Rage woke to a soft sensation beneath his back. It was a futon. The fabric held the faint scent of cherry blossoms. The smell was clean and calm, filling the still air around him.
His eyes wandered.
Every window was shut tight. The room was dim.
Heaviness pressed into him. It was not the pull of sleep. His body refused to rise. The weight stretched across him held him down.
It was an arm rested over his chest and a leg laid across his hips.
His eyes followed the arm to its owner. Dark hair in loose strands. Pale skin showed where the hair parted. It was fair and unfamiliar.
He whispered, "Seloria...?" The name slipped out under his breath. He sounded uncertain.
"When did you decide to swap hair colors?"
His gaze drifted past her. It went further back into the room.
Suzu, Miyu, and Reina were slumped against the wall. They were sitting in front of a low table. Across from them, Seloria was there too. Her ears were drooped. Her chin was tipped forward. Sleep claimed even her.
He wondered who was pressing against him.
The answer came when the woman stirred. Her fingers brushed through her hair. She tucked it behind her ear. The strands fell away. Her face appeared at last.
Empress Kazumi.
Rage muttered, "Not that I'm complaining." His coarse voice rumbled, "but your arm's heavy."
Kazumi shifted. The arm over him lifted away, she folded her other arm to support her head. Her hair slid back with the motion, and her gaze finally met his.
Her lips curved. Her voice was soft but steady. "I am glad you are finally awake... after two days."
"Your leg's heavy as well. Can't move."
She drew it back without protest.
Rage pushed himself up to sit on the futon. The moment he moved his head, his side vision picked up Kazumi, barely dressed.
He held his gaze dead ahead, refusing to look.
"Two days?"
"Yes," Kazumi replied. "You have been sleeping for two days."
Their voices cut through the quiet, enough to wake the others. Suzu stirred first, yawning into her sleeve. Miyu blinked hard at the dim light, stretching out her arms with a muted groan. Reina rubbed at her eyes, muttering nonsense under her breath. Even Seloria's ears twitched as she shifted, lifting her head from where she had dozed against the wall. None of them were fully awake.
Rage's eyes finally drifted back to Kazumi.
"Cover yourself," he muttered.
Without a word she pulled the extra fold of his blanket, still technically his, and covered her body.
He lowered his gaze to his own arms and shoulders. Small cuts lined his skin. They were already healed but visible. Bruises lingered beneath. He could still feel a dull sting across his cheek.
"I remember being hit in the face," he murmured under his breath. "Don't remember the rest."
Kazumi's tone stayed even. "You fought well."
"And you almost died," Rage said flatly.
She tilted her head, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "And you... I could punish you for disobeying an imperial order."
"Could've come back to an imperial burial if I did."
He dragged himself upright. The blanket fell away in the motion, leaving him completely exposed.
"No need to be embarrassed," Kazumi said, unbothered. "Everyone in this room already saw you that way."
Rage gave no answer, he simply rose to his feet.
Seloria was there before he could think. She offered a fresh robe. She wrapped it around him and fixed the belt. She laid his weapons at his sides. Two katanas were on the left. A third one he did not recognize. It had a white sheath and a white handle.
"Wait, this isn't..."
Kazumi's eyes glinted. "Ikizaki. The Breath of Life. Katsuya's sword. You're its new owner."
"Breath of Life, huh... I remember him trying to take mine."
Kazumi chuckled.
Rage opened its interface.
[system] name: Ikizaki
[system] item: Katana
[system] durability: 89%
[system] attack: 84
[system] element: Wind
"Not bad," he muttered.
He slid Ikizaki to rest at his right, then started toward the door.
"Where do you think you are going?" Kazumi's voice followed him.
"Looking for a certain Yuri," he said. "You know her?"
Her tone lifted, playful under its composure. "It is not wise to speak of other women, especially when you are in bed with one. More so if she happens to be the head of an empire."
"Whatever." He slid the door open.
"You are not to wander far. We leave today at noon."
Rage stopped. "Already? Just woke up." His head turned slightly, his tone was flat. "Where to?"
"The Imperial Palace."
"Noted."
He shifted his weight, ready to step through, when a softer voice caught him.
"Danzo-sama," Reina said, rubbing the last haze of sleep from her eyes, "if you are looking for people."
Rage didn't turn. "Got it."
Sliding the door open, he found an attendant waiting outside, head bowed, posture straight, words unnecessary. Rage answered with a single nod, as though the exchange had already explained everything. He followed.
Their steps carried them down narrow halls. At the front desk, the innkeeper looked up sharply, straightening with respect.
"Rage-sama," the man said, voice betraying both relief and awe, "your recovery is... a blessing."
Rage only dipped his chin in acknowledgment.
The main doors opened. He stepped into a world of noise and light.
The air was full of life. Hammers struck sharply. Saws rasped through timber. Voices rose and fell with work. Men and women carried beams on their shoulders. Others dragged heavy sacks. Children ran between carts and scaffolds. Their laughter joined the work around them.
Rage stepped off the inn's threshold and walked into the narrow dirt street.
Around him, the village stirred. People paused and lowered their heads as he passed. "Rage-sama," voices murmured in turn.
Before, the best anyone had given him was a cautious glance. Now, heads were dipped and eyes were averted with respect.
"Hey, Seloria," he muttered, hands slipping into his coat pockets. "You see this?"
The maid walked half-step behind, ears twitching lightly as her eyes moved over the villagers. "Yes. Considering you played a great role in saving the Empress, it is only natural."
"Oh, it's that significant?"
"Yes, it is."
"...alright."
He kept walking. Seloria's quiet presence trailed at his side. The street carried them past walls that were half-repaired with fresh planks. The path finally ended at a broad wooden door, its design was simple but it carried that distinct weight of old Tenzan carpentry.
The door slid open before Rage could lift a hand. One of Danzo's attendants bowed low. "Welcome, Rage-sama."
Rage and Seloria stepped through.
The attendant guided them into a chamber where a low table sat in the center, cushions arranged neatly on the wooden floor.
Gesturing toward the nearest seat, she said, "Please wait here. I will summon Danzo-sama."
Rage lowered himself onto the cushion, arms draped over his knees. Seloria folded into place at his side.
***
Another attendant slipped into the room, bowing low before setting down a tray. She poured fresh tea, steam rising in faint curls. Rage didn't reach for his. He sat motionless on the cushion, gaze fixed toward the wooden stairs beyond the open door, waiting blankly for Danzo as silence pressed in around him.
Moments later, a knock came. The door slid open. An attendant brought in a figure with a strong presence.
Yuna.
"You're finally awake, Rage-sama," she said.
"Unfortunately."
The attendant set a cup before Yuna and filled it.
Another few moments passed before the sound of heavier steps echoed against the wooden stairs. Danzo emerged. His gaze settled on Rage, lingering, and he drew in a long breath.
"You're finally awake, Rage-sama."
"Sadly."
"Have you eaten yet?"
Rage glanced at Seloria. There was no reaction on her face. He looked back at Danzo and said, "No."
"Then may we offer you some food?"
"Thanks."
At his word, the attendants bowed in unison, then slipped away with quiet steps to prepare a meal.
Danzo lowered himself onto the cushion at the center of the table. One of the attendants knelt gracefully at his side, placing a fresh cup of tea before him.
Rage leaned forward slightly, voice cutting the silence. "I'm looking for a girl named Yuri."
Danzo shook his head slowly. "I know most among the locals, but I am unfamiliar with that name."
"She was one of the people who left here the other day," Rage pressed.
"My knowledge of visitors is limited," Danzo admitted.
"Then I missed an appointment in Abyssal Tides."
"Perhaps she still waits there."
"Hopefully."
Rage let the thought stay for a moment, then shifted. "What happened while I was out?"
Yuna answered this time, her voice respectful but edged with concern. "You were found unconscious. Not gravely wounded... more as though your body had collapsed from exhaustion. The Empress and her three retainers remained at your side, tending you throughout those days."
Rage's eyes narrowed faintly. "And the empire? The soldiers? The battle?"
Danzo's expression hardened. "The generals have been captured. They await judgment in the Imperial Capital. Most soldiers were taken alive. Some cast down their arms and fled, living now as ronin. Others perished resisting arrest. A number chose death by their own hand."
"Rage-sama, what of their fate? What should be done with them?" Yuna asked.
His gaze shifted to her, unimpressed. "Why are you asking me?"
Silence.
Then he spoke again, flat. "If it were me, maybe mines or farms? I don't know."
Yuna bent her head. She began to write. Her brush scratched softly over the parchment.
"Why are you doing that? Just an opinion, no big deal."
"Even so," Yuna replied without looking up, "your ideas hold weight. They are... worth preserving."
Danzo's voice came next, solemn. "We are truly glad that you have become our Em--"
Yuna's hand lifted sharply, her sleeve brushing the air in a subtle gesture that cut him off.
Danzo paused, eyes lowering briefly before he continued. "...our important and valued guest. Without you, we would have lost the Empress."
"You're welcome."
Rage's eyes stayed on Danzo and Yuna, suspicious, as they lifted their cups. The faint clink of porcelain broke the silence. Their expressions were measured and guarded. Words were weighed but left unsaid. If there were secrets here, Rage could not read them. He was not sure he cared to.
A soft rustle broke the stillness as the attendants entered in procession, trays were balanced. Bowls of rice, cuts of grilled fish, and steaming soup were set across the low table.
Conversation thinned and gave way to the muted rhythm of dining. Chopsticks lifted. Tea was poured. Quiet murmurs of gratitude came before the first bite.
Rage ate without ceremony. His expression was unreadable.
When the meal was done, another tray arrived. It bore a tall flask of rice wine and fresh cups. An attendant knelt by Rage, tilting the flask toward him.
He declined. "Tea's fine. I'm bad with alcohol."
Danzo chuckled. "You should not refuse so quickly. This sake is said to be the finest in the empire."
Rage leaned back, mouth quirking. "Bad experience back in college."
Seloria pressed her lips together. She held back a smile. Danzo laughed harder this time and the sound filled the room. It brought warmth against the weight of his years.
The cups were filled regardless, tea for Rage and sake for the others.
Talk drifted on after. The edge of tension was dulled by drink and familiarity. They spoke of the past days, the chaos of battle, the rush of survival, and the strangeness of seeing the village whole again. Nothing was urgent. Nothing was binding. Fragments of memory passed across the low table. Seloria stayed mostly quiet. She added only a few soft words when asked.
Then the door slid open again, and an attendant bowed low before stepping aside. The Empress entered, her presence was enough to draw every head downward. Danzo rose to his feet, Yuna followed, their bows deep and formal. Even Seloria stood, ears lowered, her posture was exact in its respect.
Rage stayed where he was, still seated on the cushion, arms loose over his knees. The rituals, the reverence, none of it had ever been explained to him, and he wasn't about to guess his way through ceremony. If anyone noticed, they gave no sign.
"Welcome, Kazumi-sama," voices murmured in unison, the weight of the words filling the room.
Suzu moved to the front. She bowed low and then lifted her gaze toward Rage. "We are about to depart, Rage-sama."
Rage's brows lifted. "Oh. That's for me." He pushed himself to his feet with a dry exhale. "Alright."
He turned to Danzo, giving him a small nod. "'preciate the time."
Danzo inclined his head, his voice steady. "The honor is ours, Rage-sama."
Rage moved toward the door at once. Kazumi waited in the corridor beyond. Seloria fell in silently at his side. Yuna followed a step behind them as the gathering dispersed.
They walked in silence. Their steps carried them through streets that still showed signs of battle.
Soon, the village gates came into view.
Dried blood stained the packed earth, the dark patches were stubborn even beneath the sun. Villagers worked to repair the battered gate, new beams being hoisted into place, while others dismantled the heaps of wood that had once served as desperate barricades.
Beyond the walls stretched open fields. Fresh mounds of soil marked burials in the nearest rice paddies. Fallen allies lay in quiet rest beneath the sky. Not far from them, a pyre was still smoldering. The bodies of enemies were heaped together.
Between it all, life pressed on. Farmers waded ankle-deep in water, their hands were busy gathering what remained of the harvest, salvaging grain stalk by stalk.
A line of carriages stood waiting beyond the gates, their wheels sunk slightly into the dirt from the weight of supplies. Around them, mounted samurai guided their horses into formation, armor clinking as they settled into disciplined ranks.
One carriage stood apart from the rest. The imperial crest was carved clearly on its doors. It was a clear mark of sovereignty. Most of the other carriages were already filled. Samurai sat inside or stood nearby. Their voices were hushed as they waited.
The moment the Empress and her attendants appeared, the air shifted. Every soldier straightened. Heads bowed low in unison. The silence of reverence held until Kazumi's party passed through.
Their steps carried them directly to the imperial carriage. Attendants bowed low and greeted them.
"Welcome, Empress Kazumi-sama."
Kazumi boarded first, her poise was unbroken. The three girls followed. Rage came next with Seloria at his side.
The last inspection came from the escort commander. His horse paced along the line of carriages and he peered through each window in turn, even the Imperial one. His gaze was sharp and brief.
Satisfied, he barked a series of commands. Shouts followed. Armor rattled. Hooves struck in rhythm.
The convoy moved forward.
[SYSTEM] Kazumi : Loyalty 97.2%
[SYSTEM] Corruption : 49.1%