Chapter 3: A Man Without a Soul

Matsumoto felt defeated. The moment his menpō failed him and the power of the Oni was gone he knew that he was done for.

Thinking about it only sent him further into depression. He had made camp in the wood just off the roadside. Cooking what small amount of fish he caught from the river he began thinking about his current situation.

Without his powers he couldn’t collect his brethren. Without his powers he could stay alive long enough to get answers.

Why would she abandon him here on this godforsaken rock and take away his powers. Let alone cut off communication with him.

He stood up after finishing his food and packed his stuff up. Walking back to the road he decided it was time to give up. He could live amongst what few of his brethren he was able to save.

As he approached the road and began walking back to Raan he had a sinking feeling in his chest.

“Matsumoto.”

An all too familiar voice mumbled. A woman’s voice. Soft and pleasant it seemed to soothe his soul just hearing it.

As he turned around to look he definitely did not recognize this person. Long brown hair, pointy ears, and glowing purple eyes.

“I believe you may need this.”

The woman holds out her hands. One on top of the other spread out flat. In the center was a black gem. However, there was something moving inside the gem. It was almost like it were alive.

“She said a day would come where I would see a man who struck fear into my soul… he would be the one to free the world.”

As Matsumoto snatched the gem the girl turns and runs towards the woods as fast as she could. Just before making it into the woods a spear comes from out of the forest and impales her.

With her last breath she spoke some words that seemed to make no sense.

“Ishkar rumir electal”

A red light enveloped her body and slowly she disappeared into small fractions of light.

Not long after a man appeared from the woods.

“That crystal doesn’t belong to you… hand it over.”

The giant towering man seemed almost like a giant. Matsumoto had to look up to him. It was the first time for Matsumoto to feel slightly intimidated by someone.

“This gem?”

Matsumoto questioned while lifting it up and peering into it trying to see the man through it.

“Yes. That gem. It contains my soul.”

The giant said with an intimidating voice.

“Then I guess I should return it. I mean what good is a man without his soul?”

Matsumoto let out his devilish smile. A plan was surely cooking up in his head.

The giant starts walking towards him.

“Listen you feeble pest. I have roamed this earth since long before mother even thought about populating this foul rock with these thoughtless beasts.”

The giant now standing directly infront of Matsumoto glaring at him with red hot anger.

“I said I would give it back you oaf!”

Matsumoto knew better than to pick a battle he couldn’t win.

As he was tossing the gem back to the giant something strange happened. Gem seemed to lose all color. As it did Matsumoto proceeded to black out.

When Matsumoto came too he was in a log house. The layout was impressive. The roof was so far up he would never be able to reach it. He lay there in pain. He head thudding as though he had drank more sake than the ocean could hold.

He managed to pull himself into a sitting position and glance around looking to see if someone was near.

“You have awoken.”

A booming voice filled the dead silence.

“A man who can absorb the entirety of a darkened soul. You see only Oni are truly able to punish a soul and make it clean again. So we may have an issue young one.”

The voice grew louder as the giant who Matsumoto had met came around into Matsumoto’s view.

“I am Galhagoth. Son of Glairich. I was deemed unfit for society after I destroyed a village. An Oni sentenced me to a lifetime of wandering. Until someone came and cleansed my soul.”

Galhagoth tossed another log into the fireplace in-front of Matsumoto.

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“I have walked this forest for three-hundred years. I have died thousands of times. My flesh burnt from the bone. Only to have it grow back. My bones turned to cinder. Only to solidify again.”

Galhagoth stares at the floor to his home. It’s dirt. There was no flooring. Matsumoto noticed as he looked down as well.

“I shaped this house out of the trees growing nearby. I used vines and sticks to weigh down the trees and bend them as they grew shaping it into a house. However, now I have lost the will to move. I am scared. If I die now… I will truly die.”

Galhagoth turns so that Matsumoto can’t see him.

“Mother promised me….. why won’t she answer me!”

Galhagoth slams his fist into the dirt. He immediately freaks out and tries to fix the giant pit he made in his living room.

“Not to mention that weirdo who came through here last night.”

This immediately sparked Matsumoto’s attention.

“Describe the weirdo.”

Matsumoto’s face got stern and eyes showed pure resolve.

“There was a man claiming to be an orc come through last night. He left a blade with me and told me a friend would need it. His eyes were cold and dead. Much like yours.”

Galhagoth climbed hip off the floor and went to gather the sword left in his care.

When he returned it looked as though he was carrying a small twig. He lays it down in front of Matsumoto.

“He said an Oni capable of curing the world of disease would come looking for it.”

Matsumoto clutching the sword he had just given to Ishikuro growling with frustration.

“An enemy he wants….. and an enemy he shall have.”

Matsumoto looks at Galhagoth.

“Say big man. How would you like to have immortality back?”

Matsumoto smirked from eye to eye.

“If it meant walking these woods for the rest of eternity I think I will pass human.”

Galhagoth was pretty set on not staying in the forest anymore.

“You can do whatever you want. I just need a small favor.”

Matsumoto points at a boulder the size of the giants fist.

“Can you lift that?”

She said slightly chuckling.

“It’s a small matter. I used that for a game we used to play back home.”

Galhagoth chuckles.

“I have something I need destroyed and that seems to be the perfect size.”

Matsumoto explains the foothold and how he had prayed for months for mothers intervention. Only to be left with silence. He left out the part of him being an Oni himself.

“I would be happy to be a gatekeeper for your city. After all you have freed me from these woods.”

Galhagoth was determined to pay him back the debt he owed.

Matsumoto began laughing hysterically.

“I could have asked for no better of a gatekeeper.”

With that being said the giant grabs the boulder and makes his way to Raano with Matsumoto on his shoulder he approached the town.

Matsumoto pointing at the large mound where the magic circle was.

“That mound! Flatten everything in that direction.”

Matsumoto demanded.

With a slight flick of his wrist the giant flung the boulder and crushed the foothold Matsumoto had been defending.

Once the dust and dirt cleared the air Matsumoto noticed something shiny in the dirt.

“What is that?”

Matsumoto asked Galhagoth.

“There were rumors that the Oni had hurried things around the world. Some weapons others were strongholds. It’s best not to sniff around too much.”

Galhagoth had been around long enough that he knew most things. He was around before the first appearance of the Oni. And he was around after they were banished.

No Oni other than mother knew of their story. Mother did not tell them how they came about. Nor did she answer any questions about it.

Matsumoto seemed lost in thought.

“Hey big guy. Can you set me down.”

As Galhagoth sat him down Matsumoto walked over to the mound.

“There’s a door here Galhagoth!”

Matsumoto’s face lit up with excitement.

“Step away sir!”

Galhagoths voice deemed he was not joking about this matter.

Just as Matsumoto turned to face Galhagoth he felt a small fraction of his powers returning. His eyes lit up first. The clear sign of an Oni is the soul fire in their eyes.

Galhagoth leaped backward.

“You fool!”

Galhagoth swung his fist at Matsumoto.

The impact of the blow sent debris from the foothold everywhere. A cloud of dirt and dust filled the air. The Oni living in Raano had come to see what was going on.

“Hey big guy! What are you hitting me for?”

Matsumoto said in a smug voice.

“The curse laid out by mother should have been enough to consume your mind and drive you crazy!”

Galhagoth slightly confused proceeds to dust Matsumoto off and apologize profusely.

“I was always an Oni. From the very start big guy. No need to worry.”

Matsumoto pats Galhagoth on the fore arm and proceeds to walk over to the steel door.

As he twists the doorknob clanking can be heard. A trap perhaps, or maybe an explosive.

“Hey big guy! Rip this door off. It’s got a weird tick to it and I’m not willing to sue for it.”

Matsumoto chuckles nervously.

“I have a better idea.”

Galhagoth said in a serious voice.

Galhagoth quickly goes back to the forest and returned with a long metal pole.

“We can keep our distance and use the pole to open it!”

Galhagoth and Matsumoto quickly hid behind a small bush and tried to open the door with the absurdly long metal pole.

It took about twenty minutes before Matsumoto realized he had set Galhagoths punishment to eternal freedom. He was practically invincible.

“Hey big guy. You’re invincible. Go open it!”

Matsumoto said with a look that said we are idiots don’t tell anyone.

“That doesn’t mean it won’t hurt!”

Galhagoth said as he stormed over to the door like a four year old throwing a tantrum. As he ripped the door off the hinges a bright blue light was being emitted from below.

Matsumoto looks at Galhagoth and then at the staircase leading down.

“Only one option ey?”

Matsumoto said as he walked down the steps.

Upon entering the underground bunker he witnessed something quite confusing to him.

Some type of box emitting a bright light. Almost bright enough to be considered the sun. Glass that had words on it. And pictures moving. The room seemed to be made of white and grey marble with glass doors and panels separating the rooms.

In the back there appeared to be someone in a tank of water. As he approached the tank of water he couldn’t help but make out the appearance of someone quite familiar.

“Ish….Ishikuro!”

Matsumoto stuttered and began running. As he got closer he came to realize while this person had a very strong resemblance to Ishikuro…. It wasn’t him.

Matsumoto still determined drew his blade and sliced open the glass holding the water in.

The body of the young man now free from the liquid seemed to only be supported by the straps going across his torso.

Matsumoto frees the man completely from his water prison and Carrie’s him out of the dungeon and up to a spare room in his home.

Everyone had else had went back to their lives as normal. Matsumoto couldn’t help but feel this sinking feeling in his chest though.

There was an odd mark on the man Matsumoto had saved. The mark seemed familiar to him. Somehow he had seen this mark before. The wolfs head consuming the sun.

Matsumoto was checking up on the unconscious man as he did every hour. Still no progress he wouldn’t wake up.

“For fucks sake.”

Matsumoto whispers under his breath while placing a warm rag on the mans head.

“Ma…su…o….to”

A voice was heard in Matsumoto’s head. It seemed to be fuzzy and breaking up. Like it was having an issue being clear.

From what Matsumoto could make out it sounded like Ki Jin.

“Mat..…moto.”

There it was again. It was a little clearer. It’s definitely Ki Jin. Matsumoto thought to himself.

“Ki Jin!”

Matsumoto screamed.

“Energy…. Disrupt!”

It wasn’t coming through clearly but Ki Jin was saying something about disrupting energy.

“Please… disrupt… energy…. now”

Ki Jin was asking Matsumoto to disrupt his energy to know I him out of whatever trance he was in.

“I understand.”

Matsumoto draws his blade. Staring at the edge made Matsumoto happy. All the knicks from his battles well fought.

Matsumoto closes his eyes and forces the small amount of Oni energy he had into the blade over riding the control over Ki Jin.

“Master!”

Ki Jin shouts with excitement.

“How did this happen?”

Matsumoto asked sternly.

“Your meeting with the lords. Once you left Ki Jin outside with the others it was over.”

Ki Jin said.

“Fuckers. Do they know the plan?”

Matsumoto questioned.

“Not enough to truly matter. Just the second place deals.”

Ki Jin said.

Matsumoto was overtaken with anger.

“Mother is playing games. Isn’t she Ki Jin?”

Matsumoto was clutching the hilt of Ki Jin so tight you cloud hear it creaking with stress.

“Mother is not behind this. There’s another.”

Ki Jin explained that most of his memories were missing or just filled with nothing but darkness. Like he had been staring into an endless void for years at a time.

“This leaves me with a decision….. We need to change our plan….. I need the man with no soul…”

Matsumoto decided to get serious and in order to do that he had to rearrange their plans. He needed the soul less man.

The only man to have lived after death. The only man who is said to be the nicest man you will ever meet unless you get on his bad side. This man was known by many names but Matsumoto calls him the wanderer.