THE WATER WAS SO FIERCE that Jusetsu couldn’t even open her eyes, let alone move her limbs. She couldn’t even tell for certain whether it was water that was sweeping her away or something else. The whole thing came as such a shock that she didn’t even register how cold it was, nor how breathless she was feeling.
Where am I being taken? Where is everybody else?
As her consciousness faded away, she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Onkei and the others—and if they were safe or not.
“Jusetsu… Jusetsu.”
She could hear a voice. It was the Raven.
“It’s fine. Just let yourself drift away. I’ll keep you safe.” The Raven’s voice called to her gently inside Jusetsu’s chest. As loud as the tremendous water currents were, it was impossible for them to drown it out. “You’ll be just fine.”
Suddenly, Jusetsu felt something warm and soft—like her entire body was being wrapped in feathers.
The Raven.
The Raven’s voice became fainter and fainter. Enveloped in her warmth, Jusetsu finally lost consciousness.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Niangniang. Niangniang.”
Jusetsu awoke to Onkei calling out to her. A hoarse groan escaped her lips.
“Does anything hurt, niangniang?”
“No…”
Jusetsu blinked a few times, waiting for her vision to clear. Onkei had a concerned look on his face. A drop of water trickled from his chin. His face—no, his entire body—was drenched. Jusetsu figured that the same was true for her.
“Where am I?”
Onkei was holding Jusetsu in his arms. She took a look around to discover that she was on a familiar beach, and she could even see the boat that they’d sailed there on. They were back at the island’s port.
Jusetsu lifted herself up and looked behind her. Tankai was sitting upright, with Shiki collapsed on the ground behind him. Further back, she could see Hakurai as well. He was already awake, sitting down on one knee.
“Ishiha woke me up,” said Onkei.
“Ishiha?” repeated Jusetsu, looking around. The boy eunuch was at the corner of the beach with Shinshin at his feet. “Is Shiki all right?” she then asked.
“He’s breathing. I’m sure he’ll be all right.”
Jusetsu got Onkei to help her up slowly.
“Did we get washed all the way here from that mountain?” Jusetsu asked as Tankai walked over to her.
“The spring water must have merged with the river and washed us down to the river’s mouth,” Onkei speculated as he surveyed his surroundings.
“I’m surprised we survived,” said Tankai.
“The Raven…” Jusetsu put her hand on her chest. “The Raven saved us.”
The Raven had protected them all and carried them here.
“It is astoundingly foolish to waste your power like that,” said Ayura. It sounded like she was smiling.
Startled, Jusetsu turned around. Ayura was walking along the shore with Ui following her from behind. Ui was holding the black sword up in the air, gripping it with both hands.
“You hadn’t even taken back your missing half, and yet you exhausted your powers without considering the consequences. Now, you have nothing left. How do you plan on battling me?”
Jusetsu couldn’t hear the Raven’s voice anymore. Was it because she was drained of her strength, like the ao god was saying? Jusetsu glared at Ayura, poised to defend herself. The ao god used Ayura’s face to give her a contemptuous smile.
What am I supposed to do? Jusetsu thought. Do I need to get away?
As tempting as the idea was, Jusetsu couldn’t imagine the ao god letting her escape.
That very moment, somebody slinked past her. It was Hakurai. He began walking over to Ayura in a leisurely manner. The ao god wiped the smile off Ayura’s face and shot him a disdainful look.
“What is it, Hakurai? Are you coming to bow your head and grovel? You…”
Without a word, Hakurai took a small bottle out of his breast pocket and hurled its contents toward the ao god. It was the same cursed substance he’d once used on Jusetsu. The black liquid adopted the form of a snake and attacked the ao god. The ao god scrunched up his face slightly and kicked away the waves that were rolling in at his feet. The water whirled around, then surged up into the air. It bent like a whip and struck down on the snake.
“Did you really think something like that would work on me?”
The water transformed into a blade-like object and thrashed against Hakurai’s shoulders. As blood began to spout from the tops of his shoulders, he tried to grab hold of his wounds, but the overflowing blood ran down through the gaps between his fingers. His clothes turned bright red.
The ao god was right.
Such tactics weren’t going to work against a god. Hakurai must have been fully aware of that too—so why had he even tried?
“Next, you’re going to lose your head,” said the ao god, raising a hand. The waves stretched up into the air as they continued to whirl around at his feet. Just as the water blade appeared to launch toward Hakurai, somebody yelled out Ayura’s name.
Ayura’s body froze.
It was Ishiha. His face was pale with fear and his lips were trembling.
“Ayura, pull yourself together…” he began—but Jusetsu was unable to comprehend the words that followed. He must have been speaking to her in the language of the Hatan clan.
Ishiha had turned toward her and was desperately trying to argue his point. Ayura made a wry face at him.
“You troublesome Hatan scoundrel…” the ao god groaned through her lips.
The water blade dissolved and fell back into the sea, and Ayura’s body staggered forward.
Now, it was Hakurai’s turn to make his move. He used one of the hands he’d been clutching onto his shoulder with to take a swipe at Ayura’s face. The deluge of blood got into Ayura’s eyes. The ao god tutted in annoyance and covered his face with his hands. Hakurai subsequently flung the contents of the small bottle he was holding toward Ui instead. The black snake intertwined with Ui and struck at him. Hakurai used this opening to snatch away the black sword and hack off Ui’s head.
Ui’s head tumbled down, and in the blink of an eye, both his head and his body had turned to what looked like bluish ash that was now scattered across the ground.
“Hakurai!!!”
With his eye still covered with blood, the ao god howled and shot the water blade toward the man. As Hakurai was about to retaliate with the black sword, the blade pierced his leg. A cry of agony left Hakurai’s lips, making the ao god cackle. The ao god, however, hadn’t actually been able to see what Hakurai was doing. Just as Hakurai had been about to fight back, he’d flung the black sword behind him. The black sword soared through the air, then began careening toward Jusetsu. She reached out her hand—or rather, the Raven made her do so.
Jusetsu felt like the handle of the black sword was sucked into her grip. The next moment, the sword burst—or rather it was changing form, turning into a black feather.
Countless black feathers began falling down onto Jusetsu. Every time a feather brushed against her skin, it’d dissipate, almost as if it’d melted. One after another, the feathers touched her skin, then disappeared into thin air.
They’re returning.
They were going back inside of the Raven.
Jusetsu held out her palms as the downpour of feathers persisted. She looked toward the sky and watched as more of them descended from above. Jusetsu shut her eyes, sensing the unmistakable presence of the missing half of the Raven gradually returning to her being.
As one of the feathers caressed her cheek, Jusetsu heard the Raven calling out to her.
“Thank you, Jusetsu. I’m myself again now,” she told her, her voice earnest and cheerful. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me.”
Jusetsu felt like she could hear waves splashing deep inside her heart. No, it wasn’t waves—it was the sound of wings flapping.
The Raven was flying away.
Jusetsu could feel some of the heat leave her body as the presence glided away. She felt like she could see large, black wings traveling through the air.