Episode 14
Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow, Interlude
Tentei once destroyed everything in the world...
...and created thirteen new lands.
At the center of the world are the Koukai and Mt. Hou...
...which are entrusted to Seioubo.
The twelve rulers were placed in the twelve lands...
...and each ruler was granted a branch.
A snake was coiled around each branch, and they lifted up the sky.
Each branch also had three fruit growing on it...
...and the fruit fell and created the thrones, the kingdoms, and the lands.
And the branch became a pen.
That's how this world was created, according to legend.
The land sustains the people, the kingdom sustains the law...
...the pen gives rise to history and the throne symbolizes the virtue...
...which is embodied in the Kirin.
There are twelve kingdoms, twelve rulers...
...and twelve Kirin in the world.
Youko, you are one of the rulers.
And my Kirin is Keiki.
Rakushun
A Kirin chooses the ruler of a kingdom.
If Keiki chooses you, it means you are the Queen of Kei.
Youko Nakajima
Queen Kei
That day, he showed up in my school...
...and he pledged his loyalty to me.
W-Who are you?
I have been searching for you.
W-What?
D-Don't come closer.
I've never seen you before!
There is no mistake.
It is you.
You've got the wrong person!
How stubborn!
I swear never to desert my post before your throne.
W-What?
Accept it.
A-Accept?
If you value your life...
...please accept my protection.
W-What?
Now, quickly.
l-I accept...
A Kirin is a noble creature.
Loyal creature of nobility and reverence
A Kirin obeys only its ruler and never prostrates itself to anyone else.
What is a Kirin exactly?
Kirin
Youjyuu and Youma live in the Koukai.
The purpose of those beasts is beyond reason...
...but a Kirin is different from them.
A Kirin is a holy creature, and only twelve of them exist in this world.
They can assume human shape and possess many mysterious powers.
They are also the only ones who can recognize the rulers of their kingdoms.
When the Kirin's master makes bad judgments...
...the Kirin gets a sickness called Shitsudou.
The disease of Shitsudou
Until the next Kirin is born and chooses a new ruler...
...the kingdom remains without a Kirin or a ruler.
Keiki
A male Kirin is called "Ki"...
And a female Kirin is called "Rin."
Kourin
Their official title is Saiho.
Saiho
However, out of respect and awe, they are usually called the Taiho.
Taiho
I remember King En explained why a Kirin chooses its master...
Youko, sit down.
I just...
Sit down, I need to explain something to you.
So Nakajima was the daughter of a king?
No, Tentei gives the order through a holy creature called a Kirin.
Only the Kirin will recognize the true ruler.
The Kirin is to choose a...
...wise ruler who won't oppress people...
...will keep the kingdom safe, and will help farmers to keep peace through the land.
However, no reign lasts forever in the world we come from.
Do you know why?
Because a king eventually dies...
...and his heir isn't always fit to be a king.
In this world, if you become a ruler, you'll be given eternal life.
You don't inherit the throne, the Kirin chooses a ruler instead.
And the Heavens will keep an eye on the rulers.
The Taiho always tells the ruler to be just and compassionate...
...asking the ruler to forgive criminals, decrease taxes...
...care for the people and things like that.
But you can't govern a kingdom like that.
Sometimes you just have to ignore him and do something ruthless.
However, a Kirin must obey the orders of its master.
No matter how wrong the order is.
So you can do anything if you are chosen to be the ruler?
Yes, you can even abandon your people and go back to your world.
Abandon my people?
There's nothing a ruler cannot do.
You can go home if you want.
But the Heavens created the Kirin the way they are...
...so that the kingdoms will be ruled justly and with compassion.
If you disregard the Kirin's advice, you'll eventually foil Heavens' mission.
But if you keep making bad judgments, your Kirin will die.
And if the Kirin dies, so does the ruler.
But you said you're given eternal life...
That's right, but I'll still die if I get beheaded or my body is cut in half.
And since the Kirin chose the king, the king will die if the Kirin dies.
But if the ruler dies first, the Kirin doesn't necessarily die.
Keiki is the example.
Keiki...
You were chosen by Keiki.
You still have to go to Mt. Hou to be crowned officially, but...
...the Heavens have already made the decision, you are Queen Kei.
Nothing can change that.
This is the center of the world, it is the land where Shinsen live.
Shinsen
I thought it was just a myth.
I still think so, but it is a fact that Kirin are born on Mt. Hou.
People say that the Kirin's Ranka grows on Mt. Hou.
Ranka
That's right, in this world, people are born from the fruit shaped like an egg.
I can't even imagine how a baby is born from a woman's belly.
There is the Riboku in the village and the Yaboku in the field.
Yaboku
I heard there are also trees...
Riboku
...that only the rulers can make a wish on in the Royal Palaces.
Animals and plants are also born from the Ranka.
When a married couple wants a child, they tie a...
...ribbon to the branch on the Riboku.
And when Tentei grants their wish, the branch will bear fruit.
When a Kirin grows up, people from the Kirin's kingdom take a trip...
...called a Shouzan to Mt. Hou to see if they are the next ruler.
Shouzan
But sometimes the ruler isn't among them.
I was in Japan, so I didn't know about the Shouzan.
That's why the Kei Taiho crossed the Kyokai...
...to the land called Hourai, in the search of the new ruler.
Hourai
Wa
Japan
Why are the different characters, Kei, used for...
The Kingdom of Kei
Kei
...the kingdom and for my name and the Kirin's?
Keiki Queen Kei
Kokushi Kei
Because that is your Kokushi.
It is given to each ruler and Kirin by the Heavens.
The Kingdom of Kou
I'm from the Kingdom of Kou, so my kingdom's Kokushi is Kou.
Kokushi Kou
Kou
King Kou has governed for a few decades now...
...but now that Kourin is dead, he won't live for too long.
King Kou
By the way, what are you going to do now, Rakushun?
Do you want to be a government official?
I want to study first.
I'm grateful that King En allowed me to take the exam for Daigaku...
...and even found me a place to stay.
I heard that you are working, too.
I want to at least pay for the exam, that's the least I can do.
The Kingdom of En is truly a wonderful place.
The Kingdom of En
Gen-ei Palace
King En and Enki are both Taika, just like me.
Enki
Rokuta
They knew nothing about this world...
King En
Naotaka Komatsu
...yet were able to build a kingdom that's lasted for 500 years.
I heard the Kirin of Tai was also born in Hourai.
From what I've heard, King Tai had passed away.
The Kingdom of Tai
And right now, there is neither a king nor a Saiho in Tai.
The representatives from other kingdoms will come to your investiture...
...and now you know enough to keep from embarrassing yourself.
Thank you for everything.
You're going to receive the Tenchoku before the investiture, aren't you?
Keiki wants me to leave now, and wait for the day to come at Mt. Hou.
But actually, I want to visit the Kingdom of Kou first.
Kou was the first place I traveled in this world...
We don't need any women in Gyouten!
Jyokaku
Yo-Ou Jyokaku (the previous queen of Kei)
The previous queen of Kei was Jyokaku, now called Yo-Ou.
Her reign lasted for a mere six years.
She was an ordinary woman...
She fell in love with Keiki, and tried to expel every woman from Kei.
In the end, she killed herself, so she could save Keiki and the kingdom.
And then Keiki started searching for a new ruler all over the kingdom.
In the meantime, Yo-Ou's younger sister, Jyoei...
...showed up and installed herself up as the new Queen of Kei.
Jyoei...
Jyoei
But she was a false queen, so there were none of the signs that are...
...usually associated with the new ruler being enthroned.
The Hakuchi didn't cry, and no Zuiun was seen in the sky.
Jyoei (the younger sister of Jyokaku, the false queen)
But the average people were unaware of these things, so...
...they just believed her when she raised the royal flag.
Shuukou
And the Shuukou...
They are the leaders of the nine provinces of the kingdom.
They had reasons to support Jyoei...
...because King Kou was secretly assisting her.
Your Majesty, three people have lost their lives.
Please call it off.
People may die, nonetheless, I must protect my world.
Why do you hate the Kaikyaku...
...or, rather, the Taika?
In the other world, a child comes out of a woman's stomach.
Why does that have anything to do with this?
You want that kind of monster loose in this world?
Your Majesty...
I found out about his scheme later.
King Kou knew his kingdom wouldn't prosper like En, governed by a Taika...
...so he tried to ruin Kei, so he wouldn't lose face as a ruler.
That's why he assisted Jyoei, knowing that she was a false queen.
Jyoei and King Kou tried to capture the Kei Taiho.
But he had already headed to Hourai, hoping that he'd find his master there...
...just like the En Taiho did.
Around the same time...
...I was having nightmares about monsters.
Now that I think about it...
...the Sword Suiguu was probably trying to warn me.
The Kei Taiho finally found you, and pledged his loyalty to you...
...but the Youma King Kou had sent were already in your world.
W-What is that bird?
That is a Kochou.
Hyouki!
So Kourin must've been commanding those Youma...
The Kirin usually have Youma to protect themselves, they are called Shirei.
The Youma can call upon the same kind of Youma.
That's why you've been often attacked in numbers.
Shoku
Keiki created a Shoku and brought me to this world.
A Shoku is like a storm, connecting this world and Hourai.
Some rulers, Sen-nin, and Kirin can bring forth a Shoku by themselves.
Every now and then, a Shoku brings people...
...into this world from Hourai.
Those people are called Kaikyaku.
Kaikyaku
If I wasn't so selfish, Asano and Sugimoto wouldn't have...
...gotten caught in the Shoku and ended up in this world.
They were most likely protected by the Shirei of Keiki and Kourin.
Ikuya Asano
It's rare that two people would make it through the Shoku safely like they did.
Yuka Sugimoto
And when I got here, my appearance began to change.
That's because you are a Taika.
Taika
The ruler of Kei is always born in Kei.
Your Ranka grew somewhere in Kei, but...
...it probably got caught in a Shoku and was blown to Hourai.
That's what we call a Taika.
When Taika come back to this side, they regain their original appearance.
Later King Kou captured the Kei Taiho, and handed him over to Jyoei.
As long as she was with Keiki, the people would think she was the real queen.
I didn't know anything about it then.
I thought the Youma were after me because of Keiki.
It turned out that it was King Kou...
...who was trying to get rid of the real Queen of Kei.
I don't think King Kou wanted to control the Kingdom of Kei...
...he just couldn't stand to see another kingdom governed by a Taika.
King Kou tricked Sugimoto into trusting him...
...and poor Asano fell off the cliff into the rapids.
Asano!
What's the matter?
If I hadn't met you then...
...I wouldn't have survived.
Oh, stop it.
Rakushun, you helped me to understand this world.
I learned about the Kingdom of En, and I met King En.
And I found out that I'm the Queen of Kei.
I think you can do it.
I learned a lot in this world...
I was incomplete as a person...
...and that's why I had shallow relationships with others.
I regret letting myself be so foolish...
So I want to start over there.
But if I become the Queen, I won't be able to go home.
Youko...
This place isn't as bad as I one thought.
And I know I'm going to regret it if I go back...
...but if I stay here, I'll regret that, too.
No matter which world I'll be in, I'll miss the other.
Don't turn around.
Not right now.
I had no choice.
I couldn't reach your shoulders as a rat.
You can do whatever you want, but...
...when you don't know what to do, just do what you're destined to do.
If you're going to regret it either way, your burden will be lighter.
I would love to see what kind of kingdom you'd build.
Thank you, Rakushun.
Queen Kei
And I became a Queen.
Quiet, you Taika!
Youko!
K-Kourin...
Kourin chose death to save her master from committing a great sin...
...such as killing a queen.
Without the support of King Kou, Jyoei's militia was easily defeated.
I'll never forget the faces of the people I met there.
I bestow the crown by the will of the Heavens.
I swear never to desert my post before your throne.
Accept my protection and the promise of the Heavens.
I accept.
I heard King Kou has a son and a daughter...
I'd like to meet them.
I want to meet all the people I met in Kou again, and talk to them.
Are you going to look for your friend, Asano?
You must be lonely, since Sugimoto has gone back.
Are you having regrets?
Youko?
Will you keep this for me for a while? It eats grains of silver.
What?
I can't take care of that, I'm a struggling student, you know.
It's a gift from King En.
But...
This bird can carry voices.
It also has the ability to come and find me wherever I go.
Let me hear your voice sometimes.
I should get going now...
I don't want to get Keiki mad at me.
Youko...
Rakushun.
You told me you wanted to see what kind of kingdom I'd build.
I'm not going to look back until I finish the job.
Thank you, Rakushun.
The shadow of the moon reflects over the Sea of Emptiness.
Let's sleep in the soft silver luster for now.
In my memory, I kept looking for...
...warmth in the lonely rain.
Even if my body dies I will keep running...
...until I reach the rainbow at the end of the world.
"Taiki..." said the half-beast woman.
He could not understand what she meant.
The Twelve Kingdoms, Episode 15...
Episode 15
The Sea of Wind, the Shore of the Maze, Chapter One.
The Sea of Wind, The Shore of the Maze, Chapter One.