Emperor's Reckoning



Niamh was hovering confidently above the Nostria Kingdom as he greeted Kyoko and Ryona by the window.

Kyoko pushed open the double-sided window before the wind gracefully fluttered her and Ryona's hair. She had her brows furrowed.

"What a fascinating creature," muttered Niamh.

"May I ask for you to introduce yourself? You are after all... overstepping your authority," said Kyoko as she maintained her calm demeanor. 

"Such robust woman— despite having tails," muttered Niamh. However, he was firm in his position and refused to descend down to their levels, thus he said clearly, "Mind your tone, woman, you're speaking to a higher being."

"Well, you are flying," commented Ryona.

Kyoko sighed. She knew very well that Ryona would try to agitate the obnoxious and prideful man. "Don't mind her, what is your name, oh esteemed guest."

"Now, we're talking my language," Niamh smiled. "My name is Niamh of the great Burgeon Swan."

"Burgeon what?" Ryona raised her brows. 

"Burgeon Swan," said Niamh with a serious tone. 

"Excuse my lack of due diligence, but this lowly one doesn't know the existence of such a marvelous place," said Kyoko with her class demeanor.

Niamh smirked, "It's not a place, it's solidarity."

"I see, I will keep that in mind," said Kyoko with a smile. "However, I still have no clue what the esteemed guest is trying to find in this place."

The guards below started to notice Niamh's presence. They all rushed with their spears in their hands and clanking armor in their toes, however, Fei was there right before they could amass an army below him. 

Fei put her finger over her lips and gestured for them to return back to their post with a wave of her hand. After she noticed the guards complying with her order, she looked up with a mix of anxiety in her gaze. An unknown man of power suddenly intruded on Nostria's territory in the middle of another peaceful night. 

Niamh took a quick glance toward Fei before darting back toward Kyoko and the rest. "I can see with my wise eyes that you have some territorial power in this place."

Kyoko kept silent and smiled. She neither nodded nor shook her head.

"Is the king sleeping here?" asked Niamh. "I'm afraid that you have to wake him up, I prefer less disturbance, I don't want to hear screams of your people whilst I'm on the mission here."

"The king is elsewhere at the moment," said Ryona.

"Does she speak for you?" asked Niamh as he raised his chin.

Kyoko stopped Ryona from talking any further with a gesture of her hand. She was smiling all throughout, "I apologized for her behavior, but might I ask which king are you asking?"

"Which king?" Niamh raised his brows. "The king of this small kingdom of course."

Kyoko made an unfortunate face as she shook her head, "I'm afraid the esteemed guest has gone to the wrong kingdom, this place is ruled by a queen, a queendom."

"Ruled by a queen?" Niamh furrowed her brows. ( Is she serious? Damn it, it's hard to tell with her expression, is she lying, or not lying? ). 

Niamh snorted, "You played your cards very well, I can hardly read your face, azure fox, but I'm not here for games."

Niamh entered their room from the window and caught them both off guard by landing behind both of them. The sheer speed was above their capability of seeing as they could only widen. 

"You—" Ryona's barbaric eyes were aiming at his neck but she couldn't make half a step as Niamh swiftly grabbed a hold of hers first. Her feet left the ground as she was held by one hand. ( Impossible! ) she glared down.

Fei who realized what happened quickly climbed the tower with a leap and stood on the ledge of the window. Her eyes widened seeing the dire situation. However, Kyoko kept her calm.

Kyoko knew that with that kind of speed and power, both of them could be dead if he decided to kill them.

Niamh didn't even look at Ryona as he held her by the neck. He looked at Fei with a smirk before looking at Kyoko. "Now, I don't want to hear hoax, you shall tell me the information I want, or else, this wild woman will die before the entire kingdom follows next."

Ryona glared as she tried to push his hand away, however, the strength between her and him was pretty apparent. 

"What do you want to know?" asked Fei.

"I don't speak to you," said Niamh before darting toward Kyoko. "Do you know anything about the man named, Lyon?"

Their eyes opened wide. A name that couldn't be any more familiar resurfaced once more.

"Heh, judging from your faces, it seems like I score gold," said Niamh. "This would be easy then."

"What do you want to know about him?" asked Kyoko as she furrowed her brows.

"I'm just going to make sure if we are speaking on the same term here," asked Niamh. "Now I want you to answer me, with all your honesty."

Kyoko remained silent.

"Good," Niamh smirked. "Is Lyon in this low realm...? I'm talking about the Mortal World."

"He is not," answered Kyoko without hesitation.

Fei couldn't help but widen her eyes but she refrained from adding more words.

"Good, good," Niamh nodded. "Is he in Second Heaven right now?"

"Yes," Kyoko answered with a nod. "He departed not too long ago."

"I see, any more information you want to add to that?" asked Niamh as he tightened his grip.

"Kh!" Ryona gritted her teeth.

"I would, but you should loosen your grip first," said Kyoko with furrowed brows.

"Hehehe, making a deal in this situation, don't you know your place?" Niamh raised one of his brows.

"You need the information, I need her alive," said Kyoko.

"Fine, I'm amused," said Niamh with a smirk. 

"An old man was coming here with a man, they appeared to be a principal or some sort from what I've heard," said Kyoko.

"Ah, Old Gu, and his stupid vice," muttered Niamh before nodding, "It seems like we are on the same page here."

"Is that all?" asked Kyoko.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," said Niamh, "Lyon has greatly offended the Burgeon Swan."

( I knew it ) thought Fei as she sighed inwardly. 

"I take it that you're from the Second Heaven?" asked Kyoko as she dropped all pleasantries.

"I think you can figure that one out easily," said Niamh with a chuckle. "I'm here to take one of his loved ones, for he killed three of Burgeon Swan's loved ones."

The three were startled by his words. The man was here on a vengeance. An eye for an eye.

"You're going to kill his loved ones?" asked Kyoko.

"Hahaha, I wish that was the order, but it will be better for him to watch his loved ones die before his very eyes," said Niamh.

"H-H—" Ryona struggled to get a word out.

Kyoko quickly followed up, "I'm afraid that you would not find his loved ones here."

"Oh?" Niamh raised his brows, "Is this your way of saving yourself?"

Kyoko shook her head, "Lyon is a man akin to a being beyond a god here, his loved ones are few. He wouldn't care if you captured us."

"Hahaha," Niamh laughed as he faced the ceiling with closed eyes. "Nice try, fox, you're a crafty creature, but it seems like you're the dullest of your kin if you think I would fall for that."

"I can lead you to one," said Kyoko calmly as she pinned the silence to the atmosphere.

Fei's eyes dilated as she heard her words. She looked at her with slight hesitation but refused to give any meaningful gesture out. ( What is she thinking?! ).

"Oh..." Niamh raised her brows. "You would lead me to... who exactly?"

"His wife, the one known all over the Mortal World as The Empress," said Kyoko.

Fei and Ryona had their bodies frozen.

"A wife... you said?" Niamh before he unraveled his powerful presence toward them. He let Ryona go from his hand and the latter couldn't get up as she was coughing on the floor. He slowly approached Kyoko before she was choked, powerless to even flee from his grasp. "You lying fox, his wife is with him in Second Heaven!"

  "S-She is not lying!" Fei shouted.

"Huh?" Niamh raised his brows.

"That man has more than one wife," said Fei. "The one you're looking for is a woman with hair red as an auburn named Cecile."

"He has more than one wife..." Niamh muttered before he slowly chuckled menacingly. "Hahaha, what a blunder! He has more than one weakness!"

"Hu-Hubby will kill you..!" said Ryona as she struggled to get up.

"Huh?" Niamh scowled as he turned his head. His killing intent surged up as he saw how Ryona looked at her. "Hubby you say? You..? You think I'm blind or something!"

"Stop!" said Kyoko. "I can take you to her."

Kyoko revealed a Returning Jade Stone and Niamh's mood shifted.

"O-Overseer..."

"Hehehe," Niamh smiled, "Fine if you love him that much, I will send you his remaining if there's any!"

He took the Returning Jade Stone out of Kyoko's hand and broke it right before their very eyes. 

"You're too hasty, oh, esteemed guest."

"Huh?!" Niamh's eyes opened wide as he was shaken by Kyoko's utter calmness and a smirk that shouldn't come from the defeated, all before the jade light encapsulated him and traverse the sky.