Jiritsu Coast, Jiritsu
The newest member of Nisshoku finally arrived. Bad weather on the mainland and suspicion of travellers amongst neighbouring countries had made travel difficult, but the young man had eventually disembarked at the coastline of Jiritsu. Takumi and Tasetsumoto were both sent to meet him and travel back to the castle with him by carriage.
It was wet. The snow was melting on the lowlands. Snowdrops, lupines and crocuses burst up from their stone garden beds in vibrant white, purples, pinks and yellows. They burned like multi-coloured flames against the regenerating jade grass and ebony soil. The magnolia and mandarin orange trees near Takumi's window had started to bloom before his eyes. The flowers tempted the bees brought by the old Collector woman's twin daughters.
For once, Takumi felt totally at ease with their presence, knowing that they had a special connection to those girls like pets, and had no interest in stinging anymore. They crawled on the waxed paper screens so calmly he expected he could reach out and stroke their furry bodies.
He dodged another puddle, able to smell the sea on the cold breeze. It stung his nose a little, but was not unpleasant. It was brisk, refreshing even. The smooth paving stones tilted outwards slightly to run the water off them, but the road's gutters were at their limits with snowmelt, ice and spring rain.
It was not a far walk to the dock, but the weather made it an unsteady one. Their carriage would wait for them up on the main street where it was less steep than the coast.
"How will we know what this man looks like?" Takumi asked.
"He's been told to wear white and a black belt." Setsu explained. "Other than that, he's a young man about your age. Dark hair, dark eyes, probably a similar skin colour to me. He's from a nation bordering the north-eastern part of my home country."
"You never told me where you were from." Takumi recalled.
"Ethnically, I'm Yuyang, one of the native ethnic groups from Xhizheng, but I've been everywhere. He's Yevreyska, from Yevrey province. Very different language to mine. Xhizheng's such a huge place that the language has many distinct dialects, but most people adopted Proper for the ease of business and governance."
"That's really interesting." Takumi mused. "I've seen maps from long ago and the borders of Xhizheng have only expanded. If I remember correctly, Yevrey is a more recent conquest."
"We had emperors who warred a lot for over a thousand years. Yuyang, Yevrey, even Eon-eo. That's a whole different country now. Rulers tend to prefer their subjects homogenise to their cultural lifestyles, and when you have a new emperor every decade or two you end up with a delightful melting pot of cultures and stories."
"Migiue used to be like that too. The Great Slave King established the dynasty that ruled for several generations, all the way up to King Kinjiki."
"Whom your uncle, King Shuiro, usurped." Setsu contributed.
Takumi's stomach jumped a little.
It was strange for someone from across the world to know his family's personal history, not just his own country's. It made sense, he supposed. Most people were more interested in the rulers of countries rather than anyone else, after all.
"Yeah." he croaked. "Before I was born."
"Is he from your mother or father's side?"
"My mother was his wife's sister."
"Ah, his sister-in-law. It makes sense. Magic in humans is matrilineal after all."
That fact seemed to come up a lot. Collectors' magic came from the mother or grandmother. It was said to him so often it had to be true. He had become quite certain that his mother and his aunt were Collectors, meaning Rubi and Hiiro had magic in their blood just like him. If he and Rubi were married, gods and throne-succession forbid, there was a good likelihood that their children would be too.
He shuddered at the thought. Why on earth would he want to marry his cousin? Not even totally securing the throne to their family line through both blood and marriage was worth that.
"That might be him." Setsu said, shifting his weight to his other foot casually. "He knows to look for me. You're just a bonus today."
"What's his name?" Takumi whispered urgently, looking around for the white clothing.
"Zukayaku. Coming down the street now, left hand side."
Takumi saw him, looking at the floor to carefully avoid slipping. When he looked up, he saw Zukayaku had dark brown, hooded eyes with substantial dark circles. He had a smooth, straight nose that sat low and wide, and his rough looking skin was the colour of aged parchment. Under his hood was thick, choppy, charcoal coloured hair. While he was definitely Takumi's age, he had lived a much rougher life.
"Tasetsumoto?" he asked gruffly, eyeing them both.
"That's me." Setsu said. "You must be Zukayaku."
"Yeah. Who's this?"
"Oh, I'm Takumi. I'm Setsu's protege."
He grunted to indicate he heard him but ultimately was not interested. Setsu led them back up the carriage for what was undoubtedly going to be an awkward ride back.
"I don't think he likes me." Takumi expressed to Setsu once they had dropped off Zukayaku to Taisho and settled down in the library.
"I don't think liking people is his priority." Setsu said over his book. "He doesn't seem like a natural conversationalist, like we finer folk. To each their own"
"He probably thinks I'm a total wuss."
"And so what if he thinks that?" Setsu replied, this time sounding a little annoyed as he put his book down. "We're not here to be liked. We're here to do what others won't. To be the 'bad guys' and lay down the law for a better world. We don't have to be likeable. We have to be unwavering, obedient and trusting in our leader's plans. He meets those criteria, and if his opinion of you interferes with his job, that's his problem. If he's giving you grief and it affects your work, that's an issue and it will be addressed. His thoughts about someone he barely knows aren't worth a damn thing."
"I feel like you're trying to make me feel both better and worse at the same time. But thank you."
"That was basically what I was going for. You've already proved yourself, now he has to."
He picked a long, wavy black hair off of his book, inspected it, and when he was satisfied it had no hint of grey, he went back to reading.
Takumi sat and read with his mentor for a while, until Taisho approached him.
"Come with me, Takumi." he said, beckoning him.
"Yes sir, what can I do for you?" he replied immediately.
"Don't worry yourself. I'd like to show you something."
"What do you mean?"
"I want you to see Amakaya's gifts for yourself." he replied in a soft but gloating voice.
Taisho led him to a room between his chambers and the library. Takumi wondered if Chikuroshi was behind the closed library door. The natural creak of the floorboards seemed so loud in the silence, the corridor eerily dim from the drawn shades.
It was always darker in this place than anywhere else. The hanging, painted bamboo blinds draping down the windows filtered the sunlight from a soft, warm glow to near total darkness. He quietly hoped Chikuroshi was nearby, for his own peace of mind.
At night he often saw Akaraoni stalking through the inky blackness, twitching inhumanly and scanning his surroundings like a cat on the hunt. It made Takumi's skin crawl, stoking a deep, primal fear in his bones. This shadowy corridor gave him a similar feeling. Whatever Akiraoni was, he was the reason why grown men might be afraid of the dark. The Eater of Men.
He did not want his leader to see him afraid, so he clenched his teeth and walked, even though it felt like wading through icy water. Taisho invited him into the room. Amakaya sat alone at a small round table with a basin made of iridescent shell tiles in the center. The room was lit by a dozen free standing lanterns. As usual, she looked utterly beautiful in the fire light, even with no makeup and a simple turquoise robe.
Intrusive thoughts of her naked form walking down the table crept into his mind. It felt wrong to look at another man's wife like that.
The room was quite plain. Against a wall with a number of lamps was a tablet and a few clothing frames often used for drying. On the frames hung pieces of an unassembled dress. The front panel was intricately beaded with tiny shells that shone both silver and gold in the firelight. The back was almost translucent, it was so sheer. No doubt made by the finest weavers anyone could hope to employ.
This had to be what Amakaya did with her free time besides reading. A folded pile of embroidered silk, like that of the sweeping robes worn by the late warlord's wives and daughters, sat off to the side of the table in a wicker basket and was a telltale sign of her next project.
Taisho guided Takumi to the table where there were two cushions on the floor waiting for them to sit. Now closer, Takumi saw the table was adorned with not just a basin, but also a shallow bowl of dry soil. A matching empty bowl was set on the other side of the table and an unlit black candle on the edge opposite Amakaya. The bowls and candles formed a triangle around the basin, and each cushion was set at the empty space between them.
"Takumi, please sit," Taisho said in his soft but firm way. "We can begin."
Takumi sat stiffly, a million questions running through his head. Amakaya could see the future and control the weather, but he doubted that she would be whipping up a hurricane in that dimly lit room. This had to be her gift of divination.
She lit a match and ignited the black candle.
"Fire." she whispered.
Next, she picked up a ceramic pitcher of water and began to pour it into the shell basin.
"Water."
Then, she ran her fingers through the two bowls, one hand rustling the dirt and the other scraping her painted nails across the bare ceramic.
"Earth, air."
She exhaled heavily and looked up at the ceiling. With horror, Takumi realised that she was not looking up at all - her eyes had rolled back completely, leaving only the whites visible. A full body shudder took over her.
Takumi looked to Taisho for what to do, but he seemed unconcerned with Amakaya's condition. She then angled her face down, eyes still white, and to Takumi's amazement, the water in the basin began to swirl.
Lights started to bead on the bottom of the dish. They were caught up by the current like fireflies in a storm, shimmering off the glossy sides and strobing across Amakaya's face. The water became cloudy and the thought of a hurricane came back to Takumi. His hand gripped the table and he fought to keep his face calm.
She started to whisper, so fast and so quietly it was like she was a different person entirely. She may have been speaking Xacasa, her mother tongue, but he could not be sure. Blackness started to stream from her eyes like tears. With horror, Takumi realised that the dim light only made it look black. It was blood. She was crying blood. It streaked over her cheekbones and down her face, dripping into the swirling water in the basin.
Taisho smiled. It was happening.
Then, without warning, Taisho suddenly put his hand on the back of Amakaya's head and forced her face into the basin.
Takumi lurched backwards in shock, but his leader shot him a look that demanded he stay seated. He gripped the edge of the table harder, his nail beds starting to ache from the pressure. His teeth were clenched intensely enough to make his temples hurt.
The swirling mist in the water started to slow, but then Amakaya started to struggle. She was drowning, right in front of him. He was killing her.
Taisho held her head down for the longest two or so minutes Takumi had ever had to endure. When the water became clear, he removed his hand and Amakaya threw her head backwards, gasping for air. She violently coughed water into the tablecloth but Takumi was too frozen in place to attend to her.
"Did you get it?" Taisho asked in a low, cold voice.
Amakaya covered her mouth as she coughed, but she nodded.
"Excellent."
He then looked to Takumi.
"We will leave her to gather her thoughts." he said. "Let us take a stroll in the gardens."
Takumi followed him out and Taisho closed the door quietly.
"So now you know how she does it." he said calmly. "It's a rare gift, divination. Even rarer that she is both a Collector and a Seering."
"But... why did she need to drown?" Takumi asked uneasily. "I thought she'd die."
"She won't remember what she saw without the brush with death." Taisho explained nonchalantly. "The longer she is submerged in the water, the clearer the image becomes and the more details she can retain. Once the water is still, the vision is over."
That water had not been still as she drowned in front of them. The swirling had stopped, yes, but her panicked struggles had not until he released her.
"Sir," Takumi asked carefully. "Can I ask you something? About Amakaya."
"If you wish." he said smoothly.
"I know Amakaya is a Collector, but why do I never see her using her power?"
They finally had reached the closest doors to the gardens. Chikuroshi was out of the gravel. He was not in the library as Takumi had hoped. He really had been totally alone with Taisho and Amakaya in that dark end of the palace after all.
Chikuroshi was dressed informally for once, wearing the pleated, flaring trousers most men wore in this area, and a tucked-in, short and sleeveless robe. Both were blue, the trousers a dark navy and the top a dusky sky blue.
He was practicing his swordsmanship with a bamboo training sword, moving fluidly in controlled strokes and steps like a dancer. Chikuroshi was sweating heavily, his hot skin steaming with exertion in the cold air, and his glasses folded safely on the nearby stone bench. Without missing a beat of his training, his eyes flickered towards them, but he maintained his composure.
"Between us men," Taisho said with a smirk, looking away from the swordsman. "I'm happy to tell you."
He sat on the stone bench and gestured for Takumi to sit on the other side, Chikuroshi's glasses forming a strange barrier between them.
"A long time ago, Amakaya disobeyed me. She had several chances to mend her past aggressions towards me, but her pride led her down the wrong path. She was rebellious and refused to change her ways, sabotaging our happiness together. So, I had to restrain her powers until she is willing to be a good wife."
"Restrain?" Takumi repeated.
"Yes. Have you ever wondered why she's so pale and fragile?"
Takumi nodded. He had.
"The restraint I placed on her is the most extreme length of an old magic. It has reduced her to a fraction of her former power so she can cause no more harm. It has also frozen her in time.
That is what I initially researched the magic for. I will not die of old age, so with it we are able to remain together forever. Love is strange, Takumi. Sometimes those we love will hurt us, and we must correct the transgressions to remain together. You'll see that one day."
Takumi nodded to indicate he understood, at least a little. He wanted to ask what she had done that was so grave. He thought about the gift of being able to spend eternity with the one you loved. Surely his leader had looked at all the options before committing to this one. Maybe it was a difficult decision to make, but the only one he could.
When the sun dipped below the horizon, Takumi heard the front gates open. He looked to Setsu, who had also looked up with a puzzled expression. Clearly he was not expecting someone either.
Did Zukayaku leave? Before they had left the library doors, Kizana practically skidded down the corridor.
"Guys, there's a messenger. They found the targets in Akali."
"No." Setsu gawked. "Not possible."
"I knew you'd say that. Let's go!"
Setsu looked at Takumi with wild eyes.
"Takumi, we have to go before we get called. Punctuality!"
They powerwalked to the meeting room, Setsu's head veering side to side to check if anyone could see them hurrying. When they rounded the last corner, Takumi saw Chikuroshi already waiting outside the room.
Setsu immediately slowly to a casual stride and tossed his hair back behind his shoulders. Taisho, Amakaya, Akiraoni and Orojidai arrived together, not speaking. Takumi noticed she had makeup on now, but she wore that... look. That drowned expression.
They filed into the meeting room together, where this messenger Kizana had told them about was waiting. Takumi watched the man's expression change as the room filled with the other members of Nisshoku. Once the formalities were done, he listened carefully.
This had to be about Rubi.
"The Migiue Crowned Prince Hiiro and Princess Rubi have been spotted in the north of Akali." the messenger said. "My spies have confirmed their identity with physical markers and that they are heading further north towards the mountains. Stone and Ice territory. They recently separated from a larger group of seafarers who took the princess's ship with them."
Taisho rubbed his chin in thought.
"Interesting." he said quietly.
"They're not alone, either." the spy continued, reading from the message he carried. "The princess is travelling with another woman, a man, a green adolescent, and two Water Tsuki. One young, one young adult."
Taisho nodded thoughtfully, looking over to Amakaya.
"That's what you saw, yes?"
After a pause, she gently nodded.
"Yes. I saw each of those people. A woman with purple hair, a man with wings, a young sprite, and two Water Tsuki."
The spy looked shocked, glancing back at his letter.
"That's- that's right, my lady."
"Who are these Tsuki she's travelling with?" Taisho asked firmly.
"They appear to be of the Sei Tsuki family." the spy said uneasily.
Taisho frowned and the messenger shrank back in fear.
"That's impossible." he said sharply. "That line is dead."
"I know, my lord. But that's the name my spies gathered. The clear family resemblance is undeniable. That and the reports of Daio activity in the countryside are becoming more concerning."
Taisho looked to Nisshoku.
"Leave us. I will call you all to another meeting tonight. Tasetsumoto, brief Takumi and Zukayaku on the Daio situation."
"Yes, sir." Setsu chirped, wheeling Takumi around towards the door and subtly beckoning Zukayaku to follow him.
Once the door was closed and they were out of earshot, Zukayaku spoke up.
"What the hell was that about?" he asked haughtily.
"There's a lot going on around the world lately, and we need you to be informed." Setsu explained. "Nisshoku has a certain set of goals, but our emphasis is to unite the Perfect Immortals under one flag."
"Like Taisho." Zukayaku said.
Setsu nodded.
"Once we have our unity formed, we will address the disputes of the world in order to make it a fairer, safer place to live. Those who oppose our peace efforts will be subject to the law of the Three Immortals.
Now, about our biggest issue. There is a group spreading through the countryside where borders start to blur. As far as we know, it started as a small uprising in rural Xhizheng. It's a real grey area of the country, where humans do not thrive, but other races have excelled and formed alliances.
They call themselves Daio, an anti-human, anti-Collector pro-genocide group. They want to see the extermination of anyone with any human blood. They're already encouraging their followers outside of the human-run cities to divulge any names of people they know to have human heritage. We can only assume that after the smaller settlements have been cleared of human influence, the cities are next. It's genocide."
"That's insane." Takumi stuttered in horror. "Most of the world is at least half human, isn't it? What could happen to the world without all those people?"
"We don't really know how many other humanoid races there are." Setsu said, shrugging his shoulders. "Most live so remotely or secretly we have no good estimates. For all we know, there could be enough to replace every human alive."
Zukayaku looked a little unsettled.
"I'm half or a quarter human." he said gruffly. "But I can't be sure. Orphan."
"I'm half human." Setsu said indifferently. "My father was born to a succubus and my mother was sired by an incubus, so I'm half demon too."
"How did that happen?" Takumi asked, not knowing until that very moment that succubi or incubi truly existed.
"Chance, I suppose," he replied. "Anything can happen. Everyone in Nisshoku has human blood. We're on Daio's hit list."
"But why part-humans?" Zukayaku asked. "Humans already don't like to mix."
"It's simple." Setsu shrugged. "When it does happen, part-humans that is, we hybridise. It's the same reason Collectors have more diverse skills than most other species, who are mostly limited to their environments. It's down to our prime, adaptable heritage. There's no other species quite like humans."
"That's crazy." Takumi said breathlessly.
"Well, now you know." his mentor said. "Our potential is enough to scare them towards genocide. Now, we should head back to the meeting room. Since your cousin has been located we should be there for Taisho to decide who will go collect her."
The wait was arduous. Zukayaku looked impatient but Takumi was anxious. He wondered if he would be sent to retrieve her. If he could talk her into coming back with him and becoming a part of their grand plan. Their plan depended on uniting the three Immortals. One of those Immortals whom Rubi might give birth to one day, if they had the right person.
The messenger opened the door, looking pale and sweaty. This poor human was probably more shaken up than his fee would cover. Setsu led them in and they retook their seats. Taisho was looking over a map with several metal disks like checkers on it and a ruler for distance. Orojidai was talking quietly to him, discussing their strategy while Taisho nodded and murmured back.
Please don't ask me to do it, Takumi thought to himself. If I fail to convince her, all of this will be for nothing.
Taisho rubbed his chin and said something to Akiraoni, who nodded. He then scanned the table, looking them in the eyes. The stare from the knotted pattern on his irises were so unnerving, otherworldly even. He was calculating his next move carefully.
"Akiraoni, Orojidai, Shirono, Chikuroshi," he said decisively. He tapped the checker on the Jiritsu coast and dragged his finger across to the one on set atop the mountains. "You will go to the Akapashtin mountains. Find Rubi Hisai, bring her back alive."
Shirono shot Takumi a sickening grin across the table.
"And," Taisho added. "Kill the Sei Tsuki."