The Dangers of Mystery, and the Power of Chaos

The anxiety of the youthful yokai could only grow as her grief only fed that alternative nature inside of her. Generally, her two bloodlines were so smoothly mixed, that she was able to carry on through her daily life with no trouble at all. However, the yokai could not help but feel something gnawing at another part of her-- and it was from no external source, such as from her madness based magic or anything outside wanting in. The hunger was only from within, and with nothing else to feed on, it devoured her grief and her doubts ever so slowly.

There was a problem with such a slow science, however. The beast was eating at the emotions that were natural and human, leaving only a bare emptiness in its place, and a desire for something that was not there. Izayuki could not so easily sense this, and found moving about in her daily life much harder, with no explanation other than the recent traumatic events.

The Bakedanuki strolled through the library, hoping she could find the quiet environment to be calming and peaceful. Instead, it left her to her own dangerous mind and thoughts. Nothing seemed to be bringing her peace. Only one place seemed to bring her a bit of blissful solitude, but how wise was it to continuously sneak off to that one place while she left her guild unattended?

Voices broke the ayakashi’s train of thought. The voices were familiar, and Izayuki tracked them down easily in a specific room-- where the guild kept the Blade of War. The guildmaster did not mind Oras’ snooping and investigating within the Black Rose library, inn, and territories. All the material she had was open to the members of her guild. Information she did not want to be read simply did not exist on hard records. In truth, she had noticed Oras’ soul once more long before she had heard his voice in conversation with Sova, the avian caretaker of the library. How interesting that his soul never could decide on what it was at any given moment.

The Bakedanuki entered the room like a ghost, catching the tail end of the conversation before Oras turned to see her standing there. “Nice sword, is it not?” she asked, hands relaxed on her hips and a subtle smile on her face. “As Sova mentioned, there’s a reason we keep it sealed up here. But, I’m sure you know everything there is to know about it now. How are you, Oras? Are you enjoying our Library?” Izayuki continued in her usual perky manner, with an edge of pride. Their underground library was vast and easy to get lost in-- how could one not take pride in such a place?


[458]

Izayuki chuckled at the red-haired man’s response to her question regarding the sword. It was a crude one indeed, and was not meant for many purposes other than to shed blood, kill, and destroy. She had noticed the removal of his mask, which made her content. If one was to hide behind a disguise of any sort, they needed a better reason other than just fear and what the tanuki perceived to be social anxiety.

And that was how it worked-- the resources he wanted were there, so he was there to find them and research. “Well, it’s good to see you with your mask off for a change, and I hope you’re finding our broad selection of resources to your liking,” she responded with a smile, taking a few steps towards him. “And I’m glad to hear that you and Sova are getting along well, but you do realize the others would not avoid you if you’d make more of an effort to engage them.”

Of course, such a thing was easier said than done for at least a few members. Black Rose was a small band of misfits-- everyone had some quirk or another, and though they were all relatively friendly, some were just flat out odd or merely quiet individuals. Not everyone was human, as there was a pleasant mix of dolls and puppets, yokai and gods, with a couple of humans mixed in. Nevertheless, there were enough members that would enjoy some company and fellowship.

But where did Oras fit in? He had no category he could so easily fix himself into, after all. His personality was secluded, his demeanor was often cold, and his soul could give no reading onto what he truly was. How curious. “Say, have you found any answers to the question of that shifty soul of yours?” the Bakedanuki asked with her never-ceasing grin, her silver-furred tail flicking eagerly.


[776]

Crimson eyes watched the man return his books to their original shelves. Izayuki half expected an answer, but quickly realized he had little to add and was not going to contribute to that part of conversation, which was fine by her. Her silver-furred ears perked in curiosity as he responded to her comment about engaging with their guildmates. At his words, the Bakedanuki’s grin broadened in amusement.

“Gee, I wouldn’t know,” Izayuki replied with a mildly sarcastic edge to her voice as she met Oras’ eyes. “Seeing as you take such great care to isolate yourself, I would not know much about you to even begin listing what is enjoyable or not. Do you expect me to read your mind?”
The Bakedanuki’s voice held an aspect of playfulness as she concluded. She began to walk towards him as she continued, the subtle and amused smile on her face never fading. “Who is to say a guildmate might not enjoy philosophy or deep thinking? One thing is for sure though-- I find you quite intriguing~”

Izayuki herself did enjoy philosophical discussions, remembering her younger days quite fondly when she would confront opponents with questions and ideas first and foremost, before taking action. Of course, not all of her enemies would grant her such opportunities. Especially not now. Shrugging at her own words, the Bakedanuki listened to his answer regarding her questioning the status of his research on his soul. “Interesting,” she mused, leaning casually against a bookshelf with her arms crossed as she thought more about it. “Say, I know of a place that might have answers, or perhaps some people who know what’s going on. I can’t promise anything, but it may be worth looking into.”


[1,062]

“You flatter me,” she chuckled in regards to his first sentence. Of course, that was not within her direct abilities, but with use of the Onajimi no Seishin, the tiny spirits she could create and use, probing a person’s mind was possible. The familiars could enter the mind of a target, and deliver their memories and thoughts directly to the Bakedanuki. Not only that, but they could feed on memories, rearrange them, or simply control the person. Though useful in rare circumstances, the yokai recognized the issue with them when it came to human perception, and kept knowledge of them to herself. They were a failsafe when it came to people learning secrets she did not want them to know, and little more.

Moving herself from her lean on the bookshelf, Izayuki continued. “I mean, I grew up in isolation too, but a few attempts here and there at making friends never hurt anyone. In fact, it’s a key to really growing stronger,” the Bakedanuki mentioned with a shrug, knowing the fact to be true. Without the help from various people in her life, she would never have been where she was now.

“Oh please, if that’s the only reason you intrigued me, you wouldn’t be here right now,” the ayakashi laughed, her tail twitching in amusement. “Though once isolated, you’re curious, and hunger for information. You strive towards some kind of goal, even though it’s unknown to me. That, and you cannot be classified as ‘normal’, can you? You’re an ‘anomaly’.”

Izayuki paused for a few heartbeats, taking a step towards another bookshelf. No longer looking at him, she fingered through the books on a shelf as she continued. “Basically what I’m saying is, you’re a lot like me~” she chimed simply, pulling out a specific book from the shelf. The title was in a foreign language, likely one he did not know the translation of unless he had ever vigorously studied the eastern earthland cultures. Even then, the writing was uncanny and not completely clear. “The place is another world entirely, and the people are far from human. The land and atmosphere are ever changing, in constant flux-- much like that soul of yours. Yet in this place, there’s a consistency and a beauty about it, that’s hard for the human mind to comprehend.”


[1,448]

One never could find ones they trusted without first throwing themselves out there to meet people. It was unwise to trust someone right off the bat, but surely it never caused any harm to become acquainted with individuals, and build relationships from there. It seemed that this was something Oras perhaps did not understand, judging by his words and lack of comment on her statement.

She did not understand why Oras did continue to strive for his goals like he did. She did not know his goals, but why would he be pushing for information and getting stronger if he did not have one? Izayuki was very much the same-- dedicated towards a guild of old in her younger days, and one that few knew about. However, she had long since abandoned that goal, finding it useless and unfruitful, and focused her attention towards other things.

That, and she herself was in between two worlds. She was born a mononoke, yet was not completely one. She had human blood in her lineage, yet her soul was of neither heritage. Replaced by a god and claimed by a Daemon, Izayuki had yet to come to complete terms with who she was. Though, that was not important right now.

The Bakedanuki continued to finger through the book she had pulled from the shelf. The pages were written in the same strange language, with some illustrations. However, the picture were abstract and impressionist at best, difficult to completely understand upon viewing. “You’re right,” Izayuki said softly as she continued looking at the pages of the book. “But at least the change here is fairly consistent, and mankind can adapt easily to change to move on. That’s different in this world. It’s not a world meant for humans, and though man can ‘adapt’, doing so here would possibly be destructive.”

Gazing back up from the book at Oras, the ayakashi grinned once more. “Or perhaps I should clarify-- their humanity would be destroyed, and they’d become something else entirely,” she stated, turning another page in the book. “I could take you there, but there’s a great risk involved. The world is dangerous not only because of what lurks in that realm, but the atmosphere itself is not meant for the minds and bodies and souls of man. However, your soul just might fit in perfectly, and slow the process of anything too unfortunate happening to you. That is, if you even wish to venture there~”



[1,859]

“I see,” was all Izayuki said as Oras said he was ready, and told her to lead the way. With the book still in her hands, the Bakedanuki flipped to the pages in the middle while she moved closer to Oras. There was nothing written on those pages, only blank paper-- or so it would seem to human eyes. The book was not any usual book, after all, with strange writings and illustrations carefully inscribed on its pages.

The book was none other than a Tsukumogami-- a yokai object. Average and obscure items that lived long enough could sometimes become self aware, and then begin to gain power. Essentially, they had acquired a spirit of their own. The book she held was ancient, and very aware of itself and its surroundings. There was a cost for the book to use its power, however, despite the contract of protection Izayuki had already forged with the Tsukumogami-hon. The Bakedanuki held a claw over the surface of the page, allowing a drop of liquid to drip onto the page. The liquid appeared to be akin to ink, and upon hitting the page, was briskly and smoothly absorbed, as if nothing had ever touched it.

The instant she had fed the book, the ayakashi would attempt to firmly grip Oras’ hand. Upon doing so, she would close the book with one hand while still holding onto Oras with her other. With the soft sound of the book’s closure, the atmosphere around them would quickly begin to shift. The first thing noticeable was that it no longer smelled or felt like the library-- the feelable presence of the bookshelves and the room no longer existed. Perhaps few would notice this, but one keen of mind and senses would notice a different feeling. Second, the book she had just closed vanished from her hands, and a rush of wind would begin from where the object had been, and blow a huge gale to all corners of the room.

Only, there were no more corners. The ‘wind’ was beginning to blow the visible library away. It would slowly start to fade, as if the world itself were literally being ‘torn’ apart. As the library faded, the duo would no longer be standing on a soft carpeted library floor, but in a expansive field of crimson spider lilies. The night sky stretched above them, with ominous clouds overhead. The moon was full, and its light penetrated through the thick blankets of dark clouds.

The wind soon came to a halt, and was replaced by a gentle breeze blowing in from the east. Izayuki let go of Oras’ hand and turned to scan the field of flowers, visibly pleased. The new atmosphere of the world felt nothing like the world of Earthland, and to a human body, it would be harder to breathe, with oxygen not being an important thing for the ones who lived there to breathe. The clouds overhead were slowly moving towards the west, but never once covered the bright moon above. “Welcome to the world of Nazo,” Izayuki said in a chipper voice, turning back around to face Oras.


[2,383]

“Not quite,” Izayuki began to explain, folding her hands behind her back. “The book is a yokai, like me. A sentient being. It has the ability to push us into this world, but the price was blood.”

Gazing up at the bright moon, the Bakedanuki continued. “You could call the book a ‘Tsukumogami’-- an object that has become self aware after having lived so long. You’ll find that many yokai require favors or things in return for their help. It’s a fairly balanced system, but also something to be wary of while you’re here. However, it works the other way around as well. If you offer a yokai your assistance, you have the right to ask for something in return.”

The ayakashi grinned in amusement at the observation of her using an unorthodox method. If feeding a fellow yokai her blood for passage was not unorthodox, she would have to contemplate what really was, apart from the obvious. “I’m not from this world. My parents possibly were. And I can’t say I really feel too at home here either. Black Rose is my home,” she explained with a casual shrug. “However, this place shares my nature, and I can’t argue with that.”

Clasping her hands together in front of her, the Bakedanuki began to concentrate mononoke magic between her palms. There was a pale green light which peeked through any cracks, which stopped after a couple heartbeats. Reopening her grasp, what was held in her right hand was none other than a medium sized leaf. The leaf reflected the moonlight, and appeared to be perfect. In a way, it was, as it would never break or tear no matter how hard one should try to destroy it. Taking a few footsteps towards Oras, the ayakashi handed him the mononoke-leaf. “This leaf is a symbol of a contract. If the world separates us, you can use this to call me back to you,” Izayuki explained, knowing the leaf was a bit more important and special than she was making it out to be. A gentle contract as such was generally a sign of trust and loyalty. In this case, it was created out of responsibility. She had brought him here, so she would take it upon herself to protect him.

“We should head east. The sun will rise very shortly, and the others will try to hide in the dark here. The light will at least make them seen,” she answered, beginning to walk in the direction from where the clouds originated.


[2,804]

“It was a price the individual set, but you will find that many yokai enjoy the taste of blood, or any form of life force, really,” Izayuki answered. She herself was one such yokai like the book, but it was a nature she generally tried to hide when possible, especially while she lived among humans in their world. “Some desires knowledge, some magic, and some favors. The best thing to do is to hold a yokai to a debt. If they owe you, don’t ask for anything until the moment is right.”

Was that not something her own family did? The Riyoshi family, or later, Riyasu, would get other ayakashi indebted to them. They would not call on the debts right away, but instead would wait until the favors could be used as a trump card, or to simply be used as a leash of control over other individuals. After all, one could not kill someone they were indebted to, so it was a good means of gaining protection. The art of using those leverages was something a yokai would come to master over time, and using the debts skillfully and wisely would ensure a safe and good life in their world.

“It isn’t something I take lightly,” Izayuki responded simply, in regards to the leaf she had given him. She decided against going into too many details with Oras, due to it not changing anything or being too fruitful. She had no reason to reveal too much about herself, or to clarify all the terms and conditions of her contracts. However, at the very least, she would have a chance to protect him if she could, and that was what she wanted.

As she moved eastward, the sun would begin to rise in what felt like minutes. It naturally was longer, but time fluctuated in this world. The shadows of ‘night’ would begin to melt away, but that did not make the shadow over the land disappear. The dawn was red overhead with yellow in the horizon, but shadows still lurked on the ground itself, as if there were no light being cast on the landscape. Further on in the distance were silhouettes and figures that were unable to be completely made out. Most moved in a line, venturing north, but the closer the duo would get, the farther away the figures would seem.


[3,199]

As Oras slipped his mask back on, Izayuki glanced over her shoulder at her guildmate. “That ordinary mask won’t really help you here. There’s no point in wearing it,” she stated evenly. Many yokai could feel or smell emotions, and anyone could see that Oras was a human, mask or not, due to the mask being crafted by humans, and not created by ayakashi.

“This is a world of ayakashi, much like Earthland is a world of magical humans. To say specifically where I stand in relation to everyone here would be like me explaining my relationship to everyone in Earthland,” Izayuki responded to his question, her crimson eyes still focused on the horizon as she spoke.

With the silhouettes finally no longer shrinking away as the duo moved closer, Izayuki began to make out just what they were. “Hyakki yagyou,” she murmured under her breath as they drew near, and the shapes began to take a more solid form. On the horizon were monsters of every kind unimaginable. The parade lacked the common mythological creatures, such as dragons and unicorns, but held many other kinds of beings. Some appeared to be human, while others appeared to be various animals, monsters, objects, or obscure mixes from all categories.

Her words roughly translated to the words ‘night parade of one hundred phenomena’ should one know enough of the eastern tongue. Izayuki knew from experience that there were many night parades. Some were led by strong and powerful leaders, who often governed one domain or another in the world of Nazo. Others were meager caravans or celebrations- a pack of ayakashi moving from one place to another. This one for certain seemed to be on the march, and their line melted into the horizon, as if the parade had no beginning and no ending. Izayuki came to a halt on the hill of spider lilies, and gazed down at the path on which this parade tread.


[3,524]

“Like on Earthland, some people don’t mind masks, while some do. It depends on where you go. Most yokai wear masks that they create from their own ayakashi magic, that sometimes reflects what they are," Izayuki explained. “Of course, a few yokai enjoy masks just for the heck of wearing masks, or when getting ready to engage in something shifty or unorthodox.”

Not all mononoke were at peace with one another, Izayuki quietly reminded herself. Many clans, families, tribes, and nations would war against one another, each holding various ideals of their own. Izayuki was vaguely aware that her grandmother’s clan, the Riyoshi, were once, and possibly still were, a force to be reckoned with. Other clans bothered them at their own risk, and usually were quickly thwarted. With the Riyoshi being so influential, their leader was simply well known as one of the top ayakashi in their world, with many other clans and powerful yokai in their debt. Of course, that advantage was slowly balancing itself out as rebel family members began to collect and cancel debts as they saw fit, bringing the power the Riyoshi had over everyone down greatly.

Fortunately, the guild master was involved in none of that, sticking more to the world of humans than of ayakashi. As she eyed the night parade, Oras asked another question, which would receive a sideways glance and slight smirk from the Bakedanuki. “Not much more dangerous than it is now, seeing as you’re already surrounded by about that many yokai,” Izayuki explained. Unseen to their naked eyes, there were ayakashi all around-- some in the sky, some in the grass and flowers, some walking just as they were. Not all of them wished to be seen, however, and their presence could scarcely be felt, while others hid in plain sight, such as various mononoke flowers or mushi, insects.

Extending a hand in front of her, as if she were to receive something, Izayuki began to concentrate her magic once again. This time, however, a faint, misty, rune-like, animalian spirit would manifest itself above her palm. The little ghostlike creature appeared to be a small two-tailed cat glowing with a ghostly light, yet its features were undefined, and faded in and out of visibility. The cat floated over to Oras in a rush, and attempted to settle on his shoulders. It had no weight, and would begin to lessen its visibility more and more as it perched on the human.

“That’s one of my Onajimi no Seishin. It’s a spirit created from my own which should help disguise your presence. As long as it makes contact with you, your body and spirit will seem like that of an Ayakashi. I’ve no real reason to change the presence of your soul too, as it already is in sync with this world,” Izayuki explained, before beginning to take a few steps towards the night parade below, still endlessly marching on their unseen path.


[4,018]

Perhaps a part of it was an attempt at getting him to keep the mask off, but the other part was the fact that some yokai would recognize it as a mask not created by ayakashi. If anything, it would make him stand out, and not blend in, and that could lead to questioning by curious individuals. The yokai around were not necessary distant, either. Izayuki suspected some were closer than they appeared to be, but used skillful evasion of direct detection, or went unseen or unnoticed altogether.

One thing all of the monsters in the night parade had in common was the fact that they held eastern-style lanterns as they marched. As the duo moved towards the neverending line of mononoke, Izayuki scanned the ground before she stepped. Halting suddenly, the Bakedanuki would reach down to pick up two plants that had been torn from their stalks, or simply died somehow. She did not want to risk picking a fresh spider lily, and thus settled on the ones that were already dead in a way. She handed one to Oras, and as she did so, would change the physical perception of it in all aspects. It too, would look like one of the eastern lanterns the yokai of the parade held.

The lanterns likely would identify them as a member of the parade. And subtly and silently, Izayuki would lead to slip quietly into the rows of strolling yokai. There was no number or true rhythm or organization to the marching, but it there was still something mesmerizing about the march. Only upon joining the night parade, would the duo begin to notice that they were actually moving through the ever-changing landscape, and that perhaps the line was not endless.

As they ventured into the throngs of ayakashi in the parade, Izayuki began to notice the unmistakable changes not only of the world, but of the soul of Oras. Crimson eyes flickering from yokai to yokai, the Bakedanuki observed what was slowly unfolding. She could see the souls with her madness-based magic, and noticed the strands from Oras being left behind. She did not understand why such a thing was happening, and thus kept her wits about her. There had been high risks before, but now the stakes had been raised as even the yokai began muttering about the odd sensations themselves.

Was this the work of a powerful mononoke in their midst, or perhaps it was the work of their master? Though the soul was akin to their own nature, the effects it had on the world around it was noticeable even by the ayakashi. Her own illusion handiwork concealed Oras’ presence and his soul was not able to be pinpointed by the parade, but the effects were meddling with the rhythm of the night parade, which was daring and dangerous.

The ghostly cat on Oras’ shoulders would grow a nervous expression, its ears drawn back in discomfort, with its tail lashing to and fro. It stayed put on the shoulders of the red-haired man, but gazed around nervously at the nearby yokai. It was unseen by them, but should it get dislodged, Oras would be revealed as a mysterious soul in a human’s body. As they would move along with the increasingly suspicious parade, a solid place in the world came into view.

The trees were dark, and it appeared to be dusk on the verge of twilight. There were many styles of lanterns growing from trees as if they were fruit, which was the main source of light in this new woods the parade had wandered into. Various smaller yokai would peek out from the branches of trees and the brush of the forest to watch the night parade on the forest path. As they continued on, the parade would soon reach a destination-- an enormous clearing in the forest. The meadow was large enough to hold thousands-- and that it did. In the middle of the clearing was a great tree, also gargantuan in size. From its branches grew the lanterns like the ones the parade members were all holding.

The instant the duo entered the clearing, they would find themselves standing in the front of the large gathering around the tree, as if placed there by magic. On one low hanging branch of the tree sat a lone figure, wearing a white fox max with intricate red designs off to the size of his face. He seemed to be scanning the individuals in the clearing, his gaze only stopping to rest on Izayuki and Oras for a few seconds, before he finally spoke. “Those aren’t my lanterns.”

As soon as the Bakedanuki made eye contact with the yokai on the branch and heard his soft voice, she realized her mistake-- this was no average caravan of yokai. This was the direct parade that had sworn undying loyalty to a powerful individual.

“We should leave,” the ghost-cat would whisper in Oras’ ear, projecting Izayuki’s voice to her guildmate. The Bakedanuki would turn around to begin walking away, only for the ayakashi’s words to stop her in her tracks.

“Why are you leaving so soon? You just got here,” he would ask, one yellow eye focused on the Bakedanuki and the strange-souled one. With his attention on them, the entire parade had turned to see the two, grunting and murmuring among themselves as their leader would address the strangers.