ACE OF FATE

"Nghh..." The orange-haired samurai opened his eyes as Felix finished healing him.

"Hnnngh..." He slowly stood up.

"Are we no longer in peril?" he asked.

"No, we're safe," Felix replied.

"And what happened to the gray-haired woman?" the samurai asked again.

"She is safe. I also healed her, although she is still unconscious," Felix said.

"Has anyone seen Fumio Kaneko, the leader of the Kaneko clan?" the old clan leader asked.

"Oh! Lord Haruto, I didn't see you there. My apologies!" The orange-haired samurai bowed.

"I saw him run outside with the other high-ranking officials. I believe I heard him shout something like, 'They are after my money,'" the samurai explained.

[Patter-Patter]

They heard footsteps coming from the hole in the wall created during Isamu and Igor's fight.

"Hey, is everyone okay here?" Nene asked as she entered.

She and Sei stepped through the hole, carrying an unconscious Isamu on Sei's back.

"Yes, we are fine," Old Man Haruto answered.

"How is the Kenshin leader doing?" he added.

"He is fine. We managed to heal him in time," Sei replied.

[Rustle-Rustle]

A sudden sound came from beneath the rubble of the destroyed wall.

"What's that sound?" Nene asked, her hand moving to the hilt of her katana.

"I'll check it out," Felix said as he approached the rubble and crouched down to remove it.

[Scrape-Scrape]

As he cleared away debris, he uncovered something strange and furry.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the rebel castle where all the kaals stood:

"WHAT?! You forgot Lewi because you're running out of time?!" Niko shouted at Max.

"Yes," Max replied plainly.

"But how can you forget a member of the team?" Niko continued, exasperated.

"Yes."

"I know he messed with you sometimes and was a bit of a pervert, but how could you do that?!"

"Yes," Max nodded, crossing his arms nonchalantly.

"You know I didn't change his memories, right?"

"Yes."

"You know he could betray us if he finds a beautiful woman, right?"

"Bravo," Max said sarcastically, clapping his hands once.

Back at the Emperor's castle, after half an hour, everyone who had been injured was brought into the castle's infirmary.

The hall featured tatami mats covering the floor, and the walls were adorned with simple wooden partitions that provided a semblance of privacy, though they were minimal. 

Light filtered in through shoji screens, which could be opened or closed depending on the need for ventilation. Basic medical supplies were stored in wooden chests and on shelves along the walls.

Injured individuals lay on futons spread across the ground.

"Thanks for keeping Lady Miku safe," Felix said to Kiko.

"N-No need to thank me; I just did what I could," Kiko replied nervously.

"I was really surprised when she decided to come back to help, even after I told her not to," said Hayate, the bright orange-haired samurai, standing near Felix.

"She was like, 'I don't care if I die; I will help those in need. I have nothing to do with the differences between the previous clan leaders,'" he continued, imitating Kiko.

"Stop! Hayate, why are you telling him that?" Kiko shouted.

"Forgive me, m'lady," Hayate said as he bowed.

"Is she still not waking up?" Hayate asked about Miku.

Felix shook his head in response.

"Could this be one of those stories where a young woman falls into eternal slumber and some prince has to kiss her to wake her up?" Hayate suggested, lightly hitting the palm of his open hand with his fist.

"W-What?" Kiko stammered, her face turning red.

"I don't think so. Whatever it is, it was done by those people," Felix said firmly. "We just need to be careful about whatever happens."

"Why so serious? Chill out; everything will be fine!" Hayate exclaimed.

"I am not worried, but it's my duty to keep her safe," Felix replied with a straight face.

"Wow..." Kiko whispered.

"I understand, brother," Hayate said, placing a hand on Felix's shoulder.

Suddenly, they heard voices nearby. "Sei! We need to go back to the village!"

"No, Nene! We must wait for Lord Isamu's order—and stop calling me Sei! I am not your pet."

"Ahem." A man coughed as he sat up on his futon behind them.

Nene and Sei slowly turned their heads, horror etched across their faces.

"L-Lord Isamu! Please forgive us, sir!" they both exclaimed in unison, dropping to the ground and bowing deeply.

"Yeah, yeah—just spill the tea on what's going down and what I'm supposed to do," Isamu ordered impatiently.

"Yes, my lord. There is only one casualty—the emperor. There have been some injuries, but everyone is out of danger and—"

"That's enough; I got it," Isamu interrupted curtly.

"My lord… you don't intend to hear the rest?" Nene asked hesitantly.

"Nope—don't care," he replied while rubbing his ear with his little finger. "Now that the emperor is dead, we—the clan leaders—must decide what happens next."

"Yes, you're right," Haruto said as he stood near his injured blue-haired samurai.

"Old man Furukawa!" Isamu exclaimed upon seeing him.

"Hey! I am not old, you fighting junkie!" Haruto shouted through gritted teeth.

"Please calm down, respected clan leaders," Felix interjected as he stepped closer.

"Huh?" Haruto and Isamu turned their heads toward Felix, their expressions shifting into defiance.

"What did you say?" Haruto sneered, furrowing his eyebrows as he glared at him.

"Yeah! You think you can just tell us what to do?" Isamu added, crossing his arms and smirking defiantly.

"Hey! Why are you copying my thug act?" Haruto shot back at Isamu.

"I should ask you the same!" Isamu countered.

[Slide-Open]

Just then, someone entered the infirmary hall.

"You're here, Katsu," Haruto said, referring to Katsuhiro as Katsu.

"Yes, Lord Furukawa; Lord Kenshin; Lady Sasaki. I apologize for leaving everyone back in that chaos, but I had to take the empress to a safe spot and protect her," General Katsuhiro replied.

"Yes, yes, I understand, although the only one they killed was the emperor," Haruto replied.

"The empress is in dire straits, so she can't make any decision. The remaining clan leaders have to make a decision about the situation at hand," Katsu continued.

"Yes, we understand," Haruto said, holding his index finger to his jaw.

Just as Miku began to wake up, she murmured, "What... happened...?" as she opened her beautiful black eyes and took in her surroundings.

"You're awake!" Kiko shouted in excitement.

"We don't know yet, Lady Yotsuba. Sorry to put this onto you, but you have to attend an urgent meeting to decide what to do next about the events that just happened," Katsu said.

"Yes, of course; I understand," Miku replied as she got up.

"Please remain here and try to relax while the clan leaders meet," Katsu bowed to the others before leading the clan leaders away for their discussion.

"What do you think?" Hayate asked Felix about Miku as the door closed behind them.

"Everything seems fine for now, but I've told Lord Haruto, Isamu, and Lady Kiko to keep an eye on her." Felix said.

"You aren't from around here, are you?" Hayate asked Felix.

"Why do you say that?" Felix responded curiously.

"You address clan leaders by their given names," Hayate explained.

"Isn't it a preference to say that?" Felix asked dramatically surprised by this custom.

"No; it's how we address people in Higashihara. You're not allowed to use their given names until they personally tell you otherwise—using their given names means you're pretty close to that person," he clarified.

"For example: My name is Hayate Hasegawa; people who I'm not close with call me Hasegawa but those who are close or have higher authority than me like Lady Sasaki call me Hayate."

"But I've been using their names this whole time without even asking them!" Felix exclaimed innocently while holding a finger thoughtfully against his chin.

"Whaaaaaat! Without their permission?" Hayate screamed.

In a room just large enough for five leaders to sit on cushions around a low wooden table illuminated by flickering lanterns above them, tea cups were arranged with precision before each leader. The atmosphere was heavy with unspoken tension.

To one side sat Miku and Kiko, while Fumio and Isamu occupied the opposite side. Haruto was positioned to the north, and Katsu sat to the south.

"First of all, I want to ask for my punishment—for my failure to save the emperor," Katsu said solemnly, bowing deeply until his forehead touched the tatami floor. "I was there but failed in my duty."

Haruto Furukawa glanced around at the others. "Well? What does everyone think?"

"If he fights me in combat as penance, we'll call it even!" Isamu Kenshin declared boldly with a grin.

"This was a grave mistake, but I believe it wasn't entirely his fault," Miku interjected calmly after taking a sip of tea. She frowned slightly before adding, "This tea is bitter."

"Lady Sasaki? Do you have anything you'd like to add?" Haruto asked gently.

"M-Me? I... think... he… is… not… to… be blamed!" Kiko Sasaki stammered nervously, finishing in an uncharacteristic shout that startled Haruto.

"Thanks for your enthusiasm," Haruto remarked dryly, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Katsu blinked in disbelief.

"And you? Lord Kaneko?" Haruto prompted another clan leader seated nearby, who was preoccupied with fixing his hair in a small mirror.

"I think he's fine—after all, he protected the empress' life," Fumio Kaneko replied nonchalantly without looking up from his reflection.

"So there you have it," Haruto concluded with a grin directed at Katsu. "You're off the hook—stop troubling yourself over this."

"I thank you, esteemed clan leaders, but please punish me!" Katsu insisted boldly despite their reassurances.

"Hmm... fine—we'll assign you something later—but for now, let's move on to more pressing matters," Haruto said decisively.

"So, why did Lord Himura and Lady Yoshida join them?" Isamu asked.

"Yeah, why? Were they always with them from the start?" Fumio added curiously.

"No, they're not that type of people," Haruto confirmed.

"Then it must be a Zor release power," Isamu suggested confidently.

"Lord Kenshin is correct—it must be that," Fumio agreed with a nod.

"But we can only theorize about what kind of power it could be," Haruto said thoughtfully.

"Did he mind-control them?" Isamu proposed.

"No, that can't be. There's already a Zor release power for that in the Kingdom," Haruto replied firmly.

"Could it be some sort of manipulation power?" Kiko suggested in a low voice.

"Yeah, that's possible. Maybe he manipulated their perspective to make them think we were the bad guys," Haruto speculated.

"That's just one possibility. Maybe he manipulated their memories," Isamu countered.

"Aaaa... Lady Yotsuba, do you feel something strange?" Kiko asked suddenly.

"Why would I?" Miku responded with mild confusion.

"Because when those Kaals appeared, you fell unconscious," Kiko explained earnestly.

"I am fine," Miku replied, closing her eyes solemnly.

"Okay then, let's move on to the next topic," Haruto exclaimed.

"Even the emperor was talking about this..." he paused. 

"The war," he said in a serious tone. After a few moments of silence, he continued, "The Draconis Empire was already suspicious because they believe that we are working with those Kaals."

"Why do they believe that?" Fumio asked.

"Because the Kaals have secret bases in the kingdom that are impossible to locate. Every time the emperor sends samurais to find more clues, they end up dead," Haruto explained. "The Kaals are not to be trifled with; they are very strong," he added.

"Why didn't the emperor ask us for help and Doesn't he have a huge army?" Fumio questioned again.

"Why would he? We are busy fighting with each other, and if he did ask us for help, that would only mean he is favoring one clan over another," Isamu explained.

"Now the only one who has power over the throne is the Empress; if the kingdom gets a new emperor, she is the one who has to decide," Haruto said.

"So I believe we should cease this civil war," Haruto suggested.

"Yeah, the war that the previous generation started to acquire the throne has no point anymore," Isamu said.

Fumio didn't want to give up on his dream of acquiring the throne. "Why should—"

"I was not participating in it to begin with but I also wish this war stops," Miku interpreted Fumio's thoughts.

"Yes, Lady Yotsuba is absolutely right," Fumio changed his opinion.

"Yes, I also wish this bloodshed stops," Kiko added.

"So Katsu can you please deliver this message to the other clans' villages?" Haruto asked.

"Yes, of course! I will deliver that as soon as the meeting is over."

"We also have to go to the Draconis Empire's kingdom for peace talks with them. We also need to go to Bestia Kingdom to form an alliance just in case," Miku suggested.

"Lady Yotsuba is right." Haruto said.

"Then Who will go to Bestia Kingdom for the alliance negotiations?" Isamu asked.

"I think you should go," Haruto suggested.

"WHAT!?" Isamu exclaimed.

"I want to go to the kingdom of the Draconis Empire because they're the strongest ones!" Isamu said passionately.

"You can go if you defeat me in a game; then you can go to Draconis Empire," Haruto challenged Isamu.

"But you can't decide on your own!" Isamu protested.

"I don't mind," Fumio said while adjusting his hair nonchalantly.

Kiko also agreed while Miku remained silent, indicating her indifference.

"Then let's begin!" Haruto shouted enthusiastically.

"I am going to ask you some questions and you have to answer 'yes' or 'no'," Haruto explained.

"Fine, out with it!" Isamu said as he prepared himself.

"First question: is your name Isamu Kenshin?"

"Yes."

"Are you the leader of the Kenshin clan?"

"Yes."

"Do you love fighting?"

"Yes."

"Will you go to Bestia Empire?"

"Yes—"

Isamu suddenly realized what he had just done; he was playing a losing game from the start. His face turned pale as he knew if he said anything to defend himself it would mean nothing.

"Now let's decide who will go to Draconis Empire," Haruto said thoughtfully ignoring Isamu's distress.

"I think I should go," Fumio suggested while flicking his spiky sunset blonde hair.

"I am really good at negotiations," he added confidently.

"Yeah, you're the one who ran as soon as the Kaals appeared," Haruto thought sarcastically.

"Can you tell me what your First Nexus is?" Haruto asked.

"A... Why would I tell something so important just like that?" Fumio raised his voice defensively.

"I think he doesn't even achieve it," Haruto whispered under his breath.

"Did you say something Lord Furukawa?" Fumio asked while raising an eyebrow.

"No, no it's nothing," Haruto replied with a chuckle.

"I-I... think Lady Yotsuba should be THE ONE!" Kiko stammered nervously.

"Yes! I think it should be Lady Yotsuba," Fumio quickly changed his opinion as soon as Miku's name was mentioned.

"Then it's decided: Lady Yotsuba will be going to the kingdom of Draconis Empire," Haruto declared.

Miku remained silent and calm as usual, sipping her bitter tea. She didn't care where she had to go, as long as her clan's image was restored and respected by the people.