The stickiness in the air made Alora prickly, stomping through the valley as she replayed the information available on the Demon Lord in her head. As much as Yasuo attempted to send the relevant information by mail before her arrival, there was still so much missing on him that made hunting him down annoying.
So far, Alora was only made aware that he was young, handsome, with a torso decorated in tattoos. He had five wives, all 'ladies of the night' that became priestesses in his shrine. He actually interacted with the town folk, some reporting that when they passed by him, they felt his aura permeate into their souls, giving them a taste of pleasure. But even with that information, she had no idea where to start searching, who to interrogate, where to spend most of her time hoping she'd bump into him. Yasuo suggested she stay in the red-light district; perhaps when not at the shrine, he could move about freely there, earn money with his wives and pull in more desperate followers hoping to elope with him, though this was just a hunch.
Thinking of all this made her walk on her toes, gliding silently over the rocks, eyeing the darkest corners of the valley as Yokai that lived in the region arose and began their nightly parade. Of course, they were too many to fight of, so she did not engage, but in her heart, she swore that if any got too close to her, she'd slash them open with her spear.
Alora and Yasuo continued through the valley, passing trees, and various boulders. Along the way, they met a few beautiful women. They emerged from behind the mountain, trailing behind them. As innocent as they looked in the moonlight with their wide eyes and budding cherry lips, she could see far beyond their facades, catching a whiff of wet fur and fox shadows following them. She was about to take off her bracelet, timing their steps carefully and slowing hers, but Yasuo stopped her. As they passed, the young women bowed and greeted him happily, he too doing the same. Then, they went on their way.
"What?" Alora asked Yasuo. "I was only doing what you taught me."
"I know," he sighed, the two proceeding in their trek. "But you're still tactless."
"No, I'm not. I waited this time. I listened first and waited."
"Which is good. But even a typhoon knows the right time to strike. It comes during its season, never later, never sooner, right on time."
She sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes, "tell me then, what am I missing?"
Yasuo looked up to the glittering moon, listened to the distant waves. He stopped walking, and felt the wind echoe through the mountains, the leaves obeying its command to dance. "You're always waiting for doom. Always expecting the worst. This whole time you've been moving very carefully, waiting for something to pounce on you. Yet all we're doing is taking a simple walk."
"Naturally," she scoffed. "If I don't look out, the demon lord might come for us. We're alone, secluded in the mountains, surrounded by Yokai that could attack us. Of course, I'll have my guard up to make sure we don't get compromised."
"Because of that, you're missing something far more fundamental," he said. "Think about those women you saw; did you not see anything familiar?"
Alora thought for a second, recalling their facial features. They all looked similar, faces like fawns, the same shade of snowy skin and droopy eyes. Something familiar she had seen before five years ago. The memory slowly opened, the memory of Yasuo and a woman who looked like them walking down an aisle framed by cherry blossom trees. And standing beside her, with the rest of the congregation, were women who looked exactly like the ones they saw moments before.
"They kind of look like Shizuka," she face palmed.
"Because those are her sisters."
Her eyes bulged open. Begrudgingly, she rubbed her arms and whispered, "Sorry."
"No need," he said. " Anyway, open your mind. You'd have noticed that if you were aware and less apprehensive of your environment. So far, you've been on missions where it's already clear that where you're going is dangerous, but right now, we know too little to be assuming such. That's how you get killed off. Take note of everything you see, mark it in your mind. You'll be able to notice subtle changes that will lead you to your target." Yasuo stroked his Katana, the wind a gentle reminder that he was Lord of the land, that no one could apprehend him.
He looked to her with loving eyes and said, " One more thing. Promise not to kill anyone."
" I make no such promises. But I'll try."
"Good enough," he chuckled.
The two, after hopping another stream approached the entrance to a cave. But before it was a crimson Torii shrine gate. Her heart began beating in her throat as they approached it, balling her hands into fist.
"When was this installed?" she said, stopping in her treks and eyeing the soaring gate. She could feel it whisper to her, warning her not to cross. But Yasuo cupped her tiny hand in his own and held her close. "Recently," he said. "We had to put it up, because he's like you."
He gently nudged her forward, the two slowly lingering towards it. As they got closer, and the warning grew more violent, Yasuo whispered, " I believe you two have a lot in common."
They crossed under its watchful eye.
Alora could feel her power rip away, the beastly element in her soul that fuelled her fire. Like someone had drenched her body in acid. She tried her best to endure the pain, but her body gave out and turned limp. Yasuo quickly caught her before her knees could bang against the rock, scooping her up into his arms.
Alora snuggled into his chest, her eyes shaking as she could barely see through the darkened cave. He knew what kind of effect the gate would have on her; she could see it in his eyes that gloomed with sadness. But she understood him. If it meant keeping a demon away from her family, she was willing to endure the pain.
They drifted into the darkness, her consciousness further slipping till she passed out.
*****
The sound of a bamboo flute tingled Alora's ears. Slowly, she parted hey eyes, waking up on a futon mattress in the middle of a koi pond. The two koi fish circled round her body, twirling like the waves do.
She pushed herself up and looked around, finding someone next to her.
"Mom," she sighed, leaping into her arms. Her mother's arms wrapped firmly around her body, squeezing her tight and sniffling in the crook of her neck.
"It's alright sweet heart. I've cleansed your body of the warding spell. You'll be fine."
Alora pulled away, "How long have I been out?"
"A while. It's actually an hour before sunrise."
Alora took her mother's hands into her own and looked them, running her fingers over her tattoos. Must be a family thing. Her mother had swirls of tattoos around her hands, like henna, but not quite. These were different markings, showing her rank as a sorceress and which tribe she was from. They moved round her fingers and palms like the soft tendrils of smoke, twirling round her veins, stopping at her wrists. She looked just like her mother, both with innocent eyes and full thick lips. They both had bunny cheeks and strong bodies. But her mother was slightly stronger, wiser, aware of everything around her. Nothing could evade her watchful eye; nothing could defeat her in her domain. She was the guardian of the estate; the one who fuelled the shrine with power. If only her mother could fuel her with that same power, bolster her higher to shut out all the annoying people that stood in her way.
Alora's mother, Uzuri, pulled the floral printed shawl of her body, draping it over her daughter. She looked out across the yard, into the mountains and the mist that swallowed them whole.
"Shizuka was pretty upset that you couldn't make it to dinner. She was so excited to see you."
"There's always breakfast," Alora huffed. She gripped onto the shawl, shivering as goosebumps ailed her skin. "I need to know more about the demon Lord."
Alora stood up, took of her bracelet off and it turned into a glittering golden spear that sparked with electricity. She held it up into the sky, felt the lightening pulse through her veins and relight the dim fire in her belly. She felt her power return, strengthening within a matter of seconds till her hands glowed red like lava. Her crimson eyes flickered, like the sun was caught in them and rising within.
Uzuri only looked at her wistfully.
"What can he do? What's his name?" she asked.
"We don't know," Uzuri answered. "He's a mystery that still plagues my thoughts. Worse for Yasuo. But we have an idea of how to get to him."
Alora dropped the spear, a loud crash of thunder following. Once it hit the ground, it reverted back to being a bracelet. Alora put it back on. She and her mother left the pond and began making their way into the mansion.
"I'll never get used to that horrid sound," Uzuri said rubbing her temple. "You've probably woken up everyone on the Island."
"Are you going to forbid me from doing it like you did dad," she giggled.
"I might," Uzuri answered. "Anyway, don't distract me."
Alora knew how sensitive her mother was to sound. She absolutely hated the thunder that followed from the spear when it dropped, it made her ears rings, and dampened her abilities temporarily. That's how Alora's father managed to wrangle her back on Alkebulan, when she was a drifting criminal across the continent. Alora always wondered how her father could fall in love with a criminal, but she never questioned it. Seeing the way her mother walked into the mansion was enough of an answer anyway. Her grace, her power, it amazed her. Seeing her mother walk again with that power and freedom amazed her.
Uzuri slid the door open and put on her inside shoes, Alora following suit. They passed through the hall, treading softly on the tatami floor, following the scent of frying eggs.
"For now, we call him Aki. There's not much known about him, but we have reason to believe he's like you."
"A cursed soul," Alora murmured. "Must be tough dealing with."
"Yes," Uzuri admitted, sighing heavily. "He only seems to drift at night, during the day, he's barely active. His priestesses are the girls he married from the red-light district. A lot of complaints have come in about how they didn't even settle their debts before eloping, but I'm not really concerned about that."
They turned at the corner and were already at the foot of the dining room. The table was already out, loaded with all sorts of breakfast treats that could make an afternoon meal. Alora was used to eating sorghum porridge only in the mornings, but having an array of meat, eggs, rice, and whole slew of seafood and other rarities was something she wasn't used to. Quite frankly, she didn't want to indulge in them. It would mess up her psyche, send her through a downward spiral of binge eating and wreck her discipline.
First rule, do nothing which is of no use.
She spotted a bowl of congee in the corner, already plotting how she'd get it before the other residents of the estate came for breakfast.
Uzuri pinched Alora's arm, " Your thoughts are showing," she snapped. Alora hadn't realised it, but an avid prune of her lips gave away her dissatisfaction.
"Sorry," she murmured.
"And speak up when you're talking. You need to always speak with pride and confidence. Always. Correction isn't scorn."
"Yes ma," she answered.
"Anyway. The disgusting part that really makes my skin ick is what he does to grant his followers wishes. His fetishes really do show in his obscene acts. And for him to take those children," Uzuri's fists were tightening, she was gritting her teeth as tears welled in her eyes. "We can't let those kids die."
Alora took her mother hand again, stroked it gently as she looked up to her. "I'll do my best. No one will die. Not on my watch."
Alora rarely got attached to anything. She had a firm understanding that nothing lasts forever, that everything could be taken away in the blink of an eye. But thinking about those children's souls, wandering in the eternal mist, looking for a way out...Her stomach began to turn, her blood began to boil. She could endure anything, but when it came to children, the beast in her began to growl, scratch on the soft walls of her heart. That was her a part of her greatest weakness.
As much as she wanted to save them, she feared she'd be the one who'd kill them.