Chapter 27 - Progress
Out in the quiet courtyard of the Mizuki estate, Ren and Yako stood directly facing each other.
"Ren-chan," Yako began, her usually playful demeanour replaced by a rare, focused intensity. "Now that you can successfully maintain the state of being 'one with nature' for an extended period of time, it is finally time for you to begin absorbing natural energy into your body. And that means... you are going to truly feel the malice of the world."
"Mm." Ren nodded his head in serious agreement.
This was exactly why his Sage training had seemingly stagnated over the past few months. Rather than rushing forward, he had been diligently trying to stretch his communion with nature from a mere sixty seconds into a much longer, stable duration. Only with a rock-solid foundation could he absorb a substantial amount of natural energy.
"Today, we are going to learn how to actively filter out that malice," Yako stated solemnly. "First, you must keep your own emotions completely in check. But given your recent breakthroughs in swordsmanship, I believe you can already do that, yes?"
Yako had actually learned of this specific milestone during one of her recent conversations with Yasaka, who had, in turn, heard the glowing report directly from Kōrōbō.
"Yes, Yako-sensei," Ren nodded firmly in acknowledgment.
"Good. You must maintain that emotionless state the moment you try to draw the natural energy inside. If you project no emotions, the ambient malice will have nothing to latch onto, and it will not be able to infect you."
Yako paused, her golden eyes narrowing as she delivered a grim warning. "However, you must remember that this is strictly a temporary measure. If you continuously suppress your emotions as a crutch, sooner or later, you will become increasingly hollow and inhuman, ultimately no better than someone who has gone mad from the malice. In fact, it could be considered far worse. A mind corrupted by malice becomes a mindless beast. But if you lose your humanity while retaining your intellect... a cold, logical monster is far more terrifying than a mindless beast."
Hearing Yako's grim warning, Ren began to recall his time at the Ritsuzen estate with a deep, chilling dread.
'Father was completely emotionless... and so was Gensai... that monster,' the seven-year-old thought, his black eyes trembling slightly at the dark memories. 'Will Kaguya-neesama become just like them one day?'
As the thought crossed his mind, a fierce surge of defiance swelled within his chest. 'No! I have to save Kaguya-neesama from the Ritsuzen estate as soon as I become strong enough!' he vowed resolutely, his small fists clenching so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Even though the only things he had ever felt from Kaguya were fear and dread, the fact remained that she had actually tried to save him from the Devils' grasp back then. He knew full well that her underlying intentions toward him were far from pure, but he still decided he wanted to repay that life debt.
At worst, once he was finally strong enough to completely overpower and restrain her, he would just have to properly "educate" his twisted older sister.
And just like that, one more ironclad resolution was added to Ritsuzen Ren’s growing list of goals.
"Close your eyes, enter meditation, and begin to draw in the natural energy," Yako instructed calmly.
"Right." Snapping out of his dark thoughts, Ren quickly sat cross-legged on the dirt, falling into a familiar meditative posture. "Fuuu..." As he took a slow, deep, grounding breath, his presence seamlessly blended into the surrounding courtyard.
Lounging lazily on the wooden porch nearby, Kon clicked his tongue in sheer amazement. "Tsk. Ren-chan sure is a monster." A tiny sliver of envy slipped into the little fox's voice, but overall, he was genuinely thrilled for the boy's progress.
Deep within his meditative trance, Ren began to feel the invisible motes of natural energy drifting toward his body, drawn to him like moths to a warm flame. Acting quickly, he clamped down hard on his own mind, suppressing his emotions entirely to prevent the ambient malice from washing over him.
"Good," Yako praised. "Now, slowly lift the suppression on your emotions. I want you to actively feel the malice."
It sounded completely contradictory to her previous warning, but it was an unavoidable truth of the Sage Arts: to filter out the malice, one first had to be able to isolate and feel it.
Understanding her intent, Ren gave a minuscule nod. Slowly, carefully, he began to peel back the ironclad suppression on his heart. And then...
"Ugh..." Ren’s face instantly scrunched up in deep discomfort. A vile, shadowy whisper suddenly echoed through the very back of his mind.
'Kill... Kill... Kill...'
Gritting his teeth with visible effort, the seven-year-old managed to anchor his mind and adapt. Because he was still heavily suppressing the vast majority of his emotions, the malice’s corrupting effect on him remained slight and manageable.
"Excellent. Now, try to combine your internal spiritual power and your physical ki. Use that combined force to physically peel the malice away from the pure natural energy," Yako instructed further.
Sweating profusely, Ren didn't give any verbal reply. He was currently dedicating every single ounce of his focus just to keeping his mind from fracturing under the weight of the dark whispers.
'Hm... I suppose he is still a bit too young to multitask at this level,' Yako thought to herself, a soft, fond smile touching her lips. "For now, just focus on getting used to the presence of the malice. Once you can comfortably split your focus without losing your mind, then you can try combining your spiritual power and ki."
Without offering any further guidance, the playful fox turned and began strolling casually away from the courtyard. "Oh! And Konyo-chan, make sure to look after our little Ren-chan~!"
Instantly reverting back to her usual, carefree, and mischievous self, Yako hummed a happy little tune as she walked away. 'Hm Hm Hm~ Now, whose day should I go ruin today?'
**********
A few days later, Ren was deeply immersed in his meditation within the quiet Mizuki courtyard when a sudden sound broke the peaceful silence.
Knock! Knock!
"Hm?" Pulling himself completely out of his trance, the seven-year-old stood up, walked over to the front gate, and pulled it open. "A Kitsune?"
At the moment, Kon and Yako were nowhere to be found on the estate. They had left earlier that morning to visit an old acquaintance over at Mount Ōe.
'I think her name was Ibuki-dōji? No, wait, it was Shuten-dōji,' Ren recalled absentmindedly. 'I think Mama Yako mentioned saving her life a long time ago?'
"Ritsuzen-sama." The Kitsune, who was dressed formally as one of the Faction Leader's personal attendants, greeted the boy with a deep, respectful bow. "Yasaka-sama has humbly requested your immediate presence."
"Yasaka-oneesan?" Ren repeated, tilting his head in slight confusion before giving a curt, polite nod. "Alright. Please give me a moment to change out of my training clothes, and then I will head straight to the palace."
Soon, dressed in his everyday clothes, Ren followed the Kitsune attendant toward the Tenko-jō.
After navigating the grand, winding halls of the palace, they arrived at Yasaka’s private quarters. The attendant knocked softly on the sliding wooden door. Knock. Knock. "Yasaka-sama, Ritsuzen-sama has arrived."
"Mm." Yasaka's warm, motherly voice echoed from inside. "You may return to your duties. Ren-chan, please, come in."
"Excuse me, then." The Kitsune bowed deeply before gracefully departing down the hall.
Already intimately familiar with the palace, Ren slid the door open and entered without much ceremony.
"Ren-chan, you're here," a slightly pale Yasaka greeted him with a happy, relieved smile.
"Mm!" Ren nodded back. Though he didn't quite share her relaxed joy, he'd much rather be back in the courtyard training, he still respected her deeply. "What do you need, Yasaka-neesan?" Not wanting to waste any time, he got straight to the point.
Hearing the faint impatience in his tone, Yasaka smiled wryly. "Ren-chan... since the day you arrived in Kyoto, have you gone outside the Mizuki estate or the Tenko-jō at all?"
Yasaka had long since noticed the boy’s extreme shut-in tendencies. He spent every waking hour intensely training and barely interacted with anyone outside of her, his masters, and Kon. Naturally, as a soon to be mother, she was incredibly worried about a seven-year-old isolating himself so thoroughly.
"Um... no." Tilting his head in thought, Ren answered honestly, completely unbothered by his own lifestyle.
'Sigh...' Yasaka sighed tiredly, rubbing her forehead. It seemed everyone living in the Mizuki estate was destined to bring her headaches in one form or another. "Can you do me a favour, Ren-chan?"
Without a second thought, Ren nodded immediately. He liked Yasaka very much, so doing her a favour was no burden to him at all.
"As you know, I am currently expecting... and lately, I have been intensely craving fresh fish. Would you be willing to go down to the Hozugawa River to catch some for me?"
"Hm?" Ren tilted his head in genuine confusion. "Why don't you just ask your attendants or the Tengu guards to do it?"
"Hehe..." Yasaka was actually deeply embarrassed to be tricking a child into running errands, but she had absolutely no other way to force this training-crazed shut-in to go out and see the world. Covering the lower half of her face with her elegant sleeve to hide her guilt, she spun a smooth lie. "The Hozugawa River is outside the bounds of Inner Kyoto, after all. It is highly unsuited for us Yokai to venture out into the human world just to fish."
Absolute bullshit. Yokai could easily use illusions to disguise themselves, but the sheltered seven-year-old didn't know that.
"Ohhhhh..." Thoroughly enlightened, Ren nodded his head in serious agreement. 'Indeed. As a human, I am the most perfectly suited and trustworthy for this vital mission. Hm! Hm!'
Puffing his small chest out with pride, Ren accepted the quest immediately. It was a completely unconscious action, perfectly mimicking Kon’s arrogant little posture. After years of living together, the young swordsman had finally begun to adopt a bit of the lazy fox's demeanour.
**********
Now, having officially stepped outside the protective barrier of Inner Kyoto, Ren stood on a bustling street in the human world. Clutching a paper map in his small hands, he tried his best to navigate his way toward the Hozugawa River and set off down the road.
Meanwhile, from the second-story window of a nearby townhouse overlooking that exact street, a lone figure watched him.
Shrouded completely in the dark shadows of the unlit room, the mysterious man stared intently in the direction the seven-year-old was walking. Raising a walkie-talkie to his mouth, he pressed the button and spoke in a hushed tone.
"The target has left the barrier. I repeat, the target has gone out."
Kzzzt.
The walkie-talkie produced a short burst of static before a low, gravelly voice crackled back through the small speaker.
"Received."
**********
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in a massive, hidden hall in Greece...
Within a massive, subterranean hall illuminated only by the unnatural, sickly-gold glow of floating braziers, the air was thick with the suffocating scent of burning myrrh and ancient dust. Towering, time-worn marble pillars stretched high into the oppressive darkness of the ceiling, forming a grand, forgotten architecture that had been hidden from the human world for millennia.
"The time for our Lord’s awakening has finally come! The Chosen One has been found! Praise the Lord! PRAISE THE LORD!"
Standing atop a raised dais, a High Priest threw his arms wide and shouted fanatically into the cavernous room. Behind him loomed a colossal, shadowy statue holding a jagged scythe, casting a monstrous silhouette across the altar.
Below the stage, a congregation of hundreds upon hundreds of robed figures immediately fell to their knees, chanting back in a blinding fervour. "PRAISE THE LORD! PRAISE THE LORD!"
The sheer, fanatical weight of their combined voices echoed like booming thunder across the grand hall, shaking the very foundations of the building.
"NOW! SET OUR DESTINATION FOR... JAPAN!" the High Priest declared with manic excitement, his wide eyes shining with a dangerous, crazed light.
'The Lord hath established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rule over all,' the priest recited internally, his mind entirely consumed by madness and devotion.