It was well after midnight when Jun left the protective shelter beneath the stairs and ventured out into the camp. All of the troopers except for Toma were soundly sleeping round the remnants of the night's fire. The warrior of tenku was seated atop the crumbling wall near the main entrance to the compound, staring off into the distance.
It would not be difficult to sneak out.
He had contemplated his next move for hours after Shin had left to tell the others what Jun had said. After all, Jun did want to kill the Arbiter, and so it was not a lie to tell the others just that, but there was something that he needed to do first. He had to find the Guardian, had to find answers, no matter the cost.
As he padded toward the wall Jun noticed Chiharu, who he hadn't seen since Shin had interrupted them earlier. She was asleep some small distance away from the others, her head resting comfortably on Jun's old, thoroughly destroyed sweater. He steeled himself, approached her, and squatted down.
"Chi-chan," he said quietly and pushed against her shoulder, "wake up."
She opened her eyes, confused at first, but when she realized that Jun was above her she smiled sleepily. "Hey," she said. "What are you doing awake?"
"I couldn't sleep, nothing to worry about," Jun lied. He offered her as disarming a smile as he could. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm okay with what happened earlier. I'm not upset. It was…nice."
"It was nice for me, too," Chiharu replied, half asleep, and Jun wondered if she would even remember this conversation come morning.
"Just remember that whatever happens from here on out isn't your fault okay? And when you get back home you can tell your friends anything you want about us. Do you understand?"
Chiharu grinned, and in her sleepy daze she seemed almost drunk. "I understand."
"Good," Jun replied. "Now go back to sleep."
"Okay."
Clearly the girl was not putting up a fight, and Jun was certain that she was asleep by the time he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. Then he was up again and making his way toward the wall.
He knew better than to try to pass beneath Toma; the warrior may have looked to be daydreaming but Jun knew that he was more alert now than he was during most daylight hours, so he opted for a more difficult and covert exit. With much effort he scaled a portion of the wall some fifty yards away from the fire, well enough out of Toma's range of vision, and made his way into the night.
He had imagined two possible plans. The first involved him encountering by pure chance a receptive white spirit who might lead him directly to the Guardian proper, but such a thing seemed wholly unlikely after his last meeting. So Jun actively sought the armed and armored foot soldiers that he and the others had been working so diligently to avoid. He would not be able to barter with them, but he might be able to strike a deal with their master.
Jun shuddered at the thought. By any reckoning the plan was insane, but no matter what happened there was no way he could lose. Either the Arbiter would permit him to speak to the Guardian or he wouldn't. And even if he didn't, Jun wouldn't be enslaved for long. He was certain that the troopers would come for him and eliminate the Arbiter for good. The only variable was whether Jun would still be alive by the time they arrived. Either way, Jun didn't care.
The warrior of shadow walked far longer than he anticipated, thinking and rethinking his decision to leave camp, but no matter what reasoning he could find to go back he pressed on. He wondered absently how angry the others would be when they woke to find him gone; a prime example of what he knew was another poor decision in a long line of poor decisions. He wondered how Chiharu would react, whether or not she would remember what he had told her.
He couldn't help but grin. How funny that he had finally landed a girlfriend, and less than a day later was marching to what very well could be his death. This thought sobered him.
The netherworld sun floated high in the sky by the time Jun reached the base of the spire. When previously he had come to this place he had been met by dozens of spiritual guards, but now the area was sparsely populated with only a few sentries stationed here or there, all peering out beyond the boundary of the tower. From his present hiding place Jun could see that he could walk directly up to the door and meet only one set of guards on the way, if he wanted to. This set of guards was in reality a single pair, one body flanking each side of the door, and they appeared to be unarmed and unarmored.
It was as if the Arbiter expected Jun to come.
Against all better judgement, Jun steeled himself, stepped out from his hiding place, and marched with the most confident posture he could muster in his weakened state—admittedly not much. As he walked he watched the doormen shift their attention toward him, but they remained unmoving, and none of the other guards in the area responded in kind. Soon, Jun stood at the base of the wide staircase leading to the spire's great onyx door, and the spirits' faces turned toward him expectantly.
"I'm here to see the Arbiter," Jun said authoritatively. He expected the spirits to move, to seize him, or to disappear entirely, but they simply looked to each other and then back at him. "Your master," Jun prompted, "the Arbiter of Souls is expecting me to be here." Then he added somewhat uncertainly, "I'm looking to strike a deal."
Again the spirits looked to each other, but this time they gave an unmistakable nod. The spirit to Jun's left disappeared in an instant, and the spirit to the right continued gazing at Jun without expression. Plainly the one had gone to seek advice, perhaps from the Arbiter himself. Jun's stomach churned.
It did not take long for the spirit to return, and when it did its posture had changed. Rather than standing impassively at its post it seemed to take an offensive posture, as though it was prepared to strike out at any moment, though Jun could not be certain with what it would strike. The second spirit responded in kind. They stood for a minute at most before the air grew thick and the churning in Jun's stomach escalated to a full-body tremble. And then, all at once, the Arbiter appeared on the landing at the top of the stairs in his full glory, armed in the Armor of Shadow and towering feet above Jun's head.
"Welcome home, my boy," said the Arbiter dryly. Though the creature had no mouth Jun could see a smirk in its glowing red eyes. "I had hoped you would come."
Jun cleared his throat to seem imposing, though in reality he was working to buy himself more time to clear his mind, and stood tall. "You and I need to talk."
The smirk remained on the Arbiter's face. "You've grown bold since the last time we saw each other."
The last time Jun saw the Arbiter—or remembered seeing the Arbiter—was in the midst of a long round of captivity that left him psychologically and physically weakened. Jun had yet to fully recover from that experience, and the mere thought of repeating it terrified him beyond reason. Yet still, Jun knew that showing weakness at this juncture would only bolster the Arbiter. He had to continue putting up the strongest front he could, even if it was all a bluff.
"I want to make a deal," Jun continued, "and I offer myself in return for your cooperation."
The Arbiter's smirk diminished, but Jun clearly had his attention.
"I need to speak with the Guardian of Souls, if he still exists, urgently and in confidence."
"That's your only request?" The Arbiter balked. "Your luck, then. Consider it done. Your speaking with that wretch is in my interest as well."
"That was not my only request," Jun said hastily. "You have to agree to leave my companions alone. You've got no need for them: You've got me and you've got the armor, so I expect them to remain safe."
"Agreed."
Jun felt at once that this was all going too easily for him.
"I don't know what you've got planned for me, but you can clearly see that I'm weak. I need time to recover, both physically and mentally, and I need accommodations suitable for a mortal: Fresh food, water, shelter, clothing. I'll do what you ask as long as these things are provided to me and as long as I am comfortable, but I refuse to kill humans."
At this the Arbiter seemed to take pause. The Great Spirit raised a hand to his face and stroked at his black chin as if thinking. "What makes you think you've got the leverage to make that sort of demand? I've got your yoroi orb and you've assimilated with the armor the same as I have, and you know as well as I that when two spirits are bound to this armor the stronger spirit dominates the weaker. So long as the two of us share this bond I have control over you."
"Then why haven't you exerted that control so far?" Jun replied hotly. "Just as you said, we're both bound to the armor, but you haven't summoned me, you're not compelling me to act. Something is standing in your way."
The Arbiter did not distinguish the statement with a response. "All you wish is to speak with the Guardian of Souls, that your companions remain safe, and that you are comfortable, yes?"
"I won't kill any humans."
The Arbiter waved his hand dismissively. "As you say. Is this all for your parlay?"
Jun nodded. "I'll speak with the Guardian immediately."
"I agree to these terms, then," said the Arbiter firmly. "All you've asked for, and in return you will act in whatever capacity I see fit, whenever I see fit, until your life is severed from the armor."
The way the Arbiter had mentioned his life being severed from the armor took him off guard, but with slight hesitation, Jun nodded again, and it seemed the matter had been settled. Jun's life was a small price to pay for the survival of the other samurai troopers, and for Chiharu, and if he was honest with himself Jun knew that his life was being lived on borrowed time anyway.
With another wave of his arm the door to the spire opened smoothly, and the Arbiter led Jun inside.
Ϫ
Chiharu woke to frantic yelling so early in the day that the Nether Realm sun had not yet risen. When she sat up she could see the troopers rushing about in apparent panic. Seiji and Shu were presently clearing their camp, packing their bags in silence, while Ryo practically screamed at Toma off in the distance.
"Where is he, Toma?" Ryo shouted. "You had watch last night!"
Chiharu watched Toma stammer dumbly, apparently groping for words that wouldn't come to him. She saw him shrug.
"How could you let him go? Were you sleeping?"
"Ryo!"
Chiharu looked the other way and watched Shin marching purposefully toward Ryo and Toma, his face a mask of indignation.
"Get off his back, Ryo," Shin demanded as he approached them. "Nothing gets done if we're yelling at each other. Now get over here and let's discuss this like adults."
The others effectively quietened, Shin beckoned them toward where the campfire once burned. He glanced at Chiharu as he passed, nodding his head to gesture that she should follow, and at length the five troopers and Chiharu gathered round.
"Well," Seiji started coolly, "do we have any ideas?"
"He went back to the tower," Shin explained hotly. "He told me last night that he needed to speak to a spirit called the Guardian of Souls, but I don't know where it is and neither did he. Best guess is that he went to the tower to try and find him."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Ryo demanded, all the anger he'd been unleashing on Toma now directed at Shin. "Why didn't you mention this last night? We could've bumped up security!"
Shin shook his head, his bluster fast fading. "This isn't a prison. Besides, I couldn't have known he would leave. He seemed too weak to do anything, and with his instability I figured he'd be too afraid to move on his own."
Silence fell over the group, but Chiharu knew what they were thinking. They had just rescued Jun from near death, and now he had rushed back into it headlong. She couldn't blame the other troopers if they were feeling hesitant about rescuing him. But Jun must have had good reason to put himself back in danger.
"I don't think his motive was bad," said Chiharu meekly, her eyes on the ground. Her voice shook as she spoke. "He wasn't well. His ability to make decisions was compromised—maybe he didn't realize what he was doing. Even if he did realize what he was doing, the danger in it, he must've had good reason."
"He knew exactly what he was doing," Ryo spat. "He knew. I have no doubt in my mind."
"Then if he knew, why would he not want you to go with him?" Chiharu questioned.
No one offered a response for a long time, until long after the silence became uncomfortable. And then Shu spoke up to say, "He didn't want us to get hurt."
"And there you have it," Toma said. "The motive behind ninety percent of Jun's actions: He doesn't want anyone to get hurt. Stupid motive, mind you, but noble."
Then Chiharu perked up. "You're right, Shu. He doesn't want anyone to get hurt, but not just the lot of you!"
"What do you mean?" asked Toma.
"We've seen a lot of people hurt," Chiharu explained, her sheepishness now forgotten. "We saw people die not ten feet in front of us. It was ugly, traumatizing, even, and at the time I didn't think about it because I was too afraid, and everything happened too fast for me to understand, but now that I look back on the whole thing Jun must've been at least as affected by it as I was."
"By what, though?" Ryo prompted. "What exactly happened?"
"When I woke up, Jun was in front of me," Chiharu said. "We weren't in the spire, as its construction hadn't begun yet. We were in some kind of wooden structure. There were other people there, too. Four of them, men dressed in black clothes who looked dead anyway, like they were in a trance. They stared off into nothing and never spoke a word. The guy who took me captive, Jun called him the Arbiter of Souls, he killed those people with some magical light. I guess it was a magical light, it was like their bodies had been burned."
"He killed them in front of you?" Shin said, and Chiharu nodded. "And in front of Jun?"
Chiharu nodded again and met Shin's gaze firmly. "At the time it seemed like Jun shrugged it off, like it didn't bother him at all. I'm sure it did, though, I want to believe that he was putting on some kind of front for me, but he was very cool-headed when he rescued me."
All of the troopers knew Jun better than to believe he would be cool-headed in any way about the killing of innocent people, at least not inwardly; Shin wondered how seriously it had affected Jun's sensibilities. It could have been a significant factor in Jun's decision to leave Chiharu behind when the troopers had first found her, to leave her with his yoroi orb. If faced with a choice between the lives of innocent people and Jun's own life, Jun would certainly choose the others. No doubt that if his present course of action required him to put himself in danger, he would certainly do it alone.
"Oh no," said Shin quietly and he stared at Chiharu with wide eyes. "We don't have time to waste here."
"Shin?" said Ryo with concern. "What's the matter with you?"
Shin ran his free hand through his hair while the other found its way to cover his mouth. Then he began to pace before the fire, eyes on the ground, seemingly oblivious to the stream of questions beginning to flow his way. If the truth was told, he was contemplating the best way to tell the others what he was thinking.
"When Jun left this place the first go round he had no intention of returning," Shin said at last and now seemed quite calm. "The people we've saw milling around near the tower are prisoners, and those prisoners are being killed. Jun saw it, he knows it's happening, and he left to barter with the Arbiter to stop it."
"The spirit said that he killed those people because Jun didn't follow orders," Chiharu added.
"Which you know Jun understood as blame," Shin said. "Do you think for a minute that he would accept that? So we bring him back here against his will, without seeing the whole picture, and screw it up for him entirely. He was absolutely panicked when he found out we returned his armor's orb because he lost his bargaining power, right?"
The troopers remained silent. Everything Shin said rang of truth. Everything Shin said would be well within the bounds of Jun's character.
"So you think he went back to make some kind of deal?" Ryo clarified, calmer now. "To talk to this Guardian person?"
Shin nodded. "I'm almost certain of it. The way he talked last night, this Guardian was the only one who could help him."
"That's all fine and good," said Seiji, "but what is Jun giving in return?"
Shin met each of the troopers' gazes coldly, with fright in his eyes. "He's giving up his life."
Ϫ
Jun sat across from the Guardian of Souls in a square white room lined with gold-flickering orbs of light. He stared at the great spirit with as much curiosity as concern, and watched as the being contemplated. The conversation thus far had been short and largely one sided as Jun explained the situation, his problem with the armor, his fear that he would be forever tied to the evil Arbiter of Souls.
Yet the Guardian had said nothing, had given no reaction to Jun's plea for help except for the thoughtful look on its incorporeal face. Yet still, Jun waited patiently. He could see that the spirit had not ignored him.
"Your fears are well-founded, child," said the spirit at last in a grave but quiet tone. "Each one of them in kind, but I shall address them each on their own to better put you at ease, as much as such can be done."
Jun wanted to say, thank you, but all he could bring himself to do was nod.
"First, you were concerned for the spirit that was removed from the armor's orb. That spirit is no more, sadly. You understand, your armor is special, in that it houses two beings: A physical being who manifests in the mortal realm, and a spirit being who manifests in the spirit world. These two beings can, of course, cross over to one another for short periods of time, as you well understand, but they exist mostly separately, calling on the armor and its counterpart when needed. When the Arbiter removed the spirit from your armor, he took its spot himself. Therefore, you are the physical being, and the Arbiter is the spiritual being. Do you understand?"
Jun nodded, but remained silent.
"You next wanted to know how the Arbiter could control you. This is a simple matter, so to speak, and deals with the spiritual power of the beings connected to the Shadow Armor. Ideally, the beings should exist in balance, where all is equal among them. For a long time now that has not been the case. When you and the original spirit inhabited the armor, you were by far the dominant force, and thus could exert control over the shade. Now that the Arbiter is connected to the armor, he has become the dominant force and can exert force over you, being that you are the lesser spirit in the connection."
"How can I become stronger?" Jun asked at once, now full of understanding. "How do I become dominant again?"
But the Guardian shook its golden head and cast its eyes to the floor. "I am not so sure you can. The Arbiter is an old soul, a very old soul, and has the experience of thousands of years. You are young, even your spirit is young, and I am not so sure that any amount of spiritual attunement on your part will bring you to balance, at least not in this lifetime."
For a moment, Jun thought on this. The last statement was troubling. "What does that mean?" he asked, "In this lifetime?"
"Your friends, those who bear mortal armors, will be divorced from their armors when their mortal bodies pass. Their spirits will be free to move along, to reincarnate, to progress. Yours is not so free." The Guardian paused and looked to Jun as if waiting for an explosion, but Jun simply sat, dumb. "You have been granted an important task which cannot be completed in one mortal lifetime. Your task will stretch into infinity, or until such a time as your spirit is separated from the armor, as was the spirit you saw removed."
Jun felt his stomach drop out, and a vague wave of nausea fell over him. "What do you mean? What is the task, and why am I the one chosen to do it?"
"The task coincides with the purpose of the armor, and with the Arbiter, and with me. It is a story as ancient as humanity. You see, human spirits do not exit this world when their mortal bodies cease. They come here, to the Nether Realm, where they are sorted. This is what you mortals typically call judgment, but it is not so simple as you make it. Allow me to explain, and perhaps the matter will become clear.
"In our arrangement there are three prime spirits," the Guardian continued, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Jun was already reeling from the weight of the conversation. "There is the Guardian, the Arbiter, and the Harbinger of souls, all titles which I am certain you've heard before. It is the Guardian's duty to advocate for souls when they come to judgment. I watch over the lives of mortals and help determine, based on their actions in life, what is to become of them in the hereafter. It is the Arbiter's duty to make a decision based on my recommendations. Usually, barring any particularly horrible actions during mortal life, the spirit is reincarnated and will live again on the mortal plane."
"And what about the Harbinger?" Jun asked, his voice barely a whisper. He remembered distinctly the day his parents died, the spirit which sped down Mount Fuji and decimated the family car. It had called him the Harbinger of Death, though in his youth he had not understood. He felt his throat constricting.
"It is the duty of the Harbinger to separate souls from their bodies when the time is right. And yet is so much more. The three prime spirits must exist in balance. If two spirits become unbalanced or begin to work against one another, it is the duty of the third to bring them back into alignment by whatever means necessary, sometimes resulting in the vacancy of prime positions, if you understand my meaning."
Jun shook his head, then dropped it into his hands. "I don't."
"Prime spirits can be destroyed, just as all the others," said the Guardian. "We can be corrupted and we can be persuaded to do terrible things which are contrary to our purpose. When it is determined that a prime spirit must be destroyed, a new spirit must be selected to take its place."
"And that's me?"
"Yes, it's you. I selected you because the old Harbinger could not select you himself and because the Arbiter was too corrupt. The job fell to me."
Jun shook his head, even as it rested on his newly sweating palms. He felt himself growing frantic. He had known since Arago's invasion years ago that he would be forever intertwined with the mystical armors, demon sorcerers, and the world of spirits. He never would have guessed that he would be called to bear an armor of his own. Yet over time he had grown accustomed to the burden, if not comfortable with it, and over the last year he had begun to settle into the idea. But this was too much. He believed his armor to be equal the others in power, in purpose, and in spirit, but Jun could only gather from the Guardian's explanation that his was much more, with higher purpose. And now, in a war between prime spirits—the judge and jury of mortal souls—Jun had become the mediator.
It took much effort for Jun to force out the words, "Why me?" He was not certain he wanted to know.
"I mentioned that it is my job as Guardian to watch over the souls of mortals. I took special note of you when Arago invaded this realm with his demonic spirits. I watched the way you interacted with those chosen to bear the mystical armors, the way you interacted with the spirits, and the way you interacted with those who had more power, both physical and spiritual, than you did. For a spirit so young, I was impressed. But in the wake of Arago's destruction there grew an imbalance in the prime spirits. The Harbinger before you grew tired of his duties and rebelled, could not be reasoned with, and went mad. I was forced to destroy him. I had hoped to name you as the new Harbinger, seeing as you had had experience dealing with spirits before, but you were, as I mentioned, too young to perform the duty on your own."
"Then why did the spirit who killed my parents call me…" Jun choked on his words. His panic was turning slowly to anger. He hadn't asked for this. He didn't want this. "Why did it name me?"
"You were marked," the Guardian replied, apparently oblivious to Jun's emotion. "In that moment, your spirit passed from your body and came to this world, where you were marked as the Harbinger. I communicated this with the mortal Ancient One, who was to present you with the Harbinger's armor at the time you came of age. A series of tests was constructed to ensure your capability—"
Jun found himself on his feet, glaring daggers at the Guardian of Souls. "Kayura knew?" he growled. "Kayura knew all of this and never told me?"
"It is not the Ancient's duty to tell. It is the Ancient's duty to act. Sit, child, you'll exhaust yourself."
Jun slumped back onto the bench, pressed his back hard against the wall, and drew his knees to his chest. "All of this was a setup."
"This is destiny."
"Destiny sucks."
"And yet it is unbreakable. You were named the Harbinger because I commanded it so. Because in the wake of your predecessor's demise the Arbiter grew bitter because he was not the one who made the decision. And he began to go mad as well. He wanted power where power did not exist for him, and he began to take it through any means necessary. He sends fewer and fewer spirits to reincarnation, but keeps them for his own purposes. He built an army of blind followers whose destiny was to be damned and destroyed. He stopped listening to me."
"And since the imbalance is between you two, I have to sort it out," Jun finished weakly.
"This is the truth," the Guardian said, and Jun could hear a hint of sympathy in his voice. "But it is not so simple as eliminating the Arbiter and naming a successor. He has grown too strong, and I have grown too weak. We must both leave this world in the end, he and I. I will eventually fade, weak as I've become. But you don't need to worry, as I've already marked my own successor. The Arbiter is your charge. You must destroy him."
"And who names his successor?"
"I will if I am able. If I am not, it will be up to you, in time."
"How do I destroy him?"
Again, the Guardian fell to silence for a moment too long to be comfortable. "As I said, he has grown strong."
"How do I beat him?" Jun prompted again, his anger flaring.
"Ordinarily you would use the power of your armor, but ordinarily the Arbiter does not share it with you. So long as he is tied to the armor, his power will remain."
"So I have to break his tie with the armor," Jun said. "But how?"
The Guardian seemed at a loss. "This I cannot say, not because I don't wish to help you, but because I do not know. In all my history, two prime spirits have never shared the Shadow's Armor. It has always been reserved for the Harbinger, that he might use it to easily pass between the mortal and spirit worlds."
"Two more questions, then," Jun said, exhausted, and paused briefly to hear any complaints from the Guardian. As none seemed forthcoming, he said, "The Arbiter hasn't been able to control me for a while now, after he did it so easily before. Why has that changed?"
"Because you are broken," the Guardian replied, and it seemed to Jun that he did so with a sigh. "The control relies on telepathic communication, spiritual communication, and your mind and spirit are in grave turmoil. Certainly you've felt that within yourself."
Jun swallowed hard. He had felt it.
"So long as your mind remains so clouded by doubt, fear, rage, and confusion, he cannot force you to action."
"Fine," Jun conceded. "Assume that I'm able to force the Arbiter out, somehow. Who will fill in as the spiritual being tied to my armor?"
"I suppose it will be your own spirit. That is how it is typically done. In your case, your body was tied to the armor before your spirit. When I marked you I connected your body to the armor. The prior Harbinger's spirit remained dormant within it because your spirit was, as I said, too young. Now you're of age and have an appropriate understanding, when the spirit is vacated your own will fill in."
Jun nodded. "Is there anything else I should know? Anything you haven't told me about my duty, about the armor?"
"Your duty as the Harbinger will come naturally to you," the Guardian explained. "Do not fight against it, as doing so will be to your great detriment. But this assumes that you are able to defeat the Arbiter. If you cannot, then I don't know what will be the fate of this world or the mortal realm. You must succeed."
"I'll do what I can," Jun said listlessly.