“Lord Osiris is just inside,” the ginger fellow said as he directed Hayate to the doors at the end of the hallway. “He is waiting on you.”
Hayate swallowed.

“Thank you.” the last Amatsukami said as the man quickly disappeared back down the direction they he brought him. Hayate hadn’t seen Shinsou in a while, bout forty five day now, and he wasn’t sure how Lord Osiris would act knowing how much of a defeated mess Hayate was right now. Regardless the young swordsman gathered his courage as he placed his palm of the red doors of the counsel room. As he pushed the door open he could see a number of faces seated around a long oval table. Some of the people he knew, like Mitchell and Beth, and other he hadn’t made acquaintances with.

As the Akashiman proceeded through the court Beth offered him a slight smile and Mitchell a nod. They had both become good friends of Hayate and spent a lot of time with him recently. They had been the only two people who Hayate had opened up to even a little bit. So it was nice to see both of them sitting on the counsel. He spied an empty chair at the end of the table opposite from where Shinsou would sit to address them shortly. There was some in inaudible chatter between those seated at the table but nothing of consequence or even interesting enough to grab Hayate’s attention. Instead he sat quietly thinking about what Lord Osiris might have needed from him.

Just then the man himself threw open the doors at the end of the room and stepped out of his private chambers. Shinsou Van Osiris was a spell sword, and a damned good one at that. When he and Hayate fought back then Shinsou effortlessly defeated him and the Corpse King in such a way that it inspired Hayate to commit himself to the cause. But that seemed like a lifetime ago now to the former lord of Yukon and Shinsou would need to do a lot better to absolve Hayate of his reservations after the loss of his clan.

Regardless of his personal views Hayate was on the payroll now and given a title and powers that he couldn’t say no to in his present condition. So for the time being Hayate would do as he is told and be the dog Shinsou most likely expected him to be. But in time Lord Osiris would have to make up for not what he allowed to happen. That is for certain.