*Flashback*
*At a temple a young Rika was packing her suitcase when her door opened to reveal an elderly man with brown eyes, a bald head, and wearing glasses. He wore a white kosode and light blue hakama pants with brown sandals*
(Elderly man): So today is the day, my young wild card.
(Rika): Grandpa! What are you doing out of bed so early, you should be resting.
(Grandpa): Nonsense! There’s no way I’m going to miss seeing my granddaughter off. Don’t go treating me like an old man with his foot in the grave. This body has no plans of dying until he sees his great grandchildren.
(Rika): *Chuckles* I’ll keep that in mind.
*Rika finishes her packing and pulls it off the bed to sit it on the floor. She was wearing a long-sleeved black sweater with blue jeans and brown boots*
(Grandpa): Ah~ look at you. You’ve got my determination, the grace of your grandma, the beauty of your mother, and the confidence of your father. You’re a regular chip off the old block.
(Rika): I wonder what they would think of my decision.
*Rika looked at her dresser and stared at two pictures. The first one had her parents while the second one was of her as a child sitting in the lap of her grandma*
(Rika): Abandoning the temple in pursuit of my own goals. I’m sure they have some choice words for me.
(Grandpa): You’re too hard on yourself. They would be happy and proud of you for following your own path.
(Rika): Yeah, but I’m turning my back on over 300 years of family traditions and teachings.
*Rika’s grandpa comes up from behind and whacks her in the back of the head with a paper fan*
(Rika): Ow! What was that for?
(Grandpa): What does it matter? It’s come and gone. It’s in the past.
(Rika): True, but it still hurts.
(Grandpa): Let the past be the past. Traditions and teachings are important but they should not define our futures. We living in the present define it and use the past as a guide-
*Rika’s grandpa tries to hit Rika with the fan again only this time she blocks it the attack with her sword scabbard. Rika’s grandpa smiles*
(Grandpa): -to learn. Yes, I will miss you my wild card, but I know that you’ll keep our traditions and teachings alive no matter where you go and redefine them on your journey to the future for the better. Change can be frightening at times but it can also lead to exciting developments. I for one am excited for this development and I’m sure everyone else is as well.
*Rika smiles and kisses her grandpa on the head*
(Rika): You’re still teaching me after all these years.
(Grandpa): And I never will stop teaching you. Now go. Begin your fool’s journey and create your own world.
*Flashback ends*
***
*In the snowy forest, Rika and Zia walk through the snow taking in their surroundings*
(Zia): It’s a shame really. If we weren’t in such a hurry I would have loved to take in the sights with everyone.
(Rika): Agreed. Walking through this forest reminds me of home. I remember every year I would make snowmen outside of the temple’s shrine around this time.
(Zia): That’s right. You grew up in Khoto Village just west of the kingdom. Lovely place if I do say so myself. I hope your grandfather is doing well.
(Rika): Oh he is. Alive and well as ever according to the workers. It’s been a while since I’ve been back home. When this is all over and things settle down I can return home and hopefully you guys can join me. I would love to introduce him to my world.
*As they continued to walk, they passed through some trees when all of a sudden an explosion went off caused by a landmine. The explosion knocked Rika into a pile of snow while Zia fell down a nearby hill. It took a few seconds for Rika to recover from the blast but once she did she attempted to go after Zia only to get stopped by a fire blast that just missed her. Rika turned around to see a well-built dark skinned man wearing a red bandana and red pants with black gloves and no shirt or shoes. His hair was black and wavy and his eyes yellow*
(Well-built man): I wouldn’t do that if I were you, woman. If you want to go to that elf you’ll have to go through me first.
(Rika): And who may I ask do I have the displeasure of speaking to?
(Well-built man): Cheeky aren’t we? I am the Fire Pugilist Zeke. Master of the Fire Grid technique. My name comes from the fire god Zekell. I’m currently 25 years old, 5’8, single, and-
*Before Zeke could continue he blocks an attack from Rika who was trying to hit Zeke with the hilt of her sword*
(Rika): I asked for your name. Not an elevator speech. I assume you’re a member of the New Sun sent to finish us off?
(Zeke): Is it that obvious? I was excited when Aires told me that Brister sent strong knights to stop us. But I’m quite disappointed to see they brought such weak women to fight.
(Rika): Weak?
*Rika jumps back and draws her sword*
(Rika): It appears that someone needs to teach that mouth of yours a lesson.
(Zeke): *Laughs* What’s up with that sword? It’s so thin. My fist will break that sword with ease.
*Zeke charges at Rika prepared to break her sword with his fist. The second his fist made contact with the sword he could feel a sharp pain in his hand and quickly pulled it back to see blood and cuts on his hand*
(Zeke): What the hell?
*Rika took advantage of his momentary distraction and delivered a backfist followed by a thrust kick to his chest which sent him rolling backwards into the snow*
(Rika): You’re not the first person to laugh at my sword. It may be thin but it’s made of from Quadsidian, the sharpest metal in the world. You had good instincts to pull your fist back when you did. A few more seconds and your hand would have been cut to shreds.
*An aura of fire came shooting out of Zeke’s body as he returned to his feet with a look of anger on his face*
(Zeke): Woman!
*Zeke charged at Rika again this time lighting his fist on fire*
(Zeke): Fire Grid Form 48: Firedust Storm!
*Zeke began attacking Rika with a fury of punches which she blocked with her sword. Twirling it around in her hand. Seeing his attacks not working, Zeke jumps back*
(Zeke): Fire Grid Form 3: Fire Shot!
*Zeke begins shooting fireballs at Rika who once again blocks the attacks with her sword. She starts to move in on Zeke and takes a slash at him only to miss. Zeke jumped up and flipped over her all while shooting at her fireballs. Lifting her sword above her, she twirled it around to block the attacks. Zeke continues to fire shots at Rika as he lands and Rika spins around to face him as she deflects his fireballs. Making it look as if the fire was dancing around him*
(Zeke): You’re pretty good, woman.
(Rika): And you’re not bad yourself. Shall we begin your fool’s story, boy?
(Zeke): I’m not a boy interested in bedtime stories. I’m a man looking to sharpen his skills through a challenge.
*Zeke charges at Rika who continues to block and dodge his attacks with her sword and her free hand behind her back*
(Rika): And thus the fool began his journey to see the world. As he traveled he came across a magician selling trinkets and various other stuff of unknown origin.
*Green markings began to appear on Rika’s sword as she thought about Jin in her mind. A bright and gifted young knight with great abilities that will take him far into the future once he learns how to use his abilities. He continues to grow every day. She soon went on the offensive with Zeke blocking her attacks*
(Rika): Despite not knowing how these trinkets work, the fool felt compelled to buy them from the magician because he was such a good salesperson.
*The speed of Rika’s slashes increased and she began to cut his arms and legs. They stung his body and caused him to flinch but he had no time to worry about the pain*
(Rika): As the fool continued his journey he soon entered a kingdom where he met a priestess who took an interest in his trinkets and showed him how to use them*
*New green markings appeared on Rika’s sword as she thought about Saber. Memories of their time in the knight academy and how when she first met Saber she was quiet, stand-offish, but at the same time strong and determined. Eventually, they became friends and rivals. Zeke noticed Rika’s attacks began to slow down and tried to unleash a counter punch but Rika spun out of the way and slashed Zeke across his back diagonally. Zeke let out a sharp cry of pain as blood slowly dripped from the cut*
(Rika): Excited with this knowledge, the fool performed in the streets to make money. The masses enjoyed his performances and he eventually caught the attention of the emperor and empress of the kingdom who wanted to reward him for bringing joy to their kingdom. However, instead of money, the fool asked for wisdom and he received it*
(Zeke): Fire Grid Form 200: Roar of the Flame Dragon!
*Taking a deep breath, Zeke unleashed fire from his breath and aimed it at Rika who didn’t panic and didn’t attempt to dodge the attack. She soon became consumed by the fire*
(Zeke): Fire Grid Form 119: Heat Therapy.
*As fire gathered around his hands he rubbed his back and began to heal the cut Rika left. He couldn’t heal all of it in time as Rika delivered a thrust kick to the back of his head and sent him crashing through a tree. Rika was surrounded by a green aura that shielded her from the fire and the boot she used to kick Zeke had green runes on it*
(Rika): Now where was I? Oh right. The empress gave him motherly wisdom and the emperor gave him fatherly wisdom. They then call in their royal advisor who gave him spiritual wisdom.
*As Rika talked, The images of Zia, Morrison, and her grandpa passed through her mind. Zia was like a motherly older sister to her. She couldn’t count the number of times she confined in her throughout the years. Morrison was like a second father to her. Always caring for her and helping her grow when needed without overstepping his boundaries or giving her the answers directly. Her grandpa raised her and was always there to guide her whenever she had doubt in her mind. Zeke slowly began to rise from the tree still in pain from the impact*
(Rika): After receiving wisdom, they held a party where the fool would meet the princess, his lover. While the princess wanted him to stay he knew he had to go and continue his journey, but he vowed to return when his journey was completed.
(Zeke): Grr, Fire Grid Form 27: Flame Jab!
*Zig-Zagging toward Rika, Zeke closed in on her and was about to deliver a fire-lit jab, but missed as Rika moved out of the way at the last second with incredible speed. Zeke couldn’t believe it and was puzzled by how quickly she moved*
(Rika): The fool left the town on a fast chariot to a forest.
*Rika’s boot and face had green markings on them. Zeke’s anger continued to rise as he continued to try and deliver a jab to Rika but she kept dodging his attacks with her eyes closed*
(Rika): The chariot was driven by a traveler who valued justice above all else and encouraged the fool to think rationally in his decisions. Treat others fairly and analyze all options before making a decision.
*As Rika said this thoughts of Ryuuji and Morgan ran through her mind. She always respected Ryuuji and how he cut his time on the frontlines short because his family was more important to him than glory. She valued Morgan’s ability to never panic and always analyze the situation to find the right solution. Nothing would make her happier if she were able to learn Ryuuji’s self-assertion and Morgan’s analysis skills. Concentrating, Zeke, picked up the speed in his attack and finally closed in on Rika where just as he’s about to punch her his fist goes through her and she vanished into a cloud of dark smoke nowhere to be seen. Zeke looked around trying to find her but couldn’t*
(Rika): Once the fool came to the forest he became lost and was saved by the hermit who offered to guide him out in exchange for his fortune.
*Suddenly, a black hole opened up on the ground near Zeke and out came Rika who managed to slash him vertically across his left eye. Zeke lets out a scream of pain as he grabs his left eye with both hands to heal it and stop the bleeding*
(Rika): Having no other option, the fool found the strength to hand over his fortune and thank the hermit for their assistance.
*Rika smiled remembering Hibana, Amarti, and Jade. She remembered how shy and cute Hibana was when they first met, but would later come to see her skills and how much she helped Shadow Eye from the shadows. She was amazed by Amarti’s business skills and how he was able to amass a fortune in such a short time. She admired Jade’s strength to continue fighting for demihumans and despite all the many years of injustice and prejudice she never gave in to anger or rage*
(Rika): Once out of the forest, the fool was desperate for money and saw a monk meditating upside down on a rock near the river. The fool was planning to rob the monk and as he quietly snuck up on the unsuspecting monk, the monk spoke and advised him to reflect upon his upcoming actions.
*Rika jumped up into the air where small green wings appeared on the heels of her feet. Images of Nate came into her mind and how he spent long hours at the office making sure everything was correct. Sacrificing his own personal time to make sure there was no mistakes in everyone’s paperwork. Once high up in the sky she brought her sword up where green runes began covering the whole blade*
(Rika): Upon reflecting on his actions, the fool got up, dusted himself off, and thanked the monk before continuing down the road. As he began traveling down the road, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his back. And that weight was death.
*Rika began to fly downward toward Zeke who finally looked up and saw Rika. He knew it was too late for him to move and Rika swung her to slash through him. Once she landed, Rika sheathed her sword as Zeke fell to ground unconscious with a large bruise across his chest in the shape of Rika’s sword. She used the backside of her sword to strike him down to avoid killing him*
(Rika): It was not a physical death, but rather a spiritual death. He was reborn a new person, better than the one he was before and ready to see what else his journey would teach him.
*As Rika sheathed her sword, memories of her parents and grandma sprang into her mind. Although her time with them was short, they are memories she treasures dearly. Rika then turns around to see Zeke unconscious*
(Rika): He only made it halfway through my story before he fell asleep. And just when it was starting to get interesting.
*Rika went over to the hill Zia fell from and jumped down to check on her*
***
*In Cinder’s undisclosed location*
(Cinder): How many years has it been Ryuuji since we last met? You never wrote, you never called, and you had the nerve to go and marry another woman. Did you really hate me that much?
(Ryuuji): I don’t hate you Cinder. Our engagement was broken off and it was impossible to write or call you without knowing where you were.
(Cinder): You’ve done well for yourself, Ryuuji. Even though you’ve strayed from the path you were meant to follow. Now, it’s time for you to take your rightful place at my side as the co-leader of the New Sun.
(Ryuuji): I will not do it, Cinder. I know what you’re planning, and you have to stop. We’re no longer chained to the past of our parents. Stop this madness. I can talk to the fire sage. Get you a reduced sentence.
(Cinder): So naïve. Always thinking of others before yourself. That was always a trait I liked about you.
*Cinder walks up to Ryuuji and places her right hand on his cheek before kissing him on the lips. Ryuuji felt as if his mouth was on fire and his mind was becoming clouded. Once Cinder pulled away, Ryuuji could feel his body heating up and blue markings began appearing all over his body. Ryuuji struggled trying to break his chains and get free but had no luck*
(Cinder): Don’t try to fight it. Give in to the flame. Let it show you the truth and awaken you to the man you were meant to be.
(Ryuuji): RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!
Author’s Note: In this chapter, I wanted to show off Rika’s fighting style. I must admit I struggled with Rika’s style for a long time. Rika’s character is largely inspired by Persona, which, as you know, is my favorite game. So I took the characters of Mitsuru, Makoto, and Maya to create her character. I wanted to make her fighting style Persona-based as well, but didn’t know how to incorporate that into her sword style. But then I remembered the major arcana story and thought what if I based her style off of that? Originally, it was just going to be different sword styles similar to Kai, but I didn’t want to repeat myself and have these two overlap each other, so I scrapped that idea. I then decided to just make them different attacks in her sword style but felt that wasn’t good enough. I wanted to show how her powers come from her connection to others and thus created The Fool’s Story. Every attack would be based off an arcana and the power of the attack would be based off of Rika’s relationship with the person she connects to said card. I then tweaked the arcana story up for the novel. I very pleased with how it turned out and hopefully you all liked it too. Hopefully, Shadow Eye can all meet up soon because it looks like Ryuuji is in danger. Tune in next week as we celebrate chapter 100. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.