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Higashi no Wadatsumi, Nishi no Soukai
<The Sea God in the East, the Vast Sea in the West>

Copyright Fuyumi Ono, Koudansya, 1994

 


~ Chapter One~

***

Standing on a small hill, Rokuta moved his eyes, and looked up to the man standing beside him. The man was gazing at this barren land.

Rokuta is entitled Enki (‰„êi). He looks like a boy, but he is not human. He is the Kirin of the En Kingdom, and he had chosen the man beside him as the emperor.

--Do you want a kingdom?
Rokuta asked this question to the man. But the nation was turned upside down, and there was virtually no land or people for the man to rule over.
-- If so, Ifll give you a kingdom.

I want one, the man replied without hesitation. Now this man was sinking in thoughts while seeing this ruin. He would have never dreamed of such desolation.

Will he sigh? Is he mad? Rokuta thought as he looked up to the man. The man seemed to sense Rokutafs eyes on him, and he turned back to Rokuta unexpectedly, laughing.

gWhat a splendid view of nothing.h

Rokuta only nodded.

gReviving a nation from nothing, huh? Thatfs a big mission.h
The man said, as if he didnft feel it difficult at all.

gIf there is nothing to begin with, that means we can do things in our own way. That would be much easier to work on, wouldnft it?h
The man raised his voice and laughed, as if nothing had ever happened.

Rokuta looked down, as he felt like crying.

gWhatfs wrong?h the questioning voice was bighearted and warm. Rokuta made a deep sigh. He finally realized the overwhelming weight once leaning on his shoulder. It was the disappeared present moment.

gWell,h the man said as he put his hand on Rokutafs shoulder.
gLetfs go to Houzan(–HŽR) to wrest this big mission.h

All he felt on his shoulder now was the weight of the manfs hand. Rokuta had been born for thirteen years. For a thirteen-year-old, the fate of one kingdom is a mission too heavy to bear. But now, he had finally found the man to shoulder this mission, no matter it would turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing.

Rokuta turned to the man who tapped lightly on his shoulder and stepped away.

g... Ifll leave it to you.h

The man laughed without asking what was left to him.

gLeave it to me.h

***

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