It wasn't even Dawn before Sebastian arrived with a suit that felt like a needle to the brain.
I didn't even have time to enjoy the silk sheets before he was back. No training tray this time. Instead, he handed me a pair of white gloves that matched the coat from yesterday. It was heavy, embroidered with the floral crest of Ishabana.
"We depart for Shugodam immediately," Sebastian stated, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of disorder. "The five kingdoms are convening. A 2,000-year-old prophecy is supposedly reaching its conclusion today, and Her Majesty will not be late for the end of the world."
"Shugodam? The industrial place?" I asked, putting on the gloves. My fingers felt stiff. The coin in my pocket was humming at a frequency that made my teeth ache. It hadn't even stopped since I yesterday.
"The center of Chikyu," Sebastian replied. "King Racles Hastie has summoned the leaders to sign a pact of alliance against the Bugnarak. And we will be part of the Queen's inner circle. You are to be seen, not heard, and for the love of the throne, try to keep your coin from melting the transport's stabilizers."
I was fumbling with the suit in front of the mirror, feeling like a kid playing dress-up in a museum. The "New World" was great and all, but the coat had way too many buttons.
The scent of premium roses filled the room before the door even hissed open. I didn't have to look. Hymeno Ran stepped in, her yellow dress flowing behind her like a moving painting. She didn't look at me at first; she looked at the room, ensuring the sensors and the luxury were still up to her standards.
"BJ, you look... functional," she said, her voice melodic but sharp. "Which is a shame, because I requested 'exquisite.'"
She walked straight up to me. She didn't ask for permission. She just reached out and gripped my collar, her gloved fingers clicking the gold clasp into place with a snap. She was so close I could see the cold, clinical focus in her eyes.
"It's a bit heavy," I muttered, trying not to lean back. "And the coin is buzzing again. It's making me jumpy."
Hymeno's hand didn't move to my pocket. She just tilted her head, watching my face as if she were reading a heart monitor. "It knows we are leaving. Shugodam is a city of ancient gears and even older secrets. It's only natural the coin would feel... nostalgic."
"Nostalgic?" I frowned. "It's a piece of metal, not a tourist."
She smiled, but it was the kind of smile a scientist gives a particularly interesting lab rat. "Everything in this world has a rhythm, BJ. Yours just happens to be louder than most."
She stepped back, dismissing me like a finished piece of art. "Racles Hastie is hosting a summit for the 'peace of Chikyu.' He expects me to bring my doctors and my beauty. He does not expect me to bring a boy who carries the impossible in his pocket."
The departure was a blur of gold-plated engines and high-altitude winds. By the time the transport's doors opened, the floral scent of Ishabana was gone, replaced by the heavy, metallic tang of heated iron. Shugodam.
The scale was oppressive. Massive stone walls rose up like cliffs, and huge sculptures of the God-Kuwagata loomed over the city like silent, rusty gods. The air hummed with the steady warmth of a thousand turning gears.
I walked two steps behind Hymeno as she walked toward the summit plaza. Sebastian was to her right, I was to her left. I kept my head down, but I could feel the eyes of the Shugodam guards on my Ishabana mantle. Then I saw them. The other Sovereigns had arrived:
Yanma Gast of N'Kosopa, looking like he wanted to hack the building's security system just for fun.
Rita Kaniska of Gokkan, a literal wall of ice and muffled silence.
Kaguragi Dybowski of Toufu, whose smile was far too wide to be honest.
And at the center of the balcony: Racles Hastie. Looking down on everybody like ants.
"Welcome, fellow Kings," Racles' voice boomed through the hall.
But I wasn't listening. My pocket was burning. The coin wasn't just warm anymore—it was screaming. "Sebastian," I whispered. "The coin. It's... reacting."
Sebastian didn't move a muscle. "Maintain your stance, BJ. If you collapse now, the Queen will be forced to be 'efficient' with your disposal."
Racles began, his voice dripping with authority. "The prophecy of the return of the Bugnarak is upon us. We must unite under Shugodam's lead to ensure they remain in the dirt where they belong."
"Under your lead?" Yanma Gast leaned back, tapping a rhythm on his tablet. "Fix your own borders first, Racles. My tech says your defense grid is leaking like a rusted pipe."
"Unity is... profitable," Kaguragi Dybowski chuckled behind his fan.
"Silence," Rita Kaniska's voice cut through the room like a frozen blade. "I will not sign a pact that favors one kingdom over the others."
Hymeno didn't even look at them. She was busy inspecting a stray smudge on her sleeve. "I don't care who leads, as long as the filth is cleared away quickly. My time is far too valuable for a long war."
She glanced back at me, her eyes tracking the way my hand was trembling. "Isn't that right, BJ?"
I didn't answer. I couldn't. Under the table, my leg was shaking. The coin was screaming in a frequency only I could feel. Thumping faster and faster.
"Sign it," Racles slammed a hand on the table, "and Shugodam's Shugods will protect you all!"
"Wait," I whispered. It slipped out. Sebastian's hand clamped onto my shoulder like a vice, his fingers digging into my mantle. "Quiet, BJ," he hissed.
But the room had already gone cold. Every King turned to look at the 'servant' who had dared to speak.
"Who is this?" Racles asked, his eyes narrowing.
"A curiosity of mine," Hymeno said smoothly, not missing a beat. "And he seems to have better ears than any of you."
I looked toward the massive stained-glass windows. The sky wasn't blue anymore. It was a bruised, sickly purple.
"They're not coming," I said, my voice finding its strength as the coin let out a final, violent pulse. "They're already here."
BOOM.
The ground didn't just shake; it groaned. A massive explosion ripped through the plaza outside, shattering the stained glass into a million shards. The prophecy wasn't a warning anymore. It was a massacre.