Chapter 30:Goodbye Emperor
"AIZAKKUUU!"I screamed in peril.Kimiko clutched onto her head and burst out into tears. As for Maku,he blended in with the shadows.
Other Genshi screamed and shouted. We were all going through a rollercoaster of emotions. So many thoughts flooded through my head.The Emperor was dead when everyone needed him!
What were these children going to do?What were these women and men going to do in despair as the poverty increases?
WHY?WHY?RED. ITS ALL HIS FAULT!
My face was boiling practically.I was so angry that a light bullet came out of my hand. It hit the ground thankfully not harming anyone.Uncle made it so far that Kurisu would be proud.
Oh Kurisu…he died to the dangers of this world and someday I will too. It was thoughtful of Sosu to train me so I was a bit prepared to defend myself.When I was younger I knew this world wasn't safe at all.And now that I'm 20 years old,I've grown and matured a lot.
This world isn't safe for anyone no matter how strong you are because there will always be someone stronger.Always.The cycle never ends.The cycle of birth,suffering,hope and death.
That's the cycle of life.
Probably the cycle of my life.
That's four stages and I'm probably moving onto my third because of…RED!
That monster.I stood up on my feet and wiped off the dirt.Soon enough,I saw a body wrapped up in some sort of bag.
"Is that…"Kimiko whimpered.She pointed to it.
"Yes I'm afraid it is sister."
"I-I didn't even get to know him for that long.And now he's dead."I cried so hard it felt like my eyes were being squeezed.Yanagi ran out of the building crying.I stood up and rushed to hug her.
"You saw it didn't you…"Maku's tone felt dark.The wind began to pick up it's pace. He was turning into a depressive state.
"I did!He was…lifeless.Pale.Fragile.Skinny!And his last words were.."She grappled onto her chest,gasping for breath.
"What were they?I demand to know Yanagi!"She gritted her teeth.
"I don't want to say it."
"For the sake of all of us,please do!"
"He said something about….crows and the colour Red.I didn't know what he meant and I thought his mind had gone mad!"I looked at Maku and Kimiko with a frightened stare.They stared deeply into my soul.
"He wasn't talking mad."I finally said.
"Wait…Kraven is working with.."
"From the looks of it they probably are.But we can't worry about them right now we need to host a funeral for Aizakku!"We all nodded and shortly co operated with Chief Lenny and all the Genshi afterwards.Hours went by. We had to make sure there was enough space for everyone and we had to execute everything perfectly.
Maku,Kimiko and I had to sign papers over and over again. My hands got sore and began to ache but we had to do it.After all this mess,all this work,unnecessary work,we finally did it. It began to rain slightly.
A fog emerged,covering our sight from everything around us.I walked on the grey pathway,head down.Blackish clothes.Everyone was grim today.The weather…bad.
The wind?Because of Maku.But it wasn't his fault.There were thousands of people at this funeral.Big crowds stepped aside for the Genshi. We got to the front to see Chief Lenny standing up straight,hands behind his back.
He was wearing a velvet suit with grey bottoms and gold around his clothes.His hat was titled up and I saw his red eyes.The crowd settled down.Chief Lenny stepped forward and opened his mouth.
"Hello everybody.I welcome you to the funeral of our fallen Emperor Aizakku. He was inconsistent lately but tried to redeem himself from bad habits.
In his early years of reigning as an Emperor,he was doing good but in the last 3 to 4 years then I'm not sure what had happened.Poverty will increase if we do not elect an new Emperor.Which we will!
Soon enough,someone will be on that throne with a marvelous crown.I can see it will be one of you!
Besides that.May Aizakku rest in peace.May he go to heaven and rest with the angels and God.I just want to state the perpetrator of Aizakku as somebody did this to him.After the tragedy of the blood moon event,he became weak all of the sudden and our doctors discovered he had crushed internal organs such as his liver,intestines and more.Obviously a grim attack like this would be due to a wielding technique.Gravity.One of the elemental wielding powers in ability manipulation.One of the only people to wield this power is none other than the cursed prodigy and bandit…RED!"
The crowd gasped.A big piece of paper rolled down behind Chief Lenny.
"As of right now I am in control of this country TO MAINTAIN STABILITY!And until we can find a way to elect a new emperor,you will all be listening to ME.Now.Anyone from the crowd that is a Genshi may step forward to see Aizakku for the last time."
I hesitated for a second but this wasn't something to turn down.Surely not.I followed Maku,Kimiko and Yanagi along with some other Genshi. We walked up the stairs onto the platform.The casket was painted in gold and white.Such vibrant colours on a gloomy day.
With shaky hands,Lenny wrapped gloves onto his hands and opened the casket slowly.
"NO!"Yanagi stepped back.She covered her mouth and gagged.
"Gosh!"Lenny caught her from collapsing.
"Yanagi!You need to be careful!"Maku slightly shoved Lenny out of the way.The crowd turned back and everyone was worried.I could see the looks on their faces.Their quick twitchy movements.A weird frequency ruptured my ears.She took a deep breath and we all approached the casket together.
There he was.There he laid. He looked like a dead ghost.That didn't sound right but felt right…
My tongue didn't move but it felt like my body had turned against me.Shaking on my arms.Shaking on my legs.SHAKING EVERYWHERE.
I humiliated myself.I was a human vibrator.I didn't want to be the center of attention so I focused on Aizakku only.All the fat of his body was sucked away.There were wrinkles on his grey skin.And he lost most of his hair.A dead ghost…zombie lookalike. He looked like a Navajo now.Nothing like the strong and brave man I knew three years ago.
"He was facing depression."I whispered to Chief Lenny.Nobody said anything after that.The wind hustled. We grieved and had 2 minutes of silence.After that,the funeral was over.This guilt,this event. It reminded my of Kurisu's death.That's how bad it was.
I remember when Red said something across the street after he got placed into handcuffs. It was something important.Something like he would get his revenge on Aizakku.Well his fate came to him.That man is dangerous. We will stop him and Kraven eventually.
"Psp.PSP.PSP."A continuing sound lingered through my mind.I raised my eye brows,fixated on the corners of my sight.
We are watching you
Kraven sent us but you?
You got lucky,very lucky
Your Chief solved it right
When we were watching you
Thank him because when he's gone
You'll have to solve it yourselves next time
We are retreating due to the orders of Kraven
Farewell humans,we'll reunite someday again
That day is soon to come,we can feel it
And I'm sure that you feel it too
That message was from Kraven's men.Everybody heard it I was sure.They were right here and we survived that attack all because we were evacuated. We had to prepare. We had to be ready for the next attack just in case.
Hours after the chaos.The three of us sat in one room.Other Genshi were in the kitchen discussing the incident.
"I want to rewind time back to when Uncle was alive!"Kimiko whimpered.
"Kimiko you can't."Maku said.
"Why not?"
"Even if you go back in time you have a long cool down and you lose some of your life expectancy.You can't even interact with major events either.What's the point?You're young and limited."
"Shut up.."She whispered under her breath.
"Language Kimiko."
"It's not that bad it's just another way of saying be quiet!"
Maku and I made eye contact,we both sighed.Despair and discomfort.
"Kimiko yes we are all sad about Aizakku's death but we can't do anything about it!You just have to accept it.His grave is right outside that door incase you want to visit for the 15th time and still complain.."
"Maku it's our uncle,let her grieve. We've lost Emma and Aizzaku now!Give us some space to breath for once."
"Sorry I'm just trying to do good for all of us."
"I understand.."
"No you don't."
"How come?"
"Just…leave it.I'm going to get some sushi.You guys want some?"
"No I'm good."Maku turned and questioned me.
"What about you Kimiko?"
"I'm gonna visit the grave."
He nodded and entered the kitchen.I heard Maku talking with some of the other Genshi while Kimiko was standing in the rain outside.
What now?We had no emperor. We were more vulnerable to Kraven.
I looked at the candle on the table. It reminded me of Hunter.The dracos.Their flame was low just like this candle.Emma..I remember in the blood moon when Red killed her.Tragic,yes.I saw the girl that laughed beside me now die in front of my eyes.I'll have to admit I do miss her a bit…she was my friend.Our friend.And we became distant from all the chaos.
Maybe I should visit the dragons. We haven't talked in a while.But the serpents.Sea serpents.I haven't talked to them in a while.Should I contact Galvin or Isura first?Or maybe old man Anthony?Maybe I should write letters to all three.I'll do that right now.
I picked up a feather on the table and dipped it into the black gooey ink and wrote fancy handwriting.I was going to make this as formal as I could.
I then broke down the paragraphs into 3 and cut the paper into pieces of 3.The first piece for was the dragons.The second piece was for Isura and the third piece was for old man Anthony.
I ordered three differents birds to send the pieces of letter to the meadow biome,serpent kingdom and one to Touhi village.
Maku returned with a full plate of sushi and placed it on the table.Kimiko returned drenched from the rain.She hung her robe on the shelf and sat down by the fire place.A few other genshi came to sit down with us to enjoy the sushi.
"Thanks for the food Maku!"One of them smiled while chewing on the raw fish,dipping it into an orange coloured sauce.
"What are we going to do about emperor Aizakku?"The Genshi worried.
"We'll figure something out.Normally when an Emperor dies someone from their clan inherits the role and if people argue over it…well.They fight."
Everyone was silent.Looking at the plate.
"I'm going to check up on Aizakku again…"
Kimiko shedded a tear and stood up.Maku pulled her down.The Genshi gasped.
"DONT MAKU!"
One of them interrupted.
"Kimiko you'll become more obsessed with him if he's all you think about.Then you'll go insane and-"
"MAKU STOP."
I slammed the table.The glass shattered.I tried blocking my eyes but a piece of glass when into my eye.
"IRAI DAMN IT!YOU HAVE TO RUIN EVERYTHING DONT YOU?"The sushi was all over the floor.
"I was enjoying that.."
A genshi stood up and left.The others fled quickly upstairs and not one of them looked back.
"I'm sorry."Maku and I spoke at the same time.Our eyes widened at the same time.Kimiko walked past us way too fast.
"Did you just.."
"Yeah,I slowed down time to pass you guys so what?"
"You're trying to avoid us?"
"No it's not like that.I wanted this to be between you guys only."
"Kimiko you wasted one year of your life expectancy."
"Ugh!This isn't fair!I can barely use my wielding power..I've used it only 8 times in my life.."
"9 now.But the demon sorcerers who designed this power system did this for a reason.A strong power has to have limits."
She frowned and went up the stairs into Yanagi's room. It was just me and Maku left in the room now. He clicked his fingers and a gush of wind carried a bandage towards us.Maku grabbed it and wrapped it around my eye.
"Sorry again,I'll clean this mess up."
"You're being serious?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."I trotted up the stairs into Yanagi's room to see what was going on.
The window was left open.Could they have?No.They wouldn't. Or so I thought?Thankfully they hadn't run away but they were outside,standing above the grave.I shouted their names.
They didn't respond.I rushed downstairs but Maku halted.His body was frozen. It was so still my heart was pacing.The door swung open.
Thunder erupted from outside.The floor was beginning to flood.Kimiko and Yanagi entered the room.Their bodies were completely black.
They had no clothes on.Same with Maku when he turned around.They began chanting something that wasn't clear to me.Something in another language perhaps.
The ancient book nearby opened to a familiar page I had memorized not too long ago. It began glowing sapphire.
"IRAI!"I was snapped out of a trance.Turns out I was hallucinating.I was still at Yanagi's bedroom door.
"Irai?Hello??"
"Sorry,I was…dreaming."
"You don't seem alright.Look at all the sweat on the floor."She was right.I was dripping.And I smelt awful.
"I'm going to take a shower."
"Yeah you should!"She shoved me out of the room and slammed the door.Why was she acting so strange.I heard giggles come from the other side of the door.Must have some girly stuff.
I got in the shower and rested in the misty warm steam.