Kaori smiles gratefully as she and Breeze reached her room, a sense of warmth between them both that created an air of a closer relationship. “Thank you for everything.”

“It’s not a problem. We just want what’s best for you,” Breeze replies with a bright smile.

“I really do appreciate it though,” Kaori adds, her face relaxed.

Breeze smiles warmly, then speaks, remembering something important. “Oh, do you think you could do me a favor?” She asks suddenly.

Kaori nods, her demeanor compliant, yet conflicted. “She seems a bit worried...”

“Well... You see, I know a lot has happened so... If you need to talk or anything, please feel free to come to me alright? I just want to be here for you any way I can.”

She looks down a little and nods before looking back up at Breeze. “When I get back I will tell you everything that bothers me,” Kaori responds with forced enthusiasm.

“Promise?” asks Breeze with a smile.

“I promise,” she smiles faintly in attempt to convince Breeze of her sincerity.

“Okay. Get some rest before you head out tomorrow okay?”

“I will.”

Breeze waves as she walked into her bedroom, leaving Kaori there staring at the door of her own room.

“I should be happier. She wouldn’t be so worried if I was,” Kaori whispers to herself, quickly turning as she heard Tai speak from behind her.

“The point she’s trying to make is that you’re sulking is irritating,” Tai mumbles sarcastically.

She shakes her head a little. “I don’t think she meant it like that,” she says thoughtfully, choosing to focus on Tai’s words rather than his sarcastic tone as her eyes wandered to the wooden floor.

“You can’t read minds,” he walks past Kaori and toward his door, stopping before entering, his eyes locked on the handle with a distant glare, making no attempt to touch it as his emotions subtly shifted from distain to something close to concern masked with frustration. “No matter what you’re told or what you see... You’ll return here won’t you?” He asks darkly.

She slowly looks toward him, her eyebrows furrowed with worry for a moment before softening to reassurance. “I will. And if I don’t you can come find me yourself, okay?”

“Just come back,” he says in a tone Kaori couldn’t hear.

She nods to herself and steps back toward her bedroom door, feeling the awkwardness loom heavily between them. “So... Good night.”

❀

A pair of voices echo sadly in the darkness of a dream, sounding distraught.

“Please...” A male voice says desperately, a suffocating sense of sorrow being held back with little to no success.

(“That voice...”)

“I... I can’t,” replies a female voice regretfully.

“Please... I don’t want to be here anymore,” he begs, his voice strained with exhaustion and despair.

“I’m not the one who can forgive you,” she says sadly, with a hint of sympathy hidden in her tone.

“I’ve been here since the rise of the first revolution. I’ve paid my debt and more. I’m tired of watching everyone I become close to die. Please... I don’t care where you decide, I just don’t want to be here any longer,” the desperation in the male’s voice grows, his pain evident with every word.

“I’m sorry...” Her voice breaks slightly as she spoke, unable to hold back her emotions that echoed in the empty darkness.

❀

Kaori rolls over in her bed, a lingering troubled expression across her face as she woke from a restless slumber. “Why do I always seem to wake up so sad? What am I dreaming about?” Her groan brings attention to her frustration as she sat up, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to dispel the lingering remnants of saddening emotions she felt. “It must be morning,” she says to herself, recognizing the dim light filtering through the window despite the shades being drawn. With resolve, she rises from her bed and approaches the door, hesitating briefly before grasping the handle. “I should try to be a little more happy. There’s nothing I can do to change what I am, but I could at least try to change how I act.” With a deep sigh, she opens the door and steps into the hallway, glancing over to Tai’s closed bedroom door noticing the layer of undisturbed dust. “He didn’t go inside last night. Does he ever?” She shakes her head, quickly dropping the thought as she walked down the halls at a quickened pace to the control room where she saw everyone there waiting for her. “Am I late?” She asks curiously.

“Just on time actually, we are nearly there,” says Keiji, smiling at the sight of her.

“Good,” Kaori responds with a smile of her own, though her attempt to appear at ease is evident.

Tai’s gaze briefly flickers over to Kaori before returning to the mundane scene outside of the window, his expression unreadable.

“Is there anything you might need before you go?” Keiji asks Kaori softly.

“I think I’m fine...”

“Well in that case, keep in mind that we shall have plenty to talk about upon your return,” Keiji looks over his shoulder at Breeze. “Lower down a little please,” he instructs, turning his attention back to the task at hand.

Breeze adjusts the settings as directed from the control panel, rising from her seat as she was done and stepping toward Kaori, enveloping her in a tight, heartfelt hug. “Please be careful dear.”

Kaori returns the embrace with a gentle touch and reassuring smile. “I will.”

Keiji looks at Shomei and Vicious directly. "Do well to take care of her,” he urges, his gaze moving to linger on Vicious directly. “We can’t lose her.”

Vicious meets Keiji’s eyes with an untrustworthy glare toward him before softening his expression as he looked at Kaori. “We’ve got this taken care of,” he reassures dryly, gently guiding Kaori out of the room by placing a hand on the small of her back with Shomei close behind them.

Breeze follows them out to ensure they would make a safe landing to the ground below, leaving Keiji and Tai in the control room.

Keiji turns back to Tai, noticing the angered look in his eyes. “Tai...”

“I don’t want to talk about this now,” Tai mumbles irritably, turning to walk out with visible frustration, slamming the door behind him.

❀

Kaori waves halfheartedly as she watched the airship rise into the air and slowly fade into the distance, turning to Vicious as she heard him speak.

“We should make it to the Lunar Garden in time,” Vicious says with a smile.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Shomei warns, standing slightly ahead of him.

He shrugs lightly as he followed behind her, until he noticed Kaori stayed back for a moment to watch the airship fade into the horizon. “Hey! You coming?” he asks light heartedly in Kaori’s direction.

Kaori’s gaze wanders down. “Yeah…” She walks over to him calmly, reluctantly following after Vicious.

❀

The soft hum of the airship’s engines guiding them through the skies creates a peaceful setting as Tai lays atop the vessel. Pink and orange hues meld together as the sun started to dip below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the clouds. With his hands clasped behind his head, his gaze remains fixed on the darkening sky above, his eyes lost in contemplation. The creak of the door catches his attention but makes no effort to move or acknowledge who he confidently knew to be Keiji coming to check on him.

Keiji approaches Tai, standing near him, but paying no mind to Tai’s stoic demeanor as they both stared at the twilight sky. “So,” Keiji begins, breaking the silence between them carefully.

“What?” Tai responds tersely, keeping is eyes fixed upward.

“She seemed happier earlier today.” His long white hair dances in the wind behind him, adding to the serene atmosphere around them. “I assume Breeze spoke to her before.”

Tai closes his eyes momentarily, a subtle sign of his reluctance to engage in conversation.

Keiji’s observation hangs in the air for a moment, the only sound being the soft rustle of the wind against the airship’s hull. With a glance toward Tai, he notices he maintained an inscrutable expression, yet does not hesitate to continue, knowing him to be listening regardless. “Or maybe she has relieved a lot of stress since her hair was cut. I always thought a woman’s hair was a trait they valued so dearly.”

Tai’s patience begins to wear thin on his expression and speaks curtly. “Get to the point.”

Keiji sighs softly, understanding Tai’s reluctance to engage in idle conversation. “In that case. I assumed you would have told her yourself last night before she left. Though, from the look on your face, I see you haven’t.”

His irritation simmers beneath the surface as he listened to Keiji, his eyes still locked onto the clouds above.

“You also seem more worried than you want me to believe,” Keiji adds carefully.

He rolls his eyes, his irritation finally surfacing and clearly displayed on his face.

“I imagine that maybe this girl could be our last chance and it is something you are starting to believe as well.” He turns to look at Tai, the silence weighing down between them. “It may be the reason that she wasn’t raised as a human or given to the shrine. This could be what you’ve been looking for, you know.”

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He sighs to himself in exasperation, showing that this topic has come up many times before. “My burdens don’t concern any deity anymore. This is my punishment and I’ll live with it forever as intended,” he murmurs quietly, his tone difficult to gauge.

“It never hurts to ask,” Keiji remarks, looking away with gentle persistence in his eyes.

“It’s been too long to change now. I’ve accepted my fate.”

“Have you asked if she has?” he asks after a few moments of heavy silence.

Tai shakes his head slightly, his demeanor guarded. “I’m just here to follow orders, remember? Nothing but a crew member of the ship, not here to ask questions,” his tone shrouds a deeper emotion he refused to express as he responded carelessly.

❀

A field of luminous flowers stretches out before Kaori, their ethereal glow casting a surreal ambiance over the night. She stands amidst the breathtaking sight, her eyes wide with wonder as a gentle breeze caressed her face, carrying with it a sense of familiarity that tugged deep in her memory. “This feels familiar,” she whispers softly.

Vicious stands behind her, his presence a silent yet tranquil aura as his longing gaze held back a desire to reach out to Kaori. He hesitates with a somewhat outstretched hand with conflicting emotions crossing his features and a resigned sigh. “The last time I was here I remember Akiko crying. That was the first time I’ve ever seen her cry,” he confides with sorrow.

Kaori’s gaze falls, a pang of guilt flickering in her heart at his words.

Vicious continues with a solemn tone as he explained, his eyes distant with reminiscence. “She was guiding the spirits to the higher realm. The more this place glows, the longer it’s been since someone has come to let them go. As time goes by though, some souls find their own way. Many are stuck in limbo patiently waiting for guidance,” he looks at Kaori with a furrowed brow, noticing her troubled expression. “You’ll do fine,” he adds encouragingly with a forced smile, pushing back his emotions that had come from his presence there.

Shomei watches their interactions from a short distance, an aura of concern looming over her for a moment before she walked toward Kaori once Vicious had left her side. “Kaori,” she calls gently, receiving a soft sigh from Kaori as she looked at her. “I know you’d prefer not to be here,” she says knowingly. “I can see in your eyes.” She smiles warmly as she noticed Kaori’s embarrassed expression turn away from her. “It’s alright,” she adds in a somewhat positive tone.

“I kind of wish I knew the reason they couldn’t come too if I’m being honest.”

“I see. He still hasn’t told you has he?” She turns slightly making sure Vicious wasn’t with in ear shot while lowering her voice as she turned back to Kaori. “I think it’s better I tell you this now without Vicious around.”

“Tell me what?” Kaori asks with her full attention on Shomei.

“About Taiichiro.”

“What about him?” Her brow lowers with worry she was unable to contain, expecting the worst to come.

“A thousand years ago when the war was still new, Taiichiro was the one to cause it to go into full force, and as a punishment for his actions, the Gods cursed him with eternal life.”

“Eternal life?” she asks with a skeptically toward the notion.

“You already know Yaban can only live as long as three hundred and fifty years before their souls depart for eternal rest and happiness in the heavens. Taiichiro, however, is an exception. He can never feel happiness without pain and suffering, and the only one to guide his damned soul is a being from the heavens. He’s lived well over eight hundred years of his life trying to find deity after deity to forgive his sin, only to give up after Akiko had died, accepting his fate to live on forever as punishment for what he had done almost a thousand years ago.”

“What could he have done that was bad enough to cause this?”

“Taiichiro was a member of the Resistance, now the New Reform, and was the one who killed a God that had come to Noroc.” Shomei’s words, though gentle in tone, cause a sense of dread to wash over Kaori’s demeanor, but continues to speak cautiously. “One reason Vicious doesn’t want you around him is because he fears that history might repeat itself,” she says softly, ensuring she spoke carefully on the subject. “He believes that the one-time Akiko saw him in this very spot, Taiichiro was attempting to kill her as well in a desperate attempt to have her return his soul to him.”

She shakes her head subtly in disbelief. “That can’t be true can it?”

“I don’t believe he ever wanted to harm Akiko... But when you guide these lost souls to their eternal home only one will stay back— and that soul will belong to him,” she says, gazing out at the field distantly. “If he were to step foot too close to this field thousands of troubled, fear driven souls would try to use his body to live again, as he is now he is nothing but a shell of a person.”

She looks down in deep thought, conflicted at what she was told.

“I’m sure he believes Vicious would have told you, but I think it would have been better coming from someone who isn’t swayed by jealousy,” she adds solemnly.

“Jealously?”

“Clearly, Vicious doesn’t like the fact you chose to stay with them over him. Especially since he still believes you really are Akiko’s reincarnation,” Shomei explains.

She turns and looks at the field with a sympathetic expression. “Shomei...”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for telling me,” she says gratefully.

She smiles lightly then nods. “Whenever you’re ready,” she steps back and stands near Vicious quietly watching Kaori.

Kaori sighs deeply, the wind starting to slowly pick up in strength as she walked toward the center of the field, unbothered that Shomei and Vicious watched her intently. “Okay, just like we went over earlier...” She stops in the middle of the field and moves to kneel down in prayer with her hands near her heart causing the small orbs of light to glow steadily brighter, but no more than the light cast by the moon. “Souls that have departed from your bodies, your time has come. As goddess I allow you to rest easy. Leave up to the heavens and give heavy hearts their peace.” She keeps her eyes closed until a final gust of wind caused all of the orbs within the flowers to rise into the air. She opens her eyes and stares up at the sky just as the souls started to make their way up and fade into the star light above, her attention focused on a single orb of light that started to float downward. “That must be his soul.” She pulls her focus away from the glowing orb for a moment only to see a tall dark figure standing in the shadows. “What?” She stands, her body starting to freeze with fear as the figure grew closer, eventually seeing that it was a figure of a man dressed in heavy black robes and dark brown hair, his fair skin showing his light brown eyes as he walked closer, the foliage around him withering away.

“A bit too late Lady Goddess,” says the familiar man in a deep and eerily calm tone.

She steps back, watching with caution as he looked down at the flowers with an empty look in his eyes, only turning her attention to Vicious as he ran up and stood in front of her protectively.

The man stops moving suddenly as he caught sight of Vicious. “Still alive? I thought I killed you.” His emotionless expression remains stagnant and undeterred, even as he took a moment to think. “Ah... She must have. She gave herself for you didn’t she?” His eyes wander to Shomei as she hurried up to Kaori’s side, her hand gently placed on her own weapon she locked eyes with him. “And you’re here as well. How nostalgic. I’m sure you do know this girl isn’t Akiko, right? After all, Akiko would have had done this archaic ceremony with much more grace and less hesitation. The Temple would have never allowed whatever this was,” he turns his attention back to Kaori as he spoke. “Allow me to introduce myself, lest you’ve forgotten. I am the one you have come to rid this world of...”

“Aduro...” Kaori whispers quietly her eyes wide with fear and realization.

“Indeed... Unfortunately, I cannot let that happen as I have told you and all those before you. You see this world is over due to be cleansed and I can’t have you in my way anymore than you have been.”

“So you’ll kill everyone?” She shakes her head in defiance. “You won’t fix anything that way!” Kaori yells seriously.

He moves his attention to the single glowing orb that seemed to be unable to find its place in the field and holds his hand toward it. “We’ve tried your way long enough,” he says, a dark mass starting to form in his hand and the singular glowing orb of weakened light rises, moving toward him slowly.

“No!” she screams suddenly, a strange and strong force coming from her and forcing the orb of light away from Aduro, causing his attention to draw to her.

“Don’t interfere,” Aduro says emptily as his eyes, though void of all emotion, still managed to pierce into. “You haven’t the ability to protect yourself.”

Vicious takes several disc blades from a holster behind him and throws them at Aduro hard as he ran toward him at full speed with Shomei pulling Kaori by the hand through the field.

Kaori pulls back lightly. “Wait! The soul I-” her voice is cut as Shomei spoke urgently.

“There’s nothing we can do about Taiichiro.”

“But I can’t just leave him behind,” Kaori says sadly.

“His fate is not important this time, you are.” She takes Kaori’s hand once more and pulls her toward the nearby forest, both falling back as the ground before them exploded once Aduro’s presence was made.

“The human will is strong for no reason.” Aduro walks toward them his cold, emotionless eyes locked on Kaori once more as the smoke cleared slowly. “And you shouldn’t have come to this place knowing nothing of them.” He holds his hand out to her, not caring one bit that Shomei moved in front of Kaori protectively.

“Run, I’ll hold him off.” Shomei nudges Kaori away just before turning back to Aduro and crossing her arms in front of her to block a dark mass from hitting her. She then takes several arrows from a holster on her back and shoots at Aduro, irritated as his presence disappeared into a cloud of smoke and darted through the forest after Kaori, who had started running after she was pushed away.

Kaori sees several small clouds of smoke as she ran, stepping back and stopping once she realized she was surrounded by the black smoke and Aduro was regaining his form before her.

“A stubborn one aren’t you? Even when all you can do is run.”

“What do I do?” She looks around for a way to escape.

He holds out a hand to Kaori gracefully, as he proposed an offer to her. “You can change this you know. As fate stands now, you’ll die like those before you. But if you come with me, we can save this world in a different way. You won’t have to keep crying... To keep running. You must be exhausted after all.”

She shakes her ever so slightly in protest. “No,” she says hesitantly. “I might not understand this world, but I know you can’t take control of those who live in it. It isn’t anyone’s place to decide how it’s cleansed.”

“It is when both humans and Yaban attempt to control gods because they cannot become one. They need to be put in their place and realize that they are not like us.”

She clenches her fists at her side, staring hard at Aduro with distain.

“If you refuse to join me, I’ll have to dispose of you as well,” he says, moving his hand down just as a wall of black flames tinged with a deep purple hue erupted around them both.

She ducks instinctively and closes her eyes as solid balls of fire of the same color started flying toward Aduro, only looking up once she noticed the fire had died down, seeing Tai standing in front of her, holding up his sword and glaring directly at Aduro.

“What a sight to behold,” says Aduro quietly as he saw Tai standing in front of Kaori protectively. “Very interesting to see you protecting someone like her. Tired of living?” He remains void of emotion as Tai’s hateful gaze locked onto him. “Hm. Easy to read yet still just as difficult as ever to understand. No matter.” Aduro raises a hand lightly, causing a wave of earth coming from behind him and toward Tai.

Tai stabs his sword in the ground, steadying it, and hurriedly takes a sphere from his pocket, throwing it down hard; the wave of earth turning to dust as it hit. “Stay close,” he says sternly toward Kaori, paying no mind as she had moved closer to him just as the ground started to glow a beautiful purple symbol for a moment before dark demons started to appear from the ground and set to attack Aduro.

Aduro’s presence dissipates once more as the black demons surrounded his body and everything faded into a cloud of smoke that went flying deeper into the forest. “This only ends one way,” His voice echoes around Kaori and Tai; a final thick white fog absorbing them.

She coughs suddenly as the fog formed around her, causing her to fall to her knees and gasp for air, Tai turning quickly to kneel at her side, seemingly unaffected by the smoke.

“Hey! Try to stay with us, okay?!”

She looks up at Tai, seeing his lips move as he looked down at her, but unable to hear his words. “I can’t hear you. Am I dying?” Her vision begins to fade as she closed her eyes slowly, enveloped by a peaceful silence, even as Tai continued to call out to her.

❀

In a serene garden adorned with white trellises wrapped around a large gazebo entwined with cascading flowers sits a graceful woman. Her traditional kimono with layers of silk shimmer in unison with her deep black hair that fell well past her shoulders and down near a young boy who lay nestled in her lap asleep as she looked down at him, singing softly. “Walk with me my darling in a dream I’ve made for you,” her voice carries tenderly as she continued the melodic lullaby. “I’ll unveil you the enchantment of a world so beautiful as it once was. Together, we will encounter new wonders to hold within our hearts and believing in a brighter future. Dream until then... Where the pain cannot reach you. Dream until then in a place where you’re safe so long as I awake. Battling the darkness, all for the sake of your smile.” As the flowers around them begin to gently fall, one delicate blossom lands on the boy’s peaceful face. The woman smiles softly, tenderly brushing it from his cheek. “Sleep, my darling... Dream of endless possibilities,” she murmurs softly, continuing to hum the soothing melody as she caressed his hair with loving care.

The scene fades into a heavy darkness, leaving the echo of a soft and unfamiliar disembodied voice calling out to Kaori in the distance. “My Lady, can you hear me?”