The trio made the trek across the water in a different ship than they had come to the island in. They didn’t bother stopping in the town where they arrived, they just stopped to grab some rations. They decided it would be best to get to Mudpass as quickly as they could.
They hiked through the night through the desert. When they arrived, The Elder was waiting for them just on the edge of the village, his old gray robes and conical hat greeting them. The Elder wasn’t giving them the usual warm smile. In fact, he was frowning and looking concerned.
“What happened? Where are the rest?” He asked Magnus, William and Daiki somberly.
“Elder, we should go inside.” Magnus answered, trying to delay the inevitable.
The Elder slammed his staff on the ground, the gem on the top of the staff erupting in bright white light. “Tell me!”
Magnus and William frowned and looked at the ground. Daiki was standing behind the pair, never having been formally introduced to The Elder. He wasn’t sure what else to do. He knew about the man from Elder Shen. The most powerful Sacred Artists revered and respected The Elder on the continent.
Daiki moved forward, in front of William and Magnus clasping his hands together and bowed low to The Elder hoping to ease some tension. “Greetings, Elder. My name is Daiki from The Kunlun Sect. I’ve been tra…”
“Yes, I’m sure these two have brought you into the fold. I know Elder Shen tells his sect of the going-ons of the Kami and the greater scheme of things. It will be a pleasure to have you. Now, go fall back where you were.” The Elder cut him off and stared at William and Magnus.
Daiki stared at The Elder for a moment before bowing once more and gave a nervous smile and then backed up between the pair and fell in line behind them.
The one who usually took the lead now spoke up. “We got off the boat on the island and Kio…”
As he spoke, The Elder’s staff glowed brighter. The Elder recruited all of them, but there was always something more between the two. The Elder always looked after Kio as his own daughter and she returned the feelings. He sent her to the School of the Jade Mountains, which sent her on a path that really cemented her foundation. They were always closer than any of the rest of them. They didn’t mind. William was always a loner and a street kid, and Magnus grew up right here in the village with his own mother and father.
“They killed her, Elder. It was a beam of mana. We couldn’t find them afterwards. We scoured the island. The spirit animal that we found was a sloth. He was old and wise, and he helped us.” Magnus spoke but The Elder just wandered away, heading back towards the tavern the group used as a head base.
Magnus followed him, William and Daiki close behind Magnus. “We found their camp and fought The Heavenly Dragons. It all turned out to be an illusion. They were toying with us. Silas was sucked into some kind of illusion. Then we saw him fall from the sky. He said we weren’t ready, and then a dark fog rolled through the jungle and he was gone.”
“Kenji, I expect.” was all The Elder said as they entered the tavern. “If the illusion was that strong from one of the Dragon Cult members, Kenji may have taken Silas to his realm. To train him further.”
“Fat lot of good that’ll do us.” William said but immediately regretted it. Daiki stayed silent and took a seat in the back of the tavern, letting the rest work out their issues.
The Elder turned and glared at him. His gem glowed brightly once more.
“There’s more Elder. Maisy, the Cult took her. That’s when Silas was sucked into the illusion. Once they dropped the trick in their camp, we heard her yelling. We tried to chase her.” Magnus stood looking at The Elder and finally gave a sigh.
“I may have to get involved, something I haven’t wanted to do. If the Cult is as powerful as you say, Genki must be further along in her plan than we initially thought.” The Elder spoke low and left the main room. The Elder went deeper into the tavern into his room.
William frowned and went behind the bar, grabbing three glasses and pouring them each some whisky from behind the bar. “What’d he mean by that? He doesn’t even really have that much power, does he? I mean, I know he’s old and knows a lot, but…”
Magnus and Daiki went over to the bar and sat on stools, taking the glasses. Everyone took their drink in one shot and set their glasses back down.
“I don’t know William. The Old Man is old and knows a lot, but he’s never shown what he can do. I don’t even think Kio knew precisely what he was capable of.”
______________________
“GENKIIIIIIII!!!” The very ground shook once Lilith realized what had happened. She had just come back to her realm and instantly felt that her sister was gone. Lilith moved through the vast graveyard the Reapers were watching and stayed out of her way as best as they could.
To say that Lilith was on the warpath once she realized her piece of the wand was missing, however, was an understatement. She was currently standing at the gate to the mausoleum where she had hid her piece, leaning against it. Her arms crossed against her chest as her mind raced, trying to think of what she could do. She needed to go to Kenji and tell him, maybe even call one of those damn family meetings. Kenji would have a field day, and Kentaro would probably try to destroy the entire mortal plane.
“Damn.” she finally muttered before disappearing from view.
She looked around the vast empty void she came into and wondered where Kenji’s manor was and why there was nothing there. Kenji may have been someone to keep the realm simple. There were usually shadow creatures and little nightmares running around, though. This was just pure and vast nothingness. Then she heard the fighting.
Her hand instinctively went to the bastard sword on her back, pulling it. The sword looked huge compared to the small woman. Its blade matched her armor and hair, a deep black that seemed at home here in the void of Kenji’s existence. The armor was smooth and black that hugged the woman’s petite frame. It was designed after the armor of the knights in the Western Islands in the mortal realm. They were barbaric people. They followed her brother Kentaro’s teachings more than any of the other Kami.
She moved now, running towards the sounds of the fighting. It almost seemed like she wasn’t running anywhere, though she could tell she was. That’s when she saw them, her brother with that ridiculously long katana fighting a man with a war hammer that was also comically large.
They were dashing in and around each other, exchanging blows. The man with the hammer mostly stayed in place in order to wield his weapon and he was wearing a blindfold. May the Father help us, he was wearing a blindfold like Kenji was.
Kenji was moving in and around and drifting into the shadows while the man dodged, parried, and struck back with the mammoth hammer. Sometimes he’d land a blow before Kenji had the chance to dodge away after one of his swift strikes. Once Lilith realized this was a spar, or training session, she put the sword back on her back and folded her arms across her chest, watching. Then she realized the man with the hammer was Silas. The broken down Sacred Artist Kenji had called her to look at when he got off that caravan in the human capital city.
The man’s progress amazed her, and how quickly it happened. He was truly becoming a master of the shadows. Someone, even Kenji, with his arrogance, might be proud of one day soon. It wasn’t too long ago he could barely cultivate the madra he was proficient in, let alone a whole new power he didn’t even know existed.
After several minutes of watching, Lilith clapped her hands together and advanced on the two. Kenji stopped mid-swipe after running from the shadows towards Silas. Silas had his hammer poised over his head, ready to thump Kenji on the head during his attack.
“You two really know how to spar.” She said and smirked a bit at the suddenness they could stop their attacks once they realized someone was watching.
Kenji recuperated first, getting himself to a regular standing position and walked to her, sheathing his sword. Silas, once he realized their battle was over, lowered his hammer and stood with it like it was a staff to help him walk.
“Silas, say hello to Lilith, my sister. The sister that was attempted to be framed for the attack on your village.” Kenji spoke and looked at Lilith with that soft smile.
Silas took off his blindfold and saw the woman. His eyes went wide when Kenji announced who it was and he went to his knees immediately. For this to be one of Kenji’s siblings meant she was a Kami. Someone to be respected and revered. “Greetings, Kami.”
Kenji eyed his sister suspiciously now. “I don’t think I can ever recall a time you coming here like this. Especially when I have my realm like this.”
Lilith frowned and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to put together everything she had to tell him. She blurted it. She wanted to get it out and over with. “Genki is gone, and she took my piece of the wand.” Lilith looked at her brother. Gauging his reaction.
Kenji stared at her from behind that blindfold and frowned, deeply. “This is unpleasant news. How did she escape?”
Lilith gave a soft shrug. “I was in the mortal realm working. She must have gathered enough power to transform and snuck past my Gatekeeper. I think she called a dragon to go and get her after that.”
Kenji looked back to Silas, who was still kowtowing, and groaned before commanding him to get to his feet. Returning his focus to his sister, he put his finger and thumb to his chin in thought. “We haven’t recovered mine and Kentaro’s pieces of the wand, and now she has a third piece.”
“Right, but who knows how well how locked up Misumi or Minako’s are. Yours and Kentaro’s were probably the most guarded, and according to Daichi, we’re in his damn book, anyway. He’d know if someone was going to go for his.” Lilith worked it out, verbally speaking to her brother.
“I don’t know if Misumi would hand over hers. She’s upset by all of this going on, and wants it to stop. Knowing Genki had mine and Kentaro’s, she might have hidden it somewhere better.” Kenji was speaking idly, thinking aloud.
“Minako’s land makes mine and yours look like a happy fun place to be.” Lilith chimed in, which Kenji smirked and nodded, agreeing with her.
“Daichi is a bit of a wild card, surprisingly. It was always interesting how that oracle just wound up dead before Silas could kill her.” Kenji now turned away from Lilith and waved his hands around manipulating the shadows.
Silas had perked up at this information. Silas knew the Mother was reported to be somewhere around Zhangshu when he had gone on that carriage ride in what seemed so long ago. He found out she wasn’t there. He had never guessed she was, and that she had just died before he showed up. It was too big a coincidence for Silas to swallow.
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Silas stepped back behind him so he could watch what Kenji was doing, curiously. Lilith just stood there with her arms folded across her chest, watching Kenji’s manipulation. It was probable that she already knew what he was doing while Silas was in awe. There were figures coming up from the ground in the form of shadows, the ground bubbling below them in that shadow.
“Silas put on your blindfold. It will help you use your new technique and you’ll be able to figure out the people you know in the vision.” Kenji instructed. Silas did so quickly, reaching out with the shadows now as well. Not interrupting Kenji, but getting a feel for it, pushing in on what Kenji was showing them.
The Mother was there. The bent over old crone that had visited Kyoto with her vision that set all of this in motion for Silas. Sent his world spinning. He gasped at seeing her. There was another person, a man, Silas guessed. A tall man in old brown robes holding an enormous book. They spoke for a moment and the old woman fell to her knees. Her guards, the Sacred Artists, did so as well next to her. They put their head in the dirt.
Silas wondered who the man with the book was. Silas guessed it was a fellow Kami, and he suspected it was someone powerful. Judging by the reactions of the Sacred Artists and the old woman, but he didn’t yet know enough about all the Kami. All he had were a few names he had guessed weren’t even all of them.
He watched the tall man give the three of them something. A glass jar. Some sort of elixir. The liquid inside was a glowing green that sparkled. The three began to visibly cry and then drank from the glass. It only took moments before the three of them fell to the ground, dead.
The show was mute, and didn’t show their surroundings, but Silas could sense around them. He felt their life force and felt them die as soon as they drank whatever the elixir was. Kenji let the shadows fall and Silas lowered his blindfold.
“What happened?” Silas had asked.
“Our brother Daichi, the oldest of us, changed fate. Something he is not supposed to do, and throws a fit whenever someone else does it. He’s the oldest of us, Father’s first creation. He is the embodiment of fate and time. It seems he is working with, or at the very least helping Genki.” Kenji frowned and shook his head. “I don’t understand why, however.”
Lilith just stood there wide mouthed, staring at the vision Kenji showed them. “I’m just kind of shocked he actually left the Gardens. Has he ever…?”
Kenji answered her question before she could fully ask it. “No. Not unless Father commanded him to, to go to the Mortal realm or something. When Father used to call us to sit in Elder Mountain.”
“Well, we call our siblings who know what’s happening. Try to make sure Genki doesn’t find out we know.” Kenji looked back at Lilith now.
Silas stood and watched the Kami’s talk between themselves and kept his mana cycling just in case he was called upon to do something quickly. He wanted to be ready for action if it came to it.
Suddenly Kenji closed his eyes and Silas could feel the Kami working something. A moment later Shu flew from the shadows and came to Kenji, who held out his arm. “Shu, go to what the mortals call the Mountain of the Elders. Let me know as soon as you see someone or something, particularly a dragon.” His large black wings with that shadow trail behind them flapped and took off from Kenji’s arm until he was gone. Shu disappeared as quickly as he came.
Lilith looked at her older brother questioningly.
“That was where we initially caught her. Just outside of Elder Mountain. I’m wondering if she’ll return there for some reason. If she does, I want to be ready to grab her once more.” Kenji explained his reasoning before looking at Silas. “Silas, I think you’ll be as ready as you ever can be with the new techniques you’ve figured out.”
Silas just nodded his head. “Yes Kenji.”
“Then I’ll send you back to the mortal realm.” Kenji now turned to Silas. If Silas didn’t know any better, he would suspect that Kenji was worried. Worried about the outcome of what would happen with his family, what would happen in the mortal realm with the dragons. It kind of even worried Silas.
“My sister and I have things to conduct.”
______________________
When Silas walked into the village of Mudpass. He was dressed in his black and gray robes and walked through the village. He had no pack or anything left. All he had were his robes, boots, the black scarf, and his storage ring. It had felt like months since he had been gone, time moved so differently in the void of Kenji’s domain. Silas did not know how long he had actually been gone for. The people who lived in Mudpass all stared at Silas as he walked through, heading for the tavern.
He reached the tavern, he just happened to look out back and saw a cherry blossom tree and a gravestone. Silas frowned and looked to the ground. He moved around the back of the tavern, staying in the area that a small fence marked it as tavern property. His eyes floated up to look at the cherry blossom tree and smiled softly. It was in full bloom and blossoms were blowing off the tree in the soft breeze.
Silas then looked down at the grave he had seen. There were a few others sprawled around the back of the tavern. Must have been other Beggars who had died for the cause. He saw the markings that spelled out her name ‘KIO’, written in large letters. Silas walked to the gravestone and grabbed ahold of it looking at it.
He fell to his knees and dug his fingers into the gravestone. “We’ll avenge you, Kio, this I can do. I know who did this. I know what happened. I’ve been training. I’m not broken anymore. Kenji took me under his wing and has actually been training me. I can defeat them.”
The breeze picked up softly and Silas lowered his head once more, giving his oldest friend a moment of silence. She always was the other woman in his life and everyone knew it. Even Himari knew it and would tease him whenever Kio came to town. Then there was the night in the inn when they were going to visit the monks.
Silas lost track of time. He didn’t know how long he had been kneeling there now in front of the gravestone. Finally, he stood and brushed off his robes. He then put his fingers to his lips and kissed them, then set them on the top of the stone. “I will take care of this, Kio. I promise.”
Then he’d turn and walk away from the gravestone, moving back towards the front door. When he got to the entrance, he opened it and looked inside. William, Magnus and Daiki were having breakfast at the bar and didn’t look back when Silas opened the door.
“Bit early for a snort, innit?” William asked without looking back.
“How about some breakfast?” Silas spoke up and smirked before he walked fully into the tavern.
The three of them turned and stared. You could swear they were looking at a ghost. Had Silas been gone that long? The shadows messed with your mind. Part of the training was to overcome that feeling and be able to get a feel of the mortal realm and the world of Shadows. Kenji didn’t push the ideal because it wasn’t really important. It was more important that Silas learned his new powers and understood everything he could now do.
“Thought you were dead.” William laughed and kicked out the stool next to him. “Get over here and have some grub. You look even smaller than when I picked you up in that shack.”
Daiki stood and went behind the bar and made Silas a plate of rice and eggs they were saving. It was meant to be for The Elder, but they hadn’t seen the old man in weeks now. Not since that night when they returned from Sunhae. He set the plate in front of Silas when Silas had sat on the stool William had kicked out. “Thank you, Daiki.”
Then that was the last they heard from Silas for several moments. He picked up the chopsticks and devoured his food. Shoving it in his mouth. William and Magnus were sitting on either side of him, kind of in awe as they ate their own food. It only took Silas a moment to finish before he asked for more from Daiki. Daiki hesitated but gave Silas the rest of the food, figuring if The Elder showed up, he’d understand that Silas apparently needed it.
Before he went back around and sat down, he gave Silas a cup and pitcher full of water for him to drink. Before Daiki had gotten back to his seat, Silas had finished his second plate and had chugged his water.
Once Silas’s food was gone, and he chugged his fill of water from the pitcher. It was the same pitcher that didn’t empty, Silas noticed the runes. He tried to wait until the others were done eating, but he couldn’t help himself. “How long have I been gone? What’s the latest on the Cult, and the dragons and all of it?”
The three then looked uncomfortable then, exchanging sidelong glasses and nodding their heads. They weren’t sure how to answer Silas’s questions. Silas frowned. “Tell me.”
“No where, Silas. You were gone, and after we got back and told The Elder what had happened, he said something weird and then left. We weren’t sure what to do or where to go. Even some people in the village left. Figured it was over here.” Magnus explained and put a hand on his shoulder.
“How long have I been gone?” Silas then asked. He wasn’t sure what to say about what Magnus first told him. “Time works differently in Kenji’s realm. It seemed like only a few days, but it seems like it’s been a lot longer.”
“About a month, I think.” Magnus told him.
Silas rose to his feet. “It’s been over a month since Kio was murdered and they kidnapped Maisy? You guys did nothing?”
“Oi, that’s not fair. We don’t know where to find the Cults. They seemed to do a number on you before you were sucked up in that weird fog.” William spoke now, getting a little heated.
Magnus frowned, and Daiki just looked a little sheepish. He left his sect to help this fight and since he came here, he had done nothing but play the cook to William and Magnus. Not his finest hour.
“He’s right, though, you know. We have done nothing. The Elder gave that little cryptic speech and then he was gone the next morning.” Daiki stood and then stepped behind Silas. “I came here to help with the fight against the dragons and the rogue Kami, like you guys said.”
“Well, we did….” William had started.
Silas released the pressure of his new power, only a little. The shadows moved into the tavern. They pushed against the trio like a brick wall. Each of them looked like they were suffocating against Silas’s power. They could stay on their feet, but Silas could tell they weren’t happy about what Silas was doing. Still, he couldn’t help it. Kio was murdered, and the whole time Silas was gone training, they sat around a bar?
“I’m tired of excuses. We’re taking the fight to them. We can find them.” Silas released the shadows, veiling his power once more, and sighed. “I’m sorry, forgive me.”
The three of them coughed and rubbed at their chests, but nodded and looked at Silas. “We get it, we get it. What’s the plan?” Daiki spoke and gave another cough.
“Elder Mountain. That mountain not too far out of Mudpass, we passed it on the way down to Sunhae.” Silas explained.
“Aye, yeah. The Elder always told us not to get too close to it. He said there were weird powers there that it’d be better if we didn’t get involved with.” Magnus spoke. He seemed to recover the quickest from Silas’s flexing of power. It made sense. Magnus was the most physically developed of the three.
“Kenji sent my phoenix there to watch it. Said if Shu saw anyone to go get him. He thinks Genki is going to go there, or someone for Genki.” Silas explained his thought process to the three of them.
Magnus and Daiki just kind of stared. William gave a low whistle through his teeth. “Silas, as powerful as you may be now, I don’t think we should go up against a Kami. Whaddya mean you have a phoenix?”
“We’re just going to see if Shu is there. He isn’t really mine, he was my wife’s. He’s free now, and he had gotten Kenji’s power like I did back in Kyoto. I’m just curious. What we’re really going to do is find that offshoot of the cult out in the Wastelands. See if they know anything.” Silas looked at William with a grin. “I’m sure they’d love to see us again.”