a heartbeat. It rose into the air, following the same path as the lights had moments earlier, until it vanished into the clouds and was gone.
Hope stirred, even as I cast a resigned glance at the sea of demons surrounding us. Maybe that was enough, I thought as the ring closed in, despite Tatsumi’s and the others’ valiant attempts to hold it back. Maybe the Dragon will revive and return to his kingdom beneath the waves. Maybe this wasn’t for nothing, after all.
Weariness clawed at me, but I grabbed Kamigoroshi and pushed myself to my feet, seeing the others falling back, giving ground before the infinite, relentless assault. The scar to Jigoku pulsed, spewing forth ever more demons to swarm the valley. We were a tiny island in a surging sea of monsters, and that island was shrinking rapidly.
I met Tatsumi’s eyes, and my heart swelled. There was no regret in his gaze, no anger or fear or madness, just a calm resignation. No matter what happened, he was at peace.
I raised Kamigoroshi and stepped up beside him, meeting the horde head-on. Together, Tatsumi, I thought, bracing myself as the demons closed in. At least I’ll be at your side this time.
And then, a dozen streaks of lightning fell from the clouds, slamming into the ground a few yards away, and the world erupted with light.
30
The Wish
Yumeko
Weightless. I felt weightless. Was I...floating?
Slowly, I cracked open my eyes, and let out a yelp.
A vista of swirling clouds surrounded me. I was floating, hovering in the air with the wind tugging at my hair and tail. Through breaks in the clouds, I could see glimpses of the ocean, and the expanse of the island far below. The scar to Jigoku still throbbed against the darkness, glowing sullenly even as the light of dawn broke over the horizon, ending the night at last.
I looked around and saw I wasn’t alone. Five glowing balls of light floated around me, and I could feel their presence even though I couldn’t see their true forms. Reika, Chu, Okame, Daisuke and Tatsumi. I knew them all, just by looking at them. The souls of all my friends.
And then the clouds before me parted, and I was staring into the face and glowing eyes of the Great Dragon.
The Harbinger of Change hovered before me, huge, terrifying and very much alive. His enormous body disappeared into the roiling clouds, his long whiskers rippled in the wind and the Fushi no Tama glimmered a brilliant white in the center of his forehead. For a moment, I wondered if the God of Tides, enraged at the indignities suffered upon him this night, had brought me here to kill me. To tear the soul from my body and drag it beneath the waves, where it would be trapped forever. I glanced at the rest of the souls around me, pulsing softly in the darkness, and felt a stab of fear, wondering if the Great Kami had brought us here to punish us all.
“Time grows short.”
The Dragon’s voice rumbled through the clouds, seeming to come from every direction. I felt it vibrate through me as the Great Kami rose higher into the air, fixing us all with the stare of a god.
“The night of the Wish has come and gone,” the Dragon continued. “But the summoner is no more. His soul languishes in Jigoku, torn apart by oni and the servants of O-Hakumon. But the Summoning still took place, on the night of the thousandth year, and the prayer was still recited. Mortal fox...”
His gaze shifted fully to me, and my stomach twisted under that cold, eternal stare. “You returned the Fushi no Tama,” he rumbled. “You willingly gave up the power that would make you a god. The Summoning has passed, but I will give you this choice. Make your wish, kitsune. As you returned the jewel to me, this night, I will grant you the summoner’s power. Speak your wish out loud, and your heart’s desire will come to pass.
“Or, do not speak it, and I will leave this place unchanged. I will depart the mortal world, and the Wish will be unfulfilled for another thousand years.”