I scrutinize the gagged man below my tower. He certainly looks like an elder. Just… well it's hard to tell from up here. I hope it's Renji. I faintly see Hui looking upon the dead eldritch wolf. 

Rather than Hui climbing my tower, I watch as her scout does so. He is brown haired and white — perhaps some knight or warrior of the Western kingdoms. I try to ignore all bubbling thoughts of jealousy that come up: I really do despise that emotion. It is an ugly thing, as my mother used to tell me. 

But still, I can’t help it. The girl who I loved as a child had grown to become a hero and whisked away a strong Western warrior to lay with her. 

Just… enough. Think about how you’ll deal with — well, whatever comes next. 

When the scout reaches the edge, I offer him a hand reluctantly. Last time, when he first visited the tower, he gladly accepted that hand. 

Now he slaps it away, pulling himself onto the antler. 

“I think we were not properly introduced to each other in our first meeting,” he says, his voice tinged with anger. He is broader and taller than me, more muscular and attached to his belt are two single-bearded axes, small war-ready. This man paints a different picture than the scout I first met before Hui’s arrival: the former was all smiles and laughter, joy and glory. This one is rage. 

Vengeance begets vengeance begets vengeance. I am glad I did not kill Hui Long. I am glad she will suffer in a different manner. 

“My name is Gareth Rathkar. You have injured my lady greatly with not only your fists, but also your words and so —- wait what in the great dragon’s name happened to you?” He asks, cadence changing as he observes my mauled body and bandaged wounds. He peers over my shoulder to see the dead wolves inside my abode. “You were attacked in the night?” 

More like half-eaten, mauled, tortured, stabbed. 

“I am still alive. But go on, continue with your righteous proclamation,” I suggest, my voice very slightly teasing. 

His eyebrow arches. “You were not very honest with me in our first meeting. You told me nothing about your… fraught relationship with my lady.” 

I shrug. “You did not ask.” 

The wind howls. He shivers slightly. I do not. Not that it matters, there is no mental game or battle at play here — at least not one I’m trying to enjoy in. I’m too tired. He can no doubt see that. 

“I thought you to be a decent man,” he scowls. “Yet you nearly beat Hui to death and you berate her with your words.” 

“There are no decent men. And besides, she deserved far more than that.” 

“Why you —” 

“She did not send you up here to kill me, obviously. So please, for both our sakes, send me your message and let's be on with it.” 

His eyebrows furrowed and his fingers twiddle with the axe heads. I stare down, my chest aching. 

He grants me a long, suffering sigh [learned that one from you Nobody103 my goat]. “I do not like you.” 

“I don’t care.” 

“I just wanted you to know that.” 

“Point taken. Get on with it.” 

“She wishes to speak with you.”

I stare at the elder. “You have taken a prisoner?”

“We’ve done more than that,” he chuckles. “Much, much more.” 

Then, he heads down without another word. I follow slowly behind. 

…

Hui is tired. I see it in her eyes, the haunted look behind them. She has done something that did not like. Either that, or she has seen something she did not like. 

When Gareth touches down, he waltz’s up to her and takes Hui’s side like a loyal guard dog. The site churns my stomach slightly. 

I keep my distance. 

We stare at each other for a few moments. I scrutinize the elder and click my tongue. It is not Renji. Not even Daichi or Kai. No… it is Hikaru. The one I hate the least. 

He is no longer young. His eyes have seen war or horror. 

Hui breaks the silence: “You were attacked?” 

“Four eldritch wolves came in the night,” I say. 

“Four?” she asks, pity or empathy leaking through her voice, I can’t tell which. 

“The other three are in his tower, my lady,” Gareth says. She nods slowly, taking a renewed interest in observing my wounds. 

“I— I can heal you–” she begins, taking a step forward.

“Not in a thousand eons,” I mutter, just loud enough for her to hear. She makes a soft ‘oh’ sound and steps back, head hanging low. Gareth grimaces. 

This is getting nowhere. 

“What happened in the clan?” I ask. “Why did you bring him here?”

“I did what I could in the clan,” she begins. Her verdant war robes sway in the wind, revealing some deeper scars in the skin of her shoulder. I tell myself to feel no pity. “As you can imagine, my homecoming was opposed by the entirety of the clan. But, Gareth and I tore through most of Kai’s Adachi guardsmen. Only, we found Hikaru alone in the Judgement Rink. We questioned him and… well it's better if you ask him yourself I guess.” 

She grabs Hikaru by his gray, shaggy beard and she drags him towards me. I look down at him, blank-faced. I don’t know how to feel about this man. I never really did. 

When she ungags him, he takes a wheezing breath, coughing out some phlegm. He is truly an old man. 

“What? Did the other elder’s not give you the elixirs of longevity yet?” I ask. His coughing fit amuses me mildly. 

He scowls. “They did not deem me a worthy member of the council to receive it.” 

“I see. Speaking of the devils,” I grab his chin hard and force him to look into my eyes. “Where are they?” 

Hikaru looks like he’s seen a ghost. Fear eats away the irises. This is the first time I’ve seen him since the execution, since the enslavement. It was Daichi and Kai that often delivered my amulets and supplies. He never deigned to do so. Abstainer till the very end, it seems. 

“I– they went to attend the meeting of clans.” 

“What?” I look at Hui. “What is that?” 

“It is as it sounds. A meeting of the five major clans. And this time, it will be held in the Boar Ranges.” 

“That far South?” Well shit. That’s a long way down. Hikaru whimpers as my grip around his chin tightens. “Well, elder Hikaru, I assume you understand what I’m about to ask next?” 

He does not answer. I let go of his jaw and let him fall, let him squirm. Out of the corner of my eye, I note Gareth’s disapproval. Hui remains silent, stone-faced. 

“Well elder? Care to answer?” I ask. 

“I– I do not know, Thunder Watcher,” he says, rubbing his chin. 

I kneel to his level. “How do I get rid of the curse?” 

His eyes widened. “You— you can’t. They’ll kill me.” 

“Not if you explain that you were coerced. That you were threatened. The elders don’t harm their own that badly, you know this.” 

“Raiten. I —” he fidgets. “I am sorry.” 

This should surprise me. It doesn’t. He is the type to apologize. The only one of the elders who probably ever would apologize. 

“What we did to you — it was not right. I knew that. I am sorry.” 

I clasp his shoulder and give him a smile. “Don’t be. You didn’t do anything. Don’t worry,” I say. Hui shifts, looking a little perplexed by my sudden kindness. “Just tell me how to rid myself of this curse. That will be enough repentance.” 

He sniffs. “Really?” 

I nod.
He looks ready to burst into tears. It's as if I have lifted a great burden off of his shoulders. I am surprised it has weighed on him this heavy. 

“Oh thank you, thank you Raiten,” he says, clasping his hands together. “The curse – right the curse! It is a curse split between the five of us. We can relinquish our particular hold on purpose — but most likely you will have to kill the others to relinquish their holds.” 

“Hmm. I see. But that will be hard considering I am bound to the tower.” 

“Do not worry, young master,” Hikaru says. Oh so its young master now, is it? “I was asked to stay behind because I hold the part of the curse that binds you to the tower. It is the easiest part to hold — much easier than the immortality and the Thunder Tower spirit curse.” 

I raise an eyebrow and inadvertently look at Hui. She shakes her head. She doesn’t understand either. 

“Explain Hikaru.” 

“Of course, young master. Each of us holds a part of your curse. I hold the binding to this land, Daichi holds one half of the Immortality, Renji the other the other half, Kai and Masaru hold the other parts related to the spirit of the Tower itself — in all honesty Raiten, I don’t understand that part either.” 

I shake my head. “Just — you can free me from my hold to this place? I can leave once you do so?” 

“Yes, of course my lord. In exchange for my freedom, I’ll free you with just a word.” 

“Gareth?” Hui calls. I stare at the broad warrior, who wears a contemplative expression. 

“He is not lying.” 

Interesting. Is he a seer? Or a holder of some other power? Some mutual understanding obviously passes between the two lovers and I look away, back down at Hikaru. 

“Go on then. Release me.” 

“Avarice of the Flood, Worshipper of the Thunder, With All My Might, I release you to plunder,” he speaks, his voice low and weighty. At first nothing happens. I wait for him to speak more or make some sort of magical hand gesture. Perhaps touch me upon the forehead or grant me some mark. 

Instead, all I feel is a very slight weight lifted from my back. As if one my bones set itself straight. And with that, I know I am free. I can feel it. And… It is hollow. I expected to rejoice. But the very knowledge that I have to kill the other four makes my head ache. 

“Did it… did it work?” Gareth asks, looking at me. 

Hui answers for him. “I think so. Your energy seems different at least. Raiten. What do you think?” 

I nod. “I suppose I’ll find out later. But yes, I’m fairly confident it worked. It's like… my body knows it worked.” 

“A weighty feeling should’ve been lifted from your back, young master,” Hikaru says. He is full of panicked joy. 

I consider him for a moment. 

“Hui, may I borrow your blade?” 

“But— but you promised young master—” Hikaru begins before I pat his shoulder. 

“Relax elder, I’m not killing you. Raise your hands.” 

Hikaru’s eyes brighten and he raises his bound hands. Hui looks at me with a measure of caution. But, she relents and comes forward, unsheathing her blade. Gareth yanks her back with his hand. 

“What are you doing!? He could kill you with that!” he snarls, his hand tight on Hui’s. 

She touches him gently and twists her hand away. “He had the chance to do so already. He will not kill me now.” 

I scoff. Don’t tempt me. 

Hui obligingly hands me the sword. I take it, doing my very best not to even graze her slender fingers as she passes it to me. I don’t ever want to touch her. 

The sword feels ethereal. It is beauty and death incarnate, the handle made of fluttering blue dragon scales and the blade sharper than anything I’ve ever seen. 

I look at Hikaru and hold the sword low. 

“Elder Hikaru. Thank you for freeing me.” 

He nods. “It is something I should’ve done long ago.” 

I give him a smile. “You know elder Hikaru, out of every elder in the judgment rink, you were the only one who did not vote to kill my mother and have me enslaved. I’ve always remembered that. So raise your hands higher please.” 

He obliges, expecting me to start cutting his rope-tie. 

A second later, both of his hands fall to the ground, wrists still tied together by the rope. He looks at them. He looks at his bleeding stumps. He looks at me and the bloody Scaled Nodachi in my hand. 

“This is your retribution. For you did not raise a single hand to dispute my fate either,” I spit. 

He screams. He screams and cries and wallows on the ground, trying to gather his hands with the remains of his stump. 

Gareth and Hui look on in horror at the sight. 

And I watch the man who let my mother die writhe in pain. It feels good. This is a petty indulgence I can afford. Hui was not. 

I hand her the sword while keeping my eyes trained on the crying elder. This time, as I pass it to her, she not only grabs the blade, but she tries to grab my hand. 

My eyes widen. I snatch it away from her and continue watching the elder. I try to ignore the hurt look she gives me, like a kicked puppy. 

The elder’s screams echo throughout the valley.