Takano Village lay before a sheer rock face, its perimeter guarded on all sides by a wall of dense forest. Lin scanned the desolate streets for movement, for any signs of life, be it human or otherwise. She found nothing.
“Looks like nobody’s home,” Yukihiro reported from further ahead. “I’ll sweep the buildings nearest to the mountain.”
“I’m with you,” his brother called after him.
“What, you think I need your help? Go search some other homes. The sooner we’re finished here, the better.”
Yukihiro marched away with a scowl. Turning to Lin, Mitsuhide sighed, shrugged, then led a team of consecrators in another direction. She didn’t follow. Whatever they might find in those abandoned homes, the Saitō brothers were effortlessly capable of handling themselves. Her concern lay elsewhere.
Like dozens of settlements before, Takano was just another stop on their journey to the northern coast. Lin had lost count of how many burned villages and battlefields they’d already passed, and the further north they travelled, the more frequent the sights became. The Jian pirates had pushed their invasion deeper than she’d imagined. Judging by the trail of ash and blood left in their wake, their raiding parties were as swift as they were savage, mercilessly cleaving a path to the heart of Sen. It was a brutal approach, and foolish. Sen’s lands were sparsely defended, but they were defended nonetheless. The Heavenly Generals would tolerate no such invaders. It would only be a matter of time before the enemy found themselves stranded in a foreign land with no hope for reinforcements or supplies. Still, the promise of a short-lived invasion meant little to those already caught in its violent tide. Lin had travelled with the Righteous for nearly a month by now, and in that time she’d had an abundance of opportunities to witness their rituals for the dead. Bodies were burned or purified with salt and buried hastily. Commandant Saitō would only allow his company to pause for as long as was necessary.
He’d called this place the Grave Hollows. Takano Village appeared normal enough, decrepit as it was. The foothill of a mountain had earned the area its name, with its near-vertical rise scarred by crevices and fissures. Some were wide enough to stand in, some deep enough to live in, and if Ryōgen’s tales were true, the foothill was used as a burial site. Lin could only wonder how they managed the smell.
The Saitō brothers returned before long. Yukihiro made clear that their search for survivors had been a waste of time. He wasn’t alone in his impatience to reach the enemy, though few others were bold enough to voice such complaints to his father. Ryōgen ignored him. Raising his voice, he called out to his company, “Sun’s setting. Fan out, make yourselves comfortable. We’ll be staying here for the night.”
Displeasure darkened Yukihiro’s face. Many of his comrades seemed relieved, others ill at ease as they searched for a suitable house. None of the buildings showed enough damage to suggest the village had been raided. Perhaps the villagers had retreated south. Perhaps something else had visited them first. Unwanted memories of Yangwa and Araji Castle surfaced as Lin closed her eyes. There’s nothing here, she reassured herself. If any splinters of Xia’an lurked in these buildings, she’d surely have noticed them by now.
“How much further to the coast?” Lin asked Ryōgen. The Monk Commandant didn’t seem to hear her at first, his attention fixed upon the crevice-pitted rock face. “Commandant Saitō?”
“We could be there in three days. We might not see it for three months. I know you’re eager to reach the Clouded Sea, but the path ahead is far from safe. Our enemies stand in your way. Do you think they’ll be kind enough to let you pass?”
Our enemies. The Commandant was very particular with his words. She knew little of the Jian pirates beyond what she’d heard from the others. Their leader was a man from Sen, Taneaki Okada, which had led to many calling him Inlander. The reports sent to Ryōgen by General Mokuzai’s forces in the North told of widespread raids and bloody battles. Those unfortunate enough to encounter Okada’s pirates were slaughtered or enslaved. Lin didn’t doubt their evil, but she found it hard to consider them her enemies.
“I’ll do what’s necessary to protect Kana and Rie. If I have to cut down those that stand in our way, so be it.
“Hm. That’s the spirit, girl.” He was barely listening, still staring into the distance.
Lin leaned into his line of sight. “What’s wrong? Are you afraid of the Hollows?” she asked with a smirk.
That made him laugh. “The stories about this place are full of shit,” he replied. “Don’t worry yourself about those tunnels. Go and join your friends. They’ll be waiting for you.”
Lin had her doubts, but she didn’t protest. Wandering along Takano’s earthy roads led her to what had once been a large family home. In its entranceway stood Kana. He wore a welcoming smile, and she greeted him with a kiss. Before heading inside, she stole one last glance at the crevices in the cliff. They’re hardly large enough to be called tunnels.
Inside the abandoned house, Rie and her new friends were already making themselves comfortable. They sat upon cushions around a low table where they’d set out bowls of food. Two of the Righteous were crowding around the young Daimyō- Akemi to her left, holding a steaming cup of tea to Rie’s lips, and Kyo behind her, gently brushing the girl’s hair. Another consecrator- Jun- sat opposite.
“I’m not scared,” Rie huffed after taking a sip of tea. “Tell them, Lin. I’m not afraid.”
Lingering near the entrance, Lin sat against the wall. “Mm. You’re strong,” she replied. Kana joined her on the floor.
“She doesn’t seem convinced,” Akemi giggled.
“Come now, there’s no need to be shy with your feelings,” said Kyo.
Rie huffed. “I’m not being shy. I don’t even know how to spell fear.”
Akemi set the teacup upon the table. “Just admit you’re scared. We can see it. Lin too.”
“I meant what I said,” Lin spoke up again. “Besides, what’s there to be afraid of? There’s nothing haunting this place.”
“Are you sure?” Rie asked meekly. “Not that I’m worried if there is.”
“I’d have sensed any danger before we set foot in the village. Yukihiro and the others checked the houses. We’re safe.”
That wasn’t completely true. There was something lingering in the foothills, but the faint signal it gave off was different to those of fiends and demons. It was too weak to pose a threat, so as long as it didn’t creep any closer, there was no point in worrying about it.
“What about the Hollows?”
“Those crevices? What about them?”
Akemi grinned. “Haven’t you heard about this place? Little Araji’s been repeating the same story ever since Jun told her we’d be passing through.”
Lin shifted her gaze back to Rie. “She hasn’t told me.”
The young Daimyō pouted. “That’s because you’re always with Kanamori. You don’t love me anymore, do you?”
“Don’t I?”
“...Don’t you?”
“Hmm…” Lin pondered, tilting her head. “I do. I love you more than most, Rie.”
She seemed relieved. “Of course you do. It’s only natural. I’m very lovable, after all.”
Lin smiled. “You are.”
“Exactly,” Rie nodded. “That’s how it is. That’s who I am. Not a scared child.”
“So what’s the story with the Hollows?”
“Ah, the Hollows…” she said, hesitating for a moment. “Do you remember Kishibe? He was with us the night Araji Castle was attacked.”
“I remember.”
“Kishibe was originally from Kitaguchi prefecture; he said he was born just a few miles from here. It’s… a mass grave.”
“Ryōgen said something about that. They bury their dead in that foothill. Isn’t that why they call it the Grave Hollows?”
“I’m not sure, but there’s more to this place than an ominous name. There’s evil in that mountain. Legend says it cursed the entire village.”
“The mountain did?” Lin asked, barely hiding her smirk.
Rie didn’t look amused. “That’s what I said. Madness seized the hearts of the villagers, changing them into something less than human. They tore each other apart. Their own families…”
“There’s nothing here, Rie. No demons, no monsters. Show me your bravery for tonight. We’ll be gone tomorrow.”
More complaints hung on the Daimyō’s tongue, though reluctantly, she agreed. Akemi and Kyo continued to tease her throughout the evening, and she continued her protests all the while. Jun spoke only a few times, usually offering some words of reassurance. Lin stayed among them until after dusk before retiring to an empty room. Kana joined her a few minutes later and fell onto the futon she’d laid out only moments ago. His tiredness had been plastered plainly upon his face for almost a week now. Even still, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Sitting a little away from him, Lin took a long, slow breath. Spectral reach. A shadowy hand manifested before her. The technique worked perfectly, but as each day came and went, perfect mediocrity was not enough. Stronger, she thought to herself, I need to be stronger.
“Why?” echoed a voice in her mind that was not her own. “To force others under your will? Or to make easier the act of killing?”
“To protect,” she assured herself.
“For you, protection is an end with a means of murder,” the voice continued. “For the sake of your loved ones, you would cut down any that stand in your way. What makes their lives more important than those around you?”
“They’re my family,” she replied. “They’re all I have left.”
“How would they feel knowing they’re being used as a shallow excuse for violence?”
Lin bore her teeth. “You’re a parasite. That’s all you are, all you’ll ever be. Your opinions are meaningless.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“We share this body. Only months ago I saw a girl sickened by the notion of bloodshed. Since then I’ve grown to know someone almost eager to kill.”
“They tried to kill me. If I hadn’t dealt with those consecrators, they’d have murdered Rie and Kana.”
“Self-defence needs not end in tragedy. There was no reason for them to die.”
“What’s your point? They’re dead, regardless of how I feel about it. Why bring this up now?”
“Remember that these thoughts are yours as much as they are mine. For now, you’re still you. You should listen to yourself to ensure that doesn’t change.”
Lin sat still in a moment of quiet contemplation, though her patience quickly dwindled. “It’s late. I’ve got better things to do than argue morals with a parasite.”
Energy crackled at her blackened fingertips. Conjuring spectral forms was a skill that required intense concentration and almost religious practice. Even with a teacher, it had taken her years to perform consistently. Modifying the technique was a task difficult to begin and gruelling to complete. Like learning any magic without a teacher, grasping even the basics was like attempting to understand the obscure workings of the universe without the knowledge of its existence. It meant reaching for answers in a deep, vacuous darkness, and needed creativity, determination and luck in equal amounts. Few would consider such trials for the sake of novel tricks. Fewer still could see them through.
“You should rest,” Kana murmured from the futon. He gazed at her through half-closed eyelids. “The road’s only going to get rougher from here.”
Dispelling her magic, Lin shuffled closer to him. “If anyone needs rest, it’s you. When was the last time you got a full night’s sleep?”
“Sleep’s a waste of time,” he replied wearily. “All those hours, gone. Imagine what more I could do with them.”
“If all you’re doing is lying there, it isn’t really any more productive than just sleeping,” she pointed out. “I’m being serious. You need rest.”
“I don’t want to,” he said back.
“Won’t you tell me why?”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it matters. If something’s bothering you, I-”
“Just leave it alone!” he snapped suddenly. Lin flinched, and Kana’s regret was immediate. “Sorry, I… I’m sorry. I can’t do it, Lin. I can’t bear seeing it- that- that thing- every time I close my eyes.”
“What thing? What are you talking about?”
Pupils wide, teeth locked, his lips drew back into a grimace. “Please don’t make me say it. I don’t want to remember. Just the thought is enough for it to find me. If I let it in...”
Cold fingers seized Lin’s heart. Its heavy beat was all she could feel. “I need you to tell me what you’ve seen.”
Kana closed his eyes. When they opened again, they were wet with tears. “Despair. Dread. It’s so impossibly massive, so terrible, I feel like I’m constantly in the jaws of an inescapable leviathan. I should be nothing beside something like that, and yet… I can still feel its wrath. Its rage. It sees me clearly, and it looks down on me with hatred. I could give you a thousand words and they wouldn’t be enough to describe it. Even if you could see for yourself, I don’t think-”
“I’ve seen it.” She’d intended her words to provide some comfort, but Kana’s expression told her she couldn’t have offered a worse response.
“Then it’s real.” After a long silence, he gave her a half smile. Was it relief he felt, or a hopeless acceptance?
Lin searched for something to say. “You might be safe,” she tried to assure him. No doubt he’d have laughed if he had the energy.
“I couldn’t feel any further from it.”
“That creature- Sio’s parasite called it the Hateful One. I think… I think I’ve seen it twice before. Both times ended in a black and bloody storm. This is something else. What you saw was an Idea, a thought given form. I think you are safe, Kana. For how long is the only thing I’m unsure of.”
He didn’t understand. She hadn’t expected him to. They lay together, side by side; she didn’t say much more, and he said even less. An hour might have passed, perhaps more, and she held his head close to her chest. She felt his warmth, his breath, his heartbeat. It was a peculiar feeling. For nearly a month now they’d shared a bed, but unlike those that had come before, their intimacy was accompanied by no nervous excitement, no sense of arousal. Their embrace was one of mutual comfort. It seemed only natural by now that such things couldn’t last.
The screams came in the dead of night. They were distant and strange-sounding, though unmistakable in what they were. Kana was the first on his feet. It was unlikely he’d ever fallen asleep. Lin followed him soon after, still buttoning her uniform as she hurried out of the building.
Shrieks rang out across Takano the moment she stepped outside. They came from the rock face, sounds of terror warped by jagged mouths. Is it the bodies? But why would anyone go looking in there? Ordering Kana to protect Rie, Lin broke into a sprint. She was gone before he could refuse.
Illuminating moonlight fell upon much of the village, but the Hollows were an exception. The recesses and crevices were shrouded in darkness, and amidst that gloom, they appeared as if a patchwork of monstrous faces. Although the lowest of the tunnels could be entered easily, none led any deeper into the foothill than a few metres, meaning the entrance was somewhere above. Scaling the rocks was a simple effort. Finding the source of the sounds proved more challenging. The fissures closest to her carried hushed voices from deep within, but were only large enough to serve as footholds as she climbed higher. There the openings widened enough to serve as an entryway, and without a pause, she dove inside.
Shadows draped all. Lin had no means of making light, so she felt her way through the imperceivable caverns with spectral hands. Sight was useless. Sound and smell, however, might have been her only edge against whatever ghastly apparitions haunted the Hollows. The screams had stopped minutes ago, now in their place were faint whimpers and cautious words. A scent of fresh blood permeated the dank tunnel, growing stronger the further she advanced. Dust and decay hung in the air. Sounds and odours coalesced in the damp darkness, conjuring horrific visions of what might lay before her.
No, not what might be there. She could hardly mistake what she’d smelled so many times before.
Her foot caught against something below. She stumbled, falling to one knee. Her hand met with a wetness as she pushed herself upright. She could’ve told herself it was trapped rainwater, but she couldn’t have believed it. Rainwater was not so thick, nor had it ever been so warm.
The orange flickers of a torch illuminated a chamber deeper within the Hollows. When Lin approached, she found faces that she recognised- Ryōgen, Yukihiro, Mitsuhide, all alive and well. Behind the consecrators was a huddle of cowering strangers. They looked at her with fear, with loathing. Mitsuhide greeted her with a mischievous smirk. Spots of blood sparkled upon his cheek in the firelight.
Lin glanced down at her hand as she joined the others. It was the same shade of red that painted the blades of the Righteous. Stopping several feet away from Ryōgen, she apprehensively greeted him. “Monk Commandant.”
“Lady Ko. We heard you coming.”
“Did you? I was following the screams. I thought that maybe the dead were haunting the Hollows, but it just seems like you’re having a midnight get-together.”
“That we are,” he replied in a low voice. “Go back to bed, girl. This business doesn’t concern you.”
“But it does. You see, all that noise is keeping me awake. How am I supposed to sleep while you’re causing such a commotion?”
“It’ll be over soon. Go back to bed,” he demanded again.
Lin feigned a moment of consideration. “Leave, with all this burning curiosity? All I want is to understand what’s happening here. Explain yourself.”
Anger flickered across the man’s face. “You want to involve yourself in the duty of the Righteous? Fine. Our work’s a grim necessity. I’ve explained it to you before: we hunt the hateful and otherwise inhuman. You’re now seeing the former part of that.”
“And these people, they’re the so-called hateful?” Lin leaned to get a better view of the strangers still shivering in the shadows. “They’re unarmed. Unwashed. They’re not what I’d call warriors,” she said, then faltered. A familiar face hid among them. Ryōgen began to say something. She pushed him aside.
Like the others, the woman was clad in tattered clothes with bedraggled, dirt-dusted hair. Like the others, she was thin and feeble, starved of even the most basic necessities. Like the others, she met Lin with a look of terror, though it was mixed with something else. Spite?
“...Fuu?”
The Jishu flinched at the mention of her name. She hardly resembled the woman Lin had travelled with only months ago, only recognisable by the golden glint in her fearful eyes. It was then that Lin noticed another of the strangers- the merchant from Keisato. She couldn’t remember his name.
Lin turned to face the consecrators. Any feigned friendliness had vanished from her voice. “Who are these people? What are they doing here?”
“Refugees,” Ryōgen answered. “They were hiding.”
“From what?”
“Who else but us? There was movement at the mouth of the Hollows as we arrived. Maybe they’re survivors of the Emperor’s campaign. Maybe they’re survivors of the Inlander’s invasion. The details don’t matter. There will always be wars, and there will always be those that survive them. The wounds and grievances these rodents carry only serve to seed the next conflict.” The consecrator’s words were too ridiculous to even laugh at.
“Is survival a sin?”
“No. Harbouring feelings of resentment, however, is unforgivable.”
Lin raised her eyebrows. “Is that so?”
“It is,” he replied, his patience growing thin. “You were told, but you didn’t want to listen. Even now, you don’t want to hear what you already know. Hatred fuels war. It births demons. It’s an open invitation, a shining beacon to whatever hungry fleshbags might defile our country. Those hateful must be culled for all our sakes.”
Lin rested a hand upon her sword’s hilt. Battered, bent and blunted as it was, the weapon wouldn’t have been much use in a fight, but it gave a clear enough message to the consecrators before her. “Look at you, how you carry yourselves with your faultless pride. I’m sure your every act is justified, your murders a virtue. We Righteous. Who other than you could be so divine?”
“Say what you please. Your position grants you that,” Ryōgen shrugged. Less than a second later, his bloodied sword was at her throat. “But save your complaints for later. This unpleasant business is simply what we do. It would be easier if you step out of the way, girl. I don’t want to have to move you.”
Ignoring him, Lin glanced over his sons. Mitsuhide’s sword was still held low. He’d dropped his smirk, though there was no hostility in his expression. Yukihiro gripped his spear in one hand. Contrary to his usual thorniness, he seemed meek, almost shaken, like a misbehaving child caught in the act.
“Could you?” she asked, returning her attention to Ryōgen. “Alone, you couldn’t move me. With your sons, you couldn’t move me. Summon as many of your consecrators as you wish. They won’t be enough.”
“You’re a short-sighted brat,” the Monk Commandant snarled. “I don’t care if you want to spout off about how terrible our cause is, but I won’t allow you to interfere.”
“You won’t harm these people. You won’t even take another step without my say.”
Ryōgen gritted his teeth. “You’re getting cocky. Think you’ll still have that attitude when demons tear their way through your people? That’s all you’re going to get from your misplaced mercy.”
Lin faltered. She took care not to show Ryōgen her hesitation. “I’ll deal with it, whatever comes. Fiends and demons fall like any other. I’ve proven it.”
“Don’t be stupid. Move.”
“Who do you think would win if we fought?” Lin asked blankly, “Here and now. Are you willing to watch me disembowel your sons with these thorns, Ryōgen? Should we leave these Hollows alive, in peace, or should I exterminate every last one of you? That’s what this decision comes down to- disengage or die. Make your choice. It hardly matters to me.”
Ryōgen’s rage gave way to disbelief. “Vicious little hypocrite,” he spat. “Listening to you flaunt your morals is sickening. You’ve already brutalised two of my consecrators, and now, without remorse, you threaten to kill a hundred? We do what we do for the safety of our people. You choose slaughter on a whim. What gives you the right to gut my men like animals?”
“The right to kill?” Lin asked. “Was that ever something that was needed?”
To those trembling in the dark, she must have appeared more of a monster than those that had come to cull them. That’s fine, she told herself. Being hated was a blessing if it meant the innocent survived.
She retracted her hand from the hilt of her sword and took a step forward. The consecrators stiffened. As she continued toward them, she flashed Ryōgen a smile. “It’s late. Are you coming?”
A bitter chill oozed through the passages of the Grave Hollows. The air carried a musty odour of death, both new and old, of fresh blood and dried, dusty bones. It was like standing in the throat of some primordial beast.
The Righteous left Takano at dawn, their pace slower than any day before. Their new travelling companions lacked horses and the energy to march for extended periods. Ryōgen had conceded that night, though refused to grant the refugees their freedom. He asserted they were Lin’s responsibility, and assigned her to a near-constant watch over them. Day after day, Lin tried speaking to Fuu and the merchant from Keisato. Sometimes they responded with fearful whimpers, and sometimes they pretended not to notice her attempts at conversation. Their silence brought with it a sense of dread, but also one of gnawing curiosity.
It wasn’t long before she began to notice the severity of their wounds. The merchant’s tongue had been severed, removing any ability for him to speak. Lin was less certain of Fuu’s condition; the Jishu was less than willing to open her mouth, but for whatever reason, she refused to say a word. Innumerable red scars marred her once-dainty skin. Three fingers were missing from her right hand, cut down to unsightly stumps. However, what drew Lin’s attention most was the smallest set of scars. Swollen puncture marks covered her arms and face as though she’d been pricked with a thousand needles. Lin knew these scars. They were the same as she’d carried for most of her life. Thorns had made these wounds. Of that much she was certain.