At roughly eight forty-five at night we ran down Yawarakai-Te Road, one of two parallel streets that stretched the entire length of the Canopy District.
Despite the time, plenty of people roamed around and quickly found themselves entertained by two fools sprinting down the street.
With each step I adjusted with the basket's contents in mind, minimizing the bounce, and surprisingly, quieting my footsteps simply by using my heel to land, then rolling onto the arch.
Obviously the goal was safety, not sound, less we arrive wherever we're going with broken bottles and scrambled food.
"Slow down!"
"Speed up!"
Ota called out, toying with me. She noticed I wouldn't risk going all out with the basket, so her pace was only in perpetuity of my speed. Each time I got close, she increased the distance between us, until, suddenly, she turned down a side alley.
"Errh"
I groaned loudly while chasing ever present laughter as it rounded several corners until finally reaching a T intersection covered in a deep red glow.
Red Leaf Street. Smack bang in the middle, barely hidden away. A place where all forms of adultery and prostitution came out to play. And thanks to our timing, we ran into the busiest section of the city.
At least I knew my destination. The white building with marble columns known as Paradise Lost. It wasn't exactly hard to miss, being the jewel of debauchery, although somehow much of the infrastructure was rather elegant.
Guardsmen roamed the street, as well as many adults, and a few people that looked younger than us, dressed in fancy high-class clothing. Nobels, the kind of people I'd like to avoid.
Rose complained a while back about the age of which they entered was fourteen due to tradition or some nonsense. Hence why you could find many brothels and 'love hotels' in this place.
Nevertheless, I didn't have time to take in the sights, so I weaved my way through the masses to chase a pair of purple tipped horns.
Paradise Lost was less than a side objective, with only a pair of black heels left near a side door to prove Ota was here only a few seconds ago.
The chase continued.
Down a side alley, past a hotel we once had an unfortunate encounter with Ritsu Kutsuki, then down Juuchi-Yosamu Road, second of the two parallel streets of the Canopy District.
She ran, further and further, past the new pastry shop we acted inappropriately at, then through a tunnel leading to the main road that ran all the way out of the city.
"Haa… haa… how are you- haa- not out of breath?!"
Ota always had amazing endurance, ever since I met her. It was abundantly clear that if I wanted to chase her, I'd need to be better.
"Having trouble~? Hmmm~"
The Oni leaded against a crystal light post that was near a ramp that led down to the Clock Tower, my home. Her smug smile was enough to make my face heat up.
"Ha-haa… Is this it?"
"Nope. It's not in the city, remember? Pass me the basket"
"You're not- haa- going to run?"
"Double or nothing. If ya catch me with it, I'll give you something special~"
"And what's- haa, dammit- what's that?"
"Do you like this dress?"
"Yeah? You look great in it"
Her Evening Dress was modified to be more revealing than anything I'd seen tonight thanks to the strings holding it together at the waist on either side. Calling it 'great' was like calling a jewel 'shiny'.
It was so much more, depending on what part of me was talking.
"I have some other clothes… there, um… a bit more dangerous"
"Double- or nothing it is"
At that point I let the farce continue without a second thought, and gave her the basket, driven by whatever brain took control.
"Are you ready? There's a few bushes along a trail that leads up to Cut Crag, like, before you head up the mountain. If you can't catch me, then, you know, try harder. I won't go easy"
"Then I'll just have to push myself"
"Yeah~? Readysetgo!"
"Oh- oh shit"
"See ya!"
Ota was surprisingly cunning. She waited here, when it was a single slope down all the way out of the city walls to put forth a bet.
And now, she slid down Cultivation Avenue, surfing on a shield, creating sparks. The road itself led out of Dragon's Mort and straight past Sleipnir's Sacrifice.
This has to be a record of the least amount of rest on a 'rest day'
Over five hundred meters, past homes, stores, open pubs, and who knows what else. Ota gained a massive lead before power-walking through the front main gate. It would be on the dirt road to the right that I might catch her.
Running past people of all walks of life my mind wandered off to an idea for a shield, inspired by Ota's cunning escape. I didn't have time to make it, but I was sure there'd be someone in Nala that would take the custom job.
"Go get her kid"
As I passed the Hero's Party monument at the base of the street and ran through 'Bolg's Gate', heading down the dirt path to the right, a patrolling middle aged Guardsman with a lantern gave me his blessing.
There was trickery going on with him, but no magic or intent to follow, so I let it be. Besides, they didn't harbor any ill intent.
Off in the distance I could see Ota's dress and horns sparkle in the moonlight, with her destination still far away.
"Breath… haa- time to use it"
Inside the right side breast pocket was a secret weapon. Talismans to relieve pain and refill energy. Arisu slipped a bunch of them in before being carried away by Merrah. They'd definitely be useful in combat and times like this.
They were an alternative to stamina potions such as 'Baron's Sweat', but could only be made through 'spiritual methods', whatever that meant. The note she left with it simply said "Apply to the chest and give thanks to the spirits".
It seemed simple enough, having seen her own tradition of giving thanks every time we ate.
"Thanks for the heal"
After pressing the special piece of paper against my heart, it lit up the area around me with bright white light; Spiritual energy.
Not half as effective as I had hoped, but it still helped. Probably because I wasn't part spirit, unlike Ota and Arisu, bothing being Yokai. Debatable of how much, yet still it was part of each of them, similar to how I was somewhat Draconic.
Now it was time to catch up.
Following the path, I bolted as quick as I could, faster than I'd ever run before. Downhill made me hesitate thanks to the slop, but not here, on flat ground, with the wind blowing through my hair.
At a fork in the road I stayed straight, avoiding the path leading to the quarry on the left, and was quickly coming up on Ota's position.
Just ahead of her position were the bushes she mentioned, and upon seeing me, she sped up.
There was absolutely nothing remarkable about the spot she chose. It was simply a few bits of brush next to a dirt road that eventually led up to a trail to rocky mountains that overlooked Dragon's Mort.
Story goes it was from up there the Hero's Party launched their attack on the Destroyer. Every time I asked for more information about what happened, Enda refused to budge, even though the Forgotten Hero and I used the same Relic.
It didn't just seem like a painful memory, moreso it felt like she was afraid to give the details on how he beheaded the beast. That, and the secrecy around my magical aptitude was really bugging me. All her damn secrets.
"Ha! I win"
"Ahaaaaaa dammit!"
Mere meters away from catching up, she stood by a couple of bushes and an old sandstone to claim her victory. I'd made a few mistakes that led me to the loss, that I could see clearer than day.
If I hadn't gotten distracted, used multiple talismans while running, and ran off the beaten path directly for her and not the wide bend, then I'd have caught up.
Breathing heavily, I spoke up to sate my curiosity.
"Why- hah- why here?"
"Can you keep a secret?"
"Yeah, sort of- yes"
Great fumble idiot
The promise that I broke felt necessary to do so, especially the other Elder Dragons living in plain sight. That was Enda's deep rooted secret that she refused to tell me, Arisu or any of the Horsemen for that matter.
At least she hinted at it, her archive, and the many secret tunnels within Dragons Mort. My lack of effort led to it remaining hidden.
"This is my secret spot. I found it about a year ago, and the only person that knows about it is Ari"
"What do you mean? Haa- There's nothing here, just grass and a few plants"
"Touji, these bushes- the rock, they don't exist, not when the suns up"
"Huh?"
More than anything, that got my attention, and I bounced back up to take a look, somewhat covered in sweat.
Ota stood by the small stump of sandstone while becoming me over. Lifting up a few branches, I caught a glimpse of something impossible. So much so I had to do a doubt take and run around the bushes to the steeper slope behind.
Nothing but grass, and yet, what I saw through the dark moonlit leaves, was a still lake, reflecting the stars above.
"How…"
"I don't know, it just- does it, like one of those 'Gateways' in the old stories, but most of the time it isn't open. The other side is weirder, I'll show ya"
Cautiously, I followed Ota through the shadowy bush gate. Each leaf felt fuzzy for the lack of a better word. Real, but not all present, creating a sense of touching a thousand tiny hairs to make up a single leaf.
A dark lake opened up in front of me in the middle of an oasis. The only built structure nearby was a small wharf to our left. Bugs and spirits of different colors danced around the edge, illuminating the foliage around the body of water.
Behind was a hollowed dead tree trunk that contained the passageway inside. The seal between locations wasn't perfect, allowing me to spot thousands of runes scratched into the wooden surface.
"You said it isn't always open? Do you know how often it is?"
"Ummm, like, maybe every second Galday?"
"And if it wasn't open today…"
"Don't give me that look! We'd have just done a bit of hiking and camped up the top of Cut Crag. There's an old capesite up there"
"Well, by the looks of things, we must be a fair bit away"
The three moons and stars had shifted so far off in the distance we could see the fourth and final space rock orbiting Farther Earth, a faded blue dwarf moon, similar in size to the pale green and light purple, climbed over the distant sandy horizon.
My gut was telling me that staying in this area until the sun rose would be a very bad idea.
"Don't ask me where we are 'cause I got no idea. Buuuut, I did promise you the best view. By the by, can you like, see at night?"
"Always have. Grew up in a place without candles, crystals, that sort of thing. But-"
"It's better now, isn't it?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Your eye's Touji, they're… not human"
I immediately rushed over to the wharf to look at my own reflection. Sure enough, they'd changed back into the slit pupils of a Dragon.
Shit
"Could just say your mum's V, say you're a hybrid, like Soarheart"
"Good idea, but if this only started happening in the dark-"
A small light illuminated my surroundings. Sparks, casted from my hand. And just like a pupil adjusting to see clearer, my Draconic eye retreaded.
"-Then I'll be fine for now"
"Sure, 'till a Beast-kins spots you at night. Hey, what about wearing fake ears?"
"They have tails too. Not a fan of wearing a furry disguise, plus what if they fall off?"
Concerned, I sat down trying to brainstorm excuses for the inevitable. Who's to say it won't become permanent in the future? It wasn't something I wanted, but I should prepare for it all the same.
No wonder Enda wanted to reveal it soon. She must have known this would happen
"Claim you're a Werewulf, like the rumors of that girl a little while back"
"Honestly, I have no idea who that is and I'm not nearly as charismatic as I'd need to be to pull something like that off"
"I guess that's true. You're also too honest, kinda thick, not very confident- Hell, sometimes you don't think that far ahead, and… you keep to yourself too much"
"Ouch. Facing reality is a bit harder than brushing off insults you know"
Ota took a seat and opened up the basket. To both of our surprises, they packed what we requested in a large outdoor blanket alongside a bonus wax covered candle wick and a holder. The conversation continued as we set up a place to sit.
A nice little spot on the end of the wharf.
"I know it's not romantic- to talk about someone's bad side, but, I wanna- I need to be honest with you. I'm perfect either, so you to tell me what I don't want to hear, my faults"
"Wha- why?"
"Because… you're the only one who can…"
Ota said she didn't mind everyone feigning ignorance about her curse, but that was a lie. Sadness and doubt clouded her eyes. I doubted she trusted them anymore, at least for this sort of thing.
"I guess, what others would see as flaws, I don't. I like how boyish you are, that you like to show off, the way you stick up for what you believe in, but know when to compromise. When I first met you, there were things I didn't like, but that's all gone"
"Touji- I- Is there really nothing?"
"That's probably not what you want to hear, is it? When I look back, you were brash, selfish, impulsive, a little scary… also shameless. Then, over time, I started to understand, and saw you change. Sure, there's a little fire in there still, but that, it warms my heart"
It was the truth. I cared about her, what she'd been through, and saw how hard she was trying to change. The things she experienced, the pain she endured, I truly believed that's how she learned temperance, even if it took awhile to get there.
With a small flash, our little getup was grated light in a small clay pan holding a long wax covered wick. Not exactly a regular candle, yet it burned just the same.
"You said you weren't charismatic. That was a lie"
Ota's kind smile flickered in the candlelight as she pulled out the pair of traditional, red spotted shallow ceramic cups, alongside another set of black cups and both large Sake gourd flasks.
"And you agreed with me, was that a lie?"
"With those eyes you don't need to ask"
I let out a small chuckle to her playful response and she poured a small amount into each of the red and white Sakazuki cups in front of us.
"Touji, you know what this means?"
"I do, Arisu- she let me know"
Ota presented me a cup, and I to her. It was a tradition between Yokai, one with deep significance.
"It might take some time, ya know? Maybe even a year, maybe more"
"We're in no rush. Cheers"
"Cheers"
We drank from each other's cup, downing the liquid in one gulp. It was done.
After coughing a few times due to the strength of the alcohol, Ota requested one last thing from me before we got a chance to eat.
"Can you close your eyes and block your ears for twenty seconds?"
"How come?"
"I wanna keep my promise"
"...Okay"
What promise? This was a nice view, a perfect spot really, how could it get better?
Doing as she asked, I withheld my senses and counted aloud. One thing I noticed without vision was the candle being snuffed out. After the seconds flew by, I opened my eyes, confused.
Where Ota once sat was a pile of clothes. Her shiny dress, matte black bikini top and bottom. With a gentle swish, my eyes drifted to the beauty in the lake, the water just below her navel.
She stared up at the sky, watching a shooting star fly by, her hands over her heart.
"I promised you the best view"
"You also said we wouldn't be swimming"
"Hehe, we won't. Will you join me?"
She giggled, giving me a coy smile I could not refuse. Her light coral back glistening under the stars and her purple eyes sparkling full of life.
***
As I slowly approached, walking through the water, her back towards me, she began to hum a song.
When our bodies touched, we held each other close.
Our heads pressed against one another, and our hearts beating only inches apart, our warmth quelling the biting cold. She took my hand, and I took hers. In the moonlight and twinkle of the stars, we swayed to the gentle music.
Then, our lips connected, bodies yearned, and we became one.
***
Smoke, thick smoke, everywhere. No, just in this corridor. Not too long, rather straight… rigid, traditional. A cream roof suffocating in the gray fog, like me. Who am I?
My hands hurt, my arm ached, warm blood washed over my left eye and I was being pulled by a giant. No that's wrong as well, I'm just small, tiny in fact, less than three feet tall.
A pinkish Oni dressed in a dark blue kimono with fear in her purple eyes screamed orders, something about revenge, not to pursue, rather, it was being sought out.
Yet I couldn't hear anything outside of muffled screeching as my head ringed in pain. It had become numb.
Other Oni wielding metal bludgeons ran past, yelling aggressively. An older Yokai with messy black hair and his brother with a white comb over.
Moments later, a horde of armed civilians rushed around the distant corner covered in spats of blood.
Behind the first lot of charging attackers, a shirtless Beast-kin with black and white spotted hair used his wand to cast forked lighting, shattering the Oni's weapons.
I was picked up by the woman, who continued to run away, as her fellow Yokai were slaughtered behind us. The last thing I saw before climbing stairs was the creepy smile of the Beast-kin.
More Oni waited upstairs, arming themselves with various odd weapons such as what looked like Katana blade on a spear and a long studded two handed club. Anyone that was strong enough to wield a weapon prepaid to fight.
That included the elderly and children. It was only roughly twelve people, yet they still focused on building a flimsy barricade out of furniture in the smoke.
Armed and ready, but annihilated all the same by a High-Drake in pillaged foreign armor wielding a spear with a barbed bone head. As he thrust, it exploded into seven heads, destroying everything in his wake.
Without armor, nothing could stop the savage strike as it cleaved through flesh and thick wood.
Body parts and Oni corpses stuck to the walls, floor and ceiling. Shards of rotten black bone holding them in place. His odd green eyes locked with mine as more angry civilians rushed past.
Everything had become a blurr, and I began to cry in anger. Was it me? Was I really crying? No… this was a memory.
Crashing through a thin wall into a sand covered courtyard, the pinkish Oni called out for someone. All her pleas, everything said, nothing could be fully gasped.
On a massive chain leading up to the roof of a Dragon's colossal mouth, long since perished, sparks flew as two people engaged in combat.
A young human woman with platinum blonde hair, wearing leather armor embroidered with silver, wielding a shining longsword fought against a thin, exhausted elderly Oni wearing a grey and dark blue hakama who used a straight Odachi.
She bounced around midair by creating small golden platforms. Each swing of her blade created an ark of yellow, to which was fended off by a man quickly running out of time.
One last Oni came to our aid. A rugged man with black hair with a katana in each hand.
Slowly, we found ourselves surrounded facing a horde of vitriol. Poking, prodding, weapons crashed and cut, alongside their wielders, but just when things started to look up, a woman with orange hair hit both Oni with arrows.
Her amber eyes seemed filled with a goal, seeking information, and now it was the right time to ask. She mercilessly cut down her allies wishing to continue the slaughter without her express permission.
Circling her prey, she muttered something about a shard, and an employer that sought it. Twirling the blacked tips of her straight hair in contemplation, she soon found herself losing patience.
Then, the ground rumbled and the fortress cracked in half, creating an opportunity to escape. Not for the woman carrying me, but the child with a broken horn, a little Oni that she carried in her arms.
No sooner than her first step, an arrow struck her shoulder, yet she still ran, then another, and another. Arms, legs, waist, barely missing her vitals, but she soldiered on until reaching a window.
Lastly, an arrow pierced straight through her heart, and in her final moments, she whipped the tears from my eyes, then let me fall. All that was left was a joyous smile on her face, one last precious memory.
***
"Fuaa!"
Sweet rolled down my forehead as I awoke, shocked and confused. Ota was next to me, yet our location, or at least surroundings had changed to that of a tent's interior.
Up to that point, I had been holding the Oni's hand as I slept. The warmth of her body interlocked with mine left its mark, then a few dozen more on my arms, neck, and who knows where else.
"*Yawn* Morning"
Ota slept on her stomach of all things, not that I had any complaints about the view. Barely out of reach, yet enough to wake me up faster than any cup of coffee or tea.
Her voice was raspy and face looked slightly pale. Our heavy drinking last night appeared to leave its mark on the Oni. One and a half large bottles of Sake probably wasn't a great idea for someone that got drunk easily.
Next time I'd make sure that's not the only thing available to drink. The food was good, not that it was anyway a highlight of last night, only a side dish to the main attraction.
"Where are we?"
"We got bu-ahhh- busted, or saved kinda. Groundskeeper pulled us out before we spent a few weeks in the Dead Desert"
Damn, should have known
"At least it wasn't Enda. We should thank them, return the tent, pray they don't talk to anyone"
"Yeah, there's also one more thing I wanna do. Can you pass me my stuff?"
"Why not get up and grab them?"
"I've got to give you something to look forward too after you save Ari"
"Is that a promise?"
Ota reached up and put her hands over my eyes, then leaned in for a kiss while she grabbed her clothes lying on the ground behind me.
"Some things don't need to be said"
By the time she let me see, her back was against mine. Ota let me tie up her top before she created a set of padded leather clothes including shorts and a stylish half-gambeson that showed off her midriff before we set off.
The Oni did not wish to be caught walking around in broad daylight with her revealing dress.
***
We walked down the dirt road that led ever further away from Dragons Mort. To our right, a path could be followed all the way up Cut Crag, but that was not our destination.
Ota carried the basket, while I carried a horrendously packed tent over my shoulder. How Adventures dealt with such cloth accommodation was a skill I'd elect to learn later. Travelling, fighting monsters was something I believed less as a dream, and more of an inevitability.
Looking back across the valley and Dragon's Mort, I was beginning to understand the appeal of the 'city of magic', and how well it was maintained. Enda did truely pour thousands of years of experience into it.
The dirt road slowly bended around the mountain with an increasing amount of foliage blocking the view back.
"Hey, what was your wish?"
"To wake up, next to you"
"Oh…"
Both of us continued our walk, slightly embarrassed by revelation. Luckily, our destination was nearby and our faces had time to cool off.
***
A white two story building in a clearing surrounded by a variety of vibrant trees. Marble slabs lined the ground all around, leading to a respectable cemetery with unique tombstones.
Out front of the house was a woman wearing a black and brown outfit from head to toe, complete with a beaked mask. Both robes and hood remind me of women of the cloth, yet none their robust elegance was there.
Rather, if I was being honest, the way her outfit looked emphasized her buxom figure to a degree that seemed desperate. She completed her look with a dark tabard, underbust corset, and exposed legs with black pantyhose.
The way she hid herself from the world yet dressed seductively confused me to no end.
"That's the groundskeeper, she's a little odd but really nice. Just, um, don't mention anything about marriage, weddings, kids- anything like that"
"Ah"
"She's not very confident, like you! But without the whole corpse thing"
"Wait a minute-"
"HEY THANIE!"
Ota shouted out to the woman who was occupied with sweeping dead leaves outside her home, cutting me off before I could ask what she meant. Nervously, she waved back as we walked up.
If leather plague masks could sweat, we'd see droplets sliding down her cheeks.
"H-hi!"
Thane's words were less of a greeting, and more of a startled reaction. Her intent instantly swapped to that of wanting to run away.
"Thanks for pulling us out of the space- portal- pocket thing"
"Oh, uh- You- you're welcome. I was j-ust passing by and I heard- um- loud scr-"
"T-That's enough! Don't have to retell it"
Both Ota and my face became flushed with embarrassment, so much so she spoke up. I should have figured the noise would carry through. Even so, how I managed to sleep through being dragged out was another thing altogether.
"Just- don't tell anyone, okay?"
"Y-yeah haha, got it, aha"
"Thanie, who'd-"
"Well you know! She was uhhh- passing by! Like she normally does every Scorday morning…"
The masked woman's voice slowly grew more distant as her neck slowly retracted like wild prey fleeing into their burrows as her shoulders rose in defence.
"Here"
"Oh, thanks!"
"Shouldn't I be saying that?"
"W-well… uh"
"Thank you for pulling us out, Thanie, and for letting us borrow the tent. I'll find a way to repay you"
"N-no-no-no! You don't! I was just waiting for someone and took a stroll! It's really no problem!"
With a broom in her hand, she grabbed the crumpled up tent and hurried into her home, pushing open the large two door entrance before slamming it shut.
"I scared her, didn't I?"
"Dude, you suck a reading women"
"No I don't! I can read you alright-ish?"
"I'm not most women. You think a girl on the street would be fine listening to a joke about you licking my abs?"
"I mean, I've already li- OW!"
"Not so loud!"
Ota hissed through her teeth and kicked my shin as someone walked around the corner using the open side path that circled the white house.
Considering the height, we both knew who it was, despite hiding her face behind a veil and wearing a long black dress.
Enda came to grieve. She didn't speak a single word to either of us. Not one. But behind her hardly transparent cloth, I saw a slight smile.
For some reason, she was at peace. Clearly, she was within earshot, and yet, her intent was the path ahead, looking forward with an eager gaze. I could have almost sworn I heard a little laugh, but that must have been the wind.
"Great! Now she knows!"
"Arisu already told her your wish"
Ashamed, Ota pushed me around the right side of the house as I took note not to talk about certain things, even jokingly, within earshot of others. What we got up to was for us only.
***
Marble pillars, all belonging to Oni, those that perished in the Red Night Riots and before. The entire Shattered Axe Clan was buried here, in a little piece of tranquill land.
Not just the Oni, the nameless hero had a monument, including Merrah's family.
I knew the Third Horsemen's mother was buried under an oddly shaped tree in the school courtyard behind the Clock Tower, however, she also had a small tombstone here. A symbol of scales and text under that read; 'A Hero, A Martyr, A Mother'.
Ota pulled out the spotted red sake cup and laid it at their grave. After filling it up, she left the gourd next to it and she pressed her hands together to pray.
"Hey, it's been awhile. I said I'd come visit more often, but- things got messy. I've… I've come to realize that restoring our clan isn't something I can do, not by myself.
I know it's taboo, and that you'd tell me I'm too young or I should see the world before committing to something so reckless, but nobody left me a rulebook, and our family was never good at following rules anyway…
One day, I'll rebuild our clan, I'll achieve great things, and I'll do it with him"
The red and white Sakazki cup represented a bond, forged in fire, tempered in tears. A toast to those considered family.
On the paths we had found ourselves walking, Shattered-Axe was a name that may not exist in the future.
That was a revelation both of us must face. Even so, we'd continue moving forward. And besides, who's to say we couldn't achieve something that'll be written down in history?