Chapter 1

A small wooden boat was slowly moving down the Tone River of feudal Japan. The fields surrounding the river were nothing but fields and farm land. On the deck of the small wooden boat, there was a large net full of fish barely moving. The sun was massive and bright in the sky, beating down onto the boat and the fish, so hot it was softly and slowly starting to cook them, filling the air with the fish smell.

Next to the pile was a young man only wearing a black baggy pants sitting on his waist while his torso was exposed, drenched in sweat. His body was covered head to toe in signs of hard work in the heat. Faded bruises and scars from the manual labor were obscured by skin that had been burned multiple times over. His hands were incredibly rough, like the skin had been bruised to the point that it was rougher than stone. His long and messy black hair was pulled back into a traditional bun, but this allowed the sun to beat down onto his already dark and burned neck and shoulders. He was hunched over while strumming away on a stringed instrument. His rock-like fingers moved softly and gracefully along the thin strings. The shape resembled a sword with six strings stretching out. He continued to pluck the strings before changing into a strumming pattern, then back to plucking.

“You didn’t say you were going to start playing.” Another man emerged from a small hole that went to the lower deck. Another man wearing similar pants came out, not as sweaty but still clearly feeling the effects of the heat.

“Just thought of an idea. Also I couldn’t find my Shamisen.” The young man said as he continued to pluck.

“Murahashi was practicing on it earlier. Besides, you sound much better on the Tonkori anyway.” The man replied.

The man playing had a warm and playful smirk as he looked down, continuing to pluck on the strings.

“Thank you Tahara.” The young man continued to play while Tahara stood at the stern of the boat, looking back towards the way they came from. He sniffed up into the air, able to sell the fish.

“Should we move the fish to the lower deck?” He asked.

“It won’t do much.” The young man continued to play his Tonkori.

The third man made his way up from the lower deck. He was by far the oldest, looking to be in his mid forties. He was also the most muscular, with visible abs and veins all along his arms. He had more bruises and scars than the other two combined, his hands so rough they could easily break wood without even trying.

“How much further?” He asked.

“We shouldn’t take longer than an hour.”

Tahara bowed to the man as he spoke.

“Good. Now Tahara, get some rest. I’ll watch the boat till we get to the village.” Murahashi said.

Tahara bowed again, but the boat suddenly began to shake violently. All three men got to their feet quickly and looked back at the river. The water was moving around wildly, like the ground beneath it was being shaken to its core. The whole world seemed to be shifting and shaking as the three men quickly jumped down to the lower deck. They each had large Kama sickles, farming tools they had sharpened to use for slicing thick animals or defending themselves from criminals. The sickles were sharp enough to cut through thick roping in a single slash. They all quickly made their way back up, but the young man who had been playing the Tonkori slipped and fell back onto the wooden floor hard. His head whipped back and he groaned in serious pain, able to feel a cut that was creating a pool of blood that was soaking into the wood. He looked up at the open square that lead to the upper deck. But the sound of the wild waves was drowned out by loud screams. His two friends and partners were screaming at the top of their lungs. The man looked up to see an large splatter of blood fly into the air, the dark red liquid crossing the bright blue and white sky. The man could hear the screams stop, but then he could hear the net of fish being moved around. The net being ripped open as the sound of the fish being eaten replaced the noise. It sounded like starving creatures gobbling away and eating wildly. The man sat up slowly and gripped the ladder rungs. He gripped his weapon tightly as he climbed up. He had gotten his head up through the hole and looked to one side. Both of his partners were laying on the deck, covered in so many bite and claw marks that their bodies looked like piles of messy meat. The man could hear the eating more clearly and turned to look the other way. These small little creatures were surrounding the net of fish, tearing into them like savages. The man squinted as he was staring almost right into the sun. Their silhouettes were small but wide. Large turtle like shells covered their backs with their arms and legs were short and wide, ending in hands and feet with large sharp claws. They all suddenly turned to look at him. They had razor sharp beaks dripping in blood, both human and fish. Their heads were short and wide with circles of thin black hair. The top of their heads were white and hairless. One of the creatures suddenly screeched loudly as they all ran towards the man. He screamed out loudly, his voice disappearing quickly as the sound of flesh ripping away made him drop dead as a pile of meat. The large and bright sun continued to beat down on the river. Beat down on the world that shifted into something unknown.

At the end of the river, the water went into the sea and stretched into a never ending field of blue. On the banks, there was a large village that was split between the river, two large collections of shops, restaurants, and homes that could see each other. Each side of the river was full of small personal boats used to cross to either side. Further up the river there were the signs of a bridge starting construction, the base built into the Earth and only needing to stretch out. The sun was gone, the sky pitch black with stars twinkling and creating a beautiful star map. Both villages were vibrant and full of life, small fires throughout to illuminate the people and buildings. Children running around, weaving between adults carrying boxes of food and supplies from one building to another. The small shops began to close down for the night while seemingly everyone that lived in each village were outside of their homes. Everyone had food in one hand and a drink in the other. They were all dressed in traditional and comfortable kimonos, all of which were clean and bright and vibrant, reflecting the flames into warm and peaceful colors that seemed to resonate from the fabric. The sounds of loud conversation and laughing, the sounds of stories being told between friends and family. It was peaceful and fun.

The people were happy.

The wooden boat slowly drifted down the river. The outside was covered in claw marks and pieces of wood being splintered and broken. The smell coming from it was disgusting and filled the air with a putrid odor that made people from both villages feel sick. The boat was aimless before running into another boat, causing it to smash into the riverbank and collapse. Villagers sprinted over and tried their best to stop the boat, but it bumped into another small boat and crushed it into pieces.

“What is all of this?” One asked loudly.

It took a few minutes for the boat to finally stop moving before one villager grabbed a piece of rope, throwing it up to the deck and climbing up slowly. The side of the boat was weak, every step potentially being enough to cause the entire wall to collapse in on itself. The villager made it up to the deck and screamed out.

“What do you see?” One villager on the ground shouted.

“Dead! They’re dead!” The man on the deck turned around and vomited, villagers having to run out of the way to not get hit. The man waited to feel better before quickly running down the side.

“Three people. Mauled. Dead and burned. It’s horrific.” The man was breathing heavily and sweating through his clothing.

A few of the other villagers looked at each other, but then people began to step aside and bow as a elderly woman walked youthfully through the crowd. Her kimono was white and gold, looking pristine and powerful as she looked across the villagers.

“Bring their bodies down here so we may give them an honorable burial.” She said with a powerful yet soft voice.

Without hesitation, despite the fear across their faces, they began to climb up the side of the ship. They struggled to collect the bodies, which fell apart at any movement. Other villagers went into their homes to grab sheets, holding them open and catching the bodies that were dropped overboard. The sheets were tied tightly and quickly around the pieces while other villagers went over to dig into the ground. Working together like this it only took a few minutes. The bodies were placed inside while the elder woman began to sing a song. Her voice was soft and warm as she started.

“When you remember me,

Please do not weep.

My body may not be there.

It has chosen to sleep.”

As the elder continued to sing, a few more of the villagers joined in with her singing.

“I'm not that far away.

My soul lives on,

Looking down, watching over

You and everyone.

And when you feel sad

And life seems so blue,

Just remember

That my spirit has its arms around you.”

Most of the village joined in, singing in perfect harmony as the bodies are almost completely covered by the dirt.

“And on those special days,

Times that you wish I could see,

That cool breeze flowing past you...

Well, that will be me,

So don't be sad.

Have no fear.”

It was silent for a few seconds before the entire village began to sing together.

“God has taken me under his wing,

But I'll always be near.

I still watch you

Every minute, every day.

My love and soul are with you,

And that's where they will stay.”

The last amount of dirt was shoveled on top of the bodies wrapped tightly in the sheets. The villagers stood together as a family, standing shoulder to shoulder as they continued to stare down at the unmarked graves.

“We must figure out what happened.” One villager leaned over to the elder.

“I will discuss it with him. He might know.”

The elder looked at the villager, whose face opened up with wide eyes and their jaw began to open up.

“But…he asked to be left alone.” The villager replied.

“All promises should be broken if it saves others.” The elder replied before crossing their arms. They turned and walked through the crowd, all of the villagers bowing until she passed by them. They all turned back to the graves, standing for a few more seconds before slowly and sadly making their way back to their homes.

The elder walked along the river, moving closer to the mouth that bled into the larger sea. The large expanse outside of the village was farmland. The crops were growing plentifully and stretched out to the elder’s chest. She continued to walk through the large and tall fields, eventually being unable to see her village. She stopped once she saw the end of the farmlands. Nobody ever went further than the farmlands. Past that was an expanse double the size of nothingness. No grass on the ground, only hard dirt. She took a deep breath before she stepped out onto the ground. The ground was like a desert, despite sitting next to the river. It was like the ground had been untouched in centuries. The elder kept walking through the moist air and dry ground. She was determined to make it to the person she needed. The person who could save her village.

She could finally see a small building in the distance. She sped up, going from walking to a light run as she drew closer and closer. She couldn’t hear anything but her own forceful footsteps into the ground. The air was quiet, the water and wind still. The sky was dark with the only light coming from the stars that sat further than could ever be explained.

She made it to the small hut that sat right next to the mouth of the river. There was a single small light visible inside. The elder began to walk closer to the hut, but as she moved she noticed a man sitting even further towards the sea. She caught her breath before walking over quietly, hoping to not disturb the man.

Next to him there was a sword stabbed down into the ground, only a quarter of the blade and the hilt visible. The ground underneath was cracked and uneven, but the sword seemed to be undamaged.

“Hyobanshi?” She whispered.

The man’s head slowly turned to look over his shoulder.

“Took you long enough.”

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