Woosh!
Splat!
A massive wave slammed violently against the wooden wall of a nearby building, shaking the roof tiles beneath their boots as the group leapt onto the adjacent roof.
"Be careful." Yorimitsu roared as he dashed forward.
'Mmmm...' Gabimaru exhaled softly, his eyes sweeping over the surging floodwaters below.
'What kind of monstrous power can alter the natural landscape like this...?' He raised his artificial hand, flexing the jointed fingers as a faint, unstable pulse of Reiryoku crackled across his knuckles.
'That was when it all truly began, wasn't it...?'
A sharp flash of memory surfaced in his mind, cutting through the roaring sound of the storm.
"Brother...!" young Gabimaru called out, running toward his elder brother.
His brother wore the crisp white robes of a second-ranked Hiko warrior. In those days, his face was bright and unburdened, a warm, kind smile gracing his features as he knelt down to scoop up his younger brother.
"I missed you." The younger Gabimaru spoke, hugging his brother tightly.
"Ohhh, did you really?'
"Yes, I did. You aren't leaving this time, right?!" Gabimaru asked, his large eyes glossy with unshed tears.
"In the hour of the Rabbit," his brother replied gently. "I'm only passing through on my way to a mission."
"Aww... really? But I never get to see you anymore! Can't you stay a little longer?"
"Hahaha... Yeah, I know, I know," his brother chuckled, reaching out to affectionately ruffle Gabimaru's hair. "But there are people out there who need my help. There will come a time when you stand in my position, Gabimaru. Then you will understand what it truly means to be a warrior who protects people. And since you're far more talented than I am, I'm sure you'll figure it out much sooner than I did."
"Heeee." Gabimaru smiled with glee.
His brother smiled brightly, and young Gabimaru's face lit up in response.
"You litt—"
"Young Master!"
Suddenly, a voice boomed from the doorway. A servant entered the room with his hands raised high, interrupting the two brothers...
"Huh?" Gabimaru's brother turned toward the doorway.
"Sorry to interrupt, young master, but the Patriarch calls for you," the servant announced, bowing low before stepping backwards out of the room.
"Mmm... seems I must depart now," his brother said with a gentle smile. Setting his young sibling back on his feet, he patted Gabimaru's shoulder as he turned to leave. "Grow strong quickly and follow me to the Capital if you miss me that much."
"What? For me, uncle is teaching me the blood arts. I will master them soon and follow you." Gabimaru's brother didn't say anything; he just waved his hand without even looking at his brother.
'That was the last day I ever saw my real brother... the Hiko,' Gabimaru thought. His artificial hand moved to his chest, his fingers clutching tightly against the fabric of his kimono. 'I foolishly believed that after joining the academy, he would finally return to normal. I thought if I could understand the world he lived in as a Hiko, I could finally understand him... But the world I'm seeing now is just so ugly.'
"We're here..."
Yorimitsu's cold voice severed Gabimaru's lingering thoughts.
The squad came to a halt, crouching precariously along the edge of a tiled roof. Below them, in a narrow, flooded alleyway, a group of terrified children were desperately pushing against a heavy wooden cart, trying to construct a makeshift barricade. The brown current leaking through the cracked alley walls had already risen up to their waists.
"Mama, I'm sorry! I should've listened to you!" a young boy sobbed into the wind. "I'll be a good boy... I promise I'll wash the dishes! I promise I'll never steal the meat from the pot again!"
Different voices rang out through the downpour, but every single child was crying out in apology, desperately blaming their own minor misdeeds for the terrifying nightmare engulfing them.
"Look over there," Shion whispered, pointing toward the surrounding exterior walls.
Strung along the perimeter of the alleyway were thick Shimenawa straw ropes, plastered heavily with glowing talismans, some rendered in crimson ink, others in brilliant gold and pure white. Resting on a raised wooden ledge at the far end of the alley sat a miniature shrine cabinet. Inside sat a stone statue with a blank, featureless face, flanked by a bronze bell and a porcelain vase holding a single, pale white flower.
"We can't move them from there," Yorimitsu said flatly.
"Huh?! What do you mean?!" Watanabe's voice cracked, rising in anger for the first time. "That makeshift barrier of theirs is going to collapse any second!"
"Calm down and analyse the situation clearly," Yorimitsu commanded smoothly. "That entire alleyway is an altar. Look at their foreheads."
Focusing his Reiryoku to activate his spiritual vision, Watanabe looked down at the children. Sure enough, stamped onto the forehead of every single child was a faint, glowing mark resembling the serrated pincers of a stag beetle, pulsing with an unnatural, sickly energy.
"I cannot say with absolute certainty yet, but I suspect they have been cursed," Yorimitsu explained. "One of the binding conditions is likely that the children will die the moment they move a significant distance away from that shrine. Furthermore, we don't know the exact parameters of the boundary; if we jump down there blindly, we might get caught in it as well."
"So what are you saying?! We just stand up here and do nothing?!" Watanabe barked, his knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists in desperation.
'Mmm... I've never seen him so emotional,' Yorimitsu mused internally, observing Watanabe's rare outburst. 'Is it because we're nearing his hometown? Does seeing those helpless children remind him of his sister...?'
Yorimitsu sighed softly, turning around to place a steady, grounding hand on Watanabe's shoulder.
"I didn't say we should do nothing." Yorimitsu turned his head, his sharp gaze locking onto Gabimaru.
"It's your turn now, Gabimaru. We're counting on you."
"Huh?!" Gabimaru blinked, completely taken aback.