Chapter Text
–Spacetime Rift–
“Hm, this is quite the serious conundrum.”
A figure could be seen pondering at the bartender point of a certain tavern. The figure had blonde hair with sunglasses worn before his eyes. He wore a purplish shirt and one can see a necklace latched with a cat bell on his neck. Since his eyes were overshadowed by the dark sunglasses he was wearing, no one could read the expression of the said man. However judging from his pose, one could probably guess that he’s either confused or concerned about something.
It was confirmed when a certain old man with a bluish stellar coat approached him after he just entered the tavern.
“So, you felt it too?”
“You know too well.” The younger blonde replied. “This reminded me of a similar phenomenon that Aldo has to face, something regarding Midnight or Twilight timelines if I’m not mistaken.”
“Well, that’s probably because it is.” The older man replied. “Though, this one is rather different in some numerous ways.”
“I noticed that too.” The younger man replied again. “Though, while this is happening, it does feel very different.”
“How so?”
“I mean, the stability of the timelines, it feels very different. Usually when this happens, timequakes will soon be approaching and the symptoms of that will appear. I know you know what I’m thinking, right?”
“Yes, of course I do.” The older man replied. “And I assume that this time it isn’t the case, is it?”
“Uhh, how should I say it, it might probably still be the case, but a rather tamer one, to be exact. We should still be alert of all other possibilities, though.
“Of course. That’s our duty.”
The old man left the tavern, leaving the blonde by himself as he murmured.
“Well, let’s see what is in store for you, Aldo.”
–Vermillion Road, 300 AD–
It was a very usual day on the maple leaf-covered road that connects the Land of Mi with the Land of Shin, which is the term used for the region surrounding Izana, and the region surrounding Nagsham. Monsters tend to cover the road, making the road actually rather dangerous for some citizens of the neighboring city/village to traverse on. That’s why usually the citizens, mostly from the wealthier ones, tend to hire a bodyguard or a traveler to escort them whenever they have to make a journey from Izana to Nagsham or the other way around.
On one part of the road, near the river, a cluster of Gold Spirits and Bunbukus were enjoying their time, waiting for an unaware citizen to actually make his way towards them, and become their prey.
And their wait seemed to pay off as someone really appeared upon them. Though, it was a little unexpected as the target did not appear from the usual road, but rather, it appeared in a rather uncalled way,
A greenish path appeared from the thin air, and from inside the path, a young figure leapt and landed on the ground. The figure appears to be a young girl with some of the straight black hair tied to a small ponytail and the rest was running all the way to her back, which reminded her of someone familiar. She also got black eyes and a rather slim build. She was wearing reddish-bluish Garulean-style clothing with a katana hilted on her left waist.
The girl got up from her landing and looked around, trying to actually register her surroundings with the intent to understand where she really is.
“From the looks of it, this must have been Vermillion Road, but it really feels different from the road I know.” The girl murmured. “And I was sucked into a portal, just like how Papa told me in his stories.”
She then looked at the area where she jumped, and she noticed that the portal wasn’t there anymore.
“Huh, the portal, it’s gone?”
The girl began to panic for some time, before eventually her inner thoughts actually calmed her down.
“Okay, so I was sent to Vermillion Road by a portal, which is now gone, and I still don’t understand anything except me in a Road that feels rather different from the ones I know. So, what should I do now?”
Her thoughts were quickly diverted by the clusters of Bunbukus and Gold Spirits that had noticed her presence, and were now slowly moving towards her. She actually felt fear looking at so many monsters heading towards her, but just at this moment she understood her parents’ teachings that she had learned for years, that she had to do her best and not to fear anything.
And so, she brandished her katana and slowly took a pose, ready for battle.
—
Around half a mile away from the place, Azami was enjoying a peaceful afternoon tea and some Mitarashi Dango from the usual Teahouse in Vermillion Road. While the place is not very big despite a slight attempt of renovation, the place still gives her a tingle of Nostalgia. Not only is it the place she often went for a few years already, it was also the place where she made some lovely memories with a certain swordsman she had gotten close with.
The memory might not be that colorful since she had to battle a very tough specter at this place, but the thought of her enjoying herself together with him was just enough for her to instantly get red in her face.
“I wonder where Aldo is right now? I really wish he would visit Izana and spend some time with me.”
“Oh, somebody’s in love.” A girl suddenly chirped.
“I-In Love?” Azami’s blushes became deeper as she glared at the girl, which is none other than the Teahouse girl herself. “I’m not!”
“A girl not in love will not wish for a boy to visit her and spend some time with her, you know?” She teased.
“I-Wait you heard all of that?”
“You didn’t even whisper it, you practically shouted it yourself.”
“W-What?”
Azami began to have her peculiar “dance of tantrum” to deny the girl’s accusation. However as she did, she heard sounds of monsters being slashed, but she also heard the sound of a girl screaming, which quickly startled the two.
“Sounds like somebody’s being attacked. Don’t you want to help them?” The teahouse girl asked.
“Yes, I thought the same.” Azami replied, before giving out some Git to the teahouse girl and brandishing her katana.
“Just keep the change, I need to go before the person gets seriously injured.” Azami remarked before quickly moving towards the sound.
“Okay, good luck, Azami.”
–Azami’s PoV–
I quickly hurried towards the commotion that I heard. While I’m not actually a city guardian or something similar, it’s also my duty to help everyone in need.
After all, I am assigned to guard a Princess, and the citizens are her subjects, and so it makes sense that I too have to guard the citizens as well.
A few moves later and I immediately spotted the battle that took place near the river. Though, what I saw was just rather unbelievable.
There I saw a horde of monsters attacking what seemed to be a young girl. My instincts told me that I have to help her since it looked like the number of monsters literally made the girl struggle a lot. However the girl herself made me freeze in place.
Not only did the girl look a lot like me, with the hair and all, albeit with a different clothing design, but also used the sword technique that only me and my bloodline know about.
The Soaring Swallowtail Technique, the technique of my bloodline and the school where I studied, was never taught outside my bloodline. It was like a familial tradition and was etched to us like a part of our identities.
And then, I saw the girl performing a very special move of my bloodline.
The Petalfall, the technique that is exclusive to me since I invented it a few years prior.
And I just saw her using that without too much effort.
However, I also saw that after using the technique, she was dazed and was open for an attack from behind, in which I saw a couple of monsters creeping towards her back.
And the girl seemed like she didn’t notice.
Thus, I did what I had to do: Kill the monsters.
Though, since I did that on impulse and just very near the girl, I could get a very good look at the young girl, which couldn’t be described by anything other than a splitting image of me, albeit much younger.
And the girl seemed to notice it too.
“T-Thank You for your help. I thought I was a goner back then.”
I smiled, “You’re Welcome. Though, if I had to, may I ask you something?”
The girl nodded. “Sure.”
“One thing I want to ask, though.” I paused for a moment, before sighing and continued with my question. “How did you learn your techniques, though? From what I know, it was taught only in a specific bloodline and school.”
The girl actually hesitated to answer, which is explainable since she was just asked a rather peculiar question from a complete stranger who just so happens to have a rather similar face to her. But she eventually smiled and beamed as she answered.
“I was taught by my parents. The Soaring Swallowtail technique was passed on my bloodline, like you said, and thus my mother taught me when I was little.”
That shocked me. So this girl is actually a part of my bloodline? I decided to push my luck even further.
“And your mother, did she also teach you the Petalfall?”
“Yes, you’re right. In fact, she’s the one who invented Petalfall herself. It was a very effective technique and yet I think it would be still a few more years before I mastered it myself.
That flips the switch on my head.
She had just said that her mother invented Petalfall.
But, I invented Petalfall myself.
Still couldn’t believe it, I asked one final question that will put the nail into the coffin.
“Your mother, what’s her name?”
She smiled proudly.
“It’s Azami, she’s one of the best swordmaster out there, and I’m proud to be her daughter!”
That assures it.
There’s no one in my bloodline that shares my name and invented Petalfall at the same time.
Is this girl…
“Wait a second.” The girl observed me very clearly, and gasped herself, “Come to think of it, what year is it?”
I actually was confused why she did ask that. But I had been traveling with Aldo for quite some time so this question is not uncommon.
“It’s…300 AD.”
Believe it or not…
“300 AD, no one in that year knew about Petalfall, except my mother.”
Our eyes locked.
“I-Is your name, Azami?”
I nodded.
“You-you’re supposed to be my mother in the past?”
…supposed to be my daughter?
—To Be Continued—