"Not every enemy dies with their secrets."
The village stood nestled in the shadow of a craggy ridge, a cluster of aged wooden homes wrapped in creeping mist and the scent of damp earth. Smoke curled from a few chimneys, but the streets were unusually still—as if the village itself held its breath.
Nala sat on Yoru's back as they rode through the narrow main road. Her cloak fluttered behind her like a war banner. Lena followed close on Tsuki, who moved with playful curiosity, head bobbing side to side. Hikaru brought up the rear, his gaze flicking to every closed window, every door that creaked ever so slightly shut as they passed.
"Friendly bunch," Lena muttered, pulling her scarf a little higher against the morning chill.
Hikaru said nothing. His hand rested near the hilt of his blade.
Children peeked out from behind wooden posts. A woman with a basket of foraged greens froze as Nala's gaze met hers—then hurried off without a word.
"They recognize me," Nala said under her breath, her jaw tightening.
Hikaru rode beside her now, careful to match her pace. "Is that a good thing or bad?"
She didn't answer. Her eyes were on the road ahead, hard and unreadable.
A low whistle came from Lena. "Okay, I've been quiet for five minutes and that's a new record for me. Are we going to talk about the fact that this place looks like it's one matchstick away from catching fire, or...?"
"No one's touched the crops in days," Nala said. "Look."
Sure enough, the fields that stretched along the outskirts were overgrown, the once-careful furrows choked with weeds. Tools lay abandoned near the fence. Something had put the village on edge—and not just their return.
"They fear something," Hikaru murmured. "And it's not just her."
At the end of the road stood an old meeting house, its paint faded and doors wide open as if expecting them. A pair of men stood at the entrance, armed but not hostile—at least, not yet. One squinted as Nala dismounted, the flicker of something like recognition in his eyes. Whether it was respect or resentment was harder to read.
"This way," he said shortly. "The Keeper's waiting."
Nala handed Yoru's reins to Lena, who gave her a look. "You good?"
"I'm fine," Nala said stiffly, then walked ahead without waiting.
Hikaru lingered by the horses a second longer. His eyes scanned the villagers gathered in corners—none speaking, none smiling. There was a heaviness here, thicker than silence. Grief. Or guilt.
"They hate her," he said quietly, more to himself than Lena.
"Or they remember her," Lena replied. "And not all memories are kind."
The meeting house smelled of incense and old wood. Shafts of light filtered through slatted windows, casting long lines across the floor like a cage. At the far end, an elderly man in layered gray robes sat cross-legged on a woven mat, his gnarled hands resting on his knees. His white hair was pulled into a tight knot, and his eyes—milky but sharp—watched them with the stillness of someone who had seen far too much.
"Welcome back, Nala," he said. His voice was thin, but it echoed.
She didn't bow. "Didn't think I was."
The Keeper smiled faintly. "No one thought you'd live."
Lena stiffened, shifting her weight. Hikaru's expression didn't change, but he stepped subtly closer to Nala, just in case.
The Keeper's eyes drifted to him. "You brought strangers."
"You wanted answers," Nala said. "I'm bringing you closer."
He gave a short laugh. "I didn't ask for answers. You're the one who keeps dragging ghosts back here."
"I don't believe in ghosts," she replied coldly. "Just consequences."
Silence stretched. Lena looked between them, her curiosity barely contained.
Hikaru broke the tension with a low voice. "We found a Lotus mark at an abandoned shrine. Half-burned, hidden behind a relief. Someone used it long ago, maybe still does."
The Keeper's gaze sharpened. "Which shrine?"
Nala answered for him. "North of the Hisakawa estate. Just past the river bend."
At that, the old man exhaled deeply. "You shouldn't have gone there."
Hikaru frowned. "Why?"
"Because that place was cleansed for a reason. Long ago, before you were even born, Nala." He looked at her now, his expression unreadable. "What grows from cursed roots can only be poison."
"I don't care about stories," she said. "I want names. Movements. If the Lotus passed through here, I need to know."
"And what will you do with that knowledge?" he asked.
She didn't answer.
Instead, Hikaru stepped forward, lifting the torn scrap of red cloth from his pocket and placing it on the floor between them. "One of them wore this. Same weave. Same dye. They're using old trails."
The Keeper stared at it for a long time before finally sighing.
"There's been... movement," he said. "Whispers of men asking questions in the hills. Someone saw smoke rising from the ruins near the southern ridge. It could be your Lotus."
"Could be," Nala said flatly. "Or could be another dead end."
The Keeper looked at her again. "You'll chase this thing to your grave."
"Maybe," she said, turning away. "But at least I'll die facing it."
Hikaru watched her as she left the meeting house, her back straight, her anger folded neatly into every step. He waited a moment, then turned back to the Keeper.
"Is there something you're not saying?"
The old man gave him a long look. "She's a storm. And you're walking right into it."
"Then I hope she doesn't mind the rain," Hikaru muttered, then followed her out.
The path winding out of the village was narrow and overgrown, flanked by trees thick with moss. Birds had gone silent.
Nala's eyes flicked toward the treetops, then to the shadows under the brush. Yoru shifted beneath her, his ears twitching.
"We're being watched," she said quietly.
Hikaru's hand slid toward the hilt of his blade, eyes narrowing. "Where?"
"Everywhere."
Lena tensed on her bay mare. "Should we run?"
"No," Nala said, dismounting in one smooth motion. "We draw them out."
She reached for her twin daggers just as the first arrow sliced through the air. Hikaru caught it mid-flight with the side of his sword, the metal singing as it deflected the shaft into a tree.
"Left!" he barked, whirling.
A group of masked men burst from the underbrush, their dark clothes and silent steps marking them as trained. Not common thieves—Lotus mercenaries.
Nala didn't wait. She rushed the nearest one, ducking under his slash and driving her elbow into his gut. He doubled over just long enough for her to twist his arm and sink her blade clean into his side. She pulled it free without hesitation.
Behind her, Hikaru moved like smoke and steel—his sword sharp and fluid. He parried two blows, ducked a third, then delivered a clean upward cut across a man's chest. Blood sprayed, and the mercenary crumpled.
Lena stayed mounted, using her bow from a distance—three arrows, three dropped bodies. She wasn't just clever with words.
Another attacker lunged for Nala. She sidestepped, grabbing his wrist and twisting until the snap echoed. He screamed—but she was already behind him, her dagger slicing across his throat in one smooth motion.
"Leave one alive!" she called out.
But they kept coming.
Nala turned just in time to block a strike, their blades locking. She shoved him back with a grunt, kicking his knee out and slamming him into a tree. Her dagger hovered just under his jaw.
"They knew where we were," she said. "That wasn't random."
"No," Hikaru said. He glanced down at one of the dead mercenaries, his brows knitting. "That symbol on their belts... it's not just the Lotus."
Nala crouched, examining it. "Another faction?"
"Or a branch. Something more organized."
The last of the mercenaries fell to the ground with a strangled groan, pinned beneath Hikaru's blade. His arm was twisted behind his back, disarmed and bleeding, but alive.
"Don't move," Hikaru said, pressing the edge of his katana against the man's neck. "Or I'll make that wound your last."
Nala approached slowly, her daggers now sheathed but her gaze still deadly.
The man hissed through clenched teeth. "If you're going to kill me, get on with it."
"If we were, you'd already be dead," Nala replied flatly. "Talk."
He spat at the ground near her boot. "I don't owe you anything."
"You do if you want to breathe another minute."
She crouched in front of him, her tone unreadable. "Who sent you?"
A pause. Then he chuckled—low and bitter. "You're too late. Doesn't matter what I say."
"Try me."
His eyes flicked toward the tree line as if expecting someone—or fearing them. "We were paid to stall you. Delay your path west. Someone higher up knew you'd be heading toward the ridge."
Nala's jaw tightened. "How?"
"I don't know. Orders came from someone in black. Face covered, voice distorted. We don't ask questions."
"Cowards usually don't," Hikaru said, pressing the blade a little closer to the man's neck.
"Look," the man rasped, his voice trembling now. "They said the ridge was cursed. Said nobody comes back. But it's not ghosts... it's something worse. Something... controlled."
Nala's eyes narrowed. "Controlled?"
"I've seen it. People changed... marked by the Lotus but not like us. Eyes wrong. Movements off. Like they're not fully there anymore."
The three of them exchanged glances. Lena's brow furrowed from where she stood guard nearby, her bow still in hand.
"Where are they based?" Nala asked.
"I don't know," he said quickly. "None of us do. They don't tell us locations. Just assignments. Just gold."
Nala stood, expression unreadable. "He's not lying."
"No," Hikaru agreed, pulling the man to his feet. "But he's still a threat."
"What will you do to me?" the mercenary asked.
Nala didn't answer right away. She met his eyes, then looked to Hikaru.
"He's seen our faces. If we let him go, they'll know everything."
"I won't talk, I swear—"
Nala pulled a length of cloth from her pack and tossed it at Hikaru. "Blindfold him. Tie him to a tree. Someone will find him. Maybe next time he'll think before selling his sword."
Hikaru arched a brow but obeyed. "That's generous of you."
"I'm in a generous mood," she said coolly, then turned and walked away.
The mercenary called after her. "If you're smart, you'll stay away from the ridge. People vanish there. They say even the Lotus fears it now."
Nala paused just once, glancing over her shoulder.
"Good," she said. "I want them to be afraid."
Lena lowered her bow. "So what now?"
Nala wiped her blade clean and sheathed it with a smooth, practiced motion.
"We find the ridge the Keeper mentioned," she said. "Before they regroup."