Actors in place

Then came the day when the empress arrived at Shiho. Shade had memorized all of the people's energy by then and his work had begun. Norman also had put up a device that can tell him similar readings as Shade's ability.

Fon and the empress could only meet in secret, so when empress Rize came to the palace, Fon had to hide somewhere else. But when the time came for them to meet, they met at Fon's current room. They hugged and stayed close for the rest of the day. Rize even slept in the same bed with Fon.

In the night, Shade saw some movement going on in the village that wasn't someone he knew. Shade went to investigate and Norman stayed on watchduty in the meantime.

Shade caught up to the suspected intruder and said.

- "What are you doing here?"

The figure first tried to say that they were a hunter, but Shade quickly said.

- "You aren't one of the hunters that I know of. At the moment, new hunters aren't accepted to enter these woods so please leave."

The figure then went back where it came from, only to return with two more intruders. This time Shade captured them without asking questions. They were mad, but Shade quickly shut them up.

In the meantime, Norman had found another intruder and took care of it swiftly. Then Shade called a couple of guards to help him get them in one spot.

Once everyone was gathered, Norman began to interrogate them. Meanwhile Shade kept making sure no more intruders would come.

Norman decided to use the technique he used on Shade to check stuff about his soul. It hurt the captured intruders, but Norman would have done something worse if there wouldn't have been the option to do what he did. What Norman found on the four intruders was something that Shade didn't hear happily.

- There are two clans that sent these intruders. One of them was the Ryugon clan and the other was the Aoikami clan.

- But are you sure that Koyama was the one who ordered it?

- The memories I gathered showed me that he ordered the three people in this group to capture Fon from conspirators.

- Conspirators?

- Yes, it is often that people are told the wrong story on purpose to make sure people stay obedient.

- And what are you going to do?

- I'm going to go check on both of these clan's headguarders. And you should take these.

Norman gave Shade four flasks of potions.

- What do these do?

- They are truth serums that I made myself. If any more appear, use these on them and ask them questions that you deem necessary.

- Got it.

- It'll take me a day and a half to report back, so keep a watch until then.

- Got it.

Then Norman left and Shade was left to guard the Shiho village for the meantime. The captured intruders were sent to jail for the time being. The empress had to leave the day after, so Fon felt quite lonely. There came two more intruders, but Shade took care of them effortlessly.

Then Norman gave his report to the sun emperor. It was deemed that there were five clans that conspired against the second sun emperor and were after his life. The proof could be given to the public any time, but firstly, Norman wanted to handle the Aoikami clan first in Shiho palace. He gave Mira all the necessary proof and he gave Shade a word to get Koyama there as soon as possible. He didn't say anything else after the words.

- If things turn dire, I trust you to save him.

Then the stage was set, Koya was now in the palace of Kogane valley and Fon, Mira, Shade and Aisha were there to tell what was going to happen. Mira said.

- "These are the proof that you have conspired against the second sun emperor. What do you say to that?"

- "I don't have anything to say. I'm guilty as charged."

Then an unfamiliar voice came from the back of the palace hall.

- "Did you think that this would end this easily?"

Koya said.

- "Your highness?"

- "Yes. It is I."

- "But how are you… You were supposed to be at the Gamide castle this morning. How can you be here now?"

- "My little friend used a teleportation device to get me here to personally see this through."

- "Norman… I see."

Shade asks Koya.

- "Why did you do it?"

- "I was initially in it because my father, the previous head of the Aoikami clan, was bent on it. I later came to believe that Lady Fon was the one that should be the current ruler of Hokori since it just made sense to me. I gathered some allies from my father's circles and made a great force. The Ryugon clan was especially helpful on many occasions."

- "So you feel no remorse for your actions?"

Koya gives a sweet smile.

- "I don't. Lady Fon. I truly wanted to see you take up that throne in my time, but it's a shame it has to end like this."

Fon asks.

- "What are you…?"

Then Koya charged at the sun emperor with a knife, but he was quickly taken care of by Shade. Then he was captured by two guards. The emperor now said.

- "You have conspired against the empire of Hokori and have now raised a dagger against the second sun emperor, Rei Ryujin the II. The punishment for your crimes is death."

Fon then quickly shouted.

- "Wait father!"

- "What is it Fon?"

- "Don't kill him."

- "Why?"

- "Because I sense no ill flame in him."

- "You don't huh… Still, he raised his hand against the sun emperor, so he has to be punished. I also heard that you have feelings for him so you might be lying."

- "Then if he dies, I promise to bite my tongue off."

- "You… Are you serious?"

- "I'm dead serious. If he dies, I'll die with him."

- "You…"

Koya shouts.

- "Don't do this Lady Fon! You are the next sun that will shine brightly when the time is right. Don't spare your sympathy for me."

Then Norman jumps in.

- "Now wait just a moment there. I think the answer is quite simple."

Rei asks.

- "What do you mean Norman?"

- "If it only means the death of one royal to punish another, then the answer is quite simple. Let's kill Koyama boy here now and see how she reacts. If she bites her tongue, so be it. If she burst the palace to flames, so be it. And if she… Well, I'll leave that on the side for now. But the point is, let's just see what happens."

- "Are you out of your mind?"

Fon also says.

- "Losing me would mean that there isn't another person to take up the throne when my father dies. There is no win for you here."

- "Oh, but you're wrong there little miss. If we need another person to inherit the throne after your father, we just need to make one."

- "What?"

- "You are expendable in the grand scheme of things. So why don't you just bite off your tongue and prove your words as he dies."

Rei shouts.

- "You are going too far Norman! Stand down immediately!"

- "I think you have forgotten something here. I only follow your orders because I choose to. Not because I'm paid to or because I'm loyal to the Hokori empire. I'm no one's underling and killing a man that is now sentenced to death is of no importance to the throne. Even if a little girl here kills herself, that is by her own choice. I'm a free man as far as the eyes can see."

- "You are out of your mind. Guards! Seize him!"

- "Too late."

Then Norman stabs Koya in the heart with his spear. There is a lot of blood and Koya can't stand anymore. Then Norman says.

- "So what will it be? Little Fon?

Fon gives a blood curdling scream and runs to Koya. Once she is near, she puts her hand on a cup and causes a centered explosion at Norman, which Norman blocks. But it launches him across the hall and through the wall made of stone.

Fon is shaking in shock and fumbles in front of Koya's dying body. When she looks at the open hole in Koya's chest, she tries to cover it up and starts mumbling.

- "No no no. This can't be happening. I… I won't let you die. I won't…"

Then it clicked. She remembers something that Shade had told her. Something that Norman said to Shade. "She is a saint of flames." And when she thinks further into it, all the people who have the title of "Saint" have the ability to heal people, one shape or another. So now she focused on healing Koya, even though she didn't know how. She kept trying and trying to heal him somehow, but it wasn't working. Shade is starting to think that things turn dire and comes to heal Koya, but then Fon says to him.

- "Don't! I have to do this myself!"

She kept on trying and trying. By now the Koya's brain had run out of oxygen and was beginning to die. In the last possible moment before there was any damage to the brain, Fon managed to heal his wound and start his heart back up again. He started breathing again and he was back in the books of the living. He was unconscious, but alive.

Then Norman starts coming back from the hole in the wall and says.

- "I knew my bet would pay off."

The guards start to arrest him, but then Fon says.

- "Don't arrest him! He was planning this to happen from the start. Am I right, uncle?"

- "I did, yes."

- "Do you want me to explain it, or will you explain it yourself?"

- "I will give you this chance to shine. If you miss anything, I will fill it up."

- "Right. Firstly, he knew that should he bring my father here, Koyama would try to attack him as his last attempt to make the ruse finalized. As for why it was a ruse, uncle knew that the letters and messages would have been burned if Koyama didn't want to get found out. In fact, he was inviting us to find out that he was part of this conspiracy all along by sending a few of his people to "investigate" my position on Kogane valley. As to what made him want to get caught was something I don't know, but we can assume that something changed in him that made him go through with it. And why did uncle make Koyama attack my father? It was so that Koyama could be punished by his death. By allowing him to die, he would make me unleash my power as the saint of flames to heal him. This would show that I have that ability. As to why he wanted to show my healing ability? I don't know."

- "Well you see, Fontiá was known for her flames, but she didn't have the power to heal others. By healing Koyama here, it would prove that you don't have a spark of Fontiá in you, but another power that allows you to heal and have great affinity to flames. And as for what made him change his alliance, I let him tell you once he wakes up."

- "Oh, and also by letting Koyama die once, the punishment of death would have been done to him, even though he came back to life."

- "Right. And do you know what we will do to the remainder of allegations that are against Koyama?"

- "Well, we could… Put a blame on someone else?"

- "Precisely! And do you have anyone in mind?"

- "I… think a demon prince should suffice."

- "That's what I was thinking as well. As to who forced Koyama's hand on this, I think the demon prince of tricks and lies Kiat or the demon prince of change Saatiana would be two possible contenders. I don't think either of them would mind this claim. And by doing so, Koyama's case is closed. There is one little, tiny detail that you didn't catch little Fon."

- "What is it?"

- "By allowing Shade to defend Rei boy here, he gains some fame. And on top of that, the work that was done by me can be put on Shade's shoulders to bear, as to bring more fame to his name. And by allowing him to gain some fame, we can now let… come on kid, I know you got it."

- "We… Can let Shade marry Lady Amirasha!"

- "YES! By all of creations I'm glad I invested all of this time to let the empire grow. Now I have this tiny little kid who can outsmart most adults and even see my full plan."

- "Glad you were entertained uncle."

- "So am I! Now then. As for the issues ahead of you all, I leave all you to your own devices to handle my plan. Have fu-"

Then Rei interrupts Norman and says.

- "Don't think you can get away so easily. You went against my, the sun emperor's, orders and almost killed my only child. You also went out of line by calling Fon expendable."

- "Oh, and what are you going to do and with what authority? You are not my superior by any sense of the word. And you issue a death penalty anyways, so killing Koyama here wasn't that big of a deal."

- "If you would already accept the gold that is waiting for you, then you would be my subordinate."

- "And I'm telling you that you can keep it. Now…"

Then Mira stops Norman.

- "It's because of your plan that you broke a wall in my palace. Fix it."

- "Oh yeah, little Fon was surprisingly destructive. More than I anticipated anyways. Fine. Repairing something like this is a child's play to me."

And so Norman fixed the wall that was torn apart. It didn't even take a minute.

Then later Koya was put in a cell in Shiho and Fon stayed there to say her last words before returning to her home.

When Koya woke up in a cell, Shade was waiting for him. Then Shade said.

- You really almost died there.

- That's what I was prepared to do anyway.

- They are going to blame your involvement on this on the demon prince Kiat.

- What?

- Yeah. You are going to have almost no punishment if we don't count your brief stay in this cell.

- But why? I aligned myself with the conspirators. Why would you let me go?

- You got caught on purpose.

- Aah. So you figured that out. Was it the letters?

- The letters, messages and the bait you sent here to collect Fon. And of course Fon's word about you not bearing any ill flames in you.

- And they bought it just like that?

- The emperor thought that she was lying at first, remember?

- Yes. Did he believe her later then?

- After Norman used his soul reading technique on you, he confirmed it.

- I see.

- Care to explain how things became like this?

- At first I believed that Lady Fon should really be on the throne as soon as possible. I didn't agree on using her as a puppet emperor, but I still wanted her to be on that throne.

- But what made you change?

- At first, after my father died, I bore so much of his previous misdeeds that I got back to reality. Then I wanted my family to become more than misguided fools. So I decided to make up with our old adversary, the Kogane clan. At that point I still wanted the current sun emperor to step away from the throne by any means necessary. But should my plan fail, I would have aid from the Kogane clan to make sure my people won't suffer. And when I saw Fon for the first time, everything changed. At that moment it finally hit me, as she was commanding me like a spoiled child, that "she is just a child" and "how could I make a child suffer the death of her father?" That's when I chose to end the other conspirators by any means necessary.

- I see. So you were the man I thought you were.

- To you, I'm always just a drinking partner. But now, will you still share a drink with me?

- Of course.

- Thank you.

Then we hear a familiar child's voice.

- So you were that surprised by my current appearance?

It was Fon. I ask.

- You speak common?

- Of course I do. Now Koyama.

She looks at Koya with a sharp look on her face.

- After we are done with the paperwork, we will make sure you will make atonements in due time.

- I… I will try my best.

- Also, don't you ever dare to die in front of me.

- I, try my best.

- Good. We will send word in a couple of days time to let you go free. Don't break until then.

- I… see.

Then Fon started to leave. Then she said as she left the prison area.

- Remember, your future wife has limit to her patience. No cheating.

Then she leaves. There is a moment of silence. Then Koya asks.

- What did she mean by that?

- Oh, by the way, congrats on your engagement.

- … What, no, you… you aren't seriously saying what I think you are… are you?

- Well… Good luck on your future.

Then Shade leaves. Koya is then talking to himself.

- Damn. At least I hope she grows to have a great butt.

A couple of weeks later, Koya was released and the engagement was announced. All the participants in the conspiracy had been severely punished and the truth about Fon had come to light.

A month later, Shade and Mira held a wedding in eastern style. There were many who were invited. Even the sun emperor decided to visit himself, so along came the empress Rize and Fon. The emperor's family coming made this a much bigger event than Shade would have expected.

Koya was of course also included. In fact, if Koya wouldn't have come, Shade was ready to come and drag him there with force. All of the people in Shiho village were allowed to attend the ceremony, but the palace was obviously so full that all couldn't come. Aisha surprisingly shed many tears at the ceremony.

There was also a private party right after the ceremony. Strangely, Norman wasn't seen in the ceremony. He came late to the private party and said to the rest of the guests.

- I'm not so fond of weddings.

During the party, Fon also commented while looking at Koya.

- "Our wedding will be much more brilliant than this. Isn't that right?"

Koya just said.

- "Of course."

And two years after that, Mira and Shade would have their first child named Aino.