Some important things to know about this story:
- It will move slow
- It will not offer instant gratification
- It is eventually ExB
- It is based on feudal Japan but is not historically accurate
- This is in 3rd person POV that alternates focus between B and E
- There is a gay Jacob

This will be posted in 'acts' - chapters will post weekly on Mondays with a hiatus between acts.

Special thanks to Fyrebyrd for the advice, and telling me my first banner sucked lol Mad respect for you banner-makers out there - that shit was rough.

A glossary of terms will be located at the bottom of each chapter where necessary. Some words may be used incorrectly.

Prologue –
Time to Say Farewell

With the city of Namani still in the depths of slumber, the shores of Kyokaido were pummeled by thunderous waves. Midnight blanketed the sky, slicing bands of rain tore through the heavy air and jagged lightning strikes cast everything into stark contrast. A silhouette rushed through the abandoned darkness, fingers fumbling to get a grip on the low, sheer rocky face that held up the royal palace.

They worked quickly and resolutely, their mind racing with images of schedules and pavilions. The cloaked invader scrambled up onto the grassy knoll in an offset tea garden as a glowing amber light flickered, then pierced, through the gloom. With a momentary panic, adrenaline narrowing their vision to a pinprick, they scrambled to crush their drenched body against the gritty shale wall.

As the lamplight bobbed away the invader peered into the sudden blackness before bolting forward, body pressed low to the ground. Quickly they ran, knees bent and eyes dancing through the moonless night, away from the tea garden and between the low shrubbery and perimeter wall. Their feet were bare, the muffled pattering beating along in time with the raging waves.

Every last second had to be planned, even the guards' shift in their nightly patrol schedule. The meticulous timing even came down to the emperor's final sip of tea and the banking of their lantern. The figure stopped breathing as they approached a second wall that intersected the main perimeter, creeping forward with wary steps. Right on cue, two guards emerged from a gateway to the right, their vulpine ears swiveling attentively.

The shadow of the invader was brought into stark relief when a lightning bolt tore across the sky. The Kitsune sentinels instantly pivoted, exposing their fanged teeth and brandishing menacing staves. The trespasser whirled, their heel digging into the sandy ground as their hands clawed and grabbed to lift their body over the low wall's porcelain shingles.

The invader started running like mad, trying to evade the approaching death that was breathing hot on their neck, dodging low-swooping maple branches as their feet shot jets of water into the air. They turned a corner and momentarily blocked their captors' line of sight. Taking advantage of the fleeting lull, the trespasser forcefully opened the nearest paper-clad door and proceeded inside, the thin wooden panel quivering as it shut.

The trespasser cautiously navigated the vacant space, nimbly crossing the elevated hearth in the middle, and making his way to a tokonoma, partially obscured by a fusuma decorated with soaring cranes. Almost afraid to breathe they folded their bodies silently into the area before tugging the fusuma shut where they waited, listening for the noises of the pursuing Kitsunes. The rapid pounding of their feet passing quickly by the intruder's hiding place was heard a moment later before it faded back into the driving rain and thunder.

The figure grunted their annoyance at being on the verge of captivity, though their determination strengthened under the adversity. It was fortunate that they had thoroughly examined the internal designs, since otherwise, the situation would appear to be quite difficult. As it was, though, the invader was aware of both their general position and the exact location of their quarry.

They paused for another long, several, moments before they dared to move again, easing out of the alcove and adjusting the scarf twined around their face, concealing the most crucial of details. They expanded their lungs, controlling the gradual release for another moment, and then they moved with deliberate certainty back out into the open corridor.

Above the sky still raged, bellowing shouts of thunder colliding against snapping streaks of lavender light and precipitation that scored the earth like blades. Their eyes sharply perused the scenery in the flashing discharges as they moved, inching through open doorways and covered gates.

Through the labyrinthine palace they inched and darted before, at last, their target was within their grasp. Their destination was the most remote pavilion, though most unusual it was not being watched by nary a soldier nor scout. Ego had driven away the guards on this eve, fattened on the false information leaked to the emperor's retainers, but soon they would learn their folly was their just desserts.

The intruder drew themselves under the dormer, pressing themselves flat into the wood paneled wall. With one hand wound behind their back, the other carefully clutched the doorframe, being careful not to produce any rattles from the trembling shoji. They drew a slender dagger from beneath their robes, and readied it in front of them, blade outward. Breathlessly, they crossed the entrance and inched closer to the emperor's resting place on the floor in the center of the room.

The intruder crouched, peeling their face covering down as they pressed the blade lightly into the throat of the Ammako Emperor. A dark chuckle gasped from their lips, euphoria burgeoning their soul.

"May Forkuzu be free again, my dear Emperor," they hissed as the knife drew across the pale flesh.

GLOSSARY –

Tokonoma – a recessed space in a Japanese-style reception room, used as a means for artistic appreciation

Fusuma – solid/opaque vertical rectangular panels which can slide; used to redefine spaces or act as a door

Shoji – a door, window or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, consisting of translucent (or transparent) sheets on a lattice frame; usually slide but can be hung or hinged

Ammako – another name for Amaterasu, goddess of the sun, and considered the chief deity (kami) of the Shinto pantheon; one of the Three Precious Children of the creator God Izanagi and sibling to Tsukuyomi (moon deity) and Susanoo (storm-God)