The Twelve Kingdoms: The Shore in Twilight

Chousai imagined that the Royal En would be delivering the report in person. Thanks to you, the welcoming committee is running around all in a tizzy." Youko laughed and turned to the golden-haired youngster accompanying him. "We haven't seen each other in a long time either, En Taiho."
    "Yep," said Enki Rokuta, already heading for the Forbidden Gate. "About that Tai general, is she up to seeing visitors?"
    "More or less."
    As Youko guided her two guests of honor into the Imperial Palace, she addressed their questions about Risai's tumultuous arrival. Risai still could not move and was confined to her bedroom in a corner of the Seishin where her needs were being attended to.
    "The doctors have said that it's okay to move her now, so I think we'll move her to more accessible facilities. As long as she's awake, she should be up for conversation, but don't expect anything long and drawn out. The other day, she faded quite badly in the middle of our discussion."
    "But what have you heard of conditions in Tai?"
    "Only the bare minimum so far, but-- Ah, Koukan."
    Koukan was waiting for them at the entrance to the Inner Palace. She could see Keiki and the Taishi Enho behind him. After exchanging greetings, they headed together to the Sekisui-dai in the back quarter of the Imperial Library.
    "According to Risai, it seems that both the Royal Tai and Taiki have gone missing."
    "So it seems," agreed Shouryuu, the Royal En, as he sat down. "We have made repeated searches, but there is no Taika on Mt. Hou. That means Taiki is not dead. Seeing that the Phoenix has not cried out, I believe the Royal Tai is still alive as well. The general opinion, according to the refugees from Tai, is that there was a coup d'etat. That certainly seems the most likely possibility."
    "That would agree with Risai's explanations. The Royal Tai left the capital to suppress an uprising and wasn't heard from again. But the details are still up in the air."
    "Something happened as he departed for the front. He's not dead, but neither is he safe. Perhaps he was taken captive, or was being stalked by assassins and had to lie low. In any case, the rebels have Tai under their thumb and the Royal Tai is not in the position to strike back at them and reclaim the throne. But what about Taiki?"
    "The details are similarly unclear, but his whereabouts are also unknown. For some reason, a shoku--a meishoku--is said to have occurred in the vicinity of the Royal Palace. Hakkei Palace reportedly sustained heavy damage."
    "A meishoku?" Rokuta said in a startled voice. A grave expression clouded his face.
    "Yes, and afterwards Taiki disappeared. Risai says that the rubble was repeatedly searched, but no trace of him could be found."
    "That really leaves me with a bad feeling."
    "A bad feeling?"
    Rokuta nodded. "The occurrence of a shoku must mean that something calamitous happened to Taiki's body. Unless the damage is grievous, a shoku is not likely to happen."
    "You really think so."
    Rokuta nodded again. "A meishoku occurred and Taiki disappeared. More than that, some accident or disaster took place. Reacting to the emergency at that moment, Taiki triggered a meishoku. That'd be a better way of putting it. Worse case scenario, Taiki isn't even in this world anymore."
    "You mean, over there ?"
    Illustration
    "I can't say decisively, but something catastrophic occurred. In order to escape, Taiki caused a shoku and fled to the other world. That strikes me as the likely explanation. If that's all there was to it, then returning wouldn't be a problem. Normally, considering that he's been gone now for six years, I'd have to wonder if something else was going on."
    Youko nodded and looked at Shouryuu. "Given these circumstances, what do you make of this situation?"
    "By which you mean?"
    "I mean, if the Royal Tai had died, then Taiki would choose the next king, right? And even if the Royal Tai is okay, if Taiki died then the Royal Tai would soon follow him, in which case a new taika would be born on Mt. Hou. The new kirin of Tai would choose the new king of Tai."
    "That is indeed the case."
    "However, Taiki is not dead. So there's no reason for the next kirin to be born, right? But we don't believe the Royal Tai is dead either. So even if Taiki is alive and well, there's no need to chose a new king."
    Shouryuu agreed. "That is the sum of it. Because both the Royal Tai and Taiki continue to live, it stands to reason that there should be no change of government in Tai."
    "But