NIGHT HAS FALLEN IN AKUNI and Yokina has donned his finest robes as he strolls through his flower garden. All of the flowers seemed to be neatly organized and separated not only by species but also by color. A vast rainbow of petals donned this west-most side of Yokina's palace. A messenger eventually approached the king of Akuni with the news.

"Your majesty," he began, "there has been another tragedy in the west district. Two towns have been terrorized by Aotoshi troops. There are many casualties. King Mujihina was seen leading these assaults."

"That is a very serious allegation," Yokina scoffed. "How can we be so sure that Kunshu is responsible for this atrocity?"

"My lord, photos of the events have shown up," the messenger answered, presenting him with a folder. "Your people are scared." Yokina began flipping through and saw the news of the raids on Shinku and Kimura. At the head of each raid, he saw Kunshu, the king of Aotoshi, directing the charge.

"Those kids..." Yokina said under his breath before speaking to the messenger, "post message boards to assemble the citizens. I will personally be making an announcement tomorrow morning."

"As you wish, my liege." The messenger went off to post pamphlets for Yokina's announcement at sunrise.

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Daylight peeked through the barred window of the jail cell as Yukan awoke, his eyelids bombarded with this light. Groggily, he got up and peeked out the window. As he looks, he sees a flyer nailed to a telephone pole telling that King Yokina was going to make an announcement that morning. Seeing this, he tries to wake the other two up.

"There's going to be an announcement from King Yokina just outside the palace," he said. "You need to get up or you're going to miss it."

"But it's so early," Kadaina complained, only one-third conscious. He yawns and ends up leaning too far off of his bed and hitting the concrete floor.

"I'm sleepy," Ite responded.

"Do I have to drag you two out of your beds?!" Yukan yelled, baffled by the sheer laziness of his teammates. "Come on, you potatoes!"

"This pawn feels like sleeping," Kadaina said, still making chess references while half-asleep. "I'll move later."

Yukan was getting tired of their lazy behavior and pulled them up to the window of their jail cell to where they could see the event. Thankfully, the jail cell was close enough to Yokina's palace for them to hear the announcement.

"Good morning, citizens of Akuni," Yokina began. "Thank you for joining me so early this morning. We are here today to officially declare war on Aotoshi." The crowd fell into a controlled panic. Yukan, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe his ears. The man who, just yesterday, had been so avidly against the idea of declaring war, so much so to the extent that he would throw the three of them in jail for proposing the idea, was now announcing his approval of this with a genuine belief that it was the right thing to do.

"I know there is a huge concern for safety and enlistment," the king continued, "but this needs to be done. Kunshu, the king of Aotoshi, has been leading a tyrant raid for months now in small and defenseless towns. Many innocent families, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters have perished under his raids. We need to take a stand here and now. Some of you have already lost loved ones to these sick acts of murder. We have to deal with this man now. If we don't, who will? Who will put an end to this ruthless dictator? I don't ask that you stand by my every belief and decision, but I do ask that you stand against this common threat. I ask you to believe in this cause and look for a better tomorrow!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Yokina had retained the support of his nation as he transitioned from a ruler in a time of peace to a ruler in a time of war.

"What do you think changed his mind?" Kadaina asked, awakened by the declaration of war.

"No idea," Ite replied. "Maybe he realized who Kunshu truly is?"

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Once again, night had fallen. Yokina was escorted to the jail cell where he met with the trio.

"Did you realize what I was talking about?" Yukan said as soon as Yokina entered the cell.

"Yeah, don't rub it in," Yokina retorted before clearing his throat and changing his tone. "Regardless, I should have considered why you'd want to declare war on Aotoshi. I have now seen a small portion of what he has been doing to the people of this land. Yukan, was it? You have a certain look in your eyes that scares me. It's a dangerous look, but it's also very determined. You are all so young, yet you have come across this world. I can't guarantee your safety in this upcoming war. I can only pray for your lives."

"You don't need to pray for anything," Yukan assured the king. "We will lean on each other on the battlefield. We will come back together."

"I am your loyal pawn who will cover you," Kadaina chimed in. "I will be here when you need me and I will protect Ite."

"I will shoot the enemy down," Ite followed suit. "My aim will stay true in this upcoming war."

"You can count on us," Yukan said, wrapping the flow of reassurance up. "We will come back, your majesty, and with the head of Kunshu in tow."

"I don't know your story or what happened in your life," Yokina responded. "Just don't ever let hatred consume you, young man. The military will be happy to take you three in for the fight. Be safe and I hope to see you alive again."

The king gestured for the guards to open the door as he let the three of them out. Before leaving, Yukan turned to the king.

"Thank you, King Yokina," he said. "We will fight hard for our country and our fallen family and friends."

They then returned to the hotel room they'd stayed in and checked out. Since they didn't expect to land themselves in jail for another day, they hadn't paid for the hotel room for the night they were locked up. Consequently, it cost them some more money. At this rate, Yukan wouldn't likely be able to afford to go to the college he wanted to due to a lack of funds. Regardless, they went into their room and grabbed their weapons. Yukan took the Omega Blade, while Ite grabbed the Nukenai Bow and Kadaina left with his staff, Brildjngr. As soon as they were done packing up, they left on their horses for the base, located in Murasakino. Yukan was overjoyed, as he knew that, in due time, his family was going to finally be avenged.