The labyrinthine patterns kaleidoscoped on the inside of the mengu as Kaito studied it beneath the solitary desk lamp in Masaru’s study. The oni’s carved wooden features seemingly came to life and moved as he turned the mask over in his hands. The coin on the desk pulsed a rainbow of color in unison with the colorful inlay of the inside of the mask.
“They’re connected, Masaru. I just don’t understand how the Blade plays into all of this.”
Kaito lifted the coin and held it next to the mask. The scintillating colors excited and shifted like oil on water. Their brightness increased as the coin edged closer. Just before they connected, Kaito pulled the coin away, and the light show on the inside of the mask calmed to an undulating pulse. He feared what might happen if he let the coin and the mask touch. The fact that the coin was constantly tugging at his hand or burning him to get to the mask was curious in and of itself.
“I do wish you would stop doing that. Every time you put them together like that, the holos go out,” Masaru said.
“Oh. Sorry. I was just thinking about all of this. Why was the coin left at the scene if it’s connected to the mengu? How are they connected to the Blade? Why did Father never tell me about any of this when he was alive?”
“Your mystery deepens, my friend. I think your father assumed he would have more time to teach you all he knew. He started your training and made me swear to finish it.” Masaru said. He lifted his teacup from the tray by his sitting chair to his lips for another sip. Heavy bags hung under his eyes. “Unfortunately, your father was much more studied than I. In my youth, I was more a man of action than learning. Your father was always the one with the level head on his shoulders. Perhaps, that is why he was chosen to be our Order’s leader.”
“Are you sure we’re the last of the Guardians, Masaru? Surely, there’s someone else who will know about these artifacts.”
Masuru winced at the painful memories Kaito unintentionally brought up. “No. Most of the Order had left before … well, before your father died. There was just Katashi and myself at the end. And I wasn’t much help. Mostly, all I did at the end was tend our garden and go to museum showings with Katashi. The city, the world is a different place now, Kaito. There seems little room for Guardians anymore. The police keep the peace. At least, they try. The days of a lone swordsman defending the spirit of a town seem long past.”
It was Kaito’s turn to wince at painful thoughts. Kaito gritted his teeth and held back the tears he had never managed to shed for his father. “You may have lost your resolve, Masuru, but I’m still going to uphold our traditions. Even if I have to do it alone.”
“I’m not suggesting you give up our ways, Kaito. Be calm. Have some tea. I’m just saying that perhaps the newer ways aren’t so bad if you give them a chance. Now let’s talk about these artifacts. I’ve never seen either of these before you brought them here, but there are many artifacts of power in our history. Your father’s sword was just one such artifact. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the very city itself were built on a graveyard of historical artifacts. You said they were loading the boat tonight and everything had to be done tonight?”
Kaito nodded.
“And they called their boss ‘The Architect?’”
Nodding, Kaito said, “Yes. And if this Architect was behind the bombing tonight, they were right to be worried about finishing their work tonight. I can’t help but wonder if that means tonight is our only chance at finding the Blade and bringing this Architect to justice.”
“Staring at that mask won’t do you any good then. If you’re going to find out who is doing these things, who this Architect is, you’ll need to get out there and find answers to your questions. I don’t know where those answers lie, Kaito. I’m very sorry. I was a Guardian, yes. But I’ve never been a historian.”
“Masaru, you’re a genius. Why didn’t you suggest that before? What was I thinking?” Kaito said slowly standing up.
“I did. I did say that before. You must not have been listening. You must have run off into the night without thinking like you always do,” Masaru corrected, but Kaito was gone before he finished his thought. The thin wooden door to his study slid shut without so much as a sound. “Silly boy. Always rushing away. That’s going to get you killed one day.”
He turned his attention back to the holo news that had been restored to decent picture quality in the absence of the mask and coin.
“... FuturiFire, Inc. firefighters are still on the scene of tonight’s Kagami Judicial Hall explosions. Crews remain hopeful, but deaths are expected to be in the dozens. Unfortunately, we’ve learned of two more explosions across Neo-Eden just before midnight. Officials are refusing to speculate as to the origin of the attacks at this time, but one thing is certain: our first response corporations certainly have their hands full. We’ll go now to Mai Nakamura with Kenji Watanabe, the CEO of Kaihatsu Global Technologies, the parent company of FuturiFire, Inc., to discuss the next steps in these daring rescues and what comes next for our brave firefighters. Mai?...”
***
“Dr. Rika Ikeda. It says here that in addition to curating the Guardian display and a laundry list of other displays, she’s Neo-Eden University’s top professor of Archaeological Studies,” Kiji’s voice emanated from the small drone hovering next to Kaito. “I’m glad you reached back out. Look, I think we can help each other here. After your little escapade at the docks, the power disruptions stopped. We noted a few minor pings later, but nothing like what happened while you were there. What exactly happened on the docks?”
“Nothing,” Kaito said. “I just asked some questions.”
The drone spun to face Kaito. If it had been built with eyebrows, it would have been raising one as it peered over at him. “Well, questions don’t exactly leave a bunch of street toughs tied up. You know, you act real hard, but I don’t think you’re as hard as you try to come across. We can help each other. Like I’ve said. What’s your play? Next steps? You're gonna go see Dr. Ikeda in the morning?”
“What’s the home address for Ikeda?” Kaito asked coolly.
“Are you going there tonight?”
“The address, please?” Kaito ignored the question. His voice growled with frustration.
Kiji read off the address and added, “Come on, samurai, tell me something. You know if you don’t, I’ll just track you with the drone.”
Kaito’s blade shot from its sheath and sliced the drone in half, bringing the transmission to a sudden end.
“Okay. I’ll track you with the DRONES,” Kiji’s voice popped up from Kaito’s other side. Another drone had replaced the first. A light emitted from the bottom of the drone, and a holographic projection of Kiji appeared beside Kaito walking in stride next to the samurai. Her blue and green hair shone even more brightly in holo than in real life, if that were even possible. “I’ve got dozens stocked away for just such an occasion.”
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Kaito rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword. “Fine. Yes. I’m going to pay our professor a visit. But you’ll have to stay out of sight. I don't want to attract any more attention than I already have. And they might be tracking your drones.”
“Right. I doubt it. I’m careful. I could go on at length about my encrypted network tunnel, but I doubt you’d understand it. Besides, it’s pretty boring stuff really.”
Kaito nodded in agreement, and for the first time of the night, he smiled. “I bet you are right.”
After a short time, the unassuming home of Dr. Rika Ikeda loomed. It was a moderately nice home with a walled garden on all sides. The doctor had evidently done well for herself. While most of the residents of Neo-Eden lived in tenement buildings, she had managed a house and land. The large wooden gate was shut tight for the night.
“Okay, smart guy. What’s your plan now? I can get in, but…” Kiji mocked the absent space where Kaito had just been. “Where… How? This guy….”
Kaito scaled the wall with practiced grace and was up and over before Kiji’s drone could even register the movement. The drone followed a moment later. It projected an image of Kiji falling as if she were really jumping over the wall causing Kaito to roll his eyes again.
“I told you to wait outside.”
“So you can get all the info and leave us in the dust again? Forget about it. I’m coming with you.”
“I don’t think so,” Kaito said with a sigh. A bright flash of scintillating light sprang up from Kaito’s hands as he brought the coin right next to the mask, almost, but not quite touching. The light was almost blinding, and, just as he’d expected, the drone dropped to the ground. He slipped the mask and coin back into his inner pocket and set to his task, not knowing just how long he’d have before the power came back. “Now, to work.”
Kaito slipped from shadow to shadow as he approached the house. It, at first glance, appeared to be ripped from the pages of history much like many of the traditional houses in his district even though it was very clearly in the wealthier, more modern Corporate District that was reserved for businessmen and politicians. The glossy moonlight shone on the rain-slick stone pathway and the subtle light that bounced up accentuated the wood-grained facade and gently sloping tile roof. The more Kaito analyzed the compound, though, the more he realized the professor’s home was more a marriage of tradition and technology. The lanterns hung around the garden were fed electricity from below and would have lit neon bulbs on the inside if he hadn’t taken down the power in the area, and the koi in the pond he passed on the pathway to the front sliding doors glowed with an incandescence that suggested some level of genetic engineering had occurred in their lineage.
Kaito glanced around the courtyard one final time before letting himself into the home. Like a ghost, he drifted from room to room until he ended up in the bedroom of Dr. Ikeda. Luckily, the power outage hadn’t roused her from her sleep. As if on command, the gentle hum of electricity and air-conditioning returned and Rika’s eyes popped open.
“Who… who’s there?” she asked with a fear-choked voice. She had not been asleep very long and sounded exhausted. Kaito assumed she’d had a long night as well. In fact, he was a bit surprised that she was even home in bed. That fact didn’t sit too well with Kaito.
Was she involved? No, she couldn’t be. Kaito thought. Her reaction was genuine earlier in the night.
“Dr. Ikeda,” Kaito said, stepping out of the shadows into the moonlight that spilled in from her skylight.
She bolted upright and pulled the sheet up to cover herself. “If you take another step, I’ll scream.” She glanced at the bedside table and then back to Kaito. “I’ll call the police. They aren’t very far from here.”
Kaito raised his hands trying to calm her. “My name is Kaito Yamazaki. My father was Katashi Yamazaki. I understand you worked with him at the Museum.”
She grabbed her glasses from the nightstand and put them on.
“Lights,” she commanded the lights on, and the room was filled with a soft yellow glow. “Yamazaki? The Guardian, Yamazaki?”
“Yes. My father’s sword was on display at the Museum until tonight. I am on the trail of the thieves, but need your help to unravel a part of the mystery.”
“It couldn’t wait until morning?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“And you couldn’t have just gone to the authorities?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“And you couldn’t have just sent a holo-call?”
“I don’t usually make holo-calls,” Kaito answered.
“So, instead you break into a woman’s private residence in the middle of the night and scare her half to death to ask a few questions? That sounds ludicrous. I’m calling the police.”
“Wait, Dr. Ikeda. I have an item I was hoping you could interpret." Kaito withdrew the mengu and coin and held them out, their faint glow still present in the room, albeit dampened by the yellow light of the wall lamps.
Ikeda's eyes widened. She rose from the bed and snatched up the mask, fingers tracing its grooves. "My god," she muttered. "The craftsmanship...exquisite. Yet so archaic. Where did you get this?"
Kaito sidestepped the question. "Can you read the markings or tell me what they are?"
The professor's awe shifted to suspicion. But under Kaito's intense gaze, Ikeda turned back to the mengu. Minutes stretched by as she scrutinized every symbol.
"Well?" Kaito said when the silence had become unbearable.
“This mengu,” she said, all the fear now melted away from her voice. “This is the Demon Mask of the Minamoto clan. One of the four noble clans to serve the Imperial House of old. Where did you come by this?”
“It was being loaded into a cargo ship tonight. I think it’s related to the Blade of Ages that was stolen.”
“Blade of Ages, stolen?” It was Dr. Ikeda’s turn to play at subterfuge. “Where did you hear that?”
“I didn’t hear it. I know it to be true,” Kaito confessed. “I was in the hall with you when you checked on the Hall of the Guardians tonight. That’s how I know I can trust you. Your reaction to the theft was genuine.”
The memory of the horrors of the night must have sprung back on Dr. Ikeda like a tiger. She sidestepped and grabbed the edge of the nightstand for support. “So, it wasn’t a dream? I kept hoping if I could just go to sleep. I would wake up in the morning, and it would all be some nightmare.”
“I’m afraid….”
“Not. I get it,” she interrupted. “I’ve only heard tales of this mask before. I’ve seen a couple of pictures. If it’s not a fake, it’s priceless. I shouldn’t even be handling it with my bare hands. This belongs in a museum.”
“Do you understand what the sigils on the inside mean?” Kaito asked.
Ikeda set the mask down gently on the nightstand. She reached out a hand toward Kaito motioning for the coin. She took the artifact from Kaito and slowly pushed the coin to the mask. The power flickered and sputtered out in the room. Kaito noted the soft thump of another of Kiji’s drones hitting the floor in the hallway. He wondered if Dr. Ikeda heard it too, but, if she did, she made no indication.
Brightness filled the room as the professor set the coin into one inner corner of the mask. It clicked in place, and the light pattern on the inside of the mask rose out into a holographic projection, not unlike those put out by Kiji’s drones. A map of Neo-Eden spun, suspended in the air above the mask.
"I think I do. This mengu bears a riddle...or a series of clues...pointing toward some hidden location important to its creators." Her eyes gleamed. "If I’m interpreting this correctly, I do believe it is a map. And the markings here and here suggest a vault is concealed somewhere beneath Neo-Eden!"
Kaito's pulse quickened. "What kind of vault?"
"That I cannot discern. But for our ancestors to so painstakingly encrypt its location, it must be quite significant indeed!" Ikeda leaned forward eagerly. "Please, you must leave it with me. Such a find would be monumental for my field of study. I…."
"Thank you for your help, Doctor." Kaito crossed the room and reclaimed the mengu. "But I think it's best no one knows of this discovery for now. Even walls have ears these days. I'm sure you understand."
Ikeda's eagerness turned to indignance, but under Kaito's stern gaze, she merely adjusted her glasses. "Oh...quite. Yes, I suppose discretion is best." Her curiosity was palpable nonetheless.
Kaito tucked the precious mask away. This "vault" might hold the very answers he sought about the Blade of Ages and its thieves. He had one clue now - the mengu's markings.
Hopefully, that would be enough to prevent the ancient relics from disappearing into the darkness completely. But as Kaito left the bedroom, Dr. Ikeda watching him go, he wondered if some doors were best left unopened, some secrets best left buried beneath the neon and steel...