Chapter 10 - Dark World Battles

Ashitaka dreamed about the flaming creature once again. This time, the creature sat perched on top of a tree. Cinders gathered at the base as smoke rose up into the sky. The air was smoke that poured into the warrior's lungs. The light coming from the creature grew stronger as Ashitaka walked closer to it. Covering his eyes, Ashitaka could see tendrils coming from the creature, wrapping around the tree. The tree began to decay into a black void as the shrill sound of a bird echoed in the distance, growing more warped as a foul stench fled into Ashitaka's nostrils. The sensory images became too much for him as another voice pierced through the darkness. It sounded soothing, relaxing the warrior's muscles as he became enveloped in a warm aura. The voice sounded familiar, yet nostalgic, as if he had heard the voice for the first time in many years. The voice sounded like...San.

Sweat poured from Ashitaka's brow as he jolted awake. He found himself in a small meadow just outside of the village. The sun was hiding behind the clouds, but he could feel the warmth of the bright star in the sky on his skin. He could hear the bustling of the once-forgotten town in the background. Dazed, Ashitaka believed himself to be dreaming still as San's voice grew louder. He quickly sat up and looked in all directions. On the horizon, Ashitaka saw San running towards him. Yakul and Mori were right behind her. He let out a laugh as he stood up and ran towards them.

As soon as the two reached each other, Ashitaka and San embraced. He held her as tight as he could as she buried her head in his chest. A slight breeze blew over the two, and the sun emerged from behind the clouds. The ray of sunshine hit the two as if god had planned for the moment to happen. The two just stood there, silent and reflective. No soldier, demon, or any force of nature could disrupt the moment.

"It's felt like forever since I have last seen you..." San finally broke the silence. She looked up at him, her eyes glistening in the light. Ashitaka blushed; he had never seen this look on San's face before. Something about what they've been through had began to change the way he saw her. She looked more like a woman in his eyes as she stood there in his arms. All he could do was smile.

They sat on the soft grass and spent the next few hours telling each other of their adventures. Ashitaka told her about the Spirit Realm and how he saved the village while San talked about meeting with Hideyoshi, the battle against the Shimazu, and the offer they were both given to join the war efforts.

"So," San spoke. "What do you want to do?"

She looked down at his arm and back at his face. Ashitaka remembered that the curse had spread to his face and began to move his right hand to cover it, but San gently placed her own hands on his and moved them away. Ashitaka looked up to the sky, as if searching for an answer. As he did so, he felt a trickle in his right arm. The trickle rippled up to his face as he felt a tingle in his right cheek.

"We return north, to Honshu. I have a feeling that this war will get worse. The biggest battles are yet to come."

San gave a quiet nod. "Before we go," She looked over to the village. "Why don't we relax for a while?" She got up and grabbed his hand. Together, they moved into the village to explore. Ashitaka saw how much more interactive San became with humans as she played with children on the street, bowed towards the shop vendors, and smiled at those who stood admiring the statue of Ashitaka. The people there also saw Ashitaka for who he was, not paying any mind to the purple tint of his skin. Soon, night fell as the town grew more active. Everyone was celebrating the gift of life that was given to them, both from their saving from the Forsaken, as well as the assimilation of the Shimazu as they unified under Oda.

Before long, morning came. As they prepared to leave the town to head north, a gentle breeze blew over the town and outside fields, swaying the grass ever so slightly. All seemed calm. Ashitaka was given many provisions by the town, who were sad to see him leave. Many of the children waved as their group left to partake in the next leg of their journey.

The moon rose from below the horizon as Ashitaka's group arrived at Kitakyushu. On the way into the village, San heard a grunting noise towards the west. It sounded similar to a noise she had heard before...that of boars. However, she paid no mind as the group entered the village.

Upon approaching the docks, the group looked for a worker. Ashitaka spotted one young man who was carrying crates around. He had a shifty gaze as he looked back and forth as he slowly walked along the dock.

"Hello," Ashitaka bowed as he spoke. The worker flinched, not expecting anyone to approach him like that. The box he was carrying dropped to the ground.

"You scared me!" He said, quickly picking the box back up.

"I'm sorry," Ashitaka said, bowing again. "Do you know when the next boat to Honshu will arrive?"

"I'm sorry...there won't be any boats for the next week," the worker said with a sad look on his face.

"Why not? Is there something wrong?" Ashitaka had a bad feeling in his stomach. There was no one else around on the dock, which left the warrior suspicious.

"Well you see...the past three ships to arrive on our docks were destroyed, and everyone on them killed. We still do not know what is causing this, so ships have stopped coming in until the problem is fixed..."

The group stood quiet. The only audible sound was the watter rippling against the wooden dock. The moon shone brightly, reflecting off of the water. Ashitaka did not pay any attention to the light, but after a second glance, he noticed that the moon looked red in the water.

"How often has this been happening?" He asked solemnly.

The worker's brow tightened as he thought. "Every night for the past week or so..."

Just then, a loud screech pierced the air. Covering her ears, San looked up and held her gaze. A figure descended onto the group. Its claws pierced through the worker's back. He let out a grunt as the figure tossed the worker into the water. In another fast motion, the figure grabbed San and jumped back into the air.

It happened so fast that Ashitaka could not tell what the figure was, but seeing that the figure fled to the west, he immediately chased after it. He ran off of the dock before looking at his animal companions. Mori looked as if he wanted to run after San, but Ashitaka held a hand up.

"Yakul, Mori, stay here!" Ashitaka panted.

In the forest, The figure kept a straight path, as if it could phase right through the bushes and trees. San's screaming echoed off of the trees. As Ashitaka ran on, he could see small traces of blood on the trees and on the ground. His increasing anger led to arm pains, which just made him angrier. He kept running, hoping that San was not dead. Her screams assured him that she wasn't.

Ashitaka chased the figure into a small clearing. The trees blocked the moonlight, making the figure indistinguishable. This did not matter, however, as the figure turned toward Ashitaka, San still screaming and trying to escape its grip. It tore through the air causing a portal to rip open right in front of the both of them, and jumped inside. San's screams ceased.

"San!" Ashitaka ran to where the creature stood. There was nothing left except a small pool of blood.

"This must be a spirit..." he said, holding his head down. Without hesitation, he held his right arm outward as it turned a redish black. Soon, another portal opened up right in front of the warrior. Ashitaka gripped his sword and stepped inside, hoping that he would be able to use the power properly. He was still new to the Spirit Realm, but this time he needed to hurry.

Ashitaka opened his eyes and found himself in a small field. There were many strange buildings in the background...buildings that Ashitaka had never seen before. Bright lights came out of small holes on the buildings. It was dark, yet Ashitaka could make out two shadows that were sitting on some sort of object.

(Of course, bring from his own time, Ashitaka did not know that the buildings he was looking at were skyscrapers, and that the object the two people were sitting on was a bench.)

He attempted to walk past the bench and move towards the buildings. As he passed the bench, however, he felt something hit his feet. He went to pick it up as one of the figures sitting on the bench approached him. It was a little girl, wearing nice clothing and had a smile on her face.

"Can I have that back please?" She said to Ashitaka.

Ashitaka took a look at the object. It was red, felt like metal, and there was something inside of it. As he shook it, something flew into the air. Catching it, Ashitaka was holding what looked like candy. The little girl motioned to get Ashitaka to eat it. It tasted like grapes, but felt nothing like it. It was sticky in his mouth as he bit into it, which felt like he was chewing on rocks. While the texture was something he didn't like, the taste was okay.

He handed back the container to the girl, who gave him a bow before returning to the bench. Ashitaka noticed that the second figure was a man who wore similar clothing. As the girl sat down, the man nodded to Ashitaka and said "Thank you."

Before he could respond, a bright light surrounded Ashitaka. It quickly turned to darkness, leaving Ashitaka alone with another figure. It was the same man who introduced Ashitaka to the Spirit World. The man's face still looked strange to him, but Ashitaka couldn't place it.

"Ah, I see you've managed to visit an Epoch," The man said. "But I know why you're really here...you are here to find your companion. San, correct?"

Ashitaka hesitated for a second. "Yes. Where can I find her!?" His voice grew impatient. He didn't want to spend any more time in the Spirit Realm than he needed to. He had no idea what sort of effects this had on how fast the curse would spread.

The man looked around as if he were able to see something in the darkness that Ashitaka could not. After a few seconds, he turned his attention back towards Ashitaka.

"The spirit you encountered was a Mononoke, or at least that's what you mortals would call it. Here, he has no name, but he does have a purpose..."

Ashitaka hesitated for a second, then asked, "What is his purpose?"

"To feed."

Ashitaka snapped. "Tell me where San is!"

After another look around, the man responded. "It's not a matter of where she is. She is right here. The matter, however, is when she is. The mononoke took her into the past...actually, it would be the future from where we are now."

Before Ashitaka could show his confusion, the man continued. "She is located in a time before your own, yet in a time after the one we are in right now."

"How do I get to her, then!?"

"Your powers allow you to travel between your own time and the spirit world, yes? You simply use it to travel to the desired location in the realm. Simply feel her presence, and your power will do the rest. Go on." The man motioned to Ashitaka's arm, which Ashitaka raised soon after.

He closed his eyes and tried to feel San's presence. As he did so, the pain in his arm increased dramatically. He could see visions of many spirits and souls, all across the Sprit Realm. Eventually, he was able to focus on San. She had the same look on her face that she had when the two embraced. The face that he would give his life to protect.

Ashitaka quickly opened his eyes. In front of him lay another portal, similar to the one he used to enter the realm. He took a look at the man, who walked right into it. Ashitaka did the same.

The two ended up in another plane of the Spirit Realm. This time, they were on the side of a mountain with a village situated at the bottom. From what Ashitaka could see, San was nowhere to be found.

"What happened? I saw San, so why is she not here?" Ashitaka asked, feeling dizzy from his power. He saw the man smile, which aggravated him even more.

"This power requires a great deal of energy, at a potential much greater than a mortal has. Spirits can use it easily because, well, they are immortal beings with immense spiritual power." The man said. "It also requires much focus. Try again...and if you fail, I will take us to her location."

"Why can't you take us there right now!? Enough of these games!" Ashitaka was starting to get impatient.

"You need to learn how to master these powers." The old man said. "I have seen your fate...and I have seen the great struggles you will face. This power is necessary for you to overcome those struggles. Get used to it now."

Ashitaka sighed and sat down on the grass. He closed his eyes and tried again. He found San much faster this time. This time, he saw the image of her from when they went swimming in that lake. The pain in his arm began to distort the image, but Ashitaka relaxed and focused on the wolf princess.

After opening his eyes, he saw yet another portal. As soon as Ashitaka stepped through, he fell straight down. Apparently he created the portal a few feet higher than the ground. The man followed behind, but anticipated the fall as he landed on his feet. Ashitaka looked around to see where they were. He was in a large cave filled with blood and bones. There were dismal drawings on the wall, all showing a strangely shaped figure...the mononoke. Ashitaka could tell it was the same creature from the shape.

"I think this is the place." He said, although he was not proud that he found it. A roar came from the southern part of the cave, followed by the scream of a girl. Ashitaka knew that it was San. He pulled out his sword and began to move towards the noise.

However, before he took another step, the man stopped him. "I highly doubt your sword will do any damage against this mononoke. Not all spirits can be harmed by mortal tools - cursed or not. There is another way you can fight."

Ashitaka stood for a moment, put his sword away, then listened to what the man had to say.

The cave was filled with the sounds of dripping water, and in the distance San's screams could be heard. Ashitaka stood quietly as the old man told him the secret to killing the mononoke. Soon after he finished, the two ran towards San's voice.

After running around a corner, Ashitaka faced three demonic figures. They were green, scaly creatures with wings. Each one had bloodshot eyes and sharp claws. Their teeth were jagged and yellow. Without hesitation, the three charged towards Ashitaka. In retaliation, Ashitaka drew his sword and took a swipe at the closest demon. It fell to the floor, but almost immediately rose back up. There was no indication that it was hurt from Ashitaka's sword.

At this point, the old man caught up to Ashitka. "Run!" He said, pulling on Ashitaka's tunic. The two ran past the demons and down the corridor. The demons may have been super strong, but they were not fast. The two managed to outrun the demons easily.

"What were those? My sword didn't hurt it at all..." Ashitaka said, panting.

"I told you - swords cannot kill these creatures. I already told you the only effective way."

With that, Ashitaka sheathed his sword and they continued moving. The cave smelled foul as they moved deeper inside. The walls began to get closer and closer together, causing the warrior to feel uncomfortable. The only light came from Ashitaka's arm, which bounced off of the cave walls with a red tint. The cave path twisted and turned as Ashitaka slowly made his way through. Soon, the path grew so tight that he could not continue onward. He felt stuck in place, unable to move back. His heart began to beat faster, fearing he would be stuck in that cave forever. The man stood behind him and pushed. Ashitaka felt pain on his back and stomach as he slid through the cramped space, but he was moving.

Soon enough, the path grew wider as it opened out into the heart of the cave. In the center of the room was San and the mononoke. She was on the ground, next to a pile of bones. On the walls, more of the demon creatures sat, all attempting to move in and take San for themselves. The mononoke circled around San, swatting at any demons that attempted to get closer. Only San noticed Ashitaka's presence, but stayed silent so she would not attract attention. She had a scared look on her face, unlike anything Ashitaka has ever seen. Her clothes were bloody as a streak of red ran down her face and her arm.

This enraged Ashitaka. He started to sneak towards the mononoke, his arm turning black in color. He moved as quietly as he could so as to not bring any attention to himself. However, as he took a step, he kicked a rock forward, which echoed off of the cave walls as it bounced around. The demons all turned their attention towards the source of the sound, seeing Ashitaka immediately. San attempted to get Ashitaka to run, but he kept moving forward, unfazed by his detection. The old man sat quietly, knowing exactly what Ashitaka was about to do.

The demons all started screeching and jumped towards Ashitaka. As they approached, Ashitaka raised his right arm. It turned a dark yellow as streams of tendrils shot out of his arm. Each tendril shot into a demon, piercing through its heart. After a few seconds, the tendrils receded, with the demons falling down dead. Ashitaka's arm turned black again as he drew closer to the mononoke.

The mononoke, however, was not impressed nor intimidated by Ashitaka's power. Instead, the mononoke charged forward like a bull. Both Ashitaka and the mononoke raised their arms thrusted forward as they punched. When they connected, the room shook violently. The old man, meanwhile, made his way towards San and helped get her to a safe corner of the room.

Ashitaka's rage made his curse grow, which in turn made him stronger. The two began brawling, breaking rocks all over the place. Despite Ashitaka's strength, the mononoke was much bigger in size. It picked Ashitaka up by his head and flung him into the wall. The force actually caused Ashitaka to break through the rock wall and into an adjacent room.

Picking himself up, Ashitaka maintained a distance from the mononoke, who just now entered the adjacent room. The mononoke's right arm began to glow a faint yellow as many barbs emerged from the dark surface of its arm, effectively turning it into a club. Ashitaka saw this and sprang into action. He darted toward the mononoke's left arm and jumped on. The mononoke paid no attention to what was going on, only interested in killing his foe. The mononoke raised its right arm and brought it down on Ashitaka. At the last second, Ashitaka jumped off and the mononoke crashed down on its own arm. The impact was so strong that the mononoke managed to slice its own arm right off.

Seeing what happened, Ashitaka remembered what the old man told him earlier:

"Demons are the product of spirits possessing creatures, and can be killed through mortal means. This is why you were able to kill the various demons you encountered. However, pure spirits and mononoke cannot be killed through mortal means. They can only be harmed by their own kind. Your blade, given power by your curse, is not a spirit or a mononoke. Therefore, if you want to really do damage to this mononoke, you must get it to hurt itself. Your demon powers are exactly that - demon powers, not full powers of this world, and you cannot harm it on the outside. If you are able to get inside the demon, perhaps through a cut that it gave itself, you can most certainly kill it."

Ashitaka's arm turned yellow once again, and the tendrils shot out. He directed them towards the freshly cut arm of the mononoke. The tendrils entered through the open wound and made their way up into the brain and heart. The mononoke screamed and thrashed about at this time, but eventually collapsed. Ashitaka pulled out both the brain and heart of the mononoke. It let out a loud and distorted scream before growing stiff and silent.

"Ashitaka!"

San stumbled into the room and made her way towards Ashitaka. She wrapped her arms around him as tight as she could. "I need to stop getting myself into trouble..." She said quietly. Ashitaka held her tightly in response. "Let's get out of here, shall we?"

"Killing spirits is not an easy feat, especially for a mortal," The man's voice echoed from the other room as he walked in to join the others. San looked at him with a confused face, but he paid her no mind. "Powers or not. I'm impressed." He said.

Ashitaka remembered what the old man said earlier. "So I'm...a demon?"

"...You are slowly becoming one. The curse that runs through your body is the same that ran through the being that gave you it. In time, you will be fully possessed by the spirit." The old man replied. This left a grave expression on Ashitaka's face.

"Tell me, is there a way to remove the curse?"

"It is not easy, but it can be done."

"Please tell me how!"

"...As I have stated, demons are created when a spirit inflicts a curse on a creature, which grows through the creature's own hatred. This demon can then spread the curse into other beings. If you kill the original spirit, the curse will break, and all creatures affected by the curse will be cured. The being that cursed you was just a demon, since you were able to kill it by mortal means, so the spirit is still alive somewhere."

"...Then I just have to find it, right?" Ashitaka had a look of hope on his face.

"It's not that easy. Remember...the spirit world spans infinite realms. You may not be able to find it that easily. If you were able to make a connection to it, like you did with San, you could find it that way...however, you need to make contact with the original spirit for this to happen, which you have not yet done. I can tell you that you may be able to find answers in your world. Spirits visit from time to time, so maybe a trace was left somewhere."

"...Thank you." Ashitaka hesitated to say. He still didn't understand much, but he knew what needed to be done. The mortals could only go so far with their own knowledge of the curses. He really did need to look to the Spirit Realm to search for a true cure. With this, he opened up a portal and returned with San to the real world.