guard. They won’t suspect you. Only when you’re wearing your mask can you let out your wild side.”
“The king or someone from the Royal Guard would recognize my voice if they ever heard me speak underneath the mask. They could also recognize my fighting style,” Keimaro said.
“I doubt they will match your fighting style since they don’t witness your combat often. Anyway, I looked into the voice problem. I have a mask prepared for you.” Z turned around and revealed several complete outfits and masks already set up. He reached up, took one of the masks from the wall, and held it out to Keimaro. “Try it on.”
