Chapter XLVII

Ryokumo and Iris didn’t waste any time unbinding Eric from the chair and helping him to his feet, knowing that their time was very short. They had won, and as far as he knew, there wouldn’t be anybody in the Citadel that would suspect Ryokumo and Iris of being involved in the Master’s deaths. They would be able to pin everything on him and he could disappear, allowing them to remain happy and comfortable in the Ijirian Citadel. With a few minor hiccups, the plan had gone off flawlessly, and yet, Eric could see in Ryokumo’s eyes that it hadn't been as easy to cut his emotional ties with Nigreos and Album as he had hoped it would be. Whether Ryokumo knew it or not, he would always hold them in his heart to some extent. Based on what Eric was told, they were once a very close group of friends, and no matter what happened, that history could not be taken away from them. It would take a lot of time for the pain of their loss to ease.

But we don’t have time right now. He can mourn them tomorrow, but for the moment, we need to move.

“Alright, what now?” Iris asked with an intrigued grin as she sat on the surface of her desk. “Honestly, I’m surprised at how well you pulled that all off, but you still gotta get Eric back to Omaruo, so how are you planning to steal a realm dagger?”

Ryokumo glanced back at her and shook his head. “I don’t need to steal one, Mackia.”

Her brow furrowed as she eyed him dubiously, but that expression was swiftly replaced by one of utter shock, a rare expression for the women even after everything they told her that night. Ryokumo had reached into his robe and pulled out a sheathed dagger with a jeweled pommel that he had kept hidden in there. The Master of Wind had already told Eric about the dagger back when the plan was first discussed, and it seemed he had gone to grab it after stealing the Assassination Stone.

“You…have got to be joking,” Iris murmured.

But Ryokumo just shook his head. “I am not. I’m sure you’ve heard of the fourth realm dagger that went missing all those years ago? The one everybody wondered about? To be perfectly honest, it always confused even me, and was just another aspect of my interest in lost memories.”

“But did…did you not steal it then?” Iris pressed, already back on her feet as she gazed at the dagger the other Master held.

“I didn’t, no,” he replied. “Nor do I know who did. Abigail gave this to me a long time ago and I always got the feeling that she wasn’t the one who swiped it either. Though, after what little Album did tell me, it would no longer surprise me if Ilirianna was the one behind this.”

“And what about her?” Eric inquired anxiously. “The erased realm should be gone now, so do you remember her yet? Did you learn anything about my mom’s rebellion, or if Ilirianna might have known something?”

To the boy’s disappointment, Ryokumo could only sigh. “No, not yet. As I’ve told you, there aren’t any documented cases of anybody forcefully breaking out of the erased realm, so I can’t be sure how or even if our memories will return right away. And unfortunately, we do not have time to waste. You must get back to Omaruo this instant.”

Ryokumo thrust the dagger out to him and for a moment, Eric could only gaze at yet another mysterious facet of his mother. It was already time for him to leave, and he never learned the truth behind what happened to her. Album told him that the knowledge would have tormented him if he ever found out, so part of him wondered if perhaps he was better off, yet that curiosity only continued to gnaw at him. Perhaps the day would come when an answer somehow found its way to him, but that day had yet to arrive so Eric reached out and took the realm dagger offered to him.

“Now, get going,” Ryokumo urged. “Unfortunately, this will probably be our last time meeting each other. Without this, I will lack a way to get to Omaruo myself, but I will be comforted knowing that you made it out safely.”

Eric felt a twinge of sadness at the Master’s words. “So this is goodbye, then?”

“I’m afraid it is.”

Both Ryokumo and Iris seemed as sad as he was, but they all knew that there wasn’t any other way. Neither of them could come to Omaruo with him and he couldn’t remain in Ijiria anymore. Their futures would take them in different directions and it was very unlikely that they would ever cross paths again Ryokumo was right. They would almost certainly never see each other again.

“Thank you,” he said softly, smiling as cheerfully as he could as he faced them in an effort to ensure his gratitude got across. “Both of you. You took care of me here and you were always people I felt comfortable confiding in. I couldn’t have asked for better masters. I swear on my life that I won’t forget you.”

Ryokumo smiled back at him, his eyes slightly glazed with emotion. “Nor I you, Eric.”

“I’ll never forget you either,” Iris added. “You are a fitting legacy for Abigail, that much I can say for certain. Your mother would be proud of you.”

“She absolutely would,” Ryokumo agreed. “Now, be off. I’ll head down to the city to check up on the Children and make sure they get out of here safely. With any luck, Nuvo should be getting ready to leave soon and I want to make sure that the Masters haven’t found them.”

At the mention of the Children of Reiner, a sudden idea popped into Eric’s head, one he had already considered earlier in the night but hadn’t thought was realistic, and as he allowed it to take shape again, he realized that he couldn’t leave just yet. There was still one more thing left for him to do.

“Actually!” he quickly cut in. “Let me go find them!”

Ryokumo frowned, his eyes narrowed as if trying to determine if he was joking or not. “Eric, what are you talking about? That’s far too risky. Just use the dagger and go.”

“Just…hear me out!”

The Master of Wind was clearly not about to even entertain the idea, but thankfully, Iris held a hand up to silence his protests and looked at Eric with a mischievous grin.

“What did you have in mind?”

***

According to Tylo, it was around thirty minutes after Eric, Ryokumo, and Iris departed that she woke up, and Arisa Kirisan was beyond thankful to find that there wasn’t a single one of them who had died. Irin and Malt were still beat up, but the healing magic that had been applied to them had been enough to ensure the wounds wouldn’t become fatal. She knew that they had been lucky beyond belief, and that if they were to run into the Masters a second time, there would almost certainly be bloodshed. They needed to get out of Erika that very night, and Nuvo Tannath was now their only option. Ryokumo had told them that the man would meet them at the orphanage, but with the Masters now hunting them, they couldn’t very well hide in the most obvious place in the entire city. So they all split up into duos and fled up onto the rooftops surrounding the ruined building, using distortions to conceal the fact that they were there. And that had been the right decision as, barely five minutes after they had gone into hiding, a group of Korrei-Tarr arrived to investigate. However, they must have decided that it was too obvious of a hiding spot and, when they didn’t find anything, they fled back into the alleys to search elsewhere.

Yeah…we were stupidly lucky. But in a way, it wasn’t all luck. Eric and Master Caeli were our allies, and we owe them more than we could ever repay. It even sounds like the Master of Nature was in on all of this.

Arisa despised the Masters of Ijiria. She hated what they did to her mother and she would never forget the torture she was put through by Ryokumo, Nakoma, and especially Seiras. Yet, had Ryokumo not been there to save her, the Master of Fire would have absolutely killed her. From that moment on, she would probably never truly know how to feel about Ryokumo Caeli. He was one of her torturers and he was the one who saved her life, and that contradiction would forever confuse her. But after that night, she would probably never see him again, so perhaps it didn’t matter. Perhaps she should just accept reality as it was and continue to move forward.

Eric told me we should put this all behind us and just go into hiding and maybe he’s right. Every time I’ve ever attempted to fight Ijiria, I’ve almost gotten myself killed. The Masters are powerful and I’m nothing more than a simple child. I always wanted to be more than that, but at the end of the day, I’m not. The raw strength that Nigreos Noctis and Nakoma Taurus had was beyond anything I could ever do. The only reason I’ve ever lived is due to luck.

Arisa shook her head, glancing sidelong to where Hannah was crouched beside her, her eyes directed at the silent street below. Even she seemed conflicted, but Arisa knew that was most likely due to her final parting with her master. Hannah had done so much for Ryokumo, and she had saved the Children more times than Arisa could count. If she’d been able to, Hannah would have gone back to the Citadel with the others, but her place was with them and she knew that.

“Thank you.”

When Arisa spoke in a whisper, Hannah briefly turned to look back at her. “Hmm? For what?”

“Everything,” Arisa replied with a chuckle. “For getting us out of the Citadel. For fighting with us. For never abandoning us. Without you, we would be dead, and while I know we’ve thanked you before, I just wanted to say it again.”

The former apprentice regarded her for a moment before smiling bashfully and shrugging. “Don’t thank me, Arisa. I did what I thought was right…for you and for Master Caeli. And that is what I’ll continue to do.” Her smile shifted into a determined look as she glanced back down at the orphanage. “Before he left with Eric, my Master asked me to stay by your side. He said it was his last request for me, and I’m going to uphold that. Whether I see him again or not, I will fight with you until the end…whatever that end may be.”

Arisa nodded. “Your help will always be welcome, but…I’m not sure fighting is the right choice. Maybe Eric was right. Maybe we should just flee to Trovia and go into hiding. The Trovians would never allow Ijiria to invade their lands to find us, so if we bartered with guideship, I’m sure we could find somewhere to live safely ”

“And if that’s your decision, I’ll go with you,” Hannah said firmly. “Whether you continue this fight or not, it doesn’t matter. My sword is yours, and if you ask that I sheath it, I will. But if you decide that you can’t sit peacefully, I will strike down whoever you need me to.”

“Well, then I suppose we’ll just have to be ready for anything,” Arisa mused. “Who knows what the future will hold for us criminals. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that there’s not a chance in hell I could ever kill a Master in combat. You had the right idea with assassination. Taurus was…” She lowered her eyes to the still visible burn marks all along her hands and arms, as well as the holes that had been seared through her clothes. “...far more than I could handle.”

“Yes, that doesn’t surprise me. He is not one to be taken lightly.” Hannah then paused, her eyes narrowing as if she’d spotted something down below, but before Arisa could inquire as to what was up, her eyes went wide and she jumped to her feet. “What is that idiot doing?!”

Arisa turned away from Hannah and stared down at the orphanage only to find an individual standing on its roof, completely undistorted and without a cloak of any kind, his hand raised as if to wave to somebody.

“Eric?” Arisa breathed, pushing herself to her feet. “What the hell is he doing back here? Did something go wrong up in the Citadel or…?”

Before she could finish that sentence, she saw the distortion on the roof to her left come down, followed by both Tessir twins Protoing down to where Eric was waiting. Exchanging stunned expressions, Hannah and Arisa did the same, launching themselves down to the boy, though being cautious enough to ensure that there weren’t any Korrei-Tarr nearby. By the time the two women arrived, Tylo, Irin, and Malt were flying down as well, the larger man slightly less gracefully but still well enough to show his proficiency with wind magic, and once they were all gathered, Hannah threw up another distortion around them all as Arisa rounded on Eric.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded. “What happened? Is everything okay?”

She was terrified that he had returned with bad news, but the broad grin on his face immediately eased her concerns, as if he had cast a calming spell on her.

“Everything is fine,” he assured her. “Better than fine even. Nigreos and Album are dead, and it doesn’t seem as if Master Mackia and Ryokumo will be immediately suspected. All blame should fall on me.”

There wasn’t a reply from anybody as each of them processed the news he had just delivered them. In one night, Nigreos Noctis and Album Luz had been killed, and there hadn’t been a single casualty on their side. Ryokumo’s insane Assassination Stone plan had actually succeeded, and with that, their mother had truly and finally been avenged. The man who took her life was gone, and all the Children that suffered because of him could rest in peace now.

“So he’s really gone?” Irin murmured with disbelief, as if fearing that Eric was lying to them. “Noctis…is dead?”

Eric nodded. “He is. We did it. We won.”

“And my master?” Hannah quickly inquired. “What of him? You said there shouldn’t be any suspicion on him for the moment, but what does he plan to do now? Is he staying in the Citadel?”

“I’m not sure, honestly,” he admitted. “We didn’t think we’d get away with it as cleanly as we did. Master Mackia really turned the tides in our favor. He told me that he’s remaining there until his memories return, but after that, I don’t know.”

“But he’s alive…”

The relief Hannah displayed showed just how torn up she had been, and Arisa was happy for her. After everything that had gone down, she deserved some good news.

“But why are you down here?” Malt asked softly. “I was under the impression you weren’t coming back—that you didn’t want to come with us? What changed? Are you still returning to Omaruo or…?”

Eric grinned and casually shrugged. “I am. But, let’s just say that with how well it all went, new opportunities arose for us, and I wasn’t about to let them pass us by. You see, the Children of Reiner have been through such hell…and you all lost a lot of your brothers and sisters back during your raid on the Citadel—just to get something out of the Vault of the Relics. So I thought it couldn’t be considered a true victory if you left empty handed.”

As he turned and reached down to his belt, Arisa was soon struck with the realization of what he meant, and she could only gape as he pulled a pouch from his hip and held it out to her.

“You don’t mean…” she stuttered.

“I do. The Assassination Stone is in that pouch. This was the item you were after, so you should leave this city with it. Use it as you please and don’t let it fall into Ijirian hands ever again.”

They all watched dumbstruck as Arisa reached out and took the pouch from his outstretched hands. She then fumbled through the strings as pulled it open so she could see the talisman kept inside. Wrapping her fingers around its oddly warm surface, she produced a small, orange gemstone and raised it up so the others could see it as well. She had only beheld the item once on the night they broke into the Vault, but she still knew as a fact that it was the item he claimed it was.

So many lives lost just to take this small rock… But now we have it. In the end…

“Thank you.” Feeling her emotions rising to the surface, Arisa dropped the relic back into the pouch then threw her arms around Eric, pulling the boy close to her so he could feel her gratitude. “You’ve done so much for us. If you ever need anything, and I mean anything…if there’s ever a way for us to pay you back, please let us know.”

He gently placed his hands on her back and laughed. “Just live, Arisa. Chances are high that this is the true last time we’ll meet, so if you want to make it up to me, just don’t die. All of you, for that matter.”

When she released him from the hug, Arisa once again found herself looking into the eyes of her mother. Despite only knowing him a short time, she knew she would never forget Eric Reiner—the son of their mother. He was their brother, too, and that meant that he was one of them.

“Now, I’ve got one last gift for you,” he said with a sly wink.

“Huh? What do you—? Huh?!”

This time, Eric reached for his other hip where a small dagger was sheathed. In the dark, she had been under the impression that it was just a normal blade, but when he unbuckled it and brought it into the dim light of the streetlamps, she saw the jeweled pommel and instantly knew what he had.

“How?”! Ardan asked incredulously. “How in the living hell did you get that?”

“Ryokumo had it,” he replied simply, as if that wasn’t some huge revelation. “When I get back to Omaruo, I won’t need it again as I do not have any intention of jumping realms after this. Wilham is my home and that is where I’ll stay, but you… Well, you may require its power someday. So what I’m going to do is open a portal right now and then I’m going to give the dagger to you. Once I’ve gone through, close it and keep it safe with the relic. Do that for me, okay?”

He spoke casually and with a grin, as if he was merely giving them a box of baked goods rather than an Ijirian relic and one of the four realm daggers. And perhaps it really wasn’t a big deal for somebody who intended to leave Ijiria behind him, but for them, this was something beyond a gesture or a gift. He was giving them items that could completely turn their future around and give them an edge over their enemies should they ever find themselves in combat again.

“You’re insane,” Arisa said with a stunned laugh. “God, you’re insane. Thank you, Eric… I just…can’t even process this all right now, but I hope you know that if I ever have a chance to, I will use that dagger to travel to Omaruo and visit you. This won’t be our final parting, you hear me?”

Eric smirked. “Of course. But do not forget that time in Omaruo runs twice as fast as time in Ijiria, so when you do visit me, I’ll be older than all of you, so make sure to treat me with the respect I deserve.”

Arisa couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his joke. “Oh, definitely. You have my word.”

“Good. In that case, I’ll be off. I already said bye to everybody earlier so there’s no need to hash all that out again, yeah?”

He was already pulling the dagger from the sheath, and Arisa could hear a slight bit of emotion in his voice now. He wanted to hurry the goodbye along so he wouldn’t cry, and as she realized that the time had truly come, she found herself okay with that. If they dragged it out any further, she might really cry. Eric tossed the sheath over to Tylo, then turned his back to them, the bluish-green blade sparkling in the streetlight.

“Alright, here we go,” he whispered, then pressed the ruby button on the pommel.

Yellow light erupted around the dagger’s blade and Eric took a step back in preparation. With a deep breath, the boy swung forward and slashed at the air, cutting open reality itself. Right before their eyes, the cut widened into an ovalish portal with the same yellow mana swirling around inside.

The gateway to Omaruo was open.

Eric’s grin returned as he spun back around and theatrically held the hilt out for Arisa to take. The girl reached forward and grabbed it, taking the realm dagger into her hands and once again feeling power coursing through her.

“Okay, I’m off,” he announced. “Good luck, guys. Take care of yourseves.”

“You, too.”

“Goodbye, Eric!”

“Thank you for everything!”

With each of them calling out their parting words, Eric Reiner gave them one last smile before turning and stalking through the portal to Omaruo. His body was quickly consumed by the mana and in a matter of seconds, he had vanished into another universe entirely. Once Arisa pressed the button to close the portal, Eric would be gone.

Yet she couldn’t allow herself to hesitate and so she didn’t.

Goodbye, Eric. Thank you…

And with a push of the button, Omaruo and Eric Reiner were closed off from Ijiria as the portal became smaller and smaller before vanishing entirely.

***

Ryokumo and Iris silently rode the lift back up to the floor containing their quarters, neither speaking a word to the other. Against his better judgment, Ryokumo had done exactly as Eric had asked. After rushing down to the bottom floor to ensure that Lilly Harper hadn’t reappeared in the portal room, he had returned to the classroom to assure the boy that she had exited back in Omaruo and was safely out of Ijirian reach. Then, with both the Assassination Stone and the realm dagger in his possession, Eric Reiner bid them goodbye and jumped through the classroom window, using wind magic to take him back to the city. With that, Eric Reiner was gone and Ryokumo would probably never see him again. He just hoped that the boy reached the Children without issue and was able to get away. They had succeeded, yet he couldn’t help but feel a tightness in his stomach.

And even now, my memories haven’t returned. What’s taking them so long? I need to know who Ilirianna was! Do memories not return when the erased realm falls or am I missing something? Did I miscalculate somewhere? Did Album do something to prevent memories from coming back? Is she still in my way, even in death?

“Please… I did it..for you…Kumo…”

She did it for me, huh? But what is it she thinks I gained from losing Ilirianna? What secrets was she keeping in that realm of hers?

“So what’s the plan now?” Iris inquired softly. “Are you gonna run or are you staying here?”

Ryokumo apathetically shrugged. “I don’t know, Mackia. I was certain that there wouldn’t be a way to cover my tracks, but you solved that problem, so I never really thought this far. Perhaps I’ll go into hiding or perhaps I’ll stay here and sabotage the hunt for the Children until they finally catch me. Either way, it doesn’t matter.”

“Well, I’m sorry about what happened,” she said. “I can tell…this wasn’t easy for you.”

“Yes, well…”

He didn’t say anything further as the lift arrived on their desired floor. The two Masters stepped off, intending to head to Ryokumo’s quarters to wait out the hunt in the city, but they had only turned one corner before they came to an abrupt stop. There were nearly twenty guards stationed all around the corridor, their weapons drawn though not directed their way. Instead, they seemed to be waiting for something, and when Ryokumo turned to look, he saw a single door wide open and an emerald-haired man standing before it. Recognizing the room, the Master of Wind already knew what the prince must be staring at.

“My Prince?” Ryokumo called out, forcing a tone of ignorance into his voice. “What’s going on?”

Reigious didn’t look his way, his eyes glued to the sight that waited just beyond that doorway. As Ryokumo and Iris got closer, the man finally shifted ever so slightly to look at them, and his expression was grim.

“I’m sorry, Ryokumo,” he whispered, his voice shaking. “We let our guard down. I’m…so sorry…”

The Master of Wind stopped just beside Reigious and gazed into the quarters only to see the sight he had expected but still wasn’t prepared for. The dead bodies of Nigreos and Album were both lying on the carpet, only a few feet from each other, and while there were no obvious wounds on their bodies, they weren’t breathing. The fatal wounds both suffered had been in the erased realm, so their souls never returned when their bodies reformed in the real world.

But they were dead, there was no doubt about that.

“I’m so sorry…” Reigious uttered once more. “Reiner must have…been in the Citadel somehow. We’re searching for him as we speak, but…we never expected this.”

“But how…?” Iris inquired softly. “How could a boy like him have ever killed them both?”

The prince’s jaw tightened in anger. “There was an alert informing me that somebody entered the Vault. We do not know who it was, but the Assassination Stone is missing…so it must have been him…and it must have been used. He was right under our noses the whole time…and I just couldn’t see it. How blind was I?”

Ryokumo said nothing as he silently stared at the bodies of his old friends, listening as Reigious spoke of the theft without even realizing he was standing by the thief. This was perfect. Reigious would assume that Eric stole the stone and fled with the Children. They would be under the impression that he would never have been able to return to Omaruo, so they wouldn’t ever look there.

He was safe and Nigreos and Album were dead.

“Unfortunately, this forces our hands. We can no longer allow him to live,” Reigious went on. “I’m going to send word down into the city to kill Eric Reiner at all costs. I don’t care what the others think, I’m sending you both down to help. Is that understood?”

Still not averting his gaze, Ryokumo spoke firmly and emotionlessly.

“Yes, My Prince. Understood.”