Darren's Perspective
"Then Kyoto…" I mumbled as my voice trailed off.
I tried to remember exactly how the capital switch happened but I was pretty sure half of this was stuff from videos on youtube after I had stormed out of class that day.
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"Alright, so the Fujiwara regency…" I continued. I was starting to get tired and thirsty.
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"But then they were ousted, and…" I explained. At this point my throat was dry and I hadn’t slept in a while.
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"If you ask me, the Genpei War…" I continued to speak as I summarized the conflict that was history to me but news to this guy who has apparently been either fighting or chained up for way too long.
I wonder what it’s like to be a samurai out of time AND space. Worlds away from what you knew.
Except I was going to be a samurai right?
Wasn’t I both of those things too and one away from the third?
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"And that's the end of the Heian period," I finished, my voice hoarse from recounting centuries of history. My brain felt fried, my throat parched. "I'm really tired. Can I learn some swordsmanship now? Better yet, can I get some water?"
Kirin Edo stared at me.
He waved his hand and all of a sudden my throat stopped burning and my stomach was empty rather than feeling like it was trying to murder me.
He looked baffled and his frown deepened. "Samurai ruling the country?" he scoffed and shook his head. "Extremely combat capable advisors and guards turning into 'shoguns'? Shogunate? Such absolute nonsense! I wouldn't want most of them in a position of actual rulership if it bit them right on their ass. Give most of them a good fight and a wise ruler to serve any day, but excuse me, I don't think most samurai actually learned leadership, let alone rulership."
He paused as his brow creased thoughtfully and he frowned. "Still, I suppose the strong are often cunning as well. Can't say I'm surprised they found a way to claw their way to the top. Maybe I wasn't the only one good enough to be an emperor after all."
But then his dark eyes narrowed, his face hardening into a mask of thunderous rage. "But swords have become illegal?!" he roared, "That's a different story and it’s a story that I need to hear! I need to hear it so that I can shove the story up my former country's ass. Continue with your history lesson, Successor. I need to know how such a travesty could have occurred."
"Oi, come on, ol’ guy, ol’ buddy, ol’ teacher, ol’sensei! ol’whaanywayyyUUUhg-?!” My complaint was cut short as a searing pain shot through my leg.
I looked down to see the Sword God Emperor's hand clamped around my ankle, his grip like a vice that was perfectly okay with shattering bone and breaking reality to pretend it didn’t happen.
I continued to protest verbally if not coherently as I was yanked around.
Before I could even react, he spun me around a few more times and my world dissolved into a dizzying blur of colors and shapes.
Then I hurtled headfirst into a rip in reality.
The world spun around me.
A cracked kaleidoscope of colors on crack and EDM music along with sensations that would make the standard eldritch abomination enjoyer cringe surrounded me as I felt like I went the long way around a nuclear war infused time-space-ass-crack sparta-kick only to encounter azatoth’s sleeping form.
And nearly goddamn wake him.
I nearly vomited as I was flung through the reality-trip and exited into the air.
I finally tumbled through the air like a ragdoll.
As expected the sudden halt was jarring.
I bounced and rolled across the ground of what felt like sand and stopped a bit near a dune.
Then, with a bone-jarring slam I landed in the soft and sandy ground.
I wheezed as the breath had been knocked out of me and for a moment I was sure my body was pasted across the ground with what should have been at least several broken bones.
I’m pretty sure my teacher just brought me to the edge of death.
I lay there, dazed and disoriented as the taste of the desert filled my mouth.
I spat the ground back where it was supposed to be- not in my mouth and finished my joke.
“Who is also Italian, what can I do for you to get me some training?” I even had the Irish accent down. Can you at least let me finish the joke. “Bastard.”
I forced myself to sit up as my head refused to stop swimming a marathon around the gym pool of reality.
In the distance I saw a sprawling city silhouetted against the horizon.
Shiganai, I thought.
My memory was hazy from the abrupt transition, but the fifth former capital of the empire was kind of iconic.
Kirin Edo's voice boomed from a shimmering portal that had opened in the air above me, a window into that strange, ethereal prison where he was held captive. "I can't leave this damned hole, but you can! So do me a favor and stop being weak. I corrected your bones for optimal swordsmanship, by the way. No need to thank me."
The fact that he wasn’t just smashing me around for fun was relieving- but- “Fuck you.”
He chuckled and then he gestured towards the city in the distance. "Your first goal is to head over there and learn the sword from a proper Japan-adjacent society. It's five years before I plucked you from your timeline, so if your goal is to prevent the deaths of your companions and everyone else you care about, you'd better get started. Make a mess, Darren. It's good for you."
He smirked with eyes that laughed to a joke that probably made sense to only the oldest of old bastards with too much damn hair, I was sure., "With your 'oops, am I alive again?' ability, you can always rewind a day or two if things go south. Get to my standard before I start your real training. You can thank me later."
The portal snapped shut, leaving me alone in the sandy expanse. I stood up and brushed the dirt off my clothes. I noticed a katana lying beside me. Clearly this was a parting gift from the Sword God Emperor.
"What a pretentious title..." I muttered as I picked up the katana. It felt surprisingly light and well-balanced in my hand. The ‘Japan-adjacent’ society Kirin Edo was talking about was clearly the empire, but why this city?
I shook my head.
I could wonder what was so special about the fifth capital of the Shin empire later.
I had a feeling this sword was going to be my best friend for the next five years.
If he picked this place randomly I would be surprised.
…..
Darren would be surprised.
Jessa’s Perspective
I stood beside Anna and held her hand in mine.
"So, ladies," Kirin Edo began, his voice calm yet commanding, echoing through the chamber. "Is it truly worth giving up your first seat as leader?"
"Yes," I declared, my voice unwavering. “He may be a moron, but he’s the only guy I could ever consider for- you know.”
Anna nodded as her violet hair shimmered down her back like a waterfall.
She echoed my sentiment, a bit more heavily than me, but she actually had that kind of relationship with him so that wasn’t surprising. "There can be no other path for me than with the man I love. I want to be with him forever. He died for us hundreds of times for us. I know we did the same, but a confirmation that your love will do that for you- it makes me- nevermind. Even hiding the fact we were a part of the time loop from the very start, it felt horrible and deceiving him- it made me sick but I would do it again. Okay, I’ll stop rambling."
Kirin Edo studied us for a moment, his golden eyes piercing, before nodding approvingly. "Very well then. Your first test is now." He raised his hand and a different kind of tear in the fabric of reality appeared before us.
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"Step through that portal, and you will be sent back to the cities assigned to each of you the first time. Your goal is to get further into the military and get stronger," Kirin Edo explained "You will start over again, from the age of thirteen just like last time. Once you reach eighteen, I will bring you back. You will do this until you are strong enough to wield Ki and not explode." He chuckled.
Why did he have to be so menacing?
That was my job!
I was menacing!
Jessa is the menacing young princess of the orphanage, thank you very much!
He ignored my pout and gestured towards the vast armory that lined the walls of the chamber. "Choose whatever weapon calls out to you. I gave you each a sub-par katana last time. But this will give you something to protect."
My eyes narrowed. my gaze swept past the countless weapons on display.
Swords.
Countless swords of every type.
It was an arsenal fit for an army of warriors with more intricate weapons behind closed gates.
But my attention was drawn to a pair of blades. They were resting on a velvet cushion for each of them.
One next to the other.
I felt them call to me.
A wakizashi and a tanto.
They called to me even louder as I approached them.
Without hesitation, I moved towards the wakizashi and tanto.
I hadn’t even noticed I had moved before I was drawn to them as if by an invisible thread of fate.
My hand reached out as my fingers closed around their hilts.
The wakizashi was shorter than normal katana.
It was a curved blade.
I never held one before, but this one felt like an extension of my arm. Its weight is comforting and familiar.
The tanto was a straight, double-edged dagger with a curved tip in a Shin Empire design. It looked unassuming but its blade was unnaturally sharp. It tried to wash over my senses as if it wasn’t there, but I couldn’t ignore it.
It was less than half the length of the wakizashi.
But it nestled perfectly in my other hand, its sharp edge and point was a promise of swift and decisive action from something light and easily concealed.
"Those," Kirin Edo's voice echoed through the chamber, his tone laced with a hint of curiosity. "Why those two? The tanto and the prototype?"
I met his gaze with my unwavering lightly purple. "They feel right," I stated simply, my voice carrying a quiet conviction that brooked no argument. "Like they were made for my hands. Also, a prototype? This is a Wakizashi. The empire started making them over seven hundred years ago!"
A ghost of a smile played on Kirin Edo's lips. "Indeed?" he gave it as a question that sounded like a rumbling murmur of happiness as his gaze shifted between me and the blades I held.
He shook his head. "Had we less time, I would have guided you towards them myself. But your instincts are sound. They speak of a warrior who understands her strengths and embraces her path."
Beside me, Anna hummed thoughtfully.
Her silver eyes shimmered with curiosity.
My amethyst eyes are fine!
I don’t need Darren to call me the ‘beauty with the eyes so silver the moon is jealous of me.’
No.
I do not.
Not at all!
My eyes are amethyst.
Very pretty.
Maybe they shine with…
I shook my head vigorously.
The waterfall of bright violet bordering pink that fell behind her back swayed as she moved with a grace towards the large and curved swords.
Her silver eyes scanned the armory and halted to linger on a rack of gleaming scimitars.
Two pairs in particular seemed to have caught her attention.
The first pair was a matched set forged of an interesting metal that shimmered in a silver light.
Their blades told a story.
Literally.
Looking at them made you feel that you knew them. Boastful and powerful
They were forged from a single piece of silver-hued steel-dragon bone before they were rendered extinct.
Their hilts wrapped in midnight blue leather of a paradox panther.
They were elegant and deadly and their curves were whispering of swift and silent death.
Except Anna was frowning.
She didn’t boast.
She did what she needed to do and didn’t brag.
They weren’t for her, I already knew.
The second pair was more striking, their blades a mismatched duo. One was forged from a dark, almost black steel-like ore that I had no idea how to identify.
Its hilt wrapped in crimson leather and yellow dragons of some kind of unknown green hued gold metal was etched down the center from the hilt inward into the blade.
The other was a brilliant gold of the same metal, its hilt adorned with intricate carvings of a phoenix taking flight.
A black phoenix.
Two halves of the same coin.
Death and life.
Savior and destroyer.
Killer and heroine.
Anna reached out, her fingers tracing the curves of the visually mismatched blades. "These are beautiful," she whispered with a small smile that brightened the room.
She gently moved her hand across the curved scabbard. Her voice was soft and filled with an intensity that would terrify lesser men. "But are they practical enough to cut my enemies? I hope so."
She glanced at me with a playful glint in her eyes. "What do you think, Jessa? Should I go for the classic elegance that won’t shut up about itself or embrace a bit of flair?"
I shrugged, my gaze returning to the wakizashi and tanto in my hands. "Choose what feels right," I said.
Kirin Edo's words rang out from his mouth. "The girl with the good taste in japanese daggers is right. Weapons that resonate with your spirit will serve you best."
Anna nodded, her gaze lingering on the mismatched scimitars. "You're right," she said, a smile curving her lips. "A bit of flair never hurt anyone. Besides, who says a warrior can't be stylish?"
With a decisive movement she grasped the hilts of the mismatched scimitars.
Kirin Edo nodded approvingly. "Good," he said. His voice and facial expression were full of satisfaction. "Now, your training journeys begin anew."
He raised his hands, and the single portal he had summoned split into two.
They moved so fast it’s as if they materialized before us.
"Step through," Kirin Edo instructed as his voice resonated with an ancient power that seemed to shake the very foundations of his prison realm. "Embrace the path that awaits you."
We had made our choice and accepted our destiny.
With a shared breath, we stepped forward.
Each of us disappeared into a separate portal.
I felt a momentary disorientation as a sense of being unmoored from reality washed over me, and then...
Kirin Edo’s Perspective.
The portals shimmered for a moment longer and then vanished.
Leaving me behind as the one and only Kirin Edo who stood alone.
My gaze fixed on the empty space where the girls had stood.
A flicker of pride and a shadow of concern crossed my artificially young features.
Then my face crumpled.
“I wish my daughter was still alive.” I muttered.
Thinking about my wife made me sad.
Thinking about my daughter forced me to break for just a moment.
“I miss you, Anna. The girl with your name will hopefully be up to helping them both. They’ll help each other. This time it will be a trio who fights them and not just me.I wont replace my daughter in my heart, but I hope you won't hate me for doting on someone who is so much like you.”
I took in a deep breath and shoved the confident facade back in place.
“The Prime devourer has to lose this time.”
I’d make sure of it.
After all, we have plenty of time.
Darren’s Perspective.
I stood in the abandoned ruins of my childhood home, surrounded by the ghosts of laughter and the echoes of dreams that I had for the future but were now long shattered.
Why was I here?
The familiar scent of the carpenter’s woodsmoke and the faint whisper of wind through the crumbling walls was clearly some kind of sign.
The hollowness that gnawed at my soul, maybe?
Was this all just a figment of my fractured mind desperately clinging to fragments of a reality that no longer existed?
My fingers tightened around the hilt of the katana.
"Again!" he commanded as his voice became a gravelly echo that reverberated through the ruins. "Precision. Control. Let the blade become an extension of your will."
Wait? Didn’t I just go to sleep after sneaking around the city?
I adjusted my stance, my muscles screaming in protest as I forced my body to comply. The katana sang through the air, a mournful cry that mirrored the despair clawing at my heart.
"No!" Kirin's voice cracked like a whip, snapping me out of my reverie. "Your form is sloppy, your movements hesitant. You fight like a drunken peasant and not a warrior destined to challenge a god of hunger and evil! You need to swing with your heart in your blade!"
I had no idea what that meant, but I continued.
I grit my teeth as the taste of blood filled my mouth.
I pushed back the exhaustion that threatened to consume me.
Again and again I swung the blade.
Hours bled into an eternity as I repeated the same movements but my body burned.
Kirin's voice continued to be a relentless torrent of instruction and reprimand as I pushed myself beyond my limits.
Time bent.
When did I start training?
My arms continue to swing the daito-katana perfectly.
"The idiocy of our former world," he spat, his voice laced with venom. "Japan! To forbid the very essence of a warrior's spirit! It matters not a single bit to me if they rule, I will carve the way of the sword into your very soul, whether my former country wills it or not! Nobles like you used to be need to be strong! Especially here!"
I swung.
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"When I was but a boy," Kirin's voice softened while he seemed to reminisce in nostalgia seeping through his gruff exterior, "I trained under the watchful eye of my grandfather, a master swordsman who had witnessed the very dawn of the samurai era. He taught me the ancient ways. He showed me the forgotten dances of steel that had once defined a nation."
I listened with half an ear as my body kept moving on autopilot, the rhythm of the swings a hypnotic mantra that drowned out the whispers of doubt that threatened to consume me.
"And so," Kirin continued with a small smile visible from the corner of my eye that turned as sharp as the voice that could cut a man in two, "I will ensure that you, my successor, will inherit this legacy. Soon you will learn more than just Iaido. The art of drawing and striking in a singular and fluid motion is not enough. This dance of death that contains one single step where one slash decides the fate of two souls- It can only be refined! In a world where one slash can almost always fail, therefore only one slash must be the beginning. The dance must begin anew with another until a stream of perfect slashes that do not even need to enter the scabbard must be learned! You should know these truths already after seeing how people with a katana fight, but my country betrayed us both. So you learn it here! You learn it now!"
He smirked with a brightly glowing and predatory gleam in his golden eyes. "It is a path of no return. If you aren’t ready to embrace it, I’ll make it so you are."
I swung the katana as it sang its deadly song through the air.
I felt as my heart pounded and beat in my chest like a war drum.
I felt like it would burst out of my chest.
"Enough," Kirin declared with a voice full of a hint of approval. "Your speed needs work, but 2600 correct swings is a respectable start. The sun rises, and your new day begins. Go now and enlist. Prove your worth in the crucible of battle."
Then he smirked. "Don't be a dumbass about it either."