On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Two Hundred And Ninety

Approaching the huge temple-house, I felt nervous. One of the great snakes that pulled it hissed at me, a tongue bigger than I was flicking out and tasting the air. The junction where the chains were anchored to the snakes by massive spikes driven between the scales was crusted with dried blood, and I was torn at the casual cruelty and sheer scale of the act, the chains looking like they could anchor medieval battleships. Ahead of me, the Grand Hitotsume Nyūdō, or giant one-eyed priest, stopped at the entrance to the huge house, his train of troll-sized fellow priests pulling the fabulous trailing cloth of his robes out of my way, so I could ascend the steps.

Into darkness. Ugh, I don’t want to do this, but until Eri is out of here… with one last look back at my wary companions, I swallowed once, steeling myself, before mounting the steps, and heading up to the dark portal that was still exuding a fine, cold mist. With each step, my legs felt heavier and heavier, and my body was shaking. It was as if I could start to feel the presence of a Territory, and something else.

Damn, I’m exhausted. If I have to fight, I can probably manage it, I did get a top-up of aether from my share of the Matriarch when she died, but against any foe comparable to her, or stronger… the cyclopean Yokai priest was staring at me, and I had no illusions I could take him. Even in my top condition, without my multiple tough trips to the Boundary since I arrived in Kyoto, it wasn’t in my favour. With one last curse towards that idiot Yamato-san whose foolishness had led to all this, I took a faltering step into the dark doorway, and immediately aether and what little elemental essence I had started leaving me, an oppressive weight crushing down on my spirit.

“Wow, so… strong.” I gritted my teeth, my sister’s favourite exclamation torn from me as I struggled against the Territory. It was strong, as strong as the Seelie Court that I had visited, but the difference was that while the Seelie Court was, if not welcoming to me, was accepting, as I was an invited guest, this one was hostile, and I once more realised why having a powerful Territory was so important. There’s no way ordinary weaselkin or trolls would be able to put up much of a fight here until parts of the Territory were captured…

My feet suddenly felt wet, and I splashed down into water up to my waist, surprising me. My eyes adjusted to the gloom within, and I realised the entire Territory was effectively a dungeon, space warped inside the house, and the black skies above rippled with deep purple and blue lights, much like aurora borealis. The spatial element in here is strong… I was standing in an ocean, that stretched further than my eyes could see, with the only land a series of obsidian spires jutting out, forming islands. In front of me was a series of pillars either just below or just above the surface of the inky ocean, and while I had never been to Ireland, my mother had in her youth, and her tales of the Giant’s Causeway in the north of that country seemed remarkably similar. If I recall, wasn’t the causeway something to do with the Fomorians? Huh, I wonder if I can actually find out, one day…

With the door behind me having vanished, I was alone in the oppressive darkness, my strength waning. As the seas whipped up into small waves, spraying me with frigid water, I took a step onto the next pillar, and the one after that, slowly crossing the seas. As I did so, the Territory relaxed its grip on me, making me sigh in relief as it accepted me as a visitor, just as the Seelie Court had. Thank all the Gods for that. If I had to cross this being drained constantly, I think I’d be kicked back to the Material before Eri…

Now that I had some leeway, I looked around. It wasn’t what I imagined the Night Parade’s Territory to look like. But thinking about it, they travel Japan freely, so I suppose a mobile Territory makes sense. It’s no stranger than the Fae’s, anyway. As I continued to cross the sea, my sense of time numbed by the lack of any meaningful landmarks, I noticed that there were many huge, ominous shadows within the water. As I fixed my sight on one, I poured power into my Eye, and moments later, wished I had not.

A colossal figure, making even the cyclopean priest look small, was watching me, head and shoulders above the surface of the water, black, featureless skin blending into the darkness of this place. Its eyes were like dull lamps, no iris or other discernible structure, and as it sank back without a trace, a massive plume of water rushed towards me, the waves nearly driving me from the path I was taking. Other similar shadows could be seen further out, rising and falling, all just heads and shoulders, with the same blank, staring eyes.

Umi bōzu [Grand Yokai] - ???

Are they what are causing the tides with their movements? Chilled to the bone, soaked by the waves, I continued to cross. Flashes of brilliant lightning were now piercing the sky, all coming from the direction I was travelling, and as I traversed the seemingly endless causeway, an island loomed out of the gloom, the lightning flashing overhead. With my Eye I could see that the island was not bare and plain rock, like most of the smaller ones I had wound my way past. There was vegetation, trees and plants scattered about, and also… that house. It matches the design of the house-shrine I entered. Is that… picking up the pace I hurried across the pillars, even though I could see this island, it was still far distant.

Eventually I reached the island, which had a set of rough-hewn steps leading up the cliffs. Using a little flame energy to dry myself off, I slowly ascended, feeling multiple powerful presences. Upon reaching the top, I emerged into a peaceful glade, grass underfoot springy and soft. Up ahead, in a clearing, sat the house, and outside was set an old-fashioned rocking chair, in which sat a strange-looking and wizened old man, with a puzzling, elongated head, the skin wrinkled and browned by age, wearing rich, Buddhist-style robes, yet the details of the robes were wrong, subtly showing disdain for the religion it represented. As I moved to appraise him with my Eye, he smiled, and I hastily cut off the flow of aether, immediately realising it would be a bad idea. His League, I’ve never felt the like. In fact, my legs were trembling so hard, I barely saw the two other strange beings by him. Is this what it’s like being an ordinary human when I release my full League? Shit, I need to be nicer to people…

The first being was a large, four-legged animal. It looked like a cow, though judging by the shaking legs and proportions, perhaps it was a young calf? Though if it was just that, there would be nothing strange about it other than size. No, this calf had a human face, surprisingly beautiful, with long, flowing violet hair and matching eyes. And within those eyes, as our gazes met, I could see profound wisdom and sadness.

The other being was a doll, of a small girl. At first I thought it might have been a Zashiki-Warashi, like Azuki, as it was cute and dressed in a beautifully-patterned child’s kimono, with the sash seemingly woven from cloth-of-gold, but the feeling it gave off was very different, ominous and powerful. No, she’s no less powerful than the Kitsune or the Red and Blue Oni. The calf too. Perhaps they are even stronger…

“Well, correct as ever, Uranai.” The strange old man who had such a powerful League, surely Nurarihyon himself, addressed the human-faced cow. “We do have a visitor. One of the puppets of the Gods. Though… not using the power of one. Perplexing.”

“Prithee, have I ever uttered falsehoods, Nurarihyon-dono?” the cow-woman spoke, her tone old-fashioned, using vocabulary on old samurai from the warring states era might use, no, it was even more archaic than that.

“I wouldn’t say you have never been wrong.” He laughed, causing her to scowl. The doll was appraising me, her eyes hard, and he reached out a hand, stroking her head.

“Calm down Seirei, my dear. There is nothing to worry about.”

“What do you wish for, dear?” she said, surprising me. Dear? They both called each other that?

“For now. Tea and sweets will do.”

“Granted.” The doll, Seirei said, and moments later an ornate table had appeared before us, steaming mugs of pleasant-smelling tea and plates piled high with steamed buns, skewers and other treats covering it. There was also a pair of ghostly female servers, transparent and wispy, but they quickly got to work.

“What do you wish for now, dear?” Seirei asked once more.

“Again, hmm? Well, a seat for our guest.”

“Granted.” She intoned, and I suddenly found myself seated by the table, facing the three of them, while one of the conjured servants pressed a steaming hot mug into my hand. Wait, what happened? I didn’t notice I even moved…

“Confused?” Nurarihyon said, his smile appearing beneficent, but like his robes, there was a sense it was a false mask, and darker undercurrents lay beneath. “As well you should be, servant of hollow Gods.” His smile twitched. “Still, let it not be said that my hospitality is lacking. Drink, drink!”

Well, I have no idea what is going on here, only that we had things to discuss, including.. reparations. Oh well, I’ll have to hope Ether Healing can handle it if this is poison… the way I was manipulated just now, there’s no escape for me except through Nurarihyon’s say-so, unless I can flee to the Material. Taking a sip, I was surprised to find it was magnificent, the flavour rich yet not overpowering. “This is good…” I muttered.

“Of course it is. My dear wife prepared it.” he said, and I nearly spat out my tea.

“Wife? You married a doll?” I asked, imagining if I tried to marry Azuki. It seemed a bit preposterous.

“What is your wish, dear?” Seirei said, scowling at me, and her tone was barbed.

“Well, I don’t wish for our rude guest to be torn limb from limb. Not right now, anyway. No, how about some music? To set the scene?”

With that, she repeated her oft-used phrase, and a series of spectral women appeared, plucking away at the traditional stringed instrument of Japan, the Koto. The tune was quiet but soothing, and I bobbed my head in apology. “Sorry. I was just… surprised. It seems… an odd pairing.”

“Be it stranger than yours, by chance?” the cow-woman, Uranai snorted, her beautiful face looking at me with contempt. “A Kamaitachi and a human. Prithee, I have never heard the like. A true unknown.”

“So, you know about Shaeula?” I asked, and Uranai sighed, irritated.

“I discern all that touches the Hyakki Yagyō. After all, am I not the Fourth of the Night Parade, greatest of all the Kudan, the prophesising cows? While others of my lamentable kin born predict but once or twice, then perish untimely from the strain of glimpsing the strands of Fortune and Fate, the Random and the Purpose, I alone survived, and my gifts flourished. Though were I to depart this place…” she trailed off, her beautiful eyes turning sad.

I see. She says the same sort of things that Matsumuro-san did. So I guess she’s a Yokai version of the Diviner? I’ve not heard of Kudan though. Quite a weird Yokai…

“He is thinking something rude, dear. What do you wish for?” Seirei interrupted.

“For now, not that he be torn apart by the jaws of a wild, divine wolf, or be burned alive by hungry flames. Not for now that he be dissolved by terrible voracious plant-life.” Nurarihyon said mildly, and at the descriptions of the punishments, I shivered. He’s been watching as we fought the Parade. Of course… “No, for now, I wish that we simply have some polite discourse, and our guest does not leave prematurely.”

“Your wish is granted.” She said, and suddenly manacles had appeared on my legs, locking me to the chair. My Eye flared, and all I got was ??? when I looked at the chains, but without Body Enhancement, I was unable to budge them, and I was too exhausted to use that right now.

“Well then, no more silly insults, right?” Nurarihyon sipped at his tea, appearing as a kindly old uncle, yet his gaze was brutal, belying that. “Uranai knows of the wayward daughter of Urakaze, Twentieth of my Parade. And of the strings of fate that will strangle her.” At that my pulse quickened, and he smiled, pleased to have caught my interest. “Many have been cut, but the darkest still remains, wreathed with baleful red energies.”

“Can you tell me more?” I asked, and Nurarihyon laughed.

“I could. But will I? Perhaps, perhaps not.” As his wife asked what he wished for, he ended up taking a simple shawl, which he wound around her shoulders tenderly. The doll blushed, which was quite a surreal sight. Though not as surreal as conversing with Nurarihyon! Damn, some of the Fae were bad enough, but I’m living Japan’s mythology now!

“Thou hast a meagre gift towards glimpsing possibilities.” Uranai said to me, and I nodded.

“Well, it’s largely useless. I knew something bad was going to befall those around me, but even so…” I sighed bitterly. “So many are dead. And it said that I alone would be in no danger, but that’s crap. After all, I had to fight that stupid fox, and then the Matriarch…”

“He is speaking ill of the dead, dear. What do you wish for?”

“I don’t wish that all of his companions suffer and die as did the poor sisters of the Matriarch, no. That would be in poor taste. I wish that…” as he took another small trifle from her, I kept my face impassive and used my Split Thoughts to keep my mind calm. This double-act is starting to wear me out. But I seem to be helpless here, so…

“Really? But pray tell me, were thou in any actual danger?” Uranai’s question was piercing. “If thou had not followed the God-touched fool, well, I cannot foresee what lies outside the purview of the Parade, but I expect thou wouldst have been in no danger.”

True. I’d have simply enjoyed the concert encore, and spent some time with the girls. But that didn’t happen…

“Then, when thou defeated the Oni, despite your vile curses, thou couldst have escaped had you willed it. Though not with a burden such as the girl who earned the Matriarch’s ire.” She observed, and a chill went through me. True. Shaeula and I could have broken through the Parade and fled, if all we wanted to do was escape, but Eri definitely couldn’t… she continued. “The battles thou fought… the Seventy-First was ever arrogant and was never a true threat to thou. Prithee, where women are involved, the twisted fox delights in breaking the spirits of their men and crushing the resistance of the girls until they fawn on him willingly as beasts. Or he did…”

That’s true as well. If he was serious, when I was robbed of my senses he could have attacked me, but he didn’t. Still, there was one dangerous event. “But what about fighting the Matriarch and her sisters? I felt in danger numerous times there.”

Uranai sighed again. “You believe so? With that creature…” she described Hyacinth that way with a hint of dread, shuddering. “… beside you? No, with staunch resistance to curses, the primary tool of Kijo, and her grim, abominable aid, victory was certain for thou. Or thou could have allowed the bitter Matriarch to take the girl. Be it either way…”

“So, everything was predetermined then? So why even bother?” I asked, and Seirei spoke up.

“This rude guest is an idiot. Do you wish he would be silenced forever?”

“No.” Nurarihyon chided his wife gently. “I certainly don’t wish for that yet, we have much to speak about. Perhaps a refill of my tea should suffice.”

As the mug refilled with the fragrant brew, he took a sip, sighing like an old man. “Ah yes. Predetermination. Destiny. I do miss the old days, where you humans understood your place. After all, Gods and Yokai, two sides of the same coin, ruled, and humans trudged along, ascribing meaning to every omen, to natural processes, to fate. There is no such thing as predetermination. And before you say something trite and stupid like then how does prophecy and foresight work, it’s obvious. If you were to fight me now, you would lose. There is no preordained fate, it is simply a matter of… event following cause. Prophecy is simply having a great grasp on the causes and likely events. So your efforts, feeble as they are…” his smile was seemingly kind, but lacking any sort of human warmth or emotions. “… have meaning. Were you weaker, or less prepared, then the events would have been different, and the same cause, with different events… has a different outcome. If you wish to prove it, you can always kill yourself next time. Nothing is absolute. Chance can always turn aside even the best laid, most certain outcomes. Do not make the mistake of feeling yourself immortal if your Foresight tells you there is no danger.”

Yeah, that’s similar to what Matsumoto-san said, with her definite and destined fates, though this is easier to visualise. Somehow it made me feel better, knowing that it was my hard work that kept me alive, not simply being a chosen one or some nonsense like that. “Thanks for the advice. I guess… I like it better that way. Otherwise we are simply puppets, and nothing we do matters.” I suppose Nurarihyon wishes me no ill, else I’d have no way of surviving, so Foresight should be screaming…

“Can the fate of a candle be seen next to the raging of a bonfire?” Nurarihyon scoffed, and I was getting a little tired of everyone seemingly reading my thoughts at will. “Your feeble insights could not comprehend my actions. Even if your cause is a straight path, I can bring my effect to bear, shattering all certainties. Though…” he frowned. “… I have other desires, at this moment.”

“What do you wish for, dear?” Seirei chirped, looking at me with contempt.

“Perhaps I wish for him to listen to my story, and make a wise decision, but I shall settle for his… undivided attention.”

“Granted.” She declared, and suddenly I was held rigid, my arms and back manacled to the chair, my neck held in restraints, so all I could do was look upon Nurarihyon.

“Uh, there’s no need for this…” I said, unable to free myself. “I am curious myself as to why you asked me here, and I have to discuss…”

“The pawns of the Gods, yes.” Nurarihyon said with some disgust. “Of which you are one, even if the power you use is not directly from them, but simply an offshoot of a higher being. But then.. what are Gods? Are they different from Yokai, other spiritual beings? Can you answer?”

I have wondered that. “Well, considering in Japan we have the eight million kami, a lot of Yokai effectively are Gods? But I’m guessing that’s not what you mean?”

“Of course not. I mean beings such as Izanagi and Izanami, those higher beings.” He spat, his hand crushing the mug he held. It shattered, hot tea spilling. “I wish I hadn’t done that.”

“Granted, dear.” With her words time seemed to rewind and the mug was in his hand again.

“Well, I will not bore you with the actual details, as I am not someone who gives out knowledge for free.” His smile was cold. “But… the true Gods of Japan, well, they are not Japanese. They are not even from this world. Many of the kami, who you mortals worship, they may have began as mortals or Yokai themselves, or sprung forth whole from… well, never mind that. We are talking of the forerunners, the most powerful…”

“They’re from the higher Astral, right?” I said, still immobile, and earned a nod from Nurarihyon.

“Indeed. And you might ask what such mighty beings want with backwaters such as ours. After all, were one to descend to these levels, then their very presence would be destructive, the fabric of the lower Astral unable to withstand them.” He smirked. “Even I, were I to step outside this humble Territory, would be enough to cause disaster. For I am mighty. A match for the Three Most Evil Yokai.” His smirk intensified. “I find the name insulting, and my omission even more so.”

“You mean, Tamamo-no-Mae, the nine-tailed fox? Shuten-dōji, and … do I know the other one?” I asked, curious.

“I am sure that Tengu would be furious to know that you are unaware of him.” Nurarihyon sighed. “As for that nine-tails, I know where she lies. Poor creature. But they are not relevant to this conversation, other than as beings of great power… so, back to the Gods, what interest could they have in our world? Entertainment? Perhaps. Power? Definitely.”

“So, just what power can the Gods get from a weak planet like ours?” I asked.

“Again, such information is for me to know, and you to discover. I am not charitable. But… if I say that it goes both ways, you will understand. The Gods despise those that do not fawn on them or grovel before them. They prefer… mortals, credulous with wonder, to those of us higher creatures, who understand more of the mysteries and thus are not fooled by their power. Hence why none of the Yokai will be chosen. And why do they choose, hmm?”

“To give us a chance to save the Earth and those on it.” I said, as I knew what Ortlinde had told me and other Candidates had said.

“You think they care overmuch about one world of millions? Yes, you are not wrong, but you think such powerful beings, with numerous worlds at their disposal, armies the like of which you have never dreamed of, could not head off disaster? Are you that much of a fool?”

“No, but even so, they have offered some help. We have to be grateful for that. I know I am.” I argued.

“Grateful for a few sparks of warmth from a raging fire. Truly the Gods are more insidious than even we Yokai.” Nurarihyon mocked. “But enough of that. It is true they hope to gain new adherents and a new world with as frugal an expenditure of effort as they can make. After all, when a world is washed by the higher astral tides, it is those of us who dwell in the shallows who perish first. A fate I formed the Night Parade to avoid. Even so… we do not strike on hallowed ground. We give the Gods their due. In exchange…” his face twisted, and the amiable old man with the strange-shaped head was gone, a powerful cruel ruler in his place. “… any of those fools serving the divine we find during our nightly Parade, we take for our own.” His gaze bored into me, hot and powerful, his League making me shiver in my manacles. “After all, power is power, Divine or not, and it can be… harnessed.” He paused, letting that sink in. “I formed the Hyakki Yagyō long, long ago. It pleased me to welcome Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan back. A true Yokai at last. And your suggestion that what was yours was hers, that was certainly bold. So I allowed it. The little fox was too arrogant, and his death, well, there are other Kitsune. But that does not change that you are dripping with divine power. That foolish adherent of the Goddess of Mercy as well. So, tell me…”

“What do you wish for?” Seirei piped up again, gleefully.

“I wish to know… what to do with you both.” His smile was cold. “After all, my poor Parade was embarrassed, shamed. Many Oni and Kijo were slain, the Kitsune, other Yokai have perished to that thing that you call a maid. Though my Yokai, they crave entertainment, I have deeper goals.”

“Your wish is granted!” Seirei laughed, and at that moment the human-faced calf Uranai began to speak, her tone urgent, eyes burning with brilliance.

“The Hyakki Yagyō stands at a crossroads…” she began, and as her words continued, I broke out in a cold sweat, while Nurarihyon pondered, his next wish for a heavy cleaver, which the doll gleefully materialised, the heavy, shimmering metal blade embedded in the table between us. Yeah, this is going about as well as I imagined. But… surely Eri is safe now? If not… fleeing back to the Material was starting to seem like my only option, if I could even manage it from here…