Emperor's Reckoning

Lyon stood on the chariot that felt like a home he never had before. He brooded over the people that were kneeling to him with sincerity. What kind of power did he have at the time? The question loomed over his mind before he willed the Tetragram Chariot to pick up Tuey from the crowd.

The chariot came whooshing above everyone's head before Lyon picked up Tuey by the forehead and let her stood beside him.

"Aw, aw, aw, please be gentle next time older brother! That's not how you pick up a lady you know," muttered Tuey as she felt the dinging sensation in her head.

Lyon smirked as he crossed his arms, "Oh, a lady you say? I thought you were a—"

"Shh! Stop it, I know what you are going to say!" pouted Tuey as she put a finger on Lyon's lips. Lyon close half of his eyes as he hummed, "Hmmm..?"

Tuey's cheek had a hint of red hue as she opened her eyes slightly wider.

"S-Sorry older brother, I-I didn't mean to," said Tuey as she quickly retracted her finger. She could feel the thumping on her chest and her tail was wiggling out of her consciousness.

Lyon smiled before he put one hand on her head and rustled her hair to her delight. He willed the chariot before Yoji.

"I want you to stay here in the meantime."

"But Your Majesty!"

Lyon raised his arm, "I do not know my past that well yet, Little Yoji. Of course, you might know some, but I won't hear it from you. I must know my past by myself not from other people because we all have different perspectives."

Yoji looked down in dismay. He was wishing nothing more than another adventure with his emperor. The one that saved his life and allowed him to start a new. How wondrous would it be, he could already feel it at the tip of his finger.

Lyon smiled, "Besides, look at your condition. Your blood is polluting the sea."

"Ah," exclaimed Yoji before he wiped the blood from his mouth with his arm.

"You need to heal Little Yoji, bring back your cultivation to what it was before, and strike even further beyond. Your country needs you right now than I am."

"But..."

Lyon's eyes turned sharp, "I'm not abandoning you, I would never abandon my followers. The time will come where I will need you and when the time comes, you better get your shit ready!"

Yoji closed his eyes. He knew that Lyon, his emperor would never abandon his followers. There was no record of him doing such an act in his memories. In the end, there was nothing but agreement that he could answer.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Lyon let out a sigh, "Hmm, before I go, there is something I need to tell you."

Yoji raised his eyebrows, "What is it, Your Majesty?"

Lyon made a face cough before his voice intentionally turned deep, "A man's heart may be broken by bitches, but don't degrade yourself, don't devalue yourself, you deserve to be loved. The pain that you felt now will subside one day and keep believing in love and it will come to you. However, don't forget that sometimes, you need to be a little more assertive, there's plenty of fishes in the sea, but if the fisherman doesn't look for it, he would throw away a fish that jumped on the boat."

Yoji opened his serene eyes as he looked at the young man in front of him like a son to a father. With his hand on his chest, he nodded, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"En," Lyon nodded before he furrowed his eyebrows, "I know that I just said, bitches, but you know that doesn't count to brothels right?"

"Huh? Err...of course Your Majesty," answered Yoji.

"Good, good, one last thing, I know that I won't hear any of my past from you but, wouldn't it be more convenient if this chariot got a carriage instead?" asked Lyon.

"Oh about that, Your Majesty was the one who suggested it to be like this."

"Me? Hmm... I know that the name is cool but isn't this a chariot? Why is there no weapon like a bow here or is Starshoot Oblivion the only art this chariot has?" asked Lyon.

Yoji gulped, "Well, yes, Starshoot Oblivion is the only art that Tetragram Chariot has while for the former question, it's because it was not made for war."

"What? Excuse me? Did I hear you say that it's not made for war?" Lyon furrowed his eyebrows.

This was a chariot with four fully matured stallions that could destroy human bodies with a stomp. Not to mention they just ended an entire army of flying knights with just a pair. He couldn't believe that this royal thing was not made for war.

Yoji shook his head, "No sir, the purpose of this chariot was far nobler than a war."

Lyon further furrowed his eyebrows, "Far nobler than a war?"

Tuey was on her toes as she perked her ears. (The purpose of a grand royal chariot like this could only be one thing right?! right?!). She could hear a ding dong from a distance as two figures were standing at each other sharing their vows. She pressed her red cheeks as the innocent girls dreamt.

Yoji nodded, "Yes, your majesty."

"What is it then?" asked Lyon as his curiosity peaked.

Yoji's eyes turned serious, "It was made with speed and power in mind, but mostly speed. Strong enough to withstand the spatial storm and fast enough to avoid a raging ungodly cultivator!"

"Are you kidding me? This was made for an escape?!" said Lyon in disbelief.

Yoji nodded, there was not a flinch in his gaze that hinted that it was a joke. (Why are you dead serious about this?!) thought Lyon.

"Yes, for an escape, it works forty percent of the time!"

"What the fuck? Only forty percent?! That's way too low no? What kind of cultivator did I run away from?"

"An ungodly one."

Lyon squinted his eyes. He felt like Little Yoji was playing with him but he could see no hint of lies. He was perplexed.

"I know, you already said it! But who, what kind of enemy did I face that made me run away with Tetragram Chariot? Well I know it's not a bad thing to escape an unwinnable battle, but is not the chariot way too grand for such a purpose? Besides, what happened to me when I didn't manage to escape?"

Yoji gulped, "Y-Your Majesty got beat up, pretty bad."

Lyon immediately shook his head, "I don't believe you, there is no way that I couldn't escape. Besides, with a sixty percent chance of getting caught, won't I be dead sooner than later."

Yoji shook his head this time, "Oh you won't die Your Majesty."

"What? What do you mean?" asked Lyon.

"They never kill you, they would never kill you, they couldn't kill you," answered Yoji.

"Are they sadistic?"

"Well, not exactly, they did smile when they caught you tho, but, it's a smile that a devil would fear kind of smile," said Yoji.

Lyon furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Wait a minute, aren't you my driver, my charioteer? Did you standstill by the side and did nothing?"

Yoji nodded, "Indeed Your Majesty! I am your charioteer, the one that reigned Tetragram Chariot! I will fight when I'm able and needed to! However..."

"However?"

Yoji's suddenly felt a cold shivering wind that whispered on his bones, "Against them, I couldn't do nothing but praying."

Lyon furrowed his eyebrows as killing intent started to permeate from his eyes, "Who is them? Looks like I need to beat them up, an eye for an eye!"

Yoji put his hands against the chest before shaking them to reject Lyon's idea, "It would be bad Your Majesty!"

"Why not?!"

"Because they are your wives, the empresses!"

Lyon's killing intent immediately vanished into thin air. His eyes stared blankly as his mouth went slightly agape, "Oh."

He could only mutter a single word as a response. Everything immediately made sense to them. Ungodly cultivators, forty percent chance of escaping, beating him up but not killing him. He got no chance since the beginning since he wouldn't fight back against his wives. Only bad consequences came when fighting them off and the ultimate consequence was, of course, no sex.

Lyon gulped as he swallowed a chunk of his saliva, "T-That is indeed a nobler cause than war."

Yoji nodded, "Indeed."

Lyon suddenly could feel a cold chilling shiver from an unknown past that his soul remembered. He wondered what he had done to make them mad. He couldn't imagine it even further if they happened to have periods on the same day.

"I... uh... I understand why would praying is the only thing you can do," said Lyon

"Thank you Your Majesty."

Lyon nervously nodded before he turned around with the chariot leading the way.