He strolled through the slums in the morning air, watching the destitute peasants lucky enough to even call the city their home start their day. An old woman, her face wrinkled so much that her eyes were barely slits on her face re-stats her sorry excuse for a hearth with embers she conjures from thin air. The young man observing her from afar felt sorry for her. In the deep past, the past he sought to regain, that sort of thing - conjuring fire from seemingly nothing - was short of a miracle. Now, it is a commonplace occurrence. One in eight people born in Shin Rikoku, at some point in late childhood, would “Awaken” the ability to use fire in some way. If that person was a noble, then their fires would be at least eight times more powerful, more spectacular. The same is true for all these “Awakenings”, as they came to be known. Anywhere between eight and twelve years of age a child will Awaken to some kind of power. This power is weak in common folk and immensely powerful in the nobility. One in four will become magicians, who rival the nobility in power and stand head and shoulders above the rest in terms of what they could do with theirs. It disgusted him, the inequality in this world. Either all have power equally, or no power at all.

The way the world works, he thought, the latter was much easier to accomplish.

He set out to his goal: the very center of Reinaguchi, what the locals call Skysteel Palace. The home of the King and his council of noblemen. As he approached the palace, he donned a mask - a bare white disguise with thick black lines radiating from the center, like a black star in a white sky. Another masked man was waiting for him, two dead men were at his feet.

“Morningstar,” the other man greeted. “I thought you’d be taller.” His voice was coarse, his head bald and dotted with liverspots.

“I assume you are Wallbreaker. Pleased to meet your acquaintance.”

The man named Wallbreaker scoffed. “I don’t understand why The Master would send someone so young for this kind of operation. Losing Truthsword really changed the Order.”

Truthsword… that name made Morningstar’s blood run cold. He was the greatest member of the Order of Kuusai in the fourteen centuries since its founding. Brilliant. Powerful. Zealous. But he was killed in action three years ago. He was part of the contingent that was sent to Reinaguchi to overthrow the nobility. The nobility were taken by surprise, and even the King fell to the sword. But then, they failed as the queen - Lady Watanabe Nadeshiko channeled within her the power of Shin Rikoku’s gods and obliterated the invasion force at the cost of her own life. Or so the story goes. The only survivor was the man they called Wallbreaker.

“Well, better get this over with,” Wallbreaker said, taking a few deep breaths. He approached the edge of the moat and jumped into the water. But instead of sinking to the moat below, he appeared to walk on its surface. Morningstar soon followed, walking an invisible bridge Wallbreaker conjured. Soon, they were climbing the palace walls, with invisible handholds and footholds similarly conjured out of thin air. Once they were atop the palace walls, their work had only begun.

“I could break this barrier,” Wallbreaker said, feeling the air next to the wall harden in response to his touch. “But that would alert their Wardsmith.”

“So how do I get in?” Morningstar asked.

“I can make a hole large enough for you to come in.”

“Then why don’t you do that?”

The older man sighed. “It’s not that easy. This ward is a whole different beast from the one they had three years ago. I could make a hole, but I can only keep it open for four minutes. After that, the whole barrier would break and they’d be alerted to our presence.”

The younger man scoffed. “Plenty of time.” said the younger man, unsheathing a sword he kept on his back. “As luck would have it, our target is right below us,” he noted the girl wearing a bright yellow furisode. She was, however, accompanied by someone who dressed like a thaumaturgist. He had to get rid of him in the fastest way possible.

The old man wasn’t pleased with his comrade’s confidence. “You weren’t with us the last time I was here, kid," He recalled the last time he dispelled the barrier over this palace. “Don’t underestimate these people. You never know when they’re going to pull another Godtamer on you. “

“Godtamer? You think they have someone that powerful down there? That kind of thing shows up once in four hundred years, old man.”

The old man grumbled. Something told him that his younger accomplice didn’t think things through. How did this boy become the one in charge of this operation?

“Get in, do what you need to do, and get out.” I can only keep this hole open for about three more minutes," Said the older man.

The younger man smiled. Not that anyone would see behind his mask. “You worry too much, old timer," he then jumped, diving from atop the wall onto the unsuspecting people below.

-

Yuuichi didn’t know how he felt it, or when he started acting, but the creeping feeling of dread he had been accustomed to screamed in his mind to erect a barrier. He didn’t have to say the incantation or perform rituals any more, he just acted, out of an impending sense of danger, shoving the princess behind him, as his hastily-put together barrier met with the cold steel of the sword drawn by the assailant attacking from above. The princess shrieked, but their place was far too secluded for anyone to come to their rescue anytime soon.

The attacker was knocked back, skidding on the wooden planks of the bridge they were standing on. They froze, observing a masked man with a drawn sword regain his footing on the bridge. Yuuichi heard the man curse behind his mask, and sensed hesitation in his posture. Was he considering which action to take?

Yuuichi felt his legs twitch, anticipating the directive from his brain to run. Something was stopping him, though. Could he, in good conscience, abandon the Princess with a crazed madman who fell from the sky?

“Hand her over," The man demanded.

Yuuichi moved to run, grabbing the Princess’ arm in the process. Why exactly - he wasn’t quite sure. The masked man was quick, leaping into the air, somersaulting above them and landing on their path. Without missing a beat, he moved to strike once more. Yuriko jerked Yuuichi from the path of the blade, maneuvering them away from the bridge, shepherding them into one of the passages out and into the Western Keep and towards the safety of the palace guards.

The man was relentless in his pursuit, however, and kept dealing blows. Yuuichi blocked the sword strikes with magic as quickly as he could. He noted that the princess, while highly encumbered by her dress and sandals, was still able to outthink the attacker and maneuver them to relative safety. Was this related to her Awakening? Perhaps not, he reasoned. After all, she was coughing up a storm. Awakened abilities do not work when someone is ill.

Unfortunately, the attacker was no fool. He was deftly agile, closing the distance and placing himself in between them and the nearest exit. It looked as if the man had studied the mazelike garden before he struck. He backed them into a corner, using his sword’s added reach as leverage.

There was no escape. While surrendering the princess was a valid option if he valued his life, something more primal than logic took over. He could not conscientiously condone handing over an innocent person to someone who demanded her at swordpoint, could he?

“Are you from the Order of Kuusai?” Yuuichi asked, trying to buy enough time for him to formulate a plan to extract the princess. He could fight, he reasoned, while she could not. Perhaps, just this once, he could be a shield to someone else from this dreaded city. After all, she hasn’t maltreated him recently, to his memory.

The man simply levelled his sword at him. “So what if I am? Hand her over.”

“What do you want from me?” Yuriko asked. She moved from behind Yuuichi and tried to reason with the attacker. “There is no need to attack if we can settle this amicably.”

The young man hesitated slightly upon hearing her voice, but swiftly changed disposition. “The Order wishes to bring about a new age, Princess. I would love it if you were… instrumental in its dawning," He let out a hand.

She balked, retreating slightly. “If your ‘new age’ means the destruction of my people, which your Order has desired for so long, then I’m sorry. I do not wish to tarnish the memory of my mother.”

“That is unfortunate.”

He moved to strike, but Yuuichi was faster. He was chanting under his breath, and slammed his foot into the wooden planks of the bridge below them. In a flash of light, the planks came loose and shook violently, causing the man to lose his balance.

Yuuichi yelled, for the first time in who-knows-how-long. “PRINCESS! RUN!” It was out of pure impulse, as it soon made clear that the Princess’ furisode and clogs made running impossible. Not to mention she was having the worst coughing fit he had ever seen.

The Order member regained his footing, his sword starting to glow red hot. It seemed that Yuuichi wasn’t the only magician around, as the young man swung his sword in a wide arc, and red glowing balls of light shot at them in a volley. He repeated this two…three...four times in quick succession, quicker than Yuuichi can mount a defense. Yuuichi tackled Yuriko into the ground, a few of the projectiles hitting him square on the back, causing him to cry out in immense pain.

The assailant walked toward them, calmly, sword drawn. It looked as if Yuuichi was already incapacitated, with Yuriko under him. The masked assailant saw the opportunity to finish this quickly. Raising his sword, he dashed to their direction, intent on killing Yuuichi.

Opposition to the ravages of time.

Crashing waves upon imposing stone.

Gathered wind on lonely mountains.

Take away what cannot hold.

Yuuichi yelled, finishing his incantation as he held tightly to Yuriko. “RIDE, EARTH KING’S CHARIOT!” Nearby rocks immediately flew into their direction, a few of whom hitting the masked man, causing him to duck for cover. Yuuichi let go of Yuriko, and rolled away from her, grunting in effort as Yuriko’s body levitated and was then supported in the air by a floating raft of loose stone, quickly whisking her away from the bridge.

The masked man cursed, pointing his sword at Yuriko’s direction, he channelled another piece of spellcraft. This time, his sword split into eight thin ribbons of steel, reaching out at breakneck speed, trying to grab at the princess. Meanwhile, Yuuichi was also busy setting up an offense…

Messages from the South

Depart, ye fledgelings into the night

Take breath, leave ashes in thy wake

“Flight of Embers!” Yuuichi finished yet another incantation, sending two dozen flaming sparrows into the masked man’s direction. The attacker reeled, dodging the fiery birds sent his way. Some scored direct hits, but didn’t do much other than singe his clothing. More importantly, he lost concentration, and the ribbons emanating from his sword stopped their advance.

It soon became clear to him that fighting this Thaumaturgist was going to take too much time the masked man didn’t have. He reached into his pockets, and extracted two fistfuls of paper slips, with spells written on them. He scattered them into the wind, each of them turning into tall, bone-white humanoid soldiers.

He started sprinting into the direction of the fleeing Princess, but in a flash, the Thaumaturgist was suddenly in front of him, holding something in his hand. How did he close the distance? The sage swung something in a wide arc. The masked man dodged, only to feel a sharp gust of wind brush through him, tearing his clothes in places. Was that...wind?

The man cursed. This wasn’t about getting the princess anymore. He had no more time. She had escaped, and soon, the entire palace would be aware of his presence. So he’d settle for the next best thing: killing the nuisance. At least that would be one less thing to worry about when he enacts the backup plan he had in mind. He struck with his sword, barely grazing Yuuichi. The attacker’s footing was clean, and his swings flawlessly executed. Yuuichi, not exactly physically agile himself, had trouble dodging, contending with both the masked man and his minions.

A wild slash caused Yuuichi to dodge into the direction of two of his minions, who grabbed his arms. One more grabbed Yuuichi in a chokehold from behind.

“Such a nuisance…” he touched the tip of his sword to Yuuichi’s cheek, drawing blood. “I’ll give you the privilege of dying by my blade. After all, you gave me quite the inconvenience," He pushed his weapon deeper, ever so slightly, manic sadism flowing from his mask-garbled voice.

Yuuichi shut his eyes, trying not to give in to panic.

“All you need is one second of eternity," The words of his mother rang in his ears.

“I am the vanguard for the Order of Kuusai. Prepare to die. My name is -” the attacker said, although Yuuichi was paying no attention to him.

The Thaumaturgist grasped at something he’d attached to his wrist the moment he woke up that morning – what looked like a small cylinder of glass. Time stopped for him for a moment, expanding his mind a hundredfold.

And in the blink of an eye, his attackers were blown away.

-

Kazuma gasped for air, the shock of the barrier breaking finally sinking in and washing away. “Someone broke the barrier… I don’t know how but they managed”, he said in between gasps.

Someone screamed right outside, accompanied by the sound of falling rocks, and followed by bits of loud coughing. Akira opened the doors, finding his sister on the ground. Her hair was in disarray, and her clothes had multiple singed areas and splinters. Surrounding her were an assortment of rocks.

“What on Earth?”

“Order of Kuusai… Tried to kidnap me… Saved by…. Lord Morimoto," She said in between fits of gasping and coughing. Miri knelt beside her, propping her up and touching her knife into the princess’ neck, whispering, “breathe”. Her knife flew out of her hand, doing nothing. Akira eyed Miri disdainfully for a moment, and then turned to his sister.

“Are we under attack?”

She nodded. Using Miri as a crutch to get up, she tried to calm her breathing. “A masked man appeared, and tried to kill Lord Morimoto, saying he should hand me over. Lord Morimoto protected me, and used a spell to take me here. I think they’re still fighting.”

“Hold up… What? Yuuichi was with you? And he was fighting that man?” Miri interrogated, concern furrowing her brows, and hysteria filling her voice.

“That explains the barrier dropping”, Kazuma, regaining his composure, offered. “They might have wanted a covert operation but Yuuichi got in the way. You can only keep a hole open in the barrier so long before the whole ward falls apart.”

“Where are they now?” asked Akira.

“Northwest Garden.”

“Alright, I’ll take care of it," Akira replied. “Lord Morita, take my sister to the South Keep. Seek shelter from Lady Hibana.”

“No, I’m coming with you," She demanded, using Miri as leverage to get back at her feet, and loosening her clothes a bit to facilitate running.

“You said they’re after you. I can’t have that happen.”

“I can’t abandon Lord Morimoto like that. I owe him my life.”

“Yuriko, I –“

“The Godtamer wills it, Brother," She said, her voice losing all gentleness. Her hand flew to the pendant hanging on her neck.

Akira relented. Miri and Kazuma looked at each other, puzzled at what the Princess meant, but paid it no heed for the moment. They started for the garden; the ruckus was starting to attract the attention of the nobility and servants in the vicinity, and they also ran in the direction they were headed. Guards were already at the scene, after hearing a series of explosions. Most of them were already busy dealing with the intruder’s minions.

What greeted them was a sight no one else imagined they would ever see.

A masked man was directing about a dozen faceless soldiers to attack Lord Morimoto… Or at least, it looked like Lord Morimoto. His usual white coat had been replaced by black, and he was wielding what looked like a shortsword with an invisible blade. He was able to keep up with the soldiers, slashing at them with his blade made of who-knows-what, turning them to ash. When of them moved in too close for comfort, he leaped into the air, as if given an extra boost by the wind. He landed, calling forth a bolt of lightning from the sky, instantly incinerating a few of them. Then finally six of them dove unto him at the same time, burying him. The masked man’s sword glowed red, and was about to swing it at the mass of his minions, intent on destroying them and Lord Morimoto within, but a flaming whirlwind appeared around the lordling, incinerating all that came near him. The attacker reeled.

Akira then stepped into the fray. The whole area became a shade darker, as if the sun had been blotted out by an angry cloud. He dashed into the attacker at inhuman speeds, blue flames erupting from where he’d stepped, and even more surrounding his body. He crossed the distance in the span of two heartbeats, but a wall of water surrounded the attacker, stopping Akira.

“No need to raise your flames at me, Your Majesty”. The attacker quipped, raising his hands in surrender and dropping the wall when Akira stepped back. “I know when I’m beaten," He took a few steps back, arms still in the air.

“You have good men in your service. They’re no Godtamers, but they’re good. Looks like the Order of Kuusai has a lot of work to do.”

Yuuichi raised his sword and prepared to strike at him.

“Don’t waste your energy, sage. You may be able to hold me back for now, but I’m coming for her," he said, pointing at Yuriko. “And I’m going to take my sweet revenge on you.”

Black smoke surrounded him, obscuring their view of him. “You all better brace yourselves. The Order of Kuusai will prevail”, his voice echoed as he disappeared.

Yuuichi dropped his sword. Upon reaching the ground, however, it turned out to be a flute. Then he dropped into his knees, the blackness of his coat dissolving behind him as he fell, like hundreds of crow’s feathers being shed. Finally, he passed out.

Everyone else was stunned for more than a few moments, questioning what they had just seen and heard.

King Watanabe raised his voice. “All Lords to Skysteel Hall! Prepare to avert Disaster. Watch out for Upheaval.”