ACE OF FATE

Chapter 9: Inspiration

Chapter 9: Inspiration

Felix, after telling Suzu that Ryota had gone to find the Tatara furnace, went to sit on the engawa, which was a wooden veranda running along the outside of the house, connecting the interior to the yard. As he sat there, its weathered boards warm beneath him, before him lay the remnants of a once-vibrant garden, now a desolate patch of earth.

The noon sun was pouring hot rays over the parched soil, where some flowers were crumbled and some withered. Ants scurried busily near a broken bamboo deer chaser, their movements animated amidst the eerie calm that enveloped Felix.

The atmosphere carried the earthy aroma of parched soil coupled with the last remnants of flowers. At that moment, from the passage on his left, appeared Kai. When he saw Felix and hurried over to him.

"I... have... been... looking... for... you," Kai panted, his small frame trembling with exertion.

"Why were you looking for me? Is everything alright?" Felix looked at him and asked.

"No, nothing's fine," Kai replied.

"Catch your breath and tell me what happened," Felix said, his eyebrows furrowing.

Kai took a moment to catch his breath.

"I need your help," Kai said.

"With what?" Felix asked with a firm voice.

"I want to become strong," Kai declared boldly.

"I want you to train me," he continued.

"Aren't you a bit young for that? And why ask me? You could ask Ryota; he was a samurai after all," Felix said.

Kai crossed his arms defiantly, "Hey! I'm ten years old! That's old enough! And I want you to train me because you're stronger than him."

Felix studied Kai's determined expression and felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. He remembered his own grueling training at that age—the sweat, the struggle, the triumphs.

"Alright then, but it's not going to be easy," Felix said with a smile that softened his features.

Kai's face lit up with joy as he jumped high in excitement.

"I might be able to train a bit myself too; it's been a long time since I did some training," Felix thought.

"Plus, I need to protect these innocent people and destroy those Kaals who attacked us."

Then, out of nowhere, Kai launched a kick at Felix, and it hit Felix's stomach.

"What... was... that... for?" Felix said, holding his stomach and kneeling.

"I thought we started the training from now," Kai replied, turning his head innocently and holding his index finger to his jaw.

"And aren't you supposed to dodge that, sensei?" Kai asked.

Although he was feeling a bit of pain from the kick, when he heard the word "sensei," it brought a nice calm to his heart. He remembered when he read some books about popular senseis of Higashihara. He slowly got up from his knees.

"Let's start then," Felix said.

"Give me some push-ups," he said.

"What is a push-up?" Kai asked.

"This is going to take a long time," Felix whispered to himself with a deadpan face.

After showing him what a push-up is, Kai finally understood and tried to do some

"One..." he said while doing the push-up clumsily.

"Two..."

[Thud]

"I can't do more!" Kai said with a tired face—a very tired face.

"This is going to take a long, long time," Felix whispered again to himself with a deadpan face, a drop of sweat dripping from his forehead.

Felix knelt beside Kai, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Tell me one thing," he said in a firm voice.

"Why do you want to get stronger?"

"What do I want?" Kai whispered to himself thoughtfully.

Kai's eyes grew distant as he considered the question. Memories flashed through his mind—moments of feeling helpless to protect his father, Jun, Ryota, Suzu, and Felix. His small hands clenched into fists as he looked up, meeting Felix's gaze.

"I want to protect people who are dear to me."

"So... you really think I can do it?"

"If you've got that inspiration, then yes, you can do it," he said.

"What was your inspiration?" Kai asked, with curiosity.

Felix's gaze grew distant, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"It was...."

"It was to be like my father," he said softly.

"Was he strong?" Kai asked, pushing himself up to sit cross-legged.

"Really strong," Felix replied, his voice tinged with pride and a hint of sadness.

"He used to say, 'The greater the inspiration, the greater the power you will wield.'"

Kai studied Felix's face, noting the faraway look in his eyes. Then, with renewed determination, he pushed himself back into position.

"Okay."

"One..." Kai counted again, focusing on the rhythm of his movements.

"Two..."

"Three..."

After what felt like an eternity of push-ups and other grueling exercises—crunches and squats blending into one exhausting rhythm—Kai finally gasped out between labored breaths:

"I... can't... move... a... muscle..." with a trembling voice and a sweaty, exhausted face.

He stepped closer and carefully opened it.

Inside lay a woman bound and gagged; a cloth was wrapped around her eyes, and another covered her mouth. She couldn't see him but was sweating profusely, panic evident on her face.

"What is she doing here like this?" Felix thought.

Without a second thought, he knelt beside her and removed the rope that tied her legs. Gently, he grasped her arm and pulled her out of the narrow alley into the cool evening air. Then he carefully removed the cloth from her mouth.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She gasped for air before managing to say, "You help me!"

"I am Kimiko."

"Kimiko?" The name struck a chord in Felix's memory—he recalled hearing it before from Miku.

Then Felix untied her hands and removed the cloth covering her eyes. Now he could see the woman's face clearly; she had short, dark brown hair, turquoise eyes, and some freckles on her face. She wore a similar black kimono that was a bit dirty, with the kalanchoe symbol on the back.

"Lady Miku," she whispered suddenly, as if recalling something important.

Without another word, she sprang to her feet and began to run toward the big house that was on the opposite side of the house where Felix and the others were residing. Felix didn't find it necessary to follow her, hoping that, for whatever reason she was tied, Miku should be able to solve this issue.

He remembered the warning that Miku had given them: not to intervene in her work. He didn't want to disrupt the fragile peace Ryota and their friends had found. Felix turned back toward the direction of the house.

On the other hand, we see Miku reading a letter on her balcony when suddenly she hears a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called, setting the letter aside.

The door slid open with a soft creak, revealing her samurai—grim-faced and tense—as they surrounded her like dark clouds gathering before a storm.

In unison, they unsheathed their katanas, their blades glinting ominously in the dim light.

"What's the meaning of this?" Miku asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Please don't worry, Lady Miku," one of them said with an unsettling smile. He was older than the rest; wrinkles etched his face like battle scars. His chonmage hairstyle framed dark hair streaked with gray. His orange eyes glinted with malice beneath thick brows.

"We're simply fulfilling our duties for which we are paid," he continued, his tone dripping with insincerity.

"And now is the perfect time since the old lady is preoccupied with her guests."

"Now, if you would kindly come with us..."

"And if I refuse?" Miku said firmly.

A surge of energy began to build within her hands as she channeled Zor energy—a vibrant red crackling at her fingertips like a living flame.

"There's no need for that, Lady Miku," he said dismissively.

"I hope you value Kimiko's life, yes?"

"We wouldn't want anything to happen to her, now would we?" he said coldly.

"Kimiko?" Miku whispered to herself.

She halted the energy flow as uncertainty flickered in the air.

"Wise decision," he said with a sinister grin.

Just then, footsteps echoed down the corridor as someone came running toward them. It was Kimiko—her face flushed with urgency. All eyes turned to her in shock.

"How?" the man who was in the middle shouted.

Before he could react further, Miku unleashed an energy blast that struck him squarely in the head. His body crumpled lifelessly to the ground as chaos erupted in an instant; fled in terror while others stood in their position.

One attacker lunged at Miku with fierce determination, but she caught his neck with incredible speed and choked him. As another assailant charged at her, she dodged his swing with a graceful lean back and seized his wrist with surprising strength. With swift precision, she thrust her palm into his face and unleashed an energy blast that obliterated him instantly. The remnants splattered onto Miku.

The two remaining men froze in shock as they clutched their katanas tightly.

"Fools," Miku said.

In an impressive display of agility and strength, Kimiko swiftly pinned one man down while Miku advanced toward the other—a bald figure whose face was etched with terror as he prepared to unleash an energy blast. In one decisive moment, Miku snatched up a katana from one of the fallen men and hurled it at him just as he attempted to strike. The blade pierced through his neck and pinned him to the wooden wall behind him; he twitched violently before succumbing to death's embrace.

Kimiko knocked the man that was pinned to the floor and went near Miku.

"M'lady, are you okay?"

"Yes, I am."

"What about you? Where were you all this time?"

"I thought I had sent you with the old woman to gather information on that man who resided in El Verde."

"Forgive me, m'lady. I did depart with Miss Satomi as instructed, but she vanished without warning. Concerned, I made the decision to return to the village."

"Upon my arrival, I was ambushed by these men, and they used an unfamiliar weapon that rendered me unconscious and confined me to a sack in a nearby alley."

"Unfamiliar weapon, you say?"

"How did you manage to free yourself from such a predicament?" Lady Miku inquired, her gaze fixed intently on Kimiko.

"A man, m'lady. He had long black hair and the most striking red eyes I've ever beheld.

"So, it was him," she murmured, more to herself than to Kimiko.

Kimiko looked at her, curiosity evident in her eyes.

"You are acquainted with this man, m'lady?"

"Indeed. He is the very individual I sent you to investigate."

Kimiko gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

"My deepest apologies for my failure, m'lady. Shall I attempt to locate him and bring him here?"

"That won't be necessary," Miku replied, her tone brooking no argument.

"The matter has been resolved."

Kimiko bowed, "Then, with your permission, I shall attend to cleaning this... unfortunate mess."

As Kimiko set about her grim task, Lady Miku moved to the balcony, looking out at the village below.