Attempt #239: I heard him. His Chant. His Words. He is Lost. Alone. And I will join Him. - Unknown

* * *

The four of us took our time climbing back to the surface. Pollen’s petals guided us along the path out, which was a stroke of foresighted genius on her part. Thanks to the illusions, the tunnels looked entirely different, now. Paths that had previously been hidden were now clear to see, and I would have been entirely lost after only a few steps in the maze.

Xinya practically clung to my sleeve, and Chiho busied itself with stripping strands of spider silk from my hair and clothes. With Pharyx leading the way with his light, my mind was allowed to wander.

Over and over, I replayed the final moments of the battle in my head. After advancing, my aim had been altered, but I couldn’t figure out why. It was as if I’d overcompensated for the arc of the arrow, only I was sure it was correct. I shot the same way I did at the beginning of the fight. The only difference was advancement.

Something had changed…but what?

“Master Tsuyuki?” Pollen whispered.

I had intended only to turn my head and answer, but my muscles suddenly jerked, and I found myself spinning around. The motion was entirely unexpected, throwing my balance off and causing me to stumble into the wall to my left.

“Are you…well?” she asked worriedly.

“Fine, fine,” I said. “Only my pride injured. What did you need?”

Pollen opened her mouth to speak, but then noticed that Pharyx had turned to make sure the group was with him. She bowed her head and muttered “nothing, sorry,” and stepped past me.

Something was off, and it wasn’t just my inexplicable lack of dexterity. Had something happened during the battle? I eyed the Honeybee Queen, trying to figure out the source of her tension. She wasn’t significantly injured, or, at least, not to the same extent that Pharyx and I were. Yet, tension was clear in her shoulders, and I could not determine the source.

The climb out was long and laborious, yet only I had to make it. The spirit beasts just flew right out, carrying Xinya’s weight between them. Meanwhile, I had to climb, hand over hand, the endless distance to the top with only Chiho for company. I was only a few feet from the top when I heard Pollen sigh.

“Is it true, then?” she asked. Her voice was soft and unsure.

“I’m not sure what you mean?” answered the hornet.

“You know.”

Silence fell between them, and I kept still. Though the climb was excruciating, they needed just a few moments longer.

Pharyx cleared his throat. “If you’re referring to the fact that I rule the Hanai Hornets, then yes. That is true.”

“I see. Your people took it seriously, after all.”

“Why would you expect any less from us? These are our forests, too.”

“I just…I thought you were a-” Pollen cut herself off. “I suppose this means I failed to meet your expectations. I didn’t show you the respect deserving of another hive queen.” Her words were filled with shame. “Does this mean you’ll attack the Honey Hive next?”

Pharyx stretched before audibly relaxing. “I dunno. Have to see how the mood strikes me after we get back.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. My arms burned with exhaustion, and I was worried I’d fall to my death if I lingered any longer. I scrambled up the last few feet of the cliff and collapsed onto the grass above.

“Welcome back,” called Pharyx. “How was the climb?”

“Wet and miserable.”

“I don’t envy you.”

The two spirit beasts had set up a small campfire under the canopy of a large tree. However, though the two of them were doing their best to keep dry, Xinya was standing out in the middle of the storm, playing in the puddles. I smiled. It was nice to see her spend time being a kid, especially with all that had happened.

“Queen Pharyx, Queen Pollen.” I bowed before both monarchs. “This one thanks you for the opportunity to fight at your side, and wonders if you might be willing to grant this one a favor.”

The spirit beasts exchanged a look of surprise before Pollen answered. “There’s no need for such formality, Master Tsuyuki. You have helped us both more than you can know. What is this favor?” I raised my head and nodded.

“I wonder if you two might accompany me and Xinya back to Saikan before you return to your homes,” I explained. “I know the administrator there will want to speak with you both, since your nations are so close, and it would really put my mind to ease to have you both there, should certain hostile elements still be present.”

Pharyx cocked his head in question, and Pollen explained our situation, including the deal I made with her to remove the threats to her domain. The hornet flashed his stripes in anger, hearing how Shen Yaoxan had tried to kill Xinya.

“You have my lance, and the full support of Hanai,” Pharyx growled. “Talent like that should be nurtured in the young, not destroyed!”

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“What I still don’t understand,” Pollen said, “is why? Why do the humans feel so strongly about pruning lunar artists from the region?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know.”

“I do.”

Every head turned to Xinya, who was still dripping with rain drops. Pollen beckoned her closer, wrapping her in a blanket and settling her next to the fire before the little girl continued.

“It’s because of the Darkened Moon,” Xinya explained. I nearly choked. How could I possibly be to blame?! I bit my lip to keep as stoic as possible while she continued. “Long ago, when the Darkened Moon was slain, thousands of shards fell from the moon to the Shore. Those stones are what give the region its name and its qi, but, according to the Lunar Hunt, those stones transmit the Darkened Moon’s madness to those who are sensitive to it. They go mad with his power and have to be destroyed anyway, so the Hunt figures they should destroy them as soon as they’re found. It’s why they search every year while they’re around for tax collection.”

That sounded like a convenient excuse if I’d ever heard one. My madness was hardly a contagious plague! Moon artists aren’t inherently more prone to lunacy! It was only after I gave myself to the void that I committed such horrible deeds. The moon had nothing to do with it!

“That’s ridiculous,” I muttered. “If they’re so afraid, then they should train those artists instead of killing them.”

“Mother once heard rumors that his bloodline could be transmitted through his qi,” Pharyx added. “I wonder if that’s what drives them to madness?”

“That’s impossible!” I insisted. As soon as the words left my mouth, both Xinya and Pharyx narrowed their eyes at me in suspicion. I looked away, trying to regain my composure.

It wasn’t my fault. It couldn’t be my fault. I’d been locked in prison the entire time. How could I be ultimately responsible for the deaths of so many children?

Pollen put a hand on my shoulder. “I actually don’t know these legends, but I’m sure that’s all they are. This Lunar Hunt sounds like they have taken advantage of old wives’ tales in order to exploit the region. They sow fear and demonize innocents to do it.” Then she smiled and began wringing the water out of Xinya’s hair. “Now, as for Tsuyuki’s request, I would be delighted to attend you all in Saikan. I would hope that Queen Pharyx would be equally eager?”

Pharyx stretched. “Yeah, sure! We can discuss the terms of your surrender on neutral ground!” Pollen glared at him, and he flinched. “I’m kidding! I’m kidding!”

“I should hope so.”

* * *

Tenri glanced up at the moon as he walked down the lantern-lit streets of Saikan. Almost the entire face was visible, from the top of the rabbit’s ears all the way to chasm left by the Sword Saint in ages past.

It had been over two months since Tsuyuki had left, his presence like a pleasant dream that was now long over. Shen Yaoxan was gone, and with him went the strife and suffering inflicted on the town in recent times. The pile of accident claims and road work requests that had built up on Tenri’s desk after Tsuyuki’s sudden departure had finally been tamed. He’d worked late to finish off filing the last of it, and it was as if a weight had finally lifted from his shoulders. The holes had been patched, compensation had been dispensed, and most of those injured were well on their way to recovering. Yet, though normalcy was returning, Tenri had mixed feelings.

For all his erratic tendencies, Tenri found himself missing the wayward moon artist who’d supposedly caused so much trouble. It was strange. He’d only been around for a scarce few weeks, and, while he’d been around, Tenri had been constantly worried that something terrible would befall them for dealing with such a villain from the pages of legend, but now that he was gone, life was quiet…too quiet. It was as if he’d been seeing the world in grayscale his entire life, only for Tsuyuki to drop a splash of color on his life. Now that he was gone, things went back to the dull hue of before, and Tenri didn’t know if he could adjust back.

“Master Tenri!” called a shopkeeper called Meng Yi. She waved at him, and he politely stepped into her stall.

“Evening, Madam Meng,” he greeted. “How are you this evening?”

“Just fine, thanks. I couldn’t help but notice you seemed down. Is everything alright with Madam Hanako?”

Tenri blinked in surprise. He hadn’t realized that his expression had turned so down as he walked down the street. He forced a smile with the shopkeeper.

“Everything’s fine. Thank you for your concern,” he answered.

“If you’re sure,” she said. A moment later, she produced a wooden comb adorned with several fine pearls. “If not, though. Perhaps Madam Hanako would appreciate a lovely comb? Or perhaps your brother Tsuyuki would like a new hairpin?”

“Oh, no. He and I are just friends,” he insisted. “I don’t know how those rumors got started.” Madam Meng gave him a sly smile and a suggestive wink that made Tenri blush and look away.

“Of course, Master. Forgive this one for her boldness.” Her words held no sincerity, and that just made him blush deeper.

He didn’t know where the rumors had begun, but at some point, half the town became convinced that there was some kind of illicit affair going on between him and Tsuyuki. Even Hanako had teased him to no end when she’d found out. The original rumors only said that they were core sworn, which was a perfectly legitimate relationship, if also untrue, but somehow the rumor mill had twisted things beyond recognition. The fact that Tenri had been either buried in paperwork or fighting for his life the entire time those rumors had been flourishing hadn’t helped either.

“Just…don’t believe everything you hear, Madam Meng,” he insisted. Then, he bowed politely to the older woman and left before his cheeks could get any redder. Even still, he could feel her eyes on him until he turned the corner towards his home.

Those rumors are just ridiculous nonsense created by bored fishermen with nothing better to talk about, he thought to himself. They’ll get tired of them when something new comes along.

That thought comforted him. Though most of the town seemed tickled pink by the notion that he was with Tsuyuki, his mother most certainly was not. He wasn’t sure he could withstand her scathing words again. She had gone on and on about how it was a shame to the family, how he was cheating on Hanako, and how he was never going to amount to anything if he didn’t get his act together. Tenri had countered by saying that none of it was true, but she didn’t listen. All she cared about was having grandchildren to spoil, and that the rumors threatened that.

Tenri turned another corner onto his street and spotted the tidy wall around the Administrator’s Residence. He could already smell a mix of delightful foods drifting from the various homes of his neighbors. One of them was surely Hanako’s exquisite cooking, but he couldn’t be sure which one. Instead, he let his mind wander, imagining what delicious meal waited for him at home.

Knowing her, it was probably a stew of some sort. When the air was crisp and the winds blew the cold in from the sea, Hanako always made something to warm him down to his core. Maybe she’d put some of those delicious mushrooms in it from the northern caves, the mundane ones, not the mooncaps. Those were some of his favorites.

His mouth watered. Tenri threw open the gate and stepped inside, making for the little door that promised such a delicious meal. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a glimpse of shining silver. He slowed to a stop.

There, in his garden, sitting against the peach tree, was Tsuyuki. The moon artist smiled at him, and Tenri felt every part of him relax. He was dressed almost entirely in black robes, instead of the purest white and blue he’d left in, but somehow, he hadn’t lost a bit of his ethereal majesty.

“I’m back, Tenri.” His whisper carried far to Tenri’s ears. “Did you miss me?”