The blinding light faded, revealing the valley once more.

Blood soaked into the snow all around us. But in the gore stood Lee.

His arms glowed a soft orange and his eyes showed revelation. The Ember within him was set alight with uncontrollable power.

A yokai that was previously occupied with a now-deceased soldier saw Lee and tried to swing it's crimson soaked claws at him.

Lee quickly sensed its attack and ducked under its arm, slicing most of it off on the way. The creature took no notice nor felt the pain of the wound, but only tried to attack again. As it reared back to use its good arm to hit, Lee planted his sword within the demon's heart with deadly accuracy.

The next came, and as before he ducked and weaved with the utmost of precision. And in a single swing, the second yokai fell.

Sora quickly got up from his spot in the snow and joined Lee. He drew multiple arrows from his pouch and held them in his hand as he shot them one by one in rapid succession.

They had the south protected, so I turned to the north, which didn't nearly look as hopeful.

I started sprinting over to the group of undefended spearsmen as I saw Yasuo.

Without assistance from an Ember or partner, he killed yet another yokai, but not before it clawed deeply into his chest. Although he was far away, I could see the red cover his body. An eye was missing, an arm looked as though it was barely useable. But Yasuo still kept pushing himself. He didn't look like he even noticed.

Before I could make my way over to assist him, a glimpse of ashen black was caught in the corner of my eye.

I quickly jumped sideways as the yokai swept its arm.

"Of course..." I muttered to myself as I noticed the features of this particular demon. Its skin was scarred and pierced by arrows, and it's face held a grim satisfaction at its revenge. The yokai that we had come so far to kill...

My hands adjusted around my sword to gain the tightest grip possible. It was finally my chance to regain part of the honor I had lost so many years ago.

An eternity seemingly passed as the yokai and I just stared at each other, both of us deciding what to do.

After that eternity, that endless moment, I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Demon, shroud in the dark.

My legs sprung from the cold snow as I sprinted towards the evil creature. In a moment I felt steel clash with foul flesh. The yokai had sacrificed its forearm for defense.

The thing pushed me away and began its own attack.

Before I could gain a stable footing it moved in. It's grotesquely long hand grabbed me as its maw opened wide.

I tried to pull myself away, but I could feel the sharp sensation before I succeeded. It's crooked and blood-soaked teeth sunk into my neck.

My mouth opened and I screamed in pain, but it was drowned out in the shrieks of countless others.

No, I couldn't give up, I had to move, I had to fight.

My sword blindly stabbed into the yokai's stomach. It wasn't forceful enough to kill the beast, but it was enough to make it release me.

I felt the bite on my neck. It hadn't punctured my windpipe or arteries, so I didn't need to worry about it until we had escaped our hellish situation.

The yokai started moving sideways, so I mirrored it, buying a small bit more time.

We circled each other for a moment, thinking. Our first set of attacks were pitiful, and the fight was getting worse, so if I wanted to be the one to kill the yokai I'd have to do it quickly. And if the yokai wanted to be the first to kill me, it would have to do the same.

Again, I ran towards the creature, causing it to lift up its worn arm again in defense. But instead of striking blindly like last time, I ducked down and swung low, and prayed that my obsessive sharpening and care would pay off.

My eyes instinctively closed as the steel furiously clashed with bone.

Although I didn't cut through, I could hear an audible crunch as my katana came to a halt.

I pulled the sword out of the yokai's leg, causing it to fall onto its knee.

May steel devour you with zealous purpose.

The katana sought its way through the yokai's exposed neck, coming out the other side covered in black liquid.

I stood in the blood-soaked snow as the yokai that had brought us so much distress faded into ash.

But it wasn't over yet. Yasuo still needed help, so did nearly everyone that hadn't run off into the forest yet.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me over to the north side with Yasuo.

Yasuo was still strong, with ash and blood coating his entire body. He looked at me with his one useable eye as I drew near.

Yet more countless yokai jumped out of the forest, but both Yasuo and I quickly killed the demons. I shouted at him through the shrieking of men and the howling of yokai. "You need to go!"

His mutilated face smiled as much as the torn muscles would let him as he responded. "I have a responsibility." He pointed off to a group of men still holding their own against the onslaught of yokai. "Go help."

Before I could keep insisting he needed to run, Yasuo hobbled his way to the next group of men that needed help.

There was nothing more I could do for him other than follow orders, so I ran to the group of samurai.

It looked as though Kohei and the Huntsman had formed a circle with some others to protect themselves, but it was quickly collapsing.

I could hear the Huntsman shout as I got close. "I was supposed to kill it! I always kill it!!"

Kohei quickly shouted back. "Stop making noise!"

But it was too late, more creatures started to emerge from the wood towards us.

As I finally arrived at the circle, the Huntsman screamed and pushed his way through the samurai.

In a desperate attempt to keep his perfect record, he tried to swing at the nearest yokai.

The creature easily maneuvered out of the way, but the Huntsman only swung again, Screaming in frustration.

Another attack, another dodge.

With each swing, it seemed he devolved. Letting anger take over rational thought, and working on impulse rather than logic.

"I was supposed to win!" As he swung yet again, he let himself become too vulnerable.

One of the many yokai he was challenging jumped atop him and started clawing away at his chest.

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But the Huntsman wasn't done yet. With all the might in his body, he pushed the creature away and pushed himself back to his feet. "I'm the finest specimen! I'm nature's greatest hunter!"

This time the Huntsman tackled a yokai. He barely pinned the eight-foot-tall creature as it's much taller friends moved in to assist it.

Before the Huntsman could even hit the small yokai, the others jumped and piled atop him, quickly pulling him away and ripping his flesh apart in an anti-climactic display. The Huntsman had died.

Kohei cursed as the circle shook and started dispersing. "Shit!"

We were surrounded by yokai, and our prospects looked bleak. As Kohei realized this, he made his decision.

Kohei dropped his sword and grabbed a samurai by the collar of his kimono. He pushed him into the horde of yokai and sprinted through the small gap that had been formed because of his distraction.

The samurai, of course, was torn to pieces. Knowing that he was unsavable, I moved to the rest of the surviving men. We pushed through the small gap and killed the yokai that tried to grab any of us. Our makeshift plan was mostly successful as we burst through the swamp of demons.

Kohei was ahead, running for his life through the snowy field.

As he ran, however, a yokai saw him and sprinted out of the forest. As I opened my mouth to warn him, I decided against it. He had killed his own men, not just by protecting himself, but by insisting on this mission and letting the Doctor do all the things he did. For that, he was deserving of the sentence of death. Every instance of my body wanted to run forth and try to save him from his imminent doom. But I knew that it had to be done. If it wasn't, he would tell the Shogun of all this and we would all be rounded up like cattle, only to be set on a doomed expedition once more.

The ashen black creature pounced on Kohei and started biting into his torso. A mist of blood sprayed into the air as the yokai pulled its head back. I closed my eyes as it finished off its prey. Kohei screamed calls for help, desperate orders to save him, but none came to his aid. His title of the camp's leader had finally been completely revoked as he breathed his dying breaths.

After the yokai had finished, an arrow was shot through its skull. Sora quickly moved to the next after the yokai turned to ash.

I pointed towards a part of the forest that was clear of yokai and yelled at my group of samurai to run for safety.

Once they were out of sight I moved my attention to Lee and Sora. Sora was doing fine, but it was Lee I watched in awe. He made great use of his Ember, which I could only surmised gave him great precision and insight. He moved with complete efficiency through the hordes of yokai and killed more than any of us combined.

I shook my head, breaking out of a trance. There was no time to watch, they could handle themselves. So I brought my focus to Yasuo, who was nowhere to be seen.

Although I wanted to, I knew I couldn't go looking for him. Yasuo would want me to search for more survivors, so that's what I did. I noticed a pile of bodies only a short run away. There could be someone stuck underneath the corpses, I thought. So, I moved over, avoiding making any sound as to not alert more yokai to where I was.

My nostrils were filled with the familiar scent of iron as I grew close. And the smell only got worse as I pulled the corpses off the pile to whatever was shuffling underneath.

A voice hissed at me as I grew closer. "You're ruining my hiding place!"

I instantly recognized the foul old man's voice through the howling, and after pulling the final body away, I saw his face. Without hesitation, I pulled him from his gruesome fortress and threw him onto the snow.

He was immaculate, unharmed. The Doctor quickly stood as he yelled. "You've soiled it! All of it! I could have captured one. I would have had more power than any Emperor or Shogun could dream! If we could control this force? Your mind is too small to imagine."

Although he spoke, I didn't listen, my thoughts were on one thing. "All those months ago, I let you live, and I suffered from it ever since... I don't think I can make the same mistake again."

I was massively conflicted. Was it just to kill the Doctor? Even though he was the foulest of human beings, I found myself hesitating to draw my sword. Under any other circumstance, I wouldn't. But in this situation, with someone capable of causing so much pain. I decided to make the gruesome decision, in killing the old man, I would be saving countless others and avenging the ones that fell victim to his twisted experiments.

My sword unsheathed as I walked closer.

His eyes widened as he realized what I was about to do. But almost just as quickly as he realized what I was about to do, he smiled with some sort of plan. "Do you really think this is how she would have wanted you to act?"

It felt as though I had been punched in the gut with those words, the premature guilt of what I was about to do instantly took over my mind. I muttered the words out slowly. "How do you kn-"

But before I could question the old man, I felt a sharp incision in my stomach. I couldn't be loud, so I held my mouth closed as I grasped my sword tighter. He had closed the gap in the blink of my hesitation.

The Doctor spoke as he quickly pulled his scalpel back to the place he hid it in preparation of this exact moment. "You let on more than you think. A logical mind can surmise anything." I tried to lift my sword, but raising my arm felt as though it opened the gash, making the bleeding significantly worse. "And a surgical hand can incapacitate even the most frustrating of nuisances... Best not move if you want to live." I very, very reluctantly listened. The old man smiled grimly as he watched me just stand there. "Good." We stood there and looked at each other for a moment or two. I was like a mouse watching a cat peer down at it. But soon enough, the Doctor made his move. He quickly jabbed into my wound, which made my body shake and contract.

That was enough pain to have me yell and fall to my knees.

I watched the Doctor run into the forest opposite of me as yokai howled louder. They all ran to me, attracted to my noise and vulnerability. "Oh, shit." One was close, two more were following a ways behind it. "Shit!" I groaned.

Painstakingly rising to my feet, I started to run in the opposite direction, but I wasn't nearly fast enough. I would have to make a stand.

The first grew close. It was small, but that wouldn't matter much if I couldn't even lift my sword.

But before I was doomed, I had an idea. I took my sword and threw it into my other hand. It would be tough using my left, but it was better than dying without a fight.

With a bit of effort, I was able to lift my arm and swing at the oncoming beast of shadow.

I ducked to the right as I swung with my left. And by a lot of effort and an insurmountable amount of luck, the yokai fell limp, turning ash soon after.

All that was left were two more, much larger than the last.

As I gripped tighter, an arrow shot past my head and into one of the yokai's. I quickly looked behind me and saw Sora and Lee, both running over.

But they weren't going to make it in time, I would have to kill the last yokai myself. As it got within range, I held my sword to it.

It was clumsy and slow. It had a snout like a dog's and arms shorter than its body. So I would need to concern myself more with its mouth than its claws.

The yokai was in range. It was time to fend for myself.

I swung, but the creature easily dodged it. Within a moment from my failed attack, the yokai jumped onto me.

It was out for blood, and I wouldn't be killing it pinned where I was and in the state I was in. So the only thing I could do was stall it.

My arm raised in sacrifice as the creature clamped its jaws on the first thing offered. It bit and tore into the cloth and flesh.

I tried to punch it with my right as it mangled my left, but I couldn't lift it with enough force. The yokai unclenched its jaw for a moment, trying to get a better grip on my arm and to look around, I took that as my opportunity.

I quickly grabbed onto my metal shoulder pad. All of us had the most minuscule of armor, and it was barely useful, except in this situation.

The metal pad unlatched from my chest plate and lodged itself into the yokai's mouth, just before it had closed its maw.

its teeth still sunk into my arm, but not nearly as badly.

And within a few more moments, the yokai was pulled off of me by Lee. He quickly stabbed into the creature as Sora picked me up.

Sora spoke with a face full of concern. "Are you going to be alright?"

I played it off as little more than a scratch. "Yes... I'm fine."

Lee looked around the body and blood covered battlefield as he spoke. "Where's Mahiro?"

I frowned deeply as the thought was brought back into my mind. "He... didn't make it."

Lee shook his head. "Alright, alright. Where's Yasuo?"

"I don't know. Last I saw him he was over there." I barely pointed with the last strength in my arm over to where had I seen the spear-wielder.

Lee started sprinting to where I pointed as Sora helped me up. We all ran over to the spot.

The only thing that we were greeted with was a trail of blood and piles of ash, quickly fading into the breeze. Lee looked at the blood, and without a word started following it.

We walked along the trail, which lingered wherever there must have been anyone that needed help. Lee caught a glimpse of something and ran ahead. He started gagging as Sora and I got close enough to see.

Sora could only say. "Oh..." as we looked at the severed arm.

Lee panted for breath as my mind raced. "No... This doesn't mean he's dead! The trail keeps going. Come on!"

I was the first to move on, then Sora, then Lee.

The trail moved only deeper into the fight, of course.

Slowly it grew fresher and fresher until we were met with the large man once again.

Yasuo was leaning against a tree, gasping for breath. He smiled as he saw us, I can't say I was doing the same. "Hello, Kenshi. Hello, Sora. Hello, Lee. You all seem to be doing well. I see that Ember that laid dormant in you finally revealed itself, Lee. I knew you had one..."

Lee chuckled. "And yet I still can't perform as well as you. Do you realize how many people you saved today?"

Yasuo kept smiling as he used his one arm to position himself better. "Well, hopefully, a few... But as long as even one is saved I will be happy..."

I spoke as I got down next to him. "You've saved countless people, Yasuo. Be proud."

He chuckled in between his coughing up blood. "That's good..." His attention slowly drifted from me to ambient space. "You three. If you ever find yourselves in Kamakura, would you tell my parents I love them, and that I told them you can have all the tea you can drink."

Sora nodded. "Of course."

Yasuo's eyes closed. "Thank you... It's been a pleasure leading you all..."

Soon his chest no longer moved up and down, his face no longer smiled. Yasuo had passed.

Few yokai showed themselves the rest of that night, and Lee quickly disposed of them.

We buried Mahiro and Yasuo next to each other underneath a cherry blossom tree. I took the sun lily that had been attached to my breastplate for so long and planted it between both of them. It flourished there. Even in the darkness, it stayed blooming and beautiful.

Rest well, Yasuo. Be at peace, Mahiro.

Tomorrow is a new day.