His mind raced with several thoughts, chief among them the safety of his pregnant wife. Taro forced himself to suppress his rage as he tried not to think about Fumi right now. The Lunar General within him was wrestling for control with the husband within and was struggling to win the battle. Eventually the weight of his title took over as the sounding of guards running passed as he hid in an alleyway. It was not lost on him how pathetic he must have looked, a Lunar General hiding in the alleyways of the capital city like some miscreant. He sighed as he peeked out of the corner, his eyes looking at the smoldering tower of Nonawa in the distance. As always Lady Yukimura was not known for subtly.

  “What are we doing? We need to go back!”

  “Taka keep your voice down,” Taro pleaded with her.

  Were he not thankful for the many herbal teas Lady Yukimura brought his wife often. Taro would have been angry that the old general placed a curse on him. The ease she was able to slip it past his defenses while he dealt with the revelation at hand, showed that he had been losing his sharpness. One that he would be the first to admit. Without thinking he grabbed Takara and fled as the explosion went off. He was able to move them several great distances away from the tower and the Imperial Palace of House Sugawara. No doubt other Lunar Generals also took the opportunity to flee.

  The general turned his attention back to the young Stygian woman who was growing restless by the second, her mind only preoccupied with rescuing her mother.

  “Where is my mother?” Taka grew anxious, “What happened, is what Prince Hideyoshi said true? Where are the other generals?”

  Taka assaulted the man with a barrage of questions. She was known to be quite talkative and expressly, more so than even most humans. She had always been embarrassed by it, feeling as though it was unbecoming of a lady and one that would be a Lunar General one day. However, at this moment she did not care, mere moments ago she was standing by her mothers side and now she hid in the back alleys of Ichi like a rat. Nonawa stood burning in the distance, her mother gone. She demanded answers from the Lunar General who took her away.

  Taro tried to smile to ease the tensions but only managed an awkward attempt at the action. He needed to be careful what he told Taka lest she run off on her own and find herself in a precarious situation. The girl was as strong and spirited as her mother and right now Taro could not afford to waste the distraction that Lady Yukimura created for them and the other generals. He took a moment to steady himself and he sat her down, moving her away from any prying eyes.

  “Please calm down Taka, we cannot afford to draw any attention to ourselves.”

  Taka was growing tired of none of her questions being answered so chose the one she most dreaded to ask. “Is my mother dead?”

  Taro looked into her sunset eyes welling with tears and for the first time since the incident occurred found the right voice to speak. “Not at all, Lady Yukimura is too valuable. They will not want to announce this rebellion. Not yet at least.”

  Taka chose to believe his words and nodded, wiping her eyes. “Lord Taro, what is going on?”

  Taro smiled as he looked at his tattered Haori in his hands. He had asked himself the same question from the moment Hideyoshi Sugawara appeared in that room. To think that things would have progressed this far so quickly was beyond what he could have expected. The king’s influence had waned just enough to embolden Hideyoshi and his cabal. Now Ichika stood on the precipice of an uncertain future. One the Lunar Generals would be forced to participate in. His mind recalled the hooded man who spoke. His words were filled with so much energy and history. He was unsure why it bothered him so, but Taro never wished to meet that man again. There was a great amount of pain that clung to him. However he needed to focus, if he was going to get them out of here alive and look for Fumi. He needed Taka to be a little bit strong.

  “I am aware you are only nineteen, but you are in line to become a Lunar General.” His eyes hardened, startling Taka. “So I will treat you as such.”

  She nodded anxiously.

  “I believe we have just witnessed our first rebellion in Ichika, your mother certainly thought so given her display earlier.”

  Taka had taken a formal sitting position, her eyes wide open as she clasped her hands together. “But the decree by the courts…”

  “It is genuine,” Taro acknowledged. “But without the royal seal it cannot be enforced for all to carry out.” It was their saving grace and what would give them the opportunity to escape.

  “So did King Satori not agree to this?” Taka asked.

  “I do not know,” he admitted.

  That was the crux of the issue at hand. There was simply too big of an air of mystery surrounding the decree and the orders of the Imperial Court. Taro as well as Lady Yukimura and the Lunar Generals all must have factored into the authenticity of Hideyoshi’s claims. There was simply just no way of knowing if it was true or not without direct word from the king himself. Taro–not really given any choice in large part because of Lady Yukimura–was forced to gamble and retreat from the tower. His actions could not be seen as treacherous by the court since he did not attack. If caught, he could simply feign ignorance and fright at the explosion that occurred and say he waited in hiding for the king. However if he surrendered himself or was apprehended he would be at the mercy of Hideyoshi and his masked allies.

  Ultimately it did not matter if he was arrested or not. His actions and those of the Lunar Generals who escaped would be severely limited given that effectively the Imperial Court had held their families hostage. Taro summarized that is why there had not been any large announcements made, given that so far all he saw were imperial guards and no soldiers moving about. The courts had yet not regarded Lady Yukimura’s actions and their subsequent escapes as treason. There was still room to maneuver, although quite narrow.

  “Why is this happening?” Taka blurted out loud, digging her nails into her clothes.

  “It is a timeless thing Lady Takara,” Taro tried to calm her in his own way. “For as long as there is absolute power, all men will seek to have it. Sons will kill fathers, brothers will kill brothers. For every man believes they are born with the right to wield it.” He felt his age for the first time in a long while, a painful smile across his face. “At the very least I thought the Lunar Generals would see that and look past Hideyoshi’s words.”

  Taka perked up at the thought of the Lunar Generals, “We can gather them! If we escaped, that means others did too!” she found hope and wore it on her face.

  The greatest sin of the Lunar Generals would be that they would never live up to the glowing sight of hope that he saw in the eyes of the girl in front of him. When was the last time they were seen as heroes? As warriors destined to save the day and bring peace to the land. Perhaps they never were, their only use was to be oppressive tools used to maintain the order established by House Sugawara and the Imperial Court and by further extension the Stygians. An Order that had stood for thousands of years, now on the brink of collapse. Taro never quite understood why Lady Yukimura was so eager to make her daughter a Lunar General.

  “Why is it you think you can trust any of the others?” He looked at her with an inhuman stare. “Why is it you think you can trust me?”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Taka paused out of fright, Lord Taro’s aura was cold and frightening.

  “Do you understand Takara?” he softened his face hoping he was not too terrifying.

  She nodded her head. What Taro was alluding to was correct, if this truly was a rebellion there was simply no way of knowing who belonged to which side. He would not allow himself to assume who sided with the king and who against. Even if it was Katsuo himself. The thought of it pained him, but for now the rational conclusion was that they needed to view every Lunar General other than Lady Yukimura as an enemy. None of them could be trusted. He was sure those that escaped would come to the same conclusion, as well as those who looked to usurp the throne. With the majority of the Lunar General’s scattered, it would mean that they would be alone, untrusting of each other looking to wait for the king’s return before action could be taken. This had turned into a game of patience as both sides were still drawing battle lines and preparing for what was to come. To many there was only one logical conclusion to follow.

  “So does that mean we are going to wait in hiding until the king returns?” Taka looked hopeful again, “When he does I am sure all of this will make sense.”

  Taro moved to the other end of the alleyway looking to peek out, the quiet unnerved him. “It would be the obvious thing to do. Even Hideyoshi was eager for the king’s return.” Satisfied with the empty streets, he moved deeper into the gaps between buildings staying out of the light while Taka followed. “Which is why I am quite sure King Satori is going to be killed before he enters Ichika.”

  Taka Yukimura stopped following. Standing in shock, mouth agape. The thought had never crossed her mind that all of this could end with Nanako losing her father. It was obvious, but why did she not realize it? Almost as though it was an impossibility that he could perish, for who could be strong enough to do it? She heard the whispers from many soldiers and other nobles. Now that King Barranagan Xerxes was dead, it meant that King Satori was the strongest being in all of Aurum. He who was a Sword Saint, would stand victorious above any threats that would come Ichika’s way. So it unnerved her to her core how casual Lord Taro was when he announced his thought, as though it were a foregone conclusion.

  “But he is an Enlightened,” is all she could say in response.

  Taro did not mean to chuckle, but it was done as a reflective response. Like those who bore the Akashic Eyes and were capable of wielding mana, those who were Enlightened were seen as existing in a different world from everyone else. Beings considered to transcend the very knowledge of the world as they truly understood. Those with the Akashic Eyes comprehended the true nature of the world and what it should be. Whereas those who were Enlightened grasped the Four Truths of the world and what it truly was. What that meant only an Enlightened could understand. However such power and what came with it did not make them immortal, just like those with the eyes of the Akashic, they could be killed. Satori would prove exponentially more difficult to kill given his own innate strength, but if the unthinkable could be done? Taro shared the same fright as the Stygian girl who stood behind him but he masked it with a second chuckle. Once again the hooded man crossed his mind. Aurum’s mysteries were endless.

  “That he is Taka, but all the same it seems as though Hideyoshi has found a way. Or at the very least believes he does.” He slumped against the wall, squatting in the narrow pathway. Things were getting increasingly difficult.

  “Ryūjin Jakka guards the entrance, and will not allow any harm to befall the king.” She tried to fight back.

  Taro looked up at her, his brown hair once neatly tied now a mess, “Do you mean the same Ryūjin Jakka that is retainer to Prince Hideyoshi Sugawara?”

  She slumped next to him, her mind racing with a hundred thoughts, “What do we do?”

  They shared a silent moment together, in which Lord Taro found his resolve.

  “We are going to do nothing,” Taro rose to his feet, dusting himself off. “I am getting you out of the city.” He neglected to let her know the reason for this was so he could focus on locating his wife.

  “What?” Taka rose. “We’re running away?”

  “Yes, there is nothing we can do.”

  Taka stood in his path, she towered over him by a full two inches. Her eyes narrowed, reminding him of her mother. “You are a Lunar General and you are going to run away?”

  Taro was slightly intimidated by the over-bearing posture of the young girl. He knew Stygians were tall, their women included, but he was sure that Takara would be considered a rare height for Stygian woman. He had heard the new King of Iliad’s younger sister also towered like a giant. The youth once again showed their desire to overcome the ages of old. Nevertheless no matter how intensely she gazed at him it would not change the current situation they found themselves in. They had no allies, for all intents and purposes they found themselves behind enemy lines and it would not be long before they were declared fugitives or worse–traitors to the Imperial Palace. With their families as well being hidden away and separated from their barracks there was no path forward. Taro would not needlessly put his life and certainly not the young girl in his care simply because there was no way out.

  “It is precisely because I am a Lunar General that I am suggesting we flee.” He rubbed his brow, “Things will slowly begin to unravel, especially when the barracks realize their respective Lunar Generals have not returned. "Before then I will get you out of the city.”

  “Wait, why just me? I thought you said we have to flee?” Taka raised an eyebrow, “You plan to go look for Lady Fumi don’t you!?” she glared.

  Taro tried to calm her down to no avail at the growing anger of the young girl in front of him, “Let me expl-”

  “You think I am some damsel that can’t handle herself?” Taka’s eyes glowed and the walls around them shuddered in fear.

  “Taka you are a Stygian woman!” Taro grabbed her face. “You are the only Stygian woman within any of the thirteen barracks. You stand taller than myself and several Lunar Generals. I do not doubt your skills at staying undetected but soon enough they will send the Kuroi Inu. That will complicate already delicate matters.”

  She relaxed from her tirade, The Imperial Courts black dogs flashed across her mind. At times she did forget she was a Stygian. All of her mothers soldiers had treated her no differently than they would each other and it always warmed her heart as she felt as though she belonged. There were times she was reminded of the differences she possessed from many, but she had never given it much thought. On account that she never saw another Stygian before. This was the first time she wished she was not, it hurt her to admit. Because she knew if her mother found out it would break her heart.

  “I-I apologize Lord Taro,” she lowered her gaze.

  Taro chastised himself for his outburst, it was not the girls fault. “I only mean to keep you safe Taka, while I learn what I can about where the families of the Lunar Generals are being held. I will take you to the outer circles of the City, things will be less strict there.”

  “As you command, my lord.” She bowed, recomposing herself. “But is there really nothing we can do?”

  Taro rubbed his beard, thinking of what was to come. “Unfortunately we are in no position to do anything meaningful. We have two choices, either we can gather enough information to locate where they are holding our families and free them thus allowing the Lunar Generals to engage–at least the ones who still follow the king. Or we wait for the king’s return, hoping in the ruckus that will follow an opening is created.”

  “These can’t be our only choices?”

  The general offered a guilty gaze, there was one more. A terrible choice he hoped he nor any of the other Lunar General’s loyal to King Satori would make.

  “There is another.”

  “What is it?” she asked eagerly.

  The choice had presented itself the moment the decree was announced, but it took him longer than he had liked to come to the conclusion. For that choice would guarantee the failure of this rebellion but it would also set Ichika ablaze. Taro did not just see the beauty of Ichika in her people, it was in her mesmerizing moons and cherry blossoms that dominated much of the wilderness and surrounding area. It was in her clear lakes and massive fjords that snaked through the lands in the east. The choice that he could make would set it all on fire, because they would not care. Their single focus would be addressed to those who would dare to erase an eons worth of alliances without so much as their acknowledgement in the matter. The choice he and others loyal to King Satori dreaded to make would give no inch, would allow no quarter. As history showed their overwhelming propensity for violence, when antagonized. The Night Lords to the north were not known to be merciful to those they regarded as enemies. One need only ask the Storm Islanders or the Nephilim.

  Lunar General Taro Hisakawa looked at Taka with a joyless smile. “We could alert the Stygians of what has happened here today.”

  This. With a strikethrough written over the word, phrase or sentence. You can see it in action in the last chapter with what Lady Yukimura said to Taro :)