A stunning young woman with cascading black hair, appearing to be no more than eighteen years old, locks eyes with a slightly older man. The man’s own black hair pulled halfway up into a ponytail as they both stood amidst the engulfing flames of the surrounding ruins. The man’s face remains devoid of emotion, his expression a mere mask as they faced each other. The girl’s clothes flutter in the faint breeze, torn and stained with blood, evidence of a fierce struggle that happened only moments before.
“It’s over. There’s no point in fighting anymore,” he utters with a hollow voice, his emotionless gaze unyielding even as he watched the young girl shake her head gravely in response, unable to find her own voice in the turmoil of the moment. “Are you still prepared to sacrifice everything for a mere glimmer of hope, even when faced with the harsh truth?” he questions softly, his tone carrying the weight of resignation.
“I sacrifice myself not only for hope, but also for reasons beyond your understanding,” she responds wearily, her voice carrying the weight of countless battles fought.
“I understand more than you realize, dear child. You relinquish your life for the sake of love, but you’ve forgotten; hate was born from a love that could never be. And I will be forever entwined in that hate”, he replies calmly, his demeanor unwavering all the while.
“Then there will always be someone there to stand against you,” she asserts, desperation etched across her face, her hand concealed behind her back. A ball of pulsating white energy begins to form in said grasp behind her, its radiance casting a defiant glow.
“Then I have no choice but to eliminate every one of you as you come,” he declares, raising his hand and directing a summoning gesture toward her. The ground behind him begins to ripple, surging toward the girl as it avoided contact with him.
The girl raises her hand in defiance, the glowing orb of energy expanding to shield her. As the scene is engulfed in a blinding white light a solitary faint voice of an unknown male echoes from afar.
“I’d give anything for you,” The male voice utters with an air of heavy sadness and desperation in his breath.
“Who’s there?” a girl’s voice responds whose tone carried confusion at the unfamiliar voice seemingly calling out to her.
“Please... Just come back to me...” his voice continues, the strain of emotion evident as it faded into silence.
Everything plunges into a heavy silence engulfed in darkness, until the tranquil sound of waves lapping against the shore of an ocean breaks the stillness. Within the peacefulness, a worried yet gentle male voice pierces the air.
“Hey! Someone’s in the ocean! Someone help I think it’s her!” his distant voice calls out in urgency.
As the darkness begins to recede, a young girl, bearing a striking resemblance to the weary, long-haired girl from earlier, lies peacefully on a makeshift bed in a small, dimly lit room with cloth walls. Dressed in loose red and white robes, she stirs slightly in her slumber, wincing as she began to awaken.
“Hm...” she murmurs, her eyes fluttering open. Her expression reflects physical pain as she slowly sits up, gingerly placing a hand on her forehead, strands of dark brown hair slipping through her fingers as she did so. “Where am I?” she whispers to herself, her gaze scanning the unfamiliar surroundings with confusion clouding her eyes. A young man with ash brown hair and light brown eyes enters through a curtain-like entrance, catching her completely off guard. “Uh-...” she stammers, taken aback by his unexpected appearance.
The young man’s peaceful smile widens with relief as he sees her now awake, his features softening with genuine concern. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
In response, the girl rises to her fee, her gaze shifting between her clothes and the man before her, her confusion evident across her face. With a soft and gentle voice that exuded kindness beyond human measure she begins to inquire, “Would you mind telling me where I am?”
“Tinder Village,” he responds simply, his eyes locked on her with a mix of emotions flickering across his gentle face. “I’m so glad you’re back, Akiko. We thought you’d never return to us,” he continues, stepping closer to her and enveloping her in a secure embrace. “I thought I’d lost you forever.”
She firmly pushes away from the man, her movements betraying a sense of urgency. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go,” she insists, her voice tinged with uneasiness.
He frowns slightly as he watched her attempt to leave, his concern evident.. “Where are you going?” he asks, his tone laced with worry.
“I don’t know what happened here but thank you for letting me stay,” she replies uncomfortably, edging toward the exit. Without another word, she turns away from him and hurriedly exits the dwelling, her nerves on edge as she stepped outside, immediately being met with the sight of a quaint village nestled by the ocean’s edge. “What?” she mutters, her confusion rising as she noticed the villagers smiling at her. “Why is everyone looking at me as if they know me?” she takes a step back in bewilderment, unintentionally colliding with the same young man from inside the home. “No!” She exclaims suddenly gripped by a momentary wave of fear.
The young man looks at her with concern, about to speak, but is interrupted by the stern voice of a mature woman calling his name from nearby.
“Vicious,” she addresses the young man, striding forward confidently. Her attire consisting of a long-sleeved army green top that bares her shoulders, paired with a sheer black wrap-around skirt revealing tight black leather leggings underneath. The ensemble completed with black leather ankle boots that reach just above her ankles. Her makeup dark yet striking, with deep gray lipstick and black eyeshadow enhancing her piercing dark brown eyes, while her medium-length deep brown hair pulled back loosely and held up by a large shimmering silver hair clasp adorned with precious gems and allowing her bangs to flow freely to frame her face.
Vicious directs his attention to the woman, his expression serious. “She’s back Shomei,” he declares, a glimmer of hope lighting up his demeanor.
Shomei glances at Vicious skeptically before turning her gaze to the young girl standing nearby. “Hello,” she greets calmly, noting the troubled expression on the girl’s face, treading lightly as a result.
A moment of silence holds between both women as the girl’s gaze met Shomei’s, sensing a a comforting aura emanating from her. “Hello,” she responds softly.
“I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on here,” Shomei begins, her tone gentle yet authoritative, acknowledging the girl’s evident discomfort and confusion. “Allow me to explain. We found you unconscious in the ocean yesterday and brought you here to ensure you were safe. Your clothes were torn, and you were on the brink of death, but, thankfully, you’ve survived. Do you happen to remember anything before we found you? Perhaps your name?”
The girl nods thoughtfully to herself, as if recalling a distant memory. “My name is... Kaori,” she mutters quietly, unaware of the subtle narrowing of Vicious’s eyes at her response.
“A pleasure to meet you, Kaori. I am Shomei and this is Vicious. Do you know where you are from?” she asks politely.
Kaori continues to look down, lost in deep thought. “Where I’m from...” She closes her eyes as she visualized a dark, damp metal room with chains hanging from the walls, a sense of sadness enveloping her as she recalled the distant echoes of heavy machinery. She snaps her eyes open, a sense of unease gripping her just as the silhouette of someone approaching her in her vision occurred. “A place… With loud, metal buildings?” she ventures uncertainly, then shakes her head, turning her attention back to Shomei. “Do you know a place like that?”
Shomei nods slightly. “I’ve heard of one,” she replies softly “But it’s quite a long journey to get there,”
“I see. If I’m pointed in the right direction, I can get there on my own,” Kaori responds calmly, undeterred by Vicious’s evident concern.
Shomei smiles faintly, her response interrupted by Vicious’s sudden interjection.
“Maybe you should go to the shrine first huh? It doesn’t hurt to pray for a safe journey, right?” he suggests hastily.
Kaori glances over at Vicious, tilting her head slightly in curiosity. “Shrine?”
“Yeah! Tinder Shrine is just west of here, but you shouldn’t go alone” he insists, an encouraging smile emerging across his face.
“No thanks, I can just find my own way back to where I’m from,” Kaori replies simply, her disinterest clear as she began to walk past Vicious and Shomei.
Vicious quickly steps in front of Kaori, effectively halting her from progressing. “Well maybe if we go to the shrine, someone there may have information that could help guide you there,” he suggests earnestly.
Kaori pauses, her thoughts interrupted as Shomei addressed Vicious with caution.
“Vicious...” she says, her gazed fixed on him with a knowing look in her eyes, her expression stern yet understanding.
Vicious turns to Shomei, meeting her stare seriously even as she subtly shook her head in warning.
“Others will know of the place I’m from?” Kaori questions, her skepticism unmistakable as she regarded Vicious’s sudden knowledge.
Vicious shoots a light glare at Shomei lightly before refocusing his attention to Kaori. “Let’s go find out, okay?” he urges, swiftly taking Kaori’s hand in his and pulling her along.
“Kaori,” Shomei interjects seriously, halting both Kaori and Vicious in their tracks. She watches intently as Kaori pulled away from Vicious, turning to face her in response. “Is it what you want?” Shomei’s question hangs in the air, her blank stare piercing into Kaori’s soft brown eyes, searching for an honest answer from her.
Kaori meets Shomei’s serious gaze, her own expression thoughtful. “I’ve never been to a shrine before,” she admits, her voice reflecting uncertainty. “At least, I don’t think I have. But I would like to know if others could help me, so I won’t have to burden you,” she nods to herself as the idea started to make sense as she spoke it out loud. “I’ve been enough trouble as it is, it seems,”
Vicious’s smile widens with a sense of accomplishment as he retakes Kaori’s hand, pulling her along with him out of the village. Shomei follows closely behind shaking her head in apparent resignation as she walked with them through a vast field of tall grass.
Kaori listens passively as Vicious spoke about the demons that occupied the field, her mind drifting off, preoccupied with her own thoughts. “This guy is so strange and this Shomei woman doesn’t seem to be the talkative type. Maybe she’s mad at me or something? She seemed uncomfortable when I described where I was from. I wonder if it’s some kind of city,” she shakes her head slightly, as if trying to clear her mind of the thoughts. “Is this...” her words fade with her gaze fixated on the dilapidated shrine before her, her eyes glancing upward at the red ribbon hanging from the chipped torii gate even as she furrowed her brows with pity.
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Shomei walks up behind Kaori, noting her expression, while Vicious stood ahead of them both. “This is Tinder Shrine,” Shomei explains, her voice calm and informative, “a place of worship that was built hundreds of years ago. It’s also a stop for any deities on their journey toward the Temple,”
Kaori stares at the seemingly uninhabited shrine. “It looks abandoned. Will there be anyone here?” she asks, her eyes shifting attention to Shomei who responded in the same informative tone.
“There’s someone always here,” Shomei responds with reassurance, stepping through the large gate ahead with Vicious and Kaori following closely behind.
Kaori scans the area, noticing the overgrown grass in what once appeared to be an open area used for prayer. Her eyes slowly navigate to the main building, where the wooden steps stood broken and worn down with a combination of use and an unkind passage of time and noting that the banisters and railing was in a similar condition; the once bright red paint now chipped and faded. “This place makes me feel so sad,” Kaori thinks to herself with a furrowed brow of deeply saddened emotions.
“Master Lasair should be around here somewhere. Hold on here, I’ll go look for him,” Vicious announces hurriedly before darting into the main building, leaving Kaori and Shomei behind.
Kaori looks around with quiet curiosity, unintentionally drawing Shomei’s attention as her thoughts escaped her lips. “Is it always this way?”
Shomei’s gaze drifts to the building nostalgically. “It wasn’t until five years ago,” she replies, her voice softspoken.
Curious at Shomei’s tone she turns and looks at her. “What happened five years ago?”
“A fight we thought would end this...” Shomei responds distantly, her eyes reflecting a closely held sense of regret.
Noticing Shomei’s response along with the weight of the moment lingering between them, Kaori decides to keep her thoughts to herself. “It must have involved that girl Vicious was talking about earlier. Akiko right?”
Shomei looks up with a soft sigh of relief as an older gentleman with a long white beard approached, dressed similar to Kaori, with Vicious at his side, indicating that he was indeed Master Lasair.
Master Lasair smiles faintly as he walked up, his eyes immediately locking onto Kaori the moment he noticed her. “It was what we wished would end the horrific war this world has been though for over hundreds of years,” he explains in a low raspy voice, slowly stepping toward Kaori and stopping in front of her, studying her closely. “You do resemble our previous goddess greatly. A gift to have you return to us,” he looks into Kaori’s eyes as if searching for something, then bows lightly toward her. “My lady...”
Kaori steps back in response to Master Lasair’s actions, feeling uncomfortable and unsure of what was happening. She glances at Shomei, feeling even more awkward at the disapproval she held as Vicious stood happily at Lasair’s side. “Why are you bowing to me?” Kaori whispers uncomfortably, her confusion evident.
Master Lasair stands straight and smiles faintly as he spoke. “You my dear may be the last hope of the Temple. The savior of this great land as we know it, regardless of whether or not you are aware of it,”
Shomei interjects urgently, “You can’t be sure of that so quickly Master Lasair, can you?”
“Of course he can,” Vicious responds just before anyone else could have the chance to speak. “You’re not going to deny his judgment, are you?”
“I’m not going to deny him, it’s just that... This girl being here means...” Shomei’s voice trails off, her expression troubled.
“What does it mean? What’s going on?” Kaori asks suddenly, her impatience growing, but her attention immediately drawn back to Master Lasair as he began to speak.
Master Lasair’s words hang heavy in the air as he started to speak, his voice filled with solemnity. “You resemble a woman who ascended to the heavens five years ago. She was a brave and pure-hearted young woman who desired nothing in this world other than the eternal light it deserved. She sacrificed herself in pursuit of that goal,” he looks down solemnly as he continued. “Despite her efforts, visiting each and every shrine just as the gods before her, praying for the power to bring about change, her sacrifice alone was not enough. We lost followers because of that. But now that you have come, we know that her sacrifice was not in vain. You could be the last of your kind to grace Noroc, so we must care for you as the treasure you are and devote ourselves you entirely,”
Kaori shakes her head, clearly in disagreement with what she just heard. “You have me mistaken for someone else. I’m not here to save anything. I just would like to return to the only place that I can remember. I was told someone here knows of the place with metal buildings and loud machinery,”
“A city of loud machines?” Master Lasair exchanges a knowing glance with Vicious before turning his gaze back to Kaori. “There is only one known route to the city you have described and I’m afraid it would be nearly impossible to navigate on your own,” he smiles kindly. “Perhaps I can convince you to stay here and pray? Your presence would bring hope to the neighboring villages,”
Kaori shakes her head in frustration she could no longer hold to herself. “He doesn’t care about me going to that city does he?” she sighs in near silence before speaking with determination. “I’m sorry, but I need to know how to get there. So, if there is only one way, please tell me, even if you think it’s as impossible as you say it is,” her irritation starts to reach the limit as Master Lasair turned away from her.
“You’ll have to find the Yaban in the sky known as the Sky Bandits,” Master Lasair continues, his tone disinterested. “But rumor has it that they are no longer of this world, as they have not been seen in years,”
Kaori frowns, unsure of what he meant, about to ask for clarification until Vicious interjected lightly.
“Master Lasair, would it be possible for us to stay here for the night? If we leave now, we’ll be caught out past sunset,” Vicious requests politely.
“I would be honored,” Master Lasair responds with a slight smile. “My lady, would you follow me for a moment?”
Kaori nods reluctantly and obediently follows the old man into the building.
Shomei stands alone with Vicious in silence until Kaori is out of sight. “Vicious,” she finally speaks, her voice once again gently yet firm, grabbing his attention. “You do understand that this girl isn’t Akiko, don’t you?”
“They say a god never truly dies,” Vicious responds thoughtfully, a sense of longing reflecting his eyes.
“Please don’t expect her to be someone she’s not. It’ll only hurt the both of you in the end,” Shomei pleads, the pain in her voice mirroring the faint sadness in her eyes.
“She doesn’t know who she is, so who’s to say Akiko isn’t with in her? The least I can do is try. Maybe the memory will come back to her,”
She watches Vicious sadly, watching him walk away toward the remains of the once great shrine.
❀
Kaori opens her eyes, finding herself in a dimly lit hallway with steal walls and a grated floor, clearly a hazy image formed in her dreams. (“This place again,”) The familiarity of her surroundings become unsettling as she sat of the floor and moved to stand. She hears people running in the distance, their shouts muffled an unintelligible. With curiosity piqued, she follows the sounds, attempting to remain unseen as she saw what looked to be a young man walking toward a large metal door. With no one other than the young man to be seen she silently follows after him, attempting to get a glimpse of his face before walking into a room filled with various types of machines spotted with blood. Her attention is suddenly pulled to a thick glass cell in the center, peering inside she sees what appeared to be a person chained at their wrists inside, fallen to their knees with their head down. (“Who is that...”) Her eyes narrow with sympathy as a man sat defeatedly on his knees inside the cell, unable to look away even as the young man from before spoke distantly from behind her.
“This is necessary. You know that right?”
Kaori turns to face the young man, her expression saddened. “What is going on here?” Her body tenses with an overwhelming cold sensation of growing panic while he continued to speak.
“I’ve heard that your kind don’t really die anyway,” he adds with regret despite sending a chill down Kaori’s spine.
❀
Once awake, Kaori sits up quickly, her body covered in sweat as she breathed heavily. “It was just a dream. Right?” She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, and looks around seeing she was in small room with tatami floors and paper walls. “I need some air,” she decides, feeling suffocated by the confines of the room. She gets up and slides open the door quietly, stepping out into the moonlit hallway after just as silently closing the door back behind her. She walks along the halls, careful not to make a sound, the soft glow of the moon casting shadows around her. As she walks, she hears the hushed voices of Shomei and Vicious talking nearby. “They’re up late. Maybe I should go back to bed before he starts calling me that other girl’s name again,” she thinks to herself, rolling her eyes lightly at the thought. She starts to leave but pauses as she heard her name being mentioned, curiosity getting the better of her, and listens intently.
“Vicious, you can’t ignore it. You heard her say her name was Kaori. Why can’t you accept that loving someone isn’t going to be enough to bring them back?” Shomei pleads, her voice tinged with frustration.
“Because there’s no way someone like her could have failed against him, not after everything we’d been through. And more than anyone, you should understand that. Besides, you heard Master Lasair; take her to each of the shrines on the way to the temple. That has to mean something. He’s even notified Grand Master Valo about her,” Vicious argues, his tone filled with determination and hope.
“This girl is different. She may look similar to her but even I know they aren’t the same. This just perpetuates a false hope if you keep going along with it,” Shomei insists in return, almost desperate to reach him rationally.
“It’s better than no hope at all don’t you think?” Vicious counters, his optimism unwavering.
“And what if she refuses to go?” Shomei asks, her patience wearing thin against his blind optimism.
“We can just tell her that we know of another way to the island, and she’ll come with us easily,” Vicious replies simply, his confidence apparent.
“When she finds out you’ve lied to her, she’ll never forgive you, as Kaori or as Akiko. Is that any better than accepting Akiko’s death?”
“Should we just let her go herself then? Get captured by the Yaban, they’ll kill her on the spot,” Vicious asks accusingly.
“They’ve all moved on now, maybe even have been eradicated. They are of no threat to her,”
“He’s still alive and you know it. I want to keep her as far from him as possible. Wherever he is, you can trust he is with the last of whoever is left,” Vicious says, his tone becoming dark and mixed with hate.
Shomei sighs, crossing her arms as she looked away thoughtfully.
“I also...” Vicious begins, his voice trailing off as he looked down, lost in thought. “I don’t want her to see that city either. She doesn’t know what it could do to her,”
“I won’t let you go alone but, don’t lie to her about it. It’s your choice to tell her of what the city holds, but don’t take her on this journey without letting her know what it’s about,” she says after a few moments silence between them, her tone resolute and unwavering.
Kaori leans against the wall, her face contorted with anger as she clenched her fists at her sides. “They aren’t listening to me. All because I look like some girl who died years ago,” shaking her head in irritation and disbelief she stays silent for a moment, appearing to come to a decision. Quietly, she hurries down the hall, past the room she was sleeping in and toward the exit of the shrine. Hesitating briefly as she reached the gate separating her from the grassy field just outside. “He said something earlier about demons. But that can’t be true right? I mean where would they come from?” Glancing back angrily for a moment she returns her attention back to the exit and hurries out into the darkened field. She makes her way around, away from the village and the shrine and into a deep, gloomy forest. As she walks curiously through the dense vegetation, she begins to murmur to herself out loud in a softspoken tone. “I’m sure there’s another way to that city, they just don’t want to tell me for some reason,” Growing increasingly frustrated, she adds, “They didn’t bother to ask me what I wanted before telling me about some girl I’ve never heard of. They’re probably lying to me about that too for all I know. Maybe even the demons,” After a long while of walking, she finally begins to see a bit of light coming from the top of the trees. However, the thick vegetation prevents her from seeing farther than a few feet in any direction. “Where am I going?” She asks herself exasperatedly, stopping to look around. “It all looks the same,” Leaning against a tree tiredly for a moment to regain her composure, she resolves to keep going. The ground suddenly starts shaking around her, causing her to stand up quickly and retreat behind the tree she was leaning against moments earlier. Her eyes wooden in fear as a large, wild boar with piercing red eyes runs into a nearby tree, causing it to collapse easily. She watches in horror as it sniffs around, its presence unsettling. Turning her back to the boar, Kaori closes her eyes and presses her back against the tree, trying to remain calm. Her respite is short-lived as the boar seemingly caught her scent and made its way to face her. Making eye contact with one another, the boar charges at her, causing her to panic and run as fast as she can through the forest. In her haste, she trips on an exposed branch, falling hard to the ground and hitting her head on a moss covered stone. She instantly goes unconscious, unaware of the danger still lurking in the darkened forest.