I thought death would feel cold. An empty chill that just moved through your body and you’d just float away into nothing. All I felt in this moment was warmth, and something soft on my cheek. I turned my face into it and opened my eyes in surprise when I felt a hand stroke my cheek. I almost yelled, but I only looked into my older brother’s different colored eyes. Looking around, I realized the softness on my cheek was because I was cuddled up to his tails on a cave floor. A heavy rain was falling just outside, and a campfire gave us ample warmth from its chill. I coughed in pain as I tried to sit up, but Tatsuya helped me up. I took several breaths feeling my lungs burn, but I was glad that whatever pain I felt on my insides had subsided.
“T-Tatsuya…what are you doing here? What happened to all those creatures that I was fighting? W-Was that just…a dream?”
“I assure you that it wasn’t…” He rubbed my cheek as he looked out into the rain. “You had quite the fight, Masami.”
“Huh? Wait…what about the Nobara clan?!”
“Stalled for now. Once you engaged in that brawl with those creatures…a heavy rain cascaded upon the mountains. It made traveling difficult for them, so they are waiting for the rains to cease.”
“Ugh…I can’t even remember what happened…”
“Yes well…fighting for three days straight might have something to do with it…and along with some head injuries.”
“I…I fought for three days?!”
“Yes…we managed to climb the mountain, but something seemed to prevent us from getting to you. So, we had to watch as you fought. You were quite the marvel, little butterfly.”
“Why…I thought you would be angry with me…”
“Oh, Masami…you managed to piss off the one person you shouldn’t have…he’s going to say everything that needs to be said.” I furrowed my brows just as I heard footsteps approaching the cave entrance. Hiroshi walked out of the rain and brushed his wet hair back from his forehead. He locked eyes on me, and I had never seen my brother so mad. Tatsuya was like our mother reincarnated, but Hiroshi had the calm and relaxed temperaments of our father. He was never angry at anything…he preferred a calmer approach to most situations. I was now more fearful than I had been in years as he stormed over to me…lightning crackling over his tails.
“Easy brother…” Tatsuya calmly chided as Hiroshi stood over us and I looked to the ground, as he growled at Tatsuya. He was beyond angry if Tatsuya was trying to be the voice of reason and calming him down.
“No…she needs to answer why she thinks it was ever smart to go on this bullshit crusade! I have held my tongue for far too long and its time that you listen for once and stop being a damn suicidal brat!”
I flinched hearing him yell at me and it hurt beyond compare. I felt Tatsuya’s tails wrap around me more to comfort me—which I leaned into—but even he knew that he couldn’t protect me from our brother. I stared down at my hands as he steamed above me.
“Koyuki is dead, Masami.”
“Y-Yes.”
“You think she will come back if you try and kill yourself?! There is nothing that you or anyone in this family can do for her anymore! Yes, this war was in her honor…to give her some peace—but what kind of peace will she have seeing you next to her in Heaven?!”
“…”
“You dishonor and disrespect her memory every day that you do this, Masami! I will not be having you doing this to her anymore! If I have to drag you by your tails back home, I will do it! If I have to lock you away for next century, I will do it! You are a danger to this family and yourself Masami!”
“I…I only want-“
“You want nothing!” He paced around as his electricity bounced around his feet. “That’s the terribly sad thing about this that you can’t seem to grasp Masami! This stopped being about our sister years ago…you just enjoy this and the power that it gives you!” Tatsuya rubbed my shoulders as our brother ripped into me. It was the same thing again…my siblings and parents telling me that everything I was doing was wrong. How could wanting to avenge Koyuki be wrong—was that not the point of this all?
“I only want to help-“
“No! You want to keep killing, keep fighting, because you have nothing left in your heart!” He raked his hands through his hair as he chuckled humorlessly. “This pain of losing Koyuki has turned you into a monster. A killing machine that won’t stop—and at this point I don’t even know if you’re satisfied. Word got to us about the rest of the Nobara clan’s children…there is nothing in your heart anymore. The only thing that you respond to now is pain. You no longer care who you have to kill to get your way.”
“Hiroshi…come on, you don’t really believe that our sister has no heart?” Tatsuya spoke up for me, but Hiroshi seemed to have his mind made up about me. “I can admit that her methods have been…violent, but she is doing this for-“
“Herself! She is only doing this because she has nothing left! Her own family means little to her and neither do the consequences of her actions. I’m tired of everyone saying that she will change, when she doesn’t want to!”
“I’m aware that she is being well…difficult-“
“Difficult? She’s impulsive and all she does is push those who love her away! This war has become about her! Not Koyuki!”
“…” Tatsuya sighed before the two of them bickered over my behavior. I found myself shrinking into myself as they did. A feeling…a deep and hurt feeling was pooling into my chest. I couldn’t be some monster who just wanted blood. I stared down at my hands as their voices faded around me…did I enjoy the thrill of it all. Did Koyuki…did she even…matter to me anymore? It wasn’t just people…I had killed a buck in the woods a month or so back…an innocent creature that was trying to escape a blaze that I made. Other innocent creatures that only wanted to survive, but I was too…angry…bloodthirsty. Koyuki…she loved animals. She had always wanted to have a kitten, and my parents had talked about getting her one soon.
She had cried for days when our father found an injured bunny in the forest…and she wasn’t sure if it would live. She hated the people who had tortured it for fun…would she hate me for what I did? I…I would probably deserve her hatred. She had always been a gentle soul, and I had turned into a monster. She wouldn’t even recognize the person I was right now. My hands were covered in dry blood and other liquids from the things that I had killed. I possibly dragged my family into another fight with those creatures…and even that demon I fought said I was cold and barren. If such a monstrosity thought that of me…a nightmare incarnate…perhaps there really was something wrong with me.
“Masami…you have caused just as much pain to this family over the years…and you don’t even have the heart to care.” Hiroshi sighed above me once more as a heavy weigh seemed to fall on me, and it was getting heavier and heavier. Everything over the years was pouring onto the open wound that was my heart. I felt like I was bleeding. I didn’t know what to do…I just wanted to hold my sister again. I wanted to let her know that the people who hurt her were dead. I wanted to feel something that wasn’t sadness—the anger was just the easiest thing to hold. The easy way to vent out my feelings…because I couldn’t face the fact that I had failed her.
I didn’t mourn Koyuki…didn’t grieve her.
I used her.
I used her to run from the pain of her death by hurting everyone around me. I hated that everyone eventually healed, while I couldn’t. The sight of everyone being happy once again only served to fuel my anger more. I didn’t want to be happy…I allowed myself to sit in the sadness because I believed that it felt good. It was a feeling that gave me the power to act—the power to take charge of my pain.
I.
I really was a monster.
I had disappointed her. Our family…and most importantly myself. I spent the last two hundred years running a foolish campaign because I was too afraid to handle reality.
“Hiroshi…that’s enough now, we don’t have the time for this right now. We should let her rest until the rain stops.”
“Tatsuya she-“ Hiroshi cut himself off as we locked eyes—or I thought that we did—my vision was too blurry right now. “Masami…”
“I…I don’t…I don’t w-want to d-do this anymore…” My brothers instantly held me in their arms as they held me tight and rubbed my back. My tears streamed out of me as they kissed my head and held me. My body was overcome with harsh sobs as I gripped their clothes. “I-I don’t want t-to be like t-this anymore…I…I miss my s-sister! I-I don’t k-know what to do! I…I can’t d-do it anymore! I don’t want t-to feel l-like this!”
“Shh…Masami it will be alright.” Tatsuya whispered into my ear as he rocked me gently, and it reminded me when he used to do it when I was young. I often hurt myself while playing and he would always comfort me because he hated seeing me cry—they both did. It always put them in a panic to see me so upset. “We love you and we can still make this right.”
“I don’t…I don’t know how! I…I miss her so much!”
“We miss her too, butterfly…but you have to heal.” Hiroshi pulled me back to wipe my tears away. “You have to heal…and we will always be here to help you.”
“I…I don’t deserve it!”
“Of course, you…but we have to release some of that pain first.” Tatsuya looked at Hiroshi and they nodded at each other, before Hiroshi pulled some paper from his clothes. “The first thing we will do…is a hakidashisara method. It might be the only thing we can do at the current moment.”
“T-The “write and destroy” method?” I rubbed at my eyes as Hiroshi enclosed the paper and brush into my hands. “I…I don’t know what to write…”
“Write your feelings, butterfly…” Hiroshi wiped my face with his sleeve before I looked down at the paper. “Get all of your anger and pain out…it will help you heal—and that’s what is most important.”
“…” I didn’t know if it would work, but I would try anything to feel less of what I was feeling now. As the rain as my only sound…I wrote my feelings down. My anger, my sadness, my fears, and the harsh pain of knowing that my sister would never come back—that I was just making noise and problems to mask my pain. I was a monster…and I needed to stop before I never came back. I glanced at my brothers as they stood by the cave entrance—watching the rain and looking out for enemies—they still believed in me. It must be the same for the rest of my family…I was just too stubborn to see it.
“I’m done…” They walked back into the cave as I looked down into the campfire…the note clutched -tightly in my hand. “What if this-“
“Have faith…release it.” I released a heavy breath before I tossed it in the flames. Burning away the anger and the resentment towards myself. It was a good mental reset, and maybe it would be the start of something new for me. I just didn’t think I could let the Nobara clan continue…and now they were at our doorstep. I wouldn’t let something happen to my family again. It was growing once more, and my new sibling deserved to live in a time of peace. Things couldn’t go back to the way things were before. “Now sit…and perform a Zazen technique.”
“Now?”
“Of course…the rain isn’t letting up anytime soon. You have to clear your mind of everything. Silently question yourself without judgement...because I know that you’re still blaming yourself. Clear your mind, Masami.” Tatsuya patted my head before I sat down to meditate. Hiroshi smiled warmly at me before they once again left me alone. I focused purely on my breathing, and although I cried a few times…I managed to sit through it as the rain finally stopped.
“Are you alright?” I opened my eyes as Hiroshi knelt in front of me.
“I…I think so…I…it’s still too much…”
“Healing always will be…you just have to keep going until you feel better.” He helped me up off the ground as we went to stand beside Tatsuya. “We have to go now before they get ready to move out.”
For the first time in a long time…I was scared…nervous. I didn’t know if I was in the right headspace to be able to handle things at the moment. My legs were even shaking as I stood at the entrance and watch the last drips of rain fall. It wasn’t until my brothers placed their hands on my shoulders that I was able to breathe again. The Nobara clan was furious right now…which was my fault, but they would do everything they could to finish us off.
“Father stayed with most of the main forces at the border of the mountain…while Tatsuya and I decided to scout out…and well they-“
“Are making a full-frontal assault on us right now…no more sneak attacks, no more tricks…just a clan enraged and ready to slaughter us all.” Tatsuya finished his sentence easily as he surveyed the landscape. “Mind your footing…all this mud and wetness is going to fuck us over if we aren’t careful. I suspect that father might already be planning a pincher maneuver so we-“
“Should go and attack their rear and pick as many of them off as possible. It could cause some confusion for them since they don’t know that we have snuck around.” Hiroshi also finished his sentence easily as he adjusted his nodachi on his back. I released a breath as the three of us traveled quickly, but carefully through the mountains. We knew these mountains like the back of our hands, so it only took us another thirty minutes before we stood on an overhang, and we were looking at a majority of the Nobara clan. I imagine that the head was somewhere further ahead, but it would be a fight to get to him.
“Ok…”
“Masami…are you truly ready for this right now? We will not fault you for staying behind to gather yourself.” I considered Hiroshi’s words as Tatsuya nodded in agreement, but I would not let my brothers do this alone. I was too afraid of losing anyone else because of my mistakes…I would not let it happen again.
“I can do it. I will watch your back.” With my confirmation, Tatsuya slid down to intercept the men at the left flank, before Hiroshi and I attack the men more central and to the right. It was good to see them surprised as we began our assault. Hiroshi and I made efficient work of their warriors, but their numbers were starting to overwhelm us. Hiroshi did have more range than I did with his nodachi, and was able to keep most of them at bay.
He gave me a quick glance before I nodded, and we decided to use our elements to thin out the herd more. Hiroshi rushed off and sliced through the heads of seven men, before he ran his nodachi through several more men before he flung them into a crowd. Lightning coursed over his blade before he struck it into the ground and electrocuted several dozen men—their bodies twitched from the shocks before their eyes rolled back into their heads. I leapt onto the shoulders of several men before I cut throats as I avoided the lightning on the ground. I twisted my heels on the neck of a man—breaking his neck—before tossing him aside to drop my foot into the face of another. I spun and rammed my fan into the throat of another man before I engaged in close combat with several men.
I briefly caught sight of Hiroshi battling with several men too, but he seemed to be holding his own. I ducked under a fist to my face, before knocking his teeth out with a heavy right to his jaw. I blocked a katana aimed for my waist in the folds of my fan—before twisting it out of his hands. Slashing his throat with the katana—I turned to throw it into the forehead of another. Hiroshi and I had to have been fighting for over an hour, and the men seemed to just keep coming. I was getting worried for Tatsuya, but he would alert us if he really needed assistance.
The sudden sound of a horn blowing made me perk up a bit as the army parted, and a shriek that I almost mistook for a banshee rang out. Rushing through the army on a black horse and striking silver banners, was the matriarch of the Nobara clan. She was a sight for sure—dark makeup and tears running down her face. Her light armor didn’t even like it was strapped on correctly and her dark hair blew in the wind like tendrils. She looked like a beast from a story, and she had her eyes directly trained on me. I would have thought she’d stay with her children and give them a funeral. I guess it made sense that she could not sit in her grief and needed to take action.
Much like myself.
“Masami!”
“I have this Hiroshi!”
“No, Masami! Look out-“
I looked to my left just to be caught around my waist by some unknown entity, and it dragged me away from the battle. I could hear Hiroshi screaming in a panic, but I couldn’t even begin to understand what was happening. I finally stopped being dragged before I was flung into a tree, a branch piercing through my skin. My wounds were screaming at me before a sharp object impaled my leg and threw me into the air before slamming me to the ground.
“Ahh!” I could feel the blood in my body rising to my throat, before I released it on the ground. The object twisted in me was burning! I went to take it out but seeing that it was a long black nail—I looked up into the eyes of that strange entity once more. It roared into my face…and it felt like my ears were going to rupture.
I gasped as it twisted and I felt my bones shift and I screamed feeling something start to crack. I tossed fire into its eyes before I cut the nail with my fan and limped to my feet. The entity was screaming and roaring at me as I rushed through the mountain pass—it took all of my focus to not trip and slip from the wet ground—while also trying to be quick. My thigh was burning as I held it to try and stop the blood. This entity had to be dealt with sooner rather than later, but I had no plans in mind besides fight.
“Ahh!” I gasped as I finally lost my footing and fell down a slope just as one of its arms swiped at me. I looked up as it crawled down towards me—its jaw opened wide and a light emerged from deep within. I rolled out of the way as a hot scorch of energy tore the ground beside me. I looked on in fear seeing that it had taken out most of the pathway…and another section of the mountain. I thought this beast wasn’t trying to kill me!
Reaching the bottom, I held my fans up just as it caught my waist in its hands and squeezed me—breaking two of my ribs in the process. I screamed in pain, but it kept going, but I wouldn’t yield over this. Taking my other fan out, I jabbed it in the eyes just as it opened its mouth and a swarm of insects came out. I gasped in pain as they stung me and it felt like every prick made my skin melt. The beast wasn’t deterred by my fans in its eyes, but I really twisted them in there as fire erupted from them. This made the beast roar in pain, but the sounds it made my head spin. The insects were still stinging me before I conjured my own flaming butterflies to kill them. My bones were shifting as it gripped me tighter, refusing to let go until it broke every bone in my body.
I had to do something! I couldn’t think straight and I’m sure another two ribs broke.
Grabbing its hands…I used as much strength as I could to pull the arms apart. I was incredibly strong, but I don’t think I was strong enough for this. The beast drew closer to my face—a tongue lashing out at me as the dark markings on its arms began to glow. I drove my foot into its chin, and it was finally enough to release its hold on me. I hit the ground hard as I held my sides—tears were burning in my eyes as I moved away from it. Its neck contorted and twisted, and another beam shot out of its mouth—which I thankfully rolled out of the way of, but now it was shooting smaller condescended beams. I ducked and rolled as much as my body allowed for, but in doing so…I failed to realize that its tail had other plans.
“Ahh!” I felt several sharp blades tear up my back—digging into my flesh before slamming me against the wall. I watched as its bladed tail seemed to regenerate from our last bout, except now…it had several more blades running up its length. I growled as it snickered and back handed me to the ground—before it grabbed my head and I felt a surge of energy tear through my brain. “Ahhh!”
It threw me aside and I coughed out blood as my vision faded in and out. Laid out on my stomach…I watched through hazy eyes as a light rainfall began. My ears were ringing and I think that I was about to pass out soon. I had no idea why this beast wanted to tear me apart so bad, and I feared that I would never know. I almost chuckled to myself as in this moment my pride started to get to me. I would never get this beat up by anyone else. I was the best fighter in this family…besides maybe my parents and uncle. He would be so disappointed in me…
I coughed out more blood before something caught my eye as the beast slithered slowly over to me…bladed tail dragging across the ground and nails clinking together in a horrible sounding crescendo. Laying just a few inches from me…was the charm that my uncle had gifted me so many years ago. My vision was off, but it looked as if something was imbedded into its fabric. Reaching for it…I realized that it was some sort of blade…that seemed to be wrapped in white hair. I didn’t even know it held something like this…I wondered if my uncle knew too.
I couldn’t die yet. I needed to keep going. This entity was just an annoying pest in my path right now. A non-factor that could be dealt with. I will look back on this and laugh at how annoying such a thing was to me.
My body was screaming to me as I stood up…blood poured from a wound on my head; I could barely even breathe—but I still felt like I had caught a second wind. I faced the beast once more as I saw surprise on its face for the first time. I suspect that it thought I would be finished…that I really was some weak kitsune that didn’t matter…but I did matter. I was the eldest daughter of the most powerful clan in the lands, and I would make sure this creature knew why.
“I…I am Masami Igarashi…daughter of Takeshi and Izumi Igarashi! I will be the last thing you see before I send you to hell! You will remember me for I am not easily forgotten, beast! I will show you true fear and suffering!”
I put all my strength into my legs as I charged at it, and it roared at me angrily—its eyes blazing in anger. It shot more beams out, but I realized that I must have dropped my fans somewhere. The only thing I held was the blade from the charm my uncle gave me. I would make it work…I had no other choice.
The air itself seemed to singe as the blast came right at me, and I ducked under it, but my hand was not quick enough. The beam hit my hand, but I watched in surprise as the blade seemed to cut through the beam like butter. With its attack done, it seemed surprised to see me still standing—but a wicked smile crossed my face as I looked at it. I charged at once more as it struck out its nails at me, which I also sliced through like it was nothing. I could kill this beast and finally be done with it once and for all, I could rejoin my family and finally finish everything.
I could only smirk at the creature as I kept up my assault—parrying and blocking its beam with my blade. I had gripped it so hard that my hand was bleeding…my adrenaline was pumping into me so hard that my heart felt like it would burst. I ran alongside the wall as it roared at me, and I jumped down to drive my blade into its heart. The beast was beyond angry as it swiped at me and caught my left arm—and I heard and felt it snap—but the blade dropped from my broken arm. I turned in the air to catch it in my mouth and grabbed the arm of the creature. With my body burning, I flipped over and ran along its arm before spitting the blade into my right hand.
It tried to shake me off, but I was already too close to its heart. I drove it deep into its skin but cursed myself for missing its heart. Sinking the blade into its shoulder…I dragged it down across its chest before it yelled so loud that the clouds in the sky split apart. I fell to the ground and finally cried out as I held my broken arm. I looked up as it roared and slammed against the mountains wall before it looked into the sky with a look that could destroy the Heavens and Hell.
The creature roared before its body contorted and slowly was dragged into a dark portal of some sort before silence filled the air. I dragged myself across the ground before leaning against a wall. A light drizzle still was falling as new clouds formed across the sky. The adrenaline in my body was finally starting to wind down and so was my body. I guess this was it for me…we were so close to avenging Koyuki. I’m sure that my parents would be able to finish this now—my death would break them—but it would be the final push they needed. I hoped that they knew that I loved them, despite my attitude over the years. I wished that I could have met my new sibling…but at least I would have peace and be able to-
“Well well well dearie…look at how much trouble you have caused. Tsk tsk tsk…”
I furrowed my brow hearing a familiar voice coming from my left…at least it might be. My hearing was starting to go out. My body felt cold…and it might be from the rain…but it might also be because death was approaching me. My vision focused for a bit as the old witch came into view and knocked some rocks around and placed her finger in her mouth, before sticking it into the air in approval. She nodded a few times as she mumbled to herself before she smiled at me.
“Oh outstanding! Good job! Good job indeed, dear!” My head was now hurting even more with her cheerful attitufe. “I see that you have tasted, bled and walked in Darkness!”
“W-What?” I flinched as she was suddenly in my face and opened my eye wide before she looked up at the sky. “The light has returned to you. You have done a most excellent job…your trials from now on will be most simple. Light things and happy times since the darkness is gone in your heart.”
“What? How-?”
“Hush hush…let’s get you all better hm?” I groaned as she helped me sit up and began her chants. “Enjoy this peace for as long as you have it.”
“What peace? The war is still going…”
“Oh, not that! You are going to be tried and tested once more in the future. I only hope that you keep up your attitude. Your moon will need to rely on you…when the light eventually fades and fails.”
“I don’t get-“
“It has been a pleasure seeing this family grow and change over the years. My duties have been fulfilled.” She smiled as she pulled a blade from her ppocket and held it to her throat. A sad look crossed her face before she gazed deeply at me. “I only wish that I could have apologized…to him…”
Him? How many riddles did this woman have.
“I’ll be glad to see future events unfold from the great beyond. Goodbye…little butterfly!” My eyes widened seeing her slash across her throat—blood spilling over her clothes. She grasped my wrist as her eyes started to roll back. Her blood poured over my arm before it seemed to travel up into my body…and my vision became clearer and I could breathe again. “Your wounds would have killed you if someone didn’t come in another hour…I…we…can’t…have….that…”
She fell against me but I caught her before she hit the ground. Laying her on the ground, I said a quick prayer before standing up. I would come back to bury her later. I winced feeling my arms and ribs were still broken…but I could make do with what I have. Another chance was all I needed and my family and I would end this now. I could hear the fighting over the ridge as I quickly made it over there in ten minutes. The scene before me was shocking.
Our family’s banners were mixed in with the Nobara clans…and dripping with blood. Men were falling over the side of the mountain, and some were impaled in rocks. Bodies littered the mountainside as the fighting continued, and I could hear the roars of the matriarch of the Nobara clan as she charged on her horse through several men. I looked around for my brothers, nut I saw nothing. It seemed to be quite even in terms of our men on the ground. It was good that the battle had gotten to a more flatten part of the mountain instead of the cliffsides…it would have made things more difficult. I rushed down a slope to enter the battle just as the matriarch spotted me.
I stopped to confront her once again now…I might have onky one useful arm, but she was pathetic in battle according to my mother. I would have gladly faced her—if not for Hiroshi suddenly flash stepping into the path of her horse—lightning stull running over his tails. Crouching low, he slashed the legs of the horse off, sending her flying into the dirt and gravel. Tatsuya was quick to appear a few feet in front of her as both of them nodded to each other.
“You horrid bastards!” She stood from the ground angrily—throwing her arm out as she looked between my brothers. “How dare you take my children away from me?! How dare you start this war over something we never even started! My children were innocent unlike you murderers!”
It was the same thing over and over with these people. Constantly playing the victim in this war even though they admitted to stating it. I suppose delusion was something that ran wild in their family. It mattered little seeing as how they would all be gone soon.
“I will kill all of you!” She rushed for Tatsuya who only scoffed at her as the twins fell into a crouch before they surged forward at the matriarch. I watched in awe as Hiroshi’s nodachi and Tatsuya’s spear both perfectly sliced through her body—effectively bisecting her—sending both parts of her body across the ground. She didn’t even get to let out a final breath the attack was so fast. Her mouth was still in the middle of its sentence, and her eyes were still narrowed viciously.
Another member was dead.
“Annoying woman.”
“Tell me about it…” Tatsuya sighed as he pulled a head from his waist. I gasped seeing that it was the final son. “I picked this insect off some time ago…I wished you both had seen it. He could barely fight me without looking like a damn fool—Masami what happened?”
They both rushed over to me despite the fighting around us and I suspect that I looked terrible, and considering what I went through…it was an easy assumption to say I probably looked haggard. “I’m fine…really I am…we have to find the head of the clan.”
“Mmm alright…some of our forces said he was at the front…so father might already be engaged with him.”
“Well, we should join him then.”
~~~
The fighting had spilled off the mountain and made it to the nearest village. I saw many people still running away from their destroyed home. There was nothing really left of it except for a massive ice structure that had lighting coursing through it. I squinted my eyes to see my father engaged in fierce combat with the head of the Nobara clan. The sky had turned black from the lightning my father had conjured in the air—the static was making my hair and fur stand on end. It seemed that weapons had been cast aside as my father and the head were laying nasty blows on each other. I winched seeing my father take a shot to the ribs…remembering all too well how that felt. I watched in pride seeing him shrug it off and lay a volley of punches and kicks to his face.
“We should head down there in case a stray archer or two is around.” Tatsuya and I nodded our heads silently at Hiroshi, as we couldn’t take our eyes off the fight. Once we made it down the road, sure enough there was an archer with an arrow notched and ready. He was quickly dispatched as I threw a dagger at his throat. My father caught sight of us before he continued his brawl, and more men ran to face them. My brothers ran to intercept them, and I suddenly felt so helpless as they fought their battles. I could fight with one arm, but I knew that it would worry and distract my brothers and father.
We couldn’t have that when we were so close to finishing this war. Everything that we fought so hard for was almost at hand. I could not mess things up for my family once again, but I wanted to help. I wanted to do something other than sit here and wait for it all to be over. I was about to help the villagers until I saw someone sneaking up behind my father. I didn’t waste a second to think as I ran over to him. I could have warned him, but that would just make him lose his focus.
I jumped onto the shoulders of the man and stabbed him in the top of his head. I hoped that I didn’t distract my father as I tumbled to the ground with the body. Standing up, I looked up just to see an ice shard coming right at my face. It nicked the side of my face…almost taking out an eye before I fell backwards onto the ground.
“Masami!” No! I didn’t need my father to worry about me right now! This wasn’t what I wanted! I sat up as my father rushed over to me, but the head of the Nobara clan was right behind him—a dangerous smirk on his face.
“No! I’m fine, please!”
The head of the clan raised his sword to strike my father, but my father smirked as he turned so fast and appeared behind the head now. Seeing blood fall to the ground…I looked up to see both of his arms soaring into the air. My father kicked him down to his knees as he screamed in pain and my brothers soon appeared to help me off the ground.
“My daughter is strong. There was no fear in my heart that she would perish.” He smiled at the three of us before looking back at his prey. “Like a foolish animal…I knew that you would take the bait of my care for her. Although, even if she never arrived…I would have finished you off soon anyway. I grow tired of the games Niji…your clan is finished.”
“F-Fuck you! My wife and son are-“
“Dead.” He looked over in shock at Hiroshi as Tatsuya showed him the head of his last son and tossed him the necklace his late wife wore. “Your clan is finished at last…”
“No no no! I refuse to acknowledge this bullshit!” He shook his head as my father walked around him, dragging his katana in the dirt. “Your family has ruined everything! All this for nothing-“
“You murdered my daughter!” My father raged as he grabbed him by the hair pulling his hair back. “You only have yourself to blame! My daughter was innocent and bright, and you took her away from us!”
“I did nothing to that little bitch-!” He grunted as he was hit over head with end of my father's katana.
“I told you to never speak of her that way!” He huffed as he tried to collect himself, but I could see how difficult it was for him. “You admitted to it yourself! I don’t want to hear more of your lies!”
“You are making are making a mistake! I refuse to believe this is the end! You will rue the day, Takeshi Igarashi! I swear it! I will-“
With a single slash of his katana…my father walked by him and slit his throat before sheathing his katana once more. “Come children…let’s tell your mother the good news.”
~~~
“Oh! Oh!”
My mother had cried harshly as she hugged and kissed all of us. My father and Tatsuya only stayed home for a bit before they left to end the rest of the army or get them to surrender. My sisters were crying just as much as my mother and the rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur. I don’t think it had really struck me that it was over and Koyuki was avenged. We had taken an entire family from this world…and it still didn’t feel real yet. I was quickly sent on bed rest and healing…and slept for the next week. I wouldn’t complain about getting much needed sleep.
A few days later…I was allowed to walk the manor and get some sunlight on my skin. I didn’t care to hear the technicals of what happened with the Nobara clan and their remains. Although, it seemed that the other clans were going to handle it and things would eventually return to peaceful times once more. I did find myself wondering about Daisuke…but I never heard if he escaped the manor or not. He could be dead and that thought didn’t bother me in the slightest. He wanted more from me than I was willing to give, and he wanted to control and hurt me to for it. I would never stay with a man who wanted to manipulate, hurt and control me.
I sat at my parent's koi pond with a sigh as I leaned back to sunbathe for a bit. My peace was quickly interrupted by soft footsteps in the grass. “Chiharu.”
“O-Oh! I’m sorry! I just thought you would like to eat or drink something…”
“Mmm…yes I think I would.” I opened my eyes to look at her as she smiled shyly at me. A pang of deep regret filled my heart looking into her sweet face. I had been so horrible to her for so long…but she kept being so sweet to me anyway. I was now starting to heal, but it was also time for me to grow as well. “Chiharu…come and sit with me.”
“O-Oh! Alright…” Once she took her seat…I took a deep breath and exhale as I watched the koi fish swim around without a care in the world. It was time to make a change, and I needed to start with someone I often ignored and belittled.
“I’m sorry, Chiharu.”
“Huh?”
“I…I’ve been so terrible to you for so many years, and you never deserved it. I just…you were just so easy to pick at and release my anger on you. The way I treated you was uncalled for and I will apologize for it forever if you want me to. I hope that I can earn your forgiveness.”
“…” I glanced at her and was surprised to see her with tears in her eyes.
“O-Oh…please don’t cry! I um…Chiharu I…u-um…” I didn’t know what to do when a person cried anymore. I was terrible at this, but she didn’t seem to care as she pulled me into her arms. “C-Chiharu?”
“I know that your grief took over, Masami! It…it did hurt when you said certain things to me, but I needed to hear those things so I could be better. I will always forgive you, Masami…you are my eldest sister and I love you. I just want you to get better.”
“I…thank you, Chiharu.” I hugged her tight and did my best to soak in her love and positive energy. I hoped that basking in the love of family would help me heal more. Speaking of which…
“Chiharu…”
“Yes?” We moved apart as she rubbed her eyes and my nerves began to get to me.
“Could…could you gather everyone in the meeting room? I have somethings that I would like to say to everyone.”
“Ok…it shouldn’t take too long.” I nodded at her as she left me alone and I collected my thoughts for a bit before I went inside the manor. There was doubt growing in my heart as I could hear my family conversing with each other. Their laughter should have warmed my heart, but instead it just filled me with more dread. I wished my uncle was here, but he apparently did visit in the week that I was asleep before he left once more for some personal business. I was upset that I had missed him, but I would see him again someday soon. I was worried they would keep holding some resentment towards me, but I could not blame them either if they did.
I stood at the door and took a deep breath in and out before I slid the tatami door open. I blinked around the room as my family sat and laughed together. My parents were cuddled up together while they watched Tatsuya tell some story, Chiharu was fixing the flower arrangement on the table while Mei fixed the strings on her biwa. Hikaru was dozing off while leaning against Hiroshi as he laughed and drank his tea, listening to Tatsuya ramble. I felt like a foreign object in a room filled with so much warmth. I glanced back at my parents who noticed me at the same time.
“Oh, Masami! Come in, butterfly!” My mother was especially bright and cheery seeing me and my father looked relieved that I was walking around. “Your brother was just telling us about his fights and how everything went in the battle.”
“O-Ok…” I sat beside Tatsuya and thanked Mei as she handed me a cup of tea. I looked down into it gingerly before I took a small sip. I needed to just get this over with. “Um…may I say something?”
“Hmm? Of course, Tatsuya give your sister a second…she is the one who called for us.” Tatsuya pouted at my mother before he huffed and puffed about continuing his great story. I moved away from the table still kneeling as I played with my fingers. I guess the only thing to do was just to start.
“I…I would like to apologize to all of you for my behavior over the years.” I rubbed my arms as I looked at the ground, and my ears dropped as my nerves built up. “I know that I was difficult and never the easiest to work with when I was going through my moods. I…I just…I have no excuse. I really don’t…my anger consumed me and the only thing I could do…was fight and be angry. I took to many things out on all of you and I’m sorry.” I didn’t dare look up at them in fear of their reactions, so I just continued to pour out my feelings. “I have been awful and my grief wasn’t handled in the appropriate way…and I foolishly thought Koyuki needed to be avenged like this but…”
Tears pricked my eyes before they fell down my cheeks. “I…I was a fool for so many years…and I know that many have suffered for it. My family…you have suffered most of all. I want to make this right and I…I just don’t know how to do that. I want to do it…but I…” I didn’t even realize that now I was sobbing before I bowed before them…my forehead touching the tatami mats. I still couldn’t bear to look at any of them as I sobbed on the floor. “I am truly and deeply sorry for the strife and trouble I have caused our family…I just…I…”
“Masami.” I flinched hearing my name and my mother's hand on my back. She lifted me off the ground and I watched in surprise to see her face red and tears in her eyes. “My darling daughter…please don’t you dare cry. I will not say you haven’t been difficult…you have. I know the pain of losing a sibling and I was the same way when I…when I wanted to murder your father.” She glanced at my father who smiled sadly at her before she looked back at me. “Forgiveness and healing are a long and ugly road…it will take much time to feel like yourself again. I know it took time and hard work to even want to be seen around your father…even more to love him. Circumstances were different then…a war had casualties and I have made my peace with it. Koyuki was senselessly taken from us for no reason at all…and that is something that we all have to heal from.”
“Your mother and I can’t blame you for how you feel.” My father took my other side as he kissed the side of my head. “Of course…you can’t expect change overnight…we only want you happy and smiling again as you once were. Your mother and I will always forgive and love you…you made some bad choices over the years, but we are your family and we love you dearly. We will help you with whatever you need.”
“I…I just d-don’t want to be this way a-anymore!” I finally just broke as they held me and I cried my heart out to them. It wasn’t even a second later that I felt my siblings hold me and the whole family seemed to come apart as years of hardship and pain were finally over. Everyone cried as the years of pain were finally relieved and it was time to push forward. It was time to build something new for our family…something that Koyuki would be proud of. I looked at my mother as she cried, and my father kissed her head before looking at her flat stomach—I had to start totally fresh again. “M-Mother…”
“Y-Yes? Yes, my butterfly?”
“I'm sorry for what I said. I’m truly glad that you are pregnant and that we will have a new sibling in the house.” She shared a surprised glance with my father before she smiled and held me tighter.
“I know…I know…” The family held each other tighter as we vowed to be stronger to never have to face such pain again. Our family was strong and we would come back from this better than we were before. I know that we could do and be better, but first I would need to get better first, and I knew it would be a long journey, but it would be the right one.
~~~
Another month had passed and we were still picking up pieces from the war and healing slowly. My brothers had left with my father to handle the Nobara compound with the other heads of the clans. Apparently, it would take a couple weeks to a month or two to divide the land, handle what happens to the people they governed and other such things. Father had been reluctant to do it since mother was having terrible morning sickness and couldn’t keep much food down. She—of course—turned his worry away and assured him she would be fine. Both sets of my grandparents would be home along with my sisters and aunt…so she quickly kicked him out so he could be back faster.
He pouted the whole way out of the manor.
I sat on the veranda feeding birds as Chiharu moved to sit beside me. She had been stuck to me like glue, but I liked being in her presence because she was so bubbly. Mei was quiet as always, but she only gave me small conversations here and there…so it would be some time to get back into her graces. Hikaru had been more vocal about her feelings toward me, which resulted in her yelling at me and being rather petty. Although, she would quickly apologize and cry about being happy that I was safe and would help me get better. Chiharu hummed next to me as she made some baby clothes for our mother.
“Excited?”
“Yes! I didn’t think that I would get to be an older sibling!”
“Well…our parents are very much in love…so it was bound to happen soon.” I smiled at the birds fighting over the seeds. “I wonder who they will favor…”
“Hmm…maybe a perfect combination of our parents…kind of like how Mei is.”
“I could see that…Chiharu?”
“Yes?”
“How would you feel about training with me? I could teach you everything that uncle has taught me. I think it would be good for you…”
“Really?! I would love that!”
“Oh! I didn’t think you would be so happy to do it…it is quite intensive.”
“Yes well…I didn’t really have much to offer over the years.” She looked up at the clouds as she smiled sadly. “I just trained every couple months or not really at all. I was…useless. I wanted to be helpful…but I just didn’t think now was the time to try. I felt that…you hated me for even trying or suggesting something. I want to do something and be different…”
“I…I don’t hate you Chiharu…I never have…I just…you were so…innocent…you still held such innocence and joy…and I didn’t know how you could do it. You still managed to make everyone still feel hopeful with your energy and I envied that…I never hated you.”
“Really?”
“Yes of course…I only want to make sure you are ready and prepared if anything else happens.”
“Yes! I want to do this!”
“Alright…we can get started next week. For now, I just want to relax, and you can show me how to do those pretty arrangements and your knit work. I want to make something for the baby too.”
“Oh! Oh yes! We can start right now!”
I laughed at her enjoyment as we talked and worked on a gift for our new sibling. It was starting to look brighter around here in the first time in years.
~~~
The months seemed to pass in the blink of an eye…and I was already holding the newest member of our family. After quite the event that was the birth…I smiled down at my adorable sibling.
“Oh Emi…you are so terribly cute.” I kissed the top of her scarlet hair as I walked through the garden, making sure to keep her warm as a winter chill had hit us. Mother wanted her to get some air, but she was still on bed rest after her birth. Emiko was tightly wrapped against my breast as I tighten my coat around myself. “Koyuki would have fawned over you so much! She would tell you every day about how cute and beautiful you are. Almost as much as our grandmother does.”
Emiko was an exact copy of our grandmother Makoto, and she was quite happy about that. It was funny that somehow…the last two children my mother gave birth to looked just like both our grandmothers. Her vibrant hair was quite the talk of everyone who saw her. Many saw her doing great things, but both mother and father shushed everyone who spoke on such things. They were just happy to see she was healthy and quite fat. Uncle Jin had arrived just before her birth, and I was glad to see him, and he fawned over his new niece. He didn’t stay long and he was set on travelling again. I had always wanted to travel with him and Masaru…his wanderlust was insatiable and I wanted to see why.
Hiroshi had left on his journey with our aunt and paternal grandparents a few months ago but came back as the birth was approaching. He almost cried seeing that mother had given us another girl into the fold, while Tatsuya did actually cry over it and he was obsessed with Emiko. I sighed kissing her little head once more as I noticed that she had opened her eyes…a beautiful golden color like our mother. I bounced her a few times as she began to fuss before I heard footsteps approaching me.
“How is she? Don’t stay out too long with her, your mother will begin to worry.” I smiled at my father as he rubbed Emiko’s cheek.
“Yes, I know…mother should be sleeping and resting as much as possible.”
“Yes, she should, but she is a stubborn one. Although, I had to give her a firm talking to about it after…her birth.” I leaned against my father as he went a bit pale thinking about what happened. Mother had torn terribly and lost so much blood during the birth…and…it was terrifying. Father had been in a terrible panic and unable to sleep for days while mother rested. I was glad that the worst of it was over and we had some time to breathe once more.
“Father…”
“Hmm? Yes?”
“I…I was thinking about traveling too. I want the chance to see the world and see what it has in store for me. I thought it would be good to help with my healing…and uncle talked about seeing things beyond the stars and I want to see that too.”
“…”
“N-Not right away! I want to be here with everyone and Emiko until she’s at least sixteen. I want her to know me before I leave. I just want…something new.”
“…” My father was deep in thought before he sighed deeply. “All of my children are so restless…leaving your mother and me behind.”
“Father…”
“Of course, you have my blessing…not that you need it. You are a grown woman, and I would never stop you from living your life. I just want you to be safe and send letters if you would be so kind, my butterfly. Also…stay away from any men on the road.”
“Ok ok…I understand…I can’t be a flower forever, you know?”
“In my head and heart, you will.” He wrapped his arm around me as we left to see the rest of our family. I didn’t know where my path would lead me next, but the words of that old witch ran through my mind every once in a while. I didn’t know if it really meant anything to me, but I would live my life regardless of it. I could finally begin to take my life back into my own hands, while loving and remembering my dear sister.
It was finally time to start the next phase of my life.
***
“So…what were you doing with my niece?”
Jin Igarashi was not happy as he paced outside a tavern on the countryside far from his home. His son was currently drunk out of his mind, with plenty of woman holding his attention. Jin finally leaned against the wall of the tavern as he glared at the pathetic sight on the ground in front of him. His shadow quivered and chuckled darkly on the wall behind him. On the ground in front of him, was the soul of the old witch that had once spoken to his brother years prior…and his niece just months ago. It took some trouble dragging her soul back to Earth before she got to Heaven, but he managed it fine enough—just with needing to owe a favor to an insufferable woman.
“I…I have nothing to say…” Her body was slightly transparent as she was pinned to the floor with his shadows. “I have no words for you…Nogitsune.”
“Ah…difficult is the way you want to do this…” He snapped his fingers as the shadows held her wrists and ankles, before snapping them and causing her to cry out. “I have no time for games…my liege is already upset with me because of my niece, and now you are here doing something you had no business doing! What were you doing with my niece!?”
“N-Nothing! She is of no use-“
“She is everything and you know it!” He grabbed her face as his eyes raged and his veins popped. “We were in this together…making sure that certain pieces aligned the way we needed. Now…I hear from the others that you deviated and said something to her, and the whispers of fate have shifted!”
“I did what needed to be done.”
“Fucking old bitch!” He stomped on her soul, and she cried out in pain. He growled in anger before he stopped to breath. “I killed Koyuki…and I gained access to the greatness that should have always been mine. Just to find out that the next phase…ugh…ok…alright. I can fix this mess…she plans to travel and I’ll make sure that things continue to flow in the right direction once more.”
“…”
“I would love to sit here and play with you, but your cunt dried up centuries ago and your youth has evaporated with it. Instead…I have an associate that I’m sure would love to taste your soul.”
He snapped his fingers as his shadow left his side and he walked away but the sound of laughing made him pause. The old witch chuckled as she looked at him in amusement and he slowly went back to stand over her.
“I did what needed to be done…said what needed to be said. A prophecy was said just like you asked, but I never specified which one I shared.” His anger spiked as the air grew heavy with electricity as he scowled down at her. “I can’t wait to see what happens next, Nogitsune…”
Jin rained lighting down on her in anger—no longer caring if someone saw the display. He was furious that this old bitch might have ruined his plans. Masami was his golden goose for everything that he planned for, everything that needed to be handled when Light and Darkness clashed. No…extra steps would need to be taken so everything went back into place. A smile crossed his face once he had calmed down, just as people ran outside to see the commotion.
“Things are about to get very interesting in the next couple centuries…now…will the cosmos survive the next time Light and Darkness clash, I wonder? I will make sure that chaos reigns when it does…”
His laughter melted into the night as his dark intentions still maintained a mystery to those around him. A confession that would go unheard, a dark plan that could spell disaster for all, an ambitious kitsune who had nothing to lose and it all to gain. An unpredictable fox who never wanted to be a trickster or leader…no he was a fox who only sought out the sweet comfort of death, misery and pain.
A fox—whose plans were becoming just as dark as the heart in his chest.
I kept him around to be a distraction if I needed one, but his hovering was giving me a headache that I didn’t need right now. He wouldn’t stop with the questions and the pacing and the—fuck!
“Daisuke!”
“Hmm? Yes?”
“Stop the pacing! I can’t focus when you do that. Go scout something or just sit down!” I hissed through clenched teeth, and he had the nerve to look confused about my attitude. I rubbed my temple to hopefully chase the headache away. We had finally made it just some distance away from the mansion. Patrols were heavy which wasn’t surprising since I killed their heir. I furrowed my brows thinking about the various members of their family. The patriarch and matriarch would be an issue…the loss of their first born would turn them into unhinged demons. It would be fine because they wouldn’t fight with strategy or sense of self if they were mad enough. Although, if I handle the rest of their children…it could really set them off in ways that would be beneficial to me. I held the charm from my uncle tightly, before I pressed it to my lips in a silent prayer. It would give me the strength I needed.
“I know that you are planning, but someone could start patrolling over here, and we need to keep our element of surprise.”
“…”
“Masami…”
“…”
“Would you say something-“
“I’m trying to plan this out, you idiot. Would it help if I said please? Gods, you are infuriating…” He huffed and threw his arms up before he began pacing away from me. Rolling my eyes, I tried to think about how many children that they had. There was an eldest daughter that I met on a few occasions, followed by one more girl. I’m sure that they had three more sons too, but I couldn’t be sure about that right now. The Nobara clan were never a clan I gave too much thought to. Just a family of annoyances who thought power was the most important thing in the world. It had its uses sure, but if they thought it would save them now—they would be mistaken. “Come on, Daisuke. The patrols on their eastern side have been slowing down so we can sneak in through there.”
“Are you sure this is the way you want to do this?”
“I didn’t travel this far for nothing, you idiot!” I pushed past him and made my way towards the manor without another glance. I ignored his frustrated grunts as he caught up to me, and we fell into step together. The eastern side of the manor was quiet compared to the rest of it at the moment. The family must be settling down for the night. It would be their last night, so I hope that they enjoyed these last moments of peace before I sent them to hell. My body was trembling as I thought about finally avenging my sister. Years of strife and tears were finally going to pay off tonight. Despite how they felt, I know that my parents and siblings would be glad not to worry about this for much longer. My methods bore fruit and that was all that mattered in this long war.
I shot one more glance at Daisuke as he finally figured out how to be quiet. His brow kept furrowing like he wanted to speak about something, but he thought better of it. If he wanted to mouth off, it would be best if he did it when we were deep in battle. A meat shield would always be appreciated, and I would at least give him a nice funeral when he goes. Two guards were standing by a door into the manor having a quiet conversation, and I readied my blade to take them out—but Daisuke was quick to interject as he rushed over to slice open their throats with a single strike. I scoffed at him as he looked at me expectantly—like a dog waiting to be praised my its master.
I’d never compare him to a loyal dog…he was more of a rat than anything.
“Proud of yourself?” I helped him move the bodies into the brush as his tails puffed up like I knew they would. “I could have handled that myself.”
“I came to help you…not sit around and watch you do everything.” Flicking the blood off his blade, he smiled at me and I was very briefly taken aback by it. Despite my indifference, he still showed me such favor, and I just couldn’t fathom it. Yes, I suppose that he must be in love with me considering he tried to marry me, but I didn’t give much affection in our interactions to show him I felt the same way. Kissing was the furthest that we had gone and I refused to give him more than that.
It could just be for my looks…
“Come on…before someone sees us standing out here.” He nodded as we slipped into the manor and made our way up through the servant staircase. Quiet conversations from the servant quarters drifted down the hall, but they weren’t anything to be concerned about. Peering into their room, it just seemed like they were heading to bed. That meant we wouldn’t have to kill more people and cause any more noise than necessary. Sprinting past the rooms, Daisuke and I finally made our way around the manor to the upper floors. I suspect that the family must be on the fourth or fifth floor, which might make for a tough fight if they all woke up and decided to face us at once.
Daisuke might have some trouble with multiple opponents, but I was confident in everything that my uncle had taught me over the years. Everything that I had trained for was leading up to this moment and I shook in anticipation once more thinking about it. Taking a breath, we stepped onto the fourth floor and were greeted with a man about to enter a room.
“What the fuck-?!”
Daisuke and I rushed the man quickly before he continued making any more noise. Daisuke tackled him into the room as I shut and locked the door. The two men were wrapped in an intense struggle, and I tried to find a way to get between them because they were making too much noise. Daisuke had managed to stuff a cloth into his mouth, but the other kitsune finally managed to elbow him in the nose, breaking away from him.
“Shit!”
I rushed over as he got to his feet and delivered two high knees to his chest and neck, causing us to fall to the bed. It was at this moment that I realized this was one of the other sons. He looked exactly like his brother except for his eye color. This is exactly what I wanted, and I wouldn’t waste more time. Pinning his arms with my thighs, I raised my dagger ready to strike him—but we both failed to realize that there was another person in the room too. I gasped as a cold chill ran over my right side, sending me crashing to the floor. Another male kitsune had hit me with a blast of ice—and he was quick to assist his brother, but Daisuke finally was useful once more as he entered combat with the brat.
I turned back to my prey once more as he tried to dash for the door, and as he opened his mouth to yell—I threw a dagger into the back of his throat. His guttural gasps were quickly drowned out as I jumped onto his back and drove it in deeper. Before he choked on the last bit of his life left, I tilted his head up so he could see himself in the mirror. His eyes were wide and wild as he probably realized that his life was over. I smirked at our reflection as I leaned down to his ear.
“Don’t worry…the rest of your family will join you soon.” The crazed look in his eyes went to full panic, but I twisted the dagger once more, finally taking another son. “Now for another one…”
His brother was screaming hysterically as Daisuke held his hand over his mouth as he grappled him to the ground. Tears fell from his eyes, but the temperature of the room was what concerned me. People would begin to notice soon, if they hadn’t already. It wouldn’t be smart to waste any more time with him; I countered his chill with my heat as I advanced over to them. I could take my time with the rest of them, this was nothing more than an appetizer, delicious, but a measly appetizer.
I was going to finish him off, but Daisuke took the kill from me! He tossed the body away and I quickly grabbed his shirt pulling him to his feet. “What the hell?!”
“…”
“You know how much I wanted that! How dare you think you have the right-“
In a move that was both surprising and annoying—Daisuke grabbed me by the throat and slammed me to the floor. Pinning my arms over my head, he continued to squeeze and the panic quickly over took me.
“I can’t let you do this any longer. You have to realize that you don’t have to fight these people! I will take care of you and we will be married. You will learn that this is for your own good.”
I tried to kick between his legs, but he was much stronger than I had realized. My vision was beginning to fade, but I couldn’t let him stop me. This would not make me marry him—actually—I had half a mind to kill him myself now! He would not stop this from happening! No one would not be at this point when I was so damn close! With my adrenaline pumping, I grabbed his wrists and heated them up until he yelled and let me go. I coughed out to catch my breath, but it was interrupted as he grabbed my hair and pulled me to my feet. I turned on my heel and slammed my elbow into his nose. Before he could stagger back and recover, I swept his legs out before dropping my elbow onto his face once more.
His nose was definitely broken but it wouldn’t stop me from climbing atop him and throwing another fist into his face. I couldn’t even have the satisfaction of more hits before he caught my fist and backhanded me. I spit the blood from my lips before he grabbed my hair and slammed me against the floor. I heard the cork of a bottle being opened before the bottle was thrust into my face. The strange liquid spelled foul and I didn’t want to know what would happen if I drank it. I twisted and turned as he tried to force me to open my mouth. All this noise was going to alert someone! I had to end this farce before it gets worse. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I pushed with all my strength and threw us back—breaking a small table. It must have hurt him enough because his grip loosened.
Turning around, I put as much force as I could into my hand and punched him hard in the jaw. His jaw cracked and his eyes rolled to his head as he wobbled to the ground. I took a quick breath before I went about setting the brothers in their beds. Someone was approaching from the bottom floor, and I had to make this look as peaceful as possible. Taking the one I killed—I threw him onto the bed and quickly threw some heavy blankets on him. Doing the same with the other, I quickly grabbed Daisuke and pushed him under the bed. When they find him…they could have their way with him. He never mattered to me, and this only solidified it more.
He could rot in hell for all I care.
The person was at the door and looking out the window—and seeing no guards—I hung onto the edge of the window just as the door opened. The room glowed with the soft light from a lantern, and I heard the shivering breath of a female servant. Holding my ears down, I peeked inside to see her still standing at the door, rubbing the sleep in her eyes.
“Lord Yasuke…Lord Igo…is everything alright?” I needed her to leave right now! Seeing her step into the room sent me into a panic. I didn’t even think about the bits of blood that might be around. She noticed the small table and sighed in annoyance. “Must they always make our jobs more annoying?”
I almost sighed in relief as she shook her head and began to leave the room. I looked down at my surroundings to see if there were any more guards moving about. I could just shimmy across to the next rooms and continue my mission.
“What is?” My ears perked up as I looked back into the room as the maid knelt down to inspect something on the floor. My heart leapt into my throat as she touched the blood by the bed—and even more so when she saw Daisuke’s leg sticking out from under the bed. She jolted to her feet before rushing to the bed and throwing the blankets off one of the sons. “Oh my-!”
I leapt into the room and grabbed her cheeks tight—tears streamed from her eyes as she tried to fight my iron grip. Knocking her off balance, I put her in a chokehold until she finally passed out. I wanted to avoid killing innocent people if I could help it. She would have quite the story to tell the other servants when they see all their employers were dead. Leaving her on the floor and kicking Daisuke’s foot back under the bed…I leapt back out the window and shimmied to another room that was a bit further away. I would prefer to have another son but peeking into the room…it would seem to be a daughter.
Perfect.
Slowly opening the window…I slunk into the room before shutting the window. The girl was sound asleep in her bed. Her dark hair in harsh tangles as her hand was caught within it. I hated how much her room seemed to be like Chiharu’s. Fresh flowers littered the room, stuffed dolls on the by the door to the room, a massive wooden vanity filled with makeup and perfumes. I almost stepped on a doll that had its head torn off, which I raised a brow at. She shuffled on the bed for a quick second, before mumbling in her sleep. I couldn’t waste time, so I quietly made my way to her rather large bed. She laid her head on over ten pillows, and it would be simple enough to kill her with one.
Although…my sisters end wasn’t as peaceful.
Snatching a pillow, it rattled her awake and she only caught my gaze for a quick second before I slammed it onto her face. Climbing on top of her, I held firm as she tried to shout and struggled underneath me. The bed shook and she tried to claw at my face and arms, but she was still too weak. This whole family was full of weaklings that didn’t deserve to be on this planet any longer. How could such idiots have killed my sweet little sister?
I just couldn’t understand it! It was impossible!
“Your stupid fucking family will be gone! I will have the heads of your parents, and I will parade them across the continent! I have already killed your other two brothers just a moment ago! Why did you have to take my sister away!”
As more angry thoughts coursed through my mind…I noticed that she had stopped struggling. I held it longer…just in case she was faking it. After a few more moments, I leaned back and lifted the pillow—and smiled seeing that she was dead. Her bright green eyes were wide with terror as her final bits of tears fell from her eyes. Spitting on her corpse, I left out the window once more to take another child.
There was still one son and one daughter left. I could make it quick…but I could also make it painful…
Painful…yes that would be a nice change of pace.
Peeking into another room…I saw that it was the eldest daughter’s room and she would get the brunt of my aggression since her sister was too boring to deal with. This one was also asleep; except she let out a loud snore every couple moment. I didn’t care to look over the details of her room, the only thing that mattered was how to use this room to paint a picture. Seeing the drapes around her bed…I had quite the idea about what I would do. She tossed once more as I quietly took the drapes down—my eyes trained on her face—burning with rage, but I couldn’t lose my cool.
I would do that when I killed her.
This family was a bunch of fools for letting someone sneak so easily into their home—let alone their bedrooms. The fact that she could not sense the bloodlust dripping off me meant that she lived a privileged and cushioned life. A life that was now mine to claim and show all the other clans what would happen if they dared to cross my family again. Now…time for the show…
Throwing her sheets back, she jolted awake—her hair acting like a curtain over her eyes. She only managed to throw her hair back to see my foot connect with her face. I winced when she pulled a hidden blade from under her pillow and stabbed me in the leg. I would give her credit for being prepared for that one thing, but it would not be enough to save her. Yanking the dagger out, I slammed it into her shoulder and before she could scream, I punched her in the throat. She glared harshly at me before she rammed her nail into my stab wound.
“Fffuuck!” I could feel my blood begin to freeze and my muscles get stiff. She kept up her assault with a backhand that actually made me see stars. For such a little thing, she had a hell of a punch. It actually almost knocked me unconscious. I repaid for my original strike as she showed off some flexibility and threw her leg up to slam me in the nose. She held me down against the bed as she coughed and tried to find her voice. I took a bite of her leg and spit the blood into her eyes. She ignored her obvious pain as she climbed atop me now and began to punch me in the face. I managed to block most of her strikes, but a well-placed shot to the ribs did make me whimper from the pain.
Grabbing her shoulders, I slammed my forehead against hers and we rolled onto the floor. I must have hit her harder than I thought, because she kept wheezing—trying to speak, or yell out. She scrambled to her feet to get away from me, and I couldn’t let her alert her family just yet. I had to make this as painful as possible for her and for them. If I didn’t manage to get them all tonight…I would leave them the most beautiful picture they had ever seen. I rushed as best I could—more like hobbled—to her, and I managed to catch up to her as we slammed against the door.
This must be a family of deep sleepers.
Pulling her hair back, I threw her to the floor and grabbed her throat. She tried to claw at my eyes, but I ignored her as I heard the bones in her throat begin to crack. Finally snapping, a fountain of blood poured out of her mouth, choking her. I watched as she struggled to sit up, but I kept every bit of my weight on her—watching her struggle with gleeful eyes. Her eyes darted wildly around the room as she tried to look for some escape. When she really began to choke…I finally stood off of her. Her blood splashed over the floor, and she rushed the door again. Having enough of her running, I rushed forward and kicked the back of her knee in hard enough that her bone pierced through her skin.
“Mmmm!” Her mumbled shrieking was hardly loud enough to wake anyone, although they really did seem to be heavy sleepers. She looked down at her leg in horror as tears fell from her eyes. Taking another approach, she began to bang on her door now—desperate for help that she would not receive. Grabbing her hair once more, I dragged her back to her bed. Making sure to bump her leg on everything on the way to it. She couldn’t even focus on using her ice to stop me…her mind in a complete panic. Throwing her onto the bed, I quickly went to work tying her hands to the post of her bed…slapping her hands away when she tried to stop me. I tied her legs up and finally stood at the foot of her bed and just watched her struggle and cry.
I prayed that Koyuki didn’t suffer when she passed, but the way these monsters left her was burned into my mind. To be cast aside in the middle of the woods, like she could ever be forgotten—it was unthinkable…and yet it happened. She was gone and this family was still here, and it was not fair! It was not fair that they got to breathe another second of air when she would never feel the breeze of her skin and hair again. The joys of life were taken too soon. She would never have the joys of love and a family of her own, to one day be an aunt, to reach the height of her unlimited worth. She had so much to give to the world and would never even know her name, but it would know theirs.
The tale of their fall would be the story of nightmares for generations.
Her knee was spurting out blood, and the bone was stabbing into her skin, probably causing her more pain. She tried to glare at me—to show me some ounce of strength, but once she realized that I didn’t show an ounce of care…she started her crying. More and more tears fell as she cried despite sounding like a dying frog. She whimpered and tried to plead with me as I walked around the bed to her face. Gently patting her head, I leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“I’ll see you in hell.”
Taking her blade that she stabbed me with I stabbed her deep in her chest. Her body writhed in pain as she tried to kick out with her good leg. I climbed on top of her and twisted the knife deeper into her before dragging down between her breasts until I reached her belly button. Taking it out…I was surprised to see that she was still alive, but she was fading quickly. Her eyes looked as if they would fall from their sockets—I suppose she was in a state of shock. Digging my nails into the large gash I created—I pulled and pulled her open. She finally began more of her convulsions and now she was screaming…at least what could be considered screaming at this point.
I wish I could hear her without her throat being destroyed, but I didn’t need to alert the rest of their wretched family. Getting to her ribs…I pulled and thrust them open—almost taking them out of her body. Seeing that her struggles had stopped…I glanced up to see that she finally died from her wounds. Her eyes were staring up at the ceiling in a final look of horror and pain. Digging into her corpse…I took her inner organs and hung them on the beams hanging above her bed that were holding her curtains up. After being satisfied with my work…I looked at her in disgust once more. She had beautiful eyes…I should probably change that.
Twirling the knife in my hands…I went about taking them out her face. It was delicate work because I didn’t want to crush them. It would make a nice trophy or at least something more grotesque for the servants to clean up. Placing them on the table…I tore a sheet from the bed to tie tightly around my leg wound because I couldn’t manage anything if I had a limp-
“Ahhh!”
Fuck.
Turning towards the doorway…it seemed the matriarch of the family had woken up and decided to check on her children. I was sure that I hadn’t made too much noise, but now my plan was ruined, and she was going to wake the remaining members of her family—and all of their guards. Her screaming was getting annoying and taking a vase from a nearby shelf…I threw it at her—which she unfortunately dodged. Her eyes narrowed at me just as her husband and final son appeared in the doorway. The son almost threw up at the sight, but the father was now a raging bull. I barely had the chance to attempt to dodge him before he caught me around the waist and slammed me against the window frame. My head hit the edge of the window hard, and my vision was in disarray.
“My daughter! Filthy fucking bitch!” He grabbed my throat and lifted me off the ground and I just smiled in his face. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of pain as he punched me in the stomach and my ribcage…despite feeling something off inside me. Wielding the knife once more…I stabbed him in the hand and kicked him in the face. He dropped me and I slashed upward and cut across his eye, but despite that he didn’t waste a second before he punched me in the gut once more. Something inside of me was definitely wrong…because this man was otherworldly strong. The force of his strike sent me out the window and I fell four storied down onto my back.
“Ah!” My back was on fire, and my head was spinning and my shoulder felt like fire. I hoped it was only dislocated…I couldn’t afford to have a broken limb right now. The wind had been knocked out of me, but it was the least of my concerns. I was getting too sloppy…my uncle would be so disappointed in me if he saw me. I was so close and I would finish this tonight. I had to finish this because my family couldn’t suffer for another hundred years longer. This family was finally at the end of their rope…only one son was left. My parents could have the patriarch and matriarch—my father had been wanting to get his hands on him for years. Their last fight was over fifty years ago…and it was quite a bloody one-
“Kill her!” I looked up as the patriarch was ready to jump after me…only to see his wife push him out of the way to scream down at me. Her eyes were feral as she basically spit the words out at me. She looked completely disheveled despite only seeing her only a moment ago. She truly looked like a woman who had lost everything, and it was just what I wanted. “Destroy her! Kill her now! Kill her! Make her beg for us to stop! Break everything in her and use her body how you please! KILL HER NOW!!!”
I could only laugh hearing her threats as their men quickly made their way to me, but I had sent my message, and I was glad for it. This would mean my family would have an easier time if they really did kill me this night. I would not take this fight…not now if I could help it. Struggling to my feet—I just managed to roll out of the way as the head of the family stomped down where I once laid. I didn’t spare him another glance as I pushed through the woods. Arrows were soaring dangerously close to my head, and it was only then that I remembered what good archers were in this clan. I turned to cut one that almost hit me in the back—just to see the head of the family charging through the forest.
He really was like a crazed bull as he yelled and knocked trees down to get to me. I sped up as much as I could with a hurt leg and other injuries. I coughed out some blood and that made me frown in annoyance…he definitely damaged something and I was bleeding internally. He was gaining on me, and I had to try to make it to my mother's lands, but that was at least another couple miles. I couldn’t think about how long that would take as I felt a chill up my spine. The ground beneath my feet froze and I slipped and fell into the brush. He swung with a heavy uppercut to my face, but I parried it away with my fans. The wind behind that told me that that hit would have taken my head clean off.
I guess this fight would happen whether I wanted it to or not. His men were still trying to catch up to us, so I would have to make this quick. He made an ice wall in front of him, and I furrowed my brow before he started punching the ice…shooting heavy projectiles at me that had some real weight to them. Each shard of ice was thick and just one would slice me in half. Coating my fans in flame—I sliced and cut through them as I backed further into the woods. The ice quickly formed onto his hands—producing sharp gauntlets as he got closer and tried to hit me again. I didn’t realize he was such a close combat combatant…my father left out some details from their last exchange.
I blocked more of his blows…the sound of his strike ringing against my fans. Every time he even opened up a little—I managed to slice his open skin. He was still wearing his nightwear, so he had no real protection from me. I jumped back to get more distance, and his strikes were even faster now and blocking them was getting harder. I held my ground even still and blocked them…along with the vast number of arrows flying towards me. Opening my fans, I sent several mid-sized fire tornados towards him and his men—which managed to be the edge that I needed because his ice stopped. A few arrows whisked by and one caught me on the cheek, but I kept up my fire as it began to spread and engulf the forest.
I held my arm to my nose as smoke quickly filled the air, and now it was becoming hard to see anything. The blaze overtook everything and I took the chance to run further in the woods—just to almost meet a muscled arm to my face. Somehow…this beast of a man had managed to get around me without me hearing him. I managed to duck under it, but his other fist almost caught me in the chin, and I rolled out of the way. The quick and sudden movements rattled my head and my vision blurred for a second, but I shook it off to see him pull a blade out.
“Time to finish this girl.”
“…” I had no time for idle chatter as we charged at each other. I would have to do something to stop his harsh assault so I could get away. My vision was blurring from my head injury…and my sides were burning. It felt as though I was being stabbed. He kept trying to fight me bare fisted, so I would use my fans to cut his hands, and hopefully that would be enough to get him to retreat. I sharp spear of ice shot out of the ground under my chin, which I kicked away from. Grabbing it…he charged at me with it and I spun against it and slammed my fan against his shoulder.
“Bitch!” I took the moment to saw deep into his shoulder before he pulled back, but I needed to keep pushing him. I threw more blades from my fan at him which he blocked with the palm of his hand. His eye was still bleeding profusely, but it was like it didn’t affect his combat skills. Grabbing one of the blades, he sharpened it with his ice and begun wildly swinging at me. I dodged well enough, but the smoke from the fire was starting to make it difficult. Summoning a circle of fire under his feet, he looked down in surprise and that was just what I needed.
I threw another blade at him and rushed to slash across his face, catching the blade—I drove it into his neck just as he grabbed my throat. With a furious yell—blood pouring from his mouth—he sent us both through several trees and I coughed out in pain as a branch lodged itself into my back. I drove the blade in deeper, but he just kept running before he stopped. We were out of the forest, and I could hear a river…and with another yell he threw me away from him. I looked over my shoulder to see that I was falling down a slope into the Yanagi river. I tried to see if I could grab anything to break my fall and just before I hit a sharp rock…I grabbed onto a tree that was growing from the slope.
I could barely function and I could feel myself starting to pass out, but I needed to move away from the river-
“Ah!” An ice sharp cut the tree I was holding…and the last thing I saw was the head of the Nobara clan smiling with an outstretched hand before he collapsed—and my vision was consumed my rushing water and pure darkness.
~~~
I was alive.
I could breathe and I wasn’t dead. As far as I could tell…I was still near the river. I could hear it rushing past me and the ground was wet beneath me. Opening my eyes, it was still dark—but the sun was beginning to peek out from over the horizon. It seemed that I had spent the remainder of the night on the riverbank, but I wouldn’t question how I ended up here. It was better to count my blessings at the moment that I wasn’t dead. My head was no longer pounding…but my insides were now sorer than burning. Sitting up, I winced seeing that someone had bandaged me up and applied some medicinal herbs to my wounds. Looking to my right…I scurried back as I was met with deep black eyes.
“Gah!”
“Nice to see you awake dearie…although I knew you would be fine.” It was that damn witch I had come across some time ago. What was she doing here of all places? If she gave me more riddles…I swear that I would shove that cane down her throat.
“How would you know that witch?” I had no idea why I humored her, but there was something odd about her…like a draw to hear what she would say next. She smiled with a toothless grin that made me uneasy.
“Oh, because you have much to do! So much to do!” She hobbled around humming to herself and I groaned as I stood up. “The path ahead of you will move things in an interesting direction…something that has never happened before!”
“Right…did you bandage me up?”
“Yes! Like I said…you have work ahead of you.”
“Yeah…thank you, but I must be going now.” I had to get home and tell my family about the latest development. The head of the Nobara clan was finished and we only had his grieving wife and son to contend with, which would be easy enough. Mother had essentially made the matriarch look like a child when they last engaged each other. Although…with her…pregnancy…she would be no use to us now. I could always handle it if it came down to it. My wounds could heal when they were finally dead…we were so close.
“You can’t head home yet, dear…” I glared at the woman as she traced circles in the dirt with her cane. Humming to herself once more, she smiled at me again and now a chill went up my spine. “You have to confront true horror.”
“What are you even talking about?!”
“The path to freedom is often paved in blood…and you have walked a long road, dear. You have to walk in darkness…to finally embrace your light.”
“Walk in…listen…I appreciate you for helping me but I-“
“Will you be able to help your light fight back against the darkness?” I flinched back as she was suddenly in my face…there was an edge to her voice now. “The light will fade…and the darkness will bloom…the butterfly must stay strong…for the moon will need her delicate wings to soar through the chaos.”
“I don’t know what you-“
𝔸 𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕞𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕤 𝕒 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕝𝕒𝕞𝕖
𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕗𝕣𝕦𝕚𝕥
𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕚𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕗 𝕒 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕪
𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕓𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕞𝕖
ℙ𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕞𝕖
𝔽𝕠𝕣 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕠𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖
It was that same riddle again…now it was beginning to really worry me, but what did that have to do with the events right now? Why did I need to walk through darkness? The last two hundred years was full of walking through darkness. I didn’t know if that would even change when the war was over. Could I go back to how things were? Would it even be possible for me to achieve some level of happiness when the world always felt so cold? The old witch had lost the mischievous look in her eyes as she chanted over and over again, caught in a trance that seemed to grip her tight. I wanted to ignore her crazy chanting, but it felt like I was rooted to the spot, that I had to hear this, but it meant nothing to me…
Right?
“Move along now…you have to get to work…” I blinked and now she was in front of me, smiling while tapping her cane against the ground. “It is your destiny after all…just like your parents before you.”
“My parents? What destiny? Listen witch! How about you explain something for once?! I have no idea what anything you are saying means!”
“You will…all of you will understand one day…and the scales of balance will tip…although what its direction will be…is up to you…”
I ran a frustrated hand down my face just to see that she had disappeared. I tugged on my bangs in annoyance before I walked off towards my home. My insides didn’t feel as bad as they did before, so she must be a real miracle worker. My head was thankfully clear, but I was still rather sluggish as I made my long trek. It wasn’t until another twenty minutes of walking that a deep worry consumed me. I could be followed and there were several villages on the way. I’d rather not involve innocents in this in case someone decided to check if I was really dead.
My ears twitched as I turned further from my mother’s territory. I thought I heard something strange and I…it didn’t feel right walking further. A sweat had built up on my body, and my stomach was turning in knots, but the further away I moved—the better I felt. It was strange…foreign even…like something was telling me not to go further ahead. I didn’t want to anyway, but now it felt like I was being drawn away. I couldn’t wrap my head around what was going on anymore. The last hour was strange, and I probably needed to rest.
“…”
“What?” I turned hearing a sound behind me…or what I thought was a sound. It was low, and now I wasn’t even sure if it was a voice. Perhaps the Nobara clan realized I was alive and were tailing me now. Not thinking twice, I jumped into the trees so they couldn’t follow my footsteps. The sweat on my body from earlier was now back and another chill went up my spine. My heart thundered as I rushed faster through the trees to gain more distance.
What was this presence I felt?! I felt like I was choking!
“…”
I stopped atop a large branch to catch my breath. I couldn’t panic right now…nothing was even happening right now. There was nothing around me and I was just tired and my mind was playing tricks on me. Closing my eyes, I took another breath to steady myself. I just needed food and rest so I could end this war as soon as possible. There was nothing to be concerned about.
“Ah!” Opening my eyes, I was met with a mist of complete darkness in front of me. It was a large mass of energy whose voice felt like hammers against my bones. I stumbled from the tree and landed on my rear with a pained hiss. Looking up, the mass seemed to look down at me before a long arm emerged from it, latching onto the branch. Another long arm soon followed…the arm was dark with strange writing on it, and the long black nails clicked together harshly…like they were scratching on a rough surface. It continued to pull itself out…long black hair following it, completely covering its face, but I could see red eyes peeking behind the inky strands. More of the strange writing ran down its neck as it pulled itself out of the dark mass, until just a torso emerged. It looked as if someone had been cut in half, and it was stitched crudely up at the wound site.
I moved back against the ground until I hit a tree behind me, my breath coming in shaky and pathetic. Its hair pulled back and it opened its mouth wide. There were no teeth, nothing except an empty void and in the far back…I could faintly see something deep within. I couldn’t look away from it either. It was terrifying and memorizing all at once. It traveled down the tree…slowly…slowly…slowly. It was trying to intimidate me, and it was working. Another arm snaked out a caught me around the waist, and I didn’t have strength to push it aside.
̴͖̈“̵̹͑W̸̻̾h̸͓͂o̵̺̐ ̵̫̚s̸̭͋a̶̫̽ì̴̞d̶͔̀ ̷͇̂ȳ̵̤o̸̝͑ū̴͓ ̸̪̊c̴̛̘ő̸͙u̶̟̾l̷͔͝d̸̫̔ ̴̘̌s̶͙͑p̸̳̂ẽ̶͙a̴͕͋k̸͕̔ ̶̠̎t̷̞̚o̵̦̓ ̸̲̕ṁ̸̹ẻ̴̬?̶̼͛!̶̠͑”̷̎͜The hammer of its voice rattled me once more as a whimper escaped me.̵̝̾ ̸̉͜ ̷̻͊“̸̡̌Ḯ̶͎ ̶̗͂s̷̮̐e̵̻͂e̸͈͒ ̵̖͑n̷̤͒o̸̪̓ ̷̼͆n̴̲̕ę̶̑e̴͖͐d̵̝́ ̶͈͛f̵̟͝o̵̞͋r̶͔͌ ̴̩͘y̴̻͗ò̷̘u̶̗̐r̷͙̍ ̸̺̋f̵͕͌i̵̗̐ļ̸̉t̴̝̋h̴̬͝!̷̼̇”̵̛̪
“F-Fuck you!” The silence was so loud. I didn’t think I could muster the courage to speak back against this…entity, but I did. My sister needed to be avenged…my family needed to be protected! I would not let some beast stop me now! I stabbed it with my fans, and it dropped me unceremoniously to the ground, and I growled at it as I took a stance. It had closed its mouth and stared at me silently, but I held its gaze despite shaking in my shoes. I would not let this be the end and I would fight and kill this thing if it tried to stop me once more. “I…I will not let you hinder me demon!”
“…” I circled around it and its eyes followed my movements with curiosity.̸̫̆“̶̣̐I̵̞̓n̴̙̂t̶͖́e̷͓͝r̴̞̈ḙ̸̀s̶̬̎t̸̜͗i̴̊ͅṉ̵͛g̴͈͌…̸͉̄I̴̹͠ ̷͎̓s̵̄͜e̸̛̱e̵̮̓ ̵̩̑w̴̫̎h̶̥͐ä̵̜t̸͚̚ ̵̦̀h̵͓̋e̴̕ͅ ̴͖͝m̶̡̕e̴̻̍a̷̝̽ṅ̶͙ṣ̶́ ̶̘̕n̸̬͘o̶̻͂w̴̹̍…̷̝̏ă̸̹ ̸̩͂s̶͔̀t̴̩̚u̸̦̕b̶͇͆b̶̼̓o̸̠̽r̴͇̈́n̴͎͂ ̵̧̽f̶̣̐ô̴̪x̸̨̊ ̴̱̒w̵̻͛i̸͎͂t̵͎̚ẖ̶͌ ̸̻̆n̷̠̈́o̷̱̽ṫ̵̙h̸͍͊i̶͎̓n̵̜̅g̷̨̋ ̴̢̒ẗ̵͈́o̵̩̾ ̸͕̔l̵̬̔o̸̰̿s̴̖̓ę̶͠…̷̣̀”̸̥͘
“…” I didn’t care to hear anymore riddles for the day. I held my fans tight in fear that I would drop them…my palms were sweating heavily. They felt as if they would fall from my hands at any second. “I…I have much to live for…and you will not stop me in my path.”
̴̿ “̴̜̈́O̵͚̒h̷̯͌?̸̯̀ ̸̪͐L̶̼̂i̵̲͐t̶̻͑t̴͆ͅļ̶̐ȇ̵̡ ̴̘̐ḟ̵̞ơ̶̼x̸̰͝…̶͙̈́l̵͍̿i̵̧͠ṫ̶̨t̶͔̾l̵̯͒e̶̖͆ ̷̻̀f̴̧͊o̷̢̔x̵̙̿…̶̞͋y̵̺̔ỏ̴̯u̵̬͑ ̸͙͝ẉ̶́i̵̠͝l̷̗͆l̵̝̔ ̴̤́m̷͉̈́ą̵̆k̵̡͂ě̶͎ ̸̘̑ṋ̵́o̶̜͗ ̷̡͠m̴̂ͅȧ̴̡r̵͇̀ǩ̵̯ ̷̹̿i̴͔͝n̷͉͆ ̸̤̓y̶̬͋õ̸̡ṷ̴̍r̷̠̕ ̶̧͛p̶̥͒a̵͙͂t̶̹̒ḧ̵̗́.̸͈͆”̴̱͂ I shivered as they licked their dark blood from their hand. “̸͙̓Y̸̻̐o̸̥͠ū̵͇ ̴̬͋t̸̟̓h̷͙̾i̵̛͔ń̸̩k̵̯͝ ̵̟̐y̶̺͆o̷͔͠u̶̱̓ ̸́͜c̸̫̃a̸̝͒n̵̟͝ ̸͖̔ș̵̊ṯ̴̉o̶͇̾p̷̩̈́ ̴̮̽ť̸ͅh̸̝̚ḙ̷̽ ̶̗͊c̶͚͗o̴̧͐m̷͉̏i̷͙͐n̶̰̚g̴͓͛ ̷͎͂d̷̮͊à̸̭n̶͈͊ǵ̷̮e̶͇͂ṟ̶̽?̷̨̈”̸̖̍
“What? Yes! Yes, I can and I will!” The demon moved closer and circled around me, its piercing red eyes staring deep in my heart.
“̷̗̈́Ỹ̸͇o̵͜͝ů̸ͅ ̴͔̾ḧ̶͓́á̸͎v̶͇̔ē̴̻ ̷̱̚n̷͎̔o̵͚̒ ̷̢̑s̶̮͂t̵̤̉r̶͇̈́ë̷̹́ñ̴͚g̷̮͒t̴̻̑ḫ̵̒…̷̦͠y̴͑͜ò̵̻ṷ̶̈́ ̴̰͠ḍ̷̓ö̸̪n̴̺̑’̴̭͋t̷̳̾ ̷̣̀e̶̛͍v̵̰̈́ê̴̫ǹ̵̫ ̶͈̉h̵͇̓ȁ̵͙v̴̘̕e̷͇̽ ̶̡̚a̸̻͝ ̴͕̊h̶̻̃ȇ̷̺a̶̛̳r̷̜̕t̶̗̆…̵͕͛y̵̼̏o̷̞͋u̸̧̚ ̵̱́a̸̟͑r̶̖͗e̷̬͑ ̸̡̈c̷͈̐ö̷͔́l̴̩͗ḑ̵͗…̵̝̉t̷̨́h̴̦͝o̷̬̓ȕ̸͍g̸̥̚h̴͖̿ ̶̧́y̷̞̏ó̵̬ǔ̸̱r̶̡̂ ̴͔͗f̶̑ͅl̸͖͋e̵̹͌s̵̰̉h̶͉͌ ̷̲̌ȋ̷̤s̶͔͑ ̵̥͐h̴̙͘o̸̹̐t̷̡͗ ̶̩͠ẃ̴͚i̶͈͠ţ̸͠ḧ̸̼ ̷͈̊ḃ̶̹l̵̟̕o̷̙͠o̵͠ͅd̸͈͒,̵̬̑ ̷̖̂ÿ̶̝́ò̵̫u̵͉̓r̵̗͌ ̴͊͜s̴̘̿o̵̳̽u̵̜͗l̴̼͘ ̷̪̀ï̵ͅs̸̹͝ ̷͚͗ć̶͔ò̷͜ḷ̶́d̵͉̈ ̴͎̆a̵̹͊n̴̲͂d̶͊͜ ̸̟̑b̶̧̉ả̶͇r̶̳͘r̸͈̓e̷̞̍n̵̦̓.̷͎̐”̴̗̊ I winced as its long nail caressed my chin and tilted it up to look into its eyes. “̵̟́I̵̛̟ ̶̡̅c̴̈͜ȁ̶̖ǹ̸̠’̷̢̀t̷̿ͅ ̶̟̕w̴͖͌ą̶͘i̸̧̊t̶̗͌ ̷̖̓t̶̰̕ō̶̟ ̴͎̒w̵͇̓ạ̶̏ť̶͔c̵͕͘h̷̻̾ ̷̘͋ÿ̴͈́o̷͇̕u̸̮̓ ̷̡̚f̴̙͋ȁ̷͍l̶̰͗l̶̠͆…̴͉̇l̸͚̂į̷͛ẗ̴̯́t̶͔́ľ̵̞ê̸ͅ ̶̚͜f̴̮͊ö̷̺x̵̣̏…̸͔̏”̸͓̌
“I will do no such thing, demon. I will rise and you will be nothing but a faint memory. You are nothing more than a specter trying to be the Devil, but I don’t fear false idols!”
̴̬̓ “̷͔̏I̷̠̍n̷͇͝ș̸͊ő̵̜l̴̠̐ẽ̶̖n̸̯̕t̵͔̍ ̸̣͑w̶͓̒h̵̬͑ȅ̴̗l̸̰̃p̸̧̔!̸̼̂”̵̻͝ The creature rose high above me, voice thundering as a lower half began to form from the torso. The bottom half was serpent-like except it had a sharp blade at its tip. It coiled around me, but I would not show the fear in my heart on my face. My family needed me and Koyuki needed to be avenged no matter what. I would bring this creautre down and continue my mission.
“Let us finish this beast!”
“…” It stared at me for some time, and I was ready to hurl fire down its throat. It did nothing more as it yelled into my face and released me. The last thing I heard before it disappeared into a dark mist, and I was left more confused than ever.
“What the fuck is going on?”
~~~
I had finally made it back into our territory after taking such a long detour. It seemed that no one from the Nobara clan had followed me and it was a smooth trip back. Besides the witch and that creature…it was strangely quiet. After climbing through the mountains and taking a break on a small hill…I could see my family home still far off into the distance…it would probably take me another three hours to get there, but I was finally home. I hoped that my family would take the good news well and we could end this soon-
“Lady Masami!” I perked up hearing someone shouting at me. I furrowed my brow as members of my mother's stealth division ran up the side of the hill to kneel before me. “We…we have finally found you…”
“What? Has something happened?”
“The Nobara clan has been spotted moving a large portion of their army over the mountains. They mobilized sometime in the night unexpectantly. We had earlier reported to the lord and lady that they had been planning an assault for the end of the month, but they suddenly changed their strategy…perhaps they were aware that we knew their plans…”
No. I whipped around to look at the mountains that I had just traveled through. How could I have missed an entire army moving towards my home? Was there another path in the mountains that they took? Going off the path was more dangerous and plain reckless…they were trying to finish this right now. No…another thought crossed my mind…I had done it again. My family was now in more danger because of my choices…thinking that I could finish it on my own. I just couldn’t sit around and wait for it…something in me had compelled me to keep going. My uncle wouldn’t let anything stop him if something had happened to my father. My uncle pushed me to do this because he had faith in me, and it was only the matriarch and her foolish son to contend with.
“Have my parents already mobilized the troops?”
“Yes, my lady…although the Nobara clan is quite close and the army is still making hasty preparations. Your father and brothers have already left, but they might not make it in time before they get off the mountain and into the first village.”
“Then I shall stall them.”
“M-My lady-!”
“Tell them that I will fight as hard as I can before they get there. Tell…tell them I love them if I don’t make it back. Tell my mother and sisters I am sorry…my father that I love him fiercely. If you see my uncle…tell him, I did everything that he told me to.”
“M-My lady!” I ignored them as I rushed off back up the mountain. I had to do something to slow them down before they really made more distance. The mountains were their own trial if one wasn’t prepared and I intended to make full use of its danger. I pushed myself on as I thought back to where the stealth division had seen them last. Their army was vast, but it wasn’t impossible to have a full fledge fight with them. I would have to create some sort of landslide if I could.
It took me another 45 minutes, but I could finally hear the marching of the clan. They were indeed traveling off the path, banners soaring high in the air. Most were stumbling on the path, but they were making good pace. They weren’t in a good position to cause massive damage, but I had to try something before they got too far into the-
“Gah!” I gasped as I was suddenly yanked backwards by something with extreme force. I was thrown through several trees, before being thrown down a valley. I hit several rocks and a cliff before I landed in the shallow water. I didn’t even have a chance to look up before I was thrown against a wall again and again before being dropped hard on the ground.
I slowly crawled to my hands and knees to see the creature from before looking down at me. It was clinging to a wall, and it was far bigger than it was when I last saw it. It grabbed my head and it felt as if something was clawing into my brain. It felt like its nails were scraping against my brain, slowly and painfully…excruciatingly so. If I hadn’t been taken down into this valley—the Nobara clan would surely have heard my screams and finished me off. I couldn’t think straight because of this beast and the pain was like nothing I ever felt. It held me above the ground, and my legs kicked out furiously—not to attack it, but because the pain just made my body react.
I tried to force it away from me, but it had an iron grip on me. Flashing images went through my head, but the most prominent one was of Koyuki. Her death over and over again, except they were more vivid and different each time. All I saw was Koyuki being killed over and over again, and I feared it would never end. Tears spilled from my eyes as my screams became louder, until I screamed my throat raw.
“̵͎̐I̷͔͆ ̴̮͆w̷̬̿ḭ̶̚l̷̠̍l̷̪̅ ̵͚͆h̸͕͝a̶̛̼v̵̻́e̵͈͗ ̴͖̃y̷̼͋o̸̫̔ü̴̦,̴̥̔ ̶̩̂ļ̷̿i̵̹̓t̶͕̅t̶̞̀l̸̜͌ȇ̸̠ ̷͖̎f̵͚́õ̸̱x̷̲̂…̷̬̇a̵̛̭ ̸̡͒n̴͕̂e̸͕̒w̴̕͜ ̶̣̔ḁ̸͝d̸͜͠ď̶̲i̸̛̖t̵̙̒i̵̗͂o̶̧̚n̵̪̋ ̶̗̌t̴̹̔o̸̜͂ ̸̰͠m̶̨͆y̴̭͝ ̸̹̄c̶͚̎o̶̪͌l̷̮͌ḷ̴̀ḙ̸͐c̸̜̆t̵̠̓i̴̳̓õ̴̹n̸͎̕.̵̥̓ ̵̥̈́Ì̴̝ ̴̙̒w̶̝͆i̷͇̅l̵̩̃l̶̮͐ ̵͚̔t̶͍̕e̷̪͂a̴̺̚c̷͎̉h̵̻́ ̴͉̽y̸͚̔o̶̖̐u̸͖̒ ̷̓͜t̶̬̎o̵̼͒ ̵̱̌r̵͈̊é̸̖ş̵̉p̸͌͜ê̸̺c̴̡̅t̵̛͍ ̶̜̌y̴͇̐o̴̗̚u̷̢͝r̴̯͠ ̶͔͛b̸̟̄ȩ̴̀t̶̨͒t̵̬̉e̸̹̽r̵̠͋s̸̥̕.̷̙̈́ ̵̓ͅY̶̰͛ǒ̷̝u̸͉͐ ̴̹͠w̶̭̋o̷̝͠u̵͇̾l̸̙̈́d̸̜̎ ̶̲̃h̴̛̠a̸̖̚v̴̠̿e̴̜̊ ̷̭̾n̸̲͒o̵̱͌ ̴̗͛ļ̶̾i̷̢̐f̴̜̚e̷̬̋ ̴̫́w̸̐͜ǐ̴̝t̷̠͘h̷͇͊o̵̬͑u̸͑͜t̴͚͑ ̷̙̈́m̷͕͝e̸͙̓…̸̰̕w̶̺̾i̶͈͛ṭ̷̀h̶̲̿o̴̽͜ũ̴͙t̵̖̎ ̸͙̍h̷̤͠ȇ̵̜r̶̟̆.̷̳͂”̵̭́ My ears were ringing as it whispered in my ears, and the tightening in my brain grew. “̴͕͑Y̴̧̾ó̵͜u̵̮̽r̵̬̓ ̸̹͂s̷͎͊ì̴̮s̵̞͂t̶͉̋ę̷͗r̸̙̈́ ̵̹̓i̴̛̳ș̶̆ ̶̯́ë̷͖́x̵̝̓a̵͖̍c̸̠̈́t̵̾ͅl̵̤̾y̴̧̐ ̵̛̭w̴̢͊ḥ̴̈́è̴͍r̴̟̍ê̸͍ ̸̤̾s̴͐͜h̷͍͌ę̴̓ ̸̣͊n̶̓ͅë̶̹́e̷͔̿ḍ̷̀s̶̞͗ ̷̢͌t̷͕͑o̷̝͗ ̴͔̎b̸̺͋ë̷͚́…̶̰͠d̶̥̔e̵͓͛a̷̺̐ḏ̵̉ ̵̦̽a̴̢̾ṇ̷̊d̵̘͗ ̵̱̅g̶̼̿o̵͇̒n̵̼͒e̴̛̟.̷͍̋ ̸̜̍Ạ̴́ñ̵͖o̷̙͆t̵̜͐h̴͚͂e̸̙͆r̸̘̅ ̵̰̄ù̷̼s̴̳̀e̸͙͝l̷̙͗ë̵͙́s̴̢͘ş̴͌ ̵̛̹c̶̫̍r̵̳̀ḙ̷̑a̸̫̾t̴͍́ü̴͇r̶͙̈́e̷̜͒ ̵̦̽t̵̩͌h̴͉͒a̵̡͠t̵̻̚ ̴̺͑n̷̖̕ȅ̸͔ṿ̵̍e̵̲̅r̶͗͜ ̸͎̚d̸̲̎e̶͔̓s̶̝̕ě̵͈r̴̜͌v̷̱̇e̶͈͂d̷͓̎ ̷͚́b̸̫̎r̴̭̕e̵̼̕ȃ̸̦ṱ̷̛ḩ̴̛.̶̃͜”̵̜̕ ̴̱̃
No! No! No! Koyuki deserved to live just as much as everyone else! My family deserved to have peace after her death! This wasn’t right and I wouldn’t stand for it either. I roared in fury as a massive blaze surrounded me and I was dropped to the ground. My ears were ringing loudly, but I looked up at the creature in rage. I would not let this thing or the Nobara clan think my family weak! We were more than some group of kitsunes, and it was time we showed everyone who we were!
“Ah!!” I threw my daggers at the creature, and it dodged and swerved around them, and I was quick to kick off a wall after it. Its eyes narrowed in annoyance as I threw another blade at its eyes. I could hear the harsh wind whip behind me, and I turned and blocked its bladed tail. We danced around each other as we both struck out. Opening my fan, I threw it at the tail, and it dodged my fan, but hitting the wall behind it—it cut its blade off.
“Fuck you!” It opened its mouth again and several insects poured out of its mouth, and I burned them to a crisp, but missed it striking me with its long nails—piercing me in the stomach. I coughed out blood, but I just spit it out into its face and tossed me aside. I moved to get up but the tail caught my leg and held me in the air. It struck out again to hit me, but something odd happened when it did.
Deep purple markings appeared on its wrists, and some sort of barrier appeared around me. Its nails bounced off it and that made it roar in anger. I held my ears tight as the sound made the mountain shake and rocks began to fall into the valley. It tried to strike the barrier over and over again before it gave up and tossed me aside.
“̸̯̿Ḋ̷̞ǎ̵͙m̷̹̆n̸͖̍e̶͍̿d̸̯͂ ̷͍͗ã̵̙n̴͙̈c̴̱̋į̸̽e̷̻̊ñ̷̢t̸͈̒ ̶̹͂l̴̼͑ȃ̴̩ẁ̷̻s̷̞͝!̶͇̕”̴͍̈ ̸͍̊I watched as it punched the walls, causing more rocks to fall and I feared it would cause a landslide onto me. “̵̖͒I̶̤͝ ̵̩̐m̷̢͆a̷̻̔d̴̨̄e̸̤͆ ̵͝ͅt̶̟͠h̸̭͒i̶͖̍s̶͖̉ ̸̘̏u̶͓͊n̴͈̈́i̴͙͒v̶̗̆e̴̞̒r̶̯͐s̷̯̀ĕ̶̯!̸͂ͅ ̶̗͌I̸̥͌ ̶̟̓s̶̘͘ḧ̷͕́ơ̶̺u̵̝̿l̴̠̓d̷̨́ ̴͕͒ṉ̶͐ọ̴̀t̶̡̽ ̷̜̔n̷̥͗e̵̹̾e̶͉͆d̷̦͝ ̴̭͗t̷̢͠o̵̠͠ ̴̺͝b̴̻̕e̶̖̍ ̷̪́b̶͈͝o̸̲͠ů̵̙n̴̲̈́d̵̗͂ ̴͚͒b̴̯͛y̴̻͆ ̸͙͝i̷̡̽ť̷̞s̴̤͆ ̴̲͛f̷̛̞a̴͚̚b̸͇̀r̸͕̎i̸̥͝ĉ̵̻!̷̘͝ ̸̘͊T̵̟̄h̵̯̅e̸̤͆ ̶̥͐l̵͇̂a̶̙̅ẁ̴̖s̷͕͑ ̸͍͌ò̷̰ḟ̷ͅ ̷͉̎p̷̦͘r̵̨͠ơ̷͖t̶͉́é̸̯c̶̫̊t̵̖́i̵̝̽o̸͉͂n̷͉̆ ̴͉̃ŝ̵̬h̸̟̉o̴͍̓ų̵͛l̴͖̎d̷͐ͅ ̸̥͠n̴̟͗o̵̻̅t̸̪̍ ̷̩̂ȃ̷̝p̴̙͠p̷͍͘l̸̫̋ỵ̵̓ ̸̭̑ṫ̷̻o̶̫͂ ̶̘̏m̵̦̾ḙ̴̋!̸͈̓ ̸̀ͅḐ̵̅ả̷̡m̶̘̍n̷̲̈́ ̵̮̚ȳ̸̲o̸͓̽ů̷̙,̵̛͍ ̵͈͊i̴͎̒c̷̳̊ẹ̸̃ ̶̳̈g̶̲̓ọ̴̀d̷̬̽d̷̫̿ê̵̠ș̸̂s̶̫̓!̷͉͠ ̵͍̈D̶͍͝a̷̧͛m̶̳͋n̷̪̊ ̵̣̂y̷̒ͅo̴̤͋ṳ̸̽,̶̫̆ ̸͈̾S̵͙̊e̷̠̅r̷̜̅a̴͓̾!̸̦̉!̵̗̈́!̶͙͐”̶̗̊
It turned to looked at me and raised a nail to me, and a familiar fear creeped upon me. “̵̺̅Y̶͌͜o̵̲̽ú̷̳ ̵̢͂a̷̰͒r̶̹̒é̸̪ ̷̼̓ñ̷̢o̵̬̐ẗ̵̟́h̴̘͑ǐ̴͉ǹ̴͚g̵͉̚.̸̎͜ ̸̡̚Y̵̱̎ȯ̵̜u̴̗͋ ̵̰̓h̶̛͚a̴͕͐v̵̳̔ȩ̷̾ ̶̲̏m̸̝͗a̶̱̅d̷̦͝ë̸͔́ ̶̠̕ḿ̴̙e̸̢͂ ̶͍̂r̶̭͝ë̶͇a̶͈͛l̷̯̈́ị̵̚z̶̦̆ĕ̷̢ ̸͎̔t̶͛͜h̴̺̔ǎ̵̹ẗ̵̼́ ̵̺́Î̷͜ ̵̤̿p̷̻͛l̷̬̒á̵̫y̵͍͑ ̷͎̂w̵̱̉ĩ̸̬t̷̞̚h̸̓͜ ̶̗̈m̵̥̊y̷̭̌ ̵̞͂f̶̦̌o̸̩̎ó̷̯ḓ̷̀ ̷̟͐ṱ̵̓o̶̙̊ ̷͎͠m̴̨͗ȕ̴̹c̵̟̈́ȟ̵̥…̷̠̂t̴͖̄h̵̞͘i̴͙̍s̸͍͑ ̵̔͜w̴̪͊i̵̝̇l̷͉̏l̵̪̆ ̸͚͝b̵̰̐e̸͍͌ ̴̳̒t̶̩̚h̷̢̛e̶̟͒ ̷̬̒l̷͔̇a̵̮͒s̷̩̑t̶͔͗ ̷̩̍t̷̹́i̴̹͂m̷̺̀ë̸̻́ ̸͎̕ḟ̵̪o̴͛͜r̵͎̈ ̸̖̅a̸̰͂l̵̳̆l̴̩͝ ̴͚̊o̵͎͝f̷͜͝ ̵͙̍y̸̝̕o̴̡̓u̸̗͝ ̵̻̐ḭ̵͐n̵̟̍f̸̬̌e̷͇̿r̴̾͜í̸̖o̵̫̚ṛ̶̎ ̴̠͌ć̵̭r̴̫͛ė̶̡å̵͇t̶̰̂u̴̼͗ṙ̸̫e̸̱̚s̴̝̿ ̴̟͊i̶̗͒ṅ̵̨ ̵́ͅt̶̹̐h̸͉̀e̶̯͊ ̴̗͝c̵̜͐o̴͎͛s̷̰͛m̴̞͘ó̶͉ş̸͠.̴̧̛ ̵͈̈B̸͖̏ḛ̸̈́ ̸̧̈́g̶̞̕l̶͔͋å̶̻ď̴̮ ̶̳̑c̴͖͠h̸̜̎i̷̙̊l̵̩͋d̶̪̽…̸̱̏ḃ̴̭e̵̢͝ ̵̫̒g̵͇͌l̷̥̾ȁ̴͚d̷̜̈́ ̴̪́t̸̅͜h̴̻͠á̸̘ẗ̸̬ ̴̜̔ŝ̷̬o̵̩̐m̸̘̌e̴̼͋ȍ̶̘n̷̝̓e̷̜͊ ̶̞̉h̴̙̉o̴̩̓l̶̬̓d̸͕̉s̵͕̓ ̶̧̈́y̶͉͗o̶͕̍u̸̘͒ ̴͜͝d̸͚̄ḛ̸̿a̶͙̐r̴̯̀.̵͉̃ ̸̪͝İ̶̩ ̷̧͒s̵͈͋t̷͍͌i̴̯͐l̶͈͂l̸̩̑ ̴̦͝h̷̤̓à̵̫v̵̺̏e̸͔͒ ̵͔́w̸̻͝a̸͇̋y̵̪͋s̵̲͠ ̶̫͒ť̵̬ò̸͉ ̵̬̇b̶̘̓e̵̹͘ ̴͈͒r̷͖͌î̵̯d̵͕̈ ̷͇͛ơ̸͓f̴͎̓ ̸̜̎ỷ̴̻ỏ̸̹ù̷̮ ̶͇̕ȁ̶̰n̵̝͘d̶̮͒ ̴̛̣y̴̖͘õ̸̤ũ̸̗r̴̹͑ ̶͓̄f̶͔̄í̵̺ĺ̷̩ṱ̸̛h̶͎́y̷̪̽ ̶̢̐f̸̼̐a̷̯̕m̶̪̑i̶̺̽l̷͇̈y̷̜͊!̴̩͂”̵̹̌
I gasped as it clapped its hands above its head, and the air above its head seemed to split open. A chilled breeze wafted from the space that was cracked, and I watched in horror as the night creatures from my mother’s mountains came storming out. They all poured out so quickly and in a vast amount as they rushed down the ravine. Others stood back to surround me, but I was more concerned with them heading towards my family! They could not handle the Nobara clan on top of all of this too! There were creatures that I had never even seen before, and some seemed to be more humanoid than monstrous.
“̸̝̐I̵͙͝ ̸̡̈w̴͇̔i̶̜̓l̴̢̄l̵̤̀ ̴̦̿ḃ̵̩e̴̦̐ ̸͎̽r̴͘͜i̷̦͒d̸͕̑ ̶͇͆o̷̭͠f̸͉̍ ̵̣̕y̷̱̓o̴̠͛u̴̘͋ ̸̙͛r̸̥̕ě̶̜g̴͚̍a̷͉̾r̶̻͠d̴̫̿ľ̴̠è̴̟s̶̬̑s̴̖̓,̵͎͂ ̶̤̋l̷̢̐i̵̳̍t̴̟͗t̵͇̑l̸̖̊ẻ̶̫ ̸̥̌f̷̙̏o̶͔̅x̵̮͊.̴̹̅”̴̨̚ The creature disappeared as did the tear in the air and the creatures set themselves upon me at once. I jumped up and dodged them before I raced to get to the head of the pack. I could not let them leave this valley…I could not fail my family once again. I would sacrifice everything for them! I had to make sure no one else died!
The beasts hadn’t gone far ahead, and I conjured up a wall of fire in front of the ones in the front. Running along the walls of the valley...I dropped in front of them, breathing heavily, but full of adrenaline—I faced the beasts with my wall of fire growing larger behind me. Opening my fans, I prepared myself for what would be the fight of my life as I eyed down thousands of these beasts. I only hoped that my body would not give out before they were all dead, because I was running on nothing and my stamina was starting to hit a breaking point—but I would not break. I will not bend—and most importantly—my spirit will not be broken!
“Come!”
With a yell that sounded more like an animal—I charged into the creatures and began a fight that would be remembered for generations to come.
***
The festive spirit in the air was just what I needed after my “fight” with Koyuki. We have spoken on and off over the last few weeks, but today I wanted to really but it behind us and go back to talking again. She seemed ready to speak with me too, but the constant worry about our uncle had to stop. I saw her speaking and training with him for the past week! So surely, she was over her strange musings about him. I know she was worried, but things like that just caused problems in families. I shook out of my thoughts as I brushed my hair and adjusted my kimono better. Today was a happy day and nothing was better to boost a mood than some fun and good food.
“Masami? Are you ready?”
“Yes!” I bounced over to my door and smiled at Hiroshi as he patted my head. I was so excited to see what new events would be here this year. Mother and father said that they had something planned for the night, but they had been very secretive about it. “Are you ready?”
“Of course, little sister…I only hope that our parents are ready…”
“Are they not prepared? I thought they would have been the first ones ready to go…” Hiroshi chuckled and sighed as we walked the halls of the manor. “What?”
“You’ll understand one day when you are in love, sister.” Hearing that, I immediately knew what the delay was. Mother most likely was ready and she probably looked radiant in whatever she was wearing. Father probably took one look—was mesmerized—and now were engaged in…activities…
“I’m surprised mother isn’t yelling at him right now…”
“Oh, I’m sure she’s yelling…”
“Hiroshi! Oh, stop it!” My face burned as I tried not to think about our parents having their relations. “You know what I meant!”
“Yes yes, of course I’m only teasing.” We walked into the garden, and I could hear Hikaru yelling at Tatsuya on the other side of the manor. He had probably gotten into her potions again. “Father is so madly in love with mother…as much as it embarrasses her…she loves it. I think if she really wanted to deny him—she would, but she loves him just as deeply.”
“Yes, although it is quite funny to see her deny his affections…he gets so upset and sad.” We both chuckled at the memory of our father sulking around the house when our mother wouldn’t kiss him because she was working and training. Of course, she engulfed him in affections later that day at their koi pond. My father could be quite needy when it came to her. I hoped that I would find a partner who would love me just as fiercely someday. “Hiroshi?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think you will be married soon?”
“Ah…I haven’t given it much thought. I’m more concerned with just living for myself and our family now. Helping our parents and learning how to run the clan does take time, but mother and father aren’t rushing me to learn much either. I’ve been thinking about traveling with Aunt Miyuki and our grandparents. They want to see more of the world, and I think I would like to do that too.”
“Really?” I tried to hide the disappointment on my face, but he caught me anyway and pulled me into a close hug as we continued through the garden. “How long will you be gone?”
“A few years…perhaps more…I haven’t gotten around to telling everyone yet, but mother and father know.”
“Is Tatsuya going? I imagine he was up in arms about this.”
“Of course, he was…but he’s happy for me and is thinking about going on his own trip. Although…he might just be going to see the women of the world…”
“Typical…”
“Yes…oh Chiharu. I was going to come and get you next.” I smiled at our youngest sister as she picked flowers and placed them in a basket. She looked so much like our paternal grandmother, except she had our mothers' eyes. Our grandmother was quite happy about that fact, even though Aunt Miyuki was her literal clone. “More flowers for your flower arrangements?”
“Yes.” She brushed the dirt from her kimono as she swung her basket happily. “Mother loves my arrangements, and I thought I would try some new ones before the festival, but it might have to wait.”
“She is famously bad at them…” Mother wasn’t the most delicate person when it came to such things. She was fluent with her dancing and cooking, but flower arranging was not her strong suit. Our father caught a mouthful of flowers when he laughed at her failed attempts one time.
“Come on sisters…everyone should be ready by now…” He ushered us along as a maid took Chiharu’s basket and we went to the foyer. I was glad to see the rest of our siblings waiting for us as well as our parents. My heart warmed every time I looked at the two of them—so happy and in love. They had been married for centuries, and it was like they kept seeing each other for the first time. Like I suspect…my mother looked radiant in a light blue kimono with orchid designs on it. Her long hair was beautifully braided into a bun that rested on her head like a crown, and my father was placing orchids in her hair—making her laugh.
My father matched her in a light blue yukata, and he looked handsome with his hair free and cascading down his back. My mother was tucking an orchid into his belt as they held hands and gazed into each other's eyes with bright smiles. Oh, how I envied them…I dreamed of having my own love one day soon. My father gave my mother one more kiss to her temple before she noticed us and perked up.
“My babies!” We laughed as she rushed over to kiss and hug the three of us—all while adjusting our clothes and making sure we were presentable. “I’m sorry that we are leaving so late…we…had some last-minute things to take care of, but the other clans are just arriving from what I hear! So, we haven’t really missed anything!”
Hiroshi gave me a look over her shoulder and I waved him away as my father looked smug. I rolled my eyes before I spotted Koyuki adjusting her hairpiece. I think enough time had passed and it was time to speak to her again. We couldn’t not speak forever…she was my sister. This was just a passing phase that we would laugh about years from now and wonder why we were arguing in the first place.
It was stupid and my sister and I weren’t children.
“Your hair is caught in it.” Koyuki jumped as she looked at me with a pout. I helped to untangle her hair before I fixed her hairpiece. “You always look cute in pink…”
“Favorite color…but not something someone in the stealth division can really get away with wearing on a daily basis.” She smiled at me from her reflection in the mirror, which I reciprocated. “I already can’t wait to see the Sakura blossoms bloom again.”
“Yes…you make such a big fuss about it.”
“I love Sakura flowers!” She pouted at me and I couldn’t help but pull her into a tight hug. “Masami?”
“I’m sorry Koyuki…I know that you were just worried and I yelled at you. I just want us to speak to each other again. I will listen to you if you really feel that strongly…nothing is more important than family. I hope you know that I respect your feelings.”
“Masami I…I was never mad at you, and I understand how you feel. I love our uncle dearly too, but I could have approached the situation better. How about we just start over, enjoy the festival and we can ask our parents about taking a trip somewhere?”
“Really? Like where?”
“Oh, remember that trip we took up north? We can see the northern lights and soak in the onsens at the resort. I could go for a nice massage after all of my training.”
“I would love to!”
“Come on girls! It's time to go!” At the gentle coaxing of our father, Koyuki and I left hand in hand to enjoy the festival. I was glad that we were finally speaking again and could put the past behind us. It was time to look forward to what was to come.
***
The festival was a time for all the clans to come together to celebrate and put past grievances to the side. Although, the only clan that was a nuisance was the Nobara clan, but they behaved when they were here, so I didn’t pay them much mind. My father always said to ignore others that could only scream without making any noise. The other clans were actually much nicer, and we often had teas together and did some activities together. The Nobara clan was so closed off, and I could never understand how they could still be like this for years on end. Did it not get tiring to be so angry all the time? They just wanted to argue with my parents for things that didn’t matter. I hoped that we could have peace with them someday…I thought the eldest son was really nice and handsome. Although, if my father heard that he would have a heart attack.
“Masami!” My ears perked up seeing my uncle walking over to me with my cousin by his side. Our grandparents also arrived and I was so excited to see them. It was hard to get our whole family together at times so this was a rare opportunity. I hugged him tight as he kissed the top of my head and I greeted the rest of our family. I was pleased to see that Koyuki was talking to him and was wearing a happy expression on her face. The other clans and civilians were conversing, and children were running around the square. The paper lanterns were being lit as music began to play. My sisters already went about dancing, and Mei was quick to join the musicians.
I spotted my mother sitting on a barrel just watching my father dance with Hikaru, who had two left feet. Going to stand beside her, I watched as Tatsuya chased some men away from Chiharu and Hiroshi tried to stop him. My uncle and aunt were trying to outdrink my grandfathers and I knew that would only end in misery for them all. “Where’s Koyuki?”
“She’s right over there…the line for the soba noodles is quite long and she’s been talking about them for the last few days.”
“Are you alright, mother?”
“Hmm?” She tilted her head at me in surprise, the gemstone on her forehead twinkling in the light. “Of course, my butterfly. I just like to take in these happy moments…it reminds me to take life slow and enjoy the peace.”
“Are you saying that because you’re going to miss Hiroshi when he travels?” She chuckled as she swirled her tea in her cup.
“I always miss Hiroshi…” I looked at the ground quickly realizing what she was really saying. I never knew what to say to her when she thought about our late uncle. He carried such a presence that it could be felt centuries after his death. Mother often said that our Hiroshi was just like his namesake and not just in his looks. I wondered if it hurt her to look at him sometimes…she never seemed to show it though. I looked at her as she touched my head. “I think this will be good for your brother…and we have to wish him the best.”
“Mother…I…I’m sorry…”
“Shh shh…its alright. I’m sorry for getting the mood so sad. The only thing I hope for my children is that you are happy. I want you to love each other and look after each other. I hope that your father and I succeeded in achieving that for you all.”
“Of course you have! Oh mother…” I hugged her tight and she laughed as she hugged me tight and kissed my head.
“Izumi? Masami?” We parted to see my father looking worried as he held some takoyaki for us to eat. “Are you both alright?”
“Oh, we are fine…you know how I get sometimes…thinking about Hiroshi.” My father sighed sadly as he rubbed his cheek against hers and handed over our food.
“Izumi I’m so-“
“Stop it, stop it. You know I hate when you do that.” She pinched his nose before she winked at me. “I hope your future husband isn’t so annoying and whiny."
“She is never getting marri-“ I laughed as mother shoved some takoyaki into his mouth and he almost choked on it. I left them alone to continue with the festival, but it seemed that Koyuki was missing. She was supposed to do a dance routine in about twenty minutes. I thought she would still be in the soba line, but she was already gone.
“Oh uncle!” I spotted my uncle once more as he downed a glass of water. “Did you have fun with your drinking contest?”
“Ugh…dear niece…never drink with your grandfathers…it is not worth it.”
“Haha! I will keep that in mind. Have you seen Koyuki? She has a performance to do.” I glanced over his shoulder and made eye contact with Mei, who gave me a questioning look. I shrugged my shoulders and she sighed and went back to the other musicians.
“I last saw her at the soba stand. Knowing her, she probably is practicing one last time to get her movements right. She is much like your mother in that regard.”
“Well…I guess I will have to find her. She hates being late to things too, and she’ll beat herself up about it.”
“You want help?”
“No no…she’s probably close by. Enjoy the festival and I’ll be back with her so she can give the best performance ever!” He chuckled as I rushed away to look for my sister. I had to have walked through the festival several times over, but I could not find her. Where in the world did she go? She was ten minutes late now and she was nowhere to be seen. I hoped that she didn’t get food poisoning or something…that would be embarrassing. The only other place to check would have to be the woods, but I don’t know what she would be doing there.
“Koyuki? I’m going to mess up my new kimono…” I stepped over some fallen trees as I tried to find her. I doubt she was too far in the woods, so I turned to leave.
“…”
“Hmm? Koyuki?” I swear that I could hear something a bit further away. It wasn’t close, but I did hear something. “Please don’t scare me Koyuki…I don’t want to face your pranks right now.”
“…”
“Ugh…I’m going to regret this…” The last time she scared me I lost my voice from screaming too much. I didn’t really care for jump scares in my own home. I wasn’t scared of spirits and such, but she could really paint a for…boding…picture…
Blood.
There was so much blood.
Everywhere.
On the trees, bushes, grass, dirt…bodies. The bodies of so many men were laid out in a clearing. Some were hanging off the trees, in the bushes, sprawled out on the ground. The ground looked as if it was covered in a deep red blanket. I stepped over a body as I heard another sound…maybe someone was alive and I could help them. I just never thought I would see a familiar pink kimono in the center of it all. I gasped in horror seeing Koyuki digging her nails into the grass as she choked on her own blood.
“Koyuki! Help! Someone help! Help me please!” I tossed a fireball into the air as I rushed over and tripped through the grass and my tears as I grabbed onto Koyuki. I didn’t know what to do as I looked over her body. Her kimono was slashed and ripped, and it looked like she had been stabbed with a large weapon through her abdomen. There was too much blood that was flowing out of her and I…I! “K-Koyuki…w-what do I…I…K-Koyuki…”
Her nails ripped into the grass as she held her throat, her eyes looking around wildly. I held her up so she wouldn’t choke on her blood. It looked as if someone had crushed her throat, and I just…what do I do?
“No!” I looked up just as my mother appeared and ran to us and took Koyuki into her arms. The rest of the family was close behind and it was like time slowed down. “Somone get the fucking doctor!”
I watched as my grandfather's barked orders at the stealth division and my aunt Miyuki pulled me away and held me in her arms. I watched as Koyuki tried to speak and move, but she was getting more and more sluggish. My mother was crying and screaming as my father was on Koyuki’s other side trying to stop her bleeding with our grandmothers. Uncle Jin just arrived and looked at the scene in shock before he pulled Chiharu and Mei against them as they had both collapsed to the ground screaming.
“Takeshi! Do something please! Takeshi!” My mother kept stroking Koyuki’s hair as her tears fell on her face.
“Koyuki! Koyuki…please hold on…help is coming…” My father tried to comfort my mother and Koyuki, but tears were threatening to spill from his eyes. “My flower…don’t you leave us…don’t you dare…”
Koyuki’s eyes widened as she looked ahead of our parents, and I followed her gaze to my uncle as he looked at her in shock. I couldn’t read her expression because of the commotion going on. My heart began to break as I saw the light in her eyes start to fade. No no no no!
“Koyuki!” I tried to reach for her, but my aunt and Tatsuya held me back. “No no please! Koyuki you can’t die!”
It wasn’t even a second later, that her body suddenly convulsed and shook before she stopped moving. Her light faded as her blood pooled around her feet. Everyone seemed to freeze as they stared at her, and my mother touched a shaky hand to her cheek. Stroking it and brushing her hair from her face, hoping to get some sort of reaction—but none ever came.
“K-Koyuki…K-Koyuki baby…” My mother looked up at my father before she looked down in shock, before she finally broke. “Ahhhh! No no no no! Takeshi!”
She held Koyuki’s body against her chest before the rest of us began to cry with her. My mother collapsed to the ground, still clutching Koyuki’s…body…as she kissed and held her tight. My father tried to hold my mother, but she fought him off and she screamed and screamed. My grandmothers held onto Hikaru and I as my aunt moved away to cry herself now.
“Izumi…”
“Takeshi why?! What happened?! Who did this to her?!” My mother’s eyes were blazing as the air around us grew hot. “Our baby is dead! She’s gone, Takeshi! Ahhh!”
“I…” My father couldn’t say anymore as he cried and kissed Koyuki on her head and held my mother by her shoulders. I couldn’t even see any more over my tears as I moved to hold onto Koyuki’s hands. She was already so cold and there was nothing that could be done.
“M-Mother…f-father…” Everyone looked at Hikaru as she stumbled over holding a fabric in her hands. My father stood to catch her as he took the fabric from her hands. His eyes widened as he looked around the clearing and the sky above our heads grew darker, an obvious static was in the air now.
“T-Takeshi…what…what is it?” My father turned the fabric over, and as clear as day—was the emblem of the Nobara clan. Everyone is this clearing…was silent as we all processed what it meant—what needed to be done now. My mother trembled as she looked up at my father—and there was only venom and pure hatred in her eyes. “Kill them.”
“…”
“Kill them, Takeshi! Kill every last one of them! Kill them all, Takeshi! Kill them!!!”
***
A darkness had fallen over our family for the last week—understandably so. Izumi had not spoken since we found Koyuki. She only wanted the Nobara clan dead…and it was all I wanted as well. My family was in pieces, and I had to settle this without more violence. Another war isn’t what I wanted to for my family…but my daughter…my little flower was gone, and a price had to be paid. A meeting of the clans was called after the…funeral, and Izumi hadn’t left the shrine since the funeral. I doubt she would be able to converse in the same room as Niji Nobara. I had to go despite my own feelings about the situation…I had to choose the option that caused the least amount of bloodshed.
But I wanted the bloodshed.
“Father…”
“Yes…I’m coming.” I stood from the koi pond to look at Hiroshi, and my heart broke to see him in such a state. He had terrible bags under his eyes, and he had lost a considerable amount of weight over the last week. I sometimes heard him in the forests behind our home...wailing in agony. I often found him in the night walking to each of his sibling's rooms…to check if they were alright. Tatsuya was the same way; except he took to staying outside and patrolling the manor all hours of the day…I don’t think I had seen either of them sleep since the festival. Hiroshi had taken a blade to his hair in depression, Tatsuya took his anger out on most of the staff, Masami was as silent as her mother…Hikaru locked herself in her workshop…Mei just sat on the roof and played sad music and Chiharu wailed day and night in her room since Koyuki was murdered.
My family was in shambles, and I had to do something about it. With my sons flanking me, we set off towards neutral territory to see Niji Nobara. We arrived quickly, because frankly I just wanted to put my hands on him, but I had to be better than that. I stormed through the halls to the meeting room, the other heads of the clan whispering quietly amongst themselves. I threw open the door and the room fell into a heavy silence. I locked eyes with Niji as I sat across from him, and he just frowned and crossed his arms.
I had to be calm for my sons, but I could feel my blood boiling. Tatsuya was grinding his teeth on my left and Hiroshi had his hand on his blade on my right. I nodded my head at the other clan leaders who nervously cleared their throats to begin the meeting. “We are gathered here today…to speak on the unfortunate death of Lady Koyuki Igarashi at the hands of men from the Nobara clan-“
“Pure conjecture.”
“Um…I’m sorry, Nobara-sama?” I rolled my neck as Niji leaned back in his seat with not a care in the world. I would jump across this table before the night was done. I was terribly on edge, and I could end this now, but I know Izumi would want a piece. Hashimara-sama sighed deeply as he was interrupted and continued to address the room. “Do not interrupt…we are trying to do this as peacefully as possible.”
“Peaceful?! This stupid fuck had my little sister murdered!” I grabbed Tatsuya’s arm as he stood up and I kept eye contact with Niji, who rolled his eyes. “Keep rolling your eyes, bastard! I’ll serve them to you on a plate!”
“Enough!” The head of the Yasatoshi clan growled out, rubbing his temple. “I know this is a hard time for your family, but we are trying to prevent further bloodshed.”
“It seems that this was the point, Yasatoshi-sama. Clearly this barbarian wants to pick a losing fight with our family,” Hiroshi hissed beside me, his sword trembling in his hand—writhing in his anger. “I can assure you that we don’t show mercy.”
“I didn’t have your child killed, you foolish man! I would never waste my time on some pathetic little bit-“
“Watch your tongue, swine!” I stood up now, my tails crackling with electricity. “You will not speak of my daughter in such a way! You will show respect and never have her name in your mouth again!”
“Ah yes, the illustrious Igarashi clan can’t take the heat from another clan?! So far at the top that you can’t see that maybe some of us were chipping away from the bottom for years!”
“…I would not say I was…” Yasatoshi-sama and Hashimara-sama whispered their disagreements quickly as they sank into their seats, content with just watching us yell at each other.
“So, you admit that you had my daughter killed for some petty bullshit!” I was losing my patience as I slammed my fist on the table. “Jealousy is an ugly mask to wear Niji! Is it really worth the cost of losing your entire clan!”
“Jealous?! I never had your child killed, you stupid child! All you’re trying to do right now is write a false narrative to make yourself look good! You don’t care about anybody, but yourself and control!”
“Control?! Are you getting senile in your old age?! Why would I want control over any of the clans?!”
“That murderous brother of yours is always sneaking around-“
“He is promoting good relations-“
“Taking our women and-“
“He’s a man, you idiot! He isn’t sleeping with your daughters is he-?”
“I’ll skin that bastard alive if he ever-“
“Address what you have done to my daughter!”
“I didn’t touch the little bitch-“
This time I did reach across the table and slammed his face down against a cup, breaking glass into his face. My sons and the other clan heads held us both back, but I wanted more! I needed to break this bastard more! How dare he try to deny what was so obvious to everyone! He was just a bitter old man who wanted to do nothing but sow misery! He would get more than misery! He would get retribution and blood! I would have the head of one of his sons, by the end of the month or the whole family would be sent to hell!
“Fucker! You only framed my men to start a war! We were at peace at that festival! Your daughter killed my men for no reason! Probably tried to seduce them and then murdered them! Like mother, like daughter I see! Trying to get ahead in life with their body-“
Now, Tatsuya and Hiroshi broke the table in half as they tackled him to the floor and I was quick on their heels, but guards flooded the room and the other heads of the clan pulled us apart. It took another couple minutes before we were calm and everyone moved to a new room. I cared little for this farce any longer…I just wanted to take his head home to my wife.
“Are you both done?” Yasatoshi-sama looked beyond pissed at our display, but I frankly didn’t give a damn. I would get my retribution, and we would never have to deal with this family gain. Trade routes and supplies would be cut off immediately. Hiroshi and Tatsuya were sent to another room to cool off, but I could still here Tatsuya cursing to himself and Hiroshi sharpening his blade. “We just need to-“
“Answer the question…why did your child kill my men?”
“She would never have done that! Do you not listen? Do you think your pathetic little family matters to us? According to you, we don’t need to be concerned with ants like you. Why don’t you just be silent and continue to bite at our feet…you seem to enjoy it.”
“You spoiled little brat! Just like your father before you…and annoyance and hindrance to my family and status.”
“Ah…still so angry that my mother denied your advances? Upset that he married the most beautiful and influential kitsune of your times? Such childhood pettiness is sad at your age, old man.”
The other heads pursed their lips and looked away as they whistled lowly. It was a well-known secret that Niji had been in love with my mother forever, and he only married his current wife as a substitute. It was part of his dislike for my family, and he just hated my father. I was getting quite petty now…Izumi was having a bad influence on me.
“Fuck you, child! You do not have the moral high ground here! You’re just doing this to start a war to gain control over my territory!”
“Huh?! You think I would use my daughter to start a war with you?! Even if I did…which I don’t! I wouldn’t have let her be killed in the process! Use your mind to think!”
“I’m thinking quite clearly!” The other heads of the clans looked between us nervously, but he was just making no sense now. He really was a fool, and I would stake my demands and be done with him. “Stop trying to control the rest of us! Just because the Yamaguchi mountains are yours now means nothing! I’m sick of your family acting like royalty! You are all nothing and it's about time someone knocks you off your high horse!”
“…” I despise this man.
“Fuck you! Fuck your wife and your children!” I rose back to my feet, and the other heads were quick to follow. “If it needs to be done, all of us will go to war with your family right now!”
“I didn't agree to this…”
“Don’t drag my family in this…”
“Ah so you admit to it!”
“Maybe I did have that brat killed! She deserved to die just like the rest of your family will! So yes! I had her killed and I’ll make sure to get that wife of yours too! I’ve had my eyes on her for a long time! Fuck your family! This is the beginning of your end! I fully intend to take that wife of yours and fuck-“
It was clear to everyone who had eyes how much I loved Izumi. If I could pull the stars out of the sky for her I would. If I could turn the very air into mochi cakes for her I would. I would tear down the Gods for her if she asked it of me. So, the others in the room knew that speaking about my wife, was expressly taboo. They backed away from the table as I fully channeled my wife and jumped across the table and buried my fist in his face.
I hammered my fist down into his face as the room shook at the sheer force of my swings. Electricity surged off me and into him as he yelled. Taking my tanto blade, I almost stabbed it into his eye, but he caught it. “Never fucking speak of my wife like that again! Your whole family is dead! The Nobara clan will be wiped from this life if it is the last thing I do!”
I could feel myself being dragged away now, but the rage was still there. I needed him to hear my rage and fury.
“This is war! I will take everything that you love! I will ruin everything that you love and hold dear. You will never have a moments peace again! Do you hear me, Niji Nobara! Hear me, you bastard! I will fucking kill you!”
***
Once I told the family the war would begin, they immediately set off to prepare. I had to tell Izumi, but I just needed time. I needed time to digest everything that happened…all the pain that I had absorbed over the last week. I had to be strong, this was no time for weakness, and I had a war to fight. Koyuki deserved to rest in peace, and I would make sure of it. I just needed to catch my breath and I could do this…I could not afford to fall apart right-
I jumped as the doors to my bedroom were thrown open. Turning around, I saw my mother had thrown the door opened and she closed them with a frown as she locked eyes with me. I furrowed my brow as she walked up to me with narrowed eyes. Without another word, she opened her arms up to me and I…I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I fell against her arms as we sank to the floor, and I cried into her chest. She stroked my hair and comforted me, but I could barely hear her over my own voice. It had been so long since I last cried…since I felt a pain like this. My little girl was gone, and I hadn’t been able to protect her. I had failed her and she was gone and she’d never come back. I was a failure of a man, a husband, a father…I didn’t deserve this family, and I only feared that I would continue to lose them.
***
It had only been two days since my father declared war, but the family was still hurt. I was still so hurt and all I could do was sit in her room and take in her scent, before that too…faded away. I could only cry because I should have been there with her…but I wasn’t and she was gone. I slinked out of her room to head to the shrine, and I was not surprised to see my mother still there. I don’t think she had left this room since the funeral, and I could not blame her. In her mourning robes and veil still…she sat in front of Koyuki’s picture. I sat beside her and lit more incense as we sat in silence.
“They will die.”
I perked up as I heard my mother's voice for the first time in over a week. Her eyes were blood red from her tears and more fell from her eyes. She looked away from Koyuki’s picture to stare at me. Her eyes were almost hollow, and I could see her cheekbones. She needed to eat before we lost someone else to soon. She grasped my shoulders and I was surprised how tight her grip was.
“We will avenge your sister, Masami. Every last one of them will die. We will kill them in hundred…thousands…millions of different ways! Our family will never be touched again! Stand up Masami…you need to be strong for your siblings. Train and train…until you bleed and are throwing up blood! Your sister must be avenged.” A smile crossed her face as a wicked look crossed her eyes. “You will kill them, won’t you? Your little sister is dead, and we will paint a bloody picture for anyone else who dares attack our family.”
“I…I…”
“Won’t you?! You will kill them with us Masami!” She shook my shoulders and despite how it sounded she was right. They needed to pay—every last one of them! “Finish them with me!”
“Yes mother! Of course I will!” We both looked at her portrait—firm in our resolve. I couldn’t cry for her anymore. It would not garner any results. The only thing that mattered was the death of a disgusting clan of monsters. We would have the last laugh, and we’d be the alpha kitsunes in the land. No one would dare touch us again.
Koyuki. You will be avenged by any means necessary.
I didn’t see the need to bother Hiroshi with the pointless musings of a witch. It would just make him curious and he would lose focus. We had spent another two weeks on the border, but nothing ever came out of it. The forest was silent, and it irritated me that I wasted my time doing nothing. So, despite not wanting to…we made the journey back home. Tatsuya and Hiroshi considered staying behind, but once they saw the excitement on my face, they shelved the idea. I cursed to myself about it, but I didn’t protest much longer and soon enough I could see our home. Some of our men branched off to see their families, but I was less excited to see my own.
My father had at least spoken to me, but I hadn't really had a conversation really with my mother, Mei or Chiharu. Hikaru pretty much hated everything about me for the moment, but that wasn’t really anything new. If I could avoid them, that would have been much better, but I couldn’t do it forever. Once we stepped into the mansion, my mother was quick to kiss me and the twins repeatedly. I just rolled my eyes and took the assault, while my brothers seemed more open to her affection.
“Oh, thank the Gods…” I sighed as she fussed over us once more. Our father soon joined her with his fussing, and I was getting uncomfortable with all of the affection. I raised a brow at my mother though; she seemed to be happier than usual and so did my father. My heart raced thinking about some potentially good news about our fight. “Now…go and get washed and changed so we can eat.”
“Mother…what about our report?”
“You can always give that to us later, Masami.” Her smile was almost blinding as she ushered us away. I wanted to probe her more but changed my mind quickly seeing my father pull her close and their disgusting affections started. I went to the baths before my brothers hogged them up and I was glad for it actually. Having a hot bath really relaxed me, but I also thought about that witch once more. I had to figure out what she meant, but I also had to wonder if it had anything to do with the Nobara clan. Her cryptic words felt more like they were of a prediction…or maybe even a prophecy. Why would she tell it to me though? The only thing I wanted was to avenge my sister and dealing with some strange prophecy was not on my list of priorities.
That’s if that was even what that was anyway…
“Ugh!” I splashed water on my face before I left to get dressed, but not before running into my strangely bubbly mother.
“Masami!”
“Yes?”
“Hurry and put on one of your kimonos! You have company!”
“I do? Wait…is this important? I’d rather do anything else but entertain someone I didn’t even ask to be here.”
“Masami~” I flinched at her widened smile as her hand gripped my wrist. “Go. Get. Dressed. Please~”
“Y-Yes…o-of course…” I quickly rushed to my room and tried desperately to shake away the fear that my mother threw over my body like a blanket. I hated when she was this happy about something because it meant nothing good for me. I hated getting dressed up, but it was only usually for something important so I would let it go for now. Perhaps some of our allies were here and we would talk about our strategy. That was enough of a good thought that I quickly got dressed.
So…the displeasure on my face when I walked into the sitting room and only saw fucking Daisuke set my face into a permanent frown. He looked far too happy to see me and not surprisingly, my father didn’t look happy to see him either. My mother was the only one who looked happy to see him. Daisuke and his family were only useful for the extra supplies and men they could provide for us. Unless this was about that, he would be better off just leaving now because he served no other use. My eyes were suddenly drawn to something on the table, and now I could see why my father was glaring.
A ring box.
“Masami…I thought it was time that I talk to your parents about-”
“Get the fuck out.”
“Masami!”
“I agree with her…”
“Takeshi!” My mother hissed at us both and elbowed my father in his ribs, but he didn’t flinch as he continued glaring at Daisuke. Daisuke just smiled at me, all too familiar with my personality. He must have thought that I was messing with him, but I would rather cut out my tongue than get married right now, much less to him.
“I know that you and your family have much to worry about with the war…but I figured with our relationship-”
“What relationship?” My father glared between us as static filled the air as he growled through clenched teeth.
“We have no relationship, asshole-”
“Masami…love, I think you can stop being so coy-”
“What did he call her?”
“Takeshi hush!”
“I figured with our years together and shared kisses that-”
“SHARED WHAT?!”
"Takeshi! Shut up!”
I rubbed my temple as Daisuke tried to sweet talk me over my father fuming just across from him and my mother trying to calm the situation down. It wasn’t long before my father was spewing out threats of castration to Daisuke and I tried to sneak out of the room. If my father killed him, it would be no sweat off my back. Daisuke had some balls to try and say all of that in front of my father. My mother was starting to get frustrated, and it would only be a matter of seconds before her calm act stopped.
“ENOUGH!”
There it is.
I sat down far away from Daisuke and leaned my head against my hand as my mother unleashed her fury on both men. My father kept up his glare but remained silent as she kept screaming her head off. Daisuke just looked embarrassed about all of it, probably wasn’t how he pictured this at all. I didn’t picture it at all as a what if scenario either. Frankly, I planned on ridding myself of him soon anyway…he was just a distraction and not even a good one either.
“Now…Masami…” I perked up as my mother finally addressed me and I rolled my eyes before sitting up straight. “Yamada-san and his family have been so helpful to us in our war. You should hear him out at the least. Besides…it seems as though you both have a close relationship with each other.”
“Yes, maybe in his head we do.” My mother frowned at me, and I didn’t even look at Daisuke. Not because I felt bad for my words, but because I didn’t want to see such an ugly and pathetic sight on a nice afternoon. “Anything between us was nothing more than kisses and sweet words on his end.”
“There should have been no kissing at all….” My father mumbled under his breath, but my mother was quick to shush him again.
“Masami…you should be kinder about his feelings for you…” I groaned once more at her tone before looking at Daisuke. He was now glaring at me, and I chuckled at such a useless action. “A union between our clans would make us stronger and put an end to this war. Isn’t that right, Yamada-san?”
“Yes, my lady. My father has kept our side quiet in our role in helping you, but with our union we would come out even stronger with more men and resources to help you. We could also convince our other allies to join us and bring this bloodshed to a swift end.”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes at his attempt to persuade my mother into agreeing with this idiocy. I wanted nothing more than to kill those Nobara bastards, and I could admit the extra manpower would help, but not if I had to sell myself to someone I didn’t even like. It would be deeply hypocritical of my parents to force this on me since they made a point to all of us that we would never be in an arranged marriage.
I guess things change when it's convenient.
“Mother…father…do I not get a say in any of this?”
“Of course you do, butterfly…” I didn’t miss the pout on my father's face as he turned to look at me. “I just don’t want you doing anything you don’t like…”
“Good…because I don’t like this. You and mother had no real choice in your marriage, but it worked out for you and I’m glad for that. Daisuke and I won’t ever have that because he has been nothing more than a toy.”
“Masami!”
“Look Daisuke…” I looked him straight in the eyes and I smirked at the anger behind his eyes. “I told you countless times that I don’t want you like how you want me. Shared kisses are all we have together and frankly I have been getting bored of those too.”
“How can you say that-”
“I’m still speaking…” I smirked as his frown only grew deeper. “You have wasted precious time that we could have spent doing something important. You just want to act on a childish crush that you’ve had on me. I care little for any of this any longer. You may see yourself out.”
My father just smiled at the whole exchange while my mother just shook her head and sighed. Daisuke was ready to say something else, but he decided against it and left without another word. I got up to leave, but my father clearing his voice made me sit down with a huff.
“So…you and this boy…have been…kissing…?”
“I suppose you could call it that…” I ignored the growing horror that was crossing his face. Mother was trying to console him, but she was also trying not to laugh at his face. It was slightly amusing, but I wanted this conversation to end. “We didn’t sleep with each other or anything…”
“I would surely hope not!” I finally did almost laugh at that, but I cleared my throat as anger replaced his horror. “I already want this day to be over…”
“Now now Takeshi…we still have things to do for the day…”
“Mmm…”
“May I be excused now?”
“No-”
“Of course.” My father clearly wanted to know more, but my mother was quick to shut him down. I was thankful for it, but my good mood that was creeping in disappeared as soon as I noticed that Daisuke had not fully left the grounds yet. He was pacing out by the front gates, and I sighed before making my way over to him. I waved the guards away and once he saw me, he unleashed his frustrations.
“How could you embarrass me like that?!”
“...”
“You know how I feel about you! You know that I want nothing more than to make you, my wife! Why must everything be so difficult for you when I know that you want this too!?”
“Haha…”
“I’m being serious Masami! Stop treating me like a joke! I’m a man and you need to start treating me like one!”
“A man? You?” I couldn’t help but laugh in his face once more as his face burned scarlet. His tails were standing on end, and I was never more amused with the pathetic nature of a “man”. “I never once told you that I wanted you in a romantic way….much less wanting to spend more time with you under the same roof.”
“I know that you have some care for me.”
“I had a need for the distraction. My mission to avenge my sister at times…is a strain on my mental health…but you served your purpose as well as you could…”
“I’m not some toy that you can throw away when you are done with me! I have emotions! Feelings! Dammit woman I love you!”
“You love the way that I look and the power you would have by marrying me. You like that I play hard to get…even though I never wanted you.” I sighed as I crossed my arms and fiddled with a tassel on my sleeve. “Your feelings? What about me ever made you think I cared about that?”
“I love you, Masami! This isn’t a game! You constantly use and abuse the people who love and care about you! Eventually you will have no one! You need people…you need relationships and connections! If you don’t have those…what kind of person even are you?!”
“...”
“Nothing! People and the bonds that we share with them make us strong! They make the impossibilities of life possible!” He scoffed before he went forward and grasped my hands, his eyes burning with passion.
I couldn’t relate.
“Masami…please…let me love you. I want to make you happy and that is all I have ever wanted. The status I would gain is nothing compared to the passion that I would gain from our union.”
“Daisuke…I would rather die than become your wife…and I don’t have time to die right now. My mission will always be more important than you. You are nothing more than a meat stick that I occasionally let touch me. I would never love you even if you were the last male in the world. Never come back to my home with this pathetic shit…or I’ll let my father have his fun with you.”
“How could you-”
“Guards…throw him out now.” With an exaggerated flourish of my robes, I left him screaming after me as the guards got rid of him. My father watched from the veranda and with a sigh, he waved for me to come back into our home. I really wanted to continue forward with our mission, but fighting my parents would just give me a headache right now. Entering the room, I was surprised to see that everyone was gathered around the table, and my mother had made her mochi cakes. It wasn’t the time to be having sugar highs at the moment. I leaned against the wall as I waited for them to hurry it along with whatever was going on.
“Alright…” My mother clapped her hands, and we all grew silent to see what she wanted to say. “Now that you are all gathered together…there are a few things that have to be discussed.”
“Yes…now that Masami and the twins haven’t seen any movement from the Nobara clan…we can rest for a bit. That means there will be more training, and it will be time for us all to get along better.” I looked away at my father’s pointed statement at me. I can’t believe this is actually a conversation that was happening. “The fighting needs to stay outside and on the battlefield. Strife behind these walls is neither productive nor will it be tolerated.”
“I know that…losing Koyuki is still as fresh a wound as it was that day…but her siblings' constant fighting and bickering won’t help her finally rest. You all need to come together and act right for her. We will end this war, and we’ll make sure to show the other clans what will happen to them when our family is threatened.” My mother glared around the room, and we all nodded in agreement with her. As long as the others fought harder, I would not complain about anything. Frankly, they should have just left me to my devices.
“Good…now then…” I raised a brow at her sudden happy tone shift as my father went to sit beside her. She honestly has been so disgustingly happy lately. “Your father and I can finally tell you all some good news!”
I stood straighter as I could only hope that it was something about the war. It was about time they said anything useful…especially my mother. She had been in the manor for far too long and she needed to be back on the field-
“I’m pregnant!”
My thoughts ground to a halt as my breath caught in my throat. My siblings all quickly jumped up to celebrate and congratulate my parents. It wasn’t long before drinks were being poured, food was being shared and general merriment filled the room. I wasn’t shocked by this development…I was livid! My mother caught my eye and her smile quickly faded into one of worry, but she had no right to look at me like that!
“Masami-”
“How dare you…”
“Masami…wait…just talk to me. What’s wrong-”
“Wrong?! What’s wrong with me?! What the hell is wrong with the both of you?! All of you?!” I marched over to the table and slammed my fist against it, knocking over a few cups and food. My brothers and father glared at me hard, but I kept my eyes locked on my pathetic mother. “How could you get pregnant when we’re in the middle of a war?!”
“Masami! Watch your mouth towards your mother!” My father yelled at me, but I did not care as I glared at him now. “Your attitude towards her is unwarranted!”
“Me?! You can’t get off her for a fucking second to lead your damn army! Now you got her pregnant and she’s fucking useless to us now!”
“Hey hey!” Tatsuya rushed over to me and gripped my arm up. “I won’t stand to hear you talk to our parents in that tone Masami! Show them some respect before I throw your disrespectful ass out on the streets!”
“It would be better than being in here with any of you!”
“Please…don’t fight each other over this!” I scoffed at my mother as she tried to calm us down. “Masami if you would just-”
“No! We actually have goals that need to be accomplished here! We don’t have time for this! How dare you?!”
“You listen to me child!” I turned just as my father took up my left side to glare down at me. “Your mother and I are entitled to still live out our lives no matter how you feel about it! We will not remain stagnant unlike you! Life is still worth living even if your sister is no longer here!”
“Right…so you decided to make a replacement for her! If this child is a girl, it only means that you both decided it was time for a new daughter!”
My cheek stung as Mei had stormed up to slap me across the face and my father opened his mouth to yell once more, but I ripped away from them. I ignored his yells for me to come back, and no one gave chase as the sounds of my mother's tears echoed throughout the manor.
~~~
It was a good thing that I had decided to pack a bag so long ago.
Entering the forest, I opened a secret compartment that I hollowed out in a tree years ago. It was thankfully free of any insects in the clothing and I could always sharpen the blades again. I was through with this family and I truly meant it this time. They were moving on from Koyuki and I would not stand around to witness it. I rubbed my blurry eyes quickly before throwing the bag on my back and walking out of our territory. The guards would eventually be called out to find me, but I would make sure to put a lot of distance between us.
There were so many more important things to do then making more children…nothing but a replacement for Koyuki. The thought made me sick as I continued through the woods, but someone was waiting for me just ahead, and I wanted to be happy about it, but our last conversation was anything but pleasant for me.
“Niece…”
“Uncle…” I walked past him quickly, but he reached out to grab my arm. Once he pulled me into his arms, my anger and energy just drained out of me. I couldn’t bring myself to be upset by our earlier conversation…I was just too sad. I was no closer to getting back at that clan for what they did, and now our family was growing, and she wouldn’t be here to witness it. Crying into my uncle's chest felt good…waves of anger just washed away from me. By the time I was done, my head was pounding from an intense headache, but my uncle was always prepared as he rubbed my head and gave me something for it. “What are you doing out here?”
“I thought that I would give some updates, but it seems as though you’ve made everyone mad once again.”
“...”
“Talk to me, dear niece…I don’t like to see you so upset…”
“I’ve been upset for the last two hundred plus years…”
“You know what I mean, Masami.” I sighed before I sat down against a tree, and he sat across from me. “Talk to me about what you plan to do now?”
“Now? Now I plan to continue what I have always done…of course I will be careful before you say it, but I wonder if I need a new strategy…”
“What type of new strategy?”
“I really don’t know anymore…I just think that…maybe…maybe everyone is right….perhaps I need to take a step back and plan my next moves out more carefully…”
“...” I expected the silence from my uncle; it would come as a shock to anyone who knows me. I was ruthless and brutal in my pursuit to avenge Koyuki, and I had definitely made more enemies than I could count. I would even add my own family to that list with how I’ve been lately. My uncle was the only one who supported me, and he never once made me feel small or bad about my ambitions. It was why I loved and appreciated him because he didn’t try to change me. He wanted to help me grow stronger and it was what I needed. Now, I wasn’t so sure that I-
“Now now dear niece…is that any way to talk?” I looked over at him as he grabbed my hand and lightly patted it. His eyes bore deep into me as his tone grew more serious. “You have to press on Masami…we don’t have time for indecision and doubts.”
“I’m not doubting-“
“Koyuki was murdered. Brutally murdered and stripped of her long and fruitful life.” His grip on my hand grew even tighter as the air seemed to grow still. The silence of our surroundings only made his words echo louder. “We will never have her back because of senseless violence! You can’t allow this Masami! Think of her!”
“I am! I only think about her!” Tears pricked at my eyes as he glared at me. I would never forgive or forget what was taken from us. “Uncle Jin please! I have not forgotten!”
“Masami I…” He released my hands as he ran a hand down his face. He turned away from me to take several breaths, but I could hear his struggling attempts to not sniffle, to not break down. My uncle loved Koyuki…he hadn’t left his home for months after her passing. His servants had whispered that they often heard his cry out in the night…liked a wounded animal struggling to live.
I placed a hand on his shaking shoulder before he turned to hug me. He rubbed his face against my head, and I could only hold him until the feeling passed, to give him some comfort.
“Kill them all Masami.”
“….”
“There's no more time for doubts. Finish them off. Make them remember your name.”
Yes. He was right. I was not like the rest of my family. I would do what needed to be done. I will finish this now. A smile crept onto my face as I thought about taking their final breaths. How could I ever even think about stopping now?
“Don’t fail Masami. Think of her…think of what she would have wanted.” He pulled away to hold me at arm's length, his tears gone and replaced with a silent fury. “Go niece…show them blood and fire.”
~~~
I thanked the Gods every day for my uncle. He was the only one who kept me motivated to do the right thing. The territory of the Nobara clan was still a few days away and I needed to cover quite a bit of distance. Racing through the forests, I was annoyed to sense that someone had begun to follow me. I wish they would confront me so I would get some practice. They made no moves to stop me, so for now I would leave them be. I couldn’t have something slowing me down right now. I had to have traveled for another six miles, and I was still being followed. Finally turning on my heel, I was met with a large creature suddenly in my face.
“Shit!” I ducked under a large claw as it swung for my head, the force of the swing knocking several trees over and almost taking me off my feet. I couldn’t even grab my fans before it took another swing at me. It had swiped so close to my face—that the wind alone cut my cheek. It forced me on the defensive as I tried to gain some distance from it. I was only barely faster than it and it showed signs that it could move even faster.
Which meant that I would have to kill it quicker.
It was a simple enough looking creature, and I was glad to see that it didn’t have something fiercer up its sleeve. It was no taller than me, and had long arms that almost touched the ground. Its claw did brush the surface of the ground though, and I measured they most have been four feet long. Its deep socketed eyes bore into my skin, despite not really seeing any eyes within it. I narrowed my eyes as pulsing eyes blinked at me that ran along its ribs. I doubt it was physically strong seeing how bony it was, but it would work in my favor if I got my hands on it. I would react to its speed with pure power instead and continue on my way. I didn’t need my family to catch up to me.
Although, I didn’t expect it to bend its head back, another mouth opening wide and releasing a piercing screech that felt as though it ruptured my eardrums. The sound rattled my entire body to the point it felt like I was being shaken up in a glass jar. Even laying my ears flat against my head did nothing to muffle the sound. I summoned my flames to strike it, but it crossed the space between us with blinding speed. Grabbing my shoulders, it released its screech into my face now. My brain felt like it was shaking around in my skull, threatening to break and render my fight for justice moot.
Forcing myself to fall back, it threw the creature off enough that it stopped screeching and I took the opportunity to throw my foot up, connecting with its jaw. It loosened its grip enough that I threw another kick in to finally drop me to the ground. Retrieving my fan, I slashed across its legs which made it buckle before slamming my knee into its face. It didn’t stay stunned for long as one of its claws slashed against my leg. I winced but the cut wasn’t too deep. Its other claw slashed upward, but I caught it in the folds of my fan before it could hit me in the eye. I twisted it until the claw snapped off and I stabbed it in the stomach.
The eyes suddenly zeroed in on me and before I could process anything a dizzying sensation washed over me. Everything felt like it was flipped upside down and I shook my head to clear it—before I realized that I was upside down! It was like gravity had turned over and I floated up to its face. It screeched once more and I slashed into its eyes, and it grabbed my face and tried to fucking eat me! Rows of teeth greeted me, but I returned the favor by shoving flames down its throat. It tossed me away as it roared and I landed on a tree branch. It swung its arms wildly…more trees falling in its wake.
I unleashed more fire at it, and I was surprised how fast it seemed to die. Most of the creatures we encountered were stronger than this. If they would continue to be like this—then I would think nothing of them anymore. I had to make it to the Nobara compound and take out the head of the clan, and these guard dogs of theirs would not keep me away from him. He would fall just like his bastard son, and I would make sure that the rest of his bloodline would be eradicated.
Another few hours passed and I was far out of our territory. Usually, the Nobara clan had people patrolling their borders. Perhaps I had just missed the rotation, but I would have taken them out no matter what anyway. This would be their mistake because it would cost them everything. Eating some onigiri, I thought about how I would infiltrate their compound. I had briefly been there for political reasons with my parents when we were allies. I frowned thinking about those times because I’m sure that they were eying on marrying into our family.
Life had a twisted sense of humor.
“….”
I perked up hearing something a bit off into the distance. I should have continued on my way, but my curiosity got the better of me. It was probably just an animal, but it could also be a patrolman, and I could get some information out of him. Walking carefully, the voices became clearer and a sick feeling ran up my back. I didn’t give into fear, but this feeling was overpowering. It was so strong that I felt like throwing up on the spot and running as far away as possible. I could barely stand straight, and I hadn’t even laid eyes on the people who were talking.
“Keep it together, Masami. I have to stay focused on the task at hand.” I whispered more calming words to myself as I peered around the tree. My mind and body went numb and icy as I stared into the eyes of something that I couldn’t even distinguish. Piercing red eyes that felt like they could torch my very soul made emotionless contact with me. Whatever this thing was—it continued to talk to the two men from the Nobara clan, but its eyes were solely trained on me. They didn’t seem to notice, and I wished that it found them more interesting than I was. It was just a floating dark mass, but the eyes….they were horrifying.
“We need more of these creatures. Nobara-sama believes that the Igarashi clan will strike again soon. He needs you to-“
His head rolled on the ground before his body was yanked into the dark mass with a sickening crunch. The other man shook terribly but he gained his composure back quickly. The mass just continued to stare at me at it addressed the remaining man with its chilled voice. “̷͙̊M̵͔͘y̵̠̐ ̸̙͐ĉ̸̪r̵̢̐ḙ̴̕á̸̳t̴͇̉i̵͓̇o̵̼̽n̷͖̋s̶͇̃ ̵̪̓w̴͍͛i̶̮̅l̶͜͝ļ̵̍ ̸̤͛d̸̥͊õ̴̧ ̸͓̈́w̸̢͝h̷̨͛a̸̦̽t̴̤͝ ̷̦̀I̶̅͜ ̴̘̈́w̷̮͝i̸͉̓s̴̛͜ḧ̶̟́ ̷͕͂w̴̽ͅh̵͔̋e̷̠̐n̴̪͒ ̴̬̂Ȋ̸̙ ̴͈̌d̴̺̀ë̵͉́ȩ̶̇m̴̥̎ ̴̥́ț̸̓h̷̫̒ḛ̵̛ṃ̷̿ ̷̞̉t̵̼͑o̵͚͆o̵̜̾.̴̪͊ ̶̩̌Y̵̤͂ò̶̲u̶̾ͅṟ̴̃ ̸͙̉l̵̢̍i̶̳͒t̴̙̀ẗ̴̝́l̸̻̎e̸̙͛ ̶̹͑l̷̹̾o̸̙̎r̶̻̉d̸̟̊ ̷͕̉w̵͑͜o̴̺̿ŭ̸̮l̴̘̄d̸̤̾ ̷͖͛d̷̺͐ö̸͍́ ̷̫͗ẉ̸̀è̵̙l̵̫̀ľ̴͜ ̵̪̇t̷̯͗o̸̻͋ ̸͓͘r̴̘̽e̴̪̿m̷͔͝e̵̲̊m̸̳͐b̵́ͅe̵̢̿r̷̟̈ ̷͈̔w̶̟̋h̶̡̚o̴̺̅ ̶̦͝h̴̟̃e̴̙͋ ̵̡̒ș̴̚ṕ̶̯è̴̼ȁ̷̦k̸̘̓s̸̥͆ ̴͈̄ẅ̵̬́i̸̼̊t̵͙̆h̴̢́.̸̰̍ ̸͖͘I̵͙̽ ̷̣͛ṣ̶͊h̵̙̃a̴̹̐l̷͌͜l̶͙͆ ̴̜̕n̷̡͗ò̷̳t̵̝́ ̶̞̉b̵̖̿ḙ̸͋ ̵̖̀a̴̟͒s̴̤̏ ̶͕̐k̸̅͜i̸͈̐n̶̙͆d̸̰͘ ̴͇̌n̸̪̅e̸̫̋x̸̰̓t̶̰̐ ̴̺́t̸͍̾i̷̩͆m̴͖͑e̵̫͛.̶̙͛”̴̬͊
“Yes of course. I apologize for his rudeness. Our lord only wishes to swiftly end this before more tragedies befall our beloved clan. We will do our best to follow through on the deal that we have made.”
̴̭̓“̶̞̓T̴̘̓h̶̾͜ḯ̵͓s̴̉͜ ̸̩̊ẅ̷͉́a̶̲̍r̵̭͠ ̶̬͗ȟ̷͔a̶̼͐s̵̯̆ ̷̗͋š̴̳t̷̺̋a̴̗̽ř̷̺ț̶̈́è̸̪d̷̺̐ ̷̻̀t̷̢͂o̴͙̔ ̷̬̓b̴͎͗e̸̗͒c̷̱̓ȍ̷̦m̸͉̒e̷̖̔ ̵̠̃b̷̘̚o̶͈̾ṟ̷̊ī̵̲ṅ̶̳g̵͖̅…̴̪̚I̸̟͊ ̵̡̽n̸̪̈́ę̵̔ë̷̪́d̴͓̊ ̷̯͆ŷ̶̥o̸̙͛u̷̘͋ ̵̟̄t̴̥̑ȏ̷̖ ̵͖̋ë̴̖́n̵͉̾t̴̥̊e̸̤̕r̷̗̿t̶̻̃a̷̺͐i̵̢͋n̷̗̅ ̵̝͛m̴̖̀e̸̝̿.̶͓̏”̸̦͐ ̶͕̉Those last words felt entirely directed to me. I couldn’t even focus on my surroundings as it held me in place, but I also got important information from this. Some…entity or demon of some sort was working with these bastards. Everything was turning into something else…something bigger, but what did killing my sister even accomplish? What could my innocent sister have to do with anything? They could have tried to marry into the family…was being mere allies not enough for them? Did they have to completely try to destroy us just for our resources?
“̶͖̿T̵̙͋é̴̠l̴̺̐l̶̖̆ ̶̫̋ẙ̵̰o̸̞͝u̸͇̽r̵͓̕ ̵̹͑l̴͖̿ȩ̴̊ȃ̶̖ḑ̵͌e̴̠̓r̴̦͊ ̸̤̓t̸͍̅h̵̗̀ä̵̦́ṯ̵̇ ̶̣͝ṯ̵̏ḧ̴̟́i̴͉͘s̸͈͘ ̷̖̀i̷̔͜s̵̞̆ ̵̛̜t̸̤̀h̷̛͜e̸͂͜ ̷̰̊l̵̯̑ạ̷̋s̸̳̃ț̵͘ ̸̞̒ṫ̷̞į̶́m̶̝͝ë̸̝.̶̡͠ ̶̤̊N̸̝͆o̸̢͐ ̸̤̋m̵̬̾ȯ̷̳r̸̈́ͅë̶͖́…̸̗͗n̶͈͛o̴̟̾ ̴͓̉l̸͓̽e̶̜̅s̴̱̒s̵̬̉.̸̱͠”̸̟̔ I tried to look away from it, but I had no idea what would happen if I looked away. “̵̰͒I̴̯͑ ̸̤͌h̶̩̅o̸̥̕p̵̡̍ĕ̷ͅ ̶̛̲t̵͖͠h̸͓̀a̵̛̳ṱ̸́ ̴͖̐y̵̛͇o̷͕̎u̸̪̅ ̶̬̑c̴̜̑o̸̳̓n̸̺͘t̸̲̓i̵͍͒n̸̖̆u̷̗͝e̴̙͌ ̵͉̈́t̶̨̃ó̷̟ ̷̰̃p̶̤̾l̵̠̑e̸̙̕ȃ̶̯ṡ̸̱e̸̥̒ ̴͚̈́m̵̥͗e̸͚̐.̶̝͘ ̶͓̎I̴̧͐ ̸̱̀ê̵͜x̷̥̌p̷̨̚e̸̗͗c̶͔̃t̶̞̔ ̸͑ͅm̸̛͕a̸͈̔ñ̶̺ẙ̸̤ ̴̘̚t̵̯͝h̴͕̏ì̵͙n̴̳͒g̸̛̞s̸͖̔ ̸̦̔g̷̫̀o̵͉̎ī̸͉ñ̵̠g̶̭̀ ̶̠̃f̵̬͛o̵̺̾r̸͍͝w̷̨̽a̶̿͜r̵͈͊d̴͙͒.̶̩̉”̶͉͘
It was still addressing me. What did it want from me? I only wanted to avenge my sister and make sure my family would never feel this pain again. We deserved it after so much fighting and death already. I would make sure nothing got in our way. I shut my eyes for a second, steeling my resolve before narrowing my eyes my eyes at the mass. I would not let this thing cast fear and doubt in me when I had come so far. This thing was nothing to me and the love I had for my loved ones.
It could test me all it wants—I would pass every time.
The eyes narrowed for a split second before it finally looked away from me. It seemed to whisper to the patrolman before it disappeared, and the air suddenly felt lighter. I didn’t even realize how heavy I had been breathing until it left into the night. The man looked around before he disappeared further into the territory and I rushed to keep his pace, but my legs gave out under me.
“Fuck!” I slammed my fist against the ground before I slowly brought myself to my feet. I would not focus on that demon just yet. The main manor couldn’t be much further from here, and I could map it out while everything was quiet. “I’ll take out the rest of his children before I deal with him and his wife. She wasn’t much of a fighter, and the other children are useless.”
“Harsh words.”
I jumped back and threw a dagger at the voice behind me. I frowned seeing that Daisuke was holding the dagger with a hurt expression. He was fitted in his fighting gear and he was breathing heavily, probably trying to keep up with me. Why the hell was this man so attached to me? I had already denied him in front of my family and most men would just take the fucking hint. Someone would think that I had slept with him or something—which was a disgusting thought. “Get the fuck out of here.”
“You need to stop pushing people away. I only came to help and watch your back.”
“Yeah…I’m sure you’d like that.”
“I’m being serious! Just let me protect you!”
“I don’t need you protect me like you’re some white knight. I’ve barely broken a sweat while you look like you could collapse from a gust of wind.” His face scrunched up which meant he took some offense to it, but I never cared about his feelings. He would just have to continue living with a wounded heart and damaged pride. Such a weak man had no business at my side in the first place—I should have cut him off years ago.
“Oh, fuck you! I’m so tired of your shit! We fucking get that you’re a bad ass, Masami!” He moved into my space and glared down at me. “I just want to help…that’s all. You need someone to watch your back while you storm that place.”
“…” I was about to really tell him no…break his legs if I had to, but what I had just seen told me otherwise. If something far worse greeted me out here—I could only wonder what laid within the manor itself. If the situation did turn bad…I could always sacrifice this idiot to ensure that I could continue on. “Fine…I guess I do need the help at the moment.”
“Thanks…you made a good choice.” I rolled my eyes as I continued on my way. He quickly fell into step with me and a calm silence consumed us. Or it would, but he opened his mouth again. “Your family is frantically looking for me.”
“Not very surprising. I just have to finish this before they catch up to me like you did.”
“I suspect you’ll only have a matter of hours.”
“More than enough time.”
We fell back into silence as we rushed forward to the main manor. It took another three hours because of the foolish man, but we soon made it. It was a large building just like I remembered, but it wasn’t bigger than my home so this might be easier. As we discussed our plan, my mind ran through everything that could be accomplished when I finished this family off. My sister could finally rest, my family would have some peace and I…I didn’t know where my future would lead me, but if it meant avenging Koyuki—I would take on any demon or deity in my path.
This would be the end of the Nobara clan.
***
“I just don’t understand!”
“I know that you don’t—which is why I kept this to myself.”
Koyuki was having one of her disagreements with our uncle again and I just wouldn’t have it! He taught us everything that he knew and she wasn’t being thankful for it! Our mother’s negative attitude must have finally rubbed off on her after all these years. She had been withdrawn for a few weeks now and I just couldn’t understand the change. She loved our uncle and she was as protective about him as I was—did our mother really influence her that much?
“Did mother say something to you?”
“No…I just…I don’t like how the training with you has been going.”
“What?” This is about our training routine? “What’s wrong with our training? It's the same as it's always been.”
“No Masami I…the last training session was too intense…too raw…” She rubbed her arms as she walked around my room. She sat on the floor with a sigh and grasped my hands tightly. “He broke your ribs and you were bleeding on the inside…your arm was broken and you just couldn’t catch your breath.”
“Koyuki…that was…how do I explain?” I smiled down at her and squeezed her hands tight. “He was helping me get ready for real fights. I know we live in peace, but what if…and this is a big what if! What if we do get in really bad fights. I need to get used to people not holding back and I can’t hold back either.”
“You’re his niece! I don’t care I don’t like seeing him hurt you like that! Mother almost had a heart attack when he brought you home! Not to mention that she really really was trying to kill him! If our father and brothers didn’t stop her—I fear the situation would have been much worse.”
“I know that you care and are trying to protect me, but its Uncle Jin! Everything he does is because he loves us and wants us to be ready and safe. He pushes us because he knows that we can take it. He doesn’t treat us like we’re just defenseless women. He knows that we can be just as strong.”
“Especially you…”
“What?”
I watched confused as she looked at the ground before her eyes were serious but filled with worry.
Koyuki wrung her fingers nervously and it only made me more confused before she sighed and looked at me. “I love our uncle…don’t think I don’t. He has helped with my training so much and the advice he’s given me has been incredibly useful. I know that he wants me to succeed and be great. He just…”
“He what?”
“It’s the way that he looks at you sometimes. It’s like he...like he just won this biggest prize in the world. He looks at you like a prized goat.”
“You’re being ridiculous. Did you ever think that he’s just proud of me? That the training that he’s put me through is paying off? It just sounds like you’re jealous Koyuki.”
“What? No! I just think he seems off is all!”
“No, you’re off! I can’t believe that I’m hearing this right now! I thought that you were better than this! We’re supposed to be in this together!”
“Masami we are! I only mean that it’s like he wants more from you that I don’t think you can give him! Like he’s training you for a fight that doesn’t exist!”
“Stop it Koyuki! Just stop it!” I stood from my bed and threw my door open. “Get out!”
“Masami…I only…I’m just worried-“
“About nothing! You’re acting like he’s some villain for wanting the best for me!”
“No no!” She rushed over to grasp my hands, but I just looked away from her. “I…ok…I’m sorry…”
She walked by without another word, and I wondered why she would say such things. She had just been so thankful the other week about him helping her with katana. She was being ridiculous. I sighed and took a breath to collect myself before I rubbed my rib cage…it did hurt, but it was better than being dead.
This would pass with Koyuki, and it would just be a minor memory of something that didn’t even matter.
***
“You’re distracted.”
“Huh? Oh no I’m just…thinking…”
“So distracted.”
“Mmm…”
I glanced at my uncle as he sat sharpening his blade, focused but alert. Masami and I had a penchant for attacking him out of the blue. In fact, he encouraged it to keep himself on his toes. It was also so we could anticipate if the other person was also ready for us. No surprises would ever catch us off guard with his training, but what good would that do within our personal lives? How do we grapple with the things that our own loved one makes us question?
What do you do then?
“Uncle?”
“Yes?”
“Do you ever think that you might be too hard on Masami?”
“Not at all.” I looked down at my hands as he gave me nothing but short answers. Perhaps she was right and I was making a big deal about this for nothing. Still…
“I just…I think you go too hard on her and maybe she could use a break.”
“Where is this coming from Koyuki?”
“Well...it’s the way you look…”
“The way I look?” He had placed his sword down to give me his attention, but I didn’t like that I couldn’t read his expression. I didn’t know if I had made him upset or not, but I had to ask for my sister’s sake.
“It…we’re not fighting in a war uncle. We have peace and the family is prospering. You train Masami like we are. I know that you are proud, but it just looks like there is more to it.”
“More huh?” I looked at my hands once more fearing that I might have upset him. I looked back up to see him standing right in front of me. My breath caught in my throat as he smiled at me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Koyuki…”
“Y-Yes?”
“I want you to know how proud I am of you.”
“W-What?” He held my face before he pulled me against his chest. Why was he talking about me? This was about Masami. “Uncle…this isn’t about me—it's about Masami-“
“Do you love your sister?” He pulled back and held my shoulders tight. I nodded my head as a serious look took over his face. “You and your sister are exceptional Koyuki, and Masami has been nothing short of magnificent. You are keeping pace with her in ways that I could never have dreamed and I am proud of the women that you both have become. I know that I push your sister hard it's just that…”
He pulled away from me to run his fingers through his hair before he looked up at the sky with a serious expression. Standing beside him, I looked up at the sky too—wondering what he could be thinking about. It was time before he finally spoke up again.
“I fear that things will begin to change, Koyuki. The clans seem more restless, and I know my brother is doing his best to keep the peace, but he isn’t seeing the cracks forming.”
“What could possibly be happening with the other clans?”
“Nothing for now, but something feels like its blooming. I trust that you will watch her back. Your brothers are a bit too busy lately.”
“Of course I will! Uncle I…I’m sorry for questioning you uncle and your intentions.” He chuckled as he threw his arm over my shoulder and we walked back home. “I guess I’m just overprotective.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. Looking after family is natural and it shows the depth of your love. Besides…you can always count on family.”
I had the best sleep that I’ve had in months. It was like killing that insect gave me some peace of mind. Everything about my sleep was just magnificent, the pillows, the blankets and the bed were just massaging my body in the best of ways. I intended to sleep the rest of the day away for once, but the feeling of sharp eyes on me was bothering me. My mother usually would not have let me sleep in if she was angry, but perhaps she was feeling merciful for once. Although, it was hard to get comfortable once more as it felt like the displeasure was stabbing me in the face. With a heavy groan, I finally blinked the sleep from my eyes to face the wrath of my mother.
Oh.
It was my father.
I sat up slowly as his eyes slitted angrily. I was never on the receiving end of my father’s utter rage. In fact, I had never seen him truly angry with any of his children. My mother was always the disciplinarian…you could hear her shrieks of rage all through the manor, but my father rarely raised his voice too high. Sure, he could yell at times, but it was nothing too bad. Now, I could practically see his rage about to spill out, and I could only imagine what he would say to me now. I could stand to glare at my mother, but not my father. My eyes immediately traveled to the floor as he took several breaths to steady himself, but it didn’t seem to be working.
“Who do you think you are?”
“....”
“Answering me would do you many favors, Masami…”
“I…I did what I had to do for our family-”
“NO!” I flinched as he stood then and marched to the end of my bed. “You did what was best for you! You did what you wanted for yourself because you are a selfish and foolish child!”
I continued to look down as he yelled at me. I could even hear the crackle of electricity in the air, but he was not done with yelling at me. “Father…I-”
“You are done speaking until I allow you too! You no longer have a voice until I give you one! Your actions have consequences and you have put not only our family but those of the ones we protect in grave danger!” He ran his hand over his face, and I dared to look up at him then. His tails slashed the air in erratic patterns, and he had gripped the frame of my bed so tightly that the wood was starting to splinter. “You killed the heir of the Nobara clan in such a manner that…I don’t think that he will even have a proper funeral! Their retaliation will be swift and harsh!”
“A child for a child-!”
“WHAT DID I SAY?!” His hand smashed through the frame of my bed and now it laid in pieces on the floor. I suddenly wished that I was those pieces of wood, quickly and easily discarded. I just wish that I was somewhere else so as not to hear my father’s wrath. Despite wanting to appear strong, I could feel tears threatening to appear in my eyes. “Too many have lost their lives in this war! Taking another child from their family in such a way is not how things are done in this family and it never will be! You have to think for once Masami! Think about what you do and how they affect those around you! You don’t even have any care for yourself! Months living on this suicide campaign! Worrying your mother to death! No one knows where you are and what you are doing! The only reason we knew you were alive is because of the trail of death you leave behind!”
“...”
“I…” He huffed in annoyance as he finally stopped to catch his breath. “Once again…you have no care for yourself either. What would have happened if there were others around once you finished taking his life? You could have been killed and I…you have no idea how much we worry for you.”
“...”
“Speak child.”
“He had to suffer for what he did. If my life meant us getting closer to wiping them out and avenging Koyuki, then I-”
“DON’T!” I flinched once more as the rage consumed his features once more. “You aren’t doing this for your sister! There was a point in time where I could believe that, but you're lying too not only us but yourself! You are doing this because you enjoy the fighting, the death and the power you have! You are sullying the memory of your sister! I’ll be damned if I let you do it any longer!”
“Father-”
“Your life matters to your mother and I! None of you are expendable in this war! You need to control yourself and act like you have some damn sense Masami!” I blinked back more tears as my bedroom door opened.
“Takeshi…maybe that’s enough-”
“Get out Izumi!” My mother was taken aback by his tone, but she didn’t spare either of us another glance before she shut the door. “You!”
I straightened up as he cast his gaze back onto me. He moved around my bed to stand right beside me. I laid my ears flat against my head and moved back as he seethed in anger. I was never afraid of my father laying his hands on me, but with his anger right now? I was definitely not going to test his anger more.
“You are NEVER leaving the grounds unless I give you permission! I don’t care if your mother gives you leave, because this is my home! These are my rules and you will follow them! If you sneak out or hurt anyone in the process, I will drag you back here myself! I assure you that you will not want that. I had better not see you outside the gates…”
My father left my room in a storming rage, and the slam of the door rattled my room. It was a few seconds later that I could hear my mother’s muffled voice down the hall. It was soon drowned out by my father yelling some more. “She is not to leave the grounds, Izumi! Guards! Do not let my daughter out of your sight! I want a full rotation on her at all times! Izumi I will not talk with you about this, and I will not calm down! That child is a danger to herself and everyone around her! Guards! My wife is not allowed to give you any orders concerning our daughter!”
“Takeshi!”
“Enough!” I could hear him stomping away and my mother didn’t seem to be chasing after him. I sank back under my blankets, and I could already feel some of our men watching me from my windows. My bedroom door opened once more, and I didn’t even bother to move. My bed shifted as someone sat on my bed and felt a hand on my head…I could tell it was my mother.
“Masami…I…your father just wants you to be safe. He wants you to make better choices…we love you and I can’t bear to see you destroy yourself. My butterfly…just take the next few days to reflect…”
Once again, I was left alone…I didn’t think his words would hurt me like they did, but my father never yelled at me like that. Now, now I was confined to my home, and I could never imagine what my actions would cause.
~~~
My home was in a never-ending cycle of activity and often the halls were filled with angry yelling and orders. I sat by a window as I watched my father bark out orders to our men. My mother watched from a distance, but when she glanced up at me…I just looked off into the distance. A few days after the death of their heir, the Nobara clan seemed to hit us with everything that they had. They amassed a force against our family that was unlike anything that we had ever seen.
I wish that I was out there.
Leaving my room, I folded my arms as people rushed around me and went to fight or train. I was more than aware that I fucked up, but my family should have sent more troops in the early morning to better combat them. Ruin their supply lines, shorten their weapons cache…anything at all. Unfortunately, the wrath of my father was one to be feared indeed. My mother didn’t even get in his way or try to talk to him as he angrily tried to rally things together.
My brothers were once again out on the front lines, and I wished that my uncle was here to talk to me. Although, after our last encounter…I’m not sure that he would make me feel any better. My father had barely even looked at me since he scolded me about my actions. My siblings tried to talk to me, but I just shut myself in my room. The only one who seemed to really talk to me was….
“Masami?”
I exhaled a breath as I sat at my parents' koi pond to watch and feed the fish. I didn’t say anything and just inclined my head slightly. I could practically hear the smile on her face as she stepped forward. I hummed in pleasure though as Chiharu ran a brush over my tails. My fur was matted a bit, but that was mostly because I began to stop caring after what happened with my father. Chiharu was quick to make sure that my needs were tended to since I was confined to our home.
“You should come with me for a walk…I’m sure father would not mind that.”
“I doubt that…”
“O-Oh…we could still ask-”
“I’d rather not…I don’t even want to be here right now…” I stood up and turned to leave, but her disappointed face stopped me. I didn’t really apologize to her after everything that happened, and she was still looking after me. “Chiharu I…about the other day…s-sorry about that…”
“Oh! I…it’s ok…I…I know that I am weak.” She smiled at me and my heart ached as she did. “I’ll keep doing my best to make you proud and not be a disappointment to our family!”
“I…right…” I shook my head as I left her outside to her devices. If there was anything about her that I was jealous of…it was her boundless positivity. I used to think that way about things, but it became a struggle to do it. I rubbed my temple as I continued down the halls and to my surprise…I bumped into Hikaru.
“Ah shit! Sorry I…oh…Masami…” I raised a brow at her sudden change in tone. I suppose her kindness didn't bother to extend to me. “This damn bandage is annoying, and I would like to see from my right eye.”
“You shouldn’t be up at all Hikaru.”
“I’m fine…the eye injury is already healing just fine. I just want to see from both my eyes.”
“Your eye might be fine, but your other injury is-”
“Oh, what do you care?!” I blinked at her snapping at me. “You’re just upset that father is keeping you locked up. You would rather be out there than in here talking to me. You’re just bored and unfortunately making conversation is your way to cope with it.”
I opened my mouth to respond to her, but she was already walking away from me. I furrowed my brow as I followed after her. I didn’t exactly appreciate her tone with me at all.
“Hikaru! You should be more grate-”
“Grateful? Oh! Yeah right!” She shook her head as she continued down out of the manor to her workshop. “You really have some nerve…”
“I have some nerve? I saved your life!”
“Tch…you bitch!” Hikaru slammed the door of her workshop open as she stomped around to look through her potions. “Look…you stopped that creature from doing worse…I’ll give you that, but nothing else!”
“I’m helping this family in the best way that I can!”
“Oh, that’s so rich…you have no idea what you’ve done do you?”
“Of course, I do…it might not have been the way any of you wanted, but it weakened them.”
“You’re such a fucking idiot….” She leaned on her desk as she glared at me. “All you did was stoke the flames of war even more. I guess no one has told you yet?”
“Told me what?”
“Ha! Oh, this is perfect!” I frowned as she chuckled but held her ribs from the pain of her injury. “You ruined a strike that was supposed to end this war. His father was unguarded in his little war tent after he sent his guards to search the perimeter. We specifically had men cut them off and father and Hiroshi were going to end it.”
“What?”
“Yeah…your “commotion” alerted everyone and he left to find out what happened to his son. Needless to say, but we will never get a chance like this again.”
“...”
“Sucks, right? Now…if only you thought more about what your actions have done for the future of our family.”
“I do think about our fam-”
“No Masami…you really don’t.” She moved around the table and pushed me back into a chair. “The thing about you is that you’re selfish. You’re masquerading this as some noble crusade for our sister, but we all know that isn’t true. This stopped being about Koyuki the moment you realized how pretty blood looks running down your blades. You enjoy this and get some sick thrill out of it. How about you just get the fuck out of my workshop so I can have some peace.”
“....”
I stormed away before I lost my temper with her. I slammed the door of my bedroom before I finally took a breath. Sitting on my bed, I couldn’t believe it…they actually tried to finish things once and for all. I had to admit that I felt like they were just saying words for the last few years, but to think that they actually….
“I can’t blame myself for this…they should have finished this years ago…”
The warning gongs sounded and I rushed outside to see my father conversing with my mother. My father looked at me with a glare that made me pause. I don’t think I had ever seen him look at me like that. He shared a quick kiss with my mother before he left. The smell of fire drifted towards me and I could see that something was burning in the distance. Hearing the rustling of the trees, I could see more of our men rushing towards whatever was out there. It was too optimistic to think that they all had left, but I could feel the eyes of the rest of the guards on my back. My mother looked over her shoulder at me, but I turned away from her to go back to my room.
“Masami…” Damn it.
“Yes…mother…”
“Come with me.” I tightened my fists before I sighed and went to walk with her. She had been silent since my father yelled at me…and her. It was strange to see her so subdued considering what a spitfire she was. Although, every time I had seen her since then, she seemed deep in thought or she was resting. Narrowing my eyes, it frustrated me to see her so relaxed at home. Blowing out a breath, we sat down on the veranda in silence. I thought she wanted to talk, but maybe she just wanted the company. Glancing at her, she had her eyes closed and took in the breeze that swept over us. I sighed once more and laid on my back and also closed my eyes, but I couldn’t enjoy the breeze. I could only think about how long my father would keep me on house arrest. He couldn’t be mad at me forever, right? It wasn’t in his nature to truly be this mad at me for long. Although, I definitely didn’t like seeing him so upset with me.
“My butterfly…” I flinched as she touched my head and I opened my eyes to see her smiling at me. I scoffed and looked away from her, but I could almost feel the vein on her forehead pop out. I hissed as she pulled on my ear until I was sitting up once more. “Now…how about you talk to your mother?”
“I don’t suppose I have much of a choice…” I hissed more as she continued to pinch my ear. “Could you let me go?”
“Hmm…only if you ask nicely…”
“Mother! I…p-please let my ear go…” She smiled victoriously before she let me go and I rubbed my ear in displeasure. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I just want to know how you’ve been feeling the last few days…I know that your father was…harsh…”
“...” I frowned and stared at the flower garden as she rubbed my ears. I could see that she was trying to make me feel better, but I was just annoyed. My brothers were out there with my father fighting while I was stuck at home.
“Your father might be mad at you for a while…he just wants you to be smart and safe…” I was about to retort, but she pulled my ear once again and I reluctantly kept my opinion to myself. “You have a terrible habit of not following instructions and rushing into stupid situations…”
“I wonder where I got that from…ow!” I held my head as one of her tails hit me. Her golden eyes were burning angrily…which meant it was really time to shut up.
“Ko…Koyuki…I…I miss her more than you know…” I looked at her now, as her voice began to crack. She hadn’t said her name in years, almost like it wounded her to speak it. I suppose being a mother the pain was unbearable at times. Her brow was furrowed as she tried to continue her thought, but she just released a deep breath and gathered herself once more. “I will not lose another daughter, Masami…I won’t…I…I don’t think that I could bear…”
“I’m strong mother…I won’t be killed…”
“Your sister was strong…and she…she’s no longer here…” She grasped my hand and held my gaze. “The Nobara clan is going to be eradicated before the year is over. I just need to be sure that my eldest daughter won’t interfere with anything else…”
“What? You say this but you want me to sit back? How can I do that and not see our victory over them?!”
“Masami…” She shook her head at me before squeezing my hand. “This is why you aren’t allowed to leave our home. This is not a victory…nor is this entire war anything to celebrate. This war is nothing but a long and drawn-out funeral for one of our clans. One clan will fall at the end of this. This is a death sentence for everyone involved, not a victory to hang on a mantle. Your sister’s memory means more than that, and I fear that you have lost sight of that. This is about you and it will always be about you.”
“That’s not-”
“Stop it!” I flinched away from her as she gripped my arm. “I wonder if your father and I raised you at all?! Look at the damage that you have done!” I looked as she thrust her arm out at the fire in the distance. I could briefly hear the screams of people in the distance and I…that couldn’t be my fault…
Right?
“This war would have been finished, and I know that you have come to that realization over the last few days. Your foolishness has led to the deaths of more innocent people and their families. I don’t know what it will take for you to learn this lesson…I just hope it doesn’t come at the cost of your family…”
“...” She sighed and rubbed her temple before adjusting her kimono. “I agree with your father that you must stay put until this is done…and I’ll be home to make sure-”
“Of course you are…”
“Excuse me?” Her eyes slitted and I stood up and moved away from her. “Say what you have to say, daughter…”
“If the war is going to be finished soon…why are you here and on your ass?” I could feel the air heat up and smirked at her tails lashing the air. “You should be out there helping out if everything is so close. Actually, I don’t see you do much of anything for the last few weeks. Your love for my sister must not be that strong if you still-”
“GET OUT! GET OUT! HOW DARE YOU, YOU DISRESPECTFUL AND UNGRATEFUL CHILD!”
I scoffed at her as her fire caught the garden on the fire and people rushed to put the blaze out. She was so full of herself if she thought lounging around would make this happen faster. I fell into my pillows, and I could hear the various guards backing away from my room. I somehow managed to fall asleep, and a knock at my door jolted me awake. Opening the door, I was surprised to see my eldest brother Hiroshi. He was not one to seek me out ever since Koyuki died and I….snapped…
“Come with me…”
I huffed and wordlessly followed him, curious to what he could possibly want from me. I thought he would still be with our father and Tatsuya. I was further confused as he led me away from our home, but I suppose being with me meant that the guards would leave me alone. The smell of burning wood and flesh made me scrunch my nose up and I held my arm up to my nose as the scent seemed to get stronger. My ears perked up as I heard my father talking to Tatsuya.
“I know son…but we have no choice at the moment.”
“...”
“We will end this soon, I promise you that.”
“Father…I’ve returned…and I’ve brought her…” My father looked up at me for a second before he looked back at Tatsuya and continued their conversation. My face burned in frustration and embarrassment, and I hated that I could see why he reacted that way, but it still hurt me. Once they were done talking, my father looked past me at Hiroshi and I had to be calm because he was my father and I could not be mad at him…much…
“Alright…the three of you are to go to the border and defend the village there and because the Nobara men have been spotted around the area lately.” He placed his hands on the twin’s shoulders and gave them warm smiles. “Be careful my sons…and watch over each other. I’ll send more troops and supplies in about a week, hopefully you won’t have to deal with things for long.”
“Yes father.” I rolled my eyes at their synchronized agreement, and my father finally cast his gaze on me and the boys quickly made themselves scarce.
“Masami…”
“Father…” I crossed my arms and looked away from him as he sighed. It had been days since our encounter, and I actually feared he would never cool his head. Every time I passed him in the halls his usually serene face would etch itself into a deep frown, or he would walk another direction entirely. I remember hearing my mother trying to talk to him, but he would just get angry once more. The thoughts made my face fall just thinking about how I upset him so badly. I could deal with my mother being angry because she was such a hothead most of the time, and making her mad was easy, but him…I just couldn’t-
My heart skipped as my father stepped into my space and kissed my forehead before he engulfed me into a tight embrace. I gave myself a strict policy not to cry or anything related to such sentimental feelings, but I could not handle him being so angry with me. He held me tight as he kissed my forehead once more.
“Masami…” He held me at arm’s length, but I looked down at the ground instead. He lifted my chin up and despite feeling like I would cry, I managed to hold my tears back. “You watch your brothers and be very very safe. I’m letting you out there because as much as I hate it…you are quite proficient dealing with the Nobara clan’s men. You would also try to escape again anyway…although I would have dragged you back and you don’t want that to happen.”
“Y-Yeah…” He smiled down at me once more before going towards my brothers and patting their shoulders. I rolled my shoulders back as the maids retrieved my weapons and I was about to set out, but I glanced back at our home once more to see my mother and Chiharu watching us from a window. My brothers also glanced at her and she smiled at us–even me, before she blew us all a kiss. I turned away from them as my brother’s and I set out for the edge of our territory. I was beyond glad to be out of the house and into some action, I didn’t want to get rusty. I could not fail again to finish the Nobara clan.
This would be our final obstacle until we could truly avenge my sister.
~~~~
“We have to spread our men out evenly or we could be overwhelmed by our enemies. We have no idea when they might strike…so it is the best plan.”
“Yes…but we also have to have enough men here to fight just in case the line is breached…”
“You think that is a possibility?”
“Anything is possible during times of conflict, Tatsuya…” I glanced at my brothers as they leaned over their map inside our war tent. A heavy rain had washed over our camp once we reached our borders, and I was annoyed to see it. Rain just slowed us down and if it got too muddy, then that would cause more issues. A sigh left me as I stared through the entrance at our men rushing around to get out of the rain. Although, it seemed that others decided to train despite our new weather issues. I was ready to go out and join them, but the voice of my brother stopped me.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Outside. To train with the men.”
“Yeah…I don’t think so.” I glared at Tatsuya as he closed the flap of the tent in my face. His mismatched eyes twinkled in delight at pissing me off. “Father told us to keep an eye on you and that is what we will do. No more running off and doing stupid shit.”
“I’m only going outside you big idiot. I realize that I have to stick around! Now move out of my way before I-”
“Sit down, Masami.” I let out a deep breath as I glanced at Hiroshi still looking over the war map. His sudden command left no room for arguments, and arguing with him would just be a losing battle. Unlike that idiot Tatsuya…my eldest brother held my highest respect only behind my parents and uncle. I shoved Tatsuya for extra measure before I sat across from Hiroshi. He wasn’t one to lecture like other people in this damn family. I would get my chance to fight in the coming days anyway.
“I swear…she's just like mother…”
“Hardly…” I rolled my eyes at Tatsuya as he leaned over the table once more and I laid my head back in boredom. “She’s been too whiny lately…more so than usual. Father needs to stop fawning over her and throw her out in the fray more.”
“Someone has to watch over the main territory. You are too hard on our mother. She has been through a lot too.”
“Yes yes…are we going to actually do something once this rain clears up?”
“You and I are going out tomorrow.” I perked up as Hiroshi rolled the map up and Tatsuya looked surprised. “Keeping you inside is like keeping a bull in a China shop…something is eventually going to shatter.”
“Finally!” I leapt from my seat as Tatsuya looked ready to have a heart attack. I cared little for his musings as I got my weapons together.
“Brother! You can’t be serious!”
“I will be with her, and we need to scout out the area anyway. We are the best fighters here and you will need to stay here to watch over our men. Besides…our sister has things to work out.”
“Huh?” I looked back at Hiroshi as his eyes seemed to peer right through me. I just complimented him on not lecturing me, but here he was alluding to the fact that he was going too. “Oh, for the love of…”
“Rest up, little sister. We have work to do.”
I huffed and threw my stuff down as I went to sleep for the night. If I was lucky, he would just let it go in the morning. Although, I probably would not get much sleep with Tatsuya yelling his head off.
~~~
The walk to the very edge of our border was met with silence, and the occasional sound of our feet squishing in the mud. Tatsuya was still upset that he was left behind, but he could cry about that to someone who gave a damn. I watched Hiroshi in front of me and could only wonder what he was thinking about. Hiroshi never wasted his breath on things that didn’t matter, so I could only imagine the things he would say to me. I would tune him out anyway. He should save his breath on things that actually matter. He was the next head of our clan, and he needed to think more about showing our enemies what happens when we are fucked with.
“Masami…”
“...” I stopped immediately as he crouched and stared ahead of us. I peered over his shoulder and my blood rose as I saw a man from the Nobara clan. He was just casually leaning against a tree and sharpening his blade. He was at the edge of our territory, and he didn’t seem to care. I gripped my battle fans tight and moved to intercept him, but Hiroshi held a hand up.
“Hush…there might be more around. Keep an eye on him.” He left so quietly that if I hadn’t been next to him I wouldn’t have thought he was even here. The man was still just lounging, and he was even whistling to himself! The nerve of these filthy snakes! I couldn’t hear Hiroshi and I didn’t want to wait forever.
Just as I was about to move, I saw Hiroshi drop three more men from the trees. The man turned in surprise, and I leapt at him. He turned to intercept me, but I already attached myself to his back and slit his throat. I held the blade deeper and longer into his neck as he collapsed to the ground. A satisfied smile consumed me as Hiroshi walked over to me. He watched me for a second before he went to inspect his bodies. I raised a brow at the look, but otherwise said nothing about it.
“Check ahead to see if there might be others ahead of us.” I stepped over the body, but something caught my leg…and hoisted me up into the trees.
“Fuck!”
“Masami!” Hiroshi jumped onto the branches to reach me, but this thing was dragging me quickly through the treetops. I couldn’t even get a good look at it as the various leaves and branches obstructed my view. It was stopping the circulation in my ankle because of how tight it grasped me. Taking out my fans, I slashed at it hoping it would work, but I never had much luck.
I grunted as it released me and I was about to set myself right up before I hit the ground, but the force grabbed me and slammed me against the ground, full force. Hiroshi was on me in seconds and lifted me off the ground and began running, but this creature was fast. I managed to catch my breath and shot some fireballs at it, but it just went right through them. Hiroshi hoisted me over his shoulder, and I deflected sharp spears that it shot at his back. The creature morphed into some sort of dog as it tried to catch up with Hiroshi, who was incredibly fast himself.
That didn’t seem to matter because it was gaining on us much too quickly. It roared and with its horrid shriek, some insects started to fly out its maw. I gasped as they surrounded Hiroshi and I with sharp stings and horrible buzzing. I tried to cut them away, but that was a failed effort and even my fire was doing nothing to them. Hiroshi skitted to a halt before he tossed me up over his head, but to the chagrin of my stomach. I watched as Hiroshi’s lightning shook the ground and the insects fell to the ground. The dog lunged at Hiroshi, but I was already crashing back down and plunged my blade into it back. It turned to lash at me, but Hiroshi’s sword jutted out from its mouth. The beast struggled for a bit before it finally collapsed.
“Damn…” I stood and rolled my ankle as Hiroshi glared further off into the trees. “What is it?”
“Something is happening…changing…”
“Yes well…I would rather deal with the Nobara clan then whatever hell these things are coming from…” He said nothing for some time, so I took the time to clean my weapons and look over the bodies. I made sure to kick and spit on them too as I tried to see if they had any notes on them. Anything at all to see their movements, but I could see nothing at that just made me more frustrated. Hiroshi walked past me and sighed before narrowing his eyes at me. “What?”
“You need to control yourself…”
“Oh, not you too…” I walked away from into the direction of what I hoped would be more men to kill, but he grabbed my arm and I responded with a less than pleased growl. “Get off me Hiroshi.”
“Take a breath and think about things…you’ll just be a liability…”
“...” I scrunched my nose up at him and he sighed once more.
“Just take the advice sister. You have to gain some control of your emotions at such a time. Things are changing at a rapid pace, and you need to be levelheaded.”
“Whatever…I know what it is that I have to do.” I moved further away from because I could feel the lecture coming. He huffed before he appeared at my side and we proceeded further down the border. The night quickly approached us and neither of us really said anything to each other either. It was good to have a sibling of so few words. I made a small fire once we settled and Hiroshi handed me some snacks that our mother prepared.
“Once we get more rest…we can continue in the morning to patrol and then we can head back to Tatsuya.”
“Huh?” I raised a brow at him as he cleaned his face off. “Is this it? I thought we would patrol more?”
“Well…those men have to report to someone, and they won’t be able to thanks to us. We will have to regroup and bring the rest of the men here. We will push them back into their territory.”
“Fine…as long as I get to kill more of them…”
“...” I settled next to the fire and could feel myself start to drift, but Hiroshi’s words cut through me. “She was my sister too…”
“...”
“I think about that day often…about what I could have done. I think about my dear sister who I loved so much…who I lost…”
“Hiroshi…just stop…”
“I’m not just talking about Koyuki…”
“What?” I finally decided to entertain him as I turned over to look at him. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the pain so clearly in his eyes. Hiroshi never seemed to be fazed by much since the war started, but I could remember the night Koyuki died. His anguished screams shook me to the core. He had even stopped taking care of himself to the point that he almost withered away. Mother had almost lost herself to hysteria and father scrambled to pick up the pieces. He had never been much of a talker, but now my brother was a man of even fewer words. I wonder if his grief had effectively turned him to a mute…only comfortable to say a few things at a time. “Now is not the time for-”
“When will it be the time then?”
“Not now!” I sat up and fully faced him as he frowned at me. “The only thing I care about is killing every last one of them for her! This whole thing has been about and for her! My sister that didn’t deserve to die! There is no point in talking about me!”
“There is every point!” I flinched as he raised his voice at me before running a frustrated hand through his hair. “I understand wanting them all dead…I am just as guilty for the things that I have done…”
“What you’ve done?”
“I lost myself in my anger and I don’t want that for you, but it is all I see! When will you realize that you died that day as well! We lost both of our sisters! Our parents lost both of their daughters!”
“I don’t need a lecture on where to place my anger!”
“No! What you need is a lecture on humility! You need to learn to control that anger before you really fall over the edge! I fear that you may already be on your way and we are too late!”
“Maybe you are! I really don’t give a damn because I have gained results!”
“You gained nothing in your anger Masami! All you did was increase the strength and security of the clan head when you killed his son! We were right there and we could have ended this all! Honestly…I think that you’re glad that we are still at war…”
“You…she was my sister…”
“She wasn’t just yours Masami…we all loved and lost her too. The only difference is we didn’t lose ourselves in the grief and we didn’t push everyone else away. We don’t enjoy any of this like you do. I…I miss who you were Masami…”
“...” I turned away from him and threw my tails over my body, effectively shutting down the conversation. I brushed the tears from my face quickly so I could just fall asleep finally. I was tired of this same story from everyone. Why couldn’t they just leave me be and understand this would be good for all of us? The pain would finally go away, and we could rest and so could Koyuki…it would be better for everyone.
My anger was justified. My anger would lead to justice. My anger would serve my family and gain us the advantage in this war.
Yes…yes that is what would happen.
All for her. All for my dear sister.
~~~
I couldn’t sleep.
I turned onto my back as the stars continued to twinkle above my head. Hiroshi was to blame for this…I know it. He should have just left well enough alone. I ran a frustrated hand over my face before I went to walk through the woods. Hiroshi was still sound asleep, so I didn’t have to worry about him following after me. I still could not believe that he would say that to me. Although, I suppose there was some truth to all of it. I did ruin our chance to finish this war, but I didn’t want it to continue because I enjoyed it.
I…I didn’t enjoy it.
I didn’t.
Maybe...
“...” I perked up as I heard a sound further into the woods. I gritted my teeth as I had forgotten my weapons back at the campfire. It would be no matter…I had sharp teeth and nails to work with. I guess there was my fire, but that wouldn’t be as much fun-
Oh.
No no…I didn’t really enjoy this. No, I just…I didn’t enjoy it.
It was not surprising someone might have snuck past us, but why didn’t they attack us while we were resting? Well…it would be their mistake at the end of the day. Peering through the brush…I could faintly see someone and they appeared to be…dancing? The person was also singing something and the faint sounds of chimes traveled to my ears. Once I finally had the person in full view, they turned to me with a smile and the night went still. A chill traveled up my spine as the old woman just stared at me. She didn’t even blink, but that smile remained on her face.
“Ah finally!” She hobbled over to me, and I stepped back as she tried to poke me with her cane. “I have been waiting for you! You look just like that father of yours! Although you have your mother’s eyes! Quite a beauty…yes indeed!”
“What? You know my parents? Wait…who are you?” I growled at her, but she just laughed and twirled in a circle before tapping her staff on the ground. “Answer me witch!”
“Ah bah! Is that any way to talk to the woman who got rid of those night creatures on your mountain?”
“What?”
“Oh, don’t worry about it! I have something for you!”
“I don’t need anything from you. Now get away from here…it is far too dangerous for you…”
“Ha! You know nothing about danger! That is one thing that family of yours knows nothing about!”
“What? What the fuck are you-”
“That father of yours is a stubborn man. He sure can get his way if he tries…it sure is a shame though…”
“What? What is a shame?”
“Oh nothing. What will come to pass shall pass…and what is done is done. When lightning strikes twice it will surely strike thrice. Blood will rain, blood will pour, and by the end…love will be no more.”
“Enough with your riddles! You’re giving me a damn headache!” I turned away from her, but she was suddenly in my space. She pushed me back with her cane and I was ready to kick her in the jaw. “Stop that!”
“Clean out that blackness in your heart before it consumes you and everyone around you.”
“I don’t need to take the advice from an old bitch in the woods. Now I have warned you…get the hell out of these woods before you get killed…”
“Oh? Whom should I worry about?”
“Either them or me if you make my headache worse.” She just laughed at me with the most annoying laugh I had ever heard. I didn’t need to hear her useless prattling…I had actual things that needed to be done. Turning away from her, I froze as a deep chill washed over my body. It wasn’t a chill from the night, but one from deep in my soul. Her words in my ears shook my very being.
𝔸 𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕞𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕤 𝕒 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕝𝕒𝕞𝕖
𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕗𝕣𝕦𝕚𝕥
𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕚𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕗 𝕒 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕪
𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕓𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕞𝕖
ℙ𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕞𝕖
𝔽𝕠𝕣 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕠𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖
I had no idea why her words made me have the sickest feeling in my stomach, but I feared that I would never truly have my answers. She was gone when I looked where she once stood, but her words seemed to just hang in the air. It was like insects crawling over my skin, and I just couldn’t shake them. Rubbing my neck, I laid back to force myself to sleep. Although I could tell that her words would haunt me for the rest of my life.
***
“You’re getting even better, Masami!” I smiled up at my uncle as I wiped the sweat from my brow. My training clothes were drenched in sweat, and I really wanted to take a bath, but it was just so good to see my uncle. He was an amazing uncle and an even better teacher. Father was not happy about his girls doing any training, but Mother had put her foot down about it quite fiercely. I chuckled at the memory of his pouting, but Mother always knew how to get her way.
“I don’t know…I could do better, right?”
“Patience, niece…” I pouted as he ruffled my hair, and I quickly tried to fix it. “You have the makings of something great. You could be anything that you want if you never give up and strive for greatness.”
“He’s right! Having a big sister this good makes me feel quite safe!” I smiled at Koyuki as she finished her stretches a few feet away from us. She was adamant about getting on the training with our uncle. She was keen on joining our mothers' stealth division, and she was doing quite well, too. Mother, of course, was very proud of her, and she would tell anyone who would listen. Father was proud, but he worried about her immensely, and he often came to watch over her.
“You’re gonna be a rising star yourself, Koyuki!” Koyuki bounced up from the ground before our uncle suddenly struck his sword at her. I gasped, but she didn’t miss a beat as she blocked and disarmed him in spectacular fashion. “Ah…good girl…always be ready for the unexpected.”
“Uncle…I don’t think anyone would expect such a thing from their own uncle…” My brow furrowed in worry, but he just laughed and ruffled my hair once more. “Uncle Jin…”
“Well…I have to be a teacher first and your uncle second…you never know who could wish you harm. Sometimes the closest person can cause you the most harm. I just want you girls to be ready for that.”
“As you can see…it’s impossible for me to be surprised!”
“Is that right?” Koyuki almost jumped out of her skin as our mother appeared behind her. Our mother chuckled as she adjusted our newest addition in her arms, whom I quickly rushed over to kiss. “Your sister and I managed to sneak up on you quite easily.”
“Yes well…I’m not that perfect…yet…”
“You don’t need to be perfect, Koyuki…like your uncle said…you just have to be ready for any and all threats.” Koyuki blushed at our mother, rubbing her cheeks affectionately. “She’s doing well? Jin?”
“Spectacular, actually…they both are. You should be incredibly proud of them.”
“We are.” I frowned at my mother's curt tone, but my uncle just smiled at her tone. He was never really phased by her attitude, but he just took it in stride. I hated that she treated him so sourly after all this time, but at least she still let us train with him and spend time together.
“Our mother is quite scary, isn’t she, Chiharu?” I squished my baby sister's cheeks and smiled wider as she smiled at me. She was so very cute, and I loved that we had another sibling so soon after Mei was born. She was just learning how to walk, and father was trying to stop her from getting into his sword collection.
“Ah…there she is!” I smiled at our uncle as he moved beside me to smile at Chiharu. “May I?”
“Sure…” Chiharu babbled excitedly as our uncle held her in his arms. “Mind her head, Jin…”
“I’ve got her…she’s perfectly fine.” My mother sighed before narrowing her eyes at me.
“Masami…”
“Y-Yes?” I couldn’t imagine what I might have done to make her upset, but hopefully she didn’t have one of her meltdowns.
“Your father is expecting you…I see that you forgot?”
“OH!”
“It’s fine…he figured that you were busy with your uncle and Koyuki…just make sure to get there before the day is over.”
“Of course!” My father had been planning a surprise for my mother for months now, after giving birth right after another. I thought it was sweet that he wanted to do something nice for her, but then again, he was always sweet on her and spoiled her rotten. I smiled watching my uncle and mother fuss over Chiharu while Koyuki bounced over to me to walk me home. It was hard to imagine that anything could break our happy spirits, but I suppose that nothing good could last forever.
Koyuki was ripped away from us so suddenly and violently that we couldn’t even process our emotions rationally. War was the only thing on our minds, murder and blood were the only things we could think of. Retribution for a life that was cut far too short. I could never erase the thoughts of her body seeping blood into the ground…soaking the earth with her essence.
I never thought much of anything else besides my sister, but the words of that witch haunted me. They pulled at me in a way I had never felt…not even about Koyuki. I couldn’t fathom their meaning, and honestly, it wasn’t the time to figure it out either. I had work to do, and thoughts of that witch quickly left my memories.
The constant annoyances that I faced in my day to day would be enough to drive anyone insane. My family had been driving me to the brink of insanity since I was dragged back here and if I didn’t want revenge so bad, I would have thrown myself from a cliff already. I managed to convince my parents that I would not go far, and only to the lake that was by our home. It didn’t seem to stop them from sending some guards to follow after me. I only needed some peace away from them. So, dipping my toes in the water, I sighed in content at the first bit of quiet that I had since being back. I had to find the time to slip away, I heard word that the Nobara clan was moving.
It seems that my parents thought they could hide this information from me. Unfortunately for them, the staff loved to talk and gossip. To be frank, if they talked this much, they should be fired. Who knows what other things they could be whispering about? War was the time that snakes and rats came out to play. I would have a word with the servants before I continue on my mission. I sighed before reaching into my pocket to pull out a charm my uncle had given me years ago. It was a beautiful and thickly braided charm that he had gotten from some far-off land. It always made me feel good and safe…like he was protecting me.
Rubbing my tails, I blinked at them as my fur started to stand on end. A static coursed over them and a smile burst across my face. Turning around, I didn’t miss a step as my uncle emerged from the forest. He grunted as I hurled myself into his arms and he chuckled wholeheartedly at me. My uncle meant everything to me, and he was the only one who could understand my desire to avenge my sister.
“Hey there Masami…”
“Uncle…I’m so happy to see you again.” I gave him one more last tight hug before we separated. He had been gone for over a year and spent much of the time feeding me information. It was the only reason that I could follow the movements of the Nobara clan so closely. It was better this way to do it secretly, because my parents would throw a fit. Although, everything that my uncle did seemed to bother them. I didn’t pay them much mind when they were being whiny.
“Yes well…the Nobara clan has been very slippery and has been harder to track.” I frowned at that, but he just chuckled and patted my head. “Fear not…Masaru and I still have them in our sights. Relax a bit, you need to take this time to rest and get your strength up.”
“Ugh…where would that get me?”
“It would give you time to focus and properly plan on how to take them out.” He patted my head and sat me down on the ground. I couldn’t help the pout that formed on my face as he smiled at me. My uncle had taught me everything that I had ever known about combat, strategy, and killing. They were skills that my parents were not keen on teaching me, which made zero sense to me. I needed to prepare for the world, and because I wasn’t, I couldn’t protect my sister.
Uncle Jin was the only one who trained me when everything fell apart. The simple forms of training my parents gave were never enough. I needed to be stronger, more powerful and more ferocious. I made even my brothers look weak when I showed off what I could do. My uncle brought out the best in me, and I thanked him endlessly for it.
“The Nobara clan is hoping to join with another clan to gain more strength. They have already made progress in these talks I’m afraid.” My ears perked up as my cousin walked over and sat next to his father. Jin patted him on the shoulder before he smiled at me. “Stop making that face…they won’t get far. They are very slippery, but my father and I are much better than them.”
“You say that…but you lost an arm to one of them.”
“Yeah well…we can’t all be you now, can we?” I rolled my eyes as he rotated his prosthetic arm. Masaru was a good fighter, so when he returned one evening without his arm, I was surprised that someone got the jump on him. Despite how pale he had been, he smiled about it and boasted about how his father took down the man who wounded him. I just thought he was an idiot for losing a vital limb. I would have put him down myself if he never would have gotten that arm. My uncle and cousin were more useful than anyone in my family currently was.
“I don’t know about you father, but I am hungry, and I miss our family.” Masaru reached over to pat my head, but I moved back and glared at his hand. “Still testy…I will see you both later.”
I grumbled before I went back to dip my toes in the lake as the pair talked to each other. I wanted to leave from here so desperately. My body could not relax; I needed to do something other than this. My parents would just get pushier if I left. They would ruin anything that I wanted to do.
“Tell me the problem.”
I glanced at my uncle as he appeared at my side and put his feet in the lake. I felt like an echo in a cave, constantly repeating the same thing over and over again. No one would hear what I was saying, no one seemed to care.
“You know what the problem is…”
“It helps to talk about it, little butterfly.” I sighed and rubbed my hands together, perhaps hearing the advice of my uncle would do me some good.
“I need to end this…I need to end them… every day that I waste here, is another day that they plot and scheme to kill us. They grow stronger, while everyone here grows weak. I just don’t understand it. Everyone was ready and willing to do what needed to be done in the beginning, now they have no drive.”
“Hmm…I could see how that would be frustrating. I can agree with you that everyone seems to be taking slower steps. It is a problem…”
“Exactly-!”
“Ah ah!” He cut me off with a gentle poke to my nose. I pursed my lips as he chuckled and tapped my nose. “You have to realize that certain things in war take smaller steps. Not everything will be a large show of violence. In war, there are several different ways to crush your enemies. I’m sure that I taught you that correct?”
“...yes…”
“Now…your father is working around the clock to make sure our men are ready to attack the Nobara clan and significantly weaken them. I’m sure that you remember what your great-grandmother was known for?”
“Her poison?” His smirk confirmed my thoughts, but that…it was too…peaceful. “If the plan is to poison them, then that is not good enough for me.”
“Oh? Who said that was the only thing that was going to happen to them? Your great-grandmother had many different things she taught us to harm our enemies…”
“I want blood uncle.” I glared angrily and looked up at him. I needed them to crumble underneath me; I needed them to beg for a salvation that will never come. “I need them to scream and feel nothing but agonizing torture.”
“You will have it, dear niece.”
“I doubt that! I was born into a family of weak imbeciles!” I huffed as he moved to touch me. I would not be coddled! “They talk and talk about things they will do! I have seen no progress! You, Masaru, and I are the only ones making any progress on killing them. You must take me with you and Masaru! I waste my time here with these people!”
“Masami!” I stopped as he grasped my face and forced me to look into his eyes. “There is nothing that you can do right now.”
“Bullshit!”
“Do you really believe that you can do something?” His red eyes blazed with a calculated glare. “These things will happen when they happen, little butterfly.”
“I have to do something!” I couldn’t stop pacing and hearing my uncle telling me to relax did nothing but make me more frustrated. “I have to continue getting stronger…”
“Will that be enough though?” I blinked at my uncle’s turned back as he looked over the lake. That was his thinking voice, and I’m sure if I looked at him now, he would be rubbing his chin in thought. I didn’t appreciate what he was insinuating.
“Uncle…”
“You just aren’t strong enough yet…it would be foolish to go right now…”
“What?!” I growled out and he turned to look at me surprised. I rarely ever acted out towards my uncle, so his surprise was warranted. I didn’t care about that because how dare he suggest that I couldn’t handle this! “I’m the best fighter in this family!”
“Yes, you are…I made sure of that…but I just think you need to better prepare yourself. You have been going at this for too long…you might not actually truly be ready for-”
“Shut the hell up!” The grass started to burn under my feet as I backed away from him. “I have drive! I have my emotions ready and able to do what must be done!”
“Your emotions will get you killed niece!” He stepped closer to me, but I continued to back away from him. He had no right to say any of this to me! No fucking right at all!
“I thought you were on my side! Where is the fucking support?!”
“I am being supportive, Masami! I’m just facing the facts right now!” I was about to turn away from him, but he gripped my shoulders tight. “You should know what I have taught you about your emotions! They will be your undoing and that is not something this family can deal with again!”
“You need to have some fucking faith in me!”
“The men that I saw from the Nobara clan were far beyond what they used to be. Frankly, I think you need to sit this out for a while. The only thing you’ll be doing for the family at this point is getting killed.”
“....”
“Do you really think that you can do this alone forever? That you’re just some super-powered being?! We all have limits Masami! You need to learn yours for once! You are nothing! Nothing to them and they will do what they need to do to stop you!”
“....” He sighed before he let me go and decided to let me just stand there in disbelief. I just watched him walk away, stunned by his words, hurt at their deeper meaning, but above all else, I was still seething in rage. “You have something else to say to me?”
“What?”
“Anything. Else. To. Say?!” I wanted him to hear the venom in my voice and the anger behind it. I would not let him just walk away from me after that. He just sighed and gave me that sad sigh that everyone gave me. Like it mattered to me how they felt about my actions, my rage, my feelings in general. They could never fathom the anger and hate raging through my veins every second of every day. These “looks” were beginning to annoy the fuck out of me.
“You’re not as strong as you think you are, little butterfly.”
He turned without another word as I exploded in anger. I had none of my weapons so I could not throw them at his retreating back. I barely wanted to toss my fire; I conjured up at him. He was my uncle and I loved him dearly, and he had never talked to me like this before. I’m sure I looked like a toddler as I yelled and kicked at the dirt, my flames making the lake boil and dead fish rose to the surface. Did no one understand anything anymore? I would not be told such foolishness.
He thought I was weak?
They all thought I was irrational? Emotional? Damaged?!
I would show them just how emotional I was.
~~~
My mind was a haze of emotions as the family ate lunch for the day. The flurry of laughter and joy made that haze darker. The carefree aura that my family had wafting off them did nothing to make me feel what they were feeling. I was everything that my father never wanted for his daughters, and I knew that it broke his heart. Through the fog, he made eye contact with me. His attention fell upon me hard, and despite the levity of the table, I saw that same heartbreak cross over his face again. I could only describe it as the heartbreak of a father who must think he failed his family. The moment he opened his mouth to speak to me; I left the table.
The laughter continued behind me without even the briefest pause. My absence was starting not to mean anything to them anymore. Good…it would make it easier for everyone that it did. This quest for revenge would most likely kill me, but I would make sure the Nobara clan was all dead before I finally fell. Koyuki…you deserved to be here…not me. I didn’t deserve it.
“M-Masami…”
“...” Why did it have to be her?
“I-I know…that you don’t wish to be around us but…you should still eat.” I didn’t have to look at her to know that she was probably twiddling her fingers. Her soft voice was almost as soft as her footsteps. Of all my siblings, Chiharu was the only one I could never tell was walking up to me. The only one who could catch me by surprise. A skill that frustrated me because she could be so much more useful than she was. “We…we have to be prepared for anything…right?”
“We?”
“H-Huh? Y-Yes! The war is getting even fiercer and we-”
“There is no “we”! There is only me, little girl!” She squeaked out in surprise as I closed the distance between us. Grabbing her collar, I pulled her so close that our noses were almost touching. “I do everything in this family on this fucking campaign! You know nothing about the struggles of war! Your only struggle is figuring out which doll to display on your fucking shelves! How to style your hair for the day! Which kimono to wear! How many fucking ways to have father and mother baby you! You know nothing of war! You only know how to be a fucking baby!”
“I-I…I’m trying!” I blinked in surprise as she raised her voice at me. I had never heard her yell once in her life. I released my grip on her collar and her lips trembled as tears spilled from her eyes. “I miss Koyuki more than you know! I’m trying so hard to train and fight! You know nothing about me!”
“You call this trying?! I call it being a useless fucking brat-” Mei appeared behind Chiharu and slammed her fist into my jaw. Huh…and here I thought she was just talking out her ass. My jaw stung as she didn’t let up her assault on me as she pinned me down and slammed her fists into my face again. I growled as I tasted blood in my mouth and spit it in her face. She recoiled back and I grabbed her shirt to slam my forehead into her nose. Flipping us over, I gave her the same treatment as I punched her in her stupid fucking face. She didn’t relent either as she punched me in my ribs and face.
Chiharu was yelling and telling us to stop, but the damage was done and I needed to blow off the steam. She managed to kick me hard enough in the side that I slammed into a side table. Grabbing a vase, I threw it at her, but she caught it out of the air and threw it right back. I moved to the side as her foot almost collided with my head, and she got her foot stuck in the wall. Standing up, I grabbed her by the waist and bent backwards, slamming her onto the floor. I’m sure that I heard something crack as a pained yelp came from her mouth. Releasing her, she wasn’t one to let up as she kicked back up to her feet and kicked me right under my chin. The blow made me stagger back, but I shook it off and charged at her. With angry roars we both were ready to punch each other before my brothers and father stepped between us.
“STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!” The booming sound of my father didn’t really register to me, but Mei started to simmer down, but I still tried to break away from my brothers to hit that little bitch.
“Fuck you Masami! Fuck you all the way to hell! I told you not to ever disrespect my sister again!”
“Oh? I guess that means I mean nothing to you anymore “sister”?” I smiled at her as the blood that pooled in my mouth began to drip out onto the floor. Her eyes blazed as she tried to rush out of my father’s arms.
“Yes! Fuck you! This family would be better off without you!”
“Good! I want to be done with you people anyway! Koyuki was the only one of you I ever fucking loved anyway!”
“STOP IT!” Hearing my mother’s pained yell made us both stop in our tracks. The hallway grew eerily quiet in an instant. I looked over at my mother as she held Chiharu in her arms. Chiharu was crying against her breasts and my mother had tears rushing from her eyes. Her golden eyes never looked right holding that much sadness behind them. Her face was even starting to turn red as her lips trembled. That amount of pain hadn’t been on her face since…
“You…you are to never say such things to each other again.” She finally choked out another response. She took several deep breaths before she spoke again. “The pain of losing a sibling…is more than you should have ever had to feel. That pain is tearing you apart from us Masami. We are all we have in these harsh times, my kois. You will apologize to each other now!”
I blew out a frustrated breath as I felt Tatsuya squeeze my arm. I had no reason to apologize to her. I only spoke the truth of how I felt, and I had a feeling that they all knew that too.
“I…mother…she should have never spoken like that to Chiharu-”
“Enough Mei! I’m more than aware of how she spoke to your sister! She will apologize for that too! Now do as I say!” Her soft motherly tone was now gone, replaced with her characteristic angry mother voice. If only she could channel that on the battlefield….
“I…I’m sorry Masami…for what I said…and fighting…”
I felt the gazes of everyone on my face, and they must have lost their minds if they thought I would apologize about something that I meant. It would be a cold day in hell before-
“Masami…” However, having to hear the nagging of my mother would probably kill me before anyone else did. “Masami you have-”
The sounds of our warning gongs went off with a thundering boom across our home. That meant an enemy was sighted on the mountains by mother’s old home. My brothers released me instantly and ran off. I was quick to follow them as my blood raced with excitement through my body.
“Masami!” My mother's cries for me didn’t even make me pause. I needed to fight something; it would relax me before I left again. I rushed into my room to grab my fans and tanto blade before I jumped from my window to the forest. I spit out the last bit of blood from my mouth as I smiled hearing the fighting and men dying ahead of me.
The mountains around my mother's home were usually quiet, and we never really had much trouble in them. My parents and brothers were hellbent on them being fiercely protected, I didn’t care too much about why since I could fight anything that trespassed on it. I could prove my uncle wrong, and it would get my mind off of Mei and her foolish need to protect a weakling like Chiharu. My brothers were far ahead of me, but I could hear them yelling at some of our men that were fighting. I caught a glimpse of something that I wasn’t even sure was a human or kitsune. Regardless, it would die just like any other creature. There was also something moving in the trees above my head, and once it moved to a lower branch, I bounded off a tree and slashed its throat as it rushed at me. Grabbing a low-hanging branch, I swung myself up onto a higher one as I looked down at the thing that I killed. It was shaped like some sort of dog, but its feathery wings on its back were like a bat. Its dark blood pooled out of its throat as it convulsed a few more times before it stopped moving.
“What the hell?”
Peering through the trees, I smiled as more of these creatures rushed through the forest towards not only my brothers, but also towards me. Why should I care about what these things were? They would give me a fight and that was all I wanted at the end of the day. Several of the beasts tried to flank me, which meant they possessed some level of intelligence. Jumping back to the floor, I unsheathed my fan as they began to circle me.
“One…two…five…eight…” I was slightly offended that I only had eight of these things to contend with. It didn’t matter though because they would die soon enough. As one, they all charged at me, and I smirked at their attempt. They varied in size, but it meant little if they didn’t have the power to back it up. Unfurling my fan, I released the blades from its folds into the smallest one. It fell without much more of a fuss and I focused on the larger ones as they swung at me with raised claws and fangs.
I wish that I could say that they gave me a fight, proof of how much better I was then everybody, but they gave me no such elation. They gave me nothing, they were weak and that was not a test of my strength, it just meant they had nothing to offer me to begin with. I took several breaths as I stood over them and shook the blood from my blade. I was being careless and broke my tanto blade in the forehead of one of the creatures. The blacksmith was already annoyed with me as it is, and this would just make him angrier. A breaking branch landing at my feet made my gaze go skyward, and a beast of horrid proportions was falling towards me, with a gaping maw to greet me. Jumping out of its way, it rebounded on its feet quickly and almost sliced my stomach open. If I ever slacked on my training, I would have been in trouble. My mind wandered back to Chiharu, even though this was definitely not the time for it. The girl had so much potential and she could have been great. Her training didn’t even exist anymore.
Useless fucking girl.
The screech of the creature brought me back to my senses as its body began to change as I distanced myself further from it. It kept an intense level of eye contact with me as it barely let me gain that distance. Its claw extended further and further until it pulled it out and wielded it like a sword. I licked my lips in anticipation seeing such a sight, my prayers would finally be answered. The beast pulled its other claw out and I drew my fans out as they clashed against its weapons. The forest shook from the pressure of our collision and the ground cracked under my feet.
The metal from the fan made a harsh ringing sound and I folded my ears against my head so I could focus. It wouldn’t do me much good to be distracted by them constantly ringing. The beast opened its mouth wide, and instead of a roar, I was greeted with a bright light coming from it. I frowned and jabbed a dagger from my fan under its chin, angling it up towards the sky. A harsh beam of fierce heat emerged from it tearing through the clouds above us. With a powerful attack like that…it could have torn right through our home…and…with my mother and Chiharu most likely still inside.
“You just earned yourself a painful death!”
If it believed the battle was on before, it was nothing compared to how I approached it now. Tightly gripping my fans, I swung them harshly at the tendons of the creature, hoping to deal with the extra limbs that it possessed. Four twisting and twitching limbs was not enough to phase me, but the speed they went did. I was plenty quick, but this thing was nothing like I had seen. I thought it was just a mindless and bloodthirsty creature, but it was studying me with every clash we made.
Every stumble over a rock or branch, it would strike at my feet right at that moment. Every time I took a breath to ready an attack, it would close the distance even more to make me rethink my strategy. It was a flurry of movements that was more frustrating than anything, but I had no doubts that I could handle such a thing. I would have to cut off those arms while also dodging the sharp claws it pulled from its body. That attack it released from its mouth wouldn’t be much trouble if I stayed out of its range.
The creature's long tongue flicked out every few seconds to taste the air as one of its blades nicked me on the side of my arm. Hopefully it didn’t have any poison in its body. I could push past something so trivial, but it would catch up to me before long. Having wasted enough time, I clashed with the creature once more. The blades on my fans cut across its body as it left itself open primarily on its right, but its arms counted another attack I had ready for it and sliced up against my fan and into my hand.
“Ah! Motherfucker!” It twisted its blade into my hand, almost like it was enjoying the sound of my frustration. I kicked it square in the chest to dislodge my hand but only succeeded in having my foot stuck by another bone sticking from its body. Before I could take it out, the beast raised me up and slammed me onto the ground, completely winding me. I struggled to catch my breath as it did it a second time, before a third. I grunted as it slammed me against a tree, but my foot also slipped from its grasp. I tossed one of my blades at its face, but it sliced it in half before it grabbed me by the throat and lifted me up.
Another beam began to form into its mouth, and I kicked it in the chin, and it thankfully stopped the blast, and I wrapped my legs around its neck and squeezed it against my thighs, and thankfully it began to lose its grip.
“Gah!” Three of its other arms pierced my stomach and I coughed out blood onto its face. Once it began to twist, I didn’t give it the satisfaction of a scream. Instead, I heated the blood I coughed on its face to burn the bastard instead. It erupted into a heavy blaze and released me, and before I hit the ground, I slammed my fist into its chest. I smiled in deep satisfaction when I felt and heard the crunch of its body. It flew through several trees before stopping, but I was quick to drive the blades of my fan into its face. It roared in agony and I smiled more as I pushed my blades deeper before dragging it down the middle of its face.
I reached a bit of resistance when I reached the throat, but I loved hearing the sound of a blade ripping through a throat. It was like listening to someone play on a piano, each breaking point a musical melody, and when it reached the larynx, it finished in a beautiful guttural final silence. The beast finally fell before I left it to rot. There would be more like it hopefully but knowing my brothers…they would most likely be dead. It was just like them to never leave any scraps behind for me to play with.
“Masami!” I looked up into the trees as Mei jumped down with her naginata raised over her head. I suppose this is the point where someone would think she was going to kill me over our earlier fight. The more likely thing that was happening was that she was poised to kill the creature behind me. It had started to rise while I was in my thoughts, and I would have gone back to fight it, but I would give Mei her little hero moment.
The creature roared as she made contact with it and I turned to see that she removed its other limbs. I almost laughed at how ridiculous it looked now with only one arm and a torn throat. The blade of Mei’s naginata was a harsh and cruel beast. I would give my parents credit for securing their children with such fearsome weapons. The blade was sharp enough that I once saw her cut through light itself and sever it into a thousand pieces. It was also rumored to have been able to cut through mountains and a person’s very soul. Rumors also said that it was a one-way ticket to hell…and that it sounded like a beautiful melody when it struck the person before their final breath. I didn’t give much stock to these rumors, and they were hard to believe anyway.
“Come on Mei…finish it off so that we can go.”
“I’m more than aware of what I must do-” I pulled her back as the beast lashed out at her and a torrent of water smacked it into a tree. We both glanced back and sure enough, Hikaru was charging down the path like a crazed animal. I would have tried to stop her, but Hikaru was never one to listen. I suppose it was another surefire way to tell that we were related. With a sweeping motion of her arms, another torrent consumed much of the forest floor and swiped the bodies of the creatures away.
Mei and I watched as the creatures were swept away with ease and Hikaru looked quite proud of herself too. I rolled my eyes and continued down the path towards more of the beasts, and as I did, I caught sight of my father and eldest brother Hiroshi finishing off more of the creatures. That idiot Tatsuya was making his way over to them and our other guards were finishing their fights. I had to admit that I was frustrated to see that there were only so many of them left.
I sighed and placed my hands on my hips as I watched Hikaru tear the creature she whisked away apart. I could already hear my father about to chide her about playing with her enemy. Hiroshi and Tatsuya were checking over the guards for their injuries, but I narrowed my eyes as I tried to locate Mei. I thought that she would have come with me to get the rest of the small fry, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Turning on my heels, I marched back to where we had been fighting, but there was no sign of her. The bodies of the creatures had disappeared and seemed to vanish into thin air, which was…strange. Although, I just really wanted to know how Mei seemed to vanish without anyone noticing. A scent caught my attention, and my heart began to race as the smell of Mei’s blood invaded my senses. I moved even quicker as her scent carried further into the woods. Just before the panic began to set in, I finally saw her standing over one of the creatures…several in fact. My heart didn’t settle until I grabbed her and held her close. The thought of possibly losing another sister weighed too heavily on my mind and heart as I buried my face against her throat.
I felt her hesitation before her hand held me tight by the waist. I held her for a few more seconds before I pulled away from her. I pulled away from her as the awkwardness of the situation consumed me.
“I’m alright…I just saw this one running away…”
“Right…”
“Masami-”
“Let’s go back to the others and see if there are more of them.” I moved further away from her when she reached out to me. This was not the time for such things, and I was distracted enough as it was. She opened her mouth to say something, but our father appeared before us.
“Oh, thank the Gods…are you both alright?”
“Yes, we’re fine…are Hiroshi and Tatsuya ok?” I scanned the forest for Hikaru as Mei asked about our brothers. Knowing her, she was making another wave through the forest. I rolled my eyes at the thought. Hearing the rush of water confirmed what I already thought.
“We should head back home and check on your mother and sister. I hope nothing made its way towards them in our absence.” I frowned at the fact that it was already over, but voicing my opinion would just be met with displeasure that I didn’t want to hear right now.
As my father and siblings checked on injuries for themselves and our men, a sound caught my attention. Sure enough, there was a creature that was trying to sneak away. No one else seemed to notice it, so I took the opportunity to chase after it. It was such a pathetic thing that it would be cruel to let it live now. Seeing that no one was stopping me was good, because I still wanted to fight. My injuries were starting to heal quickly enough, but I wasn’t too worried.
This wouldn’t take me more than two minutes.
“Don’t run forever you little bastard…I’d like to have some fun with you~”
It turned when it heard me, but instead of fighting me….it ran quicker. There wasn’t much that could outrun me, even with my injuries healing. I learned to ignore simple pains like the ones I received. Life had hit me harder with adversity than a wound ever could. Just another reason life could be so difficult to deal with.
The creature finally seemed to slow down, and I was about to end its life, but a voice stopped me in my tracks.
“What is the use of you creatures if you can’t even kill one of them?!” Peering around the tree, my blood began to boil. Just a mere few away from me was the son of the Nobara clan. Their heir was deep in enemy territory without any guards and only this creature that I could take out in one strike. My knuckles were white as I tried to quickly figure out how to approach this. I could hurt his father like he had hurt us, but taking out the heir could-
“Masami!? Are you over here?!” My hair stood on end as Hikaru raced over towards them. They both stood at attention as she closed the distance. I ran from behind the tree to grab her, but I was far too late. The heir of the Nobara clan caught my eye and smirked as he moved even faster. Hikaru had no time to stop her speed as his blade caught her in the ribs, but his claws almost taking out her eye is what really caused her to shriek.
“AHH!”
I slashed my fans at that bastard, but the creature grabbed him and they disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. I turned back to Hikaru as she held her bleeding face and cried out.
“Hikaru!” I held her bleeding side down as she whimpered and moaned in pain. It was only seconds later that the rest of our family showed up. My father and brothers quickly went to tending to her, but I backed away from her. My mind became hazy as I looked down at her blood on my hands. Her cries tore at my frame as my vision became cloudy and twisted. I staggered back as my breath just wouldn’t come to my lungs.
Memories of seeing Koyuki dying assaulted me. Her lungs collapsing and struggling to breathe. The blood that was supposed to keep her sustained instead strangled and killed her as it pooled in her throat. I was shaking as I tried to wipe her blood from my hands. I was going to lose another sister. She was dying and it was my fault all over again. `
Hiroshi and Mei were talking to me, but it sounded like they were underwater. I felt heavy as they tried to make me move, but I could only stare at my bloodied hand. I don’t know how I arrived home, but I imagine that Hiroshi just managed to carry me home. I hadn’t frozen up like this since I lost Koyuki. It wasn’t until hours later that I shook myself out of my shock.
Hikaru was alive. Despite my state of mind, I did manage to hear that Hikaru was alright. I stood outside her room as she rested. She seemed comfortable, but seeing the bandage over her eye changed something in me. The fear of her potential loss escaped me, and the anger and fury replaced it. I once again found my drive outside the pain, and I would make sure that the Nobara clan faced retribution for laying their hands on a daughter of the Igarashi clan.
~~~
A mistake had to be corrected.
I…my sister was injured and she could very well lose her eye and that pathetic heir barely had a mark on him. I would be sure that his family received a message. My family was busy tending to Hikaru and that left me enough time to go and find that bastard. It had been a few days since she was injured, and because she hadn’t woken up yet…my parents didn’t leave her side. That left me with opportunity to track down the heir. He wasn’t as difficult to find as I thought he would be. The Nobara clan was strict about their children and to be frank the only one that was often on the battlefield was their three youngest sons. The heir rarely made an appearance. I often wished that family had the misfortune of having a daughter…yes…that would have made everything even sweeter.
Arriving at the meeting point, I tapped my foot in annoyance. Where the hell was my contact? He said he would meet me here and he knew that I didn’t like to wait.
“Did you think I wouldn’t show up?” My hair bristled up as he snuck up behind me and my fan almost tore open his throat. “Woah!”
“Idiot!” I put my fan away as he chuckled and tried to play with my hair. I moved from his grasp, and he sighed and shook his head. “Do you have the information that I need?”
“Of course I do. That idiot has been boasting about killing your sister at some high-end brothel. The rumors about her “alleged” demise are quickly making their rounds across the villages.”
“That fucking bastard!” I rubbed my face as I tried to think about what I should do now. “How dare he think he can get away with spreading false rumors about my sister and family!”
“I suspect that he wants others to know that your family is weak right now. In case they have some allies that wish to see the fall of your family.”
“Any potential losses that my family may take will not deter us…in fact it would only serve poorly for our enemies. Despite the decline of their blood lust, my parents will not take another loss so lightly.”
“So…what will you do?” He once more stepped into my space and stroked my cheek. I closed my eyes and allowed the contact. “There is much to think about…”
“Yes…but there is only one option now…” I opened my eyes to see him leaning down towards me. Such a needy man. His lips felt nice for the moment though, rough and desperate to fill me with the passion that he had for me. Passion that was only good for a minor distraction, nothing more and nothing less. I held his face closer as our tongues swirled together, before I broke the contact. “Take me there.”
“Masami-”
“Now!” He sighed deeply before we left the grounds of my territory. After running for over an hour, we finally reached a village that was bustling with activity. This village was known to be a popular tourist destination for the rich. Our family came here for a vacation once, but unfortunately, my brothers got caught up with some courtesans. My mother almost burned their brothels down when she discovered them. I smirked at the memory but pushed it aside when I saw men from the Nobara clan flooding the brothel.
“So…are you sure that you don’t want me with you?” I rolled my eyes as I hid behind a building to change. Concealing my tails was an ability that I appreciated. There were too many humans around and I would just be sticking out too much. As long as there were no shadows being cast, I would be fine to pull this off. Pulling the veil over my face, I stepped out and Daisuke whistled as he looked me over. “Always taking my breath away…”
“Be quiet.” I ran my fingers through my hair before I stepped into the street. “It will only take me an hour. If I haven’t returned by then you can come and rescue me or whatever…”
“Hmm…oh to be you protector…I like the sound of that.”
“You would…”
Entering the brothel, I scrunched my nose at the awful smell of drugs and sex in the air. The constant sounds of moaning women and grunting men was overpowering. I have no idea how anyone could stand to hear this everyday. I could see the owner of the brothel stalking about the area, looking proud of himself. There were several sections of the building, but I could only imagine that he was in the deepest section.
“Hey beautiful…you want to-”
“Fuck off.” I brushed past an annoyance before he became a problem. I also had to stay out of the owner’s eyes. It wasn’t long before I could hear the commotion in the back of the brothel. It took all of my strength to not rush down the hall and take him out right now.
“Yes, yes! I killed that stupid bitch! You would think this useless family would be used to losing their daughters!” I watched from behind a curtain as girls laughed at him and rubbed on his body. I could smell the alcohol on his breath from here. His guards were too busy with the other girls around them to pay me much mind as I entered. I could not be obvious and go towards him. So, I sat enough in his sight, but not enough to be obvious. It was about time that my beauty became useful.
“If I keep this up…this war will be over soon and all of you ladies can live with me! Treated like queens and fucked every day!”
I sighed and refrained from rolling my eyes as the women cheered and clapped. I clapped only not to seem out of place, but I so desperately wanted them to be gone. His words about my family were irritating me. His gaze traveled the room, and I inclined my head and sipped some sake. I could see him from my peripheral vision looking me over. I rolled my shoulder and my sleeve fell down slowly. Keeping my head a bit low, I turned to lift it back up, but I peeked up from my eyelashes at him. He sat up and licked his lips, and I thanked my mother for my golden eyes.
I fluttered my lashes a bit and looked away from him shyly, despite feeling like I would rather swallow nails. The other girls were trying to keep his attention so I would have to make sure to capture him instead. I ran my hand over my breasts before cupping it and winking at him. I could see the disgusting thoughts rushing through his head, and even more so as I crossed my legs, showing off my legs and upper thighs.
Making eye contact again, I smirked as he beckoned me closer. Once I was in arms reach, he quickly pulled me onto his lap. I would have jabbed my nails into his neck, but his sudden grip on my thigh surprised me.
“If I didn’t know better…I would think you were trying to seduce me…” His breath in my ear almost made me hurl, but he was right where I wanted him. “All these ladies want to fuck me, but none have been this bold.”
“Maybe I know that I can give you the best time~” We never had much interaction with his clan before the war, only on rare occasions. He also never tried to make strides to meet the other clans, so I wasn’t too worried about him knowing my voice. Just in case, I lowered my tone some. “Hearing about your tale of valor…it just…stirred something within me. My loins have been aching.”
“Perhaps I can help you with that…” He suddenly slapped my ass and licked on my neck and I squealed in surprise. “Oh? You like that huh?”
“Y-Yes of course…” He surprised me with how bold he was, especially with so many people in the room. Speaking of which, the other women were starting to whine and complain about the attention I was getting. “Please…let us have the room so I can show you Heaven~”
He snapped his fingers and just like that the women filed out of the room leaving the two of us alone. I watched them leave, intent on making my move, but he suddenly picked me up and carried me to another room. “I intend to have you all over this room!”
“Oh yes…I agree~”
Once he closed the door of the room…his fate was sealed.
***
“Koyuki…”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think that uncle will be back home soon?”
“I…I suppose that he will. It isn’t strange for him to be away from home for long periods of time. Why do you ask?”
“I just miss him…he always brings home sweets and amazing stories about his adventures with Masaru…”
“I see..” I turned to her and frowned at the look on her face, but seeing my face she smiled her wondrous smile. “Sorry…I was just thinking about something…”
“About uncle?”
“I…yes…I just don’t want you to be disappointed.”
“Why would I be?” Koyuki seemed to be in a mood lately, and I could not fathom why. They seemed to stem from nowhere, but I just thought it was a passing thing. “Uncle always helps with my training, and I think I’m doing quite well!”
“Yes…you are, but he seems a bit…brutal.” She rubbed her arms and grasped my hands suddenly. “I don’t want my sweet sister to fight so harshly…”
“I don’t think this training will be necessary though…peace has reigned for so long…”
“Yes, I suppose…” I giggled and leaned against her as she played in my hair and rubbed my back. Being near Koyuki was like being near a manifestation of happiness and comfort. She made me feel safe and I could always rely on her to have my best interests at heart.
“Oh, there you both are…” I smiled as our mother appeared in the doorway.
“What are you girls getting up to?”
“Oh…just talking about uncle.”
“Oh…I see…” I frowned a bit at her displeased expression but seeing her rub her large stomach made it go away.
“Mother…should you be walking around? The baby could be here any day now.”
“Oh well…”
“I tell her the same thing…” My father appeared behind my mother, who looked surprised to see him. “You think I didn’t know you were avoiding me?”
“Oh well…hehe…just wanted to walk around…”
“Right…hello my girls…” Koyuki and I both rushed over to our parents to hug them. My mother chuckled as she whispered loving words to us as we all sat down to talk. Koyuki adamantly talked about her time training with our special guards, and our mother tried not to worry. The topic of our uncle washed away, but I couldn’t figure why she seemed displeased about talking about him. His past was an icy lake to tread, but I suppose some things are just too hard to get by.
I smiled as my parents squeezed Koyuki between them and she blushed heavily as they kissed and hugged her tight. It was just natural to gravitate towards her, and it was funny to see her be so embarrassed by all the affection. She winked at me and I giggled as she tried to shoo our parents away.
Thinking back on her, I often wondered if I told her that I loved her enough. If I told her how much I appreciated how she looked after me. Did she know that I held such respect for her and how strong she was? Did she know that I still carry guilt over her death? Would she even forgive me for not doing more to save her life? How could anyone expect me to forgive myself when all I carried in my heart was hate and pain?
It should have been me, and it wasn’t. Why did the Nobara clan choose her when it should have been the eldest daughter? I would never know the answer, and I don’t think I could ever stop hating myself for being weak either. I was beginning to think that my heart was losing its feeling as the war went on.
Despite the heir of the Nobara clan being plastered over the walls, despite his cries for mercy and help…I felt empty. It felt like it wasn’t enough anymore, his death didn’t bring me the joy that I wanted. Staring at his severed head only made me realize that he was just the smallest fish in the pond. His father was who I wanted, and I just wanted his family to hurt like mine did.
A wicked smile crossed my face as I thought about the reaction and utter horror his family would feel at his death. My heart thundered in my chest as I thought about how delightful that would sound. It was just like that that the spark in my heart was back full force, ready to take my next target.
The smell of blood and rain permeated throughout the woods as the torrent continued its assault for the last week. The sun had long set and the sound of gagging and begging replaced the echoes of the usual sounds of night. The fiercest of predators didn’t even come to this area of the forest, despite the chance to have a good meal. Animals always had a sixth sense about these sorts of things. A part of me wished they would come to clean up this mess, but I needed to hear from the people who were still clinging to life. Despite the warm temperature, I shivered as the rain poured down my body, taking the blood that coated me with it. Releasing a breath, I knelt and picked my blade up from the ground. I cleaned the blood and bits of flesh from it before I walked through the forest. The sound of my shoes trekking through the mud sounded just like when my blade tore through the flesh of these men around me.
Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.
A man was a few feet away from me and he was dragging himself through the mud and whispering to himself. I flexed my fingers as he whimpered and kept pulling himself on. I briefly remembered cutting his legs off. There was no reason for it, no torture, not anger, not anything. I just did it because I could. His feelings about it didn’t matter anyway—I’d kill him soon enough. Hearing a gurgling sound, I looked under a tree as a man held his intestines in his hands. Blood spilled from his lips as he tried to push them back in. His hand trembled as he tried to stitch himself back together. A torch was burning next to him and I imagine he would try and cauterize the wound. If he thought he would last long enough to do that, then he was an idiot. Catching my eyes, he choked out in fear and tried to escape my line of sight. I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face watching his pitiful and pathetic life leave his body.
“P-Please…I…”
“What? You want me to stop? You want me to help you?” His eyes looked around wildly before he nodded his head. Crouching in front of him, I ran a finger down his cheek before trailing down to the split in his stomach. The scent would have made most gag, but the smell stopped bothering me a long time ago. The scent of death hung over me wherever I went.
This was nothing.
“P-Please! I..I will-gah!!” I pushed my nails into him and his scream pierced my ears and I could hear the survivors around me gasp. I looked over my shoulder as others started to pull themselves together to leave. I rolled my eyes as I rolled his intestines between my fingers and more blood poured from him.
“You know…” I stood up and flicked his blood onto his face before pulling my sake flask from my belt and took a long, deep swig. I poured the rest of it on him and his sheer terror made me chuckle. “They say that death by fire is the worst and most torturous way to leave this life. Let’s see if that’s true…”
Picking up his torch, I tossed it right onto his exposed waist and watched as he erupted into flames. His horrid screams ran out for only a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity. He sounded worse than a dying animal. It was a guttural shriek from deep within and I could only imagine that is what it sounded like to be on death's door. His body soon crumbled to the ground…a charred and bloody mess. Looking over my shoulder, I watched the others try to hurry away.
I followed behind them in no real rush to catch up, most of them would give up or succumb to their injuries eventually. Some just laid there on the ground and accepted that this was their end. It was smarter than I would have given such cowards credit for. They would have to learn the hard way about disturbing and harming my family. This would always be the result. This would always lead to more and more bloodshed.
This was their punishment.
“W-We will leave! T-This…n-no longer has to continue!” I looked over at a man who was in better shape than the others, but he still had the gall to whine. The only injury he had was a damaged arm, and that was more than generous coming from me.
Such weak men the Nobara clan had.
I brandished my tanto blade and marched over to him, every step under my feet cracking as I stepped on the bodies of his allies. His whimpering meant little to me, and neither did that envoy tassel on his breast.
“I-I will just leave! I h-have diplomatic immunity! You couldn’t possibly think killing me is necessary! You just can’t do that!”
I stopped before him as he groveled and begged and listed off all the reasons why it would be bad on my clan to kill him. All the small things that he thought that I gave two damns about. In truth, there was nothing that he could say that would save him from his fate. I just stared at him as he kept talking and talking. His clan started everything, it would be their fault when the heavens rained fire upon them.
“Surely you can-” I blinked away his blood that splattered across my face. His choking on his own blood was beginning to annoy me. All the men in this forest grasping to life annoyed me. Wiping my face and with a quick flick of one of my tails, the forest erupted in a harsh blaze. The remaining soldiers were screaming and begging the gods to end their suffering quickly. I exited the forest and watched from a hill as the forest continued to burn, their screams only growing louder and louder. The smell of death once more traveled to my nose, and a smile crossed my lips. It was a joyous sound and I was glad to know that I would continue to hear it as the war continued.
As the final screams finally subsided, I left my perch and was finally going to head back home. My parents were hellbent on having me back under their roof, under the protection of the clan. When would they realize that the constant sheltering is what drove me away? I could not sit and let others fight this war when we needed to win it. The Nobara clan needed to suffer, and I would kill anyone who would dare step in my way. Weakness was contagious and I would not be weak again. I would not continue to let them take and take from us.
“You bitch!”
My ears flicked back as a man ran out of the woods to curse my name. I wish that there were better words to call me. It was such a boring insult, and it never bothered me either. The man was another soldier from the Nobara clan, but he seemed to be in better shape than the rest of them. It would not matter, but it would probably be entertaining. His growl was drowned out by the heavy rain, and I suppose he thought it would intimidate me.
It did not.
“So, you’re the one that the stories have been about all these years…you’re just a highborn bitch that got lucky with a pair of fans!”
Stories? That was a new one.
“Your reign of terror on my family is over! You will not take another life on this night I assure you!” He withdrew his blade and crouched low to the ground. It was an unusual stance, but unfortunately, I was already so bored with him. “Does the bitch not speak?!”
His gaze didn’t linger on me for much longer as his eyes followed a lone butterfly that flew in front of him. Completely made of fire, it danced in front of him, but to his credit he did not let it deter him. He looked back at me, and his grip on his weapon loosened. My tails danced behind me in large and sweeping motions, pulling him deep into a trance. His eyes lost their focus as I stepped closer before I reached out and grabbed his face. Running a finger over his lower lip, I opened his mouth and the butterfly entered.
I smiled as his eyes suddenly widened and he grabbed at his throat. His eyes started to burn red, and rivers of blood fell from them. He collapsed to his knees and reached out to me. Boils formed on his skin as his body heated up, and steam rose from his body. My little butterflies always served me so well when I wanted to have my fun.
“RAHHH!” His body burst into flames and his eye sockets were alight as he screamed. I smiled more at my handiwork as he finally fell face first in the dirt.
I couldn’t suppress the giggles that wracked through my body as he finally stopped convulsing below me. It felt so good to just kill all of these worthless creatures. The Nobara clan would be nothing but a myth when I was done with them! My blood was rushing frantically through my veins, and I was sad to know that all these bastards were dead.
Lightning cracked through the sky, and I almost didn’t hear the footsteps rushing through the mud because of it. With another crack, several men were surrounding me, and I had never been more excited. All four of them rushed at me, the time for talking and taunting was over.
There was only time for death.
The first was quick and went straight for my neck. I suppose he was eager to end this, but I wanted to have some fun. His blade was inches from my throat before I caught it in the folds of my fan. He frowned as I twisted it from his grasp, but the second man appeared at my side, his dagger thrusting towards my abdomen. I fell into a split, dragging the first man down and forward, the dagger of his comrade driving deep into his neck. I rolled into a handstand, driving the hidden blade in my shoe under the second man’s chin. Gripping the ground, I flung his body into the third man.
I was back on my feet, but the fourth slightly caught me off guard. His sword caught me in the thigh, and I staggered back as his hand caught me by the throat. I jabbed my nails into his eyes, and he screamed and released me. I picked his sword up and with a quick twirl, I cut his left arm off, before kneeling down and cutting his right leg off at the knee. He started to fall back, and I kicked him square in the chest, sending him crashing into a branch that effectively shattered his ribcage. His bones were jutting from his chest, and I pulled some out and rammed them into skull.
“Hehe…” I’m sure the smile and giggle that came from me would make most think that I was unhinged and crazy. That I was a murderous and psychotic kitsune that lost her sense of self. Perhaps I was at that point, human and kitsune life meant little and little to me each passing day. The lives of these other beings I shared air with would continue to be nothing but dirt beneath my feet.
“HAHA!”
My laughter was only drowned out by the rain that seemed to grow stronger as I looked up at the sky. The weather reflected itself in my anger, and I would be sure to show it how much I would continue my path of retribution. The last man started to back away from me, finally realizing that he was losing this fight. I unfurled my fan and he finally ran, but I threw a dagger from my fan into the back of his head. He pitched forward without even a final scream. Retrieving my dagger back, I smiled and wiped the blood from my face. It felt good to have the scent of fresh blood back in the air. Spitting on the final corpse, I started to walk in the direction that they came from, but a sound caught my attention.
“There you are…” I scoffed and turned back to what I was doing, but he caught my arm and I flipped him over my shoulder. “Ow! What the hell?!”
“Do not touch me again.”
“I’m just trying to bring you home! Must you be so difficult! No one has seen you for months! Do you have any idea how much strife and anxiety you have caused everyone?!”
“...”
I couldn’t bring myself to care.
I once again turned to walk away, but his foot caught me at my ankle, and I tried too quickly right myself. He grabbed both of my arms and pinned me to the ground. With a growl, the forest erupted in flames, but he was unfazed by my fury. I pulled my legs under me and pushed with all my strength and we fell back, but his grip was tight on me.
“Stop being difficult!”
“Get the fuck off me then!”
“No!”
Throwing my head back, I heard the crunch that I wanted to hear from his nose and his grip loosened. Now able to free myself, I ran off of him, but he grabbed one of my tails and dragged me back. I turned back to kick him, but he caught my foot and his eyes blazed with anger and frustration.
“You left me no choice.” I looked down at his hands that had my foot and tail and growled when they sparked with electricity. I couldn’t move away quick enough as his lightning surged through my body and I collapsed against the ground. My vision started going out and I wanted nothing more than to punch that bastard in his face. The heavy rain and his face were the last things I saw before my mind slipped away in the darkness.
~~~
The rocking and uncomfortable position my body was in finally woke me up. I hissed feeling the last effects from the lightning leave me. Seeing the grass move along, my eyes widened as I looked around me. I was back home in my territory and the tight grip on my waist made me look to my left.
“Good to see you awake-”
I punched him hard in the jaw and he almost fell over, but he just shook his head and kept walking. “Put me down!”
“No.” He adjusted me on his shoulder and just kept moving along like I didn’t fucking speak. I continued to punch and kick and scream at him. The people around us looked at the display with wide eyes. I didn’t care about them or their looks. They should be used to this by now and know that I hated this fucking place. Seeing them go about their lives made my stomach churn. If it was up to me, then I would know no rest until our battle was won and our enemies nothing but memories. I know that I said that I would return home, but not like this or this soon…but on my own accord.
I hissed through my teeth as another jolt of lightning wracked through me again. This bastard was pissing me off more and more. I finally relented once we reached the staircase to our home. There would be no point in trying to put up a fuss so deep in our territory. I would rather not lose more men trying to store me here. They would be more useful alive in our future conflicts.
After tossing me to the tatami mats once inside the manor, the big idiot commanded that I stay put. He was as intimidating as a mouse, and I was never one to listen. I would get my blades sharpened and then I would leave. Glancing around, I could feel the annoying pests of our so-called “elite” squadron poking around. They would be lucky that I don’t kill any more of them this time around. I moved to stand and choked on a harsh whimper as I fell to my knees. The wound on my thigh decided to make itself known once more. The cursed thing was barely even deep, and it would not keep me down either. That brain-dead idiot probably thought that it would, but I had stubbornness in my blood.
“Ugh…fucking-”
“Masami!” I huffed in annoyance as my mother’s breasts were shoved into my face as she hugged the hell out of me. I suppose I would suffocate before I bleed out over the floors. She spent the next few minutes fawning over me and yelling at the doctors to treat my wounds. My frown deepened as more and more people flooded the room and looked over me. Finally done ordering everyone around, my mother sat back in front of me and proceeded to slap me across my face. “You idiotic child!”
“...”
“Running off for almost 10 months! Leaving thousands of bodies in your wake! Homes and families destroyed because of you! There is a way to do these things and what you did was foolish and heartless! What do you have to say for yourself!?”
“I’ll do it again.”
Slap!
“You have no idea what you are doing!” I glared at her as our abilities made the room’s temperature rise. The doctor’s quickly left the room to avoid our growing rage. If my mother wanted to have a fight, then she would have it. It would give me time to get the hell out of here.
“Oh…thank the gods…” My mother instantly stopped her glare, but it still managed to look like a frown. My father moved into the room, not even caring about how hot it was. I was weak to him, and he always used that against me. Once his arms wrapped around me, I reluctantly melted against him. His kisses on my head almost made me cry and hug him back, but momentary sentimentalism meant nothing to the years of torment and heartache that I experienced because of this war.
Who needed a heart when blood and death was more constant?
“Otou-san…”
“The formalities aren’t needed Masami.” I sighed against him as he gave me one last squeeze, before he held me at arm’s length. “Your mother has quite the heavy hand huh?”
“...I have felt worse…” Both of them flinched at my words, but their worry meant little to me. Being in our home again made me uncomfortable, the looks on their faces made me uncomfortable. “May I go now?”
My father was about to retort, but my mother beat him to it. “Absolutely not! It took months for us to find you again! You will be staying home for the foreseeable future!”
“...no…”
“Masami please! You are in no condition to go anywhere…” She gripped my hand and the desperation in her voice almost made me reconsider.
Almost.
“I refuse to sit around here and do nothing.” I jerked my hand from her grip and looked away from them both. “I’m not some princess who does nothing but sip tea and wait to be married off.”
“Masami…you have to understand that we are fighting this war as hard as ever. You do not have to risk your life on it! See reason…you…the situation could turn left at any moment…just like-”
“DON’T!” My eyes snapped back to her face as she looked towards the ground. “Do not do that!” I rose to my feet and avoided her trying to reach out to me again. “You have no right to talk about that considering how lax the two of you have become!”
“Masami…” My mother tried to form words, but she gave up her fight like how she always does. Her and my father were weak, and the ways of war were lost to them. It was my duty as the only one with some sense to end it all, to end our enemies permanently.
I left before my father could try and gather his own words to stop me. How dare she! She had no right! I was never good at controlling my anger, and for probably the thousandth time, a new hole decorated the wall of the hallway.
Exhaling deeply, I limped to my room, my leg was starting to ache, and I couldn’t have it slow me down. They would get their wish for now. I would stay in this cage for as long as it took for my leg to heal, and then I would leave.
The servants would not stop their staring as I limped the halls to my room. It was times like this that I was annoyed at how far my room was. I could relax in my own home I suppose, but in the field, no matter the injury, I couldn’t show this weakness. Once I shut my door, I fell hard onto my bed. The pillows and blankets were still as soft as I had left them. The bed was plush and warm; it still smelled like honey. I sank into my dreamless slumber faster than I thought possible.
It was refreshing that I didn’t dream anymore. It meant fuller rest and I would be able to concentrate on getting my rest. Most importantly, it meant that the nightmares would stop. I said that like it was a good thing, but even awake they still crept back into my mind. The only thing that kept me sane through it all was my uncle. My beloved uncle who never judged me for my feelings. He understood my anger and rage better than my own parents and siblings did. Clearly this campaign meant more to me than it did my own mother and father, which was ridiculous and crude.
I didn’t think I was asleep that long, but when I opened my eyes, the moon was out. A sound at the foot of my bed made me jolt up. The dagger unleashed from my fan almost took the eye of my sister. She caught it easily enough between her fingers before she tossed it aside.
“The prodigal daughter returns…” I sank under my blankets now. I did not want to hear whatever it was that she wanted to say. If she was smart, she would go off and play her music somewhere far away from me. I could still feel her staring at me and I would remove her if she kept it up. “Surprised to see you home for once.”
“...”
“Our parents were beside themselves with worry. Mother was especially terrified and cried for you.”
“I thought you were the quiet one…”
“Well…someone else took that role from me.” Her bare feet crossed the room until she was right by my head. I hated this family. Before I could grab them, I sighed as she ripped the blankets off of my body. “I thought you were the sweet one.”
“When did you become such an annoying bitch, Mei?”
“Please…no one is as insufferable as you. Get up and clean yourself up…you smell like death.”
“...let me rest…”
I closed my eyes and turned away from her, but she decided it would be a good idea to grab my tails and throw me off my bed. My leg stung when I hit the floor and I bounced back up and grabbed her by the throat. “You stupid bitch! How about you show some respect?!”
“Like the respect you have given our parents?” She just blinked at me as my hand tightened around her throat. “The respect you seem to lack for over 200 years? You don’t even deserve to be a part of this family anymore.”
“How dare you! I have given everything for this family! I-”
“You are a selfish little girl who only thinks about her own interests. If we meant anything to you…you would be here when we needed, you.”
“I don’t need-”
“U-Um…s-sisters…”
I released Mei and we looked at the doorway as our baby sister trembled under it. She shuffled on her feet like she was deciding to come in or not. I narrowed my eyes at her, and she looked to the ground immediately. She was just so…delicate. I did not care that she was the baby of the family, she needed to grow up. My parents coddled her far too much, I couldn’t even think of a time that I saw her train. We were in a time of war! Peace would never come as long as the Nobara clan was around. Looking at her just filled me with disdain.
“I…um…I-I heard that you were home…I brought you some fresh towels and clothes…” I glared harder at her, and she stared down at her occupied hands again. I was surrounded by people who were so useless.
“Thanks Chiharu…I’m sure our elder sister would love to get changed and presentable…for once…” I didn’t even bother to look at Mei anymore before I approached Chiharu and snatched the clothes away from her. Hearing her walk behind, I held my tongue as I went to the onsen. Once I scrubbed the blood, dirt, and other things from my body, I sank into the water, and my muscles began to scream at me.
My shoulders tensed up and I growled as I stretched my leg out just to receive a cramp in it. My back ached more than I had realized and everything in my body felt uncomfortable. I opened my eyes to see Chiharu pouring something into the water. It must have been something that Hikaru had made in her little workshop. I would admit that it smelled divine though, much better than what I had been smelling over the long months.
“Hikaru made some new potions that work really well for us.” I only tilted my ear to let her know I was listening as I closed my eyes. “The mountain water from mother’s home has been hard to get lately…so Hikaru made a good substitute…you should feel better quicker.”
“So, she can be useful…alright…you can leave now.”
“O-Oh…ok…” I sighed as I sank deep into the water. The healing waters were comforting after months of cleaning myself in rivers and rainwater. The comforts of home were…refreshing and I had to admit that they were needed. My stomach could also use something good to eat for once. The open air that spread over me was welcome and the scent of fresh dough was prominent. I suppose my mother told the servants to prepare something for me. It would be good to fill myself so I could train in the dojo and throw my mother’s elite guards around again.
Taking a towel and entering my room, I dried my hair and body and frowned at the kimono waiting on my bed. The silky fabric felt so foreign to me as I trailed my fingers across it. It was beautiful and I found comfort in the deep red color. The sight had been common from all of the bodies that fell before me. Regardless, I tossed it aside to put on my training gear instead. Standing at my vanity, I looked at my reflection in quiet frustration with myself.
When would this all be over? Would there once again be peace across the territories? The Nobara clan has been getting stronger more and more lately. Almost like they were getting ready to finally go all out. It would not matter, I intended to see that this war ends very soon, and then I will finally have peace. Or…could there be peace in the end? Did I…do I want peace?
“Hehe…” Peace was just a fantasy. It was only temporary and I didn’t mind that I was basking in the suffering of those I killed. No, not one bit. I would be back for whoever wanted to harm my family again. I would do it for them, for myself, for…
“Ugh…” The smile on my face would not go away no matter how much I tried to stop. I was becoming a monster, but it was the monster I needed to be. The monster I felt more and more better about unleashing. Giving my head a final shake, I left for the kitchens. One glare sent the whole staff running away. I didn’t like to waste time, and I would be much faster at cooking anyway. I only needed something to hold me over until I went to train. I was barely through making tempura before my brother walked into the kitchen. Tatsuya frowned as he watched me cook and my frown matched his as I turned my back to him.
“You really are a bitch-”
“Fuck off Tatsuya. How about you go back to suckling on our mother’s breast?” I smirked as I heard his electricity crackle. Such a mama’s boy.
“I just don’t understand you anymore.”
“I don’t understand why everyone keeps talking to me. I’m only here to rest and get back to where I was before.”
“You are a part of this family! Grow up and realize that you, selfish brat!”
“...” I tuned him out as he continued to rattle his head off about my behavior. I sat down and ate my food in silence. Tatsuya was pacing now and I wondered if he knew that I couldn’t hear him. His comments would always just be words. They had lost their effect on me years ago.
“Masami!”
Placing my chopsticks down, I walked around him to the doorway and finally looked him dead in the eyes. Grabbing his shirt, I pulled him in close so he would get my message loud and clear. “I will never stop my mission. I will never stop until they are all dead. You stand in my way again…I will break you.”
Anything he wanted to say left his body as I walked away from him. Sliding the doors of the dojo open, I smiled as several men were stretching and sparring with each other. Hearing the door open, they all turned as one, and upon seeing me, many promptly stood up to leave the room.
“Now now…” I shut the door behind me with a harsh slam. “It would be rude to make a lady beg.”
I had to give them credit, they still hesitated to face me, but they still gave me a fight. Unfortunately, holding back was not something I knew how to do.
~~~
“So…thirteen men are on medical leave for the next year. Twelve are getting surgeries, five are recovering but have quit, and another five will have health issues for the rest of their lives…”
I sipped my sake as my father read over the medical report. I sat on my parent’s bench and crossed my legs as I watched the koi swim about. I wonder how it would be if I was a fish?
“Masami!”
“Huh?” I glanced up as my father shook his head at me. Rubbing his face, he looked me in the eyes before he flicked my nose. “Ow!”
“You can’t keep going on like this.”
“…” I rubbed my nose and rolled my eyes at him. He wrapped his arm across my shoulders and brought me close to him. I relented easily and leaned against his chest. It was nice to be around my father again; he was not so quick to lose his temper with me. He was worried for me, but he didn’t try to show it much. I suspected it was because he wanted me to change my mind and stay home. It was a futile effort, and I had already made up my mind about what I was doing.
“My butterfly…” Shit. My heart skipped a beat when he called me that. He knew that I was weak to him, and he would take every opportunity to exploit that. Looking at him, I frowned at the smirk that was on his face. He was a sneaky man when left to his devices, it was probably due to my mother’s influence on him. Such a mischievous man should be chastised more often. Alas, my parents were too in love with each other so I doubted much would change on that front. Their obsession with each other was something of a problem. They would rarely be parted from each other since things have slowed down, and it irritated me. I could never understand it. My mother was an unstoppable monster when the war first started. She barely ate, rested, or ever came home. It often led to arguments in those early days between my parents. It was odd to see back then; the pair barely raised their voices to the other and seeing it as their child was a sight.
It pissed me off that they had slowed their movements. The Nobara clan was still active and as long as they still lived and breathed, we should have continued our assault. I would continue to push the fight, until they were all dead!
“Father…now is not the time for nicknames and sweet talk. Please just say what it is you have to say.”
“You have to pace yourself Masami…” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “The constant running away, the fighting, your overall behavior…you need to stop before it gets out of hand.”
“If I don’t do something, who will!?”
“We are doing what must be done to handle the threat of the Nobara clan. It has been quiet for now, but that happens sometimes in times of war. We are not sitting on our hands here Masami. Why do you think we are so incapable of action?”
“You are!” I growled and pulled away to stand on the opposite side of the koi pond. “None of you have moved in the ten months that I have been gone! I attacked the Nobara clan warehouses! I killed hundreds of their men! I weakened them! I saw no one wielding our banners!”
“Masami...I worry for your mental health…”
“There is nothing wrong with me! There is everything wrong with this fucking family! I seem to be the only one who cares! The only one who wants to avenge her!”
“Masami…”
“My sister is dead! Your daughter is dead! That family stole her from us! None of you loved her like I did-!”
“MASAMI!” He advanced over to me, and I didn’t flinch as I looked up at him. “Don’t you ever tell me that your mother and I didn’t love Koyuki! She was just as much our daughter as she was your sister! The Nobara clan is going to pay for her shed blood! You will not disrespect this family again!”
“When this family grows a fucking backbone perhaps I will!” Before a shouting match commenced, I left his side and leaped over the walls of the garden. My heart clenched and my palms were wet with my sweat. The forest I entered was turning red. I couldn’t see through my clouded eyes. My mind was spinning in my anger, and it seemed to get worse each day.
What was the use in anything if we weren’t pushing our assault?! We needed to do this for her! A giggle escaped my lips, and I could not stop them from spilling. My anger materialized in the flames around me. I tore at my hair as I dropped to my knees, the fire spreading further and further through the forest.
“Koyuki…” Tears pricked my eyes as I held back my sobs. Tasting blood, I didn’t even realize that I was biting my lip. The taste of it was a comfort, the feel of blood on my skin and lips was the only thing that felt normal to me anymore. Several animals ran from the brush to escape the fire that I had conjured. I needed to feel something, and rage was the only thing that made sense.
So, when a buck leaped over the flames, I didn’t think twice as I pounced on it. Grabbing it by the antlers, I slammed it against a tree. Over and over, until it was barely gasping for air, the giggles did not stop either. It was not the first time I lost control, and I hoped it wouldn’t be the last.
Because it felt so good!
My laughter poisoned the air itself as I snapped its neck and tore my nails into it. Its choking grunts fueling me. The bright red was what I wanted to see. I craved it! I reveled in feeling my nails drag their way through its stomach. I don’t know how long I was there, but the buck was a pile of gore under my feet. The forest fire was being quelled by others around me, and I saw my father yelling and grabbing me. It was the only thing that brought me back to reality.
“Masami! Are you alright!? What happened!”
“...” I snatched my arm away from him and turned back to our home. I didn’t have the strength to fight with him anymore. They just didn’t care as much as I did. That much was clear and my family was weak. I would have to be the change; I would be the equalizer.
Their screams would be my melody.
~~~
“You should spend some time with your sisters…it would be good for you.” My face twitched as my mother and father cornered me in my bedroom as I ate breakfast. I knew that I should have left when I had the opportunity. The guards would make sure that I would stay put this time. The only way I would get out of this is if I tore them apart, but they had their uses, so they could stay.
“Your sisters and brothers have missed you. Perhaps we could hold a festival and just be a family for a bit.”
“...”
“Masami…you could at least look at us.”
“If I agree to see them…will you leave me be.” I finally looked at them and the worry on their faces once again made me roll my eyes. I was an adult and I could do what I needed to do. They could not force or trap me here forever. I only stuck around for my own personal interests.
“Yes Masami…we will leave you to your devices…” My mother sighed deeply before her eyes narrowed. “You will stay on the grounds of the mansion. You will try to be cordial with your siblings. I don’t want to hear you threw your brother through another wall or window.”
“Perhaps you should make sure Tatsuya can keep his mouth shut.”
“Masami!” My mother hissed at me and my father just shook his head in disapproval. I ignored her and walked around them. My appetite was gone anyway, and I would hear nothing more from them. The servants gave me a wide berth as I stormed through the halls. I would make something of this annoying situation, and Hikaru would be the first person I would visit. A headache was forming already, that girl was so difficult to handle sometimes.
Walking to her workshop, my nose instantly scrunched up as I could smell the horrid fumes leaking out of it. I lifted my sleeves to my nose as the scent almost made me vomit. I had no idea how she could stand to be in there for hours.
Opening the door, I sidestepped as a blast tore out the door.
“Oh shit!” Rushing over to the door, Hikaru waved the smoke away and I almost gagged as my senses were continuously being invaded. “Are you alright-oh it's you…”
I suppose her tone and displeasure was acceptable. I would let it slide this time. With a huff, she waved me inside. Her workshop had once again changed since I had been here last. Although it was expected since the last time, I was here I tore most of it apart. Years of her work was lost in a matter of minutes. There were more shelves on the walls now and her potions sat in various colors and bottles across them and other places across her workspace. The scent was still awful, but it started to fade away as she opened more windows and lit some incense around the room. The herbs and spices hanging on the ceiling swayed in the gentle breeze that was coming in. Sitting on a stool, I looked over some notes that she wrote with a raised brow.
It would seem that she was still working on something that would stall the process of death. My face relaxed a bit as I looked over it, she was far too late for such things. This would not bring my dear sister back. It was foolish to even continue to hope for anything more. Still, at least someone was doing something around here for once.
“I was hoping that…this would stall it if the situation called for it…” My ear twitched as Hikaru reached over and took the papers from the table. “I know that I can’t bring her back to life, but…if I made something she could have drank…maybe her injuries would have…I don’t know…stalled until we gave her proper medical attention.”
Her hand trembled as she gripped the paper. I looked away from her to focus on something else in the room. I could not console her; she would have to deal with her emotions on her own. With a small sniffle, she wiped at her face before she slammed her hand against the table and placed another on her hip.
“Alright…what is it that you want?”
“...”
“Oh, let me guess…mother and father forced you to come here, didn’t they? It is lucky that we are sisters. After what you did the last time, you were here, I would have killed you if you were someone else.”
“Like you could…” Her tails twitched angrily before she ignored my comment with a heavy sigh. She turned away from me, and I really hated doing this. I didn’t want to be here anymore than I wanted to.
So, I busied myself with looking over her notes and potions. Hikaru was talented when it came to such things. With her skills in potion making and magic, I thought she would be useful to our efforts. She was as fierce as I was when everything started, but once our eldest brother got injured, she stopped. Now, choosing to sit in her workshop and make her potions. At the very least, she wasn’t as useless as Chiharu was. She provided things for our soldiers and contributed to our cause. Chiharu…she…she was just a disgrace and a failure to this family.
“Ugh!” I looked at Hikaru as she threw her notes to the floor. “What do you want?!”
“....”
“You leave home for months! You come back an even bigger bitch, and you barely speak! I wonder why you even bothered coming in here at all!”
“....”
“You want nothing to do with us anymore! You don’t even want to be in here with me!” She marched over to me, and I put the book I was looking at down. If she wanted to get physical, I would rather use my fists than break a book over her face…again. “You haven’t even asked me if I was ok! You haven’t bothered to be a decent person since you’ve come home!”
“...”
“Ugh!” Her hair stood on end as the water in the room started to shift. “Here! I’ll teach you how this works!” Walking around the table, she leered down at me with a distasteful growl.
“Hey Hikaru! How are you today? Do you get enough sleep these days? I know you work hard and I appreciate it! I’m sorry about destroying the work you’ve been doing for the last 50 years! Are mother and father doing alright! I know you miss Koyuki and I do too, let’s talk about her and keep her memory alive! I’m sorry that I’m a shitty sister and I make everyone worry about me! I’m sorry that you cried yourself to sleep the other night because you were worried that I was dead!”
“...”
Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath after her little outburst. Tears were about to fall out of her eyes, and her body was a mess as it trembled, trying its best to not break down. It was a sad and sorry sight to witness.
I thought she was better than that.
“I need a performance enhancer. Something to keep me up and ready for an extended amount of time. The Nobara clan is sneaky, and I need to be ready for anything.”
Her mouth flopped open like a dying fish as she blinked at me in confusion. It was not like it was a hard request. She was already in the process of making several of them. Surely, she could spare me a few of them. Her fist relaxed before she turned away from me and walked to the other side of the room.
“If you need time or supplies to make it, I’ll-” I flinched back as several potion bottles were thrown at me and I caught them before they shattered. She sat at her desk and said nothing more, so I took that as my clue to leave. My parents never specified how long I needed to be with my siblings, and Hikaru was only useful for what she could make in her little workshop.
“You will regret this.”
I paused as my hand held onto the door and I could hear Hikaru sniffle behind me. More tears just made me want to leave faster. Her tears were useless to me and her pathetic attempts to make me feel bad meant even less.
“We love you Masami…and you could care little for us. What happened to my sweet and loving elder sister? What happened to the person who loved so strongly?”
I opened the door and stepped out and glanced over my shoulder. I gave her the brutal truth that no one wanted to accept.
“She died when Koyuki did.”
~~~
This whole thing was ridiculous and a waste of my time. I took the enhancers and placed them in my pouch. It would be best to be prepared the moment I could slip away. I sighed deeply as I wished for my uncle to come back home. He always understood me and I could count on him to have my back.
“S-Sister?”
Great. The one person that I really didn’t want to see right now.
“What is it?” Chiharu flinched as I opened my bedroom door with a glare. “I have things that I have to do.”
“O-Oh…I…I was just wondering…if maybe you…y-you don’t have to…but I…” I groaned and rubbed my hand down my face as she stumbled over her words. I could distinctly remember our parents teaching her how to talk when she was four. I watched as she continued to stumble and wring her hands together and avoid my gaze. “I wanted to ask if you-”
“Aren’t you embarrassed?”
“H-Huh?”
“You’re a daughter of the most powerful clan in the land, and you have nothing to show for it.” She blinked in surprise at my blunt statement before her lip started to tremble, and the sight made me even more annoyed. “You are weak and useless Chiharu. All you do is sit home and tend to the flowers or your little stuffed dolls. Mother and father continue to baby you, and you have no skills in battle.”
“I-I…I’m trying m-my best…”
“Your best is not good enough. You call being such a child your best? I call that being lazy and weak. We have no need for that in this family. Mother and father should just marry you off so you can finally be useful. Don’t bother me again.”
I slammed my door in her face just as she started to dissolve into tears and I heard her run off, probably to cry to our parents. Rolling my shoulders back, I turned to close my window, but seeing a note on the frame, I thought twice about heading to bed. Gathering my fan, I jumped from my window to the top of the wall surrounding the manor. I briefly caught my parents consoling Chiharu by their koi pond.
“Tch.”
Entering the forest, the animals scurried away from me quickly. I allowed my mind to drift back to a time where they didn’t fear me. I would often come to the forest with Koyuki to feed the animals and tend to any that were hurt. It was a simpler time, a better time. Koyuki often said I was like a princess from a children’s story. I didn’t ever think that I was, she fit that description more than I did. Her natural draw just made her very approachable.
“Enjoying the sounds of terrified animals?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t have the time to turn around before his hands circled my waist and turned me himself. I could barely look over his face as his lips crashed against mine. They were rough as always, but I liked that about him. He held me tight against his frame, and I pulled his face closer by his hair. The moan that escaped my lips enticed him and usually I would swat him away, but I needed to focus on something else. His hands traveled from my waist to my ass and with a firm grip, another moan escaped my frame. His tongue danced across mine and I knotted my fingers tighter in his hair as he picked me up and pushed me against a tree.
His lips left mine to leave lavish kisses across my neck and collarbone. I groaned as I moved my neck to the side, so he had better access. His left hand traveled up my shirt to my breast, and I finally pushed him away. “Enough…put me down.”
“You are such a tease sometimes.” I glared at him, but he put me down without much more of a fuss. “I didn’t think I would see you again Masami.”
“...”
“What I can’t be worried about you? It’s not like I think you would have been killed or anything. I just thought you wouldn’t come back.”
“If not for my idiot brother…I might not have. So, what are you doing here, Daisuke?” I growled when he tried to play with a few strands of my hair. He recoiled with an awkward laugh before he glanced at the manor. “What?”
“Oh, I was just hoping to speak with your father…”
“About what?”
“Nothing important…just some war things since my father is sick…” He smiled and nuzzled my hand, completely missing the glare I was burning into his skull. I was no idiot and he was a fool for thinking that. I knew exactly what he wanted to talk with my father about. I would rather die than be someone’s wife. It was laughable that he thought that I even cared for him that way. He would have better luck with someone else.
“Right…you can leave now. I have things I would like to do today.” I pulled my hand from his grasp, but he danced in front of me and I halted seeing his stupid face. “What is it?”
“I just want to admire your beauty. You grow more and more stunning each day. All this fighting has only enhanced how much I love-”
“Yes, the years of hunting down my sister's murderers have done wonders for my natural beauty.”
“Masami I only mean to say-”
“Leave. Your presence is making me sick now. You have collected your kisses and felt me up. You can leave now.”
He narrowed his eyes and I glared right back. If he thought that he was intimidating, he was an idiot and clearly did not pay much attention. Although, he was a man and men cared only about sex. Something I would not be having with him. With a sigh and crappy wave, he disappeared back to his home. If he wanted to really get on my good side, he would have to be more helpful towards our war efforts.
Stretching my limbs out, I glanced at the sun as it rose higher in the sky. This would be a good time to start training. If I was lucky, Tatsuya would be there and I could toss him around.
“H̴͓͋͘͘ễ̷̝̘̥͎̆̃h̷̢̛̒ȩ̸͕͓̊....”
A terrible chill ran up my spine as I snapped around to look into the forest. Despite the sun being bright and the sky clear, the forest was still dark. The trees were casting dark shadows in the forest, and it felt like they were moving and watching me. I was sure that I heard someone laugh from deep within. I could no longer smell Daisuke; his scent was long gone. My skin felt like something was crawling on it as I looked into the darkness of the forest. It felt like it was pulling me in as I stepped closer to it.
My ears perked up as the voice began…talking to me? It was saying something that I could not describe or understand. I had to see what it wanted. It was calling out to me. It would help me reach my-
“Masami!”
I blinked as I heard my name and the forest was no longer dark. It was bright and the sun was shining over the trees. Was it my imagination? The chill that coursed over me was gone and I…I wanted it back. It was fear, but it also felt like strength. Whatever was in the forest was powerful and if I could find and harness it then I could-
“Masami!”
“What?!” I whirled around as Mei stood a few feet from me with an uncharacteristic frown on her face. “What the hell do you want now? There is never a moment of peace from you people…”
“People? We are your family, Masami. Stop acting like you aren’t a part of this family. You continuing to act like a stranger will only push us further towards you.”
“Is there a reason you are here?”
“You need to watch what you say towards my sister.” I looked at her face, and I was surprised to not be greeted with her usual stoic expression. Her tails whipped through the air angrily as her red eyes burned in anger. She crossed the distance faster than I had ever seen her move before. Eye to eye, Mei held a finger to my face, and I glared at her in annoyance.
“You will watch your tone around Chiharu. You think that you are the only one who was devastated by losing Koyuki. We all still mourn her loss, you bitch. Mother and father continue the war, our brothers bleed every day to bring her justice, Hikaru makes her potions and I train more recruits. It is the way we cope; it is the way we deal with our grief. If Chiharu deals with it by gardening and collecting her dolls, then let her do that. I would rather her be home and safe then out there dead and buried. Get the fuck over yourself, Masami. If you keep this up, I worry about what will become of you as you tread this path. Watch your tongue towards my sister, or you will not have one much longer.”
Mei said nothing more as she returned to the house with a final glare. I wanted to be angry with her. I wished that I cared about what she said, but I just didn’t. Looking over my shoulder, I smiled as the woods seemed to lose their light. I would find a way to eradicate that family. I swore it on the memory of my dear sister.
***
Koyuki was the sun. She was bright. She was beautiful. It was like everyone was absorbed in the orbit that was her light. I wanted to be just like her. Even though she told me to be me…how could I?
“Masami…what are you doing?”
I had opened my eyes and smiled as she leaned over me with a bright smile. The scent of flowers filled my senses, and I chuckled as she placed a crown of flowers over my face. “Koyuki!”
“I thought they looked nice on you.” Our usual field of flowers was in full bloom, and she was busy making another crown. She was always very artistic and was good at crafts like that. Her dark braids flowed in the wind as she enjoyed it running over her skin. Poking me in the nose, I giggled before resting my head in her lap. “Come on Masami…I want to get this done for mother.”
“We will…the baby will be born soon, and we will have an excellent present to show our new sibling.”
“I can’t wait for the baby to get here.” Koyuki sighed as her mind clearly wandered away to holding and loving the baby. “Every time we have a new sibling…it feels like my heart just gets bigger.”
“What do you mean?” I sat up as she smiled and blushed. “What?”
“I love that our family gets bigger and bigger. It means that we have more love to share. Another sibling to show how beautiful the world is. We can share so much with them and teach them things too! I want nothing more than to let this love grow.”
“That’s beautiful Koyuki…I can’t wait for the baby either.” The thought of a sibling often scared me then, because I thought I wouldn't be a good sister. “I hope that…I’ll be good at it…”
“Hey!” Koyuki grasped my hands and her eyes shined excitedly. “You are the best sister in the world! You’re caring, loving, and super sweet! Have some faith in yourself Masami!”
“Well…”
“This is why others think I’m the eldest daughter. You act like you’re younger than me.”
“Well…you just act more mature…we fell into those roles easily enough.”
“Exactly why we should stop! I want to be babied by my older sister sometimes.” She pouted and looked away from me, and I smiled at her. She really could be a child when she wanted to.
I took her into my arms, and I smiled as she gasped before she relaxed against my chest. Our tails wrapped around each other as we giggled and enjoyed the quieter and happier days. When everything was simple and love and joy was the only thing that filled the halls of our home.
My dreams and memories of Koyuki only filled my mind when something awful was about to happen, or I needed to be reminded what I was doing all this for. I would never forgive or forget what I had to do. I would burn the world before I would possibly forget that I was doing this for my baby sister.
The harsh war of the Igarashi and Yamaguchi clans have long since ended, and the union of the clans have borne the fruit of a next generation. Peace has long since reigned, but the peace could only last for so long. Growing tensions between clans, fighting over resources and at the head of it all...the death of youth. Two powerful clans have found themselves at war once more, and a single kitsune shoulders the burden of it all upon her shoulders. Tensions rise and fall amongst the Igarashi clan as she bears it all. The question remains if she can handle it forever as her rage consumes everyone and everything around her. Will she prosper and bring peace back to her family? Or will she falter and fail and cause the downfall of everything she holds dear?
“Our lord is finally going to have a lady in the castle…it will be good to have a more womanly touch around here.”
The maids hadn’t stopped talking about the changes that would happen once I was married to Jacob. As they brushed my hair and fitted me for the day, I made my plans to get the women out and find where my parents were being kept. The wedding was tomorrow and I had to work quickly to get all of this done in only a day. I tried to sneak back, but that large man was now guarding the storage room and more maids kept their eyes on me. I had to think of something to distract them…but it probably wouldn’t be long enough to do much of anything.
Glancing into the mirror, the woman brushing my hair had a brand mark peeking from underneath her collar. The woman fetching my dress had one on her back…or from what I could see that her dress wasn’t covering. These women were victims, but they acted as if nothing was wrong with their situation. It most likely would happen to the women in the storage room…if most of them survived that is.
“Oh you look like a vision!” The maids smiled and giggled as they finished dressing me, but I said nothing as I looked them over.
“Don’t you want to be free of this man?”
The maids grew silent and looked between each other before they plastered smiles onto their faces. It seemed that he had trained them–more like forced them to behave. They just smiled and went about cleaning my room…now no longer speaking to me.
“I will get us all out of here. I…I know that it has probably been terrible for you but I-”
“Enough!” The maids and I flinched as one of them through her gloves down on the ground. It was the first genuine emotion that I had seen from any of them. “You will only make our lives harder if you try anything foolish…so mind your business and keep him happy.”
“I only want to help-”
“You don’t get it! There is no help that you can provide for us. You are now his property as much as any of us.”
“...” No. I couldn’t believe that or I would have truly lost myself. I just nodded my head as they left my room. I could not give up with my parents' lives on the line or those women down there. Opening my window, I frowned at the men walking around under it and occasionally glancing up at me. I smiled and waved and they just proceeded along as I huffed in frustration. The castle was quite large so I would need to do something substantial to have enough time to go search it without interruptions. “I need something…anything…”
I was starting to get a headache thinking about things, so I left my room to get some air. The good thing about Jacob being here is that I could be out in the sun and walk in the gardens. My maids were close behind me to make sure I didn’t do anything that would get them in trouble, but I couldn’t just not do anything. This monster needed to be stopped before more women and children lost their lives to his madness.
Sitting on a stone bench, I rubbed my forehead as I looked over the fountain. The maids gave me some space and I looked around the garden to figure something out. A man was yelling at some stable boys about the horses, while another man was getting the horses into the stables. I could sabotage the horses, but that would not nearly be enough. An uncomfortable feeling traveled up my spine and looking upwards…I saw Jacob staring at me from a balcony drinking wine.
I looked away as he smiled at me and sipped his wine. I had to do something…perhaps I could ask General Nim to assist me, but I’m sure that he was gone by now. His words about just calling out to him came back to me, but it just seemed so foolish. Still feeling his eyes on me, I left further into the gardens…my maids following diligently behind me. I would have to get rid of them before long too. I just had to have something…anything to get out of this mess.
“Lord Malcovy doesn’t really care what happens to them…” I stopped walking and pretended to look over the flowers as interesting things came to my ears. “As long as we keep him locked in there…and just give him bread and water occasionally we will be fine…”
“Yes, but how long do we have to do this? That old man has a fucking problem…hell the bastard almost killed Benjen with that broom! I need a break from watching that man…”
“At least you just have to do that…Lord Malcovy brought in that skeleton and I’ve never been so disgusted in my life. Once this wedding is over…I’m throwing that thing in the river…”
“You’re gonna be cursed if you do something like that…”
My anger spiked hearing them speak about my mother that way and I rushed around the bushes to confront them, but that large man from before blocked my view. “Get out of my way-”
“The lord of the castle wishes to see you…right this second…” I was going to decline, but his grip on my arm didn’t allow it. I silently fumed as I was dragged away towards Jacob, but now I knew where my father most likely was, but my mother was more important. Something had to give and I would turn the tides in my favor.
~~~
“Ah wife…come sit with me…” I frowned as the large man pushed me into the room and slammed the door shut. Jacob gestured to the seat next to him, but I just sat across from him. He seemed displeased but he just chuckled and poured more wine into two glasses. “Your fire hasn’t gone out I see.”
“...”
“It would do you well to speak when spoken to.”
“You have barely had a taste of my “fire”.”
“Hmhmm…” He placed his glass down and leaned forward in his chair to look me up and down. His gaze made me nauseous, but I looked at him straight on anyway. “I will kill your father if you even think of “rescuing” him. Your mother will be in worse shape if you keep snooping around and my people talk…not that they have much choice…or say…”
“...”
“Nothing to say? Has your fire finally burned out? I did enjoy it while it lasted. I just want you to remember I am a man of my word. You make my children and your family stay safe…you stay out of my treasure chest…I might consider letting some of them go…as a wedding gift…and if you please me in bed…I might be even more generous…and I don’t just mean about my seed…”
I’m gonna rip his throat out.
“May I be excused?”
“Of course…I will see you in the morning…wife…”
I brushed past the man as I made my way to my room. It was now or never to get what I wanted and save my family and these women. The maids were quick to try and prepare me for bed, but I shut the door in their faces. I laid out on my bed for hours plotting out what I would do…and by the time I made my decision…the sun was already down. Blowing out my candle, I went to work making the bed look as if I was laying it. Rummaging through my various dresses…I found a dress the same shade as my hair and laid it where my head would. It would be enough to trick them if they only peeked in from the door. Changing into something more appropriate…I tied my hair back to prepare to make a change. Opening my window, I leaned out to see if anyone was out, but with it finally getting darker…there wasn’t a person in sight.
Finding a stone to grab, I hoisted myself out the window and began to scale the wall. As I scaled higher, I could hear some of the guards walking and talking under me. I prayed that they didn’t look up here. I was too far up to deal with them at the moment and I needed the height to see the layout of the grounds. As I reached for another brick…I gasped as it slipped out the wall. Gritting my teeth, I let my grip loose and caught it before grabbing the wall once more. I huffed out and hung suspended by one hand.
Now I had one hand occupied and needed to pull myself back up. I was glad that I kept up with my exercise often. Unfortunately, as I tried to dig my foot into the wall some dirt brushed off and fell onto the men below. Thinking quickly…I tossed the brick into some bushes further away and they went to investigate it, which gave me some relief. Not wasting more time…I finished my climb to the top of the castle. Hiding behind some of the spires, I scanned around where I heard the men talking about my family.
I squinted as I saw several guards near another section of the castle. It wouldn’t make sense for one random place to be guarded like that. It would have to be where my parents were located. Sliding down the roof, I ran across the merlons of the castle until I went into the shadows when one of them glanced up at me. Jumping down carefully…I grabbed the first man and knocked him out, but the other two turned just as he hit the floor.
“What the-?!”
I struck him hard under the chin before backhanding him. The other man rushed me with his spear, but I twirled around it as he jabbed it at me and punched him in the jaw. He staggered from the blow, but I didn’t let up as I gave him a running knee to the nose and we both fell to the ground.
“You bitch-”
I ignored him because he started to get loud and I beat him across his face until he finally passed out. I dragged their bodies into the bushes and tied them with some rope they had. After I finished gagging them, I went through the door and after checking some rooms…I finally let out a sigh of relief when I saw my father drinking in the corner.
“Father! Thank the gods that I found you!” I rushed over to him and gathered him to his feet. “We have to get out of here quickly….we just have to-”
A sharp sting against my cheek made me stagger back in surprise. My father tossed his drink to the side and grabbed my shoulders. I couldn’t tell if his red face was from the drinking or anger, but it didn’t matter because we had no time for his antics. “Father…we have to leave-”
“You ruin everything that you touch!” I flinched at his words as he shook in anger. “I had everything all worked out with him! How dare you come here and ruin this?!”
“I-I…I just…I had to get you and mother out…”
“Shut your mouth! He took your mother from me once he saw how disobedient you are! I have no idea where she is! You stupid stupid girl!”
“I-I…p-please I…we can’t-”
“When did you get so disobedient?! I have raised you better than this! Gods…I have done everything for you…I made you into the perfect woman for any man to have and you can’t even keep me and your mother happy!”
“F-Father…I…p-please…” Tears pricked my eyes as I tried to form any words to calm him down. Something to calm myself down, but they were trapped in my throat and I couldn’t do anything to force them out. My mother had always been my emotional weak point, but my father…he was my mental weakness. He always had a way of tearing me down and making me question anything I ever did. I was never good enough for much in life…so he molded me into the perfect woman…whore…for men. It kept a roof over our heads and food in our bellies, but it tore a hole right through my heart.
“I just want my wife back! You stupid fucking girl!”
“Now now father-in-law…you shouldn’t make my bride so upset the day before her wedding.” I turned quickly to see Jacob and the large man in the doorway. The man was fuming behind Jacob, but Jacob himself seemed calm and amused to see me here. I, however, was not happy to see him at all. My element of surprise was taken from me and now I was sure to regret everything if his word was to be believed.
I had risked the life of my father and the body of my mother on a chance that I might be able to save them…that I might be able to get those women out. I risked everything for the small chance that for once I could make a difference and change my life.
I thought I could finally walk away…
“Kemla…take her back to her room…then make sure my dear father-in-law is given more wine and comfort for the night.”
“D-Don’t touch-”
“Go on with him now, Regan! Before you mess something else up!” I folded my lips together as my courage and strength fizzled out. My father’s grip on me was too tight and I feared it would hang over me forever.
Kemla pulled me away quickly and my mind raced as I was tossed back into my room. I waited with bated breath for Jacob to enter the room, but he never did. My body shook in fear at what he probably was doing to them because of my incompetence. I tried to leave the room, but the door was locked or blocked or…argh! I shook the window, but it seems that he anticipated my rebellion because the window was tightly locked as well. I paced around my room before the weight of everything crashed into me. I let out an angry and desperate shriek as I banged on the door and windows. Desperate to do something…anything…in a perfect world they would get annoyed and just let me leave, but this was not a perfect world. Nothing about my life would ever be perfect again…and I only had myself to blame.
The fireplace crackled as I cried and raged and I didn’t pay it much attention, until it really made itself known. It surged out of its pit, and I recoiled against the door, holding my hands up to shield myself. I shut my eyes tight thinking this was how I was going to die…a random fire that spread as I thought about my failures.
As an individual and as a daughter.
Opening my eyes, I gasped softly as the fire was halted in midair. It was just floating there almost wistfully, and peacefully. Standing up, I gasped as it swirled in the air. Testing something…I pushed against the air and watched in fascination as it moved according to my will. I kept going until it was settled back into the fireplace. I couldn’t control my curiosity as I reached out toward the flames, and gasped in surprise as the fire didn’t hurt me. Recoiling back, I looked at my hand in interest.
I know what general Nim and my father had said and the use of my blood, but seeing how the fire reacted to me was something special. If I could do that…what else could I do? Balling my fists up…I had to be better and do something. I couldn’t cry and wallow…he would still need my father to be at the wedding to give me away and keep up appearances. He would not kill him yet…I had to believe that.
My mother…I would have to pray to whatever God I could that her body was safe before I could rescue her. I had to believe that her body was still alright.
I had too.
~~~
“Oh! You make such a beautiful bride!”
“...”
Reminiscent of the other day, the maids were fawning over me as they fixed my dress and hair to their liking. The only difference was the fact that these weren’t the same women. I could only imagine what he had done to the other women. I hoped that they were safe or gotten away from him. Although…that was just wishful thinking on my part. I glanced into the mirror as I gripped my bouquet tight. I didn’t want to marry this man, but I would do what needed to be done to get what I needed.
Looking out the window, I saw the various people filling the castle to attend the wedding. I would get as close to him as possible, before I made my move. That man, Kemla, would be an issue, but not one that I was worried about. The maids did their finishing touches before leaving the room. I took several deep breaths as I waited for my father to appear and a knock at the door meant that he was here.
“C-Come in…” Hearing him open the door, I sighed and shut my eyes to send out a small prayer. “Father…I know that I-”
“You had better learn some obedience girl…” I jumped and turned to see Kemla staring at me in anger. I narrowed my eyes at him as he returned it just as angrily. He moved closer to me and I backed away, intent on grabbing something to hit him with if he touched me. “My lord is being merciful since this is his wedding day, but don’t expect it much more if you keep your attitude up.”
“I hope you don’t expect me to care about him or your threats especially…”
“I will ring your neck, you-”
“Move.” I moved around him and he was surprised by my curt attitude, as was I. My courage over the last few days surprised me, but I couldn’t rely on that forever. How long would it keep up until I slipped through my many cracks once more? He stormed after me and I could feel him about to grab me, but I turned and moved my arm to glare at him once more. “Don’t you touch me. I’m sure he would not like my dress to be ruined or for me to be late.”
“I’ll ruin you…”
“Try it.” The candles in the hallway flickered over us, and I once again was surprised to see their flames do that, but I didn’t betray that emotion on my face. He didn’t need to see me give an inch on anything.
“The young lord wanted to send you a gift…” He growled as he tossed me a small box, which I caught while still glaring at him. “Wear it and be completely prepared in an hour.”
“I thought it was time now?”
“He has other things to attend to. Now, don’t cause any trouble until then…” With a final sneer, he disappeared down the hall and the maids rushed up to check over my hair and dress once more. Rubbing my temple, I decided to just walk around the castle to keep my mind busy, although the maids were giving me quite the headache with their constant chatter.
“Ladies…might you bring me something to snack on? Some wine too? My nerves are getting the better of me…I’ll just sit over there…”
“Of course! We will be right back!” I frowned once they turned away, mostly because of how easy it was to be rid of them. The other women wouldn’t let me out of their sight. These maids must have been new. Hopefully, this would all be over soon and I could free them from this torment. Not wanting to waste more time, I went about searching through the castle. My father was probably getting ready, but my mother would be difficult to find. The various guards were at the great hall so it was easier to navigate without someone stopping me.
I was growing frustrated because I had a limited amount of time to look. He would have to keep her somewhere safe and secure. A vault? Underground? No…where could he…or maybe…
He was a sick and twisted man…and the torture of women seemed to fuel him. He would want to do something that would utterly break me apart. Stopping outside his bedroom, I released a deep breath before I opened the door. His room looked freshly cleaned and ready for…his wedding night. Pushing that out of my mind…I looked through his wardrobe and under his bed for anything, maybe another secret room, but it was looking to be empty and it was looking like I wasted my time here.
“Stupid…”
Sitting on the bed, I tugged at a loose curl of hair as I tried to think of any idea of where she could be kept, but this castle was large and I was running out of time. I leaned my head back with a sigh and took more deep breaths. Closing my eyes, I tried to think how I would get out of this. There was nothing coming to me and time was not on my side to sit here and ponder. Opening my eyes, my heart leapt to my throat and tears instantly fell as I screamed and climbed onto the bed.
Suspended by the curtains of the bed, were the skeletal remains of my mother. He took it a step further by having her dressed in a gown and having what looked like fresh eyes stuck into her eye sockets. I shook and cried as I reached towards her, but recoiled back in horror. Why would anyone do this?! How could such monsters exist in this world?! Why did it have to be me and my mother?! He wanted to sleep with me with her right above us like this?! Gods above! Why?! Why?!
I…I had to get her down or-
“I have no idea where she went?! We have to find her quickly!”
I rushed off the bed and went to one of his wardrobes and managed to squeeze myself in just as they looked into the room. I held my hand over my mouth as I held back my sobs. My beautiful mother had been disrespected for the last time. Once they left, I rushed out the room and began running down the halls. I had to get out of this dress and do something about my mother and this awful man!
“...” I stopped to not only catch my breath, but because I heard a small sniffle. I looked down the hall before I opened the door to a room. It was probably not good to be distracted, but the cries sounded familiar. I was once again shocked seeing James and Caleb in the corner of the room chained up and holding onto each other.
“Boys!” They flinched hearing me call out to them as I rushed over to grab at their bindings. “What…why…what happened?!”
“The…the lord…he came to get us…he…he was angry.” Caleb sniffled as James silently looked at the ground. “He’s mad at you Ms. Regan…and he said he would hurt us…”
My blood was boiling even more now and the lines this man would cross for some control was disgusting. How dare he take these boys from their families?! They didn’t seem like they had been here that long, but I could see some bruises on their bodies, which meant that he had been beating on them. I balled my fists up just thinking about breaking his teeth down his throat. Wait a minute…
“Wait…he…he didn’t get Emily did he?”
Their silent nods was all I needed to see before I rushed to my feet. She was not here and the three of them were always together. It was odd to see them apart, and if she wasn’t here then he had different plans for her. She was just a little girl…and…oh…
Oh no!
“Boys…I will get you both out of here and back to your parents. I’m going to get Emily and we will leave this place.” They nodded silently and I grabbed the skirts of my dress to run faster towards that secret room of his. Two men were guarding it, but I only saw red as I quickly dispatched them and ran into the room. Descending the stairs, I could hear the women talking and the smell of burned flesh invaded my senses.
“Emily!” The women jumped as I charged into the room and began to look around for her. I didn’t care about anything but her right now. Sweet little Emily didn’t deserve to see such horrors and they would haunt her for the rest of her life. “Is there a little girl in here? Was she just brought in? Brown hair, blue eyes?”
“Y-Yeah…but she-”
“M-M-Ms. Regan?” Hearing her small voice…I saw some of the other women holding and whispering to her as she shook and tears fell from her face. Her small frame was littered in bruises and lashes from a whip. I dropped beside her and brushed her hair from her face, which it seemed like he had haphazardly cut at it. “N-No…it…it hurts…”
“I…I know…I’m going to get you out of here…”
“Hey…” The woman from the other day placed her hand on my shoulder. “You don’t understand…she-”
“Dumb fucking woman!” I stood up as Kemla barged into the room and pushed the women aside to get to me. I stood up as he advanced over to me, his arm outstretched to grab me, but I pivoted out of the way. He growled and lunged for me once more, but I continued to evade him. The dress was becoming something of a problem though and I almost tripped on it as he lunged once more. “You are too nosy and hardheaded! You will be married to the young lord and you will fucking like it!”
“I will not let this man have his way anymore!” I gasped as I moved back and my heel caught my dress and it tore, causing me to fall back, but his hand snaked out and caught me by the throat. I choked out as he lifted me up and against the wall. His face was seething in rage and I would not take it anymore. I drove my heel into his eye and he dropped me as blood rushed from his eye. The other women moved around the room as he picked up a barrel to throw at me, which I dodged easily since the dress was torn around my legs. He swung his fist at me and I ducked under it and punched him in the jaw. He growled and grabbed my arm and tossed me against the stone fireplace.
I hissed out as pain shot up and down my back. I struggled to get to my feet, but he rushed forward and kicked me square in my ribs, and I gasped feeling something crack. Grabbing my hair, he let loose another punch to my ribs, which finally got a pained scream from me. Once he brought his fist back again, I lifted my foot up to block it. He pulled my hair back more but I drove my other foot against his nose. I slammed into it repeatedly until it snapped and he dropped me.
My adrenaline pushed the pain back as I landed on my feet, clasped my hands together and slammed them under his chin, blood and teeth shooting from his mouth. He managed to backhand me, but not before I retaliated by kicking between his legs. He toppled over and I took the fire poker and slashed against his chest. He roared in pain and I kept up my assault until he fell through a table. I held my ribs as I advanced over to him but not before he threw some ashes into my eyes. I coughed and tried to rub them away, but he took the fire poker away from me and stabbed it into my leg.
“Ahh!” I fell down and he chuckled and ripped it from my leg, but I was still ready to go and kicked him in the shin. He grabbed me by the throat and dragged me across the floor until my head hit the fireplace. My head started to spin at the sudden and harsh contact, and he lifted me to slam my face against the corner of the fireplace. I threw my hands out to grab the corner, but he was so strong and he tried to force me down. Looking into the fireplace, I quickly reached out and threw some of the embers at his face.
“Ahh!”
I looked around for the fire poker, but he grabbed the front of my dress and tossed me up against the ceiling. I held onto the chains that were on the ceiling and tucked myself away in them. It was time to finish this and get to that monster of a man. Kemla tried to grab me and I saw a hook hanging near me and grabbed it. I yelped as he grabbed my leg, but with an angry shout, I took the hook and jammed it under his chin. He coughed out blood and I took the other end and pulled it hard until he was dangling from the ceiling…his feet were kicking frantically before he finally stopped moving.
I held my injured ribs because they ached the most, and I limped over to the women and helped them to their feet. I looked over at Emily as she cried in the corner against another woman. “Emily…”
“What are we going to do now?” I looked around as the other woman looked at Kemla’s body with some renewed hope.
“You can leave. All the guards are at the great hall, so security is low right now. You have to take this chance now while you can.”
They looked afraid, but nodded their heads as they began to head up the stairs. I only hoped that they didn’t face much resistance from anyone. I felt a bit foolish, but I whispered to general Nim. I know it was silly to do such a thing, but it gave me immense comfort to do it. Emily was being held by another woman and whispering comforting words to her. I limped over, but when I touched Emily’s head she flinched away from me. “Emily…”
“You have to understand something…the young lord came in here and beat on her and…” The thoughts that were plaguing her made my heart squeeze. I grabbed the fire poker and was going to give it to her to defend herself, but Emily suddenly screamed and knocked it away from me. She rushed to another corner of the room and I quickly limped after her.
“Emily! I-I’m sorry! Please…talk to me. I just want to help you…” I held my hands up as she trembled in the corner and more tears ran down her face. I knelt as best as I could as she started to sniffle and hiccup. “You can talk to me…I won’t let him hurt you anymore…”
“...” She blinked up at me through her tears and I smiled warmly at her. I could see so many thoughts swirling in her head. She opened and closed her mouth so many times before she finally spoke up. “He…he hurt m-me…”
“I know…I know sweetie…I’ll make sure to stop him alright?” I thought it would give her some reassurance, but she just shook her head frantically. The other woman looked down at the ground before giving us some space. “Emily…?”
“T-That man…h-he…hurt me…” I furrowed my brow as she repeated what she had said before, but it only took another second to think that maybe she meant something else. Something that I didn’t even consider but the thought almost made me sick, with anger and sadness. He was a monster, but for some reason…I didn’t think he was that much of a monster.
“W-Where did he hurt you?” The words felt like they were stuck to my throat as I forced them out. Tears spilled from her eyes once more as she touched her…private area. My vision turned a deep scarlet and the fireplace behind me raged.
“H-Here…” I felt a boiling rage like nothing I had ever felt in my life. I was going to kill this man and everything-! “W-With that…”
I looked at her, looked at her pointed hand and my mind went numb seeing the fire poker. Everything was spinning out of control and I felt myself begin to blackout. The other woman stepped up to me and I could only faintly hear her words.
“He…he was angry with you for being disobedient…he took the children…beat them…he didn’t hold back on her…he…he used the burning poker on her…area…she screamed for so long and for so many hours…”
“Ah…wife…there you are…still causing so much trouble…” My body went rigid as his voice flowed into the room, Emily screaming and folding herself up into a tight ball. The woman grabbed her and pressed up against the wall. “You have some gall to avoid me and stall my wedding!”
“...” I turned to him without another word and gestured for the woman to take Emily and leave. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do to this man, but it wouldn’t be pleasant. He chuckled as he let them run past him and he sauntered slowly around the room.
“Ah…even in that ruined dress…you still look like a vision. I would have loved to rip that dress another way. I see you somehow killed Kemla…such a strong woman. You really are a stubborn-”
The crack of the fire poker against his skull reverberated around the room. He staggered back with a shocked expression as his blood ran down his face. I cared little for his games and psychological torment…I cared little for it all. He tried to reach for his dagger, but I stabbed him in his leg, twisting it further until he started to scream. Yanking it out, I cracked him across his skull with it once more. Blood was now spurting from the wound in thick volumes as he tried to stand.
“Y-You b..bitch!” I slammed the curved portion of the poker into his cheek and kicked his feet from under him. His sudden fall caused the poker to rip through his cheek causing it to flop open, resulting in a large and gaping wound on his face. He tried to kick at me, but I stabbed deep into his leg once more and turned it quickly, and I relished in hearing the snap of his bones. The fire from the fireplace raged around me, before swirling out across the room, setting it ablaze. “I-I’ll kill…y-you…!”
My mind was numb and his blood splattered against my face once I slammed the poker against his jaw once more. His cheek was almost completely dripping off his face as he started to move back against the floor. The flames from the fireplace spread out across the floor, and he yelled in pain as it burned his palms. He looked around the room frantically, before he saw another fire poker by the fireplace. He quickly tried to make his way over there, but I advanced on him and grabbed him by the hair–before slamming his teeth against it.
He began to choke on his teeth that didn’t fall from his mouth. I wouldn’t let him choke on his teeth. I couldn’t let him die like that. It would be horrible, it would be sad, it would inhumane.
It would be too damn easy…
He was on his hands and knees choking and trying to get the teeth out of his throat. With all my rage and strength behind it…I kicked him hard enough in the gut that he flipped over and fell onto his back. He moved to get off his back, but I stomped on his nose a few times and I heard it snap loudly. Dropping down on top of him, I slammed the poker into his chest…right into the center of his frame. More of his blood splashed onto my face, but I didn’t care…didn’t flinch…I don’t think I had even blinked since I first struck him.
I could see the life fading from his eyes, but I didn’t want him to go just yet. He didn’t get to slip away in peace. He didn’t deserve to drift off so wistfully. I wanted to hurt him more. Sweet Emily deserved her justice, and I would make sure that she’d get it. I had been holding the poker so tight–that my hand had begun to bleed. I held my bleeding palm over his face and watched as it dripped into his mouth. His eyes that were about to close upon his death, suddenly shot open. He looked around wildly before he locked his eyes on me once more.
The fear that spread over his face was nothing compared to the look of pain that eclipsed it when I slammed the poker against his face once more. His erupted into blood as I slammed the poker against his face again and again. He tried to push me off, but I held firm with my thighs as I continued to hit him. His blood soaked into my dress and into my skin as I finally saw the white of his skeleton. I continued to slam the poker further and harder into his face. The crunch of his nose was quickly followed by the sound of his skull fracturing.
His face was quickly becoming a pile of gore and pieces of bone. His blood was washing over me and it grew chunkier by the second. His eyes were bulging from his face now, the skin pulled back from all of my strikes. He had long since stopped breathing and fighting back, but I wasn’t done. I hit his face more as his jaw snapped and his eyes exploded like rotten tomatoes as I threw all of my weight into my swing. I don’t know how long I had hit him, but at this point…the poker was connecting with the hard ground now.
I think that I would have kept going if something didn’t stop me mid swing. I tried to strike his face once more, but something was stopping me. It didn’t take a genius to realize that someone had grabbed the poker. I didn’t waste another second as I stood quickly to drive my foot into the face of the person stopping me. I barely registered that it was the general…I still don’t think that I had blinked once throughout this ordeal.
I ripped away from him to leave this room and the bodies behind. Stepping out, I saw that the women were huddled together not too far away. It seems that his army had come to assist them, and I didn’t really care as long as they would be safe…as long as Emily would be taken care of. A chorus of laughter made me glance up towards the window…I could see that the wedding guests didn’t even know what had transpired. How could they have not realized that anything was amiss?
I gritted my teeth so hard that I think my teeth almost splintered. I stormed towards the grand hall, guards and maids gasping and staring at me in shock. I ignored their attempts to stop me and threw open the doors. Standing under the altar–I knocked over the podium of the priest and the room finally acknowledged my presence. There was a collective gasp, before some of the women began to scream and whisper. His blood continued to run down my face and I wiped it off as I glared around the room.
“The lord of the castle is dead. There will be no wedding today.” I glanced down at my wedding dress as it was drenched in blood and ripped in pieces. The feeling of this still on my skin made me even angrier, but it also just made me upset. “I killed him. If the rest of you value your lives…get the hell out of here now!”
My anger caused the candles around the room to flare up once more, and they didn’t need to be told twice as they rushed out of the hall. I let out several staggering breaths before I tore the wedding arch down and ripped at my dress. I was tired. Tired of all of this pain and suffering…what was it all for? Those women did not deserve that. The children that I had grown to love didn’t deserve it. Emily didn’t deserve her innocence to be ripped away from her in such a cruel and sickening manner.
I ripped away the flowers and other decorations and screamed as the candles lit the curtains on fire. It only took a matter of seconds for the whole room to catch alight. I couldn’t live this life anymore. I was tired of being the puppet in someone else’s show. The strings that held me together were finally breaking apart, but at what cost? The cost of my sanity? The cost of an innocent girl's future? My parents?
What would my life matter now? What if he had still gone and killed my father anyway? Disposed of my mother? My feeling that he wouldn’t was just that–a feeling. Did this man really need my father around for appearances? Probably not…and I just went along and did something so foolish as to get caught yesterday. I should have been smarter, but clearly I was only good enough for one thing.
I didn’t know when he had entered the room, but the general had grabbed my wrist. I didn’t even try and bother breaking away from him. My shoulders slumped in defeat as his voice washed over me.
“Regan…calm down…he’s dead…” He placed his hands on my shoulders so that I would look him in his eye. “You are safe…the captives are safe too.”
“...” His words were slowly starting to register to me, and suddenly the weight of everything began to crash into me. I finally blinked and the tears surged from my eyes, and the pain tore through me as I began to sob. I couldn’t even look at what I had done to those men. I couldn’t believe that amount of anger was inside of me. My hands flew up to my face as I just cried and sank to my knees. The general never released his hold on me–despite all of my wailing and trembling. The room continued to rage into an inferno as my adrenaline died down and exhaustion took me.
~~~
“Mmm…”
A small smile crossed my face as I felt the rays of the sun washing over my face. It was the perfect thing to wake up too. It also helped that the bed I was laying in was comfortable and soft. My body ached, but not enough that I had to be careful sitting up. It was also as I sat up that I remembered everything that had gone on. I threw the blankets back to rush out of this unfamiliar room, but a hand on my shoulder pulled me back into the bed. Blowing my hair from my face, I blinked in surprise at General Nim sitting in a seat by the bed. He relaxed back into his seat before he looked back at his clipboard and began writing things off.
“G-General Nim? What’s going on-”
“Nim.”
“H-Huh?”
“You don’t have to keep calling me general in private…” He didn’t glance up from his work, but I could still see the frown on his face. “You need to rest.”
“I-I feel fine…I have to check on-”
“Already done.” He rubbed his chin as he kept looking at his clipboard. “The women all have gotten their care and are on the road to recovery. The boys are also safe and back with their families. My army cleaned up all the other troublesome bits…”
“W-What about Emily?” Hearing that, he finally looked up at me and I was afraid to hear what he would say since his face was so serious. He must have realized my worried look because his face relaxed before he placed his clipboard down and leaned back in the chair.
“She’s recovering well and I’ve been told that the surgery to…restore her innocence also went well.” I released the breath I had been holding and relaxed once more against the bed, but not before I sprang back up to ask about my- “Your father is still alive…regrettably and we have also recovered your mother’s body. I was waiting for you to wake up so you can properly bury her.”
“I…” I sat back against the pillows in stunned silence. This man didn’t owe me anything and yet…he did all of this to help me. “I…why? Why did you help me?”
“Hmm…I told you before…I saw something in you…something that I wish I had when I was younger…”
“Y-Younger? You…you don’t even look like you’re over thirty…” I furrowed my brow as I really inspected him. “Actually…are generals always this…young? F-Forgive me if I offended you!”
“Mmm…” He crossed his legs and looked at me with an amused smirk. “Yes well…immortality will do that to you…”
“I-Immortality? Are you a mythical creature too?”
“Hmm? No…just a god.”
“Oh…HUH?!” I stared in surprise, but he just yawned and stretched before standing by the window, opening it more, allowing the sunlight to really wash over me. “I-I’m sorry…this is…a lot…”
“Yes I suppose it is.” He sighed and stared hard at me. “You have questions…go ahead and ask them.”
“W-Well…I hadn’t heard of a war…so why were you recruiting so many people?”
“...” His gaze finally let me and he looked back out the window. “I had no intention of letting these people actually fight…”
“Really?”
“Yes…they were more for patrols and scouting…of course that sort of thing has its risks. This was only supposed to last for a couple of months…then they would be free to leave. Of course, they would be compensated heavily for uprooting them like this.”
“Ah ok…” I played with the sheets for a bit before I looked back at him. He seemed deep in thought as he looked outside. It almost felt like there was more to what he was telling me. “So…you’re a god? What are you doing here then? Did you…did you really hear me call out to you?”
“....” He didn’t look at me as the mood in the room seemed to grow stale. “I wasn’t always a god…I…I’ll just leave it at that.”
I looked down at my hands as silence overtook us once more. He didn’t seem like the type who talked very much, but he was entertaining my questions. Slipping out of the bed, I sat across from him and looked out the window. I closed my eyes and soaked in the sunlight, but his voice made me look at him once more.
“I’m here because you called for me. Nothing more and nothing less…”
“Mmm…you’re not very good at lying…”
He glared at me, but I just looked him right back in his eye. He sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “You really have a lot of spunk underneath everything. Fine fine…I…I just wanted to give you another shot.”
“Another shot?”
“Yes…I told you once before that I see your potential and I would hate to see you waste away here…for a father who has no love for you. I have seen how you react to my army…I see that a light envelopes not only your eyes, but your entire being. Forgive the pun, but you have a fire that deserves to burn as bright as the light you give off.”
I blushed deeply hearing him say that about me. There was no one that really ever said such things about me, much less a man that I barely knew. I fiddled with my hair and figured he was done, but he kept going.
“I only ask that you give yourself a chance. A chance to have the happiness that you deserve. I would be glad to have you join me.”
“I…” Was it alright to grasp this? It felt too good to be true and I didn’t want to be heartbroken over this. I could admit that I thought about his army often. I had this draw to them and I wanted to feel that adventure, the rush of combat. I could preach all I wanted that I didn’t like violence, but the truth was…it was exciting. I loved the power that I had to protect myself and defend people I cared about. Being in the army gave me all of that, I could help others too. It would give me a new purpose…and perhaps a family amongst my comrades. “My…can I see my mother?”
“Of course…”
He didn’t ask me to answer him as he led me out of the room. I rolled my neck to get the knot out of my neck. I would have to do more stretching to get my body relaxed once more. It wasn’t until we were outside that I realized that we weren’t anywhere that I recognized. Stepping down the stairs, I watched as men, women, and other creatures I had never seen before conversed, sparred, ran drills and ate food across a large courtyard. I looked behind me at the large stone building and gasped as I saw an emblem and the army’s name decorated it in large silver letters.
Nim looked at me with a small smirk, and I turned away from him because I knew that I looked like a gawking child. I wanted to look away from them, but I was so very interested in what they were all doing. I think I would have stood there all day, but Nim gently guided me away with a firm hand on my shoulder. Many of the soldiers were looking at me curiously and I shrank under their curious, but intense gazes. They all greeted Nim with salutes and general well wishes, which he only responded with grunts and a few nods. I giggled at his lack of wanting to engage in conversation.
We finally arrived at a building that had a solemn air to it and once we entered it, I could hear some people sniffling and crying. We continued walking, but peeking into some of the rooms, I saw bodies covered with sheets. I pressed my lips tight together as I continued to follow Nim. His fist was closed tightly and I wanted to say something reassuring, but I feared I would say the wrong thing–so I just silently followed him.
He opened a door for me and inside was a beautiful coffin with flower carvings on it and I knew that it was her. I rushed in and dropped to my knees as I touched it gently. Nim didn’t rush me as I placed my forehead on it and cried. As much as I hated seeing her like this, I peeked inside and saw that she was perfectly intact. The crude dress and accessories were removed and she laid with folded hands in a bed of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen.
He had gone out of his way to do this wondrous thing for me. I had never felt this amount of kindness in my life since my mother passed. I felt like I would never know such things without having to give something of myself up for it. I gave this man nothing and he gave me everything.
“I want to join you.”
“Hmm?”
I wiped my tears and fully faced him so he could see how serious I was. Standing up, I held my hand out for him to take–which he did without much more resistance. “I…I want this…all of it. It is the least that I could do…after everything you’ve done for me.”
“Regan…I don’t want you to do this because I did something for you. Tell me that you want this for you. Speak from your heart.”
“I…” I squeezed his hand and cleared my throat, a strength that I had never felt before rose up into my core. “I want to join your ranks. I want to do this because it has been calling out to me since you first arrived. I want this more than anything that I’ve ever wanted in my life. I will not disappoint you.”
“Good…I look forward to it.”
~~~
The last five months were some of the rewarding, but difficult months of my life. I don’t believe that anything could compare to it. Once he was sure that I recovered well, Nim put me on a strict routine and diet. I trained for six days straight with the other soldiers and learned how to use various different weapons. He didn’t want to admit it, but I could see that he was proud to see how efficient I was with a sword. Although, I also had a strong love for spears and I would have to work some more practice with it into my routine. Nim had also taken to training me himself, which the others said was something he had never done before.
The others were happy they didn’t have to train with such a harsh and brutal teacher, but I loved it. He was tough on me, but he was also very caring too. He held back at first, but I assured him that I didn’t want him to. I regretted that for the first three months, but I quickly learned from it. I checked on the children as much as I could, and they seemed to be doing well. Emily had become more withdrawn, but Caleb and James assured me that they would always look after her. The other women also were recovering smoothly and Nim cleared up the castle and what happened with Jacob. It was amazing to see the things he could just make go away whenever he got involved.
I found myself wanting to speak with my father, but Nim forbade me from seeing him. My father was dumped back at our home where he was quite livid. My mother was no longer by his side and neither was I to provide him with money. Perhaps I would see him again someday, but now was just not the right time–not when I was so happy. Mother was still in the morgue and I wanted to bury her, but just the other day, Nim told me to hold off on it. I was a bit frustrated with that, but he always had good reasons for the things he did and I trusted him.
“Fffuck!”
I snapped to attention as a groan sounded from under me. I chuckled as one of the newest spitfires laid face down in the dirt. I stepped from over him as he turned over on his back. “What kind of training session is this?! You are impossible to beat!”
“T-That’s not true…” I blushed deeply as I shuffled my practice sword in my hands. “I…you did very well…it wasn’t too bad…”
“Oh bullshit! You call this not too bad?!” He gestured around the field and I looked at the ground as several other bodies groaned from the floor and tried getting up. I just hoped that I didn’t send someone to the infirmary again. “I hate it here…”
“You can quit then…”
“G-G-General Nim!” I saluted with the others as Nim walked into the training field and shook his head at the others who were still groaning and didn’t acknowledge him.
“At ease…Regan…come with me.” I nodded quickly as I followed after him. He probably wanted to have a private session together. We finally stopped a bit away from the camp and I looked at him in confusion. “I have something that I would like to ask you.”
“O-Oh ok…”
“Would you like to join my pantheon?”
“Huh?”
“Well…it isn’t really a pantheon yet…you’d be the only one in it…if you’d like, that is…”
“What would this sort of thing entail?”
“You would have status, power, respect, riches beyond your wildest dreams.” I pursed my lips as he told me all of this, but wasn’t that what I already had? “I’m losing you…”
“I…maybe?” He groaned and I giggled at his annoyed face.
“Listen…I have never done this before. The bottom line is that you would be making so much more of a difference. You would be my right hand woman…you would be in the presence of other gods. The influence you would have would extend to the army as a whole too. I need someone I can trust to help me run things effectively, someone like you Regan. A person with a pure heart and good head on her shoulders…”
“W-Why me? I haven’t even been here very long…I-I don’t deserve something like this…”
“I always had you in mind…and seeing you these last few months further cemented that for me. I will say that this would mean you’d be exposed to a great evil though…”
“A great evil?”
He blew out a breath as he looked away for a second, almost like his mind had gone somewhere else before he focused on me once more. I blinked as he held out his hand to me and I took it without hesitation. I caught his smirk before the world around me seemed to disappear and now I was in a large room. I gasped at the stars racing across the sky, and hearing a gasp…I looked behind me to see a woman happily approaching us.
My face grew warm laying eyes on her. She was an absolute marvel of a woman and her eyes shimmered like the stars above my head. I wish that I had something better to wear than my training clothes that smelled like dirt and sweat. I thought she would have stopped moving once she was in front of us, but she kept going until she took me into her arms and gave me a hug. Her touch was so comforting that I almost cried, because it felt like I was hugging my mother once more.
“Hello Regan!”
“I-I…h-hello…” She held me at arms length before looking me up and down. “So beautiful…you didn’t tell me it was today Nim…”
“Apologies, my lady.” He bowed to her and it was surprising to see considering he was a god. I thought gods would never bow to anyone.
“No matter…” She smiled at me once more and I couldn’t help but smile back. “So you’ve accepted being in his pantheon?”
“W-Well no…I um…he was going to tell me about a great evil?”
“Oh…” Her smile faded just as quickly as it came, and Nim frowned when it did. He seemed more tense being here, maybe it was because of this great evil? “The Darkness…”
“The Darkness?”
“Yes…come and walk with me, both of you.” Nim followed her easily and I quickly took her left side as we walked through this magnificent building. I was in awe at how beautiful everything was…from the shining floors and fresh flowers–to the intricate architecture of the structure. “My name is Serafina…and like Nim…I am a goddess…although unlike Nim, I have always been a goddess because I created everything in the known universe.”
I gasped in surprise, but I kept silent as I looked around and she continued. “I would like to say that the universe is a safe place, but nothing is ever that simple. My counterpart, the Darkness, doesn’t take so kindly to how I…govern the universe and its inhabitants. The Darkness is evil and malice incarnate and it seems to destroy and control everything in the universe. All chances to have peace have been met with more death and fighting. They won’t listen to me anymore. I only seek for all my creations to live lives filled with joy and happiness. I am not so naive that I believe nothing bad will happen sometimes, but the Darkness wants complete subjugation. I will not allow such things to transpire and I seek to end this conflict.”
We finally stopped walking and ended up in a garden that was beautiful, but I was more focused on her words. It was so much to process and I’m sure there was more to it than what she had said, and that I would eventually hear more about it. There was so much that the average person would never know about, and I had the chance to make sure they never did. I had the opportunity to allow others to live a life of peace. I could make sure that more tragedies would never happen again. This journey that I had embarked on was more than I realized…it couldn’t just be about me finding myself. It was about the whole universe itself, and I would never let more tragedies happen.
“I’ll do it.”
“Really?” They both blinked at me in surprise. “Regan…sweetheart…this is a serious thing that is being asked of you. Perhaps you should think more about it.”
“No.” I stepped back from them and they both looked worried, but I was sure about this. “This is not something that I have to think about. I can feel in my heart…no, I can feel in my soul that I have to do this. A decision like this does need to be thought carefully about, but I know this is what I was meant to do. I don’t know how, but I can just feel it. Lives will be lost every second that I’m indecisive and that is not something I can allow to happen any longer.”
They both stared at me before lady Serafina’s face lit up with a dazzling smile and Nim looked more proud of me than ever. “Come along dear…Nim has been planning something for you!”
“M-My lady!” I watched incredibly amused as his face grew red as we continued through the garden. I gasped as we made it to a beautiful cemetery deep in the garden that was overflowing with flowers and beautiful statues. I could see my mother’s coffin waiting near a bundle of wildflowers, and I rushed over to it.
“I…what?”
“I thought she deserved to be buried somewhere beautiful after the hardships she has been through the last few years.” I blinked through my tears at Nim before flinging myself into his arms. He faltered for a second before he reciprocated it. “She will have her eternal rest amongst the stars and you can visit her anytime you’d like.”
“R-Really?!”
“Of course…” Lady Serafina swiped her arms over the coffin and I watched as it lowered into the ground and more flowers grew around it, and a fresh coat of polish appeared over it. “I’ll leave the two of you to it…”
“T-Thank you, my lady.” She smiled one more time before she walked away from us. I blew my mother a kiss as the dirt covered her and she was finally put to rest properly. Nim allowed me to have my silence as I wiped my tears. Finally catching my breath, I looked at Nim with new resolve and hope in my eyes.
“I’m ready.”
“Good…you’re gonna be a force to be reckoned with…”
Nim explained everything to me once more and what would happen once I was officially a part of his pantheon. The new power that I would wield physically and socially. It was intimidating, but he believed in me and most importantly I finally believed in myself. I would make Nim and my mother proud, and I would make sure no one ever felt pain like I felt ever again.
“I…he…he was understanding about it…it really was no problem-”
“Shut up, stupid girl!” I looked down at the table as he paced around the kitchen and mumbled to himself, taking a drink of his alcohol he laughed before clapping his hands. “You know what…it doesn’t even matter. Things will be moving the way that I want soon regardless…”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you worry about it. You won’t be going to that brothel anymore. Keep your weight up and dress in the things that I have brought for you.”
“O-Ok…” He turned to leave towards the room my mother was in, but I had to know about what Nim told me last night. I had to know how much my father knew about me and why he wanted my blood so much. “F-Father?”
“I’m busy girl…don’t disturb me…”
“T-The general told me that I’m…a phoenix…”
“...” My father stood in the hall, the shadows that cast over him made him seem bigger and more intimidating. He said nothing for some time, and I was afraid of his response. He finally turned and the anger in his eyes made me flinch out of my seat. I had never seen such a look on his face before. Moving around the table, he gripped me up by my arms and slammed me against the wall. “That man speaks nothing but lies! He knows nothing about this family! Don’t ever question your father!”
“I…I believed him! I-It would make sense why you always drink my blood! P-Please…I…I just want to know…please…”
His face twisted into an angry grimace before he let me go. I rubbed my arms as he rubbed his face. “I suppose…this is my last kindness for you…”
“Last kindness-?”
“Silence girl.” I folded my lips and sat down as he drank more and paced around the table. He was in his head for a few more minutes, before he sneered down at me. I just looked back down at my hands as he let out a breath. “Your mother was a phoenix and yes…that makes you one as well.”
“Really?!” I looked up with a smile because it meant that my mother and I had more in common with each other. It meant that maybe I could be more than just some…working girl. His frown made my smile disappear once more. “I-I’m sorry…”
“Your blood has sustained me, Regan.” I looked up at him as I heard the elation in his voice. His eyes held a sparkle that had been familiar to me in the last few weeks. There was a joy there that I thought would never cross his face again, especially since I had failed to sleep with General Nim. “I can drink as much as I want and never suffer liver damage…I will never grow old and weak…I can live this life forever. I will be free from the petty diseases that plague men! You will keep me around…won’t you Regan?”
“I…”
“My wonderful and beautiful daughter…you are the only thing I have left. My only family and you bring me so much joy.” He chuckled as he played with strands of my hair. “You look so much like your mother…I can’t lose you…you don’t want to lose me either right?”
“I…n-no…you’ll never lose me. I’ll always take care of you.”
“Good girl…” I looked down at my hands sadly as he kissed my head and went to see my mother once more. Perhaps…perhaps I shouldn’t care about any of this. It would not change our lives, but he was safe now. I could be proud of that…right? My mind drifted back to the general and his army. He said that he would be here for a while and that thought made me happy. It would allow me to watch them train more. My father would be with my mother for some time, so maybe I could go see them once more.
Slipping out, I was greeted with the children rushing up to me. They didn’t seem to be in any trouble, but I could only wonder why they weren’t with their parents right now. Seeing them just reminded me that I had to check on the orphaned children. The money that I had given them was enough to let them stay in an inn for a while.
“Hi, Ms. Regan!”
“Oh! Hello, Emily…what are you all doing here?” I didn’t want my father to hear them and I quickly moved them away from the house. James and Caleb were at her side with big grins on their faces.
“The army is training right now! It looks so cool!” I smiled as James bounced up and down, such a boy. “You should go there and fight too!”
“Oh no…you all shouldn’t be over there in the first place, “ I planted my hands on my hips and frowned at them, and they looked at the floor ashamed. “I’m not going to fight everyone just because you all saw me fight one time.”
“It was so cool though! You were so strong and fast!” Caleb’s eyes sparkled as he smiled even wider. “I didn’t even know that you could beat someone up like that!”
“N-Now now…you children have to get on home…Emily, I’ll see you later and we can braid hair alright?”
“Yay!”
“Caleb…James…no more sneaking around near the camp. You both could get hurt if you do that again. Now…if I teach you some defensive skills will you both stay away?”
“Yes!”
“Good…now all of you head home.” I chuckled as they ran off talking excitedly to each other. Although I was telling them to behave, I couldn’t help but rush over to the camp. I was no better than them, but they intrigued me and the general was also kind. He did seem a bit gruff, but he seemed to have a good heart. The men and women were training in tight and coordinated formations, their armor and weapons cleaning beautifully under the sun. I wanted to try and wield these weapons and train too. My father was not in danger anymore, perhaps I could have something for myself.
Fighting was never something that I enjoyed, but I was surprisingly good at it. Men were dangerous and my father would rather have me on my back for them then defend myself. At times, I had to take care of myself and I had to admit…it was oddly thrilling and empowering. The draw I had to this army was like nothing I had ever felt before, and I knew that I would be sad when they were gone.
“Stalking my army now?”
“Ah!” I jumped and looked up into the tree above me to see that General Nim was sitting over me on a branch. He seemed bored as he looked at his soldiers' train while eating a chocolate cake. “N-No I…I just was curious…”
“Right…” He slid off the branch and easily landed on his feet, not even disturbing his cake as he did. Cutting another piece off with a fork, he looked me over with piercing eyes. Did he wish to actually sleep with me now? “What about them makes you so curious?”
“H-Huh? O-Oh well…” I gave them another glance before I shuffled in place under his stare. “I…I think that the armor is pretty…”
“The…armor?” He tilted his head in confusion and I realized how embarrassing it was to say that to a general. I looked quickly at the ground, just plain embarrassed. He probably wanted it to be intimidating and be described as something cooler.
“I…I mean…I think it just looks nice under the sunlight…”
“....” He just stared at me before looking at his army. “It looks even prettier under the moonlight…”
“Huh?” I looked up at him as he smirked at his soldiers. I didn’t think he would agree with my sentiment. Looking at them too…I smiled as they all started to spar with each other and run drills around the camp. “They look…happy…”
“Tch…I doubt they would describe it like that most of the time.”
“No no look…” I stepped towards him and placed his fork down. “Look at them…despite all their hard days of training…they look happy to be around each other. They are still laughing and smiling. There is a sense of…companionship and friendship behind all of it. Sure…there is duty and honor to be found and that in itself is also beautiful, but I don’t think they mind it…”
“Is that why you are curious?”
“Yes I…I would love to have that…besides what I have now…”
“...” I glanced at him and blushed heavily as he just stared at me.
“I-I mean…I-I shouldn’t say things like that. M-My father wouldn’t like to hear me talk about this sort of thing…”
“So…he controls every aspect of your life?”
“What? I mean he-”
“Do you not have a backbone? Where is your sense of self worth?”
“I…well I just…”
“How long are you going to have him trample all over you and stop you from living your life? He is nothing but a drunken fool who-”
“Do not…speak of him that way.” He stopped when I glared at him and he looked down at his wrist. I looked down and gasped seeing that I had his wrist tightly gripped in my hand. I didn’t even realize that I had grabbed him. “I-I’m sorry!”
“...” He looked me up and down for a bit before he looked back over his army. I didn’t want to leave yet, so I just watched alongside him. I couldn’t help the smile that eventually came to my face as I watched. I loved seeing them with their various weapons and laughing and sometimes arguing with each other. I wondered what it must be like to have a bond like that…to work together and laugh together. I often wished for siblings, but perhaps it was good that I was an only child. I wouldn’t want my sibling or siblings to do what I have to do.
I wondered what kind of adventures these soldiers might have gone on together. What beautiful things had they managed to see out in the world? Reading books always was my escape, but it also fueled my desire for more. Seeing the state of my father however…made it nothing more than a dead dream. Was the purpose of my life just to serve my father and lay with men who saw me as more than nothing meat on pretty sheets?
“You can have this.”
“Huh?”
I looked up at the general and his gaze was strong and set. I wondered how long he had been looking at me…how long we had been standing here. How long had I finally allowed myself to dream after so very long? I clasped my hands together as I stared into his eyes, searching for a reason. What reason did he have to comfort and care about me? Why was he even entertaining me? I was no one…nothing.
“You have talent. You could live a life that you want for once. I can see that you will do more than be your fathers cash cow.”
“I…I couldn’t…”
“You would have power…camaraderie…respect…”
“I…no one has ever…treated me with respect…” He sharply inhaled at me saying that before he broke eye contact and looked back at his army. I pulled my gaze over to them too, but now my heart just ached. It wanted to leap from my chest and join them and soak in their joy. I never cared to use violence and fight, but if my talents could help others…maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. Although…it wouldn’t be right. “M-My father…he…”
“Fine…” He said nothing more as he started to walk away and I couldn’t help but stagger forward, reaching out to him. This could be my chance to leave. My chance to chase after something bigger than all of this, but my feet wouldn’t move further. They wouldn’t move as much as my heart was screaming at me to do it. I didn’t want to have sex anymore…I hated it so much. I hated the stares, the yelling, the hitting…all of it!
I finally willed myself to rush away from him. It wouldn’t do me any good to sit here and wish for something that would be so selfish to have. I had a responsibility to my father to take care of him, and I couldn’t bear to leave my mother’s body alone with him. I dragged my feet as I wiped the tears from my eyes. I could see my father moving around from the window as I approached. I braced myself to hear him yell at me for not having money and being out for too long.
“Finally! My precious daughter has returned!” I tilted my head in confusion at him as I closed the door to our home. I would have loved to see him happy, but this could just be another act to make me think things were fine again. “I can finally let you know about a project that I have been working on!”
“A project?” He never really seemed to do much of anything…
“Yes! The general was a thorn in my side and although you didn’t sleep with him…” I looked down at the table and sipped on my water. “I was also working on a way to secure my…our future in this damned village.”
“O-Ok…” I was more worried than ever as he was practically shaking in excitement, before tossing a silk dress at me. I was glad to see that it was not a nightgown, but it was a very pretty dress.
“Now…continue to put more meat on your bones and stop going to that brothel. We have no need for that any longer. I would hate for him to think that I’m a liar…”
“Him?” Oh no…what has my father done now? Who did he set me up with now?
“Yes yes…I have managed to secure a husband for you.”
“A…a husband?” I dropped the dress from my hands as I looked at him in disbelief. He found a husband for me?”
“Yes yes…I have already sold you over to him and he will be coming to collect you soon. So, I need you to act right and dress appropriately.”
“F-Father! You can’t-”
“I can and I did! You are no longer my problem and we'll both live better and richer lives because of your new husband. He is a noble who will take care of you.”
“I just…I don’t want to-”
“It is over and done with.” I looked into my glass of water and my father sighed before he reached across the table to hold my hand. “Think about how much your life will change…think about your mother.”
“M-Mother…?”
“He will give me even more money and I can give your mother an even more beautiful case to rest in.” I just nodded, but I would rather she be buried and surrounded by flowers. Why does he keep doing these things with me? Was the brothel not enough? Now he was selling me off to a man who I didn’t love or want. “Regan, I love you and I want what is best for you…so do this to make your father happy.”
“Y-Yes…”
“Good girl.” My lips trembled as he patted my head before he went off to see my mother once more. I fisted my skirt tightly before tears fell from my eyes. I didn’t want to do this anymore. My heart wasn’t strong enough to handle much more turmoil and disgusting men and their sweat. Going to sit by the window, I was surprised to see the general standing outside by a tree. I think that he thought he was hiding, but he sort of stuck out terribly.
“General Nim?” I pulled my shawl tight over my shoulders as he stepped from behind the tree. “Is there something wrong?
“I’ve just come by to say that we might not stay as long as I suspected we might.” My heart instantly sunk hearing that. I thought that I would have more time to see them, perhaps even go and join their training. My father and whatever war was going on must have put a pin in it. “I’ve come to ask once more if you want to join us…”
“I…I can’t…my father has arranged a marriage for me…and I’m to meet my husband soon.” I exhaled deeply before looking up at him once more. “I’m sorry but I just…I just don’t see why you waste your time on me…”
“....” He sighed deeply before he looked up at the sky. “I wish that someone reached out to me when I needed it. I wished that I was stronger…and I can see a strength in you that I never had. I only wish to give you the tools you need to embrace your future. That is all…I won’t force you to do something that you don’t want.”
“I…” He saw something in me and that…that was a comfort.
“My army will be leaving by the end of the week. We probably won’t be back here in the foreseeable future. Although…if you ever need help or change your mind…just call out for me…”
“Call out for you? How would you hear me?”
“I’ll hear you.” I blinked in confusion, but I nodded as he walked away. He was a lot kinder than I thought he was. He didn’t need to concern himself with me, but he did anyway. I blew out a deep breath as I thought about what my life would be like now.
I just hope that the man is kind…
~~~
“Would you stand up straight?!”
“Y-Yes father….” My father had woken me up early to prepare me for my fiancé. I hated that term, it felt foreign and strange on my lips. I didn’t want a husband…I didn’t even know if I wanted to be in this dress right now. My mind was far away and I didn’t even realize that the man was there until he was in front of my face. I blinked at the man as he raised a worried brow at me.
“H-Hello…”
“Hello again…” My face grew red as my father glared at me and I was embarrassed that I missed his earlier greeting. “My name is Jacob…I believe that you are Regan?”
“Y-Yes I am…it is quite nice to meet you.” I tried not to flinch as he kissed my hand and my father looked very pleased. I wanted to hide under my blankets for the next few years. He was handsome…he was not quite as stunning as general Nim, but he had good features. Brown hair and matching eyes, and he was well built despite being a noble. I thought he would have been one of the fat ones…
“I know that this is short notice, but I hope that we can learn more about each other and grow to love one another…”
“I…I wish the same…”
“Good…I already had your wedding dress prepared and we can get married in the next few days…”
“What?!”
“I have been annoyed by many that I need to take a wife…the sooner we are wed, the sooner I don’t have to hear more talk of it.” He waved away my surprise before he took my hands. “I must say…when your father approached me and told me of his beautiful daughter I thought he was lying. I’m glad to see that he was telling the truth.”
“T-Thank you…but…shouldn’t we get to know each other more?”
“Of course…after the wedding we will have time to know each other's interests and other such things.”
“Oh…right…”
“Now…let’s go.” He extended his arm to me and I just looked at it before looking at my father who just nodded his head. I grabbed him and was surprised to see him leading me away towards his carriage. Surely we weren’t leaving right now!
“I…I haven’t had a chance to pack or say a prayer to my mother!” I wanted to speak to my father or at least say goodbye, but looking back at our home, the door was already shutting quickly. “...”
“I will send someone later to retrieve your things…and I believe that your father said he doesn’t like goodbyes.”
“Yes…of course…” I wordlessly climbed into the carriage and played with my fingers anxiously. My father just wanted to get rid of me and he succeeded. I finally managed to get him the riches that he desired so he was done with me. Perhaps now I could lay my mother's body to rest? I didn’t even get a chance to see the children or say goodbye to them. I suppose this would be my life…just having other people decide things for me and the general direction of my life. Something caught my eye and I sat up straighter as we reached the outskirts of town and I saw general Nim disappear behind a tree. I sat back in my seat and tried not to cry over seeing him once last time. He only wanted to help and I had turned him away.
“Don’t cry, my dear…” I looked over at Jacob as he wiped at my eyes. Taking a seat beside me, he held my hand tight. “We will have a good life together…”
“I…we will?”
“Of course…you just have to follow and obey me…and you will never want for nothing…my beautiful wife…”
“I-”
“Now then…you just keep quiet and relax until we get home.” I furrowed my brow as he kissed my hand before he looked over some paperwork. I settled into my seat before slowly drifting off to sleep. He said it would be a long ride, so it would be best to be prepared for the rest of the day.
~~~
Silence.
That was all that I had experienced over the last two days.
Jacob never wanted me to speak unless spoken too. I had wanted to explore what would become my new home, but he refused to let me see entire sections of the castle. It was a shame though, because it was a beautiful home. I had started to see myself living here, but his cold attitude towards me made me think otherwise.
I ate my food slowly, but quickly so that I could leave the table and retreat to my room. He didn’t like it when I picked at my food. There was nothing more I could do, because he didn’t want to speak to me. It didn’t take a genius to see that I was just a pretty accessory to show off to others since he was at his marriage age. I was also at the proper age to…have children as well.
The thought made me lose my appetite.
“May I be excused-”
“End of the week…”
“E-Excuse me?”
“We will be married by the end of the week…and by the end of the month you will be carrying my son.”
“I…b-but isn’t it to-”
“You know what I liked about you that your father boasted about?” I was about to open my mouth to answer, but he just kept going. “He guaranteed me an obedient and quiet wife. You don’t speak unless I tell you to speak…understand?”
“Y-Yes…I…I understand-”
“We also have to get you a damn teacher. You clearly have some issues with your intelligence judging by the way you speak. I won’t have a wife who can’t hold a conversation like a normal human being.”
“...” A wave of embarrassment washed over me as he belittled me and my intelligence. I was very intelligent…and that didn’t factor into how I spoke. I was just shy and so used to being yelled at and disrespected. I just preferred to talk in smaller sentences because I knew I would be talked over and my thoughts didn’t matter.
The shyness was also a large factor.
“You will give birth to several children…at least six children. I need at least four boys from you and you can have the girls for yourself until they are old enough to be useful.”
Six children?! Useful?!
“Although…” He looked up from his food and papers to scan me up and down. “A woman’s body does get rather…unbecoming and plump after carrying a child…so I’ll have to start looking for a mistress…”
“A-A mistress?”
“Yes yes…I can’t be expected to still sleep with you after all of the children are born. So I will need someone to please me…”
So…he wanted to have me birth his children…and then he would openly have an affair because of the changes my body would go through? Who was this disgusting man that my father had sold me off to? I glanced at the door as I weighed my many options…because we weren’t even sleeping in the same room yet. I could easily just sneak out and-
‘Do this to make your father happy.’
My father’s words echoed in my mind as I gripped the tablecloth. Was it worth being disrespected like this? It had only been two days and my father probably didn’t receive his payment yet.
“Bring it in!” I tore out of my thoughts as he yelled at a man who quickly disappeared. “Your father…didn’t seem to care about selling you off. I thought that being nice when we met would stop any issues, but he was quick to go back home when you got to the carriage. Haha…you must be a real piece of work…but I’ll fix that…such a pretty face needs to be handled correctly…”
“...”
The door swung open once more and the man came in with a tray with bottles and something else I couldn’t see on it. As he got closer, I blinked in confusion at the needle on it. The man left us alone once more and Jacob stood from his seat to sit beside me. My lips pressed in a thin line as he brushed my hair back over my ear.
“Of course…there was an even greater reason why I just had to marry you. Your father told me all about your unwavering loyalty and care for your loved ones. That is how I know that you will stay by my side and never sleep with other men.” He pulled the tray closer to us, but he didn’t break eye contact with me. “You’ll do this for your father…and once our children are here…you will do anything for them, correct?”
“I…I…”
“Good good…” My hand tightly gripped my fork and he took it and placed it on the table. I sucked in a breath as he turned my hand over, and slowly traced the palm of my hand. “Your father informed me of something interesting about you…about your blood.”
No. No no please…
“Longevity…perfect health…perfect form…no worries about the pressures of life…” His hand traveled up to pull back my sleeve as he caressed my wrist. Lifting it up, he kissed it gently before he flicked it a few times, before he grabbed the needle. I tried to move back but he caught my wrist. “You will not move. You will sit still and not make a sound. Your father is relying on you, but not just him. The corpse of your mother is also on the line.”
A rush of anger ran through me at the mention of my mother. How much did my father tell him about our family? Jacob just laughed at me and I winced as the needle sank into my vein. My lips trembled in anger and sadness as I watched my blood drain into the small bottles on the tray.
“Good…you may go to bed now.” He removed the needle with a harsh yank, but I could barely feel it. I could feel my blood rushing to my head now in silent anger. “Learn to eat all of your food too…I need you to be healthy so I can keep a fresh supply.”
“....”
“Good night wife.” He kissed my hand and left the room with a chuckle as he juggled the bottles. With a slam of the door, the candles blew out with a harsh swish, blanketing me and the room in total darkness. I tried to take several deep breaths, but it just came out as struggling gasps. I…I had to make it through this and be strong. It might not be as bad as he was making it out. If we started to develop genuine feelings…perhaps I would be happy and content in time?
“Ugh…” Who was I kidding right now? I was trying far too hard to convince myself that everything would be alright.
How would I deal with this situation?
~~~
Jacob had left to handle some business so I was left with the staff who watched me like a hawk. I wish they didn’t hover so much when all I wanted to do was walk around and read. I tried to go and exercise, but they forbid me from doing such “activities”. I missed seeing the children already and I wished that I could at least visit.
“My lady…”
“Yes?” I sighed and put my book down as a butler came with more needles and bottles. I hoped this would not be my daily routine. The needles left no marks, but it was exhausting to do this for so long. Jacob threw a fit the last time I said that I wanted a break and I had shut down and just let him have his way. I was not one to need to be constantly moving, but I at least needed to go outside and be in the sun.
“I’m done, my lady.”
“Alright…” I rubbed my arm and left my book behind to hurry outside. The staff were right on my heels and it was starting to bother me even more. Were they that fearful that I would run away? I suppose I could…but it would not look well for my father or my mother. Throwing the doors open, I took in a deep breath and smiled widely at feeling the sun on my skin. I closed my eyes for only a second, but it was already ruined as someone stepped into my path.
“Lady Fastolfe…you shouldn’t be outside unless the lord is here on the grounds.” The man was quite large and I had to look up at him. He glared down at me and I think he was trying to scare me, but he was doing a poor job honestly.
“I only wish to sit in the sun…”
“You must return to the castle. I will drag you back there if I must.” I frowned as he stepped closer to me and I moved back to plant my feet. I would not have this man touching me, and I would fight for even five minutes of fresh air and sunlight. I would not run away from the castle, so why was this such an issue? He sighed as if I was making his life hard and I only wanted to have a bit of freedom. He reached his arm and grabbed my arm, but I proceeded to punch him in the throat. He staggered back before he swung his fist at me in anger, and the other maids started to panic behind him.
I ducked under it to drive my fist under his chin and kick his feet from under him. More people were starting to show and now I was worried. I suppose this was the only amount of fresh sun and air I would get until Jacob comes back. The large man let out a flurry of curses as I went back into the castle. They were all trying to calm him down, but I didn’t care about him at all.
Rushing into my room, I locked the door and threw myself into my pillows. Tears streamed into the pillows as I tried to muffle my cries. Being denied even the light of day was starting to get to me…my father didn’t even do this to me. Why was my life just a constant cycle of other people using me for their own pleasure? The offer from the general was looking more and more appealing, but I would be married to keep my father off the streets and hopefully give my mother a proper burial.
Although…maybe he could have helped me deal with my father? I would never know…I was too foolish to even really try and ask for help. I had dug my own grave and it was time that I laid in it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt so badly. It didn’t mean my heart didn’t ache with the regret of it all. I buried my face deeper into the pillow as sobs racked through my body. I didn’t know how long I was crying, but another sound made me stop.
Lifting my head and wiping my face, as I glanced towards the door. I hope they weren’t trying to get inside of my room. The sound was muffled and sounded like someone was in pain. Moving toward my door–I placed my ear against it, but furrowed my brow as there was nothing but silence on the other end. I stood there for a bit longer, but I didn’t hear the sound anymore. Shaking my head, I sat on the bed with a heavy and tired groan, and once my head hit the pillow…the sound started up again. Sitting back up, I looked around the room as the sound continued. It wasn’t coming from outside or the other side of my room, but it also didn’t sound too far away.
Moving around the room, I placed my ears against the wall as I could still hear the pained groans and whispers. Ending up by my bed once more, I could hear the sounds more by the bed. Looking under the bed–I noticed a grate near the corner of the bed. Moving the bed aside…I placed my ear against it and I could hear sniffles and mumbling clearer, but not enough to make it out completely. Curiosity was starting to consume me and I wouldn’t be reprimanded if I was inside the castle. Stepping outside my room, I looked both ways to see that the halls were empty. Although. I heard the faint yelling of the man I had hit and the other maids trying to calm him down.
This would be the perfect time to see my way to the sounds that I had heard. They were coming from somewhere deep in the castle. I couldn’t remember if I had seen a cellar or anything, but something did exist here. I rushed past the kitchen as the staff went about making food. The less people that saw me the better. I frowned as the sounds started to fade and I turned on my heel to see if I could find another grate approximately where my room was.
A storage room held my answer as I peeked in and heard the sounds once more, but now they were clearer. Searching around the room for the grate, I instead only found boxes and cobwebs. Kneeling on the floor, I pushed them out of the way and gasped when I saw marks on the floor. It seemed that this box had been moved a lot judging by the wear on the floor. There was nothing under the box though.
So why had it been moved so much?
Touching the floor it seemed like normal stone, but it was oddly warm to the touch. As I touched the floor more, one of the stones shifted and pressed into the ground under my weight. I flinched back as it shifted before returning to normal. A sound behind me made me rush to my feet and I watched as the wall in front of me broke apart and revealed a flight of stairs. The sounds that I had been hearing suddenly stopped completely.
Taking a calming breath, I descended down and the darkness of the area made me nervous to go further, but my curiosity consumed me more. The walls were slick and wet as the heat began to rise as I went further down. I could already feel sweat beginning to trickle down my face, but it was far from unbearable. The heat was comforting to me, but now having new information about myself…was this because of my Phoenix heritage?
Shaking my head, I kept going further because this was not the time to be thinking about this. A large door was at the bottom and preparing myself–I opened the heavy latch and witnessed the most horrifying sight that I had ever seen.
There were several women chained to the walls and ceiling in little clothing and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. I covered my mouth as they shrank away from me and silently began to cry. In the corner of the room was a large furnace and several branding irons. Looking at the women, I could see the mark of Jacob’s family on different parts of each woman. The chains holding some of them were so burned into their skin that I feared that they would never have them removed. The furnace crackled fiercely and staring closer–I gasped and took a step back as I saw several blackened arms poking out of it.
The chains above my head and I looked up as several dead bodies hung amongst the few women that were alive. Hooks were driven deep into their skin allowing them to be hung up like meat. I flinched as their blood fell on my face and one of the women opened her eyes and looked right at me.
“R…R…R-Run…a-away…”
“I…what…?” I couldn’t leave these women like this to suffer, but I didn’t know when Jacob would come back, or if the staff had some to look for me. I think that hidden door didn’t close behind me either. “I…I’m gonna get you out of here…I just have to-”
“Don’t bother…” I looked over at a woman pinned to a wall as she chuckled humorlessly. I stepped around more women to better look at her. She had a brand under her ribcage and several cuts over her chest and arms. She was so thin that I was surprised that she could even be considered a person anymore. “He likes to play with his toys before we either are forced into labor or killed.”
“What…why would he do that?”
“Because he likes it…I don’t know…I stopped caring a long time ago…”
“I still have to do something…”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night…”
I frowned at her tone, but went to look around the rest of the room and my heart broke as the women moved away from me and some had started to cry once more. It was when I went to a table against the wall that my blood ran cold.
Several bottles of blood were on the table and looking at the women–I could see that some of them were drinking it from bowls on the floor. He couldn’t possibly be using my blood to help with his sick games. “What…what is he using this blood for?”
“Longevity…and a constant supply of toys…” I tensed up as Jacob’s voice traveled towards me from the doorway. I pressed back against the wall as Jacob wore an intense frown on his face, but I just matched his as he stormed over to me. “What the fuck are you doing down here?!”
“W-What are you doing to these women! Release them!”
“Oh wife…it is far too early for you to even dream of ordering me around.” He looked around the room and the women shrank under his gaze, but I held firm when he looked back at me. “Ah…the fire that burns within you is quite lovely…”
“...”
“These women are my personal slaves to do what I want with them. The blood that I receive from you allows me to keep them alive longer…so that I can run my tests…”
“What tests could you possibly-”
“Sacrifice.” He smiled and walked around the room, pulling on chains and touching several of the women. I looked around for something to defend myself with, but he was a weak enough looking man–I could probably just take him with my bare hands. “The gods are quite generous when I give them a surplus of women’s souls to play with. I also just personally like to see how far I can push a human body. The limits that it can withstand is astounding! Men are so much different from women…they tend to crack more easily but a woman…right up until you think her spirit is broken…she bounces right back! Stronger! Fiercer! More beautiful than ever and I want to see it in all shapes and forms…all ages…”
A woman in the corner cried out and looking closer…I could see her cradling the charred remains of an infant in her arms.
No.
“You animal!” I lunged at him but he was quicker as he held a blade to my throat. “I’m not afraid of your little sword…”
“Ah…you are cheeker than I thought…I think I might like that in my future children…”
“I’m not having your children! I’m taking these women and we are leaving here!”
“Hmm…” He tilted his head and rubbed his chin as he took a step forward and I moved back, not wanting the blade to knick my neck. “Interesting…”
“What?”
“You lose that speech problem when you are passionate and fierce…when you have something to care for. The strength envelops you and takes over…like a warrior. Oh Regan…we are going to do beautiful things together.”
“Never!
“By the gods!” He advanced on me and grabbed the back of my neck, but that sword was pressing into my stomach. “You are beautiful! If I wasn’t going to make you my wife…I would have loved to hear the sounds you’d make here…witness the strength of your character fleeing your body…the way your body would look writhing in pain and suffering…oh where have you been all my life…all those sacrifices and the gods finally sent my perfect specimen in the form of a wife!”
“The gods sent me to send you straight to hell!” I hissed out at him as his grip on my neck grew tighter. “You will suffer ten times worse after I’m rid of you!”
“Yes yes…you are perfect…” I scrunched my face up as he pulled me closer until our lips almost touched, but he stopped suddenly. “Remember wife…your father might be a useless pawn…but that mother of yours isn’t…”
“E-Excuse me?!”
“There she is once more…” I moved my head as he put his sword away to stroke my face. “The mere mention of your mother and you turn into a simpering girl. I wonder what woman I will have on our wedding night…”
“You’ll have no such thing-”
“Even the delicate bones of your mother tell me how beautiful she was…” My eyes widened as I thought about him being that close to her. “I wanted to cycle through those bones…to feel her…because your father is quite attached to her…”
“Don’t you talk about her!”
“Then be obedient like I told you to!” I yelped as he slapped me across the face before gripping my face up. “Your mother and father are mine! I took them as insurance and if you push me further! I will have your father stripped of his skin slowly and as painfully as possible for however long it takes for him to die! I will fuck the bones of your mother in front of you and defile them in so many ways you won’t be able to bear it! There is no end to the amount of creativity in my mind!”
“...”
“I will not stop there if you continue to act like a child Regan. I will go to that village and if there is even one person you care about…I will destroy them because I can and I own this land and I own you…now go to your room and prepare for our wedding. Don’t make me have to act on my threats…I would rather play with my pets now…”
“...” He released me and I dropped to my knees as once more I was rendered powerless to do much more than whimper. The large man came back and took me back to my room, and he went back to mumbling angrily to me. I could care less about his attitude right now.
I was useless when it really mattered. I was weak and I would never be able to escape the thoughts and people that plague me. Laying on my pillow…I could hear the wails of the women under me. It was muffled, but I could still hear them. Looking out the window…I hadn’t realized that night had fallen. The sky was pitch black and not a star was in sight…not even the heavens wanted to shine on this awful place.
No.
No.
I could not let this man control me…I had to rescue my mother and give her the rest that she deserved. I would not allow her to be a plaything for this monster. I would rescue my father too, because despite the hardships that he put me through…he was still my father and I loved him. I would play along…but I would save my family and those girls. I would stop this man from causing further harm against the general populace.
It was time to stop crying and being weak. It was time to stand up and fight back!
Throwing the curtains open, I looked up at the ebony sky as my resolve strengthened. Tightening my fists…I held my hand out to the cold night…the wind whipping fiercely through my scarlet locks.
“As the silent night as my witness…I, Regan Fastolfe, vow to free the women of this castle from tyranny. Put my mother to her eternal rest and send Jacob Malcovy…to the deepest pits of eternal hell…”
“I have no idea how I managed to have a child so foolish!”
“I-I’m sorry…” My father sighed as he drank his wine and I cleaned the kitchen. I told him about the recruitment flyers and it just made him angrier. I didn’t bring enough money last night, but he was more concerned that my face was bruised. He didn’t care for the story about why I looked like that. I diligently went about making sure our home was manageable because he would get upset if it got messier. He was the main reason that it was messy, but I couldn’t say that to his face. He would just yell and hit me if I did that.
“Regan!” I jumped as he slammed his glass on the table. He was already swaying in his chair and I was afraid he’d fall over and throw up, causing more of a mess.
“Y-Yes?”
“Go! Go and get me more money now!” I glanced outside seeing that it was bright out and people were going about their day. I really didn’t want people to see me walking in the brothel on full display. It was probably empty as well…
“F-Father…the brothel will be empty this early-”
“I don’t care! Force your way in then! Sleep with the damn cleaning staff if you have to! I need more money now! I won’t be recruited into this war that I don’t give a fuck about!”
“Father I-”
“Get out now Regan! Get me my fucking money!” I yelped as he threw his glass at me. I folded my lips tight as I rushed from our home. I quickly maneuvered past the stares and whispers once more towards the brothel. I jumped back as men in armor rushed past me and started to knock on doors. They were putting more signs up and it was then that I realized that this must be the Eclipse Order. Their black and silver armor was beautiful under the sun and the fabric from their various cloths shimmered like stars. I was in awe as I watched them move in coordinated formations. I had never seen an army before and this being my first experience was amazing!
Shaking my head, I ran towards the brothel and shut the door quickly. The faster this day was done the better. My mind wandered back to the army though as time in the brothel passed by. It was the first time that my mind was completely focused on something else during the ordeal. By the time I left…my hands were filled with bags of money. My father would be sure to be happy about this, and maybe I could see more of that army walking around.
“Father! I’m home and I have the…money…” Placing the bags down, I was confused at the silence of the house. My father rarely went out this late in the day unless he needed to get more alcohol, but our cabinets were full. I searched the house for him before stopping to look down the hall where he kept my mother. I swallowed before moving down to listen at the door, but hearing nothing I moved away from the room quickly. Where did he go?
“Regan!” I jumped as he burst through the door. I braced myself for his usual scolding, but I was greeted with…a smile? He had several bags in his arms and he had cleaned himself up considerably. Setting the bags down, I flinched back as he rapidly approached me and held my face in his hands. “My shining beauty of a daughter!”
“F-Father!”
“Come come! Sit down and relax!” I blinked in confusion as he sat me down and dug around the bags he brought in. “I see you brought home some coins…good girl. You don’t have to worry about that anymore though…”
“I…is everything alright?” He just smiled at me and I had to admit that it was unnerving. My father hadn’t smiled this much since my mother died. He wasn’t even a happy drunk…just angry and frustrated.
“Of course! Ah! Here we are!” I watched as he produced a beautiful silk gown out of the bag as well as other accessories and make up. “You’ve been doing such a good job over the years that I thought it was about time to reward you and let you relax.”
“R-Relax?” He wanted me to stop? Just hours ago he was yelling and telling me to work harder to support us both. What had changed in the short amount of time we had seen each other last?
“I thought it was about time I took care of you,” I flinched again as he moved around me, but he just gently took my hair and brushed out the tangles. “Your hair is just as beautiful as your mothers.”
“T-Thank you…” I touched the gown and was sure that I had never touched such finery in my life. My father…he got this for me? I blinked at the tears coming to my face…he hated to see me cry. Were all of these bags filled with things for me? Should I ask? Or was this just some elaborate prank from my father? No no…he wouldn’t do something like that. He never went out of his way for something like that. “Are…are the rest of the things in here…for me?”
“Of course, my flower.” My heart clenched as he called me his nickname he gave me when I was younger. The tears finally did fall this time and I tried to stop my shoulders from trembling. “You deserve this after all of the hard work you’ve done over the years.”
“T-T-Thank you father…” He caught my reflection in the kitchen window and I tried to quickly wipe the tears away, but he beat me to it. Kneeling down, he brushed my tears away and held my hands tight.
“Don’t cry, my flower…I will take care of everything from this moment on.” His eyes sparkled with a joy that I thought would never return. I don’t know what caused this change in him, but I hoped it was the gods finally answering my many prayers. I didn’t know how much longer I could have done this before I broke. “Now…let’s get all your new clothes set up and we can cook dinner together.”
“Ok!”
~~~
The next two weeks were filled with laughter, love and so much healing. My father and I had put the shadows of the past behind us. I hadn’t seen the inside of a brothel since that day. The extra coins that I had leftover went to the children under the bridge and I was hoping to convince my father to finally bury my mother. He often went out at night, but I never really questioned it because he seemed to come back happier and happier. Mr. Jerry had offered to give me some other work, but my father was still against that. He didn’t want me working anymore because I had done enough.
I enjoyed wearing the pretty dresses that my father had gifted me and this newfound freedom gave me time for myself. I hadn’t smiled this much in years and now I just couldn’t stop. There were no more tears and no more disgusting men hovering over me. I didn’t need to get my hair and body stained with their musk. No more laying in beds filled with filth and having my ears invaded with sounds of moaning people.
I had my freedom and now all I did was clean around our home and cook. Although, I should probably get a cookbook. My skills in the kitchen were much to be desired. Sitting by a window, I closed my eyes as the breeze caressed my face and hair. Folding my hands together, I thanked whatever god I could for the good fortune that had found me before saying something to my mother.
“Mother…father is smiling again! He’s really smiling! He has been so much happier than I have ever seen him since you've been gone. I don’t have to work in that place anymore and we can be a family again. I will convince him to bury you properly and maybe we can leave this village, because despite our better situation…the looks from other women still cause me pain. I just want to start over and be done with the point in my life. I miss you everyday and I hope this news has brought you some peace.”
I smiled to myself before I opened my eyes and blinked in surprise at the army marching through our village once more. My thoughts drifted to them so much, but I was also worried for my father. I managed to deter them when they asked if a man lived here a week ago, but I was afraid they would find out…which was another reason that we needed to leave. Men were still being recruited by the day, and I still didn’t know why. It surely wasn’t my business, but I was just a bit curious.
Speaking of men, I hadn’t seen those men since that day they attacked me. I would have thought they would try to find me, but they never did. I never even saw them around town again, but they might have just been passing travelers. That night made me train more so I could better defend myself and my father if someone tried to take him away. I didn’t think I had much of a chance against trained soldiers, but I would do anything for my father.
“Regan! I’m home!” I smiled as my father walked in and set some food on the table. I took his other bag and he sat in his chair with a groan.
“Welcome home…are you alright?” I massaged his shoulder and he relaxed more into his seat as I did. “Father I…could we talk about…moving mother-”
“Now now Regan…your father has just gotten home from a tiring day…” He cut me off with a wave and I just went back to massaging his shoulders. I suppose I could try again another day when he was in a better mood. “So how was your day, my flower?”
“Oh! Well…I made some bread today! It might be a bit burnt, but it should be good! I hope…” I smiled as he chuckled at me. It was my favorite sound over these last few weeks, and I was glad that I could easily bring it out of him. “I also finished reading a book that I’ve come to enjoy…but I hope to get some more…”
“I’ll be sure to get some more for you then.” I smiled as he stood and rolled his shoulders and patted my head. “I think I’m gonna rest for the day…we can work on dinner later…”
“Alright…have a good rest, father.” I really didn’t want to ruin the mood, but I had to tell him about how close the army was to our village again. He couldn’t just wander around anymore or they would recruit him to their efforts. I had to do my part to protect him. “F-Father!”
“Hmm? Yes? Something wrong, my flower?” I looked down and played with my fingers as he walked back into the kitchen and placed his hand on my shoulder. I didn’t want to see him upset, so I just kept my head down.
“The…the army is patrolling the village again. I’m worried that they might come here again-ah!” His grip on my shoulder tightened, but when I looked up he just had a smile on his face. There wasn’t any anger, but it was not an easy expression to read either.
“You know…on second thought…let’s get some fresh air and have a picnic.”
“B-But the army is out there-”
“Now now, my flower…we’ll just have to be sneaky.” He winked at me and kissed my forehead before getting some food in a basket. I wanted to say more, but he went to his room and I silently went to get changed. When I came back to the kitchen, he had a box and held the basket in his other hand. “Come along, Regan…we shouldn’t think about such things right now. We should enjoy our time together.”
“Of course.” I held the basket as he took my hand and we snuck out of the village to a secluded spot in the woods near our home. I laid out the blanket as my father watched the village with a deep look of concentration. He sat down with a sigh and we ate our food in silence, and I wondered if he was upset. “Father shouldn’t you eat-”
“Regan…I have no idea why these men are here, but they won’t break our family up no matter what…”
“Of course! I would never allow it to happen!” I held his hand tight and he chuckled and shook his head. How could I make him believe me? There had to be something that I could do to make this tense air around us disappear.
“All those nights I was away…I was securing our future. I have learned a great deal over the weeks and now it is time to act.” I tilted my head and he cupped my cheek tenderly and I closed my eyes to lean into him. I knew that he wouldn’t let our life crumble away so easily like this. My father was an intelligent man and I had faith in him. “So…I have something for you, my flower.”
He grabbed the box that he brought with him and handed it to me. He had been spoiling me with gifts almost every day. I didn’t need anything more than his support and love. I opened the box and there was more silk and I smiled and laughed.
“I don’t need any more dresses! I’ll be spoiled at this rate father!” I smiled as I pulled it out of the box to get a better look at it. Fully pulling it out, my smile vanished from my face. It was a white and lacy baby doll dress. My hands trembled as I looked at my father, who smiled and kissed the side of my head. “I…w-what-”
“That general has been looking lonely, Regan…” I held the dress tight in my hands as I stared at it with blurry eyes. I shook as my father brushed my hair over my shoulder to whisper in my ear. “You don’t want your father to die in some pointless war right? You want me to be safe and healthy, don’t you? Go and be a good girl for the most important man in your life and fuck that man till he forgets about this recruitment…”
“F-Father…p-please…” No no no no no. I hated sex. I hated it so much! I didn’t like the way it made me feel. It was revolting and degrading and horrible! This wasn’t happening right now…it couldn’t be! He was happy…we both were! I thought that this awful life was behind us and we could move on. I didn’t want to do this anymore…
“Now…clean all of this up. Those men probably aren’t near our home anymore. Avoiding them has been annoying and I won’t do it anymore.”
“F-Father...please…”
“I hate it when you complain!” I gasped as he grabbed my dress and pulled me close. “If you think you’re done being useful to be… then you have another thing coming girl!”
I cried out as he released me and stormed away towards our home. I gathered our things up as he turned back to glare at me. I thought that I was done…that I was free. When I arrived back home, my father brushed my hair and did my makeup. My lips trembled as he warned me not to cry or I would ruin my face. That was even harder to do as I pulled the dress on my body. It was supposed to make a woman feel sexy, but it made me sick. It was meant to entice desire, but I wanted peace. The silk was supposed to be soft…so why did every brush of its fabric feel like knives digging into my skin? They were claws pulling and digging at flesh that just didn’t want to be touched anymore.
My father threw a long cloak over me and pushed me outside. I struggled to take a breath as I pulled the hood over my head. It was late so no one could see how destroyed I was. My father needed me to do this so he wouldn’t be drafted. It was my duty as his daughter to do that right? A child should take care of their parents when the time comes right? Doing this and providing for our family using my body was the right thing…right?
“Just…just do what you have to do Regan…it will be over soon. Maybe…maybe everything will go back to how it was after this? We can move away and leave this behind forever…”
The encampment was far from our home, but not too far. My father had described the man and his tent so I wouldn’t miss it. I sighed deeply as I saw the men(and women!) walking around and talking and laughing. They were all winding down for the night so this might be easy to do. I stuck to the shadows around the camp until I spotted his tent. It was large but not much more than the others. It was quite easy to get inside of their area, but-
“Hey…so did you hear about the general bullying those new recruits?”
“Oh yeah…some of them were crying and throwing up after the training. I swear…people really need to read the fine print if they want to join.”
“I’m thinking about putting in some vacation time…spend time with my girls…”
“Eh…yeah I was thinking the same, but man watching the general mess with these recruits makes me want to stick around a bit longer.”
“I just might too haha!”
Looking around fast, I ducked into another tent that was thankfully empty of those soldiers. I was closer to the tent of the general, but I would have to wait until the soldiers passed. The fewer people that see me the better. A light shone in my eye and I turned to see the moon shining on some weapons from a flap in the tent, strewn out over tables and stands. I lost myself as I went to inspect a sword and a shield and even a spear. They were beautiful, and although I was no blacksmith…I could see how wonderfully they were crafted. I had been thinking so much about this army, but not out of fear for my father. Of course, I did care about his safety, but there was a draw to them that I had never had before. A desire to do something I had never done before, but I felt…joy…being near them. An excitement to do something new…
I jumped as I heard some shuffling and rushed away from the tent. I could not bother with useless thoughts. I had to focus on…seducing…this general to save my father. I had to clear my mind to prepare for this. Taking a deep breath…I finally made it to his tent. Removing the cloak, I gave myself a final pep talk as I stepped over the threshold. It was surprisingly homey in here…there were a few chairs and a sofa in the far right corner and a large table was in the center of the room with papers thrown about. On the other side, there was a weapon stand filled with different types of swords. Glancing up, I noticed a sweet smell coming from some sticks, and smoke was coming from them. All sorts of other trinkets were set up around the poles holding the tent up. I suppose this army was well-traveled and they would be here for some time, considering that he was this comfortable. I raised a brow at a small white box that was humming near the weapon stand, curiosity consumed me as I touched it. Opening it, I was surprised to find it cold and it had drinks inside of it.
Who was this man with his strange contraption?
“If you have something you want, get on with it…or get the hell out now…” I jumped as a deep voice traveled through the tent. A section of the tent was closed off with a large sheet. I suppose he didn’t want his room in the open. My face grew hot thinking about…doing intimate things with him here. There were no walls and the whole camp would be able to hear us, but I could not stop when I came so far. Smoothing out my dress and fixing my hair, I pulled back the sheet to finally look at the general.
He was a massive man, probably the largest man that I had ever seen. His back was to me as he leaned over a table scanned over a map and made notes on it. I was sure that if he stood up straight he would be a giant. He didn’t seem like he would be a…gentle partner. I was not going to like this any more than I already did, and being sore was the worst.
“Are you going to speak?”
“I-I…well I-”
“You are wasting my time, and time is precious to me right now…” His back was still to me and I took a confident breath and walked closer to him. Men liked to feel a woman touch on them, so that would have to be my approach to this. I wrapped my arm across his shoulder, but I was more than surprised when he grabbed my wrist. He moved me around to push me against the table, but my instincts kicked in. Grabbing his wrist, I twisted out of his grasp and flipped us around until I had him pinned against the table. He made a surprised sound, but he moved me back against the table again.
“...”
“...”
He raised a brow as he looked at me, and my face burned hot. He was a gorgeous man…probably the most beautiful man that I had ever seen. He was missing an eye, but his other eye was a stunning green color. He was as big as I thought he would be, and I was starting to feel even more uncomfortable about this. He could break me in half!
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I…y-you’re men wanted to give you a gift for the night. I’m here to give you a good night…” I held his gaze, but I was starting to worry as he just continued to stare. He finally released me and I rubbed my wrist before he turned back to look over the map.
“Yes well…they can send you back…”
“But I-”
“Not. Interested.” My face burned even more as he ignored me. It was not often that men ignored me, and it shouldn’t have bothered me either. I had to do this for my father though, no matter how much I didn’t want to or how much this man was intimidating. Steeling myself, I moved under his arm until I was nose to nose with him. Grabbing his belt, I pulled him closer as I sat up on the desk. My cheeks hurt as blood filled them even quicker. He really was a very handsome man. I only hoped that he wasn’t a kisser…I hated when they wanted to do that.
He wasn’t pushing me away now and I took that opportunity to run my fingers over his chest and open it slightly. I ran my hands under to feel his warm skin and pulled him even closer with my legs. Our lips were mere inches apart and before I knew it…he pulled us both back and fell onto his bed. I was wondering why he didn’t touch me, but then his hands held my thighs. I managed to straddle him, but his silence was unnerving…like he was studying me. I had to be more forward, so I pulled his shirt open, but I accidentally tore some buttons off.
“S-Sorry…” I jumped as his hand traveled up my waist and he kept his other firmly on my thigh. Feeling uncomfortable, I pushed him back on the bed as I tried to work his pants off. I shifted my shoulder so the strap of the dress came down. Leaning down, I began to kiss on his chest and-
“Ah!” I jumped up as he slapped my rear. Looking down at him, he wore an unimpressed expression. “D-Did I do something you didn’t like? I-I could do more if you want…u-um…I could use my mouth or…I-I just…” My lips trembled as I tried to come up with something to get him in a good mood.
“I knew it.”
“Huh?”
“Why are you doing something you clearly aren’t comfortable with?”
“What? N-No I…I’m sorry if I’m not doing a good job. I could just use my mouth or bend over the table if you’d rather prefer that!”
“You’re shaking…ugh…listen how about we just…” He sat up and tried to move me off, but I couldn’t do this empty-handed. I pushed him back onto the bed, pinning his hands over his head. His eye widened in surprise, but I had to do this! “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want too…”
“Yes I do! You have no idea about what I have to do!”
“I’m not going to sleep with you…”
“W-Well…I find that hard to believe…I-I can feel you on my thigh…” His face grew red at the statement and he looked away from me.
“Well um…you should be more than aware that you are a very beautiful and attractive woman…I can’t really help that…”
“J-Just…we have to do this…please…”
“...” He sighed before he slipped from my grasp and flipped me over and now I was laying on the bed. I guess he really did want this after all. I closed my eyes as I felt him touch my stomach and arm. I felt him moving the dress about, but his hand finally rested on my cheek. “Don’t cry…”
Opening my eyes, his gaze was gentle and he had fixed the dress back on my body. He wiped away tears that fell from my eyes. I wasn’t supposed to cry unless the man liked it. My father told me never to cry unless the man wanted me to. My lips trembled as he became surprisingly gentle as he continued to rub the tears from my eyes.
“You never have to do something you don’t want to do. I won’t sleep with you and I’m not going to hurt you. Your life is more than some sexual object for the pleasure of men.”
“B-But I…”
“You are a special woman and you will do great things in this life. You are a beautiful woman who has seen too much horror and pain…you won’t experience anymore tonight.”
“I…I…” I couldn’t believe that this man was saying these things to me, because I didn’t deserve them…I didn’t, but it was so nice. I couldn’t stop the tears and I just let it all out. I hugged the general and although he was a bit awkward…his touch was comforting and he didn’t pull away until I was done some minutes later.
I felt incredibly embarrassed as he draped a blanket around my shoulders and gave me some water to drink. He was a very quiet man, but…he was also very sweet. I silently continued to drink my water before he finally spoke up once more.
“So what’s a Phoenix doing in the middle of such a backwater village?”
“I…huh?” He looked away from his map as he heard the confusion in my voice.
“A Phoenix…I could tell as soon as you walked in here. Your kind always gives off a certain energy when they are in an area. When you said my men sent you I didn’t believe it for a second…I figured you were some assassin…”
“S-So why did you let me get so close?”
“Boredom.”
“Wha…?” I just stared in disbelief at this man. He didn’t seem to care at all. He must be a very good combatant if a possible assassin didn’t phase him. “Wait…what about me being a…Phoenix?”
“…”
“I-I’m only curious…it…it would clear some things up for me…” His piercing gaze made me look down at the blankets nervously. Now he just seemed upset with me.
“The mythological bird of fire that rises from its own ashes. With a mastery over fire and the healing tears…or kiss…whichever they prefer. An immortal creature that lives for a thousand years before dying and coming back to life from its own ashes. That is what you are…”
“…” This…this made no sense. My father never said anything about this to me or my mother. I wouldn’t have believed anyone else, but I could feel the truth in his words. “W-Wait…does…does phoenix blood give health benefits…f-for example?”
“Yes it does. It has been said that consuming it gives many health benefits and immunity to multiple conditions. The most common thing it achieves is immortality for an extended period of time, but only if consumed on a regular basis.”
“...” No no no…this explained so much about the actions of my father. It explained why I seemed to heal quickly when injured. My father always looked young, but I just thought it was good genetics. He was using me for more than just my body…but also my blood?!
“Are you going to tell me why you did this?”
“H-Huh? Oh…my…my father doesn’t want to be drafted to the war…and I…he wanted me to sleep with you to save him from it…”
“...What?”
“I-It’s not his fault! I-It’s my duty as his daughter to help him with things! A-A child should do their best to support their parents!” I was quick to intercept as his face fell into a heavy frown and I could swear the air around him was changing. “Please I-”
“Are you insane?!” I flinched away from him as his scream sounded almost like a thunderclap. He let out a breath before he stood up over me. “You are his daughter…”
“Y-Yes…” I couldn’t bring myself to look at him as he paced around the small space, mumbling to himself.
“Listen to me…” He placed his hand on my head and I finally looked up at him. My heart skipped a beat as I looked upon his beautiful visage. He was…gentler than I thought he would be. “Your father is supposed to protect you and love you…this is not love or care. He is using you for his own personal reasons. You are so much more than that.”
“I…”
“I can see that you are determined…I won’t draft your father, but he shouldn’t be allowed to continue doing this to you.”
“I…I appreciate your concern…but this is my problem. I…I have to do what I must for him…”
“...”
“M-May I go now?”
“Yes you may.” I picked my cloak back up and hastily covered myself in it. I was beyond embarrassed about all of this, but I had more questions for my father than anything. The general was so kind and I did appreciate it, but all that mattered was the safety of my father. I was about to head out, but his voice reached out to me.
“If you need help…I will be here for some time. Just ask for me and I will assist you.”
“W-Why do you care so much about me? I’m…I’m just a…working girl…”
“I told you that you are more than that, and don’t refer to yourself like that again. For your other question…I don’t like to see women in situations like this. It…I just don’t like it.”
“O-Ok…oh! W-What do I call you?”
“Nim.”
“R-Regan.”
Once I made it home, my father was incredibly excited about something and I hadn’t even told him about what happened with the general. I told him about the general and he just praised me for a job well done. I wanted to ask him about what I was told, but it didn’t seem like the right moment. He would probably be upset about it, but I had to know more about it. My father’s erratic behavior lately has been making me more and more concerned. I just hope that things will start to change for the better.
My mother had the most beautiful locks of crimson-red hair. Most thought that she would have the personality to match it, but no, she was as gentle as she was beautiful. There was never a day when she did not have a smile on her face. She was kind to those who berated and lashed out at her. I wanted nothing more than to be just like her, beautiful and kind. I always recalled the memories of her whenever I was in this state. This state of emptiness and sadness. I longed for her to brush my hair during these moments. It was the only time that I enjoyed, her hands were soft and gentle. It was a time when my father cared for me and didn’t strike me. It was a time when the three of us would enjoy our walks, enjoy making dinner together, and just enjoy being a family.
The stars were bright again tonight, the moon rivaling their celestial beauty. Its rays were shining on me, and I often wished that it would take away everything I felt when I came to this cursed place. This place filled with nothing but-
“A-Almost…!”
I felt my heart sink and cave further in my chest as I gripped the sheets under me. My body moved against them, despite how much I wanted it to be still. The moon was my salvation during these moments, and I continued to gaze at it, even as the hands upon my waist gripped my breasts. The heavy smell of tobacco and alcohol was heavy on the breath of the man, and his other hand snaked out and caught me by the throat.
“F-Fuck…you…are a tight bitch…!”
His grip was tighter and tighter before he finally released his seed inside of me. His grip on my neck was tight, and it increased more as he rutted against me a few more times, before he slipped out of me. I inhaled deeply as he moved from the bed and cleaned himself off before he took a long drag of his cigar. I sat up and rubbed my neck, just as he threw a sack of coins at me.
“T-Thank you…”
“Tch…thank that tight cunt of yours. Your parents should be proud of such a quality breed of woman they produced.”
“....”
He left without another word and I almost threw up from the heavy tobacco and the disgust that I felt coursing through me. I dressed myself before I held the sack close to my chest as I left the room. I ignored the many voices around me, begging me to join them. I could not stand to be here any longer than I needed to be.
My own flame of hair was a tousled and ruined mess, and my father would let me have it again if I didn’t fix myself. The looks upon my back made me want to hide away from it all. My mother was well loved and to see her daughter leave a different man’s house often was…
No! Just go home, Regan! Don’t think about it!
My home soon came into sight and I released a nervous breath. My father was probably awake and waiting for me, but…maybe he wasn’t. He could be asleep and I wouldn’t have to hear him yell again.
My hand barely touched the handle before the door thrust open. I barely managed to dodge the force of the swing, but I was also not quick enough to dodge my father's rage.
“You stupid girl!” I flinched as he grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me into the house. I didn’t say a thing as he tossed me to the ground. “You almost had me coming to find you! You can never do anything right!”
“I-I…I…I brought you more c-coins…” I produced the sack and his face lit up as he snatched it from me. I looked back down at the ground as he paced. “The…the man was…energetic…”
“Good good…that means you are finally doing something right. Now I can use this to-“
I glanced up to see his face turning an angry bright red. I tried to run through what I could have done to make him upset, but I could think of nothing. Maybe there were not enough coins?
“Ungrateful!” I finally let out a sound as he roughly grabbed my hair again. “This is the only good thing your mother left you! And you can’t even properly take care of it!”
“F-Father I-“ I yelped as he pulled me to my feet and led me to a cracked mirror.
“Look at yourself!”
I blinked at my broken expression as tears stung the corners of my eyes. My hair was a mess, but his grip on it was making it worse. I loved my hair and I didn’t like it when it was in disarray, but it was the result of something he made me do. It was my greatest treasure and he was the cause of its current state.
“Father I-“
“Apologize to your mother!” He started to drag me down the hall, and the panic quickly swept in.
“N-No! P-Please! I-I-I will clean myself up! F-Forgive me! I…I will get more coins!”
The prospect of more money made him stop and he released my hair. Scratching his chin, he finally grinned and muttered to himself before walking back into the living room. I scrambled out of the hall and rushed into my room. My heart was thundering in my chest, and I sank to the floor trying to calm it down.
“M-Mother…” I tucked my knees up as I cried. Most of my night ended like this. Crying and praying that the next day would be better than the last, but it never did. It was just an unyielding cycle of pain and my father's harsh words. “This hurts so much…”
I soon let sleep take over me as I leaned against the door, but the thundering sound of boots soon woke me up. I bolted from the floor and over to my bed just as my father tore open the door.
“Get up now!”
“Y-Yes!” He threw the sack of coins at me and I flinched as they spilled over the floor. “F-Father?”
“This is not enough! You said you would get more coins! So go do it and be gone from my sight!”
“I-I thought that…m-maybe I could r-rest today? M-Make some more tomorrow?”
“You bitch!” His hand stung my cheek as I fell back against my bed. I couldn’t even register the pain of it before he climbed atop my body and wrapped a hand around my neck. “You will make my money now! If I tell you to do something, do it! If I want you to grovel you grovel! If I want you to fuck, you do it!”
“Y-Yes…f-father…” He released me with a grumble before he snapped his fingers at me.
“Kitchen now.”
I left quickly without a word, it would be best to just remain silent. I sat at our table as my father rummaged around with a grumble. I looked down at our tablecloth as he did, running my fingers over the intricate patterns my mother had woven into it. I loved to watch her knit, it was something I was never quite good at, but I was eager to get better at it. It was a soft blue that matched the color my father's eyes used to be, now they just looked like muddy pools of despair. I smiled at the bunnies that ran along the borders, I was adamant about adding them.
She had also made sure to add many many bright blooms of flowers since I often brought wildflowers back a lot. It was a time I longed for, but that was just my mind wishing for the impossible. I kept my gaze on the tablecloth as my father finally located the knife he was searching for. I barely even flinched anymore as he sliced down my arm, I just held my arm over the glass he produced. My father drank my blood with heavy gulps before he slammed the glass next to me. I cleaned it wordlessly, but his eyes on my back made me feel uncomfortable. My mother told me that I was something special, more than what other children my age had been. It was because of this that my blood would be sought after if people knew about this. My father took that knowledge and used it for his own personal benefit. My blood was his own personal drug and he always drank it at least once a week. The knife didn’t even feel like anything anymore. My blood seemed to make him stronger, and more alert, and he even seemed healthier after he drank from me. He refused to tell me what I truly was, but after he threw me out for a week just for asking, I just kept my mouth shut about it.
It was so addicting to him that I was often surprised that he didn’t try to sell it. I would prefer him taking my blood if it meant that I wasn’t soiled by the men of our village. I quickly left the kitchen without another glance. He wanted his money and it wouldn’t be good to make him wait any longer for it.
I released a breath into the cool air and glanced around me, but there was not much work I could do late at night. Going to another man’s bed so soon was not something I wanted to do so soon again. The men in our village made my skin crawl, and I hated the way most of them looked at me. I know what I did was the reason, but I would never do such a thing if I had a choice. The looks of the women were even worse. I pulled my shawl tighter over my shoulder as I made my way to the village. I made sure that I never slept with the husbands of any of them, but they still viewed me in disdain. I wished that I could clear their suspicions of me, but I didn’t have the heart for it.
Many began to blow out their candles and sleep for the night, but the brothel was lively and thriving still. It seemed that they never slept at all there. I had to find something to do or I would never be allowed back home. I just wanted to go back home and rest, but I couldn’t sneak into my home. I learned from that mistake once before and I would not make it again. Perhaps I could find some things to sell…
“Hey…”
I wish that I was better at talking and reacting to other people because the squeak that I unleashed was so embarrassing. I felt my face heat up as I looked at a man staring at me from his doorframe. I looked down at the ground as he sighed and cleared his throat. “Y-Yes?”
“Do you need help with something? You’ve been wandering around for a while…not really a good time to wander around.”
“N-N-No…I just…I…um…t-taking a walk…”
“A walk? You look like you’re searching for something more like it…”
“I…I-I am…”
“You gotta speak up a bit, sweetheart…”
“I-I’m looking f-for a j-job!”
“You can’t do that in the morning?”
“I…my father will not let me h-home…I…I h-have to bring home money…” I still didn’t look the man in the eyes, but his eyes were traveling all over my body. Perhaps he didn’t believe me? Or…maybe he wanted more from me. It made the most sense…it was what most men had always wanted from me.
“Here.” I blinked as he held out a bag of money to me. I slowly grasped it from him and I just had no idea why he gave it to me. “Go home and get some sleep.”
“I…but why did-”
“Go home and sleep. When you get up, come back here and you can make some money.” I stared at him and he sighed and waved his hand at me. “You need money right? Well…I need someone to help me around here.”
“I…t-thank you…” He grumbled before he shut the door and I smiled down at the money. This would make my father happy! I would be able to rest and not have to go to the brothels anymore! I thanked the man once more before I left back to my home, a wide smile spreading across my face.
Clearing my throat, I slowly opened and peeked into my home. It was usually quiet, but I suppose my father must have stepped out. Slowly walking through the hallway, I caught sight of my father asleep at the kitchen table. Releasing a breath, I walked in and placed a blanket over him. I wordlessly set about cleaning up the bottles of alcohol and tidying up the kitchen.
“Mmm…” I flinched hearing him groan in his sleep but relaxed when he didn’t wake up. Once I was finished, I placed a blanket over his shoulders and kissed his temple. I couldn’t help but watch him as he slept so peacefully. It was the only time that he looked like his old self. I missed when he was healthy and lively…
“I miss you, Papa…” He grumbled in his sleep once more and I backed away from him. I hated to hope anymore that he would get better. There was a time that I thought he was, but…
Glancing down the far corridor at the slightly ajar door told me that that chance was long gone. A heavy chill always seemed to emerge from that room, and it horrified me to my bones.
He would never get better and it was dumb to hope for something better. He would always be an abusive drunk and I would always be his cash cow.
That was our story and nothing would change that.
~~~
“Can you clean?”
“Y-Y-Yes!”
“Handle money?”
“Y-Y-Yes!”
“Customers?”
“O-Oh…um…I…”
“It’s fine…” I glanced up at my new boss and he rubbed his chin. I wish I could tell what he was thinking. He’d probably get rid of me because I couldn’t talk to people. My father was always right about these things…I could never be more than just a thing for men to play with. I should have never come-
“Alright let’s get started.”
“H-Huh? I-I thought…”
“That I wouldn’t hire you? Well…I need some help around this damn store…and you need money. I’d say that this is good for us both. Now, there isn’t really a uniform, just dress appropriately. I’ll pay you every week and I expect you here early in the morning.”
“Y-Yes!”
“No need to yell darlin…come on…” I scurried after him quickly as he ran over what I would need to do in the store. There was a lot for such a small store, but I think I could do most of it. “So…you got all that?”
“Y-Yes…I think so…”
“Alright good…let’s get started…” For the first time in a while, I felt good about doing something. I wasn’t pleasing filthy men, I wasn’t being hit by my father, I wasn’t being told how useless I was. I was doing something that didn’t make me hate myself. I smiled to myself as I moved more boxes and the owner greeted some customers. Some of them were eyeing me, and it did make me nervous, but I just went into the storage room.
“Hmm…knives…knives…” I would have to label these boxes to find things much faster so I could stock the store. I suppose the owner was just used to the mess around here. I guess this would be what they called organized chaos. The room was filled to the ceiling with weathered boxes and even more cobwebs. The smell of old books was heavy and I could smell a dead mouse somewhere in the room. Walking to a window, I let in a breeze to air it out.
“Ms. Regan!” I smiled as I leaned out the window at a group of children as they ran over to me. The children in the village had attached themselves to me, and I was glad to be surrounded by their innocence. It made the hard days more bearable. “You work for Mr. Hairy Man?”
“Oh I…y-yes I do…” I suppressed the giggle before it left my lips. I suppose my boss was a hairy older man. His tight shirt barely did much to hide his chest hair, and his arms were just as bushy. Thinking about it now, I was surprised not to see a beard on his face. I think it would have fit his image more. “You should call him by his proper name though…”
“That’s boring! He looks like a bear!”
“Hehe…I suppose that he does. I have to get back to work though.”
“Ms. Regan! Are you gonna play with us later?” I smiled at little Emily as her bright eyes sparkled in excitement. She was always eager for me to see her. She loved to practice her hairstyling skills on me. She reminded me of how I used to be with my mother, so I had a soft spot for her.
“No way Emily! I wanna watch Ms. Regan fight again!” The other boys chimed in agreement and I grimaced a bit. I didn’t want them to ever witness violence in their young lives. Children were innocent, and I wanted to preserve that. It was unfortunate that they happened to catch me fighting off some men who wanted to take my money. Although it was good that they didn’t see the start of it. Men could be heartless when a woman didn’t give them what they wanted.
“Now now…you must run along. There will be no fighting today. I have to work and I don’t want to get in trouble.” I glanced back into the room as I heard some shuffling. “We can play later.”
“Ok!” I giggled at their sweet chimes as they all ran off to play. Turning back, I went back to cleaning the room and moving more boxes. The insects that scurried about made my skin crawl, but it was much better than lying with men who reeked of alcohol and sex. I couldn’t stop the smile on my face from forming. This was finally the time for me to lead a better life. As long as I brought money home, my father could not be angry with me. Money was the most important thing in the world to him, and I would get it if it meant no more brothels.
I spent the rest of the morning just cleaning the back room and organizing it. I found a sheet to cover my mouth and nose, the last thing I wanted was something gross coating my nose and throat. My boss didn’t come to check on me as much, but it meant that I could concentrate on what I was doing. It also gave me time to think about some things. My father often spent his days either sleeping until the sun went down or gambling at an associate's home. The chances of seeing him were incredibly slim and I was glad for it.
The thought of leaving him behind crept into my mind once more, but I just pushed it back once more. I could never leave him in the state that he was in, it would be right and I was his only family. As his daughter, it was only right to take care of him, like any child should. If I was not here, he would drink himself to death and I just couldn’t let that happen to him. Making enough money was the only thing I could do right, despite the way that I did it. If he was away from this place, perhaps he could be happy again.
Maybe…maybe I could too…
“Hey…”
“EEP!” I jumped as my boss appeared behind me and I promptly dropped everything that I was holding. Trying to grab everything, I just made more of a mess as I tripped over more objects on the floor. A mass of dust managed to kick up and sent me into a coughing mess as I fell to the ground. My face burned as I looked up at my boss who only looked confused by my reaction. “Y-Yes sir?”
“I was just coming to tell you to take a break.”
“O-Oh..ok…” He left without another word and I bounced up quickly to clean up my mess. He was going to fire me if I didn’t learn how not to trip over my own feet. I rushed into the main room and he handed me a plate of food and we sat down by a window in silence. I had to wonder if he knew about me, most people in the village seemed to know much to my horror. “Um…t-thank you again for giving me this job…I really needed it…”
“Eh…I could see that you were struggling and everyone else in this damn village looked like they’d steal from me the moment they got the chance.”
“I…”
“Look…I won’t pry into your personal business and I won’t ask about it either. Anybody with eyes can see that you have some demons. You work and show up on time and I won’t complain.”
“A-Alright…I can do that.” I happily continued to eat and we had some small talk before the break was over and I continued with my work. He seemed pretty happy about how I organized and cleaned it. I was something of an expert at cleaning up messy spaces because my father just couldn’t be bothered to do it. I saw the children one more time before it was already time to head back home. Jared offered to walk me home, but I didn’t want to risk my father seeing him or him seeing that I was…well who I was.
My smile that I had managed to keep on my face disappeared as I walked home. The women of the village whispered amongst themselves as I walked home. Their hatred of me was warranted, but I really wish it wasn’t. I never wanted to hurt anyone and my father didn’t seem to even notice the looks he also received. The prospect of gambling and drinking was more enthralling I suppose.
Seeing my home get closer suddenly made me feel uneasy and I slowed down completely. Jared didn’t give a daily pay, but a weekly one. My father always wanted his money each day and without fail. Turning up empty handed would incur his wrath and I didn’t want to see it when I finally felt good about myself. The coins that Jerry had first given to me would not keep him happy for long. I would have to wait the week out until I received my payment. Glancing back at my home, I saw my father walk by a window and I instantly ran away.
I just couldn’t go home without his coins and I couldn’t stomach being at the brothel right now. I felt clean for once and not like a used cloth. I hated scrubbing my skin raw after every visit to that awful place. I would just have to rest somewhere else and hope that no one told my father where I went. I had to hold onto this bit of happiness that I managed to grasp before it all came crumbling down.
~~~
I could only wonder if he knew that I was gone.
It had been only three days since I had been working for Mr. Jerry but my father had not made a sound. The last time I didn’t return home from the brothel at a good time, he made sure the whole village knew about it. Yelling and kicking on doors and even throwing his fists about until I finally showed up. I hadn’t meant to not show up, but I was so tired from the night before that I fell asleep in the bed. I hated those beds, but sleep had just overtaken me.
I didn’t think my father would ever stop yelling and beating me.
“Regan…” I flinched as I looked away from this window as Mr. Jared raised his brows at me. “Sorry darlin…I was calling you but you seemed to be in your own world.”
“I-I’m sorry…I’ll continue cleaning right now.”
“Listen…if you need some time away…”
“No! No please I…I want to keep doing this…it…it makes me happy.”
“Cleaning an old store, stocking shelves, and occasionally welcoming customers makes you happy?”
“Y-Yes?” Is it a strange thing to like?
“Haha! You are a strange one miss…just keep up the good work and try not to space out so much eh?”
“Y-Yes sir!” I was content with this bit of happiness that I managed to acquire for myself. My short days of bliss meant peace and I could think about the future. Perhaps…perhaps I could convince my father that this was a better way to make money. It was something that I had been mulling about for the last few days. If he was drunk…maybe the conversation would be better. No…he would forget by the time he was sober and it would all be for nothing. I frowned as my mind thought about other ways to convince him, but I just decided to keep cleaning and go about my day.
As much as I didn’t want to…the children wanted me to teach them how to fight. I told them it was for self-defense, but the boys didn’t really listen. I suppose it was just a result of them wanting to fight and be tough. I smiled to myself because those children brought some joy into my life, despite the harshness of my father.
I perked up as the bell for the store rang and someone entered the store. Quickly putting my broom away, I brushed the dust from my clothes to greet the customer. I put on my best smile so I didn’t unnerve our customer. Mr. Jerry said that I had to smile more because I’d make the shop seem gloomy. He also said that it would be awful to see someone so pretty look so sad all the time. I didn’t want to be this way, but life hadn’t been kind enough for my smiles.
“Hello! Welcome to-”
“You stupid girl!” I yelped as my father rushed over to me and grabbed my hair. “How dare you run away from me! Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?!”
“I-I’m s-sorry! I…I just wanted…”
“You always want…want…want!” I tried to pull away from him, but his grip on my hair was too tight. “I give you everything…and you don’t show back up home?!”
“P-Please…”
“Hey!” I blinked through my tears to look as Mr. Jerry marched over to us and removed my hair from my fathers grasp. “You aren’t gonna be treating her like this in my damn store!”
“This is my daughter and I can do what I want with her!”
“Not here, you can’t!”
“Oh I see…” My father smirked as he looked between the two of us. “You’ve been fucking him to make my money.”
“N-No! I-I work here! I…I just clean and s-stock the shelves.”
“I never told you that you could get a fucking job!” I gasped in pain as he grabbed my arm and started to pull me toward the door. “Ungrateful child!”
“Hey! Let the girl go now!”
“N-No! M-Mr. Jerry…thank you for all you’ve done. I don’t think that I’ll be coming back to help anymore.”
“Wait-”
My father dragged me from the store with a final slam of the door. I kept my head down as he grumbled to himself in anger. I felt nothing but shame as I could feel people watching us and whispering about us. My father was gripping my wrist so tight…I was sure to have bruises in the morning. I gasped as my father threw me on the floor once we were inside. I barely could react as he gripped my throat.
“I have been looking for you for days!”
“I-I’m sorry-”
“NO!” I cried out as he grabbed my hair once more and dragged me down the hall. He was taking me down to that room. Please…anything but that room!
“F-Father please! I-I’m so sorry! I-I’ll never do this again!” I couldn’t go in there again! It was too much and it was too painful! Why couldn't he see how much it hurt me?!”
“You will act the way I want you to act, you stupid fucking girl!”
He kicked the door to the room open and I shut my eyes as tight as I could. If I couldn’t see anything then I would be alright. It wasn’t there looking right into my soul. My father cared little for me, shielding myself from the pain. I grimaced as he pushed my face into cold glass and the harder he pressed, the more I knew he wouldn’t stop.
“Open your fucking eyes and apologize…” His lips were at my ear and tears streamed from my face. “Tell her that you’re sorry.”
“I-I’m sorry! I’m so so sorry! Please father I-”
“Open your eyes and look at her! Don’t be disrespectful!” He gripped my hair tighter and slammed my head against the glass, and my eyes flew open from the pain. My lips quivered as I stared at the skeleton of my late mother. Being this close made the smell invade my nostrils even more, and I wanted to gag…but my father would hate that. I never wanted to see her like this again, but my stupidity led me right back here. Her skull still had faint traces of her hair on it and her jaw was hanging open eerily. I was only forced into this room when my father wanted to discipline me. “Now I had better not ever catch you working again!”
“Y-Yes father…” He kept a firm grip on my neck so I wouldn’t look away from her. If I refused or fought back, he would make sure I couldn’t eat. It wouldn’t be that bad since it was only for a few days. He had to keep meat on my bones or the men wouldn’t want to sleep with me. As long as he didn’t hit me again, I could stand not eating. I just never wanted to be in this room ever again.
He released me and I sniffled as he knelt beside me and placed his hand on the coffin. I didn’t know how he could look at her like this. It was horrifying, but suggesting to bury her was only met with yelling and hitting on me. He also made me take more than one man because the money I would make would make him forgive me.
“Leave. I need time alone with your mother…”
I wiped my tears and stood to leave when I heard the unmistakable sound of my father undoing his pants. I shut the door without another word as he went about his version of “remembering” her.
~~~
“Well…that was a very fun time.”
“...”
I wordlessly put my clothes back on as the man drank his wine and smoked from a pipe. My father forced me on one of the visiting nobles that often passed through town. This man was a duke who often cheated on his wife and my father wanted me to sleep with him for months. I was always…busy…with someone else or the other women were quicker. He liked to take several women into his room and I never liked doing this with other women around. Everyone already hated me, but the women in the brothels were even more ruthless. I was often told of my beauty and men preferred me more than them. I could never understand their jealousy over this because I never wanted this life in the first place.
“You should move closer to my mansion,” I shuddered as he played with my hair and licked my shoulder and neck. “You don’t have to live in this disgusting village…you keep working that tongue and you might have a prosperous future ahead…”
I shut my eyes tight as he kissed on my shoulders and held my breasts. I hated this. I hate this so much. I hated hearing them talk about what I did for them. I’m a filthy and disgusting person and sex makes me feel even worse. Tears fell from my face and he reached out to wipe them away and for a moment…I thought he might try to comfort me, but he just laid me back down and went right back to his pleasure. I learned not to cry, because some of the men liked it and their stamina seemed to be boundless. I knew this, but my day was already hard enough and I just couldn’t help it.
Once he was done…I took the money that he had left behind. I was honestly surprised to see how much he had left for me to take. Although, I suppose it made sense since he was a duke. I hoped that this was a good enough amount that my father wouldn’t make me come back for some time. My father had to be asleep this late at night and it would give me time to do something that I hadn’t been able to do for a few weeks. Traveling outside of the village, I breathed out a deep breath as the night brought a sudden chill.
“Kids? Are you here?”
A broken down bridge held several orphaned children that other people refused to take in. The children that I often saw in the village were lucky to see their parents and have food everyday. I wish that there was more that I could do for them, but I didn’t trust that my father wouldn’t do something to harm them to punish me. I tried to come here often and give them food and some money, but my father took up most of my time.
They quickly ran over to me and hugged my waist and my heart broke for them. Despite my circumstances…I still had a roof over my head and I ate regularly. Some of them were getting sick and I tried my best to get them medicine.
“M-Ms. Regan…where were you?”
“I…I was getting more money for you all…I’m sorry it took so long for me to come and check on all of you.”
“It’s cold…”
“I know sweetie…I’m hoping that this will be enough so that you all can sleep at an inn for a bit.” I produced the bag of coins from my dress and tucked it in the oldest boy’s pants. It was all I could afford to give them before I went back to my father with his share. Still, I spent the next few hours starting a fire and placing their blankets close to it. It was gonna get even colder and they would get colds quickly if their blankets were frigid. I wish that I would have thought to bring food from the brothel…although I didn’t trust anything there to eat or drink.
I left the children with comforting words and bedtime stories so they could rest easily. The older children would set off in the morning to find an inn and get some food in their stomachs.
I prayed that this would get better for not only them, but also for myself.
I sighed deeply as I began my walk home, but it was not the quiet walk that I was hoping it would be. These quiet nights were the only time I had moments to myself, but now it was being interrupted. Some men began to follow me as I made it back into the village gates. I had never seen them before and I hoped that they weren’t bandits. It was the last thing our quiet little village needed at the moment. Perhaps they were just looking for somewhere to rest for the night, but that was just wishful thinking.
Looking over my shoulder, I quickened my pace as more men seemed to appear behind me. I blew a hair from my face as they whispered and laughed. The crude remarks they made about me weren’t necessary and I knew exactly what they wanted from me. Walking faster, I made my way to the square before entering an alley between abandoned buildings. I didn’t want to wake anyone with what was about to happen.
It was just terrible that these men made the decision that they did.
“So…you finally decided to stop avoiding us. That’s a good choice dollface…”
“...”
“Aw come on…let me hear that pretty voice that I know you have…” I glanced over his shoulder at his two companions who snickered and blew kisses at me. Hearing a crunch, I sighed hearing some more men walking up behind me. I was glad that there were no children around because this wasn’t something they should see. I faced the men that had approached me from behind with another sigh.
“I would like to go home…could you move aside please?” The only response I received was a collection of snickers. The man in front of me ignored me to look at his other companions.
“Damn…I guess she isn’t charmed by us in the least.” He looked me up and down and I frowned at the action. “You’re really breaking our hearts, you know?”
“I would just like to go home and rest…”
“Come on…it’s time to stop playing-” The man behind me had reached his hand out but I caught it while I glared at the man in front of me. “What the hell?!”
“Do not touch me…please…” I turned and twisted his wrists and he yelled and sank to his knees as he tried to pull away from me. His wrists were starting to turn red and his friends tried to intervene, but I shoved him into them instead. “Just go away please…”
“Fucking bitch!” I let out a frustrated breath as one of the men tried to punch me and I stepped to the side and he crashed into his companion. He pushed off his friend to try and hit me once more, but I slapped his hand away. I moved further back as he unleashed a volley of strikes at me and one of the men behind me tried to punch me as well. Grabbing the fist of the man in front of me, I pivoted on my heel and landed a kick to the jaw of the other man. “Bitch-”
Striking him in the throat…I punched him in his face several times before slamming my elbow into his neck. As he began to choke, I backhanded him, and his blood splattered across the ground. The other three men all charged at me at once, but I kicked off the wall to roundhouse kick one, before grabbing another by his head and tossing him over me into the wall. The final man squared up to me and for the first time in a while, engaged with me in close quarter combat. He was good and he met my strikes with his own, but I didn’t want to be here forever. I gave him a quick kick to his knee, which made it snap horribly.
“Fuck-”
I kneed him in the jaw before he finished his phrase and slammed him to the ground before slamming my fist down into his nose, breaking it. I was going to continue but one of them grabbed my hair and it felt like he was going to take my head off. I grunted as the other two grabbed my arms and lifted me up. Kicking my legs, I hit one in the chin and threw my leg back to hit the man on my hair between the legs. Turning to the remaining man, I elbowed him before digging my nails into his eyes and slammed his head into the wall.
The man I kicked in the dick charged at me and tackled me to the ground. I clawed and kicked at him as he tried to rip my shirt off. I grunted as he slapped me across the face several times, but I caught his hand and slammed my head into his nose. I punched him hard in the jaw and he finally slumped to the ground. The last man held his hands up and ran off and I huffed and rubbed my sore cheeks and walked off.
I could admit that it was exhilarating to exert myself like that once more. I didn’t like to resort to violence if I didn’t have to, but I knew what those men wanted from me. I would not allow that to happen to me. My life was already terrible and I didn’t want to add more trauma onto my heart.
As I began to walk home…a paper pinned to a house caught my attention. Taking it into my hands, my heart sank as I read its contents over and over again.
Attention! People of Kaltara village!
`War is looming on your homes, and your lives are on the line! Men and young men of age will be questioned and drafted to the efforts. Considerable compensation and benefits will be awarded to these chosen men and their families! Your cooperation is mandatory and nonnegotiable. This campaign is for your future as well as the many! Recruitments will begin tomorrow at noon!
~The Eclipse Order
There was a war on the horizon? Why had we not been informed of this sooner? Who was the Eclipse Order? I had never heard of them, but this was a serious problem. My father could not be drafted for war, much less in his condition! I had to do something to keep him safe and out of harm's way. He was not fit for war or any else really. I crumpled the paper up as I went home. I had to keep him safe.
Chronicles of the Supernovas: Children of Darkness
Chapter 24: Decisive Brawl
Nim
There was still something that we needed to do.
The others were busy with moving Altair and getting the ship together and ready. Lady Serafina had drawn the Darkness away to give us our chance. The threat from that Atrocity was still too fresh though for Masami. Watching her now, she was fooling everyone else with her smiles and apologies, but the lies were deep in her eyes. She was ready to burst at the seams and her eyes held such bloodthirst that I was surprised that she could smile like that. The peaceful woman that we had all come to know was gone, or maybe she was never really there. I exhaled deeply glancing at Callum, because he seemed happy to have his wife back by his side. He was the one that was going to lose something if she kept it up, but the poor fool was too blind right now.
“Hey…time to go…” Nerissa walked over and looked at me curiously. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing important…” I looked down and made a fist, feeling my energy coming back to me quickly. I never thought that I would be powerless like that. These weapons were a deadly foe. “Have your powers come back quicker?”
“Yeah actually…I feel pretty good right now.” To show her meaning, she drew the water out of the various plants and formed daggers made of water. Turning towards a tree…she sliced it and several others cleanly in half. “See? Not my best work, but still good enough.”
“Hmm yes…” I flexed my fingers and smirked at the electricity that flowed over them. I had to be almost at sixty-five percent right now. That would be enough to get us the rest of the way home. “I only worry about this Morlo…”
“Yeah…you would think that he would have shown up by now…” She scratched her head as we walked over to the ship. “He sends us all of these lackeys to face, but the big man himself just doesn't show up.”
“If he’s smart, he’ll stay away as long as he can. After the stunt that he pulled, he should stay in hiding for the rest of his life.”
“Heh…I want to get my hands on him before you do big guy…”
“Trust me little one…you won’t want to see what I do to him.” I smirked down at her as the woman finished healing Altair. It seemed that his captors took some turns roughing him up. He seemed better than he was when we first found him, but that was probably because the woman was babying him so damn much.
“Hey cyclops! Hurry up, you old fart!” Nerissa snickered as a vein formed on my forehead and the child was lucky the woman was standing next to him and glaring at me. I picked up the pace as he chuckled behind her. “Surprised you could move that fast…”
“Listen you little fuc-” The smurf stepped into my view and I glared right back at her, but seeing the former hole in her clothes made me brush past her. She should have been more careful and not so damn reckless because of this kid. He was a walking red flag even more than Nerissa was at the time of her birth. There was always something about a star child that made the Darkness more jumpy than ever. Glanching at Nerissa, I could see why they wanted Altair so bad. Her untapped potential and power was staggering at times, and losing her was devastating to the Darkness. I could see the need to not want to fail again.
The other star children were safely hidden and protected by some of my best soldiers and Regan and Tove go on a rotation to guard them every few centuries. The Darkness was incredibly bitter about the whole thing, and I was quite smug about it. Although, being cocky about it was never in my mind for long, there was no telling what could happen when it concerned them.
“Get on the damn ship brat…” I frowned at him over the woman’s shoulder and he laughed and strutted in with her close behind him. The others soon followed and it was finally time to head back to the temple. The woman was eager to pick up the rest of the children, but we had to secure Altair first. She thankfully didn’t fight it, but she also gave me a nasty look too. I let her have it though, she wouldn’t get the nice version of myself for long…just…just until I was sure that she was fully recovered. Callum gave me a look so that definitely meant that I had to let it go.
“Hehe…” That giggle meant that Ka’seem was once again flirting with Masami’s sister. After everything that happened and what he saw Masami do. I was surprised that he thought it was a good idea to keep pursuing that. Speaking of regrets, he was facing them now as Masami stomped over and grabbed him by the back of his throat. He let out the most unmanly squeak from his mouth as she dragged him away. Her sister was a pretty little thing, so I could see why he would attempt such a thing.
Nerissa started up the ship and Celica made her rounds to check up on everyone and I took the chance to sit back on a chair and close my eye and rest. The journey back would be enough for me to get an adequate amount of sleep. The sounds of everyone's quiet chatter lulled me into an easy enough sleep. My mind did what it always did when it was at rest…think about her. I wondered if she was alright and healing after her fight. Or perhaps she was still fighting against them.
Perhaps I should take Lady Serafina’s advice and check on Kay. No…I was just being sentimental right now because of Cel-
“Ow…” I opened my eye when I felt someone stand over me. I glanced out to see that she had reached her hand out to touch my shoulder. The grip I had on her wrist was turning it red. She didn’t seem fazed by it though.
“Mmm…sorry…” I released her and she sighed before placing her hand on her hip. She looked well enough…the color was back on her face, and her eyes sparkled with intrigue. She had found some fresh clothes to wear, but I could still see the bandages that wrapped across her waist peeking under the small shirt. It is always painfully ironic that a goddess of health could heal so slowly. It was leagues better than most and was still fast, but serious injuries took her at most a week or two.
Not that she ever got this hurt often.
“I just want to make sure that any injuries you have are healing properly.”
“My powers have been coming back quick enough.” I leaned back further in the chair to stare out the window. “You don’t need to waste your healing abilities on me.”
“....” She sighed and I closed my eye again, figuring that she had walked away. “I’m alright…”
I released a breath through my nose at her tone. So small…so quiet…vulnerable. I opened my eye once more to see her standing over me with a frown. “Listen…you need to rest…stop worrying about everyone else and-”
“I’m fine-”
“You almost died Celica!” I hissed through my teeth at her, quiet enough that I didn’t disturb everyone else, but just enough frustration for her to know I was pissed off about it. She looked surprised at my tone as I sat up and rubbed a hand down my face. She had to be the most infuriating woman I had ever met! I’ve been around a long time and she was still the worst person to be around.
“Nim…I had to keep him safe and I did that…I won’t apologize for that…”
“You’re a selfish one, you know that?” My fist tightened on the arm of the chair. Her care for children was commendable, but she made such a foolish mistake that almost cost her her life, and she felt nothing for it. “Have you thought about how everyone else would have felt with you being gone?! How would the rest of us would deal with that? Hell…do you think that is a conversation I want to have with your father?”
“I can’t help that I want to keep him safe! It’s my job! He is just a little boy who has his whole life ahead of him! I will not let the Darkness take his childhood away from him when he has already lost so much of his innocence! You can’t be mad at me! Not for this!”
“Goddamn it woman! You-”
She huffed out a breath before she grabbed my hand and squeezed it…tight. Tight enough that I could feel that her strength was definitely back, but not enough to break it. She didn’t stop there before she placed my hand against her chest. I furrowed my brow at the action and was about to move it, but she held firm.
“You feel that right?” I was gonna ask what she meant, but the steady beating of her heart silenced me. “I’m alive and I’m not going anywhere. I know that everyone was worried and I’m not displacing any feelings here. If my time comes…then I would hope that I’ve done that fighting and saving someone, especially a child.”
She placed her hand on my shoulder and her eyes held my gaze hard with determination and strength radiating through her. “I’m sorry.”
“...fine…” She released me and I crossed my arms as I leaned back in the chair once more. “Just don’t let it happen again…bitch…”
“Yes of course stupid mutt.” She smiled at me before walking back to the others. The rest that I got was much needed and I only hoped that we were closer to finishing this mission so I could relax and get a damn drink, but we weren’t out of the woods yet, because the next thing I knew…I was thrown from my seat as the ship started spiraling through space. Once it began to right itself, I rushed to the front as everyone looked at a ship that was approaching us quickly.
“What the hell is going on now?!”
“I think something is coming at us!”
“Kid! Get further back in the ship!”
“Why?! I want to know what’s going on!”
“You fucking brat-”
Crack!
“Get him off the glass!” Ka’seem yelled from the pilot seat and I took notice of a man outside the window. The glass was already cracked from his earlier strike, and he raised his fist to strike it again, but I moved to intercept him. I didn’t make it far as he jumped away from the glass and the ship that fired at us decided to become a battering ram. Ka’seem tried to turn the ship as best as he could, but it still slammed into us hard. It took me off my feet as I slammed into a wall. The side of the ship burst into flames and the force from space went quickly to work trying to drag us out. The woman had a grip on the child and Masami and her sister were holding onto other frames in the ship. The man from earlier burst from the flames right at Altair. A weapon raised and ready to kill him, but I charged at him with an angered cry.
I caught the blade in my bare hands before I punched him in the jaw. He didn’t even flinch before he headbutted me. It surprised me that I reeled from it, but I suppose my abilities still weren’t fully restored. It would not matter because I would break this fool with only my bare minimum regardless. I gave him an even stronger headbutt before we spiraled through the air. I managed to get the weapon out of his hands before I slammed my fist into his face again. He retaliated in kind with his own flurry of blows. He gripped my shirt as we went through the air, and he planted his feet against a pillar before he pushed off, sending us flying across the ship and through a wall.
“Nim!” Callum charged into the room and knocked the man off me before we all finally fell to the floor. I glanced at the other room for a quick second and saw that the woman managed to freeze the wall up, but the ship was still plummeting. Callum and the man wrestled each other for a bit before Callum kicked him across the room, remnants of his strength becoming clearer. The shaking of the ship was starting to make me sick to my stomach.
“Ka’seem! Get the ship steady!”
“I’m fucking trying up here!”
The man roared like a beast as he fought Callum before I joined his side to combat the man as well. His rage washed over us like a plague as the force of his strikes became stronger and stronger. The only reason that this would be is if the Darkness gave him some of its power. I caught his fist before it collided with my face just as the kid shouted over all the chaos.
“That’s him! That’s Morlo!”
This was him?! I had to admit that I expected much more from this man and Callum shared a look with me. The room took on a sinister chill as the woman burst into the room and slammed Morlo onto the ground. He instantly coughed up blood before she slammed her heel into his nose, sending him through the floor. She blew out a chilled breath before she charged after him with a shrill cry. Callum and I were quick to follow her.
“You son of a bitch!” She delivered a swift punch to his ribs, but he stood strong despite staggering back. “He’s just a child! All of them are!”
“Children are easily exploitable! That brat is no different bitch!” Withdrawing a gun, he shot at the woman but I jumped in front of her and cut the bullets with my sword. “I will not fail my mission again!”
“I will rip you apart for what you have done!” I held her back as she clawed at him. “Nim move!”
“We have to at least bring him back alive. Lady Serafina will want to question him…we need any information that he might have.”
“Fuck that!”
“I agree with Nim Celica…we have to take him back-” I flinched back as the man shot at us and we ducked behind various objects. I hated feeling defenseless like some mortal. My abilities needed to come back in full soon. I was ready to take him back, but if he kept this up I actually would kill him instead. The ship suddenly grinded to a halt, but the sudden force made us launch into the air. That bastard took the opportunity to launch himself at the smurf. She turned just as he grabbed her by the throat.
I flung myself over as the zero gravity activated and punched him once more in the jaw. The woman kneed him in the stomach before Callum came over and slammed his elbow into his nose. He roared and took a hidden blade from his leg and stabbed Callum in the shoulder. Spinning through the air, the four of us finally settled on the ceiling, and we were once again in a brutal fight.
This mortal would have never stood a chance if the three of us had our full abilities. I could feel my electricity slowly breaking through, but I could not risk it on this ship. The old fashioned way was perfectly fine with me. Morlo struck out at me, but I threw his arm down and two tapped him in the face before Callum followed up with his own punches. Morlo took a few but so did we as he proved to be a competent fighter despite our strange area of combat. The woman advanced on him too with her own blows and kicks. Her abilities seemed to be coming back as she wielded an ice dagger in her hands. I gave her a quick look before she tossed a pair to myself and Callum, and I blocked a strike to my face from Morlo.
“The Light will taste defeat at the hands of my master! First however, I will break her spirit with the deaths of her precious Supernovas!”
The man was a crazed lunatic as his strikes became more and more powerful by the second. His eyes were wide and crazed and saliva was spewing from his mouth. There was something in his eyes as Callum and the woman both charged at him. There was more than a growing sense of hatred, his pupils seemed to be changing. It would not be strange if he was changing in more ways than one. The Darkness seemed to be keen on making new creations. I would have to handle this quick if my suspicions were right.
The zero gravity suddenly stopped and the four of us plummeted to the floor, but on the way down the three of us attacked Morlo as one. It was amazing how we could always be in sync when the chips were down. Callum struck towards his stomach, while the woman aimed for his heart and I went for his head. Morlo pivoted in the air and twisted just as Callum almost made contact with him. The quick turn almost made him collide his blade with smurfette, but she was quick to react and caught the blade and slammed it into his chest. I growled as he managed to dodge my swing to his head, but I continued my momentum and slashed his throat.
He choked out some blood as we slammed through the ground and that is when he finally awakened. I didn’t react fast enough as a black mass consumed my face. I heard the others struggle next to me as we continued to crash through the ship. I was sure that I heard the others yell out for us before a harsh chill consumed my body and I realized that we were out in space now. My arms felt heavy and my sight came back and I saw the creature that Morlo became.
The man was long gone and there was nothing but an amalgamation of various parts of different creatures mixed into the man. Most of the mass was a dark ball of liquid that was slimy to the touch and frankly I didn’t like that I could taste some it either as it wiggled across my face. Morlo or what was left of him was in the center of it. Only his head was visible, but his eyes had sunken deep into his skull and a shrill scream emerged from his mouth every few seconds. The thing that worried me the most was the fact that the mass seemed to be heading back to the ship and I could barely move. Glancing to my left, I could see Callum struggling to break me from its grasp. The woman was completely covered but she was fighting back against it.
“Hey fucker!” I looked up as Nerissa was falling towards us with her ax raised over her head. Ka’seem was close behind her as they both collided with the mass, sending us further into space. Nerissa managed to sever Callum away from the beast and Ka’seem managed to dig me out. I spit out some of its disgusting gunk before moving towards the woman, but she didn’t need any help as the mass that had her started to freeze over.
I flinched back as she shatter the mass around her and shards of ice flew out around us. Her face was red with anger as she willed her spear to her side. It was at this moment that I felt the familiar feeling of electricity coursing over me. Morlo’s face disappeared into the mass and that told me all I needed to know about finishing him off.
Nerissa charged at the beast once more and we were all quick to follow her. The blue one managed to freeze its limbs as they swung at us with sharpened blades. Conjuring up some lightning, I managed to make a sword from it before I charged for the center of the mass. Morlo didn’t make it easy as one of the tendrils snaked out and caught me in the ribs. I coughed out a bit of blood as a chunk of my flesh stung from the wound. Such a wound would not bother me now or ever. I ducked and dodged as he shot out more tentacles at me, but Nerissa and Ka’seem came to my side and cut them away.
The mass that was Morlo began to vomit out smaller masses that soon attacked us. Smurfette sprang into action alongside Callum and I, and the three of us made quick work of them. Although we seemed to be having the upper hand, Morlo seemed to grow larger and larger. His attacks became more targeted as well. Although our abilities were coming back at a good pace, we still needed to be cautious about the whole thing, but I wanted to finish this bastard because he had caused far too much pain. I stole a glance at the woman as she fought off the smaller enemies that were surrounding us.
I hated feeling that this lesser being, this disgusting mortal had almost taken her away. She might piss me off, but that didn’t mean that some low life and his gaggle of imbeciles could finish her off. I roared as my sword blazed with raw power. Callum blasted the creature with his pure light and he recoiled in pain and agony and his core revealed itself. The woman floated above the mass and blasted it with her ice and his face twisted in pain as the entire thing began to freeze. I was so close to finishing this, but he was an annoying bastard. With a piercing roar, I was thrown back from him as my ears bled and my head began to spin. The others also flinched away from it, but Nerissa and Ka’seem recovered quickly. Nerissa gathered water into the air above her head before she formed a water snare for the creature, but he broke one of his tendrils free and pierced her through her chest.
“NIM! HURRY THE FUCK UP!”
It was easier said than done since I hated to fly and my ears were ringing, but feeling something around my waist, I looked down to see a vine. Ka’seem was almost as strong as me, so when he nodded at me and swung me towards Morlo. I knew that I had the force to knock this fucker into the next few galaxies. The others parted the way for me as Ka’seem slammed me into the mass. Callum’s light had still managed to weaken it, and it was still immobile from the ice and water from the girls.
“N-No! I-I…the…the LIGHT!!!”
“You aren’t worthy to speak her name!” I cut through all of his disgusting body as my lightning consumed and broke him apart. The blade striking the top of his head, before I split him down the middle. Lightning crackled and sparks flew as we both roared, one of pain and one of determination and victory. His body cracked apart and exploded when I managed to cut all the way through him. We all were thrown away from him and I grunted as I managed to slam into the ship. My head was spinning as I looked over at the former mass.
The others gathered around him and I held my head as I did as well. The only thing left of him was his split head, but the bastard still found the strength to talk.
“My…my master will…avenge me…destroy the…Light…” A broken chuckle escaped him as he began to disintegrate. “This is not…my end…you bast-”
“The Darkness has no need for weakness.” I rolled my neck as I looked down at his pathetic attempts to warn us. “They made you a monster because you were no longer needed. A brainless and weak creature that in the end still couldn’t finish the job.”
“F-Fuck you all!”
“No Morlo…you don’t get to have the last word for what you have done.” The woman moved up as her eyes glowed dangerously. Reaching a hand out, she grasped his skull and slammed it together once more. “Hell will not be your final resting place…no…I have something in mind for men like you…something far far worse than Hell…”
He yelled out more curses before the woman crushed his head into delicate shards of ice. With a final sigh, we watched as his pieces scattered away before returning to the ship, and at last we returned back to Lady Serafina’s temple to finally complete our mission.
~~~
“You’re making this such a big deal…”
“I won’t have the brat in her home looking like…this…”
“Hey!”
“Shut up and move it…little shit…” Altair grumbled as I shoved him along through the halls of the temple. The trip back to the temple was mostly spent sleeping and feeling our energy come back, and thankfully nothing else. Now, we just had to make a final introduction.
Opening the doors of her throne room, I inhaled deeply as I saw her looking up at the moon. She was covered in some bandages, but she looked fine from here…she always did honestly. Hearing the doors open, she turned to dazzle us with her smile. Altair even paused when she laid her eyes on him, but I just pushed him further in while the woman glared at me.
“Altair…”
“You…you were the other voice that I heard…”
“Yes…I’m sorry if I was confusing you…” She crossed the room with slow steps and I frowned at that. She really needed to be resting and not worried about the brat, but I suppose that would be asking too much. “I just want to stress the point to you that you are safe.”
“I…I know…I feel…safe…”
“Good…” She smiled once more before she kneeled to his height and held her hand out to him. He hesitated for only a second before he took it. His face was a bright crimson as she brushed his hair back and held his cheek. “I will make sure that you never have to be scared and worried ever again. You deserve to live a life of peace and security, and I would like to give you that…for you and your grandfather.”
“W-What?! He’s alive?!” I glanced to the right of the room as a man walked into the room. He was quite young to be a grandfather. The pair ran at each other and embraced and I couldn’t help but smile at their joyous reunion. I guess the little brat did deserve a win after everything that he had been through, we all did honestly.
“I trust that you all will get some rest?”
“I think we should be saying that to you instead, my lady.” I frowned at her before she laughed and patted my shoulder. “Seriously…”
“Oh my wolf…you worry far too much…all of you do…”
“With good reason, my lady.” Callum stepped up beside me before he looked over at Masami and her sister. “There is a lot that we have to discuss once we rest, my lady.”
“Yes I know Callum, but I want to thank all of you for protecting another one of my precious star children. You all fought valiantly and for that you have my eternal gratitude. Rest my Supernovas you have earned it. Until we meet again…”
I sighed as everyone began to break away and head home. I’d give Nerissa and Ka’seem a day before I show up to their temples and kick their asses. I needed to rest, but I didn’t want to leave her side yet. The woman smirked at me and I couldn’t help but send her one myself. I could admit that I was worried that we had almost lost her. It only meant that we still needed to train and grow ever stronger to make sure something like that didn’t happen again.
This particular mission was over for now, but the Darkness always had more things up their sleeve. I knew that this was only the beginning and things were changing at a rapid pace. We would have to be more ready than ever, because now having the time to rest and think. Something in the air was making my hair stand on end. Something was happening and the feeling in the pit of my stomach was one that I hadn’t felt in…well it had been some time. I glanced at Lady Serafina to see if she felt what I felt, and the worry on her face confirmed it as she led Altair and his grandfather away. Ka’seem barely was out of the temple but his face changed as he stopped talking to Nerissa. I hadn’t seen him this pale in years, but the speed in which he left the temple and the raw energy that I felt suddenly shook my core.
I ran outside the temple as I felt a familiar surge of power. Lady Serafina appeared at my side as we looked into the vastness of space. The battle…no…the war was far from over. Something had awaken and been unleashed into the cosmos again, something that should have stayed buried. This fight with the Darkness would now only get harder, fiercer, and more deadlier from this point on.
Chronicles of the Supernovas: Children of Darkness
Chapter 23: Crimson Butterfly
Callum
There was something else coming towards us? This was not the time for us to have anymore problems to deal with. If I could just manage to get the weapons from these creatures, mercenaries? Whatever they were. I felt weaker than ever and it must have a mix of blood loss and the chains draining more and more of my divinity away. We just didn’t have the means to something else coming towards us and causing problems.
“Mmm…” I turned at hearing Celica whimper before she fell onto the ground again, her breaths coming in quicker and quicker. Her eyes were darting around rapidly, this was it she was fading fast now.
“Aww look at the little blue goddess…” Nim growled as the large man stomped over to us and knelt down to look at Celica. He grabbed her by the hair until she was looking him in the eye. “You look like you’re dying sweetheart~”
“Let her go!”
“Get the fuck off of her!”
“Not much that you bastards can do to stop me now is there?” He chuckled more as we yelled and cursed at him. I swear I saw red as he traced his fingers slowly across her body. “This one has a nice body…I wonder if-”
“Put her down.” The man grumbled as he dropped Celica unceremoniously before placing his large boot on her head. Uris walked out of the brush as she narrowed her eyes at him. “We have the child secured…one of the Atrocities will come to pick them up.”
“Why do those bastards get to have all the fun?”
“They have more authority than either of us, that's why. Now just stay put and don’t mess this up.” She glanced at the sky with a grimace. “I want to be far from this planet already…”
“Such a coward…”
“You haven’t seen her anger…” Before the man could get a final word, she disappeared in the direction they took Altair.
“Get your disgusting feet off her head!” Nerissa was struggling in her chains with her teeth bared. The man just chuckled as he removed his foot and went towards her. “Do something to me instead you piece of shit!”
“Heh…I like some fire in my women…” Licking his lips, he kicked Nerissa so hard that I heard something crack, which was not a good sign. Her divinity must practically be gone, a kick like that wouldn’t have broken something otherwise.
“Hey! Get the fuck away from her!” Ka’seem looked ready to bite the man’s head off and Nim was seething in anger while also looking confused.
“Nim…what is it?” I glanced between him, Celica and Nerissa. The situation was continuing to get worse and worse. “Is it whatever you heard approaching?”
“Yes…its getting faster and…wait-”
Whatever Nim had been hearing was now in ear range for me, it was moving towards us so fast that a dirt cloud began to kick up. It was upon us before I could even blink through the dirt to see it. In an instant the cloud of dirt cleared away, and everything grew silent as it did. There was nothing here, whatever it was didn’t appear to us. A shadow crossed over us and looking up into the sky, my heart stopped at the sight before me. My jaw went slack at the magnificent sight before me.
High in the sky, with the full moon at her back and illuminating her…was Masami. Her appearance itself also stunned me into silence. An all black outfit with butterfly motifs decorated her, with a large bright red bow tied behind her back, but it was her true form that captivated me. Nine large kitsune tails unfurled behind her, each one had a wisp of fire on its tips. Her golden eyes narrowed before she plummeted down to the ground with a yell. The force knocked us as well as our enemies back, a great ring of fire erupting from it. Standing up, she flicked the embers from her tails before she started to circle the large man.
“Oh? A little lady like you shouldn’t be here~” The man chuckled and taunted her, but Masami held no emotions on her face as they circled each other. I had never seen such a look on her face, calculating…fierce…powerful. “I guess you think you’ll beat me huh?!”
“...”
The man growled and roared in anger at the silence that she was giving him. It was then that fear coursed through my body. Masami could not face this man, she wasn’t a fighter! He would kill her! He completely towered over her in every way. He was at least twelve feet tall and made Nim’s physique look like he was an action figure. He would crush my wife…he would kill her. “Masami! Get out of here!”
“Bitch!” The man swung his gauntlet towards her face and I felt faint at being so damn useless, but it seemed my wife had more surprises up her sleeve. Her eyes narrowed once more and flexing her hands, two fans appeared and she counted his blow, the ground cracking under feet, but she didn’t move an inch nor did her knees buckle. The others gasped in surprise at my side as she and the man collided over and over again. The sounds of his gauntlets reverberated off the metal of her fans as they clashed over and over again. She never broke her eye contact with him and she held her ground beautifully.
He attempted to change his strategy, but Masami ran up his body and kneed him hard in the face before grabbing his hair and dragged him down to the ground, his head bouncing off it with a sickening thud. Her tails whipped behind her aggressively as she backed up to put herself between us. The man charged at her and so did the other creatures he had hidden away in the woods. Masami never missed a beat as she met the man head on and with a swift kick to his jaw, she sent him crashing far into the woods. Landing on her feet, she took a breath and thrust her arms out and another massive ring of fire surrounded us before it pushed out and consumed the creatures rushing at us.
With a sigh, for the first time in days…I made eye contact with Masami. It was far too brief as she broke the contact immediately to look over at everyone else. The moment was cut even shorter as a large blade flew at us from the forest, but Masami caught it in the folds of her fan without breaking eye contact with us. She sighed again as her golden eyes flickered with an anger that I had never seen before. The man charged at us once more and the closer he came, the more agitated Masami seemed to get. I suppose he thought he would get the upper hand, but I couldn’t believe that anymore. How strong was my wife?! Throwing a fist at her head, I blinked and suddenly Masami was standing behind him, only she was holding his head in her hand. With a toss, she kicked it across the field before she unleashed another ring of fire around the clearing. The remaining creatures scurried away just as the man’s body dropped.
“What the fuck?!” Nerissa’s shout shook me from the haze of what I just witnessed. She…it was like she was a different person. The Masami I had come to know was not a fighter nor did she care for violence. Who was this woman that was standing before me?
“That was…I didn’t know that you had that in you Masami!” Ka’seem and Nerissa were singing her their praises and the blush that crossed her face made my heart melt. Her tails curled around her body and ears flattened against her head, and she just looked so precious. “Wait…you’re a damn fox?!”
“Oh…yeah…heh…sorry about that…I can explain later.” She moved over to Celica and took a vial from the pouch on her leg. Helping her drink it, she sighed in relief as Celica coughed and groaned. “My mother made it so it should heal you right up…”
“Heh…I…she kept…h-her word…”
“Hmm?” Celica just shook her head before Masami laid her on the ground. I wished that she would at least look at me. I deserved that at least but just gazing upon her made my tongue twist into a knot. “I’m going to get you all out of here, but I also have to find Altair because your strength won’t be up quickly enough.”
“You know where he is?” Nim questioned as he kept observing the woods around us. “I figured that they would have left by now.”
“No, I can get to them in about five minutes…I’m pretty fast~” Her wink almost made my heart burst from my chest. “Come on…everybody stand up…I’ll have to find the key for your chains from that goddess, but we are open targets out here. Also…it’s rude to eavesdrop on someone…you should do what you came here to do…”
I raised a brow as Masami looked over at the trees with a growl. Two figures emerged with twin grins on their faces. One was brandishing a sword while the other held some sort of gun. “Now…we just didn’t want to interrupt…that would be rude~”
“And eavesdropping isn’t?” Masami once again kept her head as she walked around us to block us from their view. I did not like the danger she kept putting herself into, but we would be useless to her right now. I stood as best I could with the others and Masami quickly put Celica on Nim’s back before she turned to growl at our attackers.
“You would be right…let’s cut to the chase!”
Once again, I was greeted with the sight of my wife fighting to protect me and my friends with frightening ferocity. The two men were struggling to even match her speed as the strikes from her fans kept them at a distance. It wasn’t until I looked close that I saw blades were sticking out of them. She barely paid the man with a gun any mind as she deflected his bullets with her left fan and slashed the man with the sword’s stomach. Kicking him in the chest, she rushed the man with the gun. Dodging and weaving them, with a quick slice, she cut open his throat, and blocked the spray of his blood with her fan before she turned and flicked it into the eyes of the other man.
“GET UP!” I leaned against Ka’seem as we quickly sharpened to attention at her screaming at us. We weren’t the fastest in the world, but we moved well enough. My curiosity and worry got the best of me as I glanced back at Masami. Unfurling her fans, fire erupted around her and formed butterflies made of fire. Almost like a dance, she twirled her fans in perfect symmetry as more and more butterflies formed around her before they rushed at the man, encasing him in a beautiful display of fire and butterflies.
Rushing into the trees, it was hard to keep moving so fast with my leg and my stamina was just not here for some reason. Leaves falling made me look up as Masami followed us by leaping from branch to branch. The man was no longer a problem I suppose as she kept pushing us further.
“Just keep going everyone I-”
We came to a grinding halt as the man appeared from nowhere and tackled Masami off the branch she was on. I winced as they crashed to the ground and he punched and kicked at my beloved wife, who wasn’t fazed by a punch to her face. She didn’t miss a beat as she grabbed the back of his neck and slammed him into the ground. Her opponent sliced across her stomach with a hidden blade before he rushed at us. Nim stepped forward to block us from the attack, but Masami leapt on the man’s shoulder and tightened her legs under his arms, and took out her own hidden blade and slammed it into his neck over and over again. The man choked on his blood before she jumped off him, but not before slamming the blade into his larynx and dragging it down, opening it up and exposing part of his throat to us.
Masami huffed in annoyance before she kicked his body away without a care in the world. She was just so…different…
“I know it’s hard…but let’s keep going so we can get Altair and away from this planet.” I glanced at Celica as she huffed next to me. Her color was coming back to her skin and the light in her eyes was back already. What in the world was that mixture that Masami gave to her? I had to speak to her and get my marriage back together, but she just wouldn’t speak to me or look in my direction.
“Masami-”
“We have to keep up so we don’t lose them. I can’t leave you all behind so…stay close.” She was doing everything in her power not to acknowledge me and it was starting to bother me now.
“Masami…there are a lot of allies of the Darkness here…can you…handle this until we get these chains off? Not to mention…there are a few gods running around here too…” Nerissa’s questions mirrored my own thoughts and also my fears. Clearly she could fight, but having to tackle a god was out of the question and I would never allow-
“Oh you don’t need to worry about that…” Looking over her shoulder, a smile crossed her face as she twirled her fan between her fingers. “I have had a lot of experience with gods…”
What did that mean?!
“Be that as it may…you can’t keep this fighting up Masami. Clearly you can fight, but this is out of your league.” Nim glared daggers into her back and she stopped walking and sighed deeply.
“Listen to me…” Looking over each of us, her eyes narrowed and the glow from them felt…sinister. “Don’t ever doubt my fighting skills and how long I can tangle with anyone or anything. I’m not just a simple housewife as you can see. I have done things that would even make all of you shudder. Now keep walking.”
My brow furrowed deeply as she stunned us into a heavy silence. What kinds of things has she done in her past? Who was she?
“Wait!”
We grinded to a halt as Nerissa’s outburst almost made my heart sink that something else might have happened. Nerissa was wearing a look of astonishment on her face, but also one of realization.
“Nerissa…you can’t be yelling like that…what is it?”
“Sorry its just…you’re the Crimson Butterfly aren’t you?”
“....” Masami blinked at her question almost like she was surprised that it was even brought up. “Yes I am.”
“I fucking knew it! The butterflies gave it away and then the fighting style with the fans and brutality!”
“The Crimson Butterfly?” What was that title about? Nim practically exploded as he pushed past Nerissa and Ka’seem.
“That was you?!”
“Um…yes? Again?”
“Then that was you that dealt with that god in my sector two years ago?! I had been tracking him for weeks, Masami!”
“Hmmm…oh! Yes well…I was assigned to do it since he was getting erratic. Lady Serafina wanted you to focus on other things, remember? I just saved you time and resources.”
“I was going to go back for him because he personally pissed me off!” Nim sighed and stormed off. “This is unbelievable!”
“Yes…I remember that I got many Gods asking me to do something about this elusive person that was taking matters into their own hands…against many laws too. I remember there was not much that I could do, but I was going to look into it…” Celica chimed in as Masami just chuckled uncomfortably.
“I had so much paperwork to get through from other Gods complaining about you for months. I thought this elusive person was quite cool to be dodging my pantheon and me so well.” Nerissa and Masami shared a smile, but I could not. Lady Serafina had her dealing with Gods on the side? How much longer had it been going on? How much did I really know about my wife? My heart continued to sink and when she caught my glance, I was the one to turn away first. There would need to be a serious conversation with lady Serafina after all was said and done.
The forest seemed to get deeper as we trekked through it. Masami was once again above us in the trees, watching over us and for enemies. How did she even get to this planet? I suppose Lady Serafina had something to do with it. She was placing my wife in too much danger!
“Stop.”
Masami jumped from her branch to stand protectively in front of us as her ears flicked back and forth. Taking her fans out, she crouched and I could faintly hear something running towards us. Whoever this was sure didn’t care about us hearing them as they stepped on leaves and branches in their rush to attack us. Gripping her fans tight as the figure sped towards us, Masami swung her fans at where the person’s head should have been, but they ducked under it just in time.
“EEP!” The person…woman didn’t catch her balance in time and tripped over a rock and crashed right into Ka’seem. Once the dust settled, we were greeted with a kitsune with dark blue hair and tails with a sword strapped to her hip. Ka’seem seemed heavily annoyed as he grumbled, but soon stopped as he took in the woman straddling him.
“I-I-I’m so sorry!” Her gentle voice was quite soothing to hear, and judging by the look on Ka’seem’s face he didn’t seem to mind anymore that he was taken down by her. He groaned as she grabbed his face and lifted him until they were face to face. “A-Are you alright?! I didn’t hurt you did I?! Oh! Y-Your head is bleeding!”
“Chiharu? What are you doing here?!” Looking away from Ka’seem, the kitsune—Chiharu blinked at her with the same golden eyes as Masami. Sisters perhaps? So besides a mother, she also had a sister that she kept from me. This was starting to become too much.
“O-Oh well…I just thought that-”
“Chiharu.”
“Hmm?” Pointing her finger down at Ka’seem, Chiharu looked down at him as her sister pointed out a finger. Her face turned several shades of red before she jumped off him finally. “I-I-I’m sorry! That was so…I…I did not mean…”
“Hey it's cool…wasn’t the worst thing to ever happen to me.” He flashed his famous smile at her which made her giggle, but hearing a growl from Masami he cleared his throat and looked away from her.
“Chiharu…”
“Oh! I…I thought that you needed help and I didn’t want you to be alone with this…” She turned to Masami but looked down at the ground nervously. “I…I asked Lady Serafina to send me here too. I…overheard your conversation with her and mother…”
“Ugh…my love…” Masami strode over and tilted her chin up before she rubbed her cheek against hers. “This is a very dangerous place. I…I can’t have anything happen to you and I have to protect all of them. I can’t worry about you too.”
“I’ll be fine! Besides…you trained me…so what better teacher could I ask for? I also saw the child and some of the enemies you were facing not too far from here.”
“Really?! Well…we might wrap this up sooner rather than later.”
“There is also an Atrocity supposedly coming….you have to get us out of here quickly.” Masami finally looked at me once more, before she sighed.
“I will handle it.”
“Masami-”
“I will handle it!” She cleared her throat, clearly not meaning to snap at me before she turned away. “Let’s just move on, everyone.”
I could feel a vein in my head about to burst at this point as we moved on. I was ready to get into an argument with her at this point if it wasn’t for Chiharu popping up next to me.
“Hello…”
“Ah hello…Chiharu, correct? I am saying that right?”
“Mmhmm…it’s nice to finally and formally meet you brother. I wish the circumstances were better though…”
“Yes…well…I hope that we can continue to get to know each other.” I smiled as her tails shook excitedly, so precious.
“I look forward to it! You also don’t have to worry about my sister! She is the best fighter in our family, even better than our brothers and parents! She once fought for three days straight and without rest! She even fought mythical creatures with a heavy injury that should have killed her within hours!”
“Ahem! F-Focus Chiharu…” Huh…I guess she was not used to someone singing her apparent praises and so highly either. Chiharu was almost like a loving fan.
“So…brothers? Any other family members I should hear about?”
“Oh! I have two older brothers and two other older sisters and one younger sister.” Her smile quickly fell as something else crossed her mind. “I…I had another older sister…but she-”
“Chiharu.”
The conversation immediately died and silence once again consumed us. The tone that Masami carried was one of finality. A rough subject that I couldn’t help but be curious about. What more are you keeping from me Masami?
“The fighting is slowing down.” Looking up at Nim’s statement, it was true that the fight with lady Serafina and the Darkness was getting slower.
“Good…that means that we will have an opening soon. We have to move quicker.”
“Oh sister! What happened!?” Chiharu rushed up to inspect Masami’s stomach that was lightly bleeding from the man she fought not too long ago.
“Oh…I didn’t even notice it. It's shallow and barely feels like anything. I have had worse injuries than this love. Focus up ok?”
“Yes sister.” As we walked faster, Masami could not take her eyes off her sister for too long. There was more of an edge to her now then before. I thought Masami was not a fighter, but seeing Chiharu that felt like an even more clear statement. She seemed like she was made of glass and just too delicate to be out here. It was easy to judge beings by their appearance, but I doubt she would come out here if she wasn’t a fighter. That sword at her hip had to mean something, so I would give her the benefit of a doubt. Masami had kept a relatively cool head, but with her sister here…she seemed anxious.
“I’m going to head in further to scout out the enemies guarding Altair. Celica needs more time to rest and I don’t want you all out in the open.”
“Sister…”
“I don’t have time to babysit them…lady Serafina is giving us an opening and-”
A sickening crack invaded my ears as a man appeared behind Masami and hit her in her ribcage with a large blunt weapon. I could barely process anything that was happening as she was launched far into the trees away from us, the only thing she left behind was a splatter of blood on the ground. Chiharu stepped in front of us defensively, but I could only look in the direction that my wife was sent too.
“Masami!”
“Where the fuck are all of these bastards coming from?!” Nerissa growled beside me, but Chiharu backed further into us, her tails spilled out to block us from the view of another new enemy. “We have to get these damn chains off now!”
“I thought it was taking too long for the others to bring you Gods along…and the only thing that I see is a bunch of foxes.” He cracked his neck and advanced on us and Chiharu stepped back more, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword tight. Her stance was tight and ready, but I could practically hear her heart thundering in her chest. “You should move, little girl, before I break you worse than the other one.”
The only response that he received was a growl and her tails whipping the air angrily. The air around us felt heavy, almost like a tornado was about to kick up. Chiharu was seconds from drawing her sword as he slammed it towards us, but Masami appeared from the forest. An almost inhuman cry erupted from her mouth as she slammed into him. One of her blades stopped the blow, but the man only scoffed at her before he slammed his weapon down on her again. Only this time, her injury from his earlier attack caused her to grab her ribs, unable to take the brute force of the blow. Seizing his opening the man grabbed her by the face and slammed her into the ground.
“Gah!”
“Get away from her!” I ran around from Chiharu to do something…anything! I didn’t care that I was basically a mortal now! I could not let this continue to happen to my wife!
“Stop!” Chiharu yanked me back by the chains and I was seconds from losing it now. “You can’t do anything to help her!”
“That is my wife! Your sister! I would rather die right here then let her continue to be treated like this!”
“Dying here would lose its meaning! You have to think about more than your personal feelings right now! The very cosmos needs you! My sister will be fine!”
“You don’t know that-”
“Gah!” I turned from Chiharu as the man stomped Masami into the ground and I heard several more of her bones break and crack. I winced every time I heard her gasp for breath, but Chiharu was right and my wife was proving to be a formidable opponent. Slamming his foot down once more, Masami caught his foot.
“Let me go, little fox-AAHHH!!!” A great fire emerged from the hole that Masami was occupying and the man screamed in pain as he was engulfed in flames. The skin was starting to melt from his body and his flesh was blackened from it. As quickly as it started, the fire burned out and Masami climbed out of the hole holding her side. Biting her lip, she relocated her shoulder and popped some of her ribs back in place without anything more than a squeak.
“Alright…let’s keep going…”
“Wait wait hold on!” Ka’seem walked up to her and she raised a delicate brow at him. “You need to relax now. You have several injuries and these guys just keep coming and coming! You have to try and break these chains off of us.”
“I agree with that.” Celica spoke up and she looked better than ever at my side, which I was more than glad for. “If you can manage to break these off, then I can heal everyone and we can make this trip faster. You don’t have to do this by yourself Masami…Altair must be close by if we are seeing this many enemies.”
“If I could break your chains I would…unfortunately I’m not a Celestial kitsune yet…I might have been able to do something about it if I was. I’m wishing that one of my parents was here at the moment, it would have been easy for them.”
“We still need a plan for getting off this planet…” Nim sighed as he shifted his stance. “Lady Serafina and the Darkness are slowing down, but that means nothing when we have no means to leave this place.”
“Oh! I think I saw that some of the people had those vehicles when I was coming over here.” Chiharu chimed in as she looked off in what I could assume was their direction. “We could take one of those right?”
“Yeah if we don’t get knocked out of space again…” Ka’seem grumbled to himself, which Nerissa rightfully elbowed him about. “Look I’m just saying that we haven’t been having the best of luck during this mission.”
“Well don’t jinx us more!”
“I’m not! Just making an observation is all…”
“Nothing will happen as long as I am here. Now, Chiharu and I will just scope out the area and get the key and come back. We won’t get caught up in any fighting since you all are about to lose your heads over me doing it.”
“With good reason, don’t you think?” Masami glanced at me as I mumbled under my breath. Her ears twitched as she looked over my face. I desperately wanted to see some semblance of my wife behind her eyes, but at the moment she was a hardened shell of herself. There was no weakness behind her eyes, no hesitation to do what she thought was necessary to complete this mission. A mission that she should have never been on in the first place.
“I’ll watch my sister’s back, I promise.” Chiharu gave me a warm smile, but the fear I held in my heart wasn’t just about her safety anymore. It was the growing feeling of discovering things about my wife that I wasn’t sure that I liked. Things that made me question who she really was deep down.
“Well…who’s gonna keep you safe?” It was hard to tell if Ka’seem was just being flirty or showing genuine care towards Chiharu, but seeing her blush and his immediate smirk…I already had my answer. Although, he was once again silenced by Masami glaring at him and her eyes growing slited. He must have lost his mind if he thought anything was going to happen with her.
“Regardless…” Masami finally stopped glaring at Ka’seem to look at us once more. “We will be in and out and once we are…we can get Altair and move this mission forward and get home.”
“There is no talking you out of anything is there?” Celica shook her head at Masami and it was hard not to agree. She could be stubborn when the situation demanded it.
“Oh not at all.”
“Masami…”
“Yes I hear them Chiharu…” Instantly alert, we began to back away as more of the Darkness's creatures advanced towards us. “Run!”
Everyone instantly took off to put some distance between us, but my leg was starting to hurt me more and more and I was slowing down. Chiharu noticed and turned to help me along, but I would rather she just kept running along with her sister.
“Callum!” Chiharu grabbed me just as a net almost snagged me. A faint buzzing noise sounded from it, which was not a good sign. More enemies with guns were barring down on us and if I had my abilities I would eviscerate them until there was nothing left to oppose us. The Darkness was ready for us, but it would not be much longer before this was over. “Watch it!”
“Thank you Chiharu…I…I haven’t felt this weak in some time.”
“I imagine it must be hard to deal with…watch it!” She pushed me along as she cut some bullets they shot at us in half. She was much quicker than I was thinking that she was. She also did it without much effort too. The only problem was that I was slowing her down by a lot. I noticed that Masami was hanging back to keep an eye on us. I wish that she wasn’t treating me like I barely existed. The frequency with how much they were shooting at us increased, but Masami and Chiharu didn’t let it slow us down as they fought off our pursuers.
I was confident that we would be fine until a net almost caught Nerissa and Masami cut it, but its electricity running through it stunned her.
“Masami!”
“K-Keep going!” Chiharu grabbed me and kept moving me forward, but that was never going to sit right with me.
“Chiharu go and help your sister!”
“She will be fine! Move it!” We didn’t even get much farther as some of the creatures cut us off in the front. Chiharu was quick to take the lead and slash at them. She moved like the wind itself and she struck strong and true. The speed, strength, and skill of a true warrior. It made me even more curious about the skills of the rest of their family, especially considering she said that Masami was the best fighter in their family.
“Caught me a live one!” Everyone turned at once and my heart sank as Masami was wrapped up in one of the nets and gritting her teeth in pain. I watched in even more horror as the net seemed to be alive and traveled up to her neck before it covered her face.
“Masami!”
“I swear I have no idea how the lot of you are having such trouble with these animals.” The woman smiled at us, before looking at Chiharu. “Now why don’t you get your pretty ass over here?”
“Let my wife go right this instant!”
“You aren’t really in any position to speak handsome!” The woman chuckled as she poked Masami with the hilt of her weapon. Looking at her, it quickly became apparent that she could not breathe with the net over her face, as she moved about in frustration. I opened my mouth once more to battle down the frustrating woman, but Chiharu stepped forward and sheathed her sword.
“Chiharu…what are you…?”
Masami finally stopped struggling and firmly planted her feet and the woman looked at her in confusion. Her tails burst from the net and the air grew hot for the slightest second, before it cooled considerably, and just as soon as the cool breeze brushed over us, a raging fire consumed us. The force of the fire that emerged from Masami. The woman didn’t stand a single chance as her skin melted like it was cheese. I didn’t know how we would even be able to withstand it, but Chiharu simply stepped in front of us to dispel my worries.
With a firm foot in front of herself and others behind her, she twirled her arms in a circular motion and the wind around us began to bend to her whim. The inferno that Masami caused was pushed away from us, but it was also strengthened by the winds formed by Chiharu. I watched in awe at the power displayed by the two sisters. The fire grew fiercer and Chiharu moved back closer to us and a bubble of air protected us from the blaze, and she pushed it out to consume the forest around us. Destruction and death being left in its wake, before she pushed the inferno back to Masami, who had broken free from her bindings.
She was almost levitating from the force of her flames and her eyes glowed a bright red as she raised her hands skyward and their abilities combined into a massive and destructive tornado. I was breathless watching the display…and I was also feeling other things that I hoped would settle before anyone noticed, because it was definitely not the time for such things. As quickly as it began, it was over and Chiharu took a breath as she blew the excess embers away from us and the coolness of the night washed over us once more.
“Your wife is such a fucking badass Callum.”
“Yes…I suppose she is.” I could only agree with Nerissa’s statement as Masami flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked towards us. Her eyes were once again a beautiful gold, but they still held an intensity as strong as the inferno she conjured. There was not much I could say about it at this moment, she was more stubborn than I ever thought.
“Sister are you alright?”
“I’m fine…I heal quite quickly so this is nothing…I’m just worried that they’ve moved Altair farther away after all of that.”
“There is also the issue that an Atrocity is coming to the planet soon…and that’s only if they aren’t here already.” Nim sighed as he looked off into the distance. “We have a real problem on our hands at the moment.”
“Well…we need to get these chains and our strength back up before they make themselves known….” Masami looked ready to comment, but Celica beat her to the punch. “No one is doubting your skills Masami…you have clearly shown that you can handle yourself…we just want to be ready…”
“Hmm….which one would the Darkness even send to this planet anyway?” Nerissa squinted at the sky as she pursed her lips. “Anyone of them is annoying to deal with…”
“Heh…knowing the Darkness it will send two…”
“Ka’seem!”
“Hey! I’m just saying this whole situation has been fucking us from the start! Trying some reverse psychology here!”
“Are these Atrocities really that dangerous?” Chiharu tilted her head as she looked between us. “I mean…in the fact that you all seem to be worried. Forgive me, but I just assumed that no one could equal all of you.”
“Heh…listen sweetheart…” Ka’seem smiled at her and Masami already was glaring at him over her sisters shoulder. “T-They are the chosen fighter for the Darkness much like we are for lady Serafina. With that in mind…their destructive power is on par with our own. I guess the Darkness didn’t like that lady Serafina had her own strike force. Let’s just say that the battles can get intense…I had a fight that destroyed the landscape of several planets…in just that one fight.”
“Yeah and we and the people of those planets are still cleaning up…” Celica grumbled and I shook my head remembering the mess that was caused that whole week.
“Regardless…they are very very powerful and we just don’t want Masami to fight by herself if she doesn’t have to.”
“Still…which one is it?”
The question hung in the air before we all silently went back to walking towards where Altair and the rest of our enemies should be. We didn’t manage to get much distance as I could swear that I heard someone calling out to us. Masami and Chiharu’s ears perked up as they looked over their shoulders and I squinted as I saw a man with dark hair running towards us with a large smile on his face and waving.
“Ah!”
I whipped my head to look at Masami as she let out an excited squeal. Her entire presence seemed to change at the sight of this man, even Chiharu was trapped in this state as she smiled brightly. Masami didn’t waste a second as the man entered the charred field and Masami threw her arms around his neck. I was never a jealous man, and I was completely confident in my marriage…well…besides the other thing…but seeing her eyes light up over this man…and nuzzle his face! I tried not to be bothered by it…yeah…
“Jin! What are you doing here?!” Placing her back on her feet, the man chuckled as he stroked her cheek and kissed the top of her head.
“I came to assist you, my sweet butterfly…” He flashed a smile at Chiharu who seemed to melt at him. “Are you alright Chiharu? Your father would kill me if something happened to his girls!”
“I’m fine uncle! We should be even better with you here!” Oh…ok…just an uncle. I can’t take anymore last minute secrets at this point.
“How did you know where to find us?”
“Hehe…well I had a rather uncomfortable conversation with your mother…and that…goddess sent me here as backup, but I can see that you didn’t really need me.”
“I learned from the best did I not?”
“You would be right…you always make me proud.” The more help the merrier at this point. He glanced at us but he didn’t seem interested in us.
Rude.
“My uncle is one of the most accomplished fighters in our clan…he trained Masami ever since she was young. The reason that she is as good as she is…is because of him. With him here…I doubt there is much that we can’t accomplish.”
He fell into step beside Masami and I sighed as I thought of the many many things I would have to talk with her about. As we all began our walk onward, I couldn’t help but listen to Masami talk excitedly with her uncle. Ka’seem also took the opportunity to flirt with Chiharu again. He was just asking for trouble, but I would keep my mouth shut.
“Run into any trouble?”
“Nothing that I couldn’t handle…”
“Hmm…I’m impressed…I thought married life would slow you down.”
“Never…I stay in shape and I keep up with my training in between everything else.”
“These…creatures haven’t given you any trouble?”
“Oh please!” Masami laughed her usual beautiful laugh and I just wanted to hear it more at the moment. “You know that I never have trouble with such small fry.”
“Hmm…strange…I thought Uris would have sent better creatures to handle this situation…”
“Huh? Uris?”
I stopped dead in my tracks, as did everyone else as we turned to look at the pair. Masami looked confused as her uncle patted her head, but the rest of us knew immediately what he was talking about.
“Masami get away-”
“Shh shh…I’m having a conversation with my niece right now.” His smile radiated with nothing short of pure evil and malice. Masami furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at him. “Now Masami…I had hoped to get more of a show out of you…”
“I…uncle what are you talking about?” He stepped away from her as his tails sparkled with electricity. I quickly realized that electricity was a weakness for kitsune and it was no different as Masami and Chiharu were stunned into place. “U-Uncle…what are you doing?”
“Oh…my sweet butterfly…how blind you are.” He stroked her cheek once more before he walked up to us. “Nice to finally meet you all…in person anyway…”
“Who the fuck are you?” Nerissa growled out our collective thoughts and he just chuckled and shook his head. I frowned as the shadows under his feet started trembling and laughing under him.
“Why…I’m Jin Igarashi…but after today…I don’t think my family would be happy to see me after what happens happens.” Bowing to us in clear mockery, he smiled manically. “You would better know me as an Atrocity of the Darkness.”
“What?” No…this made sense. We had heard for some time that there was another Atrocity but we had never encountered them. They played in the shadows and had been a thorn in our side for years now. An Atrocity that was the fiercest that we had seen in awhile. The others were more subdued in recent years, but this new one was like a natural disaster of epic proportions. Like the Darkness had no control of their own monster.
“Now…I of course have come to pick up the child. The Darkness really needs a win right now since you Supernovas can be so annoying. So…I thought it was about time that I made my debut, and judging by the looks on my nieces faces…I succeeded!”
“Uncle Jin…what is the meaning of this? Let me and Chiharu go right now!” I jolted as he suddenly appeared in front of her and held her face in his palms.
“Masami…you know…you have always been my favorite. You are what I wish my idiotic son was…powerful…driven…a monster. I blame that human mother of his…I should have bred with a kitsune. I could have had a powerful child, but that damn bitch Shino just wasn’t fertile…”
“U-Uncle-”
“Shh! Chiharu please! The last person I want to hear speak right now is you!” He released Masami and chuckled as he folded his arms and paced. “Now…here is what is going to happen…”
He reached into his pocket and tossed some keys at Chiharu’s feet. My eyes widened at the sight because they were exactly what we needed. Why the hell did he give them to us now? Why would he go against the Darkness? “Take the brat and move on already. I refuse to be on this fucking planet much longer.”
“Why are you just giving that to us?” Nim stepped beside me and even without his abilities, he just seemed to radiate power. “I refuse to believe it is just out of the kindness of your heart…the Darkness would never just give the child up.”
“You would be right…Supernova…but that is something that I will just have to deal with. My liege is starting to get bored with fighting the Light. Just as I’m bored playing the reformed man to my idiotic family.”
“Uncle…what are you talking about?” I could hear the pain in Masami’s voice as she looked close to tears. The heartbreak all over her face pained me like no other, but this could also be a golden opportunity for us. If the Darkness truly had lost interest with Altair, that made our mission even easier.
“Masami…this would be the moment where I’d tell you that it could have been different…” Jin chuckled as he shook his head and shrugged. “Except that it really isn’t…now forgive me for monologuing, but this is probably going to be the last time you see me for some time…also listen up Supernovas…this is quite the fun tale.”
The energy that emanated from this man was growing more sinister as he paced and circled around Masami, the shadows under his feet were even laughing. There was an unhinged air about this man that was making me sick to my stomach, and his close proximity to my wife made it worse. I could practically feel Chiharu trembling even though she was two people over.
“Uncle…”
“Masami…I’m only letting you go because you are my favorite…you mean everything to me, and I need you grow more…more ferocious…more deadly…and more perfect. You have always been my mission Masami…ever since you were young…I saw the potential and I knew that I had to help you grow your wings, but I also needed more. I needed more strength and power…and that is when the Darkness sought me out…”
“Wha-”
“Shh shh…” He was swift. It could be because I didn’t have my abilities right now, but I also had a feeling that it was just because he was. He caressed Masami’s face and I could see the fear in her eyes from over his shoulder. The fear and confusion on her face spoke several volumes, and her weapons dropped from her hands as her eyes darted all over his face. “It was simple at first…just do a few errands here and there. Destroy a few of their enemies and just cause some issues for the Supernovas, but it was never enough for me and I needed more. Playing nice with my brother and your bitch mother was getting tiring and my son was a waste. No…admittedly…the only thing that I enjoyed was you, my butterfly.”
I grinded my teeth as he placed a hand on her shoulder and circled around her as he smirked at me. Everything about him just made me want to put my hands around his throat, and violence was never usually my first option. This was no man, no kitsune, not even a plague…he was an awful entity that needed to be eradicated. Everything in my body screamed that if he wasn’t dealt with…it would only lead to more pain and suffering for Masami and her family, as well as the rest of the cosmos.
“The Darkness just needed one more thing from me…one final nail in the coffin to give me the strength…the power…the authority that I so rightfully deserved…something that my brother couldn’t also take from me. It was time to do away with weakness…or so I thought…”
His gaze turned to Chiharu who gasped as he appeared before us and grabbed her face. He was holding her face so tight I could hear her teeth moving against each other. “It was supposed to be you, you know…” His red eyes blazed angrily as his tails cut the air with electricity. “Weak, useless, pathetic, and annoying little Chiharu…”
“Hey! Get your hands off her, you son of a bitch!” Ka’seem stormed forward but Jin didn’t even look at him as he kept his eyes locked on Chiharu’s. With a quick bolt, he sent Ka’seem flying into the ground. The others were quick to check on him, but I would not take my gaze off this man. I didn’t care that there was nothing I could do right now, I needed to study everything about him.
“Of all his children…you were the one that had nothing. That spark in you just never seemed to manifest. Of all his children…you were always the sorriest.” He brought her face closer to his before he smiled once more. “I thought I should do my brother one last favor…one last good brotherly deed…and it just so happened to align with what the Darkness asked of me.”
“Un-Uncle…J-Jin…-”
“I was supposed to kill you on the Lunar Festival Chiharu.” Masami choked out a gasp and Chiharu was shaking terribly now at the venom and severity of his words. “I had everything planned out, everything was perfect and it would have been flawless too…but I ran into some complications that day too.”
Chiharu let out a pained gasp as he released her face and went back over to Masami, who I noticed now was wearing an expression that I could not place. It was like she had seen the Darkness themselves and all the color was draining from her face, like a hidden truth was coming to light with his words. I could only imagine that that sick grin was plastered on his face. He moved around Masami before draping his arm across her shoulder and smiling at us, leaning his cheek on top of Masami’s head as he kept up that damn smile.
“She heard my plans that day, Masami…she was going to ruin everything that I had spent years building. I couldn’t let her stop me…she wanted to understand…she wanted to know why I would hurt her precious baby sister. I wouldn’t let her fuck this up…but it was also my opportunity…”
“N-No…” Chiharu’s broken voice spoke a truth that I soon quickly realized as well. An earlier interaction with Chiharu ran through my mind as a grim thought crossed over me.
“I killed Koyuki.”
Masami said nothing as a chill ran through the air and Chiharu was choking back her sobs. Jin started to laugh as if the confession of killing his own niece was nothing…like he just kicked a pebble on the side of the road. I couldn’t take my eyes off Masami as her blank stare continued, the light in her eyes was completely gone, but the rage…I could see a rage forming that was going to spill any second. It was a rage that I unfortunately, knew far too well. It was a ferocity that would not be so easily tamed. I was afraid to see my wife when it finally freed itself.
“So! With that being said…I will take my leave. Chiharu I hope never to see you again because I just might still kill you…I don’t know I’m workshopping it. Supernovas I will be seeing the lot of you more often and I hope to break you as much as I have my dear nieces and family.” He turned towards Masami who now looked ready to burst at the seams. He patted her cheek and smiled wickedly. “I hope to see you bloom further…I’m far from done with you. Your story is not done yet, niece. You have no idea about the things you are capable of…the things you have yet to do…the things you will do for me…”
With a final chuckle from him and his shadows, Jin was gone in a fog of shadows, leaving us with our freedom, but his nieces with unimaginable heartbreak. Once he was gone, the electricity binding them faltered and Chiharu instantly fell to her knees and cried into her hands. Masami was fuming and the air grew hot and a sweat took over my body immediately.
I stepped toward her as she started to hyperventilate, her eyes darting around widely as her hands flew to her hair as she started to pull strands of hair from her head. Before I could say something to calm her, she exploded.
“JIN!!!!” A blaze stronger than what she ever did to our enemies erupted from the ground under her feet. It was like we weren’t even there and the others cried out as they were burned and I rolled to put the flames out. “YOU MOTHERFUCKER!! I WILL KILL YOU!!!”
“Masami!” I cried out as she ran off into the woods. She was on a warpath and I could hear her screams of rage tear through the forest. A fire was spreading rapidly and I glanced at Chiharu as she got her bearings together to give chase to her.
“Sister!”
“Callum, we have to go now!” Nim rushed over to me with the keys in his hands and we didn’t waste another minute as we rushed after her. She was far too quick for us, and after a while we had to catch our breaths. “Fuck…”
“We…we can’t stop now…I have to get to her…she needs me…”
“Callum I understand that, but we should work on getting these chains off so we can.” Celica’s calm voice beside me gave me some reassurance, but not enough as we tried to figure out another plan. It wasn’t much longer before Chiharu appeared, but her appearance was vastly different than what we saw only minutes ago. Her clothes and face were covered in blood and she walked over to us with trembling hands as she turned the key in our chains.
“S-She…I…I can’t stop her when…s-she’s like this…” I rolled my wrists as she let out several breaths to try and calm herself. I could feel my strength already starting to return to me, but it was slow. “I-I…she…she scares me…when she’s like this…s-she scares everyone…n-no one can stop her when she’s a-angry…”
“Chiharu…we will get her and calm her down, I promise…”
“You don’t understand! My sister has done…unspeakable things in her anger…horrible horrible things that I…you just don’t…”
“Chiharu…I know-”
“You don’t know anything! You have no idea who my sister is! That’s the point…you know nothing about her!”
“....”
“I…I’m so sorry I…f-forgive me I-”
“No…you…you’re right…I don’t know her…” I had to take a calming breath because she was not at fault, she wasn’t who I was really angry at. The person that I was angry at the most was myself for being so blind to the person I married, and I was even mad at her for never being honest with me. What kind of marriage was built on lies?
“Hey…take a deep breath sweetheart…yeah that's it breath…” Ka’seem was doing his best to calm Chiharu, so I went over to the others who looked deep in thought.
“Callum, we have to get Altair right now as our powers start to come back….” Celica sighed and ran a hand over her face in frustration. “I know you are worried about Masami…but we have to get him before the planet starts its feeding process again.”
“I can sort of feel the path of water again…and I think they are a bit more south. I don’t think they’ll be moving anytime soon.” Nerissa had a faraway gaze as she looked in said direction. “Yeah…they…they aren’t really moving on. We should go now-”
The silence of the forest was broken by the screams of many men and women. Cries of pain and help ran out like a warning bell. I was glad that I couldn’t hear much else, but fearful about the rage that Masami was going through right now. The others glanced at me, but I had nothing more to say about the situation. I just wanted to find her and talk and help her heal through all of this.
“We…we should get ready to move now.” Celica touched my shoulder and guided me back to where Ka’seem had started a fire, and Chiharu sat beside him with her knees drawn up. Her ears flicked as the screams continued, before she pinned them to her head and closed her eyes.
“Chiharu…” Nim’s voice jolted her before she looked up at him with teary eyes. “We need to get going and get your sister while we’re at it.”
“O-Ok…” She put on a brave face as she stood and I saw so much of Masami in her. I hoped that after everything was all said and done, that she could look at her sister without that fear in her eyes. I hoped that I could too…
“We should be able to get there in about twenty minutes if we run…I just worry that your powers might not-”
A man was thrown haphazardly in front of the fire pit with a face that was barely recognizable as he gasped for air that refused to fill his lungs. His skin was black from being seared by flames and I could see that his left arms and legs were broken. His right eye was about to fall from his skull and he just honestly didn’t seem like he had much life left. His good eye widened in fear as my wife walked from the shadows, but she wasn’t alone either. With a bloodied blade in her left hand, her right was gripping Uris by her hair and dragged her across the ground as she screamed.
Many things shocked me into silence tonight, but this was…this was nothing compared to what I saw now. There was no life in her eyes anymore, there was just rage boiling on her face. Blood was covering her from head to toe. The scent of blood and organs was heavy on her and if I wasn’t so used to such things, I probably would have thrown up. My eyes flickered down to Uris, who didn’t look as bad as the man did. She the only injuries that I could see on her was a black eye and blood was pouring from a wound on her side. The chains that once held us back were on her now and pinned behind her back.
“Masami-”
“Where. Is. He?!” The fire crackled behind me as she growled out at the man. Uris was crying more and more before Nerissa stepped up.
“Masami…maybe you should just…let her go…we could-”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” I think we all collectively flinched at her shout as she pointed the blade at Nerissa, before she looked back at the man. “Tell me where he is…and I’ll make it swift…where the fuck is the monster you were with?!”
“I-I…p-please-” He choked on his blood more before he moaned in pain at Masami stomping his face into the dirt.
“I DON’T WANT YOU TO BEG!!! WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?!”
“Masami! You have to calm down and be rational about this right now!” Celica tried her hand at talking a bit of sense to her, but she just ignored her.
“I…I…d-don’t-”
“Then you are useless.” The man didn’t even have a chance to scream for a final time before Masami separated the top of his skull from his lower jaw, before she threw it at Uris, who had been trying to sneak away. Snatching her by the hair again, she dragged her back over kicking and screaming. “You have one chance…”
“I-I really don’t know where he went! I…I was just told to secure the child for Morlo! I’m sorry for all of this! P-Please!”
“Masami! My love…this anger that you are feeling is completely justified…but right now we should focus on leaving so you can confront him! Don’t take this out on Uris…she says that she doesn’t know…so just let her be!”
Her ear twitched in my direction as she let Uris go, before she looked at me with eyes so filled with hate and fury that I took a step back. “I don’t need you to tell me my anger is justified! I don’t need to hear your usual self righteous fucking prattle! No one wants to hear Serafina’s dog roll over and preach like he always fucking does! You have no idea what you are talking about!”
“....” My emotions were flipping on an axis at her words, the pure contempt in them made my heart shatter. Was that really what she thought about me? No…I…I refuse to believe that she means any of this in her anger. “Masami…”
“Masami! That was uncalled for and you know it!” Nim marched over to her and grabbed her shoulder. Masami didn’t hesitate once he touched her as she turned and palm struck him in the chin before grabbing his arm and kicking in his chin and tossing him aside. I was sure that I heard something crack, but whether it was his chin or ribs I wasn’t sure. Celica and Nerissa instantly went to his side as he groaned in pain.
Masami turned back to Uris and gripped her hair and threw her face into the makeshift fire pit. The screams from Uris shook me more than anything, and not because I had never seen such things, but because it was from my sweet wife. A woman who I was sure that I had never really known in the first place. “You are useless to me. You made your choice in this.”
I thought nothing more could shock me when it came to her, but things just kept spiraling out with her. She was losing it and nothing would bring her back from herself. What did her uncle hope to accomplish by turning her into some…monster for some sick plan? What was the goal of it all? Did I even care anymore I just wanted-
“Please help me! Lord Callum please!” Masami kept her foot on the back of her head as she screamed and begged, and I could see the fire beginning to burn patches of her skin off. Masami said nothing more, the screams coming from Uris didn’t mean anything to her. Masami flipped Uris onto her back before she slammed her nails into her throat. Spurts of blood splashed on her face as Uris choked on her blood. Masami pushed her nails in further until she stopped and pulled her throat out, and with it her spine until she finally reached the end. Masami held her spine in her hands like it was a chain with Uris’s head at the end of it like a ball. With an annoyed grunt, she tossed it into the dirt before the fire engulfed Uris’s corpse. No one moved to stop her anymore and maybe that was for the best. She needed to release this anger and hate, or maybe I was just too scared to confront her for what she truly might be.
“Sister…” Chiharu moved up to her before she ran off again, and Masami rolled her eyes and tried to move past her, but Chiharu didn’t let her. “We will find him…I promise. We have to go and-gahh!”
Masami grabbed her sister by the throat as she took several steps forward and her eyes blazed. Ka’seem bounced up, but Masami just put a wall of flame up to block him. Her nails dug into her skin so deeply that she began to bleed from the pressure. Chiharu desperately tried to remove her fingers, but Masami had an iron grip.
“You need to learn to speak when spoken too! I have no need or time for your sympathetic words! I need fucking results! I need pain! I need his death on my blade no matter the fucking cost!” Masami shook her and tears fell from Chiharu’s eyes, but Masami did not care. “I will not stop until that monster is begging for me to stop! I will raze the very heavens and hell to find and destroy him! When he is finally dead, I will go to hell itself to constantly torture him everyday! I don’t want a trace of him left in this life or any life! If you will not do what needs to be done…I fucking will!”
Masami tossed her to the ground as she began to walk away and Chiharu coughed and tried to catch her breath. She didn’t get very far before she stopped and dropped the blade she was carrying. She started to choke and she turned to look at Chiharu with wide eyes. I looked at her too as she held her throat, but her other hand was outstretched towards her sister. Slowly standing, Chiharu bended the air in her throat until Masami was gasping for air. Masami’s eyes were still filled with rage as Chiharu took her literal breath from her lungs. It didn’t take much more before Masami finally collapsed and for the first time in a while…it was silent.
Chiharu silently cried as she grabbed her sister and tied her up and laid her beside the campfire. She sniffled a bit before she left us alone and went further into the woods.
“Callum…” I flinched as Celica walked over and held my cheek in her hand. I didn’t even realize that I was crying until she wiped my tears. I turned from the others as I cleaned my face off, and I felt her healing touch course over my body. Nim soon walked over to me and patted my shoulder.
“She’ll break out of this Callum…” He rubbed his chin and sighed. “I think she broke my jaw and some ribs…”
“I might have to get her something nice for that…” Nim rolled his eyes at Celica’s teasing as she lifted his shirt and healed his ribs and face. “I am not up to full strength, but I can look over everyone after this is all finished…”
I couldn’t take my eyes off Masami as she lay unconscious in the dirt. Nerissa and Ka’seem were watching over her, but I couldn’t force myself to move any closer to her. What happens to us now? Where does our marriage go from here?
“Celica!” We all turned as Altair came running from the woods and Celica ran over to hug him tightly. “You’re ok!”
“Yes! Oh sweetheart…I’m alright…” She pulled back to smile at him. “I’m just glad that you’re safe. Did they hurt you?”
“No I-” He gasped at the ball and chain Masami made of Uris, but Celica moved him away from it. “Was that a head?”
“Let’s go over here ok? I want to make sure that you’re ok.”
Chiharu soon emerged from the woods tucking her sword away. Upon looking at her sister, tears filled her eyes once more before she looked away and wiped at her eyes. She was much stronger than she or her uncle gave her credit for. It takes a great deal of strength to do something like that and stand up to a family member. Ka’seem was instantly at her side and wiped her tears away before she launched herself against his chest and cried. He looked surprised but held her and rubbed her back, and it was funny to see him like that. He was definitely smitten with her, at least a little bit. Hopefully, that wouldn’t turn into an issue.
“So…we should get going huh?” Nerissa sighed as she braided her hair back. “My powers still feel a bit off though…”
“We should wait a bit…maybe only an hour before we head off.” Celica smiled down at Altair as she ruffled his hair. “Ka’seem said the feeding cycle is in three more hours, so we should be fine for now.”
“I just want to get my hands on this Morlo bastard once and for all. We have to also crack down on the distribution of these weapons, because they almost wiped us out and those were a few lucky mortals and a goddess who can barely fight.”
“Hey…” Celica glared at him, but he just rolled his eye. “She just…died…have some class for once….”
“She almost had us wiped out and Altair was almost taken away from us.” Nim once more rolled his eye at her.
“I…that is true, but still be a bit more sensitive about it.”
“We should just find a ship and get out of here. We have no time to think about Morlo. Altair is our only concern. So, we have to get going now.”
I moved away from them as the headache in my head started to form and annoy me. It wasn’t until I heard Masami start to sniffle. Chiharu was sitting next to her and she looked down at her sister. Masami sniffled and cried as she looked up at the night sky.
“Sister…”
“He…he took her away. H-He took her away from us…and for what?!” Chiharu wiped her tears away as she untied her. “I…I don’t understand…why would he do this?”
“...”
“I…I swear I will kill him. No matter what…I don’t care if I die trying either….”
“You should care…we can’t lose someone else in this family.” Masami sat up as Chiharu wiped her tears away. “We will get him Masami…all of us together. He will pay for what he has done, but we can’t lose you in the process. Koyuki would want you to live your life.”
“....” Masami held Chiharu’s cheek before she brushed her fingers over her neck. “O-Oh my love…I-I’m so sorry…I…I never wanted to hurt you I….”
“I know…” Masami and Chiharu hugged each other as Masami kept apologizing to her, and it actually made me feel a bit better. Once they parted, Masami looked over at Nim and mouthed an apology to him, which he just gave her a brief nod about. We suddenly locked eyes, but she looked away just as quickly.
“We should go…when I picked up Altair…I made sure that the vehicle that was there could take us away from here.” Chiharu tightened the bow in her ponytail as she smiled at us. She was sure a positive one. “We should get there in about twenty minutes if we walk.”
“I…I will meet you there. I want to wash some of this blood off first.” Masami quickly disappeared into another direction, and I could feel everyone staring at me hard.
“Oh you have plenty of time Callum…” Nerissa smirked at me and I cleared my throat as I followed after her. She didn’t get too far and the sounds of a waterfall let me the rest of the way. I stopped just outside the forest as she cleaned off her face and ears. Under the glow of the moon, she was just as beautiful as the day I had met her. It was like her true form enhanced her beauty even more. Her ears flicked as I got closer, but she remained silent as I stood next to her and looked at the waterfall.
One of her tails brushed against my leg and she cleared her throat as I looked down at her. “S-Sorry…”
“You don’t have to apologize…”
“....” She folded her lips before she started to wash the blood from her tails, and I knelt down and reached a hand out to touch one of them. She yelped in surprise and I drew my hand back. I suppose they were sensitive.
“Sorry.”
“No it's…they’re sensitive. I was just surprised.” I nodded before I gently touched it and she sighed and I joined her in cleaning her tails off.
“They’re soft…”
“T-Thank you…” Her face took on that usual red hue that I loved so much. A stark contrast to what I had seen some time ago. “Do…so…you like it?”
“I love them…I love you…” Her eyes sparkled with tears as I moved forward to hold her cheek. “No matter what you may look like…you will always be Masami to me…”
“I…I'm so sorry…” I wiped more of her tears as she cried as tugged on my shirt. “I never wanted you to see me like that.”
“Talk to me Masami. I just wish you never would have lied to me…why did you?” I kissed her trembling hand as she wiped a stray tear.
“My father…he told me some ridiculous lie because he is so protective. It…it was stupid and my mother already yelled at him about it. I will probably give him a piece of my mind too, but…there are more important things to concern my parents with…”
“Koyuki…and…your uncle-”
“Don’t call him that!” She growled at me in anger, before her ears flattened and she looked at the water. “S-Sorry…”
“It’s ok…”
“No it isn’t! None of this is ok!” She pulled away from me and stood up. Rubbing her arms she walked across the shoreline and I quickly followed her. “I…I trusted him. He taught me everything I know. He was like a second father to me…and it meant nothing!”
“...”
“My parents were never happy with me training with him, my mother was strongly against it, but my father convinced her he had changed. I thought he had changed…he was probably a monster from the day he was born…”
“....” I walked up to her and turned her to face me once more. “I just want you to heal from this my love. The time for action will come, but this will consume you and destroy you!”
“It already has! You don’t understand how much her death changed me!” I wanted to believe something different, but I could see the resolve in her eyes, as well as its fury. She was holding herself and her emotions back right now, but it would crumble down eventually, and I worried what that outcome would look like. “Koyuki was the sun Callum. She was my little sister, but she felt older than me. I looked up to her…and I failed her and didn’t keep her safe…”
“He was someone you trusted…that was not your fault that you couldn’t see the madman that he was! Please…I can’t lose you to this anger…”
“I will always be angry, Callum! I will always want to make him pay for what he took from my family. Didn’t you hear him? He was going to get Chiharu! He still might by what he said! I will never let him hurt this family again! I will not be satiated until he is dead…”
“....”
There was no talking her out of this…at least right now. I know the vengeance that she wanted, but it would just harm her soul more than anything, and destroy her relationships. Losing my mother was the worst thing that had happened to me, but I learned to move on from it…maybe I could help her see things differently.
“Are…are we ok, Callum?” Her softened voice melted my heart, because I could never truly be mad at her. Things in our marriage would definitely be different now, and we would have to have a serious conversation after all this, but I was confident we would come out on top.
“Of course…” I pulled her close by her waist, and her face grew bright red, and seeing her still react to me like that made me feel good that we could get past this. She was still so shy after all these years, and had grown even more beautiful. “I love these…”
“O-Oh?” I touched her ears gently and she moaned a bit. “T-They are sensitive!”
“That was a pleasant sound…” I lightly blew on her ear before I nibbled as she made her sweet sounds some more. My hand traveled from her waist to stroke one of her tails and she straightened up against me. “Hmm…more ways to tease you~”
“S-Stop it…w-we have to go…” I smiled and kissed the top of her head. I looked up at the sky as the fighting pulled away from us. Lady Serafina was giving us our chance to escape and be done with this place. It would give us time to heal and recover from everything that has happened so far. Masami held my waist tight and I looked down at her and moved a stray hair from her face. My beautiful wife…my angel…I would not let this break us. I would not let that man break her any further.
Cupping her cheeks, I kissed her deeply under the moonlight, sending a silent prayer to Lady Serafina that we would be alright. That I wouldn’t lose my wife to the hate and pain in her heart, or to the vengeance that would surely destroy her.
Chronicles of the Supernovas: Children of Darkness
Chapter 22: Truths, Lies...and a little Family Drama
Masami
My marriage is really over.
After three hundred and twenty-five years, my wonderful and loving marriage with my dear husband was over and there was nothing that I could do about it. I would be gone by the time that he came back from the mission that he was on. I finally manage to pack the last of my bags and clean up around the house. I could at least make sure our…his own home was clean when he returned. After hauling all of my things to the front door, I turned off the stove to finish up the rest of the meals that I made for him. I just fell into my normal routine as I cleaned around the house. It was starting to get dusty and I should change the bed sheets. The garden also needed to be tended to so I should probably do that before I left as well.
“Oh! I didn’t get the groceries! I should go…” Before I had even realized it, much of the house was clean and food was stocked again.
I felt my heart rip to pieces when I saw that it wasn’t there anymore. I held my hand against my chest as I took several breaths so I wouldn’t cry for the sixth time. Rubbing my temples, I rushed to the door to grab my bags before I broke down again.
I would have rushed out quicker if I didn’t catch a glimpse of our wedding picture on the wall. A day that was overflowing with joy, laughter and love. A day that my heart was filled with so much love that I feared it would burst forth like a geyser. Perhaps I shouldn’t have left my wedding dress behind for him to see. This whole situation was heartbreaking enough as it was.
Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I grabbed my bags and left my home. I was sure that I would never recover from this pain, for the rest of my life.
~~~
“Welcome home Lady Masami!”
“Shh! Shh! Thank you…I don’t want to wake anyone up right now. I’ll just head to my room.” The maids dispersed without another sound. The walk to my room felt heavy and tiring, like I had been walking for months without rest. Finally reaching my room, I opened the door and laid out on my bed with a heavy thud. The days ahead would be long and painful, but my family would be here for me in this trying time. My body would have its rest, but my heart would need more than rest to heal its damage. I turned my face into my pillows so that I would not wake anyone with my crying and whimpering, they deserved a good rest before hearing my horrid tale. It was not long before the rays of the sun forced me awake and I forced myself out of bed. Leaving my room to take a shower, my ears were assaulted by a high pitched scream.
“KYAAA!” I couldn’t help but smile as my youngest sister came flying down the hall at me. “I had no idea you were coming home!”
“Yes I…I thought it was time for a visit.” I rubbed her head as I nuzzled her cheek. “I was about to take a bath before seeing everyone…would you like to join me?”
“Yes!” I smiled at her enthusiasm as we went to the bath. The maids laid out one of my favorite kimonos as we laid in the water. “Ohhh…Mimi-chan! I’ve missed you so much!”
I chuckled as she snuggled up against me and I stroked her hair once more. She was still the same after not seeing her for almost thirty years. Although it seemed as though she let her hair grow out again, and she was a bit more…busty. Something that I’m sure that my father was not happy about. If he was going to be upset, he should be upset with himself for marrying our mother. She was quite curvy and well filled out to put it bluntly. So it only made sense that her daughters would be the same.
Hmm…I missed them after so long.
“So! Mimi-chan! You have to tell me all about your life so far! How is my brother-in-law?” My heart skipped a beat as I looked into her shining eyes. So hopeful and filled to the brim with a curiosity to hear more about a husband that I no longer had. “Or…are you here to tell us that we’re gonna have a new family member?”
“O-Oh no…I’m not pregnant Emi. I just wanted to visit everyone again. Callum…he’s fine. He has some business that he is taking care of…”
“Ugh!” She pouted and sank into the water and blew bubbles in annoyance. “....”
“Emi…I can’t hear you if you’re talking with a mouth full of water…”
“I want to meet him already!” I shook my head as she jumped up from the water. “These stupid rules about not revealing ourselves are so stupid and outdated!”
“I…I’m sure that they are in place for a good reason Emiko.” I desperately wanted to change the topic from my marriage. “So…how are you? I heard that you have someone in your life now.”
“Oh yeah…he was in my life. I have moved on from him and taken on a new partner.” She sighed dreamily before sinking into the water. “Father isn’t all too pleased with all of my frequent lovers. I just have a lot of love to give.”
“I think father just wants us to be his flowers forever.” I giggled as she rolled her eyes and twirled a loose hair around her finger. “I’m guessing that you…”
“Hmm? Oh yeah…the first time was awkward…but everything after was great!” I never thought that my youngest sister would have already…ahem…done the deed. I suppose it was because our parents weren’t as strict with us. I also think my father forgot that when children grow up that they start to think about such things. I was never the type, but I’m sure he was more concerned about my brothers getting into some trouble.
“Oh oh! Hikaru is supposed to be bringing her lover over to meet us today. You came at the perfect time Mimi-chan. Father is being a baby about the whole thing, but mother is excited though.”
“Hikaru is seeing someone?” Huh…she only has ever seemed interested in her potions and such things. She had loves here and there, but for the most part she seemed content on being alone. I really needed to check on my siblings more.
I suppose now I would have the chance.
“I think mother is hoping for one of us to get married at this point. She probably wants to see us as happy as you are.”
“Yes I…marriage is really a beautiful thing…” I guess that was the difference with my parents. My father wanted his girls to be unmarried flowers, while my mother wanted us to be married to our lovers, but she was happy for her nonetheless. After we got out of the bath, my mood immediately went right back down. I hoped that I could put on another happy face before my parents. I was not ready to talk to them about my struggles. My parents had changed the mansion once more, but it still held that familiar air to it.
Emiko walked with me to the main sitting area and I could hear the sounds of Mei’s biwa as we drew closer. Her talent was unmatched and it was always such a soothing sound to listen to early in the morning. I’m sure that my parents were already sitting and eating breakfast to listen to her.
“Father! Mother! Mei! Good morning! Look who came to visit!” I smiled at her hyper voice so early in the morning. My mother was not a morning person so the twitch of her eyebrow was not missed. It was quickly gone once she locked eyes with me. Both her and my father rushed to hug and nuzzle me before I could even greet them.
“Oh Masami! Oh I’ve missed you so much!”
“Are you well butterfly? Is your…husband treating you well?” I was glad that my face was buried in between them.
“Father…you don’t have to say it like he’s some creature…” I chuckled as Mei stopped her playing to hug and nuzzle me too. “You have to stop being so cautious about it.”
“Yes I know I know…I mean no disrespect. I just wish you never left home…”
“Father…”
“Oh Takeshi enough!” He grunted as my mother jabbed him in the chest with her elbow. “She has been married for many years now. Our girls will not stay here forever.”
“I mean…they could…” Her growl silenced him and we all shared a laugh at that. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so hard if I was surrounded by my family.
“Now…come sit and eat with us. Your brothers are away at the moment and Hikaru should be coming with her lover soon too.”
“Tch…” My mother glared at my father and he coughed and sipped his tea away from her. She never failed to put my father on ice. The glint from the gem on her forehead in the sun made me stare. It was such a beautiful gift that was given to her by the Gods. She never did say why they gave it to her though.
“Callum…Callum is well. He had some work to do so he’s away at the moment. So…I thought that I would come visit.”
“Oh I wish that my boyfriend was here…”
“I don’t…” I chuckled as my father mumbled against his tea cup and my mother pulled his ear.
“You need to stop…let our girls be happy.”
“They are happy…right here with me and you. Isn’t that right Mei?”
“Hmm?” Mei looked up from her biwa and just shrugged. “I have no opinion about it.”
My father pouted at her as my mother rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to me. The way that she was looking at me was too motherly and analyzing. If I didn’t think they noticed before I was wrong because my mother was looking right through me.
“Masami-“
“Hello family!” I was saved by Hikaru throwing open the tatami doors.
“I have such loud children in the morning…” My mother grumbled under her breath and my father chuckled and kissed her head. The sight made my heart ache in the best and worst way.
“Oh! Masami!” I was once again assaulted by a hug and nuzzles as Hikaru almost took the breath from my lungs. “I didn’t know you were coming to visit! I would have gotten your room together and had some potions ready for your garden.”
“It’s ok Hikaru…this was a spontaneous thing. I just really missed everyone so I thought I would stop by.” My mother was still staring hard at me as Hikaru informed everyone that her lover was here. Mei was also giving me the side-eye, but I just focused on eating a rice cake.
“So…your…partner is here? Now?” Hikaru rolled her eyes as she went into the hallway and came back pulling on the arm of a handsome kitsune with dark brown hair and gentle eyes to match.
“Welcome to our home. I hope the trip to come here was good.” My mother elbowed my father hard and he just frowned in his usual pouty attitude.
“Oh! Y-Yes my lady. Your lands are beautiful and your home even more so.”
“I’m glad that you think so. I thought it was important for my children to be surrounded by beautiful things.” He gave us all a swift bow before looking at my father and mother and touching his forehead to the floor in respect. “My lord…my lady…thank you for allowing me into your home…and for giving life to the woman I love. I see that she gets her beauty from her mother.”
“Hehe…charmer…” My mother giggled and the look on my father’s face almost made me choke on my tea. “You can raise your head…what was your name?”
“Oh…my name is Yasuke Nagamasaki…I come from a region in the west.” I was surprised that he had gifts for not only our parents, but also for me and my siblings. I eventually left them to their conversation, I would hate to watch my father grill Yasuke. Hopefully Hikaru and my mother could keep the peace. Walking around the outskirts of the mansion, I was greeted by another relative that I hadn’t seen even longer.
“Masaru?”
“Oh! Well there’s a face that I haven’t seen in a long time.” He hugged me and he seemed to have gotten even taller. I thought my brothers were tall, but Masaru was becoming a tree. “I thought we would had lost you to married life.”
“Mmm…you should try it sometime. You might like it.”
“Nah…when I meet a woman who can throw me over a cliff…then there might be something to consider there…”
“Uh huh…so…is your father around?”
“He was here just the other day. He got into an argument with your mother the other day.”
“What for?” My mother and my uncle were notorious for their arguments, but honestly I felt as though my mother was still punishing my uncle. The things he did in the past were…horrible and unforgiving, but they were out of his control. There was so much evil in the world and something attached to my uncle. He only ever wanted to make things right and be the man that he was always meant to be. I missed him terribly.
“Oh…well Shino showed up unexpectedly and spooked her. Aunt Izumi thought that…well she was not happy about hearing Shino shriek and my father was standing in the same room.”
“It was just an unfortunate coincidence…my mother has got to stop with her attitude. Things will never change and get better if we hold onto hate.”
“That is funny coming from you…” I only shoot him a look and he threw up his hands immediately. “Sorry sorry! Anyway…I swear you are closer to my father then I am. You truly are his favorite…”
“Mmm….well don’t say that…you are his son…his only child. I highly doubt that I’m his favorite.” He scoffed and sat down on the veranda with a frown. I suppose something must have happened if he was making that face.
“Masaru…”
“We had an argument a few weeks back. We were in another land and you know…my father and I just travel and train and train and train. It seems to be the only thing that we ever do together. The only thing that we do besides train is drink together and occasionally have an actual father and son bonding moment that includes more drinks and sometimes women.”
I sat down beside him as he sighed and rubbed his temple in further frustration. The fur on his tails was even standing on edge as he thought about his father. I had never known the two of them to argue about anything. I hoped that whatever it was they could work through it.
“What caused the argument?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“Oh yeah…and this is hardly the first time.” They argued about me? Why in the world would they have an argument about me? And it wasn’t the first time? “We got into a fight with some bandits and I had gotten injured. One of the men got the better of me…and after we left my father…he just snapped.”
“....”
“You are useless boy! How can you not handle some simple bandits?! You need to be more like Masami! She would never have struggled with them! She has always been perfect! While you can only be described as highly unexceptional! This is why she is my favorite! The only one who has a fucking spark!”
“He…he said that?”
“Oh yeah he did…it continued on for a bit too. Wishing that you were his daughter instead…hoping that you would come home soon. I was fed up with it and I came back here. I hadn’t seen my father in over two months, well that was until I saw him arguing with your mother. He barely spared me a glance though.”
“I’m so sorry Masaru…I never thought that…” I didn’t truly even know what to say to him. My uncle and I had always been close. He was like a second father to me, he was my mentor and he helped me with a lot of things, even though my mother absolutely loathe him. I could actually see that he seemed to prefer me over his own son, but to admit such a thing to his face? It was a horrible thing to do.
“Hey…you aren’t at fault here. It's just my idiot of a father being an ass. We will eventually talk and work things out like we always do.”
“Still…he should have never said those things to you.”
“Eh…he’s been really stressed out lately. I think it's mostly because he’s been trying to have his own territory, so it's been hard to gather resources and people. He’s trying to get out of your father and mothers way. Now with that argument the other day, I feel that he might want it even more.”
“Mmm…I wish I could have seen him before he left…” Masaru chuckled before he stood up and patted my head. I grumbled and fixed my hair as he did.
“I’m sure that he would love a visit from his favorite.”
“M-Masaru!” He said nothing else as he walked back into the house and I sighed deeply. It seemed that my family needed some therapy or just help in general. It had been some time since there was any sort of drama in the family, but now it seemed as though things had resumed. My problems could be swept away in their current mess though. Although, my mother could be more hawk than kitsune when it came to us.
Speaking of family, besides my brothers, there was still someone that I hadn’t seen yet. I should go and see if she is awake. Of all my sisters, I think I missed my sweet sweet Chiharu the most and I wished that I had brought her a gift. I would make sure to get her something soon since I had the time for it now. Standing by her door, I could hear her shuffling around, most likely getting ready for the day. She was probably fussing with her hair. I suppose that I should help her with that, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face when I knocked and I could hear her fussing more.
“C-Come in!”
I was assaulted by the gentle aroma of various flowers and the sight of many many stuffed animals. My dearest sister was such a girly girl. My father loved to spoil her with delicate and feminine things. I suppose that she got that from watching me. I was never as into stuffed animals as she was, but others often remarked on my feminine grace, but that was to be expected of the eldest daughter of a powerful clan.
“Well good morning my love!” I smiled at Chiharu from her vanity mirror and her eyes almost left her skull when she saw me. No more words were said as she flung herself into my arms. The force behind the hug was stronger than I thought it would be, but we laughed the whole way down to the floor. Like I thought, her hair was giving her trouble once more. She had also gotten even more beautiful and I thanked my parents everyday for being together. My siblings and I were stunning and I would forever be conceited about that.
“Masami! I’ve missed you so much! You have been gone far too long and you must never be away that long again!” I kissed the top of her head and sat up only to see that she had tears in her eyes.
“Oh love…please don’t cry…” I wiped her tears as she tried and failed to keep a straight face. “Come on…let’s fix your hair hmm?”
“O-Ok…” She was practically vibrating in her seat as I brushed through her long hair. Grabbing her bow, I tied half of her hair up into a bun and let the rest fall over her shoulders and back. I never knew how she couldn’t keep her hair tamed, it was so soft and didn’t tangle up too badly.
“There you go. The prettiest kitsune in all the lands.”
“I think that will always go to you, Masami. If you weren’t married you would probably get more marriage proposals than me and Mei.”
“You both have been getting marriage proposals?”
“Oh yes…father mostly burns the letters anyway, but some of them still get through. The only reason Emi or Hikaru haven’t gotten any is because father has spread a rumor about her having poor health.
“Poor health huh?” Yes, that was quite the believable rumor considering how often she runs around and is keen on being the most hyperactive kitsune around.
“Hehe yes…Hikaru hasn’t been getting many proposals because she and father somehow convinced the entire kitsune populace that she was the cause of a recent plague across the region.”
“Huh?”
“Hehe…so every person that has ever been in contact with her has gotten a “deadly” illness. Of course it was nothing serious, but enough people thought it was. It turns out that father and Hikaru mastermind and plotted around with her magic and potions. It was quite a big issue for a while. Mother was beside herself in anger for weeks.”
“I…wow…I’d imagine so.”
“Hehe…father and Hikaru were effectively banished from home for three months before mother let them come back, and even then she made them sleep out in the gardens for another three.”
“Yes that…that sounds like something mother would do.”
“I guess the man that Hikaru is seeing most know that everything was a lie, or maybe she just really likes him, which I’m glad for her. Seeing your love with Callum makes me wish the same for the rest of our siblings.”
“Yeah…” I brushed through her tail before I moved on quickly. “How about for yourself?”
“O-Oh I…I don’t know…I would like to love…b-but…” I raised a brow as her stutter came back in full force, something that only really happened when she was nervous or embarrassed. I thought it was adorable.
“What is it?”
“W-Well…you know…when you have someone you…d-do things together…”
“Yes? That is usually something you do with a lover. You go on dates and vacations and such…”
“N-Not that! I mean…things that…m-married people do…l-like you and our parents…”
“Like me and…oh! Oh!” Her face burned bright as she looked down at her hands. I twirled the brush in my hands as my own face grew red. Intimate matters were something that I kept private myself and I often got flustered too. Now, to hear my precious and innocent Chiharu bring it up brought a whole wave of embarrassment. “Well…um…you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to love.”
“I know..b-but…it just seems so…like so much and embarrassing…”
“Well…in my um…experience…when it is someone you love and who respects and appreciates you…it will be a wonderful experience. You won’t even feel embarrassed I promise.”
“Really? W-What about you?”
“Oh I…it…it was perfect.”
“Well…that does make me feel better.” I was about to ask her if she had any other stories to tell, but Mei suddenly appeared at the door.
“Sorry to interrupt, but mother wants to see you Masami.” Of course she did. She couldn’t just let me sulk for one day.
“Alright…we can chat later Chiharu.” My smile disappeared once I made my way down the hallway. What was I to say to them? That my marriage is over and my heart is broken? My father would lose his mind over it and my mother would try to stop him from doing something so stupid.
I sighed outside the room before I entered to see my mother with an already calculating frown, while my father just looked confused, bless his heart.
“Yes mother?”
“I thought that I would check on you my butterfly. You seemed distracted when you came in this morning…more closed off.”
“Oh…I’m just tired…it felt strange to be in a bed that I haven’t slept in for so long.”
“You could always stay Masami. Your bed will feel familiar once more.” My mother rolled her eyes but kept her comments to herself.
“I’m fine really…I just cleaned and prepped dinner for Callum. It just took most of the afternoon since I also went to get food and tend the garden a bit.”
“Does the man do nothing to help you? I swear…”
“No no! I enjoy tending to my home and Callum! Being a housewife is very calming and relaxing for me…I just…needed a break and Callum helps me around the house all the time.”
“Mmhmm…” My father grumbled and went to the other side of the room to sign his documents, but my mother didn’t seem convinced of what I was telling her at all.
“Masami…is there something going on with you and Callum?” She held my hand and pulled me in close to her. It was easy to relax against her and I just wanted to cry because I had no idea how everything just seemed to fall apart. We should have been planning for our anniversary right now, or at least just loving each other.
“I…yes…” I didn’t want to admit the problems in my own home, especially seeing how wonderful and perfect my parent’s marriage is. It was such a stupid thing to leave him for. It just made no sense to me and I hated it.
“What?! What happened?”
“I…something happened that wasn’t supposed to happen. The one thing that I wasn’t supposed to do as a kitsune.”
“The…what my butterfly?”
“I shouldn’t have done it!” I buried my face in my hands as my tears finally spilled out. “There was a waterfall and I just wanted to soak in it…I had no idea he was there! Callum saw my tails and everything! So I left…I left our home, my ring, him! It’s over between us!”
“Oh my dear…” My mother hugged me tight and rubbed my back, but it barely did much to comfort me. The love of my life was gone because of a simple mistake. These stupid rules ruined everything and they just made no sense. “I…I’m sorry butterfly, but I don’t see how him knowing that you are a kitsune would ruin your marriage.”
“W-What? Of course it would…that’s why I had you all be in disguise for the wedding. I couldn’t let him know the truth.”
“That’s why we haven’t had a proper meeting with him? I thought it was because we needed to keep our identities hidden because of the forces that he faces. It was understandable, which is why we never fought it and took you for your word that he was a good man. I thought that he knew you were a kitsune?”
“N-No…f-father told me that once a kitsune’s lover sees their true form that they would to leave or something horrific would happen…and it would be even more dangerous because Callum is a Supernova. If my identity would put him in danger with his greatest enemy…I could not risk that no matter what. Our family has a history of misfortune…so I took father’s advice and kept it to myself.”
“....” I leaned back to wipe my eyes and my mother was wearing a blank expression on her face. Her tails suddenly cut through the air angrily before she slowly turned to look at my father…who was currently climbing out the window. “Takeshi!”
I blinked in confusion as my father jumped from the window and my mother practically tore out the window as she chased after him, a slew of curses spewing from her mouth. Rubbing my eyes, it was not long before I heard more cursing and things crashing. The maids walking the halls squeaked in shock as I could hear my mother wrestling my father. It was not long before they both stumbled back into the room, with my mother pinning my father’s arm behind his back before shoving him to the ground, her knee deep in the center of his back.
“I-Izumi! I-I give! I give!”
“Apologize now!”
“L-Listen I only-”
“APOLOGIZE!”
My father grumbled despite the death grip my mother had on his arms at the moment. If she kept up the force, I’m sure that she would have caused some damage if not ripped them off. “F-Fine…”
Releasing him, my father rolled his arm as he grimaced in pain, and my mother stood over him with her arms crossed and seething in rage. Taking my hands, my father sighed once more before he looked at me quite seriously. “My butterfly…what I told you about the secret and keeping it…was not true. I…it was an old myth that has been disproven for many many years. I…I have always had a hard time with you girls growing up, and when you announced your engagement…well I thought I was losing my daughter. I should never have been petty and done something that has caused you great distress. Forgive me, daughter.”
“....” There was no conceivable way that my father lied to me just because…I…of all the things to do! “So I…I left my husband for no reason! A lie!”
“Masami…I…I know and it is still a failing of mine-”
I wanted to have my chance to rail into him, but my mother suddenly looked out the window. Her eyes were alert, but it was like she was looking at something far away. My father instantly stood and held her hand, and she tightened her grip, which meant that she wasn’t having a vision. She hadn’t had a vision in quite some time, but I just took that as a good thing. I could have been seeing things, but it almost looked like the gem on her forehead started to shimmer.
“Takeshi…I’m going to head out for a bit.” She gave me a smile before she planted a gentle kiss on my father’s head. “Try not to tell our daughter more ridiculous things.”
“Mmm…” Once she left, I glared daggers into his skull and he rubbed the back of his nervously. “Masami…please forgive me…I never meant to hurt you…”
“Hmph!” I turned my nose at him, intending on making him work for my forgiveness. This also meant that I had no reason to stay. I could save my marriage and be happy once more. “I will think about it…”
“Well…that is the best that I can hope for huh?”
“Yes…yes it is…”
I was more than a little curious about whatever it was that my mother was doing. It seemed to be something serious, but my father did not budge from his spot. He was always ready to follow my mother anywhere she went to keep her safe. Of course, she would argue him down about being able to take care of herself, but I think she secretly liked to put up a fuss and have my father care for her. Once I finished nagging my father in the ground, I could not help being curious.
I followed my mothers scent deep into the woods outside our home. Perhaps she was just taking a walk, she often did this every few months, but was always gone for hours at a time. Whenever I asked, she just said she liked the peace and quiet that the forest brings. I never believed it for a second, but I never pressed the issue and eventually left her to her secrets. Now, there was a pull and a need to discover what she was doing. After that, I would leave and be ready to talk to Callum and explain what happened and apologize for everything.
It was eerily quiet despite it being so early in the morning. There wasn’t even any animals running around. I quicken my pace towards my mother because I didn’t like the feeling that I was getting. It wasn’t until I heard her voice that I finally stopped.
“Yes…I know…it is holding strong…I promise that you have nothing to worry about and if anything happens you will be the first to know.”
“....”
“Yes…I will stay close by to ensure that it doesn’t break or that no one has discovered it.” I crept closer so that I could hear who she was talking to.
“I have to get to them…but they are fighting back far more fiercely than I would like. They want that child badly…but she’s running out of time…”
“I have faith that you will persevere and get through your battle. I wish that I could give you more hope than just my words.”
Wait…that female voice sounded like…
“I can’t send it directly to her while I am fighting…”
“I’m glad that I was able to make it so quickly for you, but yes…there is no telling if it will be delivered while they are fighting. It could get lost or smashed in all of the chaos…”
“Masami…perhaps you could help?” My ears perked up as I stepped through the brush. My mother’s eyes narrowed as I stepped over to her. Looking at the person she was talking to…I was surprised to see a pure white kitsune, and even more surprised when I realized that I recognized her.
“Lady Serafina?!”
“Masami! What are you doing out here?!” I flinched at my mothers tone, but she relaxed when lady Serafina placed a hand on her shoulder. It was only after she did that I realized that I could see right through her hand, and most of her body for that matter. This was only an image of her, her real body must be indisposed somewhere else, and by the sounds of it, she needed to get somewhere in a hurry-
“Is Callum alright?!” My heart leaped to my throat as I rushed over to stand beside my mother, who still looked annoyed at me being here. That didn’t matter because Callum was the only person on my mind. They were in the middle of a mission and she was voicing such concerns that something must have happened.
“He…well they are running into some serious issues. Celica in particular is going through the worst of it. She’s dying Masami…and she has less than an hour left if something isn’t done.”
“What?!” I felt sick. I felt useless and weak. MY legs felt like they were going to give out under me if not for my mother holding my waist. My Callum was in danger and my best friend…she…she would be dead in an hour. What in the world was happening on that mission?
“It is the weapons that are being spread across the cosmos…” She turned and ran a agitated hand through her hair. “They give even the weakest mortals strength and if a god was to wield them…well it has been a disaster.”
“There….there must be something that can be done right?! You have to help them!”
“Masami I am trying…believe me I am. The Darkness is making it impossible to make it down to the planet. I came here to ask your mother for a healing tonic she specifically made for injuries only the Darkness causes.”
“You made a medicine for injuries that the Darkness causes?” I raised a brow at my mother who sighed deeply before sharing a look with lady Serafina.
“Do you remember all those years ago when…when we were at war with the Nobara clan? Those creatures in the woods were from the Darkness. It caused a lot of injuries but…well your mother is pretty smart when given the right tools and cause. So I made something that Celica needs to heal.”
“I…I remember them but…” That day flashed back in my mind, thoughts of the war always found their way to my mind at random. The entity in the field that day, it was not just some creature…it was-
“It is exactly what you think it is Masami.” I snapped my eyes up to meet lady Serafina’s and she only gave me a weary smile. “You were…very lucky that day- no…luck had nothing to do with it. You are stronger than anyone would dare give you credit for.”
“...” I highly doubt that. It had to have been sheer luck for things to go my way that day. The thing that was nagging me was how did my mother and lady Serafina know each other? Looking at my mother, it seemed that she didn’t even want me in these woods, and I swear that gem on her forehead was shimmering again. “Mother…what is your relationship with Lady Serafina? That gem on your forehead…what is it and what are you hiding in this forest?”
“Masami…” My mother sighed deeply as she faced me. “My butterfly…I promise that this is nothing for you to worry about. We…we have known each other for a while and the reason for that is nothing to be concerned about. Your friend and husband are in danger…”
“I…”
“You can discuss it with her later.” I looked back at lady Serafina as she locked eyes with my mother. “You can tell her about it, but for now I need something from her.”
“What? My daughter is not about to be tangled up into something that is no concern of hers…this is something that your people have to handle.”
“Mother please…” I grabbed her arm and she sighed in annoyance. “What is it, my lady?”
“I need you to go to Zosmuna and get this medicine to Celica. I will send you there so I would need you prepare. Celica does not have much time…none of them do. I could fight the Darkness for a long time…they don’t have that and the child must be moved.”
I could feel my mother growing agitated next to me, but I could only think about my love and my friends. I had to help them no matter the cost.
“Mother…I will be alright.” She closed her eyes and I could see the gears in her head spinning, spinning in fear. “Callum will be there…I will be surrounded by gods who will keep me safe.”
“I…I don’t like this one bit…”
“Mother…I will be just fine. I will be in and out.” I hugged her close and she nodded against my shoulder.
“Alright…just be careful. Your father is going to have a heart attack over this though.”
“Yeah…I imagine that he would.” Rubbing my cheek and giving me a final hug my mother left me alone with lady Serafina.
“So…how are we doing this?”
“I will send you to the planet and I’ll give you something to track them if you need it. Other than that just get the medicine to Celica. I will try to wrap this fight with the Darkness up so you all can make it back to my temple.”
“Alright…I can do that…” Turning back to the mansion, I was stopped by her speaking up once more.
“I know that it has been some time Masami…but hopefully you won’t have to get involved…”
Chronicles of the Supernovas: Children of Darkness
Chapter 21: Hope and Despair
Callum
This was not supposed to be happening.
Celica would not make it much longer if we didn’t get off this planet and heal her. Where and why was everything going so wrong? The Darkness appearing made everything much much worse. There was no telling how long Lady Serafina and the Darkness would be fighting. We were so close! We finally have Altair and completed our mission, but we were losing Celica in the process. She would probably see this as a noble sacrifice, but I would never let her think that. She had so much to give to the cosmos, and she was my oldest friend.
I just can’t bear to lose her.
I watched her as she managed to fall asleep despite the pain of her injury and the planet eating itself. For over two painful hours, we sat in silence as we waited for it to pass. I had no doubt that Lady Serafina could feel Celica’s life force draining from her body. I imagined that it was hard for her to feel it, but that was nothing compared to seeing it. Her breaths were becoming more and more labored, and I’m sure that she stopped breathing at times. Her skin was paler than ever and her ice was making it hard to even be near her. Nim was watching over her like a hawk and Altair looked ready to burst into tears. He had held onto her hand despite us warning him he would get frostbite. Nerissa was pacing so much that she had made a path on the floor. Ka’seem looked the worst, he had gotten choked up when she had stopped breathing. He was blaming him more and more as her breathing grew slower and she mumbled incoherently.
“It’s stopping…” I glanced at Nerissa as she watched the movements of the planet start to slow down. Sure enough, the movements were slowing and Ka’seem stepped out from under our temporary shelter to inspect it. His shoulders and movements were tense, and I wish I knew what to say to him. Altair finally separated from Celica to look up at the moon. It was bright and full on, and the cloudless night made it easier for us to see that Lady Serafina and the Darkness were still fighting.
“We should move. We’ll make camp somewhere and just…figure something out. I’ll try and contact Lady Serafina, but…” I released a breath as I rubbed my head. “I’ll try…”
No one said anything and Nerissa took Altair by the hand as she led him away, with Ka’seem following them closely. Nim gathered Celica into his arms, but she barely even made a sound. We shared a look before following the others. I could not stop staring at Celica as she started to mumble in her delirium.
“Staring will do nothing for her…”
“It isn’t like there is anything else to do Nim.”
“.....”
“Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.”
“I have nothing to say about this Callum. Anything that needs to be said would just be redundant.”
“Talking to her would bring her some comfort I imagine.” Her eyes were starting to open for a split second, before they closed again. “She needs us Nim…not more of your indifference.”
“....” He sighed and he knew that I was making sense. Nim was never one to talk about his deeper feelings, but now was not the time for it and he knew that. It was not the time for stubbornness. The silence carried us still as we found an area under a sea of trees to rest. Ka’seem managed to make some makeshift huts for us to sleep in. Nim placed Celica in one and she seemed to relax for a bit, but now her wound was getting blacker. The veins on her arms were turning black as well. I grimaced as blood began to seep from the makeshift bandages and was just as dark.
I placed my hand over her wounds and poured my light energy into it, but it just didn’t seem to make a difference. She seemed to relax, but it just made her comfortable. It was what I wanted, but I also just wanted her to be ok. As a God of light, I should have been able to heal her much better than this, but I feel that this mission is teaching us to learn more healing techniques. Celica was just always the one to go to. She was a tough woman and an even better healer, but we relied on her too much and it showed. How long had we been taking her for granted, and why did she never speak up about it?
“You know that she would never complain about anything.” I forced a chuckle as Nim sat beside me as we saw her breathing relax a little.
“I suppose you are right about that…”
“Mmm…”
“Celica!” We leaned forward as she move her head side to side and tried to raise her arms. “Take it easy please…you must conserve your strength.” Her mumbling just continued and I sighed now even more frustrated. All of this waiting around was starting to bother me. My dearest friend was dying and there was not a thing I could do about it.
“Callum…keep calm, she is probably-”
“My…Mykel…” My heart almost broke hearing her say that name. It had been some time since she last spoke it. He was always a sore subject for her, but hearing from her now just caused me more pain. “Mykel….mother…”
“I’m gonna take a walk.”
“Nim-” He was gone before I could even finish. It would be best to let her rest and contact Lady Serafina. Leaving the hut, I was about to meditate and contact Lady Serafina, but I saw Altair sitting by himself under a tree. Ka’seem and Nerissa were in deep conversation as they skinned some animals for us to eat. The boy was scared and he was trying to act like he wasn’t.
“May I sit with you?” Altair flinched as he looked up and me before he nodded and moved over. He pulled his knees up and buried his face between them. “It is alright to be afraid. There is no shame in it.”
“I…I’m not scared.” I could practically hear the pouting in his voice. “I just have things on my mind.”
“I’m a good listener. We have…we have time to talk about anything you are worried about. I know that you must have some questions by now.”
“....” He peeked at me for a second, weighing whether he really wanted to talk to me right now. He pulled on a lock of his hair before he faced me. “Is she going to be ok?”
“I don’t have an answer for that. I wish that I could ease your worries, the worries of the rest of my friends, but I can’t.”
“....”
“We are doing our best to keep her comfortable until we can get some help.”
“There is no one coming to help us though. That thing is keeping us here and I don’t think that Goddess will be able to keep fighting it. Just face it…we’re screwed.”
“Hey…” I clapped him on the shoulder and he frowned at me but I just laughed. “That Goddess above us is much much stronger than you think. She will not let the Darkness get to us no matter what. We just have to have a bit more patience.”
“Is this the Goddess that I heard you guys talking about? The one who is supposed to keep me safe from all of this?”
“Yes…Lady Serafina is a benevolent Goddess who wants nothing more than peace across the cosmos. When she found out about you, she halted everything to find you and keep you safe. Of course, there were some bumps in the road, but at least we have you.”
“What…what is she like?”
“Oh she is magnificent….she truly has a heart of gold and does her best to cater to the many needs of the beings across the universe. She is the Celestial Mother and we owe her everything that has ever been made.”
“So…she made a lot of stuff…like what?”
“Well…she made people and Gods…animals and planets and solar systems. Her laugher even creates the stars in the sky.”
“Her laughter?
“Oh yes, once I met her, she explained that some stars can come about by her laughter, but once are formed when a person is born. We all are attached to them in some way.”
“Really? So I have one too?” I chuckled as he smiled for the first time since Celica was injured. He looked up at the night sky in marvel. “I’ve never really heard about her…”
“Yes well…spreading the word about her is a work in progress.” Honestly, it was taking longer than I would have liked, but Lady Serafina wasn’t exactly keen on spreading any gospel about herself in the first place. Being the humble person she was, she didn’t want people to sing praises about her. Compared to most of the Gods, she was incredibly humble.
“I…will I make a good impression? I still don’t think that I’m very special…”
“Trust me Altair…she already loves you.” I chuckled at his flushed face, before my gaze turned down to my ring. I could feel Masami’s ring burning in my pocket and I wanted so badly to finish this and talk to her. It was unlike her to not want to talk to me when we had a disagreement. I had to find out what it was that made her want to halt our entire marriage.
“You’re married?”
“Huh? Oh…yes I am…” I didn’t realize that I was just staring at my ring. It was the first time I really had the time to think about since the mission took a turn.
“How long have you been married? What is she like?” Children always asked too many questions, but it was keeping him occupied.
“We’ve been married for over three hundred years…three hundred and twenty-five to be exact. We have an anniversary to plan soon.”
“Wow! That’s such a long time! Is she a Goddess too?”
“She…” Well now I knew that she is a kitsune, but before I was led to believe that she was a simple fae and that explained her long life well enough for me. “No she…is something special though. She is the light of my life. She is beautiful, sweet, and the other half of my soul. Perhaps one day you will meet someone like that.”
“I’d rather get back to my grandpa then think about girls. Girls are really annoying anyway. They always want something.”
“Haha…yes, but it often depends on the type of woman you bring into your life. Not all women are so superficial.”
“Still annoying…” I ruffled his hair and he pouted at me. I was about to continue to tell him about Lady Serafina, but Nim appeared and gave me a solemn look. My heart skipped several beats as I left Altair to go back to the hut. Nerissa and Ka’seem were standing right outside of it, and Nerissa looked as if she had been crying. Ka’seem kept to himself and was twirling his daggers around. Entering the tent, I was relieved to see that Celica was awake.
“H…Hey…” I knelt beside her and took her hand as she coughed something fierce. “You guys…have…to stop crying…”
“That…isn’t an easy thing to ask us.” She weakly squeezed my hand before she stared at the ceiling. There were so many emotions running across her face right now, but the ones I could see clearly were anger and sadness. There was also some bits of frustration behind her eyes as well. “Tell us how you feel?”
“Frustrated.”
“That’s to be expected.” She rolled her eyes at Nim as he stepped into the tent and looked over her. “You just can’t help doing the most when it comes to children.”
“I…guess I can’t…”
“We have to get you back to Lady Serafina’s temple…perhaps if you’re there you will be able to heal.” It was probably going to be a hard task with them fighting above our heads, but we had to do something at this point. Getting settled was not something that we really should be doing. The faster we came up with a plan, the faster she could recover and get better.
“I…I don’t think so…”
“Hey-”
“Just…just listen…to me…both of you…” She blew out a breath before she looked at Nim and he knelt down to take her other hand. The veins in her skin were becoming even more prominent and I was terrified to check how close to her heart it was. Her bright eyes were even duller than they were an hour ago, and I refused to even guess how much longer she had. For the first time in a while, her eyes sparkled with tears. It took me back to see her so vulnerable and I just wanted to take her pain away.
“Celica-”
“I'm dying…” She sniffled and her hand tightened against mine. “There is no…denying that…I need you both to…promise me something…”
“Celica…don’t say that.” Nim looked away from her and she just sighed and shook her head.
“Promise me!” Another coughing fit wracked over her body and Nerissa pushed in an orb of water for her to drink from. After taking some hefty sips of it, she relaxed against the floor again. “You…you can’t deny me…not now…”
“....”
“I…I need you both…to free Mykel…and my mother. They need to…they have to have…a happily ever after…” More tears streamed down her face as she tried to blink them away. “I…I promised…I promised my father…he needs to…see her again…and Mykel…needs to have a life…”
“I…I promise.” Nim silently nodded his head and we both knew that was the most we would get out of him. “We…you just have to hold on as long as you can. You have to promise us that.”
“I…I promise…also…tell your sister…that she’s in charge…” She laughed weakly before she took a deep breath. “You make up with Masami ok? I…I’d hate to know you’re…still fighting…”
A few more tears rolled down her cheeks, and I reached out to wipe them away before I cupped her cheek. “You will make it through this…and Masami and I will be just fine…”
She smiled and turned her face into my palm to lay a gentle kiss against it. “I know…that’s also a gift…a blessing for your…continued happiness and future bliss…you’re both…my best friends…yes…you are included in it…mutt…”
“Tch…who says I want it…icy bitch…” These two could never stop their taunting with each other. Celica turned his hand over and placed a kiss on his knuckles. “What was that for?”
“For you…to get that…stick out of your ass.” I couldn’t stop my laugh at the sight of Nim’s face as a vein almost jumped from his temple. “Nim…seriously though…that was for you…to find love…”
“Celica…” It was nice to witness moments when the two of them weren’t fighting, I only wished the situation was better.
“No no…I want you to find…and have love…real true love…something to…to carry you through…infinity…and…so you’ll never doubt…that someone…loves you…for you…endlessly…” She trailed off before she passed out into what I hoped was a peaceful rest. Her hand felt so fragile in mine and Nim’s composure was starting to break. He raised her hand to his forehead before gently setting it down. This…this was going to hit us far too hard, and the Darkness would pay for what they have done. Nim stormed off before I could say anything more, and I looked down at her once again as she seemed to sleep peacefully.
“Is…is she sleeping?” I nodded as Nerissa moved by my side and brushed away Celica’s matted hair from her forehead. I could hear Nim and Ka’seem’s frantic conversation that sounded like it was about to become an argument. Altair was crying now, and I couldn’t muster the strength to go and comfort him.
“Yes…we have to move on from here.”
“O-Ok…” I could feel her eyes on me, and if she was expecting me to say something comforting, she would have to try someone else. I did not see a way out of this, and she had to realize that. Kind words would not free us from this planet to help her. I took Celica into my arms and Nerissa was close behind, as was Altair. Nim and Ka’seem finished whatever it was that made them look ready to throw their fists at each other. The only thing that we could do was make our way further into the forest. I suspected that the Darkness would eventually send someone or something after us, and we would have to fight them off. Things were never easy, and with Celica like this it would only get worse from here. The walk was silent, and the only thing that made noise was the creatures around us. Celica was still breathing in my ear thankfully as a full hour passed us by. Altair was starting to rub his eyes and yawn, which meant that we would have to stop soon. I would prefer to keep moving frankly, but he was just a child. There was a clearing up ahead, and that would have to be where we settle for now, or until the planet started to feed again.
“Nim we should-”
I barely dodged something that bolted from deep in the forest. The only problem with my sudden movement was that I was holding Celica. The sudden need to move caused her to slip from my arms. I managed to grab her, but not before a sharp pain shot through my left leg. The pain was enough that I took a knee, but I made sure that she didn't hit the ground. The others moved and I looked at my leg and furrowed my brow as a simple pike gave me a deep cut. Something like this should not have hurt this bad unless…
“Guys!”
My words of caution did not matter as a series of fights took place before my eyes. Nerissa was engaged in a fight with a brute of a man, as was Nim. Ka’seem fought a woman who looked like a Goddess that I’m sure I had seen before. I turned my attention back as the pike was yanked out of the ground by a tall man with pitch black eyes.
“In battle…it is always wise to take out the weakest link…” He smirked as he scanned over Celica and my leg. “It was a good call to aim for the bitch…saving others will get you in the position that you see yourself in.”
“I don’t feel particularly in danger.”
“Hehe…not yet you mean.” He struck his pike at me with blinding speed, but he had to realize that there was no way that he could catch me. His weapon was one of those God killing weapons, and my leg aches fiercely, but that didn’t mean that my speed was gone. The only problem was Celica was a target and the others were occupied. I stood and faced him, but my attention was once again thrown away as I heard Altair shout.
One of their cohorts grabbed him by the shoulder and began to drag him away and I moved to intercept them. Holding Celica was a problem as I held her waist and appeared at Altair’s side. The woman looked up in surprise, but grunted in pain as I hit her aside with the back of my fist. I hated putting my hands on women, but they could not have him. The woman was unconscious before she even hit the floor, and I pulled Altair to his feet. The others were fighting around me, but my focus had to be on Altair and Celica. They were more important right now and the others would have to fend for themselves.
I caught Nerissa from the side of my eyes fighting the larger man, but I also saw more people pouring in from the forest. It was starting to get crowded and I would have to remedy that. Laying Celica down, I pushed Altair behind me and felt my power surge over me. My leg was burning for me to relax, but I could not let anything else happen! A radiant force of light erupted from my being, and the men and women around us were consumed in my light. Almost like a bug being hit by a trap, they burned and struggled on the floor and their screams echoed harshly in my ears.
Nerissa threw her opponent across the field right into the one that Nim was fighting. Nim took his sword and cut right through them. It didn’t seem to matter because they just kept coming from deep in the woods. Their weapons were shining an eerie black under the moonlight, but I would get rid of those soon enough. I caught Nim’s gaze and he nodded at me as we prepared to intercept the weapons before they did any serious damage to any of us.
Speed was certainly on our side as we both moved around the clearing to take the weapons, but I couldn’t help but wince at the wound on my leg. These weapons were far too potent and it almost felt like a poison moving through my body. I was starting to slow down, but not remarkably so. Despite the volume of enemies coming through, we all fought them off. Altair was still next to Celica who had woken up and was holding onto him.
The last weapon was in the hands of a mere mortal, and that would be the end of this charade. My staff barely managed to hit him before I felt the pressure of a blade in my side. I barely choked out in pain before I was slammed down onto the ground. I blinked up at the goddess that Ka’seem was fighting. I knew that I had seen her before.
“Uris?”
“Hello Lord Callum…it’s lovely to see you.”
“You…you’re working with the Darkness?! Why?!”
“I don’t exactly have the time to talk about that. I have a job that I must do…and as a goddess of Light…I was the only option to keep up with you and Nim.” She swept her long hair over her shoulder before plunging her staff into my stab wound.
“Gah!”
“Bitch!” Nerissa charged over and swung her ax wildly and Uris had no problem dodging the blows. Ka’seem rushed over to assist her and the three of them began to fight and I finally took note that Nim wasn’t even here anymore. I could hear him fighting in the distance though, so his fight must be tougher than he thought.
“Stop it!”
“Altair!” My heart sank as I heard Celica yell with the last bit of strength that she probably possessed in her weakened frame. Another hulk of a creature had Altair in his arms and Celica was under its foot. The ground was freezing under her, but she was only flailing about at this point.
“Hey-” I went to stand up, but the wound that I had sustained from those weapons made my sense of gravity shift and I fell to my knees. Dammit…this was not happening! Uris was having trouble fighting Nerissa and Ka’seem which could mean something if they kept it up. Uris was never a goddess that was known for her fighting abilities. It honestly made no sense for her to even be doing this.
How many other gods had defected to the other side by now?
I had no time to think about such things as the hulking man carried Altair into the woods. I could not will my body to move. The weapon that struck me must have had some sort of numbing agent. I was starting to bleed out into the grass and Celica was starting to struggle more than ever. She was practically dragging herself across the grass to follow after them. Where the hell was Nim?
“Give…give him…back!” Celica pulled herself to her feet in a test of strength that I could honestly not even be surprised by. That woman was always full of surprises and stronger than anyone gave her credit for.
Well…those were my thoughts before she tilted over and fell face first into the dirt. My breath left my body as I realized that she was not moving at all. She wasn’t even breathing anymore.
“CELICA!!” My fear and anger mixed together and my light burst from my body all at once. It had been awhile since such fear coursed over me. It was even worse for the enemies around us. Nim had returned and lightning struck the ground, and the force felt like it was rocking the planet. Combined with my light burst it decimated everyone in the field.
Almost…everyone.
Uris had managed to block the blast from the man that had Altair and he rushed off into the woods with Altair. Uris looked down at Celica with no emotion in her usually kind eyes. Raising her staff, she went to stab her in the head. I moved at the same time Nim did, but he was faster than me at the moment and hopefully he would reach her first. My heart skipped a beat as the staff was inches from Celica’s head, but she flipped the staff up and a blade appeared and stabbed Nim square in the chest. Everything felt slower as she twisted it in before pulling it out of him. Blood instantly poured out of his mouth as he dropped to his knees.
“Noo!” I turned as Nerissa ran full sprint toward Uris with her ax raised and ready. Ka’seem was right behind her but he failed to notice someone behind him.
“Ka’seem behind you!” Both Nerissa and Ka’seem turned at my warning, but Ka’seem was not quick enough to dodge the arrows that pierced his body.
“Ka’seem!” I could see the gears turning in Nerissa’s mind as she looked between them both, unable to decide who to go to. She was the only one that might be able to go after Altair at least. The rest of us were to incapacitated at this point. I was sure that I could do something and Nim was still moving, so Uris probably missed something vital. It didn’t mean much since it definitely would have weakened him.
“I suggest you stop while you can Nerissa…” Uris sighed as she looked down at Celica with sad eyes. “I think that you should give up now.”
“Fuck you bitch!” Nerissa growled through clenched teeth and began to advance to her. “I don’t have shit to say to you. You’ve picked your side so stick that “advice” up your fucking cunt bitch!”
“So vulgar…” No more words were shared as the both of them clashed and I turned my attention to Nim and Celica. Ka’seem was pulling the arrows from his body as the person in the tree made their way over to him. Nim had grabbed Celica who, by some divine miracle, was still breathing and awake, but I feared that she wouldn’t be lucky for much longer.
“We have to get the damn kid…” Nim was bleeding more than I thought he was, but he was more focused on the storm around us. “You need to get up.”
“I would if I could Nim!” I didn’t mean to snap at him, but this whole situation was a pain in the ass. Ka’seem brushed off his injuries to face the archer and Nerissa was having a tough time keeping up with Uris. It would continue like this if she didn’t tap into her other abilities, but she was terrible at it. I barely could get my thoughts together before a shadow overtook the three of us. A figure crashed into Nim and completely knocked me away from him and Celica.
As the dust finally settled, a gasp escaped me as I saw a very very large man had a God killing weapon made into a gauntlet, and it was buried far into Nim’s chest and it was splayed in his blood. In his other fist he held a dark chain and Celica was hanging from it with her arms tied behind her back. He made eye contact with me and smiled before he snapped his fingers.
Any energy left in my body was sucked out as the same chains appeared from nowhere and wrapped around my body. Hearing the gasp from Ka’seem and Nerissa was not a good thing to hear either. It was good for Uris as Nerissa seemed to catch her off guard and was slamming her fist into her face, but the chains pulled her back.
“These are the “Supernovas”? What a joke…” Snapping his fingers again, it pulled us all together and the situation just went from bad to worse to astronomically bad. Now the five of us were on our knees in a clearing and Altair was gone, and Lady Serafina was still fighting with no end in sight. Celica could barely even stay on her knees as she rocked back and forth. This was a dangerous obstacle for her since these God killing weapons drained our divinity. The chains were draining my power and in theory they could essentially make us mortal and we were sitting ducks. Her divinity was probably the only thing that was keeping her stable, so Celica was in more danger than ever.
No way to contact our pantheons, Lady Serafina in combat, in essence, we were screwed.
“Morlo should be on his way to retrieve the child.” The large man smiled down at us as the archer that Ka’seem had been fighting came to speak with him. “We have to dispose of them soon. Our liege will wrap up their fight with the Light. The child-”
“Give him back you fucking rat!” Nerissa tried to get up but the man just laughed at her failed attempt. The chains were affecting us faster than I thought. Ka’seem and Nim were also starting to breathe heavier.
I…I saw no way out of this.
I breathed out a frustrated sigh as our enemies moved away from us to talk and I leaned into Celica so she wasn’t using all of her strength to sit up.
“Does anyone have any idea how we can get out of this? Anything at all?” Ka’seem was met with only silence and Nerissa cursing to herself. “We have to think of something guys-”
“There is no plan right now Ka’seem! Damnit!” Nim growled at Ka’seem who turned to kick him and I was getting more annoyed now.
“Fuck you Nim! I’m trying to be positive and come up with solutions for Serafina’s sake! Stop being so fucking negative!”
“Could you two stop fucking fighting!” Great. Now Nerissa would join in their arguing. Celica felt like she was about to pitch over again. “We’ve all been off our game here!”
“Some more than others…”
“Really Nim? You want to go at this with me now?!” Ka’seem looked ready to headbutt Nim into the ground and I’m sure Nim would be sparking with lightning right now if he could.
The three of them kept up their arguing and I just turned to look at Celica. “You’re gonna be ok…we’ll make it out of this. I just have to think.”
Feeling Nim tense up next to me, I watched as his head snapped up and his eye glanced to the side.
“What is it?” He furrowed his brows as his ear started to twitch.