Where the Road Leads

“This place is abandoned.”

Akari and Azu looked around the open patch of land, a distinct contrast to the densely packed foliage surrounding it. Although not a single person was anywhere to be found, a presence could still be felt. From the makeshift furnace to the handwoven fabrics that hung off the side of the crudely built homes. Everything appeared as though made only recently. As if the inhabitants had walked away merely a few moments ago.

“The preservation script covers a wide area,” Azu hinted, noting that even the leaves at the top of the trees appeared to also be preserved.

“Saba, you think you can figure out how long it’s been since this script was casted?” Iddak asked his twin sister.

Saba walked towards the center of the encampment, letting Toro free to Akari’s chagrin, who flinched as the creature dashed around her feet. “When the hell did this thing show up?” she cried. “Toro’s always in my bag, Saba replied, ignorant to Akari’s suffering. She then turned her attention to the floor beneath her, like an archeologist analyzing an excavated treasure. Kneeling, she placed the palms of her hands firmly onto the floor.

“Define, trace script function: wrapper, print: running function, print: arguments, return result.”

The pigment in her eyes began to swirl as strings of green glowing symbols formed a circle around her. The floor began to vibrate, and the trees wavered. As Akari watched her, it was as if Saba’s mind had slipped into another space of existence. Her body fully engaged.

After a few moments, the trees began to settle, and the vibration eased. Saba then slowly lifted her hands off the ground, with Toro swiftly springing back into her grasp. “It’s been over 100 years,” Saba confirmed, adding, “That doesn’t mean no one has visited since then.”

Despite the depth of how powerful the script was hitting him by surprise, Azu worked to keep everyone focused on what was useful. “There doesn’t seem to be much around to help us track down exactly who these people are,” he admitted, noting that they would be better off tracking down the messenger that spoke about the tribe, “Knowing where he received the information could go a long way.”

Akari’s disappointment was vivid, but Azu’s concern was of the danger that they would potentially be facing next. “You twins claimed your job was to keep her safe. But from my point of view, we’re only one message away from the Coordinator General looking to hunt us down.”

“Well perhaps taking her to a place swarming with the Imperial Circuit of Investigations wasn’t a good idea,” Iddak hammered, “Besides, we had no idea we needed to protect her from the Coordinate General of all people.”

Iddak’s look was piercing, but Azu returned a stare just as pointed, “It’s not me who commissioned you two.”

Iddak chuckled, finding the mess of a situation rather endearing. “Well, ya know it all depends on what Sir Didact says but thinking about how much he wanted to go digging through her memories again, I guess we should be prepared for the worst.”

“Why is he after you?” Saba then asked to Akari, Toro snuggled comfortably in her hands.

Akari propped her hand under her chin, having found herself a seat atop an overturned basket. The day she made the decision to leave the pasture came flooding back to her. She was busy telling a group of kids that frequented the hut she was staying in a few of the online ghost stories she could remember. Steia wasn’t too far away, busy watering the garden that surrounded the foot of the urumar tree. Norin had just returned from a trip into town when he called for Steia to meet him down by the well.

As she met with Norin, she noticed Azu by his side, he too having returned from the Imperial House following the event in the capital. “From what I’ve heard, Akari seems to be doing a lot better with settling in?” Azu asked, his voice as tranquil as ever. But Steia sneered at the thought, claiming that Akari’s unhealthy habit of telling strange stories and obsessing over things were turning the young ones into conspiracy theorists.

“Let the girl’s mind run wild if she wants,” Norin inputted, “There’s something a bit more pressing. “Has there been any word at the House regarding Akari’s sudden appearance?”

Akari was an anomaly. Her name was unusual, the circumstances surrounding her presence were inexplicable, and her history was unknown. But even more dangerous was that she stood out. A fact that Norin was willing to bet would draw the wrong kind of attention.

“That depends…” Azu said, “The investigative team looking into the incident has been searching for something. It could be her; it could be anything. I’m not sure what you should make of that, but regardless, the Empire is taking it serious.”

“I’m sure she has questions she wants answered too,” Norin noted, revealing that it wouldn’t be long before Akari’s days of sitting by idly would come to an end. “She’s bound to go looking eventually.”

“Well, it’s not like you can hole her up here,” Azu acknowledged, “You also should consider what kind of dangers that could bring to the pasture.”

“Exactly, and we can’t protect it from that kind of a threat, let alone her. I want you to take her with you.” Norin then warned that the Coordinator General had already asked the Guild Director about Akari. “The Director simply assumed that she was another traveler and left his inquiry at that, but it seems that the General has taken a fancy to her. I’m expecting him to make his way through this town again on his way back. That General has wasted many lives before; I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if Akari’s becomes another one on the list.”

Azu passed a look between Norin and Steia, the weight of what they had expected of him becoming evident. “What has she said?”

“That she refuses to be anyone’s property…” Steia answered, “Her words exactly.”

Azu had come to the conclusion that he would likely become very busy moving forward. He quietly nodded his head, accepting the task laid out for him.

“By the way,” Norin added, “this girl is like an alien to this world of ours, it’s as if she doesn’t belong here. Learn what you can.”

They returned to Akari sitting beneath the urumar tree, admiring its shimmering glow. Azu approached her, and she greeted him with a face filled with determination.

“I’ll take you with me and show you around the region. It’ll keep you moving while we figure out the Coordinator General’s next course of action, and you may learn a thing or two about what happened to you. But just know that I’m not a babysitter nor a bodyguard. If after all of that you still want to go, then I’ll take you.”

Akari placed her hand against the tree one last time, feeling its wavy texture as she slid her palm down its surface. She could hear the echoes from the kids running back and forth just down the hill, engaged in their own little world. Looking back at Azu, she took a deep breath, finally making her decision heard.

“Okay.”

Settling her mind back onto Saba, Akari replied with the only answer she felt made sense. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to lay down for no one.”

With her position clear, Azu questioned the twins on their stances. Saba answered directly, with Iddak now taking a back seat in the conversation.

“The Mu clan does have an agreement to assist with the Sovereign’s goals as ordered, but our chain of command is direct and not through a proxy like the Coordinator General.”

“But if a fight were to happen, who would your blade be pointed at?”

“Situations change over time. No answer we provide to you now will award you any guarantees when that time comes. You’ll just have to trust that right now we have a job to fulfill that was requested of us by Norin.”

Azu exhaled his entire body, the rapidly dimming light of day falling far behind the forest trees. “Nighttime is almost here. This location should be shielded due to the preservation script; let’s rest here and leave in the morning.”

Akari, reluctant to follow his advice, questioned how safe doing so would be, her eyes meeting with the twins as she spoke.

“Relax,” Azu rather nonchalantly replied, “even they wouldn’t dare risk using scripts at night.”

That would be the last time Akari spoke with Iddak and Saba. Upon waking up in the morning, they had already left the encampment. Unsure of what to make of their absence Azu warned that regardless of Norin’s request, underestimating the Mu clan would be dangerous.

“We need to move, The Village of Iama should be a good place to reconsider how best to move forward.”

Quickly grabbing his belongings, he then gave Akari a final warning.

“If you notice anything missing its reflection, don’t stare at it for too long.”