Kanae charged into the room without any preamble. Scowl set, she had no problem displaying her displeasure at the Accursed moping about the room.

"What happened?" she said.

It was the other man that answered.

"We'll have a report for tomorrow," said Murasame, "Wait until then to—"

"Are you trying to make this as difficult for yourself as possible?" said Kanae, ignoring the Coronel. "I don't even know what to believe with the number of rumors flying around but seeing your sorry state, I'm more inclined to believe some of them."

"The men were told to keep their mouths shut," said Murasame, who still hadn't gotten the hint that he wasn't important.

Kanae would have snorted had the situation not been bad. "You really think grunts are going to keep their mouth shut? Get an elite group if you want that level of obedience."

Murasame opened his mouth to retort, but she cut him off with a swipe of her hand, still not moving her gaze from Cain. His head was down, hands clenched on the table in an obvious sign of distress. Maybe if she were someone sweet or if she thought less of the man, she would soften her words. But no, he did not need coddling. He needed to get over himself and take charge.

Kanae waited, watching.

Eventually, he spoke.

"I lost control," said Cain quietly. "It's been... getting harder to handle since the separation."

Kanae cursed, rubbing her fingers against her forehead. "And you thought it was best to keep this sort of problem to yourself?"

"There's nothing that could have been done. I can't risk Kyoko getting worse by exposing her to the relic more frequently, and no one else can really help me."

"We can help you," said Kanae, voice rising in agitation. "Hikaru, Hiroaki. Gods Cain, you didn't need to go with them. I could have. Hikaru could have. You didn't need to do this by yourself."

"I need to be doing something!" The sudden anger was a good sign. Better than his moping. "Staying in this city and getting stopped at every turn, unable to do anything… At least in battle things are clear. At least I know I can be moving toward something."

"Well apparently it wasn't that clear was it?"

He didn't answer.

Kanae pulled back her anger, knowing it would help. She hadn't even come here to chastise him, just to find out what happened. But the second she'd seen him she knew that something had shaken him. And an unbalance Accursed would not help their situation.

"To be fair, it wasn't exactly his fault," said Murasame. Crap she'd forgotten he was here, leaning in to graft himself back into her line of sight. "Cain fell off his horse and one of the men attacked. We knew about it in advance but one of them got a hit in and—"

"What actually happened doesn't matter," said Kanae. "You know this, I'm sure."

Murasame nodded. Well that was a point toward him. Glad she didn't have to explain to him why.

She suddenly felt tired, and it didn't have anything to do with the sleep she'd been enjoying just twenty minutes ago.

"Cain, I can't be babysitting you as well," said Kanae. "I've got my hands full with Kyoko, who is pulling the same silent suffering act as you are." And thanks to their still awkward standing with one another, Kanae was hesitant to bring anything up. So she ignored the ledgers stuffed beneath bed sheets and the occasional misplaced hour spent in the clinic. But after this, maybe it was time to say something.

"What did you do with the men who attacked you?"

"They're in prison," said Murasame. "We have an internal investigation going on but… I doubt we'll get anything substantial from it. No one in that sector is with us. It's more likely the men will be found innocent, acting under some spell or something of that sort to exonerate them."

"Of course, they will," grumbled Kanae.

"I already know what we're going to do with them," said Cain. "They're going to be assigned to guard one of the outposts."

Kanae's eyes narrowed. "And how is that a suitable punishment? If you take such a soft approach, you're just asking for more attacks like this."

"It's the only thing we can do." Cain finally unclenched his hands, stance shifting as if he'd come to a decision. "We're short on men as it is. We need all the help we can get."

"Or," said Kanae, slowly and with the freaking patience of a saint. Seriously, dealing with this idiot and Kyoko was going to make her go gray. "You could use corporal punishment. Something that won't have everyone thinking they can get away with trying to kill you. These men disobeyed their commanding officer and attempted murder. That's technically punishable by death."

A dark smile crossed Cain's face. "I can't exactly fault them for trying to kill an Accursed though, can I?"

Kanae slammed her hand on the desk. The sudden noise made both men jump.

"Like hell you can't!" she roared. "I'm getting really tired of this self-deprecating attitude. Would you have put up with this before you became an Accursed?"

Cain's expression darkened. "Of course not, because—"

"Then why are you putting up with it now? You're not the one amassing thousands of dark creatures to massacre the city. You're trying to save us, and letting morons walk all over you just to fulfill some overblow sense of guilt over your existence is not helping anyone but the enemy. So get over yourself, get back in control, and start acting like a leader."

Her voice rang in the silence that followed. For a second it looked like he hadn't registered a single thing she'd said. Then, slowly, his expression cleared.

"You know," said Cain slowly. "You're starting to scold me like Kyoko does."

Kanae scoffed. She so did not. Kyoko was way too soft on this baby.

Either way, her words had done something as he pulled himself out of his slump, rubbing a hand down his face.

"You're right," he said. "There needs to be some sort of bigger punishment. Nothing that will stop them from fighting, but something that will make people pause."

"Eventually stationing them at the outpost is a good idea," said Kanae. "Keeps them away from here so they can't try it again."

Cain nodded, then faced Murasame. "What do you think?"

It took a few seconds for the man to pull himself together. He'd been too busy staring at Kanae as if she'd lost her mind.

"I, uh, agree with her," said Murasam, gesturing toward Kanae. "We need to do something. Especially about the rumors. We can't really stop them completely, but with the announcement tomorrow we can clear some things up. In the end, if they get off with no consequences, then others will become bold as well. They'll disobey knowing they won't be truly punished for it."

Before Kanae could comment, the door burst open, because apparently, Kanae wasn't the only person who didn't believe in knocking. Luckily, it was someone Kanae knew or else she'd have run them through with her spear by now.

As it was, Kyoko had eyes only for Cain, the golden orbs burning in concern laced with anger.

"Would you give us a minute?" said Kyoko. "I really need to talk to Cain. Alone"

And while Kanae would like nothing more than to knock Kyoko out and drag her back to her room where she should be asleep, Kanae relented. Kyoko looked well at the moment, and Cain could use her presence. So Kanae grabbed Murasame by the ear and yanked him out of the room, nodding to Kyoko's haggard-looking guards as they left.

Once alone, she let go.

Murasame rubbed his ear. "Sheesh, that freakin' hurt! What is wrong with you?"

"Why were you there?" said Kanae, ignoring his crying. "You're his only spy. If you're caught associating with him like that in private, then people will put things together."

"They might have already," Murasame grumbled. "I was the only one besides Koga that stood up to him without trying to kill him."

"Spin it in a way that makes it seem like you did it to save their lives," said Kanae. "because you know you're too weak and cowardly to take on an Accursed. That sort of thing."

He grumbled something about "not being a coward" but took her advice. He was a rambunctious man, loud with both his actions and words which made his feelings easy to read. For example, by his darting eyes, she could see him watching out for others that might walk in on this conversation. As if Kanae hadn't already checked and placed warding spells to mute their voices.

Why Cain had chosen to trust this man, Kanae did not know. He seemed useless to her. But she also didn't have time to be screening every person the prince chose to trust.

Murasame's gaze fell on her, eyes narrowing. "How… can you talk to him like that?"

"Like what?" He needed to be more specific.

"You just yelled at an Accursed! Are you asking for death? Wait, no, he said everyone knew him from before. Shoot." He seemed to have figured something out, becoming more troubled. "You know things, don't you? That most of us don't."

Like how Cain was Prince Kuon? Or how Kyoko was housing the Phoenix and was slowly dying thanks to a curse Cain had accidentally placed on her? Or how Kanae had failed to be there to protect her?

Kanae's gaze lowered. "Knowing things doesn't always mean you can do anything about it."

And wasn't that just everyone's situation in a nutshell. There was so much they knew without being able to do a single thing about it. This is why Kanae didn't get involved in politics or the military or anything! But no, Kyoko just had to worm her way into Kanae's heart and—

… It had been a long time since she had gone on an inner rant about that.

Kanae almost smiled, thinking about another idiot. One who would probably say something stupid to erase the tension while smiling as if there wasn't a care in the world. It had been a while since she'd thought about what he was doing. Hopefully better than they were. Last she'd heard, the palace had a group heading toward them a few days behind the Accursed army. She wondered if he was in that group.

"Just… be careful," said Kanae. "And keep an eye on Cain. Now that we know he's not in full control, we might need to step in again."

Murasame nodded, "Sure, uh, I just have one more question." At her impatient stare, he continued. "How did he… One of the men put a hole in Cain's stomach. But he doesn't have a single wound on him."

Her stare was unimpressed. "Don't you pay attention? Cain told everyone about the Accursed and how they each have two unique abilities. One inherited through their wish with the Djinn, and the other inherited through their relic."

She saw the dots connect as Murasame's eyes widened. "I thought… I just thought he was really powerful or something."

Kanae shook her head. "No. Not all of them are as powerful as he is, but there are a few."

That was not the answer he wanted.

Sensing someone approaching, Kanae waved away her spell, giving him one last nod before walking away. She needed a drink to fight off her headache before she took guard duty over Kyoko.

Compared to the other times Cain had been depressed, this instance wasn't the worst. It still didn't mean Kyoko liked hearing about what happened or how he'd gotten hurt. As he finished his story by telling her about the conversation he'd been having with Kanae and Murasame, Kyoko checked his arms, chest, eyes, everything for any injuries that might not have healed. But of course, he was in perfect shape. Sometimes she couldn't tell if she loved or hated his crazy healing ability. At this point she was tracing her finger around his palm, the motion keeping her calm.

"What are you going to do about the rumors?" said Kyoko.

They were some of the most dreadful she'd heard in a while. Some said he'd killed half the soldiers. Others said he'd lost his temper and hurt them because they didn't want to obey. Most said he turned into a monster, and one even said he'd eaten a man. That one, in particular, had disgusted her.

Dark unkempt hair swung over his face as he slowly shook his head. "I'm... not sure. I know we can't stop all of them, so I was actually thinking of encouraging them."

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. That was the exact opposite thing he should do if he wanted people to trust him.

"Why? If people fear you—"

"Then they'll listen." He said it with resignation. "It was a dream to think that anyone would listen to an Accursed just based off reason. And after this, if I don't properly punish the men who attacked me others will try as well. But if we let rumors spread, then maybe the punishments don't have to be as harsh. Because people will think the worst of what happened."

"But then… Cain. You really would be leading through fear. You'd become a true dictator."

Which she knew was the exact opposite of what he wanted. Prince Kuon led through example and great leadership. People respected and loved him the longer they served. If he chose to abandon that and seek the option of true fear, he'd be going down the exact opposite track. A lonely one where the longer he led, the more hate he'd accumulate.

It was a dangerous road for anyone, and even more so for an Accursed who already had trouble with his anger.

Cain ran a hand through her hair as if she were the one that needed soothing.

"I'm surprised you're not more upset," he said. "I expected to get yelled at again."

"Well, Moko-san seemed to have that covered."

He snorted, still playing with her hair.

"I've been thinking," he said. "I… can't keep blaming everything I've done on the relic. True, it makes me lose my mind, but I was the one that made the wish. I am the person hurting others."

Kyoko's mouth went dry, her voice turning hoarse. "What are you saying?"

Because to her, this sounded even worse than his plan to encourage the rumors. This sounded like he believed them when they said he was a monster. Fear was building slowly as she waited for him to answer.

"I will one day have to answer for the things that I've done to others," he said. "I've killed people, Kyoko. Caused others to be hurt. I can't excuse myself just because I think I know better. Otherwise, I really will turn into a true dictator."

He withdrew his hand, clenching it with his other in his lap. She could feel the fluctuations in his aura, even if outwardly he was still calm.

"Once this battle is over, I'll hand myself over to my father," he said. "It will be for the best. I know we were looking for a way to break the contract, but after the damage that was done from being separated so long from the relic, I'm not sure if we will even find it. Not at this point. I'll probably lose my sanity before we ever come close."

Kyoko's eyes burned. She flung her arms around his middle, hugging him as tight as her weak little body could manage.

"We'll find a way," she said. "After we resurrect Rosa, she'll know what to do. Don't give up hope yet. Please."

"I won't."

He guided her away from his middle, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. It tasted salty.

"As long as you are here to guide me, I won't give up," he said. "Not until the very end."

She kissed him again, pouring all her love into the action. All her desperation. He was now her everything, and she would not let it slip away from her again. Never again.

The rumors got worse. As far as Kyoko knew, no one dare speak to Cain anymore, let alone raise a hand against him. They were too scared they'd be killed or worse, devoured by the flesh-eating monstrosity. Everything was going exactly as planned.

Which meant Kyoko hated it.

"People are even avoiding me," Itsumi said, sharing an exam room with Kyoko. Her marks were getting worse, the disease spreading past her chest and snaking up her neck. "Which doesn't matter when I go out in public, but anyone that knows me personally has basically cut off all ties."

"I'm sorry," said Kyoko. They'd probably permanently ruined Itusmi's chance of gaining any favor with the people. Not after her father had publicly denounced his daughter's association with the Accursed. Her chance of succeeding the dukedom was now all but zero.

But despite all this, Itsumi brushed it off as inconsequential. "I mean, this way if I wanted to marry Hikaru, no one would care he was common born. I must do what I feel is right, otherwise, I'm not doing my job as a noble."

"So... what you're saying is, you're going to propose to Hikaru."

Kyoko ducked to avoid the linen thrown her way.

Miraculously, other parts of their plans were also working out. The walls were being fortified, the northern outpost was now stable, and despite all the bad press on Cain, people from the surrounding cities were starting to pour in. Apparently, the threat of thousands of evil dark monsters was enough for most to ignore the strange leadership in Mosall. And with only a little over a week before the monsters arrived, people were scrambling over each other to get here in time.

"Mosall is more than big enough to house everyone," said Itsumi. "We get a lot of guests during the light festival and a lot of the residents have died. Space isn't the issue. It's keeping everyone busy and out of trouble. That, and food. We should have enough for a month or so, but if this battle turns into a siege, then we'll be starved out fairly quickly."

"Don't forget we're trying to keep everyone from contracting the rot," said Hiroaki, who was currently measuring the progression of the crystals on Kyoko's shoulders. He did this daily, checking for any unusual spike in growth. He'd probably see a difference today as she'd spent a good two hours with Cain yesterday. Kyoko could already feel her body punishing her for it. Not that she'd ever admit it, but she'd actually stayed in her room today because she felt so weak. But tomorrow she was getting out and reaching no matter what! With so little time, Kyoko was beginning to feel desperate. There had to be something either in the library or research that could help her or Cain.

"I'm surprised people haven't tried to run," said Itsumi, "Try to make it to another city before the Accursed and monsters get here."

"Wait, is this city not considered a quarantined area because of the rot?" said Kyoko.

Hiroaki shook his head. "The Shueman's rot is localized to this area. Which is another reason we're almost sure there's a connection between the fig tree to the rot. It would make sense as those in Mosall are iller than those in the surrounding cities."

That was very fascinating. And more importantly, why the heck was Kyoko only learning about this now?

"That's so weird," said Kyoko. "I mean, why didn't more people leave then? Especially if you won't get sick if you live somewhere else."

"It makes sense if you think about it," said Itsumi. "Traveling to and from the cities is tough now thanks to the monsters roaming the region. You're risking your life if you stay or if you try to leave. Most people don't have enough money to hire a good group of bodyguards to guarantee their safety."

"And how is that different than those traveling into the city?" said Kyoko. "Have we had any reports of those people being hurt or attacked on the way here?"

Hiroaki's brow scrunched. "You know... I don't think we have… Huh. That's weird."

It was more than weird. It was unnatural. When people heard of an epidemic they fled cities in droves, no matter the possible dangers. Some people were more scared of unseen pathogens then monsters. But in Mosall, that hadn't happened. What was the difference?

"I guess the threat of thousands of monsters is enough to move people," said Hiroaki. "That, and the royal decree sent to the other cities. Most people try to listen to those. Alright, there. Are you ready to try something new Kyoko?"

Kyoko, who had been sent into a mental spiral with all this new information, perked up as Hiroaki diverted her attention to the items on the desk. One was a vial of some unknown liquid, the contents were red and radiating a soft light aura. She'd never seen anything like it before.

"What is that?"

"A new tincture." He held it up, swirling the contents so the light danced within the tube. "I studied the plans for the inhibitor and borrowed some of the formulas, transferring it into a consumable liquid. In theory, it should ward off any dark magic for a short time."

"That's amazing!" gushed Kyoko. Something like this had only been possible in theory until now. Researchers had spent decades trying to come up with spells and potions, anything to ward off everything from monsters to curses. A catch-all like this was unheard of. Well, besides the recently invented inhibitor. This was just yet another amazing breakthrough in medicinal magic.

Hiroaki smiled happily at her thoroughly appropriate awe. Despite the bags under his eyes, he looked like a blooming flower as he carefully sectioned some of the potion into a small cup.

"Unfortunately, it's still in its early stages and very weak," he said. "but considering how much we've been able to do in so little time, it's not insignificant. I hope to one day condense the concentration into something that can cure instead of just prevent. Oh, almost forgot. Because it's so weak it needs an amulet to boost its properties."

Hiroaki took an opal encrusted bracelet from the table, placing it around Kyoko's wrist. It fit nicely against other light amulets she was wearing, each designed to slow the progress of her curse.

"We're hoping it will allow an exploration group to check out the caves inside and around the tree roots," continued Hiroaki. "We have a few scouts checking it out right now but while we're waiting on the results, I wanted to see if it could help you as well."

"Because my curse is nothing but dark magic." Her heart was pounding like crazy. Could the solution be this simple? Was she finally going to get better?

She took the cup from Hiroaki, almost too nervous to drink it. Both Itsumi and Hiroaki were watching her intently, waiting.

"Well, here goes."

Kyoko drank the potion down in one gulp.

Then waited.

After a while, Itsumi spoke. "Is… something supposed to happen?"

"Maybe." Hiroaki scribbled in her patient chart, checking the cuff measuring her vitals. "It might take a few treatments for anything to change. For now, we'll have to monitor your response before trying anything else. How do you feel? Any different?"

"No." Kyoko examined her palm, watching as her fingers twitched from exhaustion. "Nothing. I don't feel a single change."

The dark coursing through her veins felt the same. The tincture wasn't strong enough. She shouldn't be able to tell without any other tests or proof, but she felt the truth of it as surely as she drew breath. They'd need something stronger to heal her.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Thanks to the noble sacrifice of others, Cain was trusting Koga with more and more duties. After all, Koga had ignored the opportunity to slice off the monster's head and instead chosen to protect him. If that didn't make Koga the patron saint of self-control, then nothing would.

"I hope you realize the perfect opportunity you just wasted," said Koga. "I could have put a stop to all of this nonsense once and for all."

Kimiko gave a saccharine smile as if he were a child asking why the sky was blue.

"If it was a question of overpowering him, we would have done it already," she said. "You saw his healing abilities. Had you tried to kill him, it would have been your head rolling in the sand instead of his."

Koga saw this more like an opinion than fact. But, she was the one with the "master plan" not him. He'd watch to see how it played out for now.

Kimiko stirred her tea, bangs covering her scar as she took a dainty sip. She sighed, obnoxious in how fake the whole satisfaction seemed to be.

"My plan is working," she said. "You've been selected to join the expedition party to the roots, right?"

He wish he hadn't. Even if they had sent out a scouting team first, he didn't want anything to do with that place. No one had made it out alive in weeks. But he kept up a smile, shrugging as if it were no big deal. He was Koga afterall. Brave, respected, and dashing in the face of danger.

"Of course. You said to gain his trust, and I'm the best at that. He has no idea I don't support him."

"Good. Because we're ready for the next part of the plan." She pulled out a scroll, pointing to the picture imprinted on the skin. "These are the tinctures Mage Ogata designed. They'll be what you use to protect you from the aura around the tree. But they're weak and need an amulet to enhance their warding effects. If something were to happen to those amulets during the expedition…"

Koga smirked. "I see. So, you think this will kill Cain?"

Kimiko gave him a flat look. "That area is drowning in dark magic, it won't affect him. No, we're thinking of targeting someone else. One of Cain's most powerful and trusted supporters. The woman who single handily rescued Cain's wife and makes up the bulk of her protection."

Koga knew the woman. A raven-haired beauty with the glare of a viper. Experience told him she was powerful. Maybe as powerful as him.

"Are you sure she's going?" said Koga. "She's usually guarding Kyoko."

"Oh, she'll go," said Kimiko. "That, or Hikaru. I doubt the Accursed will leave the city without someone he trusts to back him up. Just make sure whoever it is that goes with him has a certain… accident. One that will ensure they won't return alive."

Now, this was a plan Koga could get behind.

Thanks for reading!

Updates are every other Tuesday, life permitting.

Not much to say. Crimson Threads is a lot easier to write right now. Ugh. I'm doing my best guys. I love this story, but it is a lot more tedious.

-Blushweaver