Border between Tempest and Bellum, Jan 31st, 2033

  It has been a couple of months since the mysterious purple-haired man has started his journey around the kingdoms to find a cure for his ill sister’s disease. The only one willing to help so far was the Sakura Empire, but at an hefty price. So now, after a quick check on his sister, whose conditions slowly got worse, there was only a kingdom he needed to visit: the kingdom of Tempest. Meanwhile, in the Kamome associations, Sora, Rob, Martha and Yui were playing a game of “The Hero’s ballad” after Kettei, Rob and Sora had an exam in the morning. Kettei was in the association as well, still recovering from his shoulder’s injury, so he was sipping an hot chocolate instead of playing. As everyone rested there, someone abruptly opened the door, making Kettei spill his chocolate

  “Motherfucker!” he exclaimed: “Fuck, it was also a new hoodie”

  “My apologies” The girl, now recognizable as Rika Orishima (remember, the one who fought against Robert in the tournament) replied, before turning to Rob: “Serious matter ahead tho, a purple-haired guy is headed here”

  “What? Purple-haired?” Rob asked surprised, as he turned to Kettei: “Know someone like him?”

  “No clue. All I can say is he may need help if he’s really headed here. Rika, keep an eye on him” Kettei replied, as he took off his hoodie, remaining in a t-shirt

  “Will do, but also… Aren’t you cold?” Rika asked, worried, as Alice walked in as well. During those two months, she and Kettei had grown to respect each other much more as they got to know each other

  “Nah, I’ll be okay. Besides, I’m injured. I wouldn’t be able to do much with my right arm, and I was told my wound needs to breathe” Kettei replied as he looked at Alice: “Hello there, Alice”

  “Good afternoon, matey. The queen wants to see ye in a couple of days’time. Says it’s fer business stuff. Whatever it is, ye should look into it” Alice replied, more polite than the last time: “Is yer arm feeling any better?”

  “As I said, yeah. I believe a few days will be more than enough, but I better not force it” Kettei replied, as Alice gave him a look of concern

  “A stabbed shoulder takes time. How can you be sure you’ll be okay?” She asked, curiously

  “I said that I think, but the nerves still need to adjust. I’m training with my left hand, and thanks to my friends, I’ve been developing a temporary fighting style” Kettei replied

  “See? Is it that hard to be honest?” Alice replied, laughing, as Kettei playfully punched her

  “Oh, quit it, dummy” He replied laughing, as the others noticed something

  “Is it just me or Kettei is less stressed than usual?” Sora asked

  “Not only that, he takes jokes far more kindly” Rob added, placing his face on his hand: “What happened?”

  “Ever since December 4th, he’s been this way. I don’t know what happened, but big brother has been like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders” Yui chimed in, as everyone looked at her

  “Come to think of it, the game night of that day he was super nice, which is good” Sora noted

  “Can we stop talking about Kettei and focus on the matter in hand?” Rika interjected, annoyed

  “Right. Right. Sorry Rika” Rob said, turning towards her: “So, Bellum has had this problem with a strange energy we, from outside the bellumian confederacy, don't know anything about it”

  “Qīnshí Lì” Kettei murmured, looking towards them

  “Say that again, Kettei” Rika asked politely

  “The energy’s name, it’s Qīnshí Lì” Kettei replied, standing up: “We don’t know the origins of it, but I do know it’s a bodily energy. And last year, on our monthly vacation to Bellum, we noticed some cults trying to use it on test subjects” he added

  “Well, we can’t ask much from it, it’s still unknown, but those infos will be more than enough. Anything else?” Rika asked, looking at the others, then at Kettei

  “This is as far as we know. Unfortunately.” Kettei replied

  “Still, thanks.” Rika said, as she left the association

  “So, what happened to your future counterpart and his so-called fiancé?” Rob asked, curious

  “They’re still around, trying to rekindle their relationship. Having they come via rifts, they have no way on coming back to their timeline for now. I just need to wait until Dario Cruz finishes his work with a time machine” Kettei explained calmly

  “Oh, he should terminate it today, big brother. Shall we go check it out?” Yui asked, with puppy eyes

  “Oh, alright, Yui” Kettei replied as Yui stood up

  “Wonderful. Let’s go! Alice, wanna play yourself instead of me?” Yui asked, looking at the red-headed pirate

  “Meh, okay, but only because I like yer brother” Alice admitted, as she took Yui’s place: “I should introduce this game to me mates”

  “You really couldn’t help her with the accent, could you, Kettei?” Sora asked

  “Nope. I tried but she can’t help it” Kettei admitted, shrugging, as he and Yui walked away and went to a small office near the woods. There, a tall man, about 183 cm tall, with brown hair tied in a ponytail and green eyes walked towards them. He had a scientist robe on, a black shirt and pair of jeans

  “Good afternoon, Kettei, Yui” he said, approaching them

  “Hey, Dario. How’s the time machine coming along?” Kettei asked, looking at him

  “It’s basically done. My assistant did a test run and it proved to be successful. Your friend can come back to their timeline” Dario replied, wiping sweat with a towel

  “Sweet. They’ll come by tomorrow anyway” Kettei retorted: “If you’re down for a beer, we can organize by the weekend if I ain’t busy” he added

  “But big brother, you hate alcohol” Yui chimed it, laughing

  “I’ll have something else to drink, then” Kettei responded, as his phone rang: “Please excuse me” he added as he picked up the phone: “Kettei speaking”

  “Hey, Kettei, it’s Rob. Small update, the boy Rika mentioned, he’s at the palace, having an audience with the king. Think you can drop by?” Rob asked, politely

  “I can’t right now, but I’ll drop by in a bit” he replied, his tone serious, as he turned towards Yui and Dario hunging up: “Dario, take my sister to my dorm. I have a matter to attend” he requested

  “Sure, but this better be a one-off thing” Dario replied, as Kettei nodded at him and teleported to the castle’s entrance, noticing it was shut. He however noticed a window that gave a clear view to the throne room so he decided to peek from there

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  “Please, your majesty! I have nowhere else to go, no one has helped me so far!” The mysterious boy begged, but the king stared at him in a look almost disgusted

  “I said no, you bellumian filth!” the king replied, kicking his face, which left both the mysterious man and Kettei in shock, with the latter’s shock turning into anger. As the king was about to strike again, this time with a punch, Kettei blitzed in, holding the king’s punch mid-air

  “Strike this boy again, and I’ll make sure you regret it” he whispered, coldly, as the king growled. Kettei then turned to the man: “Come with me, let’s get you all fixed up, shall we?” he asked, as the mysterious, purple-haired man nodded, as Kettei then let go of the king’s wrist and headed out.

  “Thank you from before, mister…” the mysterious man said

  “Kettei. Izawami Kettei. And you are?” Kettei replied, as he looked at him

  “Obito. Hajiki Obito” the man responded, as he was still bleeding from his nose

  “We’ll get you patched up. And maybe give you some food. You’ve had a long trip, you’re probably starving” Kettei commented as the two walked to the nearest hospital. There, a medic tended to Obito’s wounds, then another walked to Kettei, who was sat down at the entrance

  “So, what happened?” the medic asked, looking at him

  “I’m not sure. I just saw the king kicking him. I don’t know more” Kettei replied, as he looked to the room where Obito was: “I’ll try getting more info”

  “I see. Wish you well, youngster” the medic said as he walked away. Meanwhile at the castle, Carl Johan and Hotaru walked to the king, who was at the phone

  “Well well well, looks like Shanyuan is back in action” the king muttered, as he turned towards Hotaru and Carl-Johan: “News flash, apparently Hotaru’s ex husband is still alive”

  “Didn’t you blow him to pieces by installing a bomb in his car? I-I mean, even Kettei was there” Carl-Johan asked

  “Yes, that’s what I-… Hold on, what was your car’s number?” the king asked, turning towards Hotaru

  “DZ987FE.” Hotaru replied

  “Oh my god, that one was DZ987EF. I BLEW THE WRONG FUCKING CAR UP!” The king remembered, shouting, as Carl-Johan cocked an eyebrow

  “And yet, the one coming for vengeance is his oldest brat” he commented

  “What’s the big deal? We can track Shanyuan down and kill him for good” Hotaru jumped in, causing the pair to turn around, concerned

  “He’s your husband” the king pointed out

  “So? Let’s get this straight, it was slightly political. I married him to get my hands to the Izawami’s forbidden artifacts, such as the Forbidden Might and the Doom Tiara. However, Kettei has hidden the former god knows where when he was 17, and the only way to unlock the tiara is by getting all seven scrolls. And so far we have two. Necorot’s and Tempest’s” Hotaru responded, as from behind the wall, Yui, Queen Victoria and Rob were hearing it all

  “The doom tiara?” Yui whispered

  “Your brother will have some information about it. Let’s go” Rob replied

  “You two go, I’ll face them. So far, they’ve acted behind me. No more” Queen victoria added, enraged: “And they also mistreated a fellow countryman of mine who came here for help”

  “Alright. I believe he’s at Kamome right now, or whatever” Rob said, as he and Yui headed towards the base. During the walk there, Yui spoke up

  “Say, Rob, why didn’t my brother tell me about my dad being dead?” she asked, looking at him

  “Well, he wanted to protect you as best as he could. That’s why he didn’t tell you. I mean, you two lost your father pretty early on. He was 10, you were 4. He was trying to maintain your happiness” Rob replied, looking at her

  “Jeez, no wonder he was all grumpy during his teenage years. Say, is he still grumpy at school?” Yui asked again

  “Nope, he’s easing out a bit now that you’re in a safe environment” Rob replied again, as back to the castle, the queen and Hotaru clashed swords, as the two women engaged into a sword fight. The pair clashed swords for a bit, before separating from each other

  “You’re not half bad for a swordswoman. And here I thought your main trait was dictating rules” Hotaru commented smiling: “You’ll be an interest foe to face no doubt”

  “The feeling is mutual. You’ll be hard to face” Victoria replied, as she took off her royal dress, revealing a crop top and shorts under it: “Let’s put ourselves comfortable now, shall we?” She added, as Hotaru quickly followed suit, as she enveloped herself in magic, her white dress turning purple and shades of black, as well as equipping herself with a sword with an eye on it

  “Ready when you are” Hotaru commented, as she charged up with a thrust, difficultly parried by Queen Victoria, whom quickly responded with a barrage of mirror shards, cutting Hotaru’s flesh, albeit superficially. The two went spell after spell after spell one against each other, in an equal fighting who saw no winners yet. With her back against the wall, thanks to the variety of spells Hotaru was capable of casting, the Queen decided to make one last ditch attack. As she got stabbed thru the abdomen by Hotaru, she grabbed her sword and stabbed back in a non vital spot

  “Mirror magic… Tier 6… Reflecto Absorptio” Queen Victoria muttered with her last breaths, as she started to absorb power from Hotaru via her sword as Hotaru had to retract her sword from her abdomen and use it to cut her hands. Before that could happen though, the Queen did the unthinkable, transferring all the absorbed magic on herself and turning herself into an human ticking bomb: if Hotaru attacked, she, the king and Carl Johan would have been gone. With little time to think, Hotaru grabbed the king and fled, as the queen exploded, killing herself and Carl Johan in the process. Hotaru and King Edward didn’t scrape by though, as they reported various injuries, despite making it out of there alive. From afar, Obito, Kettei, Yui and Rob watched helplessly the unfolding of the events, as the tall, blond man clenched his fists and gritted his teeth angrily, but calmed down:

  “Rob, bring Obito to Kamome, I need to have some one on one with my sister” Kettei ordered, his voice firm but calm: “And while at it, give him a warm meal. He came all the way from Bellum, so I assume he’s starving” he added

  “Got it” Rob replied, not wanting to question his seriousness, as he and Obito left for the headquarters. Once out of sight, Kettei turned towards Yui

  “I assume you have many question, sis. I’m listening” he said, his glare serious

  “First and foremost, why didn’t you tell me our dad was gone? Why did you keep it hidden from me all these years?” Yui asked trying to hold on her tears, her lower lip trembling and her voice trembling

  “I couldn’t put such weight on you, who were a 4 year old when he passed away. You think it was easy trying to keep a facade and not burst out crying when you asked about daddy all the night for three years? Let me tell you, it wasn’t. There were many things I wish I had done, but you and by extension mom needed emotional support. And I don’t regret it one bit” Kettei replied, trying to calm her down by patting her back: “You’re my baby sister. If something happened to you, I wouldn’t fucking forgive myself for it”

  “I-I…” Yui stammered, as she wiped away her tears, trying to find the right words, as she tried to recompose herself: “Changing topic, what are the forbidden Might and the Doom Tiara? I overheard Mom and the king mentioning them” she asked, now calmer

  “They’re the Izawami family heirlooms. Forbidden Might is a ring who boosts your power in exponential manner, but as a side effect, you also lose your sense of self, and you hardly come back from that. As for the doom Tiara… that’s a long story. I believe someone from the Goloa race will have explanations and more info” Kettei explained

  “So you’re about as clueless as anyone else?” Yui asked

  “All I’m worried about is helping Obito out” Kettei replied, as he turned around

  “Be careful, yer still not fully recovered” Alice commented, having just walked by and heard Kettei talking about helping Obito out

  “Oh, Alice, good afternoon” Kettei replied, smiling

  “Cut yer shit, okay? I’m not gonna risk ye getting more injured than you already are” Alice sternly replied, but her stern tone was masking a tone of worrying

  “Despite all of it, I wanna help him. I’ll find a way” Kettei said, looking at Alice

  “Yui, can ye leave us alone, please?” Alice asked, turning towards the young Izawami girl

  “Sure thing” Yui replied, walking towards Kamome’s HQ. Once alone, Alice turned towards Kettei

  “I wanna be honest with ye. I’m scared. Scared ye won’t be back, scared ye will get injured. I never cared that much about me trusted pirates. But ye? Ye matter a lot to me” Alice confessed, a slight bluch spreading in her cheeks

  “Alice… Look, I’ll see what I can do. I know my conditions aren’t the best, nut I can’t have anyone suffer. Neither in Tempest, nor in the other kingdoms” Kettei replied, as he caressed her head: “I’ll make the right choice”

  “Ye better do, you muppet” Alice replied, smirking softly, as she walked towards Kamome herself. After some time by himself, Sora and Martha went to check on him

  “Hey bud” Sora spoke up: “You look lost in thought, what’s the matter?”

  “Yeah, tell us, please. You’re his best friend, you’re my best friend” Martha added, concerned

  “Well, Bellum is in danger, and I don’t mean like civil war. I’m talking a mysterious energy who threatens people’s well-being. And due to my injury, I can’t quite go. I don’t know what to do” Kettei admitted, before Sora punched him across the face, much to Martha and Kettei’s shock

  “Don’t give me that “I don’t know what to do” Kind of shit! You’re Kettei Izawami. You’re one of the smartest people I know. You just overwhelmed the Tempestian army a couple of months ago. And with a smaller army!” Sora exclaimed, angered: “So find a way, come up with an idea”

  “You’re right. Let’s go to Kamome. I’ll figure it out there” Kettei replied, standing up: “Thank you, bro. I needed that”

  “No problem. Want me to lead the way to you, youngster?” Sora asked sarcastically as Kettei giggled

  “You made your point. We’ll wait for you there” Martha added, as the pair walked away. Not long after, Kettei walked to Kamome, where everyone was waiting

  “Alright, fellas, let’s-“ Kettei started to speak, before being cut off by the barging in there of a masked female with short, white-greenish hair and a cloak covering her body

  “Sorry to interrupt, but we have some sad news. Unfortunately, the queen is no longer with us” The masked newcomer announced, as the room fell silent, quieter than it had ever been…