Redmont, Serisis.
Ten Minutes Earlier...
Laughter and discussions filled Redmont Manor's ballroom as delegates from the Three Kingdoms mingled, drank wine, and forged essential connections for the future. Wondrous music provided by the Serian court enhanced the jovial mood, as even the kings loosened up and drank a few jugs of wine.
"Announcing, Master Kashi, Guildmaster of the Hopeful Maggots, accompanied by the Voice of the Heavens, Miss Lunette Falsetto."
The chamberlain's announcement drew the crowd's attention to the door. A resentful Kashi glared at the announcer, while Lunette's graceful smile melted the crowd's hearts. Lunette gently tugged Kashi's arm, who, after one last glare at the chamberlain, led Lunette into the room amidst adoring and awestruck gazes.
Kashi and Lunette paid their respects to the kings and were consequently mobbed by the eager politicians and crowds. Kashi's brows twitched in suppressed anger as he was forced to field questions and requests from many thirsty businessmen looking to forge partnerships. He looked around in hopes of finding Miote, but unfortunately, but he and Leila were occupied by guests of their own.
Moments later, Kashi checked his side, only to find that Lunette was missing. A quick scan of the surroundings revealed her to be surrounded by a group of women. On the surface, the ladies seemed to be discussing Lunette's clothing, her tailors, and make-up – the expected stuff. But upon closer inspection, these women were actually securing business deals among themselves and sizing each other up to decide who the top dog was.
All this business talk was far too taxing and tiring for the poor daeben. If it were not for Lunette and Leila, Kashi would have fled the scene long ago. As it were, though, he was fast approaching his limit.
Suddenly, Kashi's salvation came in the form of the Rosen King.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
King Parissius tapped his glass, drawing the room's attention. The handsome king flashed a charming grin and raised his glass. "On behalf of Rosendun and her people, I wish to thank everyone present here tonight. Without your unflinching support, we would not be gathered in this room in peace." The king then glanced at Kashi. "However, I must raise this glass to The Hopeful Maggots, a fiercely loyal, brave, and upright guild, without whom any of this would have been possible."
"Hear Hear," chanted King Xafier as he raised his mug in agreement. King Chu also raised his glass, the twinkle in his eyes relaying his approval.
King Parissius laughed as he toasted to the Maggots, "Kashi, will you accept my glass?"
Kashi inwardly groaned as even more eyes turned to him. Damn it! How the hell was a man supposed to maintain a low profile with all these attention grabbers around him. Despite his discomfort, the daeben issued a smile as he accepted a glass from a waiter. Raising the glass, he said, "It would be my honor, Your Majesty," and then knocked back the wine in one quick gulp.
"Haha, Brilliant!" cheered King Parissius as he, too, knocked back his drink. Following his charge, the room downed their drinks as the merry mood intensified. However, the young king was not done yet. With a twinkle in his eyes, King Parissius looked at the nearby Lunette. "Ms. Falsetto, I am ashamed to state that most of us have only ever heard your angelic voice from a sound stone. Would you please do us the honor of performing a single song, that we may experience the divine in person?"
Lunette surreptitiously glanced at Kashi, but upon seeing his indifference, curtsied, and then said, "It would be my honor, Your Majesty."
Amidst roaring applause, Lunette walked up to the stage, where the royal orchestra received her with bright smiles. The songstress greeted the orchestra, then turned to King Parissius, "Is there any particular song His Majesty would like?"
King Parissius glanced at the twins, Chu Ling and Chu Ming, and then said with a smile, "How about a love song?" With a teasing grin, he added, "I can see you have the beautiful glow of a maiden in love."
Lunette blushed, while Kashi's face darkened as several men around him struck his back and hooted their praises. "As you wish, Your Majesty," accepted Lunette after the whistles died down. She then asked the orchestra, "Do you know 'Carry me'? I heard it in a Rosen tavern and have loved it ever since."
The orchestra confirmed they knew the song. After a moment to adjust her mental state, Lunette's voice stole the crowd's hearts, gently bringing them into the world in her song.
Within this world, a young maiden lay in the fields outside her home, left behind after her spouse left for war. Several years had passed since the war began, and the maiden did not know whether her lover was alive or dead. As such, she prayed to the gods to carry her to her love, wherever he may be, whether it be in the seas, the clouds, or in the ground.
As Lunette sang, tears pooled in the audience's eyes. Some wept for the maiden in the song, others for people they had lost. The 'daeben wars' was but eleven years past. Most of the audience had lost family members, lovers, friends, or teachers to the horrors of war.
Lunette's voice seemed to reach into the depths of their souls, to the parts they had long since buried. It pulled out those memories, the beautiful ones that brought tears to the eyes—not sad tears, but happy ones.
As the songstress's voice serenaded the room, King Chu glanced at his wife's portrait hanging from a nearby wall, while King Xafier opened a locket and glanced lovingly at the person within. King Parissius, meanwhile, wore a brave smile as he winked at the twin princesses.
The princesses shared a knowing look and then walked up to the King. They each grabbed one hand and silently but gently squeezed it, showing their support. They both knew that of everyone in the room, King Parissius had probably lost the most during the daeben wars. Aside from the numerous friends he made and then lost on the battlefield, his entire family and friends he left in the capital were slaughtered.
The young king lost his family, people, crown, wealth, and power, which forced him to live a commoner's life for a decade. Most people would have lost their minds after such loss, but Parissius always kept smiling no matter how bad things got. It was a policy he had learned as a child: Royals never let the people see their grief, for they are the cornerstone of the people's belief.
The only people who could genuinely comfort a royal was another royal. Only they could truly understand what it meant to hide your true feelings at all times.
Feeling the twins' support, King Parissius' smile nearly faltered for a second, but he managed to retain it. Unfortunately, no amount of posturing could stop the tears that began to flow down his eyes. Worse, because the princesses held his hands, he was forced to finally mourn his family's passing as any man should.
No one knew who started it, but at some point, the audience began to sing along. 'Carry Me' was a popular folksong sung by warriors and civilians the continent over. The song's popularity skyrocketed during the daeben wars, as, due to the lack of specified genders in its lyrics, it could be sung by men and women alike.
Kashi, meanwhile, stared at the singing Lunette as an unfamiliar pain stung his chest. Somehow, he could not help but think back to Suzuki as a child, laughing as his mother lifted him and spun him around the living room. He recalled his mother's beautiful smile as Suzuki lay on her lap, and she sang him to sleep.
"You okay?"
Kashi looked to his left to see Shadow gazing at him with concern in his eyes. "Huh?"
"Your eyes," Shadow said as he pointed at the daeben's eyes.
Kashi raised his hand to his eyes and was subsequently shocked to find they were watery. Staring at the liquid, he could not help but mutter, "...Are these tears?"
"Generally, that's what comes from the eyes, yes."
"Ha... Me, crying?" Kashi let out a sardonic chuckled as he examined the moisture on his hand. "I haven't cried since I was twelve."
Shadow raised a brow as he responded sarcastically, "...Weird flex, but okay." The assassin paused for a moment and then asked in a more somber tone. "But you are sure you are okay?"
"Ha. Yeah, I am," replied Kashi as he wiped his eyes. Whatever that weird feeling was, it was gone now. Who knew when next he would recapture that feeling? Glancing at Shadow, he said, "Thanks."
Shadow shrugged and then said, "Don't sweat it."
Kashi was about to say something, but a loud round of applause broke his concentration. Only then did he realize Lunette had finished her performance, resulting in the thunderous ovation. Kashi turned to Shadow, but as expected, the assassin had once again disappeared.
Lunette, meanwhile, thanked the orchestra, who had joined in giving her a standing ovation and then walked off the stage. The young lady made her way to Kashi, who received her with a warm clap and a smile as he praised, "That was beautiful—"
"Indeed, truly beautiful," repeated a sinister voice as it reverberated through the hall.
The hall's occupants immediately adopted battle stances as they felt the unmistakable hostility and ridicule contained in the voice. "Hahahahahaha..." Warriors and mages alike frowned as they scanned their surroundings, searching for the voice's source, but try as they might, they could not pinpoint its origin.
Kashi's eyes, meanwhile, burned red with rage as he glared at the ceiling as if seeing something the others couldn't. Unable to contain his rising anger anymore, he shouted, "Stop hiding and show yourselves, you overgrown chickens."
Craack!
As if in response to Kashi's provocation, the ceiling groaned as massive cracks suddenly snaked along it.
"Everyone out!" King Parissius and Leila reacted quickest as they instantly ordered an evacuation. Terrified noblemen and women fled the hall under the protection of the palace guards. The cracks widened and multiplied, the ceiling threatening to collapse at any moment.
Amidst the confusion and chaos, Kashi grasped Lunette's arm, keeping her close to prevent her from being swept away by the panicky crowd. The daeben's brows furrowed as he called, "Shadow."
As expected, the assassin seemingly appeared next to him, gaze solemn as he replied, "Yes?"
Kashi released Lunette and then said, "No matter what, do not leave her side."
"You don't have to tell me that," confirmed Shadow with a grave nod as he pulled out a pair of daggers from within his sleeves. Only the heavens knew how he managed to smuggle them past security.
Kashi nodded and then signaled the remaining Maggots to gather around Shadow. To his surprise, the Kings, the Princesses, and a few brave noblemen chose not to evacuate with the rest.
The daeben gave King Parissius an apologetic look as he said, "Sorry, I think my mess followed me here. I'll deal with them quickly."
King Parissius, however, shook his head as he looked at the ceiling. "Your mess is Rosendun's mess now. Even if it isn't, it's my mess too. Whatever this is, we will fight it together."
Kashi gazed at King Parissius and could not help but reveal a warm smile, "Thanks, but for all our sakes, I hope there is no fighting involved."
King Xafier's eyes narrowed as he felt the immense pressure emitted by the figures beyond the ceiling. "You know who this is?"
"Not who," corrected Kashi. "They." The daeben's eyes narrowed as the ceiling exploded into several fine dust particles. After a few moments, the dust cleared, revealing a host of winged men and women gazing upon the hall with disdain. "They are the adjudicators."
"...Now, what the hell do they want?"
Kashi looked to the entrance and was relieved to see both Syèl and Shokō enter the hall. These two cheat codes could be vital if whatever this was devolved into a fight. "Don't know," replied Kashi, and then said as he looked at the Lead Adjudicator, Vanzuela. "Why don't we ask the head chicken?"
Vanzuela, or as he was known in the real world, Justin Tan, revealed a tight grin as he glared at the daeben. "Your insolence truly knows no bounds." Glancing at Lunette, he teased, "I wonder how smug you'll be after you learn the truth."
To his surprise, however, Lunette stepped forward and said with a stony glare, "You are too late, Vanzuela. I already told him the truth. All of it. You hold no power over me."
"Oh? You finally did?" remarked Syèl as he flashed a thumbs-up. "Good for you."
"Yes, yes." Vanzuela praised with a sarcastic clap, "Good fo—"
"Shut it bird-brain," Syèl spat with a disdainful snort. "Come up with your own material."
Vanzuela's eyes twitched, but he chose to ignore the halben. He did not come here to engage in a war of words. Instead, he looked at Kashi and said, "I see she told you the truth, but did she tell you the WHOLE truth?"
Kashi's eyes narrowed as he spat, "She did not lie to me."
"No. Of course, she didn't," mocked Vanzuela with a snide grin. "She's not the type to. But, she did not tell you the whole truth either... because she is not aware of how much she truly knows."
This time, it was Lunette who questioned, "What do you mean? What do I know?"
"First, we have to speak candidly." Vanzuela laughed, thoroughly enjoying himself as he spread out his arms and said, "Adjudicator Code: RD001, Requesting [Judgment Zone]. Area: This Building."
Kashi winced as a translucent shield suddenly burst out of the Adjudicator and spread around the building. Every Resident within the enveloped shield suddenly fell into a deep slumber, even while retaining their previous position. The daeben recognized this skill all too well. It was utilized when matters which Residents should not be privy to had to be discussed. It was also used to weaken players who might have allied with several Residents to protect themselves.
Following its release, the daeben's interest was officially stoked.
Vanzuela confirmed [Judgment Zone] had been set and then looked at Kashi and Leila. "Alright then... I had this whole speech prepared, but I'll settle for this instead." The Adjudicator snapped his fingers, and a massive picture appeared next to him.
Within the picture was a young, handsome man in his late twenties. The man's long dark hair was tied up in a bun, as a pair of cold but seductive eyes examined a piece of code on a monitor in front of him. The man's scruffy hair, eyes bags, and wrinkled lab coat told a tale of a man who'd lacked quality sleep for a long time. However, a small smile at the corner of his lips revealed he enjoyed the grind.
Jade could not help but whisper, "He's hot," as she stared at the picture. Although the other Maggots did not say anything, they too appreciated the handsome scientist.
Unfortunately, unlike their counterparts, Kashi, Lunette, and Shadow turned pale, like a bolt of lightning had struck their souls. Simultaneously, they called out,
"Father!" "Rai-Sensei!"
"What!?"
Kashi and Lunette stared at each other, shock and confusion in their eyes. Kashi recovered first, panic in his eyes as he asked, "You know my father!? Why did you call him Rai-Sensei?"
"Father?" Lunette muttered in disbelief. "Rai-Sensei is your father? How can that be?" Her eyes widened as realization struck. "Wait... then, it can't be; you're Su?"
Boom!
Kashi stumbled backward like a thunderbolt had struck him. Memories of a bespectacled man with a charming smile flooded his brain. He could feel the man's warm hands as he patted Suzuki's head. He heard his pride-filled voice.
"Don't cry, Su. A man's tears are sacred." "That's my boy." "Hey, Su, what do you think about skydiving?" "Hehe... only my boy Su can beat me at this game."
Kashi grimaced as he recalled Suzuki's father's favorite phrase. The phrase Suzuki had heard ad-nauseum, to the point he could recite it from memory.
"Very soon, Su... I'll be finished with this project soon, and we'll have all the time in the world to ourselves."
Kashi recalled how much Suzuki hated that project. It was always that damned project with his father. It was that project that pulled him away from his family, resulting in Suzuki's mom suffering a mental breakdown. However, instead of helping her, he left Suzuki to endure the mess, always claiming that the project would fix everything.
Everything came back to that project.
If Suzuki's father had not spent so much time on it, he might not have been exhausted while driving to the tournament finals. If he had not been exhausted, he might have been more alert and reacted quicker when dodging that deer. They might not have crashed.
That would not have happened. Suzuki would not have been forced to make the biggest mistake of his life.
Everything came back to that damned project.
'Ugh,' Kashi winced as he clutched his chest. A searing heat had begun to rise as Suzuki's rising rage began to spill over.
"Kashi?" Lunette asked in a worried tone as she rushed over to him. "Are you—"
"Stay Back!" screamed Kashi as he glared at the songstress with a hate-filled, loathful gaze.
"Sis, stand back," Shadow warned as he grabbed Lunette and pulled her behind him. The assassin's eyes wavered as he stood between his sister and the man he admired most in all worlds. "Kashi... are you alright?"
Kashi let out a sarcastic laugh as he said, "I wonder... Would you be if you were me?"
Shadow's gaze fell. "I... Rai-sensei is important to us. He gave us life. We did not know he is your father."
"Was..." corrected Lunette, her eyes wet with grief and pain. "Was, Shadow. Kashi's father already passed away."
"Rai-Sensei is dead?" Shadow murmured in a hollow voice. With an empty gaze, he said, "So, the reason we were on standby for so long..."
Lunette solemnly nodded as she confirmed, "Yes... he must have passed away."
Thud!
Shadow collapsed to his knees, immense sorrow and guilt reflected in his eyes as he stared at his hands. "All those things I said... The years I cursed him... What have I been doing?"
"I'm sorry, Shadow." Lunette cried as she knelt and hugged her brother from behind. "I'm so sorry."
Kashi watched the crying siblings with increasing hatred and hostility. By this point, it was impossible to tell where Suzuki's anger began and Kashi's ended. It took all he had to prevent himself from attacking.
"It must be nice, being able to mourn him. You all must have been close." Kashi, or was it, Suzuki, mocked with a sarcastic smile. "I barely knew my father. I can't even feel grief... All I have of him is this anger that won't go away."
"Anger?" Vanzuela interrupted with a pleased chuckle. "It's too early to feel angry. Wait till you hear the whole story."
Kashi gritted his teeth and glared at the hovering Adjudicator. He so badly wanted to tear that smug look off Vanzuela's face. But at the same time, he wanted to know more about Suzuki's father. Even just a little...
Vanzuela grinned upon noticing Kashi's pained expression. He now knew he had the daeben hooked for sure. All that was left to do was reel him in. "Kashi... or rather, Suzuki Mato. Do you know the story of your birth?"
Kashi's gaze hardened, but Vanzuela only clapped his hands and continued unperturbed, "I read your father's company files, as well as the report on his history. It turns out your mother was the daughter of some rich conglomerate, while your father was a high-school genius. The love-birds fell in love in high school and made plans for their future. Your mother planned to be a model while your father wanted to use science to change the world."
Vanzuela laughed as he stated, "They had their entire lives planned ahead of them... until you came and destroyed everything." The Adjudicator clapped his hands, eyes wide as he praised, "You're a real miracle baby, you know that? Your mother religiously took birth control pills. Your father, Mr. Perfection-I-need-a-plan, always used protection to ensure no accidents occurred that could derail his life... But somehow, you tenaciously survived and got your poor mother pregnant."
"Your mother refused to get an abortion. Because of this, she was disowned and excommunicated by her family." Vanzuela sighed and shook his head. "Imagine that. Falling from a rich ojou-sama with the ability to spend hundreds of thousands of Yen in a day to a nobody who needs to budget a few hundred yen each day. Imagine the toll it takes on a young high school girl."
The Adjudicator revealed a mocking grin. "Then Ryumaki, that insufferable paragon of responsibility married your mother. He lost his scholarship, and since he did not have anyone to rely on, he quit school to take care of both you and your mom."
Vanzuela chuckled as he recalled the story within Ryumaki's personnel files. The scientist had taken multiple therapy sessions within the company. The records were supposed to be classified, but it was relatively easy for Justin to convince the therapist to unseal the files—mainly since they belonged to a dead man.
"Ryumaki didn't have any qualifications, so he had to take any random coding job he could get his hands on," revealed Vanzuela. "Sometimes, he would do several weeks' worth of coding for a day's worth of pay. But this meant poor Ruri-chan had to go several days without seeing her husband." The Adjudicator shrugged. "Now, I guess somewhere in that messed up brain of hers, Ruri-chan probably recognized why Ryumaki had to work that hard. But that's the thing with the mentally ill..." Vanzuela laughed as he tapped his head. "Logic doesn't apply, does it?"
"Shut up," Kashi warned, glaring at Vanzuela with open hostility. "Do not talk about my mother."
"Or what? Su-kun?" Vanzuela teased as he opened his arms wide. "Attack me if you dare. Give me the justification I need. Or are you a coward, like your pathetic, insane mother?"
Snap!
The last thread of reason within Kashi suddenly snapped. A diabolical aura filled with death and destruction burst out of the daeben as he muttered... "As you wish."
BOOM!
Before Kashi could move, rocks suddenly burst out of the ground and swallowed him up to his head. The daeben snarled as he smashed out of the stones, but Shoko suddenly appeared in front of him. In his rage, Kashi didn't hold back and punched out with his full might.
Shokō's brows narrowed, and she did not dare take this lightly. Summoning all her strength, she slashed at Kashi's fist.
BOOM!
The resulting explosion sent everyone flying. Kashi stood in place while Shokō slid several meters backward. She pinned her blade into the ground to stop her momentum and then looked up at the daeben in shock and horror.
This monster. Just how strong was Kashi? Aswordsman's base strength doubled at the very least when swinging a sword. Kashi had met that force with his bare fist. He was not even dragonified yet.
Luckily, despite losing the bout, Shokō's mission could be considered complete, as it bought enough time for the Maggots to surround Kashi and hold him down.
Kashi glared at Absalon, Syèl, Jade, Miote, and Leila, still unable to think through his rage. "Let me go."
"Sorry, man," Syèl replied with a half-smile. "No can do. I've been where you are right now. You do not want to make decisions based on anger. You'll regret it."
Kashi looked at Syèl and spat, "I do not know how to feel regret."
"Lucky you," cheered Syèl, but then added in a grave tone. "Don't learn." Those words seemed to calm Kashi down finally. Syèl thus took the opportunity to speak to the Adjudicator. "Oi! Chicken Deluxe! Is there a point to all this? Or are you just tearing up old wounds cause you're a sore loser?"
Vanzuela's brows twitched, but he managed to restrain himself, feeling secure in the knowledge he had. "Well, of course, there's a point. I want Suzuki here to know the truth about the kind of man his father was. That's all."
"Well, are you done!?"
"Not quite," replied Vanzuela. "This is the main point. Ryumaki, the naïve bastard, thought that if he became a millionaire, he could give his wife the life she deserved. So, while doing his odd jobs, he began working on a brand new project. One which would change the landscape of the world as we know it..." Glancing at Lunette and Shadow, he said, "Truly conscious, living, A.I. As long as he completed that project, forget being a millionaire, he could become as big as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, or Jedidiah Kaguya Minako."
Leila glanced at the silent Shadow and Lunette "...He succeeded, right? How come we haven't heard of him?"
Vanzuela burst out laughing as he answered, "Because Ryumaki was a naïve idiot. Bigshots at Genaco somehow found out about his little project and agreed to finance his research. He was showered with more money than 95% of the current workforce and given his department and resources to play with as he pleased. I don't know if the money got to his head, but he signed an agreement to keep his name out of the list of researchers."
"Impossible." Shokō harshly refuted. "Genaco would never rip off a worker like that."
"It wasn't a ripoff," Vanzuela corrected. "He still got paid a head researcher's salary and would have been given the appropriate shares when the A.Is hit the public market. He didn't want the fame. He claimed he wanted to spend the rest of his days with his 'real' family."
Kashi's eyes twitched. "'Real' Family? What does that mean?"
Vanzuela's eyes shone with a harsh light. It was clear that this piece of information was what he had been building up to this entire time. Pointing at Lunette and Shadow, he said, "All this time you've been hanging out with them. Have you never felt any similarity from those two?"
"...What?" Kashi's voice choked in his throat, unwilling to accept the truth being laid out before him. But then, he recalled the first time he heard Lunette's voice in Kerta. The song she'd sang then, and then later to him; Sleepsong. His mother's favorite song. Was it a coincidence that they both knew that song?
"No..." Leila covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. Since she had known him, she had never seen Suzuki, Razznik, or Kashi look so lost. So fragile like he would crumble at the slightest touch.
"Haha! There! That's it! That's the expression I want to see!" Vanzuela burst out in animated laughter, thoroughly enjoying the pain and disbelief in Kashi's eyes. "That's the truth, child. Your father, to cure his loneliness while at work, modeled the first A.Is after you and your mother. You were replaced by an A.I child! Hahaha... how useless can you be!? Ryumaki had to go as far as telling the A.Is his name was Rai, so he did not forget his real family."
Vanzuela's gaze narrowed as he taunted, "Want to know a funny truth? The first case of Parallel was one Mato Ryumaki who spent so much time in the virtual world with A.Is; he began to forget which world was real. He had two families, two realities that existed, but he felt they should never meet... Parallel. Don't you think your father was quite poetic in naming his disease?"
"He... he replaced us... Mother... He replaced her," Kashi said... no Suzuki said... no Kashi said... No, Suzuki... KashiSuzukiKashiSuzukiKASBLIdyhfoqva—
Leila's heart leaped into her throat as he saw Kashi's eyes begin to lose focus. "Kashi! Kashi!" She grabbed the daeben's shoulders and smacked him hard across the face, but it did not elicit a response.
Noticing her panic, Absalon asked, "What's wrong with him?"
"No time to explain!" Leila shouted as she frantically searched around for something. "We'll lose him at this rate! Kashi! Wake up!" Suddenly, she spotted Lunette and happily whispered, "Anchor." Her eyes widened as she then screamed, "Lunette! Lune! Get over here now!"
Lunette listlessly looked over to Leila but then immediately ran over upon seeing Kashi's state. "What's wrong with him?"
Leila shook her head, sweat pooling on her forehead as she said, "No time to explain. You need to call out to him. Now! Or we'll lose him for good. Hurry up!"
Lunette panicked as she had never seen Leila this flustered at anything. She immediately grabbed Kashi and called out, "Kashi! Can you hear me? Kashi! Wake up! Kashi! It's me. Wake up." She called out multiple times, but to no avail. It seemed the daeben had utterly shut down.
"No. Not like this," Leila muttered, worry etched on her face as she wiped tears from her eyes. "Not again. He won't forgive himself." She looked at Lunette with panicked hope. "Please. You have to get him back. You have to get Kashi back... For both their sakes."
Lunette could not understand what Leila meant, but she knew enough to know that the situation had turned dire. It appeared that, somehow, Kashi's life was in real danger if she did not wake him up.
Lunette wiped her tears and then wrapped her hands around Kashi's waist. She rested her head against his chest, smiling as she listened to his familiar heartbeat. "Kashi... Hey, can you hear me? I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I never knew Rai-sensei, no Ryu-sensei was your father... No, that's not quite right. I did know Ryu-sensei had a family. He would always talk to us about his son Su, and his wife, Ruri. Did you know? Ryu-sensei liked to call Ruri-san his favorite magical Rune... That's how I got my name. He always said Su was as quiet as a shadow and had a habit of popping out of nowhere. That's how Shadow got his name. Heh, I guess you got your father's interesting naming sense."
"...I'm sorry, Kashi," Lunette apologized as she wept into his chest. "I was having so much fun with Ryu-sensei. I never stopped to think about his real family. I never considered how lonely you must have felt, never getting to meet your father. I'm so sorry!" She tightened her grip around his waist as she looked up into his unfocused eyes. "Please... You can hate me all you want. You can choose not to talk to me ever again... but please come back. Please, Kashi..." Her voice cracked, and she could barely manage a whisper as she begged, "...Don't go."
Pa!
Lunettetensed as she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. "Kashi!" Shejoyfully raised her head, but then her heart fell to the pits of her stomach asshe looked into Kashi's familiar yet alien eyes. In all her life, she had neverseen a pair of eyes so cold and unfeeling. It felt like they were about to suckher into an endless black hole of despair. "...Kashi?"