Rain fell in a steady pour, forming pools of filthy water and wetting countless mounds of trash.
As the puddles overflowed, causing streams of water to run into each other, a large bolt of lightning illuminated the night sky; this brief moment of light revealed the location.
A dark alley wedged between decayed buildings, their wood chipped and battered by weather and time.
A man stood with his back against the wall. He cupped his cigarette in his hand to protect it from the rain and sighed with relief as he filled the air with smoke.
Beside him sat an anxious boy, wrapped in a shabby blanket. The boy shivered with cold, staring blankly at the puddles.
"Hey, kid," he said to the boy and handed him a cigarette. "Try this."
The boy shook his head hesitantly.
The man sighed, "I know it's frowned upon for kids your age to do stuff like this. But trust me, it'll relieve you of whatever's bugging you."
The boy reluctantly accepted the cigarette.
His hands shook as he pressed the end to his lips and exhaled. He occasionally coughed between puffs, and he felt weak and dizzy.
"How do you feel?" the man asked.
"My throat feels like it's burning," the boy replied.
"That's because it's your first time. You'll get used to it."
After a few more puffs, the boy inhaled deeper.
"My head feels like it's buzzing," the boy remarked, "But it's kinda soothing."
The cigarette slipped from his shaky hands and sank into a puddle of murky water.
"You have another one?" the boy asked.
The man smiled and fished through his pocket, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter.
"This is all I have," he replied, "You can keep them if you want. There's only one, so I suggest you save it for something more memorable. Think of it as a celebratory smoke."
"Thank you," the boy accepted.
"No problem," the man walked away, "stay safe, kid."
The boy leaned his head against the building. His mind felt blank and calm from lightheadedness.
Tensai's eyes flashed to the present.
"So that's how it started," he said, blowing sweet smoke into the air. "It feels like yesterday. But maybe that's just a side effect of immortality."
He inhaled deeply, "Even though it's been so long since I started, it's still a habit of mine."
Tensai strolled up a mountain, leaving a trail of smoke.
"Years of apathy got me where I am now.
"When you've been at the bottom, you learn the absurdity of life...
He reached the summit and beamed down at the Shi and Kamakura villages.
"Despite all my years of living, I've yet to come to terms with it. That's why I vowed to give my life meaning. And to do that, I must reach that world."
***
After escaping Hashira's oil, the Shi family tracked down Hashira by following the scars that his battle with Kurome left on the landscape.
All under the assumption that Hashira won his battle, they were horrified after seeing his limbless corpse. Some wept, others raged, but their resolve never wavered.
They followed a nearby trail of blood, expecting it to lead them to Hashira's killer.
Further up the bloody trail, Kurome limped forward ever so slowly.
"These wounds are deep," he mumbled through the pain, "It's unusual for my body to take this long to heal."
He trekked for some time. Until he finally encountered Tensai at the mountain's summit.
Tensai avoided eye contact, but upon noticing Kurome's wounded body, he said, "He got you good, didn't he? "
Kurome replied, "I simply underestimated him. I didn't expect him to figure out 'Nightmare Realm' that quickly."
"I see. Well, what's Hashira's status?"
"Deceased."
"Good."
Kurome sat beside Tensai. His blind eyes were unable to see the Shi and Kamakura villages.
"Give it a try," Tensai handed Kurome a lit cigarette.
Upon smelling the substance, Kurome displayed his charred arm, "Do I look like someone who wants to smoke?"
"Think of it as a celebratory smoke to commemorate your victory over Hashira," Tensai replied.
Kurome's body went still before he could accept it.
"Another nightmare," Tensai muttered as he looked up at the sky.
"To Hashira," he said as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"It's bitter. But this one's a thousand years in the making."
***
Kurome's body sprang back into reality. He felt dizzy and confused as he probed his surroundings.
"You made quite a few enemies while you were dreaming," Tensai remarked.
"What do you mean?" Kurome asked.
"The entire Shi family," Tensai answered.
On the plateau, glaring up at Tensai was nearly the entire Shi family, fueled by the pain of Hashira's death.
"These underlings aren't our priority," Tensai said, "You've sensed him, haven't you."
"I have."
"Then I'll take care of the Shi family while you handle him."
"Alright."
"One more thing, Kurome."
"What is it?"
"Don't underestimate him or his allies."
"I won't," Kurome replied, "my body has nearly recovered. What happened with Hashira will not happen again."
With that, Kurome dashed away, leaving Tensai alone with hundreds of Shi family members.
"All of you against little old me," Tensai grinned as ash swirled around his feet.
"Isn't this a little unfair?"
***
As Aziel stared blankly at his teacher's corpse, which lay in a dense pool of blood, a memory of Hashira echoed through his mind.
One of Hashira's teachings involved a lesson on the futility of tears. While he acknowledged that crying is a genuine human response, he argued that it was a pointless act amid battle.
Aziel remembered Hashira asking, "When Isaac gave his life for the rest of you to escape safely, why did you attack Kaizen?"
"I had just awakened my ririsu prana," Aziel answered, "That influx of power. It made me feel like I could've defeated him."
"You were just as naive as David. We both know that the proper course of action would've been to escape hell with David and Rosa. So I'll ask you once more. Why did you attack Kaizen?"
Aziel lowered his head. "I let emotion cloud my judgment," he said grievously.
"Aziel," Hashira continued, "do not misunderstand. Tears shed on behalf of another are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of purity.
"Tears only become a hindrance when they obstruct your way of thinking.
"I shouldn't have to tell you this, but always remember, in a life or death situation: act now, mourn later."
Aziel dropped to his knees, drenching his clothes in Hashira's blood. Beside him, Gado froze in place, and Ujinari felt nauseous as he wiped the tears from his face.
"Ujinari," Aziel muttered, "did Hashira give you that talk about tears."
"H-he did," Ujinari quivered.
"I see," Aziel looked up at the afternoon sun.
Not a single tear left his eyes, but he wasn't sure how to act. He felt a series of emotions and sensations, but he couldn't grasp a single one.
"This is just like before," Aziel whispered.
"I feel empty."
He was idle, staring at the sky for what felt like an eternity.
"Get on your feet, Aziel," Ujinari broke the silence, "We're leaving."
Aziel didn't move, "Where are we going?"
"Where else?" Ujinari's expression darkened.
"This bloodshed has tainted the sacredness of these lands. And as tribal chief, it is my job to restore it."
***
Val dragged her feet across the floor, with Cora slumped on her back.
"Nezumi," Val lowered her head, "What happened to you?"
She lugged onward with no destination insight.
Cora's eyes fluttered open, "Put me down, Val."
Val set her down.
"How're you feeling?" she asked Cora.
"I'm fine, but I have something to show you," Cora said in a hoarse whisper.
Cora lifted her hand, revealing a series of injuries caused by their clash with Nezumi. Blood ran slow and thick from her open wounds, flowing in a steady stream.
Cora's blood dried and swirled into a ring-like hoop.
Cora explained, "As you know, I can crystallize one's bloodstream, allowing me to manipulate the blood within an
organism's body to an extent. But for some reason, this wasn't the case with Nezumi, as this ability didn't work on him.
"Oddly enough, ever since I learned this ability, the only real restriction I've encountered is that it only functions when used on organic blood."
"I see," Val grew surprised with understanding, "So that means..."
"Somehow, his body's been modified," Cora finished, "That would also explain how he grew so powerful in such a short amount of time."
"What are you getting at?" Val questioned.
"I think I've figured out a way for us to defeat Nezumi," Cora answered.
***
Nezumi hovered high above the Shi Mountains, with Ame-no-Ohabari in hand.
Glaring down with a pained expression, he recalled Tensai's words while they were underground. "Once you've dealt with Val and retrieved Ame-no-Ohabari, return here," Tensai pointed to a blood-stained pouch. "When you open that, you'll know what to do next."
"I wonder what he meant," Nezumi muttered under his breath, "But I suppose I'll find out when I head back underground."
Nezumi returned his gaze to the mountains.
"This was once my home," Nezumi sighed.
"I only desired to learn doragonken to have the power to protect my people."
He formed a fist with his free hand.
"How could you all deny me of that opportunity?
"Clearly, the rules mean nothing since Hashira was willing to break them for the cause of teaching Raijah.
"So if it wasn't due to the rules, why else would you all refuse to teach me doragonken?"
"Were you all afraid of what would happen if I attained such power?"
Nezumi opened his hand, revealing a seed that surged with prana.
"Wood Prana: Lacrima Seed!"
A teardrop fell from his eye.
"If that was the case..."
He dropped the seed.
"... then you were right to fear me."
Despite its size, it was dense and heavy. It fell fast, plunging towards the ground at tremendous speeds.
Nezumi closed his eyes.
The seed hit the ground with a resounding thud.
The subsequent explosion consumed the Shi Mountains, reaching as far as its border walls. The eruption made Nezumi's hair zip behind his ears, but his eyes stayed shut.
After a short-lived moment of silence, Nezumi opened his eyes to observe the Shi Mountains.
Or at least what remained of the Shi Mountains.