ZERO AND KRAL BEGAN THEIR JOURNEY TOWARD JIDI, with Kral having opted to make the voyage by motorcade. Kral found it of utmost importance to announce the return of the maila who gave Aotoshi their combatant advantage. Along with Kral’s car near the lead, there were six other vehicles that assisted in the escort.

“So this is what royalty feels like,” Zero remarked.

“More or less,” the emperor replied. “Usually motorcades only have four cars including mine, but you are of a rather high regard here. The people are very thankful for your continued support. You’ve helped them see that maila are not a threat to their safety.”

“When were they ever?” the maila quipped.

“I would have thought you had known about the Oritsu family,” Kral answered, somewhat baffled. “After the man’s wife was found to be a maila, everybody had been paranoid about them walking among us. Believe me, I’m just as confused by their fears as you are.”

“You got that right.”

About three hours away from the borders of Jidi, the two of them heard the distinct boom of cannon fire as it echoed over the plains. Zero looked to the source of this sound and saw arrows hurtling down from the sky.

“It seems we have some attackers to our east,” Kral remarked.

“A battle?” Zero asked.

“It would seem so,” the emperor continued. He took out a two-way radio transmitter. “General Abrams, it appears that General Hammond will need some reinforcements. Over.”

As Kral was speaking with General Abrams, Zero jumped out of the car as it went on a turn, holding his bag of garnium close to his chest. After rolling out he began to sprint toward the battle grounds. Zero heard Kral call out to him as he ran, but he was already too far away to have a strong idea of what he said.

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Eventually, Zero found his way onto the battlefield. A volley of arrows soared through the air, smacking down a noticeable portion of Medikai’s troops, but not enough to cause substantial detriment. Medikai answered this with cannon fire, blasting a clear gap into the meager forces of an allied Aotoshi and Akuni. Blood sprayed from the mouths of those caught in the blast as they were completely pulverized.

Amidst this chaos, Zero could see two men risking their lives to protect their fellow compatriots as they tried to hold on to life. One of these men was rather bulky and tall, a one-man blockade of sorts. His black hair was shaved down except for a single streak across the top. His attire was rather simple, consisting of typical armor for Akuni troops and a grey robe underneath of that, with an eyepatch over his left eye.

The other man had a vastly more slender build and wore a much more flamboyant attire. His robes underneath his armor seemed much more ornate, a vibrant maroon with hints of a golden yellow. He had long black hair and red eyes. His composure communicated to Zero that he was a far more lively individual than the taller man. He wore an almost-constant smug expression on his face, even as Hell was being wrought upon him. His bluff was impenetrable.

The two men, although valiant, appeared to be running low on stamina very quickly and had sustained a substantial amount of damage. A fleet of ten Medikai troops caught Zero’s eye, preparing to attack the two of them. Without much of a second thought, the maila rushed over to the assailants, allowing his adrenaline to carry him to them. He grabbed an ingot of garnium and made a jumping slide, tagging all ten troops with the garnium. Their molecules were ripped apart as Zero regained his composure. He turned to the two soldiers he saved and lent out a hand after returning the garnium to his bag.

“Let’s go!” Zero commanded as they fled. In their stead, General Abrams’ forces arrived on the battlefield as the three of them fled to the medic’s tent.

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Seven hours went by and the battle outside had since died down, with Akuni and Aotoshi retaining their positions. Medikai’s troops had grown tired after their continuous onslaught against the other two nations’ alliance. General Abrams’ troops in the 63rd Cavalry Regiment had returned to the base, carrying the casualties of the battle back to the base to receive proper burial.

Zero went to the cafeteria, feeling rather hungry considering how much energy he used to rescue the two men. As he entered the dining hall, he spotted those same two men drinking ale together, laughing very heartily. The maila walked over to their table.

“Hey!” Zero called out to the men. “Glad to see you two pulled through. I thought you guys were done for.”

“We almost were done for,” the bulkier of the two men responded with a somewhat deep voice, “but then you came in like a god with that rock of yours and saved us.”

“Yeah,” the more flamboyant troop added with an accent that we may best know from Northern Wales, “we owe you one. Sit down. Drinks are on us.”

Zero took a seat by the two men somewhat awkwardly. Humans and maila are very different in the sense that humans are much more extroverted than maila. Sure, there are still some social gatherings in the Unkempt, but rarely ever to the degree that humans hold them. Even more, they were unusually common around his house compared to the rest of the Unkempt.

“Why are you so stiff?” the second man jabbed. “Lighten up a little, kid. My name’s Kawata Mujihina and this is my grumpy ex-pen pal Oji Kenshi. He’s had a stick stuck up his ass ever since he was a wee boy.”

Kawata wrapped his arm around Oji’s shoulder as he said this.

“Take anything he says seriously and we’re gonna have some issues,” Oji interjected as he broke himself free of Kawata’s grasp.

“Understood,” Zero noted.

A brief pause filled the air between the three until Zero broke the silence.

“So, how long have you two been fighting together?”

“Since we were both drafted,” Oji answered. “I only knew him before the war because, as Kawata pointed out, we were pen pals. I’m from Shirotaun and Kawata’s from Suijidan.”

“Shirotaun?” Zero knew that Suijidan was in Aotoshi, but he had never heard of Shirotaun before.

“That’s in Akuni,” Kawata clarified.

“So you two are pretty close?” Zero remarked.

“Did you even hear me? He lives in an entirely different country!”

Oji pressed his fingers on his temple, visibly frustrated.

“I’d usually call him my brother any day,” he responded. “He usually has my back. I guess today he was still a little hungover from-”

“I was hungover?!” Kawata yelled as he slammed his mug on the table, his speech slightly slurred. “You almost got stabbed in your ass-”

“I totally saw him coming!” Oji protested. “You almost lost your arm!”

“Did not!” Kawata argued.

“Did too!”

“ANYWAY,” Zero interjected, stopping the two from their pre-school level argument, “we’re alive and well. That’s the good part.”

“What are you doing here anyway?” Kawata asked, beginning to interrogate the maila. “Are you some sort of merchant? Exotic dancer?”

“No and no,” Zero answered, somewhat baffled by the question. “I’m a blacksmith. I’m crafting weapons for Akuni and Aotoshi to use against Medikai. That’s why I have this metal.” He opened the burlap sack. “It’s called garnium.”

“Anything to help end this mess,” Kawata replied. “Oji’s been complaining that his back is sore all the time, so we better end this war fast.”

Oji flicked the back of Kawata’s head in retribution for the latter’s quip. As their bickering continued, Zero went up to the lunch line and got himself a drink. The list of beverages was vast, but from his first experiences in Aotoshi, he had found the one that he liked most.

“Hey, could I please get a Moscow Mule?”

The bartender gave him his drink after making it and Zero moved further down the line. As he waited to punch one of Oji’s alcohol rations, he overheard the man behind him talking to the bartender. He had mentioned a prophet being at the base giving out fortunes to any willing to ask.

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The two soldiers began walking down to their barracks. It was getting very late and Oji wanted some rest after the long battle from that day. As they got closer to their bunkers, they noticed a large crowd at an open tent.

“Oh great!” Oji complained. “This noise is going to ruin my sleep!”

“Then why bother?” Kawata suggested. “Let’s see what the commotion’s about.”

“But why?!” Oji groaned as Kawata grabbed him by the arm and dragged him toward the tent.

“Move aside, extras!” he yelled as he began to push a path through the crowd. Before them, they saw a young woman. She had skin similar to the bark of an oak tree and long, silver hair, within which lay a rose with a bluish tint in some of the petals, distinguishing it as a karlek rose.

“Oji and Kawata,” the woman said with a voice both low and gentle. “Come. Take a seat.”

“How did you know-” Oji started, until he was cut off by Kawata, who forced him to take a seat in front of the prophet. She paused for a moment.

“You will listen well,” she began, “for I will only impart this tale once. Two men, as close as brothers, will distinguish themselves from their countrymen with two swords of great power. Their strength, however, will be pit against one-another when they find themselves in a dispute over a fair maiden from a distant land. Many would fight for her hand in marriage, but only one of the two men shall succeed. The disagreement will cause separate children to be raised in different ways, and thus separate grandchildren. A righteous child will be slain by a corrupt soul who will manufacture a bond between the two bloodlines, using his own flesh and blood as a pawn for his own gain. This bitter rivalry will continue until the bloodlines become truly one, with the great-grandchild of the surviving family prospering long after most of us are gone. Only the maila on this premise will see the end of it, with his people being the ones to end the feuds forever.”

Oji and Kawata sat there for a moment, entirely speechless. It was clear to everybody around that the prophecy was referring to them.

“How can this be possible?” Oji exclaimed, clearly unnerved by the current situation.

“I know, right?” Kawata chimed in. “I always thought you were gay.” Oji glared darts at Kawata. Now was not the time for jokes.

“But for real,” the soldier from Aotoshi continued, “is there really no way to prevent this?”

The prophet confirmed their deepest fears after a brief pause. Kawata Mujihina could not bring himself to make a clever quip.