The Winds of Conflict and the Storm of War

“How are all of the new Kings and Queens ruling in collective stewardship - each performing?”

Akira said as he conferred with Haruto, Akio, Aoto, and Sota - with them all being high up in the sky above, overlooking the four bordering fiefdoms of the realm. Akira stroked his chin, then bowing to the wingless dragons before him - as he was not asking out of a misplaced sense of authority, but instead, he was asking to see who his possible successor would be? 

“The King ruling in stewardship in my fiefdom of the realm is as arrogant as a sailor in a storm at sea, and as brooding as a volcano waiting for its time to erupt. He’s not demonstrated his suitability to succeed you - in my view.”

Aoto responded, his eyes in his wingless dragon form piercing the gaze of Akio. There was neither any hint of exaggeration, nor any hint of a mistake, in his choice of words. Aoto had seen countless heroes and villains rise and fall over the centuries, and he knew that Minato saw himself as one of those figures, most of whom had been forgotten over the passage of time - and yet despite Mianto's high level of intelligence - the one thing that he couldn't overcome was his own arrogance.  As Aoto looked at Akira, he knew as clearly as he had one thousand years prior, why Akira was in the position he was now - the human that was the closest to the divinity that Aoto, Haruto, Akio, and Sota had - for Akira had everything that Minato did, save for the latter's arrogance.

“Darkness had consumed the very soul of the King ruling in stewardship under me, his gaze as blackened as the treacherous mire which I call my fiefdom. When one craves death, and the power of death, above all else - they cannot rule.”

Sota stated, leaning his form back slightly as if relaxing, whilst he hovered. As the embodiment of darkness in this realm, in this other world - Sota knew better than any of them what evil looked like, and how darkness was the greatest of the corrupting force - simply for that it was the embodiment of all that was negative. To be able to overcome the power of the darkness, let alone not be corrupted by its temptation - that was one of the traits that a ruler had to have. The symbolism of this legacy could be seen in the way which his part of the realm, his fiefdom that he ruled over, looked and felt. It was the combined embodiment of all of the death, terror, savagery, and rot that had been the scourge of Japan for centuries. And like centuries past, Sota had seen many like Riku - those who were so far immeshed in the darkness to the core of their blackened souls that they were irredeemable. These types were made to be warriors at best, but not rulers. 

“I would not put the chances of the Queen ruling in stewardship under me succeeding you at a low level, actually quite the contrary. The test for her will be if she can overcome the weight of responsibility in the wielding of both armed violence and offensive magic in a time of war. Balancing her inner light with that darkness which comes from such dreaded acts, that will be her personal test.”

Haruto stated as he straightened his form slightly, gazing at Akira with the wise, focused gaze that he was known for. Throughout history, Haruto had seen the tragedy of these types - those like Kana. They were the types that he'd witnessed at all the societal levels of Japan - those that lived with the pure and natural light of good, yet fell because they could not wield the power of violence, the power of action when it was needed in a time of war. The tragedy was it was those like Minato and Riku who defeated those like Kana. 

“I shall say the same as for the Queen ruling in stewardship. She has a fiery, passionate sense of love and care for others in general - but a great romantic affection for the Queen under Haruto, while also having shown an acceptance for her duties as solid as the mountains, and a resolve as sharp and as biting as the ice and the frost. Yet - she will be required to slay the one she loves, in order to win - and thus to succeed you.”

Akio stated and explained - though the glint in his dragon eyes showed that he was indeed, both confident and interested in the abilities, and the ultimate destiny - of the Queen ruling in stewardship under him. He could see that Kimi had the constitution that it would take to be a leader after all - the constitution that consisted of being able to have the coolness focus her energy to fight in war and wage armed combat, while also having the fiery passion to be able to love, to be able to have compassion and to be able to stay her hand when not in the heat of battle - a heart that was perfectly balanced. Akio could see that that was the heart that Kimi possessed - yet it would be up to her to demonstrate that she could truly master this balance in more than a raw form. 

While the most powerful and most high of the ruling entities of the realm were discussing the question of succession, Kimi was in a cleared part of the armory, standing before a formation of Common Folk with her sword - while they held swords identical to hers, save for a simpler color schemes and no enchantments on them.

“It’s been decided - on my initiative, that we’re going to enter a temporary alliance with the fiefdom of the golden wheat fields and eternal sunlight. That way, we can hopefully defeat the two greater threats first, and by the end, know how to proceed.”

Kimi said as she tried to remain tough - but her breath hitched for a moment, causing her to look out at the formation standing before her. With a quiet, rather slow sigh, she focused her attention once more and spoke up, resolving to be completely transparent in her words and in her emotions, with those that she was asking to fight and perish on her behalf. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening - that she was actually having to say these things to the masses of her peers who like her, were in this other world, preparing for a war that they didn't know existed, and yet that had been around far longer than any of them had been around for. All Kimi knew was that if she didn't step up, if she didn't take charge and accept the responsibility that had been thrust upon her - all of them would suffer. 

“I’m in love with her - her name is Kana, the girl who rules in stewardship as the Queen there. This is more than an alliance, it’s trying to delay the fate that we’ve all been brought here against our will, to carry out.”

Kiki said with a blush and a smile, one in the formation looking at her with surprise, but being respectful enough to not interrupt or heckle her, instead just continuing to listen. Part of her couldn't believe that she was actually being so open - but then again, she'd opened up to Kana and even gotten closer to her in what seemed to be the flowering of a mutual affection. That was what surprised Kimi the most as she stood there, having paused to let her words resonate with the Common Folk before her. All of it felt so different for Kimi - not only because she was in another world, but because she was actually putting forth as much bravery as he could to connect with all of those Common Folk - those peers of hers who had been transported and in a sense, incarnated into this other world with her. Only in a place so different to the other world and to Japan, could Kimi be so different as well, it was a feeling that only made Kimi blush more. 

“I know that that’s selfish - and I know that I shouldn’t ask that. But what I can say is that the two Kings - he of the volcanic ashen sand beachheads, and he of the blackened mire with rotting bamboo and long-forgotten ruins - if they aren’t defeated first, then there will be no mercy of any sort.”

Kimi stated with a bit of renewed confidence that also teetered on faltering once more. After all, the greatest challenges she’d had to deal with up until then were school festival preparations and university entrance exam preparations! She held her breath for a moment, taking in what she had just said, all the more surprised that she had quite literally continued to be so open - but not only that, being open while in a position of what some could loosely call "supreme power". And yet, it wasn't entirely unfamiliar to Kimi, the concept of being in such a position and acting in such a way - for she'd seen characters like this, and she'd designed the character that he had more or less incarnated as: strong, confident, fearless, and compassionate. It was just that Kim never thought that she herself, would actually be that way. 

“So I know that this’ll be a lot to ask: but will you follow me into battle? Because if I win in the way that we’ve been told about, then I promise that I’ll do all that I can to restore all of your memories once you’re free of this place. I promise - somehow.”

Kimi said - a tear falling down her right cheek as she realized that if Kana perished in this world - she wouldn’t remember any of this when she was back in Japan! Kimi then wiped away that tear, and looked at the Common Folk before her. Kimi knew full well that this wasn't an anime, a manga, or a light novel - this was far greater in terms of the weight of its consequences. 

As she waited in the ear-piercing silence for a reaction, any reaction from the Common Folk before her, while also understanding that like her, they had probably all undoubtedly read and watched the sane light novels, manga, and anime respectively that she had - but did they ever consider that being transported to another world would be like this? Kimi wondered, thinking about all of the protagonists in the various isekai stories that she'd read and watched over time, about how confident they were and about how brave and charismatic they were. All that Kimi felt like was that she was doing the best that she could. 

“Well forge the swords in the armory!”

One of they stepped forward out of the formation to say with vigor. 

“We’ll defend the walls of the fortress!”

Another said as they too stepped forward. 

“We’ll fight with you until the end!”

Another said before they all cheered, with Kimi smiling. It was apparent that they were all in this together - and since Kimi had a good heart, and a brave face - they knew that to put their collective lot in with her wasn’t a bad idea - since Kimi fighting for them, and since and was fighting for love! As the Common Folk cheered, Kimi couldn't help but think about Kana, and abut how the War of the Realm was actually going to unfold? She couldn't shake the feeling of sincere gratitude that she felt towards her peers that had been made her subordinates in this other world, but also towards Kana - wondering again what they'd talked about when Kimi had visited her, how things would be different if they hadn't met here, but back in the other world, back in Japan? Kimi didn't know - but she was determined to do her best to fulfill her promises to Kana and to the Common Folk under her.