Pompeii (1)
On one side of the basin stood a massive temple. Anyone could tell at a glance it was Pompeii's abode.
"Didn't Pompeii hate humans?"
Sia's near-mutter drew a response from Terra, who was hustling along on her short legs.
[I built it for him.]
"You did?"
[A few years back, he brought some picture and asked me to make it exactly like that.]
He hated humans but loved that architecture? Like the saying to hate the sin but not the sinner—maybe artworks and artists were separate entities after all.
A temple...
Pompeii's temple was carved from rock, much like Earth's rock temples. The difference was that Terra's creation hadn't been chiseled into the basin wall—it had erupted outward from the stone itself. No big feat for an Earth spirit of her caliber.
[Pompeii must be away.]
As Aqua said, no signs of life emanated from the temple. Just a few baby salamanders crawling on the outer walls.
[He might be at the Giant Cave.]
[He often goes to comfort the spirits there.]
A cave that size surely had multiple entrances. They could've easily missed each other.
"Perfect timing, then. There's something I wanted to check."
I led the way toward Pompeii's temple.
The interior was empty. A few scattered petals lay on the barren floor.
"Way too big for one person."
[He used to sleep here with all the salamanders before... you know.]
"The salamanders left Pompeii's side?"
[Not sure if he chased them off or they just left.]
I strode deeper into the temple, scanning the surroundings.
[Why are you going in there? Looking for something?]
Aqua asked.
"If some external force is behind all this, there has to be a trace somewhere in here."
I wasn't suspecting Pompeii. But I was certain black water lurked nearby.
"Mandu has no memories of the Spirit Realm because he was reverse-summoned to the human world right after birth."
[Mm. Makes sense.]
"Then tell me, Aqua—where do living water and colored winds form the most?"
Living water was the raw aggregate of nature and spirit power before it became an undine. It naturally formed near potent spirit energy sources.
[The Spirit Kings, of— Ah!]
Aqua's eyes widened at Mandu.
Mandu had likely hatched near Pompeii. And been whisked to the human world soon after.
[Of course! Then someone's definitely in Pompeii's nest! Maybe hiding on the ceiling!]
She was channeling some ninja from that cartoon we'd watched recently. Aqua peered intently at the ceiling.
But no outsiders seemed to be lurking here.
Even as a young Spirit King, Pompeii wouldn't miss a human hiding in his own home.
Besides, who knew how many baby salamanders had died before Mandu? Kidnapping them one by one to the human world without Pompeii noticing?
Any awakener capable of that wouldn't skulk around in secret.
That left one possibility. I whispered to Sia.
"Tell me if you sense any mana."
"Mana?"
"Might be artifact terrorism."
Artifacts were items imbued with power, granting special abilities—like the Spirit Realm's trident. The difference? Spirit power in the trident, mana in what we sought.
Spirits couldn't sense mana, so an artifact nearby would slip past them.
If it had a kidnapping trait, that'd explain a lot.
Sia's expression turned odd.
"You feel mana?"
She nodded. I sensed nothing yet, but Sia was S-rank.
Sia took the lead toward the mana source. Soon we reached the temple's innermost chamber—the one spot in the vast emptiness that felt lived-in.
[Pompeii's room!]
The modest space brimmed with his traces. Walls bore drawings: a massive white spirit and a small red one playing together. The floor held scattered human-world items—blankets, crayons, books.
[Whoa! Where'd Pompeii get all this?]
[Gifts, he said.]
[Mm, mm! Now it feels like a spirit's room!]
Aqua and Terra began poking around curiously. As Aqua noted, this was the only vibrant corner of the sprawling temple.
And mana—impossible in the Spirit Realm—flowed here too.
"......"
"......"
Sia and I locked eyes on the same spot. Now I felt the artifact's mana too.
It emanated from one comic book amid a pile in the corner.
Sia stared at me in shock.
"For real...?"
"Yeah. Artifact terrorism."
I approached the shelf and picked up the emanating comic. No immediate danger—some condition must prevent activation, since Pompeii hadn't noticed yet.
Did this snag the baby salamanders?
Figuring its power would need human-world help. I flipped it open. Pages worn to rags—same for dozens on the shelf.
A high schooler with black flames from his right arm battled a giant dragon.
Speech bubbles in Japanese.
Spirits understood all tongues, so no issue for Pompeii.
"Terra. These are gifts to Pompeii? From the Wind Spirit King?"
Wind's domain was Japan.
[From the Wind Spirit King and his contractor.]
I met Sia's gaze.
No way.
A Spirit King's contractor harming spirits? With a banned artifact, no less—illegal under international law.
I pocketed the comic. Interpretation was iffy without tools, but we'd hit the truth.
Mandu found mid-East Sea? This comic explained it.
Now, Pompeii's 'corruption'...
As I glanced around, the spirits had gone quiet.
[Sniff...]
Aqua was even sniffling tears.
I checked the wall painting she'd fixated on. Crudely drawn by Pompeii: a huge white spirit (Sylph?) and a red one (himself) holding hands.
Hold on. That white spirit...?
As I leaned closer, Niagara spoke.
[Sia. This is the Wind Spirit King.]
Niagara held a framed picture. Japanese text around a beaming Wind Spirit King with a mint muffler.
Mandu sniffed it close, wrinkling his chin in a weary cry.
[Sisit...]
We who understood fell silent.
"What'd he say?"
Sia—the only one here who couldn't—asked me.
"Smells like tears."
Her eyes widened in shock, then softened in pity.
"Tears from a very, very long time ago."
Silence enveloped us. Gazes shifted from wall drawings to the frame.
Wind Spirit King...
I knew Pompeii resented humans for his death. But not this deep.
Obsessively rereading comics bought by Wind during his chuunibyou phase, painting tributes, clutching relics while sobbing to sleep?
[...My fault.]
Niagara's face twisted in anguish.
[Close friend to Wind, yet I missed how much Pompeii suffered.]
He shook his head in self-reproach.
[Thought he'd overcome it. But such wounds don't fade easily.]
Terra touched Niagara's arm.
[Not your fault. You suffered too.]
[You and Pompeii are different. I'm old, lost a friend. He lost family.]
[Same loss. No need to blame yourself.]
Niagara met Terra's eyes, then bowed his head.
[...Thank you.]
Aqua lunged into a hug. Niagara blinked down in surprise.
[Sniff... Don't you ever die!]
Empathizing with Pompeii, Aqua felt pity for friends and terror of loss.
Niagara smiled faintly, patting her back.
[Worry not. How could I die leaving you?]
Empty words maybe, but Aqua sighed in relief.
Pompeii isn't corrupted.
No fallen king here. No black-water schemer. Just a kid in chuunibyou, lost in grief for his father.
Whoosh—
Wind carried sad floral scents and Pompeii's searing heat.
We turned. Framed by the temple entrance, the sylph flower field—planted basin-wide in Wind's memory—bloomed. Tears' garden as picture frame, Wind's son glared at us.
* * *
Pompeii glared, radiating furious heat.
[Intruding the Spirit Realm uninvited wasn't enough? Sneaking into a Spirit King's chamber? How far must you trample this realm to sate yourselves?]
He advanced slowly. Entering the temple's shadow, he narrowed his eyes and halted.
[What's with those looks?]
We were speechless.
Pompeii spotted Niagara's frame, lips twisting.
[...Don't you dare pity me. Especially you humans. Makes me want to gouge and sear those eyes.]
[How could we not!]
Aqua cried, voice breaking.
Pompeii smirked.
[I said I'd banish you from the Spirit Realm. Pity from you is just looking down on me?]
[Was Wind your only family? Aren't we more than friends—family too?]
[Spirits who follow humans aren't family to me.]
He coldly branded Aqua a traitor. But her tears flowed—for him.
I gently scooped Aqua into my arms. She buried her face in my chest, soaking it instantly.
[Sisit!]
Mandu wailed from my shoulder.
Pompeii shook his head.
[Foolish child. Raised too young on human drugs, blind to the world.]
[Pompeii. Stop hurting others to isolate yourself.]
Niagara stepped forward.
[Wounds can heal. Enough... leave the past behind.]
[Wounds don't heal. They scar. Scars are forever present.]
[Pompeii...]
Pompeii turned to Terra.
[You showing up is unexpected. Thought death's kin would understand me.]
Terra shook her head.
[You're insulting death.]
[...Insulting?]
[Death means oblivion. The dead have a right to be forgotten.]
Terra stated firmly.
[Wind wouldn't want this.]
[......]
Pompeii's lips clamped shut, twitching.
[Easy for you—you have Uluru.]
His voice grated like metal.
[You have Uluru, Niagara. You haven't endured this, so you can say that.]
His mint muffler fluttered skyward.
Terra fell silent. Aqua and Niagara too.
Pompeii was right. We couldn't grasp his pain.
Aqua sniffled up at me.
[What do we do?]
Her tear-filled eyes pleaded pitifully.
[How to save Pompeii?]
I patted her back.
"You want to save him?"
[Yes!]
"Because he's a friend?"
[Friend! Family! Precious spirit!]
My priority was my spirits'—Aqua's—safety. But if she wanted to save Pompeii, I'd step up anytime.
What she wanted was what I wanted.
I met Pompeii's eyes—seething with arrogant rage.
No more talking. Only action left.
I took a step toward him.
"Pompeii. You want other spirits to empathize with your pain and shun humans?"
I held his gaze. His feral eyes spat flames.
"Then show us. Unleash all five years of rage and sorrow on us."
Pent-up emotions needed a good purge.
Aqua—stunned, then nodding—leapt from my arms.
[He's right!]
Whether reading my intent or not, she squared her shoulders proudly.
[Pour all your rage on us! We'll take it!]
[...All of it?]
Pompeii smirked.
[You? What do you know? Who are you to—?]
Aqua declared boldly.
[Fellow Spirit King!]
Terra stood beside her.
[Friend.]
Mandu scurried onto her shoulder.
[Sisit!]
Family. That's what he cried.
[We'll take it all!]
Pompeii's face flickered surprise at Aqua's proclamation.
[...Kukuku...]
He covered his face with one hand. Red heterochromatic eyes gleamed through fingers.
[Friendship games and family play in this moment...? Can't watch with eyes open.]
Pompeii flung his muffler skyward.
[Fine. Try taking it! Fail, and burn in my red fury!]
Whoosh!
Flames swept his body. In their wake stood a dragon.
As duel loomed, flames' updraft wove mint muffler and white petals beautifully across the sky.