**

Chapter 40: Preparations

**

Like much of the country Ishikawa was lost behind a wall of fog. Nestled between two rivers, streets once alive with people going places were now dead silent. Evil knights roamed the rice farms and textile mills that brought decades of prosperity to the city.

A monument designed after the city’s founder mounted on a great steed challenged the height of most pines. Below the monument, a woman with wild, dark hair was preoccupied with her work.

On her hands and knees, the pale woman had been working on a large area of street art for the better part of the night. It depicted a massive crevice in the ground that was endless. Anyone looking at the art from afar would avoid it out of fear of falling into darkness.

She hummed a playful tune while drawing a colorful path on the ground with a piece of chalk. It was her best work yet, but there was still much left to do. She traded a white piece of chalk for a light brown one and meticulously filled in gaps. Everything about her street art had to be exact, extremely precise.

The piece of chalk snapped in her hand at the sound of approaching footsteps. The woman jumped to her feet and turned around. “GET OFF IT!” she hissed as if she were a lioness and someone had stepped on her tail.

"What are you doing?" the man in lizard armor asked, ignoring her demanding tone while standing on the abyss of her work.

“Are you deaf under that helmet?!” She stormed up to him and shoved him away. “STAY OFF OF IT!”

She returned to the spot where he stood and dropped to the ground for closer inspection. “If you smudged anything I will strangle you with your dreads!”

“Shouldn’t you be more worried about Aiden?” the man asked.

The wild-haired woman was more concentrated on finding blemishes in her art than responding. “Ahmya!”

“What?!” Ahmya snapped, eyes fixated on her art.

“Weren’t your knights supposed to have taken care of Aiden by now?”

“You were too, if I’m not mistaken, Zaki.”

“I had him,” Zaki said, leaning back against the base of the monument. “He’s just more slippery than I thought.”

“Or maybe you’re just as worthless as those knights,” Ahmya grinned. She returned to the spot where she left off and grabbed the piece of chalk. “Now, go away and stop bothering me about Aiden! He’s destined to come to us, one way or another.”

*

He was hovering, floating in a sea of darkness.

No stars, no moon, there wasn’t even an atmosphere; nothing.

The surrounding emptiness felt as if it was deep within him as well, numbing his consciousness to submission.

A dim object drifted toward him out of the darkness. “How I’ve longed for this moment,” Alba’s voice echoed around him. "Your time has run its course."

Aiden’s eyes flew open. NO!!

His heart raced as the air expelled out of his lungs. He was still there, still in Nihon and still inside the tent. I’ve had it with that rune haunting me! You’re not getting my body! I won’t let you!

It would be nice to have normal dreams again, but those were saved for normal people. They were definitely not for someone expected to destroy all of humanity one day.

Maybe he should just stop sleeping. When did he fall asleep, anyway? And where did Asia sneak off to?

The camp was quiet and still. Other than a man stirring the fire pit, no one else seemed to be around. They must have retired to their tents for the night. Tomorrow was the big day, the day they challenged the evil that chased them from their homes. They needed the rest.

Aiden shifted his attention to a man wrapped in shadow walking up to camp. Matsuo. Even in the dark Aiden recognized the man by the random locks of hair that stood straight up almost like spikes. How he carried his sword’s sheath instead of wearing a belt as many others did was another clue.

After taking a few steps past Aiden, Matsuo stopped and hesitated. It was a moment or so before he turned to the young man and said, “Thank you for making Shizuka better.”

“You’re welcome. How's it looking down there?”

“Those snow monsters are back pretending to be trees." Matsuo lowered his head, searching for words. "Admitting when I’m wrong was...something I’m not accustomed to. I concluded you were like the other one.”

“What other one?” Aiden asked, his interest peaked.

“Where are you from? Midaharia?”

“I was born there, yes.”

“There’s another Midaharian here that’s been causing mischief. I haven’t seen him, myself, but from what I’ve heard he wears some type of reptilian armor and carries multiple swords.”

That’s the guy from before, that nearly killed me!

“By the look in your eyes, I'd say you know who I'm talking about,” Matsuo said.

“No, our paths crossed briefly a little while ago, that’s it.”

“Right,” Matsuo said. And that suspicious tone in his voice was back with a vengeance.

“Have you seen Asia, by any chance?”

“She should be with Nezuma and the rest of the orphans,” Matsuo said as he walked away.

That made sense. Asia was better off with the other children, but now he was alone. Again. Being by himself, far away from the intent of others, was what he wanted, initially. Now, not so much. He’d gotten accustomed to having someone around to talk to, even if she was a mute.

With little else to do for the night, Aiden grabbed his cloak and left the camp. Vanquishing those snow monsters or knights stirring around in the fog would keep his eyes open. Anything was better than falling back to sleep.

Almost anything.

*

By morning the camp was buzzing with activity. Ino and several others were busy sharpening swords. Some of the women sat around the fire mending the men’s armor. They were a few dozen men strong and serious about challenging the enemy that laid claim to their home. If they were afraid, Aiden couldn’t tell by looking at them. Determination mixed with a bit of desperation dominated the atmosphere of the camp.

A map of Ishikawa hung outside of Yamato’s tent. He stood in front of it like a commanding officer, explaining his strategic plan of action to experienced soldiers. Yet, the men around him were little more than just farmers or skilled laborers. As he looked them over, Aiden wondered if they’d ever experienced any kind of conflict in their lifetime.

Ino, Matsuo, and Yamato were the only three that resembled seasoned warriors. Aiden suspected that the person controlling the fog and much of the weather around them was using the Rebirth of Storms touched by Damnation’s power, as well. Confronting him or her won’t be an easy endeavor.

“Aiden,” Yamato said, pulling the young man out of his thoughts. “Would you be willing to use your exceptional abilities to lead the charge into Ishikawa?”

“I’d better follow your lead, sir, with the needed support.”

“What kind of support?” asked Matsuo.

“You’ll see. Try not to freak out when you do.”

“As you wish, young man. We move out at noon and not a second later.”

While the men dispersed, Asia ran up to Aiden with a notepad in one hand and Ino’s youngest son in the other. The little boy wore a frown as he unenthusiastically kept up with Asia. She has ways of getting what she wants.

“Made a new friend, have you?” Aiden asked.

Asia nodded and showed Aiden her notepad. “He’s sad. Cheer him up?” it read.

First I was a healer, now I’m a jester for children? “What do you have in mind?”

Asia threw her arms up and stretched her little legs on her toes. She must want me to levitate him since she enjoyed it so much. Maybe loop him around some? Looking at Kazue’s eyes, that probably wouldn’t work out too well. He’d likely panic and call for his mother. An unwanted scene of an angry mom cursing him out for terrorizing her baby played out in his head.

Aiden knelt down in front of Asia. “I have a better idea. How did you lose your voice, Asia?”

She shrugged.

“Let’s see if I can give it back to you.” Aiden touched the little girl’s throat gently and took a moment to fix whatever was broken. “I think that’s it.”

Asia blinked several times, her round eyes shifting around in amazement. Her lips slowly parted, then came what sounded like a mouse whispering. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I...I can speak...?” she said, with little tone. “I can speak!” she said much louder but her voice was still rusty.

“Awesome, huh? No more need for notepads you couldn’t keep up with now.”

She shrieked and threw her arms around him. “THANK YOU, AIDEN!”

Aiden looked up and noticed a crowd had gathered around them. He really wasn’t looking for attention, but nearly every eye in the camp was on him. Asia giggled into happy tears as the crowd applauded. Even Kazue’s face was slightly less depressing than before.

Ino dropped his sharpening tool and looked over at the crowd. “What’s happened? What did I miss?!”

“Nothing much,” Yamato responded. He turned to Matsuo with a look of vindication in his dark brown eyes. “Just the answer to our prayers.”