The Fear Of Death Confounds Me: A Wizard101 Novel

Chapter 25: Emperor Yoshihito

The next day I went home a champion, they had a giant parade just for me, apparently Merle was prouder about this than me trying to save the spiral, which in retrospect I realized I should have been getting back to. I'm itching to get my hands on Malistaire and end him and his pathetic attempt at ruining the spiral once and for all. I was in Merle's office after the festivities had died down; I was sitting in the chair in front of his desk. He looked over at me with a smile.

"You've made Ravenwood proud, my dear. Thank you for indulging me in this request; I know you think it was a waste of time."

"Maybe at first but, it wasn't a total waste of time after all..."

A small smile crept its way onto my face as I remembered the moments James and I shared, I was snapped out of it when I realized the smirk on Merle's face.

"So I take it you and Malorn finally...?"

I looked back at him in confusion.

"Finally...what?"

He raised his eyebrow suggestively.

"You know what I'm talking about, Emily. Have you finally admitted what there is between you?"

"Oh come- You too? Why is everyone so invested in my relationship with Malorn?" I sighed heavily, before looking back at Merle. "No. I met someone."

"Oh? Tell me about him."

"Maybe when I decide what to make of this first."

"Whatever you desire, my dear."

In that moment, Merle's phone rang. He gave me an apologetic look and answered it, a holographic projection of Emperor Yoshihito of Mooshu appeared, he was a humanoid gray bull, with horns that shined brighter than the Wizard city sun, and was dressed in ceremonial royal Mooshu robes, dark red in color. He looked hurt, a dire look on his face as he clutched his side in agony, hunched over from the pain. His voice came out in labored whispers.

"...he...took...the key."

The Emperor then collapsed, the line cutting out. Malistaire has the key. Shit! Ambrose looked at me clearly distressed. He got up from his chair, rushing to one of his cabinets where he pulled out a spiral key, and rushed over to me, handing it over.

"Go help the Emperor."

"But what about Malistaire?"

"He can wait, this is more important."

"But Merle-"

His eyes filled with more emotion than I'd ever seen before as he cut me off.

"-Please."

I sighed heavily nodding and taking the spiral key from Merle. I rushed towards the door, when Merle's voice rang out.

"I'll tell the others to catch up, just in case!"

I teleported myself to the spiral door where I used the key to get myself to Mooshu. I was met by a beautiful room, with a circular lake filled with lily pads, cherry blossom petals, a medley of fountains and curved mahogany bridges to cross to various parts of the spiral room. It looked very peaceful like a spa or a dojo with a bunch of gongs hung around the room, very feng shui. Had I not been in a hurry I would have stopped to appreciate the beauty of the room, but I needed to save the Emperor. I never realized the Emperor meant so much to Merle, I feel like there's a story there, one I should ask about after this entire ordeal. I was rushing through the streets of Mooshu's market place, where various vendors were selling things inside their huts and pergolas; from jewelry to jade colored robes. I got to the metallic colored marble steps leading me to the courtyard of the jade palace, greenery with a blue lake smack dab in the middle showed up in my view, beautiful cherry blossom and burning auburn leave trees all around me, in the far corner of the courtyard steps leading to a dojo and a giant statue of a cow in the middle of the lake. Oh that's similar to the statue that James had sent me before. That's when I saw it. The Jade palace; in the same rich mahogany color from earlier, the Chinese architecture bleeding through, it was indescribable. This place makes our castle look like a dive bar. I ran up the silver colored stairs to the guard who was standing in front of the large jade doors.