“Because of you, twenty hunters died!”

“This Demon Child released the seal on purpose! He’s going to kill us next!”

“Murderer! Leave!”

“Don’t come back to the village and good riddance! Go die in a hole!”

Noise. It was all noise. He could tell his sanity was slipping away and hanging by a thread. They were here to ridicule and drag him deeper into despair. The more he didn’t want to hear their voices, the louder they grew. Their deaths will haunt him forever throughout his journey as the Oracle.

He sprung up, realizing it was a nightmare. Come to think of it, he experienced the same dream from a long time ago. He thought he’d gotten used to the voices, but his trembling hands said otherwise.

He looked around, hoping to find familiar faces to help calm him. Instead, he woke up to unfamiliar environment.

“Oracle, you’re awake!”

His shoulders jolted and a chill ran down his spine just as a servant in the room walked towards him. For reasons, his heart began pumping blood through veins at an uncontrollable rate, cold sweat formed all over his body and breathing turned ragged. A strong sense of insecurity and anxiety attacked him as the stranger stopped by a table near the bed.

He saw her put down a tray, but then got flashbacks from Rozzosea’s interrogator doing the same. First, a stick to beat him into confessing a lie he didn’t do. Next, a knife peeing his skin bit by bit. Lastly, being punched like a sandbag. Suddenly, the scars resulted from that time stung him. He was relapsing that terrible experience of being tortured over and over and over until a sharp pain came from behind of his tail being ripped off him.

The voices came back.

U̷n̶f̵o̵r̶g̸i̸v̷a̷b̶l̷e̷!̷ ̵H̸o̶w̷ ̵d̴a̸r̶e̵ ̶y̴o̷u̷ ̵f̴o̶r̶g̷e̸t̸ ̶a̵l̶l̶ ̴t̵h̵e̷ ̵s̵i̷n̸s̶ ̴y̷o̶u̶ ̷c̴o̶m̵m̶i̵t̷t̷e̶d̷!̵ ̴

Y̴o̸u̴ ̴c̸h̴o̷p̴p̴e̴d̷ ̶o̶f̸f̷ ̴o̸u̴r̶ ̴l̵i̷m̵b̷s̵ ̴o̴n̸e̸ ̴b̸y̸ ̷o̴n̴e̷,̸ ̶d̷i̸s̸s̸e̴c̴t̶e̸d̴ ̷u̷s̸,̵ ̵l̴e̴f̴t̴ ̸o̸u̸r̴ ̶b̶o̷d̸i̵e̵s̸ ̴t̷o̶ ̵b̶e̶ ̴v̶i̸o̸l̵a̷t̴e̶d̸ ̵b̸y̴ ̵m̸o̶n̸s̵t̷e̸r̶!̵ ̷

Y̵o̶u̵ ̸t̴o̵o̸k̴ ̷a̵w̵a̷y̶ ̶t̴h̸e̴ ̴l̵i̶v̴e̸s̴ ̴w̷e̸ ̴w̸o̸r̴k̶e̵d̶ ̴t̵o̸ ̶l̸i̸v̴e̶ ̸f̵o̴r̴!̴

A̶l̵l̶ ̷b̴e̷c̶a̷u̵s̵e̷ ̸y̵o̵u̸ ̶n̸e̵g̶l̵e̴c̸t̵e̴d̸ ̶y̶o̴u̷r̸ ̵d̶u̴t̴y̸ ̷a̶s̷ ̴t̷h̵e̴ ̸O̴r̶a̵c̶l̷e̷!̶ ̵

W̸e̵ ̵c̶u̸r̷s̶e̶ ̵y̵o̷u̶;̷ ̷w̷e̴ ̴c̷u̷r̷s̷e̵ ̷y̵o̴u̷ ̷w̷i̴t̴h̶ ̶o̴u̸r̴ ̵h̴a̷t̵r̶e̵d̵ ̴y̶o̸u̸ ̵c̶a̸s̴t̵e̴d̴ ̶u̸s̷ ̶f̵r̷o̶m̴ ̷t̷h̵e̴ ̵b̴o̸t̸t̸o̶m̸ ̵o̷f̵ ̴t̷h̵e̴ ̴a̴b̸y̴s̸s̷!̶ ̵

Ẏ̷̛͈̲̼͔̪̈̓͋̽͝ͅõ̴̠̭̤̜͕̤̤̌͐͒̈́͑̏̈́͘͝ͅû̴̡̢̞͈͉͔͔͙̲͖͐͒̍ ̷̨̨̛̗̺̙̼̤͔̳͆̒́͒̇͗̔͛̆̒̋m̴̪̬̬̩̠̋̍̅̋̋͆̕͝ù̶͙̙͚̯̽̀͌͌͋̊̂̎̎̚̚s̶̩̳̝̫̞͗̔̎̃͗̄t̴̨̫͎̬̩̬̣͈̭͋̽͜͜ ̶̣͕̰̝̜̟̝̼͙̭͒̔͊̊̿͊̐̈́ͅp̴̥̩̞͖̲̩̩͙̾̆̆͆́͠a̵͓̪̎̃̽y̸̢̛̜͎̺̦͔̺͉̲̠͙͑͛̀̆̊̓̾̍͘͠ ̷̦̗̥͔̘͇̻̣̫͑̀̌̿̀̌̿̏̃̉̓͝f̶̬͓̦̩̼̺̿̇̃̾̃̀̒͛͒͂̕ŏ̸͎̈́̍̅͗̄͌͛̃̍͠r̴̝̱̗̻͉̲̗̟̠̬̜͑̏̍͝ ̶̨̛̛͓̞̱̪̟̔̽͌̈́̒̓͗̑̒͘y̸̱̝̤̖̰̰̳͖͒͗̇̋̅́̔̈́̈́͛̄ͅô̶͉̗̥̪̩͗̍͛̆͊͒̇̈́̃͜͜ū̷̪͉̒̾̅̄͛̀͝r̴̨͔͖̳͋͊̎́̀̈́͋͊̒̈͝ ̶̧̰̟͉͇͚̰̩͖̲̱̜̓ş̶͖̲̺͍̀͋̋̈̈̇í̷̛͈̲̘͕̲̋̆̎̆̊͗̕͘n̶̡̛̳͔͙͔̫̹̱̪̯̈́̀̍̐̈͝s̵̛̜̻͎̥̰̪͓̥̣̹͓͈̄̀̍̔̃̎̀́̈́́ͅ!̶̛̼̅̆̅̔͊͂͌̾͌̍̇̿

He let out a terrible scream, shoved the servant and bolted through the doors. Upon exiting, he was greeted by more people giving him strange stares as if he were a madman. Everywhere he turned to, eyes were on him. They gossiped among themselves while the looks won’t go away.

T̶̛͔̩͍̤͇̞͋͊͆̋̏̕͘h̵̠̀̉̓ē̷͉͔͈̟̫͎̼͔̓̋̅͐ ̴̭̙͔̱̑l̸͉͕̔̈͒̇̚ĭ̴͙͖͔̹̊͊̈́̈́̋͘̕ͅv̴̡̘̠̲̮̟̰̹̿̔̋̎ę̸̡̡̤̅͒́̕s̶̝̫͛̋͝͝ ̴̩́̐̾̈́͝y̵̢͔̐́̀͋̏̽̕͘o̷͖͕̟̲̥̫̺̓̿̀̍́͝ǔ̶̖̭̮͙͖̿̀̎͋͘ ̸̧̱͇̖̘̄́̀͐͂̓͊͘l̷̨̧͖͍̭͙̰̼̆̆̈́̒͘e̶̢̨̮̥̝̠̤̋͂̀͒̌́̉ḙ̵̰͕̥̄̓̓c̷̛̰̑̀́ͅh̷̟͙̳̼̜͒̈͛̒̊ͅe̸̛̞̎͒d̸̰̥͎̤̹̼͍̙̀͊̐̈́̈́̂͒͋,̷̞̫̟̐̃͑̏̇̌ ̵̠̀y̵̠͚͇̒͑̃͋̐̈́͝o̵͎̹̭͐͋̌u̸̳͊̀̄͐̾̽͂ ̴̩̞̘͇̺̦̤̎͐ͅw̴̧͖̲͈͚̳̔̇́͒̊̿̀̓ë̴̛̹̟̩̞͕̲́͆̔́͋̓͜r̶̢͕͍̝͓̰̠͈͐̌͊̈́͐̏͑ë̷̦̦̳̝́̒ ̷̪̭͕̱́͘ť̴̢̠̠͕̃͆̉̈̚h̴̼̬̭͔̔͛̎̈́͐́̌e̵͙̖̔͝i̸̧̢̡̮̠̒̈́̓͑̓͑͠ͅr̵̜͍͉̠̐̑ ̷̭̈́̓u̸̢̩̱̰̞͚̯̔̾̏͝n̸̯̥̫̽̿ͅd̴̢̟͍̭͎̞͓̈́͂̓͂̉ǫ̷̞̮̻̣̒̈́͐̌̇ḭ̸̲̪̓̀͆̈́̈͠ͅn̴̤̯͚͍̒̑͝g̵̛̮̼̜̭͓͈̑̾͐͝ͅ!̷͎̫̈́͐̒̓̚̚

Y̷͕̬̫̪͖͇͓͊́̽͜o̵̰̰̾u̴̝͓̫͆͆̒̑͒ ̶͎͆̅͋̚ẁ̶͔͍̜̔̈̏ȩ̸̘̩̲͈̞̱͎͋̿́̆̎̌͝͝r̷̢̤̯͉͛͛e̴̮̹̟̤̖̤̝̿̒͐ͅ ̴̹̼̹̙͙̓̎ṱ̷̨̹͍̰̻͗̐͒̾͂͘h̶͓͉͇̘͛̂̿͘͜͠e̷͓̗͈̋̌ ̸̙̰̭͖̌c̴̢͚̺̮̦͈͙͕͊̐̒a̸͎̘̳͙̮̺̣̍̇́̏ú̸̪̪̼̯̘̆̌͗͘͠s̷̨͎͍̩̫̥͇̽ȇ̴̛͈͈̣͇͕̂̈́̆̏̀͠ ̷̠̌̃̀̑͛o̷̰͔̩͇͆f̸̝̯̆̒̋̈́̋͛̇̆ ̶̧̘͔͉͍̞̱͑̂͜Ḥ̴̛͇̼̈́̈́͑̃̆͝ą̶̦͚̤͔͓͙̀̅̏͘n̷̙͉̞͇̋͒͐̓̆n̸͎̄̆̐ȧ̶̱̭̹͇͓̤̰̈̐̈́̄̇͝h̵̡̗̉̇̽̂̃͌̀͘ͅ'̴̲̹̦̼̅͌̃̇̌̓̕͘ͅs̴̫͙̳̗̳̕ ̴̨͕͚̣̼̋͌͛͗͘͝d̷̬̩̓̈́̈̆̂͑͛̈e̵̟͑a̷̺͉̹̻̎͊̐̌̃͑̾̓t̴̨̗̗̳̐̒̋h̶͍͋̈́̉̍̿̕!̸̛͍̠̳͖̮͙͐͆̄̂̔

-Shut up! Shut up! I never wanted to be the Oracle in the first place! Where’s Lily?! Where’s Martha! Someone, make these noises stop!-

Noise and more noise. Muffled voices echo in his head as he became more and more desperate to find a place to escape from the noise.

The splitting headache subsided as he escaped into narrow space between two buildings. Using discarded baskets, crates and trash as cover from prying eyes, he waited for the voices to fade away.

“Where is he?!”

A voice clear as bell sounded above the gathering of workers and soldiers. It came from a well dressed, important looking woman whose long black hair was done up beautifully with decorative pins. Her crown didn’t carry as much significance as the late Prince’s, but as soon as people laid their eyes on her, the crowd parted aside for their authoritarian ruler.

“My apology, your highness. We tried our best to persuade him to come out, but from his expression, he’s traumatized. He’s entrenched deep between buildings and repeating a set of words we are unable to comprehend.”

“Was he like this when he was brought here?”

“No, he was tamed while within Priestess and Caretaker Sayuri’s presence. I had messengers call for both of them to be brought here as soon as possible.”

“Good work. For now, keep the area with as little personnel as possible. The Priestess reported the Oracle isn’t too fond of crowds. What is it, Kenji?”

A little boy following the Empress poked out from behind and stared at the entrance of the alley. The young boy bears striking resemblance to most of his father; same emerald gleaming eyes, same onyx jet-black hair. That confident smirk signified his pride which his father often displays in front people.

“Dearest mother, the Oracle concealed himself there? Does he enjoy crawling in filth-? Ouch!”

“Watch your mouth, Kenji. Do not be disrespectful to the Oracle your father and I trust dearly.”

“Trust? Him?” The young Prince covered the back of his head where the Empress lightly tapped him. “Mother, look at the Oracle! His pathetic act is nowhere as shining as the Oracle depicted in legends!”

“Perhaps my Prince is eager to spend some mother and son time by the training grounds, am I correct?”

Kenji immediately put his hands over his mouth to which the Empress beamed a smile at him. A hand fell on the Prince’s head, giving his hair a little shake. However, she did not disagree entirely with Kenji as he made a valid point. The Oracle should be standing strong against Shadows walking across his land. This scene was unacceptable.

“Kenji, the Oracle wasn’t like this. He was very much different back then.”

“Different?”

“Yes. He was a much livelier person back then. There were times I’ve caught him dozing off during one of the hearings. Watching your father scold him was fun, and they got along so well. Those were relaxing times. Also, if not for the Oracle, Caretaker Sayuri and your beloved aunt would not be here today. In turn, if Sayuri had not received the bracelet from the Oracle and protected us with it, I would’ve been unable to give birth to you.”

Kenji dipped head down as if being scold even though the Empress’ voice was gentle. His hand clutched his chest, wondering what the Oracle experienced to change him as the pathetic person he became. It was then Martha rushed towards the alleyway to move the Oracle out. He stole a glance as the Oracle limped out; unkept tattered hair and those soulless eyes of a broken man.

The Young Prince never witnessed someone as battle scarred as the Oracle. In the Royal Palace, he saw all kinds of emotions; from joy to sorrow, anger to boredom, but this was the first time he witnessed a person destroyed both physically and mentally.

“Your father’s death along with many others must’ve severely impacted him. For now, we must wait until the Oracle recovers, then I will formally introduce him to you.”

First, there was noise. He heard nothing but the dead screamed as they cursed and demanded retribution for taking away their lives. His head pounded with the growing voices he had thoughts to end his life right there and then.

Thankfully, no one got injured. To prevent this incident from happening again, the Empress assigned either Lily or Martha to supervise him. It was too good to think this trauma would just go away. He felt pathetic. He thought he had changed when Lily rescued him.

“Kihet, are you listening?”

He drowsily turned towards the voice.

“If you don’t eat, your food’s going to get cold.”

The table had meals that were easy for his stomach. Throughout his years alone, he survived occasionally on nuts, berries and rarely hunted or fished. He mostly lived on with an empty stomach as a living corpse, trying to climb the tower aimlessly.

When he took the first bite, there was no flavor. To not discourage Martha’s cooking his past self loved so much, he nodded. After the second bite of another item from a different dish, it wasn’t because the flavor was bland. His taste buds were gone but he was able to feel the texture and warmth of the food running down his throat.

Compared to his gluttonous past, the present him would be filled by a small bowl.

“Come to think of it, we still have the things you left.”

Kihet tilted his head, confused by what ‘things’ he left behind.

“You don’t remember? Lily and I rode on your carriage when you came to Xu. Although we preserved your things as best we could, there were perishables and gold we used. I’m sorry! But it was an emergency!”

-So, I haven’t lost everything.-

As he chewed on a stalk of steamed vegetables, Lily made her entrance into the room. She was out of breath, dressed in ceremonial clothing, still holding onto equipment she used to perform offering ritual to the sacred tree.

“I rushed here as soon as I heard the news! Kihet, are you okay?!”

She came running, her face pushed up against him and looked for any injuries. He awkwardly moved a riceball up to his mouth and took a bite.

“He’s calmed down.” Martha answered. “How was the ritual?”

“Exhausting.” Lily sighed, pulling up a seat beside Kihet as she put her head on his shoulder. “At least we were able to stabilize the sacred tree’s core somehow, but it’s power is getting weaker.”

“Core?” Kihet asked.

“The sacred tree supposed to suck up the poison and return the purified energy to the land. It’s limited on how much it can absorb from poison the Tower makes. I’m afraid the land will lose its blessing soon.”

Kihet imagined Eizan and the Shadows will invade the capital in full force and wipe out everyone when the time comes. He recently donned the mantle of responsibility becoming the Oracle while Shadows were close to destroy a country. He asked himself if there was anything he could do. How much time was left?

“Umm, Lily? Aren’t you too close to Kihet? You’re interrupting his meal.”

“He doesn’t mind, right?”

He did mind but a small part of his conscience warned him that he shouldn’t agree or disagree.

“See? You’re just jealous.” Lily smirked. “I’ll let you in on a secret between me and Kihet. We’ve slept a few times together already. Sharing a tent just us two in the night, under the same blanket too!”

“Y-you what?!”

“Ouch!”

Irritated, Kihet flicked Lily on the forehead. The last thing he needed were misunderstandings that came with a barrage of questions. Luckily, Martha understood the meaning behind the flick and let out a sigh of relief. Relief? Of what?

In any case, he must know the situation of Xu.

“Speak with Empress.” He uttered.

“Are you sure? Shouldn’t you rest a bit more?”

“Slept. Fine.”

“Then I’ll inform about your condition to the Empress. It won’t be long.”

Kihet was surprised Martha cooperated. He thought she would be a more resilient and asked to him to rest longer. Perhaps the sooner he was able to meet the Empress, the better survival chance Xu will have.

After breakfast, a messenger returned with news he could meet with the Empress. Martha told Kihet to go ahead with Lily as she cleaned up. Kihet felt bad leaving everything to her, but he needed to talk with the Empress to see how Xu could be saved from being overwhelmed by Shadows.

On his way out, he saw Martha staring at the empty dishes with a relieved smile on her face.

The throne room was the same as he remembered. The jade colored rooves and the dragons which claimed two enormous pillars were a bit worn. His eyes kept onto magatamas in the dragon’s mouths until he stepped into the throne room. The doors behind them creaked loudly and moved to close with an echoing bang. Inside, was what he recalled his last visit to be like; a long and wide red carpet leading his eyes towards the throne, polished gold imbedded into most of the furnishing, even a tiny amount of sunlight could illuminate the room.

“Miyabe?”

A woman waited for them next to the throne. She stood up with a gentle smile on her face and made her way towards Lily and him.

“Kihet, I’m relieved to see you recovered. Your return shines some light in Xu.”

“Couldn’t save Shiba.”

“I do not blame you. You did the best you could, and grieving will not change the past. Since everyone here is on familiar terms, let’s drop formalities. I’m sure you have questions and I do too. We’ll clear things one step at a time.” Miyabe then turned to Lily. “How is the situation with the Sacred Tree?”

“It’s not looking good. I’m afraid the tree will reach its limit soon if we don’t find a way to stop the spread of poison creeping towards the capital. Then the Shadows will…”

“It’s too soon to jump to conclusions. We haven’t lost yet. Isn’t that right, Kihet? Since you called for this meeting, I’m assuming you have information about the towers?”

He looked over to Lily.

“That’s right, Big Sister Miyabe!” Lily shouted. “When I found Kihet, there was a tower nearby. He was able to open a portal and we fought against a powerful Shadow! It wasn’t as active as the one here. After we defeated the Shadow, we evacuated the area as fast as possible before the place was overrun.”

“Interesting. I wouldn’t have guessed there would be an eighth tower. Have you found any hints to destroy them?”

“Core.” I answered.

“Could you be more specific?”

Kihet shook his head. Even though he climbed to the top of the tower in his village, he couldn’t find its core. Gesturing for writing materials, Kihet furthered explained Henrick’s situation and the old heroes possessed by the Shadows. They’re the closest clue he knew to disable the towers.

“I see. I shall hold onto this and examine it thoroughly later.” Miyabe rolled up the parchment. “The only way to disable those towers is to go fight our way in and find the core. That’s troublesome. Xu can’t afford to assemble an expedition army.”

“We’ll need help. And lots of it.” Lily said.

“The tower is constantly guarded by large numbers of Shadows even when they launched attacks. If Kihet is to take them on, he will have to fulfill his duty as the Oracle. Recruit heroes and build an army. And speaking of hero, I’m honored you chose Tomoe as the first Hero.”

“H-huh?! Auntie became a hero?”

A small figure sat on the throne where Shiba would be sitting if the late prince were still alive. Honestly, the boy resembled Shiba with the same piercing green eyes. Kihet saw the child wore the crown he promised to keep safe for Shiba.

“Good timing. I was meaning to introduce my son, but I got caught in the moment of our reunion. Thanks to you for keeping the crown safe, Kenji will inherit the throne without any opposition when he comes to age. Kenji, come. You wish to meet the Oracle, correct?”

“Yes mother!”

The Prince, Kenji, hopped off the throne and ran up to him. Just like every curious child, he circled around him until their eyes met then froze up.

“Kihet, you scared him.” Lily whispered.

To avoid making him cry, Kihet pulled strands of his hair over his face, but the young boy remained fixated on him.

“Can you save Xu?”

Kihet shook his head to his question, stating not with his current strength. “Aren’t you, afraid?”

“N-not one bit!” Kenji crossed his arms, proudly puffing out his chest. “Xu is my land. If anyone is to be afraid, it’s those who have made an enemy of me!”

He hesitated. Although the boy was short, he was confident and full of pride but a bit awkward around Kihet. Even his boldness resembled his father.

“That same goes to you!” Kenji jabbed his finger at Kihet’s direction. “You are the Oracle! You’re supposed to bring hope to the world and when I saw you, you were crawling around in filth! No one out there would believe you are the Oracle because of how untidy you are! Your voice is also too quiet! You need to speak more and louder!”

Kihet narrowed his eye and frowned a bit.

“Erk! Wh-what’s with that glare?! Are you mad I’m making fun of you? I-I’m not afraid! Anyways, w,what’s your name?”

“…Kihet.”

“I’m Kenji and don’t you forget it!”

-What’s with this kid? Everything he said is being contradicted by his shaking. Is this boy really Shiba’s child?-

“Isn’t he cute?” Lily commented. “Hey Kenji. What do you think about Kihet becoming your uncle?”

“Eh?!” Kenji cried.

“Hooh…” Miyabe said.

Kihet gently hit Lily’s head as a response.

“Kihet, you’re mean… Remember that night where you didn’t want to let go of me? Doesn’t that make us like we’re already-. Ouch!”

He didn’t want to be roped into some romcom drama when his purpose here was to talk about business to stop the Towers.

“Well, if Tomoe wishes for it, I have no problems with that. However, we’ve derailed from the topic again. We should discuss what our next move should be. Kenji, you should go back to your studies. Now.”

“Yes mother. Oracle, you better take care of my aunt! She’s a hero I’ll be looking up to!”

They waited until the Prince left the room.

“My apologies, Oracle. Kenji is a curious child.” Miyabe chuckled. “Continuing on, you should be aware Xu lacked the resources to launch an assault on the tower. Our lands are under constant watch by Rozzosea. They will most definitely attack us if we send soldiers to fight the Shadows. We desperately need help from other countries.”

“Options?”

“I’ve set our eyes on Vivrus. They’re the only neighbouring country closest to Xu with the next closest Sanctuary through Rozzosea’s land. I would love to have Sanctuary deploy fairies to create magical barriers, but envoys reported unable to enter their mainland. There was an invisible wall to keep outsiders out.”

It was sound decision, one Kihet agreed. Personally, he wanted to go to Sanctuary to find Sorah as soon as possible, but then he would need to cross through Rozzosea’s lands or take a long detour through Vivrus.

Also, if the reports were true, it would be a wasted trip trying to bypass a barrier.

“The insectoids are a unique race.” Miyabe continued. “They’re similar of a hivemind. I was thinking if we’re able to somehow persuade the Queen-.”

“Not mindless.”

“Please do not think ill of me. I agree I did sound villainy. Xu desperately need numbers. It happens to be Vivrus’ strongest trait.”

“Vivrus it is!” Lily cheered. “We’ll need equipment, provisions, money…”

“Tomoe, no need to rush. I will prepare the necessities for your journey. Before you two leave for Vivrus, I’d like to gauge Kihet’s fighting abilities.”

“You were looking forward to this weren’t you?”

“If I may be childish. I had asked from his previous visit, but I was carrying Kenji during that time. Kihet, would you honor me a match?”

Miyabe smiled knowing Kihet would accept her challenge.

Their destination was the training grounds for soldiers. There was an elevated platform where soldiers were encouraged to challenge others in a mock battle.

As Kihet browsed a selection of weapons, Miyabe confidently chose a glaive. She stepped onto the arena practicing two quick swings waiting for Kihet.

Kihet was proficient with a shortsword and other weapons of similar size. He was tempted to use one against Miyabe, but it would be an uphill battle. His opponent had reach. An axe was too heavy for his liking, a longsword reminded him of the bastard, Irvan. The spear had too long of a handle, but there was a set of polearms that piqued his interest. He fished the one into his hands that had a longer double-edged blade compared to the others.

“A spear? Have you used one before?” Lily asked. “I was certain you were going to choose a sword.”

Kihet nodded his head and strapped on a small shield. Before he climbed onto the ring, he snapped the spear’s wooden handle to the size to his liking. He tossed the broken shaft aside and held the shortened spear like a sword.

“So that’s the weapon you prefer. Interesting.” Miyabe studied his stance.

His improvised weapon loosely swayed side to side, his shield was at chest height. He was full of openings, but she noticed his wary eyes were watching her with utmost caution.

“Ready?” Lily asked. “Three, two, one, begin!”

In an instant, an after image of three blades folded towards Kihet. He felt a singular powerful impact from supposedly three strikes hit his shield. Kihet managed to keep his posture, but he was moved from where he braced against it. When he lowered his guard, he noticed the surface of his shield gained a rose curve pattern with three loops in form of petals. Even though the blades on mock equipment were dulled, Miyabe managed to carve a pattern on his shield in a blink of an eye.

There were no killing intent. Kihet guessed she purposely aimed for his shield to test him while her next attack will not be as forgiving.

“My skills might have gone dull, but still impressive, no? If you will not take the initiative, I shall continue.”

Saying that, she shifted to a high guard and dropped her knees slightly. Her grip slid to the bottom of her glaive as she brandished it with continuous strikes. Her weapon relentlessly struck Kihet’s shield and gradually numbing his arm.

Polearms such as glaives were dangerous when their targets were within its effective range. Kihet faced the incoming blade, putting his weapon on an angle and positioning his shield to deflect the onslaught. One managed to slip by and missed his face by a hair’s breadth as he seized his opportunity to put her in his range.

Miyabe’s image blurred then vanished. Realizing she got around by using Xu’s renown footwork, the [Crescent Moon Dance], Kihet kicked forward and dodged another strike. He felt a tremor and spotted a deep crack split behind him.

The Empress lacked physical strength but compensated by building up momentum between swings. As long as she had time and distance to wind up, the offensive power behind her attack would multiply.

That was a method Malth, a friend from his village, also used as a polearm user to maximize the power of his attacks. By swinging and spinning in one direction, the momentum could be used to chain attacks and store power until the user landed a devastating blow.

“When will you decide to attack?”

To answer her, he tapped his shield and took the most direct path facing the incoming strike again. Mimicking the Empress’ footwork, he slithered past her glaive and lunged forward. His shortened spear managed to scrape against the shaft.

He pushed forward with his weight behind his shield trying to tackle the Empress off the ring, but she shoved his spear off and spun away gracefully like a dancer.

“I see.” The Empress’ horns suddenly glowed scarlet bright as a magic circle formed underneath her. “But how well do you handle against magic?”

Kihet felt the pressure above him changed. The air grew denser and shook. Something was about to crash down on him. There wasn’t enough room in the ring to escape from the wind’s clutches.

“O’Wind Elemental, hear me. Untameable, yet gentle, grace us with your presence. Let my foe be clouded by your roar and fury. Rise up and blow over my opponent in an endless storm. Furl, Ulos, Jeltz, Val, Exlas, Ashent.”

A dust devil stirred up dust and petals around him. He was only able to look less than a meter ahead. When he tried to move out of the area, the wall travelled with him, trapping him within a vortex of petals.

Kihet suddenly saw a glint in the corner of his eye. The tip of the glaive tore through the curtain of petals and arced down on him. He bashed his shield against it using both hands and bounced the attack back only to be faced against six flashes spiralling at his chest. He needed to move, but his position of awkwardly shielding against the first strike made him vulnerable.

He instinctively swung his weapon towards one of the blades and lazily jumped backwards with the intention of falling. The strength of his opponent’s attack spun him midair in the same direction as the six blades moved and managed to land on his feet.

Other than his breathing and the soft hum by his sensitive ears to detect magic, the sound of rustling leaves and voices outside the ring went silent. The absence of sound began to annoy him. At this rate, the Empress had free reign to choose her next attack as she reduced his vision and deafen him.

To disperse the magical wind barrier, Kihet decided to call for the Oracle’s flames. His arms flared up as the ground below him pulsed with radiant light. A brilliant explosion of silver embers crackled from below and dispelled the wind surrounding him.

“How about we end this?” Miyabe declared as she lunged forward.

He wondered about the maximum number of blades of her skill as an afterimage of ten blades instead of six simultaneously spiralled towards him. After experiencing the similar attack twice, and noting the pattern on his shield, he knew the attack must move across the mid point.

He proceeded to charge head on and kept his eyes on Miyabe’s hands instead of the glaive. At the last moment before the blade touched him, silver flames erupted from below. Miyabe knew the flames were harmless to the shadowless but hadn’t thought Kihet would use them to block her view. Regardless, her flurry of attacks could not be stopped.

That was when she was surprised when two blades travelling in opposite movement cutting out of the flames. When both attacks collided, their weapons flung out of their hands. Then the edge of his shield flew towards Miyabe’s face.

Two guards from the crowd suddenly sprung onto the ring and ambushed Kihet.

In response, he stopped his attack on Miyabe then slammed his fist into the ground. The platform quaked as spectators watched the ring split in quadrants. While everyone was bewildered by his sudden spurt of strength, Kihet launched himself at the two guard and claw grabbed their faces.

“Wait!”

In a fraction of a second, Kihet stopped mid-swing before he slammed the guards into the arena. Both had white foam frothing from their mouths while they were being lifted by their heads.

“I’m terribly sorry, Kihet. The Palace guards are a bit overprotective. At very least, with the strength you have displayed, it is ultimately my lost.” Satisfied, Miyabe raised her hands and announced her defeat. “Well done, Kihet. Not only were you able to defend against my [Blooming Petal], but also used my own technique against me.”

-So that’s what it’s called. I could only strike two times with that sword technique, but Miyabe was able to use up to ten.-

“I told you he was strong!”

Kihet asked himself why Lily boasted his victory in his stead as he picked up the broken spear. He noticed his spear was bent about twenty degrees from forming the letter ‘L’ while there was a huge chip in the glaive’s cutting edge.

“Indeed.” Miyabe smiled. “By the way, my husband was able to unleash an advanced version called [Blooming Petal Storm] with twenty blades in any direction. That bladework was something he taught me.”

“Shiba’s…?”

-And I thought seeing ten blades was already absurd.-

“At least I understand your strengths. You should have no problems doing your duty as the Oracle. I shall prepare everything you two need to travel to Vivrus.”

“While you’re doing that, I’ll take him back.” Lily seized Kihet by the wrist. “If we’re going to meet with Vivrus, we can’t have him looking like this. I’m going to have Martha fix your appearance.”

Naturally, he thought it was bothersome, but it would leave a bad impression if he were to meet Vivrus’ ruler with his unkept appearance. Even if he tried escaping, he had nowhere to hide.

He was being dragged against his will regardless and soon made it back to his dorm.

“Martha, we’re back!”

“Welcome back. Did the Empress decided what action to take?”

“We’ll be going to Vivrus and ask for support.”

“I see. We’ll be going to Vivrus.”

“We? Wait, no. Big Sister Miyabe said only Kihet and I are going.”

“Huh? What about me?”

“Don’t know, but I need you to give Kihet a haircut. I’m still in my ceremonial outfit so I’m going to go change.”

With that, Lily quickly fled the scene as Martha was left hanging with her hand halfway reached out.

“That Lily…” She exchanged look with Kihet then giggled. “She looks happier than before, though I wish she’d stop pushing her responsibilities onto others.”

“What now?”

“Come over here. I’m going to start by cutting your hair.”

Martha’s eyes sparked a terrifying glint as she pushed him on a stool, holding scissors and a comb in her hands. Kihet hoped the result won’t be embarrassing. His hair was so long, it looked like a mop.

“Do you have any preference how to do your hair?”

“No.”

“Then I’m going to cut it how I want to.”

She ran her comb to straighten his hair and get an idea what needed to come off. Once she decided how to cut his hair, she began snipping.

After watching strands of his hair fall, he finally saw his face in a mirror’s reflection. He was impressed the style wasn’t too different than how his hair was twelve years ago. It retained its scruffiness but that’s the style he always kept it.

“There we go. I did my best, but it seems a bit off… Maybe if I cut more on this side?”

He felt her cold fingers forking the hair by his sides. They were feeling around for something.

“My ears?” He guided her hands to where the feathers once grew around his ears.

“W-what do you mean? I was seriously thinking about cutting your hair! Honest! But… I w-would like to touch them, again. Hm? They’re not there.”

“Lost tail and ear. What… am I?”

Suddenly, the tip of the comb poked the back of his head. From her reflection, Martha pouted.

“It doesn’t matter what you are. What matters is who you are. Whether you suddenly grew fairy wings, beastman’s ears, scaleman’s scales, or became the Oracle. To me, you are always Kihet. You were the one who saved Lily and me where everyone at that time shunned us.”

There was nothing Kihet could say to refute her words. He sat in silence while Martha brushed his hair.

“Alright, stay seated. I still need to trim some places. We’ll get you some new clothes after and I’ll take you sightseeing around Xu.”