It is said that Tentei once destroyed the world...
...and created thirteen new kingdoms.
In the center of the world the Koukai and Mt. Hou were placed.
Then, twelve rulers were given to the twelve kingdoms.
To make sure that the kingdoms were governed properly...
...the holy creatures of humanity, called Kirin, were sent to assist each ruler.
Thus, in this world exist twelve kingdoms, twelve rulers and twelve Kirin.
Episode 21
The Sea of Wind, The Shore of the Maze, Interlude
En is a prosperous kingdom that has been governed in peace for 500 years.
The King and the Kirin, that's me by the way, were both born as Taika.
We were supposed to be born in this world...
...but were blown by Shoku and born in Hourai.
Taika rulers are pretty rare.
It was a long time after King En until there was another Taika ruler, Queen Kei.
Queen Kei used to live in Hourai, which is also known as Japan.
And there, she was an ordinary student.
Her name was Youko Nakajima.
People now call her Sekishi.
Sekishi
Right now...
...the Kingdom of Kei is infested with Youma and in a state of disrepair.
Youko has a long way ahead of her.
In the Kingdom of Kou, there is no ruler or Kirin right now.
When a ruler acts against the will of Heaven...
...by oppressing the people, or governing in his own interest...
...the Heavens abandon the ruler...
...the Kirin suffers a sickness called Shitsudou.
This sickness is fatal.
A ruler will not survive for long after the death of the Kirin.
In fact, King Kou passed away within two months of Kourin's death.
After his death, he was given the name "Saku-Ou."
Kirin are born on Mt. Hou, which is located in the center of the world.
I heard that the new Kirin Ranka of Kou is already growing there.
At the corners of the world, there are four kingdoms on four islands.
The Kingdom of Shun is one of these kingdoms.
It's a very stable kingdom, known to produce medicinal water and rare minerals.
The ruler of Shun has governed the kingdom for about 40 years now.
[King Shun - Shunki]
But after what happened, the Youma must be spilling into Shun from Kou.
The situation in Shun must be tough.
The ruler of the southern kingdom of Sou is known as a great king.
[King Sou Ro-Senshin - Sourin Shoushou]
He has ruled for 600 years now.
His reign has been much longer than King En's.
Sou will soon hold the record for having the longest reign ever.
Actually, it was Sourin who found me when I was in Hourai.
The Queen of Sai is known for being very compassionate.
Sairin and Sourin have names...
[Queen Sai Kouko - Sairin Youran]
...other than their Kirin titles, even though they're not Taika.
That's because...
...their masters gave them names out of affection.
King Ren comes from a farmer's family.
[King Ren Ou-Seitaku - Renrin]
Renrin has an imperial treasure that can bridge this world and the other.
Imperial Treasure
Sometimes situations come up where we need to borrow it from her.
Gogoukanda
In the west is the Kingdom of Han.
It's known for beautiful crafts.
[King Han Go-Ranjou - Hanrin Risetsu]
They export jewelry and various tools to other kingdoms.
King Han and Hanrin are a little eccentric...
That's all I'll say about them for now...
And north of Han is Kyou.
[King Kyou Shushou - Kyouki]
The ruler of Kyou has governed for 100 years, much shorter than the ruler of Han...
...but it's been fairly prosperous.
On the other hand...
...the Kingdom of Hou, which is located across the Kyokai from Han...
[Deceased King Hou Retsu-Ou - Deceased Hourin]
...does not have a ruler or a Kirin right now.
The provincial leaders became tired of the past King's tyranny...
...so they finally rebelled, killing him and the Kirin.
Right now, the general who defeated the King is in charge of the Kingdom.
The King had a daughter, but no one knows where she is now.
Ryuu is next to my kingdom, En, but we don't know much about it.
[King Ryuu Jyo-Rohou - Ryuuki]
I don't even know what condition Ryuu is in.
But if the condition of Ryuu declines, it will affect us, too...
...so I hope they prosper.
The kingdoms that surround En, like Ryuu and Kei, are very unstable.
And there is one more kingdom...
This one is in the worst situation of all. It's the kingdom of Tai.
[King Tai Saku-Gyousou - Taiki Kouri]
About 15 years ago, a Ranka grew on the Shashinboku on Mt. Hou.
It was the new Kirin Ranka of the Kingdom of Tai.
The Ranka of Tai
Around the same time a Kirin's Ranka begins to grow, a Nyokai is born.
Nyokai
It's a type of Youma that lives only to protect and serve a Kirin.
The Nyokai that accompanied the Ranka of Tai was named Sanshi.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Until one day...
Is it a Shoku?
Shoku
A Shoku hit Mt. Hou.
A Shoku is a natural disaster that connects this world and Hourai.
Kirin, rulers and high-ranked Sen-nin can bring it forth with their own will...
...but this one occurred naturally.
The Ranka was blown to Hourai in the Shoku.
When a Ranka is taken before it matures...
Room 303
Takasato
...it gets covered in a shell called Taikaku...
...and is born in the shape of a human in Hourai.
Taikaku
Ten long years passed.
It wasn't easy to find the Taika that had been blown to Hourai.
It was then, while I was visiting Hourai as I often did...
...I sensed something from this one house.
Apparently the house belonged to the Takasato family.
There was a child in the household.
But somehow he didn't look like he belonged there at all.
I knew it right away.
That child was none other than Taiki who had been missing for ten years.
I immediately contacted Mt. Hou.
Renrin helped to open the door to Hourai.
And Sanshi reached out as far as she could...
And then...
Taiki safely returned to Mt. Hou...
...or so everyone thought.
Taiki became accustomed to life on Mt. Hou...
...but trouble soon became apparent.
Usually, Kirin are born and develop in their Kirin shape.
As they grow, they learn to change into human form...
...and metamorphose back to the Kirin form.
Metamorphosis
Transfiguration
But Taiki lived in his human form for so long...
...he didn't know how to transform into a Kirin.
Maybe I'm not a Kirin after all.
Will a Kirin who cannot metamorphose be able choose a ruler?
As Taiki's caretakers, the Nyosen, began to worry...
...their leader, Lady Hekika Genkun, invited Keiki to Mt. Hou.
This is the Kei Taiho.
He is Keiki.
Are you also a Kirin, sir?
Both of you were born on Mt. Hou.
You two are like brothers.
Taiki, you can learn a lot from him.
Yes!
But Keiki had his own problems.
He couldn't relate to the emotions of Yo-Ou, the previous Queen of Kei.
May I ask why you were crying?
I'd like to know how you were feeling.
I felt bad for the Nyosen.
They've been waiting for me to transform, but I can't.
Why do you concern yourself with the Nyosen so much?
They've been so nice to me...
...but that's because I'm a Kirin.
I can't even make them happy.
The other day, I met a girl who also came here from Hourai.
I want to go home!
I want to go back to my world!
Her voice is still echoing in my head...
Sometimes I start remembering my home as such a warm place...
But the Nyosen here are so nice to me...
...and I shouldn't be thinking such things.
It's okay if you miss your home.
It is only natural.
Do you think so?
Absolutely.
I want to go home!
I want to see my mom!
By seeing Taiki being sincere with his feelings...
...Keiki learned to be more compassionate with his master.
As a result, Yo-Ou fell deeply in love with him...
...but that's a whole other story.
Soon after, the people learned about the return of Taiki...
...and made a pilgrimage, or Shouzan, to Mt. Hou.
The Koukai was infested with Youma, and it was not easy to cross.
But the people took this dangerous trip, hoping that...
...they could be the one to save the Kingdom of Tai from its troubles.
Taiki, however, didn't see the Ouki among them.
It surrounds the person selected by the Heavens to be a ruler.
Meanwhile, Taiki became close to the general of the royal army of Tai...
...named Gyousou.
Taiki felt terrified of Gyousou, but for some reason...
...he just couldn't help feeling drawn to him.
My Lord...
Are you afraid of me?
No...
Um...
It's like fire...
Fire provides you warmth and light, but...
...if the fire is too big, you feel scared.
A large fire is beautiful and awesome...
...and it's just like that.
I am amazed by you...
...but I can't help feeling afraid.
I'm sorry...
I really don't know how to describe it.
Please forgive me for asking you such an inappropriate question.
That's all right.
My Lord, you are a very good child.
I'm just...
You are sincere and kind.
A wonderful future awaits the Kingdom of Tai.
Kirin use the Koukai as their playground...
...and learn to train Youma starting with the small, harmless ones.
Keiki often took Taiki to the Koukai...
...and taught him how to make a Youma submit...
...but Taiki was unable to master any Shirei.
However...
Rin, Byou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zen...
...Gyou!
Submit...
...and become my Shirei!
Submit!
Creature of evil, surrender thyself!
May the shadow and light be united!
Kimi Koubuku, Onmyou Wagou...
Kyuu Kyuu Nyo Ritsu Ryou!
Submit, Gouran!
Taiki summoned all his will to save Gyousou...
...and mastered a Toutetsu to be his Shirei.
A Toutetsu isn't an ordinary Youma.
In fact, no Kirin had ever turned a Toutetsu into a Shirei...
...but Taiki became the first.
Lord Gyousou seemed to be perfect for the throne.
I wonder why there was no revelation.
I wouldn't know.
That is something only the Kirin would understand.
If Lord Gyousou were the King, he could've stayed here a little longer...
You may still be able to catch up to him, Youka!
Stop it!
No Taiki, you cannot go out at night!
What a magnificent Kirin...
I swear never to desert my...
No...
He isn't the King, I shouldn't do this...
...post before your throne...
I swear never to disobey your orders.
Accept my loyalty to you.
I accept.
Taiki became overwhelmed with sadness...
...when he learned that Gyousou was leaving.
Although he didn't see the Ouki, he pledged his loyalty to Gyousou.
Taiki had falsely chosen a king.
At least, that's what he believed.
He was tormented by guilt...
...but he returned to the Kingdom of Tai with King Tai anyway.
What is the matter?
I did something that cannot be undone.
I didn't receive the revelation for Lord Gyousou.
You did not receive the revelation?
There was no sign or anything.
I didn't see the Ouki around him, either.
When Keiki told me that Taiki believed he had falsely chosen a king...
...we decided to put on a little show.
Frankly, I wanted to meet him since he was also a Taika.
Besides, we thought he wouldn't believe us if we just told him.
What's wrong?
Nothing...
What is the matter?
Does the Kirin of Tai have a problem with En?
No, I don't...
Taiki, what are you doing?
I see, it seems like he really does have something against En.
Taiki!
What's wrong?
Can't you even pretend to show respect?
All you have to do is lower your head a little!
Cut it out!
He's still a kid, that is enough!
Hey, are you okay?
Taiki just couldn't bow to King En.
It was not because he thought King En was unworthy...
...but because it is the Kirin's nature.
A Kirin can only bow to its master, and no one else.
Taiki had indeed sensed the Ouki with Gyousou...
...but he confused it with fear.
Taiki was able to bow to, and swear his loyalty to Gyousou...
...only because Gyousou was indeed the King of Tai.
From that time, I would often hang out with Taiki, calling him "Kid."
And the coronation proceeded without any problem.
But there is no king or Kirin in Tai right now.
Messengers from Tai visited the other kingdoms a couple of years ago.
According to them, King Tai and Taiki died within a year of the enthronement.
If Taiki were really dead, Tai's new Ranka should've started growing...
...but I haven't heard that.
Besides, when a ruler dies, a bird called a Hakuchi cries in the kingdom.
Enthroned!
And then a bird in each kingdom called a Hou, reports it...
...but that didn't happen, either.
A Hakuchi has cried!
Taiki and Gyousou must've been hiding for some reason...
...that's what I thought.
Something was happening in Tai.
So I started looking for Taiki.
I didn't think Taiki was in Tai, so I looked for him in other kingdoms...
And I thought if he wasn't in this world, he might be in Hourai.
Fine, you want me to go check it out, right?
Have you heard anything from Taiki?
No, I haven't.
But I couldn't locate the house where Taiki once lived in Hourai.
I tried to sense the Kirin's aura from Taiki to locate him.
But somehow, I couldn't sense a Kirin anywhere in Hourai.
It was impossible for me to remember the house...
...I had visited only once years before.
And when I tried to push myself to sense him...
...I was overwhelmed by unbelievable exhaustion.
I don't know what happened to that happy kid.
But I believe he will come back to Tai someday.
Because he is a Kirin after all.
The other day, I was scolded by my teacher, Ikuta.
He told me to stop painting imaginary things.
But this isn't imaginary.
I don't know why, but when I paint these pictures...
...I feel like I could almost remember...
Can't you just forget it?
You are in this world now.
You don't need to remember anything, do you?
But when I try to remember it, it makes me feel good.
I feel like I was very happy in that place...
I miss it so much that it hurts me.
And I also feel like I'm forgetting something very important...
...kind of like I've broken a very important promise...
He is going to come back.
Until then, I will keep looking for him.
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.
He laughs and nods to the voice.
Even if he knows that the owner of the voice cannot see him.
The bird begins to talk.
The Twelve Kingdoms episode 22...
Episode 22
A Message
A Message.