Fates Parallel Chapter 497 - Ascension (Patreon)

Yoshika missed being in multiple places at once. There were so many things demanding her attention, and while concentrating her power had been invaluable when it came to challenging Yu Meiren, she was struggling to prioritize her endless list of obligations.

Before any of that, however, she had an apology to make. Li Meili stood anxiously in front of Jiaying’s house. It was the first time she’d taken Meili’s form since her resurrection, and it made her feel small and insignificant—in an oddly comforting way. As Meili, she felt more distant from the concerns of a fledgling demi-goddess attempting to start her own empire.

Unfortunately, that only made her that much more acutely aware of her more personal anxieties. The last time she’d seen Jiaying was when she’d suddenly run out on their date, only to disappear for a month.

Where did she even begin? There hadn’t been time to catch up after her revival, but she should have said something before rushing off again. Now she had no idea how to apologize.

She knocked on the door and braced herself for whatever was to come. Jiaying opened the door a moment later.

“Yes? Oh!”

Meili waved awkwardly.

“Hi, Jiaying—I’m—oof!”

Jiaying practically tackled her, enveloping her in a tight embrace that threatened to smother Meili in her bosom.

“Meili! Thank the emperor you’re okay! I heard you were back, but I thought you’d be busy.”

Meili returned the hug, her nerves flying away in the face of Jiaying’s unrestrained affection.

“We are, but I wanted to see you. I owe you a thousand apologies after running off and disappearing in the middle of our date.”

“Our—? Oh! You’re still worried about that? Meili, you don’t have to apologize for being who you are. Come on inside.”

Jiaying lived alone in a small house within the government district—one of the repurposed old dorm rooms. It was similar to Yoshika’s house, but she’d decorated it with her own personal flair. She had a particular fondness for potted plants and herbs, practically turning her house into an indoor garden.

Meili felt a bit nostalgic as she joined her in the living room. The way Jiaying had personalized the familiar layout made Meili feel like she was back in the academy, visiting a fellow student.

She took a seat on one couch, and was surprised when Jiaying opted to sit right next to her, their sides pressed together even though there was plenty of room for both of them. She anxiously glanced up at her girlfriend.

“You’re not upset?”

“I mean, I was, obviously. But not because you left. We all thought you were never coming back.”

Meili winced.

“I’m so sorry, Jiaying. We should have been more careful. If I’d known—”

Jiaying put a finger to Meili’s lips and smiled.

“Let me make something perfectly clear for you. If you’d known just how dangerous things were, you would have gone anyway. I heard it all from Miss Takeda. You dropped everything and risked your life to save your friend. I’d be more upset if you hadn’t.”

“You would?”

“Of course I would. Because the Meili who risks everything for the people she cares about is the woman I fell in love with.”

She cupped Meili’s cheeks in her hands and leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips.

“So don’t you dare apologize for that. Understood?”

Meili hugged Jiaying tightly, her eyes watering.

“Thank you, Jiaying.”

“You’re welcome. But if you ever die again, I’ll personally drag your soul back from wherever it ends up and kill you again myself.”

Meili snorted.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The two enjoyed a brief respite, catching up over tea while Meili enjoyed a precious moment free of her endlessly growing concerns. Like all good things, however, it had to end eventually. Yoshika’s duties called, and she couldn’t put them off forever.

Jiaying gave her a sad smile as she prepared to leave.

“So does this mean I won’t be seeing as much of you anymore?”

Meili sighed.

“For a little while, at least. I’ll try to come visit as much as I can while we’re in Jiaguo, but we’re going to be traveling a lot for the next few months and I’m not sure when we’ll have time to make new avatars.”

“Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself, okay? I’ll be here to keep an eye on things while you’re gone, but if you ever need a bit of time away from it all...you know where to find me.”

“Thanks Jiaying. That means a lot to me. I’m sorry I haven’t been a very good partner to you, but I’m really glad I have you.”

Jiaying wrapped her arms around Meili and nuzzled their foreheads together.

“You’re a challenging person to know, but I like a bit of adventure. I’m glad I met you, and despite everything, I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”

Meili hugged her tightly.

“I love you, Jiaying.”

“I love you too. Now go make yourself an empire, you crazy woman. And when you get back, maybe we can do a little adventuring of our own...in private.”

Jiaying blushed and looked away, and Meili’s eyes widened.

“Oh! Um...wow, okay. I’ll look forward to it.”

“You better! I almost died of embarrassment just saying that.”

—-

By the time Yoshika finished sorting out Jiaguo’s internal affairs, getting a new village set up for Kasuga’s refugees, and preparing for the official transfer of power, Jiaguo’s army had returned.

New Kasuga became Jiaguo’s second satellite village alongside Urayama, and Lady Tennin agreed to help support them while coaching Yang Qiu on the duties of a spirit guardian. Some of the returning demons opted to live in New Kasuga among the villagers they’d saved, while others voluntarily returned to their imprisonment until they and Jiaguo were better prepared.

Ienaga Yumi moved to Jiaguo for her rehabilitation, which Lee Jung was more than happy to help with. Of the remaining lords of Yamato, most returned to their own lands to sort out the various impacts of the war and shore up their defenses in case of an opportunistic attack from Qin. The exceptions were Lord Noguchi, Lord Ienaga, and Lady Ashikaga, representing the south, central, and northern regions of Yamato respectively.

They were anticipating Yoshika’s upcoming announcement, and would be the ones to carry it back to their lands. Privately, Ienaga was there to spend more time with his formerly estranged daughter, Noguchi was currying favor among Jiaguo’s council, and Ashikaga expected to be appointed as the new shogun.

Despite her best efforts, Yoshika couldn’t think of a better candidate. Ashikaga Sae was powerful, well-respected, and seemingly loyal—though she’d only been an ally for a short time. The only problem was that she clearly wanted the role. She’d been angling for it ever since Hayakawa Takeo’s fall, and possibly even before. Yoshika was hesitant to hand so much power to someone who openly described herself as a weapon of war.

Just days before the ceremony was scheduled, Kaede sat with Jung and Yumi in their house and confessed her concerns.

Yumi stared into her teacup and frowned.

“Ashikaga Sae is a complicated person. In our youth, we clashed often—both literally, on the battlefield, and ideologically.”

Kaede nodded.

“She did mention that you didn’t like her very much. That’s part of why I’m asking you about it.”

“There was a time when I could confidently say that I hated her. We tried to kill each other dozens of times, even outside of war.”

“Why? I’ve heard about your rivalry, but only in old and distant rumors.”

Yumi sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

“It was stupid, really. She saw power as a tool of control. A blade with which to threaten those weaker and cut down opposition. To me, it’s a shield with which to protect the weak, and guard them against one’s enemies.”

She squeezed Jung’s hand and shook her head.

“In the end, it made no difference. I protected my people by killing their enemies, and once I had the power to destroy Ashikaga, I realized that doing so would only prove her right. I abandoned my grudge a century ago, but I suppose she didn’t see it that way.”

Kaede pursed her lips.

“Do you think she’s a good candidate to become the new shogun?”

“I think she’s the only one. But you will need to watch her closely. Ashikaga Sae is not the violent psychopath she pretends to be, nor is she a fool. She’ll forge herself into an invaluable tool for you, but if you aren’t careful she won’t hesitate to mold you in return to advance her own goals.”

“I see. Thank you for your counsel, Master Yumi. And...I know I’ve already said it, but I’m sorry about your uncle.”

Yumi smiled.

“He lived a long life, if not a happy one. Murayoshi lived and died for the sanctity of his craft, and while we may have been lacking in his eyes, his legacy lives on through you and I. Perhaps one day, when she’s ready, Forge will find someone worthy to be his successor, and pass on his knowledge.”

Kaede stood and bowed.

“I hope we can do his memory justice. I have a lot of work to do now, so Master Yumi, please take good care of my sister while I’m preoccupied.”

Jung put a hand to her cheek and giggled.

“Oh my, it’s so odd to hear those words from that face.”

Kaede blushed and cleared her throat.

“I—I hope I’m not overstepping. I never got to have much of a family of my own, so...”

“Of course not, dear! I was just surprised. You are welcome to think of me as your big sister or even your mother. The more the merrier!”

“Thank you, Big Sister. Take care of Master Yumi for me.”

Jung hugged Yumi’s arm and grinned.

“Oh, you needn’t ask! I have every intention to.”

—-

Before the official ceremony that would crown Yoshika as the first empress of Jiaguo, she had one more major concern to address. It had been eating away at her ever since her confrontation with Yu Meiren, and with the coronation on the horizon, she couldn’t afford to put it off any longer.

Seong Eunae cocked her head as Eui sat across from her and stared silently into her tea.

“It’s rare enough for you to visit me these days, much less request a private conversation between just the two of us. You know I have all the time in the world for you, Eui, but do remember that we are both quite busy.”

Eui groaned.

“This isn’t an easy subject to talk about, okay? I wish Jia could have this conversation instead—she’s better at dealing with you—but it has to be me, and it has to be you.”

“How cryptic. Does this have something to do with the blessing your domain imparts on those within it?”

“How did you guess that? Actually, how did you even know about it? We haven’t exactly been broadcasting it.”

Eunae smiled and shook her head.

“You haven’t, but far too many people have heard about it for it to remain secret. I had the advantage of being able to confirm some of the rumors with a little help from my sister. I understand why you would want to speak with me about it, but why Eui, specifically?”

Eui shrugged.

“Just a gut feeling. We don’t always understand it ourselves. Even before we were sharing a single body, we tended to split our work based on feeling, but now it’s even more automatic. But enough about that—if you already know, then what do you think about our blessing?”

“It’s a wonderful boon that any good leader would kill to have. The fact that you’re approaching me about it means that you’ve taken the most grim possible view of it, but I think you’re overthinking it.”

“How?”

Eunae sighed and drummed her fingers gently on the armrest of her couch.

“Let’s compare your power to mine, since that’s why you’re here. My gaze alters someone’s soul and forces them to comply with my demand. The thought to disobey doesn’t even occur to the victim. It has a very limited capacity for good, but it is generally an evil power, and I wake up every day wishing it didn’t exist.”

Eui winced. Eunae was pretty sensitive about her bewitching gaze, and she felt bad for forcing her friend to confront such a deep insecurity about herself. Eunae noticed the gesture and covered her mouth with a sleeve as she giggled.

“Don’t worry, Eui. I’ve long since come to terms with the fact that it’s part of who I am, and I have you to thank for that. I’m still not pleased with it, but I have my ways of managing. Now, in contrast, what does your power do?”

“It makes people more open to trust and cooperation. I’m not really sure to what degree, but it was significant enough to allow Yang Qiu and the other demons to ignore their hunger, and they nearly succumbed without it.”

Eunae raised an eyebrow.

“Nearly?”

“Yeah, there was an incident, but they managed to keep it contained with the help of Ruiling and the others.”

“That reinforces my theory, then. As I see it, your blessing doesn’t make anybody do anything. I’ve been living in this city for quite a while now, and I assure you that there are plenty of people who are untrustworthy, paranoid, or both.”

Eui frowned and swirled the tea in her cup.

“Then what do you think it is doing? Because it definitely has a tangible effect.”

“The mind is a complicated thing. Sometimes we do things we’d rather not, even knowing that we shouldn’t. And sometimes we desperately want to do something, but for whatever reason can’t bring ourselves to do it. I imagine you intended to have this conversation much sooner, no?”

“I guess so, yeah.”

Eunae nodded.

“What your blessing does is gently lift that burden. Perhaps I’m in a hurry, and I see someone drop a basket of produce. I want to help, but I have my own business to be concerned about. It’s easy for indecision to lead to inaction—but with your blessing, perhaps I might be more inclined to act on the impulse to be kind.”

“I think you’d help them no matter what.”

She giggled.

“Perhaps, but it’s just an example. Your blessing eases the eternal struggle with indecision, and rewards cooperation.”

“Rewards?”

“Indeed. Haeun says that the essence in and around Jiaguo responds well to acts of unity. Mortals and cultivators alike will experience happier, healthier lives by cooperating with the people around them.”

Eui chewed on her lip, mulling it over.

“Isn’t that a bit coercive?”

“Is it coercive to pay someone for their labor? To reward excellence? This is what I mean when I say you are thinking too much, Eui. You are about to become the ruler of an empire. It is your prerogative—nay, your duty to guide your people. I trust you to push your people in the right direction, and so do they. As long as you don’t betray that trust, it’s not coercion at all.”

“That’s a pretty heavy responsibility.”

Eunae nodded.

“Yes, it is. Like me, you’re going to have to live with the knowledge that your power holds enormous potential for abuse. Like me, you must accept that it is simply part of who you are. We must both be careful to earn the trust we are given.”

“Right. I think I get it now. Thanks Eunae, that helps a lot.”

“Any time! And don’t be shy about visiting for social calls more often. I know you’re busy, but remember you have people here who care about you. Are you ready for tomorrow?”

Eui chuckled nervously.

“Not even remotely, but thankfully we have friends like you to help us through it.”

—-

The day had come. Jiaguo was more packed than it had ever been as people gathered for the coronation ceremony. The streets were filled with people, some of whom had traveled all the way from Yamato and Goryeo just to witness it.

On a grand stage, surrounded by magical projections that allowed the entire city to see what was happening, Yoshika stood in her spirit form alongside the leaders of Yamato and Jiaguo. This time, she had a speech prepared. Her voice carried through the city, amplified by an array of spells.

“My people. It has been my pride and joy to watch this nation develop over the course of the last year. You have turned what was once a scattered group of misfits and outcasts into a warm and welcoming place that I am proud to call home. I came to you all with a dream, and you all have made that dream a reality.”

The crowd cheered, their combined excitement enough to shake the very air.

“But Jiaguo is not my only home. You are not my only people. Our neighbors in Yamato faced a threat greater than any of us could have imagined. A threat which I am ashamed to say came from my own father—the late shogun. To fuel his misguided ambitions, he brought both of our nations to the brink of destruction.”

A susurrus rippled through the crowd, some not fully understanding what she was saying. Yoshika’s nature as a gestalt being was privileged information that only a few knew of, and fewer still knew that Hayakawa Kaede was part of her.

“Though the cost was great, our nations weathered that threat—together. The war we just went through was not a battle that pitted Jiaguo against Yamato, but rather one that we fought side by side, against the machinations of divine interlopers.”

There were more cheers, but the reaction was scattered now. That was fine, Yoshika expected a bit of confusion, but she was ready to bring it all together.

“You all know me as High Arbiter Yoshika, but some know me by other names. I am also Lee Jia, An Eui, and Hayakawa Kaede. Our souls are bound together, and though we are many, we are also one. That is the spirit of who I am, and what my dream for our nations represents. I want my homes to stand together, as I do. Many, but one. For that reason, I am stepping down as High Arbiter of Jiaguo, and as Shogun of Yamato.”

The entire crowd went dead silent, a tension hanging in the air. They could all sense that there was more to come.

“In my place, I appoint Lady Yan Yue as the new High Arbiter of Jiaguo, and entrust her with my hopes and dreams. I know that she will make me proud—she already has. To lead Yamato, I appoint Lady Ashikaga Sae. Her strength and resilience were instrumental in winning the war, and I know that she will use that strength to defend my people with pride.”

Yue and Sae stepped forward and kneeled before her. Yoshika granted each of them a token, to represent the transfer of power. For Yue, a delicately crafted golden diadem that had been made expressly for her. For Sae, one of the two original kamikiri swords that Yoshika had recovered from her father.

“I entrust my people into your care. Rise now, and carry on my dreams.”

The two rose to their feet, and turned to address the crowd themselves. Yue went first.

“Thank you, Yoshika. I will do my best to earn the trust you’ve placed in me, as a leader and as a friend.”

Sae nodded, grinning.

“I swear I will keep your people safe from anything that threatens them.”

“Our first act, as the new leaders of your nations, will be to solidify our relationship. Two nations, two peoples, sharing a single soul, in the image of our leader.”

The two stepped apart and gestured towards Yoshika, speaking in a well-rehearsed chorus.

“We hereby recognize Empress Yoshika as the soul of our nations, and swear to uphold her vision as our nations grow and thrive together. Many, but one.”

They kneeled once again, and this time the entire crowd followed suit. Yue looked up at Yoshika, her eyes sparkling with pride.

“Long live Empress Yoshika, of Jiaguo. May her reign be long and prosperous.”

The crowd erupted into raucous cheers loud enough to shake the earth, and in that moment, the fate of the world was changed forever.