Chapter 523

Chapter 523

After abandoning her mortal shell to become one with her beloved, Eri-Hime did everything she could to support Big Brother Hideo.nove(l)bi(n.)com

Although it didnt look like she was helping by leaving him to be tortured within their Natal Palace, there was nothing she could do to free him because his confinement was voluntary. She loved him more than life itself and would never do anything to harm him, but so burdened by remorse over his grievous sin, Big Brother Hideo refused to accept her forgiveness and instead put himself through a rigorous, self-inflicted regimen of pain and suffering, all because he believed it was what he deserved. Were he willing and in the right state of mind, he could end his suffering with but a thought, for he was master of his domain within his Natal Palace, but he closed his heart and mind to her anguished pleas and shouted advice. Too honourable and virtuous to ever forgive himself for his most heinous of crimes, he rejected love and forgiveness and used her twisted image to inflict all manner of horrors upon himself, suffering as she suffered in a desperate bid to atone for what hed done.

What a foolish man she loved, seeing lies and deceptions where there were none. In Eri-Himes eyes, the past no longer mattered, because through some miracle of the Heavens, they were together now like shed always dreamed of, and that was all that mattered. The nerve of him for refusing to believe his precious Eri-Hime and trying to forsake her as a Demon. Was he truly so eager to be rid of her, or was he simply too broken by what hed done? Either way, it mattered not. Eri-Hime had rejected the warm embrace of the Mother to come back to his side, and even though he refused to accept her love, she would work hard and persevere until he came to appreciate everything shed done for him. For them.

Silly Big Brother Hideo... When he eventually came to his senses, he would understand and succumb to her love, two becoming one as they united in body, mind, and soul.

Her poor, poor man... He spent his entire life trying to be the best person, the best Martial Warrior he could be, but a single mistake threatened to ruin everything hed worked for and Eri-Hime would not allow it. The world only saw Mitsue Hideo, favoured son of a prominent family and Disciple to a powerful man, but they never saw the hardships he suffered along the way. They didnt know how he spent his childhood hiding in his room and desperately training to become a Martial Warrior to win the respect of his extended family. They didnt know about how hed often go to bed crying because he missed his absent father, a man who was always too busy with work to see him to the point where Big Brother Hideo wondered if his father even loved him. They didnt know about the lonely years he spent neglected at his Mentors side, training under the supervision of whatever soldier or officer Juichi could spare and rarely ever meeting the man in person except to be berated for his failings. Even in his moment of crowning achievement, when Big Brother Hideo finally mastered the Mountain Collapsing Stomp and confidently displayed it for his Mentor to see, the old fogey didnt smile or commend him for his staggering accomplishment, but instead sighed and lamented about Big Brothers limited foresight.

Each must forge their own path to the Martial Peak, Juichi had said, shaking his head in stern discontent. If you spend your life following in my footsteps, where will you go once youve caught up?

That didnt stop the crotchety old man from sharing the news of his Disciples achievement with the Empire at large so he could bask in the undeserved praise of his lessers. Given recent revelations regarding his father and family, Big Brother Hideo was furious with his Grand-Uncle, though he didnt dare admit it to himself. Eri-Hime understood why he couldnt hate his beloved hero and Mentor, but even though the stupid old man was a powerful Warrior, he was also a terrible father, teacher, and family figurehead, a worn, old fool who obviously knew nothing about how to raise a son or train a Warrior. Meanwhile, Uncle Hiroshi wouldve been a renowned Hero of the Empire in his own right if hed made his accomplishments public, but he picked the Mitsue family over personal fame and kept his name off the Empires Roll of Experts and Peak Experts alike. This wasnt done to spare his cousins pride, but because the renowned Mitsue Juichi would lose face if it became known that his sons all failed to excel despite his doting love and patient guidance, yet his neglected nephew became an Expert at twenty two and Peak Expert at forty seven while playing lackey and steward to his disappointing progeny. Worse, people would whisper about Hiroshis true parentage and wonder if this nephew-turned-Patriarch was in fact Juichis illegitimate son, an insult to both men and their families.

Of course, Big Brother Hideo only put the pieces together after Uncle Hiroshi blew up at Uncle Watanabe and it sat poorly with him now that he knew the truth, but he refused to let himself feel the rage bubbling within. Eri-Hime just knew it wasnt right because the Voice of the Heavens told them as much, so she embraced rage in his stead.

The Heavens often spoke to them after her passing, and though she was curious why the Heavens sounded like an old man instead of a beautiful woman, she passed these lessons on to Big Brother Hideo, who refused to heed them. She didnt care about credit or glory, so long as he grew strong enough to break free of the Mitsue family once and for all. Honestly, he would be so much better off without them, including his disappointment of a father. Big Brother Hideo suffered much because of stupid Hiroshis decisions, the old man doing nothing to shield his son from his bully cousins. Even if they werent privy to the whole truth, children learned much from watching their parents, and the other Mitsue scions could no doubt see the jealousy and contempt their parents had for Uncle Hiroshi, which they themselves translated into antipathy for Big Brother Hideo. Oh how his cousins mocked and bullied him as a child, teasing him as the Heroic Guardian who was supposed to save everyone. Time and time again, those bullies set him up for failure, throwing his toys into the river or tying him up out in the forest and telling him a hero would rise to the challenge and overcome all obstacles, no matter the odds. They were jealous is what they were, jealous that Big Brother Hideo was the little Patriarch instead of them, but it was only because they didnt deserve the title. Being the sons of wastrels, Big Brother Hideos cousins were no better than their parents, two generations descended from a Living Legend without a single current or prospective Peak Expert amongst them, it was truly a disgrace.

With the family already in such decline while Mitsue Juichi still lived, their elimination was only a matter of time and Eri-Hime was merely speeding things along. Big Brother Hideo would be fine without the family name and never have to know the truth. This was what a dutiful wife should do, support her husband from the side without hope of fame or renown, so while her hubby worked through his guilt and anguish, Eri-Hime kept the house together in a manner of speaking. She followed the advice and instructions left by the Voice of Heaven, words Big Brother Hideo refused to acknowledge. Patience, they cautioned her, for deliverance will soon be at hand. Walk the razors edge and embrace true Balance, then strength and vengeance will soon be yours.

Truth be told, Eri-Hime was hardly competent in the ways of the Martial Path and didnt truly understand all of Heavens instructions, having Formed her Core late in life and made no further progress since. The last time she Demonstrated the Forms for Big Brother Hideo to see, hed feigned delight and lied about how impressed he was with her talent, even though shed hadnt even memorized all the movements, much less mastered them to any degree of competence. Back then, she hadnt cared about being a Martial Warrior, and when her father chided her for her poor performance, she boldly grabbed Big Brother Hideos arm and declared that her future husband would become the strongest Martial Warrior in existence, so there was no need for her to be strong, an outburst she now regretted. She hadnt known how much pressure Big Brother Hideo had been under at the time, only days away from challenging Ryo Geom-Chi so he could seize the older warriors ranking in the Hwarang before the swordsman turned twenty-five and retired. Big Brother Hideo ended up losing the bout, then lost again a few days later to Tam Taewoong, who was the same age as Ryo Geom-Chi and of similar strength. These two successive defeats were why no one accepted him as the undisputed Number One Talent in Central during the months leading up to the First Imperial Grand Conference, and his disgraceful loss to Dastan Zhandos only sealed Big Brother Hideos fate as a second-rate Talent in the eyes of the public.

This was all Falling Rains fault. Sending a slave out to humiliate him during the Grand Conference had been an intentional slight, and then he paraded the beautiful Zheng Luo in front of anyone who would look, a woman who should have belonged to Big Brother Hideo. Then, the savage runt childishly risked his sanity and the sanity of his soldiers on a sixty day tour of the front lines, all for what? Just to drive his rivals like Big Brother Hideo to desperation in their efforts to catch up? Cruel is what it was, cruel and savage, actions which lead to their current woes. With all this said, who was there to blame except Falling Rain?

Though her heart ached to see her beloved suffer so, Eri-Hime did her best to keep his spirits up and popped into their Natal Palace often to report her achievements. She was eating all of her meals and more, gorging on anything and everything the jailers would bring them, then turning it into muscle by Demonstrating the Forms inside the windowless room Uncle Hiroshi kept them in. She told him everything she learned through Scrying, Listening, Sending with Uncle Watanabe, and heeding the Voice of Heaven to make sure everything was in place. She kept him appraised of Falling Rains coming and goings, of his meetings with Officers, Healers, and monks alike, but she left out his shameless acts of snuggling with the charming Mei Lin and the beautiful Zheng Luo, not to mention his adorable animals whom Eri-Hime wouldve loved.

Did love. So cute. With their... soft looking fur, and... so many of them too...

Desperate for a reply, she told him about the long, boring hours she spent in quiet meditation, ruminating on Insights and puzzling out the secrets of the Martial Path, secrets the Voice of Heaven casually revealed with painstaking care unlike the brief and vague pointers Juichi offered. Filial as ever, her pointed disdain made Big Brother Hideo break away from his perpetual self-torture to defend his deficient Mentor. Detailed explanations can do more harm than good, as they are based on the perception of the speaker, he said, looking unaffected despite half his bowels hanging out of his belly. As well he should, because the pain wasnt real until he made it so. An adult and a child both approach the same donkey, but their perception of the beast will differ greatly. To the child, the donkey is a massive, hulking steed to ride upon, but to most adults, it is a middling beast to walk alongside. Both are correct, but the adults truth is not suitable for the child, nor is the childs truth suitable for the adult.

Though delighted at finally reaching him, Eri-Hime didnt agree with Big Brother Hideos explanation, so she tried to argue the fact and keep him talking. This is different. This is the Heavens guiding me, guiding us along the Martial Path, so how can its explanation do us harm? It makes perfect sense, and I even learned how to Scry and Listen at the same time thanks to the Voice of Heaven. One skill is used to transmit light, the other sound, but the two are more similar than one might think, because light and sound both travel through waves. The difference is that light can move through a vacuum, while sound requires a medium to move through. Therefore, if you want to Scry and Listen at the same time, its as simple as reconnecting to the portion of Domain you severed to Scry with in the first place, and using that as a connection to Listen with.

Big Brother Hideo had given her a look, one she saw often when he was teaching her calligraphy. Knowing and understanding are two different things. Even though you know why it works and can now use both skills freely, can you truly claim to understand the information you just regurgitated? What does it mean for sound and light to travel in waves? Why does sound require a medium to move through, yet light can go without? How does reconnecting with the severed portion of Domain give you the skills necessary to Listen through it? Why must it be severed in the first place? If you believe youve mastered these skills, then you are fooling yourself. Giving her a pointed look, he added, Or better to say I am fooling myself.

Eri-Hime didnt have an answer for Big Brother Hideo, because she was just a young maiden and novice to the Martial Path, so he simply went right back to his torment without another word. Wounded by his dismissive attitude, she looked at her bodiless counterpart floating through the air as it inflicted all manner of anguish and misery on her beloved, and...

And what? How did she feel? Sad? Hurt? Upset? Angry? What would Eri-Hime do or say if she saw this happening before her eyes? Scream in horror? Cry in frustration? What -

The scouts report the Defiled army will arrive before nightfall. Uncle Watanabes Sending interrupted his... her musings, and Eri-Hime brought her mind back to reality. Are you certain this plan of yours will work?

Trust me, uncle, Eri-Hime replied, stifling a giggle at the sound of herself Sending with Big Brother Hideos voice. Yes, this was more her style, cheerful and light-hearted with a bubbly and impish personality. This day next year will be the anniversary of Falling Rains demise. There was no way out for the savage runt, for the Heavens had ordained it.

You tell me to trust you, but its difficult when you wont share any details...

It was a good thing they were conversing through Sending, else Eri-Himes face wouldve given away her disdain for the whiny, good-for-nothing waste of air. Better you not know, so you can swear an Oath and plead ignorance. A shame the Justicars wouldnt ask him to plead incompetence as well, but such was life. As the son of one of Centrals three Colonel Generals, it would take more than mere inadequacy to remove Watanabe from office, even if the Empire would be better off for it.

The Empire would be better off without all of the Mitsues. Every last one of them.

Its just... Ive sent word to the reinforcements urging them to hurry, but all Ive received in reply is acknowledgement and platitudes. Of the three forces converging around us, not a single one has claimed they will arrive before the Defiled do, and even with their support, we will be grossly outnumbered, so I fear Sinujis doom is all but assured.

The second joke wasnt as well received as the first, but Eri-Hime had to admit Rain had a... unique style of command and a close rapport with his soldiers. As soon as Watanabes orders arrived, Rain, Dastan, and his Death Corps guards shuffled off to the outer wall while the rest of his retinue set out to their posts, some on the second wall, others on the third, and a small group manning the newly built platforms which towered over all three walls, ones made specifically so his twelve, compact, counterweight catapults would have a clear line of fire to rain death upon the Defiled.

No one could argue that Rain wasnt an effective commander, not even Hideo himself, but that wasnt the issue here. Rain had to die because... because his slave humiliated Hideo, and... and this insult could not stand. Not even with a million-strong horde of Defiled knocking on Sinujis gates.

...

...Right?

It was at this moment, Uncle Hiroshi burst into the room and slammed the door shut behind him. Did you have anything to do with this? he asked, his face dark with anger and worry. Dont lie to me boy, my idiot cousin doesnt have the spine to scheme against me.

Yes father. Immediately confessing to the crime caught Uncle Hiroshi off guard, and Eri-Hime used this chance to hammer her point home. The Defiled are coming, and I will not sit idle while soldiers of the Empire fight and die. Locking eyes with Uncle Hiroshi, she summoned the faintest hint of tears and whispered, Give me this chance to redeem myself, father. I need it.

For long seconds, Uncle Hiroshi stood silent, and Eri-Hime worried shed overplayed her hand, but her fears were for naught. With a long sigh, Uncle Hiroshi gently patted his sons cheek and said, Promise me one thing.

Anything, Father. Ill swear an Oath if need be. No Oath under Heaven would constrain them, but Uncle Hiroshi didnt know this.

Promise you will return alive.

Taken aback by the request, Eri-Hime merely nodded in mute shock, but before she could say anything else, Uncle Hiroshi was gone, rushing out of the room to prepare Big Brother Hideos things. What had that all been about?

Then there was no time to think as her armour and weapons arrived, and soon enough, she stood on the outer walls with her troops next to Falling Rains, though Eri-Hime kept her distance from the runt and made sure to stay out of sight of his protectors. At her request, Big Brother Hideo even put his self-inflicted torment on hold to come out and fight, and as their two minds joined as one, she finally understood why Uncle Hiroshi made her promise to come back alive. He worried his son had come out to die, and his fears were not unfounded, for Big Brother Hideo yearned for the sweet relief of death. Killing himself wouldve been far too shameful, but a glorious death in battle would mean an end to his guilt and self-loathing.

The Enemy arrived with little warning or fanfare, the forwards scouts bursting out of the dead winter grass atop their ferocious lizard mounts. Garos, they were called, furred, reptilian beasts with gnashing fangs and caustic flesh which hailed from the permafrost north of the Empires borders. Big Brother Hideo had never faced a garo before, but hed made ample preparations when it became clear he eventually would, poring over descriptions and battle reports to envision how hed face one. Not without a powerful warhorse beneath him and a sturdy steel lance in hand hed concluded, and it still held true, for the garos were both mount and weapon which made them a formidable foe to defeat on foot. There were only a few at first, stopping well out of catapult range from the walls to taunt and sneer at the Imperial soldiers, but as the sun sank into the horizon, more and more riders appeared. A hundred, a thousand, then ten-thousand and more, it was hard to keep an exact count with the red-orange sun shining in their eyes and casting dancing shadows across the plains, but it soon became apparent that there were more mounted riders than there were soldiers in Sinuji.

And these were merely the scouts. There would be more riding with the army proper, heavy cavalry to guard their flanks and rear if the reports were to be believed, moving like a true Imperial Army except never before had the Imperials brought a million soldiers on the march, not all at once. Defending a static position with proper supply lines in place, sure, but taking the fight away from home to raze and conquer? This was a first, and the Defiled Commander made this staggering accomplishment seem as easy as turning a hand.

When darkness finally fell, their eyes adjusted to the dark and they got their first true look at the Defiled Horde in all its glory. For a moment, Eri-Hime wasnt entirely sure what she was looking at, but then the pieces fell into place and she recognized those oh-so-familiar sights, only thrown off by the staggering magnitudes to which theyd been taken. Defiled outlines dotted the horizon as far as the eye could see, closing in on Sinuji like a massive, sprawling predator slinking in for the kill. Stop them at the outer wall? It would be a miracle if this behemoth even slowed down while reducing Sinuji to fine dust in their passing. Even the Citadel would fall to such an overwhelming force, and with one million warriors in total, the Defiled marching at the back might not even notice if battle broke out at the front, not with how quickly the thirty thousand soldiers of Sinuji would fall should it come to blows.

It made all of her careful planning seem utterly useless. Falling Rain would die tonight, with or without her efforts.

An eternity passed in an instant, and before Eri-Hime knew it, theyd been standing on the battlements for over three hours watching the approaching horde. The soldiers around her were silent as a tomb, equally dismayed by what lay before their eyes and already resolved to flee for their lives. The same, suffocating silence saturated every section of the outermost wall, all except for one, well-lit area where the soldiers were seated on the ground around a blazing brazier. Having long since lost his canes, Falling Rain sat upon his metallic walker, a furred cloak wrapped around his shoulders while he grinned like a fool and chatted with his soldiers and guards alike. Behind him were some of Watanabe's men, fools one and all whod been chosen as a sacrifice if the Legate should need someone to blame for Falling Rains death, though it seemed like none would live long enough to face Imperial wrath. Scattered in between the soldiers and slaves were various piles of water skins, medical supplies, resting areas, and more things neither Eri-Hime nor Big Brother Hideo recognized, but would undoubtedly be trampled and destroyed by the unstoppable force gathering before Sinujis walls.

More time passed, years condensed into minutes it felt, but all too soon and without warning, the Enemy army roared as one, a thunderous, deafening challenge which set even the bravest of soldiers to trembling. The roar echoed into the vast stillness of night, and when it came to an abrupt end, Eri-Hime worried Big Brother Hideo had gone deaf, but it was only an illusion. Standing atop an open platform being carried by twelve, pitch-black Demons, the Emissary Gen made his entrance in true, overbearing fashion. I am Gen, Emissary of Earths Fire, here with an all-conquering army to...

While the Emissary went on about the glory of the Enemy, Eri-Hime glanced over at Rain to see his expression, only to find a giant, shit-eating grin plastered across his face. Since his lips were moving, she cast her Domain over to Listen and heard, ...cant believe this bastard still loves long-winded speeches. Guess theres more Gen in there than I thought. Whatever, Ive heard his crap too many times already. Theyre all here? A Khishig at his side nodded, a strapping young Expert bristling with enough knives to arm an entire retinue, and Rains grin grew even wider. Great. Tenjin, if you would please do us the honour of shutting Gen up?

Gladly.

For long seconds, the knife-laden Khishig did nothing except stare at his empty hands, but then a luminescent glow came to life and soared out into the night. Wings flapping upon a nonexistent breeze, a bird of flames fluttered into the air and circled around the Khishigs head once before shooting out towards the Enemy Horde. So lifelike as it soared through the air, the sight drew Eri-Himes breath away, and they stood transfixed as its soft light broke through the darkness to glow in the night, a single candles warmth on a vast, foreboding battlefield.

The Bekhai hidden depths were truly unfathomable, but even with how skilled this young Fire-Blessed Expert was, this intricate fire-bird wasnt enough to kill Gen, much less the million other Defiled on the field. Evidently, the Emissary thought the same, and even laughed as the bird slowly approached him. Pitiful fools, you think this is enough to kill me? I -

The bird plummeted to the earth, and the world erupted into flame and thunder.

The fields of Sinuji came to life in a blazing hot conflagration, one which soared into the Heavens and seared itself into Hideos eyes, as if a sun had descended in the darkness of night to consume the Central Plains.

With Emissary Gen and his million strong army of Defiled standing right in the middle of it all.

Mother in Heaven...

Chapter Meme