A Week in Tokyo

Chapter Ten: No Rest for the Wicked

Chapter Ten: No Rest for the Wicked

An ocean of stars shone brilliantly over the kingdom of Fanelia twinkling softly in the evening sky. Two moons hung above the small houses and farmlands dotting the emerald valley. The moons were unusually large and were glowing brighter than usual. Everyone in the Fanelian countryside was tucked away in their beds, sound asleep. There was only one house that still had a chorus of artificial lights pouring out from its many windows onto the dark earth below. This was the manor of the ex-council member Vladimir Kent.

He sat at the desk of a large study, his dark blue eyes staring at an odd machine resting on the floor beside him. The machine rose up from the base of the floor to a few feet above his head. It started out as a cylindrical shape at the bottom and twisted into a spiral at the top. A giant brass handle reached down from the center of the device to the desk where he sat. Vladimir leaned his right hand against the lever of the odd machine and pulled it toward him. He grinned wickedly to himself as an image appeared on a screen in front of him. A row of gray teeth were visible from behind his pasty white lips.

He rubbed his old withering hands together causing his yellow fingernails to occasionally touch. He cackled as he watched the scene appear in the small screen located at his eye level in the brass instrument for the millionth time. The event came flickering back like an old movie reel. It showed the five council members attacking Van and the others and dying at their hands. He laughed wickedly as they buried the men by a shrine for the God Shuchen outside of the city.

He was temporarily distracted from his work when his son Charden came marching into the room. He grunted and attempted to watch the scene over again. Charden didn't like the fact that his presence was being ignored. He surprised his father by walking up to his desk and slamming both of his hands down on the space in front of him.

He looked intently at Vladimir with his piercing blue eyes and said, "You've been staring at that infernal device for hours! What do you hope to accomplish by watching that scene over and over?"

Vlad gave a small huff and ran his bony fingers through his white hair. He had to journey further down his scalp to accomplish this. His hairline started just above his ears and fell messily around the base of his shoulders. He momentarily took his eyes off of the machine and glared at Charden with a look of annoyance on his face.

"Everything rests on this moment. I knew that there was a power spot by the shrine. That is why I lured Van and the others there with the attack in the first place. Using this machine that I uncovered from Zaibach, I was able to send them to the Mystic Moon. I know that they will have a hard time getting back. We can use the time they are away to our advantage."

Charden raised himself up off of the desk and crossed his arms in front of him indignantly. He stamped his foot against the ground, clearly unsatisfied with his father's answer.

"That still doesn't explain why you are watching that scene in the Tarndulosk. Aren't you wasting precious time concerning yourself with such a stupid thing?"

Vlad returned his gaze to the familiar scene in front of him and gave a short laugh.

"The Tarndulosk shows the past but cannot project images of the future. I was hoping to find where the men ended up as the day progressed but I had no such luck. It was then that it occurred to me that the machine can only project past images of the world it is on. By watching this scene I have discovered that Van and the others are on a realm where not even I have the power to determine their fate. They have little hope of coming back without a power spot. If I can find a way to seal the entry place by the shrine it will take them longer to reach Fanelia if by some miracle of the Gods they are able to get back at all."