Chapter 36:Shadows Of Rebellion
Each day,my body warned me of the ILO.Anyday,any second they could come once the signs are over.I tried to not think much about it,using food to overcome my dreadful thoughts.Each day,that growing pain in my stomach got worse.
My anxiety was placed all in one spot and I couldn't do anything about it. It got so bad to the point where I started biting my nails.
Of course I didn't eat them. No sane human would do that.But it worked like a coping mechanism.I had nothing else to do besides watching my light energy flow in the open air.
I poured myself a cup of water and drank it all in one swallow.
"Tell me about dehydration!It's like the waters disappearing!The serpents!"
Maku shoved me to the side,took out a wooden cup and filled it up with water.
"Signs of the ILO."
"I know that."He drank 2 more cups of water,using his sleeve to wipe his watery lips.
"MAKU!"
"What?"
"If you're gonna be a king then act like one."
"Emperor,not king."
"SAME THING.WHATS THE DIFFERENCE?"
"Irai,I'm just thirsty.There's nothing wrong with what I'm doing!"
"Yeah,gulping it rapidly like an idiot."I grabbed a piece of leftover sushi and chewed momentarily.The texture…felt way too mushy.I spat it out in an instant and the skin of the fish was grey.
"That went off."
"I KNOW THAT NOW!"
"You two stop bickering it's getting on my nerves!"Yanagi poured some tea like a posh english person.
She took a leaf from outside and crushed it up,squeezing a lemon onto it and adding pepper before adding it to the tea.
"Now why would you do that?"I stared at the so called 'dish' in disgust."
"I'm sick. Oh I forgot the ginger as well!"A strong smell..
"Mixing random elements together isn't going to fix your sickness Yanagi."
"If you knew basic science,then yes it would.But all you care about is the power system and fighting!"
"I'm smarter than that."
"Even Maku's smarter."She drank the cup with ease,not flinching one bit.
"Of course he's smarter!He's older,more mature and he's king. He's expected to be smart and strategic.Advanced intelligence."
Nobody really said anything after that.Yanagi sipped her tea.I coughed for the bits of sushi to exit my mouth and Maku polished his crown until it shimmered to sun level brightness.
That…was an exaggeration. He exited the room right after I thought that and placed the crown in a glass box.
"So..shiny."
"Thinking of being a criminal now Irai?"
"I had no intention of stealing it but…maybe I'll get one of my own someday."Kimiko panted in the room with a tomato looking face.I couldn't tell the difference for a second.
Steam slowly vanished after arising from her head.
"You've been working hard haven't you?"I laughed for a few seconds but this hot head wasn't having it.She growled at me like a ferocious fox.
"I'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY,REALLY HARD!"She drank 4-5 cups of water in just a matter of one minute.
"Slow down Kimiko!You're going to choke!"Yanagi patted her back.
"Listen to her Kimiko she's right."
"Irai..come look.PLEASE!LOOK AT MY PROGRESS!"
"FINE.YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE."
I walked with her into the room next to the kitchen. It was a library.Well the shelves were on the corners and sides of the room but there was an open space in the middle to do anything you wanted.
The ancient book was on the floor turned on a page I had to inspect closer to see the words.
Page 37.Time wielding.How to chanel your energy better.
"Kimiko you're 14 your body won't be able to handle it."
"NO!Hear me out."
"I'm listening."Yanagi leaned back on her chair in the corner of my eye to see through the crack of the door but I acted like I didn't notice.Kimiko placed her hands onto the floor.Blue lines glimmered,flowed even through the floorboards.They all reached a flower.
She stood up and placed her hands together.A symbol of a clock awoken. It turned blue again.She paused time for who knows how long and when I could move again,the flower looked dead.
Instead of soil,there was ash.The stem was broken apart.The face of the flower looked down. It shedded its pedals like a snake shedding skin.
"What did you do to it?"
"Basically I transferred my pain to the flower so that I could focus more easily on my power and make it stronger,lasting longer with no pain."
"So you're saying the flower aged by a year?"
"Yes-"She coughed,placing a piece of cloth onto the flower.She threw the pot outside for the bugs to consume and shut the door.
"So how'd you find that out?"
"I just studied the way my power fully works and got creative."
"It's clever.Very clever."She demonstrated it to Maku with another flower pot then threw it outside.
"You got potential."He said.Yanagi just gazed as her pupils got bigger.
"I got an idea,follow me."We walked outside into the garden where fresh grass covered the atmosphere.A fresh lily sprouted after the previous night of raining in Tokyo.I pulled out my sword and pointed towards Kimiko,almost slicing her.
"WHAT THE HELL IRAI?!"
"Use it."
"What?"
"Use the technique you made. On my sword."She nodded,slow but still.Tension growing threw the wind.Maku and Yanagi stood beside watching.
Kimiko placed her hands on his sword.She was calm and matched her breathing with the atmosphere.
Deep breaths,deep breaths Kimiko.She thought.
The sword enchanted into a shade of blue.
Kimiko had paused time again.And then she unpaused it with a simple click of a finger.The sword had partially rusted. It aged by one year again.
"So you can chanel your energy into other objects so it doesn't have an effect on you?Smart Kimiko.Now I wonder if you can reverse it somehow…"
"And how would you do that?"
"Well time is linked to space,that's just a general rule of science.Energy can't be created or destroyed just randomly. So my sword lost a year of its life and started to rust but…I believe we can get that time back if you locate it through space."
"Good idea but it would be too complex for her Irai."
"No.Not for her. We're in this together. If it makes you become stronger then so be it I'll help you."The four of us circled together.
"Say it.Say it with me. WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!"The four of them shouted.A dove flew above them.A symbol of peace.Every time a crow came around it was Kraven and every time a dove came around it was a sign of peace.
"We'll get stronger. We'll take down Kraven,Red and the ILO together!"For the next few hours we studied ability manipulation.
We created possibilities again and again,linking natural science to the power system that was created a long time ago by demon sorcerers.
They were ordered by the ILO to make humans and other races strong. So they did.They made a powerful power system and for the next few centuries,the demon sorcerers taught all species the powers,the greatness of life.
We starved ourselves together to help Kimiko. No breaks.Consistency and hard work can be beat by NOTHING. If we had those two factors for the whole journey,it would definitely work against our enemies.
As of right now,Kimiko was still learning how to reverse engineer her weakness and we still couldn't figure it out.I mean we made a possibility but we need to find a way for it to work. We would train harder,think harder and be better.