Emperor's Reckoning

"PLEASE SAVE ME, YOUR MAJESTY!"

The old emperor let out all of his strength in his vocal cords as he uttered those words. Though his voice was badly hoarse even a figure like Reich could feel the sincerity in his tone.

(Wh-what's the hell is happening?! Why is the emperor kneeling to him?! What madness as he comes into??). The black knight furrowed his eyebrows before yelling, "You bastard, what are you doing to the emperor?!"

Lyon was unperturbed by the shout as he looked down. The thing of the past that yet unlockable to him was again in front of his eyes. Not a foe and it looks like an ally, a subordinate even, an inhabitant of a lost kingdom perhaps.

He knew he must approach this carefully. With zero hints of what his past self was doing then, he could be a traitor or sort.

"PROSTRATE, REICH!" shouted the old emperor to Lyon's surprise.

"But, your ma—"

"Did I stutter Reich?!"

The black knight immediately banged both of his knees as he prostrated from his spot. Lyon didn't bother to turn around as he looked at the old man on his foot that didn't dare in the slightest to lookup against Lyon's face.

(Wh-why? Why is the man of such power over many many lands, kneel to a young man that's far from his age?!) thought the black knight with a sore heart.

Lyon took a deep breath before asking, "Who are you?"

The question struck the old emperor's heart before the latter pulled back and was on his knees. He took off his royal clothes away as if he was ripping the shame out of him. He wore a shabby commoner's clothes that were as ancient as his age underneath. The colors had faded away and there were holes here and there. He pulled off his necklace without any reservation in his strength before doing the same thing with each of the bracelets on his arms. Looking at him now, anyone would think that he was just an unfortunate homeless old man on the street that was scraping the trash for food, however, the glint in his eyes was something else entirely different.

"My name is Yoji, I was once one of your carriage drivers."

The black knight opened his eyes as wide as he physically could. A carriage driver, a low-class tier of work, yet he sounded so proud of it like being an emperor was nothing.

Lyon was even more taken back by his revelations, an emperor was nothing but a carriage driver for him? He couldn't believe how strong his past self was and he didn't see any exact limit either as he kept on discovering new techniques in a blink of an eye.

"Looks like, you meet me at the wrong time, Yoji," said Lyon as he walked past him and step on the stairs before sitting on the throne-like it was his own. However, instead of getting mad, there was a hint of respect and satisfaction from Yoji as he saw what Lyon did.

"Tell me, Yoji, tell me how should I believe that you were once my driver?"

The old man nodded, "I was the youngest and the weakest of all the drivers, I am the one that is responsible for taking care of your magnificent steeds! The Tetragram Chariot"

(We-Weakest you say?!) thought the black knight.

Lyon put a rest on his head against his arm as he contemplated (Hmm, The Tetragram Chariot, it didn't ring a bell, though, it's a really cool name).

"Who named that carriage?" asked Lyon.

"That answer is obviously you, Your Majesty," answered Yoji.

(Hah, I knew it) thought Lyon inside his mind though he acted all serious on the outside.

"Sorry, though, I can't exactly remember you, you meet me at the wrong time, Little Yoji," shrugged Lyon.

The old emperor went agape as tears once again rolled from his eyes. 

"Hey, what are you—"

He prostrated once more, "O-only Your Majesty, only Your Majesty called me by that name!"

"Really? Hmm..." Lyon contemplated once more. Obviously, it was no coincidence that he suddenly called him by his nickname, just like how he suddenly could play zither even though he never touched one back on earth nor how he rode a horse so skillfully. He really wanted to believe that it's true, but it won't hurt to be more careful.

"Reich, go and close the door, watch the palace for me, whatever you are hearing here must never go outside unless His Majesty wills it so, understand."

Lyon raised his eyebrows to the old emperor's sudden command.

The black knight gritted his teeth under his helmet before standing up and turned around. However after a few steps, he turned around once more, "But, Your Majesty?!"

"What's this Reich, I thought you are a man of law. In this empire of mine, I'm still the law, am I not? Not those bastard sons of mine, nor that bitch you so-called empress."

The black knight clenched his fist, "A-at least, tell me why..."

"You know yourself what's happening inside this forsaken empire of mine internally, yet you turn a blind eye and just follow the law without questioning, so why did you suddenly want to know now?" asked the emperor.

The black knight couldn't answer as the words stuck in his throat. In the end, he took a bow, before turning around.

"But, I will answer you," said the old emperor to the black knight's halt.

"I know you are born to a lower class noble, I know you were forsaken by your parents, I know how hard your young life was. You were bullied, but strive that glory in a hope of recognition. Malik told me all about you."

(Malik did?) thought Reich.

"However, the glory that you have arrived right now is because the law said so. That's why you are adamant that the law is right. The law made all your decisions. However, with His Majesty here, soon the law will be shaken or it might even cease to exist, you have to make a decision by your own heart by then. Just like Malik, he... he understood my situation as you are right now."

(Is that why he resigned from being a commander?) thought Reich as he reminded that Malik was hinting at a coup. 

"Go, I need to discuss something private with His Majesty."

The black knight didn't utter any more words before he silently walked out and closed the door.

The two of them were left at the throne room before the old emperor reached out his sleeves and a little whistle made of bamboo was picked out. This entire time, the old emperor didn't stand up even though he was beginning to pant and his skinny bones seemed to give up at any moment.

"Hmm? What is that?" asked Lyon.

"This is a whistle, Your Majesty."

"I know that stupid, but what is that for?" asked Lyon slightly irritated.

The old man rubbed his reseeding hair like a child in front of Lyon with a smile as if he had done an innocent mistake.

"This is a special whistle made to call the Tetragram Chariot."

The old emperor put the whistle on his broken lips to Lyon's surprise before he blew it. However, not a tune of the whistle came out of it, not even air, there was nothing.

"Only the right owner can call the Tetragram Chariot, Your Majesty, you entrusted this to me back then to keep it safe, until we meet again."

"Hmm?" Lyon hummed before the old emperor stood up and gave him the whistle. The latter soon turned back into a kneeling position.

He looked at the whistle with furrowed eyebrows before he rubbed it clean with his clothes. He doubly put the whistle in his mouth before he blew it. 

"Ngh!"

His eyes opened wide before he could feel four thumping noises out of nowhere. It was rhythmic with one another.

*Ffwhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

The whistle was blown as the entire empire heard the sound. The black knight wanted to turn around but something inside him was holding him back while Malik looking at the sky alongside Tuey who was just done healing the demi-human. The onlookers stopped whatever they were doing as they looked at one another.

"What was that?" said one of the inhabitants.

"Huh? You hear it too?" said another.

Malik furrowed his eyebrows as he darted his glance to the palace, "Something is coming—"

The island suddenly quaked as the waves turned against one another.

"Hmm?" a certain dragon woman opened her eyes as she felt nature turned restless while not far away from her place was the leader of the assassins from the Abyss Tower who couldn't tend the trembling sensation his hands felt.

The leader wolfman was trying hard to keep the inhabitants calm down. (It's one thing after another!).

*Neeeigghh

Everyone in this world could hear the victory neigh of a horse but they couldn't pinpoint where was it coming from. Soon they could hear galloping but still, they looked in every direction and it wasn't there.

"Don't tell me, horses that are capable of running in spatial storm?!" said the dragon woman who realized what's going on.

The old emperor grinned as he opened his arms, "Ah, how I miss you all."

*prak

Lyon raised one of his eyebrows before he noticed the space nearby was cracking like glass before it was blown over by a gallop of a horse. The chariot came crashing through the hole as four horses immediately raised their hind legs before parallelly parking right under Lyon's gaze.

Lyon immediately slapped both of his knees before he stood up and crossed his arms, "Little Yoji, tell me, who dares to break your meridians and leave you in this state?!"