The silence following the violent deletion of Satanael's head was heavy, thick with the scent of ozone and the metallic tang of blood.
The two newcomers at the edge of the clearing did not seem bothered by the gruesome sight. The young woman, her long black hair swaying slightly in the breeze, stepped forward first. Her red eyes scanned the gathered crowd with a calm, analytical grace./
"Allow me to introduce myself," she began, her voice like silk over stone. "I am Suzaku Himejima, the current heir of the Vermilion Bird. And this is Seiryuu Kushihashi, the current heir of the Azure Dragon."
The man beside her, a handsome youth with spectacles, gave a polite, measured bow. He looked more like a university student than a warrior of an ancient bloodline, but the aura radiating from him was steady and deep like a forest that had stood for a thousand years.
Suzaku's gaze shifted to Tobio Ikuse. A soft, almost sisterly smile touched her lips. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Tobio. It is rare for a fellow Himejima, even one who has been banished from the house to manifest a Longinus of such caliber."
Tobio tightened his grip on the shadow blades manifested by his companion, Jin. "I am not Himejima, it was my grand mother's family."
Suzaku nodded with understanding. "The Himejima are a strict clan, perhaps the most rigid of the Godai Sōke. We adhere strictly to the tenets of Shintoism and harbor a deep, historical dislike for any external religious practices. This includes Buddhism, which we view as a corruption of the pure path. Years ago, when Suou Himejima took the mantle as the head of the clan, he instituted a purge. He banished those who could not receive the blessings of the Shinto Gods and exiled anyone who diverted from our teachings. Your grand mother, Ageha Ikuse was cast out for the crime of learning and practicing Buddhistic magic."
Azazel, who had been listening intently while leaning over Satanael's headless remains, finally spoke up. "That's a fascinating history lesson, Suzaku Himejima. But it doesn't explain why the heirs of the two principle clans are taking the time to meet us here, in a forest before the official trial has even begun. Isn't that a breach of protocol?"
Suzaku's expression turned serious. She looked at Seiryuu, who gave a brief nod of permission. "We are here because the internal politics of the Five Principal Clans are not as unified as they appear on the surface. We actually want to clarify something, Governor General."
Suzaku then continued, "The Himejima, the Kushihashi, the Doumon, and the Shinra are not the ones who initiated this trial."
This caused a ripple of surprise through the group. Even Jay, who had been staring off into the sky turned his head to listen.
"It was the Nakiri clan," Suzaku continued. "They have been the sole driving force behind these legal demands. They have chosen to ignore the fact that the Grigori, the Ice Princess, and the Scorch Magician have provided a tremendous service to us and Japanese people by neutralizing the threat of the Utsusemi... "
Suzaku looked at the lifeless body of Satanael and said
"... and Satanael."
She paused, then lowered her head in a profound bow of gratitude toward everyone present.
"On behalf of the more moderate factions of the Godai Sōke, I thank you for your actions. We do not wish for the Grigori or the Grauzauberer to harbor ill will toward us because of how this matter is being handled."
Azazel narrowed his eyes. "Why are you going this far to turn on your own? The Nakiri are technically your allies in the Shinto faction. Helping us like this is a dangerous game for you to play."
"We are doing this because of what lies within Tobio's Sacred Gear," Suzaku said, her eyes meeting Tobio's.
"Jin?" Tobio asked, his shadow dog let out a low, confused growl. "What could the Nakiri possibly want with him?"
Suzaku looked around the clearing, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Do any of you know the history of the Japanese Four Divine Swords, the Totsuka no Tsurugi?"
Natsume, who had been standing silently by Tobio's side stepped forward. "I know them. They are the blades used by the gods in the age of myths. There is the snake-slayer sword, Ame-no-Habakiri. There is the cloud-gathering sword, Ame-no-Murakumo. There is Takemikazuchi's blade, the Futsunomitama no Tsurugi. And the last one is..."
"Ame-no-Ohabari," Suzaku finished for her. "The very sword that Tobio manifested during his fight against Hanezu Himejima."
Tobio looked down at his hands. "The sword from my Gear? How is that a problem? It's part of my power."
"The Nakiri believe otherwise," Suzaku explained. "The current head of the Nakiri family views the Divine Swords as the property of the Shinto Gods, and by extension, the property of the Five Principal Clans. They intend to use this trial to claim that sword for themselves, arguing that a 'banished' individual has no right to wield a relic of the national heavens. Furthermore, I believe there is an external influence at work. Someone has been whispering in the ears of the Nakiri leadership and nudging them to conduct this trial as a way to weaken the Grigori's influence in Japan."
She looked at Jay and Lavinia specifically. "Be careful during the meeting. The Nakiris, no... even some of the current head are not looking for justice, they are looking for a confession of theft. Do not give them an inch."
That declaration left everyone deep in thought.
"That's all I wanted to say. Let's meet again in three days. Good afternoon."
With those cryptic words, Suzaku and Seiryuu vanished back into the shadows of the forest, leaving the group in a state of bewildered silence.
"Why would she tell us all of that?" Natsume asked, looking at the spot where the Himejima heir had stood. "Isn't she basically just betrayed her own faction?"
Azazel sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's risky but i think she's playing the long game. Think about it from her perspective. If you were the future head of a clan, would you want to start your reign by making enemies of three Longinus users at the same time? One of whom just decapitated a high-ranking Fallen Angel with a flick of his wrist?"
Azazel took a shot to Jay which he just ignored. While Tobio, Natsume, and Samejima nodded with understanding.
Lavinia nodded in understanding. "It is a risky but a brilliant diplomatic move. By warning us, she ensures that if the trial turns into a disaster, we won't blame the Himejima or the Kushihashi or even the others. She's insulating the next generation from the mistakes of the current one."
Barakiel, who had been uncharacteristically silent since Suzaku's arrival, stared at the ground. "Shuri," he muttered under his breath.
Azazel looked at his comrade with a pang of sympathy. He knew that Suzaku's resemblance to Shuri Himejima, Barakiel's late wife, must have been like a knife to the heart.
The Himejima bloodline was strong and Suzaku face resembles the woman Barakiel had loved and lost.
Azazel then turned his attention to Jay, who was already starting to walk away with Lavinia who bid farewell to Tobio and the others. "You know, Jay, I would appreciate it if you notified me before you decide to execute my subordinates in front of me."
Jay didn't even turn around. He just raised a hand in a dismissive wave. "Do a better job of handling your subordinates then, Governor General."
The retort left Azazel speechless. He watched as Jay and Lavinia disappeared into a ripple of spatial magic, heading back toward their mountain mansion. The Governor sighed, looking down at Satanael's lifeless body. He reached down and picked it up with a grimace.
"Even with the source of the chaos gone, things feel like they're just getting started," Azazel remarked to the empty forest.
He signaled to Tobio and the others, and in a flash of light, the clearing was empty, leaving only the gouged earth as a reminder of the battle.
***
The three days following the encounter in the woods were surprisingly peaceful. Lavinia decided to move out of the Grigori facility and into the mountain mansion with Jay. She said she would try to help him with his study of Thaumaturgy, as it interested her. He didn't mind the company.
In fact, he found that her presence made the tedious process of runic validation much faster. Her deep knowledge of Absolute Demise and other various magical branch overall provided a unique perspective on energy containment that Jay hadn't considered.
Even more shockingly, Lavinia understood Zoroaster Runes, as many of them were studied within the Grauzauberer.
They spent hours in the sun-drenched veranda in the mansion, parchment scattered across every available surface. Jay would draft a pattern for a high-temperature seal and Lavinia would critique the flow of mana, often suggesting ways to use cold runic logic to stabilize the hot output of the Incinerate Anthem.
On the morning of the third day, a sleek black limousine arrived at the gates of the mountain estate. It was Suzaku and Seiryuu, sent to escort them to the heart of the Shinto territories in Nara.
Jay looked at the car with a flat expression. "A limousine? Really?"
"It's for the sake of formality," Suzaku said as she stepped out to greet them. She was dressed in a formal kimono today, the vibrant white and red of the fabric matching the intensity of her eyes.
"We are entering the Inner Sanctuary. It is a place of tradition. Teleporting directly into the heart of the clan grounds would be seen as an act of war."
Jay sighed, following Lavinia into the plush interior of the vehicle. He hadn't sat in a car for months. Ever since he had mastered long-range teleportation, the idea of traveling at sixty miles per hour felt agonizingly slow.
He crossed his arms and stared out the window as the car began its way to Nara perfecture.
The ride was quiet at first. Suzaku chatted lightly with Lavinia about the differences between Western Magic and Eastern Shinto Magic, while Seiryuu acted as the silent driver.
Jay remained a silent observer until Suzaku turned her attention toward him.
"So, may I ask your name? I realize we were interrupted before we could speak properly," Suzaku said.
"Zayyn," Jay replied, his voice short.
"Nice to meet you, Zayyn. But if you don't mind me being so blunt, I have to ask. How old are you?"
Lavinia looked at Jay, her curiosity piqued as well. She knew he was younger than her, but they had never actually discussed his age.
Jay didn't see any reason to lie.
"Fourteen," Jay said.
The silence that followed was so profound that Jay could hear the hum of the car's engine. .
"Fourteen?" Seiryuu who silence before opened his mouth, his voice was filled with disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"
Suzaku's eyes widened, her composure slipping for the first time. "So young. And yet, your name is already being whispered in the halls of the clans."
Even Lavinia was surprised. Fourteen, she thought. From the three days she had spent living with Jay, one thing was clear... he was a genius. Even among the most talented and so-called prodigies of Grauzauberer, there was no doubt that, in terms of pure understanding of magic, the young boy before her was unparalleled.
'No wonder Oshishou-sama took him as her disciple," Lavinia whispered to herself, a sense of awe washing over her.
Suzaku eventually regained her smile, though it was now tinged with a new layer of respect. She spent the rest of the journey explaining the cultural significance of the territory they were entering. The Nara prefecture was considered the cradle of the Five Principal Clans, a place where the barrier between the mortal world and the spirit realm was paper-thin.
As they crossed the invisible boundary into the clan territories, a sudden sensation assailed their bodies. It was a wave of feverish chills that felt like jumping into a pool of ice water.
"We will arrive very soon," Suzaku asserted.
Lavinia felt the ripples in the air. "A mystic barrier, huh? A multi-layered one at that."
"As expected of a high-ranking magician from Grauzauberer." Suzaku noted. "Yes, we are passing through the first of seven seals that protect the Inner Sanctuary. Each one is designed to strip away the mana of unwelcome guests. Since you are with us, the barrier only registers as a slight chill."
Jay made a mental note to study the frequency of the chills. He had realized that this problem is occurred because during his fight with Augusta that he lacked effective barrier magic to contain their fight in the first place.
The car passed through several more layers of chills before finally slowing down. The heavy creaking of massive wooden gates echoed through the valley.
"The main gate is opening," Suzaku said.
The car resumed its motion, traveling along a winding path lined with ancient cedar trees. Minutes passed, and they were still moving.
"Even though we've passed the main gate, the car is still going?" Lavinia asked, looking out at the endless forest.
"The Inner Sanctuary is pointlessly spacious," Suzaku said apologetically. "It encompasses an entire mountain range that has been hidden from human maps for centuries. It will only take a little longer."
Finally, the limousine came to a gentle stop in front of a gigantic residence. It was a masterpiece of old-world architecture, a sprawl of elegant wooden halls and tiled roofs that seemed to blend perfectly into the mountain face.
When the doors were opened, Jay stepped out and was immediately struck by the sheer scale of the reception. People were lined up on either side of the path leading to the residence.
On the left, men and women in the white and red robes of Shinto priests stood with their heads bowed. On the right, a line of soldiers in crisp modern military uniforms stood at attention, their expressions stony and disciplined.
"Lavinia! Zayyn!"
A familiar voice called out from the entryway. Jay saw Tobio, Azazel, Natsume, and Samejima waiting for them. Barakiel was there as well, looking grim.
Beside them was a young girl with short hair who Jay recognized as Sae Toujou. She had finally regained consciousness after the ordeal with the Utsusemi.
Jay noticed that Tobio, Natsume, and Sae were all wearing strange, ornate rings on their fingers.
"What are the toys for?" Jay asked as they reached the group.
"They're spirit-binding rings," Azazel explained, his tone unusually dry. "Doumon and Shinra insisted on them as a condition for entry."
"Hm..."
They reached the entryway of the main house. It was an old Japanese structure, but its interior was vast. The entry hall alone was the size of a small gymnasium, the floors covered in pristine tatami mats that smelled of fresh straw.
As they stepped further inside, the air became heavy. A thick, oppressive pressure began to weigh down on their shoulders, a physical manifestation of a powerful aura.
Standing at the far end of the entry hall was a man who seemed to be the source of the pressure. He wore a sharp military uniform adorned with medals, but it was his gaze that was truly intimidating. His eyes were like those of a predator, sharp and unyielding, analyzing every person who entered his domain.
"Azazel-dono, I apologize for the wait," the man said, his voice booming through the hall. "I am the current head of the Nakiri family, Nakiri Nakagami-no-Ouryuu. I serve as the chief of the sacred beast bearers and the protector of this sanctuary."
His eyes swept over the group, lingering on Tobio and Lavinia before finally settling on Jay.
There was a flicker of something in his gaze, not fear, but a cold, calculating curiosity.
"And welcome to the Ice Princess, the Black Dog, and the Scorch Magician," Nakiri said, his lips curling into a stiff, formal smile.
"Welcome to the Inner Sanctuary. Let's start the trials."