Yang

Something soft brushed back and forth across my face. 

I cracked my eyes open to find Peng's stupid face inches from mine, one flipper patting my cheeks. The morning sun blazed behind its head like a halo, making me squint.

"Stop that." I grabbed for it but lost balance. The world tilted sideways as I rolled straight off whatever I'd been lying on. Peng tumbled with me, its round body bouncing once before settling on my chest.

Fucking hell. I blinked up at the sky, trying to get my bearings. A familiar face entered my field of view. Ten was staring down at me, her expression unreadable. Next to her stood Wuwei, its ghostly form almost transparent in the bright sunlight.

"Ten?" I jolted upright, or at least tried to. My arms moved automatically to push myself up, but my injured shoulder gave out instantly. Weirdly though it didn't hurt nearly as much as it should have. The stabbing agony from before had dulled.

"Look who's finally awake."

I glanced down at my shoulder, expecting to see blood and torn flesh. Instead, a web of thin roots wrapped around the wound like living bandages.

"I tried my best," Ten said.

"...Thanks." The word came out awkward and stiff. I wasn't used to owing people anything, especially not my life.

Suddenly, a bamboo pole shot under me, flipping me into the air. I yelped, arms flailing as I tumbled end over end before landing on my feet with a stumble.

"What the-"

Thwack! Another pole struck, launching Peng skyward. The penguin sailed through the air with its flippers spread wide, eyes sparkling with joy. Ten caught it in her arms as it descended, and it snuggled into her chest with a contented "Peng..."

"Did you really have to do that?" I rubbed my sore backside, but Ten already turned away, striding down the path without a word. Wuwei fell into step behind her, Peng still cradled in her arms.

Great, she's pissed. I trailed after them, keeping my distance. My gaze drifted to Jiko's limp from draped across Wuwei's back, dried blood caking one side of his face.

"Is he... going to be okay?"

"Yes. But only because I arrived when I did."

Right. The fight. That weird power that had surged through my fists when I punched the Rust. The daikon keychain that Peng had given me just before-

My hands patted frantically at my pockets. Empty. I spun around, scanning the ground behind us. Nothing but dirt and scattered leaves.

"Looking for something?" Ten asked without turning.

"Did you see any small objects near me after I passed out?"

"No. Why?"

Shit. First time I'd gotten it back since arriving in this world and I'd lost it again already. My fingers curled into fists at my sides.

Well regardless, a certain penguin had some explaining to do later about where he got that keychain in the first place.

We walked in tense silence for several steps before she spoke again. "What were you two doing in that place?"

I chewed my lip, mind racing. Jiko had dragged me there to show me something about Ten, something he thought would convince me she needed to die for. But what? Those ruins felt wrong, twisted versions of buildings I'd seen in the village. Yet Ten had saved me… again.

"We were looking for a flower." I said finally. "For Kanon."

"You still don't trust me, do you?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. 

"I wasn't born yesterday." Ten's clouded eyes pinned me in place again. "Besides, I know exactly what flower Jiko seeks. Combers only blooms at the mountain nearby, not in village ruins itself."

Shit. My mouth went dry. This woman could read me like an open book without even seeing me.

"Fine. Jiko wanted to show me something in those ruins. Something that would prove you're..." I swallowed hard. "Worth killing."

Ten stopped walking. For a long moment, she said nothing. Wuwei halted beside her too.

"I'll tell you why Jiko wants me dead."

"Sorry?"

"Would you prefer I keep secrets? You strike me as someone who hates being kept in the dark."

She had me there.

"That place you just escaped from." Ten continued, "was the old Huashan Village. The village used to be big. Bustling markets, three times the rice fields... Then the sky people came."

"Sky people?"

"People like you, Kuroha. Thirteen of them, to be exact."

Thirteen sky people. The Cai Thirteen. The developers who vanished without a trace. That means...

"Inorin was here."

Ten's grip tightened on her bamboo pole.

"You lied to me. You said you didn't know any sky people."

"I did." Ten's voice dropped low. "Because that part of our past is stained with blood. But seeing you now..." She turned to face me fully. "Perhaps it's inevitable you'll learn the truth."

"What do you mean?"

"Thirteen sky people arrived at once back then. The village welcomed them with open arms. They repaid that kindness by protecting the village from the Rust, becoming their heros."

She let out a bitter laugh. "But none of them understood. Lobak and Rust are like yin and yang - two halves of the same whole. The more they used their powers to defend us, the faster the Rust evolved. They severely underestimated how quickly they could multiply and adapt. You must have noticed it yourself. Back in the old village ruins. How the Rust started swarming after you awakened your own Lobak."

I thought back to the wave of monsters that had surrounded us after I'd punched that first one. The way they seemed to materialize from nowhere.

"That night, when Wuwei led you back with the Rust, I could have destroyed it instantly with my Lobak. But I didn't."

"Why not?"

Ten's fingers traced along her bamboo pole. "Because using such power within the village draws more of them. Like moths to flame."

She tapped the pole against the ground. "The sky people never understood this balance. They'd slay Rust after Rust, growing stronger each time, thinking themselves heroes. But their actions only fed the cycle. More Lobak meant more Rust. More Rust meant they needed more Lobak. Then one day, when hundreds of Rust poured from the shadows at once, they vanished. Left the village to face the consequences of their ignorance alone."

"That's bullshit." My hands clenched into fists. "Inorin would never do that."

"Then explain the ruins, Kuroha. Explain how half our village ended up like that."

Something snapped inside me. I lunged forward, grabbing Ten's collar and yanking her close. "You don't know her! Inorin would die before abandoning anyone who needed help!"

Ten didn't resist my grip. Her clouded eyes bored into mine. "Do you really know her, Kuroha?"

"Of course I do! Better than anyone!"

"Then tell me. Why did they abandon Huashan Village?"

My grip loosened. The certainty in my voice wavered. "I... I don't..."

Ten yanked her collar free from my grip. "That's what I thought. Those sky people were all the same. Drunk on power, obsessed with playing hero. Your precious Inorin was no different. Just another selfish coward who fled when things got hard."

I released her collar, taking a step back. My hands trembled.

"Shut up."

"I could have left you to die back there, let the Rust tear you apart like they did half our village." Ten straightened her robes. "But unlike you sky people, I choose mercy. You may stay and live, provided you don't follow in their selfish footsteps."

"I don't need your fucking pity!" I slashed my hand through the air. "Take back what you said about Inorin. Now."

"I refuse to take back a fact."

That's it. With a roar, I launched myself at Ten, fist cocked back. But this time, my fists felt weaker. Empty.

Ten's bamboo pole whipped up, catching my punch. The impact rattled my bones, nothing like the explosive force that had sent that Rust flying.

What the hell? I staggered back, staring at my trembling fist. The strange energy from before had vanished completely.

I gritted my teeth. Fine. If I couldn't punch through her defenses, I'd just have to keep hitting until something broke. She'd take back those words about Inorin even if I had to beat them out of her.

I charged at Ten again. My fists shot toward her face, but each strike met only air as she weaved between my attacks.

"Your emotions cloud your judgment." Ten's pole deflected another punch. "Just like them."

"Shut up!" I aimed a punch at her head. She ducked under it effortlessly, her movements controlled while mine grew more desperate.

The bamboo whistled past my ear. I barely managed to twist away, but Ten was already moving. The pole swept my legs out from under me. I rolled, scrambling back to my feet.

My breaths came in ragged gasps. Sweat stung my eyes. But I couldn't stop - wouldn't stop until she took back those lies about Inorin.

"Enough. You're only hurting yourself."

"Make me!" I launched forward with everything I had left. Time seemed to slow as Ten shifted her stance, bamboo pole raised.

There! An opening at her side. I pivoted, fist flying toward that gap.

The world blurred. Something had struck the back of my neck. My legs buckled as numbness spread through my body.

The last thing I saw was Ten's clouded eyes gazing down at me, filled not with anger but something worse. Pity.

"Rest now, Kuroha. Perhaps when you wake, you'll be ready to listen."

Darkness claimed me before I hit the ground.