The Four Wheel Saga Book 1: THE LEGACY TRIALS

The six canoes drifted sluggishly in the kegare creek. The famished young warriors were having a late breakfast- rice balls and boiled eggs. The warrior code of Karasuma was very particular about nutrition. It prescribed two conservative meals a day- one for energy and protein (eggs, fish, meat, along with rice) and the other to fulfil essential nutrients (nuts, vegetables, fruits).

Canoe 2: Shigeo (M,15), Akako (F, 16), Kento (M, 16)

Canoe 3: Hajime (M, 20), Megumin (F, 19), Yuuta (M, 20)

Canoe 4: Daigo (M, 20), Kafu (M, 19), Chiyo (F, 17)

Canoe 5: Nadeko (F, 15), Illumi (M, 15), Masaki (M, 15)

The waterborne vessels of the aspirants, ingrained with sailing kitsu, had been made to float abreast each other so that the group could commune with ease. The Preceptors’ canoe was coasting ahead, while Yorokobi’s vessel was trailing behind, both divorced from the rest. They had doggedly decided not to let the events of the morning be repeated.

The setting of nature and natural sounds was soothing- a motley of birds chirping away, insects buzzing in and out, frogs croaking to their mates, all in the backdrop of the babbling creek water. The young ones found a bunch of low-hanging berries. Daigo sacrificed one of his petty knives to drop a dense bunch from a vine.

During times of war, however, the warrior code was eased. The present circumstances were undoubtedly not war-like, but the danger they had escaped from, an hour back, at the least, entitled them to a late breakfast, with sweet forest berries for dessert. The only other edible things within reach were mushrooms of different colours, growing on tree trunks or rocks, on either bank. But it was difficult to tell the palatable ones from the poisonous ones. Only Kafu, being a Shibai Sharin priest, refrained from food, as he was fasting for the day. Instead, he drank from a flask, which reeked of wild saffron and bush-lilac.

Nadeko: “Did you figure it out?“

Masaki: “Figure out what?”

Illumi: “How Keiji sensei ran on water, of course, you airhead!”

The three youngest in the group were also the most vulnerable. The recent events had put the fear of the goddess in them. Nadeko was a petite, round-faced girl who resembled a doll. Illumi was a curious, lean teenager, always brimming with energy. Masaki was an artistic but brooding kid who kept to himself most of the time. The latter was weaving a miniature basket from leaves when Nadeko disturbed him. All three of them had been strong-armed by their ambitious parents to become aspirants.

The Legacy trials had been announced suddenly, almost two years in advance, which caught many senior aspirant-warriors unawares. During the trials-recess (the gap between two consecutive trials) of three years, aspirants made productive use of their time- explored employment opportunities with wealthy clients of other villages (especially Karasuki)- as bodyguards, or became training instructors, or accepted village sanctioned long-term missions. They planned it so that they returned, just before the trials- experienced, seasoned and flush with gold. In the absence of the serious aspirants, influential parents from

“Tell

“It was kitsu. What else could it

“Perhaps he cast pellets of kitsu into the

not very sharp for her age. The boys left no stone unturned, making fun of her dullness. Megumin was a robust girl, as tall as, and beefier than, the boys, who were about five feet ten tall. In her formidable strength lay her gifts. Hajime and Yuuta were both champions of kitsu. The bulwark-trio regretted not participating in the rescue earlier. But there is little

wear any rarefied shoes that displace

it was as if he was gliding. Or more accurately, as if

Kafu was gangly, spoke in a low voice, and addressed everyone with reverence and honorifics. Daigo’s apprenticeship in the smithery, and Kafu’s exposure

and athletic, with straight, silky hair and amaranthine-blue

Chiyo: “I am very

had little to do with her reasoning. It was also challenging to

“Perhaps he is blessed by

Most of the guys shook their heads. It was reasonably easy to disagree with a gangly, fasting priest, who drank saffron-lilac water and had spent most

From the other canoe, Shigeo tch-tch-ed

of attention then, Shigeo proceeded to grin ominously and prick his spectacles up his nose

grand-standing. Out

anything. It did not have anything to do with Kento being the de-facto leader of the under-age warriors. Kento had always protected him from bullying, by the older Mikashita cousins, through

well. But I will scrutinize Keiji sensei’s feat later. First, let me unravel Yuuki-sensei’s attack. It was a high-level kitsu-manipulation called synthesis. There is an advanced book in the citadel library titled- Material-synthesis-kitsu, which covers this topic. Synthesis is very different from our usual manipulation.

put out his right hand and muttered a few words. A singular fire-shrew sprung from his palm; he carefully planted it into a clay bowl and handed over the

live shrew. Because here, we have only fire-attribute. Yuuki-sensei’s kitsu lance was through synthesis- in which he fabricated physical matter, by mixing all elemental attributes. The