Namitori had rarely been so abuzz with gossip as it was in the days that followed the convene. Every day saw some new sensational headline on the local papers, and whispers about this or that washed across the city like a wave. Even so, it was tempered by an undercurrent of fear and anxiety, both for the city’s immediate safety and for its uncertain future. Between the elemental onslaught and the sole heir’s appointment as emissary, just about everyone had found something to be concerned about.

Except for Tomoe herself, of course. She was so excited she'd barely gotten a wink.

“— and so that’s why they call it Jubei’s Walk,” she said, mouth dry from the sheer amount of words tumbling out of it, “because before he traveled it, it was just the wilderness! Without him, we may not even have a clear travel route up and down the Isles.” Since they'd woken up at the crack of dawn, she'd been speaking non-stop about all the things she wanted to do, the places she wanted to see, and the creatures she wanted to encounter. At one point, Arata had to interrupt a fairly long-winded and detailed fantasy about fae tricksters and a dangerous enchanted chalice.

“Don’t plan too far ahead, okay? Who knows what route we’re gonna take,” Arata replied, stifling a yawn. These cold mornings were the worst. “It's been days and I still can’t believe you actually did that. Just… burst into the convene!”

“What else was I supposed to do?!” Tomoe said, growing a devilish grin, “Besides, you think it was cool, really.”

“Okay, yeah. I do. I bet they all had faces like smacked—“

“Younglings!” Espen’s voice rang out, practically scaring the souls out of the fennec and drake alike. “The time has come to assemble! We shall be meeting with your esteemed company at Unity Garden before the hour has passed. I trust you’re both ready to go?”

“I still have a few things to put in my adventurer's pack!” The young fox immediately made to reach for her satchel — which, contrary to her words, was overflowing.

“Ah, but there is no need, young miss! Your friends with the Burning Plume have all the provisions you’ll need, and then more,” Espen assured, before continuing, “that said, it is difficult to be too prepared, is it not? Perhaps we can spare five more minutes for you to finish sorting a pack of your own, just in case?”

“Thanks, Espen!” Tomoe grinned, immediately setting to the arduous task of deciding just how many tins of sword polish were too much.

Arata on the other hand stepped forward, his posture straight, his gaze determined. “I’m ready whenever, Master!”

“I would expect nothing less, young Takao! I trust you have reviewed the briefing materials?”

“Yessir, though… well,” Arata shifted his gaze aside, continuing at a near-whisper, ”I am somewhat anxious, Master.”

Espen placed a firm hand on the drake’s scaled shoulder, his smile warm. “This is what you have trained for, Arata, and you are the one who knows her best, besides. If you were not with her, I would petition Lord Fumito to call the entire venture off. You are my own student! Believe in me, as I believe in you!”

Arata’s chest swelled with pride, that boyish grin returning.

“I won’t let you down, Master!”

[https://i.imgur.com/j6ZLfDr.png]

“Ah! I’ve forgotten something important. Head on without me, younglings, and I’ll join you shortly!”

Those were Espen’s words as they crossed the marketplace and entered Namitori’s bustling northern quarter. For a renowned master of the blade, he certainly had a penchant for forgetfulness.

Arata, for his part, was sticking close to Tomoe and exercising even more vigilance than usual. Each bowed head and teary eye on their path to meet the other members of the Burning Plume could be an individual harbouring ill intent.

“You certainly know how to make the city come to life,” Arata muttered, just loud enough for Tomoe to hear. “Amiya’s not happy about it, either. Says it’s a waste of able-bodied people in a time of crisis.”

“Amiya can eat embercorns, for all I care.”

“… S’kinda true, though. I could protect you by myself. Who’s really gonna be a match for Espen’s own trainee?” He puffed his chest proudly.

“I think it may be more about what could be a match! What’re you gonna do when we get chased by dogragons?”

“I thought you said dogragons were docile?”

“Sure, normally, but let’s just say they’re mad for some reason!”

Arata shrugged nonchalantly. “Throw ‘em a bone — done.” The pair shared a quiet, lighthearted moment, until Arata spoke again. “Say… have you said goodbye to everyone?”

“Uhhh… yes.” Tomoe glanced away, itching at her nose.

“Your father?”

“Fumito won’t even notice I’m gone.” Tomoe snorted, rolling her eyes.

“And what about Asahi?”

All of a sudden, the cobbles on the road seemed intensely interesting to her. So much so that she could barely stand to remove her eyes. “…Um, no. I haven’t.”

“Tomoe…”

“Look, it’s fine, okay? He’ll be happy to have me out of his hair.” Tomoe sighed. There were few things she wanted to do less than think about Asahi right now — it just made her heart hurt.

“… Right.”

The remainder of the walk was quiet. A slumbering Phee’s occasional chirps accompanied the sound of footfall and wheel upon cobble as they passed into the bustling northern quarter, a trader's paradise defined by its foreign flare and abundance of hotels and overnight rooms. Tomoe barely ever went this far out into the city, but she’d always loved the draping greenery and unusual decorations that seemed so out of place in Namitori.

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And, at last, they'd arrived.

Unity Garden.

Within the steadfast presence of the mighty statue of the hero Jubei, the people of Namitori met with and shared peaceful moments with those from afar in a garden that hosted vibrant flowers from all across the land. It was a testament to Jubei’s own character, and how he had united so many from different walks of life in the face of disaster and overwhelming fear. It was, perhaps, a message that had been muddied and lost as time wore on, but there he stood all the same.

“This is amazing! The start of an adventure next to the statue of Jubei…!” She enthused, a goofy grin plastered across her face. “This couldn't be any more perfect!”

Arata, however, wasn’t feeling quite as plucky. In fact, the bluster from earlier had been knocked out of him the moment he saw the small group already waiting for them by the statue. Straightening his posture, he wore his most professional expression. “Alright, Tomoe, we’re here. Act normal.”

“I could say the same to you…” She muttered back.

“Lady Tomoe!” Came the deep voice of a well-built minotaur woman clad in sturdy armour, bowing to the girl who was half her size, if that. “I am Myriel Talar, and I will be overseeing this expedition to Many Crossroads on behalf of Lord Fumito. It is the utmost honour for me to be accompanying you on this journey. Rest assured it will go smoothly, with minimal delays or detours.” The woman carried herself with an air of dignity and hard-earned experience — her scarred chestnut fur told of that.

It went without saying that Tomoe rather wished there would be plenty of detours.

Myriel turned to her companions, gesturing toward Tomoe and her entourage. “Go ahead and introduce yourselves.”

A slender otter, tall and with a humble demeanour stepped forward. “Greetings, milady. I am called Sif-Allari. If it pleases you, you may simply call me Allari.” Though her manner of dress carried broadly the same aesthetic as the rest of the Plume, her outfit was much lighter and less armoured, the vermilion fabrics that shrouded her fluttering gently in the cold breeze.

Seeing the winding white wood staff stowed away at her back made Tomoe think that perhaps she was one of the Plume’s chirurgeons, though it was hard to say for certain. The Burning Plume’s membership were overwhelmingly not native to the Isles, and their methods in combat famously disparate and exotic as a result. This made for an unpredictable fighting force born from a melting pot of cultures, all tutoring one another in their own ways of war.

The remaining individual seemed less keen to introduce himself, only emerging from behind Sif-Allari at the otter’s gentle urging. “Plum,” He spoke simply. Clad in dark leathers, Plum was a serval, taller than Tomoe but markedly shorter than the rest of his companions, his dark-spotted biscotti fur still boasting the over-fluffiness of youth.

"Nice to meet you, Allari and Plum!" Tomoe beamed.

Myriel immediately cast her arresting gaze upon the serval for his poor introduction, but fate saw fit to spare Plum his comeuppance.

“Hello, hello! I’m not too late, am I?” Came the wise wolf’s jolly words as he joined the group.

Myriel smiled wryly. “Not at all, sir. Right on time, I believe?”

“Hah! Your training serves you well, Myriel!” Espen winked. “Well, if this isn’t an inspiring sight, I don’t know what is! Our beloved heir and her mighty company, all packed and ready to set off for Sunthrone on a grand adventure!”

“A grand adventure…” Tomoe repeated under her breath with a wide grin.

Myriel raised a brow. "Will the Dynast's Blade not be seeing us off as well?"

"Indeed not," Espen clicked his tongue. "The man's aversion to setting his boots on the ground is the stuff of legends. Besides, the fellow hasn't spoken to me for days! Not since Lord Fumito asked me to oversee the mission."

"He'll come around," Myriel nodded. "He always does."

Arata made a motion to Tomoe that said he'd fill her in on the details another time.

“Now!” Espen said with a start, unveiling his arm from beneath his cloak. He was holding something long and thin, draped in a loose black cloth. “Before I see you off, Miss Tomoe, there is another matter. I had originally intended to present this to you upon your ascension, but now seems a more appropriate time, given the circumstances.”

The black cloth fell to the ground, revealing an intricately carved black-gold scabbard. Tomoe flitted between looking at it and at Espen.

“It is a blade that inherits the soul of Norlysse and the Vermilion Isles both, forged from the star-metal found atop the highest peaks of my homeland and blessed with the ancient metalworking techniques of the land you will one day rule.” He presented the scabbard to her, his expression firm and confident. “I dub this sword Kogitsunemaru! May it see you safely to Sunthrone, and to wherever else your life’s path takes you.”

Tomoe was stunned. It felt as though her fur was standing on end.

"Go on, dummy!" Arata whispered, nudging her forward.

“R-Really? It's... for me?”

“Yes. Go ahead — take it. Inspect it.”

She did just that, taking the weapon from her master’s hand. Even in the scabbard, it was lightweight. Drawing it for the first time, the sharp keening of metal resounded through the morning air, a song celebrating the advent of exploits yet to come. It was even lighter without the scabbard — the design simple yet efficient, speaking to function over form, and the perfect size for a girl as short as her. She twirled it in her hand as she would have done mere days ago with a wooden training sword, feeling the weight of it, the way the wrapped handle felt against her fur… and then, with a satisfying chunk, she sheathed it.

She finally had her own blade.

Kogitsunemaru… this was her weapon. One day, it would be spoken of alongside her name for all of the feats they were able to accomplish.

“Thank you, master. I’ll... I'll take good care of it!”

“I’m certain you will, Tomoe,” Espen smiled, ruffling her hair. “Remember that everything about us is unique. Our strengths, our weaknesses, and everything in between — never compromise on them! Never, I say! I hope that blade at your side reminds you of my words if ever you require a light in the dark.”

Tomoe felt a wetness as the corner of her eye, but she shook her head, rubbing it away with a firm nod. "Yes, Master!"

“Good!” Espen gestured wide. “Now, my friends, gather around! Our venerable Lord Fumito has bestowed upon you a great task, to see to the safety of the heir on a journey to lands beyond our own. Each day as of late is more dangerous than the last, but you are the finest, most capable individuals I know, and you would not be standing here if I did not have complete faith in your abilities. You have already reviewed the briefing material extensively, but are there any final queries?”

“Do we get mounts?!” Tomoe piped up, drawn out of her blade-induced reverie.

“Yes. At Noko.” Plum replied, glancing at the ground.

“Oh, okay! Err… no more questions.”

After a few more inquiries from Myriel, the group was ready to depart.

“Walk ever under the wings of the Great Phoenix, with honour, and with unity!” Espen saluted.

Myriel, Allari, Plum, and Arata saluted in kind, and at that moment, the mission to Sunthrone began.

[https://i.imgur.com/j6ZLfDr.png]

Tomoe breathed deep, looking out over the vista that lay before her. For all that it may have been that same familiar view she’d grown so tired of, those same rolling plains and those same landmarks on the horizon, that day was different. Possibility. What had previously been so unreachable was now within her grasp. It was as though the skies and the seasons had shifted in anticipation of what was, to her, the most momentous occasion of her life — the gloomy grey clouds of yesterday had parted, replaced by an endless blue expanse hanging high over the plains. The breeze that danced across her fur was refreshing.

Was Suzaku watching over her? It seemed as though they simply must be, if that day were any indication.

At that moment, an errant thought came to mind—

She’d never have to eat jellied sparkeel again, if she didn’t want to.

With her friends at her side and hope in her heart, Tomoe Suzaku took her first steps into the wild world that she’d always dreamed of exploring.