Shattered Destinies, Part 1

Kai Province 

"I know you're there. Stop hiding"

A low chuckle resounded from the dark. "When did you notice me?", the voice asked, with a hint of amusement. "From the moment you entered, I've told you that you can't fool me with your tricks", Takeda said. 

Steps began to echo on the wooden floors as the person came increasingly close to Takeda. He turned his head to look at the one who had breached his privacy. A boy of average height, no older than sixteen, stood before him. His pitch-black hair was rough and unkempt and his bright blue eyes seemed to emit a light of their own. He had an innocent face, with soft features, but Takeda knew all too well that the boy's face was just an avenue for deceit, to disguise his true nature. His pitch-black kosode and hakama completed his appearance. A simple-look, but Akagi, the Blood Shaman, was no simple person.

"A small part of me expected you to be sleeping," Akagi said while laughing. "One does not simply sleep while planning a massacre," Takeda said, matter-of-factly. He stood up, instantly dwarfing Akagi in height. His stern, battle-hardened face, along with his prodigious height made Takeda Shingen more than just intimidating. Sometimes, it felt like the world bent into him, like he was the center of it all. Akagi had noticed this on more than one occasion, but it always struck a semblance of fear into him.

"Everything is ready, just as you ordered."

"And the weapons?"

"Kusanagi and Yatsuka are more than ready to fulfill their purpose. The blue moon has ensured Tsukuyomi's blessing of our attack."

Takeda nodded his head, then moved to a corner of the room close to him. A full suit of samurai armor stood, supported by a pedestal. This armor had been with him through some of his toughest battles. It was a friend, in its own way.

"If everything goes according to plan, that armor will become obsolete. Unfortunate that this era of bloodshed in Nippon will soon end" Akagi said.

"Yes. But until then, I plan to make full use of it. Tonight will be no different" Takeda said, his face resolute.

The ground basking in the light of the beautiful blue moon...is about to be stained with the blood of innocents.

_    _    _    _

Hours earlier                                      On the edge of Kai Province

Mount Kirio rose above the flat plains around it, covering the land in its shadow. Its snow-covered peak and dark rock contrasted with the bright green of the sprawling grass fields around it. 

At the mountain's summit, despite the cold winds and lack of air, the calm meditation of a teenage monk remained uninterrupted. 

His breath was steady and calm, his chest rising and falling in rhythm. His orange robes, the right shoulder exposed, flapped in the air as the cold wind brushed against him. Peace... and quiet.

"Ichiji! Ichiji!"

The voice of a young boy suddenly rang out, disrupting the previous quietness of the mountaintop.

The monk continued his meditation, undisturbed by the shouting of his name.

"Ichiji! Come down! Monk Gyatso wants to see you!"

Ichiji's eyes opened immediately he heard this. A crow was in front of him, the only other living thing on the mountain peak. It's eyes were blood-red, an evident sign of the control the young boy wielded over it.

"Naoya, are you telling the truth? Mount Gyatso really wants to see me?" Ichiji asked.

"Yes! Come quickly!"

There was no deceit in Naoya"s voice that Ichiji could distinguish.

"Alright. I'll be on my way"

A groan left his lips as he stood up on the mountaintop. With a flap of its wings, the crow flew away, departing for warmer environments, released from its previous control. 

In an instant, Ichiji was off like a blur. The snow at the peak was scattered as he slid down the steep mountain surface with ease. The gaps in the rock and the unstable edges only served as platforms as he traversed the mountainside with gravity-defying speed and agility. Soon, the mountain face gave way to a cavity in its side.

A massive temple sat there, carved out of the stone itself. Ichiji jumped into the air, landing in the main courtyard with a loud thud.

The sea of orange robes in front of him shook as the monks present turned around to look at him. Monk Gyatso looked out upon the courtyard from the Main Hall, the largest and most important building in the Temple of the White Order.

Master Gyatso was an elderly man, dressed in the traditional robes but coloured white instead of orange. His face was riddled with wrinkles, yet his eyes remained focused and stern, almost like he could see into one’s soul. Sometimes, Ichiji actually felt like he could.

“Ichiji! It seems to me that quiet entrances are not in your favour,” the older man said.

“I’m sorry. I was at the mountaintop meditating, so I wasn’t aware of a meeting,” Ichiji said, bowing down.

“So you still refuse to participate in general meditation with the rest of us?”

From his lowered position, Ichiji’s eyes scanned the faces of the nearby monks. Faces of scorn, disapproval, even disgust. Even now, after all these years. His fists balled in frustration.

“Apologies, Master. But I do prefer the mountaintop for meditation,” Ichiji responded coolly.

“Alright, we shall discuss more later. Now, to the reason I have called this general meeting. My Fellows of the White Order, the time for our departure from Mount Kirio has arrived. We shall depart at first light tomorrow for Hokkaido!” Master Gyatso declared. Cheers and praises went up from everyone in the crowd. Ichiji, however, couldn’t be angrier.

The general meeting passed by quickly in Ichiji’s eyes, mostly due to his blinding rage.

Once they were all dismissed and sent back to their normal duties, Ichiji immediately rushed to Master Gyatso’s side.

“Master, if it wouldn’t be too much to ask, can I have a word with you?” He asked.

“Of course, we can go to my quarters”

The two of them walked side by side under the sloping roofs of the Temple buildings. Ichiji’s head swivelled as he looked at the Temple he had known all his life. By this time tomorrow, he would be away from here, in a faraway place, for who knows how long…

There had to be another way.

However, as time passed on, Ichiji got more and more confused. He knew the way to Master Gyatso’s chambers well, but that wasn’t the path they were following. They were getting continuously farther away from the main temple.

In fact, if he was correct, then they were heading towards the…

“Spirit Chamber. Are you just noticing?” Master Gyatso said with a laugh.

“Yes, but…I thought only the Leader of the Order can go there”

“Under normal circumstances. But there’s something I have to show you”

A large door set into the stone floor came into view after a few more minutes of walking. It was intricately carved, bearing all kinds of beautiful designs and patterns.

“Should I?” Ichiji asked, still unsure about their purpose here.

“Of course. Do as you please,” Master Gyatso responded.

Ichiji stepped forward, pulling open the heavy door with his strength. The door landed on the other side with a loud thud. The path leading deeper into the mountain was now open to him. His heartbeat quickened. Deep inside, he could feel it. The rumbling of ancient spirits and powers unknown.

“Come quickly,” Master Gyatso said, as he strolled carefree into the abyss.

Ichiji followed, his steps resounding against the stone steps. Before he knew it, the stone door at the top closed, leaving them in total darkness.

“How? How did it close by itself?” Ichiji asked.

“Ichiji, provide us with light please.” Master Gyatso said, ignoring his earlier question.

Ichiji clapped his hands together and closed his eyes, instantly entering deep concentration. A ball of flame manifested next to him, instantly filling the space with light.

“Hmmm. So you’ve learnt how to channel Kagutsuchi?” Gyatso asked.

“Yes. I realised Kagutsuchi was the next best thing, since Amaterasu has disappeared.” Ichiji answered.

They continued walking down, eventually reaching a long corridor. The walls were lined with vertical openings, covered by heavy doors. Inside were the bodies of the former Leaders of the White Order. When his time on this plane came to an end, Gyatso would join them here. Ichiji’s heartbeat quickened at the thought of Master Gyatso dying. The man he respected above all, in the end, even he wouldn’t be able to escape death.

They continued walking down the corridor, passing the bodies of the dead Leaders.

“Didn’t you have something you wanted to talk to me about? You’ve been surprisingly quiet, Ichiji,” Master Gyatso said.

“It’s the movement, sir. I…I don’t agree with it. Takeda Shingen is the best bet for Nippon’s reunification,” Ichiji said.

“The White Order doesn’t involve itself with matters of the physical world, Ichiji. You should know this.”

“I do! Trust me, I do. But if that was always the case, then I wouldn’t be here.”

“I saved you from those people because it was the right thing to do. Siding with Shingen would be a clear disregard for our code.”

“You’re talking about the right thing to do. But with all your power and all the change you can make, you’re comfortable with leaving Nippon to continue being ravaged by war. You don’t want to do anything to help!”

“I do want to help, Ichiji. I do.”

The two of them were now at the end of the corridor. A large, black wooden box laid on the ground in front of them. Master Gyatso kneeled down in front of it, Ichiji did the same.

“What…what is this?” Ichiji asked, curious.

“Ichiji, what are the Three Guiding Commands of the White Order?”, Gyatso asked.

“One must dedicate themselves to spiritual refinement. One must seek peace above all else. One must be in harmony with the Kami,” Ichiji said.

Gyatso slowly nodded his head as Ichiji recited the Commands.

 “Ichiji, those commands are our guiding way. And siding with Shingen would mean going to war and killing other men. ‘One must seek peace above all else’. Do you understand?” Gyatso said.

“I want to, but so many people…suffering and dying. Isn’t there anything, anything the Commands would allow us to do?” Ichiji asked.

“You are a kind person, Ichiji. All this is due to your concern for innocents. That…is why we are here,” Gyatso said, as he reached towards the box.

He opened it slowly, to reveal a mound of what looked like bandages. But Ichiji knew immediately what those were. They were Talismans. Powerful, and old.

“These Talismans…what are they sealing? What is this, Master Gyatso?” Ichiji asked, fear creeping into his voice.

“This… is the chikaeshi-no-tama,” Gyatso said.

Ichiji immediately jumped back in fear. “You’ve been keeping one of the Ten Lesser Treasures here all this time?! Is that why Takeda wanted us to join him?!” Ichiji shouted.

“No. He is not aware it is here. As a matter of fact, we are the only two people in this temple who know that this object is here,” Gyatso said coolly.

“Ichiji…I’m telling you this because I can truly trust you. Using the chikaeshino-tama, we can help Nippon. And maybe even save it,” he continued.

“How?”

“This jewel allows mortals to journey to the land of Yomi, the land of the dead. It is said that anyone brave enough to undertake the journey and strong enough to reach Izanami’s Castle, shall receive three blessings from her. That is you, Ichiji. You can use those blessings to find Amaterasu and restore Nippon to its former glory”

Ichiji’s breathing quickened as the weight of Gyatso’s words sunk into his bones.

‘What? What is he saying?! Me? Save Nippon?!’. Ichiji’s thoughts spiralled as Gyatso’s words reverberated in his head.

“Think about it, Ichiji. Although part of me already knows your answer. Now, let us return to the main temple,” Gyatso said as he closed the box.

The two journeyed back to the main temple, but Ichiji didn’t speak on the way back. He couldn’t speak.

The days were now hotter and shorter, so in a mere few hours, night had already descended upon the land. But back on the mountaintop, Ichiji’s thoughts were swimming in a pot of fear and self-doubt.

He was only 18. Would he be able to deliver? The thoughts came rushing, the death, the suffering. The life his parents had once lived. His chest felt heavy as he thought about them, their lives and their deaths. So many people were now suffering the same fate.

One of Master Gyatso’s lessons came to his mind.

“Failing after trying is a pitiful. But never trying at all is pathetic”

The blue moon came into view as Ichiji looked up. It was so beautiful. He instantly felt relaxed just by looking at it. Taking a deep breath, he remembered his parents. His mom’s blue eyes and wide smile. His father’s deep voice and strong hugs.

‘What would they want me to do?’

But he already knew the answer. They would want him to find Amaterasu.

Failing was one thing, but not trying at all was even worse.

Master Gyatso was right. A smile erupted on his face as he realised he had come to the answer Gyatso thought he would. Ichiji resolved within himself, he would gladly accept the challenge.

But just as he came to his answer, a chill ran down his spine. He felt a change in the air, but not a physical one. As if the world itself had been twisted or warped. He looked back immediately to see a young boy, around his age, with rough black hair and a soft face. His blue eyes seemed to gaze into the soul, making Ichiji’s blood run cold. He stood up quickly, backing up from the boy.

“Two times in one night. Am I getting weaker? Or do I keep meeting anomalies?” the boy asked.

“Who are you?” Ichiji asked.

“Oh! Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Akagi Shinuwa. And me and my daimyo are going to exterminate your Order today. Nice to meet you.”