Project Tenjin: Book III

Eastern heir Tadashi Araki enters the Umbraverse.

The lands to the East were largely populated by forests and rivers, a stark contrast to the ice in the North and the deserts of the West. These forests were mostly divided among the clans of the Kyo Mo Ri, a fiercely proud people whose political focus was only outshone by their efficiency in combat. 

Among the clans of the Kyo Mo Ri, one holds significance to the tale of the Umbra above all others. This clan and the area it called home were not large by any means; newly formed and underpopulated, it could very well be mistaken for an easy target. That is, of course, if it weren’t for the identity of its founding members.

Matsuura of the Smoke was an intense man, his reflexes and wit as sharp as the sword hanging from his hip. He had spent his entire adulthood and all but the formative years of his childhood as an assassin, and had taken to his lessons with an adeptness never seen before. His rage was frightening, his silence was terrifying, and his love for his wife, his angel, as he called her, outweighed it all. 

Lady Araki was fiercely intelligent and flawless in her beauty and grace. She had a nerve of steel, and never flinched in the face of danger. Several men had disappeared in their unyielding attempts to court her, which served only to deepen the mystery and the allure; it seemed she had appeared out of nowhere, already fixed to Matsuura’s side. If anybody even knew where she was from, they were keeping it to themselves. 

Together, the pair were an unstoppable force. It was pure fortune for the other clans that they had no interest in expanding their territory, for they may have had an unshakeable claim on every inch of the forest.

Instead, the pair settled down in a small clearing and built themselves a home, and years began to pass without incident. In time, it became apparent that there was only one expansion in the couple’s mind; family.

Three years after construction was completed, the Araki clan consisted of its namesake, Lady Araki, Matsuura, several trusted companions and a young child with his mother’s icy blue eyes and Matsuura’s dark hair. In fact, some suggested that the child had inherited everything but his eyes from his father, but that proved early on not to be true; Tadashi displayed a great kindness and compassion seen only in Lady Araki.

Matsuura had a kindness, to be sure, but a weary one; his years of subterfuge and assassination had worn down much of what was once there. 

Then one day, it was just him, Tadashi, and the working members of Clan Araki. There was no more Lady Araki by his side; no one to calm him in his darkest moments. Broken in heart and in spirit, he found himself with the unfortunate duty of telling their son that his mother had fallen ill and lost her strength, and was now in heaven.

A young Tadashi watched as his father slowly sunk deeper and deeper into despair, though he tried his best to hide it. His demons were catching up to him, and they could sense his newfound weakness. 

Matsuura had become a bitter shell of himself by the time Tadashi was in his teen years, but through all that time, he remained persistent on one thing - the boy must be trained. 

The plan had originally been for Tadashi to learn the ways of both of his parents. With his mother gone, the plan was forced to shift drastically. Tadashi was working just as hard as we would have been, but he could only learn what Matsuura could teach, so the pair doubled down on Matsuura’s lessons. By the time Tadashi was a young adult, he was an exceptionally talented swordsman, courtesy of his father’s methods and training, and his own ability to learn quickly.

Once Tadashi was an adult, he had plenty of his own time outside of lessons, which had decreased in frequency once Matsuura was satisfied with his son’s progress, under the condition that Tadashi continue to practice each day. 

Most of Tadashi’s free time was spent exploring the forest surrounding his home, venturing out more and more as his comfort and confidence grew. For some time, he found nothing but rivers, rocks and trees, but that began to change as he explored further.

First, he found a mossy stone bridge crossing a river he had stopped to drink at. Following the path from a distance to the side as it turned to follow the river downstream, he soon found a significantly bigger sign of civilization.

Pushing between some particularly thick bushes, Tadashi froze when he suddenly found himself facing a large clearing, a large stone fortress taking pride of place in the centre atop a large cliff. Tadashi crept around the forest line, assessing the fortress as much as he could. 

The river he and the path had followed ran right through the structure with the help of a stone canal, and flowed right through to a waterfall on the other side. 

The young swordsman had never seen a place so grand; it made his own home look like a pile of sticks in comparison, and he couldn’t help but feel somewhat envious.

Tadashi returned to the fortess several times over the course of the next few days, studying the impressive structure and searching for signs of its inhabitants. So far, the place seemed at least as underpopulated as the Araki clan itself, which raised several questions in Tadashi’s mind - the foremost of which, how did such an obviously succcessful and formidable force become so weak?

At times, Tadashi considered asking his father, but he was relatively certain he knew how the conversation would go. He didn’t want Matsuura stopping him from investigating, so he decided to keep quiet and figure it out for himself.

The resulting return trips to the fortress were mostly quiet and uneventful, and Tadashi had begun toying with the idea of getting closer, perhaps even making his way inside. Six days into his investigation, he decided to go for it.

Taking one slow, cautious step toward the forestry, Tadashi felt nothing but anticipation and caution. In this case, as in many cases, the most important things were those which he did not feel. 

For instance, Tadashi didn’t feel his destiny shifting, his first step toward the fortress mirroring his first step toward a new fate… He didn’t feel the many eyes on him, and he certainly didn’t feel the presence of anybody nearby.

At least, not until he felt the razor-sharp blade making light contact with his throat, freezing him where he stood.

Tadashi was still trying to wrap his head around his new situation when he heard a voice hissing behind him.

‘Down.”

Tadashi lowered himself slowly, trying his best to avoid the knife at his throat as it mirrored his movement. Only once he was almost completely flat on the ground was the knife carefully removed, allowing him to rest his head on the ground as well. While he did so, he began assessing the little information he had on the person holding it.

Her voice was the easiest clue; he needed no training to know that his attacker was a young woman, seemingly of a similar age to himself. Beyond her voice, though, Tadashi was able to discern that she was shorter than him, by at least a voice inches, from both her positioning and the source of her voice.

Pressing one knee in the small of his back, the young woman repositioned her weapon until he could feel its tip pressing into the skin at the top of his neck, ready to pierce through at the slightest movement.

‘Who are you?’

Tadashi remained silent, prompting the woman to rotate the knife, as if reminding him how easily she could end his life. 

‘I won’t ask again.’

His options weighed, Tadashi surrendered.

‘Tadashi Araki’

There was silence for a moment, while the woman considered the name.

‘Araki, huh? I would think your numbers are too low for you to be taking such risks,’ came the woman’s response.

‘It seems your clan isn’t doing much better in that regard,’ Tadashi retorted, recognising his mistake immediately.

The weight on his back increased as the knife pressed deeper into his skin. Tadashi felt a drop of blood roll down the side of his neck and cursed himself for his recklessness.

‘Is that why you’ve been spying on us? Trying to see if we’re worth attacking?’

Tadashi bit his tongue, afraid he would respond poorly again, and felt the woman leaning down closer to his ear.

‘I can assure you, we’re not.’

With that, Tadashi felt her remove the knife from the back of his neck, and began to lift his head. Then, as suddenly as the woman had made herself known, he felt the harsh impact of the blunt end smashing into the back of his head, his face slamming back into the undergrowth as he was knocked unconscious.

Tadashi remained unconscious for several minutes, only stirring when he found himself being rolled onto his back. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a close-up of an old man’s glowering face. 

‘So, you’re awake,’ the elder began.

Tadashi moved to sit upright but found himself immobilised, pinned down by the newcomer’s hand on his chest.

‘Stay down; I have some questions for you.’

Tadashi paused and nodded, allowing his tensed muscles to relax. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes to curse himself, allowing his head to drop back to the forest floor.

‘Good. Let’s start over from Miss Hisamoto’s questions, shall we? Who are you?’

‘I am Tadashi, of the clan Araki.’

‘Why are you here, Tadashi Araki?’

‘I saw your home while I was exploring the forest, and I was curious about its condition.’

‘You want me to believe you just happened to show up here, now?’ The old man increased the pressure on Tadashi’s chest, warning him.

‘You don’t have to believe anything… I answered your question.’

The old man’s eyes narrowed for a moment as he scanned Tadashi’s face.

‘Fine. Nobody sent you?’

‘No. I explore on my own when I have time free from training.’

‘Miss Hisamoto tells me you’ve visited several times. Have you told anybody about this place?’

‘No. Nobody at all, not even Lord Araki.’

‘Interesting.’ The pressure on Tadashi’s chest disappeared, and he raised his head cautiously. ‘Get up.’

Moving slowly, Tadashi planted a palm on the ground and lifted himself into a seated position. He remained in place, watching the older man carefully while he, in turn, felt the others’ eyes on him… Assessing him.

‘Time for a walk,’ the older man suggested, rising to his feet. Offering a hand, he seemed pleased when Tadashi accepted it, and promptly pulled the young Araki man to his feet. Not for the first time, Tadashi found himself surprised by the old man’s hidden strength; he appeared to be in his late fifties, and yet even without intention, his actions had hinted at an impressive hidden vigor. Tadashi had felt it when the old man had him pinned to the ground with one hand on his chest, and again when he pulled Tadashi to his feet with great ease.

More curious than ever, Tadashi could do little more than stare at the man, who met his gaze in kind. 

‘Which way to clan Araki? This way, yes?’ 

Tadashi nodded as the old man gestured in the direction of his home. Of course the old man knew where to go; as a clearly important figure in what Tadashi surmised to be the Hisamoto clan, knowing his neighbours would be immensely important.

‘Coming, Miss Hisamoto?’ The old man called over his shoulder. Tadashi blinked, realising that he had been so distracted with the interrogation that he had failed to notice the presence of the young woman, once again. He couldn’t help but marvel at her ability to remain undetected, and wonder how she had learned such a skill.

‘Yes, Lord Mizuki.’

Lord Mizuki. It was nice to put a name to the face.

Tadashi turned, curious about the appearance of the aforementioned Miss Hisamoto. 

‘Eyes forward,’ she warned. Tadashi complied, noticing that Lord Mizuki was about to disappear into the forest. Moving together, Tadashi and Miss Hisamoto caught up to the elder, pushing through the forestry with him as they retraced Tadashi’s path.

The three weren’t walking long when it dawned on Tadashi why he was being marched home. Lord Mizuki was going to want to speak with Matsuura, and Tadashi found himself growing more and more nervous about the idea the more he thought about it.

Matsuura was very straight-forward, and didn’t tolerate nonsense. While he had never outright forbidden exploration and only ever mentioned neighbouring clans in passing, Tadashi knew that Matsuura would be, at best, frustrated by Tadashi’s foolishness. He was not a particularly violent or aggressive father, but he was also far from soft. Tadashi had no doubts that he would be punished rather severely for his actions.

As casual as the trip appeared, it was kept clear to Tadashi that he had little choice but to stay close to the others; Lord Mizuki led the way, constantly checking back on Tadashi and Miss Hisamoto, who never fell more than two steps behind the young Araki man.

When the forest broke and the Araki clan home came into view, Tadashi was momentarily relieved not to see Matsuura waiting for him. At the very least, he hadn’t been worried or annoyed with Tadashi’s absence, so at least that was one less concern to hit the Araki head with. 

This relief, of course, was rather short-lived; cut short at the sudden rolling wave of thick, dark smoke that filled the clearing. Tadashi swallowed nervously, but remained quiet and motionless. 

This was the very reason his father was named Matsuura of the Smoke; his unnatural ability allowed him to appear and disappear with significant ease, no matter the situation. This was a large factor in his prior success as an assassin, and was perhaps the most intriguing part of being his son… Still, Matsuura refused to even explain his ability, let alone train his heir in the art.

“Not my lesson to teach,” he would state simply.

As the clearing filled with smoke, Tadashi felt the presence behind him shift as Miss Hisamoto approached and, once again, pressed her blade to his throat. Lord Mizuki, for his part, lowered himself in a peculiar stance, keeping low to the ground, armed only with his outstretched fingers.

None of it mattered, Tadashi knew. Not even the blade pressed against his throat in self-preservation. One false step from either of his captors, and they would find themselves choking to death on their own blood before they even realised they’d been cut.

Such was Matsuura’s way.

Lord Mizuki was the first to become aware of the additional presence. His entire body tensing, he turned his head slowly to his right, away from the other two, and found himself locking eyes with an intensely furious middle-aged man. 

‘What… Are you doing… With my son?’ Matsuura boomed breathlessly.

Tadashi felt the woman behind him start, and they both turned to face the source of the sound. The woman tensed, affirming her grip on the dagger at Tadashi’s throat.

‘Returning him, sir,’ Lord Mizuki responded, observing what little he could see of the man through the thick, dark smoke. Tadashi winced as he heard the response, knowing exactly how Matsuura would take it.

The man barely even seemed to move before Lord Mizuki found himself falling sideways, stunned from a rapid strike to the side of his head with the kashira of his attacker’s sword; the pommel cap, to some. He crumpled to the ground without more than a thump, leaving Matsuura glaring at the young woman behind Tadashi

‘Why… Do you have him?’ He breathed.

‘I caught him spying on us.’

Matsuura froze for just a moment, his fury swaying. The smoke around the man grew even darker, until it was almost no more than a rolling darkness.

‘Is that true?’ He asked his son.

Tadashi nodded slowly, taking care not to wound himself on Miss Hisamoto’s weapon. Matsuura squeezed his eyes shut and pinched his brow, lowering his head for a moment, then sighed. Turning away from the pair, he inhaled deeply. As he did so, the thick smoke surrounding them all suddenly lightened and dispersed, even more quickly than it had first rolled in.

Looking down at Lord Mizuki, now that he could see him clearly again, Tadashi was surprised to see the older man was once again in position to attack, keeping low to the ground. The man’s position and movement reminded Tadashi of a jungle cat, a predator ready to pounce. 

‘Come on inside,’ Matsuura offered over his shoulder, walking back toward the main hut. ‘We have a lot to discuss, and I see no reason not to enjoy some sake while we do.’

‘Oh, and… Do remove your knife from my boy’s throat.’

Tadashi felt Miss Hisamoto begin to relax, and the weapon fell away from his neck after just a moment. She brushed past him, tending to Lord Mizuki, and Tadashi was finally able to see a glimpse of his captor.

She was dressed in rather fine attire, neither loose and flowing nor skintight, a fair mix of presentable and practical. Perfect for a combat-ready noble, a far cry from Tadashi’s own simple clothes. She had long black hair, cascading down her back and sides to around her mid-torso. Her skin seemed almost as pale as Tadashi’s own, which was a surprise in and of itself. 

Tadashi could see no more at his current angle, but that mattered little. The three began to make their way to the door after Matsuura, and Tadashi waited by the door for the others to pass through before entering. He used this opportunity to finally glimpse the young Lady’s face, but was almost disappointed to find that she kept it mostly covered by a thin mask of black fabric, only her eyes maintaining visibility.

Tadashi caught his breath as their eyes met for the first time, not expecting the sight that greeted him.

Throught his entire life thus far, everybody he had met who was native to the Eastern forests bore dark brown eyes, a steep contrast to the bright, icy blue eyes he had inherited from his mother.

Miss Hisamoto, however, had deep, ocean blue eyes, and they seemed to wash over Tadashi entirely. 

The pair stood motionless for a second, both seemingly startled by the other’s blue. Lord Mizuki poked his head back through the door and coughed, hurrying them along, before falling into step alongside Miss Hisamoto and seeming to argue with her quietly.

Tadashi wondered about Lord Mizuki; he had seen Tadashi’s eyes much sooner, but didn’t seem to react at all to the strange colour. Still, he hardly seemed like a normal person, especially considering the strange position he had adopted when threatened. Then again, the folks from the freezing North were rumored to have such icy blue eyes, so it was certainly possible that he simply assumed Tadashi to share their blood.

Tadashi shrugged it off, deciding to focus on the moment at hand, and the four were soon seated around Matsuura’s table, ready to begin their discussion. Throughout the conversation, Tadashi was able to piece together certain snippets of information about the Hisamoto clan and fortress.

The Hisamoto clan was, in its prime, quite a formidable outlier among the more powerful families. Largely content with their role, generation after generation kept their distance from both the bickering and the bartering between the heads of clan, usually only stepping in to assist in times of disastrous conflict. 

They were able to do so because of their sheer numbers - the Hisamoto clan had unofficially adopted many stragglers and vagabonds throughout the years, enabling them to privately amass a force larger than most other clans. The Hisamoto clan never used this to further their own goals, however - instead, the main focus of the clan and its heads had always been to maintain peace by whatever means necessary. 

It was, then, truly unfortunate, the Hisamoto clan falling into such a sorry state… But more unfortunate were the circumstances that brought the clan to its knees. There is always a danger in accepting or adopting rogue elements, and it was only a matter of time before one particular adoptee made their true nature show.