Jatakem, Imperium.

7:45 a.m. 29th Banem 1092.

25 Days to World's End.

Jatakem, the Holy City of Imperium. This ancient city was one of very few that had survived the passing of time, existing even from before the Calamity. The famous city's name stemmed from the innate belief that nothing evil could prosper within its walls. Over the years, countless evildoers fashioned designs for this land. However, their ploys were often thwarted before they could come into fruition.

Many residents claimed a goddess walked amongst them. This goddess destroyed evil as she had placed the city under her protection. Many others claimed that this was false. Nothing but a pipe dream. These people did not believe in the power of the goddess, and strongly believed that Jatakem's strength came from the sweat of its people's brows.

These conflicting ideals resulted in the creation of two major factions in Jatakem. The goddess faction, led by a famous priest, and the hume faction, led by the 'regent'.

Jatakem, unlike most cities did not have a royal family. They, instead, boasted a parliament, which created and passed laws for the populace. The 'de-facto' leader and judge of this parliament was known as the Regent. The Regent would have been the most powerful man in Jatakem, were it not for the Stargazers.

The Stargazers was led by a community of astrologers famous for reading people's possible futures through studying the stars. The priests often helped citizens avoid danger, and make important life choices. As a result, Jatakem's citizens respected the parliaments' laws, but they loved the Stargazers.

The parliament, led by the Regent, hated the Stargazers. Their desire to destroy the organization, and consolidate Jatakem's powers were often cause for small scale battles behind the scenes.

The Summoned were not spared from this conflict. These two superpowers sought soldiers, both for protection and to attack their enemies should the need arise. As a result, it only made sense that the Summoned were snapped up by a faction almost as soon as they first entered the land.

Kraaaa!

A griffin's piercing cry tore through the morning sky. Residents and Summoned alike, stopped whatever they were doing to look at the procession that descended from the skies.

A flock of armored griffins flew overhead, making a beeline for the Grand Temple. Griffins were beasts with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion, save for a pair of talons where its front paws should have been.

"It's them right?" An old cobbler looked at the procession. Flying was forbidden within the city. Only a select few people were permitted to break that rule. Even fewer had access to griffins. The old cobbler's eyes sparkled when he spotted a blue-furred kafu leading the procession. "Heh. As always, he's got a branch in his mouth."

The kafu, Sonic, leisurely chewed on a leaf stalk as he admired the city beneath. During his time, Sonic had visited many cities in Destia. Unfortunately, none came close to catching the Edo period vibes like this city did. From the wide and dusty, but clean streets, to the tatami floor buildings and architecture.

Sonic especially appreciated the abundance of kimonos and haori worn by both Summoned and Residents. Naturally, these basic designs were heavily altered to suit battles and new age fashion, but the underlying concept remained the same.

"Uwah... There's even more samurai's than last time."

Sonic looked at the man who covered his mouth as he exclaimed in shock. The man, a brunette chesch, adjusted a pair of glasses as he smirked at the folks below. "Can you blame them. There're more sword dojos than grains of sand in this city, Gentle Breeze."

Gentle Breeze grinned and adjusted his glasses. To be honest, he did not need glasses. But, because of real life, he always felt uncomfortable without one. So, he had a blacksmith make him one. It was expensive, and served no functional purpose, but it felt good, so he did not care.

"So, why do you think Sayen summoned back?" Gentle Breeze spoke as they approached a massive temple.

"Already told you, I haven't got a clue." Sonic sighed as he guided the griffin to set down in front of the temple. He fished out a badge from his inventory and then handed it to the guards that surrounded them. The badge was an invention by their guild. Identities could be confirmed through checking the badge's unique mana signature.

The guard, upon confirming the badge's authenticity, handed it back, and then saluted Sonic. "Identity confirmed. Welcome back, General Sonic."

"At ease, soldier." Sonic dismounted his griffin. He then said as he patted the beast's side. "Please, take good care of Ray."

"Of course."

Sonic nodded, and then walked into the temple with Gentle Breeze. The other soldiers were only there as escort, and did not have clearance to enter the temple.

"I'm just saying, don't you think it's weird?" Gentle Breeze continued to voice his unease as they traversed the temple's corridors. "We were told to subdue a territory in Markoth. Just when we're on the verge of completing that task, we get an urgent summons. We even had to leave the others behind."

Sonic's brows slightly furrowed. To be honest, he too felt a little off about the situation. This was not Sayen's way of doing things. She was always so relaxed when giving out tasks. And somehow, Sonic always had ample time to finish one quest, before the need to clear another arose. This was how efficient Sayen was in handing out missions.

Recently, though, both the request to go to war, and now, this, felt like Sayen was reacting to something, rather than pre-emptively solving the situation like she usually did.

Eventually, Sonic sighed. "There's no point worrying about it like this. We'll soon have the answers for ourselves."

Gentle Breeze groaned and adjusted his glasses. "I envy your simple-mindedness. I'm terrified over here that this might be a trap."

Sonic laughed and tapped his hips. "I don't know about anything else, but worst comes to worst, we can just run, right?"

Gentle Breeze shook his head in defeat. This guildleader was too different from the norm. This was a man who prioritized running from any unfavourable situation over fighting to the death. Well, that recklessness and subsequent cowardice had earned them a lot, as well as saved their hides multiple times, so Gentle Breeze could not complain.

"Look alive, Breeze. We're here."

Gentle Breeze clenched his fist as the duo approached an ornate sliding door. The picture of a beautiful, curled up, orange, nine-tailed fox graced the door. A pair of guards at either side of the door, sized up Sonic and Gentle Breeze. They verified the duo's identities and then slid the door open.

"No matter how many times I come here, I'm still left speechless."

Sonic nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with Gentle Breeze's assessment of the garden they walked into. This was, honestly, the most beautiful garden he had ever been to in his life. The landscape designer was someone with an incredibly intelligent eye for detail and beauty. Only such a mind find such perfect balance between Bonzai trees, Japanese Maple trees, stepping stones, flowing streams, fresh grass, sand and beautiful bridges.

If Sonic had his way, he would lay down in this garden, and just watch the clouds pass overhead. Unfortunately, life seemed intent on making sure that never happened.

Sonic and Gentle Breeze tensed as they crossed an orange bridge. They would come upon Sayen's home once they turned the boulder at the end of the bridge. The inevitable would eventually occur. They rounded the massive boulder and a small shrin came intoview.

"What the!?" Gentle Breeze's eyes went wide in shock. Was that Sayen-sama braiding a daeben's hair? The chesch rubbed his eyes, but there was nothing wrong with his sight. A daeben child was indeed seated between Sayen's laps. At this point, Gentle Breeze noticed a strange man resting agasint the temple's wall.

"Sayen?" Sonic stared in shock. "You're in your real form?"

"Real form!?" Gentle Breeze's eyes went wide when he noticed a pair of fox ears sticking out Sayen's hair. Indeed, Sayen's usually dark hair was now bright orange. She also sported a pair of fox ears and long bushy tails that curled around her and Zuri. Gentle Breeze stared at the man and daeben in shock. Sayen's true form was a national-level secret!

Even Sonic, with all his contributions, only got to see Sayen's true form recently. Who were these people? How could she feel comfortable revealing her true form so easily?

Sayen's fingers paused. She looked up at the duo and smiled. "You are finally here, Sonic-kun, Gentle Breeze-kun. Rider was getting impatient."

Both men turned to look at the man most likely named Rider. A hint of apprehension appeared in their eyes. They could not accurately guage this man's power. He was like a deep hole, empty and vast. All attempts to probe his depths were completely futile.

Rider, at this time, opened his eyes. He observed both men, mentally judging their posture and expressions.

"Good. You pass."

"What?"

Rider ignored Gentle Breeze. Both men met the minimum requirements. No, to be honest, they were far above average. Especially, the kafu, Sonic. He felt something similar to Kashi from this man. Razznik used to call it the 'Warrior's Aura.' It was the smell of someone who walked through blood and grime most of his life. Someone who had surpassed the masses to reach a completely different level. These kinds of people lived with death as a constant companion, and had thus learned to conquer that greatest of fears.

Sonic frowned. Rider's gaze made him uncomfortable. It felt like his secrets were laid bare before the man's eyes. It was not a pleasant feeling. "What did we pass?"

Rider glanced at Sayen, who nodded her consent. She was not one to talk for too long, and revealing the truth required just that. So, she instead, resumed braiding Zuri's unruly locks while Rider regaled the duo with the true tale of the Cursed Seven.

Twnety minutes later, Sonic and Gentle Breeze stared at Rider in shock. What a story! What a tale!

"There was such a setting!?" Gentle Breeze, unable to handle his shock, accidentally blurted out. Sonic frowned and pinched the chesch's tail. Such words were taboo. What if the system punished them for breaking the rules?

However, despite his rebuke, Sonic was equally as shocked. The only difference was in his ability to keep his calm. "So, Rider, is it?" Technically, Rider was thousands of years older than him, but Sonic could not bring himself to use honorifics with the Residents. Perhaps it was his method of keeping his realities clear and separate. "What part do we play in all this?"

"In 23 days, I will return with a teleportation matrix." Rider rapidly fired off instructions. He did not wish to spend any more time around Sayen than he needed to. It wasn't that he feared her, but, until he found Zeno, he could not risk hearing any terrible news about his future. Conversely, him finding out Zeno was fine might end up affecting the future, and possibly jeopardizing it. "Ready your forces by then. I will not lie to you. It will be an extremely tough battle. So, prepare like you would for the end of the world."

Sonic nodded. "Got it. We'll be ready."

"You're not going to ask about rewards?"

Sonic shook his head. "This guy, Razznik. Him coming here won't be good for Sayen, right?"

Rider re-evaluated Sonic. Could it be this man had fallen for Sayen? Did he realize this 'young woman' was really over 1000 year―

"Rider, would you like to know what I saw in your future?"

A chill ran up Rider's back. He glanced at Sayen, who regarded him with a thin smile. Damn. This was bad. She was pissed! He had forgotten about Sayen's other ability. Over the years, she gained the ability to sense people's intentions. It wasn't quite mind-reading, but she could gain a faint sense of the intent behind a person's thoughts. In this case, she sensed the ridicule and insult in Rider's mind.

That ability on its own would not have been so terrifying. But Sayen's precognition had a second level which she called [Hands of Fate]. This impossibly overpowered ability allowed her to alter the future by a tiny margin with her words.

For example, Sayen could proclaim that Rider would trip on a stone during his trip. This was a small change, and as such was allowed. She, however, could not proclaim that Rider would lose his life, as that interfered too much with the threads of fate. This, however, did not mean she could not cause the vampire a world of pain.

Rider would never forget the century he pissed Sayen off. He kept slamming into flocks of birds or monsters while flying. Sometimes, what should have been a simple landing, would result in him slipping, and as a result, proceeding to fall off a cliff. Rider also recalled the last time an assassin tried to kill Sayen.

The poor fool slipped on a slimy frog and ended up falling into one of the garden's streams. He then 'coincidentally' encountered a drake eel swimming past. The resulting barbecue was something no one should witness in real time.

"I'm good, Ni, sorry, Sayen. Thank you." Rider immediately beckoned to Zuri, who reluctantly stood up from Sayen's laps. The little daeben pouted as she looked at Sayen with a longing gaze. Rider, however, was having none of it. He scooped up Zuri, whose thick black hair now sported beautiful braids along its sides. "See you soon, Sayen."

Sonic's eyes twitched as Rider took the sky via a pair of massive wings. This guy... He was truly someone beyond their league. Well, it wasn't his business. Under no circumstances would he engage such a monster in a fight.

Sonic, thus turned his attention to Sayen. "So, here's our report on the subjugation. As you instructed, we worked with the Regent's forces, to seize a portion of Markoth's southern territory. However, we will not be pushing any further." Sonic paused and examined Sayen's thin smile. "...Are you sure this is the right move?"

Sayen nodded. "Markoth might be disorderly and chaotic. But the one thing those warlords fear more than themselves is an invasion from an outside force. It was enough to steal a piece of the border to show we will not be a pushover. Any further, and the warlords might very well unite to attack us." She sighed as she gazed at a koi jump out of the stream. "Do not forget. Our purpose is not to gain more territory, but to secure a safe future for our citizens." Her gaze darkened. "Well, for as long as we can."

"Ah, I see. Should I say as expected of the wise Sayen."

"Hehe, flattery will not get you anywh--wuwu!"

A strange sound escaped Sayen's lips when Sonic suddenly approached her and placed his hand on her head. Pat. Pat. "There there. I'm proud of the great Sayen-sama. Always has the best plans."

Gentle Breeze buried his head in his palms. "Aish... Captain's disease is acting up again." He then looked at Sayen, whose tails were bouncing, despite her angry expression. It was also important to note she made no move to remove Sonic's hand. 'Argh. This old woman is also wuwuing to him. Is there no more dece―'

"Breeze-kun..."

Gentle Breeze suddenly felt a heavy chill run down his spine.

"...Would you like me to read your future?"