the man himself. The empire loves tales of honor and sacrifice, brave warriors fighting against the impossible and triumphing in the end, usually by giving their lives for the cause. Like the story of General Katsutomo’s final stand at the Valley of Spirits.”
“A moving and riveting tale,” Daisuke broke in. “The battle of Tani Hitokage is a legend, an exciting and bloody tale for Kabuki theater, of which the Silken Dance troop in Seiryu City gave an exemplary performance last summer.” He gave a tiny sigh, sounding wistful for a moment. “Ah, Mizu Subato, your portrayal of Katsutomo’s noble death could make even a stone weep.”
“Yes,” Master Jiro said, sounding less impressed. “As you can see, the empire loves a tragic hero’s story, and the tales surrounding the Master of Demons are full of them. However, the truth of Genno’s rise and final defeat is far more grim. The empire nearly fell. The Master of Demons and his army marched straight through the capital to the Imperial palace virtually unopposed, slaughtering and burning everything on their way.”
“Where was everyone else?” I wondered. “The rest of the clans, I mean? I would think a huge demon army attacking the capital would be cause for concern.”
“They were all fighting among themselves,” Reika answered. “No one can even remember how it started, but the Hino had declared war against the Mizu for some imagined slight, the Earth Clan was fighting the Shadow and Wind clans, and the Moon Clan was off doing their own thing on their islands per normal, and not getting involved. No one realized the danger Genno represented until it was too late.”
“Yes,” Daisuke added solemnly. “The day that the Master of Demons marched upon the capital, the Taiyo stood alone, a single oak before the tsunami.”
“Four hundred years ago,” Okame repeated. “And the empire almost fell, but it rallied. The other clans pulled their heads out of their asses, banded together and marched on the capital to take it back. The way the stories tell it, Genno was defeated, executed and his remains are buried in some secret, remote tomb. Hard to threaten the empire when you’re a pile of bones.”
“Unless,” Reika put in, “someone is trying to revive him using an ancient and powerful artifact that will grant a single wish.”
“Merciful Kami,” breathed Master Jiro. “I have heard of cults, cabals, of blood mages, who worship the Master of Demons as a fallen god. Whose minds have been corrupted by Jigoku’s power so they are no longer human. Who despise the empire and every honorable soul within it, and would see Genno rise again to bring chaos and darkness to the land. If they got their hands on the Dragon scroll, if they used the Wish to bring Genno back to life…”
“They don’t have to,” I said. “The Master of Demons is already here.”
Everyone stopped and stared at me again. “Hakaimono isn’t retrieving the scroll for a cult of blood mages,” I said. “He already made a deal with the Master of Demons, or his ghost, I suppose—if he went to the Steel Feather temple and retrieved the pieces of the scroll, Genno would break the curse that binds him to Kamigoroshi.”
“Jinkei preserve us,” whispered Reika, going very pale. “This gets worse and worse. A freed Hakaimono and a returned Master of Demons? The land will not survive.” Her gaze sharpened, cutting into me. “How do you know this?” she demanded, suddenly dubious again.
“Tatsumi told me.”
“In your dream.”
“Yes.”
“Yumeko-chan…” The shrine maiden paused a moment, then sighed. “Dreams are important, I fully understand that,” she began. “They can be visions, warnings, portents of the future. But sometimes, they can just be dreams. I know you’re desperate to help Kage Tatsumi, but your vision might not be what you think. The souls that can consciously journey though Yume-no-Sekai are few and far between. Are you certain this isn’t your worry and…other feelings for the demonslayer coming to the surface?”
“I am very certain,” I told her, deliberately ignoring the last question. “I walked through Yume-no-Sekai and found Tatsumi, who told me that Hakaimono and the Master of Demons had struck a bargain. Tatsumi said that Hakaimono was going to the Steel Feather temple to get the scroll for the Master of Demons, and that we had to stop him.” No matter the cost, even if we have to kill him to stop Hakaimono. My stomach clenched, remembering the look in Tatsumi’s eyes, the quiet despair as he pleaded for me to