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“I am aware that time in Jigoku doesn’t exist, and it is said that one day is akin to eight hundred years in the mortal realm, but punctuality is a wonderful attribute, something we can all aspire to.”
I’d never known my father or my mother, and hadn’t given either of them much thought. They weren’t a part of my life, and I saw no point in worrying about things I could not change.
You have always known what you are—we have never hidden the truth. I have witnessed both the fox’s cunning and human compassion within you. I have seen callousness and kindness in equal measure, and I know you are balanced on a very thin edge right now, one of yokai and human. Whatever you choose, whatever path you wish to take, even if you attempt to traverse them both, you must decide for yourself, soon. It is almost time.”
“So...why does the Dragon grant wishes? It’s a god, isn’t it? Surely it has more important things to do than pop in every thousand years. Does it like granting wishes?”
“The Dragon is not a wish-granting puppet, Yumeko-chan,” Master Isao said. “It is a Great Kami—the God of Tides and the Harbinger of Change. Every time it appears, for good or ill, the world shifts and goes down a different path.”
“The path to Jigoku is lined with honorable intentions,” Master Isao replied. “And absolute power can corrupt even the purest of hearts. Such is the folly of men.
My own future was never clear, and I’d rarely wondered about it, too preoccupied with the present and what I could do today.
I stepped to the door, trying to dissolve the ominous weight in the pit of my stomach. The feeling that the world had changed. That something was out there, coming closer, and I was powerless to stop it.
Fear was the first thing that had been purged from my body; the most dangerous emotion of all. Fear, my sensei had taught me, was simply the body’s aversion to pain and suffering.
“Even a drop of yokai blood is enough to suppress any hints of humanity, if you want it to. You just have to choose to be more kitsune than mortal.”
It is very hard to be human, little fox. Even the humans themselves don’t do a great job of it.
Everything the humans think they value—love, honor, empathy, compassion—we yokai need nothing of those, especially when they so often lead to suffering and despair. It is far easier to abandon everything that is human and just be kitsune. The world of spirits and yokai is far less complicated than the world of men.”
Watching her, I found myself holding my breath, unable to look away. For just a moment, with her dark hair rippling about and her skin glowing under the lantern light, she was mesmerizing.
“We of the Shadow Clan know darkness better than most. We dance with it every day, and walk a very thin line between the shadows and the abyss. We know the evil that lurks in the hidden places of Iwagoto, and in the souls of men. And we know, more than any other clan, how easy it is to fall.
“Master Isao taught kindness and patience in all things, especially when one was injured,” I went on. “He said that caring for the spirit was just as important as caring for the body.” Looking into Tatsumi’s blank, emotionless face, I had a sudden, heartbreaking insight. “No one has ever showed you any kindness before, have they?”
“The Kami see everyone,” I replied simply. “I’m not exempt from their notice, and I carry a sword named Godslayer. Whenever possible, I try not to offend them.”
“I’ve killed dozens of demons and yokai,” he murmured. “Perhaps a few kami, as well. Until today...I didn’t know that yokai could be talked to or reasoned with.” “Not all yokai are evil,” I said quietly, surprised to feel a tiny flicker of hurt. “They’re part of the natural order, just like the kami. Sometimes, you don’t know what they want until you talk to them.”
He told me that the tiniest pebble, when dropped into a pond, will leave ripples that will grow and spread in ways we cannot comprehend.”
“Now that he’s gone,” she murmured, “I want to remember everything he taught me. Out here, I feel like I can easily lose sight of what’s important. I don’t want to forget the things that will keep me...grounded.”
“The code is a samurai’s whole life,” I replied. “Honor defines them. Duty to their master, their family and their clan is everything. Once they lose that, they are nothing, worthless. And everyone sees them as such.”
This is why the clan warned you about attachments. You are a weapon; attachments will only slow you down and make you question your objective. Remember, your loyalty is to the Kage, nothing else.
My body had gone very still, ready to explode into movement, and there was a new emotion boiling just below the surface, one I hadn’t felt before. Similar to Hakaimono’s violence and bloodlust, but different. It took me a moment to place it, because the feeling in my chest wasn’t the demon’s emotion; for the first time in years, it was my own. Anger.
“It’s like a troop of monkeys are screaming and throwing pinecones against the back of my eyes,” I groaned. “Why do people even drink sake if they feel like this in the morning?
“Really? The rice balls, too?” Yumeko frowned at him. “I didn’t know you could dishonor your food.” “Everything can be dishonored, Yumeko-chan. Just ask any samurai. Of course, they’d probably cut off your head for asking such a dishonorable question.”
The spider does not spin its web in a heartbeat, nor does the albatross fly across oceans with a few flaps of its wings. Many would consider what they do impossible, and yet, they still complete their tasks without fail, because they simply...start.
“The dance of the court never changes. Every year, it is exactly the same—silken words that hide daggers of venom beneath the veneer of decorum and compliments. A smile can be as dangerous as a sword, and the wrong choice of words can mean the difference between great favor and eternal shame. When I met the girl, it was refreshing to speak to someone who did not care about earning favor or keeping up appearances.
Kitsune magic is the power of illusion. You might think it useful only for mischief, but seeing something that isn’t there, or making people believe you are someone else entirely, can be a dangerous, terrifying force. Use it carefully, lest you become an instrument of chaos.
