Yagi crouched atop the partially constructed tenshu of Edo Castle, his silhouette blending seamlessly with the night. The moonlight danced off the wooden beams and scaffolding, casting shifting shadows over the towering structure. Below, the castle grounds bustled with activity despite the late hour—carpenters and laborers moved like ants, oblivious to the silent figure perched high above.
The cool night breeze whispered across Yagi's face, but it did little to soothe the raw sting in his left hand. His fingers tightened into a fist, the fresh burn mark on his ring finger throbbing with each pulse of his heartbeat. The memory of the branding ceremony earlier that day was still vivid in his mind—the searing pain, the smell of charred flesh, and the gravity of the commitment he had made.
He released his grip, staring at the mark for a moment. It was not just a wound; it was a symbol, a permanent reminder of the creed he had sworn to uphold. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, though it was devoid of mirth. "Nothing is true," he murmured under his breath, the words carrying a weight he hadn't fully grasped until now.
"Still adjusting to your new role, I see," came a voice—soft, feminine, yet resonant with authority.
Yagi rose from his crouch and turned to face the source of the voice. There, standing at the edge of the beam with the effortless balance of a predator, was a figure clad in resplendent yellow lamellar armor. Her hair, tied into symmetrical buns resembling the helmets of ancient warriors, shone under the pale moonlight. Around her neck hung a miniature haniwa, and in her hands, she carried a long, sculpted clay lance.'
"Mayumi Joutouguu," Yagi said, recognizing the leader of the Haniwa Army Corps. "I thought I was alone."
She smirked, her voice almost teasing, yet tinged with something far deeper. "You are never truly alone, not with the world watching. And certainly not with the spirits." She tilted her head slightly, her posture relaxed but alert, as though she were a sentinel, always poised for battle.
"I was sent by Keiki to watch over you," she continued, her gaze unwavering. "To make sure you do not stray too far from the path. After all, you're not the only one bound by promises. Keiki is ever watchful, and her soldiers are no strangers to keeping their eyes on the living, the dead, and all who walk between."
Yagi's expression remained unreadable, though the weight of her words was not lost on him. Keiki, the creator of the Haniwa Army Corps, had always been a figure shrouded in mystery—her intentions a puzzle that even Yagi found difficult to piece together. But to have one of her trusted subordinates—one as formidable as Mayumi—assigned to him, that spoke of something far more significant.
His eyes narrowed, a flicker of suspicion passing through them. He studied Mayumi closely, sensing there was more to her presence here than mere observation. "This... has something to do with the animal spirits, doesn't it?" Yagi asked, his voice low, carrying the weight of unspoken knowledge.
Mayumi's gaze shifted subtly, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then, she smiled—slightly, but it was enough to send a chill through him. "You're perceptive," she said, her voice soft, yet carrying an undertone of something deeper. "Yes, it has everything to do with them. The animal spirits are not to be underestimated, and neither is the role you'll play in what's unfolding."
Yagi's mind snapped back to the chaotic memory of the Battle of Sekigahara five years ago. Of course, it had to be them, he thought bitterly. And I had to be the one who ran into one of them.
The images of that day flooded his mind—blood and mud, the stench of smoke and death. Amidst the battle, amidst the carnage, there had been her. The primal force that tore through the battlefield with terrifying ease. He had seen it with his own eyes: Saki, the matriarch of the wolf spirits, her power overwhelming and relentless. Her wolves had shredded through the ranks, her presence alone freezing the air around her.
Yagi clenched his fist around the memory. She wasn't human. She was something more. Something unstoppable.
His thoughts snapped back to Mayumi, whose calm demeanor contrasted sharply with the storm brewing inside him. She was watching him closely, sensing his thoughts, or perhaps, anticipating them.
"Keiki sent you to watch me," Yagi muttered, the pieces falling into place. "To keep an eye on me… because of them."
Mayumi's eyes flashed, her expression tightening for a brief moment before she responded with a calm but piercing gaze. "It's not just that," she said, her tone unwavering. "The animal spirits are still at large, and they're not waiting for the Tokugawa to secure their rule. The human factions, the balance of power—none of it matters to them. Not anymore."
Yagi stiffened, feeling the weight of her words settle over him. "What do you mean?"
"The Tokugawa may seem like the force of stability right now, but their rule is still fragile," Mayumi continued, her voice steady but carrying the hint of an underlying storm. "The Toyotomi—though scattered—are still a threat to their power. That much is clear. But the animal spirits, they are a different kind of enemy. A far more dangerous one."
Yagi's brow furrowed. "You're saying they're using the chaos between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi to their advantage?"
"Exactly," she replied. "The animal spirits are not bound by the politics of men. They don't care for the struggles of power between clans or the shifting tides of history. What they care about is their rule—the law of the strong over the weak. The Tokugawa might be stable for now, but the world is on the brink of being plunged back into chaos, and the animal spirits are waiting for the perfect moment to impose their dominance once again."
Yagi's mind raced, piecing together the tangled web of information. He thought back to the rumors surrounding Toyotomi Hideyori, the young heir of the Toyotomi clan. The boy had been dismissed by many as weak, naive—a mere puppet in the game of politics. The Tokugawa's rivals, scattered though they were, were no match for the strength of Ieyasu's forces, or so the majority believed. But something about Hideyori's absence from Osaka, the stories that painted him as a useless leader, didn't sit right with Yagi.
Could it really be true? Yagi thought, recalling how the young heir had planned a meeting with Ieyasu at Nijō Castle. What was really going on behind closed doors? Had Hideyori been merely a pawn in the grand game of war, or was there more to his involvement than anyone realized?
Mayumi noticed his distant expression, and her voice cut through his thoughts. "You're thinking about the Toyotomi, aren't you? Hideyori, specifically."
Yagi glanced at her sharply. "How did you—"
Mayumi's gaze softened just a fraction, her eyes unreadable but sharp. "Keiki has not been idle," she said calmly, her voice steady as she continued. "We've been keeping tabs on everything. The animal spirits are not only lurking in the shadows—they've thrown their full weight behind the Toyotomi. They're whispering poison in Hideyori's ear, manipulating him from the sidelines."
Yagi's stomach tightened at the mention of the animal spirits. They were already a force to be reckoned with, but if they were actively backing the Toyotomi clan, things were far worse than he had anticipated.
"And that's not all," Mayumi added, her tone hardening. "The Templars are also backing the Toyotomi. They're looking for leverage, hoping to exploit the chaos for their own gain. With the animal spirits at Hideyori's side, they've found the perfect opportunity to sow discord. The Templars' motives are far more insidious than mere power—they want to reshape Japan to their own design."
Yagi's mind raced as the weight of this revelation settled over him. The Tokugawa's control over Japan was fragile, and the shadow of the Toyotomi, aided by the animal spirits and the Templars, was a threat to everything they had fought to build. It was no longer just about clan rivalries; it was about forces much older, much darker, conspiring to remake the country in their image.
"So, this isn't just about a battle for control of the shogunate," Yagi said, his voice low. "It's about something far bigger. If the Toyotomi, with the animal spirits and the Templars backing them, manage to take power… Japan could be torn apart, swallowed whole by chaos."
Mayumi nodded, her expression grim. "Exactly. The animal spirits seek to impose their rule, the Templars their control. And Hideyori, though young, is at the center of it all. The boy might not know the full extent of what's happening, but there are those pulling his strings, whispering promises of power. The longer they have his ear, the harder it will be to stop them."
Yagi clenched his jaw, a deep sense of urgency beginning to settle in his chest. "Then we need to act quickly. We can't let the animal spirits and the Templars manipulate the situation any further."
Mayumi's eyes flickered with something like approval. "You're right. The time to act is now. We can't afford to wait for the Toyotomi to make their move. The balance is teetering, and if we don't tip the scales in our favor soon, the consequences will be catastrophic."
Yagi's mind whirred with the possibilities. A confrontation was inevitable—if not against the Toyotomi, then against the forces backing them. He had always known that he was caught in a larger struggle, but now it felt like the very world itself was teetering on the edge of something irreversible.
Yagi's mind whirred with the possibilities. A confrontation was inevitable—if not against the Toyotomi, then against the forces backing them. He had always known that he was caught in a larger struggle, but now it felt like the very world itself was teetering on the edge of something irreversible.
"Hideyori intends to meet Ieyasu at Nijō Castle in two weeks," Yagi said, his tone grave. "If this alliance is as dangerous as you say, that meeting could be the perfect opportunity for them to make a move. Will you and Keiki be there as well?"
Mayumi's expression shifted, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips. "Keiki has already foreseen the importance of this meeting," she replied. "She's been preparing. Rest assured, her presence at Nijō Castle is inevitable."
Yagi nodded, though the thought of Keiki—a god with the ability to create entire armies of animate idols—looming over the proceedings gave him an uneasy feeling. "Keiki's not one to sit idly by," he murmured. "But her intervention is rarely simple. What exactly does she plan to do?"
Mayumi's gaze grew distant, as though weighing how much to reveal. "Keiki is not just attending as a bystander. She understands the threat the animal spirits pose, and she knows the Templars are likely to manipulate the meeting to their advantage. She'll act as a counterbalance, but her methods… well, you already know how direct she can be."
Yagi suppressed a shiver, recalling the stories of Keiki's decisive and often overwhelming actions. "If the animal spirits are behind Hideyori, they won't let him walk into that meeting unprepared," he said. "Do you believe they'll make their move there?"
Mayumi's eyes narrowed. "Possibly. The Toyotomi heir may not be as 'useless' as some claim, but he's young, impressionable. The animal spirits and the Templars are likely filling his head with ideas of destiny and power. It's not the boy we should fear—it's the ones whispering in his ear."
Yagi clenched his fists. The stakes had become clearer, and they were far greater than a simple power struggle. If the Templars and the animal spirits intended to exploit this meeting, they might push the nation into chaos again. And Keiki, for all her intentions to stabilize humanity, had her own way of shaping events that didn't always align with mortal understanding.
"Then we have no choice," Yagi said. "We'll need to be ready for anything. If Hideyori is being manipulated, and the Templars and animal spirits are involved, we can't afford to let this meeting go unchecked."
Mayumi inclined her head, her voice resolute. "Agreed. But tread carefully, Yagi Toshimichi. Keiki will be watching everyone, including you. She values loyalty and strength above all else. Don't give her a reason to doubt you."
Yagi met her gaze, his resolve hardening. "I don't intend to."
Yagi clenched his fists, the burn of the Assassin's mark on his finger grounding him. The stakes were higher than ever, and the path ahead was fraught with danger. But if this was the battle he was destined to fight, then he would face it head-on. For Japan, for the Brotherhood, and for the fragile peace they had all bled to build.