CHAPTER 5: NIGHT VOICES

Around the wooden table sat the company, fully assembled: Taki, strength and beauty personified, lovely even behind the metal mask that obscured half her face; Hyun, stern and silent in his purple robes; Sidney, in his feathered, ruffled garb of red, green and blue, armed with his vorpal sword and seemingly permanent grin; Kayen, the childlike, dark-haired forest spirit; Yo, sullen and withdrawn; Lai, resplendent in a flowing yellow, red and orange kimono gaily decorated with printed flowers; Siegfried, a drastic change from the armored knight Mitsurugi once fought -- now an ordinary, kind-faced youth wearing a simple outdoor tunic with a much thinner, lighter sword than his first; Kenichi, sunny yellow haired with soft, boyish features; Yukio, ever alert, a polished black halberd resting securely at her side; and Mitsurugi, looking very much the wanderer with unkempt locks of hair spilling from his topknot and his ragged kimono.

"It began eight centuries ago, when the earth was still young," Taki began quietly. She raised her head skyward and closed her eyes, as if chanting a near-forgotten prayer from memory. "Lau Tseng, a sorcerer, sought to gather all the earth's magical energy at its source, giving himself the power to rule not only the world, but the entire universe as well.

"Lau was thoroughly corrupted and led an army of demons, goblins and all manner of dark creatures. He ordered them to build a temple at the nexus of all of the earth's spiritual energy: the center of Kamure's forests."

Mitsurugi coughed once and directed his gaze to the floor. To his left, Sidney's brow furrowed as his signature grin gave way to a frown.

"Such were the temple's structure and design, and the spells cast upon it by the sorcerer, that it began to drain the world of its spiritual energy day by day as it increased in size. The energy that Lau had leeched was stored in an enchanted jewel, a ruby known through legend as the Eye of Lau Tseng."

"So how was he stopped?" said Sidney, twirling his hat in his hands. He was immediately answered with a nudge in the side from Lai and a whispered, "Hush!".

Taki registered no sign of emotion and lowered her gaze, shifting it to Mitsurugi. "He was stopped at a great price to humankind. Word of his evil plans reached the ears of a simple peasant living in Kamure: a man named Mitsurugi Shidiro."

"By Raiden..." Mitsurugi sucked in his breath.

Taki folded her hands in her lap and continued. "Shidiro was neither a warrior, nor a sorcerer; however, with his valor and courage, he led a band of peasants armed with knives and pitchforks into Lau's domain. Countless innocent lives were taken, yet their number was so overwhelming that finally, even Lau himself fell-- at the cost of Shidiro's life."

Taki paused, then nodded to Mitsurugi, adding, "Your ancestor was an honorable man."

Mitsurugi looked at her solemnly. "I know that now."

"With Lau dead, his hordes of demons lay in defeat," she said. "The peasants' goodness of heart and bravery alone had triumphed over his dark magic. Few were left alive; they buried the dead, along with Shidiro, and simply returned to living their own lives as if nothing had happened. They were more than eager to forget the bloodshed, the carnage, the wanton destruction that had been wrought. As time passed, the story of what had taken place eight centuries ago..."

"... became nothing more than a legend," Sidney interrupted.

"Yes. Precisely."

"And the Eye? What of the Eye?"

"Disappeared. Vanished without a trace. The people thought it had been destroyed when the temple was reduced to ruins, and left it at that. They were wrong.

"What no one knew was this: The Eye had absorbed the life forces of Lau and his servants as they lay dying in his temple at the hands of Shidiro's makeshift army. After Lau's soul entered the gem, it buried itself beneath the earth's core, never to be seen again... until..."

"Until now," said Sidney.

"Yes. It has resurfaced, releasing the souls of Lau's minions. He had this all planned, so that not even death could stop him from establishing his reign of terror upon the world. This knowledge remained hidden for nearly half a century, until a messenger of the heavens delivered a vision to a far Eastern sage named Hsien Shin. The messenger has since been known as the Guardian.

"Hsien was chosen since he alone at that time possessed the purity of heart and strength of mind required to communicate directly with one of heaven's emissaries. The Guardian warned him of Lau's plot, giving him instructions to repeat its words to all and thus prepare the way for the hero destined to destroy the Eye... a descendant of the Mitsurugi bloodline, who would be placed under the Guardian's protection. A day later, Hsien fell seriously ill and died. He managed to pass the Guardian's words on to his fellow sages, who were unfortunately members of an elite order that was viewed by society as outcasts. As a result, no one in the kingdom took the sages' words seriously..."

"... and once again, reality faded into legend," Sidney finished, followed by a startled "Ow!" as an annoyed Hyun jabbed an elbow into his side.

"Stop being rude!" Hyun whispered.

"And stop being cruel!" Sidney countered, then turned his attention back to Taki. "My apologies, Taki. I do have one last question: how did you come to know the truth behind Lau's plot? How did you know that Hsien's story was true, before all this madness started?"

"The Guardian... spoke to me," Taki said, somewhat in amazement. "It said that it had chosen me, as it had chosen Mitsurugi Heishiro... to be the bearer of its word. That it had taken nearly seven centuries and five decades to gather the strength to once again walk the mortal plane, in order to find a being with which it could effectively communicate. When I learned of this, I immediately sent for you and the others, and set forth on my quest to find the Chosen One."

"And you have found him," said Mitsurugi.

"Yes. For this, I am most thankful."

"I'm sleepy," said a small, yawning voice. "May I please be excused?"

"You may, Kayen," said Taki. "In fact, it may be a good idea for all of us to rest for the night."

"I second the motion," said Lai, rising from the table.

"First sensible idea I've heard all day," said Yukio. She stretched her arms, picked up her halberd and followed Kayen and Lai to their rooms.



"The journey begins... tomorrow..."

"Eh?" Sidney ceased strumming his lute and cocked his head to listen. "What was that? Can't hear you very well when you're mumbling, my friend."

"It begins tomorrow," said Yo, turning to face him from the plainly furnished room's side window, which overlooked the garden where the battle with the masked men had taken place. "I know not where we are headed, and I care not, as long as it takes us far from them. Far from where they can see us and hurt any of you. They have spilled enough innocent blood."

"And you're running away from them. That makes sense." He resumed his strumming, letting his fingers run idly over the strings, producing a random series of mellow tones. "But I suppose that's far more pleasant than answering bloodshed with bloodshed."

"We have more important matters to pursue."

"I know." He continued plucking the strings of the lute and played the first few notes of a ballad. "Whatever you wish, oh enigmatic one."

Yo scoffed. "You bards are all alike. You think that life is just a song to be played. You never bother to look up from your instruments and songbooks and see the sorry shape that the world is in. You sing of joy and sunshine, never seeing the darkness on the other side."

"People see what they want to see."

"You are hopelessly blind."

"Be thankful that we trust you at all," Sidney said, with an edge of warning. "Considering what you were before you joined us..."

"I have heard enough of that," said Yo, and turned his face back to the window.

Sidney played another line from his ballad as he watched him. "Eyes that take in everything, yet reveal nothing."

"Eh?"

"Your expression. You should make it a point to stop going about looking as if you've been condemned to die the next day. You have looks that ladies would kill for, did you know that? It's just a shame that none of them would want to go near you, with the way your eyes make you seem like some empty, soulless void."

"My looks are the last thing that concerns me." He kept his back to Sidney. "You talk like a woman."

"Oh ho!" Sidney let out a lengthy chuckle that nearly sent him rolling on the straw-matted floor. "Take it as a compliment from one handsome chap to another," he said upon regaining his composure.

"Handsome?" said Yo, facing his companion again. "Your nose is too big."

Astonished, Sidney took a glimpse of his own face in a mirror that he had taken from his pocket and collapsed in a fit of laughter.

"Too big...... hah! My friend, that's a Westerner's face for you! Ha ha!"

"Then Westerners have big noses." He had the slightest hint of a smile on his lips now, which Sidney noticed at once. A toothy grin spread across the bard's angular features.

"You should do that more often, you know."

"Do what?"

"What else? Smile!" He rose up from his cotton mattress and spread his arms theatrically. "Happiness is the staff of life, my comrade! A person who has never smiled has never truly lived."

Yo said nothing and turned back to the window, staring out at the garden where the death-wounds of fallen men left scarlet flecks on the grass.



Across the hall, Lai and Yukio sat on their cushions similarly pondering their quest as Kayen lay on a mattress, her head resting on Yukio's lap.

"Why did there have to be bad people?" she said softly. "Why did there have to be monsters?"

There was no answer.

"It's an unusual question to ask, because I know I've lived a very long time... but I've asked myself over and over and there still doesn't seem to be an answer. Not even after hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years."

"We don't know why these things happen," said Lai, gazing upon her with the almost mystical serenity that only she seemed to possess. "We can only accept the fact that evil dwells in this world, and deal with it-- however we can."

"And deal with it we shall," said Yukio, stroking Kayen's hair.

"Deal with it." Kayen reached down and pulled her cotton quilt up to her chin. "Do you really think we can win?"

"Ask yourself that question," Yukio replied. "After all, you helped in choosing us, didn't you?"

"Yes... but still. We're all only mortal. But Lau... with his power, he's not very far from becoming immortal."

"Do you trust us?"

"Yes."

"Do you trust yourself?"

A slight pause. "Yes."

"Do you trust Mitsurugi?"

This time there was no hesitation. "Yes."

"Well then, stop worrying and go to sleep. If Mitsurugi Shidiro could defeat the underworld with an army of peasants, we warriors definitely have a fighting chance."

"That was a good point," said Lai with a nod of approval.

"A very good point," said Kayen with a tiny smile. "A very, very good point!" She threw back the bedcovers and abruptly rose to her feet, skipping exuberantly. "We can do it! We can do anything! We can go right up to that mean old wizard, thrash his behind and make him wish he was never born!"

"Go to sleep, Kayen!" Yukio and Lai chorused.

Reluctantly, Kayen ceased skipping and sank back under her quilt. As she closed her eyes, she muttered:

"Grownups."

"Could he have been right?" said Siegfried, seated on the floor and polishing his sword with a rag.

"Who? About what?" said Hyun.

"Mitsurugi. Could he have been right..." His words trailed into the distance.

Kenichi shook his head. "No. Of course not."

"Really?"

"I know how you feel, Siegfried," he said, placing a hand on Siegfried's shoulder.

"Don't say that." He set down the rag and slipped his sword back into its sheath. "It frightens me, because I know that you mean it literally."

"He may call you a demon every now and then, but you know well enough to think otherwise. You know that you have overcome your past."

"And I know that countless lives have been lost because of me!" he cried, his mood shifting entirely. A lump began to form in his throat.

"It's over now," said Hyun, trying not to raise his voice.

"For you, maybe. But not..." He interrupted himself with a despaired sigh. "You don't know what it's like. Perhaps you can see into my thoughts and sense my pain, Kenichi, but let me tell you, feeling another person's heartbreak is far different from when that heartbreak is your own. Meeting Mitsurugi again, after that last battle... he... " He paused. "He made me take a good, close look at myself and see what I truly am."

"You are not a monster," said Kenichi. "We know you. We trust you. You never forced our trust; you have earned it. Is that not enough?"

"No, it is not enough!" came the sudden reply, tinged with anger. "Look at me -- deep inside me, and think about it! I've enslaved villages... I've raided palaces, sunk ships, murdered men, women and children alike for their souls... I killed my own father! My own flesh and blood! I am not worth the dust on the feet of those who have died by my hand!"

"Well, I don't understand you!" Hyun snapped back. "What is the reason for this sudden outburst? This is foolishness! Why are you raving on about all these things now, after we have accepted you as our friend, our brother, regardless of the blood on your hands? You are an idiot, Siegfried. A true, genuine, undisputed idiot!"

"Thank you!" Siegfried shouted. "At least someone else in this place speaks the truth!"

Kenichi shook his head. "Stop this, Hyun. This is the last thing he needs to hear right now. And Siegfried... do not say that about yourself. Mitsurugi acted out of impulse -- you know full well that he was wrong."

"But it's true," said Siegfried, his voice quivering. "It's true. I am... a murderer..."

"It was not you. It was the demons who were possessing you."

"And I cannot use that as an excuse." He clenched his fists, fury and sorrow welling up within him.

"Why?" he said chokingly. "Why... did you choose to forgive me?"

"Siegfried..." Kenichi began.

"I don't deserve your mercy." He fell silent.

Hyun folded his arms in frustration. "I don't understand you. Just an hour ago, you spoke of atoning for your sins by saving the world after having corrupted it. Now you drown in your own self-pity. This is madness."
"Knowing that I have paid for my crimes is one thing," Siegfried said finally. "But simply knowing
that I committed them in the first place is another. The pain never leaves, never fades away.
I
can mask it for a while, but after that, it returns to torment me again."
"We may never be able to take away your pain," said Kenichi. "All we can do is forgive and
forget, as
we have already done, and accept you-- for all that you are."

Hyun nodded.

"You are Siegfried Schtauffen," he said solemnly. "That is enough. You are our friend..." He reached out to clasp Siegfried's shoulders. "... and my sworn brother. We have done all that we possibly can. Now all that remains is for you to find it in your own heart to forgive yourself."

"I don't think I can ever forgive myself," said Siegfried, letting his head droop.

"Try, my brother. Try."

"'Brother'..."

Gritting his teeth, Siegfried broke free of Hyun's grasp and started for the door.

"How could you bear to call me 'brother'?"

Siegfried exited the room, shutting his eyes to block out the world around him. When he opened them, he found himself meeting the gaze of two familiar figures across the corridor.
 
"Goodnight, Siegfried," said one, looking upon him with obvious concern.

"Goodnight, Taki."

The other stared into his eyes wordlessly. He watched as the hard-set expression on the man's weather-beaten face softened, registering the slightest trace of gentleness. A mix of emotions proceeded to flood over him. He held them back with tightly clenched fists.

"Goodnight, Mitsurugi," he said, and made his way down the hallway, into the shadows, to be left alone.