Godly Purification
The aristocratic quarters were empty and silent in the early hours of morning before dawn. My coat was covered in dirt from digging up several treasure chests in the area; I couldn't believe how many aristocrats thought that the best place to hide their treasures was in their front yard! Finding and opening the treasure chest I was after, with a rooster statue inside, I sat back and looked around to see if I could see any more thin beams of light indicating a buried treasure. To the east, I saw a lone mountain, standing out against the darkness as if outlined in gold. That's it. That must be Golden Valley.' I thought in awe, thinking back to words of recommendation given to me last evening: "The mount'n east of Sei-an that glows gold a' night, that be where the golden valley lies." We'd surprisingly run into Tubba, walking through the dark streets of Sei-an after sunset and he greeted us boisterously. He'd found 'work' cleaning the bathrooms and tending to the plumbing of Sei-an's citizenry. "City life is the thing fer me. Lots of pipes to tend to. Unbend, unclog, clean… It's won'erful." He said. Unbeknownst to the house owners who had 'hired' him, because he only cleaned at night, while they were sleeping, so as not to disturb them with his unexpected and offsetting presence. I couldn't really condone the breaking into people's houses, but at least he had good intentions. He'd complimented my paws again, my "big ol' paws", good for digging up buried treasure. Tubba had also mentioned that the Golden Valley was East of Sei-an, the best way to access it was through the Aristocratic Quarters, and through a place called the Grove of Sacred Sakura Blossoms that resided on the other side of Lake Beewa across a bridge behind the emperor's house. Currently, the other passage into the grove was closed due to fear of demonic infiltration. The bright gold outline of the mountain began to fade, and a rooster crowed as the sun inched above the horizon. The sky turned cherry-blossom pink, and I shook my pelt free of dirt before trotting towards the Emperor's palace.
Takara allowed us to use his entrance, behind his back wall and over the freshly-painted red bridge over the sparkling lake, to where the horizon was flooded with blooming trees. As I approached the far bank, the air became full of flowery aroma, petals falling like an endless, gentle, pink snowfall. The cherry trees stood proud and healthy in rows that curved slightly, so that they made gigantic spirals that grew smaller as you grew closer to the center. I walked down the path, blossoms falling all around me. That familiar cherry-blossom scent wafting around me was the most comforting thing in the world. A beautiful, clear pond and tranquil tea house stood at the center, currently empty, and joined by a green dragon statue. Although the statue may once have been a marvelous gold or bronze hue, now it was green with verdigris. Through the passage of time, the dragon came to look more like a carving of jade as the metal aged, one that nature was slowly reclaiming- as flowering vines crept up the side. I tried to rejuvenate the beautiful sculpture, but my brush did nothing, perhaps the patina statue was truly perfect as-is.
"Seiryu, one of the Shijin. Ancient spirits tasked with defending the city from evil." I whipped around in surprise to see a teenage girl standing behind me, clad in beautiful golden robes, ink dragons decorating the lengthy sleeves. "I'm very sorry for surprising you." She bowed in apology. "My name is Iyo."
"Iyo…" I repeated, and Hiraku relayed. "The Emperor's chosen successor to Queen Himiko?"
"The very same." The girl responded calmly. "Although I'm afraid that is no longer my path. The king rejected the emperor's recommendation, and without the Miko, I have no claim to any position of power in the city."
"I'm so sorry." I dipped my head, anger rising towards Yatosama once more. "Do not feel sorry for me, I have a role as spiritual guide to the people of Sei-an, even if the Miko are no more. I find great peace beneath these sacred trees, and caring for them is my joy." She gazed at the cherry trees, a look of bliss and delight on her face. "My teachers said that this place makes our prayers stronger, and the blossoms from the cherry trees carry our wishes to the gods." The girl finished, and I looked back up at her youthful, beautiful face. Sometimes, on the plain, we would receive stray praise from a certain air current that floated up to our home, accompanied by cherry petals. I smiled. "It does." I told her. I liked this girl, Iyo didn't strike me as a pawn nor an unprepared child. Even if some headway had been made with the other bull-headed leaders, she seemed like she had sense, and a deep wisdom about her. She seemed to care not for politics or power, which made me pity her being removed from her position of leadership. "Can you show us the entrance to the Golden Valley?" We asked. "It would be my pleasure." She bowed respectfully.
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Iyo led us along the windy cobbled paths through the trees to where the cultivated forest met a wild, untamed one. Pink flowers disappeared in green leaves, and even the stones of the path were overgrown and unkempt. There she bid us farewell, and we set off on the trail into the Valley. A stream of water had accompanied us the whole way from the sacred grove, just to our right. It weaved this way and that, going in and out of sight, but always came back. An empty pedestal stood close to the water near the beginning of the trail. I made note of it in case it would come in handy later, and continued on up the narrow, wild trail. Very soon, it reached a dead-end, as a sheer cliff face jutted up in front of us. For an ordinary traveler this may have posed a problem, but not for a bearer of the celestial brush.
I crouched in anticipation for a leap, marked the cliff's face with a catspaw marking, and leapt up onto the cliff, bounding and flipping to the ledge on top. A dank, dead air met my nose, and I looked around to see pockets of dead grass and cursed trees all around. I quickly set about to reviving the deteriorated flora, dodging the angry trees and smacking their wrathful fruits back at them. After I'd restored the last patch of dead grass, a path forward was revealed as the cursed air dissipated. At the top of those stairs, a similar situation awaited us- more dead and dying nature. Some sort of large dark power had been here before us, tainting this previously sacred valley, it made my skin crawl with disgust. No matter, we would fix all the evil it had wrought. I set about finding every corrupted piece of nature I could. Some shrubs were possessed with dark energies as well and had long reaching limbs with spikes that thrashed towards us. I severed the thorny limbs from their host, and then bloomed the naked bush- exorcising the dark spirits within. I cleared this level, then proceeded to the next- which had large boulders and blockages that made some of the plants hard to reach.
"You know, Akime- I've been thinking..." Hiraku started. "A dangerous pastime." I interjected. "I know..." Hiraku confessed. "...But really, what are the odds that the dragons would only start popping up at the ruins AFTER we took care of the demons infesting the place?"
"I really doubt that a common, garden-variety snake-woman is really any threat to a dragon." I said skeptically. "It's not an issue of fear or ability, Akime- but one of laziness." Hiraku argued. "We don't know anything about these guys, but the fact that they've delayed getting together until the second... No, THIRD coming of darkness says something."
"We don't know that." I said, stepping over rocks. "Do we? I've never even heard about this court until now."
"Maybe that's because you never listen to anyone." I teased, sticking my tongue out. "I listen when it matters, I just don't like listening to rambling or preaching."
"You never know what you might learn if you stop and listen once and a while." I commented, pausing to get my bearings, searching the ledge I was on for any wilted blooms.
"Bah, I know enough about the things I care about. If I want to know, I'll find it out myself." That reminded me to ask: "By the way, Mr. I Know Everything, what sort of monster was the ghost whale?"
"Um..."
"Say your guess-that-monster answer now or forever hold your peace." I teased. "Well that monster was clearly... The... Ivory Helm." He said, clearly stumped. "Mhmm, we'll see about that one."
"You still owe me for the kiyohime anyway!" He said in defiance. I sighed, growing frustrated at my failing attempts to bloom a tree half-hidden by rocks. "How about if you hop over there and bloom that tree that's just out of my reach, then you can have some of my hard-earned yen."
"Done!" He said, bouncing towards the tree, hopping high in the air to make a large loop with his brush- making the tree burst into blossoms. The area rippled with nature's energy, and more objects appeared, guiding our way higher.
I leapt from one boulder to another, then saw with a feeling of joy that we were almost to the top of the valley. One more wall stood in our way, with trees and jagged edges poking out of the cliff as obstacles, but I navigated around them and soon poked my head over the top of the final ledge. What I saw was a depressing sight, an old torii that had broken in half and an almost entirely dried-up stream bed. 'Is this all that remains of the once-legendary Golden Spring?' I wondered despondently. However, a spark of hope remained. We'd revived everything else in the valley so far, maybe the spring was not beyond saving yet either.
I padded up to the edge of the spring and called on Nuregami, drawing two lines straight down. The sudden deluge soaked my fur right through to the skin, and filled the spring, nearly to the brim. Although the water was fresh, and clear, something still wasn't right. "Something's still missing." I said, and Hiraku agreed. I turned my attention to the broken gate, and I placed my two front paws on the standing half of the ancient torii, pushing it more upright. Huffing for breath, I raised my tail and tried to fill in the other half with globs of celestial ink. The first time simply melted away, I re-steadied and braced the wood on my shoulder to try again, filling in every little gap I could find. "Come on Yomi, Shu… Help me out over here." I muttered through gritted teeth. The ink hovered in the air for a moment, trying to sink in. "Hold it steady!" Hiraku shouted, adding ink from his own brush. Then, the ink blots burst off- a freshly painted, beautiful gate stood above us, carved dragons on each side. This had to be the missing part, because the water of the spring began to shine. The pure, rejuvenated water cascaded down from the edge, through the gate, and into the valley, creating a gorgeous waterfall. It rippled and shone in the afternoon sun as it reached each level, pooling and washing away any lingering decay, carrying it away downstream.
The spring water sparkled with a golden shimmer, radiating in the setting sunlight. It was so peaceful, the most gorgeous sight I'd ever seen, on heaven or earth. I gently stepped into the pool, the water was so clear I could see my paw almost perfectly, except for a slightly golden tinge. I kept going, wading in further and further. Hiraku watched expectantly from the shoreline, and I walked until I started to tread water. I kept my head above the surface as I paddled, sending glittering ripples streaming behind me, until I reached the center. 'Is this far enough?' I wondered, floating in the sparkling water, and looking back at the shore. I didn't feel any different. The water tingled my fur, and I knew I had to fully submerge myself in the heavenly water. I took a deep breath and pulled my head under the golden surface. I felt a flood of energy rush over me as I sank beneath the amber water. There was such power in this place, I wasn't sure if I could contain it. I closed my eyes, but I felt my body radiate with light as divine power flowed through me. I struggled to contain it all, and finally caught it, my fur shivering with energy. I felt it meld into me, sinking into my veins. I pushed for the surface and emerged from the water, shining with a new celestial light that slowly faded to reveal the change that had been made. My markings had changed, my eye-markings had extended, the upper tips going farther up my forehead, and I had markings like flickering flames on my sides and neck. I had the power of the dragons within me, I could feel it coursing through my veins. I paddled back to shore, and stepped out, my body still buzzing and dripping with sacred water, but the feeling starting to fade. "Feel any different?" Hiraku asked, looking me over. "A bit." I replied, feeling a little breathless.
"I'm a little disappointed, I thought maybe you'd have horns when you emerged." He smiled. "I do feel like I could breathe fire." I said, looking myself over. "Too bad you can't fly to get us down this cliff." Hiraku noted disappointedly.
"Looks like we'll have to take the scenic route back." I grinned and he groaned. "Ok, but you're carrying me down this time."
"What're you talking about? I carried you up too. It's your turn to carry me!" I snorted. The poncle laughed, and I joined in. "Come on then, I'm curious to see what this ceremony entails." Hiraku hopped on my back, and I started climbing the stones back down the way we'd came.
(AN: I updated all the chapters, fixed some errors, and changed/added some things- mostly small but some bigger. ^^ Nothing that drastically impacts the story, but setting stuff up for later and also just because I thought of better ways to do things, haha. Also, I just checked the big plan, and there are 12 chapters left until the end of this arc! We're getting close now. Of course, there are two more major sections left after that, but they're relatively short compared to this one. (Kinda like the Orochi arc vs Ninetails and Kamui)
Hiraku's wrong btw, the ghost whale was a Bake kujira. :) )