Lord

As soon as Hoshina crosses the door, someone slams into her with such strength it knocks her down. The offender lands on top of Hoshina, face buried in her chest.

"You idiot! How could you!?" A sniffle. "Didn't even bother to say you were back."

Her sister tightly grips her clothes, digging nails into her waist. Hoshina lowers her eyelids.

"Sorry. I won't make up excuses."

"You better not." She smacks her with a contained, yet strong jab.

Eyes still red, Jogi gets off from Hoshina, and lends her a hand. As she gets up, she notices her sister's the only one who's changed.

"You are almost taller than me now."

"Ha! And the 'almost' won't last." A light fist to her arm. "I knew you were too tough to die like that."

"It was a close call." She lifts her left arm.

"By the gods, almost forgot that!" She grabs it. "Amazing! It really is metal, and all these little shits moving inside and they…" She sets her ear on it. "I can hear them creak!"

Jogi steps back for a better sight. Doesn't give Hoshina a chance to reply though.

"Move the legs, I need to see this." She lifts each leg once, then jumps. "It's soo fucking cool!"

"Aren't you overdoing it with the language?"

"No, no, no. Sixteen now, I can do whatever the fuck I want."

"Except war. Happy birthday by the way."

"Gods, what I wouldn't give to have one of these. You got them down on another island, right? Can you find me one? I'll gladly cut off my arm for one of these."

"Jogi!" She lifts her view, a brow raised.

How do I follow that up?

Her sister shrugs. "What? You want to say something, no?"

"Just… don't take this matter lightly, please."

Jogi scratches her nape.

"I don't get it, but sure. Enough standing at the door, let's go for dinner."

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

Hoshina dreads a scolding from her father for her escapade, but instead, Mugen merely spares her a glance and a signal to sit.

A silent table. Meals set for three.

"Where's Bosen's plate? Is she eating out?"

Jogi grins. "She won't bother us no more."

"What? Why?"

"There's a time." Mugen cuts the talk short. "After dinner, you are going to tell me about that adventure of yours from earlier."

Thus, dinner occurs in silence, as it does anytime her mother isn't present.

Hoshina lets herself relax after eating, since her father hadn't shown any sign of disappointment so far.

After Jogi leaves, she leisurely recounts her visit to Puratina's palace, their conversation, and how Hoshina can now confidently disregard pointless opinions.

A mistake.

"Is that Kaji boy alive?" A question that shifts her stomach upside down.

"He…" She's certain, the truth is a wrong answer, yet lying is not an option. "He is."

"Why?" A low voice that shakes her like an earthquake.

"H-he… I…" The world around darkens.

"I'll change my question. Is he someone whose opinion is not pointless?"

A sentence that tightens her chest, threatening to crush her ribs.

Is she going to break under the sheer pressure?

No.

Mugen is a living legend, the greatest warrior alive.

But I don't need to become him anymore.

Which means… I can disagree.

Fists clenched, deep breath and a stare into his eyes.

"He is." The darkness trembles. The Arc Warrior has flinched.

"Have you forgotten my words?"

"I haven't."

"Then why are you making the same mistake twice?" Voice still calm, though louder than before.

"Because it isn't a mistake. Father, my real mistake was trying to become a warrior when I'm not meant to be one." She hears him inhale.

"I see. Then I'm the one at fault."

Huh?

"It seems I misjudged you, and for that, I apologize."

H-he… does he accept my decision?

"Thank you for telling me." He turns around. Darkness fades. "Come, it's time to correct my mistake."

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

The iron gate, still rusted, pierces Hoshina's head with its screech. Mugen pushes through the thorns, unfazed by their harsh embrace.

Hoshina, however, shields herself with her left arm and takes care to avoid tripping over the brambles.

Vines have regrown over the stone arc, though not fully blocking their path this time. Regardless, Mugen deems it worth taking out his staff and tearing an entrance.

The hall of statues remains impervious to time.

It hasn't changed one bit.

Yet the glaring eyes send shivers down her spine.

Except for one pair. An individual who, despite holding the same serious expression, shows hints of a different emotion underneath. Mugen stares at the statue in question.

"Do you know why they were all revered as heroes?"

She considers her response cautiously.

"Because they did what everyone else wanted them to. They became what is considered the peak of success, regardless of who they truly were."

"So that's your conclusion." He shifts his piercing gaze towards her. "What do you think would've happened if they had a different vision of what success meant, and used their immense power to try and achieve it?"

"I guess… they could've helped improve our society with their new ideas?"

"Wrong." Huh?

Did she express her thoughts incorrectly? Perhaps Mugen didn't understand what she means.

We are here so he can 'correct his mistake', right? Then why—

"It would've led to civil war!" It's the first time Mugen's voice carries such emotion. "It would shake our society and risk destroying everything our ancestors have worked to build." He points at Grandpa. "It would be equal to spitting on the grave of Lord Kagi."

Hoshina takes a step back.

Not only are his words loud, they are heavy.

He… might be right.

Are my egoistic desires worth more than the efforts of all these people, especially Grandpa?

I thought that I could have my own beliefs, that they could be different from my father's, but that we would still be able to coexist.

Once again, I'm proven to be a fool. Our ideas are in direct confrontation.

And it seems I can never win a debate…

…

Am I always in the wrong?

Didn't Kaji beat me in a similar discussion when I was still following Mugens ideas? So if Kaji was correct back then, I am now. Agh, I'm getting overwhelmed again with so many thoughts.

Wait.

Hoshina looks at Grandpa's statue. Behind his stoic eyes, there is something else, she's certain of it.

I'll just… stop thinking so much, and say whatever I feel.

"I believe Grandpa hated being a warrior."

He squints his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I have no proof, not even a good explanation. I just think I'm right."

"That's foolish." He looks away.

"But I have something that needs no proof: whenever we go to war, people suffer and die."

"It is the price to pay for the prosperity of our people."

"Are our people more valuable than the dozens of other clans we have ruined?"

He takes a step forward, Hoshina resists the urge to back off.

"Of course they are. Would you sacrifice your sister for a complete stranger?"

Words get stuck in her throat. She forces them out with a shout.

"No! I wouldn't!"

"Then drop this childish argument! You are still in time to correct your mistake."

"But strangers have their own family, they also have a right to be happy. And more importantly, this is not a life or death decision. It's not like our whole clan will die if we stop the wars."

"You have no idea about how ruling a society works. Even assuming we manage to break tradition without a civil war, people will not accept a lower quality of life. They will stand up once our resources start running low, I can guarantee it."

"Still…" She lowers her head. "I'd rather deal with that than keep taking from those who have nothing to do with us."

Her voice cracks as she lets out the last of what's been stuck in her chest for years.

"Dad, we should take responsibility for our own problems, don't you think?"

Somewhere in the deep eyes of Mugen, a faint light glints. He doesn't answer. Instead, he crosses his arms and averts his gaze.

Is he… is he thinking over what I said?

No, she must be misreading him again, there's no way she is winning an argument against him.

"You have a point."

Huh!?

"R-really?"

"I cannot declare your reasoning as completely incorrect. There is truth in what you say."

"Then does that mean—?"

"No. Both our visions have flaws, yet I still stand by my beliefs, and nothing will change that."

"But…" She stomps forward. "I can't change mine either."

"And that's why war exists." He places his staff at Grandpa's feet, and raises his fists. "In the end, this is the only way to resolve a conflict."

She backs off.

"N-no."

"Come, Hoshina."

"I don't want to fight you! And I can't win even if I did."

"Either you fight for your truth, or you give it up. I will not accept any other answer."