The Scythe and the Seer, Book 3 of the Enchanter's Cycle

Ryū sprinted in silence, his expression grim.

Aika didn’t know what the R’yzthaek had said to him...but he’d immediately ordered the Te Fukushu to return to Karyu.

Confused, she nonetheless obeyed her superior officer. Eight hours had passed since them...eight hours of near-constant running. A Human would have collapsed of exhaustion by now. Everyone, her included, felt the strain of the forced march, but she knew that it was only their safety that kept Ryū from taking wing all the way back home.

“Something is amiss.” the vampyre said suddenly, looking intently down the hill at Karyu. Though the Silkrit were always bustling in their new home, Aika could see even from that distance that the village looked like an overturned ant hill.

A small detachment was already riding to them; a group of six riflemen. They slowed as they recognized her and Ryū, but their expressions were grim. Coming to attention, the captain of the guard reached them first, identified by the intricate arch atop the forehead of his open-faced kabuto.

“My Lord.” he said, bowing low, and Ryū growled, “I am no lord and in a hurry. What is amiss?”

“Jhihro.” the soldier replied, short of breath and not offended in the slightest, “The bastard was a vampyre all along. He took out the sentries with some sort of gas and escaped with the half-breeds.”

Blanching, Aika gasped, “How many?”

“All of them. There were only a few casualties; he seemed to be...controlling them somehow, and they didn’t feed upon the fallen. We’ve been on high alert ever since, sending ravens for Shirudo atop Mount Renmei. We...have not heard back.”

“Damn it all.” Ryū cursed, “...If he didn’t kill any on the way out then it’s safe to assume he doesn’t intend to attack Karyu. That, at least, we can be thankful for...though he may try to turn the villagers. Keep a close watch for anyone suspicious.”

“Aye, sir.” the soldier said, straightening, “Will you be staying here, sir? The morale would improve if we had you with us.”

Aika was about to nod for him, but Ryū shook his head, “I cannot stay. There is something else...something that could end this war. I must travel to it, alone. Aika...you take the rest in, to fortify the village.”

What?

“But...Ryū...” she protested, and he looked at her, his eyes sorrowful, “Please, Aika. Do this for me. With Shirudo away I need someone I can trust managing the defenses here. I will need to rest for tonight, but then...I must be off.”

It made sense, though she resented the fact. He didn’t speak his intentions, but she knew his journey would be perilous if it was provoked by the words of a traitorous R’yzthaek. As capable as she was, she was still mortal, where he was...not.

Nodding sadly, Aika marshaled her strength, hiding the grief of being parted from Ryū and her indignity at being left behind once again, “Captain, have each patrol report to Shirudo’s office. I will be bunking there until his return, whereupon he will retake command. Triple the patrols and extend the curfew to all hours after evening. Nobody is to leave their homes until the sun is fully risen, and even then nowhere beyond the village’s limits. If you haven’t already, recall the farmhands. Crops are already sewn and the rest can wait until this matter is resolved. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.” the soldier replied with a shallow bow, and Aika dismissed him, his retinue, and the hunters that had accompanied them, leaving her with Ryū. She saw his pained expression, though he tried to hide it for her sake.

“I am no more pleased than you.” he said, “But I need you to trust me; this is very important, but nobody can know why.”

Nodding hesitantly, Aika waited until they were alone, then smiled tiredly, “If you want...you are welcome to come to me later tonight, before you rest.”

It was forthright, she knew, but Ryū brightened immediately, “I would be honored.”

When Eagle proved unsatisfied with their lodging in the Human world, Nu tried a different approach to placate him; one which involved eating worms. Worm was displeased, but Eagle had been amused enough by her gagging to allow the use of his swift flight spell.

Coughing up the last globule, the druid readied the spell, only to detect a new presence and a conflux of raw magicka. An enemy?

“Prepare yourself, Larlax.” Nu gasped, clutching her staff. Without Worm’s favor (for she’d surely forsaken it by eating his brothers and sisters), her offensive spells would be weak indeed, no greater than those any other Djinn her age could use.

“You were right, Arteth.” a woman’s voice echoed faintly, “I sense another Kamiyonanayo here, one I do not recognize.”

Arteth? Dur’Arteth! Bad. Bad, bad.

“Ally, or enemy?” Larlax whispered, and she wasn’t sure how to answer.

His scowl deepened, and a sphere of soft violet light took shape in his half-closed hand.

“The friend and the foe...” Fox cautioned, “One is always one. One can also be both.”

“Much better.” A female Silkrit said, her dark eyes blank and unresponsive as she appeared in their midst, side by side with a male Djinn whose forked blade Nu surely recognized.

“It is you...” Nu replied icily, “Betrayer! Why are you here?”

“More importantly, why are you here?” the woman, Kaileena she remembered, asked, appearing oddly disinterested.

Actually, no, Nu realized...her face hid another emotion, one she didn’t recognize but appeared for all the world like a weary, puzzled sadness. Sad, sad.

“Seeking an ally against the Dread Hammer.” Nu replied, more at Dur’Arteth, and more like an accusation.

“What a coincidence.” Kaileena replied dryly, “You will accompany me back to Higoi. My own teleportation was slightly...off.”

“No.” Larlax stated bluntly, “We will return to Carthspire immediately. With two Djinn we can kill Don’Yoku.”

“I recognize this name.” Kaileena noted distantly, “He tried to kill me once. He is in...Carthspire, you said?”

“Aye.” the wizard replied without hesitation, “The matriarch, the last matriarch, is there too. They dragged an entire city into the Faded Veil, where..., where...-”

“Where the Dread Hammer himself wiped them out with his R’yzthaek.” Nu finished for him, again poignantly aiming the words at Dur’Arteth, whose eyes burned a furious red. Red, red.

“I am not convinced she is the last matriarch.” Kaileena said, scratching her chin idly, unmindful of their dire news, “But that answers a great deal of questions. Very well. I will gather allies to the cause of hunting down the last of the Dread Hammer’s subjects. But you will accompany me. Does that satisfy you?”

It was clearly a command, not a request...

“I am Kaileena Kazeatari, Lord of the South District of Teikoku. While you are in this land you will appeal to the rule of law. Thus, you will accompany us or I will forcibly eject you from this world and you may seek out Don’Yoku on your own.”

The threat was spoken with absolute confidence; the confidence of one who would fulfill their words without a second thought.

“Very well.” Nu stated dejectedly, holding the temperamental, imperious wizard back, “Good. Yes, yes. Let us be off, then.”

It only took two days to get halfway to the edge of the West District. Atsushi had remained near the rear of the caravan the entire time, supposedly busy, “watching the perimeter”.

It’d been a slow and uneventful two days, but Koukatsuna treasured them regardless. Rinshi didn’t mind being so close to him. When she needed food he would go out and fetch something from the supplies, when her cup was empty he would refill it, and when she tired he watched over her as she slept.

It was strange being relied on. Oh, the Te Fukushu certainly had expectations for him and a few battles would have surely soured without him, but this was different. Rinshi was genuinely happy to have his company, and needed him to protect her. That was something he wasn’t used to.

One normally would have thought he was inclined to mate...but it wasn’t that. He’d tried and failed with Aika once, and there were many others besides...including...

What was he thinking about? Ahh, yes, Rinshi. He liked her, but not in that way. No; she was his friend. His friend... Had he ever had one before? Probably not. He knew he could trust her with anything, even did...a little.

“Did you hear me?” Rinshi asked, startling him, her eyes coy, a single brow raised imperiously as only certain noble-born Humans could manage.

“Sure I did.” he parried dismissively, and she smiled, “Then what do you think?”

“I think I should fetch you more sake.” he replied, chastened, and her smile widened, “From what I heard of your reputation I would have thought our stores to be gone by now. Have you even had more than the one cup today?”

He shook his head, embarrassed, “I put that behind me, milady. It never really helped anyway.”

“Helped with what?”

“Forgetting.”

That gave her pause...

“...I see. From your days in the arena?”

“I...” Koukatsuna started, failed, and continued, “It’s not a matter to trouble you over, milady. The past is the past.”

“Please...” Rinshi persisted, taking his hand between hers. Her skin was smooth, soft. His felt like calloused cartilage in comparison.

Sighing, Koukatsuna rested back into his seat, eyeing the girl intently. He’d never once... Never thought to...

“I am your champion, milady.” he finally stated, his chest aching. She nodded, and he continued to say, “As your champion, I am sworn to fulfill your wishes. Please...revoke that one. I beg you.”

Confused, she nodded, “Very well, my champion. It is revoked.”

Delicious, exquisite pain.

Blood, saturating my tongue, dribbling, pouring down my chin.

Screams; pained, fading.

Another city. Another slaughter.

I look down upon my latest victim, gobbling up the last of its blood, tossing the corpse aside like an empty peanut shell.

Another, just as savory, just as alive, desiring just as much to remain so. I deny them their wish, savaging them with my claws. They cry, and scream, and beg. I have no ear for it.

My daughter tries to say something to me, but I ignore her. Here, at this moment, with death all about me, all joy and hope effaced, all lesser pleasures forgotten in the sheer undeniable horror of it all... ′

I know what it means to be God. I know that I do the proper work of a god.

The feeling passes and I look for another taste, only to scream with frustration upon finding all others dead. In a final attempt to recapture the feeling I pounce on a lesser pureblood. He gasps as my fangs pierce his throat and neck. Shaking him like a doll with my claws, I tear off pieces of him, slurping his black blood in an orgy of pain and pleasure.

Nothing.

Disgusted, I hurl the corpse into a ditch, then turn to look upon my “daughter”, Senbotsu. Her skin pales, but otherwise she makes no other inclination that my display has unsettled her.

“My Lord.” she says, “Your Human plaything grows weary of maintaining the connection to the Faded Veil. With your leave I will order him to return us to the Prime Material Plane where we can attack another settlement.”

Licking my claws clean, I nod. Another city. Yes...

“Have you fed well, dearest?” I ask innocently, watching her grow another shade paler, then laugh, “Of course. You don’t approve of my tastes in delicacies... Dismissed.”

“And...” I add, stopping her, “Say hello to Mother, will you? I’m certain she regrets missing dinner and would appreciate the gesture.”

Aika gathered a few necessities from her small house in Karyu, then pooled them onto the bedroll, waiting for the crockpot on the stove to heat thoroughly.

When she heard hissing steam she turned into the main area and collected it, before returning to the bedroom, grunting as she bore its weight. Closing the door behind her, she approached a small tub in the corner, filled with water drawn from a stream, and, as steadily as she could, emptied the boiling water into it.

Since she could hardly heat enough water for a tub, she’d opted to combine cold with boiling, eventually producing a comfortably warm medium. Sometimes it took two or three tries, but as she stirred the hissing water with a ladle, then experimenting with her fingertips, she found it acceptable, if a little too hot. That was fine; the cold of the room would remedy that.

Discarding her armor, the Silkrit dipped her body in, hissing at the sudden warmth. As she settled to the bottom, having to curl almost into the fetal position to be suitably submerged, Aika reached for her soap, still wrapped in waxed paper.

Made from white charcoal; remnants of a certain species of tree, the soap spread evenly across her skin, leaving a chalky, smoky odor laced with flower and mineral scents. A Human invention and a very useful one at that; Silkrit didn’t sweat like Humans but they shed skin flakes into their clothing and needed a wash every now and then to stay clean.

Gently making a stroke down her forehead, careful not to touch her feathers, she began massaging the soap into a light film, then washed it off with a douse of water and the swipe of a towel.

As clean as could be, Aika sat back and relaxed while the water cooled, closing her eyes with a great, deep sigh, tail curling with delight.

When it began to get uncomfortable she quickly stood and stepped out of the tub, drying off with the other side of the towel. Feeling a tinge of cold, she quickly dressed in her black kimono. The finery might have made her feel vulnerable, but it would be her last night with Ryū, and she wanted to look pretty.

She at least put on her fur-lined bracers, the ones with the throwing knives hidden in their folds, since they fit nicely under the thick, heavy sleeves of the gown. It always paid to have a weapon somewhere on one’s person!

Her other weapon was a scent; the Humans called it perfume. Lychee-infused rose. She also freshened her breath with a bite of mentha leaf, the better to be rid of the taste of stale rice.

Ready, if a little nervous, Aika threw on her cloak, made a small pack composed of her prized trinkets, including the perfume, and left the house, locking the door behind her.

Vala led Kuri into Hitorigami City without the protection of her scarf and hood, savoring the heat of the sun as she had not in her entire life.

Since passing through the main gate, a squad of four soldiers had been escorting the two of them, which actually struck her as a good thing. They’d been satisfied (to an extent) by her seal and her association with Shirudo and Minamoto, but common soldiers didn’t know every wandering alien in their realm and had questioned her thoroughly about Fusestu, general politics and geography, and recent news.

She’d managed everything but the last part, which had still pacified them enough to let her and the girl in, though they had protested the girl being in her care and that Vala herself was armed.

That was fine...so long as they didn’t ask for her sword.

If the soldiers had been lukewarm, the plebeians were cool and aloof. She endured the angry glares of the citizenry without complaint; her katana would work in place of the noble seal if things came to that.

Kaileena had also entered the city in much the same way, but that had been before the war. As a pureblood Orc Vala looked more like their enemies, and no doubt that was the reason for their scorn.

Kuri didn’t seem to notice. If Tenri had gifted her little companion with any additional insight...she certainly didn’t show it. She stared, wide-eyed, at every passerby and every landmark, mesmerized. The shifting platforms and bridges, powered by the clockwork genius of the natives, bizarre statuary, armored soldiers, and finery-clad nobles...all of it must have been pretty overwhelming.

Indeed, if Vala hadn’t been practically dragging her by the arm, the girl would still be back outside the gates.

It didn’t impress her, even though this was her first time in the capital as well. Her daughter was possibly alive, and she needed her answers.

Vala led the girl, her only link to Tenri, up to an ascending staircase which led to the main bridge between the markets and the noble district, at the end of which resided the royal palace. Even with a quarter-mile yet to travel, she could see the shifting cube that housed the new Hitorigami, standing proudly above the finer, multi-floored manors with painted, elaborately engraved wooden paneling and pointed roofs.

“So that is where Hitogmi lives...?” Kuri gaped, astonished, and Vala smirked, “Hitorigami, Hi-to-ri-ga-mi. Your people’s leader, not mine. You should know his name better than me.”

“And who is your people’s leader?” one of the soldiers; a captain of the guard, asked her, to which she shrugged, “I have no people, therefore I have no leader. Not yet, at least. I hope to make this land my home and its people my people, however.”

The captain quieted at that, thoughtful. Or at least that was what she inferred from his silence; his helm covered his entire face save the eyes.

As they passed through the noble district, the stares became more openly hostile. Kuri actually started to notice and inched closer, hugging her leg, which she found intensely distracting.

“Easy...” she whispered, “Remember Furin. I can handle this if it gets bad.”

That did little to settle the girl...

Vala took a deep breath (and how good that felt, actually being refreshed by breathing), and approached a much larger stairway, lined by metal railing shaped like wingless Dragons, their mouths open and containing tiny lanterns that were probably lit in the evenings.

“You will not carry your sword into the palace.” the captain stated bluntly, “We cannot corroborate your story, and I will not allow an assassin into the Hitorigami’s Chambers.”

“Then we will remain out here.” Vala replied, “All I need is a Kamiyonanayo, or knowledge of where to find one. There is knowledge I seek only one of them would possess. Please, tell the Hitorigami of my arrival and of my request, and that I am on a tight schedule.”

Yokai answered his lady’s summons with some foreboding. Kaileena had returned only last night, and there were unpleasant rumors abound...

His unease only increased as he entered the audience hall in Lord Ta-eh...Lady Kaileena’s private villa. He saw her clay automaton unceremoniously shoved to the wall, forgotten by both its creator and the most decidedly unsettled bunch of nobles he’d ever seen.

Arteth was there as well, and his sour, sickly expression hardly inspired confidence. There was a second Kamiyonanayo he didn’t recognize, as well as a...oh, that wasn’t a child... It had a white beard, and wrinkled yellow skin. Odd.

And then he saw Kaileena herself...and had to double-check to make sure it was her. She was dressed in black, with golden spikes protruding from her flesh.

Looking into those blank, empty eyes, Yokai saw no trace of that gentle and enigmatic woman who’d set him right. She looked more like a corpse.

“...Milady...” he finally managed, offering a shallow bow.

Kaileena nodded, “Yokai. How good of you to come on such short notice. I know you have been busy, and that teleportation is no simple feat, but I have a task I require of you.”

The words were so devoid of emotion as to be meaningless. Arteth cringed as she spoke them.

“A task?” he inquired, and she nodded again, “I have some comprehension of the Dread Hammer’s whereabouts, or at least the whereabouts of his principal forces, though they are hidden from conventional divination. A sizable army of Skraul infest the world of Carthspire, including a matriarch. I have the means to transport a few powerful allies to engage them.”

“And you wish me to accompany?” he asked, confused, to which she replied, “Among others, yes. If we destroy them there will be none remaining to perpetuate Dur’Artoth’s influence in the Veil. For now, the pact of the Totoanatsukami prevents him and his foul generals from involving themselves more fully in this war, despite the presence of Surthath’s Kamiyonanayo.”

“I do owe you more than a favor.” Yokai admitted, “And you are my lord now. I have no complaint in following you to battle. But should we not acquire aid from Moonshadow before rushing in and engaging them?”

Kaileena’s expression darkened, betraying the boiling rage she’d until then concealed.

“Surthath has nothing left to offer that I want or need.”

“We cannot contend with a God as we are.”

“You underestimate my new power.” she replied simply, as if addressing a child, “I doubt we will be able to kill Dur’Artoth, but he cannot enter our dimension. Yet. Don’Yoku will be no match for me. After this I will seek the Scythe of Argosaxx; while it is useless in Dur’Artoth’s hands it would be a potent weapon in my own. Enough to end this war and secure my assets for the one to inevitably follow. Of course, you need not be willing to perform this task requested of you...”

As she said this, a coldness filled the hall. Gravity followed it; a crushing weight that drove him, and only him, to his knees. He fell, gasping for air, even as she rose from her seat. A length of iron emerged from her hand, through the gem set in her palm.

“What...” he breathed, “What are you doing?”

Kaileena, her expression vacant, crouched in front of him, “Surthath will not aid me further; if he is wise he will remain well hidden. So to end the war of his design I will need every asset available. Your abilities, if not your mind. That I can remove if need be.”

For how long, he couldn’t say, the chamber was silent. None had moved to aid him. They were all as petrified as he was.

“You...would...?” Yokai stammered, at a loss for words. Who was this person?

“If you even think to harm him...” Tengu replied through his mouth, “I will hunt you down.”

“I am beyond you, mighty Dragon.” Kaileena said without emotion, “You are no more a threat to me than a termite.”

“...Very well then, my lady...” Yokai said, “I am at your command.”

“I know you are.” Kaileena replied coldly, turning back to her seat. The weight vanished in an instant, so jarring he fell forward, landing hard, “I expect your ally to follow as well...and to know what will happen to the both of you if we fail.”

Lacking a rebuttal, he excused himself quickly, meeting Arteth’s eyes and seeing the clear desperation there.

Deep inside, he wondered if the Dread Hammer remained Teikoku’s greatest threat...

Khurshid waited for Jhihro in a cave near the entrance to the bamboo forest. Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar, his emerald-studded scimitar, rested flat against his knees, rattling as he drummed his feet impatiently, considering his mask.

Backed with a mane of animal hair, it depicted a horned, leering devil with carved fangs, a flat, broad nose, and yellow eyes. The eyes were mimetite, a fine crystal melted into transparent lenses, which protected their sensitive eyes beyond the ash-filled wastes of their homeland, Agni, a province of Lord Rel’Gaarmathar who was God.

For now he endured without, weaning himself to the cold moisture present in the air.

Sighing, the Oni ran a slender hand through his bald pate. His thoughts drifted to recent conquests, which brightened his mood considerably. With a small detachment of his soldiers he’d razed villages along the path here from the portal, more for sport than resources. Oh, how these round-ears were given pause as a horde of masked, red-skinned elves descended upon them!

Unlike their distant cousins, the El’Dari, his people weren’t known for subtlety, or diplomacy for that matter. When they went to war, all knew of it. Let the natives marshal an army to face him! He wished to test the denizens of the world, as he had many others.

But Khurshid craved a worthy opponent. Sometimes, in his irregular fits of introspection, Khurshid dreamed of battling a warrior a mirror image of himself. In their perfect duel, their dance of death, they battled for all eternity, neither able to best the other, weaving steel and muscle and bone in perfect harmony until all the world’s fires snuffed out to await the rekindling in which Rel’Gaarmathar who was God would rightfully claim all things as his own.

His reverence of his god notwithstanding, Khurshid and those loyal to him had defied God’s wishes and fled to Human world, the better to pursue his own ambitions.

For Khurshid had his own ideas for the future of the Veil, and in order to bring about his vision he’d sought a worthy ally and found Jhihro, who sought a world for his kin to populate. That was fine; the Oni would claim the Veil...he could let the Silkrit have one miserly planet.

Khurshid didn’t fear this renegade, for the Oni were immune to maladies of the flesh, even those birthed by magicka, the whelp Surthath’s domain.

“Finally.” he growled, rising to his feet and sheathing Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar, “You know I detest waiting.”

“And how contrite I am...” Jhihro replied, approaching with a sigh, “But complications ensued on the road. And you know my army cannot travel by day.”

Unwilling to endure his ally’s peculiarities, Khurshid ignored the jibe, watching as more and more vampyres filled the cave, carrying bundles of paper and large metal drums.

“The weapons?” Khurshid asked, and Jhihro tilted his head, “The ingredients and test subjects?”

Nodding, he signaled with his hand, and his soldiers emerged from below, with bound Human captives and canisters.

“Everything you need to make more is here.” Khurshid explained, “With this arrangement we will continue to provide for your research in exchange for a small portion of the finalized product.”

It galled him to sink to such tactics; the Oni were a race who made their statements with an axe to the face, not a dagger in the back. But Jhihro’s poisons would be useful in clearing away indigenous populations indirectly by sending the remaining Skraul into a rampage.

Everything would be as he envisioned. The Veil and all the realms beyond would suffer greatly for his benefit.

She entered Shirudo’s office, spoke briefly to the guard captains and minor Te Fukushu lieutenants, righted what paperwork there was, including the report to the Hitorigami to follow the similar messages already being relayed by enchantment.

That done, she steadied her breathing, and walked into the back office, into Shirudo’s vacant quarters. Ryū was waiting, his armor and weapons gone, sitting on the edge of the feather cushioned bed.

The bed...

“If you don’t feel ready...” Ryū offered, appraising her, and she pressed two fingers to his lips, silencing him. Sitting on his lap, Aika quelled her inhibitions and kissed him, gently, uncertainly.

His answer was immediate; he returned the kiss with a deeper one, stronger, more forceful. She matched his intensity, leaning into it, while reaching to undo his tunic. As she did this, he undid the knot holding her obi corset together, removing it and sliding the gown down her shoulders. It fell into a puddle on the floor, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in.

She exhaled, her tenseness melting away as he explored her body with the tip of his nose; her neck, her chest, her belly, his forked tongue flicking across her skin.

Tiring of his game, Ryū rolled them over, now atop her. Aika pressed herself against him, already uncomfortably feeling the frigid temperature of the room.

“No worries.” Ryū breathed between deep kisses, “We will warm it soon enough.”

Time seemed to still. Hours passed, or perhaps seconds. There was no way to tell.

Ecstasy filled her; pure pleasure she’d never felt before, as her flesh succumbed to his, their bodies joined. She could barely breathe, gasping for more.

He gasped as she did, just as the sensation became unbearable, and a warmth spread through her.

Breathless, she went limp, her heart pounding in her head, gasping as Ryū extracted himself.

“Totoanatsukami...” she breathed, “Can we go again?”

“Milady.” Kaimei said, “...the Hitorigami is transmitting to us.”

“Activate the mirror.” Kaileena replied, tapping her fingers against the wide arms of her seat.

A curious device akin to a scrying orb, it transmitted the impression of light, shadow, and pigment, replicating an image absorbed by each mirror and transferring it to its sibling.

While it could become distorted if a third mirror were activated, it remained an invaluable tool for long range communication. With a crackle of spent magicka it flared to life, revealing Suizei, sitting cross-legged in his chamber in the capital.

The Human grimaced at her, no doubt a byproduct of the dampener rods, but recovered quickly.

“My Hitorigami.” she said without compunction, and his expression became thoughtful.

“Lord Kaileena.” he replied in greeting. Arteth shifted uncomfortably beside her throne, but she ignored him.

“Have you any news?” he asked, to which she nodded, “Events proceed apace.”

“A missive was sent to me via enchantment.” Suizei added, “Trouble is brewing in Karyu; Jhihro, their chief scientist, has apparently defected, with the half-breed vampyres in tow. There is no word yet on his whereabouts. And Shirudo hasn’t reported in. We have no news of him ever reaching Mount Renmei. With most of the Kamiyonanayo gone I need someone who can search for him and his party, such as your husband or yourself. I hereby request and order you to do this, as well as attempting to locate Jhihro.”

Kaileena didn’t reply, letting the silence stretch. Everyone in the room noticeably tensed...

“I have use for Ryū.” she finally replied, “But if Karyu is threatened I wouldn’t ask him to leave it undefended. So be it. Jhihro is a secondary target but I will make the effort in locating him, and Shirudo as well. It may take time.”

“There is something else.” Suizei continued, “A woman claiming to be Vala, an associate of the Te Fukushu, has stumbled into the capital with a child, demanding an audience with a Kamiyonanayo.”

Glancing to Arteth, Kaileena shrugged, “Would you be willing to go see what she-...mmph, never mind. I have a better idea.”

With a deft pass of her hand she activated her blood magicka, and with a surge of displaced air Vala and the girl-child materialized. They stood, dazed, before paling as their eyes locked with her own.

“Will that be all, my Hitorigami?” she asked, to which Suizei nodded, “That will be all. Deal with this, then find Jhihro and Shirudo. I will not forget your assistance.”

Vala watched as the Hitorigami’s reflection faded from the large mirror in Kaileena’s hall. She hadn’t seen much of the Silkrit enchantress previously, but her reputation had been that of a person with a calm, gentle disposition.

Inside those cold, emotionless eyes, she instead saw a ruthlessly calculating intelligence; that perceived her entire being as nothing more than an insignificant speck of carbon and water. This creature reminded her more of Mother than anything else...

“Lord Kaileena.” she said, swallowing her uneasiness and taking a shallow bow.

“Vala.” Kaileena replied, “Or was it Kogoeji-ni? We haven’t met before this point, at least not in any official capacity.”

“No, we have not.”

“You have been gone from public knowledge for some time. I trust your absence was eventful.”

The banter might have seemed cordial, but Vala felt the accusation in her words, “Eventful indeed. I’ve found a higher understanding of this realm and the need to preserve it. And I am no longer a vampyre. Does that satisfy you, milady?”

“For now.” Kaileena replied, a mote of distant confusion in her eyes, “Why are you here?”

Vala motioned to the girl, “Tenri, my daughter, may be alive in some capacity. This girl, Kuri, speaks of things she shouldn’t be aware of. I wanted your help, or the help of a Kamiyonanayo, to answer this mystery.”

“Kuri...” Kaileena pondered, “That name sounds familiar, but I cannot...”

“Durethi spoke of one by that name.” Arteth noted, thoughtful, “She was an El’Dari priestess who perished near the end of the Dreadborne War. It isn’t a name a native to Teikoku would bestow upon their child; their Human child.”

“What is an El-Dairy?” the girl asked, still hugging Vala’s leg, and his eyes narrowed at the pitch of her voice, that odd accent with a slight musical cadence.

Approaching her, ignoring her squeal of protest and Vala’s scowl, the Djinn lowered himself to her level and appraised her carefully.

“Yes...” he breathed, “It’s faint...but I recognize the face. You are a spitting image of that Kuri, apart from not being an Elf of course.”

It was true; the ears and some of the more elven angles of the face weren’t present, but her slanted eyelids, dark brown hair, brown eyes with vibrant yellow striations, the rounding of the chin, the slender nose...

“This should not be...” Arteth said, looking back to Kaileena, “I sense no magicka about her, and yet...-”

His beloved didn’t seem impressed, “I hardly believe in reincarnation anymore. Girl, do you remember anything...unusual?”

The child shivered, and said nothing.

“It’s alright.” Vala whispered, stroking a lock of her hair, “Tell them.”

“I don’t know.” the child replied honestly, for he would know otherwise, “I lived with Mother and Father, and for a while grandma and grandpa. I’ve never seen an Elf before.”

“A name...” Kaileena thought aloud, “...connected to a priestess of Anima, and a child who bears a similar face, unless you are mistaken. Do you think the Ancestor Seed had anything to do with this?”

“Possibly.” Arteth admitted, recalling the mysterious disappearance of Anima’s relic; a seed taken from the fabled Ancestor Tree which had absorbed copious amounts of Yokai’s magicka before vanishing without a trace.

That much power, derived from the poisonous Eternal Return, could have warped its fundamental enchantments in any number of ways.

Was this girl a failed attempt in restoring the original elven priestess, or even Anima herself?

“What schemes do you pursue, father?” Arteth asked aloud, puzzled.

“It’s a matter worth investigating, whether or not this girl has any relation to the seed, the priestess, or Anima herself.” Kaileena conceded, and with a burst of magicka another clay construct took shape, sprouting from her body like the branch of a tree.

The girl cowered, hiding behind Vala, now to his eyes a pureblood Orc, and as the construct approached them she drew a katana with an edge of ice crystal.

“Kaileena...” he whispered uneasily as the construct didn’t slow...

“Surrender the girl.” Kaileena stated, “I will have tests to conduct.”

“Not a chance.” Vala said, scowling, her grip of her weapon tightening.

The child whimpered. The construct drew closer. Would she harm the child? Was her desire for revenge that great? He didn’t know anymore.

“Kaileena...” he said again, loosening Verlangen in its scabbard.

The construct stood right before Vala, its hand outstretched, when she blinked, confused, looking away, before regaining her composure and adding, “Very well. I will perform only cursory divination. All I need is a sample of her blood.”

“What?” Kuri asked, terrified, when Vala nodded, “I will get it for you...my way.”

Vala wasn’t about to let that abomination so much as touch her girl.

“Kuri.” she said gently, kneeling, “Everything will be alright. I just need you to do something for me.”

The girl didn’t reply, gave no inclination she heard anything. With all of the strange people about her, in an unfamiliar place, with an unfamiliar friend...

“Kuri.” she said again, hands on hers.

“Kuri...” she repeated, finally succeeding in getting her to look up, “Everything is fine. Nobody’s going to hurt you, even touch you. Remember what I did to Furin?”

She nodded, albeit blankly, and Vala smiled, “I will do the same thing to anyone in this room if they so much as glance at you the wrong way again.”

She critically eyed Kaileena, and then her Kamiyonanayo, the former disinterested, the latter troubled, before returning attention to her.

“Alright?” Vala asked, and received a tentative nod in reply, Kuri’s eyes watery and distant.

Slipping a throwing knife from her belt, about finger length and just as narrow, Vala surreptitiously palmed the weapon, warming it, and passed both hands across Kuri’s; one over, one under. The one under, holding the dagger, sliced into the girl’s palm, but the edge was so finely honed she didn’t even notice.

Drawing her hands back, she tossed the knife to the clay Kaileena. Ripping off a strip of her cloak, Vala proceeded to wrap Kuri’s injured hand as she looked at the cut. She was drawn and pale, still shivering, but unharmed. Vala would buy her something to eat...something nice; Higoi ought to have a sweets shop...

“Enough, I trust?” Vala asked rudely, and Kaileena nodded as her construct handed her the knife, a streak of red lining its silvery edge.

“And Tenri?” Vala persisted, “What of my daughter?”

The Silkrit shrugged, “If she contacted this child, dead or alive...I should be able to find out. Divination in usually an uncertain art, but with enough knowledge of what to look for and the power of the Phoenix Stone, just about anything is possible. Now be gone from my hall, but not my district and city. I may have need of you in the future, and would be quite put off if you were to leave without my consent.”

Then, to a Human subordinate, “Kaimei, ensure the guards know she will be bunking somewhere in Higoi, and has free access to any of the taverns and their food and drink.”

“Right away, milady.” they said nervously, jotting something down.

Vala hardly noticed; she was already picking Kuri up and carrying her away. She needed no added incentive to be gone from here...

Suizei retired to his fa-...his private quarters in Hitorigami City. He needed to accustom to that, and quickly.

Throwing aside his outer robe, he collapsed, insensate, onto the chair in the corner. The day’s migraine pulsed in his temples; the result of reading too quickly for too long. His minor visual degeneration was getting worse with all the paperwork; he would need eyeglasses soon...especially if he was to address the public again.

“Either Kaileena has experienced a fearful metamorphosis...” the Hitorigami mused, reflecting on their brief and disturbing conversation, “Or I was sorely mistaken as to the nature of her character.”

Those eyes; those terrible, vicious eyes... She reminded him of Yamato at his worst.

“She may become a threat.” he decided sadly, “If so, she will have to be dealt with. I can’t imagine what has happened to her since my coronation; perhaps I witnessed only the result of a long period of rot within her soul.”

That peculiar incident where her skin had sloughed off on her arm...that crackle of energy. Had she been warning him, even then? What was he to do with her?

“And where are you, Shirudo?” he asked, sinking more deeply into his seat, sighing with appreciation at the deep cushions as they soothed his muscles.

General Nobuyuki had absented from his private villa; the spies that infiltrated his outer circle had informed him of such. What was that man doing? Did he have anything to do with Shirudo’s disappearance?

If he did, then Lord of the West District or not Suizei would have him executed. His father had appealed for the Hitorigami’s right to repeal the ascension to lordship. Suizei would finally pass that decree. It would be his next order of business. Right to rule should be a power granted only by the Hitorigami.

If the nobles and generals wanted to dice each other into confetti or bribe and blackmail each other into submission, then so be it. But he would not consent to elevating anyone who hadn’t proven themselves loyal to Teikoku and its people before their own ambitions.

“Yes...yes. I will do this.” Suizei decided, “But first...a brief nap. My head is throbbing.”

“Do you think Shirudo will be angry about how we used his bed?” Aika asked after some time, her breathing slow, her eyes drowsy.

“What he doesn’t know cannot harm him.” Ryū replied, sighing and wrapping his arm around her as she rested her head atop his chest.

“He will notice the...” Aika started, then blushed, and he laughed, “We can have somebody clean it. I would do it myself...but I will be leaving early. I wouldn’t want to wake you.”

He frowned as his words made her deflate even more, but he nudged her playfully, “None of that, now. This is our night, to be enjoyed. You’ve enjoyed it, yes?”

“Absolutely.” Aika replied, a hand intertwined with his, and he smiled, “Good. Then I promise I won’t leave until you wake.”

Leaning over for another deep, gentle kiss, Ryū tasted her, again suppressing his vampyric urges. With her beside him she needed fear nothing, including him. Especially him.

She steadied him as none now could, sublimating his violent urges. With her, he felt the ghosts of his past grow distant, the deeply buried grief just that. Buried, if not forgotten.

That was best; Oki and their child reminded him what he fought for, what he killed for. As did the beautiful woman beside him.

“I love you...” he told her, “...Love Song.”

Smiling, watching her awareness fade, Ryū hummed a slow, quiet melody, as he once had over Oki’s womb. He began to doze off as well, and as everything went dark he could still hear that melody, as if it were sung by another...

Arteth watched his beloved create four more clay constructs, each of which were a rough approximation of their original host. Each moved independently, all at once, travelling downstairs from their bedroom into the villa halls, or teleporting away to some place she wouldn’t speak of.

“You can control so many bodies at once like this?” he asked, and Kaileena nodded distantly, “My comprehension grows in equal proportion to my abilities. Soon I will be able to extend my attentions to over a dozen.”

“Why, though?” he asked, “What are they for?”

“Primarily experimentation.” she replied, her cold, empty eyes finding his, “I have many leads on dealing with Dur’Artoth, and even more avenues to explore with this newfound acclimation of magicka. As I am, I have a nearly endless supply of self-replicating magicka to fuel these pursuits. Perhaps I will cure myself of the Phoenix Stone after I depose Surthath, perhaps I will assume his mantle as Old One. If I had the scythe...I could assume several mantles, actually.”

Horrified, the Djinn could only stare blankly, watching as this creature in Kaileena’s flesh set aside her haori and boots.

“You fear me?” she asked, a brief flicker of unreadable emotion passing her face, and Arteth shook his head, “Whatever you desire I will support as best I can. But you are not yourself, my love...you are...hurting. I’m not sure how to help you, or if you would come to regret anything you may do as you are. Like with Yokai, and that child this very morning.”

“Have you completed setting the tower’s foundations?” Kaileena asked, deflecting his statement, and Arteth nodded, “This morning. Our tower now rests right outside of the Villa.”

“Good.” Kaileena replied, and her veins burned a stark pink-white, and with a ripple of distorted space they were inside the bedroom near the highest level.

Frowning, she sat beside him on their bed, scratching Shinabi’s chin as he fell onto her lap, unmindful. The gesture would have been encouraging...but Kaileena didn’t seem to respond in any way to what she was doing; it was as if the subtleties of the underlying actions were beyond her. The gesture itself seemed in some way perverted, distorted.

“Do you regret your vows to me?” she asked eventually, and he held her close, forcing her to look at him.

“Not at all.” he replied with all seriousness, “...Not even once. But I swore to protect you from further harm. Obviously, I have failed. Why did you not call to me in Aurummn Calca? Why did you not call to me the moment Armathras hurt your uncle?”

Kaileena stared blankly, before her forked tongue tasted the air, “I don’t know. A part of me wished to be strong enough without you protecting me. Another saw no purpose in it; my pain was and is internal, not external; Armathras was just a compounding factor.”

Arteth gaped, “What-”

“It doesn’t matter.” Kaileena interrupted, “I killed him for it, so I think that makes us even. The problem is this...”

She gestured to her body with her hands, “It was too high a price to live with. I can’t stand it. I can’t live like this. I can’t feel anything anymore.”

“You numbed yourself to the sense of touch.” he half-asked, half stated.

Sighing, Kaileena softened in his grip and offered nothing more, and her stakes dug into his skin on contact. He ignored it, “Just for tonight...let me take your pain for you.”

“If you ask it of me.” she replied drowsily, and as he laid her down, her furry companion nuzzled against her, grunting with satisfaction. She seemed not to notice.

Curling against her back, grimacing as her dampener rods grated against the softer flesh of his stomach and chest, the Djinn brushed his hand along her shoulder, “I love you, Kaileena. I always will. Just stay with me.”

She murmured something unintelligible, weary in mind if not in body, and together as husband and wife they slept.