It was heartening how quickly Lord Ienaga and his allies agreed to Yoshika’s plan to sue for peace with the shogunate loyalists. His demeanor had softened considerably after Master Yumi’s rescue, and he readily agreed that Yu Meiren and her demons were a more important threat than the shogun’s ambitions.

He stroked his chin as he marched at the head of the army.

“The most difficult part will be reaching them. Lords at war aren’t going to be sitting about in their castles, and revealing your location to enemies isn’t exactly a good strategy.”

Kaede shrugged.

“I might have an answer to that already. I’m more worried about proving my case. I don’t doubt that they’ll agree to join forces if they know the truth, but getting them to believe it is another story.”

Jin Hu chuckled.

“Yu Meiren has laid the foundation for her own undoing. Lord Kasuga is your foot in the door. His personal testimony will lend credence to your claims. Then, a show of good faith—a demonstration of trust that will show them your sincerity. With their minds open, you deliver the finishing blow.”

Lord Ienaga laughed and shook his head.

“You make it sound like an assassination.”

“There’s significant overlap. The methods for earning trust do not change with one’s sincerity. As such, they will remain wary until the very end. However, once they witness the truth, they’ll have little choice but to join you, or else declare themselves openly in favor of the demonic invaders.”

Kaede sighed.

“You make it sound so easy, but I know just how stubborn these lords can be. It’s going to be a battle just getting them to agree to hear me, much less bring them to Kasuga’s ruins to see the truth for themselves.”

Ienaga snorted.

“Perhaps literally. Don’t be afraid to use force, if you must. They won’t hold it against you—if anything you’ll earn even more respect.”

“So you say, but I’m not going to go around shattering fragile egos if I can help it.”

With a plan in place, Yoshika’s first stop didn’t require her to go far. She found a quiet spot in the wilderness and sat to meditate.

Within her Soul Realm, she met once more with her somewhat-unwilling guests. Lord Kasuga wasted no time reiterating his complaints.

“You! When are you going to release us? I don’t appreciate being held captive!”

Yoshika sighed, casting a glance at the person she was actually looking for. Yagi refused to meet her eyes, focusing on her spirit companion. Returning her attention to the angry lord, Yoshika bowed apologetically.

“Bringing you here in the first place was an exhausting endeavor. I promise that you will be safe as long as you remain here, but returning you isn’t something I can do carelessly. Please consider yourselves as guests, rather than captives.”

Kasuga grumbled irritably and wandered off without offering much of a response. Not a great start, considering that she needed his cooperation, but she didn’t blame him for being upset after the destruction of his land.

Yoshika approached the priestess, who sat sulking at the edge of a fountain.

“Miss Yagi, do you have a moment?”

She snorted.

“No, I’m super busy being held prisoner. What even is this place? You said it was the spirit realm, but there’s a whole city here.”

“This is Jiaguo. Or the representation of it that exists within my soul, at least.”

“Wait—we’re inside your soul?”

Yoshika smiled awkwardly.

“That’s a hard question to answer. This is a real place in the world, connected to the physical realm of Jiaguo. It’s also part of me.”

She reached out to the crab spirit and gently stroked its shell, picking up a bit of its cerulean fire and holding it up to Yagi.

“This flame is part of Kani. If I’m holding it, does that mean I’m holding him? He’s part of the ocean, so am I holding the ocean? The ocean is part of the world, as are we all. For most, their soul doesn’t manifest as much more than this little flame.”

Yoshika released the flame and it dissipated into the air, returning to the crab spirit. She took a step back and gestured around them.

“Mine looks like this. My home, my people—me. Thanks to some help from an ancient long-dead god, it has substance and a physical connection to the world, but it’s always been here.”

The priestess squinted.

“But you didn’t always live here? You were born in Goryeo, right?”

“We were born in a few places, but sure. Space works a bit differently in the spirit realm. My soul has always been here, but here hasn’t always been Jiaguo. That’s not something anyone can teach, though. You need to feel it for yourself to understand.”

“Like how I wasn’t able to run away from you? Or how Ishihara and Kasai can go wherever they want while the rest of us are stuck in this square?”

Yoshika nodded.

“My friends have a deeper place in my soul, but you’re still a stranger to me. I don’t even know your name.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Yagi rolled her eyes, catching the hint.

“Yagi Hisako. And yes, that is my real name. I know what you’re trying to do, you know.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Establishing trust? Building rapport? You think I wouldn’t recognize my own craft—this is my whole life.”

Yoshika took a seat next to Yagi and sighed.

“Someone I respect told me that the methodology is the same regardless of sincerity. I suppose since you’re so used to being insincere, it makes sense you’d think that I’m doing the same.”

“You obviously want something from me. I’m not going to betray my people.”

“I won’t deny that I need your help, but it’s not to betray your people—it’s to save them.”

Yagi averted her eyes and scoffed.

“Sure. You and every other warlord. My clan made their choice centuries ago, and it’s not my place to question it.”

“Maybe it is. Your clan swore allegiance to mine, and the responsibility for that choice has been passed down for generations. What do you fight for, Hisako?”

“I fight for my clan. Simple as that.”

Yoshika sighed, shifting into Kaede as she shook her head.

“If you think it’s that simple then you don’t fight for anything. What does your clan fight for? Why? What is truly important to you? If it really is just mindless loyalty to someone who repaid it by throwing you in the fire, then I suppose we really don’t have anything to discuss.”

“Fuck you! Do you think I’m afraid to die for my people?”

“What people? Yu Meiren and her demons? My father? Perhaps you mean the hundreds of innocents they’ve stuffed in cages to feed on like cattle.”

Yagi Hisako scowled and averted her eyes, but Kaede stood and circled around her.

“Don’t look away. Your decisions are your own. Your actions have consequences. The city you spent most of your life in, the friends you made, the people who loved and trusted you—those are your people, and they burned because of you.”

“I didn’t know that would happen!”

“But it did. And now you have a choice—you can hide behind the loyalty you owe to the clan that raised you, or you can begin to set things right for the people you betrayed.”

The priestess drew her knees up to her chest and the crab spirit scuttled over to nudge her gently with one of its spindly legs.

“What do you want from me? I assume all this emotional manipulation has a goal.”

“Nothing I couldn’t have gotten from speaking to your spirit companions. I wanted to know who you are, so that I could better understand the kind of person who would see everything my father has done and choose to follow him anyway.”

“You’re kind of a bitch, you know that?”

Eui cackled wickedly.

“Hehe, between Kaede and I, we get that a lot.”

Yagi grimaced.

“Okay, I have to ask—what’s with the shapeshifting?”

“Eh, long story. Basically, there’s four of us connected in here and you got unlucky enough to end up with the crabby bitches instead of the nice ones.”

“Lovely.”

Eui snickered and sat back down next to Yagi.

“Seriously, though, I get doing the wrong things for what you thought were the right reasons. That’s something every single one of us has in common. Yeah, we want your help tracking down some of Hayakawa’s vassals, but we have a bad habit of trying to help everyone we meet. I blame Jia.”

“How is that supposed to help me? And who is Jia?”

Jia sighed. As comfortable as her new form was, she was looking forward to rebuilding her previous ones. Sharing a single unified body with the other aspects was nice, but it caused a lot of confusion.

“I am. We just want you to see the path you’re on and make a choice instead of following blindly. Kaede’s father made his—standing shoulder to shoulder with the demons destroying his country. He sold us all for his own power, and your master was right there behind him.”

“And you? If I find those lords for you, then what? You track them down and kill them? Scatter their armies to clear the way for you to finish conquering the rest of Yamato?”

“No. I’m just going to talk to them. Just like we’re doing now. I’ll try to show them where their paths lead and offer an alternative.”

Yagi scoffed.

“And if they refuse?”

“Then they refuse, and I’ll have to find another answer. I was told to use force if that was the only thing they’d respect, but I’m tired of fighting.”

“And if I refuse?”

Jia giggled and shook her head.

“I won’t force you either. In fact, I’d like to apologize for destroying Kani’s talisman earlier. Hattori’s betrayal is a bit of a sore subject for us, but that was uncalled for.”

“You’re...very different from the other three. It’s almost as if you don’t even care about winning the war.”

“We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Supporting each other is the foundation of who we are. You’re right that I don’t care about winning the war. I have no interest in being a ruler—it’s a role that was thrust on me, and I’m doing my best to fill it, but it’s not what I want.”

Yagi crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Then why fight in the first place?”

“To protect the people I care about. I was raised by thieves and gangsters who put a lot of stock in loyalty, but real loyalty isn’t about obedient subservience to a gang boss. It’s taking care of the people who took care of you—honoring their trust by giving yours in return. It’s mutual, not one-sided.”

“Did you just compare my religious order to a street gang?”

Jia cocked her head.

“No? But I think you just did.”

The onmyouji grimaced.

“I should have guessed that your most harmless looking form would be the most dangerous.”

“Um...thank you?”

“Alright. I’ll do it. But I want something in return.”

Jia shrugged.

“This wasn’t really meant to be an exchange, but if there’s something I can do for you I’ll do my best.”

“I want amnesty. Kasuga wants my head, and my clan has no use for a spy whose identity is known by our enemies. If I do this for you, I want my safety guaranteed after the war.”

“Done.”

Yagi blinked.

“Wait, just like that?”

“Sure. I can arrange that easily. I probably would have done it even if you hadn’t asked.”

“Why?”

Jia chuckled.

“Not a very good listener, are you? I told you—loyalty is mutual. If you give me your trust, then I’ll give mine in return.”

The spy pursed her lips.

“That sounds like a great way to end up as a doormat. What do you do when someone who doesn’t share your ideals abuses your trust and betrays you?”

“That depends. If they realize the error of their ways and genuinely try to make it up to me, then I can forgive them eventually. I actually met my best friend that way.”

“Seriously? I’m starting to reconsider trusting you. There’s definitely someone already taking advantage of you.”

Eui gave Yagi a sinister smile, the weight of her aura subtly pressing down on the cynical priestess.

“Oh, don’t you worry—that’s what I’m here for. So maybe don’t try your luck.”

“R-right. I see. Strengths and weaknesses.”

She retracted her aura and smiled brightly.

“Glad you understand! Now let’s go give Lord Kasuga the good news.”