Chapter 2: Decisions

When Matsumoto had finally awaken Ishikuro was long gone. He checked every room, nook and cranny. Ishikuro was surely gone.

With a deep sigh and a moment of depression, Matsumoto pushed on. It was time to set his plan into action. Matsumoto had spent the last six months devising an intricate plan.

He didn’t truly care for his foothold. He didn’t truly care about defending the samurai. All he wanted was to impress mother. She was all he cared about. For some reason Matsumoto’s soul was constantly yearning.

He spent months prepping. Reading all the books about Oni. Finding all the important pieces to scar the earth and draw mothers attention.

He would start now. By taking the foothold and leveling it. Scarring a gift mother herself gave. That would surely get her attention. He prayed every day for the first three months after the war. She sent no reply. He grew tired of waiting he needed to force her hand.

He wanted to be around his kind. Being shackled to this body wasn’t something he was fond of. It was restraining. The only time he could break free from it was when he equipped his menpō. Mother had sealed his Oni powers in his menpō. It would alert her if he used them.

He marched down to the foothold he once defended and began marking it with chicken blood. Forming a magic circle across the entire foothold.

“There.”

Matsumoto pats his hands on his pants as he finishes the circle. He walks up to the edge of the circle admiring his work.

“No time like the present.”

Matsumoto drops to a knee and equips his menpō. His Oni form consuming the armor that was around him. Once again replacing it with gloss black armor with a cherry tree on it.

“My heart cries out to my brethren. Pull yourselves up and once again trample this land. My soul yearns for freedom. It begs for my kin. Crawl up. From the depths of hell and consume these poor lost souls.”

As Matsumoto finishes his incantation the blood begins glowing golden. A giant stone gate formation begins erupting from the ground as Matsumoto slowly backs up staring in awe.

As the gate finally reaches the peek of it s height. A toxic purple liquid begins filling the void of the doorway.

“Brethren. Be free!”

Matsumoto screams as he flings his head back to the sky and his arms out wide. A disgusting smile spread ear to ear.

As the liquid fills the doorway golden and silver orbs begin shooting out in every direction.

Matsumoto’s devilish laughter fills the ears of Raano. Each looking in different directions trying to pinpoint the sound.

As the villagers are looking out the orbs begin possessing the villagers of Raano. Though they took over the body they destroy what was once there. Completely destroying that soul. To be possessed by an Oni is to be erased from existence.

As the Oni pour out of the gate and begin possessing the living near by, Matsumoto begins searching for his brethren.

It wasn’t long before all of Raano was completely possessed. And holding a meeting in the town hall.

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The town hall was a rather large building. Made of carved marble and dark oak the town hall was a place of class and elegance.

Matsumoto standing before his brethren began to explain his plan.

“We have Lon lived outside of time. Forever, since the beginning we have watched as others lived and died. Only to hope for such a day to come. We know not what we truly are or where we come from.

Mother tells us that we have always been. But why then do we call her mother? I for one think it is time we get answers. I for one think it’s time to bring down mother. To live the way we want. To take what we want when we want it!”

Matsumoto draws his sword and with a swing of the blade cuts down the flag of Raano. The black flag with a dragon eating it’s own tail now lay on the ground.

“Rise up. Let us teach this world the fear of true Oni!”

Matsumoto raises his sword over his head and with every ounce of power in him leads his people in a roar. This roar so powerful that the three countries nearest to Raano heard it.

Matsumoto walks out of the town hall and into the street. His brethren begin to pour out into the street as well.

Matsumoto is looking down the streets of Raano.

“I wasn’t able to bring all of our brethren. There were not enough bodies for them to inhibit. So we need to fix that. We will operate as a normal town. Everyone seal your powers in your menpō. Operate as a normal town. After we are settled….. we will lure in travelers and bring all of our brethren over!”

The Oni that surrounded Matsumoto began cheering. To the Oni family is everything. They lived outside of space and time. All they had were each other for all of eternity. This move by Matsumoto would go down as a rebellion against mother.

The Oni begin exploring the town and settling on the jobs they felt most comfortable with. Matsumoto was currently designing a new flag to present to the world. An Oni flag. He came up with a very basic design that was sure to set gear into the very souls of those who would stand before them.

He would take the idea behind the menpō and apply it to the flag. Using it to strife fear aswell. With eyes set aflame and the smile of an Oni on their flag they were sure to scare people and set a serious tone.

He didn’t want to kill all of humankind. He just wanted to free his people and spite his mother at the same time.

His plan was to set up the ultimate tourist attraction. A spa, public bath, best food, and the most magnificent temple around. The Oni quickly got to work redesigning the city.

Matsumoto’s plan required him to leave the city and set out in search of Ishikuro. He had given him something very important in hopes it would have made him stay. However, Ishikuro decided to leave anyway taking with him the key to everything.

Matsumoto prepared his bags and his horse and said goodbye once more to his kin. Knowing they were safe from that endless nightmare of a void.

As Matsumoto rode out of the gates turning to take a brief look back you could see the people cultivating, and crafting. It was finally time to start seeing the fruit of his labor.

It wasn’t long before Matsumoto ran into trouble on the open road. Bandits seemed to go unreported. The news to Raano had been slow and lacking. Bandits were everywhere.

They came out of the woods there were easily ten that Matsumoto could count. And more hiding behind the wagon blocking his path.

Very calm and slowly Matsumoto got off of his horse. Menpō in hand he warned the bandits of his intentions.

“If you stop this nonsense and go to Raano they will help you. If you push this issue further….. well I will be forced to disembowel you. It’s your choice.”

Matsumoto clutched Ki Jin and began raising the black Menpō that had cherry blossoms on it. At this point it didn’t matter if mother knew about him using his powers, he was ready for her wrath.

“There’s twenty of us. What’s one half baked samurai gonna do?”

A voice came from behind the wagon. As it did an older rough looking gentleman stood up. Clearly the leader of the bandits.

“Yea! Give us everything! Or we will disembowel you!”

One of the bandits said.

Matsumoto sighs.

“Thousands of years and your kind still thinks it’s the top of the food chain.”

Matsumoto lifts his menpō as he is talking. Prepared to slice each of their heads off in one swift swing.

As he sets the menpō upon his face nothing happens. His Oni form did not come. And now that he thought about it long and hard Ki Jin seemed to be unresponsive. There was no aura coming from the sword.

Still though. He could kill them… right?

The bandits quickly began rushing Matsumoto. They were going to swarm him and stake him on all at once.

Matsumoto closed his eyes, gripped his sword and just as they entered his swinging range he put so much pressure on the blade of his sword that as he released it you could hear the air being sliced as the sword swung through the air. It made an odd humming noise as it glided.

Now coated in blood Matsumoto turns and looks at the leader of the bandits.

“No honor huh? You send your men in to sue while you sit back?”

Matsumoto says with a smug tone.

The leader of the bandits struggling to even breathe.

“M-m-m-mons-monster!”

The leader yells as he is walking quickly backwards as Matsumoto approaches. He trips and falls backwards now crawling away from Matsumoto who is now directly above him.

“Die.”

Matsumoto drives his sword between the bandits eyes ending his pitiful existence immediately.

Matsumoto looks around. This was the e first time he had went farther than the foothold. He didn’t know what to expect or where to expect it from.

Just as he turns to get back on his horse his body goes limp and his eyes close. He passed out. Flat on the ground his body thuds with no resistance.

As he lay there unconscious his mind is flooded with images. Ki Jin now serving at Ishikuros side, mother dwelling within an orc, and the world on fire with Matsumoto standing atop the foothold he once defended laughing maniacally.

It took hours before his consciousness returned and a few more before he was able to move.

He had no idea what was going on. Why couldn’t he use his powers?

He scrambled to find his menpō and look on the underside. Once he did the issue was obvious. The seal that mother placed was gone and in its place were words.

-Actualize and you shall be (xoxo -Mother)-

That woman had turned one over on him. Was he playing right into her cards? He was infuriated. She took everything from him. Any hope he had to free his people from her tyranny in the void was now gone. How could he do anything?

That’s when it dawned on him. Did he make the wrong decision not listening to Ishikuros warning?

He stood up menpō in hand facing the sky tears streaming down his face.

“Fuuuucccckkkk YOUUUUU!”