41 The Ditch

  [Player: Kazuki Arata]

  [Level: 5]

  [Waza: Black Hand, Thread Cutter, Aura Sense, Dark Rider, Eviscerate, Adaptive Survival, Sword of Time]

  [Kegare: 64%]

  [Status: Blinded (Recovering) | Hunted]

  ---

  Darkness, scented with pine needles and blood.

  Kazuki lay curled at the base of a massive tree, shivering. His left eye throbbed with a vicious, pulsing rhythm, a counterpoint to the stinging chemical burn that seared both sockets. He squeezed them shut, trying to focus past the agony, relying only on the faint, shimmering outlines provided by Aura Sense. The Tengu sigils on Karasuyoku and Yamikiri, resting near his hip, glowed like lifelines in the void.

  He was alone. Yumi was gone, melted back into the forest, leaving only the threat of her return and the echo of her mocking voice.

  Where was Kuro?

  She's probably watching us. Right now.

  Time frayed. He lost track of minutes, caught between the sharp spikes of pain and the dull ache of exhaustion. The forest held its breath around him. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a distant twig screamed at him:. He was exposed, vulnerable, blind.

  [Kegare: 64%]

  [Condition: Blinded (Temporary, ~25 min.), Eye Lacerations]

  [Warning: Blood Loss Minimal Due to Kegare Coagulation.]

  He had to move. Staying here was waiting for the next bullet. He pushed himself up, using the rough bark of the pine for support, his ribs protesting where he had been kicked. Guided by the glowing runes of his machetes, he groped for them, his fingers closing around the worn grips. He took a step, then another, stumbling deeper into the trees, away from where he'd last encountered Yumi.

  A faint change in the air - something warmer, a lightening of hue. Dawn was approaching. The thought brought no comfort, only the knowledge that visibility would return for Yumi too.

  Then, a soft nudge against his leg.

  Kazuki froze, machetes half-raised, he forced his ravaged eyes to open a slit. A blur of reddish-brown fur, low to the ground. Through Aura Sense, a small, familiar golden pulse flickered.

  "Fleet?" he rasped, voice raw.

  A happy yip answered him. The fox form pushed against his shin again, insistent. Relief washed over Kazuki, so potent it almost buckled his knees. He wasn't alone.

  Fleet circled him once, then gave another soft bark, nudging him forward. “Follow me,” he whispered. Kazuki hesitated, then obeyed, letting the small yokai-fox guide him. He kept one hand low, fingers brushing Fleet's fur, the other gripping Yamikiri.

  They moved slowly, Fleet picking a careful path. Kazuki stumbled often, relying on the fox. The air grew cooler, damper. The sound of trickling water reached him, growing louder. Fleet led him down a slope onto uneven, smooth stones. A riverbed, mostly dry this time of year, the water whispering through shallow channels. The cool air felt good on his burning face.

  "That's... weird," Fleet mumbled, nose twitching as he scanned the rocky basin. "This was a full river when I passed here years ago."

  Kazuki tested his footing, dislodging a few loose pebbles that clattered down. "We need to cross it, right?"

  They crossed the riverbed carefully, the stones shifting underfoot. Occasionally patches of damp gravel made for treacherous footing. Beyond the narrow band of running water, they began to climb again, ascending a steep, forested ridge. The exertion sent fresh waves of pain through his eyes and ribs, but Fleet's steady presence urged him onward.

  As they crested the ridge, the first rays of true dawn pierced the canopy overhead. Pale sunlight filtered through the leaves. Kazuki risked opening his eyes wider. The world swam in a painful, blurry haze, shapes indistinct, colors muted. But... he could see. Not clearly, but enough. Tears streamed, blurring the world, but it was returning.

  His sight improved step by step, though his eyes still stung. He felt the tension in his shoulders begin to ease - maybe they had lost Yumi, for now.

  Then a gap in the trees revealed Yua waiting for them, half-sitting against a mossy rock, her sprained ankle bound with scraps of cloth. She blinked at Kazuki.

  "You're alive." Her tone tried for regal indifference, but her expression told a different story. She exhaled, shoulders sagging. "Thank Inari."

  Kazuki sank to one knee beside her. "You're safe," he said softly. “You’re both safe.” For a moment, none of his own pain mattered.

  "I told Fleet not to go back," Yua murmured. She frowned, though her voice trembled slightly. "But of course, he never listens."

  "It's okay." Kazuki forced a careful breath. "I... needed him to find me." His gaze flicked around before turning to the small red fox who had guided him. "Did you see Kuro?"

  Fleet, the fox shook his head and replied clearly. "Not once since last night."

  A pang of worry and suspicion in equal parts tore at Kazuki's chest.

  "Any sign of... her?" Fleet asked, voice tight.

  Kazuki shook his head. "No."

  Silence settled until Fleet cleared his throat. "So, what next?"

  Kazuki rubbed at his eyes gingerly. They still burned, but at least he could see. "We keep going. We were heading to the Fox Kingdom at Mt. Zao, remember?"

  Yua nodded, the spark of pride returning to her posture. "Father - KIng Reijiro - will give us sanctuary."

  ---

  Fleet, now shifted into his familiar humanoid boy form but still sporting ears and a twitching tail, turned and grinned, pointing ahead. "Look, Kazuki! We made it!"

  Kazuki blinked, wiping tears and blood from his cheeks, trying to focus. Below them, nestled in a hidden valley bathed in the soft gold of morning, lay... paradise.

  Elegant pagodas with tiered roofs of jade green and sapphire blue tiles rose amidst manicured gardens. Graceful bridges arched over sparkling streams. Banners of silk embroidered with intricate silver foxes fluttered from ornate gateways. Figures moved through the streets below – tall, impossibly beautiful beings clad in flowing silks of pearl and amethyst, their movements fluid and serene, their hair like spun moonlight or polished obsidian. It looked like a scene from mythology, a hidden imperial court untouched by time.

  The Fox Kingdom.

  Kazuki stared, awestruck despite the throbbing in his head. It was breathtaking. He instinctively activated Aura Sense, wanting to soak in the sheer power of this place…

  ...and the illusion vanished.

  The jade pagodas resolved into simple, thatched-roof wooden huts clustered together. The sparkling streams became muddy ditches watering small plots of vegetables. The ornate gateways were humble fences made of unpainted wood. And the ethereal nobles? They were ordinary fox yokai, some in partial human form, others fully fox, tending gardens, mending nets, playing with kits in the dirt – a simple, rustic mountain village, poor but… happy. With Aura Sense Kazuki could see their distinctive golden reishin connecting them all together with warmth and community.

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  It was a stark contrast to the cold, perfect illusion but Kazuki found himself even more grateful to be there.

  [UI Update: Localized Illusion Field - User Immunity Granted via Aura Sense/Friendship Protocol?]

  *Friendship Protocol?* Kazuki blinked again, the normal, non-aura sight returning more strongly now. The illusion snapped back into place, shimmering over the mundane reality. He could see both now, superimposed, a ghost of grandeur laid over humble truth.

  "Come on!" Fleet tugged his sleeve, leading him down the path into the village.

  As they entered, the "noble" figures turned. Their illusory faces registered surprise, then concern as they saw Kazuki's state – the blood, the torn clothes, his swollen eyes. But beneath the illusion, Kazuki saw simple fox-folk peering at him with open curiosity and alarm.

  A trio of fox-yokai approached at a jog - young men, each with bushy tails and a short spear slung across his back. One blinked at Yua, then said "Yua - you’re back! Are you okay?"

  “Dai-chan, tell my father we have to see him right away."

  The fox men eyed Kazuki uncertainly before dashing off.

  Yua led Kazuki and Fleet through the village square – which his normal sight saw as shimmering marble but Aura Sense revealed as packed earth. They reached the largest building – a grand hall with carved pillars in the illusion, a simple wooden meeting house in reality.

  Inside, seated on a woven mat behind a low wooden table, was an older fox yokai. His human guise was that of a wizened man with kind eyes and a neat white beard, dressed in plain but clean robes. Not a king, but clearly the village leader. His reishin looked to Kazuki like a calm, golden mountain pool.

  "Father," Yua said, bowing slightly. "This is Kazuki Arata. The one I told you about."

  The old fox chief looked Kazuki up and down, his gaze lingering on the dried blood and swollen eyes. "Welcome, Kazuki-dono. My daughter owes you, and your brave companion Fleet, her life. Our village thanks you." He gestured to a cushion. "Sit. Rest. You are safe here."

  Kazuki sank onto the cushion, relief and exhaustion making him dizzy. "Thank you, KIng..."

  A chuckle. “I am no king. My name is Reijiro," the old fox corrected gently. "Just Reijiro, despite the... scenery." He smiled faintly, acknowledging the illusion Kazuki could now see through. "Yua explained you have the sight to pierce our veil."

  "Father," Yua interrupted, "The human who attacked us last night - she's dangerous. She uses weapons I’ve never seen before."

  Reijiro nodded slowly. "Outsiders rarely find this valley. Our illusions are powerful, woven over generations. They confuse the mind, turn away the hostile. She will wander lost until she gives up."

  Kazuki leaned forward, wincing in pain. "No, Chief Reijiro, you don't understand. She’s different." He remembered his most powerful kegare turning to ash as it touched Yumi’s skin. "This woman isn’t like the humans you know. She's coming. We need to evacuate. Now."

  Reijiro's calm expression didn't change. He patted the air reassuringly. "Kazuki-dono, you are weary and injured. Your fear speaks loudly. But our magic is ancient. It has protected us for centuries. No human, no matter how strange their abilities, can find us here." He sounded so certain.

  Frustration surged in Kazuki. "She's not just any human! She…."

  CRACK.

  The sharp report of a gun echoed from outside, brutally loud.

  A piercing scream followed, cut short.

  Silence. Then another CRACK. More screams, choked off. Panic erupted in the village square outside.

  Reijiro's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Yua gasped. Fleet scrambled to his feet, ears flat against his head, tail bristling.

  Kazuki was already moving, pushing himself upright despite the pain, drawing his machetes from their sheaths on his back. He burst out of the meeting house into chaos.

  The grand illusion of the Fox Kingdom still shimmered over the valley, but it was glitching. Sections of the beautiful facade – a silken banner here, a carved pagoda roof there – would wink out of existence for a split second, revealing the simple wood and thatch beneath, before snapping back. The glitches weren't random. They traced a path.

  A path moving steadily from the valley entrance towards the village center.

  Yumi.

  She was too far away to see by normal sight but her void aura acted like an eraser, temporarily wiping clean the reishin-based fox magic as she walked. Kazuki could track her movement by the cascading failures of the illusions. She was strolling calmly down the main thoroughfare with a handgun, shooting any fox that crossed her path.

  The villagers scattered, some maintaining their human forms, others dropping to all fours in terror, going wild and running for the trees. Yumi's passage cut through them, marked by collapsing magic and the quiet thud of small bodies hitting the ground.

  Reijiro stared, silent, as the woman and the path of dissolving illusions crept closer.

  Fleet looked at Kazuki, eyes wide but determined. "What do we do?"

  Kazuki saw it – near the central well (a gilded fountain in the illusion), a group of young foxes had been digging a new ditch earlier. Loose earth, discarded tools, a pile of heavy timbers nearby...

  He met Fleet's eyes, then pointed at the materials. "Distraction. I’ll lure her to the well area. We need a real trap."

  Fleet gave a sharp nod, then ran to several nearby yokai. Shaking off their fear, they nodded back and all of them melted into the chaos, moving towards the well.

  Kazuki took a deep breath, tasting copper and pepper spray. He gripped Karasuyoku and Yamikiri and started walking towards the path of flickering illusions and towards the killer.

  Yumi was wearing a dark camouflage hunting jacket, dirty blue jeans and hiking boots. She had a backpack and a gun in one hand. Her skin was tanned and her bleached blond long hair was pulled back in a tight, dirty ponytail. As she walked the glitches in the illusions advanced with her.

  Closer. Twenty meters. Ten.

  Suddenly, to her left a young fox yokai, illusions gone, hurled a sharpened farming hoe at her. She sidestepped easily and didn’t even pause. CRACK. The fox yokai crumpled.

  But the distraction worked. As she passed the well area, the ground beneath her gave way. A section of the wood scraps covered in mud collapsed inward - Fleet and the others had hastily undermined it and covered it with straw matting.

  A surprised curse - "Kuso!" - echoed as Yumi fell into the shallow ditch. It wasn't deep, maybe only a meter, but it was unexpected. Kazuki sprinted forward and leaped over the edge of the ditch just as Yumi was trying to scramble out, covered in mud, her rifle gone, a dirty black pistol now in her hand.

  She fired but Kazuki twisted, the bullet searing past his ribs. He brought Yamikiri down in a vicious arc. The machete slammed against her wrist. Bone crunched. Yumi screamed, dropping the pistol.

  Kazuki kicked the gun away, Karasuyoku's point hovering inches from her throat. He had her. Disarmed, injured, trapped.

  She looked... smaller now.

  [Kegare: 65%]

  Her visible eye - the other obscured by dirt and her blond fringe – widened, losing its mocking glint, replaced by raw panic. Her bravado crumbled.

  "Wait! Kazuki, wait!" she gasped, pressing herself back against the ditch wall. "Please, don't! It's not me! Not really!"

  Kazuki hesitated, the tip of Karasuyoku trembling slightly.

  "They made me like this!" Yumi choked out, voice thick. "This world... the things you have to do... the power... it corrupts you! Just like you! It’s happening to you too isn’t it? Abducted, twisted... don't you see? We're the same!"

  We're the same...

  [Kegare: 64%]

  Are we?

  Yumi saw it. With her uninjured hand, she snatched her gun from the dirt of the ditch.

  BANG. Excruciating pain exploded in his right hand. Karasuyoku dropped to the mud.

  BANG. His left hand erupted in agony. Yamikiri fell beside it.

  He staggered back, staring stupidly at his mangled hands. Blood poured from the entry and exit wounds, chunks of flesh and bone missing. Black kegare surged, trying frantically to knit the ruined tissue back together, but the damage was too severe. He couldn't feel his fingers, couldn't make a fist, couldn't grip his blades.

  [Kegare: 76%]

  Yumi scrambled out of the ditch, the mud smeared pistol aimed squarely at his forehead. A smirk spread across her face. "Ka-chan," she spat, voice dripping venom. "Baka."

  Time slowed. Kazuki started to close his eyes.

  Then, a black blur shot from the shadows behind the meeting house. Claws like razors slashed across Yumi's gun arm.

  Yumi shrieked, stumbling back as Kuro landed between them, transformed half-way between a woman and a cat, a feral snarl twisting her features, golden eyes burning.

  Yumi clutched her bleeding arm, her face contorted with surprise and anger. I knew you were here!"

  Kazuki used the moment, scrambling backward on instinct, dragging his useless hands. Pain radiated up his arms. Kegare fought the blood loss, but the shock was immense. He had to get away.

  He crawled, pushing himself with his elbows, heading for the nearest cluster of huts, away from the fight. Behind him, he heard snarls, curses, the scraping of Kuro's claws against wood, another gunshot, wild this time.

  Kazuki hauled himself up a shallow slope behind a vegetable patch, collapsing behind a low stone wall. His vision swam. He could hear Yumi yelling, Kuro howling.

  Then, three rapid gunshots. BANG. BANG. BANG.

  Silence, absolute and terrifying.

  Kazuki pressed himself against the cool stones, breath hitching, heart pounding. He listened, straining into the sudden, awful quiet. Nothing.

  Kuro?

  Silence.

  ---

  [Achievement Unlocked: The Quick and the Dead]

  [Next Chapter: Down Where the Fire Takes Us]

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  Is Kuro dead?

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