The crisp night's air bit at exposed skin as Kaito led the rescue party deep into the Abandoned Lands. Haru flanked him, attention constantly sweeping their surroundings for any hints of movement. Two Elders followed closely while royal soldiers brought up the rear, hands never straying far from their weapons.
As they approached the forest's edge, darkness became absolute. Trees loomed like silent sentinels, their branches reaching outward like grasping fingers. The moonless sky stretched overhead into a vast expanse of inky blackness, offering no relief while the faint starlight barely penetrated the dense canopy above.
Miles away at the Gateway, Fukiko stood in a silent, ravenous temperance. Her gaze seething with indignation, surveying the massacre of the gatekeepers. Bodies lay strewn across the blood-soaked soil, welcoming a metallic tang of death carrying the stench of rotting flesh, already attracting swarms of insects.
She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, reconstructing the attack in her mind.
The infiltration point was well thought out. They entered from the eastern checkpoint where the youngest keepers were stationed and slaughtered them first… confirming no interruptions.
Building the mental image piece by piece, she traced the path of carnage and approached the pair of bodies laying face down, necks slashed, in a puddle of their merged blood.
No defensive wounds. Weapons still holstered. These kills were swift and controlled. After them, they snuck up from behind and eliminated the northern guards holding to their defensive positions.
Her jaw clenched tighter, opening her eyes. She planted a hand on her hip and shifted her weight to the side, scoffing at the overview.
They knew exactly where to strike. Which keepers. The timing and security layout… Tsk! All of them cut down without a single burn mark! “They” my black ass…You really piss me off…
At the entrance, Izimaru knelt, keenly examining the doorway. His face grew taut, perplexed by the conspicuous lack of security and minimal maintenance of the prominent structure.
What the hell is this?! The ONLY portal connecting our realm to the outside worlds, and it's treated with blatant negligence? Why? How's this even gone unnoticed for so long?
His brows knitted together as he ran his fingers along the unremarkable frame, searching for evidence of tampering.
There's no damage to the hinges and I don't see any signs of struggle at the threshold.
Izimaru rose and brushed dust from his knees.
Our clan never found reason to venture beyond this realm. But it appears the others are of a different opinion. Kaito purposefully selected this isolated location and established a loose perimeter… prioritizing privacy and secrecy over actual defense.
He sighed, absorbing the full scope of contradictions surrounding him.
The large olden seal dominated the ground, its Gordian-like pattern engraved into the weathered porcelain flooring.
Not a damn divine inscription or mystical wards forged to prevent unauthorized activation! Has he forgotten the political importance of the Gateway??!!
His scrutiny traveled upward along the marble walls to the insignias hanging in orderly rows. Carefully cultivated vines crept along the walls, strategically arranged to obscure each clan leader's emblems from certain angles.
Well ain't that some shit... the weeds block outsiders from looking in too…
Directing his attention to the ceiling, he noted the complete absence of protective enchantments or signal mechanisms.
And not even a physical barrier beyond that simple door.
He turned back, exiting the Gateway. "Babe! We're leaving now."
Fukiko caught the vexation shading his expression, falling into step beside him.
"Will Koba be alright without us?," she inquired, eyes low while thin plumes of smoke filtered from her palms. "After everything that's transpired, my contempt for the Chikas has become insufferable."
"He's 13 and our firstborn. Have a bit more faith in him,” he replied, igniting small flickering flames at the corners of his eyes. "We must return home at once!! I can’t stand the air here any longer. They're reckless fools! Did they think I wouldn't notice?!"
Izimaru abruptly halted, his corneas illuminating, looking back at the Gateway. "A storm is brewing and the whispers of war are no longer mere speculation. We must prepare."
She bobbed her head in agreement as the darkness swallowed their figures, withdrawing from Chika territory and melting into the depths of night.
On the cliff overlooking the Chika border, Sora spotted Izimaru and Fukiko’s furtive departure. A subtle, knowing smirk touched her lips, watching them vanish into the evening's twilight.
The chilled, autumn breeze whipped around her frame and penetrated her thin gown, forcing an involuntary shiver. Noticing her discomfort, Mari moved behind her and shrugged his suit jacket off. Delicately draping it across her shoulders, he encircled her waist with both arms and drew her into his chest. He hunched forward and rested his chin on her shoulder, closing his eyes.
"What are you thinking?"
She nestled back into his warmth, threading her fingers through his hair. "That girl... umm, Kaname," she softly replied. "I don't know if Kaito is playing us for fools or if he's genuinely ignorant, but she's the furthest thing from a mutated mortal."
Mari nuzzled closer, his breath warming her ear. "Hmmm, is that so?"
Playfully pouting, she rotated her neck to face him.
"I've conducted my research on numerous specimens over the years. I’ve sliced, diced, and skinned every last one of them. You know how thorough I can be when I get excited and I’m telling you right now that her features don’t fit within that species."
A mischievous smile gradually conquered her lips, transforming her curious expression into an exploitative interest.
"Mari!! She's actually a fascinating anomaly! One I absolutely must learn more about. Do you think Kaito will let me have her when this farce of a situation concludes?"
His embrace tightened around her waist, offering no response. Sora shifted her neck back forward, her breath crystallizing in the frigid air.
"The more I consider it, the more I hope the child doesn't survive this ordeal intact. Though I'd prefer her alive for my experiments, her corpse would prove more convenient."
He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, his eyes opening to track leaves drifting lazily in the breeze.
"Sure... whatever you want, my love.”
Back in the forest, the rescue party advanced swiftly through muted silence, concealing their presence. Oblivious to the danger lurking nearby, they pressed deeper into the outskirts of the Abandoned Lands.
Suddenly, Masahiko's voice sliced through the air, instantly drawing attention.
"WATCH OUT!”
A whirling vortex of wind rippled between the group and surrounding bushes as a pack of wolf yazumi pounced from their hiding spots.
The yazumi eyes flickered with feral hunger, quickly regrouping and circling the party. Low, threatening growls rolled from their throats gathering additional pack members to emerge from the dust cloud.
Kaito summoned his energy, wrapping water around his hands as he drew and nocked an arrow in one fluid motion. The projectile streaked through the air and punctured the wolf yazumi's throat. The impact detonated in a burst of pressurized liquid, launching the creature backward as its skull exploded and sprayed a fountain of bone shards and liquefied gray matter.
Haru's sword cleared its sheath, flames igniting along the blade's edge. With a powerful horizontal slash, he projected a wave of fire toward a cluster of approaching yazumi. The creatures yelped and scattered in multiple directions, their fur smoking from the sweltering heat.
The Elders moved in perfect synchronization, their water abilities manifesting as a protective barrier fringing the group. Liquid filament lashed outward, ensnaring the yazumi and hurling them aside like discarded toys.
Two royal soldiers positioned themselves back to back, weapons engaging the yazumi head on in direct combat. They fought with practiced coordination, covering each other's blind spots while delivering deadly blows.
The yazumi remained formidable, their persistent savage frenzy steadily overwhelming them.
Taking advantage of their horrifying dereliction of judgment, the creatures descended en masse, ripping through the soldiers’ armor and flesh. Mauled to death, their screams stifled short as their bodies vanished beneath a writhing mass of the snarling creatures.
Witnessing the fall of his men, Haru's fury fomented his blade, unleashing torrents of fire in sweeping arcs. The smell of charred fur and cooked meat soddened the forest while the yazumi howled in torment, their entire bodies consumed by his flames.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
As the carnage raged below, Masahiko hovered in the skies, observing the chaos unfolding below. His hands signaled in rapid gestures, summoning violent gusts of wind and directed at the swarming yazumi. The concentrated spiral caught a cluster mid-attack, blowing them backward into the forest. Trees splintered under the ruinous velocity, its wooden shards impaling their bodies.
He dove toward the fray, swooping low and snatching the hidden yazumi by their tails. Lifting them high into the night’s sky, a cold glint formed in Masahiko's eyes releasing them. Monitoring the yazumi plummet to the earth, he yawned while their frame ruptured on impact.
The surviving party found themselves outnumbered and exhausted as momentum shifted against them. Unexpectedly, the yazumi's ears twitched in unison, abruptly abandoning their assault and fled into the forest.
Confusion waved through the rescue party at the hasty retreat. Then, the ground began to convulse, its low rumble rapidly escalating into a deafening roar.
Masahiko stalled the pursuit, his attuned senses registering the air currents’ perilous fluctuations. He glanced backward at the quickly approaching shockwave. Promptly, he maneuvered his body with a burst of momentum and soared higher, barely evading the devastating blast reforging the landscape.
Shell-shocked, Kaito, Haru and the Elders beheld the colossal wall of superheated energy racing toward them, incinerating earth and consuming everything in its trajectory.
Haru conjured a towering wall of flame, matching the temperature and vehemence of the incoming shockwave. Kaito swerved behind him, layering his water ability to slather them both from the torrid heat.
The Elders tapped into their final power reserves, manifesting an additional protective layer of liquid around the group. Their combined defenses held briefly before fracturing under the catastrophic pressure. Their skin boiled and scalded away as the force hurled them backward across scorched ground.
Kaito swept his right arm outward, generating water spheres encasing the fallen Elders from lingering heat and the airborne wreckage.
Both men anchored themselves, pouring every fragment of remaining power into sustaining a barrier against the merciless barrage.
Despite their head start into the forest, the blast overtook the fleeing yazumi and reduced them to ash.
Masahiko descended from the upper atmosphere as the shockwave dissipated and dust particles settled across the devastation.
"Captain Haru! Kaito!! Are you alright?"
Managing a nod, Kaito lifted his head, his clothes singed and face streaked with soot.
"Masahiko…. Glad to see you made it I guess."
"What in the realms was that?" Masahiko gestured at the annihilation surrounding them, his voice carrying genuine disbelief. “That was no ordinary blast!”
Haru knelt beside the injured Elders, examining the severity of their burns then looking up.
"Whatever it was …came from the direction Pioto was known to frequent."
Kaito frowned in concentration, parsing the details.
"Then that's where we need to go. We might find answers there... and possibly Yasushi and Kaname."
"You can't be serious." Masahiko scoffed, his expression warped with incredulity. "You want to head directly toward the source of that insane explosion?"
"We don't have a choice," Kaito countered, stepping closer to him. "Our mission—"
"Your mission," Masahiko brusquely interjected. "This is all the result of your own failings. I'm not risking my life because of your embarrassing and neglectful parenting skills, Kaito! As leader of this clan, this entire catastrophe is your fault."
Tense silence blanketed the group. Kaito's jaw clenched, lacking an argument.
Masahiko's tone softened, transitioning his attention to the grievously injured Elders.
"Besides, look at those two. Their burns are severe. Without immediate treatment, they won't survive the night. It's best I stay behind and carry them to get proper aid."
Haru rose to his feet and placed a hand on Kaito's shoulder.
"He's right... They need care we can't provide here."
"Very well…,” Kaito acquiesced. “Masahiko, please see to the Elders' safety. Haru and I will head to the source of that blast."
As Haru and Kaito prepared to depart, Masahiko called out once more, keeping his back towards them.
"Kaito! Make sure you find your son… for both of our sakes…”
A moment of unspoken understanding passed between them in the stillness, triggering Kaito and Haru to resume their journey. They sprinted away at top speed, their silhouettes gradually eroded by the haze of destruction ahead.
Reaching the epicenter, their footsteps muffled under layers of ash and debris. Devastation stretched in every direction further than their eyes could see. The barrage of heat morphed the vast vegetation into a hellscape of barren desolation. Wisps of smoke curled from smoldering craters, its depths glowed an eldritch red, suffusing an unnatural fog. The stench of incinerated flesh and burning wreckage encapsulating each sniff.
"By the Titans," Haru breathed, his voice muted over the crackling of small fires dotting the terrain. His attention locked on the charred, disfigured bodies scattered across the ground in repulsive corporeal fleshwork.
They treaded prudently, forced to navigate over and around the gruesome remains. Anxiety gripped Kaito, his eyes frantically swept through the carnage, searching for Yasushi.
"We need to find him, Haru!” his voice elevated, his composure on the verge of shattering. “He has to be here somewhere."
Haru stepped beside him, his own focus combing through the gruesome aftermath.
"Then we should split up... "We'll cover more ground that way."
Kaito's throat constricted, veering left. "Be careful. We don't know what else might be out here."
Haru nodded, taking to the right.
Picking his way through the macabre hecatomb, Kaito's mind unraveled, his heart echoing like gunfire.
“YASUSHI!”
“YASUSHI!”
“WHERE ARE YOU??”
Images of Yasushi, broken and lifeless, mercilessly invaded his mind, each vision driving deeper into his chest like sharpened steel.
PLEASE!! PLEASE BE ALIVE! I CAN’T LOSE YOU!... NOT LIKE THIS!!
"Yasushi!" His voice scraped raw from his throat.
"YASUSHI!!?"
Movement in his peripheral vision kindled desperate hope. He launched himself forward, boots catching on debris and severed limbs as he stumbled through the carnage. His momentum then died, panting at the discovery of the scavenging vultures tearing into rotting flesh.
He shooed the birds away and subsided onto his knees. His hands shook rolling over the charred remains. Nausea warred in his stomach as solace broke through the suffocation realizing it wasn't Yasushi.
Preempting his next thought, Haru’s voice broke through.
"KAITO!"
His heart leapt and legs wobbled, dreading the alternative. "Over there!"
Steeling himself, Kaito sprinted towards his voice, pushing through the anxiety as he crested a hill of rubble.
"LOOK!" Haru shouted, pointing to a small body lying atop a mountain of carcasses.
YASUSHI ??!
Kaito's feet devoured the distance in mere seconds, arriving at his unconscious mangled body covered in severe lacerations and bruising. His fingers fumbled checking for vitals. He placed his ear against Yasushi's chest and the strong, steady pulse beat of his heart assuaged a deluged relief to his soul.
"Alive… He's alive," Kaito whispered as he lifted Yasushi with utmost care, cradling him against his body. "Thank the Titans... My son… is alive.”
Haru released a long breath, losing focus as weak, ragged laughter drifted on the wind. His head jerked sideways, ears sharpening.
He stepped away from Kaito and Yasushi, boots crunching over debris as he honed in on a cluster of ruined edifices.
Propped against a splitted boulder, slumped Zei. Both legs and arms reduced to grotesque caricatures of limbs, its shattered remnants stabbing through tenderized flesh surrounded by carbonized bodies. The leftovers of Lei's corpse rested in pieces across his lap.
Zei's face split into a grin, eyes burning with manic gleam seeing Haru approach.
"Ha Haa! How long has it been? You've grown well, Haru! Or should I say Captain Haru! Hahahaha!!"
He wheezed, blood speckling his lips. "Hahahaha Can you believe it? Wasn't today just full of surprises? Hahahaha!"
"Where's Kaname?" Haru demanded, his voice guttural.
Zei's laughter devolved into a wet cough, spitting out the bloody phlegm to clear his throat.
"Oh, you'll find her. But I doubt you'll recognize what she's become."
Steam flowed out his mouth as he glanced down at Lei's remains, patting his cindered head.
"Become? No... what she is! Ha!"
The ground quivered. Its earth collapsed into a gaping crater at the heat of the shockwave, forestalling Haru's inquiry.
Kaito stood and secured Yasushi in his arms carefully navigating through the rumbling collapse, its terrain unstable and sloping downward. Reaching the edge of a tiankeng-like sinkhole, a small figure huddled at its center.
His feet rooted into the debris, abruptly ceasing his progression. Swallowing his breath, a strained whisper seeped out as dread filled his gut like cold water.
"...Ka......Kaname?".
Noticing his presence, she straightened upward, pivoting her torso. Their eyes connected and he staggered backward, nearly losing his grip on Yasushi.
The sight of her unnerved him. Her pupils dilated beyond normal capacity, black as an infinite void, devouring all light. The remaining iris converged into a hypnotic gradient of blue-greens and greys, swirling in patterns that defied nature. Veins in her sclera enlarged and thickened, visibly throbbing in sync with her heartbeat. Its network spread throughout her exposed skin like dark roots and circulated a bleak aura, tainted with the essence of death.
Blood caked her skin and clothing. Steam volatilized from her body in spiraling swirls, contorting in the air around her. The sludge at her feet encrusted scorch marks in sinuous patterns, as if branded by a divine force.
The vision chilled Kaito's blood colder than any winter gale.
Trees encircling the devastation wildly thrashed, their foliage ripping free in a maelstrom of emerald and amber. Temperature precipitously dropped, its unnatural frost probing deep into the soil. Distant rumbling swelled, escalating into a clamorous grumble, quaking the earth.
Izimaru and Fukiko hurried along a winding forest path toward the border. Feeling the tremors and shift in atmospheric pressure, he immediately grabbed Fukiko and swung her behind him as he summoned a protective ring of fire around them. The superheated blast hammered against his barrier and divided around them like rapids around bedrock.
Fukiko's temperament flared. Her eyes flew wide with astonishment. "What the hell was that?!"
Izumaru's expression sterned, maintaining focus on the cracking barrier. "Something unnatural."
The sky above balefully transmuted, its tranquil nightfall surrendering to roiling storm clouds.
Its horizon detonated in a blinding flash, followed by the ascent of a prodigious mushroom cloud keeping Sora and Mari awestruck. Its gargantuan pillar spiraled skyward, ribbons of furious crimson and diseased orange churning within its nucleus. The crown expanded outward, a malevolent canopy consuming the firmament.
Mari's hold around Sora intensified, stopping her exhilarated step forward.
"Mari!" she smiled, her voice ebulliently enthusiastic. "It seems my days of boredom are finally over!"
Lightning snaked through the cloud's interior, illuminating the churning mass from within its discharged crackles. The truculent thunder crescendoed, maturing the brooding night into a raging tempest.
The shockwave's remnants arrived as warm zephyrs caressing Airi's cheeks as she reclined in her rocking chair, snuffing the flame from her lighter. She assessed the mushroom cloud's ascension on the horizon, its eerie radiance sculpting elongated shadows across the landscape.
Lowering the lighter, she leaned to the side, her face resting in the palm of her hand, cradling her blushing cheeks.
"Ahh, good girl… You've done well."
The chair faintly creaked as she swayed back and forth, studying the distant annihilation. Her gaze sparkled with pride and sinister anticipation.
"Hurry home now, our time together is running out."
…And I too have so much more to teach you…
- - -
End of Season One
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