Author's Corner

They've finally arrived at Namida! (It only took them like a hundred chapters lol.)

The title of this chapter is kind of a sneaky nod to the Hidden Land from the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers games (which are still as brilliant and heart-wrenching as when they first came out so you should definitely play them if you haven't already). I always loved the music of that dungeon and the mystery of travelling through the Sea of Time to reach a mystical floating island, which Namida might be slightly inspired by... What? Don't judge me. It's not like I cried at the end or anything! ;_;

EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 26: The hidden land

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Once upon a time, a boy and a girl possessed the power to rearrange the stars.

The pair were born inside a sandcastle on the skin of a distant world. Their parents were fearful of their powers, so they searched for a way to make their children ordinary. They learned of a ritual that would remove their children's abilities, however, when they spoke the incantation, a mysterious crack appeared in the air before them.

A monster emerged from the crack and captured the boy, but left the girl and her parents unharmed. They never saw him again.

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Octavia couldn't believe her eyes. The island was unlike anything she'd ever seen. Snow coated the ground, but it wasn't cold, and the ice crystals blanketing the trees had a slightly purple tint to them. When she touched them, they felt hot against her fingers; not scalding, but pleasantly so.

She and Sesshoumaru followed the half-buried trail through the forest. A couple of dragonflies chased each other all the way to a small pond, where they skated along the icy surface. The sunlight bounced off their wings and created rainbows, which attracted butterflies. Mistaking them for flowers, the butterflies chased the multicoloured lights, only to be caught by the dragonflies. Octavia watched as one dragonfly snapped the wings of the butterfly it was holding before taking a large bite out of its head. She shivered as it locked eyes with her from across the pond.

It wasn't the only creature that took note of her presence. A colony of rabbits crawled out of their burrow and studied her from afar. Their white fur camouflaged with the snow, and their eyes were as black as coal. A herd of cranes tailed after them on foot, whilst an owl fluttered from branch to branch, regarding her with huge yellow eyes. She shifted closer to Sesshoumaru as a troop of macaques tried their luck on the path beside them. One sharp look from the Daiyoukai was enough to stop them from getting too close.

"What are they doing?" she whispered hastily.

"They appear to be following you."

"It's really creeping me out."

"Shall I dispose of them?"

She stole a glimpse at the owl and bit her lip. ". . . No. They're probably just curious."

They climbed up a slope and found themselves standing in front of a steep drop. The abyss glittered as jets of water poured over the edges and filled it. Chunks of purple crystal jutted out of the water at the bottom, creating mini islands. The sound of rushing water flooded Octavia's ears and made it harder for her to hear herself speak. "Whoa. Those are some pretty big tears."

"Not what I envisioned when I heard 'city', though," remarked Sesshoumaru.

Octavia looked beyond the falls and spotted a cluster of ice pillars that were larger than the ones they'd seen so far. Like the crystals, they were lilac in colour and glimmered in the sunlight. She counted five towers in total, and each one was tall enough to touch the clouds.

"What about that?" she asked, gesturing to the towers.

Before he could answer, a scream cut through the immediate vicinity.

A child was dangling from the cliff on the other side of the falls. There were two great torrents of water on either side of him, so the rock he was clinging to was wet and slippery. A group of kids were gathered in a huddle several metres above him, frozen with fear.

Sesshoumaru hooked an arm around Octavia's waist and cleared the abyss with a single leap. The kids trembled harder as he landed behind them gracefully and set Octavia down. She raced towards the edge and met the boy's frightened gaze. He was going to fall. Any second now, his strength would run out and he'd let go. They couldn't afford to waste time.

"Sesshoumaru!" she cried over her shoulder. "Get down there and help him!"

"I cannot."

She stiffened but kept her eyes on the boy. "What do you mean?"

"Flight is impossible without my youki."

"You literally just flew us across the falls!"

"That was a jump. There's a difference."

"But you managed to use your whip that one time! And the Bakusaiga worked fine in Ebisu! Maybe you're just not trying hard enough!"

She saw his jaw tighten.

The boy wailed louder, stopping her from saying more. Octavia redirected her gaze to the group of kids beside her. She was surprised to see that they were all hanyou. She'd never seen so many in one place before; in fact, she'd been under the impression that they were quite rare.

"Can any of you fly?" she asked them.

They shook their heads.

"Then why are you all just standing there?"

They didn't seem to understand the question.

"Is there anyone else on this island?"

They nodded.

"So go get help!"

"We were afraid to leave him," one of them mumbled softly.

"You don't all have to go. Which one of you is the fastest?"

"Probably me or Toki," answered another.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

They all muttered amongst themselves anxiously. Sesshoumaru shot them a piercing stare, which silenced them, and said quietly but firmly, "You heard her. Start running."

They didn't need to be told twice.

Octavia turned away from Sesshoumaru so that he wouldn't see the warmth in her eyes. She planted her hands on the edge and leaned over to look down at the boy, whose paws were trembling as they held on to the rock desperately.

"What's his name?" she asked the remaining children.

"It's Haru," they told her.

"Hey!" she shouted, capturing the boy's attention. "Look at me. You're gonna be okay. I know you're scared, but just hold on for a little bit longer. We won't let anything happen to you."

"I c-can't feel my arms," he whimpered.

"Don't think about that. Just keep looking at me."

"His grip is slipping," Sesshoumaru whispered.

"Don't say that!" she hissed.

"When his companions return, it will be too late."

Octavia's eyes blurred with tears. He was right, of course. They couldn't wait. She had to do something. But what? Even if she did have access to her magic, it would be useless here. The cliff was too steep. And unstable. One wrong move and the entire thing could come crashing down.

There had to be something she could do. She didn't have any rope, but maybe she could find a substitute.

She unfastened the Sword of the Firebird from her obi and lowered it with the hilt facing downwards. Haru trembled harder as Octavia gripped the scabbard with both hands. He reached for it weakly, but the moment his paw made contact with the hilt, the rock he was holding onto gave way, sending him plummeting into the abyss.

Ignoring Sesshoumaru's protests, Octavia threw the sword over her shoulder and leapt from the edge in pursuit of Haru. The boy screamed and scrunched his eyes shut, whereas Octavia couldn't bring herself to close hers. She flailed madly as she fell, trying to reach him before he hit the water, but the wind wasn't on her side. It wouldn't be long now. Soon, they'd both be dead — either from the fall or by drowning. At least it would be a noble death. For her, anyway.

She only wished she could at least save Haru.

Her eyes watered as her back hit something solid. Blinking them clear, she was shocked to see Haru at her side atop a giant crystal pillar. It had emerged from the water like a sea monster and was still rising, carrying them both on its back. Octavia quickly wrapped her arms around Haru and pulled him into her chest. The crystal made a loud rumbling sound as it reached the end of its ascent, before emitting a mysterious purple light that enveloped the nearby falls. Bewildered, Haru pulled back to look at her and gasped when he saw that her eyes were also glowing.

"Sutākuīn . . ." he murmured, spellbound.

Before she could ask him what he meant, a blue-haired woman joined them on the pillar.

Her grey eyes landed on Octavia and narrowed dangerously. She had an oval face and tall, pointed ears that resembled fins. She also had pink, gill-shaped tattoos on both sides of her neck, and her hands were slightly webbed. Her fingernails, on the other hand, were curved and sharp, like the talons of a bird. Her long hair curled in the breeze, reminding Octavia of ocean waves, and when she spoke, her voice was calm and melodious.

"Finally," she said. "You sure know how to keep a girl waiting."

Octavia stared at her blankly.

"Nagi-san!" shrieked Haru. He wriggled out of Octavia's arms and practically launched himself at the strange woman. "You came," he sniffed. "I was so scared . . ."

The woman's eyes softened as she stroked his hair. "Shh. You're all right now, Haru-chan."

Octavia's throat felt tight. The light from the crystal had dimmed considerably since the woman's appearance, but it was still there – albeit very faint – and her eyes had yet to return to normal.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to sound assertive. "But what just happened? Who are you?"

"I live here," she answered curtly. "Who are you? You're the first outsiders we've seen in decades. You don't look like sailors. How did you even find this place?"

"My name's Octavia. That's Sesshoumaru. We came here to—"

She cut herself off. The incident with Lady Chiyo had taught her that the shadows were capable of possession, meaning they could be anyone.

"You came here to what?" the woman asked, arching an eyebrow.

Octavia kept her mouth shut.

The woman looked her up and down. "The crystals only move in the presence of a star mage," she explained. "Judging by the size of this pillar, you must be pretty powerful. But I can't feel anything. I can't seem to feel your friend's youki, either. Why is that?"

"Maybe they're ghosts!" shouted a voice from the cliff's edge.

Octavia's gaze shifted to a man in plain clothes, who was panting heavily.

The woman's brow creased, and she crossed her arms. "What are you doing here, Taro?" she snapped. "Please tell me you didn't leave the class unattended. And what was that about ghosts?"

"Of course I didn't, dear. Ichika-san offered to cover for me. As for the ghost part . . . Who's to say the pair of 'em didn't die at sea?"

"They smell alive to me."

"They're not ghosts!" insisted Haru. "The star mage saved me. It was just like it was in the legend. I think she might be the one you—"

The woman intervened before he could finish. "Let's put a pin in that, shall we, Haru-chan? We have more important matters to attend to first. Besides, these people are our guests. Let's show them a little hospitality before boring them with our stories."

He smiled and nodded enthusiastically. His round, fuzzy ears twitched in unison with his nose, which was black and shiny, like a gemstone. He waved at his friends from across the gap. Some of them were sobbing. Sesshoumaru made no attempt to comfort them.

Octavia's eyes flitted between him and the blue-haired woman. The physical similarities caught her off guard. Whoever this woman was, she was clearly no hanyou.

"I'm Nagisa, by the way," she said. "The man over there is my husband."

"And I'm Haru!" the boy introduced himself with a bow. "I've never met a star mage before."

"What's a star mage?" asked Octavia.

"You, obviously!"

Can't argue with that.

"Truth be told, we've been expecting you," confessed Nagisa. "The Lord of the Western Lands, not so much. I thought he hated humans."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly.

Octavia's did the same. "You know who he is?"

"The name Sesshoumaru isn't exactly common," Nagisa combatted with a chuckle. "Not like yours. I know at least half a dozen Okteviahs. Okteviah is the name of one of our goddesses, you see."

Octavia's heart missed a beat. She'd heard that name before.

"Can we take them to see the city?" Haru asked eagerly.

Nagisa smiled. "I think that's a grand idea, little one."

He clapped his paws together in excitement as Nagisa offered Octavia her hand. "Let's get off this thing before it collapses, eh?" she said with a grin.

Octavia was hesitant to take her hand.

Nagisa's gaze turned gentle. "Don't be afraid."

"I'm not."

Sliding her hand into Nagisa's, Octavia took a deep breath and felt her body being slowly lifted into the air.

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