Tenchu: Legend of the Blood Moon Emperor
Howling wind tore through the trees, ripping the scarce leaves from branches that desperately clawed to them even in the onset of the winter's chill. Thunder raged throughout the mountainous region of the Takamatsu clan, sounding out like the battle cries of ten thousand Oni. It had been a rough year, with a drought lasting through summer, only to be relieved with foul weather and flash floods during the quickly fading fall. Winter was approaching far too fast and early, and a full, blood red moon filled the night sky like a mockery of the sun's warming light.
The castle of Lord Takamatsu was filled with bustling activity, frentic and worried. Servants hurried to and fro with only the faint light of the the paper lanterns and the occassional violent flash of lightning to illuminate their way. The screams of intense agony filled the air and gave all a sort of grim pallor. None believed that the Lady Takamatsu would survive the birth of the Lord's first heir. The pain was too intense, and the night was filled with bad omens, such as the weather, and the carrion crows who had hung around the walls of the estate for the past few weeks, always cawing their disdain to the people who worked or visited the castle in their day to day affairs. Plus, there was the matter of the new advisor that Lord Takamatsu had taken on.
His name was Gohryu, and he wore the robes of a priest, but the scent of death and decay seemed to accompany him as if it were his own. He was a large man, with broad shoulders, thick arms and a full chest. One could see that he had at one time been a mighty warrior, but age had taken it's toll. Now his once proud back was hunched and crooked, and every now and again one could see the faint indentations of a spinal ridge protruding from under his haori. His face seemed weathered, with sunken eyes and a thin, upturned nose, which, along with his receeding lips, and balding hair, gave him a skeletal appearance, despite his body's mass. No one knew from where he came, nor from where the master had aquired his services. He just seemed to have appeared one day, and had been at the master's side ever since, whispering advice into Takamatsu's attentive ears, and constantly retreating to his chambers to read portents throughout the day.
"Will she make it, Gohryu? Will my wife survive the birth of my son, or will this evil night taint my heir with the blood of his mother upon his very birth?" Takamatsu Sojiro spoke to his advisor, the words barely able to escape his lips. The fear of loosing his wife, and the excitement of the childbirth was taking it's toll on the aging daimyo.
"The bones I have cast are unclear of her fate, My Lord, for they only show me the fate of your son." Responded the deep, monotonous voice of the ghoulish portents reader.
"Then tell me at least his fate, advisor. Tell me what awaits my son. Will he be great and bring honor to our clan? Will he live a worthy life, and bring his ideals into the world with the force of his will and the strength of his rule?"
"My Lord....the bones speak to me, and the blood shows me visions. When the moon falls from the sky, an Emporer will be born of it's body. He will be great and powerful, and will carry within his body the power of a hundred Demons. He will command an army of bakemono, and lay seige to the corrupt Emporer and his greedy Shogun. When the moon falls from the sky, your son, Shinzo, will rise in it's place and become the Emporer of the Moon."
"Then my wife's sacrifice is not in vain, for our son shall indeed be great. If you have seen my son as Emporer, then so shall it be. I will use my last remaining years to secure that destiny for him, so that when the time comes, he will have every advantage granted to him." With those spoken words, the once loving husband, Lord Takamatsu, put his wife behind him, even as she screamed with the unnatural labor of their child's birth. He turned on his heel, and with a lowered head, and closed eyes, moved out of the chambers. His heart felt as cold as the icy wind that passed through the castle on this storm wracked night.
Outside, the storm took a turn for the worse. The rain fell more heavily upon the castle, blanketing all in a white mist, which slowly faded to a deep crimson. A bloody sheen covered the castle, making the wood and stone seem slick and wrapped in plastic. The crows cawing could be heard again, even over the wind, as it howled like the anguished souls of a thousand dead ancestors. Strange, those crows. All other birds would be seeking shelter from the storm hours before, but they were ever vigilant in their watch of the castle. The multitude of their glassy, red eyes shown like speckles of ruby flame within the darkness of the shadows.
Dogs howled throughout the province of the Takamatsu clan, a mournful, drawn out requiem. Fresh meat seemed to spoil within moments, and the sake tasted of blood. Throughout these cursed lands, all manner of ill omens would be observed, such as water freezing instantly to ice, pottery and glass shattering, and stillborn cattle. All of these events heralded the coming of the heir to the Takamatsu clan.
Lady Takamatsu cried out with all of the strength she carried in her fragile body. Blood seeped from between her legs, staining her kimono, and flooding the blankets she laid upon. The midwife looked on with fearful eyes, having never seen anything this gruesome....this horrible before. Another scream was cut off by a gurgling choke, and the open mouth of the Lady Takamatsu sprayed visceral blood, which ran down her alabaster cheeks and into her long black hair. Her body tensed up, back arching into the air with a force that seemed beyond her own volition. Each muscle stood trembling as she seemed suspended in that position for those few moments while the midwife looked away, afraid to see more. The sickeningly wet, dull snap of bones breaking could be heard, before she could look back to her Lady with morbid wonder in those fearful eyes. The Lady's ribcage had seperated itself from her chest, and now pushed aside the torn flesh of her breast as the bones opened up, like a spider's legs, or a lotus blossom of gruesome proportions. Muscles, tendons and internal organs seemed to work of their own as the newborn infant was raised from his mother's chest cavity, upon the cushioned platform of her innards.
The midwife screamed, and dropped the bowl of water she had held to the wooden floor, shattering it and letting it's contents spread and seep into the cracks, disappearing. As she turned to run, a line of intestines shot out from the bloody organic amalgim that had become of Lady Takamatsu, wrapping around her neck and squeezing. Struggling, fighting for her life with the snakelike appendage, the poor young girl was drug back towards the horrific scene, back towards that nightmare come to life.
"Motoko....Help me.....Help my son....You must....You must help my son to grow and be strong, Motoko....for me....." The Lady's voice spoke from a sputtering, blood spraying hole that twitched and spasmed with every syllable. The midwife, Motoko, looked on, her eyes transfixed to the monstrousity, unbelieving of the voice that it emitted. And then, the grip around her neck loosened and fell from her neck to the floor, followed by the rest of the tangled mess of organs and viscera. Only the child remained suspended in the air, and even as Motoko fell to her knees, she reached out her arms towards him....towards her new Lord, Shinzo.. The babe fell into her arms as the world lost coherency, and her mind shut down, letting all blissfully fade to black.
In the shadows of the corridor, Gohryu watched with a satisfied smile on his withered lips. His hold on the Takamatsu was absolute, and he had even convinced Sojiro that a bargain with his master was the only way of not only assuring the child's survival during birth, but securing his power as well. Soon, his master would have a new vessel, a gateway to return to this world. And he would be there, waiting to serve as he had done for decades before, and for decades to come. This was the perfect night.
Howling wind tore through the trees, ripping the scarce leaves from branches that desperately clawed to them even in the onset of the winter's chill. Thunder raged throughout the mountainous region of the Takamatsu clan, sounding out like the battle cries of ten thousand Oni. It had been a rough year, with a drought lasting through summer, only to be relieved with foul weather and flash floods during the quickly fading fall. Winter was approaching far too fast and early, and a full, blood red moon filled the night sky like a mockery of the sun's warming light.
The castle of Lord Takamatsu was filled with bustling activity, frentic and worried. Servants hurried to and fro with only the faint light of the the paper lanterns and the occassional violent flash of lightning to illuminate their way. The screams of intense agony filled the air and gave all a sort of grim pallor. None believed that the Lady Takamatsu would survive the birth of the Lord's first heir. The pain was too intense, and the night was filled with bad omens, such as the weather, and the carrion crows who had hung around the walls of the estate for the past few weeks, always cawing their disdain to the people who worked or visited the castle in their day to day affairs. Plus, there was the matter of the new advisor that Lord Takamatsu had taken on.
His name was Gohryu, and he wore the robes of a priest, but the scent of death and decay seemed to accompany him as if it were his own. He was a large man, with broad shoulders, thick arms and a full chest. One could see that he had at one time been a mighty warrior, but age had taken it's toll. Now his once proud back was hunched and crooked, and every now and again one could see the faint indentations of a spinal ridge protruding from under his haori. His face seemed weathered, with sunken eyes and a thin, upturned nose, which, along with his receeding lips, and balding hair, gave him a skeletal appearance, despite his body's mass. No one knew from where he came, nor from where the master had aquired his services. He just seemed to have appeared one day, and had been at the master's side ever since, whispering advice into Takamatsu's attentive ears, and constantly retreating to his chambers to read portents throughout the day.
"Will she make it, Gohryu? Will my wife survive the birth of my son, or will this evil night taint my heir with the blood of his mother upon his very birth?" Takamatsu Sojiro spoke to his advisor, the words barely able to escape his lips. The fear of loosing his wife, and the excitement of the childbirth was taking it's toll on the aging daimyo.
"The bones I have cast are unclear of her fate, My Lord, for they only show me the fate of your son." Responded the deep, monotonous voice of the ghoulish portents reader.
"Then tell me at least his fate, advisor. Tell me what awaits my son. Will he be great and bring honor to our clan? Will he live a worthy life, and bring his ideals into the world with the force of his will and the strength of his rule?"
"My Lord....the bones speak to me, and the blood shows me visions. When the moon falls from the sky, an Emporer will be born of it's body. He will be great and powerful, and will carry within his body the power of a hundred Demons. He will command an army of bakemono, and lay seige to the corrupt Emporer and his greedy Shogun. When the moon falls from the sky, your son, Shinzo, will rise in it's place and become the Emporer of the Moon."
"Then my wife's sacrifice is not in vain, for our son shall indeed be great. If you have seen my son as Emporer, then so shall it be. I will use my last remaining years to secure that destiny for him, so that when the time comes, he will have every advantage granted to him." With those spoken words, the once loving husband, Lord Takamatsu, put his wife behind him, even as she screamed with the unnatural labor of their child's birth. He turned on his heel, and with a lowered head, and closed eyes, moved out of the chambers. His heart felt as cold as the icy wind that passed through the castle on this storm wracked night.
Outside, the storm took a turn for the worse. The rain fell more heavily upon the castle, blanketing all in a white mist, which slowly faded to a deep crimson. A bloody sheen covered the castle, making the wood and stone seem slick and wrapped in plastic. The crows cawing could be heard again, even over the wind, as it howled like the anguished souls of a thousand dead ancestors. Strange, those crows. All other birds would be seeking shelter from the storm hours before, but they were ever vigilant in their watch of the castle. The multitude of their glassy, red eyes shown like speckles of ruby flame within the darkness of the shadows.
Dogs howled throughout the province of the Takamatsu clan, a mournful, drawn out requiem. Fresh meat seemed to spoil within moments, and the sake tasted of blood. Throughout these cursed lands, all manner of ill omens would be observed, such as water freezing instantly to ice, pottery and glass shattering, and stillborn cattle. All of these events heralded the coming of the heir to the Takamatsu clan.
Lady Takamatsu cried out with all of the strength she carried in her fragile body. Blood seeped from between her legs, staining her kimono, and flooding the blankets she laid upon. The midwife looked on with fearful eyes, having never seen anything this gruesome....this horrible before. Another scream was cut off by a gurgling choke, and the open mouth of the Lady Takamatsu sprayed visceral blood, which ran down her alabaster cheeks and into her long black hair. Her body tensed up, back arching into the air with a force that seemed beyond her own volition. Each muscle stood trembling as she seemed suspended in that position for those few moments while the midwife looked away, afraid to see more. The sickeningly wet, dull snap of bones breaking could be heard, before she could look back to her Lady with morbid wonder in those fearful eyes. The Lady's ribcage had seperated itself from her chest, and now pushed aside the torn flesh of her breast as the bones opened up, like a spider's legs, or a lotus blossom of gruesome proportions. Muscles, tendons and internal organs seemed to work of their own as the newborn infant was raised from his mother's chest cavity, upon the cushioned platform of her innards.
The midwife screamed, and dropped the bowl of water she had held to the wooden floor, shattering it and letting it's contents spread and seep into the cracks, disappearing. As she turned to run, a line of intestines shot out from the bloody organic amalgim that had become of Lady Takamatsu, wrapping around her neck and squeezing. Struggling, fighting for her life with the snakelike appendage, the poor young girl was drug back towards the horrific scene, back towards that nightmare come to life.
"Motoko....Help me.....Help my son....You must....You must help my son to grow and be strong, Motoko....for me....." The Lady's voice spoke from a sputtering, blood spraying hole that twitched and spasmed with every syllable. The midwife, Motoko, looked on, her eyes transfixed to the monstrousity, unbelieving of the voice that it emitted. And then, the grip around her neck loosened and fell from her neck to the floor, followed by the rest of the tangled mess of organs and viscera. Only the child remained suspended in the air, and even as Motoko fell to her knees, she reached out her arms towards him....towards her new Lord, Shinzo.. The babe fell into her arms as the world lost coherency, and her mind shut down, letting all blissfully fade to black.
In the shadows of the corridor, Gohryu watched with a satisfied smile on his withered lips. His hold on the Takamatsu was absolute, and he had even convinced Sojiro that a bargain with his master was the only way of not only assuring the child's survival during birth, but securing his power as well. Soon, his master would have a new vessel, a gateway to return to this world. And he would be there, waiting to serve as he had done for decades before, and for decades to come. This was the perfect night.