Tengu Mask

Theo held his chest over his heart, breathing heavily. “Are you okay Theo?” Cleo asked with concern. Theo took a deep breath before leaning forward and running his fingers through his hair. “Yeah...I’m fine. We...we know what we need to do next. Let’s leave and see if Teo came back, maybe he didn’t take long. Then we’ll get the boots and robe.” he said shakily, standing up and grabbing the staff. “Theo...it hasn’t been that long.” “I DON’T CARE!” Theo suddenly yelled, causing the room to go silent. All the Orcs silently looked at Theo, with Leo and Cleo looking concerned. Tak sighed “You must hold onto your sanity Theo. You haven’t been in this world long. Your delusions shouldn’t be happening this quickly.” Theo took in a deep breath and let out a long exhaled breath. “I’m fine. I just haven’t been getting good sleep. Honestly, I can’t recall a time where I have. I’ll be fine.” he tried to assure him. “Would you like some tea or coffee-” “Shut up about the beverages Tak. Please.” Theo said, disgruntled. Leo and Cleo looked at each other before back to Theo with concerned expressions. “Okay Theo. We’ll head back to the kingdom and take a break before discussing what to do next.” Leo said. “Thanks for the help Tak.” Cleo waved.

The three head back upstairs and out into the rain. Theo raised his staff, and pointed one of the metal prongs towards the south. “Lightning teleportation!” he shouted, with a crack of lightning striking Theo. He found himself next to the lightning rod outside the dome of Sol City, but Leo and Cleo were nowhere to be found. The area was covered in a thick and heavy fog, with the eyeless old man a small distance away, holding the Tengu mask in his left hand. Theo narrowed his eyes “Who are you? Why do you keep following me? Where’s Leo and Cleo?!” Theo yelled. The old man chuckled, his ragged brown robe blowing with the wind. His voice entered in Theo’s ears like a gentle whisper “Don’t worry. They are still in the Orc village. I interfered with your ability a little bit.” Theo tightened his grip on his staff. “How?” The old man smiled “Rain Wizards can interfere with each other’s abilities when in close proximity. After all, there’s only supposed to be one. But what if several exist at once? What does the world manage it? It goes to the one with the stronger will in the moment. You’ve had problems with your mental state even before becoming the Rain Wizard, so it’s beginning to effect you at an increased rate. He put his finger through one of the eye-holes of the mask and began to spin it playfully. “How much do you actually know about Tengus? You seem to have some respect for Japanese culture, but I question how much you know.” Theo glared at the man “What does that have to do with anything?” The old man simply kept spinning the mask, and continued, seeming to ignore Theo “The Tengu can either be a protector or a trickster depending on the story you know. I enjoyed doing both. Yamada the Tengu they called me. I wasn’t a very devout priest.” he chuckled, throwing the mask up before catching it.

“You’re...Yamada. One of the Rain Wizards?” Theo asked, surprised. Yamada nodded “Indeed.” his distant whispers said. “I came here over 100 years ago to help stop the rain. But my mind corroded in this world the longer I tried to make things right. When I came here, there was a malfunction with the dome’s protective shield. People dropped their friendly smiles and turned into horror and anguish. Everyone might seem cheerful when in safety but beneath the surface they are all crying inside. I failed to save so many people. By the time I managed to get people back to safety, I feel I failed in my duty. I could hear the screams of innocents. Anything I said was ignored. I saw misery whenever I looked. So I ran away. I got rid of my eyes so I could no longer see. I ran into seclusion so I couldn’t hear society, and I removed my tongue in fear of saying the wrong thing. I now speak to you through a magic skill I gained called Whispers on the Wind.”

“Why are you telling me all this? What do you want Yamada?” Yamada went silent for a moment. “I want you to save the souls of the Eyeless. Create a sense of safety. I begged the last Rain Wizard as well, but...he ran away too. Since giving up, I gained the ability to switch between this Earth and the one I came from. I suspect the others can too, and you might be able to as well. But I just want to rest to Forevermore.” Theo looked puzzled “Huh? Forevermore?” Yamada nodded. “The Earth spoke to me. It is a place where Rain Wizards can go to peace, when their duty is done. I want to go there. But I can’t until one of the Rain Wizards solve the threat of the Eyeless and the sun can be brought back safely. “I’ll appear before you again, when I feel I need to intervene. Head to the Mermaids and get the robe. You’ll also learn more as you continue. I wish you luck, Theo.” a flash of lightning struck Yamada, and he disappeared.

Theo grit his teeth, and began to ran forward “Leo! Cleo!” he yelled. Several Eyeless looked in his direction and began to chase after him. In a clearing ahead, Leo and Cleo had their swords out with their backs to another, holding off multiple Eyeless. Some began to crowd around them. “Leo! Cleo! Over here! Let’s go!” Theo yelled. Leo and Cleo looked at him before slicing the Eyeless again, with black ooze and cotton falling out, only being temporarily stunned as they tried to run over to Theo. They managed to make it over to him, but as he raised his staff to activate his skill, one of the Eyeless tackled him.

Theo reached out at the staff ahead of him, trying to grab it desperately. Leo and Cleo were held down as well as twisted smiles became warped onto the Eyeless’ faces. As the three were being held down, three figures dropped down from the trees. Two were Eyeless that looked different from the rest, with a crack under an eye. The third appeared to be a young woman with black armor, no eyes, dark blue hair and horns. The two Eyeless grabbed Theo and Leo and began to pull them towards two separate puddles. Theo’s mind flashed back to when one of the Eyeless when he first got here tried to do the same. They both desperately tried to fight back but to no avail. Theo looked over, seeing Cleo being held down by the young eyeless woman in black armor. Cleo was crying “Alice…what happened to you?” she sobbed before being dragged into a puddle as well. All three of them were put into three separate puddles. Theo could feel himself being dragged into what felt like the deep sea, losing his breath as his vision faded.