Chapter Text
The morning sun crept between the wooden pillars of the window, rousing Jin out of his rough attempt at sleep. Blinking away the exhaustion from his eyes, he took a moment to take in the new day. He rarely gets a good night’s sleep these days. Always busy evading the Shogun's men, driving out any remaining Mongols on the Island, and making sure that the people on the island were safe.
It had been a few months since he had spared his Uncle’s life, each day that passed since then feeling like a constant threat.
Under the Shogun’s orders, Jin Sakai was a traitor, and if found he were to be brought to the mainland and have “justice” served upon him. Jin’s days of peace were near and far. He was constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for the moment he would be cut down by the Shogun's men. But he couldn’t worry about that now. Not when the island and its people still needed him.
Moving into a sitting position on the tatami mat with a slight groan, he instead tried to focus on the sound of Kaze neighing outside the hut. Trying to recall what he had planned for the day. Tradition’s End, the quaint hut he had renovated into his own hideout, was the closest thing he had to a home in almost a year. Months of traveling from camp to camp made him forget what it was like to be still. Lying down in random campsites, he’d wondered if the next day would be his last. Would he have his throat slit in his sleep by bandits? Would Mongol archers shoot an arrow through his skull while he was traveling on Kaze?
The warm breeze that blew through the open entrance and into the hut, rustling his hair and kimono, snapped him out of these thoughts. Due to his actions, that was a risk he would have to live with for the rest of his life. And yet, given the chance, he wouldn’t change a thing. Instead, he now focused on finding something to eat.
Standing up, Jin strided over to a shelf that had a jar of tsukemono, a welcome gift from Kenji. While it seemed Kenji’s favorite pastime was to annoy him, as of late he had been helpful with providing him with some rare finds. Jin gathered up a wooden bowl and poured some of the pickled vegetables over some leftover rice and began to eat his meal.
As he ate, he walked around the small hut, gazing at the fixtures and trinkets he had collected from his journeys. A bright vermillion flag that flapped in the morning air caught his attention. It was the flag of Clan Adachi. Him thinking about it, caused a small bit of sorrow to shoot through him. Masako had been through so much, but was still able to find peace. He could only hope that one day he could live a life that would bring peace for himself.
Without meaning too, his gaze settled onto the wooden firefly cages that rested on top of a barrel. A beautiful handcrafted gift from Yuna.
Yuna…
It had been a few days since he last saw her, the two having decided to split up so that they didn’t draw too much attention on his whereabouts to any outsiders. It of course didn’t take too long for the people of Tsushima to realize that the Ghost had many different allies. A woman being his closest one. Unfortunately, that fact didn’t go unnoticed by the Shogun either. Having recently been telling his men to be on the lookout for the Ghost and a woman together. He would be lying if he said he didn’t worry for her out there. If anything were to happen to her, and he wasn’t there to stop it, he didn’t think he'd be able to recover. He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, but not knowing exactly where she was didn’t sit right with him. The last time they had spoken, she had told him that she wouldn’t be gone too long, just for about a week or two. It’s been one of the longest weeks of his life.
Though he would have liked too, he knew he couldn’t sit around waiting for her. It would only make him more anxious and then nothing would ever get done. He decided then, that he would head out to Akashima, where it was rumored a group of Mongols were lurking around the village.
Feeling a new spark of energy course through him, he cleaned out his bowl and proceeded to change out of his kimono and into his traveler's attire. While retightening his hair into a bun, he decided he would write a note for Yuna, letting her know where he planned to go next. He would feel terrible if she had come back and he wasn’t there to greet her, and knew how much she was gone without a trace. Tearing a page from his journal, Jin began to quickly scribble down a message.
“Yuna, if you make it back and I’m not here. Don’t worry. I’ve headed to west Akashima to investigate a possible Mongol disturbance.
Take care of yourself and see you soon.
Jin”
Satisfied with what he had written, he rolled it up and tied it off with some string, and placed it on his desk table. Knowing that if she were to show up, she would find it there.
The trip to Akishima from Kubura would be long and tiring, and there was always the possibility that something could go wrong. Jin began to pack his supplies for the journey, making sure he had enough arrows, kunai, and food stowed before grabbing his katana and tanto. Feeling satisfied with his items, Jin stepped outside the hut to greet Kaze.
As he made his way towards the horse, he took in the way the animal seemed to get excited at his approach. He saw no other option but to give him a few extra pats and feed him some sugar cubes from the barrel nearby.
“Ready for another adventure, boy?” His only response was a small nicker from the horse and a small lick to the hand he had outstretched towards him. Smiling at his friend’s antics, Jin gathered up the saddle and strapped it along Kaze’s form. When he was done, he swung one foot over the horse and settled the other in the stirrup. With a familiar gentleness, Jin urged Kaze to begin moving forward.
…….
Having traveled for most of the day, Jin decided to rest in the shade of the swamp trees. Back pressed against the trunk, he watched as Kaze lapped up the water from a nearby creek. The sun was starting to set by the time he made it outside Akashima village, the heat from the swamps making the air feel sticky and moist. He undid some of the layers of his travelers attire, letting the occasional breeze cool down his skin. Jin took large sips from his flask to try to cool himself down, and as he let the liquid cool down his body, his ears picked up something unsettling.
Crying.
It was so faint, that he was unsure if it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Maybe the heat had started to take effect after all. Another few seconds went by before he heard it again. The sounds of distress seemed to be coming from deeper into the woods, heading towards the beach.
Swiftly, he stood up and mounted on top of Kaze, keeping his right hand rested along his katana and began to ride deeper into the trees. As he creeped along the swamp trees, Jin tried not to think the worst. He began to think of numerous scenarios that could have led to these cries. Maybe a wandering villager had gotten injured? Perhaps someone was mourning the loss of another? Or maybe it was an ambush, someone using the sounds of their distress to lure unsuspecting people-no, he would put an end to this.
His thoughts were interrupted by the crying growing louder and more distinct, realizing that it sounded like multiple people were crying out in pain, not sadness. The breeze from the Toyotama coast rustled through his hair and his clothes, seemingly pushing him further towards the beach.
The swamp trees began to dissipate as he moved forward. The soft mud transitioned into hardened dirt, making Kaze’s light steps more prominent. Suddenly, in between the brush he could make out large huts. He lightly snapped the reins on Kaze, urging him to move faster. Trotting through the trees, Jin was met with a clearing that contained a small settlement. Any other time he would have thought the settlement was desolate if not for the ear piercing cries. The noise came from one of the huts, and outside of it there were villagers writhing on the dirt and mumbling unintelligible sentences to themselves.
What the hell is happening here?
Jin approached one of the villagers, a man dressed in tattered clothes, and was clutching his head and shaking visibly. “ I can help you. What’s wrong?” he pressed.
“They’re…they’re everywhere. I see them coming through the window! You have to run… RUN!” the man spoke desperately, and seemed to be panicking.. None of what he said seemed to make sense to Jin, the whole settlement was still except for its people’s cries. He was starting to rationalize that the real danger was mostly psychological. Jin was used to coming across various horrifying sites while he traveled around Tsushima. The Mongol army were ruthless butchers fueled only by their own lust for power, but never before had he known them capable of psychological torture.
“That’s over now. You’re here. With me.”
Jin tried to reason with the man, soothe the man’s fears, but all he was met with was more muttering and the start of tears flowing down the man’s face. These people’s mind’s seemed to have been lost in a thousand hells. Who is responsible for this?
In the distance, about two hundred feet from the hut, there was a mongol yurt settled just along the coast of the water. Jin quickly made his way towards the yurt, keeping a listen out for any possible disturbances. Well, any disturbance other than the sound of crying. As he neared the Yurt, unfamiliar purple banner’s that littered the outside entire thing. Neverbefore had he seen a Mongol soldier or Mongol tribe wear such a color.
When he stepped inside, Jin was met with the sight of blood splattered around the walls, the ground, and around the small form of a still body on the dirt…
Upon inspecting closer, he realized the body was that of a woman, her head, bowed down,was locked in some type of pillory along with her hands tied behind her back. He dropped to one knee and gently lifted the head, a part of him wishing he hadn’t as he came face to face with the gruesome sight of blood coating her chin, her tongue being held together by the few tendons left. It was as if whatever tortures she was going through were so terrible, she had no other escape but to bite her own tongue off, and bleed to death. Before he could inspect further, a man’s voice shouted from outside the Yurt. “Samurai! The Eagle calls to you!”
Gripping his blade on his hip tightly, he rushed outside the Yurt and was met with four Mongol soldiers. One of them stood out against the rest, Jin recognized that the man was wearing purple robes, the same color as the banners he had spotted, and had a thin but long battle spear in hand, poised on the ground as if he didn’t even intend on fighting him. What caught him more by surprise was that the spearman started chanting. The man had one hand gripped tightly around his spear, while the other he used to flail around his head. Almost as if he was casting a spell with the words he was saying.
Jin was unfamiliar with what was being said, but he didn’t have time to acknowledge the chanter, as the three other soldiers seemed to become enraged by whatever the spearman was saying, and charged toward him.
Unsheathing his katana, Jin quickly ran towards the nearest Mongol, a spearman, and threw a kunai towards him. It cut swiftly through the air, and landed neatly in the man's neck. Leaving the man gurgling for breath and reaching his hands towards the offending object, before crashing to the ground.
From behind the now dead body, a duel wielding swordsman charged at him next, swinging both blades through the air and piercing Jin’s skin. Gritting his teeth, Jin fought through the pain and dodged to the right before the swordsman could land a killing strike. The soldiers were quicker and more fierce than any other group of Mongols he’d fought before. It was as if whatever the chanter was saying was fueling their bloodlust as well.
Both Jin and the Swordsman clashed their blades together, the sounds of metal clashing and heavy breathing filling the air. Jin overpowered the Swordsman, pushing his blade heavily against the other man’s weapon, causing him to stumble. Jin seized this moment, and sliced his blade through the man’s arm, causing the man to roar in pain and clutch the area where the missing appendage once was. Jin lifted his blade again, and lined it directly with the man’s heart. He pierced it through the man’s chest and listened to the man’s screams be quieted.
While unsheathing the blade from the body, there was little time to recover as a shieldman snuck up behind him and crashed the back of his shield against Jin’s body, knocking him down into the dirt. The shieldman swung his blade down onto where Jin’s body lay, but he rolled out from under the attack at the last second, sending a kick to the man’s knee. With the man stunned, Jin took the chance to stand up and slash his katana through the man’s shoulder and down out of his hip, tearing through any flesh and bones that were in its path.
Panting heavily, Jin realized that it had gotten quiet. All that could be heard was the sound of the villagers' cries and the distant ocean waves crashing against the shore. The spearman had stopped chanting, and now stood silently.
For a moment, Jin and the Spearmen locked eyes. Neither of them let the other man out of his sight. They watched each other carefully, ready to lure the other man in and strike. “Give up now, and I’ll make your death quick.” Jin said.
Silence was his only answer.
Jin, trying to catch the man by surprise, swung first. He tried to hit a heavy attack towards the man but was parried at the last second, blade striking against spear. The man recovered from his perry and made a quick slash with his spear, which Jin was able to block.
He wasn’t afraid to say he underestimated these men, never before had he fought a Mongol soldier who was able to keep up with him endurance wise. Over the past year, Jin took on hundreds if not thousands of men without much struggle. But this new clan of soldiers were more furious and bloodthirsty, than anyone else he’s ever encountered.
Quickly slipping into his wind stance, Jin positioned his blade above his head before laying down three heavy blows onto the man. The first two didn’t seem to phase the Chanter, but on the third he faltered and stumbled.
Taking his chance, Jin held his blade in between both his hands, and jabbed it straight through the man’s chest plate and into his stomach. The spearman dropped to his knees with a groan, and clutched at the blood spreading from his wound.
Jin wiped the blood off his blade and sheathed it. Raising one hand, he wiped the sweat that had built up over his brow and crouched down to where the man was gasping for his last few moments of breaths. Jin roughly knocked the helmet off the man's head, not intending on giving the man any sympathy. If anything it serves these bastard’s right, now they will never torment these people again.
“Tell me what you did to these people” he growled out.
The man just smiled unsettlingly, showing off his now blood stained teeth. “They heard the call of the Eagle” he coughed out, growing more and more weak by the second. The Chanter’s smugness rubbed Jin the wrong way, knowing that it didn’t matter how much pain he inflicted onto the man, he wouldn’t be giving him any straight answers.
“The Eagle…is he your leader?” he pressed.
“She…will lead the Eagle Tribe to your shores. With all of Iki Island at her back.” The man took the last few breath’s he had left before finally his eyes glossed over and his body went still. A chill went down Jin’s spine at the man’s words, the breath he didn’t realize he was holding coming out in a slight short gasp.
He hadn’t thought of Iki Island in a long time, not since that day all those years ago. The day he lost his father.
The dead man laying in front of him suddenly transformed into something else, into someone else.
“Jin! Help me!” his father yelled urgently, trying desperately to crawl towards his son. But he couldn’t. He was too afraid. Too much of a coward to pick up his father’s sword and kill the man who would be his father’s murder. So he hid. He hid and watched as the bandit stabbed his father through the heart. His father’s blood stained the violet petals that lay beneath his body.
The bandit had said a phrase that would come to haunt him on night’s where he felt hopeless and unsure of himself. Night’s where it felt like all his failures were catching up to him.
“May your death benefit all beings”