"Do you know what that place is?" Gamamaru stopped walking, raised his front limb, pointed toward the Divine Tree in the distance, and asked calmly.
Hagoromo and Hamura looked at each other.
"Of course we know. That is the Divine Tree. It is the sacred object protected by Mother, and also the source that nourishes this land." Hagoromo spoke first.
This was what Mother had taught them since childhood. The Divine Tree was a sacred existence that could not be violated.
"The source that nourishes this land?"
Gamamaru let out a sneer, his tone clearly mocking. "Have you ever seen the real Divine Tree? Has your mother ever allowed you to get close to it?"
"That… she hasn't."
Hagoromo and Hamura's expressions changed slightly.
It was true. Since they were young, Mother had warned them that the Divine Tree was forbidden ground. No one was allowed to approach it. Even the two of them could only watch from afar.
"Nourishes? Look for yourselves. What does it look like around the Divine Tree?"
Gamamaru pointed toward the area surrounding the Divine Tree.
Hagoromo and Hamura followed the direction of his finger, and their faces instantly turned serious.
Around the Divine Tree, it was not the lively scene they had imagined. Instead, it was a barren wasteland.
Not a single blade of grass grew there. The land was cracked and dry. The air was filled with a lifeless feeling. It stood in sharp contrast to the vast chakra radiating from the Divine Tree itself, completely out of place.
"The truth is, this Divine Tree is not nourishing the earth at all. It is constantly absorbing the earth's energy and life force!" Gamamaru's voice became serious.
Hagoromo frowned tightly, his eyes full of confusion and doubt.
He looked at the barren scene around the Divine Tree and thought about what Mother had done over the years, about the "offerings" regularly sent to the Divine Tree.
Hamura also fell silent…
"Whether it's true or not, you can find out yourselves."
Gamamaru did not continue. He only left behind those words.
With a flash, his body turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared, leaving only Hagoromo and Hamura standing on the peak, staring at the Divine Tree in the distance with complicated expressions.
The cold wind blew across the peak, stirring up dust on the ground. The two remained silent for a long time.
The doubts in Hagoromo's heart grew deeper and deeper. He wanted to go beneath the Divine Tree and find out the truth for himself.
But when he thought of Mother's strict warnings and her overwhelming power, he hesitated…
Mother's authority had been carved into their hearts since childhood, making them afraid to easily disobey her.
"Big brother, should we… go take a look?"
Hamura's voice carried a bit of hesitation. He also wanted to know the truth, but he feared Mother's punishment just the same.
Hagoromo took a deep breath and finally shook his head, struggle showing in his eyes. "No. Since Mother does not allow us to go near it, she must have her reasons. Maybe… what was said is not the full truth."
"We can't doubt Mother just because of the words of a strange toad."
Hearing this, Hamura nodded as well and pushed down the curiosity in his heart.
Although the doubts in their hearts had not disappeared, in the face of their mother's authority, they ultimately chose to step back.
But once the seed of doubt was planted, it would slowly take root and sprout under the nourishment of time, and eventually grow into a towering tree.
———
A few more days passed, and the day of the regular sacrifice arrived.
A neat, orderly line slowly moved toward the direction of the Divine Tree.
The ordinary people in the line were all expressionless, as if they had already accepted this destined fate.
Hagoromo and Hamura stood on a slope not far away, quietly watching everything. The atmosphere felt heavy.
Over the past few days, Gamamaru's words had been like a thorn, deeply stuck in their hearts.
The barren scene around the Divine Tree kept appearing in their minds, completely clashing with Mother's words that "the Divine Tree nourishes the earth."
Their gazes drifted toward the sacrificial line, and from time to time they glanced at the Divine Tree that seemed to hold up the sky and earth. The doubt in their hearts grew wildly like vines.
Yet it was still tightly bound by their fear and respect for their mother. A thousand words were stuck in their throats, and in the end, they did not dare step forward to ask why.
"Big brother, look…"
Hamura's voice suddenly carried hesitation, his eyes locked tightly on the sacrificial line, his expression changing slightly.
Hagoromo's heart suddenly sank. He followed Hamura's gaze, and in the next second his pupils shrank as he cried out in shock, "Haori, What?!"
In the middle of the sacrificial line, a slender figure stood out sharply.
It was a woman dressed in simple plain clothes, with gentle features and her hair simply tied up. It was Haori, the human girl Hagoromo had hidden in his heart for years, the one he had always secretly loved.
Haori was also a delicate and pretty girl.
How could she be in the sacrificial line?!
Hagoromo's mind went blank. The shock and panic in his heart instantly washed away all hesitation and fear.
"Haori! Haori!"
Hearing this, Haori stopped walking and slowly turned around.
When she saw Hagoromo running toward her, with Hamura following closely behind, a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly returned to calm.
"Hagoromo? Hamura? Why are you here?"
Haori asked calmly.
"Why are you in the sacrificial line? Who chose you? Come out! You can't go through with this sacrifice!"
Hagoromo rushed in front of her, his eyes full of anxiety and unwillingness.
As he spoke, he reached out to pull Haori out of the line, but she gently avoided him.
"Hagoromo…"
Haori looked at his anxious expression, a faint, bitter smile curving on her lips. Her voice was gentle yet extremely firm. "I received the notice. This is my fate. I am meant to be sacrificed to the Divine Tree."
Haori and the brothers Hagoromo and Hamura.
Her tone was calm in a frightening way, as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself, as if the death about to come was nothing more than an ordinary farewell.
"Fate? What fate? This is not fate at all!"
"This is a rule set by Mother, but this rule is wrong!"
Hagoromo became more and more emotional, his clenched fists trembling slightly.
"You are her son. You don't understand."
Haori only shook her head gently. She did not know the truth about the Divine Tree, nor had she ever thought about resisting the rules set by Kaguya.
In her eyes, Kaguya was the God of Creation, the ruler of this land. The rules of a god were the destiny that ordinary people had to obey.
"This is the rule set by Lady Kaguya. We were born this way. We cannot resist it."
She looked at Hagoromo, and a trace of reluctance flashed in her eyes.
"I'm very happy to have met you, Hagoromo."
As her words fell, she raised her hand and removed the magatama necklace from around her neck.
The necklace was made by her own hands, polished from jade found in the mountains. It was simple but delicate, and it was her most precious belonging.
She stood on her toes and gently placed the necklace around Hagoromo's neck.
"Don't forget me, Hagoromo."
Haori's voice was soft, like a light breeze.
After saying that, she no longer looked at Hagoromo. She turned around and returned to the sacrificial line, her steps firm as she walked toward the Divine Tree, never looking back again.
That slender figure gradually moved farther away in his sight, eventually blending into the long line until it could no longer be distinguished.
"Haori!"
Hagoromo stood frozen in place. The magatama necklace around his neck felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, pressing on him so hard he could barely breathe.
He looked at Haori's departing back, felt the cold jade against his skin, and his heart was filled with unwillingness.
Hagoromo slowly clenched his fists. His knuckles turned white from the force, his nails digging deeply into his palms until blood seeped out, yet he did not feel it at all.
[🎉 Shoutout to Salo for joining p@treon. Gotta do it harder now. Thank you very much.🤗]
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