“Empty.” Nae muttered before dropping the rope bound bucket next to the well which she stared down into.

She grabbed the pot by her side before making her way across the street towards a certain house as the sun's heat cooked everything it touched.

The streets were eerily empty, even though it was early noon, but Nae paid it no mind.

She entered the house to find Keii, Erai and Yūnō lazing about.

She walked past them before plopping down on the room’s only bed.

“I’m starving.” Yūnō groaned.

“That’s what we get for not tending the crops properly.” Erai said.

“It’s not like that would have done anything. The soil here is barren. Same as everywhere.” Keii said as he slept on the cool floor.

“I wonder who’s fault that is.” Erai said before glaring at Nae, who simply closed her eyes as she rested.

Silence befell the house as the summer heat filled the air.

Keii eventually got up and left the house with his katana in hand.

He walked past the village’s few houses before arriving at its perimeter where the vastness of Kuroppoi revealed itself.

He walked over to a shady tree and sat beneath it while savouring the rare cool breezes that blew by.

He then inspected his old and dull katana as the minutes ticked by.

“You’re not thinking about leaving, are you?” Nae asked as she approached.

Keii turned to face her as she sat next to him.

“No. Although I can’t imagine that you’ll be needing us after this.” He said with a faint chuckle.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. Your plans are so grand that I fail to see how three lowly soldiers will be able to help.” Keii said.

“Oh? Didn’t I promise you that I’d assign to you a proper teacher?”

“You did, but still...”

“Mmm… why did you agree to serve me that day? After all was lost and we were pushed back into our borders.” Nae asked.

“I’m not sure. You needed help and I felt compelled to give what aid I could.”

“I see. Is there anything you’d like me to do to show you that I appreciate the kindness you showed me all those seasons ago?” Nae asked as she looked deep into Keii’s eyes.

“I… I would like to know why you’re doing all this.”

Nae’s eyes widened momentarily.

“You’ve come up with this elaborate plan and I can’t help but doubt that you’re only doing it to take the capital and unite Chūshin under a new banner. That was what General Tsuchi’s desire, not yours.” Keii said.

“Oh my. That was awfully blunt of you, but I understand what you’re trying to say. Yes, uniting Chūshin was one of Tsuchi’s goals, but I did and still do want to take the capital. I need to capture the emperor.” Nae said as she looked out into the flat, grassy plane before her.

“What do you plan on doing with him? I heard the royal family has divine blood that can supposedly heal the wounded and cure the ill, but you’re nor sick or anything.”

“I could tell you, but what would that change? We’d still be seated here, awaiting for my plan to come into play. You knowing the reasoning behind my actions changes nothing, so I’d rather not tell you. Besides, isn’t the mystery thrilling enough as it is?” Nae asked, although her eyes seemed a little unfocused.

“Mmm… fine. Can you at least tell me what living in the spirit realm was like?”

“Oh? Trying to deduce what you can from my past, mmm? Alright, I’ll play along. That realm is pretty similar to this one in the sense that we have mountains, rivers and lakes. Spirits don’t really need to eat, so there’s no reason to hunt and kill one another. The only reasons why a spirit would harm another is if they are simply violent beings or if they need to replenish their Ne quickly.”

“I see.” Keii droned in understanding.

“Yes. The spirit realm is ruled by the mighty Dragons. They watch over all spiritual lifeforms as they await the Sprit King’s awakening.”

“I see. How do spirits get here and is it possible for a human to visit the spirit realm? Is that where we go when we die?”

“Mmm… the answer to your first question is pretty simple. Water.”

“Water?” Keii asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes. The carrier of life is fairly rich with Ne in its base form, but certain bodies of water hold within them unimaginable amounts of Ne. These pools of Ne act as bridges that connect this world to the spirit realm for you see, every lake or pond that exists in this world is mirrored in the other. This allows travel between worlds. As for your second question, I don’t actually know. All physical things die and rot, eventually returning to the soil that birthed them and as for your Ne… I can’t say I know.” Nae said.

“What led you here?”

“Faith. I, along with all life, want an escape from suffering. I dream of a world, a universe where pain, loss and destruction are but distant memories of a painful past.” Nae said clearly.

“I’m guessing that world isn’t this one. What with the rampant suffering.” Keii said with a chuckle.

“It both is and isn’t. You’ll see it one day. A place where we, as lowly as we are, become one with the very gods.” Nae said before standing.

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“Anyway, I’m going back inside. Oh and let me know if you need anything. I don’t have much to offer right now, but I promise I’ll give you all that am. You need only ask.” Nae said as she walked away.

Keii sighed deeply as he digested Nae’s words.

His eyelids eventually grew heavy and with the shade of the tree as cover, he peacefully slept, his head resting against the tree.

.

..

Keii was awoken by a cool breeze that forced his eyes open.

He looked around as he stretched to find that it had gotten rather dark and so he stood up and made his way back into the village.

He passed by the occasional villager before arriving at the house within which Nae and the others were only he didn’t enter upon hearing a series of moans from within the room.

Keii quickly and quietly ran to the spot between their house and the next.

From there, he could clearly hear the moans from before and though a crack in the shoddily built wooden wall, he could see a naked Nae straddling Erai.

“What’s wrong?” Erai asked, his breath hastened.

“N- nothing.” Nae said she parted her messy hair, revealing her near perfect face.

A face who’s beauty was only enhanced by the light of the full moon.

Erai sat up before burying his face between Nae’s breasts.

“Silence rarely ever solves anything.” He said as Nae gently ran her hands through his messy hair.

“It’s Keii. He hasn’t come to me since. I fear-“

“Keii won’t betray you. That man is many things, but a liar and traitor, he is not.” Erai said.

“I agree. Leave him to stew with his thoughts for a little longer. He’ll surely come to you when he’s ready.” A naked Yūnō said as he sat next to Nae and Erai, who hadn’t separated.

“I just can’t help but feel his fears, hid doubts. Promise, once again, that you’ll be there when the sun last sets.” Nae said as she looked at both Erai and Yūnō.

“Of course.” The two said, but just as they coiled their bodies together, Keii fell to the ground before staring at nothing as Nae’s moans filled the air.

His thoughts became a muddle mess and at some point, time itself was lost to him as he sat.

.

..

Keii blinked, wetting his dry and eyes.

He then slowly stood before making his way out of the village and towards a certain tree, but just as he left the village perimeter, something came into sight.

A convoy of horses and soldiers could be seen approaching from the south.

Keii’s eyes narrowed as he doubted his eyes for a moment, but all became clear as the convoy got ever closer.

Keii ran back into the village before rushing into the house where Nae and the others slept.

“Nae! He’s here.” Keii said, waking everyone up.

Nae quickly stood before slipping into her Kimono.

“Get ready.” She instructed, prompting Erai and Yūnō to get dressed.

They then grabbed their katanas before joining Nae by the door.

A soldier riding atop a lavishly dressed horse then rode into town as the sun slowly rose.

“Hark, serfs and such! The New and Great General Ishi Hōfuna will be passing through this town in the coming moments! Come out and be thankful that he has honoured you by stepping foot in this lowest of places.” The soldier yelled and shortly after, the villages few people came out from their homes before lining up at the sides of the path.

The ground then began to subtly shake.

This prompted Keii, Erai and Yūnō to coat their blades in Ne as the ground trembled further.

Several soldiers then came into view.

Their banners and armour was embellished with a downward facing semi circle, although some of them wore armour with dark blue accents that were embellished with a left facing semi circle.

More and more soldiers entered the village and they brought with them dozens of horses and carts.

Atop one of the horses was a man clad in a glorious set of armour which had blue highlights similar to that of some of the soldiers.

What stood out most to Keii was the large golden downward facing semi circle that sat atop his helm.

Keii then noticed that Nae’s body had begun glowing a pale blue.

It brightened increasingly for a moment before she raised her hands and in the next moment, all of the soldiers outside began coughing up blood.

Keii watched in horror as all of their Ne left them and disappeared into thin air.

Erai and Yūnō then dashed out of the house before violently hacking apart the soldier’s.

Keii simply stood and watched as Erai decapitate countless men. Men whom they shared a banner with.

He glanced at Nae to find that she was still actively siphoning out the Ne of not only the soldiers, but almost everyone outside, including the villagers.

“Nae!” Keii called, but Nae’s eyes remained focused on what was transpiring outside.

Keii then placed his hand on her soldier only for him to catch a glimpse of something that brought him to his knees before throwing up what little contents his stomach.

He tried focusing on the reality in front of him, but his the glimpses from before had burnt themselves deep into his mind.

Keii saw slivers of images.

One where a little girl sat at the centre of a mountain of rubber, her body half burnt.

Surrounding her was the burnt foundations of a small village.

The next sliver showed the little girl going on an incredibly long journey in a world where the sky was an endless dark ocean.

He watched as her body was beaten and defiled countless times by all manner of spirits.

The last and largest sliver showed her stepping foot into a valley filled to the brim with rot and death.

She walked for what seemed like an eternity before coming upon the horror that made Keii’s soul tremble way it did.

The girl, now turned woman, knelt before the towering horror as tears filled her eyes.

Keii screamed silently as the woman reached out to touch the horror and in that moment, Nae smiled.

Keii bit his teeth as he forced himself back into reality, only to find that Nae was gone and the one empty village streets were filled with corpses.

He struggled onto his feet and cautiously exited the house, bathing himself in the light of the setting sun.

He spotted Nae and the others standing within another, much larger house and so, after stepping over countless corpses, he joined them to find that they were standing around a rather handsome, but rope bound man.

“Well, look who decided to finally wake up.” Erai scoffed with crossed arms.

“Leave him be. Nae said he was affected by her spell.” Yūnō said while Nae conversed with the handsome man.

“Is this general Hōfuna?” Keii asked, his voice weak.

“The one and only. Prey tell, my fair lady, where did you find these most magnificent warriors?” Hōfuna asked and even though his hands were bound, he didn’t seem to be in any discomfort.

“They are Kuroppoi’s very own. Also, how are you feeling, Keii?” Nae asked as she turned to face, a dishevelled Keii, although when compared to the blood covered Erai and Yūnō, he looked relatively presentable.

“I’m… I’m fine.”

“Good. Now, I believe you were saying something.” Nae said as she looked at Hōfuna.

“Ah, yes. My plan. I can see that you are an ambitious lot. I can tell that you’re plotting something that’ll have me doing something other than parading myself for the rest of my days. All I can say is I want to offer my aid, you should be grateful.” Hōfuna said while adjusting his position to make himself more comfortable.

Nae placed her hand on her chin.

“What? Isn’t this perfect? Now he’ll build you the army you need and we can save time on not having to torture him.” Yūnō asked, making Hōfuna’s face twist slightly.

“You’re right, but still.” Nae said as she leaned closer to Hōfuna.

A thin band of Ne then appeared around Hōfuna’s neck and it slowly sunk into his skin.

“I assume that is some sort of insurance?” Hōfuna asked. His eyes slightly wider than before.

“Yes. I admire your enthusiasm, but a man willing to betray his own country is an irredeemably untrustworthy man.” Nae said flatly as she undid his binds.

“Harsh, but understandable. Anyway, what exactly is your goal? I tremble with curiosity.” Hōfuna asked as Erai lovingly inspected the general’s beautifully decorated Ōdachi.

“I want to seize the capital and-“

“Retrieve the golden child of man?” Keii asked.

Nae’s eyes widened as she turned to face Keii, who’s head was lowered.

“Yes. I would take the emperor and fulfil my duty. That which was given to me by my lord.” Nae said as she slowly walked towards Keii, who shrunk into himself as Nae glared at him.

“Unless plan on stopping me, my dear sweet Keii.” Nae said, but Keii simply looked away as Nae regained her composer.

Keii remained silent and kept his gaze low, avoiding Nae’s unshaking eyes.

“I’ll take it that your silence means you’ll stand by my side as you have done until the end.” She said before turning to face a wide eyed Hōfuna.

“Now, we build another army.”

“An easy task, this will not be. Both on the people and land of Kuroppoi, but I’m sure you already know this.” Hōfuna said.

“I do.”