Emperor's Reckoning

The group left the guild hall and advanced toward the designated inn that Assid had unsurprisingly prepared beforehand.

Lyon opened the door made out of wood before the creaks followed. He gritted his teeth and locked his shoulder as he heard the uncomfortable contact between the woods. ( I thought things like this won't happen, but what gives ).

Inside the room was not as fancy as the inns he had reserved before. There were two single beds with a window. The flooring had creaks spots, but it was not dirty in one's eyes.

"Why did you choose this inn?" Lyon asked with his lips twitching.

"We were trying to hide from unnecessary attention, young master," answered Assid before kneeling. "I apologize for the discomfort, young master. May I amend it by booking at a fancier one?"

"That's alright, my boy is not that picky," answered Rui.

"C-Certainly," Assid nervousness couldn't be covered as he retreated back. "I will be in another room with Graham and Kesya."

"And my in-laws?" Rui asked.

"They are in a separate room as well, but I believe Void Empress will come shortly," said Assid.

"Selena?" Lyon raised his brows before Assid nodded in response.

"Alright," Lyon nodded before jumping straight toward the bed. His smile sunk into the mattress as he stretched his body to a star.

"Heh, how long has it been since you act like a child," Ruis shook her head. ( Your innocence was always the one thing that amused me ).

"He always does," Bapho appeared. "Rui, long time no see."

"Bapho... and you two," Rui frowned at the latter two.

"Hey, hey, I have a name you know," Shen uttered.

"Hmph," Rui snorted.

"Rui, how have you been?" asked Sun with a chuckle. "You're really lucky to find one of his wives and not a hurdle."

Rui snorted as she crossed her arms, "The one that's truly lucky is not me, but you three, you found him first."

"Fate has a funny way to put us together," Bapho uttered with a smile. "However, I'm glad, no, we're all glad that you are safe and sound."

"Hmm? Did something happen to you?"

"Oof, that's a female's intuition for you, a bullseye," Shen shrugged.

"He was about to die, but my grandson save him with his heroic act, you should have seen him. He picked up your smirking style very well."

"Heh," Rui couldn't help but took a glance at the resting Lyon on the side, whose face still burrowed into the mattress.

"Hahaha," Bapho laughed. "He really is good at picking up our habits."

"Tch! That's a double edge sword. It's good that he picked up mine and probably yours, Bapho. However, these two? Sheesh! He won't be so crazy about women and liquor were it not for these two."

Sun and Shen were struck guilty, however, they could only bow their heads.

"So four of us, eh?" Shen broke the ice. "Damn, time flies so fast, I feel like it was yesterday that I found him on a whim."

"It only irritates me more than you found him because of mere luck," Rui frowned before she sighed, "Though, I must give credit when it is due."

"He could do well without the catfish's blessing, after all, it is inevitable that he shall find me or I found him," Sun patted his chest, inviting the rage of the True Dragon with a grin.

"You two dare to fight right in front of me?" Rui glared and immediately mended the childish tension between the two supposedly mythical beasts.

Lyon let out a sigh before he woke up and sat with his legs crossed on the bed. "It has been like that mother, but grandpa Sun and grandpa Shen have been a great help throughout the journey if we discounted my hearing."

The two of them smiled a wry smile.

Rui sighed, "Nevermind, I'm not here to reprimand them."

"Mother, do you have any information about the whereabouts of the others?" Lyon asked.

His question immediately made Rui the center of attention. As she had courted their glances she could only give them a bitter answer through the shake of her head. "Sadly, I haven't heard anything from anyone for a while."

"I see," Lyon replied with a slight dejection on his face.

"Don't worry Lyon, we will find them," Rui immediately answered. "Your anxiety will only overcome you if your thoughts wander to the negative."

Lyon nodded, "I, I understand mother."

"She is right, my grandson. The fact that you already found four of the twelve of us in less than a year, it's astonishing! Think of it this way, you need to find twelve needles spread in three haystacks and you found four! That's superb!" said Shen.

"Hehehe," Lyon smiled. "But it's really something to find four of you in the Mortal World."

"That is something..." Rui pondered. "I wonder if one of us is in Purgatory or Paradise."

"That seems unlikely," Bapho shook his head. "To be inside both of those places would be suicide."

"Suicide?" Lyon frowned.

"Yes, they will recognize them almost instantly," Sun crossed his arms and nodded. "Fame comes with its own burden to hold."

The five of them sunk into the gloomy atmosphere. There were still the other eight that Lyon needed to find, and he also still needed to find his own self. The burdens that rested on his shoulder couldn't be lifted by anyone else, however, the ever encouraging of a lost memory drove him forward. The who, the why, and the how, all needed an answer and might not be the one that he wanted, but surely needed.

Lyon raised his brows, "Oh, mother, I forgot to ask you something."

"Hm?" Rui raised her chin seeing the excited child showing something.

"Did you write this?" Lyon grinned.

Rui looked at the note on Lyon's hand before she gave him a smile, "Who else?"

"Hehe," Lyon scratched the back of his head, "I knew it."

"However, that one is quite outdated," Rui shook her head. "The clue was that I was supposed to be waiting at the highest peak, however, I was not waiting there."

"Eh?" Lyon raised his brows. "Then, where were you?"

"I found her in the woods not far away," said Rui as she pointed at the door without looking at it.

The door creaked open as a soft voice immediately follow suit, "Excuse me, darling?"

Her blue eyes immediately found the man she was looking for sitting on a bed with his family members.

"Ah, did I interrupt something?" Selena showed a fool's smile.

"No, nothing, we are just catching our time," Rui answered with a smile, "Why don't you sit with us, let me introduce you to the others properly."

"Ah, right," Lyon muttered.

"Then, please excuse me," said Selena as she softly closed the door with the least creaks possible. She then stepped forward a docile little girl with her hands from a gesture of fig leaf.

"The dragon one is Shen, the goat is Bapho, and the ape is Sun," said Rui in a single breath before continuing, "The three of them, like me, have played a big part in nurturing Lyon, to what he had become and will become."

Selena bowed to all three, "Nice to meet you all."

"No need to be so modest," said Sun with a chuckle. "We are all a family here, just call me as Lyon calls me."

"Me too," said Shen with a nod.

"I'm surprised that you two agree on something," Rui mercilessly snorted a laugh.

"Hahaha, my name is Bapho, Lyon calls me his grandfather, so you should as well."

Lyon furrowed his brows, "Wait a minute, didn't you meet them before?"

Selena raised her brows before nodding, "Yes, but not under this kind of circumstances. It was, extreme."

"Extreme?" Lyon raised his brows as he noticed the others had sour faces. It didn't take him a long time to figure out what time they were talking about. "I see, it must be that time again, right?"

"We were pressed in time," said Rui with a sigh, "A proper greeting was almost impossible."

"But, why would that be? I mean, you must have met them before right?" Lyon asked Selena with a smile. "After all, you're my wife."

"We never get the chance, darling," Selena shook her head. "You used to say that I will meet them one day, I just never expected that it would be the day when I lost everything."

Lyon's throat instantly dried as his lips parted. He lowered his chin, confused as to what to say. "I, uh..."

"Let's drop the matter," Rui shook her head. "It's no use in talking about the things that you have yet known."

"She is right," Bapho followed up before darted her glance toward Selena. "I'm sure you have something to discuss with Lyon, do you need some privacy?"

"N-No, it's fine, thank you, grandfather," Selena smiled before she darted her glance toward Lyon. "Darling, I don't think I can help Karina's circumstances."