The Oath of Life -

A Sacrifice of Solitude

Of the countless treks Kon had made through the ishgar continent, none had felt him feeling more distraught and anxious then the one he was about to undertake. The challenge was not the journey itself rather the destination in which he would be attempting to console the parents of a child which he had, in his own opinion, murdered with no intention to do so it still left a deep stain within his psyche. Even with the continued gratitude that was expressed by Miharu after no longer being possessed by Qinglong, Kon still felt a continued burden upon his moral compass. It was almost with a sigh of relief when he had heard that he had been demoted from General to Colonel with him being replaced by none other then one of his original recruits, Saturn. A curious fellow whom he had not much experience which however he deeply suspected as time continued that the bounds that had originally tied him to the Rune Knights would continue to weaken. He had remained within the organization for two principle reasons, his former status as General, an appointed title which he would be unlikely to ever regain and the presence of his former guild mates from the Collective Mind.

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Knowledge of his demotion would have likely impacted the perceptions of the Rune Knights and his own reputation by both the general public and his colleagues. “What would be the long term outcomes?” He thought to himself finally beginning to understand the circumstances surrounding him beyond what was right in front of him, ever since Hirota had embodied him, Kon felt as though he had lost any sense of long term foresight unable to consider the true weight of his actions, however he had not been in control for the same period so it was hard to compare what was normal anymore. Stewing in his own pit of angst he relinquished much of his autonomy to Hirota who made preparations for a returning trip to Sin, they would be accompanied by the shady merchant and his league of scholars who continued to prod them with questions about how they were feeling about the new core within them. Kon didn’t know what to say to them and again left those affairs to Hirota who seemed positively delighted about its installation feeling that the space gave them the liberties to interact with Miharu and Kon in a manner that they didn’t feel was possible.

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Communication between Miharu and Kon was short and felt him feeling conflicted with each interaction, while the two spirits inside of him were able to establish a repur following their possession of Kon’s body, he never truly got the opportunity to talk with Miharu to a greater extent beyond the many attempts to remove her from his body. Bad blood was the least of their concerns from kon’s perceptive, she might be seen as little more then a leech, a parasite something that had latched onto Kon for dear life mimicking that of Qinglong albeit out of desperation as opposed to fulfil some villainous scheme. Despite this perception closely mirroring reality, he did not bare any hard feelings towards her though his stand-offish approach to Miharu had suggested otherwise. Conversely Miharu saw Kon as a reckless, foolhardy individual who had stuck their nose into something that he didn’t fully understand. A truth that had more bearing on reality then the previous case, he had been one of the root causes of the situation besides Qinglong who had instigated the possession in their desire to enter the real world again.

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Travelling back to Sin had proven to be more difficult then going to Talaz in part due to the embargos that the island faced with ships frequently avoiding even entering its surrounding waters in fear of the corruption that had been seen in the past few years after the void began to recoarch upon the metal land and its surroundings. It was only through the hefty reward that he managed to convince the merchant whom he sought safe harbor to the land in the first place. Unable to access the vast hordes of wealth that the Magic Council had acquired from the various countries it helped defend, Kon was stuck relying upon the infrequent trade ship that past through the docks and so while Hirota twiddled Kon’s thumbs sitting on the harbor wall waiting for a ship, he instead continued a conversation with Miharu attempting to discover a skill, hobby anything to relate with the girl. Most perculiarly was her passion for archery, a pass time that she was able to indulge her limited freedom, performing better then her peers albeit through the influence of Qinglong.

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Miharu also remarked on her magical affinity inherited by blood from her mother’s side and amplify by way of Qinglong’s possession even in her youth, she understood what level of destruction that the sinese wyvern sought out so focused her attentions onto mastering healing rather then destructive magics. A focus that was praised by the zealots amongst the religious cult and despised by Qinglong, for centuries they had wanted a suitable host ready to inflict carnage and they would have only be able to restore any damage that Qinglong would have otherwise dealt. She certainly didn’t have the ability to resurrect individuals, at least not yet but murder was only a byproduct of Qinglong’s lust for pain and suffering upon people. With the absence of Qinglong, Miharu would finally be able to explore her true potential and perhaps even harness her mastery of both bow and healing in unison through Hirota and Kon’s guidance. Maybe even Folre would be willing to assist if she didn’t kill him for what had become of her daughter. Curiously Miharu didn’t seem to enthused about reuniting with people who had effectively abandoned them to the whims of the cultists that took her captive.

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The disgraced general now colonel could empathise with Miharu more than he could truly express given his harsh exterior, he was never raised to fully reveal his full feelings and when he had something always went wrong. The experiences of his upbringing were not full of laughs and joy but rather torment and bitterness led by his father who resented him and all of their siblings, a sentiment that went both ways. With the death of his parents, any semblance of retribution or reconciliation was all but impossible and thus remained a continued scar upon Kon’s conscious, one which was felt amongst the trio. Despite the harsh reality of his formative years, he was still proud of the man that he had become. He could only hope that this sentiment was shared by others and that in time both Hirota and Miharu would be able to feel the same way about themselves. Only able to peer into portions of Hirota’s past, some moments had truly shocked him and left her feeling vulnerable beyond reproach. Learning more about the two spirits that had now buried themselves inside of Kon was important but ensuring that he did not isolate them was equally vital given Kon’s longevity and their permanence within his mind and body.

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A dilemma that continued to plague Kon as they waited for a ship, any ship to take them to sin, or even one that would get them off the forsaken island. A prayer that would remain unanswered for the better part of three days, three agonising days in which the trio continued to shift around in Kon’s body causing his appearance to change with each rotation surprising nearby Talaz Lagaarian citizens as he changed from his gruff machinal body to that of a woman or teen respectively. Despite growing anxiety about what the couple would try to do with them, the bounds between the three continued to grow as they discussed their differences in interpretations of what was around them. For Kon he saw things from a more practical perspective, what function everything had, what everything could be used for, Hirota highlighted the beauty in the small things, the intricate patterns that he would have otherwise ignored entirely, seeing function being vastly more important than form, Miharu held a more innocent, naive approach lacking the life experience of the others who had been marvelling at everything, a trend which he had encouraged but only began to be explored with their full integration within Kon’s body.

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Eventually however after waiting on the peer, a small dinghy from Minstrel docked dwarved by the vast hauling equipment that loomed overhead. The contrast left the boat resembling a bathtoy which a child would play with rather then a vessel from which Kon would use as his escape from the island. With the meager funds he held in his possession managed to organize transport back to land while the scholars used the very same funds Kon had supplied them days earlier to do the same, leading to the dozen or so to all clamber aboard a vessel built for half their numbers. Straining from the numbers, the dinghy was bear able to keep afloat made worse by Kon’s metal frame acting as a moving anchor, despite this weight issue, the captain of the humble vessel was able to drop them off in Minstrel where they would find alternative transport. A continued trend in which Kon would use his resources and networking skills to organize a way to sin while the scholars followed shortly thereafter with open pockets. Trekking through the northern most part of Minstrel, Kon continued to break for the scholars unsure about why he was doing so, he had no responsibility to care for them, but something or someone continued to hold him back, the unfamiliar hand of a carer prevented him from leaving them behind, a selfish concern by Miharu concealed by a faint sense of altruism, if they were stuck looking after them, she could delay needing to return to Sin, even if it was not a permanent return.

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Despite Miharu’s efforts to slow their return to Sin, Kon alongside the party of scholars were able to hire another ship taking them from Minstrel directly to the country. A short trip but sufficient enough to prepare the Sinese government who had stationed dozens of their soldiers at the docks. Clearly they had learned of his intention to come back and did not welcome his destructive tendencies made painfully aware as the soldiers littered around kon as the boat touched the dock while pinning down the others within the boat. Relieved of all semblance of control, Sinese officials chained the ship in place seizing it until further notice. Kon meanwhile was confronted by a bulbous officer whose head reflected the sun’s glare like a mirror absence of all hair save for a few specks around his ears. Speaking in broken Boscoi, evidently aware of his mother tongue, they demanded to know why Kon had returned, of which he merely said that he was completing his job. As if to imply that the devsastion was entirely his fault, Chains were placed upon Kon, while two figures atop the rooftops of a distant building watched on. These bindings were nothing but a formality for the former general, he possessed both sufficient strength and magical abilities to break free, however so far he was purely under suspicion rather then being the clear and primary suspect. Engaging the ever increasing Sinese guards who were pouring out from all sides to surround them seemed like a sure way to disprove his innocence, for them, he was believed to be the mass murder who had just killed countless sinese people and descrated one of the temples. A partial truth he had destroyed the temple but for good reasons, though that was largely neither here nor there.

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What was important was the approaching couple from above clearly absent at his sole appearance. Undoubtedly it was the elven couple who had hired his services made immediately apparent by their ability to penetrate through the sinese guard and pin the bound kon to the ground. As if rage powered their abilities, the guards were pushed back further and further as they shouted and berated Kon for MIharu’s absence, of which Kon could only return with a muffled response, which was all but ignored. Instead focusing on their fury, both began to tear away at Kon’s body, stripping off the artifical flesh from his frame, revealing his mechanical innards and calling them less then human for his inaction under the presumption of him failing to protect Miharu. Assuming Kon’s silence for guilt, they wished to continue their justifiable onslaught upon him, however Folre sought to fight the former general to the death as opposed to merely executing Kon. Neither favouring to die in a ditch in a street brawl or protest his innocence for people whom he had sought to help, Kon motioned to a nearby fighting grounds for the trio to resolve their problems. Presuming that Kon sought an honourable death even in spite of the perceived death of Miharu, Folre and Vaeri hoisted the man up from the dirt and continued to push whomever stood in their way to the entrance of the building from which, Kon was finally given the liberties he was rightly owed space and the ability to respond to the accusations placed upon him.

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Recognizing the disparity in power, the duo had stationed themselves opposite to Kon as opposed to merely having Folre fight against him. A fight with which he would undoubtedly win, but not one he sought purely due to the miscommunication that had brought them into conflict. Miharu equally understood this and yet remained silent, appearing to prefer conflict between their own parents and the man who had saved her existence and soul from being consumed by Qinglong. Both sides bearing arms, Folre and Vaeri in the hopes to avenge Miharu and Kon to protect his own, stress became an increasing trend with fury bellowing over as Vaeri launched into a flurry of attacks at Kon, Of which he was able to push back with a select swipe from Hirota’s own blade. Seeking peace from the discourse, Kon remained on the defensive trying to bring an end to things failing to get a word in, he was left with one choice to defeat the two. A thought that was shared amongst both Hirota and him, but stalled at every step by Miharu, who slowed each of his steps and shifted his stance whenever a clear blow became open. A terrifying anger continued within Kon finding his own body being manipulated by Miharu who seemed to only want a stalemate from the conflict. An impossibility given the harsh reality of her parents quite literally wanting to kill Kon for her own death. After minutes of a continued deadlock, that Miharu’s concentration started to diminish and Kon was able to place what would be a killing blow upon Vaeri placing Hirota’s blade dangerously close to their bear neck bringing forth a small drip of blood with the slightest touch. “Its over.” Kon demanded. “Yes, it is….” Miharu remarked in turn appearing from Kon’s own body as an entity all of their own. While it was true that Miharu despised their parents, they did not seek unwarranted and unneeded death especially not for her own honour. Best illustrated by her efforts to seek peace between the elven couple and Kon, recognizing Kon’s own dominating strength and their fervent intent to kill them, she was able to establish an unease truce with them recognizing that Miharu was only able to live as a consequence of Kon’s quick thinking rather than her eventual demise which was all but assured while she was being possessed by Qinglong. While an agreement for Kon to care for Miharu was made, this did not remove the other elephant in the room, the sinese guards littered throughout the area, an issue that could only be resolved by Kon fleeing from the country entirely while Folre and Vaeri went underground. Allowing Hirota to take full control of their body once more she tore a hole in reality itself and bridged the gap between there and somewhere in Fiore.

[Exit]

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