Chapter 16 — Morning, Questions, and the Blue Throne
Morning came soft and quiet in the wooden house, birdsong threading the mist outside. Jin Yuan woke to a weight on his chest — Emily curled against him, breathing slow and warm. For a second his face flushed a deep red, then settled back into that familiar hollow expression. He slid from beneath her and slipped toward the bathroom.
She's probably emotional because of everything… he thought, voice low and practical in his head. I should focus on my mission.
Still, a small, involuntary smile touched him as he watched her sleep; he knew, with brutal certainty, that she loved him.
Minutes later he dressed in his usual black suit, the giant blade strapped to his back. In the front hall Yuzurei stood, arms crossed and the same hot glare on his face.
Yuzurei: "Always late."
Jin Yuan: "At least I'm not wasting time standing around like someone who woke up early."
Before Yuzurei could retort, Yusikuna burst into the room in his usual chaotic way.
Yusikuna: "Haa haa haa! Enough!"
Yuzurei's eyes rolled. "That brat again."
Musukoni arrived next, moving carefully — his left arm wrapped from the battle. Yusikuna's voice softened for a moment.
Yusikuna: "Is your arm okay?"
Musukoni: "Doctor said it'll take time to heal."
Jin Yuan: "Then rest."
At that moment Shioinkin entered, stretching and yawning, then fixing his gaze on Jin Yuan.
Shioinkin: "Jin Yuan — explain what happened in New York."
They all leaned forward; curiosity and tension filled the room.
Jin Yuan: "I went to see why people were disappearing in New York. I found Emily after a fight. Then the two of us were teleported into an underworld — a place of high technology and blue lights. Moments later, we were cast back to Earth."
Yuzurei: "Huh. Why does stuff like this never happen to me?"
Shioinkin: "Because you're reckless."
Yusikuna: "So then why did it happen to him, Sensei?"
Shioinkin's expression grew grave. "That's the question. Why did they open their gates under Jin Yuan and then leave? Why send three giants? There's purpose in this — and it's not random."
---
Far below, in the Blue Realm, the atmosphere was colder, brighter with electric light. A man sat on a high-tech throne — long white hair, deep red eyes, wrapped in a black kimono. Around him stood elite warriors in advanced armor, swords and gauntlets humming with unseen power.
His name was Shinjukuna. He regarded the reports with a slow, satisfied smile.
Shinjukuna: "Those foolish humans keep trying to stop us. What a waste."
He rose, the throne room's lights reflecting off steel and cerulean panels.
Shinjukuna: "They have spoiled their land, wasted their air and nature. Their world is ripe for taking. We will bring their surface into balance — by force if necessary. That beautiful Earth does not deserve them."
Behind him, his elite formed a shadow of readiness — a mechanized, lethal army prepared to reclaim what, in their logic, should sustain them.
---
The wooden house fell silent after Jin Yuan's report. Outside, the forest swayed as if listening. Inside, the small group understood one truth without saying it: Jin Yuan's crossing into the Blue Realm was no accident. Someone — or something — had chosen him.
And somewhere above and below, plans moved into motion.
End of Chapter 16.