Their goal was to leave Kuro before the first snowfall, so they moved out as soon as preparations and supply lines allowed. Taiyo managed to convince his family that he needed two or three hours by himself to readjust to normal life.


    Aside from his talk with Kyoumi, they still haven’t pressed about his time in Kuro—at this rate, they might never know. He…didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hand, he wouldn’t know what it was like to be possibly shunned for murder. On the other hand, what if they found evidence for it in the castle? What if Kuro’s king or even Lady Yanami told them and they believed it? Would they still let him come back home?


    He tried not to worry about it. He bundled up his rising anxiety and tossed it onto the sky in favor of appearing normal. Taiyo wanted to avoid making the same mistakes as Tsujihara Seiko.


    Kuro’s castle loomed only a few hours away in the distance. They were given a nearby town to camp in thanks to Masaaki Toru’s influence, letting Taiyo observe it fully from the local noble’s home.


    He leaned on the railing, watching the sun set from behind the castle.


    “It looks a lot like home, just…mirrored.”


    Taiyo stood up and gave Rei a smile.


    “Right? That’s what I was thinking, too.”


    “I wonder why Ginshin and Kurokami made their kingdoms so similar,” Rei mused. He put one hand on the railing, but stayed a little ways away from it. “The cultures are a bit different, but they share the same root; the geographical changes were there before the kingdoms were established.”


    “Maybe they couldn’t get along because they were alike,” Taiyo suggested. “They knew what the other wanted but didn’t want to make a compromise. It’s the fault of humans, to be honest—not that other creatures aren’t exempt, of course.”


    Rei let out a little hum and pulled away from the railing. He patted Taiyo’s shoulder and offered a tiny grin.


    “At any rate, we’re moving out again tomorrow morning. It might get a little chaotic.”


    “Noted.”


    Rei nodded and offered a wave, leaving Taiyo to his thoughts again. He watched the Kuro palace for another minute before turning to head back to his room.


    He still had to get everything ready. In the back of his mind, a few voices actually murmured regret or remorse—the rest were glad that he made a choice.


    …


    The queen needed to be nearby in case of a victory to formally introduce the ceasefire, despite what Kyoumi actually preferred. Sorai had to be there as a second representative, while Rei wanted to stay with them just in case something went wrong. Taiyo tried not to give input either way.


    They made up a camp right outside Kuro’s palace and waited a day for any kind of announcement. With no word, the army went into the city.


    The last-minute preparations—people running around, shouting, making sure the rest of their unit was ready—woke him up. Taiyo didn’t waste a second to get moving, leaning towards his bag while glancing around to confirm Rei had left earlier.


    He rummaged through it until he pulled out a coat and a dagger. The sight of the weapon excited the voices, but they calmed down after he hissed at them.


    Taiyo slipped on the coat and hid the dagger under it, carefully poking his head out of his tent. No one was watching; was that a relief, or a disappointment? He honestly couldn’t tell.


    He calmly walked among the soldiers, heading towards the secondary entrance behind the camp. It would be safer than going in front; Sir Hiroki watched the leaving soldiers and he really wanted to avoid explaining himself. That meant avoiding as many people he knew as possible.


    Just by taking the back route, he probably went past everyone; Roken needed to lead his soldiers, Kyoumi and Sorai were watching them leave, and Rei, Kasper, and Emelie were likely grouped together somewhere in the very corner of the camp. Barely anyone would come this way, but he didn’t let himself relax even after he came out of the camp.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    He focused on the forest as he walked along the outside of the camp. Even with the sounds of fighting, the birds still chirped—commenting on the silly people, maybe. By contrast, every now and then he thought he saw a face pop up from behind a tree, or a creature got oddly close to the edge to the forest before realizing Taiyo; the kitsune might be interested in the fight as well.


    Taiyo lost some of his caution as he slid into the forest and passed the soldiers. He dashed to the entrance of the city, taking out his knife as he approached the five soldiers standing side-by-side in the gate.


    He caught them by surprise, managing to stab one’s hand and dodge another’s sword jab. The Gin and Sólstaeuric army noticed and Sir Hiroki gave the order to plow ahead, giving Taiyo time to run into the city.


    He kept going towards the castle, taking the main roads with no resistance. Some houses or stores had open doors, while others were barred off; they might be forced to fight. Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long and they wouldn’t get involved.


    The full force of the army seemed to be at the castle’s gates. Taiyo perked up when he noticed Lady Yanami, but shrank back again upon the sight of the king’s black hair. Great.


    He took the chance to take a breath and waited. Lady Yanami kept her eyes on the sky, watching the clouds more than she did the horizon. After ten or fifteen minutes, the king faced his soldiers.


    “Men! We’re going to drive these intruders out of our kingdom—they will rue the day they crossed us! We’ll obliterate their army and keep them from ever threatening us again.”


    The soldiers cheered and rushed forward with no hesitation, the king joining them. Taiyo hesitated another minute before emerging.


    Lady Yanami’s ear flicked and she slipped out a knife. She lowered it after she saw him, furrowing her brow and frowning.


    “Kioshi. You weren’t supposed to come back.”


    “I know,” Taiyo said, coming just close enough to talk. He didn’t want to be close if the voices decided they wanted to participate in the battle. “I’m only here to ask a favor.”


    Lady Yanami sighed and hid the knife again. “I can’t stop the battle.”


    “It’s not that.” He took a little breath and tried to find the right words. “Does the king still have living children?”


    “Two,” Lady Yanami answered, readjusting her position. “Shigeru and a little toddler.”


    “Can you take them and leave?” Taiyo asked, hope and desperation mixing together in his voice. “I don’t see a purpose for Gin’s royal family to come out of this but the Kuro royal family doesn’t.”


    “What’s the reason?”


    “This is going to be the last battle—or at least, I hope it will. We have no plans to kill everyone, but I want to make sure it’s avoided just in case.”


    Lady Yanami observed him for a second, then nodded.


    “I’ll get them,” she said firmly. “It won’t be hard to leave; I can take them to a town or two over and return when it’s safe.”


    “Thank you.” He beamed, his fear melting into relief. “That takes a weight off my chest.”


    “...You’re a strange child,” Lady Yanami murmured.


    “I know,” Taiyo replied cheerfully. He turned and waved. “I had a nice time in Kuro, thanks to you. Be good to the two other children.”


    He left before she could question him any more. He only had one thing to do, now.


    Taiyo went back to the front line of the battle, still contained to the entrance of the city. He sulked around the edge of the main armies, looking for a good spot. All he had to do to discourage soldiers from getting too close was hiss and show his dagger; they didn’t want to go back home and say they were injured by a teen, he guessed.


    He found a spot right by the city gates; two Gin soldiers, one Sólstaeuric soldier, and three Kuro soldiers were laying there, motionless. The blood surrounding them made the voices scream, but he cut his shoulder and they stopped.


    Taiyo situated himself in between the Gin soldiers and counted his heartbeat as it raced. He took a breath and closed his eyes.


    “If you’re there, Lady Aimiki…”


    He stabbed his leg and winced at the pain.


    “Please help them understand.”


    He let his head rest on the brick wall behind him, biting his lip as tears pricked at his eyes. He nicked his cheek and switched the hand he held the dagger in so he could run it down his right arm. He had a harder time breathing, but he didn’t know if it was because of the injuries or anxiety.


    “Tsujihara Seiko wasn’t able to choose, but I’m making that decision now. I would like to give my life to protect those I care about.”


    Taiyo shivered as an unfamiliar voice spoke in his mind.


    Your sacrifice will not be forgotten, child. I regret that it came this far, but I will do what I can to provide a peaceful existence for the people of the dual kingdoms.


    With his next breath, his heart steadied and he felt nothing but calm.


    “...Thank you.”


    He lifted the dagger up to his neck just as the next group of Gin soldiers came in. The voices laughed, joyful and excited, as he moved the blade across his neck.


    Instead of hearing the normal voices, the unfamiliar one sang. Slow, assuring, like a lullaby. He almost smiled and his body slumped over.


    Taiyo had no fear of death, knowing he did the right thing. Gin was once cursed to bear the means of destruction… They wouldn’t have that burden anymore. They would be free. It was finally over.