Shuto Castle, Kingdom of Shobu

Present: Late Spring, 1472

A single oil lamp flickered in Grand Sorcerer Bai Xie An’s study, throwing the softest glow on his handsome features.

“Will you go to your rest now, my Lord?” asked the maid hopefully. Smothering a yawn, she put down a lantern for him. Snuffing out the lamp on his desk caused the smoke to curl around him mysteriously as he stood up to his full height.

Mayu felt that her master looked particularly handsome today. Contrary to the current etiquette, he wore his hair long and tied by only a single ribbon. The simple style made him look both scholarly and so elegantly disheveled that it caused hearts to flutter. Seemingly removed from the affairs of court, he was always designing machines and traps in his study or playing with the flock of little white birds that he kept. Half the men and women of the castle were secretly in love with him, but he hadn’t taken a single lover…much to Mayu’s dismay.  

Bai Xie An’s silver-grey hair swung as he shook his head. 

“Not yet, little Mayu. There’s just one more thing I have to see about before the night is over...but there’s no need to attend to me. Go to your rest...” he said with his soft smile, his blue eyes twinkling.

She nodded gratefully and then left with a quick bow.

Such a kind master…hopefully, he’ll find his special person soon…

Seeing that the little maid was well on her way, Lord Bai exited the study and headed towards the palace annex where the second Prince was already waiting.

“Your Highness!” he smiled. 

The blond haired prince nodded in acknowledgement.

“Master,” he said, returning the greeting.

Bai Xie An frowned, noticing the jagged, seething energy whirling around his student.

“It’s worse than before, isn’t it?” he asked quietly, eyes searching the young man’s face. It was actually a rare opportunity as the prince had not shown his real face in public since returning from the war. However, at this moment, his customary oni mask was perched on the side of his head revealing his bright blue eyes.

Seiji laughed, his smile lighting his handsome features.

“I’m not trying to hide it,” he responded conversationally, sounding amused.

There was a rustle behind them.

“Show yourself!” the Prince called out sharply.

“It’s only me, your Highness,” said Kurenai softly, unmolding from a shadow. He eyed the Grand Sorcerer hesitantly.

Lord Bai looked amused. Kurenai hated magic and had never gotten over his wariness of the Prince’s teacher.

“It’s alright. Speak,” said the Prince with a wisp of impatience.

“Your Highness, Lord Furusawa reached the mountain, but the tribute contingent has yet to be seen at the northernmost gate...”

Bai Xie An narrowed his blue eyes.

“How long since they entered?” he asked.

“More than three days ago, my Lord.”

“That fool,” Bai Xie An muttered under his breath.

“What’s the matter, Master?” asked the Prince, tilting his head.

“Not anything that you should be worried about this close to your confinement,” Bai Xie An said gruffly. “Come with me. Furusawa’s matter can wait.”

Seiji nodded.

“Very well…Kurenai, continue to monitor the situation. I’ll hear your report after the moon has waned.”

The shinobi bowed and Seiji followed Lord Bai as Kurenai once again became part of the shrubbery.

It had not been the first time and it would not be the last time that Seiji followed his Master into the depths of the palace annex and into the chamber hidden in the lowest floor. Although the underground palace and its maze had existed before his birth, it had been his prison ever since he’d returned from the battlefield a fully blooded monster.

As if reading his mind, Lord Bai said:

“The campaign was two and a half years, was it not? By the time you regained control over your sanity and your human form you were seventeen, almost eighteen.”

Seiji said nothing, but his fists tightened at his sides. It had taken him years to learn to control his demon manifestation, but now he only had to be confined to the Migong once a month, during the week of the full moon.

I should be used to it, but it still feels like an eternity every time.

“You’ve held out for all these years,” observed Lord Bai.

“With Master’s help, yes,” Seiji agreed quietly.

There was a pause.

“They say that the young Crown Prince of Moutan was selected as a tribute this year.”

Seiji stiffened.

“Prince Iseulbi?”

Lord Bai nodded.

“He is called Xiao Feiyu now. Like you, he has become a fine adult.”

“Well, if he was foolish enough to get caught in the selection, he will be a short-lived adult,” Seiji snapped, feeling inexplicably angry.

“Well then...perhaps that’s just his fate, my dear student...” Lord Bai responded. “Though…that remains to be seen.”

“You still have a mind to speak lightly about it?” Seiji bit out. For a moment, his eyes flashed red.

Lord Bai’s eyebrows went up slightly as he took in his student’s expression.

“I’m supremely confident in your ability to save anyone you wish to save, but where Xiao Feiyu is concerned…” Lord Bai trailed off and then looked away.

Seiji felt surprised as there was a note in his Master’s voice that he had not heard before.  

Grunting, Lord Bai turned back and said: “Xiao Feiyu is a student of a very dear friend of mine. I would be sorrowful if he grieved over the child’s death…”

It was on that gloomy note that they reached the secret door. Without wasting time, Lord Bai busied himself with the locking mechanism. Before them was a very tall bronze door and inlaid across it, at about chest height was a two-foot high border that seemed to stretch the full width of both doors. 

“Hmmmn,” Lord Bai muttered, running his fingers along the panels. Finding the right spot, he pushed gently. There was a soft click as the locking mechanism shifted, and a large bronze box in the form of a himitsu-bako* slowly slid out towards them. A metal rod went through its center lengthwise, which allowed the box to be rotated. Tiny holes were visible on the rod's surface, and as it entered the box, these seemed to line up with minute holes on the box's surface. Lord Bai enjoyed shooting mechanisms, so the rod likely primed with a million darts that would be released if the puzzle box was not correctly solved.

“Dogwood, Wax, Zelkova, Keyaki-Jindai, Magnolia...Katsura...” Lord Bai recited the wood types used for himitsu-bako, shifting the inlaid pieces in sequence as Seiji patiently waited next to him. 

“…Eh?”

!!!!!!

The air suddenly exploded with tiny metal darts as the rod rotated furiously, pelting them as it discharged its venomous payload.

Lord Bai swore under his breath and they both leapt backwards, dodging and twisting like two skillful acrobats. Seiji blocked the darts with his metal gauntlets and Lord Bai with his voluminous sleeves.

After another string of swears, Lord Bai used a sleeve to hit a particular panel, slapping it into place to stop the mechanism from firing.

“Haaaah...” Lord Bai groaned.

“Did you mix up the last two woods, Master?” Seiji asked, shaking his head. Despite that, his lips twitched.

“So it appears...Are you alright?” Lord Bai asked, appearing calm despite the mishap.

It’s unusual for Master to make such mistakes…Is something is troubling him?

Brushing it off, Seiji nodded. Trying to lighten the mood, he said:

“Master, are you sure that the dart mechanism should be shooting on this side? Aren’t you trying to keep the demon inside the maze...?”

Lord Bai glared into the laughing blue eyes of his student, suppressing the urge to hit him over the head.

Do you know how many times I wished it wasn’t you that had to bear this burden?

With a sigh, Lord Bai walked back to the box and shifted a few more pieces. Now that the puzzle had been properly solved, it opened to reveal a small hidden compartment. Taking the two jade tokens within, he handed one to Seiji and they each inserted a token into the small depressions on either side of the door. There was a distinct click, and then the doors swung open.