Chapter 124: The Independence

Chapter 124: The Independence

The flames had been extinguished, although they didn’t burn anything, yet the scent of an awkward demonic flame lingered in the air. Kiyori stood alone in the center of the destruction, her bow hanging loosely at her side. Her hands trembled from the overuse of her spiritual power; now she was hungry and needed to rest to recover.

"Are you okay?" Kikyo’s small voice came from behind her. He had crawled out of the velvet bag, his fox ears flat against his head and tail curled nervously around his feet.

Kiyori stared at the spot where the fire incarnation had vanished, the shards in his hand, his mocking scoff still echoing in her ears. She didn’t answer immediately, as she was still thinking of the things that had happened.

"I’m fine, I just need rest now."

She wasn’t since the shards had been already taken away, but... now she knew who was behind the disappearance of shards. First the wind, Shiromi, and now the flames...

She couldn’t afford to rest yet; if she did that, then it’d cause the shards to get taken sooner than her.

Kikyo, however, walked toward the fur cloth that those demons wore. His tiny hands brushed against it as he swallowed... that fur belonged to the Kitsune fox tribe, possibly... his father or family.

He blinked a few times, trying to refuse.

Kikyo pulled his hands back from the scorched fur cloth as if he had been burned. A tiny, choked gasp escaped his throat. He blinked rapidly, his large eyes filling with tears that he desperately tried to refuse. The scent clinging to the rough, blood-stained fabric carried the faint, familiar warmth of the Northern Kitsune tribe.

It belonged to his family.

The very demons who had hunted them down were casually wearing his father’s legacy like a trophy. The young fox demon’s small shoulders began to shake, and his flat ears pinned tightly against his head, and they almost disappeared into his orange fur.

Kiyori knelt beside a wounded sika deer, its leg twisted awkwardly beneath it. The animal trembled as she approached, but she slowed down, trying not to scare it.

"Okay, okay, don’t move much." She mumbled to herself as if it could understand and pressed her palm against the wound, trying to heal it fast enough to ease the pain.

She glanced back at the fox child and witnessed the change in his posture. Forgetting her own empty stomach and the dull throb in her temples, she dropped her wooden bow onto the grass and walked toward him.

Kiyori gently wrapped her arms around Kikyo’s small frame, pulling him into a tight embrace, and patted his head. "We took your revenge; we got them." Kiyori whispered into his fur.

Kikyo buried his face into her robe as his tiny fists clenched the fabric and finally let out a soft, weeping sob.

***

Ciradyl, the city with the highest rate of economic growth in the United Kingdom of Carentia.

The queen of the city, Eda Autumn, decided to celebrate the return of their first queen after the freedom of their people. Today was also the independence day of the kingdom of Carentia, the day when it became the first kingdom ever to adopt a government alongside royalty.

11 November 1894.

Inside the estate, servants and maids worked together to decorate the palace.

Deep within the estate, in a room, Zhuo sat on a carpet, kneeling down against the ground. Both his hands clasped together as he closed his eyes. Before him, a slender rod of eastern incense burned, its pale, fragrant smoke coiling softly into the air.

"Always watch over me, mother."

For a few moments, he sat there. Remembering the words of his long-gone mother, who died just five months before he ascended. The day he was in Qinghua, he performed the ritual for her mother’s anniversary, as at that time his father and he had shifted near a town of that city. Although they didn’t live there, his school was located in Qinghua.

Clapping both his hands in a sharp rhythmic sequence to break the silence, he then brushed his hand on the ground and stood up and offered a final low bow.

Just then, from the door, Lin entered.

She was arrayed in a beautiful red silk-velvet evening gown. The dress perfectly sculpted the dramatic, structured silhouette of the current Ciradyl fashion. The most striking feature was a snow-white chiffon that cascaded down from her neck, curling elegantly on her tight sleeves.

Zhuo opened his eyes, the final trails of incense smoke drifting between them as he looked up toward her and nodded.

Lin gave him a small smile when she realized today’s date. ’11 November’ was also Zhuo’s mother’s death anniversary. He was sitting there alone and quietly stood up, bringing up his usual ridiculously wide smile of a kid. She called out softly. "Come, Zhuo, you must change into formal attire first. After today’s celebration, we will move to find Nikoi."

Upon hearing that, Zhuo walked forward to change his clothes. "In a few minutes."

Lin watched him go, her smile fading as he disappeared behind the changing screen, only leaving behind the scent of that incense.

She had been in his place herself, five years ago, when she had knelt before an empty grave in a world that wasn’t her own, unable to perform the rituals her brother deserved. Her brother couldn’t even get a burial; every time she reached world three, it always reminded her.

As she walked to the window and looked out at the bustling city below. The streets were already filled with people, their voices rising in excitement. Banners of red and gold hung from every building, celebrating the independence of Carentia. The central city, Ciradyl, and its eight different cities, all of them celebrated it.

Zhuo, however, stood in a room, his hands trembling slightly as he reached for the formal robes laid out for him. He looked at the bag which had the blue robe of Yin, which might have been given to him as reward, as what Xue Lan said.

His gaze lay back on the new clothes on a table. They were beautiful, deep blue silk with silver embroidery, the colors of Ciradyl’s freedom. They seemed expensive, just like what he wore before, yet those clothes didn’t give him much excitement today. He was only thirteen when he ascended, yet he still couldn’t find out why he was chosen.

Tonight Lin was being honored. The city was thriving.

His mind fell back on her mother, on her warm smile. Her warm hands when she used to hold him and tell him stories, the way she used to hum while cooking. The way she would ruffle his hair and call him her little fox.

He had been at school in Qinghua when the news came. His father had come to pick him up, but his face was pale that day, his eyes red. He hadn’t told him anything until the funeral ended.

The funeral was small. Just family and friends. His mother had always been quiet, preferring solitude to crowds. She would have hated a big ceremony, of course, which his father respected until now.

He performed the rituals and burned the incense, did the prayers... everything, but...

He hadn’t cried that day; maybe his mind had faced so much that it went into shock.

Not for a long time after he ascended.

He had thrown himself into training, into preparing for his ascension, into anything that would keep his mind occupied. Lin had taught him how to fight, but how to be strong, he learned that himself.

Today, he was standing in this foreign world, surrounded by strangers, preparing for a celebration he didn’t feel part of, that city wasn’t where he belonged.

Although those thoughts persisted for a long time, he finally let them go.

He wore his new clothes, prepared himself, and walked out of the changing room. His gaze landed on lanterns, the long pipe holding them.

Zhuo always believed anyone could become your family, a home was people, but humans called it a closed space made of rock... it was a house, not a home.

Finally, he entered the ceremony while keeping his face straight as he looked around at the royals scattered around it.

The ballroom was filled with the scent of expensive perfumes, roasted meats, and very sweet dishes. As Zhuo walked through the crowd, a well-dressed gentleman stepped into his path.

The man had a perfectly tailored waistcoat, and a gold pocket-watch chain glinted against his vest.

"Ah, good evening, young sir." The gentleman purred, looking down at Zhuo with a slight patronizing amusement. "A bit youthful to be wandering the state rooms unescorted. Pray tell, with whose party do you arrive?"

Zhuo’s eyes swept across the ballroom, bypassing the royals, finally finding Lin, who stood near a pillar, surrounded by highborn ladies.

Zhuo raised a hand and pointed toward her. "I am in the company of Lady Lin Shouxing." He replied.

The gentleman’s patronizing smirk disappeared as his gaze followed Zhuo’s finger, landing upon the striking figure in crimson velvet. He studied Lin as she stood among the nobility, whose sharp gaze seemed to read everyone around her while keeping her expression serene.

The gentleman swallowed, leaning down slightly to speak in a hushed undertone.

"Good heavens... is that truly the previous Queen? I must confess, the journals did not do her justice. I had no idea Her Grace possessed such... intimidating elegance."

Before Zhuo could answer. The crowd went silent as all of their eyes locked onto a woman who entered the room.

Eda Autumn, who walked near Lin, matched the outfit but with a different, light green colour.

As the ceremony continued.

***

Outside, in the central city, Murphy Law walked inside the building of Midnight Wings.

He pulled out his card and walked toward the counter and slid it.

A woman in her late twenties picked the card and looked at the symbol, her gaze darted around as she nodded gently and took a few steps back.

She looked around and when found no one, she pulled a door hidden beneath the carpet on the ground and pointed with her eyes, a signal to enter inside.

Murphy walked in without waiting anymore.