Chapter 5
Aya knew from experience that she was the only person in Ransei who could walk unannounced into Kenshin's chambers without being struck down immediately.
Ever since their childhood, they had never seen reason to keep secrets from each other. In Kenshin's eight years as warlord of Illusio, no decision had ever been made before he and Aya discussed it together.
Aya was not the ruler of the Psychic kingdom - their late father had made that quite clear. But she could claim without sounding inflated that Kenshin would never move forward without consulting her judgement first.
Tonight, Aya was greeted by Gallade, who nodded at her before turning to fetch its partner. Aya called for tea to be brought up, then settled for pacing the room's main chamber until Kenshin emerged from his private quarters. He met her gaze, and nothing more needed to be said.
"A vision?"
"I fear so," Aya replied. "But this one came to me when I was awake."
Kenshin's gray eyes narrowed, and he motioned for her to continue. Aya described the events that had unfolded on the rooftop, leaving no detail out. "The castle was Violight's, I'm sure of it," she finished. At the sight of Kenshin's grave expression, her heart sank. "Tell me I'm wrong."
A servant knocked on the door, and Kenshin crossed the room to take the tea tray, handing a cup to Aya before continuing. "An hour ago, I received word from Violight. They were attacked by a devastating force earlier today." He left the final part unsaid, but Aya knew what he was implying. "The same time as my vision."
"It's been over a year since the last one," she choked out. Her hands began to shake, and she had to rest her teacup on the table. "I had hoped... Well, I suppose that was wishful thinking."
"Indeed," Kenshin nodded, and Aya chastised herself for causing him to worry about her. There were much larger problems set before them right now.
Kenshin swallowed down his tea before continuing. "There's no way to know how many kingdoms have received Violight's distress call, but the situation is grave. Part of the castle was damaged, dozens of warriors were killed, and the call was not directly from Lady Ginchiyo - which I assume means she was too wounded to send the message herself."
Staring into her own cup, Aya contemplated this new information. "Is Illusio going to send aid?" she asked, tracing one of the flowers carved into the stone with her fingernail.
"I was hoping you would ask," Kenshin replied. "Unless you wish otherwise, I would like for you to be on the blimp flying out tomorrow morning."
He paused, glancing back to the door. Satisfied that no servant was listening in the hall, he continued, "Of course, if you were to go to Violight, it wouldn't be to simply supervise supply relief."
Aya edged closer, understanding what Kenshin was asking of her. "You want me to investigate what happened."
"In a word," he confirmed. "Once this attack becomes public knowledge, there are going to be innumerable rumors as to what might have caused such a disaster. I need someone who can find the truth, and who won't allow fear to cloud their judgement. What we know doesn't bode well with me. If nothing else, prove my suspicions wrong."
The moonlight streaming into the room cast beams of silver across Kenshin's face, and Aya was struck by how hardened it had grown. Many days now, she had to remind herself that Kenshin was her younger brother. The task of protecting Illusio's neutrality during the final years of the war had left him looking old enough to be their father.
Not for the first time, a sense of grief washed over her. "His greatest burden is one we will never share."
"You know I shall strive to do all within my power," Aya affirmed, bowing her head. Kenshin returned the gesture, a sign of utmost respect that they could share only in private.
As Aya made to leave, another thought took hold. Turning back to Kenshin, she added, "Shall I bring Kanetsugu along? I have striven throughout his training to impress Illusio's values upon him, but perhaps he must be reminded of what happens when enemies who don't believe in those values exist."
"A harsh lesson, but one of the most important for any true warrior to learn," Kenshin said. "I'll see to it he's notified before your departure."
"Let us hope for a better tomorrow, then," Aya responded. She matched stares with her brother one final time.
"Kenshin."
"Aya."
No more needed to be said.
Aya snapped back into the present as the sunlight was blotted out by the descending blimp, and she raised the hood of her kimono when the wind from the propellers pulled at her hair. Froslass hovered at her side, but Beartic would remain in the castle. As much as Aya disliked being separated from one of her partners, Beartic's size made it ill-suited to air travel.
The boarding ramp unfolded from the blimp's deep red hull, and Aya glanced to where Kanetsugu and Kadabra stood at her side, still flushed. Not five minutes earlier, they had come tearing out of the castle like the armies of hell were at their heels. Apparently, Kanetsugu had not received notification of his assignment until minutes before their blimp was scheduled to take off. It had required all Aya's self-discipline to not burst out laughing as her student threw himself at her feet with apologies.
They boarded along with the two dozen warriors of Illusio who had been selected to accompany them. While Aya and Kanetsugu would only be staying in Violight long enough to see the recovery effort underway, these warriors would take up temporary residence in the Electric kingdom to help defend it in the event of a second attack.
Once they were off the ground, and their companions had spread throughout the passenger bay, Aya felt it safe enough to inform Kanetsugu of their separate mission. Even so, she made sure they were sitting close to the droning engines.
"Let's begin with the basics," Aya said, facing her student. "What were you informed of this morning?"
Kanetsugu sat alert, his green eyes bright with fervor. "My lady, I was told I am to accompany you to Violight while Illusio offers our aid to them in this hour of need. We bring a light of righteousness to our allies that will surely banish whatever nefarious force has committed this atrocious act!"
Smiling at Kanetsugu's earnestness, Aya nodded. "Yes, but that's not all. Simply put, Kenshin wouldn't be sending me if this was as straightforward an errand as that." She grappled with how to deliver the revelation that she and Kenshin had come to. "Best to not bother sugarcoating it, I suppose."
Lowering her voice, Aya explained, "Kenshin and I have reason to believe the attack on Violight was... not of human origin. While you and I are there, our goal is to investigate whether this is true - or hopefully, untrue."
This additional knowledge did seem to throw Kanetsugu off guard. "Beg pardon, my lady, but what do you mean by inhuman?" he repeated. "Do you mean you and Lord Kenshin suspect whatever attacked Violight was from some other world?"
Aya grimaced. "All of what we know thus far seems to dictate so. The message from Violight spoke of shadows pouring from the sky, and normal weapons doing next to nothing against them. Kenshin and I are familiar with a text in Illusio's library telling of a similar incident, almost a thousand years ago. What's more, it refers to these enemies as demons that escaped into our world." She paused, raising her eyebrows. "Either that, or this has all been an exceedingly bad joke of Lord Kotaro's."
Before Kanetsugu could respond, the blimp was abruptly jostled by turbulence. Such an event was normal enough - one could almost never fly into Violight without encountering some sort of rough patch.
When the lights flickered and Aya saw several snowflakes that could only have come from a startled Froslass, she remained calm (although more than one unlucky warrior was thrown against the walls of the cabin). As the blimp settled, Aya cleared her throat to bring Kanetsugu's attention away from his similarly distressed Kadabra. "Continuing on," she emphasized, although she dropped her voice once more. "I delved into research of my own last night, and I found some scrolls on the subject I've brought along for reference. We can take a better look at them once we land, but for now-"
"Beg pardon, my lady," Kanetsugu interrupted. "Kadabra feels something isn't-"
Narrowing her eyes, Aya brought her finger to her lips, then shifted her hand to make the gesture appear like she had simply been pushing her hood back. It was enough for Kanetsugu to understand the message, though.
"Wait until we're closer, unless we have no choice," Aya whispered, her mouth barely moving.
Illusio's warriors were no longer alone, and Aya knew it. From the report given to her by Kenshin, she had been anticipating some sort of intrusion as soon as they crossed into Violight.
The snowflakes had been a signal. As a Ghost Pokemon, Froslass could detect the presence of fellow spirits. As for Kadabra, its psychic powers would be able to pierce through any cloaking the intruders might be using. Aya suspected that the particularly violent "turbulence" had been a side effect of their blimp being boarded.
The trick now was seeing whether they could wait the intruders out. If a fight was initiated, they would be stranded thousands of feet in the air, still off from the castle and in the company of an unknown number of enemies. But if any member of Aya's delegation was attacked, they would have no choice.
Aya had to fight the urge to reach for the naginata at her feet, settling for matching her wavelength with Froslass. At least if the latter scenario did occur, they would be the first ones ready to fight back.
As the minutes ticked on, Aya could feel a heightening tension throughout the cabin. Even if the other warriors didn't know its nature, they sensed a threat, and Aya could only hope that none of them did anything brash.
She made paper-thin conversation with Kanetsugu, her words serving no purpose other than to try and calm them. Finally, after the longest hour of Aya's life, she glimpsed out the window and saw their descent through the clouds beginning.
Naturally, that was when everything went to hell.
A cry of pain rose from the far end of the cabin, and a spray of blood turned the air crimson. One warrior collapsed, clutching his mutilated arm as his Chimecho hovered above him.
Throughout the compartment, blurry black shapes materialized out of thin air. Aya quickly counted a dozen in total.
"Froslass, go!" she commanded, and ice met shadow as her partner launched into battle.
The cabin exploded into chaos. "Fight in pairs!" Aya shouted above the mayhem. Catching Kanetsugu's eye, she dictated, "The top priority is making sure nothing reaches the pilot. If we can hold them off until we're on the ground, he can fetch reinforcements!" Kanetsugu nodded, and Aya turned her focus back to Froslass.
Grasping the hilt of her naginata, Aya gave it a swift twirl before joining her partner, weaving around blows from their opponent and returning them in double. Aya took a small graze to her side, but she knew her limits well enough to know that it would be nothing impeding.
Despite the demons being outnumbered two to one, they were resilient fighters. The scrolls that Aya had studied suggested it near impossible for a single warrior to bring one down, and that human-Pokemon pairs were more effective. That theory seemed to be true.
When the first demon before them finally fell, Aya and Froslass moved on to the next without respite, relieving a young woman and her Persian long enough for them to catch their breath. They rejoined the battle quickly enough, and four against one weren't odds favoring even a demon. "Much appreciated, my lady!" the woman called as Aya and Froslass pushed deeper into the fray.
Doing another count, Aya saw that they were now down to eight enemies, although three more warriors had been incapacitated. Her attention was drawn to the largest demon – as it backed Kanetsugu and Kadabra against the wall.
By this point, Aya and Froslass were practically one being, sharing the adrenaline of battle with their wavelengths perfectly in sync. Aya brought her staff down on the demon's back while Froslass blasted it with Icy Wind. "Finish it, Kanetsugu!" Aya ordered.
Kanetsugu and Kadabra locked eyes, and the star on Kadabra's forehead glowed white. Raw psychic energy forced the weakened demon to the ground, and its form flickered as it let out a bone-chilling screech. Kanetsugu matched its roar as he drove his sword into its chest.
The outburst of magic let loose by the demon's death throes sent cracks across Kanetsugu's blade, before it shattered entirely in his hands, but its job had been done. A new one would have to be found for him though, Aya thought, and preferably made of higher quality steel. She allowed herself a spark of pride in her student before joining the next warrior in need of help.
Two more pained shouts sounded from somewhere near her, but Aya forced herself not to be distracted anyone more. Only when Froslass sent a warning cry down their link did Aya whirl around and lock weapons with a demon that had been about to sink a wicked-looking dagger into her spine.
They stood frozen, neither yielding, until Froslass created a layer of ice beneath the demon's feet. Aya brought her naginata upwards and knocked the demon to the floor, then dispatched it with a clean stab through the gut.
As she looked up, she saw several pairs of warrior and Pokemon making work of the final demon that Aya could see. But then she looked over her shoulder at the door leading out to the hall, and sure enough, one last enemy was making a break for the pilot cabin.
"Not so fast." Aya sprinted forward, driving her naginata into the floor to give herself extra momentum as she vaulted towards the demon. The heels of her boots slammed into its leg, and it dropped to one knee as it whirled to face her.
Its face parted in a nightmarish smile, and Aya reared back as it raised a clawed hand. Even so, it managed to slice through the sleeve of her kimono, staining the fabric red with blood.
Aya gritted her teeth and switched her staff to her other hand, but the movement was unnecessary. The combined power of every warrior and Pokemon still in condition to fight hit the demon at once, and it was enough to explode their foe into smoke before it could even scream.
As if on cue, Aya felt the rumble of the blimp touching down.
Clutching her injured arm, she assessed the damage done to her soldiers. Three were lying in various states of unresponsiveness on the floor, another nine or ten were visibly injured, and all looked shaken by what had transpired.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Aya breathed out, her grip on her staff tightening. "Welcome to Violight."
Okuni had lived in Spectra for long enough to grow accustomed to the castle's general, well, creepiness. That didn't change the fact that during storms like this one, it felt to what she considered a somewhat ridiculous degree like the setting of a horror story.
"I hope whoever built this place is feeling good about themselves right now," Okuni grumbled as a flash of lightning lit up the dark hallway, unnecessarily adding to the atmosphere. It was not the first impression that she had wanted to leave on Ina and Hoshiko.
Still, Okuni had to chuckle as she closed the door on Ina's bewildered, slightly terrified expression. "She may not know it right now, but she's safer than I was during my first night here."
Lady No didn't take the same precautions with the spirits that Okuni did when Spectra entertained visitors. On her own first stay here, Okuni underwent an extremely unpleasant out-of-body experience that she later learned (to her horror) was the same Haunter gang she had just confronted trying to decide whether to spirit her away. Only a timely intervention by Lady No had prevented a permanent separation of Okuni's spirit and body.
Turning to Hoshiko, who seemed at least more at ease than Ina, Okuni said, "Your room is right next to mine. You should be safe from any hauntings, possessions, spiriting aways and whatnot - although if you have any sort of personal talismans on you, it might not hurt to wear them to bed anyways."
Hoshiko looked up at the corner of the ceiling where the Haunter gang had vanished. "Do you think that any of those Pokemon would want to link with me?" she asked, catching Okuni off guard. Okuni hadn't given much thought to it, but now she supposed that Hoshiko was probably starting to feel self-conscious about not having a partner.
"Well, if you're feeling a resonance with Ghost Pokémon, you're in the right kingdom for it," Okuni replied. "I'm not sure about a Pokemon living in the castle, though. A lot of them have been here for a while, so they've gotten attached to this place. Plus, since many were alive at some point, they tend to have more personality to them than most other types of Pokemon. To say the least, finding a Ghost-Type you're compatible with gives the idea of having a partner for life a whole other meaning."
Tilting her head, Hoshiko thought this over. "I suppose that you're right," she sighed. "There are other types of Pokemon in Spectra though, aren't there?"
"Definitely!" Okuni gave a firm nod. "Listen, if it's this important to you, we can make time to look for any potential partners for you while we're here." As another clap of thunder sounded over them, she winced. "Maybe in slightly more favorable weather, though."
Hoshiko laughed, her face lightening. "No objections there!" Turning towards her room, she waved her hand back at Okuni. "Don't worry about me, I can settle in on my own. Don't you have to speak with Lady No?"
At this reminder, a sense of hesitation settled over Okuni. Despite what she told Ina earlier, whatever aura surrounded Lady No had been affecting Okuni as well in the throne room. Maybe it was a result of her being away, even if only for a few days. Whatever it was, Okuni was going to have to try harder than usual to not completely fall into Lady No's thrall.
"Indeed, I do," Okuni said. "If you're sure you'll be fine..."
"I'm not too concerned," Hoshiko remarked. "As long as I have my diadem, I'll be alright."
Now that Hoshiko mentioned it, Okuni recalled that when they were on the road, Hoshiko hadn't removed her headpiece even before settling down at night. "Maybe it's a priestess thing," Okuni guessed, although she had to imagine that gold circlet couldn't be too comfortable to sleep in.
"If you're sure, then good night!" She waved as Hoshiko closed the door, then walked to the end of the corridor and knocked on the entrance to Lady No's rooms. "My lady, it's Okuni."
"I was beginning to wonder what was keeping you," came the response. Okuni took that as an invitation and slid open the door.
Immediately, Lady No asked from the shadow of her balcony, "How aware are you of the current situation in Violight? I'd rather not waste time repeating information."
Okuni hadn't been expecting a welcome back party, but this reception was short, even for Lady No. As she lowered herself onto her usual violet silk pillow, Okuni settled for, "As much as I would assume you know, my lady."
"Good," Lady No sighed, turning to face her. "Normally, I would be a touch more skeptical by the contents of such a distress call - an army of demons appearing from the sky with no warning? I assume they were accompanied by flying Miltanks?" She shook her head, scoffing.
"But just this once, I have my own reasons to believe it contains substance." As she said this, Lady No drummed her fingernails against the railing, a monotonous rhythm punctuating her otherwise vague wording.
It wasn't Okuni's imagination; Lady No was on edge tonight. It was then that Okuni remembered the time of year.
The anniversary of Lady No's reclamation was approaching. Nearly six years ago, Lady No was Okuni's physical age when she and Lord Nobunaga (although he hadn't been lord of anything then) raised a coup against Lady No's aunt, who had seen Lady No's mother killed and usurped the throne of Spectra in Lady No's childhood.
If the story Okuni had heard was true, Lady No struck her aunt down in this very room. But with her dying breath, Lady No's aunt had laid a curse on her, that her spirit would return to haunt the Ghost warlord every year on what should have been the celebration of Lady No's greatest triumph.
Recalling the souls she had collected in the aftermath of that night, Okuni considered herself fortunate to have been spared Fuyuka's (it had taken her almost two years to even learn the woman's name from Lady No). Not every soul was worthy of a personal escort into the afterlife, a system that Okuni considered for the better. Otherwise, she doubted she would ever receive a chance to rest.
"Let's see what happens," Okuni decided. "What about Lord Nobunaga and Lord Mitsuhide? Are they aware yet?"
"Nobunaga is," Lady No responded, her face betraying irritation as more lightning flashed outside. "I couldn't say the same for Mitsuhide, as neither of us have heard from him. That does remind me though; you owe me an explanation for why you're back so early, and with one of Lord Ieyasu's lieutenants in tow."
Ignoring the discomfort that always rose within her when Lord Nobunaga's name entered their conversations (she knew that Lady No's alliance with him was a valuable one, but Lord Nobunaga's methods had simply never sat well with Okuni), she turned her focus back to the afternoon's events.
"Hoshiko and I were in Valora's market when we crossed paths with Ina. We struck up a conversation, there was an explosion, and several demons emerged from the wreckage. I didn't mean for Ina to get caught up in it, but they saw her with us, and Hoshiko was their target. I couldn't risk sending Ina back."
"What makes you think the priestess was the one they wanted? Wouldn't Ina, or yourself, be more valuable?" Lady No interrupted.
Okuni drew in a breath before confiding her theory. "Originally, Hoshiko and I planned to head for the Valora temple right away. Once we reached the city though, neither of us wanted to part ways, so we decided to do some sightseeing. The fact that they targeted the temple leads me to believe they expected her to already be there. Once they realized she wasn't, I'm sure the market would have seemed the next best option." Recalling the chaos, she added, "Plus, once they were in the market, they started targeting people indiscriminately until they saw the three of us. Then they became determined to hunt us down specifically."
Lady No raised her eyebrows when Okuni finished. "What you're telling me then, is you don't know why they wanted the priestess, yet you brought her and another high-profile target into the heart of Spectra?" She gave a shake of her head. "'Reckless' isn't a term I associate with you, Okuni, but this is beyond that. Have you at all planned what you intend to do from this point?"
Okuni winced. Lady No's words were fair, although Okuni struggled to not retort back that she hadn't been graced with much time to think her plan through. She finally argued, "If we sent them back now, and they were put in greater danger because of it, the blame for whatever befell them would be directed at us. Hoshiko is... odd, but I have a feeling it would be a bad idea to abandon her. And if anything happened to Ina because we refused her protection, that would definitely sour our relations with Valora."
Lady No thought it over, before deciding (not without a hint of sarcasm), "Then it's fortunate you've brought them to the only castle in Ransei that's anywhere near protected against spirits." Before Okuni could feel too excited about her victory, Lady No added on, "But I expect you to find out more about the priestess. And make sure neither of them goes exploring in places they don't belong."
"Of course, my lady." Okuni bowed her head, relief flooding through her. "If there are no more attacks within the next week, we can send them on their way."
With the discussion at an end, both women made to prepare for bed. But as Lady No entered the room properly, closing her balcony door behind her, whatever perfume she had been wearing in the throne room earlier hit Okuni in full force. Magnolia, lemon, and something more that she couldn't identify invaded her senses; all as intoxicating as the woman who wore them.
Okuni couldn't help it, she gasped.
Lady No looked back, a quizzical smile forming on her face. "Is there something else on your mind, Okuni?"
Furious with herself for being caught off guard so easily, Okuni's ears registered the sound of thunder outside, bringing her senses back to reality. "Apologies, my lady. That last thunderclap was... louder than I expected."
Not her best lie, but it had been a long day.
She couldn't tell whether Lady No had bought her excuse. Lady No regarded her with those hypnotic violet eyes before simply responding, "Good night, Okuni."
Okuni hadn't heard Lady No use that tone of voice before. What was it? There was no underlying double meaning, but Okuni had been in the Ghost warlord's service for long enough to know that expecting complete honesty from Lady No was like expecting an upset Arbok not to strike.
Shaking her head, Okuni repeated, "Good night, my lady," before exiting. She would never be able to guess what went on in Lady No's mind. Okuni doubted that even Lord Nobunaga completely understood.
When she stepped into her own room, the scent of magnolias still lingered in her mind, an unwelcome distraction amidst Okuni's flurry of thoughts. She was so caught up in her mental recap, Okuni missed Setsuna's presence until a flash of lightning illuminated the her in the corner.
Okuni looked up, sighing. Sleep would not be found for her tonight, then.
Death waited for nobody, and there was always work yet to do.