On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

“You keep interesting company…” Sekka moaned, as she leaned against Mae’s shoulder. “…humans? And other beings unlike us.” She observed Hyacinth in her maid outfit curiously, her icy eye looking her up and down, in contrast to the stark, bloody emptiness of her other socket. “…but not unwelcome. Bintara, if you are accompanying Tamamo-no-Mae, it is clear why you are here. Though why the two Oni fools have followed you… ah, perhaps I understand that after all…”

She let out a slight pained gasp as her body shifted, more fragments of dark, sanguine ice falling from her body. “It seems I am fortunate indeed, unlike some. I would greatly appreciate your… assistance. I would offer more hospitality, but as you can see, my abode has seen some prior guests, who appeared unexpectedly, and… left much to be desired.” Her scarred face twitched into a bitter smile.

“What happened here?” Mae asked, even as Bintara and I stepped forward to help. “I know your strength well, Sekka, and even if time has dulled your claws, surely few would dare to come to your frozen mountain and provoke you?”

“Enough.” Bintara cut Mae off, shaking her head, great curved horns nearly catching me as I stepped aside. Mae’s eyes flashed with annoyance, but perhaps she really had changed from the past, as she swallowed her anger and listened. “You can ask questions of her when we have relieved her pain and injuries, aiding her recovery. You…” Bintara ordered me. “…shall assist me. What does your Eye see?”

I wasn’t the only one that thought Mae was being tolerant, as Sekka blinked her missing eye in surprise. “You are seldom able to maintain your calm at being told no, Tamamo-no-Mae. Even those you consider your peers are not immune to your wrath. I remember…”

“Silence now.” Bintara cut off her ramblings, calling upon her aether and water elements, probing into Sekka. “What do you see?” she repeated, and as I inspected Sekka, both my eyes glowing a faint amber, I spoke.

“It’s Eyes now. But that’s not important…” I couldn’t resist teasing the aloof Bintara, as I held some affection for her due to her aid with Shiro and Eri’s prior grievous injuries, and also appreciated what she’d taught me in the process. “…she’s got deep internal injuries, though it also seems her body itself is trying to regenerate those rather effectively, but what’s worse…” I examined the black ice frozen within her. The crimson was clearly her frozen blood, but the darker shards were captured elemental energies. “…dust element is tainting her, necrotising the wounds, preventing her from healing properly and also damaging her spiritual body. There’s… well, it’s a lot like dust, is it… ah, I see…”

Dissipating Ooze is a Unique Dust Element, made possible by the addition of a strong Water Element to the mixture, creating something new. Like Dust Element itself, it is highly corrosive to both Material and Spiritual subtle bodies, but due to the addition of an unknown, powerful Water Element, it is also more insidious, and both spreads easily and is far harder to eliminate, though unlike ordinary Dust Element, this also leaves it vulnerable to being frozen or evaporated.

I explained what my Eyes had seen, and Sekka peered at me with some confusion, her single eye wary. “Bintara, Tamamo-no-Mae, who is this? You would listen to a… just what are you?” She glanced at Daiyu in some confusion. “That one is a human. Perhaps distant kin to those who sleep within the ice. But this one… seems human, yet also like her…” She raised her functional arm and pointed a trembling finger at Hyacinth. “…perhaps it is the troubles I have faced, but I am feeling rather mystified by this all…”

“It is quite simple.” Mae gritted her teeth, seemingly furious at the damage Sekka had taken. “He is Akio. The one who rebuilt me, and… and who seized my tail.”

Sekka’s eyes widened at that quiet remark, and she spat in surprise, her spittle quickly freezing to pretty icy crystals which scattered across Mae’s shoulder. With a raised eyebrow, Mae flicked the mess off with wind element, and I took that moment to introduce us properly.

“The way Mae says that is wrong. I’m just her friend, I suppose?” I shrugged. “Though I did work a miracle of Healing on her. She was in a lot worse a shape than you are… I can call you Sekka, right? You Yōkai aren’t big on honorifics, usually…” At her slow nod, I continued. “…so don’t worry, we can Heal you. We’ll consider it practice for what comes next. You’ll be easy in comparison. Anyway, you already know Mae, Bintara and the two Oni, it seems. I’m Oshiro Moonstone Akio, but as Mae says, you can call me Akio. I’m… a Faeduine. I used to be human, but now I’m more of a spiritual being, a Fae, like Hyacinth here. And Shaeula’s a Fae too, but also a Kamaitachi. You might know her mother, Urakaze.”

Sekka was shocked by that. “That woman is as cold as my mountains. She had a daughter?”

“Time has left us all behind.” Mae agreed solemnly. “Much has changed, though much stays the same…”

Red snorted sourly at that, though looking at the devastation around us, he was getting rather excited, Blue having to calm him down.

“Speaking of daughters, or in this case, granddaughters…” I waved a hand at Hana, even as my Eyes were scanning Sekka for all the dust, or rather the ooze, inside her. It was insidious, as unlike my prior encounters with the corrosive, destructive element, ooze was slippery, clever, and it could burrow in without causing too much harm, and then it expanded out, inflicting grievous internal damage. “…this is one of Mae’s. She goes by Nebisuki, I’m sure you understand why…”

“And he keeps calling you Mae.” Sekka was stunned, realising the incongruity. “You have torn apart men for far less…”

“It is just his… habit.” Mae shrugged, still supporting Sekka. “Besides, while I may be notoriously ungrateful, I am not entirely without decency.” Mae seemed almost offended, which only puzzled Sekka more.

“…ah, do not mind it.” Hana grinned. “Grandmother has been absorbing mortal ways and has blossomed as a tsundere. As for me, I am of the Hyakki Yagyō, yet now I follow the one who has caught my tail also. He has grabby hands…” She chuckled at her own jokes, showing her teeth, ears waggling playfully.

“Lastly, this sword here…” I stroked Tsurugi’s hilt, and I could hear her sleepy mental voice making odd drooling and snoring sounds. It was rather adorable, actually. “…is Tsurugi, a Tsukumogami. And we have Zhao Daiyu, she’s a Cultivator, just like Su Caihong and her daughter, who you’ve kept safe all these years for Mae. They are still safe?” I asked, and Sekka let out a bitter laugh.

“I was right. It seems you guests are indeed an unusual group. As for those who sleep within… safe is not for me to judge. But I have done as asked and kept the frozen coffins of my purest ice free from harm. Do not fear, the… intruders… did not breach my throne room.”

“Tell us about them.” Mae asked, her nine tails moving erratically, showing she was clearly furious. “Your injuries are nothing, you shall be restored shortly.”

“Nothing, you say? Arrogant as ever.” Bintara frowned, her hands placed upon Sekka’s limp and shredded arm. “It seems you are only humble around him.” She nodded at me. “There is a tale there.”

As the Oni seemed extremely interested, Hana laughed. “Oh, there most certainly is. But it is not a tale for now, but for when all is said and done, and we relax amidst fine alcohol and delightful entertainment.”

“I am a poor host indeed. In better times, perhaps I would invite the Yuki-onna of the mountains to play their Koto, Shamisen, Shakuhachi and Taiko for guests. And offer winter-cold sake served in cups of purest ice, and the freshest fish, caught from the cold waters of the northern seas.” Sekka grimaced. “Alas, the mountains are… under siege.”

“Music and booze are indeed-indeed fun.” Shaeula agreed. “But you are behind the times if that is all-all you can think of. Rejoice, for we are here to show-show you a new world!”

“I would be satisfied if the current world was not so… troubling.” Sekka retorted dryly, before letting out an agonised yelp. “My arm, it burns…”

“This is no simple matter.” Bintara watched as Sekka’s arm began to corrode, the ooze eating through the ice that was prisoning it within her. Pale, blue-tinged flesh dripped red, and then black. Bintara’s energies seeped into flesh, reknitting it, and the toxic mush was expelled, but it then propagated itself, rather unlike ordinary dust elements. “Make yourself useful and assist me.”

“Of course.” I chuckled, once more thinking back to when Shiro was so injured. “I was just running some ideas through my Split Thoughts. Honestly… it might just be easier to purge her, no matter the damage, and worry about restoring the damage with a clean body. But…”

“She may not survive. Although… Sekka, the pinnacle of Yuki-onna, is not so weak as to be slain by this. After all, as a Yuki-onna, like the snow and ice, the cold restores her.” Bintara insisted, and Sekka leaked a weak chuckle.

“By this? Oh, if only you knew. Be gentle… the fire is spreading…” Indeed, her faintly blue-hued flesh was darkening, taking on a more humanlike shade, which wasn’t a good sign. Blood, water and ooze was dripping from her many wounds, and her expression was one of barely suppressed agony. “…perhaps it would be better to simply… wait it out, as I have before. I shall recover in time, as ice spreads in a frozen lake…”

“I don’t think that’s wise. This isn’t the first time you’ve been injured, is it?” I pointed out, my Eyes detecting that there were several incursions of this unique dust element, as paradoxical as that was, and some were older than others, buried deeper, trapped within regenerated, frosty tissue. I then wove scalpels of aether, digging deep inside her, pulling out the tainted element from her spiritual body, wringing more gasps and freezing sweat from her.

“This stuff is nasty.” I raised a hand, and Foehn flared, burning the ooze to nothingness, fires consuming the spilled poison greedily. “It’s not entirely dissimilar to Foehn, though while Foehn spreads and consumes, this stuff spreads and disintegrates…”

“Keep that fire away from me…” Sekka shivered, and with a grin I withdrew the Foehn back into the main flame within me, a feat that required very delicate handling, else I’d burn myself with my own fires. Once the Foehn was gone again, she shuddered, nearly falling, and would have if Mae wasn’t holding her up. “…I see I must speak then. Yes… the last turnings of the moon, the situation in this frozen north has become… strained. Old hatreds, ancient grudges, some might even say crimes committed during the earliest era of this land… they have resurfaced.”

“I did not think that my actions would have such consequences. I never did. I believed any anger, any resentment, any revenge… was nothing more than the bleatings of the weak, easily dismissed.” Mae glanced at Hana, who returned a rueful grin, her own tails wagging.

“Yes, I remember it well. You spared me on a whim, grandmother. But certainly if I returned to seek vengeance, I would have ended up just like those other Kitsune. But your actions did eventually build to your defeat.”

“They say a stone fears only a strong fist that can break it, but… the slow dripping of water can eventually shatter a boulder no mere punch can.” Daiyu agreed. “And conflict can breed future hatreds, unless the roots are thoroughly pulled out.”

As they talked, I was continually extracting the tainted dust element from Sekka, while Bintara restored damaged flesh, aiding the Yuki-onna’s natural regeneration. Fortunately, the wounds weren’t like Shiro’s, tainted with adherence, though… there was certainly something fortifying the slimy ooze, making it far more potent.

“These roots have been beneath our notice for a long time.” Sekka breathed out, and then suddenly coughed, blood, ice and dust spilling from her lips, all of which I burned with Foehn, to be safe. Even at a distance, the brief flames were scorching Sekka’s skin, and she looked a very sorry figure. “At first it was simply an annoyance. Dead things creeping from the coast. A simple shake of my hand…” She raised her injured arm, suddenly surprised it could move again, and her cold blue eyes narrowed, and a detailed sculpture of ice appeared on her palm, though beautiful, it certainly wasn’t. Despite the scintillating reflections the creation threw off, it was ugly and misshapen.

“Is that-that… a bear?” Shaeula asked. “Though it seems rather… disgusting. Lumpy and-and misshapen. A sack-sack of bones and ragged fur.”

“Is it not a likeness of Atago-un-kamuy, the dead thing we fought below Mount Atago?” Daiyu narrowed her obsidian eyes. “No, it is not exactly the same, but… the similarities are far too clear to be a mere coincidence.”

Mae had fallen silent, and as we all looked at her, it was Red that spoke first. “Seems to me you have an inkling of what’s going on.” He let out a cavernous belch of frustration. “Blue and I may not be as ancient as you…”

“My age has little to do with this, and I am not ancient…” Mae retorted, and Blue took over.

“It’s a bit late to be worrying about ya age, don’t ya think? I don’t think he cares.” She winked at me, even as I was carefully working my Ether Healing on Sekka to aid her recovery, and Chirurgery to surgically dig out any traces of ooze, Foehn still consuming them. I know Foehn’s eaten dust element before, but… I think it finds this one particularly tasty…

“No, this is from the old times, don’t ya think, Red?” Blue addressed her brother, who nodded his massive head. “The start of the Parade. We came later, though ya shouldn’t underestimate us because of that, not unless ya want a beating.”

“I had thought she perished. It was war.” Mae mused. “Aunt of the swamps, demon of the mountains…”

At her words, Sekka shivered, and not from the heat of my Foehn or the pain of her surgery. Bintara seemed to know something too, judging by her troubled expression.

“I did not take part.” Sekka declared. “I merely… settled these mountains later, once they were slaughtered by others. But that distinction is surely lost on them, or would be, if they survived. But… you were very thorough, were you not, Tamamo-no-Mae? You believed in the methods of those foolish humans from across the cold seas. It is as you say…” Sekka inclined her head in Daiyu’s direction. Yeah, I should be able to regenerate Sekka’s missing eye shortly…

“Cut down one’s enemies or rivals, but then tear out all the roots, and bring fire to what remains. Only when all is dead and gone, can there be peace. Though peace is merely…”

“A rest before more conflict.” Red rumbled. “Seems like my instincts were right. A good battle is brewing.” He then smirked wickedly, fangs showing. “And if we finish up, then your convoy of the good booze will wash away the fatigue.”

“Just what-what is going on here?” Shaeula asked, a little confused, and Mae let out a bitter sigh.

“Old grudges. From long before even that wretched monk repaid my betrayal with one of his own.” Her tails quivered, her emerald eyes glinting with remembered anger. “How much do you know of the land we call our home? The Kami did not always hold sway here, and we Yōkai were not as strong, nor was the Hyakki Yagyō as it is now, a unified rabble.”

“The Ainu. I know about Japan’s black history. Though it’s not taught at all in Japanese schools. But mom made sure Aiko, Eri and I all knew… I won’t say the truth, because that’s lost to time, but certainly at least what evidence is still available. And the Ainu worshipped Kamuy instead of Kami.” I suggested. “From what little I’ve gathered from listening to you, and also Tarōbō, and a few other little comments others have made… there was a war, right? Between the Kami and the Yōkai on one side, and on the other… the native Kamuy.”

“A war? Yes, to the Kami.” Mae shook her head, the flickering of her ears showing her displeasure. “But to the Yōkai… we all had our reasons. I… was simply acting on a whim. Even then I was powerful, the Kitsune with nine perfect tails, yet…” she paused then, choosing her words. “I suppose it hardly matters. You have seen much of my Tribulation, I doubt knowing more will lead to your disdain. I was bored, and back then we Kitsune were at the height of our powers. There were many with five, six, seven or even eight tails. Though none but I with nine.” she insisted.

“So vain, ya be.” Blue snorted, only to fall silent as Mae glared at her.

“Nurarihyon also wished to push the Kamuy out, for reasons of his own. Ōtakemaru… of course he was just seeking slaughter and violence. No refinement, that brute.” Mae glanced down at her hands, her long yet well-manicured fingernails tapping together rhythmically as she narrated the past. “Me… thinking back, I hardly know why I agreed. It is not that I loved the Kami, nor their callous Gods above. But once started… it was impossible to stop.”

“That’s why I’m generally in favour of a peaceful resolution.” I chuckled. “Anyway… can you hold on just a minute, Sekka? This is going to sting a little, and be very uncomfortable…” I’d removed all the lingering dust element, so Bintara was more than able to finish helping Sekka recover, so I’d handle the eye. I placed my hand on Sekka’s face, covering the gaping socket, and her flesh was oddly cool, and not unpleasant to the touch. Aether surged, and she let out a hoarse gasp, as a new eye began to form, tissues rebuilding under my ministrations. All of these injuries are well within my abilities to fix. I can only hope that the frozen Cultivators are as possible…

“Peaceful? The world was different then. Before the second waning, it was a world where those with power were everywhere. Even so, I stood below none.” Mae insisted. “Yet the war dragged on, with only one outcome. Perhaps a handful of Kamuy escaped or lie hidden. But they perished. And Japan now belongs to the Kami, and the Yōkai. A split. The Hyakki Yagyō agreed not to trespass on hallowed ground, but… outside of that, at night…”

“I see.” I removed my hand, inspecting Sekka’s new eye, as she rolled and blinked it, icy tears sliding down as she reacclimatised herself to it. “A lot of the events of Kyoto make more sense now. I assume that the end of the war wasn’t an amicable split between allied parties?”

“Hardly.” Mae snorted. “We Yōkai are capricious and far from able to restrain our impulses. Even outnumbering the Kamuy, we still bled, as we settled scores between each other, or simply grew bored and caused trouble. Not that the Kami are at all blameless. After all…” Mae’s smile was cold. “…it was, as you humans call it, genocide. Whether it was truly for land, faith and power, as I believe, or the Gods sending the Kami to battle had a deeper reason, enough blood was shed to turn the waters around these islands red, before it was all done.”

“But if they were destroyed, then how are they attacking now, and why?” Daiyu asked. “And if they have returned, why have they not sought revenge on the Kami, destroyed the shrines and temples, and struck back at the Night Parade?”

“Har.” Red chuckled. “You think the Parade are a bunch of pushovers? Even without Great Nurarihyon descending, we can still crush any intruders, and make drinking cups from their hollow skulls.” He paused, and I had the feeling, judging by his sheepish expression, that if his skin wasn’t crimson, we’d see a blush. “Not everyone’s as deadly as your little plague maid here…” He waved a meaty hand at Hyacinth, who did blush.

“Indeed, if Akio asks, I can certainly destroooy you all. With my Cauldron, and the knooowledge I have learned… I shall cooooook a broth that shall spread death to all our enemies!”

“I think that is not-not a good idea.” Shaeula chuckled. “Besides, your methods are not-not infallible, no-no more than Duke Myrcolaxriath was. Else we could not-not have slain him.”

“True.” I agreed. “Even now, facing the full might of the Parade, I’m sure we’d fall. Or at least be forced to flee in defeat. Though I’m confident the Parade would be short a fair few Numbers before we were done. As for the Kami… there aren’t a great deal of true shrines or temples here in Hokkaido, but… if they were attacked, it’d draw notice and reprisals. Anyway…” I paused, my Eyes inspecting Sekka. “… it looks like you’re back to full health. Here.” I pulled a potion to restore aetheric energies out of my storage and passed it to her. It’s dyed blue, of course. “This should help with the fatigue a little.”

Sekka took it curiously, uncorking the small vial, and drinking the liquid within. Eyes wide, she licked her purple lips with a cold tongue. “This is… quite refreshing.”

“Yeah. The alcohol content is minor, like amazake, but it gives it a little warming hit.” I chuckled. “So, how do you feel?”

“Quite well.” Sekka no longer needed Mae to support her, and she stepped away, straightening her robe. Realising it was ragged and bloodstained, she grimaced, before waving a hand, and frost wrapped her, forming a brilliant, sparkling dress of ice crystals, which on seeing it, I immediately wanted to replicate for Shaeula, Hyacinth, Daiyu and the others. Though if it was made of glass, it’d be too heavy and fragile… even so, it’s stunning…

Spoiler

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“I thank you.” Sekka had manners, unusual for Yōkai. “While I was capable of recovering myself, given time…” But there’s the usual Yōkai arrogance… She reached out a hand, and I chuckled, pulling out another blue potion, and after she downed that, she conjured up icy seats for us all. I gallantly pulled out some spare clothing from my storage to use as insulators for the chairs, though only the ladies were so blessed. Red and I had to tough it out, but he howled with laughter when I covered Blue’s seat, until she thumped him and snapped at him to shut up.

“…the attacks continued. At first I dispatched them with ease, even if the dead are not easy targets for my ice. Fortunately, as you have seen…” Her lips quirked in bitter remembrance. “…that vile mud can freeze. Besides, this is my domain, my land. While I was content to have a humble abode, not seeking the heights Nurarihyon did, unwilling to bear the trouble of finding a way not to disturb the shell that surrounds this land, I was still far stronger here. But again and again they returned, until this last battle… the chaos unleashed destroyed my foothold here. Reestablishing it shall take several years, I fear.” Her mournful expression then faded. “Even so, I would not have been destroyed easily. Yet… if the cursed bears of Kenas-unarpe still continued to harass me, in time… I would have been forced to retreat.”

“Kenas-unarpe? Is that this ‘aunt of the swamps’ you mentioned earlier?” I asked, and Mae nodded.

“Indeed. She was a pestilent creature. A wretched, haggish woman, who reeked of rot and piss. Malicious, too. From her swamps came many lesser Kamuy, her servants, and most were bears. Their claws cut like axes, yet left savage, poisoned wounds. Those so wounded would suffer their jaw clamping, spasms in their muscles, fever, sweating vile black liquids, then seizures and death. Yet I know she is dead. I was amongst those who slew her…” Mae muttered. “…of course, if these are merely her deceased, fallen puppets, sent out somehow…” Her eyes met mine, and I could see Daiyu, Hyacinth and Shaeula understood too.

“We’ve seen the dead used in battle, and also an undead Kamuy before. It’s not impossible, but… that begs the obvious question…” I pointed out.

“Why now? After all these long centuries?” Sekka caught on quickly. “And… why here. I am not a fool. I tracked their passage, and they have come from the seas of the northwest. After the second incident, which I dealt with handily…” she couldn’t help but brag now she was healed again. “…I journeyed northwards, and on the western coast I found the corpse of a great whale, and more of that vile muck that chokes the corpses. I thought that perhaps they were simply washed ashore and wandered my way, but since then… every few days, the numbers grow and grow, until even I grew weary, and they ceased being an annoyance, and crossed into being a threat.”

“There is quite-quite an obvious problem with that story, is there not-not?” Shaeula pointed out, and Sekka’s gaze hardened.

“Are you saying I am wrong?”

“Not-not at all.” Shaeula shrugged, and Daiyu took over.

“From the northwest to here… it was eerily quiet, very few dwellers of the Boundary present. That is odd in itself. When the jungle is quiet, often it means a tiger is hiding unseen in the foliage. But if the tigers are hiding… was there not several shrines we visited in the path between your mountain home and that northwestern coastline?”

“Yes. And they weren’t particularly mighty ones. Yet they’ve seen nothing. If you ask me, while it could be a coincidence… I’d rather plan for it being some sort of purposeful, directed scheme. Besides…” I asked Sekka a question. “…was that close to Mount Rishiri and Rebun Island?”

She nodded slowly. “Indeed it was. I could see the volcano from the coast. It was grumbling, as it usually does. It is not a quiet mountain.”

I frowned at her words. That’s odd. In the Material it’s long dormant… “I was planning on checking out the area anyway, at least once our business here is done, but now I have more incentive.” Does this have anything to do with the vision Tsukiko and I received atop Mount Gassan? I certainly don’t believe in coincidence nowadays, I’ve been converted to belief in Foresight and prophecies, even if I won’t let them blindly rule us.

“Sounds like we were right, Blue.” Red cried happily. “Our instincts are always right. Looks like there’s going to be some bloodshed. It’s been too long since we’ve had a proper fight. And it’s been far too long since we’ve seen you fight, fox. Maybe you’ve gone soft?” He grinned toothily at Mae, whose mood was clearly declining, her impatience made plain not by her face, but by the motion of her ears and tails.

“Soft? I can still teach you some manners, foolish Oni.” Her snort was savage and urgent, and I understood why.

“There’s more to discuss, certainly. But we can do that later. For now…” I stood, wiping fragments of ice from my back. “…you know what we came for. Sekka, if you could show us to those who slumber?”

Sekka also stood, as did the others. With her dress made from glittering ice jewels sparkling, she had an almost angelic aura, combined with her cold beauty, blue tinted skin and fathomless eyes. “Very well. Tamamo-no-Mae, regardless of whether they perish or not, remember this. I kept my promise to you, and I shall claim that debt, although…” She had the grace to nod to me and Bintara. “I shall consider your efforts here a small repayment towards it. Now come.”

She beckoned us through the ruined hall to the back, the temperature dropping rapidly. Here, the destruction the strange undead Kamuy, and their dreadful oozing dust had caused was absent, and the pillars holding up the icy ceiling were untouched. Sekka raised a hand, forming another ice sculpture, this one in the shape of a key, and she pressed it into a fissure in one wall, where it turned with an audible click, before it shattered to sparkling diamond dust. With a dull rumble, a section of the wall slid aside, frozen mist seeping out and lingering around our feet, and Sekka beckoned us to the passage revealed behind her.

“This way.” Sekka conjured an ice crystal which gave off an indigo light. We followed behind her down the tight passage in procession, and I could hear Mae’s breath hitching, even as it hissed out as water vapour. I reached out my hand, and hesitantly, she took it, ignoring snickers from Shaeula and Hana. I know why she’s nervous. She may pretend to be unconcerned, to accept any result, but I know better… after all, I’ve seen the lengths she went to for them…

“I shall remember this, granddaughter…” Mae covered her nerves with annoyance, but Hana merely continued chuckling.

“Here.” Sekka reached the end of the passageway, and it was a jagged wall of spiked ice, blue and white icicles dangling down. “Break for me.” She waved her hand, her recovering ice element manipulating the wall to shatter. As it collapsed, the temperature dropped further, and I let out a little flame element to keep us warm. My Eyes shone, and it revealed a rich natural source of ice element filling the room. And then…

“It has been… a long, long time.” Bintara reminisced. “I… do not hold out a great deal of hope. Their injuries were unimaginably severe, beyond my talents, even then.”

“I know.” Mae agreed, her pace quickening, and we stepped past Sekka, and into the circular cavern. The floor was frozen, and as Daiyu followed us out, her black eyes widened. Beneath what must have been more than a metre of solid ice, she had spotted something glittering, and my Eyes reported it as…

This Time-Killing Ice Formation is a potent work by a master of the Noble Pursuit of Formations. It draws upon the rich source of Ice Element in this area, as well as the significant Ether density, and focuses it upon the Yin and Yang nodes of the Formation. The effect is to slow the passage of time for the two beings entombed within, as well as chill the bodies and spirits of the entombed, reducing their existence to a hibernating state.

Unfortunately, despite this being a masterwork Formation, the materials used in its construction were not capable of functioning for so many centuries without maintenance, so damage to the Formation has accumulated, and the slowly dwindling supplies of Ether for conversion have also caused the Formation to misalign, causing unknown damage to those within.

That’s not good. I drew in a breath sharply, and as I did so, Mae’s hand tightened on mine, perhaps understanding I had noticed something. …no, so long as they’re alive, if they are reduced to bloody rags, we can still fix them. Even if their minds are shattered, there’s still Haru. No, it’s too soon to be despondent…

Set at the centre of the room, bathed in the shimmering pinkish light of the ice elemental fountain, two mounds were sticking out of the ice, their contents shadowed by the thick frost. Mae, seeing that, rushed forward, dragging me along, and soon we were there. She raised her hands, water and wind elements answering her will, and the ice cracked, shattering, fragments swept away, revealing two more blocks of ice below, though these were regular, smooth, solid and crystal clear as glass, revealing two figures within.

“The Saint of Brilliant Flowers, she was known as…” Mae muttered, her hands on the crystal, looking down at the heartbreakingly pitiful form of what I barely recognised as Su Caihong. Her flesh had necrotised, too long trapped in the ice, the Formation no longer properly fuelled. In addition, she had many unhealed wounds, though the blood had long dried. She had also withered away, as despite the incredibly glacial passage of time, and her hibernating slumber, her body still drew slowly on nutrients.

“…and she gave birth to a flower worth the plucking. The Peach-blossom Lotus, some named her. A rare jewel in a filthy, corrupt Kunlun.” Mae turned to the other coffin, where another, smaller figure, equally shrunken and frostbitten, lay unmoving. “…though sadly, I never had the chance. There is a certain charm to an idealistic young virgin, is there not?” Her smile was sad as she turned back to me. “She was fiery, like her mother. Disliked men, too, of course. Not that I blame her. Cultivation is strength that does not discriminate between men and women, yet… somehow men usually seem to merely exploit their female sisters, daughters and Disciples. The world is cruel, meaningless. Or so I thought. So why not simply live as we please? The strong should satisfy themselves, for the world is not kind.”

Isn’t kind? I… don’t agree. Because… “Is Fiery. Dislikes men.”

At my words, Mae was confused, but Shaeula grinned wickedly, her own eyes shining amber.

“Do not-not show weakness at the final moment, Tamamo-no-Mae. They have not-not perished in these last few days. After all… I saw-saw their chests begin to move. It is slow-slow, so agonisingly slow that I was not-not sure if I imagined it, but…” She winked. “My eyes can-can see the flow of aether, and though they are but flickering flames, almost extinguished… they yet-yet live.”

“She’s right.” I agreed, my Eyes assessing the mess around us, of the damaged Formation, the parched coffins. “So… now we need to work out how the hell we’re going to fix this mess and get them out alive without the shock killing them before we can help. And we will manage that. Then we will focus on stabilising them…” Ideas whirled through my head as Mae looked on with a mixture of resignation and forlorn hope, before she shook her head, tails suddenly standing erect.

“When did I become so weak, so prone to melancholy? I blame you, Sekka…” Mae snapped, and the Yuki-onna protested, but she was ignored. “…talk of the past has made me wistful. Now…” She squeezed my hand, perhaps seeking reassurance. “…we have come this far. Order us, and we shall, all of us…” Red, Blue and Hana chuckled at her fierce stare, before they blanched as a wave of aether surged from her, and I could feel her anger, sharp, cold and brittle. “…do as you command. If they can be saved… my gratitude shall be your reward.”

“I don’t need it, but… let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” With my Eyes, I mapped out the situation in my head. “Okay, here’s what we do. First, Daiyu, you…” Like I thought earlier, I can’t believe they can survive all this time, far longer than planned or even plausible, only to perish here and now. Surely… surely fate isn’t so cruel? And even if it is… Just as I had turned aside Shiro’s and Tan’s prophesised future, I intended to do the same here. …then I’ll shatter fate, just as Mae shattered that ice!