The Distortion

They were both relentless, especially Laith. Adam couldn’t believe how tough he was, never in his life did the Scholar witness such endurance, such resilience, such stamina, all combined in one person. His little brother, Laith, locking horns with an Oni, a creature of myths and legends…No matter how accustomed he’d grown to his brother’s current constitution, it was still hard for him to wrap his head around it.

The same scene took place time and time again; Adam had lost count of how many times the same maneuver was repeated. Laith charged, blade through the ground, the Oni swung, he worked around it, a sneaky Râad pounced on a green-skinned arm and Laith hauled a scimitar at a broad chest. If one simply heard about or read it, it would most likely sound like a dull confrontation. Perhaps there was that aspect to it; a couple of pebbles constantly bouncing off a giant boulder, hardly pushing it back, if ever at all. But Adam was there, he didn’t just hear about it, he saw it. That relentless act of valor…it was a thing of beauty, a confrontation of epic proportions.

The Oni failed to assert complete dominance over its opponents, but he remained the more dominant force nonetheless. The fight was steadily evolving into a stalemate. The duo still had a long way to go on their path to fell the monster, and their steps were almost miniscule. Still, Adam couldn’t picture his brother losing, despite the pitiful state in which his body lay. That kind of determination had to be rewarded somehow, it could not go to waste. Adam refused to believe life could be that unfair. Miracles were often offered to those who struggle.

In time, his brother received one.

* * *

After the nth exchange—he lost count a while ago—Laith wasn’t opposed with a massive club, or a right arm, or any form of resistance for that matter; his opponent was completely open. It was as if the green-skinned monster had suddenly decided to lay down his weapon, which he had no reason to. What Laith failed to notice was a crucial sequence of events after being solely focused on his enemy. He missed the fact that the ogre’s right arm was spinning in the air, detached from its main body.

Right when he was dashing in, blade grinding against the ground, Laith could barely make out two silhouettes crossing paths in front of him like furtive shadows. He thought it was his imagination at first; a long and epic clash with an Oni could take a toll on his mind and not just his body. Except it wasn’t his imagination, two people were indeed standing there, Yuuna to his left and Genjiro to his right.

The creature howled in pain. The sound emitted was so deafening that the Kunoichi and the Samurai grabbed Laith and Râad and hid inside a nearby building, one of the few miraculously still standing.

“What…are you guys…doing here…?” Laith asked, his ribs heaving in and out.

“What does it look like we’re doing? We’re here to help.” Yuuna’s kind smile was as radiant as ever, despite the countless welts tainting her body.

“Where have you been all this time Yuuna…? You don’t look very good,” Laith frowned at her injuries.

“You’re one to talk!” Yuuna replied harshly, almost reproachfully. “Anyway, it’s a long story, we’ll discuss it later.” she had to raise her voice, her normal one was barely audible through the Oni’s scream.

The latter was outside on its knees, grabbing its right shoulder with its left hand as if that would ease the pain. The suffering was so great the Oni seemed as though it could shed some tears. Instead, it drooled profusely through its sharp teeth, saliva joining with the river of blood flowing from its severed arm.

“Shouldn’t we be attacking that thing right now while he’s in that pathetic state, you know, instead of talking?” Genjiro commented.

“Laith kun and I could use a little break, and I doubt you could do any significant damage on your own, even if he is like that. Not to mention the annoying groan.” Yuuna said between winces.

“Alright, suit yourselves.” Genjiro crossed hands behind his head.

“Genjiro, you were supposed to have run away with the others, why did you come back?” Laith asked, panting.

“I never ran away, I helped some of the others escape before heading here.” he shrugged.

“You still haven’t answered the question.” Laith said in a flat voice.

“Sensei is still somewhere inside the castle, whatever he’s busy with, he wouldn’t want to come across this thing next.” Genjiro replied idly.

“Fair enough. So, what’s the plan? Any suggestions?” Laith would rather not rest for too long, otherwise he’d lose momentum.

“I would rather wrap this up as quickly as possible.” Yuuna replied, worried.

“No shit, I thought you were smarter than I am, Yuuna.” Genjiro said half-heartedly.

“I’m not talking about us; I’m talking about the Oni.”

Laith raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“The monster is even in more pain than we think. Do you see all those scars on his body? They have been torturing him constantly in order to tame him, the Oni was already on the verge of death when he was released. I would like it if we don’t make him suffer much longer than he has to.”

“That abomination was near death?!”

“Not only that, but his mental state is severely damaged as well—you should have noticed the erratic way of fighting. If the Oni was sane, he could have probably ended you much sooner instead of just tossing you around.”

It appeared as though that the samurais had more than enough reason to flee from this calamity. Laith shuddered at the thought of struggling this much with a dying monster…he preferred not to picture how things would have turned out if he was healthy and at full strength.

That thought made him miss the fact that Yuuna was unironically taking pity on a deadly monster actively trying to end their lives.

“How do you suggest we go about it then? Go straight for the head?” Genjiro suggested casually.

“That won’t do either, the only reason you cut off his arm that easily was because Râad already roughed it up,” Laith patted the tiger’s head who could really use a soft touch after the monster’s thrashing, “The skin, despite those bruises, is still tremendously tough. You may have noticed how I had to heat up my scimitar to pierce through.”

“Since Laith kun was repeatedly slicing the Oni across the chest near its heart, I say we go for the heart. It would be the fastest way.” Yuuna said.

“Does that thing even have a heart? I mean, he’s not… human.” Laith asked curiously.

“He definitely has, I can hear his heartbeat as clear as yours.” she stated confidently.

“Another perk of being a ninja I presume?”

“Indeed.” she answered with a smirk.

“Anyhow, if it’s piercing the heart then Genjiro is best suited for that, my blade is primarily made for slashing.” Laith proposed.

“Fine by me, but are you done taking a break? Because our green friend is almost done with his.” Genjiro pointed towards the Oni through a fortunate window that survived the night.

The monster picked up his club with his left arm after the pain had subsided a bit, even though he had been feeling nothing but pain all this time.

“Yosh, I’m good to go.” Laith got himself fired up again.

“Okay, here’s how we will proceed. I will assist Râad kun in distracting the Oni by slowly poking him while you and Genjiro deal significant damage, deepening the wound near his heart—I’ll let you coordinate between you. Laith kun, it would be nice if you could put up with his heavy blow one more time when Genjiro finally goes for the heart, it’ll give him a surer window to end it. Are we clear?” she said, putting the mask over her mouth.

Everyone nodded in agreement, Râad included. Even the Oni seemed to react to that statement by regaining its hostile stance and hideous snarl.

“Alright, here goes nothing.”

* * *

As Adam watched the fight unfold, his mind slowly strayed away from it, not out of boredom, but out of fascination. He never obsessed over the outcome of their expedition, whether they would be met with success or failure at the end of it. Adam was a reasonable man and he realized his reach far exceeded his grasp, no matter how much he planned for it. It was one of the rare occasions where he chose to silence his brain and forego reason because otherwise, he would never have taken that first step.

However, seeing those four coordinate their actions, together as a single unit—albeit a sloppy one—made him believe for the first time, truly believe in their chances. Adam could very well see a world where they would see this journey through to the end, a triumphant party standing at the finish line. And a samurai with nondescript features belonged to that party. He was being overly greedy, but Adam sure hoped it was Genjiro. His contribution would certainly prove valuable—regardless of his eccentric side—and witnessing the last moments of the showdown further instilled that belief.

“Ima!”

Genjiro gave the signal. In his final charge, Laith braced himself for one last tremor, meeting the Oni head on. His scimitar clanged against the club, resulting in mere sparks. The shockwave was nowhere near as intense as the first clashes. Either the Oni was right-handed, or he was severely weakened and exhausted. Laith would fully seize this chance. He channeled every last bit of power he had left into his right arm—muscles and veins bulging alike—overpowering the monster to pin down the club with his scimitar. Yuuna and Râad slipped behind the opponent, each targeting one leg, Râad clawing his right knee pit and Yuuna kicking the left one, bringing the monster down—they had been attacking that same area for a while.

The target was wide open. Genjiro dashed forward, thrusting his katana with both hands, stabbing the heart with extreme precision, killing the miserable and tormented monster almost instantly. The Oni didn’t scream, didn’t suffer, didn’t feel anything, he simply coughed some blood and dropped dead. A slight tremor ensued when his huge corpse met the ground. It took the combined efforts of a Fares, a Kunoichi, a Samurai and a tiger to slay an injured and nearly dead Oni.

Yuuna closed her eyes; she avoided looking at the corpse lying in front of her. Laith laid his fortitude to rest, finally giving his body permission to surrender to the pain. His entire weight fell on his scimitar, which still wasn’t enough to keep him from faltering. It was Râad who intervened to help his bloodied friend and allow him to lie down on his back. Even though the animal himself was barely standing upright, he realized Laith was in a far worse shape, similarly to how Yuuna who was aided by Genjiro, seeing as he suffered the least compared to them.

“You guys actually pulled it off…unbelievable.”

“If it isn’t four eyes, I’m surprised you were still around all this time. I’m more surprised you’re still alive to be honest.” Genjiro said bluntly.

“Again, stop calling me that, and thanks for your concern, Genjiro.” Adam shot him a flat look then turned to his brother, “You are one crazy bastard you know that, right? The next time you intend on pushing your body to the limit, you might wanna keep track of your injuries first. You’re lucky you got away with just blood loss and a broken arm.”

Laith was surprised his brother noticed. His left arm had miraculously withstood most of the Oni’s explosive blows, but after the direct hit suffered initially, it was just a matter of time before both the bones in his forearm cracked.

“Let me tell you big brother, that adrenaline rush was insane.” Laith said jokingly.

“Not funny. And you Yuuna,” her right arm was wrapped around Genjiro’s neck, her entire weight falling on his shoulders, “You have some explaining to do…but for now, I’m just glad you’re fine.” It was neither the time nor the place to vent on her disappearance. Besides, he took pity on her after seeing her bruises…

“I know, and I’m sorry…” she stopped briefly then added “Did you find the…?” she wasn’t sure if she should speak of the fragment out loud.

“Lucky for you guys, I did find it.”

Though faint, the smiles on Laith and Yuuna’s faces conveyed profound satisfaction. Their main quest, which seemed like a side quest with everything that had happened, was ultimately a success. They couldn’t be gladder that their colossal efforts were not in vain in the end.

“Well then, we cleared the dungeon, we took down the raid boss and we grabbed the loot. I’d say it’s time we leave this place.” Laith stated as Adam and Yuuna grinned.

“I didn’t understand a single word you just said, but what I do understand is that I’m not leaving without sensei.” Genjiro was clueless as to what they were referencing—not that he really cared—but there remained an issue that needed to be addressed.

Adam remembered when he last saw Daisuke; he broke out in cold sweat conjuring up that brief memory. Genjiro’s sensei was a capable man, but even he didn’t look very confident about facing that man.

“Actually, Tokugawa san was with me moments before the Oni’s release. We got separated at the tower.”

“What was he still doing there?” It was one of those rare instances where Genjiro sounded serious.

“He got held up with some bitter soldiers who desperately sought to avenge Nakamura. They didn’t look any more competent than the rest, so I’m sure he’s fine.” Adam felt bad about lying, but he couldn’t help it.

Ever since he stumbled across Gin, while not even being aware of that name, Adam couldn’t shake off this bad feeling, as if he had some sort of premonition…something which persisted even after watching a green monster tear the entire place apart. Adam thought it best not to have any of them further involved with any more potential trouble, even more so in their current state.

“I don’t care, I’m still waitin—”

“Come now, Genjiro. No need to be that stubborn.”

He spun around to see his master all well. Genjiro would have bowed if not for Yuuna, so he just nodded respectfully.

“I’m glad you’re safe, sensei.” he sounded a lot less tense than a few moments ago.

Adam was the most relieved out of everyone, but seeing as he just lied to everyone, he toned down his reaction as best as he could.

“Apologies for not helping with whatever disaster was taking place. Judging from the uproar and the aftermath I can tell it was ugly,” Daisuke said, examining the destruction and the massive green corpse beside him, “But I assure you I had my hands full as well.”

“I’m sure you had a good reason, Tokugawa san. As Genjiro said, we’re just glad you’re in one piece.” Adam was trying to cover for his lie and luckily Daisuke was on the same page.

“Then I believe we are done here.” Daisuke declared placidly, “We have a long road ahead of us, so let us not wait for any more unforeseen events to delay us any longer.”

And thus, they left, leaving the once mighty castle in shambles. Buildings demolished, some partially destroyed, others crumbled entirely; corpses scattered, some distinguishable as proper bodies, others bereft of their basic anatomical structure; weapons bloodied, some in need of slight maintenance, others destined for the smithy they were forged in…horrendous signs that bore witness to the violence that was bestowed upon the otherwise pristine structure.

The events taking place that fateful night would alter the landscape of the country, plunging it into complete anarchy, far worse than the tumult of conflict experienced previously. The actions of the raiding samurais would later be deemed by most as dishonorable, bringing shame to their title and their country. Some people would curse the name “Tokugawa Daisuke” for the remainder of their days. A minority had considered the act of vengeance a brave one, but that opinion held no weight in the face of the bleak desolation overtaking the state of Yamato.

Whether the acts committed by Tokugawa and his allies were good or evil, right or wrong, warranted or not, no one could deny the serious repercussions they had on all Yamatojin. Aside from the resumed hostilities, the events of that night led to sensitive topics being divulged to the common people, secrets about a third party being involved in the conflict, rumors about monsters potentially being weaponized, gossip of the foreigner who had stood up to an Oni alongside his tiger…

Ultimately, an undeniable fact was documented: The Daimyo known as Nakamura Kensei had perished in the assault that would later be known as the “Raid of Retribution”.