The city atmosphere was so busy, full of residents, kagena and reva walking on the outskirts of town. The buildings are tall and there are several shops on the side of the road and several vehicles on the road. Kagena felt bored while walking with Reva and the person Reva was taking with him.
"Today is really beautiful, isn't it, Kagena? I think we can spend our time walking around to the fullest," said Reva with a smile while crossing his arms.
Kagena looked at Reva with an annoyed expression. He put his hands in his pockets and replied in a suppressed tone of annoyance.
"Yes... what a nice day. But, I have one question-" said Kagena while pointing to the person on his right.
"–WHY DID YOU INVITE RUYA, HUH!?!"
Kagena snapped and protested why Ruya came with them. Ruya smiled at Kagena but Kagena made an annoyed face. Why should a nobleman walk with them? Ruya then answered Kagena in a mocking tone.
"Oh my, Kagena, you're so mean to say that to me. It's rare for a noble to walk with a commoner, and even rarer for her to walk with two men at once."
Ruya smiled, but Kagena turned his head away, refusing to look at her in annoyance. Ruya was wearing black trousers, a long-sleeved black shirt with a white robe, black socks, and white sandals with a yin and yang logo on the back of the robe.
Reva clapped his hands together and immediately lowered them. "Okay, so what are we going to do today? Any suggestions? Like watching a movie or playing something?"
"Ah, what about-"
"Let's just play arcade machine."
Ruya smiled after delaying Kagena's words. Reva immediately raised his right thumb and nodded. "Alright, let's do it."
Kagena held back his anger and finally gave in and sighed, "Huh~ Okay, whatever you guys want. I'll just go along with it."
"Alright, then shall we?" said Ruya with a smile on her face.
Kagena's face was full of enthusiasm, a grin starting to emerge from his expression.
"Let's do it"
The three of them immediately headed towards the capital's intersection. With that excitement, they were all about to start the day with excitement, but… an unknown man was watching them from afar.
"The target has been set, it's time to start the plan."
A few moments later, the three of them arrived in front of the arcade shop and went inside. However…
"MAN, WHAT KIND OF MANIPULATION IS THIS!?"
Kagena was furious while holding the arcade machine. The game they play is "Death Ball" which focuses on the user's skill in putting the ball into a box that is filled with many stone obstacles. Seeing Kagena frustrated, Reva grinned and immediately wanted to try it.
"Kagena… guess it's my turn. Now, watch me." said Reva while standing in front of the machine with a confident grin.
"This game's rigged, there's no way you can get that ball in." Kagena said while watching from the side, his frustration still lingering on his face.
Ruya appeared beside Kagena, looking at the arcade game window. "But it's really hard. You should use your grusha to focus better."
"No no, there's no way he can. The speed of the box to rotate left and right is faster than the speed of the eye. You're actually undermining the machine" said Kagena while crossing his arms, his observation made him sure that Reva would fail in this matter.
Reva began inserting coins into the machine. The chest began to spin, rocks appearing from the top and bottom. The chest began to shift left and right so quickly that it was hard to see. Reva began to focus his eyes on the chest, then he narrowed one eye and pulled the lever beside him to direct the ball. Kagena, who saw this, immediately said something bad in his mind.
[Please, just fail. You know this game's rigged. If I fall then you have to fall with me too.]
Kagena immediately tried to shake the arcade machine with his right foot slowly so as not to be seen, but Ruya immediately caught him, staring at him with a suppressed look of annoyance. Ruya then stepped on Kagena's foot with her left foot and Kagena immediately felt pain 'Ughh?!!' and immediately held his right foot and stepped back.
Reva heard something, he turned to the right side because he heard a pained voice from Kagena.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Why is Kagena in pain?"
"He accidentally kicked the arcade machine because he slipped. Just continue playing!" Ruya said with a smile on her face.
"Alright, then, I'll continue" Reva immediately returned his focus to the arcade machine.
Reva immediately released his purple grusha around his body. The speed of the chest slowed down in Reva's eyes. With a running start, he prepared to shoot the ball.
"In 1... 2... THERE!!!"
Reva immediately released the lever and the ball immediately shot up, through the rock barrier and finally entered the box perfectly.
"Good job, Reva! Your skills are truly impressive!" said Ruya with a smile and clapped her hands.
"Hm... not bad, you're just lucky." Kagena denied Reva's success and put on a normal expression without a smile.
Reva then approached Kagena, whispering something in his right ear.
[Bro, if you have any skill issues, just tell me. I won't be embarrassed, because I know about it.]
Reva then patted Kagena's left shoulder and then rushed to Ruya. Kagena gritted his teeth while holding back his anger at being humiliated by Reva.
"This damn bastard… How can I beat him?
Kagena thought, He looked around the place. Then, he found a machine that he thought could defeat Reva there.
"Hihi… There." Kagena said while grinning confidently.
Kagena immediately approached Reva, who was talking to Ruya. He held Reva's shoulder and Reva turned to the right.
"How about we try to solve our problem there?" Kagena said while pointing behind him with his right thumb, toward the beating machine.
Reva, who heard the challenge, immediately grinned and accepted the challenge, "Alright, let's end this."
The three of them immediately walked towards the machine. Kagena began inserting coins and immediately grabbed the hammer that was leaning on his left.
"TAKE THIS!!!!" 'BAM!' Kagena hit the machine right in the red circle and the meter showed {8923}.
"Oh my, that's almost 9000!" said Ruya, surprised by the number.
Kagena immediately lowered the hammer and pointed at Reva confidently, "HA! BEAT THAT!"
"Sure..." Reva immediately headed in front of the machine and Kagena immediately stepped aside. Reva then took the hammer and raised it, ready to hit it. He immediately released his grusha, and this time it came out of his body in a larger size.
"WAIT, DON'T US-"
"ALL OR NOTHING!"
Ruya tried to warn Reva, but Reva immediately hit the machine with all his strength, destroying it instantly. Kagena was stunned, not knowing what to say to what he saw.
"..."
A minute of silence fell, the three of them confused and unsure what to do. Reva put the hammer on the floor and turned around, only to bump into a tall man in a black tank top and white pants, wearing a white hat.
"So… It seems like you guys are really happy, destroying my stuff?" said the shop owner in a tone of suppressed annoyance.
"Hmm… well, sir, we can explain." Ruya tried to explain what happened to the owner.
The owner looked at Ruya with a gripping gaze, the atmosphere became tense and cold, "Then, what can you explain to me if not for actions like this? I have already put a rule in front of the door not to use grusha or environmental around the arcade. Are you blind?"
"Then, let me compensate yo-"
"GET OUT FROM HERE AND NEVER RETURN!"
After the owner shouted at the three of them, the three of them were immediately kicked out of the arcade and they ended up in front of the arcade shop.
"If only…" Kagena turned to Reva in annoyance while pulling on his jacket.
"IF ONLY YOU DIDN'T USE GRUSHA, WE COULD STILL PLAY IT! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, HUH!?!" said Kagena in an annoyed tone, scolding Reva for his silly actions.
"IF ONLY YOU HAD NOT PROVOCATED ME FIRST!" Reva snapped back at Kagena, pulling his jacket off too.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"Okay, calm down guys, we're being watched by a lot of people."
Ruya calmed them both down, and Kagena and Reva looked around, seeing everyone staring at them. They both immediately let go of each other's grips, awkwardly standing there.
"Yeah, you're right. Then let's just go," Kagena asked, embarrassed.
"Yeah, sure, let's go," Reva replied shyly.
"Then, let's just go to the museum? I also want to go there today!" Ruya immediately walked, pulling Kagena and Reva's hands at the same time. They finally walked straight to the museum which was located around the center of the capital city on the left side.
A few minutes later, they arrived in front of the museum. It was large, with a fairly long staircase and a gold statue of a woman in an imperial uniform, posing with a sword. There are several fountains and several large trees.
"Okay, we've arrived at the 'white knowledge' museum. I'll pay for your entrance tickets because I got a discount due to my family's connections here."
Ruya immediately rushed into the museum first while Kagena and Reva were still outside.
"So.. uh… hm…" Kagena tries to talk to Reva. He regrets what he said earlier, but he still lacks the confidence to speak.
"Sorry fo-"
"Sorry for my rudeness."
Reva looked down at Kagena, apologizing for his actions.
"Because of me, we can't even enter it anymore." said Reva, apologetically.
Seeing Reva's apology, Kagena immediately held his shoulder and Reva looked at Kagena.
"I was wrong too, so, there's no need. But if you insist on an apology, I'll accept it." Kagena replied happily, his eyes reflecting the joy in his heart.
Reva widened his eyes, a smile spreading across his face. He then stood up straight and immediately raised his fist, intending to give Kagena a high five.
"Thank you, I appreciate it."
"Me too."
Kagena then placed his fist on Reva's, forming a friendly high five. Their bond of friendship grew stronger with the absence of hatred between them.
"Hey! I already bought the tickets! Come on in!"
Ruya shouted from afar, then Kagena and Reva heard it and they both walked towards there. When they arrived inside, the museum contained a lot of historical items. There were books, weapons, a space stone, and much more.
"Wow... I've rarely been to a museum this big and with so many items" Kagena said in an amazed tone, her eyes widening in amazement at the sight of so many items.
"But it's also crowded, there are so many people here" said Reva while looking around at the many people looking at the items.
"Yeah, but also interesting!" Ruya said with a smile.
"Hmm... what is that?" Kagena pointed to one of the white swords with crimson lines that looked fragile and old.
"That? That's a sword from the time of the First Empress that was used by ancient royal princes. That sword was called 'Crimson Cloud River'." Ruya said while walking with them.
"How about that?" Reva pointed to the left, towards an old shield that was on display gathering dust.
"It was a shield used by a general during the time of the second emperor. It was worn by one of his subordinates who protected the emperor from thousands of people. Its name was 'falling night storm'." Ruya explained that to Reva.
"Then what is that in front of us? It looks like a map." Kagena stopped, looking at what looked like a map that stretched down from the top with many names.
Ruya walked closer to the map and stopped right in front of it while Reva stopped beside Kagena about 10 meters from the map.
"This is... a map of the history of this world in simple terms!" Ruya said that while pointing to the top of the map. There was a woman wearing imperial clothing while in a sitting pose.
"Is that... Xan Yuki? The First Empress? Why does she look different from the history books at school?" Kagena asked with a curious expression.
"That's because the picture in this museum is taken directly from the original painting of the First Empress that is kept in the imperial palace. That's what makes it more perfect and similar to the original," said Ruya with a smile on her face.
"Then, is the story in the book different from here? Or is it more different here?" Reva said, approaching the map while looking at the black line down from the picture of the First Empress.
Ruya sighed, preparing to explain as simply as possible. "Well, it's different here. So here's the real story."
"In the era of about 500 thousand years ago, there was a great war between 5 great kingdoms. Because the war was caused by elders and kings who only wanted everything to belong to them, the 5 kingdoms sent all their troops and soldiers to fight each other. " Ruya explained, there is a picture where the kingdoms were at war, the soldiers joined in the battlefield and many casualties.
"Then, in that war, a girl stood alone. She said, 'This war is useless and only causes more hatred and casualties. Why do you all want to follow your superiors' orders, if you yourself are killing each other? Is this a matter of ideology? Or just a selfish act?'. Then, the woman stopped the war conflict temporarily with her great power in the middle of the war. " Ruya explained more about the past, with a black line descending down to the image of the empress standing while being seen among the group of people who were fighting.
"When the situation had begun to calm down, the woman went to the kingdom of the people, calling each king to consult with her. When all the kings had been summoned, the woman talked about the situation of the kings. Some wanted power, some wanted to make their people not suffer and there were even those who wanted to create a better world. At that time, the woman was confused, not knowing what to do."
The black line goes down again to the image where the Empress is confused, not knowing what to do in this situation.
"In that ignorance, an assassination attempt occurred on the woman by one of the kingdoms but was successfully prevented and in the end the king who killed the woman was imprisoned due to one of the agreements that had been made by the 5 kingdoms before. Because he was pressed by the situation and most of the citizens of each kingdom were dying and many had died, he was appointed emperor of the 5 kingdoms directly. The kings were no longer strong because they could not bear the burden on their backs." the black line went down again to the picture where the empress sat on the throne and the kings knelt before her.
"After her position rose to the position of emperor, the woman immediately united the kingdom into all the kingdoms into 1. The world after that had no conflict, everything was peaceful and calm. Food increased, nobles and ordinary families experienced extraordinary happiness. At times like that she was known as the greatest emperor in all history, the first empress, 'Xan Yuki'. The black line descends again to the image where many hands are pointing to Xan Yuki who is in the air, as if she is the goddess herself who descended from the sky.
"Why does he look so perfect in the original story? It doesn't make sense," Kagena asked strangely.
"Can you please be quiet for a moment?" Ruya said with a smile that seemed to be holding back anger.
"Ye- yes.." Kagena said in a low tone, falling silent again.
"However, after her life was over and she died, several factions sought to ascend to power, destroy everything she had created, and split the world into the three parts we know today: the Qing Shi, the Shudoku, and the Gozaka. That's the story in simple terms. In school, teachers often talk about Xan Yuki's greatness and prowess but don't tell the full story. And that's the end," said Ruya with a smile, looking at the painting and the lines from top to bottom.
Reva thought, his mind racing with questions.
"Why would a faction want to gain power after the First Empress's death? Shouldn't they know that taking power will only have negative consequences for the future?"
"Because they are human."
Kagena answered with a serious tone and gaze.
"Basically, the First Empress built everything from scratch. Well, not from scratch, but she had amassed a lot of resources throughout the world and a lot of citizens followed her. Do you remember what Ruya was talking about earlier? The one where one of the kings wanted power? It was likely that a faction of the kingdom wanted to wait for the First Empress to die before taking power because if they acted first when the First Empress was in power, they would surely be immediately defeated and executed."
Kagena explained, his tone serious with her face thinking about it while crossing her arms.
"Hmm... you have a point," said Reva while thinking, he put his hand on his chin.
"And also, the First Empress herself said that our struggle will be more difficult than hers, because we have to fight our own corrupted nation rather than her who only united the entire kingdom. That was her message in one of the diaries in the 'Galaxy' library. Most of the wars and discrimination that are happening now are probably because of that faction. But no matter what, we must not lose to them."
Ruya said, her eyes full of determination with a smile on her face. Kagena and Reva nodded together, they knew that if only this world could be better than it is now and they wouldn't give up on pursuing their dreams.
A few minutes later, and…
"So- Sorry.. I found myself with a stomach ache because I ate a lot of spicy food this morning.. I'll be back soon!" said Kagena while holding his stomach, his face getting paler and he immediately ran to look for a toilet.
"Huh... bruh, I think he was pretending not to hold it in," said Reva while exhaling a disappointed sigh.
"Fufu~ But that's what I expected from Kagena. It's full of surprises," Ruya said while giggling in a teasing tone.
"By the way, I have a question about the Sky Festival" Reva asked Ruya with a curious expression.
Ruya looked at Reva with a curious expression too, "Yes? What is it?"
"Mr. Kozaki said that the first exam is a writing exam, but which chapter will it be? Is it all? Or what? I also still don't know if this exam will be official or not because this is a new thing in our school." Reva asked Ruya, his expression full of curiosity.
"Probably starting from chapter 1 to chapter 3, but I don't really know. My female friends said it should be in those chapters" Ruya answered while holding her chin, her face full of uncertainty about the upcoming exam.
"Hmm.. alright, I'll take a note. Thanks, Ruya." Reva said, with a soft tone and a smile of thanks.
"Sure, no problem." Ruya smiled back at Reva.
"Oh, anyways-"
"GET ON THE GROUND!!! ALL OF YOU!!!"
A dark scream came from the direction of the museum door, and many people ran in panic. Then, an explosion was heard and the museum debris collapsed. Reva and Ruya were shocked, not knowing what had happened. At the same time, Reva saw a small child crying behind ruya and debris about to hit him
"WATCH OUT!" Reva screamed and immediately aimed at the little boy while activating his grusha. Large debris immediately fell from above and was about to hit the boy, but... 'HAP!' Reva managed to catch and save the little boy.
"Are you okay?"
"Ye.. yes.. thanks, mister."
The little boy was scared, his voice trembling, so Reva immediately put him down. Then the child's mother immediately picked her child up. He lowered his head and immediately ran, and Reva was shocked.
"Shit, what the hell happened?"
"Reva, are you okay?" Ruya came and stood beside him. Then, she released her life energy and environmental light. Her hands glowed, her body gave off a white aura and she immediately pressed all the debris before it fell, then slowly repaired the cracks.
"Well, that's not what we expected."
A voice came from behind them, Reva immediately turned her head and a laser shot made a small hole in Ruya's left thigh but Ruya still maintained her position to press the debris.
"WHO ARE YOU!?!" Reva shouted, his tone filled with anger but also wariness. A new threat had emerged from the shadows, right in front of him a white-haired man, wearing a red vest and black trousers with a red falcon logo on the front of his vest. Carrying a red pistol made of grusha and a multitude of troops.
"I think it's time we do this, huh?" he said with a grin.
There are so many people kneeling before Ruya and Reva, what is this? an attack? terrorism? arrest? or something else? Where is Kagena in the bathroom? Will Reva and Ruya be able to survive and fight against the threat in front of them? No one knows for sure, but a miracle will come with them.