Beyond the Emerald Veil (Book Two of Walker of Time)
Prologue
Mitsuhide stayed at Kunlun Mountain for a week. There, he walked its gardens, climbed its mountains, traversed the bridges which connected them over misty drops over steep valleys, explored the bamboo groves and floated across the lakes and rivers on bamboo rafts. He fed the cranes, meditated, watched the White Tiger disciples train, and he discussed and debated with High God Baihu, and the Matchmaker God Yue Lao.
The air was pure here, in more ways than one. And though it was a foreign land to Mitsuhide, he felt strangely at peace here. More at peace than even in his own realm of Yomi, Japan's Underworld. There were no politics in Baihu's grove, no discrepancies between the other residents of the mountain. The Kunlun Mountain ranges was a place of learning, cultivation and enlightenment, where study and knowledge came before the petty games of power and political struggle. Kunlun was not the Celestial Heaven, and perhaps that was what made the greatest difference.
Though Mitsuhide was so different to everyone within Kunlun, he felt welcome. And during the week he stayed, he noticed such a stark difference between his land and the Empire of the Middle Kingdom. The people of the Middle Kingdom were curious of outsiders, welcoming and most hospitable. The same could not be said for those of his own Land of the Rising Sun. Such a welcome and warmth would be rare if it were the other way around.
He wondered, if Aki would be willing to leave this place once her memories returned. Though she had lived in Japan for near a decade and integrated fully into Mitsuhide's society, her blood originated from the Middle Kingdom.
Mitsuhide watched her from afar as she swept one of the training courtyards with three other disciples. Scattered around the White Tiger God's temple, the disciples fulfilled their chores for the day. They were diligent and polite, well behaved and respectful. They also bantered amongst each other and laughed together. They were martial brothers and sisters, spiritual family and friends for life.
Aki was Hai Ting here, using the name she had been given at birth, rather than the one she had given for herself to fit into Japanese society. Here, Aki seemed more at home than she ever had been in Mitsuhide's castle. Her responsible and mature mentality was still fairly prominent, but she was also more playful here, more like a girl than the woman who had to act as her rank as Lady and officer dictated. She felt younger.
For Mitsuhide, it was a bittersweet feeling. Amongst her own, Aki was sweeter than he had ever seen, and perhaps here he saw more of her true personality, the type she often used to describe when she was with her real sister, but never revealed as it did not fit into Japanese society.
Therefore Mitsuhide also felt bitterness. Despite what Yue Lao destined, was Mitsuhide truly the right man for Aki? He would take no one else. But how could he feel worthy if she could not be this comfortable in his own home? How would he keep her this safe in his own lands as she was here in Kunlun?
Aki was the only disciple amongst the White Tigers with short hair. And the only mortal. She looked quite different, but still instantly recognisable to Mitsuhide. To have her hair cut as a Samurai was a great dishonour. However, it had to be done to treat the head wound she had sustained during the attack on Mitsuhide's castle. Hair could always grow back. A life and a mind could not. Her memories were disconnected, her original and Samurai identity lost. But during the week Mitsuhide had spent in Kunlun to observe, he found much of Aki's mannerisms were unchanged, and it gave him hope that Baihu's intention of expediting her training and cultivation would return her connection to her lost self in ten years.
There was much Mitsuhide could do in ten years. There were many alliances to reform across Yomi, Izumo and Takamagahara, and much to be done in the human realm to safeguard against the Oda and punish them for their insolence.
Therefore, though Mitsuhide was reluctant to leave Kunlun, he did not go with a heavy heart. Though the woman he loved had been attacked and lost her memory, she was in safe hands, better hands than Mitsuhide could offer at this moment in time. He was still young, with many tasks ahead of him. While Baihu trained Aki, Mitsuhide knew this was a chance to build himself. Despite the violent and bloodied circumstances in which this opportunity had come, it was an opportunity nonetheless.
Mitsuhide vowed to not waste it.
And so he returned to his homeland. Yue Lao came with him, as a good faith exchange. Through Yue Lao, Mitsuhide would obtain insight into the ways of the Middle Kingdom and learn the fluency of their language, and Yue Lao would be Mitsuhide's guide when visiting Kunlun over the following years.
In the meantime however, Yue Lao returned to trading to maintain appearances, and Mitsuhide re-entered Aki's quarters. The story which had to be spread was Aki had gone to travel on a quest for enlightenment and study, which ironically, was indeed the truth. Therefore the story was believable enough for people to accept without question, especially given her origin in this world, which was magically appearing from a lake. She was the water spirit of Mino. A deity, in the eyes of the people.
Though the questions remained as to why the castle had been attacked and how Aki had been driven away. Prayers had been offered for her safe return. The lake of her origin had become holy ground since her disappearance, where incense was burned by the people of the town and offerings were made.
As the news gradually spread, Mitsuhide found himself in Aki's rooms often, always noting how Yuko had swept the surfaces clean and kept the environment tidy and prepared, as a way to keep Aki's memory alive and her presence a constant in the castle, despite her actual absence.
Today though, Mitsuhide finally decided to open Aki's chest. He remembered as a boy spending many an evening with her, pouring over her foreign belongings and talking so much that he often fell asleep with his head on the box after tiring himself out.
Mitsuhide smiled at the memory. As he grew into his adolescence, he refrained from being so nosy, and his curiosity gradually calmed.
But it never went away completely. How could it?
Mitsuhide knelt down in front of her chest and opened the wooden lid, where he leant it on the side and peered in. It smelt of her, and her floral scent made him ache for her in a way he could never have imagined.
The chest contained her original clothes, the strange attire she wore when she first came to his time. That memory too, was as fresh as day in his mind. He had fallen into the lake and falling rubble had trapped his foot. Aki had appeared from the water at the same moment in time and saved him from a watery grave.
There were scrolls, of paintings and calligraphic poems she had written. There were some from Mitsuhide, those which he had done in his childhood and showed her proudly. His skill had since become far superior since then, but it surprised him to see she kept the ones he had given to her as a boy.
Pressed and dried flowers slipped out from between the sheets of parchment and bamboo scrolls.
A handkerchief was tucked neatly away, one which Mitsuhide had given to her recently after she shed some rare tears. Chigusa's golden hairpin rested carefully between two scraps of silk.
Pebbles and rocks lay at the bottom of the chest, glistening with unusual colours and shapes. Conkers were scattered between them, once rich in colour, smooth and round. More memories returned to Mitsuhide of the game Aki had taught him and Nouhime as children.
Many feathers were tied together into a bundle, with the roots of the feather cut diagonally and stained with ink at the ends. Quills, she had called them.
Many of these possessions Mitsuhide understood, while many he did not. But he was quick to realise that Aki's chest possessed her most valuable possessions, even if to others they appeared like objects which made no sense and could be thrown away.
At the top of all of Aki's belongings however, was her journal, and a rolled piece of parchment resting atop it.
The parchment was address to him.
Mitsuhide frowned, took it and unrolled it, wondering what it was and why she had addressed it to him. His heart began to beat a little faster.
x
Dear Mitsuhide,
I hope I will not have to give this letter to you, but I am writing it just in case my instinct proves right. If I am proven wrong, then I will discard this and you will never know of its existence. But if not, I hope you find it.
Since you left for Yomi to ascend, I have had a growing sense of unease. I have not used my Sight to See what it means, in case its spiritual signature is detected by those who work for the Oda, therefore I can only go based on what I feel in my heart.
This sense of foreboding, I feel, does not relate to your coronation, thankfully. I trust that you will be safe during it and will ascend as planned. You are surrounded by the strongest and most loyal individuals I know. Therefore it puts my mind at ease knowing that harm will struggle to find you, if it ever does.
What I mean to write here though, is that I feel this sense of foreboding has something to do with what awaits me. I do not understand why I feel it or what it means, but somehow, I feel like I will not see you for a long time. I feel I will not see any of the Akechi, and our friends in Tara, for many, many years, and I am overwhelmed by a desire to begin saying goodbye. I said goodbye to Kenji.
I write this, in preparation for such an event if it were to happen – which I pray does not. But unfortunately, anyone with an ounce of understanding of the mysteries of fate and coincidences, knows better than to ignore signs when they start to appear.
In the event that somehow I am no longer able to see you in the future, I want you to have my journal. There is something in there you need to know, dates and possible guidance and my thoughts and worries surrounding them. They are written in English, therefore you will be the only one able to read them. Let no one else have it. It is imperative that it stays only in your possession and no other.
I hope you do not need to read this letter and therefore hope you will not need the journal either. Because I myself still have little idea as to what to do with these dates. Nearly coming these ten years, I have tried to uncover and decide what my purpose is here, and still I have not yet reached an answer.
Perhaps after your ascension, you can find and speak with the Superiors who brought me here. Maybe they have a better idea.
I strongly advise you to exercise caution when reading the timeline in my journal. But I also want them to provide you guidance. You will understand what I mean when you see it.
In the meantime, I look forward to your return. I want to greet you in person, for I miss you terribly, and there is so much yet which I wish to say to you, but do not have the courage to say what is in my heart.
In the impossible scenario that I cannot, then may my journal do what it can in my stead. My loyalty to you is absolute. My secrets are yours.
Your faithful retainer, loyal friend and more,
Aki
x
Mitsuhide felt his expression fall as he read her letter. Her farewell to him and his uncles and mother when they left for Yomi, flashed into his mind. He thought her expression was strange, but did not dwell on it as whatever she had been feeling at the time disappeared a moment afterwards.
Little had he known it was because of this sense of foreboding, a premonition of her ordeal to come. Guilt swelled within him like a well overflowing, and he hunched over, as if the position could somehow ease the terrible ache in his heart.
It did not, but it did bring him closer to the journal which awaited on top of Aki's belongings. He struggled to take a breath in, a breath to come to terms with what had happened, a breath to accept that the past was now the past, to forgive himself, as Yue Lao, Baihu, and his family had told him to. Sometimes, in order to have the power to protect those around, one had to also make a sacrifice. Mitsuhide sacrificed Aki's safety for his ascension. It was the greatest cost he could ever pay.
As a result, he swore an oath to himself, to become strong, so strong that he could protect everyone. He swore to never let Aki come to harm again. He would gladly give his life if it meant keeping her safe.
He exhaled a heavy sigh. Mitsuhide straightened, and rested the scroll of parchment on his lap. With his long and slender fingers, he picked Aki's journal from the chest, and opened it.
Her writing was far finer here, made possible by the narrow nibs of the quills she made, for the Japanese calligraphy brushes would not have been able to write such a thin script in limited space.
The pages were worn and old, with lines and lines of writing across the paper. There were sketches, odd diagrams and lines pointing from circled script to another. More flower presses rested between the pages, and Mitsuhide wondered how Aki had done so much without him ever noticing. She played the role of a male officer far better than being a Lady. Most of her time had been spent training in the dojo and immersing herself into the administration of governing a province. She had practised embroidery and calligraphy and Ikebana as well, though it did not appear as much compared to her role as a Lord, as opposed to her role as a Lady.
Yet here, Mitsuhide found so many delicate pieces of work in her chest, especially between the pages of her journal. It matched the girlish side of Aki he had seen in Kunlun.
Even though he had known her for almost a decade, Mitsuhide was still discovering more.
As Mitsuhide flicked through the pages, he came back to the middle, and realised something quite different about the structure of how she laid out her words around her central pages as opposed to the rest of the journal.
There were predominately numbers around the central pages, and as Mitsuhide read the annotations next to the numbers, he felt the hairs of his skin stand on end. His blood turned cold.
x
1537 – I come to Muromachi Japan.
1538 – Akechi Mitsukuni dies (What am I supposed to do about this? I love Mitsukuni as if he were my own father. Is there a way I can prevent this? It didn't say how he dies. It just says that he dies this year).
1542 – Saito Dousan overthrows Toki Yorinari and claims Mino for his own. Forces Miyoshino to be his wife (Should I be stopping this, especially now that I know the Toki and Akechi are Pureblood Demons and can defeat humans easily? History describes Dousan as a vile man. The Viper of Mino, he is called. I really don't like the idea of the Akechi having to serve him).
Firearms are also introduced to Japan this year by the Portuguese who are shipwrecked (would have been better if the western northern hemisphere never came here. The Whites bring nothing but blood and violence and death to the Far East).
1544 – Mitsuhide takes position of administrator of Mino. Supposed to have Hiroko and Chigusa as his wives (edit: looks like it never happened).
1546 – Mitsuhide becomes clan chief. Hojo Ujiyasu who won the Battle of Kawagoe becomes ruler of the Kanto region.
1547 – Dousan defeats Oda Nobuhide in the Battle of Kanoguchi.
1549 – Catholic missionary Francis Xavier arrives in Japan (Gives birth to the Shimabara Rebellion in 1638. Enormous bloodshed! The religion clashes too much with Japanese culture in the early days).
Also in 1549 – Dousan defeated by Nobuhide. Political marriage arranged between Nobunaga and Nouhime (I'm pretty sure I can prevent all of this. But the matter is knowing whether or not I SHOULD. It will change so much of what will happen after that. My own history will change. Must find a way to speak to Superiors to ask if this is what they mean for me to do, to change the past).
1551 – Nobuhide dies unexpectedly. From then to 1559, lots of infighting in the Oda household, until Nobunaga eliminates all opposition and becomes master of Owari. Fool of Owari/Demon King. (See page 133 for more details).
1556 – Internal fighting between Dousan and Yoshitatsu. Yoshitatsu kills his father and becomes next master of Mino.
x
The years and descriptions of what happened – or was to happen – continued until it stopped at 1582. This date had no annotation however. It stood alone.
Beneath it, was something else written in her hand.
x
I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. I DON'T KNOW. I wish someone could help me. Someone please, PLEASE help me! Because I cannot follow the original timeline. Originally, I thought it probably wise to just stick with what has already been dictated, but much has changed since I first wrote down the timeline of the history I know. I cannot lead them to what awaits at the end in 1582. So what am I to do? Will someone please tell me!
x
Mitsuhide was reminded of the day in the stables, when Aki finally told him really of where she was from. When she had first been introduced to the Akechi family, she explained her origins, but none of them had ever truly understood what it meant. It made far more sense to say she came from another world.
Aki had not come from another world at all. She had come from the same world as him, but one which was five hundred years in the future. The events of Mitsuhide's present, had already happened for her, and here in this journal, she had written it all down.
Mitsuhide found himself holding in his hands something more valuable than the sun itself. Aki's journal was the answer to everything. With this, he could shape the land by having the advantage of knowing all that was to happen, and to either maintain it, or prevent it, mould it, manipulate it.
The power of this knowledge was so invaluable, so forbidden, that even Mitsuhide – as a newly ascended God – struggled to feel worthy holding it in the palm of his hands.
He suddenly understood why Aki had been so conflicted, so torn, and tormented especially when Mitsuhide's father, Mitsukuni, had been killed. She held all of this knowledge, held all of this power, and was terrified of what to do with it, for it could change everything. Aki could save those who were mean to die. She could kill those who were meant to live.
From Mitsuhide's perspective however – as terrifying as the power of knowledge was – he was better able to understand how he could utilise it for this time period. With this knowledge, he could unify the Land of the Rising Sun himself, in the easiest way possible with the least amount of bloodshed. With this, he could bring safety and security, peace and prosperity across the land.
Was this why the Oda changed their minds and attempted to capture Aki instead of assassinating her?
It was most certain.
However, there was a difference, which only Mitsuhide now understood. Aki's knowing of the major events in time for the next hundred years was a matter of her studies from her own time era. They were different to her abilities as a Seer.
Therefore how were the two interlinked?
The answer was close, but it was just beyond Mitsuhide's grasp, and no matter how much he tried to reach for it, it floated just beyond his hold, like a fading dream slipping through his fingers.
He found himself stumped. Though he discovered himself more than capable of utilising the secret Aki had given him, he, ironically, asked himself the same question Aki had pleaded in her journal.
What am I to do? What do I do with this information?
Time was not something to be interfered with. Interfering with time, had dire consequences. Aki's greatest fear was of her own disappearing. By changing history, would she render her birth family non-existent? Would she fade into nothing?
For the first time, Mitsuhide comprehended the constant stress and fear Aki had shouldered in silence for all these years. Because he himself, now felt the same.
Her simple journal, held in his hands, had the power to change the world.
xxx
Mitsuhide spent the following three days pondering Aki's journal and the forbidden information kept within. It was on the morning of the fourth day when he received an invitation from Takamagahara. His mother and uncles were astounded.
By the evening of the fourth day, he departed Tara Castle and arrived at Takamagahara alone, for the invitation requested just Mitsuhide's presence and no other.
It was a sweeping realm, a series of mountains floating high in the sky. The sky was bright and the palest of blues. A sea of clouds blanketed the atmosphere beneath them, and the sun shone a gentle and warming golden light. Its rays pierced the eternally spring air.
Birds sang between the forests of the mountains, the distant sound of a waterfall crashed over rocks and into deep pools of crystal clear lagoons. The grass was ever green, and trees bloomed earthy yellow and red maple leaves in their millions, bringing brilliant colour and vibrancy to the Heavenly realm which was Takamagahara.
So different it was to Yomi. But in no way was Takamagahara less beautiful, or more. The three realms of Japan were equal, though their differences were great. There was divinity in Takamagahara, in every sense, and its divine power – though beautiful – was an uncomfortable throbbing in Mitsuhide's bones. It clashed against his demonic essence, weakening him, as surely Yomi's essence weakened those of the divine.
There were many demons who were divine, just as there were many celestials who were demonic. But for those who were pure of blood, the opposing force would always weaken them. For Mitsuhide's, Takamagahara was one such place he realised he could not linger in for long. The knowing and feeling of being hindered by opposing weakness was an uncomfortable thought. It was like a constant weight tied to his hands and legs, slowing his movements and dulling his senses.
Therefore he could not help to think of Kunlun, for even though the land was foreign to him in every sense, he was more welcome there than he was to a realm of his own land. Kunlun was divine, but not the same form of divinity as their Celestial Heaven, or of Takamagahara's.
Nevertheless, as he arrived at the gates, two entities greeted him, trailed by divine servants. The two entities emitted an ancient and powerful presence, calming and peaceful.
Both were Superiors, though very different in appearance to each other. They appeared like opposing forces, one dressed in black robes and the other in white, with hair as equally dark and the other as pale as moonlight. They were like light and dark. The pale Superior dressed in whites, was a divine snake, for the pupils of his pale eyes were slitted like a serpent, and scales of mother-of-pearl patched the skin of his face and neck. His sleeves were long, hiding his hands and trailing to the ground, as long as the rest of his attire to give him the appearance of a humanoid snake. Pale yellow embroidery defined the layers and edges of his robes.
The other Superior was a tengu, most defined by the enormous, folded black wings behind his back. His robes were as dark as the night, though embroidered in gold, as if to catch the last rays of the sun before the onset of night. The silks were cut slightly differently, as if to almost resemble feathers.
Mitsuhide himself wore attire befitting for his identity, dressed in fine silver and pale grey silks spun of spider's thread, and embroidered throughout with crimson thread which glowed as if alive with lines of fresh blood. Unlike the two Superiors who awaited him however, his style of clothing did not resemble the creature of which was his true demonic form. Mitsuhide's robes were that of an emperor, for an emperor he was of the realm of Yomi.
He landed on the arrival platform, morphing into his humanoid Oni form from the white dragon form he transformed into to fly long distances. His silver hair fluttered down behind his back and over his shoulders, and his red eyes blinked to absorb his visual surroundings.
The two Superiors bowed in greeting.
"Emperor of Yomi, Mitsuhide. Welcome to Takamagahara," they intoned.
Mitsuhide bowed in return with respect. "Thank you, My Lords. It is an honour to finally meet you."
The three of them straightened, and the tengu and snake portrayed open expressions of welcome to their younger, but fellow equal.
"My name is Shigemori," the tengu introduced himself. "And this is Yoshimoro." He indicated to the snake. "We are very pleased to at last invite you to Takamagahara and make your acquaintance in person. Please, join us in the main hall. There is much to become acquainted with and to discuss."
The servants parted the way, and the three of them turned back along the grand courtyard of white stone. A vast and towering temple stretched before them, surrounded by an aura of divinity which bent the light as if split through a prism of a thousand different colours.
"Takamagahara is more beautiful than I imagined," Mitsuhide breathed, though not too deeply, for despite the sweetness of the air, there was an underlying sourness of an essence which clashed with his. He was prepared for it, but it did not lessen the actual experience.
"All such realms possess a unique beauty which cannot be compared with the other. However, we are pleased you approve," Shigemori said, sounding content.
They walked through courtyards, patios, and walled-in stone gardens, before eventually entering the temple proper. Incense burned, wind chimes twinkled in the breeze, and a chant was spoken elsewhere on the wind from another, distant part of the temple grounds.
The temple was not as intimidating as the palace of Yomi, but in no way was it any less grand.
They entered a hall as grand and as large as Mitsuhide's throne room. This one however was empty, save for a small stone garden at the centre and some levitating pebbles, and a person who sat next to it on a cushion. Around this person were more cushions, and tea prepared on trays.
This person was small in stature, a young girl in appearance, like a child. But her amber eyes were as old as the tengu and the snake. Her kimono was of fiery coloured silks, embroidered white. Fox ears jutted from her head between her dark brown hair. And a bushy, orange fox tail swished behind her.
She was a kitsune.
When the three of them entered, her face brightened and she beamed. "At last, the young Emperor is finally here."
The servants did not enter the hall. Therefore it was just the four of them, and when the three men arrived at the cushions beside the pebble garden, the kitsune bowed where she was.
"My name is Masami. I am a kitsune. A pleasure to finally meet you, Your Majesty." Her voice was young, as were her mannerisms. It was very misleading, for her eyes and presence suggested great age, as old as the Gods themselves.
"It is an honour to make your acquaintance," Mitsuhide bowed with the same respect and reverence. Though his rank was the same, he was the younger, and he felt it, despite how tall he stood and how strong his body was.
They sat down, so the four of them sat as if on the edges of a square, enabling them to face each other easily, with tea to their side. Mitsuhide looked at all three of them in turn. Their descriptions matched Aki's from when she first told the Akechi of her ordeal through the lake. These were the three Superiors who brought her to their time.
"I hope your journey to us went well," Masami inquired.
Mitsuhide nodded. "Indeed it was. Thank you. As I said to Shigemori and Yoshimoro on the walk here, Takamagahara is a place filled with remarkable beauty."
Masami giggled. "Oh it certainly is. But beauty can also be misleading sometimes."
"Indeed, it can be," Mitsuhide agreed carefully.
Pleasantries were exchanged between the four of them, and this lasted a few minutes, along with some polite comparisons between realms, and general enquiries regarding Mitsuhide's family's well-being and congratulations on his ascension, before the topic turned to the reason for Mitsuhide's being there.
"Now, we bring this to the matter at hand," Shigemori said. "Generally, relations between Takagamahara and Yomi are distant and cool at the best of times. Often there is very little love lost between some entities of the two realms. However, there is a big change to the status quo between our two realms now thanks to one individual."
Mitsuhide watched him, knowing what Shigemori would say next, but waited to hear it in person.
"As Aki had no doubt informed your family when she first arrived in this time era, we are the ones who brought her from her time to here," Shigemori continued.
Mitsuhide straightened where he sat. "Your appearances match her descriptions," Mitsuhide agreed. "We wondered why you brought her to our era, but no extension from Takamagahara ever came to explain why. Though Aki settled into our society of both humans and the supernatural well enough, she has been plagued by uncertainty as to what her purpose is. I too, wish to know, for her actions are closely tied with that of my family and myself."
The three Superiors nodded in understanding.
"Aki's heritage as well as her interests, put her in a unique position which met the demands of fate," Masami said thoughtfully. "Due to Aki's origin in time, she has the advantage of knowing all that is to come from now onwards. But, as we all know, she also possesses the gift of foresight, which in this case, plays to everyone's advantage."
"How?" Mitsuhide asked. "What is it that you want of her?"
"It is not so much what we want of her, but actually what we want of you, which can only be achieved through her," Yoshimoro murmured.
Mitsuhide blinked. "Me?" This caught him by surprise.
Shigemori nodded. "We brought Aki to this time to change something."
"To change many things, actually," Masami corrected.
"There are events which are to happen over the next five hundred years which bring about terrible death, destruction, and offences too deep to heal. For Aki, all these events have already happened and the society she lived in is the result of such offences. But for us, they have yet to come. Some of these events must change, and to change them, consists of shaping relationships anew and differently to forge alliances which should have always been formed, but never were in her era."
"What sort of events? What sort of alliances?" Mitsuhide asked, his brow furrowed with focus.
"Terrible events, unspeakable war crimes," Yoshimoro breathed. "We do not know the fine details, only that they shaped global relationships for the worst and have set the board for a coming war which will undoubtedly destroy the world of mortals."
Mitsuhide felt his skin chill.
"Yoshimoro is right," Shigemori said. "Though we know much, we do not know all, and there is still a great deal which is hidden from us. We are as much puppets to the strings of destiny as you and Aki are. However, she is the bridge to understanding why such events came to pass, what happened, and how to change it. You, Mitsuhide, are the one with the power to implement it. Together, you both are meant to shape the world anew and for the better."
Mitsuhide's heart thumped harder. "What is considered for the better?"
Masami sighed. "That, we are afraid, is something only Aki can answer. For she lives in both times, and therefore will know best how to weave it in order for the rest of us to walk it. Her Sight had been strengthened in our time era for this purpose."
Mitsuhide frowned, thinking of Aki's journal. "She is in Kunlun now. At least for the next ten years, she cannot play a role in our land."
"No, she cannot," Shigemori agreed. "Though her phase in Kunlun is most needed. She must begin the path of immortality, for she is needed beside you for more than the next five hundred years."
Hearing that Aki was to be by Mitsuhide's side for over five hundred years brought him concealed relief. It gave birth to a strength and steadiness within him which he did not realise he lacked until now. With her by his side, he could overcome anything. They could achieve everything together.
"She wanted to ask you what she was to do," Mitsuhide said, conveying the plea she had written in her journal. "She has given me something which provides me invaluable insight as to what will occur in the near future. But her question to you is whether she is to keep to it, or to change it. For what happens after her return, that is something I will certainly leave to her to decide. However, in her absence, I find myself in her position, with a knowledge of what is to happen, but unsure whether I am to influence it in her stead. Because her greatest fear is any change to our present affects her future. I feel that I share her same fear."
Yoshimoro hissed softly as he shifted position on his cushion. "The future will change in some aspects, but not others. Even we do not fully understand it, for time is an element of the universe which is seldom touched and manipulated for that very reason. All we can be sure of however, is Aki currently moves independently from the effects of time, hence why she has not aged since we brought her here nearly a decade ago. All that has forged her existence is protected by the higher powers of the universe beyond the heavens and hells of this world's realms."
"Therefore in answer to her question, and as a result, yours as well," Masami continued afterwards, "we advise you act according to keeping your own safe. Look out for your own, and establish the Akechi as such. Parallel to this, building friendship between the Land of the Rising Sun and the Middle Kingdom is imperative. Aki is the liaison between the two due to her blood, and her love for you, but this must be strengthened through a figure with authority in both the supernatural realm, and the human world. Such a figure must be you. Again, we cannot say why exactly, for we do not know. But Aki does. When she returns, you must ask her, and she must tell you. The disasters of the future can only be averted if both of you work together."
As complex and complicated speaking of time was, Mitsuhide found the discussion clarified an understanding in his mind, made possible by having listened to Aki's worries and the notes of her journal. It all slotted into place, and though the task ahead of him seemed as monumental as climbing the highest mountain on earth, Mitsuhide realised he saw the top, and the path which led to it.
It was Aki's purpose to change history, and it was Mitsuhide's purpose to implement the changes.
To what end, Mitsuhide did not know. Nor did the Superiors. They had to wait for Aki's return, to learn exactly why. Clues would lie in her journal, maybe answers as well. But until Aki's return, Mitsuhide was reluctant to carry out any extreme change.
He knew in his heart what to do in the meantime. Aki documented what was to happen, and many of those events put the Akechi at a disadvantage, even within the next ten years. Therefore Mitsuhide began to devise a plan, a plan to protect his family in preparation for what will come after ten years have passed.
After the discussion, the three Superiors toured him through Takamagahara. There, he met other Superiors, immortals, spirits and divine celestials and demons. His list of new acquaintances and possible allies grew. There were many greetings and discussions, and plans for future meetings.
Takamagahara was as seemingly endless as Yomi, filled with lakes and mountains to be explored, rivers to cross, and forests to walk.
In the end, the time finally came for Mitsuhide to depart. The tengu, snake and kitsune saw him off, and as he soared through the sky, Mitsuhide calculated his next series of actions to effect the world he never thought he would.