Emperor's Reckoning

Inside the garden of the Nostria Kingdom.

The two were once again sitting across one another but this time, they were separated by a fancy little table that was worth a fortune of a small family. No cups, no saucers, the two of them only consumed the same blow of nature.

"Isn't this nice," said Kyoko as she tugged her hair behind her earlobe and looked at the flowers on the flower bed.

Lyon raised his brows and slightly parted his lips as he saw the beauty in front of her hammering the word enchanting like there was no tomorrow. He gulped seeing her putting her lips on the pipe before smoking freely.

"You have long surpassed me," said Kyoko after she blew her smoke. "I have no doubt from the moment you enter the Labyrinth of Simak that you would surpass me one day, though I would have expected it to be quite a bit more lengthy than less than a year."

"Hahaha," Lyon laughed with his hands scratching the back of his head like a fool.

"You're not ordinary Lyon," said Kyoko with a smile. "Though, I would appreciate it if you stop ogling at my breast."

Lyon had a jolt for a second before he smiled. "It would be tough to forcefully ignore you. You've grown beautiful each day, in all senses."

"Hahaha," Kyoko laughed, "You think someone as old as me would fall for that cheap talk?"

"No, but I know you appreciate it," Lyon smiled.

Kyoko smiled before elegantly blowing her smoke in his direction. The latter kept his smile and closed his eyes as the gentle smoke crashed against his face.

"True," Kyoko smiled. "Looks like you've been stepping up your game in how to seduce women."

"I've learned as I go," said Lyon.

"Must have been a long road," said Kyoko before she sighed. She put the elbow in which her hand was holding the pipe on the table before she hugged the said elbow with the other hand, then sighed.

Lyon gulped heavier than before as his heart started to pump more blood. His pupils shrunk to a dot as he looked at a valley of paradise— the true paradise. The gentle kimono that she wore and the slight squeeze as her body leaned a bit forward made him forget about all the troubles burdening his shoulder for a flash of a second. In that second, he was a free man.

"What's erm.. wrong, Kyoko?" asked Lyon.

"You still remember that we are all searching for our own homeland, right?"

"That's not hard to forget," answered Lyon.

Kyoko leaned back and sighed. "I wonder if we are searching for our home."

"Huh?" Lyon raised his brows. ( Why is she leaning back? ).

"I mean, why did Simak do what he did? It makes me wonder," said Kyoko.

( I see, in the quest of searching for her home, came as a futile effort for her. She failed, thus the question of how becomes why ) thought Lyon. "This is not like you, Kyoko."

Kyoko made a meek smile as she avoided his eyes. "I know..." Her eyelids batted before she looked at the young man in front of him.

"However, knowing you calling me out like this, it means that you have some idea in mind," said Lyon.

"Sometimes you're sharper than a needle and sometimes duller than a block," Kyoko chuckled.

"It's a part of my charm," said Lyon with a smirk. "What is it?"

Kyoko sipped her pipe before blowing it out as her eyes sharpened. "The Seers."

Lyon furrowed his brows and tilted his head for a second before his brows raised to the ceiling. As his forehead made a slight crease he slowly nodded. "I see."

"They are all my hope in understanding my situation, well, our situation," said Kyoko. "However, there is absolute secrecy about their whereabouts."

Lyon nodded, "Yes, that's what I've heard."

"However, you have met one," said Kyoko.

"Her name is Vivi," Lyon smirked.

"Even know her name, astounding," Kyoko smirked.

"Yeah, well, they announced her name if I recall that correctly," said Lyon.

"Oh..."

"Yeah," Lyon added as he put more seasoning in the already weird atmosphere.

"Ah, I should have gone with you to First Heaven," said Kyoko before she clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Fate does work in mysterious ways."

"Then the problem would be meeting the Seers, it doesn't have to be Vivi," said Lyon.

Kyoko furrowed her brows, "Are you implying that you have a way to contact them?"

"As much as I want to say yes, this time I don't," said Lyon as he shrugged. "However, maybe Vivi will visit First Heaven again, I might have to ask Queen Wanda."

"Perhaps not," a familiar voice came walking into the garden before Cecile revealed herself, with Selena by her side.

Lyon raised his brows but Kyoko was the first one to ask.

"You have a way, Empress Cecile?" asked Kyoko with a gleam of hope in her eyes.

"Drop the title already," Cecile sighed. "But, yes, there is a way."

"What is it?" asked Lyon.

"By going to heaven, darling," Selena smiled.

( Man, it's tough not to interpret that as dying ) thought Lyon as he smiled inwardly. "What do you mean?"

"The Seers might be a separate entity that solely focuses on the thread or path of fate," answered Selena. "They read and foresee."

"However, the Seers are not easily found," said Kyoko.

"We don't need to find them, we just need to go where they are going," said Cecile.

"That's half-finding them, but it's a good shot," Lyon nodded.

"Better than searching them from scratch," Kyoko nodded. "How?"

"They all served the Three Realms," said Selena. "Well, not every part of the Three Realms."

"For what?" Lyon raised his brows.

"For sustainability mostly," said Cecile.

"Sustainability?" Lyon raised his brows, "You mean no power struggle?"

"Yes, but not in the way that you're thinking," said Cecile before crossing her arms, "They are always seeing a much bigger picture. There is always a reason in every little thing that they do, well almost all."

( Yeah, I don't think taking a shit would change someone's fate, well it does, but come on ) thought Lyon.

"Then, are you suggesting that we go to that First Heaven again?" Lyon added.

"We can always go a level higher," said Cecile.

"The Second Heaven?" Lyon raised his brows.

"Mavis is from the Sixth Heaven," Cecile added.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot about that guy," Lyon nodded.

Kyoko raised her brows as she looked at Lyon. ( Amazing! How did he manage to make an acquaintance with someone from the Sixth Heaven? ).

"We are not going all the way to Sixth Heaven," said Cecile as she shook her head.

"Wait!" Lyon raised his hand before asking, "You've just said earlier that the Seers served the Three Realms, then why don't we meet the one in this realm?" Lyon shrugged, "Or two, three... four... hehe."

"It's easier said than done," Cecile shrugged. "I don't think 'she' ever visits this place again."

"She?" Lyon and Kyoko raised their brows before Kyoko's hair crawled as daunting killing intent emerged from the depth of the void.

"It's a thing that you shouldn't know, yet," said Cecile as she clutched Selena's shoulder with one hand, receding the killing intent to a point of a snort from the latter.

"Darling, you should not see that woman again," said Selena.

"Uh, what? Who?" Lyon tilted his head, "Selena, in case you're out of the loop, I don't know what's going on or who's going on."

"I don't care, darling, you shall not meet her, hmph!" Selena snorted.

"What...?" Lyon couldn't utter another word. ( Wait a minute... that means she survived Selena's wrath? Damn, even that Seraph guy is on the brink of death when she is angry ).

Cecile sighed, "She won't be here, trust me on this."

"Okay, then what should we do?" asked Lyon.

"We can go to Second Heaven if you don't mind, we need you to toughen up your soul for the inevitable after all," said Cecile.

"Oh... right," Lyon looked down before feeling his palms. He clutched then opened them, feeling every little fiber in his palm.

'Shattering Palm!'

"?!" Lyon raised his brows as a familiar voice rang inside his mind from a distant memory in front of a tree in the jungle near Nostria.

"Cecile!"

"Hm? What is it darling?" Selena asked.

"All Seers has a designated driver right?" asked Lyon.

"Yes?" Cecile nodded. "What are you getting at?"

"Does their carriage has the capabilities of traversing blocked spaces?" asked Lyon.

"What do you mean?"

"For example, a special path a sealed whole new world?" asked Lyon.

"Darling, you mean Hell?" asked Selena.

All the ladies in the garden raised their brows as they watched Lyon's lips stretch to his ears before revealing his teeth. He crossed his arms before raising his chin.

"Yes, they are free to go wherever they please with that special carriage," said Cecile "You're going to do that, are you not?"

"Hahaha!" Lyon stood up and let out a regal laugh. "Then it's killing two birds with one stone, oh wait, three!"

"Lyon? What are you saying?" asked Kyoko.

"Darling is going to hijack the Seer's carriage," Selena smiled.

Kyoko parted her lips as all words collided inside her throat. She forgot how insane the young man in front of him was, both in strength and mind.