Author Note: This story contains content that some may find disheartening or hard to read, so I do not recommend this if you do not like especially tragic stuff. I'd also like to say I wrote this in a single sitting so if it feels a bit crap then that's why. Other than that, I hope you enjoy!
What does it mean to be good? Such is a question many ask themselves throughout their life. And even fewer try to walk down the path of righteousness, and even fewer succeed in this grueling task.
When one sets out on the path of true omnibenevolence, the world is now against you. It takes persistence, strength, and so much more to traverse this path. And even then, you aren't guaranteed what you wished and worked for. Such is the story of Byakuren Hijiri, the monk who stood against her time and unified man and youkai through faith, only to lose it all to what she once was.
It was supposed to be a calm summer night. The evening prayers had been completed, and a warm dinner had been shared in the temple before everyone had headed off. Outside the wooden walls of the Myouren Temple the occasional night sparrow could be heard, but outside of that, it was silence.
Byakuren had been wise to construct her temple in the woods, it made sure that peace reached the temple when time was for rest. However, in the otherwise quiet temple if one had a truly keen eye one could hear some chatter, right at the back on the patio, behind the temple, facing the graveyard. Who could be up at this time? Tomorrow was to be a busy, yet ordinary day.
Enjoying the night on the patio sat Nazrin, the junior disciple, already quite seasoned, having joined a few months back. Next to the mouse sat Murasa, one of the latest additions to Byakuren's long list of disciples. Formerly a ship-sinking youkai who struck fear into the hearts of even the most seasoned of sailors had now become a member of Byakuren's temple.
The two were chatting. "So when he turned around, there was now a bunch of mice behind him!" Nazrin recalled in excitement. "And?" Murasa replied, raising an eyebrow. The sailor did not find the simple presence of mice to be frightening in the slightest. "Well," the mouse thought back, as there had been multiple instances of similar pranks being performed in her youth. A wide smile grew on her face as she did. "He ran off! Screaming!" She exclaimed and began to laugh, her tail wiggling behind her back intensely as she did. "Really?" The sailor youkai was more confused than anything else. "And here I had been sinking ships to garner me fear!" She exclaimed, sounding comically frustrated as she let out a loud groan, realizing how easy it could have been. "Ya' meaning to tell me I coulda' just gathered few of me maties and scared folk by goin' behind em!?" Murasa, now shouting, exclaimed as she threw her hat off her head.
Nazrin by now had mostly calmed down, the timid mouse had been slightly caught off guard by the sailor's rapid shift in emotion. "Well... Yeah?" She said rather timidly, a radiant contrast to her earlier laughing outburst. Murasa eyed Nazrin and soon realized her mistake, having gotten far too heated once again. "Aye," The ship phantom collected herself and spoke up in a more calm tone of voice. "That truly smells of barnacles." The mouse shrugged, before speaking up again less timid now that the situation had calmed. "As Lady Byakuren says, humans can be fearful at times." She cited their shared teacher, before continuing shortly after. "That's why it's important for us to be gentle, and not go too far." Nazrin reasoned, clearly believing in Byakuren's teachings. Murasa only shrugged, still slightly skeptical of the monk's teachings as she took out her pipe, and lit it up. "Aye," she took a long puff of the tobacco within, soon exhaling a large smoke cloud as she changed the topic. "When did ye' say that Shou fella of yers' was gonna bring we the rum?" The phantom took another huff of smoke from the pipe as she eyed Nazrin. "She's bring sake, and I'm not sure..." The mouse responded, unsure herself how long it would take. Seeing the need to add on more to satisfy the bored phantom. "I don't know where she keeps her stash. All I know is that it's far, far, and even further away from Lady Byakuren!" She colorfully explained to Murasa, who had been listening and only offered a nod in response.
So they sat there, embracing the peace. Nazrin eyed the sky, while Murasa eyed the gravestones — herself being a phantom, they naturally struck her eye. It was probably gonna take a bit.
Some time passed, it was hard to tell how long, but Nazrin knew that Murasa had been smoking her pipe the entire time. Their peace had remained uninterrupted, or so they thought. Nazrin, with her sensitive ears, had heard something within the temple but presumed it to be simply someone from within the temple taking a walk, it wasn't far too common for especially those who had just moved into to be a bit restless during the night.
Yet, something felt off. The mouse couldn't exactly scratch what, but something made her uneasy, this had resulted in her, albeit unconsciously nudging towards Murasa for comfort. The two had been friends ever since Murasa came to the temple after all, so Nazrin did already feel quite close to the strange phantom. It was only after Nazrin touched Murasa directly that the sailor noticed, but decided not to do anything about it — maybe having someone close wasn't too bad after all.
Just as Nazrin was about to rest her head on Murasa's shoulder, a scream echoed down the temple's corridors. The mouse immediately bounced up, her tail tensed, Murasa turned her head around as she eyed the corridors behind them. "What thee hell was that? Did ye' hear that scream?" The sailor questioned, looking at Nazrin and then at the wooden corridors behind them. The mouse was now shaking, nodding as she muttered, her tone uncertain. "I- I- I'm not sure!" The sailor then stood up, putting away her pipe as she did. "Well, lassie. We shall go investigate, aye?" She said, her confidence beaming through. The mouse only gave a nod, her tail between her legs as she fidgeted with her hands. So they started walking down the corridors, looking for answers...
Nazrin could hear faint footsteps growing louder and louder as the two walked deeper and deeper into the temple. It sounded like a lot of people were inside the temple, and it confused her. Soon enough, they turned a corner and were met with... Ichirin? Who was in a fetal position, leaning against the wall. She was shaking and was quietly crying to herself. Murasa took the initiative and crouched down, speaking up. "Aye! Ichirin. What's yer problem?" The girl had not noticed them, but as soon as Murasa spoke up, Unzan appeared and gave an uppercut that sent the ship-sinking phantom flying towards the roof.
"Please! Don't hurt me!" Kumoi shouted, clearly frightened. The mouse looked at this shocked, as she spoke up soon after having watched Murasa get knocked into the attic through the thin roof. "Hey! Hey! It's us! Nazrin and Murasa! What's the matter!" She tried her best to reaffirm, keeping her distance, eyeing Unzan who seemed equally confused as her. As soon as she heard Nazrin's voice she felt herself ease up but was still sobbing quietly, not able to bring herself to speak up. The mouse crouched down, patting on Ichirin's back to comfort the girl. "There, there. You're fine. No one is going to hurt you." She reaffirmed, Ichirin finally lifting her face as she sobbed. "Th-they killed everyone!" Those words shook Nazrin, but her optimism guarded her from being struck down yet, even if she was still a bit shaky herself. "What do you mean? Whose they?" She questioned, clearly confused by what Kumoi meant.
"M-men in ar-armor," the sobbing continued and continued until she finally brought herself to continue after a solid moment. "It's not safe! We need to leave!" By now Murasa had floated back down through the roof, naturally a bit pissed. But upon seeing the scene she didn't dare intrude, only giving a glare at Unzan and staring at the floor. The mouse was still not sure what Ichirin meant until she heard a man shouting in Japanese from the corridors ahead. "We got them all! We have the heretic, sweep the place, and then burn it all!" She felt her heart drop, as she finally put it all together. Lady Byakuren had told them about this a few days ago but had been purposefully vague. Gathering her strength, she stood up, helping Ichirin to stand as well.
"We need to leave!" Murasa looked at Nazrin confused, only to suddenly see a man in armor, holding a katana rush around the corner, the mouse screaming in terror as the phantom pushed her to the side, summoning her anchor as she threw it at the man, hitting him in the chest. Crushing his chest, and sending him flying into the wall which he crashed right through. As this happened, more shouting could be heard as footsteps rapidly approached the trio. Left with no choice, Murasa picked up Nazrin and Ichirin and began running in the direction they came from.
As they ran, it became evident they were being pursued but eventually the footsteps behind them stopped. As they got outside, Shou was finally there, and already clearly a bit drunk, entirely unaware. "Ay! Ship-lady! What's with the rush? Almost caught by Lady Byakuren?" This didn't sit well with Murasa who put the two down and slapped Shou. "Yee' serious?! We's almost got killed in there, matie!" Toramura looked confused but soon spotted smoke in the corridors, her face paling in shock. "What happened?!" She shouted in confusion, "We have to go put it out! Maybe we still have time!" Murasa interjected, interrupting Shou. "Ya' crazy! There are soldiers inside! They harbor armor! The temple be under attack..." The phantom did her best to explain the situation, having the expected reaction from Shou. Who looked at Murasa shocked and confused. "W-what? Under attack?" She finally looked around, noticing the whimpering girl and Nazrin, who was blankly staring into the woods.
It took a bit for her intoxicated mind to understand the situation, but she soon realized what had happened. Shou couldn't believe it. Byakuren's warnings had been true. "Where is Lady Byakuren?!" The tiger shouted, sounding panicked. Murasa shrugged, unsure what had happened to the monk. Nazrin and Ichirin were unresponsive. Growing restless, she simply shouted and ran off into the temple. "Stay here!" Murasa felt obligated to oblige, and the mouse was still zoned out. Ichirin, too.
As Shou ran into the temple, it became soon evident that the smoke came from deep in the temple. Thank Bishamonten she was a youkai, as otherwise, she would be dead by now. It didn't take her too long to reach Byakuren's quarters, the door open and bed empty. She grits her teeth and turns around looking down the corridor, the smoke ahead seeming thicker and thicker. Against her better judgment, she runs deeper into the temple.
As she does, the smoke becomes thicker and thicker, her super-human eyesight being the only thing that allows her to see even slightly. Until she stops. There's blood on the floor, which she failed to smell because of her sense of smell being masked by the smoke. The pool of blood becomes larger and larger as she steps further and further until she reaches the shared sleeping quarters, intended for the disciples. The smoke by now beginning to hinder her eyesight, she takes out her lantern and lights it up only to see... Bodies. So many bodies and so much blood... Shou falls to her knees. It was a massacre. By now, the smoke had begun to affect her, and she was starting to feel light-headed and her breathing had become rough.
She felt like staying there but knew she had to get up and fight on. So she did, quickly standing up and running back the way she came from. Making a slight detour in Byakuren's private quarters to save a few of her most important sutras. This was the beginning of the end, or so Shou felt. What mattered most now was saving Byakuren. The avatar eventually made her way out of the temple, nearly collapsing as she came out. Eventually, after a moment of catching her breath, she explained what she had seen, and what they must do. It became clear to all of them. Byakuren must be saved.
Byakuren was being carried through the woods, tied up to a stake. The monk had witnessed it all, her heart shattered and broken. She had nothing to say. Pleading was useless with these men.
The people carrying her were chatting but eventually stopped as the man ahead ordered them to stop. "This is the spot. Put the stake in the hay!" The men obliged, soon setting it down in the hay, the area they were in being a small clearing in the forest.
Byakuren was fast in prayer, her eyes closed. She was trying to find peace in this moment, even if it felt impossible. Some of the men laughed at her for this. Eventually, the man in command spoke up, reading from a scroll, causing everyone else to fall silent.
"Byakuren Hijiri, the demon in disguise. You are thus sentenced to death first by exorcism of the demon within by religious fire, and secondly by beheading! How do you plead!" There was no answer from Byakuren, who was only murmuring prayers to herself.
"Very well then. The honor is yours, Shrine Maiden." A girl dressed in a typical Shrine Maiden outfit, wearing a mask stepped up. She soon after set fire to the hay, and began doing a religious ritual to exorcise Byakuren.
The small group of men cheered as the resident Miko did her job. Byakuren now catching fire, her clothes being enveloped in fire and her hair soon after. The pain was greater than she had ever felt, and she was now letting out low groans in pain — but still, she was ironclad in her prayer.
The ritual being performed by the Shrine Maiden was having its effect, beginning to purge Byakuren's magic. "I forgive you, my child. You know not what you do." The monk spoke up abruptly, addressing the young Miko, who gave no response and only continued her duty.
Eventually, after what felt like hours to Byakuren, the exorcism was complete. The monk was charred, her clothes burnt to her skin and she was barely alive... Her magic had saved her, but also her faith. The stake to which she had been tied had burnt as well, meaning she was now lying motionless on the ground, barely breathing in an extremely pained manner.
The Shrine Maiden looked down at Byakuren, her emotions hidden by the mask. "It is done." The Miko said, "Now please pay, for my shrine needs funds." She added, her voice slightly shaky after having committed such an atrocity to what she only knew to be an innocent woman.
"Here. As promised, 10 monme of rice." The man handed a bag filled with rice to the young Miko who only eyed at it blankly. "... Are you going to take it or not?" The man asked, prompting the shrine maiden to take it. She walked off, not saying a further word. By the time she was far enough away, she started sobbing to herself. Just what had she done?
After some time passed, and Byakuren's body had cooled down, the men picked her up once again and carried the charred, dying, and fragile body of Byakuren to the village. By now, it was early morning. The final part of the monk's punishment was about to commence as soon as they got into town.
Hjiri was barely holding onto her consciousness, no longer able to speak, the only thing in her mind was her prayer... It hurt to think about anything else. So she repeated it to herself, feeling her consciousness part away with every passing second, she had stopped feeling pain once her skin had burnt.
When they got into the village, Byakuren was effectively already dead. In the town square, the men who were hired by the head Shinto priest of the village as mercenaries put Byakuren up on the chopping block. A small crowd had formed.
The man in charge read Byakuren's charges, which mostly painted her as a heretic of the Buddhist faith, a woman who was possessed and corrupted by a demon, and many other false charges against her. Eventually, he finished. Claiming, that Byakuren was to be sentenced to death, as the demon in her had already been exorcised.
Soon, 4 others joined the crowd. Shou, Nazrin, Murasa, and Ichirin arrived, far too late. They saw their teacher, mentor, and what Nazrin considered to be her mother, on the chopping block, and by the time they saw that it was already over with.
Byakuren's head was chopped off. And raised into the air by the executioner, for the crowd to see. It was the end.
Shou couldn't believe it, and couldn't contain her anger. She was about to attack the crowd but was held back by Unzan, which attracted the attention of the crowd, causing it to break out into panic. Nazrin had collapsed, unable to cope with the reality of what had just happened and Ichirin had no more tears to give.
In the chaos of the panic that ensued upon youkai being in the village, they fled. They were pursued but managed to get away. From that day forth, they swore that they would save Byakuren by any means necessary. As without Byakuren, they were nothing.