Shinji's eyes slowly opened, and a cold wind caressed his face. The clear blue sky above greeted him, a stark contrast to the memories of being choked by pink blood that still lingered.
Relief washed over him as he muttered, "At least I died trying to break free from fate's shackles; maybe that's why I'm in heaven."
A sweet, soft voice replied, "Heaven? You have some guts, boy. According to the shaman, heaven collapsed over a year ago when the moon turned pink. Reports of dead people coming back to life are all over the island. That's why the seasons are jumbled up."
The voice paused, and Shinji sensed amusement coming from it.
"Well, I don't expect a mortal like you to understand that anyway. Just brace yourself and enjoy this road to hell."
Shinji's body trembled as he processed the voice's words. He didn't understand much, but the last part was clear.
A wave of emotions started to wash over him.
'Is this what I get for living a life of trying to fool people with my words? That was the only skill I had! My parents died when I was young, and I lived on scraps until I met that old Yugen who changed my name to Shinji! I did my best to survive in that cruel world, and all I get is to be sent to a place where I'll be worked to the bone and whipped by a seductive woman with red skin, only to be paid a drop of water that will evaporate in an instant!' (1)
Tears bubbled up in Shinji's eyes as he roared:
"Why?! Why do I have to end up like this after all I've done! I know I've done bad things, but that was just to survive! If you want to judge me, look at the harsh world I grew up in and rethink your choice of sending me to hell!"
His emotional declaration was met with joyous laughter, and Shinji stood up in rage, trying to punch the woman. However, when he locked eyes with her, his soul drifted away, and he envisioned himself and her playing with their grandchildren.
"Beautiful..."
The woman's face was charming, with upturned green eyes and light blue hair, matching her lipstick. Her body was curvaceous, causing Shinji's nose to bleed.
The woman smiled and hit her pale hands with a shakuhachi. "It seems like someone has a normal reaction, unlike the two sitting at the back." (2)
Shinji blinked, returning to reality. His eyes widened in shock as he took in his surroundings. The bodies of his and Tsukino's henchmen were scattered on top of brown eagle feathers.
The sight of Lucy and Sora sitting at the end of the eagle confirmed his suspicions. 'I'm still alive. This charming woman is a Tama Artist. She is controlling this giant eagle, and also stopping the wind pressure at the same time... She's so impressive!'
Shinji sighed, feeling his dreams of being with her shattered in an instant.
He bowed his head in the woman's direction: "Thank you for saving us."
The Tama Artist nodded at Shinji, and he gazed out at the world below the eagle. However, in the next second, his mouth went agape, as he struggled to comprehend the sheer scale of the landscape before his eyes, making the woman chuckle at how stupid his expression was.
"This island spans 7.741 million square kilometers, and the forest you see is only one-fifth of it. Our two villages send mortals here to battle for hunting rights."
Shinji's face fell as he processed her words. He clenched his fist, thinking, 'To them, we're nothing but disposable tools. I'm not one to judge, but no one deserves to be treated like garbage because of their status.'
The Tama Artist seemed to sense his thoughts and responded sarcastically, "In truth, our villages aren't as aggressive as mortals think. We fuel you mortals with rage to create a more satisfying bloodbath for our entertainment. We Tama Artists get bored easily, and since we can't participate in outside wars, we watch you slaughter each other like chickens while we bet on it, fun, right?"
Shinji felt a surge of words, but let it go, and just bowled to the woman, before he sat beside Lucy and Sora, to enjoy the breathtaking view before them.
Soon enough, more mortals joined them in silence.
As they moved, a wide wooden military camp can to view. There were only a countable number of feudal buildings, and the most were just open spaces, were men clashed in a chaotic dance of steel and wood. While some were in the fields, with a man holding a whip lashing them from time to time.
The atmosphere sent chills down the spines of the mortals on the eagle, it resembled corporal punishment more than training.
The giant eagle landed, and the sight of the three samurai who picked them up kneeling on the ground entered their eyes.
The female Tama Artist gave the three an emotionless gaze, and sneered, "You useless bunch. You can't even manage the people you picked properly. They killed the mountain cat, while you were playing around. You three will write a report and pay a fee of a thousand Kojin for your insubordination. Are we clear?"
Her voice was soft like a joyous melody, but cold as ice, which made Katsura and his man bow their heads against the ground.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Hearing their reply, the Tama Artist clicked her fingers, and the mortals on the eagle were teleported to the ground, leaving them in puzzlement about this magical phenomenon.
However, the moment the eagle flew back into the sky, their moment ended. A whip cracked through the air, as some of them got violently lashed at their backs.
"You idiots! Who told you to kill that beast? You were supposed to hunt the beast on the moment and survive, not slaughter the whole mountain! All of you, lay on the ground right now!"
The group wanted to refute the accusations, and curse him for not explaining in detail, but they had no chance to do so. They could lay there, enduring the lashing.
After a few minutes, the whipping finally ceased, the group slowly got to their knees, following the samurais orders, forcing them to ignore the throbbing pain on their backs.
Katsura smiled coldly. "You will be trained here, in the art of war. You will be pushed to your limits, and beyond. But if you survive for the next 20 years like your seniors here, you will be sent back to your homes."
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(1) Shaman - A person who can connect to the realm of the dead. In this context, they can even bring some of this souls back to life through Tama.
(2) Yugen - originally means someone who can dive into the realm of the mind, like a mentalist. In this context, there are Tama Artist who can use mental based attack.
(3) shakuhachi - a bamboo flute, mostly used for playing haunting, melancholic sounds.