For the next several hours, I had to wait in that lavish waiting room as, one by one, everyone I’d come to the palace with was drawn away by Masayuki to be questioned by the Emperor. Not only that, but I soon discovered that none of them were being led back here. Despite Shacklock’s objections to the entire process, we didn’t have to wait long to discover this either. After about thirty minutes, Masayuki returned to the room, this time with only the General in tow.

  In a pleasant tone, we were informed that ‘Lord Higanashi’ was now being entertained in a private audience with the Imperial family after his own with the Emperor, and wouldn’t you please come with me, Sir Shacklock?

  A few hours ago, I’d withheld a sigh as I watched the still-irritated Shacklock stalk from the room accompanied by the two servants of Emperor Seimei. He, too, didn’t come back. And I somehow doubted he was playing nice somewhere else in the palace with the Imperial family. The cantankerous old man had probably been shown the door or something.

  After that, it was Renauld. And then Liora, and then Sena. Azarus was the last of my companions, then, and unsurprisingly, his apparent meeting went on longer than even Kazuma’s had. I was a tad grumpy, missing that one, actually. I’d been looking forward to the River Court’s reaction to finding out their chief object of worship had an actual agent active here in the real world now.

  Until finally, it was down to only me and said chief Spirit’s daughter sitting quietly in that waiting room, lit by the fading light of her Father. I’d barely touched the refreshments I’d been brought by the palatial servants, but Shurenga seemingly had no problem daintily gulping down the choice cuts of meat they’d brought her. Distantly, I’d been a bit impressed by the professionalism those veil-clad waiters had shown when they’d been thanked by a giant, flaming, talking saber-tooth tiger.

  The bulk of me was more…embarrassed, though.

  Abruptly, I sighed and leaned forward in my plush chair, burying my face in my hands. I didn’t bother stopping the groan I felt emerging from my throat, as I heard Shurenga quietly laugh in the background. “Go ahead,” I said tiredly, my voice muffled by my hands. I didn’t look up. “You can say it.”

  “Say what, perhaps?” Shurenga said, slight amusement in her feline voice.

  “I overreached,” I replied dully. “I got cocky, and the Kawamarans took advantage of that fact. Things were going so well for us that I forgot I wasn’t the only person in the world capable of social maneuvering. Liora probably got her story straight, but I’m not sure about Kazuma. Or Renauld. Or hell, I’m not sure Shacklock would even care to try. And it’s not like Sena likely has any experience in courtly politics, no offense to your daughter.”

  “None taken,” Shurenga said mildly.

  “And now I’ve put all of our positions in danger,” I said, curling my hands into fists and looking up to find the Queen of Mt. Umetsuji looking at me with one raised, feline eyebrow. “I got arrogant. I’m…sorry, Shurenga.”

  To my surprise, said feline simply laughed lightly at me, shaking her head in amusement. “Pay it no mind, Nathaniel. This is a relatively painless way to learn this lesson, in the grand scheme of things.” At that, she hopped down from her chair to pad my way and, once she’d reached me, lifted one huge paw and patted my knee consolingly. “You do appear to possess a politically inclined mind, child, with an actual understanding of how these things progress. You’re just inexperienced, and the Emperor likely took notice of both of these facts. I have been…informed-”

  Probably by her spying father.

  “-that Emperor Seimei is not known for his wisdom for nothing,” Shurenga continued. “He’s one of the most popular recent rulers in his dynasty, well known for an even, fair hand. He and his advisors likely noticed the particulars of your maneuvering and very politely cut it off so they could reach the truth of the matter. However, I would not worry. With the service that you and yours have provided to their nation, I believe they shall not be harsh in their judgments. And chin up, Nathaniel.” Here, Shurenga actually nudged my head upwards with one paw to smile kindly at me. “This is an excellent lesson for you to learn before you venture into the…tumultuous heart of Herztalian politics. Hopefully, you shall be wiser in your own dealings once you return to the side of your teacher.”

  “I guess,” I said quietly. “You’re probably right. I’m just worried about…you know.” I said, with a vague, downwards sweep of my hand. I was confident that Shurenga would understand I was referring to Aveline. Separated as we were through Umbra Gemina Exactoris, my Core Ring and I weren’t able to keep each other updated. I didn’t know what was going on with them. With as weakened as we were through the halving of our Virtues, I wasn’t confident in my clone’s ability to fully protect her in case the literal ninjas came for our charge. To watch her, sure. But not fight off a possible army of people as strong or stronger than we were at our best.

  I think any of the governments of Vereden would be very interested in getting their hands on a member of a previously unknown, separate race of Humans who used to inhabit this planet alongside them secretly. Much less the invaluable treasure trove of Aetherological knowledge she used to cuddle.

  Shurenga met my eyes then. “That will not be an issue. I promise you that, upon the honor of my Father.”

  I…guess I just had to accept that. I had no other choice.

  That wouldn’t stop me from worrying, though.

  Huh.

  Was this what it was like…being a…Fat-

  I was knocked out of my introspection by the door of the waiting room opening once again. And once more, Masayuki was standing in the doorway, although I noticed that he had both changed out of his armor and that the General was no longer accompanying him. I suppose they weren’t concerned with either of us trying to get violent now, even though Shurenga was likely the strongest person in the entire palace.

  “Lady Shurenga, if you’ll follow me?” Masayuki asked her, bowing at the waist in her direction.

  Shurenga gave me one last reassuring look before turning and inclining her head in at the ‘Master of Ceremonies’ for the River Court. In moments, she had followed Masayuki out into the halls of the Imperial palace, and the door to the waiting room closed behind her with a click.

  Leaving me alone in the fading twilight.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I sighed and settled into my chair for the wait.

  …………………………………….

  It was a much longer wait before Masayuki returned to the waiting room to fetch me. By that time, I had given up waiting patiently in favor of settling in for a session of meditation. It was my hope that some time breathing in the Aetheric waves of Vereden would calm my nerves before my meeting with the Emperor.

  It…partially worked, I’d say.

  However, I was eventually knocked out of my meditation by the sound of the door opening once again. Opening my eyes, I saw a much more frazzled-looking Masayuki standing in the doorway, lit from behind by lamplight. Blinking rapidly, I looked around to see that Tarus had set by now, casting the world in shadow and the light of his lost love.

  I guess the meeting with Shurenga took quite a long time in the end. It made me wonder exactly what was discussed between the two leaders.

  Masayuki took a deep breath to compose himself before speaking once more. “Nathaniel, if you’ll follow me? Yours will be the last audience of the day.”

  I nodded and stood up from my cross-legged position on the ground, approaching the man. “Everything alright?” I asked him quietly before we stepped out into the hall.

  In response, Masayuki gave me a strained smile. “Ah…yes, thank you. It’s simply that Lady Shurenga’s speech before the court will cause a number of...ripple effects for Kawamaran society. Pay it no mind, though. If you’ll follow me?”

  I took the hint and stepped out into the hall with the Kawamaran spymaster. Once outside, I saw that the palace was looking much more deserted now than it had been when we’d first arrived. There was nobody else in these corridors but us, certainly none of the servants or the guard that had ‘escorted’ us inside.

  I flicked my eyes over to Masayuki to see that he had been watching me. He smiled slightly. “Your meeting with the Emperor will be different, Nathaniel,” He said, sounding strangely mischievous. “It shall be…mostly private, but for one other individual to stand in witness as your character is judged. I believe you might even know them.”

  Well, that narrowed it down quite a bit. There weren’t that many people in Kawamara whom I knew who also had insight into who I was. I kept quiet, though, and instead simply nodded in an understanding manner to Masayuki. He took that for consent, and for the next few minutes, he led me through the straight, moonlit halls of the Imperial palace.

  Before long, though, we had stopped at what I assumed was the entryway into the Imperial throne room.

  The heart of the Imperial seat itself.

  Two large double doors dominated my view, stretching up to the high ceiling of the palace above me. Framed on either side by intricately carved wooden pillars that resembled the long, winding form of Tatsugan, the actual doors were shaped from the pure white marble that accented the palace. Upon the surface of it appeared to be some kind of mural, but I didn’t recognize the subject matter. On the upper half of the mural was a large blue circle with rippled patterns upon it, inside of which I could see a hazy image of what appeared to be a shadowed man. From that circle stretched a long, winding line of the same shade framed by what looked to be…representations of some kind, I believe. There was a mountain on the right, bearded by the sea, while a sunburst rose overhead. On the left of the line was a verdant forest, above which a great storm floated with a full moon rising above. The line ended near the bottom, where I could see a large group of human figures waiting in what seemed to be supplication, with one figure out in front…clothed in white and gold.

  Hmm.

  I…had a few guesses about what this could be, but I didn’t have the cultural understanding for all of it. I think the top was a lake of some kind, with a river flowing down? And then…the Great Spirits on either side? But it almost implied one more Spirit than I knew about. Who was the storm above the forest that, I think, was meant to be Anima? And then who were the people at the bottom? The Kawamarans? Most importantly, though…

  Who was inside the lake at the top?

  I didn’t get much longer to appreciate the mural before the double doors began to swing open, seemingly of their own accord. They revealed to me a lamp-lit throne room that, under normal circumstances, I would likely find very beautiful. But now…

  It just looked a bit ominous.

  Unlike the rest of the palace, the throne room of Emperor Seimei almost appeared understated. There was none of the marble and gold ornamentation that I had seen so frequently throughout the whole of the palace. Instead, it was entirely shaped and carved out of a pale, blonde wood instead. Sure, it was impeccable craftsmanship; I had to give it that. I don’t think I would be capable of the same fine carvings I saw on the wooden pillars that lined the central walkway, nor would I be able to recreate the entirely carved, unpainted murals that lined the room on all of the walls. But it was still just…wood.

  Except…for two features. There, the wealth of the Kawamaran people shone through. The throne itself…and the central path that extended from it.

  If I was right, both of them were one, uninterrupted stretch of Lunar Basalt of all things. That incredibly powerful, incredibly rare material that formed both Grey’s staff and his sword. This was the single largest amount of the stone I’d ever seen.

  Maybe more than all of it that was to be found on Vereden period.

  The path up to the throne was a long and winding one of the dark blue material, sparkling with white inclusions in an almost reflection of the night sky itself. It seemed to mimic the form of a river that wound all the way to the throne beneath my feet, as Masayuki and I stepped into the hall. In the low light of the hall, my eyes were almost tricked into thinking I was going to fall into the darkness of the wide pathway at any moment. I was only able to keep a sense of vertigo from overtaking me by focusing on the throne itself, on the other side of the room. It, too, was carved from the Lunar Basalt, and in an impeccably detailed manner. The stone was so dark it almost seemed to drink of the already faint light in the hall, masking the form I could see sitting almost relaxed in its grip.

  But not the person standing to the right of it. I furrowed my brow at the sight of them. That…wasn’t who I’d been expecting at all.

  “Sogen?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking in a baffled tone. I winced a moment later when it returned to me in an echo in the nearly deserted hall.

  Still…the hell was he doing here? Sogen was the apprentice of the man I had been expecting to actually see at the side of the throne. Elder Jinshin, the monk of the Animan Temple here in Hinaga, and the man who had coaxed me through the early steps of learning Magic. I’d barely seen the young, bald-headed Kawamaran man more than a handful of times in all the months I’d spent in the capital as a freelance blacksmith. We…really didn’t know each other very well.

  At my words, the young man in the green and white robes smiled slightly and bowed in my direction as we came to a halt before the throne. He didn’t say anything, though.

  Even though we stood at the bottom of the steps before the throne, I still couldn’t make out the man sitting upon it, presumably Emperor Seimei himself. There was an almost supernatural darkness obscuring his face from me. All I could really make out was a length of long, wispy hair that trailed down his back.

  Masayuki broke the silence. “Your Eminence, I bring you the Precursor Nathaniel Hart,” He said respectfully, bowing a full ninety degrees to his liege. Hastily, I remembered my courtesies and copied him, bending at the waist. “Apprentice of the Shadowed Sun, and he who rightfully slew the Dread Wyrm, presumably for the final time.”

  Something happened, then, that nearly caused me to choke on my own breath out of sheer surprise.

  An aged voice echoed out of the obscuring darkness of the throne above my bent head. A very, very familiar one.

  I felt a tingle run down my back as a suspicion dawned on me.

  “Thank you, Masayuki,” A kindly older voice said. “You may stay if you so wish.”

  I saw Masayuki’s cheeks stretch up into a smile to my right. “Oh, I wouldn’t wish this for the world, my lord.” He straightened back up, and I copied him as the spymaster turned to face me with a decidedly mischievous smile on his painted face. “I have the honor of introducing His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Seimei, August Sovereign of the Kawamaran Isles. Lord of the Eight Thousand Rivers, Resplendent Pillar of Heaven and Earth, He Who is Crowned Under Heaven’s Decree…and Head Priest of the Animan Faith.”

  The man on the throne leaned forward, and I saw a very familiar person looking back at me.

  Elder Jinshin smiled kindly at the shock on my face. “Hello, Nathaniel.”

  “It’s good to see you again.”