In the realm of Zariel, every person can manipulate one of the four elements their zodiac belongs to - Fire, Earth, Air or Water.
Tamie Wingfield dreams to become the greatest Zodiac Master of all time. For that, she decides to join the Rose Cruce...
Evening came at last and the girls rushed out to have fun in the city, while Riza and Edmund went to a restaurant together.
The Cherry Blossom Festival was an event full of happiness and joy - they put out many trinkets and items in open markets, and street performers amused the crowd right in the streets. Many attractions would open exclusively on this day, like Element Shooting galleries - people shot at targets with their respective elements and won prizes. One could also buy many candies. The main colours were pink and red, and at night, people would watch how cherry blossoms fell off the trees under the starry sky and would make wishes that would definitely come true.
The Cherry Blossom Festival was also a good occasion for lovers to celebrate together, and of course, it was believed one could meet one's significant other on this particular day if one desired strongly enough.
The girls had quite a fun time. They ran through the streets, bought candies, had fun in amusing attractions, and shot in Element Shooting galleries. Cherrie won the most prizes as the Battler Class and the Fire element user.
"Haha! This is awesome!" Tamie was joyful.
"You said it, sis!" Tiger grinned. Her dog Blizzard happily barked beside her. He too had quite a good time.
Tamie heard beautiful tunes of the eastern lands. She widened her eyes and ran in the direction these melodies were coming from.
"Huh? Tamie, wait!" Tiger and the girls rushed after their friend.
Tamie was running, with her heart heavily beating.
Can't be! Melodies from Kenshin? It's wonderful!
Kenshin was the country where one of her male protagonists, Byakuya, was from. Byakuya was her muse, or, more precisely, one of his faces... But who cared?! It was Kenshinese melodies!
Tamie noticed a large crowd gathered at the edge of the street, near cherry blossom trees. She accessed the crowd and elbowed her way through it. She saw a thirty-year-old musician playing Kenshinese melodies on his flute. She widened her eyes - this guy was gorgeous, with his long black hair tied in a ponytail and that wonderful black kimono... and, even a Katana blade?!
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Goodness... He is truly from Kenshin!
Tamie's heart banged. It was so cool to finally see a man from Kenshin!
I should ask him things, to use the information in my story!
As a writer, Tamie was curious about every country's culture. When it came to Kenshin, where her muse Byakuya was from, she needed to absorb every kind of information.
The young man continued playing on his flute. The people who were enraptured by his music would drop some coins into the conical hat he had put on the ground. Tamie listened with everyone when her Star-gadget rang. The people around her glared at her. Tamie blushed from embarrassment. She answered her Star-gadget with a frown (It was, of course, Tiger's signal):
"What is it?"
"Where are you?" Tiger asked. "Where did you run off to, Tamie?"
"I... I'm listening to a musician here in the street," She answered. "You go without me, girls! I'll catch up with you later, okay?"
"Ah, alright."
Tiger dropped the call, apparently thinking Tamie was a weirdo. The latter didn't care. She turned her Star-gadget on vibration and continued listening to the young man's tunes. She got so elated that she dropped not just one or two, but ten gold coins in his hat.
It got dark. The lights turned on in the street. The crowd, although smaller, continued listening to the foreign melodies. Tamie too, stood and listened with the others.
Finally, the young man finished his last melody and stood up, bowing to the crowd. The people clapped. Tamie too applauded.
The people started disbanding. When there was no one left, the young man knelt and picked his hat up. He was surprised to find ten gold coins among the usual silver ones.
He felt someone's presence. He looked up and saw a young twenty-year-old girl gazing at him with her shimmering brown eyes. She wore a ring with an emblem... the Rose Cruce Order?! And she wore the Order ring on her left hand. His eyes widened but he quickly hid his astonishment.
"Hello!" He smiled.
"Now that was one blasting performance, sir! I-I am Tamie Wingfield. I'm a writer. I write a lot about Kenshin. You seem to know a lot about the country, you are even a Blade Warrior!" She pointed at his katana-blade. "So... would you mind sharing some information with me? The thing is, the male protagonist in one of my upcoming stories is a Blade Warrior from Kenshin too, so I... I would like to know more details about your Code!"
The young man blinked in surprise. He chuckled.
"It looks like we've got a true fan here! I'd be glad to share my culture. I am happy to meet you, Tamie Wingfield! My name is Byakuya von Drachen." He stretched his hand out.
Tamie froze. He said, von Drachen?! And... Byakuya?!
"Oh boy..." She laughed and shook his hand. "What a coincidence! My character's name is Byakuya too!"
"Now that's funny!"
"And, you said, 'von Drachen'? I've actually known a guy with that surname. His name was Erik," Tamie said.
"Oh?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, but how old are you?"
"Huh? I'm... nineteen, turning twenty this year. Why?"
"Erik von Drachen, huh?" Byakuya furrowed his brow. "Tamie Wingfield, right? I guess you're from the Rose Cruce." He looked at her ring.
"Um, yes." Tamie shrugged.
"Tamie Wingfield, the man you talk about - Erik von Drachen - was sealed away fourteen years ago, by five Bearers."
