Chapter 442: 443. Jiroh’s Story

MEMORY FRAGMENT

Whirlwind Citadel, 20 years ago

“She’s awakened,” a large fury said. Of the entire room, he was the only one whose skin was dark, almost pitch black, as were his clothes. “Get the king,” he ordered the armored furies behind him. “And her parents. Don’t tell anyone else.”

“Where am I?” Ji asked. Her voice was different, softer, more high-pitched, as if belonging to an infant.

The black-skinned fury turned to a female fury with a silver mask. Her clothes were white similar to most of the people present; however, there also were additional elements: one large yellow circle surrounded by seven colored dots.

“Soul confusion,” she explained. “It’ll pass.”

“That will complicate things.” The fury in black crossed his arms. “She’s awoke too young.”

“Who are you?” Ji asked.

The man opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, the fury in the silver mask gave him a sign to remain silent.

“We’re the awakening council of the Whirlwind Citadel,” the masked explained. “We’re here to help you understand things.”

That would take a lot, Ji thought. The last thing she remembered was returning from her low-paying job in the city. As most forced to live on the ground, she hated cities, but that was where the money was. It didn’t help that currently her family relied almost solely on her for income, making her have to fly to and fro between home and work all the time.

The more she thought about it, the more logical it seemed she was still dreaming. That was the reason how they knew her name, it also explained the strange room she had woken up moments ago. Still, everything seemed so real. Ji looked at her hand. It was by far smaller—the hand of a child of five at most. Also, its color had changed to dark charcoal.

“You’re an awakened,” the person in the mask explained. “That means you have been granted powers by the Moons that normal people don’t have.”

“What powers?” Ji asked, her voice ringing. Despite the Floran part of her conscience being in its late twenties, her local part was that of a child and brought with it a sense of vast curiosity and wonder.

“Speed, mind, body,” the silver masked fury knelt down next to Ji. “The ability to see better than normal people, and the greatest gift of all.” She tapped Ji on her forehead. As she did, a small sharp emerged. “The gift to control thunder and lightning.”

Thunder and lightning? Ji wondered. Only thunder furies were able to do that. It was definitely considered rare. From what she remembered, less than one in ten thousand was born with the ability. Centuries ago, back on Flora, being born with such a trait was enough to ensure a comfortable existence. The history books were full of tales of thunder furies pampered to their heart’s desires. Sadly, the practice had ended ages ago. Ji’s shift manager was a thunder fury and he didn’t get any particular benefits for it, other than landing more dates that he could handle. Here, though, it sounded like it was quite a big deal.

Before Ji could ask another question, the door swung open and an old fury with grey hair entered the room. The gold that covered him immediately made it obvious that he was royalty. His face was smooth and sharp, like that of any other fury; his hair, however, appeared tattered, indicating he was well in his nineties.

Immediately, everyone with the exception of the black fury fell to one knee.

“Is that her?” the royal asked, hardly paying attention to guards and servants.

“Yes, majesty,” the black fury whispered.

The woman in the silver mast quickly floated away, still kneeling. As she did, Ji felt a force of air lifting her up and moving her towards the royal.

“She’s four,” the black fury said, while the royal examined her as if she were a rare piece of furniture.

“Awakened at four,” the king mused. “And an otherworlder.”

“And also a thunder fury,” the other added. “She’ll be a boon to the citadel if she received proper training. I’ve sent for her parents.”

“Awakened?” the king asked, moving his hand near Ji’s face. The action was scary, causing a series of sparks to light up on her, zapping the approaching hand.

“One of them, but just a semi. Both of them are cloud sculptors.”

“Cloud sculptors are blessed with a gift like this?” There was a clear note of anger in the king’s words.

Ji didn’t know why the fury was mad, but could see it was intense to the point that it showed through his calm exterior. Thinking back, she remembered her father—her local father—saying something about all the royal heirs failing to awaken. She couldn’t understand the implications fully, but it seemed like the ruling family of the citadel had yet to find someone to take the reins of power. Could it be that the king wished to have someone like her as a daughter?

“You understand me, don’t you?” the king asked.

Ji nodded.

“Starting today, you’ll be my daughter—a princess of the citadel, with everything that involves.”

“Majesty, she’s still confused,” the fury in the silver mask attempted to protest. “She needs some time to—"

“She’s next to no memory of her life here,” the royal interrupted with cold logic. “The little she has will fade away in a few years. Make the arrangements.” The king turned around, leaving the child to float back to the ground. “Teach her what she needs to know and start the training. I want her to fully awaken by the time she’s five.”

The door swung open, allowing the king to leave, then slammed shut again. There was a moment of silence in the room. No one was sure how to react. They knew what they were supposed to do, but had mixed feelings. Having a thunder fury princess was undoubtedly a reason for celebration. The citadel had hoped for such an announcement for the last five decades. Having one now, even if it was clear that she wasn’t related to the royal family by blood, was a huge boon for all. At the same time, the thought of having a child taken from her family while still in her moon years, was unheard of.

“Tell the parents,” the black fury said with a bitter sigh. “It’s not like we have a choice.”

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“The Seven won’t be pleased by this,” the silver-masked whispered. “Only gorgons send their young off before their eighth birthday.”

“It’s done,” the black fury said. “We have our orders. Tell the rest of the family and build her a room in the citadel’s keep. She’ll start training in a week.”

“If that’s what I must.” The silver masked stood up, then made her way to the door.

“See that her room has an altar,” the black fury added just as the other was leaving. “She’ll need it.”

One by one, everyone left the room, leaving only Ji and the black fury behind. Waiting a few moments longer, just to make sure no one would come back, he moved closer to Ji and picked her up. This time, no sparks came from the girl.

“It won’t be easy for you,” he said. “Trust me, I know. You had the misfortune of awakening too soon, so even more is expected of you, especially since you have thunder.”

“Why?”

“Only the Moons can answer that. There was a time when the skies belonged to us. No one, not even the Star could compete, but as all who have more than they could handle, we wasted it all on nonsense. Do you know what a cloud citadel is?”

Ji nodded. Strictly speaking, that wasn’t true. She was more than aware what cloud cities were, but had never heard the term cloud citadel. Back in Flora’s history, there were times when the floating settlements were called cloud forts, or even cloud bastions. That was before the age of modernization, when warfare changed to such an extent that walls no longer provided as much shelter as they should. That was one of the reasons that thunder furies and cloud riders were no longer the most powerful entities in the skies.

“Do furies live on the ground?” the girl asked. Of all the possible questions she could ask, that seemed to interest her the most.

Judging by the sad expression on the man’s face, it was one worth asking.

“Yes,” he said, his tone changing. “Most furies live on the ground, and more are joining them every day. The time of the cloud citadels is over. There are no cloud creatures left to make more, and the few that still fly are still fighting each other for dominance.”

“Why?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be still here.” He replied.

The answer didn’t make any sense, but Ji didn’t press on. Things were confusing enough without her having to annoy the only person who had volunteered to give her an explanation.

“Will I be sent to the ground?”

“That will never happen,” he said adamantly. “You are a princess now, a member of the Roh family, and next in line for the throne. As long as you develop your powers and your awakening skills, you will be the one who succeeds the king, and do whatever you think is best.”

“I can do anything?”

The girl’s eyes twinkled with hope.

“Yes, you can do anything…”

“Then I can get back home?”

The question was surprising enough to make the black fury pull his head back an inch. This was something he didn’t expect. Only the innocence of a child mixed with the confusion of an otherworld could result in uttering such things. This wasn’t the first time there were otherworlders—the citadel had a few of them before—but they had always awakened at such an age that they had enough memories of the world to know basic things. What was more, upon awakening, they already had a life in this world. In the case of Ji, she had neither.

“Anything except going home,” he said directly. “The Moons won’t allow it.”

“If I become powerful enough, can I change their minds?”

“You can try.” A thin smile emerged on his face. “Others have. Once you become strong enough, you can try anything you wish. Your skills will determine whether you achieve it or not.”

The answer seemed logical enough to not merit a follow up. Even so, Ji still had a burning desire to find a way back to her previous life despite the hardships there. Drawn up on Fauna, it was every child’s dream to be a prince or princess. Some even claimed to be the descendants of such. Ji herself had often gone to sleep, praying that she would wake up a princess and do what she wanted for the rest of her life. However, now that her childhood wish had come true, or sorts, she no longer wanted it.

Dreams are dreams because they can’t happen, she thought. This was no longer a dream…

“And the other heirs?” she asked.

The black fury looked at her.

“You said I’m next in line for the throne.” Her child’s voice made everything she said seem ridiculous, even if she were older than the person standing over her. “Won’t the rest be upset?”

“Why should they? You’re a thunder fury and the youngest awakened in living memory. In a way, you’re the epitome of the entire citadel’s dream.”

The furies who left certainly didn’t seem to think so, Ji thought.

“Are you sure none of them will hurt me?” she clenched her fists.

“You’ve nothing to worry about. The king will never allow it, and even if he did, the person second in line won’t.” He moved closer. “I was also made to join the royal family. I might have even succeeded him in a few decades, but all that doesn’t matter. You don’t have my limitations. You’re the clear choice for the citadel forward. Keep that always in mind, Jiroh.”

Yes, the child nodded. She’d have to keep it in mind. After all, she was a member of the Roh family now.

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