Across the bay, the sun rose over two wooden shrines standing nestled in the mountains. There once was a proper stone courtyard and promenade, but all that was left was cracked rock and gravel interspersed with weeds. The red tiled roofs had long since been faded by rain and sun to a warm brown. The larger of the two shrines had a sliding door worn smooth from use that opened to a life-sized statue of an old man and a dragon - the figure of Tenryukawa no Kami. The figure was carved from marble but for the irises, which were spheres of clouded green jade. A raised pot of incense released fragrant smoke before the figure. The other shrine had three walls supporting a sagging roof and held a large forest bonsai, and that was all. An old man moved slowly about the courtyard. He would need a cane soon, but he preferred to have to use of both hands when serving the kami. He was the priest of the village, and the keeper of the shrine.
As on any other morning, he greeted the stone figure of the kami with a “good morning” as he entered the larger shrine. A young woman, one of his many granddaughters, came in behind him, sweeping away the dust that had accumulated in the night. She wore the red and white miko robe – an indication that she was a servant of the kami.
On this particular morning, however, the statue spoke back.
“Good morning, child.”
The girl yelped – the stone figure had always been just stone to her – but the old man smiled. He had reacted just that way the first time the kami had spoken to him.
“Kami, I’m afraid you’ve once again forgotten that the years pass faster for us humans. I’m not the child I was when we last met. In fact,” he chuckled. “I am quite the old man.”
The statue seemed to blink. “Ah yes, old friend. You are correct. No matter. You look well.”
“With your blessing, Kami. What brings you here today?”
“Yauxal’s village has been attacked.” The statue’s jade eyes flashed in anger. “The forest has been set aflame. The reservation has been evacuated. And I’m sure you’ve heard about the Onagawa incident. Zeniba suspects his involvement in that as well. Our enemy’s power in the Human World is growing ever greater, just as the bridges between the worlds are destabilizing.”
“What can we do, Tenryu-sama?” the old man asked.
“Protect yourselves,” the statue of Tenryu said. “As far as we know, he still has no idea this place exists. We must keep it that way. If anything happens, send Shika for me. There is still a chance that King Nihonkai can stabilize the bridges before they collapse, but with the coronation approaching, we are unlikely to get an audience. None of the heirs look particularly kindly upon our cause. Prince Fujisan’s attitude toward humans has been exacerbated by the recent death of Kauwaso, Prince Tateyama only wakes from dormancy to kiss Fujisan’s bootheels, and Prince Kohakunushi is unwilling to get involved. We need to be prepared to stabilize the connection ourselves, which means finding a human representative to join the families.”
It was too much for the old man to wrap his head around at once. “Prince Kohakunushi?” the shrine-keeper said. “He’s found?”
“Yes,” the statue said. “Prince Nigihayami Kohakunushi was disoriented and reverted to a younger form. He became Yubaba’s apprentice, hiding in plain sight. No one thought to look for him there.
“Then, seven of your years ago, a human girl appeared in Aburaya. She’ll be about Risuni’s age by now.” The statue smiled indulgently, then continued, more seriously. “The girl restored the prince’s memories. The prince has returned to court but has no desire to inherit the throne. He refuses to give a reason beyond insinuating that something else has changed. At this moment, Princes Fujisan and Tateyama will not accept the idea of Prince Kohakunushi ascending the throne, no matter that many supported him before his disappearance. It being the year of the coronation, King Nihonkai has little autonomy, and in any case refuses to exert his power or even express any hint of an opinion beyond spending more time with his youngest son than is usual.”
“This girl, you have her in mind as the one to bind the worlds together?” the old man asked.
“Yes,” the statue said. “She has shown during her time at Aburaya that she is neither greedy nor cruel. She befriended the lost Prince and captured many hearts, including my own, and that of the witch twins of your blood. She revealed that Prince Nigihayami Kohakunushi had lost his memories when the river was destroyed, at great risk to herself.”
“And she is willing?” the old shrinekeeper asked.
“She has disappeared. When she passed through the barrier and returned to the human world, she lost her memories of her time here. I believe that Prince Kohakunushi has gone to the human world to find the girl.
“Unfortunately, he is aware that if she ever returns, there is no doubt that our enemy will attempt to capture or kill her to keep her out of our hands as soon as we mark her as the one we need. As such, I understand that he is extremely reluctant for her to be involved in the war. However, neither is she safe in the human world. The destruction of Yauxal’s village shows that at the very least his servants are hard at work for him here.
“We need to find Prince Kohakunushi and the girl he is searching for. He will be extremely visible in the human world and he will not stay ignorant for long. Be careful. The barrier may be weakening, but the spell is stronger than ever. Your blood may not be able to protect you. Entering the spirit world should not be a problem, but if you need to cross in the human direction for any reason, you know what to do."
---
Haku landed on the lip of the volcano’s mouth and turned into his human shape. Thick ash filled the air, making him cough. He peered over the edge, his hair and clothes flapping from the violent updraft of hot air rising from the crater below. The lava within was bubbling, and too close for comfort. Despite the heat, he shivered. He couldn’t remember ever having been so close to a volcano before, and it made him uncomfortably aware of his flesh and blood body. He had heard that Fujisan had been fond of him, before. It was time to see if, against all evidence Haku had seen, any of that affection remained.
“Fujisan!” he shouted into the caldera. “What are you doing? There are humans living in the town below!”
Nothing happened.
“I know you’re in there,” Haku shouted again. “Show yourself!”
A red dragon rose out of the lava, an enormous serpent as wide as Haku was tall. It turned its head toward Haku and opened it’s mouth, showing flames in the back of its throat. Haku flinched. “Show some respect, little brother. Have care for how you speak to me,” it growled. “The humans deserve what is coming. They brought this on themselves.”
“Then what about Jukai? Even if you don’t care about humans. You’ll kill her!” Haku yelled back.
“You know nothing of Jukai!” Fujisan thundered. “If you remembered anything of her, you would never defend the monsters who did this to her. The humans are an abomination. Get off my mountain.”
“No!” Haku said. “You must stop!”
The dragon burst into drops of lava and hot stone, knocking Haku back hundreds of yards and into a boulder. The rock split with a loud crack and a plume of dust. Shards of volcanic glass flew through the air. One of them caught his cheek and sliced through to the bone. Haku shook his head to clear it.
"I warned you not to support rebellion," the mountain rumbled. “Take this as your final warning. Choose your allies wisely, little brother. I wouldn’t defend the ones who trapped you in that body, if I were you. You'll find yourself with powerful enemies. They might even hurt you.” Haku looked up. Molten rock, shining brighter than he could bear with heat, was slowly welling up over the ridge of the crater. It seemed to pause at the top, as if deliberating whether or not to sweep away the town below, before it began to roll down the other side. The heat washed over him like a wave.
Haku stared at the advancing lava, mesmerized. Then something hit him. A bird had flown into him in its hurry to get away. Haku scrambled to his feet and leapt into the sky.
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