Sea of the Wind, Shore of the Maze, Prologue

say any more.
    Taiki still had absolutely no idea what kind of a place Kei Kingdom actually was.
    "Did you used to live on Mt. Hou too?"
    "Yes."
    "Did you live here from the time you were born? I just got here not too long ago."
    "I lived here from the time I was born."
    "Then, for how long did you stay here?"
    "I left two years ago."
    "Then did you choose a ruler two years ago?"
    "I didn't encounter my ruler until last year."
    "Oooh..." said Taiki. "So you left the mountain two years ago to go find your ruler."
    "Right."
    "Might I ask..." Taiki lowered his head and looked at his flower-scented tea. "What is choosing a ruler  like? Youka said that we receive a revelation, but I don't quite understand..."
    However, Keiki's simple answer approached indifference. "When the time comes, you will  understand."
    "Will I also be able to choose a ruler for sure?"
    "Yes, you can as long as you are a kirin."
    "Even if I don't know what a revelation is?"
    "It is hard to describe a revelation in words. When you meet your ruler, you will understand."
    "What if I choose the wrong person, or pass by him and not know it?"
    "That is not possible, because the ruler will have ouki."
    "Ouki?"
    Keiki nodded with no expression showing on his face. "It is the will that the ruler emanates, or you  could also call it an air. At any rate, they are not like most people, so there is no way you can make a  mistake."
    "But I don't think I'm like most kirin. Does that matter? Could it be that the way I choose a ruler is  different from other kirin?"
    "I don't know much about black kirin, so I can't answer that."
    "Oh..."
    Taiki was at a loss for what should do now. Beads of sweat seeped out of his forehead.
    Before, he had really wanted to meet another kirin, but now that he had one in front of him, why were  none of his many doubts eased even a little bit?
    "When you left Mt. Hou, how did you kind your ruler?"
    If he was asked to pick a ruler out of a group of people it might be easier, but to not know where they  were, that must be extraordinarily difficult.
    "I relied on the ouki to find her."
    "Did you meet with a lot of people, and then checked to see if they had the ouki?"
    "Even if the ruler was not right in front of me, I can still feel their ouki, so all I had to do was look in  that direction."
    "So it's like that..." Actually, Taiki still didn't quite understand what he meant. "You can transform,  right?"
    "There are no kirin who cannot transform."
    "But I can't. I don't know how to transform..."
    Keiki looked at Taiki, and Taiki realized that his eyes were bright purple.
    "In the beginning, did anyone teach you how to raise your hand? Did anyone teach you how to walk?"
    "No."
    "It is the same principle. You ask me how to transform, but I have no way of telling you. Even if I did  explain it to you, you wouldn't necessarily understand."
    "Oh..."
    Taiki lowered his head. According to that, perhaps he would never be able to transform.
    A deep silence followed. Taiki felt that Keiki had already decided not to say any more, thereupon he  stood up and suddenly felt like returning to Sanshi's side.
    "Please excuse me for bothering you."
    He took a bow towards Keiki, and Keiki silently nodded his head.
    "Will I see you again at dinnertime?"
    "I believe Lady Gyokuyou said that we would eat together."
    "Okay... I'm sorry I asked so many questions."
    "Don't be."
    Taiki took another bow and then turned to leave. He walked briskly out of the palace, but before he  could get to the entrance at the top of the stone steps that lead to the gate, he began to cry. He felt so  discouraged and dejected, but he suddenly stopped walking, because he had heard a nyosen calling for him  from behind.
    "Taiki..."
    A nyosen gently put her hand on his shoulder. The warmed and weight of her palms made Taiki feel  even worse.
    "Maybe I'm not a kirin."
    "Nonsense."
    The soft hand pulled Taiki into an embrace.
    "If I am really a kirin, then I must be a really stupid one."
    "That can't be, Taiki."
    "I'm sure of it." Taiki pressed into the nyosen. "I'm sorry..."
    He felt very apologetic for being a stupid kirin, for only being able to receive all the good things the  nyosen offer him, and for not being able to repay them at all.
    "How could a child like you have been born?" His grandmother always said this about him.
    "Don't worry. You don't need to be sad," his mother would always tell him as she lightly stroked his  hair. His mother's hands were just