The next morning.
The mountain mist had yet to clear, hanging from the branches in long, thin ribbons that the rising sun turned to pale gold. Birds called out from the trees, their voices sharp and clear as if trying to wake the entire forest.
Kashimo walked the mountain path, his erald staff in one hand and the Soul Split Katana propped over his shoulder. After a few paces, he stopped and looked back.
A figure was trailing him through the fog.
Fuka had changed her clothes. She was no longer wearing the blood-stained rags from the night before. Her hair was bound back in a high ponytail that swayed with every step she took. For a common sorcerer, she was absurdly stubborn.
It had been an hour since they left the inn. She hadn't said a single word. She simply mirrored his movents. When he moved quickly, she sped up. When he slowed down, she followed suit. Now that he had stopped, she stood ten paces away, her red eyes fixed on him in a steady, unyielding stare.
Kashimo turned away and continued his walk. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the mist, one following the other.
As for Rinzo…
He had left her at the inn. Before leaving at dawn, he had stood outside her door for a mont, listening. It was quiet, save for the sound of her steady breathing. She hadn't woken up. Or perhaps she had, but chose to stay silent. He didn't know.
He hadn't knocked. He had just walked away.
She had found her own power. She no longer needed his protection. Kashimo shouldered the blade and the staff, disappearing into the depths of the fog.
Behind him, the red-clad figure followed.
***
The Zenin Estate.
Zenin Sawara sat on the dais, his chin resting on his hand. He leaned forward slightly, as still as a carved statue. Morning light filtered through the paper doors, casting his face in half-shadow and hiding his expression. On either side, the elders and attendants stood with their heads bowed, hardly daring to breathe.
The silence had lasted for a long ti.
It lasted until soone began to swallow nervously, until knees grew sore, and until the chirping of the birds outside began to grate on the ears.
"The rumors about Arashi Gojo cursing Kamo Fuji," Sawara finally said. His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the silence of the hall with perfect clarity. He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the n in the room. "What do you make of them?"
The elders traded glances. No one wanted to be the first to speak. After a few heartbeats, a man with white hair and a long beard took a half-step forward and bowed.
"The issue is..." He chose his words with extre caution. "While the claim is unsubstantiated, the news ca directly from the Kamo house. And since Lord Fuji passed away yesterday..."
He paused. "There is no one left to verify the truth."
The hall fell silent again. Sawara didn't respond, shifting his gaze to another man.
Zenin Yuuichi stepped forward. "Regardless of the truth," he said, his tone much more direct than the elder's, "the news has made the Gojo family a target. Every minor faction is looking for a reason to distance themselves from Arashi."
He looked Sawara in the eye. "We are in a perfect position to absorb the groups that are abandoning the Gojo."
Another elder stepped forward, his face flushed with an excitent he couldn't hide. "Exactly, Lord Sawara! The Gojo are under fire, and the Kamo have collapsed. This is the mont for the Zenin to rise above everyone else!"
A chorus of agreent followed.
"He's right!"
"We cannot let this chance slip by!"
"A gift from the gods—"
"Shut up."
Sawara's voice was quiet, but it hit the room like a bucket of ice water. The hall went silent instantly. Beside him, a shadow stirred. The Divine Dogs erged soundlessly from the darkness: one black, one white. They sat at his feet, letting out low, rhythmic growls that sounded like a blunt knife scraping against bone. The elders who had been cheering a mont ago shrank back.
Sawara looked at them, his eyes cold. "I've always suspected you were idiots," he said. "It's good to have it confird."
No one dared to answer. He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the armrest.
"If Arashi Gojo really did this," he mused, "why would he target Kamo Fuji, a man with almost no personal power? What would he gain from it?"
He fixed his gaze on the elder who had been the most vocal. "Tell . What is the benefit?"
The man opened his mouth, but no words ca out. Sawara looked away, staring toward the courtyard. The morning light cast dabbing shadows of the trees against the shoji screens.
"What if the leak ca from within the Gojo family itself?" he whispered, as if talking to himself. "What if it's a lure to draw us out?"
The doors were slamd open, hitting the walls with a violent crash. A servant stumbled into the room, his face paper-white and his forehead dripping with sweat. He collapsed onto his knees, gasping for air, unable to steady himself before he spoke.
"Lord Sawara! Lord Sawara!"
Sawara's brow furrowed. "Speak."
"The Edo festival has been suspended! Of the two Tokugawa sisters, one is dead and the other has vanished!"
A wave of murmurs broke out among the elders. They began to whisper frantically to one another. But the servant wasn't finished. He looked up, his lips trembling.
"And... Arashi Gojo..."
Sawara felt a sudden, sharp knot of dread in his stomach. "What about him?"
The servant swallowed hard, his voice cracking. "Arashi Gojo... has been killed!"
The hall went still. It wasn't the silence of respect; it was a heavy, suffocating void where the very sound of breathing seed to have stopped. It lasted for a long ti, until the sound of a fan hitting the floor broke the spell.
"Arashi Gojo is dead?!"
Yuuichi was the first to move. He lunged forward and grabbed the servant by the collar, hauling him off the floor. The man's eyes rolled back as the fabric tightened around his throat, but he didn't struggle.
"Yuuichi," Sawara said from the dais. "That's enough."
Yuuichi's hand stiffened. He slowly let go. The servant collapsed back onto the floor, clutching his neck and coughing violently. Sawara stood up and walked down to the man, looking down at his terrified face.
"What you said," Sawara whispered, his voice dangerously low. "Is it true?"
The servant nodded frantically. "Yes! It's certain! The Gojo family sent n to retrieve the body yesterday. The funeral is in a few days."
Sawara straightened up. He raised a hand and touched his own face. It remained a mask, devoid of any emotion.
***
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A/n: 300 power stones = 1 bonus chapter. Don't forget to vote with your power stones!!
For early access to 10 chapters ahead: p@tre~~/Demonic_Fiction (Link is in the synopsis and my profile).
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