Interlude: The White Rabbit (2)

The young, white-haired girl with red irises had somehow found her way into the Yuilen Imperial Guard’s barracks without any resistance. Her bare feet made small, dull thuds, as she explored the halls as if she were merely playing a game of hide-and-seek.

Well, that wouldn't be inaccurate as she was seeking out someone, as she roamed the back corridors, taking little care to be stealthful and yet coming across no one at all. She reached a point where two corridors intersected and stopped, swiveling her head left and then right before rushing to the left.

She slowed down to a steady walk as she reached the hall with the officer’s bedchambers, her head on a swivel as she read the nameplates hanging next to each doorway. She stopped upon finding the room on the corner, with the plate reading “Jiro” and she stretched up, sliding the door open before cautiously peering inside.

An older man was staring out the window above his desk, his back to the door as the young girl quietly closed it behind her. She bounded across the room, leapt onto his bed and seated herself on the windowsill above it in one smooth motion. Her hands rested on the sill, her bare feet swinging as the old warrior turned his head to the sudden noise.

“How did you get in here!?” The black eyes of the one they called “The Unyielding”, meeting the intense gaze of the young girl’s red ones.

They stared at each other for a moment, before the young girl spoke, with an authority that didn’t match her age.

“A mistake was made, Jiro-san. A delivery that was meant for you never arrived.”

Jiro jumped out of his chair, surprised that the young girl knew his name.

“I’m not sure what you mean. Who are you?”

The girl gazed at him, her eyes unblinking. “The young maiden will bear the burden.”

“Young maid-... Do you mean, Kaede!? What burden!?”

“The heavens will move once more, as long as she trusts the right one.”

The girl kicked her feet playfully, in stark contrast to the cryptic words she spoke. Jiro stood speechless, trying to make sense of what the young girl could be talking about and coming up blank.

The girl, her red irises still unblinking, locked on Jiro as she raised her left hand, pointing at the old warrior.

“That is a warning for you as well, Jiro the Unyielding. Be wary of the cunning fox, for he hunts for the bell carrier. He hunts for the one meant to unbind the ancient shackles.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean by the heavens moving? The right one to trust? The cunning fox? None of this makes any sense.”

The young girl merely stared at the puzzled warrior, her feet no longer swinging.

“Three chimes before midnight…” She said, her voice much quieter than before, as if she were a different person speaking. “...the fox will get caught in their own snare. If you can survive the encounter…” She gave a smile that seemed cold and menacing from such a tiny girl.

“...you’ll understand why it happened. Why I gave the bells to her, instead of to you.”

The young girl brought a finger up to lips, as if she was telling Jiro not to speak further.

And, then she vanished, as if she had never existed, leaving Jiro flabbergasted.