Chapter 4 Plans

I

Magic Water slowly drips down in the void, emptiness, darkness, coldness. Darkness. Light. Darkness. From it appeared a lion, tall, strong, on his back legs, mane dancing, mouth shut. An eye-less gaze looks in the distance, into emptiness.

From a different corner of the void, a snake eye appeared. After the eye the head appeared and after it the whole body. Bright green scale shine with an eerie glow. Mouth opened wide, fangs showing, it hissed. The lion remains the same, cold and emotionless. The snake moved. The lion stood.

In the void, the lion transformed. Where the lion stood a few seconds ago, in all of his glory, the God Curaim- the God of Death stretched out his arm.

The snake hissed.

“How long is this going to last,” she demanded.

“Until the end of time,” Curaim replied. “There is no use, I will defeat you again.”

“Fool, our battle is eternal.”

“Yes, the battle since time in memorial.”

 The fierce battle starts. The large serpent coils its large around Curaim. The God with all his strength tries to free himself. There is no use. The snake is stronger this time. Sharpe fangs pierce his skin. At that very moment, it looked like the snake finally defeated the God of Death, something happened that even the snake didn’t plan. Curaim’s face extended, a mouth opened wide with long spikes of teeth raced towards her neck. Sharpe fangs tare all the way to the bone.

There was no other option the snake must flee.

“This time you have the upper hand, but there will be more battles.”

And with that the snake left.

“I know, for the sun to be born again each day, our battle continues and always will, unless I find a way for the day or the night to last for a millennium or two. I would be a fine time to take a rest.”

Near him a beacon was lit. Long ago did he saw that beacon.

“He has return, the strings are placed. Maybe there is a way?”

The void split opened and the God of Death was no more. He traveled through time and space, through dimensions and worlds, universes, galaxies. Everything seemed so little to him.

A man named Kazuma, or Sir Kazuma, as he was known, stood at the edge of the forest. Tall oak trees made a perfect shade. He entered. Rows and rows of cobwebs blocked paths that he wanted to explore. Many years ago, when he was a lot younger he was know by a different name, a name that made people shiver. But that was the pass now, he hoped it was long forgotten to endless sands of time. He tried to live in the present and hope for a better future, there was a doubt that even if he took a neutral stand against the situation in the country, he paths would like meet with one of

court generals or leaders of bandits or rebels or who ever traveled this roads. There was no doubt, the paths always meet, so he went through the forest to avoid one of the those paths.

In front of him a large door opened and, naturally, the God of Death appeared.

“How?” Kazuma asked.

“Beacons,” the God of Death replied coldly. “There is chance that you can be helpful for a change or maybe even wash away the filth of you pass deeds. The choice is yours.”

“And if I choose, what then, where will I go?”

“First you will go to Suchow and listen what Shin Ying has to say and after that to Chingrin to find the old man Zastvil. You’re wait there and after you finished you goal there, you will take a boat north to the nearest station and wait there.”

“The nearest station from Chingrin is a thousand miles and I’m to wait there?”

“Yes. There will be others that come?”

“When will I know what to do?”

“I will be reveled. Now choose…”

There among the oaks he made his choice.   

  

II

Minamoto Yoritomo stood up, looked at the half-lit room. His eager gaze was set on one goal, to remove the ruling family and place another, preferable his, but the other warlords don’t need to know.

Dawn Isa, he thought, damn that man, he’s always in the way, always playing the brave fool that ruins everything. If only there is a way to remove him from the grand scheme of things, my job would be a lot easier. My part is to set fire that will kindle and grow into the rebellion as it was planned by my father and his father. Too long have they ruled, the weak Nakatomi family. It’s time to change things for better under our just rule. The others don’t need to know, the Emperor doesn’t need to know, Prince Yamoto doesn’t need to know, nobody doesn’t need to know. Soon, they will appear the great lords. Soon, this farce of a meeting will start. 

Lord Yoshi Asakura, tall, old man with a face that saw everything, appeared from the corner.

“I don’t expect to see you so soon,” even in this situation he still held to his pride.

“I was near,” Yoritomo replied all the same.

“You think that this will work?”

“Nobody is sure about that.”

Fool, Yoritomo thought, I know that this won’t work the way I wait it to work. But I must try. You don’t know the satisfaction it will bring me to see you executed, you and the rest of this lot. “It all depends on our plan.”

The great lords of the East appeared.

III

Night slowly falls on the Fujiwara hold, but Fujiwara Fuhito, the current head of the main branch, is restless. Bandits appeared in his hold- the same as in any other hold on this side of river Shin. High stone walls of hold are reassuring fact that a siege would be futile, but the villagers weren’t that lucky. He needs a way to defeat the bandits and fast. There is only one thing left to do, to hunt them down.

IV

Midwinter Town appeared over the horizon. Majestic tower touched the skies. Build in the side of the mountain, it was much easier to defend than a regular fortress, but still it need to be defended.

Prince Yamato looked at the group that entered through the main gate. A group of stout lads, he wondered how many of them would die until this all was over. For the chances that there will be no deaths is equal to zero. And he knows this deep down.

Sun Zhao, second-in-command, appeared from one of the buildings. “Spies, we have found spies.”

“I know,” Yamato replied.

“What shall we do?” he placed his left arm on the decorated sword guard.

“ The same,” was the reply.