Ryu walked back into Shu's room wearing a new outfit, holding his other one. This new outfit was hardly like the uniforms worn by those who attended the academy. Rather, this one was reminiscent of clothing worn hundreds of years prior.
"You can have these since yours are all torn up," Ryu handed the older shirt and coat over to Shu. "As you might have noticed, the collar of the shirt is taller, and the coat is longer. If you don't like how they look, then we'll get you some new ones or a different outfit for you when we get home."
"Thank you," Shu took off his ripped shirt and put on the one he was given. The material was more comfy than the ones he had before."You should go see if you can find Yuki. Oh, and one more thing. Could you pick me up a book on the various types of awakenings and how they are commonly used?"
"I'll get that to you. Get some rest for now," Ryu walked out the door.
Now how will I find Yuki?
He walked up to the receptionist at the desk.
"Pardon me, but would you happen to have seen who brought in the young man in room two?"
"Yes, actually. It was a girl with black hair. She was in worse shape than he was."
"How bad is it?"
"While he was all cut up and nearly died of blood loss, his bleeding had been stopped. She was pierced through the stomach and suffered severe internal damages. It will take at least a year for her to fully recover."
"I see. Thank you."
Ryu walked to the last room of the hospital and slowly opened the door. He saw that Yuki was lying awake. She looked lost. Ryu didn't blame her. She had wanted to go on many missions, but now, she wouldn't be able to for a whole year. If he was her, he would feel lost too.
"Hey, Yuki. I heard part of what happened from Shu. Words can't describe how bad I feel about this whole situation. Kiyoshi had worked to make sure we trusted him, while hiding his true abilities and likely using his power as the chief to cover up the situation with the missing people. His powers were unknown to us. We had no idea he could alter mana signatures or manipulate blood. From now on, we will start mandating power checks before one is put in a position of power. I'll be back later. Goodbye, Yuki. Rest well."
Ryu strolled through town when he saw the library. It was a two story building made entirely out of wood. One would think this was a massive fire incident waiting to happen because of all the parchment and wood, but it had been constructed out of Ashwood, a grey and black wood that was fire resistant. Ashwood didn't grow on the continent of Aerith, so it had to be imported, which made it quite expensive.
He went in and looked for the research section, which had copies of books on certain topics. He picked up a few about awakenings for Shu and got one with medical knowledge for himself.
Ryu walked up to the Librarian's desk and purchased the books.
"Here you are," Ryu said as he handed the books to Shu.
"Thank you," he replied. "Did you see Yuki?"
"I did…"
Shu looked pale when he heard Ryu's tone.
"She was stabbed by something very large. It was probably the scythe he meant to finish you off with. But you both survived. And it seems you two won, because Kiyoshi wouldn't have let you two go I'd he had still been alive. I don't know what happened, but whatever it was, saved you two. I'll get going now. I have a diplomatic meeting in three with the village of waves, hence the new outfit and hair extensions. Good bye, Shu. If you need anything I'll come back as soon as possible. I'll stop home on the way south to let Aiko know not to trust anyone. If all goes well, I'll be back in a week and transport you two home so you are close by."
"Bye, Ryu. See you later."
Ryu felt bad leaving Shu and Yuki, especially since Yuki's condition was so poor. But he was the official diplomat of Windrise and needed to go to the meeting to make sure that the relationship with the village of waves remained undamaged. But his first priority was to make sure Aiko knew of the betrayal.
He saw the familiar walls surrounding the village rising above the trees as he got closer to his home.
When he finally arrived, he went straight to Aiko's office.
"Aiko. There is something I need to tell you. Kiyoshi was the Puppet Master."
"What!? Are Shu and Yuki okay? Or were they…" Aiko trailed off, afraid to say what she was thinking for fear of it being true.
"No. They survived. Yuki is in critical condition though. They say it will take over a year for her to be able to rely on herself again. There was a lot of damage done to her that couldn't be fixed by anyone and have to be left to time. She will likely never be able to fight again," Ryu said solemnly.
"Oh… This is terrible. She will be unhappy knowing that she will never fight again. Shu must feel terrible as well. He probably knows how that will hurt her more than any wound and blame himself for it happening. How could we not have known about Kiyoshi? We trusted him blindly. During these next few days during your absence, I will make sure to watch my back. You should get going so you are on time for the meeting. The new outfit looks good on you. Fare well, Ryu." She kissed him one last time before he left.
The two looked at each other lovingly and then Ryu starting walking into the sunset.