Update 2023
Kurasa no Moribito
Guardian of the Darkness
Rated: T to M
Main Characters: Balsa Yonsa, Tanda, Yuka Yonsa, OFC, Jiguro Musa
Notes
1. This is the English translation of my original French work. It unbetaed, but I'm confident that you'll be able to read fluently despite the grammar spelling; as long as you're able to grab what I say. If you don't enjoy, feel free to skip it without any guilt.
Previously known as Yami no Moribito, I chose to change it for Kurasa no Moribito (which still means "darkness" in Japanese, but also "Melancholy" or "Sadness"; these themes are also explored over the chapters) in order to avoid confusion with the official novel and now that the rest of the books are translated into English.
2. Ransa no Moribito had been written at the first singular person "I". The main purpose of this use was to help the readers to get used slowly with my OFC (original female character) into the main plot of the anime and the "Moribito" books.
In this volume and the other sequels to come, I will use the third singular person, the "she". I decided to use it to show the points of view of the others characters that, normally, aren't known by Alika. This allows me to be free in my narration, without having to mark "P.O.V" at the beginning of each text; which look less official and disturbs the reading – this is just a personal preference, per se, and nothing against writers who employ it in the fanfiction realm.
3. On that, I suppose that if we find ourselves once again in this fanfic, it's because you've read the 1st volume and want to discover more about Alika and her adventures. So I wish you a pleasant and happy reading! :D
P.S: The title is canon!
P.S 2: If you got some time, please, don't hesitate and leave reviews (or kudo); I'm dying to know if what I'm writing really worth... for the Moribito community fandom (and as long as it's not rude)
Prologue
Alam Lai La
The hot, dry summer had passed and the green foliage was slowly beginning to fade. Within a month, the mountain slopes would be covered with bright autumn colors.
Further south, the mountains now separated Balsa, Tanda, and Alika from everyone they loved and knew in New Yogo. To the north stood the rocky Mountains with eternal snow of the Kingdom of Kanbal, Balsa's native homeland; whose name stirred bitter memories within her. It was also the country her daughter wanted to visit so much for years. The mountains rose majestically above their heads. They were much higher than all the other mountains. The view was completely clear. The snow-dusted peaks looked sharp enough to cut into the sky.
"It's the beginning of the mother range of the Yusa Mountains," Balsa said. "It marks the border of Kanbal."
The road had been long despite the help of their two Kokku horses. Tanda thought that Balsa, five months pregnant, would have been more exhausted with the trip. But to everyone's surprise, Balsa wasn't feeling tired at all and the baby moved a lot. It was Tanda who was tired.
"We're almost there, Daddy!" Alika exclaimed, pointing in a direction. "I can see the official traveler's gate leading to Kanbal!"
"Finally, we'll finally be able to rest," Tanda said in a sigh.
"Once arrived to Kanbal territory, we'll rent an inn," Balsa said.
"Can we visit Kanbal?" Alika asked, behind her.
"Of course. Afterwards, I'll find out about my only family here: my Aunt Yuka."
A breeze, smelling snow and cold, blew and played in their hair. Torogai had always felt that Alika possessed a Kanbalese soul; in a previous life, if it wasn't the last one, she was born in Kanbal. Coming face to face with this country made Alika feel like home, just like if her soul already knew this place. Balsa smiled.
"Well! It looks like Kanbal is straight ahead of us. Let's go!"
"Yes!" Alika exclaimed. "Here we go!"
They moved their horses forward and passed through the traveler's gate without any problems.
Kanbal was a country ruled by poor clan lords who supported an equal poor king. It wasn't a populous or prosperous nation, and it received few visitors except from trades. There were trading markets called lassal, but they were rare.
The Kanbalese people lived in nine separate clans, so all were suspicious by habit. For a very long time, unions and marriages between different clans were forbidden. The Yonsa had to marry within their territory, and couldn't marry people from the Musa clan. But it started to change a decade ago. The foreigners were looked down on or were mistrusted, since the blood and family bonds were highly valued in most of the minds of the citizens. Those who showed up to trade in lassal markets were more tolerated; people were more indulgent towards them. The rumors traveled faster than horses in Kanbal.
The main city, in which Balsa, Tanda and Alika had arrived, was the one that mainly welcomed visitors and merchants. The foreigners weren't looked down here, given that they'd just arrived and had traveled a very long trip. Without the trades with the other countries to balance out its poverty, Kanbal run down to its ruin. Alika recognized the Rotan and Yogoese dialect among the conversational bridles. Balsa headed for an inn. There was a small stable not far from there. They dismounted and took their bags, leaving the animals with the groom. The child wanted to open the door first. Balsa let her do. The smell of smoke from the kitchen reached their nostrils; she inn must have been preparing to serve lunch. The door opened on the receptionist.
"Hello," she greeted. "Welcome to my inn!"
"Hello," Balsa replied in Kanbalese. "We would like to rent a room for three days, if you still have place."
"Let me check my papers. Wait some minutes, please."
She looked through her notes pad and smiled.
"Yes, we still have rooms. So, you want a room for three people, including a child; there are special price for families. My name's Suyana. Follow me, I'll show you your room. You even have a private bathroom."
Suyana was an enthusiastic woman, who didn't hesitate to put her foreign customers at ease. Meals were included in the price. She searched through her keyring and took one out before getting up and leading them to their room on the second floor.
"Suyana means 'star' in Kanbalese," Alika said, who was acting curious.
"Ah, yes, indeed." Suyana smiled. "You're very cultured, dear."
The bedroom had two wooden beds, with a fireplace embedded in the stones wall. When Balsa paid the innkeeper for three days and exchanged lugals for nals, Tanda was surprised to see that the value of the Kanbalese currency wasn't that expensive. Seeing his puzzled expression, Balsa made a smile.
"The Kanbalese currency has a totally different value than Yogo's. It's a middle class inn. It's affordable enough for experienced travelers, but you'll see very few Kanbalese people here."
"If they own houses, I can understand they don't live in an inn," Tanda said. "But I understand better now."
"Don't be so surprised. In Kanbal, everything's small and the country is poor."
When Alika stepped outside after suppertime, she was surprised to see the sun set very early in the sky.
"The sun doesn't set so early in Yogo," she said, putting a hand over her eyes as if she wanted to create a visor.
"Kanbal doesn't have the same altitude as Yogo," Balsa said, stroking her round belly. "Being surrounded by mountains, the sun sets earlier."
The early evening light bathed the mountains in a soft red light. It was such beautiful natural scenery that Alika got emotional to the depths of her soul. She felt at peace, calm and serene. She wiped away a tear of emotion.
"Can you tell me what's it?" Balsa asked.
"Alam laï la," she said aloud, proudly.
"Good. Well done."
"Eh?" Tanda asked, visibly confused.
"Oh... It's Yonsa dialect," Alika said. "The Kanbalese call beautiful mountain sunsets like this 'alam lai la.' The sun loves the mountains, who are the mother of the Kanbalese people. The sun shows its affection to their mother before going to sleep for the night, as it has for a thousand years. Is that so, Mommy?"
"That's right!" Balsa said. "You've learned well the lessons, sweetie, I'm proud of you."
Alika fell asleep while folding origami on her bed in the inn. As Tanda crouched down to light a fire in the fireplace to keep them warm, Balsa took off her daughter's boots, changed her gently, before wrapping her in warm blankets. A flood of memories invaded her: Balsa had stayed several times in inns like this when she was a child, including one in particular in Rota. Jiguro lit the fireplace and wrapped her in blankets so she wouldn't get cold, just like she did with Alika. She kissed her small forehead and watched her sleep for a while.
Tanda stirred the hot coals inside the fireplace before adding firewood. He stretched his hands over the fire and stared at the flames as they began to dance. He made sure the smoke from the fire rising through the chimney. He then laid down comfortably on the other bed, taking their shiruya – a blanket used in Yogo to sleep on the floor. Balsa straightened up slowly from Alika's bed, rubbed her lower back before lying down at her turn, close to Tanda to sleep. That night, they going to sleep indoors for the first time since they left Yogo. Tanda put a hand on Balsa's belly and managed to feel his child move at his touch. Tanda always found this feeling wonderful; sleep indoors in the warmth, with his entire family.
* Basically, Suyana was supposed to be called Stella. But since Stella doesn't sound very asian, and her Japanese spelling was more like "Suta" or "Sterura" – something like that – I chose to take an asian name and change it into a Kanbalese meaning.