The only sounds were the croaking of frogs and the persistent buzz of insects. Mujihina stumbled through the underbrush clumsily, the events of the past days still swirling in his mind. His throat was parched, his body weary.
Finally, he stumbled upon a flowing stream, dropped to his knees and cupped his hands into the cool water, gulping heavily. As the refreshing taste spread across his tongue, a memory stirred—of the bustling Kitsune market, alive with the hum of villagers. He could almost smell the savory aroma of sizzling meats and simmering soups, hear Kaede's cheerful voice as they arranged platters of sushi and bowls of miso at Miyuki's food stall.
He imagined the smiling faces of villagers—the grateful Yumi-san savoring her onigiri, the excited Kitsune boy eagerly waiting for his dango, the laughter shared over festival decorations, and the elderly woman offering ripe persimmons graciously. The memory wrapped around him like the warmth of a summer sun.
A faint smile crossed his lips, but it quickly faded, dissolving like mist in the morning light. Mujihina rose to his feet and crossed the stream, the ache of loneliness settling deeper in his chest, the echo of those joyful days crumbling the chambers in his heart.
That night, Mujihina huddled near a cliffside, trying to preserve what little warmth he could. Sleep came scarcely. Hidden in the night, a pair of glowing eyes emerged from the forest. They moved closer, closing in on the slumbering boy.
A rustle in the dark made Mujihina stir. His fur stood on end and his eyes fluttered open. His voice barely above a whisper, he spoke out."
"Who's there?... Hello?"
Only silence called back. As he lay back down, the answer came swift and vicious—a trio of Kamaitachi darting toward him, slicing through the darkness like blades of wind. With slender, weasel-like bodies and sickle-shaped claws, they twisted and spun through the air viciously. Mujihina flinched in panic, but in that instant, something within him shifted. His body transformed, dark claws slicing through the leading Kamaitachi with imperceptible speed.
As Reikoku emerged, Mujihina became a blur of fury. The remaining Kamaitachi conjured razors of wind, hurling them toward him. But with an otherworldly leap, Reikoku sailed above them, his claw ignited with a fierce blue ember streaked in black.
The impact of his punch cracked the ground with a violent eruption of flame. As the smoke cleared, Reikoku strode through the scorched air, calm but hateful. The wounded Kamaitachi struggled to flee, but Reikoku was faster, his claw clamping around its throat.
"Pathetic yokai… burn."
The creature writhed as blue fire engulfed it, its shrieks piercing the night as it crumbled to ash. As the last of the embers faded, Mujihina gasped back to consciousness, trembling as he looked down at his own hand, staggering.
"Reikoku… you're still there…" he thought, dreadfully.
Turning away, he looked out over the cliff's edge, the vast wilderness stretching into endless dark. He laid back down, curling in on himself, cold and desperate. The moon traced its arc above leaving him illuminated in a soft white as he curled up beneath the endless sky.
Days passed in a stormy haze. Rain lashed the trees, winds battered the landscape, and Mujihina wandered alone, his body weakened by hunger, his spirit fraying at the edges.
By morning, he stumbled into a clearing, his legs giving way beneath him. Flat on his back, he gazed up at the sky, the faces of his family drifting through his mind. Tears welled in his eyes as they closed.
"Lost in the shadows, little one?"
The voice was gentle, innocent. Mujihina's eyes snapped open. Above him stood a young woman, draped in flowing silks of brilliant color. Birds flocked to her, perching on her arms and greeting her with their songs.
She knelt, offering him an apple. Mujihina cautiously took it with trembling hands, quickly scarfing it down.
"Or perhaps," she said, extending her delicate hand with a smile, "you've found your way exactly where you needed to be."
Hesitation flickered in his eyes, but he reached out, fingers brushing hers. She pulled him to his feet, laughing softly.
"Dance with me!"
With a playful tug, she led him into the clearing for a dance.
The chirps and rustles of the forest boomed in the clearing like a symphony. For the first time since the tragedy, Mujihina felt the cold around his heart crack and melt. As they spun beneath the open sky, birds flocked to him, lifting him for a fleeting moment above the weight of his sorrow.
The orchestra continued as wind blew the plants and the inhabitants of the forest rejoiced in the joy of the moment.
As the music faded, the woman gently squeezed his hand.
"I hope I was able to help ease the weight of your suffering, even for a moment."
With a graceful bow, she twirled away, dissolving into a cascade of rainbow-colored particles that shimmered and vanished into the trees.
Stunned, Mujihina stood in the clearing, the smile slowly slipping from his face. He pressed onward, the dance warming him even as the night crept in.
By nightfall the cold winds were tearing through his tattered clothes. His frosted sleep tugged at him, but in his dream, he was with his father again.
"Ha! What'd you think of that, Mujihina?" Yasuhiro's voice rang out, warm and proud.
"Amazing, Dad! Can I try?"
"Of course you can! Come here—just like I showed you. First, you channel your Yūki…"
The conversation faded as Mujihina stirred awake, his body trembling. He rose slowly, stunned by the chill in the air. Closing his eyes, he pressed his palms together, taking slow, deep breaths. His right hand drew back, then shot forward in a sharp thrust. Again. And again.
At first, nothing. But then, the faintest flicker—a jet of flame, no larger than a candle's tongue. Mujihina remained unaware, eyes shut in focused effort. The flame grew, little by little, until it burst forth in a brilliant jet, lighting up the night.
With a sudden crackling swoosh, the fire bloomed before him. His eyes snapped open, widening in astonishment.
"I… I did it! I conjured the Flames!"
Heart pounding with a rush of triumph, Mujihina scrambled to gather twigs, arranging them into a makeshift fire pit. With shaky hands, he struggled again to coax the flame to life, watching as it caught and crackled into a warm, steady blaze amidst the twigs.
He sat before it, the orange glow painting his face, and for the first time in days, warmth seeped its way into his bones. Slowly, his eyes drifted shut, the soft crackle of fire his lullaby as sleep took him gently into its arms.
Mujihina jolted upright, his chest heaving, breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps.
"Kaede!" he cried out.
Blinking through the haze, Mujihina's heart dropped as he took in his surroundings. He was back in Heiwana, but not the peaceful village he remembered. A nightmarish shell, homes reduced to charred skeletons, lingering flames devouring broken beams, the air thick with smoke and ash. Shadows coated the corners of his vision, and the smoke clawed at his throat.
Through the square, Mujihina spotted her.
Kaede.
She stood alone, a pale figure in the chaos, her small frame trembling motionless as though caught in a storm only she could feel. Her eyes were wide, but her expression was dull—blank, like glass.
"Kaede, run!" Mujihina shouted, lunging forward. But his legs deceived him, each stride dragging like he was wading through tar. He pushed, strained, clawed at the ground—but the distance between them never closed.
From the darkness, they came. Oni.
Their twisted forms slipped from the shadows, their warped limbs and jagged teeth catching light from the flames. At their head loomed a towering figure, its horns curling from its skull, its grin split too wide across a face of too many jagged teeth.
The massive beast raised its claw, deliberate and slow, savoring the moment.
"Kaede, no!" Mujihina's voice cracked, terrified. But time warped around him, slowing to a cruel crawl as the Oni's hand descended.
The air split with a sickening crunch.
Kaede's body jerked, her eyes going wide with shock as blood fanned outward in a crimson arc. The Oni drove her small frame into the ground like a discarded doll, limbs bent at unnatural angles, her head lolling to the side. Her empty gaze locked onto Mujihina, even as the light faded from her eyes.
The ground pooled red with her blood, smoke curling around it like black, greedy fingers. Above it all, the monster's laughter rang out—low, guttural, joyful.
Mujihina collapsed to his knees, a soundless scream caught in his throat. His hands shook as he reached toward her, tears streaming down his face.
"Kaede…" His voice was a broken whisper.
Around him, the yokai closed in, their eyes glinting with savage glee. The towering Oni loomed closer, its hand slick with blood.
As the steps grew closer, Mujihina's eyes burst open.
The forest surrounded him—dark, cold, real. His breath tore from his chest in jagged sobs as he pressed a trembling hand to his face. Sweat soaked his fur, and his heart thundered in his ears.
"Kaede…" he whispered, mournfully.
He sat thoughtfully, mourning his lost clan and his life before.
As dawn broke, Mujihina found himself further from Heiwana than he'd ever thought to be.
His small paws barely made a sound on the damp earth as he wandered through the haze. His dark fur had become matted with mud and ash. His amber eyes were heavy with exhaustion, yet they flicked warily at every rustle in the undergrowth.
He could still hear it if he let his mind drift—the crackle of burning wood, the screams of his kin, the roar of the Oni as they tore through Heiwana Kitsune no Mura.
But here, in the heart of the wilderness, there was only the sound of wind threading through the pines and the lonely call of a distant bird.
Mujihina stumbled through a bush, falling to his knees. His breathing was labored, fogging in the cold air. He clenched his small hands into fists as a tremor ran through him. He wasn't sure if it was from cold or grief anymore.
"Why…" he whispered, his throat raw.
The soft crunch of footsteps reached his ears.
His ears perked, fur bristling. He scrambled to his feet, backing against the nearest tree, his heart hammering in his chest.
From the trees emerged a tall figure in a weathered cloak, a katana resting at his hip. His long gray hair was tied back, streaked with black at the temples. His eyes—sharp but compassionate—settled on Mujihina with a hint of surprise and familiarity.
"You're far from home, young one." The man's voice was calm, low like the rustling of leaves. "What brings you here, alone in the wilderness?"
Mujihina pressed himself tighter to the bark, his amber gaze wide with panic. His lips parted, but the words stuck, tangled in grief and fear.
The man took a slow step forward, raising one hand, palm out. "Easy." He knelt in the dirt, setting his pack aside. "My name is Mifune. I live not far from here."
For a long moment, the young Kitsune trembled. His eyes darted to the trees, calculating escape. But the man… this Mifune… didn't reach for the blade at his side. He just smiled at Mujihina, waiting.
Finally, in a voice barely louder than the whispering mist, Mujihina spoke. "I… I've lost my village…my family. I have nowhere to go."
The words seemed sensitive to Mifune's ears.
Mifune's expression grew troubled before softening once more. He lowered himself fully to his knees, meeting the boy's gaze without closing the distance.
"I can help you find a way forward," he said quietly. "To defend yourself and to protect those you care about, I can teach you the way of the sword."
Mujihina's ears twitched. His eyes shimmered—not just with tears, but with a flicker of something deeper, something old and fierce stirring in his chest.
He looked back into the forest and felt the weight of silence pressing in.
"It won't help you regain what's lost," Mifune murmured, as if hearing the thoughts the boy couldn't speak. "But it will give you a way to protect what's not."
For a long while, Mujihina said nothing. His breath came in soft, uneven bursts, and his small claws dug into the earth. But then—slowly, hesitantly—he gave a single, trembling nod.
Mifune rose, extending a hand. Mujihina stared at it, rubbed the tears from his eyes and placed his paw into the samurai's palm.
"Come," Mifune said, his mouth curving into the faintest smile. "Let's get you cleaned up and ready to begin."
Together, they turned toward a densely forested path winding up through the mountains. The forest watched peacefully in silence as Mujihina and Mifune disappeared carefully into the mist.