Chapter 2
Oki gritted his teeth and slashed at the tree trunk again, inflicting another grievous wound. After many weeks, he still remembered the day Amaterasu had departed to the Celestial Plain.
He remembered the look she had given him, like she was saying good-bye with her eyes.
Slash.
He remembered that imbecile Waka dancing with her, as if he was entitled to do that.
Slash.
He remembered the door closing with a crushing finality, like a shooting star that blazes through the sky for only a moment before disappearing, never to be seen again.
Slash.
The tree trunk slid sideways, severed from its roots. Oki stepped back, watching it as it fell. Ever since Amaterasu had left, he had taken to wandering the furthest corners of Kamui, where the uncharted wilderness was equal to no other. He had also visited the shrine of Kutone quite often, standing behind the sacred sword and watching the sky that had swallowed up the Ark of Yamato, the imposing iron ark that had fallen from the heavens. It seemed fitting that the root of all evil in Nippon would also become the root of all of Oki's grief. It had taken Amaterasu away from him, after all.
Oki closed his eyes briefly and leapt, flipping into his wolf form. He felt his paws hit cold ice crystals as he landed, crunching through the thin layer of snow on the surface. Without a moment's hesitation, he took off running, heading down the narrow path that led to Kutone's shrine. Snow and shards of ice sprayed from his paws as he sprinted, muscles pumping smoothly under the thick mane of red fur surrounding his neck.
As he reached the shrine, a pinprick of light in the clouds overhead caught his eye. Looking up, Oki saw a tiny form in the distance, growing steadily larger as it drew nearer. However, obscured by clouds and endless sheets of snow, it was still impossible to distinguish what it was.
Oki squinted suddenly as a pale turquoise sheet flashed in the clouds. It couldn't be, but it was.
The Ark of Yamato had returned to Nippon.