foxhole7

Epilogue: Lost in Time Modern Japan passed before Ryokan's eyes as he trekked north toward his destination in the Himuro mountains. It was a time of upheaval, an era characterized by the removal of the feudal system that Ryokan had once known and expected from the people surrounding his former village. Seemed he wasn't the only one who could embrace change. Unfortunately, the political tremors also sowed fear that led people to adorn their businesses and homes with Shinto talismans that Ryokan, being a cursed spirit, could not cross. Every time he neared one, his vision would blur, his legs tensing to prevent him from stepping forward as a d

Chapter 34: Sunrise The next thing he knew, Ryokan's mind was being stirred awake by the sound of the wind rushing past him. It was the same wind that had been chilling Ryokan for days, but the other thing he noticed just then was that he couldn't feel it, or anything else. He could barely even tell that he was lying on solid ground – a flat, indecipherable plane that wasn't soft, hard, uneven, or rigid. It was as if his mind and body were detached from one another, and for a moment he feared to open his eyes, wondering if he would be able to see. Carefully, his eyelids parted to the sight of darkness, realizing his considerations for

Chapter 33: Save Our Village The journey down to the chamber of the Hellish Abyss was longer and more difficult than Ryokan remembered it being. The sloping hallways were marred by damage from the Repentance, and some had caved in completely, leaving Ryokan with the arduous task of squeezing himself through any gaps he could find in the rubble. Each and every stone that his body was forced against would press against his wounded stomach, slowing his progress and making his body recoil with pain. Long after its use, the stone mirror was starting to wear off, leaving Ryokan with limited strength and a slow but steady loss of blood. Ryokan pre

Chapter 32: Father and Daughter, Part 2 Sae cackled madly, her ceremonial sash flying toward Ryokan with the speed of a tempest. It was all he could do to leap awkwardly to the ground at his side as Sae brought it down across the floor where he had been standing, cleaving it in two and sending splintered shards flying. Ryokan grunted as a few struck him, but forced himself up quickly to counterattack. He was too late as Sae cast another swing of her rope, laughing wildly as it whistled through the air towards him. Again, he barely dodged, ducking under the rope as it sailed over him. One of the six pillars in the altar room took the hit inst

Chapter 31: Father and Daughter, Part 1 Confined inside the statuesque, centuries-old shrine that had seen the deaths of so many innocent people before now, Ryokan and Sae stared into each other's eyes, both equally impressed that Ryokan hadn't taken one look at her and tried to run away, as he had done before. Every fiber of Ryokan's being was begging him to do just that. Every sense told him that, if he didn't get away from his daughter soon, his life would be painfully ended. He saw the sadistic glee in her eyes as she stared at him from across the room's center furnace, studying the scratches and bruises on his person, learning about wha

Chapter 30: No Turning Back Ryokan held an arm up to his face and expelled a watery, phlegm-filled cough as he jogged with muffled enthusiasm toward his home. Over his head, the lightning and cloud cover intensified, reflecting the old man's own impatience. It really was a stroke of fortune that he had come up with a new strategy, even if it wasn't very good, because soon he would be too lifeless to do anything. Some blood had appeared on his sleeve with that last cough... Eager rushing had become a tired walk by the time Ryokan arrived at Whisper Bridge. There, Kurosawa House waited for him, its withered old facade menacing with the branch

Chapter 29: Mio's Fate, Part 2 A few minutes before he "woke up", Ryokan could hear the sound of his own deep, labored breathing. In...out...in...out. He concentrated on that sound, grasping onto it as proof that he wasn't finished just yet. He was alive, and the bout of madness he had just suffered had subsided. Or so he thought. Ryokan had woken up on his side, his head strangely relaxed given that he had hit it and knocked himself unconscious. When his fuzzy vision of the surroundings finally cleared, he noticed almost immediately that it didn't match the appearance of the room that he had blacked out in. The more his vision adjusted, t

Chapter 28: Mio's Fate, Part 1 Grunting and panting from strain and fatigue, the old man propelled himself down the Kureha Shrine's steps as a foul wind kicked up around him. While the village was thankfully no more hostile than it had been before, both it and the old man's aging body were causing him more severe pain with every inch of ground he moved. Knowing that this was the worst possible time to rest did nothing to bring him more energy. He needed to stop and regain his strength so badly, that even the Tachibana house seemed too far away. Instead, the old man turned right at a fork in the steep road and walked along a short, inclined p

Chapter 27: This is My Choice Ryokan stood in front of the Kureha Shrine's passage door, bitter at the thought that he was now refusing to open it. He wanted to do it, wanted to use the golden film to break the seal on the door and run to his freedom, but he knew now that the camera's final roll of film had a more important use. So he stood silently, pointing the camera at his own face, watching its lens as it charged, and waiting for the Malice's reaction. Well now...this is interesting. Astonishingly, when the Malice's voice echoed inside the old man's head, it didn't sound outraged, or insulted, or negative in any way beyond the usual s

Notice: This chapter contains first person flashbacks told from Ryokogu's perspective. You'll know them when you see them. Chapter 26: Ryokogu's Legacy Back in the center of All Gods village, the gate to Itsuki's storehouse swung open as Ryokan staggered through, his legs ready to give out under him. He knew he had no time to waste (the Malice impatiently told him so), but the old man was exhausted, and potentially near death. He couldn't even remember the last time he had eaten, and the inky river water was like poison to him. His joints ached, his head throbbed, and his heart was keeping an unnaturally high pace. Surviving in this village