Next Stop The East Country/Are We Still Friends?

The morning sun cast a warm golden light across the endless ocean as the ship glided forward. Down in the corridor, Fujidai marched toward Kai’s quarters. He knocked three times, the hollow thuds echoing in the narrow space.

"Kai! You in there?" Fujidai shouted. He waited, silence answering him. He let out a sharp sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Knew it. Wouldn't get up to train. What a liar."

Just as he turned to leave, the rhythmic sound of clashing air, rapid footwork, and heavy impacts echoed from the upper deck. Raising an eyebrow, Fujidai walked upstairs to investigate.

Out on the deck, Kai and Alyssa were already deep in a intense sparring session. Alyssa lunged with a quick jab, but Kai caught her fist in his open palm. He immediately swept low to kick her leg, but Alyssa effortlessly lifted her foot, hooking her heel to trip Kai backward. Kai flipped mid-fall, kicking off the deck to leap up and throw a snap kick straight toward her chest. Alyssa crossed her forearms, blocking the blow, though the kinetic force pushed her back a few feet.

Kai launched off her guard, flipping into the air, but Alyssa instantly generated an ice spear and hurled it straight at him. Kai caught the shaft in mid-air—only for the spear to violently burst into a thick cloud of obscuring mist.

Blinded, Kai gasped. Alyssa blurred through the fog, collecting swirling currents of water around her fist. She drove a dense, hydro-infused uppercut right into Kai’s chin, snapping his head back.

"Ow!" Kai winced, staggering, only for Alyssa to giggle and follow up with an open-palm strike to his chest, sending him sliding twenty feet across the polished wooden deck.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Kai muttered, slowly sitting up and rubbing his jaw.

Alyssa stepped over, offering him a helping hand with a bright smile. Kai scoffed playfully, a cheeky smirk breaking across his face. "We ain't done yet, little miss thing!" He slapped her hand away and launched an uppercut right from the deck. Alyssa ducked beneath it with a sharp laugh, rushing back into her defensive pivot as their sparring continued.

Fujidai watched them, sighing softly as he stretched his arms. He turned and walked away toward the ship's wheel, where Natalie was busy adjusting their course.

"What are you up to, Nat?" Fujidai asked.

Natalie glanced over her shoulder, a playful smirk on her face. "Well, I'm steering the ship so we don't crash into a reef. Pretty sure that was obvious! But why aren't you out there sparring with Kai?"

Fujidai flopped down onto a plush leather couch in the corner of the deck house, stretching lazily. "He got up earlier than I expected. Guess he's dead serious about training."

Natalie chuckled, stepping away from the wheel for a moment to grab a sandwich from a small ice-chest. "What did you expect? He doesn't have to carry all that mental weight anymore, so he's right back at it. Though... even with his fire core back, he’s still about a hundred numbers away from being on par with you and Alyssa."

Fujidai scoffed, leaning his head back. "Those two are just weird. Kai's power fluctuates wildly based on his emotions, and Alyssa is stupidly connected to her element. Both of them unlocked those ancient beast forms."

"Everyone's got unique potential," Natalie said around a mouthful of her sandwich, taking a quick bite before swallowing. "You haven't unlocked your true potential yet either, Fujidai. Sure, your eyes glow white when you get serious, but that’s only going to take you so far."

"Makes sense, I guess," Fujidai grunted.

"Kai and Alyssa told me their power spikes usually happen near death, or when something deep inside them clicks through intense meditation," Natalie added, stepping back to grab the ship's helm. "You'll get there."

"Thanks for the talk, Nat," Fujidai said, pushing himself off the couch. He gave her a wave and headed down to the lower deck.

He found Karai in the training bay, sweating profusely as she powered through heavy bicep curls—two hundred pounds loaded on each side of the iron bar.

"What are you doing down here?" Karai asked, barely pausing her reps.

Fujidai leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "Just bored. Need to train."

Karai racked the massive weight with a heavy metallic clatter, wiping her brow as she stood up. "Well, I definitely need a sparring partner. Someone strong."

Fujidai smirked. "If you think you can keep up."

Karai laughed, grabbing the hilt of Excalibur and swinging it effortlessly onto her shoulder as she brushed past him. "You mean if you can keep up with me."

Fujidai rolled his eyes, continuing down the hall. He poked his head into Scarlett’s room, seeing her sitting on the floor playing blocks with little Cooper, before heading all the way down to the brig.

In the ship's brig, Prince James sat in his cell, eating a bowl of broth. He looked up, a sinister smirk spreading across his face. "Well, if it isn't the Master of Darkness. I heard Roy Morningstorm stopped by yesterday. How delightfully dramatic."

Fujidai grabbed a wooden chair, turning it backward to sit down across from the bars. "He was faster and stronger than I ever expected."

James chuckled darkly, setting his bowl aside. "Yes, yes, of course he was. But I hope your goal hasn't shifted, Ravenclaw."

Fujidai frowned, his gray eyes looking down at the wooden floorboards. He let out a long sigh. "I don't know... my goal hasn't changed, but I am thrilled by my rivalry with Kai. It's a friendly thing."

James stood up, gripping the iron bars tightly as his eyes narrowed. "Fujidai, Fujidai, Fujidai... you absolute fool. You're acting just like him. A loser. Do you have any idea what the Kazan family would do to a Ravenclaw if given the chance?"

Fujidai glanced up, his brow furrowing. "What are you talking about?"

James laughed loudly. "Oops! Maybe it's not my place to say—"

CLANG!

Fujidai lunged forward, grabbing James by his collar right through the iron bars, pulling him flush against the steel. "Listen here, you failed prince. What aren't you telling me?!"

James raised his hands defensively, a cruel grin on his face. "Listen, buddy, listen! The Kazan family isn't just hated because of the missing dragon egg. My royal family, the Morningstorms, and your Ravenclaw ancestors—all of us hated the Kazan clan! They were relentless bloodthirsty warriors. We were at war with them for generations! They always treated us as inferior weakness!"

Fujidai scoffed, though his grip loosened slightly. "Even so... why does that matter now? Kai is—"

"Different?" James interrupted, cackling. "You think he's different? He follows his bloodline's legacy whether he knows it or not. The Kazans are aggressive, violent monsters—just like his mother was!"

"Don't talk about my family heritage or my mother ever again!"

Fujidai froze. Kai was standing at the top of the brig stairs, his hands clenched into trembling fists, his face dark with deep disgust. "Have you lost your absolute mind, fallen prince?"

James waved a dismissive hand, smirking. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger! But honestly, looks only take you so far, and your mom? What a crazy piece of work—"

BOOM!

Kai's fist exploded through the bars, striking James squarely in the face. James’s head snapped back, his nose bleeding as he staggered, wincing before letting out another unhinged smirk. "Easy... just a friendly joke..."

Fujidai grabbed Kai by his arms, hauling him backward away from the cell. "Come on, idiot! Don't let him get inside your head! He isn't worth it, you fool!"

"Let me at him, Fujidai!" Kai shouted, struggling against Fujidai's grip as he was dragged up the stairs. "I'll knock some sense into that ugly face of his! Let me go!"

"Come on, you big fool!" Fujidai grunted, dragging Kai all the way out into the corridor while James’s dark laughter echoed from below.

In the hallway, Kai leaned against the wooden wall, huffing softly as he grumbled under his breath. "Some nerve of people..."

Fujidai scratched the back of his neck, staring at the floor. He swallowed hard before speaking softly. "Hey... Kai? Question."

Kai looked over, his head tilted in confusion with an eyebrow raised.

"Is our family history... really rooted in a war?" Fujidai asked quietly.

Kai rubbed his chin, looking thought-filled. "Honestly? No clue. But I might know someone who does."

"Are you talking about Natalie?"

"Nope," Kai said, pulling up his high-tech wrist communicator. He tapped the interface, dialing a secure frequency.

A blue hologram flickered to life, displaying an older man with a neatly trimmed beard. "Oh! Hello, Kai! It's been a while. How have you been holding up?"

Kai smiled brightly. "It's been good, Mr. Wilson! But I need a favor..."

Mr. Wilson chuckled warmly. "I expected as much! What can I help you with, son?"

Fujidai stepped into the projection's view. "Sir... what do you know about the history between the Kazan clan and the Ravenclaw family?"

Mr. Wilson stroked his beard, humming thoughtfully. "Hmm... I don't know the full details, to be honest. But my wife, Juliette, is a renowned historian. She loves that era."

"Is she home?" Kai asked eagerly.

"She isn't, but I can transfer your signal straight to her archive terminal," Mr. Wilson smiled. "Take care, Kai!"

The screen flickered, and a refined woman with sharp features appeared on the hologram. "Kai? What do I owe this call to?"

"Mrs. Juliette!" Kai said brightly. "What do you know about the ancient rivalry between the Ravenclaw clan and the Kazan family?"

Juliette paused, setting down a scroll. "Ah, a heavy topic. From what the ancient texts say, the Kazan, Ravenclaw, Morningstorm, and Neptune royal families were locked in a terrible war for generations. They feared the Kazan clan because of their raw, terrifying capacity for destruction. It resulted in a bloody stalemate that lasted decades."

Kai gasped softly. "Woah... a stalemate against three families?"

Juliette nodded. "If you are heading to the East Country, you should seek out a friend of mine. Her name is Crimson. She's a brilliant historian and scientist. If anyone has the full, unedited truth, it's her."

"Awesome! Thanks, Mrs. Juliette!" Kai said, disconnecting the call. He looked at Fujidai. "Well... guess we'll get our answers when we land."

By the next morning, the ship pulled into the grand docks of the Eastern Capital. Thousands of citizens were lined up along the stone piers, waving banners and cheering at the top of their lungs.

"ALYSSA! PRINCESS ALYSSA!" the crowds roared.

Kai grinned widely, waving back. "Man, they sure love us!"

Karai promptly slapped the back of Kai's head. "You idiot, they love Alyssa!"

"This country is breathtaking," Scarlett remarked, holding little Cooper as he stared at the vibrant city with sparkling eyes.

Standing at the edge of the wooden dock was Roy Morningstorm, his arms folded behind his back with a smug grin. Beside him stood a woman with messy, layered dark blue hair with a thick silver streak covering her left eye. She wore a sleeveless kimono, revealing severe lightning scars across her toned arms and a striking yellow dragon tattoo trailing up her right shoulder.

"Hello, Alyssa," the woman said as Alyssa stepped off the gangplank.

Alyssa walked over, shaking her hand with a warm smile. "Hello, Mei. How's my older sister doing?"

Mei rolled her eyes playfully. "I've been doing your royal chores while you were away. What took you so long?"

"I've been traveling with friends!" Alyssa gestured back. "This is Kai, our fiery idiot. That's Fujidai, the emo one. Princess Scarlett of Neptune, Karai the Royal Knight, little Cooper, our tech genius Natalie, and... our prisoner, exiled Prince James."

Mei nodded to the group, waving her hand to a squad of armored guards. "Take James to the royal dungeon."

Roy watched the guards haul James away, stepping forward with a sharp smile. "Let us escort you to the palace, Alyssa. Your father will be thrilled."

The group traveled through the grand, marble-paved streets of the capital, entering the majestic royal palace. Inside the throne room sat Queen Mariah Morningstorm and King Hanzo Morningstorm.

The moment they walked in, King Hanzo leaped off his throne, pulling Alyssa into a massive, bone-crushing bear hug. "ALYSSA! My daughter has returned!"

"Dad... can't... breathe..." Alyssa squeaked.

Mariah sighed fondly. "Hanzo, dear, let her go before you smother her."

Hanzo released her, laughing boisterously. "Roy told us about your group! And Princess Scarlett, welcome! I am truly sorry for what your brother attempted."

Scarlett waved a dismissive hand. "It's fine. Just gives me a better claim to the Neptune throne."

Hanzo chuckled. "I like her! And you two must be Kai and Fujidai! I hear you boys love a good fight!"

Kai slammed his fist into his palm, grinning. "Hell yeah we do!"

"I'm hosting a Welcome Festival tonight," Hanzo declared. "I want to see you two face off in the grand arena! The winner gets the finest estate in the city!"

"I'm winning no matter what," Fujidai smirked.

"Oh yeah?!" Kai yelled, stepping up to his face.

Before they could start brawling on the throne room floor, Natalie stepped in and smacked both of their heads. "Cut it out!"

Alyssa turned to her father. "Dad... could you help my friends out while we're here?"

"Of course!" Hanzo said.

Natalie stepped forward. "I need topographical maps and rare elemental components for this region."

"Guards, take her to the royal vaults," Hanzo ordered. He then turned to Kai and Karai.

"A high-gravity training room," Kai and Karai said in unison.

Hanzo laughed. "Mei, show them to the military training grounds!"

Fujidai stepped up next. "Sir, I am looking for a historian named Crimson."

Mariah chimed in. "Ah, the head librarian downtown. Guards, escort him."

As the group dispersed, Kai and Karai spent the afternoon spar-training with Mei, marveling at her incredible earth-elemental physical strength. Meanwhile, as night began to fall, Kai was walking past the royal residential halls when he overheard shouting from the council chamber.

"Dad! I will NOT be forced into an arranged marriage with Roy! I don't love him!" Alyssa’s voice echoed out.

"Alyssa, it is for the stability of our bloodline," King Hanzo’s voice sounded weary.

Alyssa slammed her hands on the table, a hydro-serpent flaring around her arms. "You don't care about what's best for me!" She stormed out of the doors, catching sight of Kai standing in the hall. Kai offered her a quiet, sympathetic look as she walked past him.

Across town, Fujidai entered a dimly lit, scroll-filled library. Sitting at a large mahogany desk was Crimson—a tall, elegant woman with sharp golden eyes, a scar running down her left eye, and a cigar resting between her fingers.

"A Ravenclaw seeking knowledge about the ancient war?" Crimson purred, blowing a puff of smoke. "Curiosity is a dangerous thing, boy."

Fujidai sat across from her, his expression dead serious. "I need to know the truth."

Crimson leaned back. "Decades ago, the Kazan clan terrorized the realm. They possessed raw, terrifying elemental destructive force. They nearly wiped out the Morningstorms and the Neptunes. Your Ravenclaw ancestors were the only ones strong enough to force them into a stalemate—by making dark pacts with forbidden spirits."

Fujidai narrowed his eyes. "How did they finally seal them away?"

"Using legendary ancestral weapons," Crimson said, pulling an ornate, ancient sheath from beneath her desk. "The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. And the last true war-born Kazans... Yui and Shinzo.  Yui from house of red feathers since she is connected to Kazan and last of her family she possessive so much strength  and limitless potential what I heard possess speed I can't even measure, Shinzo the god of flames what his people called him just as dangerous or more than his own wife finally since those two got married had a kid Their son, Kai... his birth was meant to be a sacrifice. The prophecy says if his power isn't controlled, he will destroy everything."

Fujidai stared at the dark, pulsing sword. "He's... a threat?"

Crimson smirked sinisterly, pushing the sword toward him. "Tonight's festival fight... if you don't stop him, his bloodline will eventually consume him. Take this blade. Defeat him."

Fujidai reached out, his hand wrapping around the hilt of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. Corrupting, dark purple energy surged into his veins, swelling his power signature exponentially. A dark, twisted aura washed over his eyes. "I'll do it."

Later that night, the grand arena was packed with thousands of cheering spectators. King Hanzo, Queen Mariah, Roy, Scarlett, Natalie, and little Cooper sat in the royal box. Mei and Karai stood near the entrance gates.

Down in the tunnel, Kai was tying his arm wraps when Alyssa walked up.

"Kai... good luck out there," she whispered softly.

Kai smiled warmly. "Don't worry about your dad, Alyssa. After I win this match, we're all going to get food together."

Alyssa smiled faintly, stepping back into the stands.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" King Hanzo’s voice echoed across the stadium. "LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

Kai sprinted out into the sandy arena. Fujidai emerged from the opposite gate, his face shadowed, a dense, unnatural darkness swirling around his boots.

Kai leaped forward, throwing a flame-infused punch. Fujidai didn't even draw his weapon—he caught Kai's fist with his bare hand, generating a shockwave that blew the sand back.

"I will make you suffer, Kazan," Fujidai whispered, his voice distorted and cold.

Before Kai could react, Fujidai yanked him forward and drove a brutal knee directly into Kai’s stomach. The impact launched Kai high into the air, causing him to cough up air. The crowd erupted into deafening cheers.

Kai summoned his fire chains, hooking the ground to flip mid-air and kick downward. Fujidai simply raised his hand, unleashing black, corrupting flames that instantly consumed and erased Kai's fire chains!

Fujidai blurred, appearing in front of Kai instantly. He delivered a brutal palm strike to Kai's chest, sending him skipping violently across the stone arena floor. Fujidai for some reason is out doing him every way kai can't keep up powers for strange reasons not working either. 

In the royal box, Natalie put on her scanner glasses. Her jaw dropped. "What... what the hell?! His energy signature... it just spiked from one million to over four million!"

"Dad! Stop the match!" Alyssa yelled, but King Hanzo was too captivated by the sheer display of raw power.

Fujidai was relentless. He unsheathed the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, unleashing vast, localized tempests of wind and dark lightning. Kai activated his Dragon Gauntlets, desperately trying to parry the terrifying slashes, but Fujidai’s speed and strength were entirely overwhelming.

Fujidai combined Fujin wind and Raijin lightning into a massive, apocalyptic dragon strike that detonated directly on top of Kai.

BOOM!

When the dust cleared, Kai was kneeling in the ruined sand, his kimono torn, bleeding profusely, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Yet, slowly, painfully, Kai forced himself back to his feet. He took a staggering step forward toward his friend.

Fujidai raised the dark blade, a cold, unfeeling smirk on his face.

In the stands, Natalie covered her mouth in terror. Karai’s hand dropped to Excalibur. Scarlett covered Cooper’s eyes. Alyssa watched in absolute horror.

FLASH.

Fujidai blurred forward, thrusting the corrupted Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi straight through Kai’s torso.

The stadium went completely, utterly silent.

Kai gasped, coughing up a crimson spray of blood. With the absolute last of his strength, guided by Kitsunebi's internal energy, Kai reached down and snapped the corrupted blade in half with his bare hand—but the damage was already done.

Karai fell to her knees in the dirt. Alyssa clamped her hands over her mouth, tears streaming down her face. In the Underworld, Yui Kazan broke down into weeping tears, clutching her chest as Shinzo held her tightly. Lord Enma smirked, leaning back on his throne. James was happy cheering in jail

Rain began to pour from the darkened sky, washing over the arena.

Fujidai pulled the broken hilt back, glaring down at Kai with dark, erratic anger. "Why... why aren't you angry with me?! What the hell is your problem, huh?! Answer me, you idiot!"

Kai stood there, swaying in the cold rain. He looked up at Fujidai—not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with soft, gentle empathy.

Kai offered a weak, bleeding smile.

"Because... you're truly my best friend..."

END OF VOLUME ONE TO BE CONTINUED...