CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: VIGIL

Life had a cruel way of making everything harder than it needed to be, then offering help in the most inconvenient and impossible forms.

Commandant Ren stood balanced on one of the higher branches of a tall tree, his back resting lightly against the trunk. In his hands was a pair of binoculars fixed on the figure seated alone below.

Mika.

Or rather, the sacrificial bride she had been forced to become.

She sat upon one of the great stones in the clearing, dressed in a white gown and veil woven from the finest fibre Aquarius had to offer. A string of pearl beads rested against her throat, glimmering faintly in the dark. The bodice had been tailored close enough to flatter her shape without restricting movement, and hidden beneath the gown were the twin blades she could reach at a moment’s notice, should the need arise.

Her scarlet hair had been swept into a neat bun beneath the gossamer veil. Her face had been dusted pale, her lips painted deep red, and a faint flush of pink brushed across her cheeks. The transformation had been Lucy and Medea’s doing. Between them, they had stripped away every trace of Mika’s rough-edged appearance and dressed her as a proper bride.

A bridal princess.

Even Ren, for all his efforts to remain a gentleman, had found it difficult not to stare when they had finished. Mika no longer looked like a warrior pretending at sacrifice. She looked exactly what she was meant to be tonight.

Bait.

Ren sighed for what had to be the twentieth time in the last half hour. The cold wind brushed the back of his neck and made him shiver at once. Night had deepened steadily, and the temperature had dropped with it.

Midnight was approaching.

He only prayed that no storm would come with it. His greatest concern now was not the Huzzar, but whether the bridal gown was warm enough to keep the Spirit Princess from freezing before the creature even appeared.

Lucy had grown so tired of hearing him fret over it that she had finally snapped, assured him that Mika wore several thick layers beneath the gown, and added that she had also cast a spell to preserve her body heat against the worst of the cold.

That had shut him up for a while.

It had also earned him a mocking new title. Lucy had promptly christened him Uncle Worrywart, while Medea had laughed and nodded in agreement.

Ren had answered with a sharp glare.

He had been so lost in thought that he failed to notice someone climbing the tree until the branch shifted behind him.

“How’s the Princess doin’?”

The familiar voice startled him so badly he nearly lost his footing.

Careless. Bloody careless.

If that had been an enemy instead of a friend, he would already be dead. Ren cursed himself inwardly before glancing over his shoulder.

“Kazuo.”

The ginger-blond man crouched easily on the branch behind him, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

“Well?” Kazuo asked. “How’s she holding up?”

Ren turned his gaze back to Mika below.

“She’s doing all right. So far.” He lowered the binoculars. “How are the others?”

Kazuo shrugged. “Shinji’s still trying to track down that damned Huzzar. Don’t ask me how. The man’s a lunatic. Guy’s scouting the perimeter in case we run into any more old friends.”

That last part made Ren frown.

Unfortunately, the expression did not escape Kazuo’s notice.

“I see,” Ren said. “And you?”

“Me?” Kazuo grinned. “Why, I’ll be watchin’ over the Princess, of course. I’m her unofficially appointed bodyguard.”

Ren let out a snort. Figures.

Their reunion had been unexpected, to say the least.

Not long after he and Mika reached the Southern Forest, where the Huzzar’s lair was rumoured to lie, they found themselves in an open stretch of dead earth marked by a towering menhir at its centre and an old ritual symbol carved into the ground in the shape of a spiral dragon. The place had looked cursed enough to send most sane men running.

Instead, within moments of arriving, they were ambushed by three figures in dark hooded cloaks who emerged from the shadows and attacked without warning.

Mika reacted instantly, springing into the air and landing with both blades drawn. While Ren engaged two of the attackers, she took on the third.

Mika tackled the attacker to the ground and locked him in a chokehold, one blade pressed to his throat.

“Name,” she demanded.

The man gasped against her grip.

“Y-You’ve… gotten stronger… Mika.”

She froze.

“Shinji?!”

Mika released him at once, horrified to find his face turning blue from lack of air.

“I’m so sorry! Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

Shinji wheezed, coughed once or twice, then looked up at her with a faint smirk.

“I wanted to test you.” He reached up and patted her head. “You’ve grown much stronger since the last time we sparred. I couldn’t be prouder.”

That had been all it took.

Mika threw herself at him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

“I thought I’d never see you again!”

Shinji snorted. “That’s pathetic. You really think I’d die in a place like this?”

“No.” Mika pulled back with a chuckle.

But the moment did not last.

Guy had crushed Mika into such a fierce embrace that even now Ren could remember the breathless look on her face. Kazuo, naturally, had followed with a friendly hug of his own.

For a brief while, it had felt as though the nightmare of the last few days had eased. They were all together again. A little frayed around the edges, half-mad with exhaustion, and carrying more tension than any of them cared to admit, but together.

And that, for the moment, had been enough.

***

“Ow! What the hell?”

Kazuo rubbed his face when something small struck him square in the cheek.

He frowned and looked down.

Below them stood Shinji, arms crossed, looking smug, while Guy stood beside him wearing an apologetic smile.

“The hell, Shinji?” Kazuo shouted. “Ye picking a fight?”

Shinji snorted. “Get your arses down here. We need to talk.”

Ren tilted his head, hesitant. “What about the Princess? Shouldn’t someone stay up here and keep watch, just in case?”

“She’ll be fine,” Shinji said with a dismissive wave. “Besides, I doubt that thing will show itself anytime soon. Now get down.”

Reluctantly, Ren climbed down from the tree. Once they had joined the others, the meeting began.

“What do we have so far?” Ren asked.

“Nothing beyond what we’ve already told you,” Shinji replied. “At least now we know what we’re dealing with.”

“And these.” Guy pointed to the threatening letters in Shinji’s hand. “They’re enough evidence for the Master Oracle to investigate and, hopefully, act upon. Once these reach him, word will spread that the King had a hand in conspiring with the Spirits.”

Ren fell silent.

Shinji watched him for a moment. “How are you coping with all of this?”

Ren exhaled deeply. “I’m neither deaf nor blind to the fact that my uncle is known throughout Fulaina as the Tyrant King. But as absurd as all this sounds, I still refuse to believe he would betray his own kingdom for the sake of power. Unlike Lord Ranfel.” He glanced at Guy. “No offence.”

“None taken,” Guy said, shaking his head. “Go on.”

Ren nodded. “I’m certain someone is trying to frame him. And that person has used everything they could get their hands on to drag Aquarius into ruin.”

Shinji said nothing. He had his own suspicions, but for now he forced them aside.

“Ren, does the legend say when the Huzzar appears to claim its sacrificial bride?”

Ren grimaced. “I… don’t know.”

Kazuo raised a brow. “You don’t know? Or you’re pretending not to know?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Ren snapped. “Most of us believed the Huzzar was nothing more than an urban tale. Some said it was invented to frighten enemies or stir up panic among the people. Unfortunately, I was one of the ones who believed that.”

“All right,” Guy stepped in before Kazuo could answer. “Does it mention anything about how the Huzzar takes its victim? Any details at all?”

Ren shook his head. “None. Sadly, no one cared enough to study it.”

Kazuo cursed and drove a fist into the ground. “How the hell are we supposed to protect Mika if we don’t even know a damn thing about this creature?!”

“Silence, fool,” Shinji muttered, rubbing a hand across his jaw. A rough line of stubble had begun to show there. He had not shaved in two days and it clearly annoyed him.

“Regardless,” he continued, “our focus now is to stay calm. Everyone knows their roles, including us. The closer we get to midnight, the colder the air will become. For all we know, the Huzzar might thrive in this weather. If we don’t figure out something soon, we’ll all freeze to death before we get the chance to kill it.”

He glanced at Ren. “And no matter how good your fairy friend’s magic is, the heat won’t last forever.”

Kazuo exhaled sharply. “We don’t know when it’ll come, what it looks like, or how it moves. Too many holes in this mission.”

Guy frowned. “Lucy mentioned that the Huzzar is an ancient dragon from the Spirit World, right? If that’s true… then what are the odds it travelled here through a portal similar to Baron’s?”

Silence fell.

“Shit,” Shinji swore. “With everything happening, I forgot about that.”

“Shinji?”

“Someone’s definitely been using Baron’s Portal. Right under our noses, too.”

“What!” Ren exclaimed.

“Guy made a very good point. Someone discovered Baron’s missing portal and has been using it for gods know how long.” Shinji’s expression darkened. “That means the Huzzar didn’t appear out of nowhere. Someone brought it here.”

He gave a humourless chuckle. “The bastard planned this perfectly.”

Kazuo stared. “Are you saying this is an inside job? A mole?”

“A rat,” Shinji corrected flatly. “But yes.”

“You pathetic humans aren’t as far from the truth as I thought.”

The voice cut through the clearing like a blade.

From the bushes emerged Makai, his expression as hostile as ever. Beside him stood Leo and Rinda.

“What the hell?” Kazuo stared. “Rinda? What’re you doing with that brat?!”

Rinda rolled her eyes. “Believe me, it wasn’t my own choice. But Lord Eden told me to work with these two until the investigation into Lord Ranfel is done.”

Then she turned to Shinji with a sharp look.

“You should count yourself lucky. You lot look like you could use our help. What sort of mess have you dragged yourselves into this time?”

Gone was the girl who would have flung herself at him while making a dramatic scene. Instead, Rinda sounded clipped. Controlled. Professional. It surprised him and made Shinji prouder of her than she realised.

“Shut up,” Shinji muttered, turning away.

Leo cleared his throat. “As the young lady has just said, we’ve come here at the Master Oracle’s request to investigate Baron’s missing portal. We know the beginning, but we are still missing the links to the ending. Both the Master Oracle and Lord Eden have reason to believe the mystery ties directly to this kingdom and to why it has been under martial law for months.”

Ren’s hand went immediately to his sword. Not to unsheath it, but out of habit. For all his life, Ren had never expected to stand face to face with one member of the Spirit Royal Family, let alone several.

“Then tell us what you know.”

Leo inclined his head. “Certainly, Commandant Ren.”

He then explained everything they had learned from the Master Oracle, including the previous Lord’s confessions surrounding the war.

***

“Unacceptable!” Ren exploded. “All this mess happened because of a damned portal?”

“For the most part,” Leo said calmly. “Though I suspect it goes deeper than that.”

Shinji’s eyes slid to Makai. “Doesn’t it?”

Makai gave him a sharp glare.

“The Spirit Queen’s target has always been Mika. She realised too late that without Mika, her position as Queen would never be secure. So she needed her. That woman hates humanity enough to start a war, yes, but she never truly pushed for world domination. If she wanted to, this realm would already be crawling with Spirits. Instead, she targeted only two of the four major kingdoms.”

He lifted his chin slightly.

“The Kingdom of Luyas and Aquarius.”

Ren threw up his hands. “Hold on. I know the King and the former Lord were barely even allies. Surely there has to be some mistake. His Highness is my uncle. I know he would not endanger his kingdom deliberately.”

No one answered. The silence was enough.

Even Makai turned his face away, his expression unreadable.

Ren stared at them all. “What? You all think he did this knowingly?”

Kazuo stepped in before anyone else could speak.

“Look at it this way. The man was ready to sacrifice his only daughter to some half-baked legend because of letters from a stranger. I don’t have a kid, but even I know damn well I wouldn’t offer one up to anyone or anything on the strength of some rotten old myth.”

“Regardless…” Shinji’s voice faltered as a sudden cough cut through his words. He turned away sharply, one hand rising to his mouth. By the time the coughing passed, sweat had formed across his brow.

He waved off the concerned looks from the others before straightening his back.

“Regardless, the plan has changed. Whether we like it or not, Baron’s Portal is now our main priority alongside killing the Huzzar. We split into two groups. One finds the portal. The other stays here and supports Mika.”

He turned to Guy and Kazuo. “You two scout the perimeter. Ren goes with you. He knows the terrain better than any of us.”

“We’ll go too,” Rinda said, pointing at her companions.

“No.” Shinji shook his head. “Your orders have changed. I need stronger support here. Ren, take the lead. Sneak back into the castle. Find the portal and whoever’s hiding it.”

“Understood.” Guy gave a short wave. “Good luck, Shinji. Everyone.”

The three of them departed without wasting another second.

Once they were gone, Shinji drew a crumpled sheet of paper from his sleeve and spread it over the ground. He pointed to the rough layout he had drawn.

“If Ren’s team finds the portal and gets it here in time, we may be able to force the Huzzar back into the Spirit World instead of killing it outright.”

“And let it wreak havoc over there instead? I object.”

“Hold on, Your Highness,” Leo said, placing a hand on the prince’s shoulder. “Even if we assume the portal works, how exactly do we intend to activate it?”

“With these.”

Rinda grinned and reached beneath her collar, drawing out something she had hidden there.

“When Lord Eden sent us, he specifically told me to bring these, just in case.”

She gleefully lifted them into view. Two ruby-toned crystals gleamed at the end of the string.

“The Ulliya Gemstones.”

Shinji stared. He had heard of them, of course. Their uses, their theory, the old clan records that mentioned them. But never in his life had he seen them up close.

The White Wolf Clan tracked many things. Rare weapons. Old relics. Forbidden items. Even so, some things remained well beyond the clan’s reach.

The Ulliya Gemstones were one of them.

For a brief moment, Shinji almost forgot the situation entirely. Then he caught himself.

Focus. Later, he could marvel at the Ulliya Gemstones all he wanted.

If they survived.

Every day of this journey had dragged them closer to breaking point. No one said it aloud, but all of them knew it. They were running on what little they had left.

“I wish you’d shown me those sooner,” Shinji muttered. “Very well. Since you have the gemstones, then—”

Another coughing fit seized him before he could finish.

“Shinji!” Rinda took a half-step forward. “Let me take a look at you—”

“I’m fine.” He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and inhaled sharply. “I’m fine. Rinda, since you have the Ulliya Gemstones, you’ll need to head after Ren’s team.”

She frowned. “Yes, but…”

“Good. Stay alert and be careful.”

Her eyes lingered on him, her worry plain to everyone. In the end, she could only nod. Shinji was being prideful, as always. Once his walls were up, nothing could penetrate them.

“Roger that.”

Rinda cast Shinji one last look before running after the others.

Shinji let out a slow breath and pressed his fingers to his temple. He looked back at Leo and Makai.

“Mika’s here. The place where the Huzzar is meant to claim its sacrificial bride.” He pointed to the marked X on the page. “The trees around the clearing give me a decent vantage point overhead. Kazuo and Guy were supposed to hide here.”

He circled a patch of bushes well away from the centre.

“Their job was to observe. If the situation turns bad, only then do they step in. If Mika seems capable of handling it, they stay hidden. That arrangement was part of the agreement between Mika and the Crown Princess.”

Makai gave a dismissive sound and started walking away.

Shinji looked up sharply. “I’m not finished.”

Leo pressed a hand to his mouth to hide a smile as the Spirit Prince ignored him and kept walking.

“Damn brat,” Shinji muttered. “Youngsters these days don’t have an ounce of respect.”

“Speaking of respect, Milord,” Leo said mildly, “would you entertain this old Spirit’s wish before the battle begins?”

Shinji looked at him. “What is it?”

Leo reached into his pouch and drew out a small bottle of pills, then held it out to him.

“Take one pill, three times a day. They’re perfectly safe for human consumption.”

Shinji stared at the bottle as if Leo had offered him poison.

“With respect, I’d rather not.”

Leo’s expression turned serious. “Ignoring a worsening illness is foolish. That cough of yours is no ordinary one, not even a mild one. From the sound of it, it seems you’re suffering from inflammation of the lungs. Pneumonia, if I had to name it.”

Leo’s voice softened.

“It has been going on for months, hasn’t it?”

Shinji said nothing.

“The Spirit Kingdom is in your debt,” Leo continued. “Whatever has happened, whatever must yet happen, no one denies what you have done for Her Highness the Princess. So as a subject of the Spirit Royal Family, allow me to offer what aid I can.”

He held the bottle out again.

Shinji opened his mouth to object and was cut off by another violent coughing fit.

This one drove him to his knees.

Leo sighed and crouched beside him, steadying his back while the coughing ran its course. When it finally passed, Shinji glared at him through damp eyes.

“Tell no one.”

Leo regarded him quietly.

“Of course. I’ll say nothing, provided you take those pills for at least a month.” He pulled a canteen from his pouch and handed it over. “Starting now.”

With visible reluctance, Shinji took the canteen, swallowed a mouthful of water, then took one pill from the bottle and forced it down.

“Thanks,” he muttered.

Leo smiled faintly. “Think nothing of it.”

Just then, a brutal gust of wind tore through the clearing. The trees shuddered. Branches bent. Loose leaves and grit swirled into the night.

Above it all came a long, echoing howl that split the sky.

Everyone froze.

The Huzzar had arrived.