He beckoned her closer and whispered in her ear. “I don’t need to know what Ryuu has done, but will you look after him for me?”
She stood up and nodded. It was good Ryuu would have someone to watch over him.
There seemed little else to do, but Ryuu spoke up. “There is someone else you should see, Akira. We will give you a moment.”
They all walked out of the tent. The dayblade, the nightblades, even Captain Yung. He was left completely alone, but then the tent flap opened and Rei stepped in.
Akira could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. His eyes were drawn straight to her belly, full with child. There was only one conclusion, but he couldn’t believe it.
“When?”
She smiled, and Akira could see she had grown up in the moons since he had last seen her. “Just before I left, I think.”
Suddenly, the enormity of what he was looking at hit him. Right in front of him was the heir to the Kingdom, the offspring of nightblade and royalty.
“This child is the future. It will unify us once and for all.”
Akira was at a loss for words. To think that at the end of his life he would discover he had a child.
"It's going to be a son," Rei said with a smile.
Akira frowned, a small effort that still caused him to grimace. "How do you know?"
"We have our ways."
Akira didn't seem pleased with the answer, so she continued. "Different sexes usually give off a different energy. I can sense the life inside of me, and I can assure you, it's going to be a boy."
A wave of sadness crashed over Akira. He had always been driven primarily by the needs of his kingdom, but there had always been a part of him that had wanted to start a family. Now, at the end of his life, he finally had his chance. Tears streamed down his face.
"I wish I could be there to see him grow up. I wish I could spend more time with you, help you to raise him."
Rei quieted him. "It's okay. I know the type of man you are. I will raise him as a nightblade, and he will know the strength of his father."
Akira made a decision. "You will raise him as a king, too." He called for everyone gathered outside his tent. They all came in. He figured Ryuu and Moriko knew already, but it would be quite the surprise to Makoto and Yung.
"Rei is carrying my son." Akira spoke with a direct tone that accepted no argument.
"I have decided that my child will not grow up as a bastard in the new Kingdom. I know we face an uncertain future, but you can accept this and deal with it as you will. I hereby bequeath all of my titles and all of my land upon my son. Until he reaches such age as he is prepared to rule, I ask that Sen act as regent in my stead. Makoto, write out the edict."
His general and captain couldn't have been more surprised, and Akira enjoyed looking at the expression on their faces. "It is a good thing, here. Perhaps he can be the one who finally bridges the divide between the blades and the citizens of the Kingdom. Yung, Makoto, please, protect him and train him. Make him worthy of the crown."
They both bowed to Akira, and he waved everyone out of the tent except Rei. "Thank you, Rei. You've given me hope as I pass into the Great Cycle."
Rei embraced him, an awkward affair with him flat on the cot, but a gesture Akira appreciated. She held him tightly, and he treasured his final moments against her.
"Rei, will you stay with me until the end?" He was seized by a sudden fear. He didn't want to die. He wasn't ready to leave, not anymore.
She nodded. "I will. We all will."
She sat down next to him and propped his head on her lap. It was a painful transition, but he couldn't think of a better way to spend his last moments.
Rei called everyone back in. They all knelt down by Akira's cot, and together they talked of meaningless things. At one point Makoto had Akira sign and seal the edicts he had proclaimed. Akira studied each face, so that he could take their memories with him. There was sorrow in the eyes around him, but there was hope too. He had heard once that the quality of one's life was determined by the quality of those one surrounded themselves with. He agreed.
That evening, as the sun began to set, everyone was still next to him. But he was tired. More tired than he had ever been. His spirit was light, but his body was unbearably heavy. He got their attention, interrupting a conversation debating different sword styles.
"Thank you, everyone. Now it's your job to lead the Kingdom."
His comment was met by solemn nods, but when it was clear he wasn't going to add anything else, they resumed their conversation, knowing it was what he desired.
The world slowly faded away from him, his world gently consumed by darkness and silence. In his last moments, he imagined he could feel the entire Kingdom breathing a great sigh of relief. They were safe and whole after a thousand cycles. Perhaps it was real. Perhaps it was in his head. Either way, he died with a smile on his lips.
Epilogue
That autumn was a busy one. Makoto had hammered out the details of the peace treaty in the days following the nightblades’ attack. The Azarians wouldn’t return to Azaria, but that had never been expected. Makoto knew they were still too strong to be forced out, and there was plenty of land for everyone. The Azarians were allowed to settle wherever they wanted, provided the land wasn’t already in use by another.
In exchange, the Azarians agreed to obey the laws of the Kingdom and submit themselves to the justice of the king. Ryuu feared that it would be a difficult transition, but some groups of nightblades were starting to return to the Kingdom, and many of them were taking the roles of regional guards. It would be their responsibility to enforce the peace during these turbulent days.
There were few hunters left from their battle with the nightblades and the nightblades’ subsequent attack on the Gathering. Those that remained joined clans and helped them rebuild. Ryuu and the other nightblades who could sense at a distance kept a wary watch on them.
After a small debate, Ryuu and Moriko decided to visit Shigeru’s hut one last time. It wasn’t a far journey from where the Gathering had been, and Ryuu wanted to see the home he had grown up in.
Returning to the hut opened up a host of memories for Ryuu. He spent two days just wandering the surrounding forest with Moriko. He thought a lot about Shigeru. The man had given up everything for a young boy he had saved from bandits. Ryuu thought back to those early days, wondering what Shigeru would think of him now. His master had also carried a heavy burden. Would he understand?
When Ryuu was older, Shigeru had told him he was destined to do something great. Ryuu wasn’t so sure he was. He had brought the nightblades back, but he had also initiated a massacre. It was a far cry from the legends he had dreamed of living as a child. He would be happy to fade into obscurity.
Moriko was more content than Ryuu could ever remember seeing her. She loved being in the old woods. She always had. He was still a little surprised she was so eager to leave for an island that had so few trees. At times, he considered trying to convince her to stay, but he knew his efforts would be in vain. Her heart was set on returning to the island, and even he had to admit he was starting to acknowledge the wisdom of her decision.
He wasn’t sure what to do with the hut. A part of him wanted to burn it down, to burn any connection he had with his past. He was ready for a new start. But Moriko argued against it. The hut was important to both of them. Ryuu had grown up there, and he and Moriko had lived there together for several cycles. It was as close to a home as either of them had in the Kingdom.
Instead, they cleaned it well, emptying it of any goods they wanted to keep. They harvested what little of their garden had survived their absence and prepared the ground for anyone who might return. They would leave the hut in pristine condition. It was unlikely anyone else would come across it, but if they did, it could be a home for someone else, too.
With a fond farewell, they departed the hut and walked until they found the river. Ryuu purchased passage on a boat going up the river to Highgate. They had talked about exploring more of the Kingdom together, but had decided against it. Winter was coming, and soon transportation to the island would be a lot more difficult. They made good time and were in Highgate in a few days.
Ryuu was pleased to see that life in the Kingdom was slowly returning to a new normal. Many people still lived at the monasteries, but every day people were coming back. News of the nightblades was spreading, and while none wore the black in public, whispers could be heard. There was fear in the whispers, but there was hope too. The nightblades had saved the army in their final battle against the Azarians, and word of their deeds was starting to take hold. Ryuu wondered how long it would be before the public learned of the other events of that evening.
Highgate was also returning to the city it had been before the war. It would take more time to heal, but the process was beginning. Ryuu and Moriko enjoyed a delicious meal, and Moriko begrudgingly admitted it was one of the best she’d ever tasted, far better than the fare at the inn the last time they had passed through.
The next day they caught a ship to the island. They were delayed by a storm, but came to the island without further incident. They made their hut on the island their home, and as the days passed, they tried to start their new lives.
One night, just over a moon later, Ryuu and Moriko were asleep when both awoke to the feeling of someone running towards their hut. Ryuu sensed it was Rei, and his heart sank. There was only one reason why she would be running here at this time of the night. He looked over at Moriko and saw understanding in her eyes as well.
They were both up and dressed by the time Rei got to their hut. She was ready to give birth any day now, and she moved slower than she once had. The look in her eyes said it all, but she spoke anyway. “He’s dying. He wants both of you.”
They walked quickly towards Tenchi’s hut, indistinguishable from the others on the island despite his position. While on the way, Ryuu asked a question.
“Rei, how is it that he knows he’s dying? Did something happen?”
Rei answered without looking back. “You may have already figured this out, but the line that separates dayblade and nightblade is fairly ambiguous. In general, nightblades are able to manipulate the sense externally, while dayblades manipulate it internally. But there isn’t any rule or natural law that prevents one from doing both. Generally, it’s just a natural limitation we all deal with. Tenchi is able to utilize the sense in both ways, at least to a degree. He can sense what’s happening in his body, and he knows he’s dying.”
Moriko spoke up. “If he can sense what’s happening, can’t he fix himself?”
Rei’s smile was sad. “Healing doesn’t last forever. Dayblades can heal, but we can’t cheat death. I have little doubt that his vitality, especially considering his age, is due in large part to continual self-healing. But no one lives forever.”
Rei stopped at Tenchi’s door. “This is as far as I go. He has already spoken his last words to me.” She glanced at Ryuu with a look he couldn’t comprehend.
Ryuu and Moriko stepped into Tenchi’s hut. It was as bare as ever, filled with only the minimal essentials for living.
“Come in, come in.” Tenchi’s voice was strong. It wasn’t what Ryuu had expected, but with his new knowledge, he expected that Tenchi would push himself to the very end. He would go out strong and quickly. Ryuu’s respect for the old man only deepened.
“It’s good to see you both. Thank you for coming.”
Ryuu couldn’t help but tear up. “I’m going to miss you very much.”
Tenchi’s grin was sad but wide. “And if I’m being honest, I expect I’m going to miss you both very much as well. Your presence here hasn’t always been comforting, but you’ve changed our future, and for that, I’ll always be grateful.”
Tenchi fixed Moriko with a stare. “Moriko, please take care of Ryuu. You can see as well as I that he hasn’t healed yet, but if anyone can help him, it will be you. Don’t give up on him.”
Moriko nodded, tears starting to stream down her face.
“And one last warning. The skill you possess, the skill that makes you so dangerous, comes with its own danger. You’re not the first with your skill, and I imagine you won’t be the last, but I don’t know of anyone whose talent exceeds your own, living or dead. Your ability to go so far inside yourself and live there constantly, it can cause a person to cut themselves off from the world. I know you struggle with it already, but never give up on the world. It’s a good place, no matter how much evil happens here.”
Moriko bowed deeply, tears dripping from her eyes. Ryuu didn’t understand exactly what Tenchi was saying to her, but it affected her deeply.
Moriko stepped away and Tenchi turned his attention to Ryuu. “Ryuu, I’ve never met anyone with as much strength as you have. Already you are the best warrior I’ve ever met, and you still have many cycles of development left. Don’t let the power get to your head. Keep learning and stay humble. Come here.”
Ryuu did so and Tenchi held out his hand. Ryuu took it and the world fell away. He recognized the technique instantly. He and Tenchi were as one. It was how he had learned to sense at a distance so quickly.
At the time, he had simply been absorbing one skill, but when he touched Tenchi’s hand this time he experienced it all. A part of his mind realized Tenchi was pushing skills into him as fast as he could, but it was all a jumbled mess to him. One moment he felt like he could block someone’s distance sensing, another moment he could feel every single muscle twitching in his body. Skill after skill embedded itself in his mind. Then it was over. He rocked backwards.
Tenchi grinned, although it was obvious the effort had taken its toll on him. “You won’t understand it now, but with study, all the pieces should come together and you should be able to get quite the jump on others. There’s so much we don’t know. You’ve told me that you’ve considered sheathing your sword forever, but I would ask you not to. Perhaps you will never have to kill again. I hope for your sake you don’t. But the sword is a tool that illuminates all other teachings and philosophy. Continue to study. Continue to grow. Let your knowledge become a beacon for future generations. And show the other old men how much they have yet to learn.”