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It was empty.
Wherever he was, he couldn’t quite tell what was going on. Everything before his eyes seemed murky and clouded like a haze over a city. Frankly, the only thing he could have registered was a blanket of white obscuring his view from whatever lay ahead.
There was no way for him to tell the time, either. How long had he been here? How long has he stayed here? He had no idea if he had to go somewhere, no memory or recollection of an important place that he had to be at, and yet, he could feel a tug motioning him forward - a feeling that wanted to lead him somewhere.
But where will I go? What is there ahead? I can’t think of anything, why do I wish for this?
In the blank space with little to no matter, no colors or shades, it was impossible for him to perceive anything past his eyes. His own body felt disoriented and chaotic - as if it was floating in the air yet tethered to the ground, like a dandelion puff that had been blown off of its bud, at the mercy of the winds to go wherever they would take it.
He paused. Dandelions? Since when had he started thinking about dandelions? Moreover, what was a dandelion? Did it have puffs as he previously imagined? Was it as light as he felt right now?
He had become so caught up in his ponderings about dandelions that he failed in recognising the increasing weight on his body, an unknown force pushing him back to the ground that he couldn’t see. Only as his limbs collided with the floor did he recognize the unseen force enacted on himself; gravity.
How did I just think of that? ‘Gravity’... Where have I heard that before?
“From a friend.” His mind seemed to answer through his mouth, startling him. That information… How did he know this? How could he have known that a … ‘friend’... had told him about it? What was a ‘friend’ anyway? Why was all this-
“Someone I trust.”
Someone I trust?
He thought about delving into those words again, but decidedly cast them aside upon realizing how much of a headache it could be. This whole experience was incredibly strange. In the time he had occupied that space, without a thing to see or anything to do, these words somehow took refuge in his head, swirling about and occupying his mind with ideas, images, impressions. A simple blink of his eyes caused a whirlwind of cascading hues to fill his view, he could finally see his hands, his wrists, ornaments adorning his body. New words popped in his head as soon as he spotted those ‘colors’. ‘Black’ hands, ‘red’ lines across his wrists, ‘teal’ cloth over his arms. ‘Gloves’, ‘armbands’, ‘sleeves’, ‘pants’, ‘charm’, ‘armour’...
All over, all at once. One word after another taking refuge in his thoughts. Waves upon waves of phrases, figures of speech, dialogues, memories, all crowding his mind though it didn’t particularly hurt.
“Disorienting.” He mumbled softly. And indeed it was. The experience of learning (was it called learning? Well, it certainly wasn’t like he was taking these words by his own will…), it was overwhelming to say the least. “And confusing.” He added.
“Yep, you seem confused alright.” Out of the blue, a voice familiar to his own emerged from the emptiness. It seemed to be coming from his… left, if he remembered correctly. The same side as where his … shoulder armour was.
No sooner did he catch the sight of a figure approaching him. A strange man with strange clothing and stranger hair that more resembled that of a … dog? Having never seen a dog, even though the image was in his head, he wasn’t too sure of himself. The only identifying feature of this stranger was the gold ornament in their hair, shaped like the number eight and held together by a thin black headband. His narrowed teal eyes seemed to be looking right at him.
He felt a shakiness in his chest. It was fear, he realised. Or maybe more specifically, it was apprehension.
“Now you look scared.” The stranger spoke again with a crooked grin. “Not a good idea, if I were you. … Well, technically, I am, but you get what I mean. After all, the last thing either of us want to do is show weakness in front of others, especially in the middle of a war.”
If the experience earlier had not confused him, this stranger surely was confusing him now. Just what in the world was he talking about? A war? Weakness?
“Well, anyway, we don’t have a lot of time.” The stranger continued, kneeling down to greet him. (Since when was he on the floor- hey now is not the time to think about it!! )
“Soon enough, I’m gonna be gone. And when that happens, you’re gonna be alone here.” The stranger said solemnly. There was something flickering in their eyes when they said this, like a flame about to be extinguished by water. “Before that happens, I need to transfer the most important part of myself to you.”
He did not understand what that meant, but nodded anyway.
“By now, you’ve probably gotten the gist of who you are, your identity, all of that.” As the stranger spoke, they took a seat in front of him, cross-leggedly sitting before him. “Just to check, I’m gonna ask some questions, make sure it all worked, okay?”
Another nod, though this time was slower and more unsure.
“First, can you tell me your role?”
At first, he felt his mind go blank. His role ? Since when was he given a role? Was this some kind of dance or play where he had a job to do? Yet as before, his mouth seemed to find the answer faster than his head could.
“I am the general of the Resistance Army, leading the soldiers in battle in every attempt to revoke the Vision Hunt Decree. I seek to defend Watatsumi Island from every danger that may threaten its citizens’ safety.”
The stranger was impressed, despite his own growing shock. “Good. So you remember what you’re to do. Now… How about your companions? Tell me about your friends.”
He was flabbergasted. He couldn’t even understand half of the things he said earlier, and now the stranger was asking for more?!
“I treasure my soldiers as if they were my family. They are my closest companions.” He spoke automatically again, without a hint of qualm in his voice. “But there are two individuals that I wholly trust. One is the strategist and leader of the Resistance, Sangonomiya Kokomi, and another is a wandering and outlawed ronin, Kaedehara Kazuha.”
“Good, good.” The stranger was grinning now, much to the rising anxiety in his chest. They seemed to be happy at least, so perhaps that was a good sign? “Looks like the basic information about yourself has been registered properly. Now here comes the part where I have to transfer some things over.”
There’s more transmission now? What was all this for?
“Listen closely.” The stranger leaned in. “And repeat after me.”
After all that has happened, he might as well follow, right?
“I fight to protect my home, my people and my friends.”
“I fight to protect my home, my people and my friends.”
“I care deeply for my men and seek to make their lives as comfortable as I can.”
“I care deeply for my men and seek to make their lives as comfortable as I can.”
“I tend to lose my cool in battle and often forget my surroundings. This is my weakness.”
“I tend to lose my cool in battle and often forget my surroundings. This is my weakness.”
“My army is small, and we may not always win. When that happens, I am in charge of my soldiers’ burial and mourning.”
“My army is small, and we may not always win. When that happens, I am in charge of my soldiers’ burial and mourning.”
“I am not the strongest general, but I do everything I can to become stronger.”
“I am not the strongest general, but I do everything I can to become stronger.”
“I fear the loss of my men, and I fear of showing weakness in front of others.”
“I fear the loss of my men, and I fear of showing weakness in front of others.”
“But my resolve & loyalty remain. I will do everything I can to my companions.”
“But my resolve & loyalty remain. I will do everything I can to my companions.”
“One day, Watatsumi Island will be free.”
“One day, Watatsumi Island will be free.”
“One day, my friends will live happier lives.”
“One day, my friends will live happier lives.”
“One day, I will be able to rest.”
“One day, I will be able to rest.”
“My name is… ”
“Gorou.”
Gorou.
That was his name.
He finally recognised himself. His being. His own body and who it belonged to.
Gorou. ‘Fifth Son’. The general of an army. A leader.
The stranger smiled.
“Looks like my job is done.”
All of a sudden, the space between them shifted, the white mist surrounding them parting to form a path away from the both of them. Seeing this, the stranger stood up, taking one last look at Gorou. Gorou noticed that his eyes were not teal anymore, but a pale grey instead. In fact, his whole body was losing color by the second. His chestnut hair fading to white, his teal shirt fading to white, his shoes, pants, armour, all turning as pale as the room. Yet the stranger was smiling. He never stopped smiling.
“Hey, don’t worry.” He spoke tenderly to Gorou, who was wide-eyed at his calmness. “I’m sure you’ll do great. You got all of my memories, and my attributes too. You got this.”
No, he didn’t. He still didn’t understand why this stranger was leaving. Why the stranger was walking away from him. Why would he leave just as Gorou finally understood why he was?
“Why are you leaving?”
“Because we can’t both exist.” He said. “There can only be one of us. I’m sorry that I can’t stay any longer. Take care of them for me, okay?”
It was as if someone was pulling the stranger away from Gorou. His legs wouldn’t stop walking away from him. Gorou couldn’t cease his legs from chasing after the stranger. The room seemed to get longer, prolonging him from reaching the stranger. His heart could not stop pounding in his chest. It was fear again. This time, it was true fear. The fear of being alone, perhaps?
“Please wait!” Gorou called out. “If nothing else, at least tell me your name! Is it the same as mine?”
“Of course not. I indeed do have a different name.” The stranger’s voice seemed to be getting softer, his figure disappearing more and more into the white space but Gorou managed to hear the last words he said.
“My name is Saburou. May we meet again, General Gorou.”
“My name is Miyazaki Saburou. I am a blacksmith.”
Gorou looked the man up and down as he continued to speak. “As a successor of the Miyazaki Art, I can provide weapons and equipment to your troops. I ask that you consider my offer, Your Excellency.”
Beside him, Kokomi pursed her lips, her arms gracefully moving about in the air. “I understand your struggle with the incoming war, Miyazaki-san. But as we are a small army, forgive me for asking this; how can we be so sure that you will not turncoat on us, or that the weapons you provide will not cause injury to my soldiers.”
“I know it may be hard to believe me, Your Excellency, but I do swear by my word. Though I was raised in Narukami, having seen the beauty of Watatsumi with my own eyes has dismissed my loyalty to the Electro Archon.” His words were slow, as if pondering each one, yet his tone sounded sincere and genuine. “I have no intention of providing weapons of war to the Shogunate when they only seek to harm innocent civilians.”
“And if we were to do the same thing?” Gorou prodded seriously. “If you join our side of the war, your weapons will still shed blood on the battlefield. There is no safe side, either. Regardless of which alliance you choose, you will still find yourself in danger. Is this truly how you want to live?”
“I live to practice my family’s art and prevent it from dying out to the hands of time.” Saburou declared firmly. “My only concern is whose morals I align myself to. Your army fights not to enact the will of a tyrannical god, but to protect the well-being of your people who have much less than any family on Narukami Island. Your cause is the one that I wish to support.”
There was a brief silence in the room, Saburou’s words sinking into the minds of both the strategist and general.
And when it felt like the silence could go on for another minute, Kokomi broke into a small smile. “I admire your resolve, Miyazaki-san. And your courage shall not be unseen. You may take up camp at Yashiori Island alongside General Gorou. He shall see to all of your tasks.”
Hearing this, Saburou’s face broke into a wider smile, though he recollected himself before the priestess. “Thank you, You Excellency. I will not fail you.” After bowing to her in gracious thanks, the blacksmith turned to the general next to her. “I look forward to working with you then, General Gorou.”
“My name is Saburou. May we meet again, General Gorou.”
General Gorou provided a small smile in return. “Likewise.”