CH 4: The One Born Beneath The Falling Blossoms
In the eastern lands ruled by the Kaminari Empire, morning sunlight shimmered across the rooftops of elegant houses, right as chaos erupted.
A young girl with long black hair and bright dark eyes darted across the tiled roofs, her laughter echoing through the streets.
“P–Princess Isao! Please come down!!” the head guard shouted, his voice breaking from both panic and exhaustion.
“Nuh-uh!” Isao giggled, leaping from one roof to another, her long sleeves fluttering wildly behind her. “From now on, I’ll be free! Free as the wind!”
Below, the maids and attendants screamed as they ran after her, clutching their heads. “Oh heavens, she’s doing it again!!”
“She’s wearing the jūnihitoe! The jūnihitoe!” one of them cried, nearly fainting. “Do you know how hard it is to wash twelve layers of royal silk after she rolls in the dust!?”
“I told you to tie her hair this morning!” another maid shouted while chasing Isao with surprising speed.
"Are you kidding me!? Do you know how hard it is to make her stay still!?" replied by another.
Meanwhile, the guards were scrambling over fences and stalls, their armor clanging loudly. “Princess! Please! If you fall, the Emperor will have our heads!”
“Then run faster! Hahaha!” Isao taunted from above, sticking out her tongue. “You’re supposed to protect me, aren’t you? You’re too slow!”
“Your Highness, please don’t jump—!”
“Too late~!” Isao shouted midair as she leapt over a wide alley, landing perfectly on another roof, only for her foot to slip on a loose tile.
“Ah!”
Every soul of the people froze.
Time seemed to slow as the princess tumbled forward in her twelve-layered kimono, spinning like a falling dumpling before, 'thud!' landing safely in a giant pile of hanging laundry.
“...” Silence.
Then came the collective wail.
“She fell!”
“She’s alive!”
“She ruined the linens!”
“She’s going to get us killed!”
Isao popped her head out from the pile, a pair of bloomers hanging from her head like a crown. “Hehehe… I’m okay!” she said proudly, completely missing the horror in everyone’s faces.
“Your Highness!!!” the head guard collapsed to his knees. “Please… spare us… from your freedom…”
Isao puffed her cheeks and stood, brushing herself off with as much dignity as a girl covered in laundry could muster. “Hmph! You’ll see! Someday I’ll explore the whole world, just like my big sister Sayuri!”
At that exact moment, a slipper flew from a nearby balcony and hit her square in the head. "Yowch!" Isao rubbed her head while the people were shocked, but they know there was only one person who can do such a thing.
“ISAO!!!” a furious woman’s voice echoed from above. “You’re supposed to be studying diplomacy, not practicing... Like how burglars run!”
“Ehehehe… oops?” Isao muttered scratching her head.
The woman shouting from the balcony was Lady Ayame, Isao’s aunt, her late mother’s younger sister, who had nearly fainted from her niece’s antics every single day. Unlike her older sister’s first daughter, Sayuri, who was elegant, composed, and terrifyingly skilled in combat, Isao was… a handful.
“Oh look! What’s that?” Isao suddenly said, pointing toward the sky.
Every guard and maid instinctively turned to look.
By the time they realized there was nothing there, the young princess was already gone—darting across rooftops again with her laughter trailing in the wind.
“P–Princessssss!!!” the guards and maids screamed as the chase resumed.
“That niece! I swear I’ll die because of her!” Ayame shouted, clutching her head in despair.
But then,
As Isao leapt to the next rooftop, her foot slipped once more. This time, the drop was far higher, and there was no soft landing in sight.
“PRINCESS!!!” the guards cried in unison, their faces turning as pale as snow. Ayame’s scream broke into a faint as she collapsed to the floor. "Lady Ayame! Lady Ayame!" Her own maids shaking her.
Just as Isao’s small body fell toward the ground,
A blur of violet lightning flashed through the air.
A figure appeared, graceful, calm, and impossibly fast. She caught Isao effortlessly, her long purple hair flowing behind her, her obsidian eyes gleaming like polished glass.
“Long time no see… Ayaka,” the woman said softly.
Isao blinked, her eyes widening in recognition. Then she broke into a massive grin. “Sayuri-neechan!!!” she squealed, hugging her older sister tightly.
Sayuri Kaminari, the first princess of the Kaminari Empire, known as the Bladed Storm in the east, smiled gently, brushing dust off her little sister’s hair.
“Let’s go back to the castle,” Sayuri said. “It seems your dream of leaving this country might come true sooner than you think.”
The guards, still trembling, immediately dropped to their knees upon recognizing Sayuri. “Princess Sayuri! Forgive us! We failed to protect Lady Isao!”
Sayuri giggled softly. “It’s alright. You all did well. My sister has always been… unpredictable.”
“Hey, hey, Sayuri-nee, what you said, is that true!? About me leaving this place!? Really!?” Isao asked, eyes sparkling. “Then let’s go back quick! We have to tell Father!”
Before anyone could stop her, she was already sprinting down the path ahead, her laughter echoing through the air.
Sayuri sighed with a helpless smile. “There she goes again…”
Isao, also known as Isao Ayaka Kaminari, was named so by both her parents: Isao by her father, and Ayaka by her late mother, who had passed away the day she was born.
In the throne room of the Kaminari Empire, Emperor Raiden sat upon his throne. When his gaze fell upon Sayuri, his beloved daughter, a rare softness appeared on his face.
“So you have returned,” Raiden said warmly. “It has been too long, Sayuri.”
Sayuri smiled and bowed lightly. “Father. I missed you.”
However, the moment Raiden’s eyes shifted to the girl standing beside her, his expression hardened. His warmth vanished, replaced by cold displeasure.
“And you,” he said sharply, his voice echoing through the hall. “Why are you standing so carelessly in the presence of the throne? Have you learned nothing?”
Advisors, generals, and attendants lowered their heads as Raiden continued his reprimand without restraint.
“Always hiding. Always useless. You bring nothing but embarrassment to this empire.”
Isao simply slipped behind Sayuri, sticking her tongue out slightly in defiance. She was long used to this treatment—used to never being the favored child, used to receiving neither affection nor acknowledgment from her father.
Sayuri let out a small giggle, breaking the tension. “Father, must you always be so harsh?” she said gently. “I came to visit you, not to hear scolding.”
Raiden’s expression softened immediately. “Hmph. I am merely correcting her behavior. Tell me instead—how have you been?”
“I’ve been well,” Sayuri replied. “I returned because I plan to take Isao with me to Aethalgard.”
Raiden waved his hand dismissively. “Do as you please.”
Sayuri paused, then added calmly, “She is one of the children spoken of in the prophecy. The prophet himself—”
“I do not care for prophecies,” Raiden interrupted coldly. “Nor do I care about the troubles in the western lands. The east is at peace. That is all that matters.” His voice darkened. “And do not speak to me of that woman 'Cateleya.'”
Sayuri’s smile faded slightly. “Grand Saintess Cateleya only seeks to protect humanity.”
“She dared ask you to become one of her saints,” Raiden snapped. “To serve something beyond this empire.”
Sayuri met his gaze without fear. “I chose that path myself, Father. I see beyond our borders. If the world falls, the empire will follow.”
The room went silent.
After a moment, she continued softly, “To ease your anger, I promise this—I will return. After the war… or when your time comes, I will take the throne.”
Raiden said nothing for a long moment. Then he exhaled and leaned back.
“Tch… troublesome as always,” he muttered. Yet, despite his words, there was no anger in his eyes, only resignation.
He glanced at the advisors instead. “Leave us.”
None dared question him.
Turning back to Sayuri, he said, “Very well. Do as you wish. Just remember where you belong.”
Sayuri smiled. “I always will.”
Raiden’s gaze briefly flicked to Isao, devoid of warmth. “As for Isao, take her. I have no need for someone so insignificant.”
Isao didn’t react. She merely clung to her sister’s sleeve, unfazed.
Sayuri’s eyes hardened for a fraction of a second, but she said nothing.
Instead, she bowed. “Thank you, Father.”
And with that, she turned, leading Isao away, leaving behind a throne room filled with silence, and an emperor who never once looked back at the daughter he had already cast aside.
Inside Isao’s room, she hummed cheerfully as she packed her belongings. As she sorted through her things, her gaze landed on a sheet of paper tucked away at the bottom of a drawer. Drawn upon it were delicate sakura petals, sketched with care.
Isao smiled softly.
Then, without hesitation, she tore the paper in half and set it aflame. The fire curled around the drawing, reducing it to ash.
It was one of her dreams—to build her own dojo, to stand as its master, surrounded by countless disciples who believed in her. Yet she hadn’t burned the paper because she had given up on it.
She burned it because she would die of embarrassment if anyone ever saw it.
“Ehehe… it’s okay,” she whispered, cheeks reddening. “It’s already burned into my mind. One day, I’ll be a dojo master—hehehe.”
Her imagination ran wild. She pictured herself seated proudly atop a carried throne, smiling brightly as people gathered around her, clapping and cheering in admiration. The thought alone made her grin like a child.
“Ayaka, are you finished?” Sayuri’s voice called out as she stepped into the room, smiling gently.
“I’m almost done!” Isao replied quickly, her grin widening.
“Once you’re ready, let’s go say goodbye to Mother,” Sayuri said softly.
Isao nodded eagerly.
Later, the two sisters stood before their mother’s grave, resting beneath a blooming cherry blossom tree atop a small hill beside the castle. Colorful flowers swayed gently in the breeze, painting the hill in warm, vibrant hues.
Isao clasped her hands together and bowed her head. “Mother, I’ll be leaving now,” she said earnestly. “I promise I’ll follow my dreams and make you proud. Oh—and I’ll make lots of friends too! Hehe!”
Sayuri watched her quietly, a gentle smile forming on her lips, before she too closed her eyes and offered a silent prayer.
And so, the girl born in the East—where a thousand flowers bloomed the moment she drew her first breath—took her first step on a journey that would one day change the world.
