Era's of Oni

Chapter 13: Astray Tour Guide

"Keomi!" Ms. Hiroshi yelled out.

Keomi was moving hay into the cow fence from outside the cow fence using a pitchfork. He placed it down and faced his mother.

Ms. Hiroshi was coming back from the village meeting. Ever since Akashi had left, he never wanted to go to the village meetings. He would just think about her banishment again. It was just a month from the last time Keomi had seen Akashi, yet he missed her so much.

Ms. Hiroshi walked up to Keomi and spoke.

"I've just come back from the meeting and I've received devastating news."

Keomi thought this news to be just another horrible drought in the village.

"Akashi has been captured by the kingdom of Okemia." Ms. Hiroshi said with a sad tone.

Keomi was devastated to another level.

That night as Keomi tried to sleep, he just simply could not. He kept on thinking about how much Akashi must be suffering. He thought and thought until he finally made up his mind.

That morning, Keomi started to pack all of his things into his bag. He walked out of his room to see his family eating breakfast together.

"Keomi, sit down and eat with us." Mr. Hiroshi said.

"I can not."

"Why do you have your bag on?" Ms. Hiroshi asked.

"I have to go."

"Why?" Keomi's sister asked.

Not another word came out of Keomi's mouth as he walked out. He was impatient. The more time he wasted, the more pain Akashi would have to bear. He did not want that for her.

He boarded the ship he would work on.

"Your shift is not until another three days." The captain of the ship said.

"I'm not here to work, I need to get across."

"Very well then."

The captain was friends with Keomi so he agreed to get Keomi across. Once Keomi was on the dock of Hai. He finally realized that he didn't have a plan. He had no way of helping Akashi by simply going to Okemia.

Then he remembered Akashi's friendship with Amilia, the queen of Akshara. The kingdom of Akshara had fallen but he could still ask for help. He walked to the village called Hai. He sweet-talked his way into the train that Akashi once went on. The train operator agreed and Keomi sat on the train that was headed to Akshara.

He looked up at the beautiful sky and the view that Akashi had seen once before. It was wonderful but there were more important matters that needed to be attended to.

Keomi got off the train and came to the entrance of Akshara. He thought he could simply walk into the kingdom with no problems but he was very wrong.

"Stop." The guard said.

Keomi looked at the guard confused.

"What is your business here?"

"I need to speak to the queen."

The guards looked at each other and nodded. One of the guards led Keomi straight into the castle. However, instead of taking Keomi to the queen as he requested, the guard took Keomi to the king where he sat on his throne. The king of Akshara, unlike the king of Keomia, did not have a confident expression. He was anxious for his queen. Even though Amilia had fully recovered from her illness thanks to Akashi. He was frightened by almost losing her.

Keomi bowed to the king. He thought it to be respectful before he spoke.

"King of Akshara. I ask that you help me."

"What is it you ask for, young man?" The king responded.

Keomi was nervous. He had never had an audience with the king himself. It was very unlike the chief of their village.

"It is about Akashi."

"Yes, I heard. What of it."

"You need to help her."

The king was indebted to Akashi for saving the queen but he also had to stay with his kingdom. The kingdom of Akshara was in the process of recovering after the attack from Okemia.

"Our kingdom is in no state to help."

"Can't you do anything to help?" Keomi cried out.

The wise king thought. He had an idea that would either cause more problems in the future, or it would damage the kingdom forever. This was a very hard decision to make in one day.

"Get me a maid." The king demanded.

Immediately a maid came rushing over. It was the same maid that had assisted Akashi when she slept over. The king told the maid to help find Keomi a place to sleep in the kingdom while he would think of a panacea overnight.

The king headed to the queen's chambers where he would ask Amilia for advice. She was a wise queen.

He sat beside Amilia who was told to stay in bed until they knew she was fully better.

"Amilia." The king spoke.

"Yes?"

"I must talk to you."

"About what?"

"A friend of Akashi's wanted us to help retrieve Akashi. Our kingdom is at its lowest but I'm in debt to her."

"We should help."

"But you understand the consequences right?"

"As of right now, the only way to make a harmonious world is to defeat the king of Okemia. Akashi is the one to do so."

"How can you be sure?"

"It is the kind of person she is."

With that, the king sent out his guards to go abroad to other kingdoms, asking for help. He would make this an international problem. It would be a worldwide fight. 

Word count: 915