Far From Satisfied

My heart sank. With Seeker Len's master dead, I was the one and only soul from Earth in Wosurei. In the brief moment the possibility of being unalone was introduced, a despair I didn't know I had left me before coming crashing back down.

"The world is certainly a poorer place without him," Seeker Len said, a far-off look coming into his eyes. He gave his head a shake, then added, "He kept a journal. I can retrieve it for you and have it delivered to your chambers, if you would like."

"I would," I said. I bit down on the words 'thank you' to prevent myself from being too civil with him. He'd given me crumbs of the situation and I was far from forgiving him.

Before he could speak again, I had a logistical question to ask. "When is The End of Days supposed to happen?"

"The 13th Day of Harvest. That is to say, in just shy of a year."

Well, I suppose I had to award them a few points for being proactive when trying to prevent the apocalypse. Another of the thousand questions I had was forming in my mouth when the low toll of a distant bell rang through the air. Seeker Len launched himself upward like he'd been bitten.

"Ah, it's time. We must go, hurry." He was halfway to the door, calling to me over his shoulder.

"We haven't finished–"

"The ceremony will be beginning soon and we must be present."

Just when I began to get a handle on things, I got thrown into yet more confusion. I considered refusing, but he was already out the door and descending the steps. With a heavy sigh, I got up and followed him.

Seeker Len was spry for a man of his age and we flew down the stairs at a pace that was borderline dangerous. I had a deathgrip on the railing as I struggled to keep up with him. We burst out of the tower and I followed Seeker Len as he shot forward towards the heart of the Palace of Gratitude.

Unlike before when the hallways were bursting with people, it was now eerily quiet.

“What’s happening?” I hissed, struggling to catch my breath.

“The first portion of the Parting Ceremony is about to start,” Seeker Len said. His face was beet red with sweat beading on his forehead. I was pleased to see that he was finally seeming to struggle a bit and was slowing down. “The Empress Dowager passed away and her soul must be guided.”

The line parting is such sweet sorrow came unbidden to mind. Not an appropriate thing to say at a funeral, nor would the context be understood, so I wisely kept that to myself.

We emerged from the veins of the palace to an enormous courtyard. A flicker of recognition rippled through my mind as I realized this courtyard was one of the ones Vris and I walked past on the way to the tower. It was now packed with people, standing shoulder to shoulder.

At the far end of the courtyard was a raised platform. The Emperor, Empress, Princess Akiko, and Princess Kaede were standing on the platform. All wore sombre expressions, even cheerful Akiko. Each wore black robes with white outfits underneath and a golden circlet atop their brow.

Next to them stood a small, square table covered with a grey table cloth. The table was just large enough to fit a single framed painting about the height of a forearm. I squinted at the painting, able to make out that it depicted an elderly woman but her features were too far away to be distinct. The Empress Dowager, I presumed.

The bell tolled once again and the courtyard fell silent. Seeker Len and I quickly found an unoccupied space and tried to pant as quietly as possible. The Emperor stepped forward and raised a hand.

“Last night, my mother took her final breath. She had seen eight and a half decades of life, filled with joy and sorrow. In her later years, she lost much of her health but none of her spirit.” His voice shook, a thickness pointing to the sure onset of tears.

There was much nodding of heads. I felt a twinge of sympathy, but didn’t dwell on it too hard. They took everything from you, I reminded myself. Don’t forget that so easily.

The Empress brought a small torch forward, no larger than her hand. She held it out to the Emperor. He took it and placed the small flame up against the painting. A lick of fire danced onto the art and began to eat away at the image of the Empress Dowager. The scent of burnt paint and canvas filled the air.

My mind twitched at a memory of a failed art project. The intention had been selective burning, but the entire thing had been reduced to cinders. I shied away from the old scar, scolding myself for thinking about it.

The Emperor held his arms straight up, pointing at the sky. The crowd followed suit, including Seeker Len. They all held their arms up for long seconds, no one speaking. I let my arms hang by my sides. It was not a slight against the Empress Dowager, rather a tactic in the ongoing battle between myself and the entirety of Wosurei. I wanted to scream at the gods, I will give you nothing until I am satisfied. And I was far from satisfied with any of this.

The Emperor lowered his arms and so did the crowd. He turned around and stepped off the platform, followed by the Empress, then Akiko, and lastly Kaede.The crowd parted to make way for the royals, lowering their heads as they passed. I kept my head up and stared as they walked by. Neither the Emperor, nor Empress glanced my way, but both princesses somehow found me in the crowd. I met their gazes and lifted my chin. Akiko blinked in surprise before her eyes darted away. Kaede stared straight back at me, turning her head only when she had begun to disappear into the palace.