It takes a short while for the consciousness to completely set in. Everything is white before it's painted over by the colors of a tent roof. Siegfried blinks multiple times to wake himself, shaking off the dizziness that accompanies sleep.
His body aches loudly as pain is present all over him. Stabbing into him. From his eyes and muscles, to his very bones. Most of his body is covered in white and sullied bandages trying to contain the blood from spilling all out. Doing a somewhat okay job at it.
He slowly affirms his situation and what has happened.
After the sudden appearance of the one he wanted to meet the most. Kagutsuchi. He fainted due to the critical mass of fatigue that he had built up during the two fights that day. Now he is inside a tent, lying in a bed, recuperating.
How long has it been since then?
As he pondered that simple question, the sound of a familiar voice speaks to him.
"Finally... You're awake. I'm happy to see you still alive and kicking."
While the words themselves sound energetic, the voice is tired and solemn. Daiji sits on a stool by Siegfried's bed. He is also similarly covered in bandages and his hair is loose, extending down his back.
"...Good morning, I would say, but that was quite the defeat."
Daiji hangs his head in shame at Siegfried's words.
"Yes... We suffered a great loss in the number of warriors... Out of the soldiers we set out with, only the archers and one hundred and fifty men remai- ugh!"
In the middle of his sentence, Daiji receives a punch straight to the face and is pushed off the stool. He rubs his cheek in pain, and Siegfried, the one who punched him is similarly writhing from the intense pain pulsing through his entire body. Falling over right after pulling that punch.
"What in the world!? Siegfried! What's going on!?"
"Why didn't you tell me about the crack in the fucking fabric of space!!"
Daiji flinches. This isn't like Siegfried at all, he thinks. He has never behaved or spoken in such a manner. What-?
Siegfried groans and sighs heavily.
"Uugh... That was too close for comfort. I came too close to dying back there..."
With a quiet chuckle, he looks up at Daiji with unbreachable eyes. Their light blue color sending a chill down his friend's spine. A reaction Daiji never would have expected receive from Siegfried of all people.
"So... Why didn't you tell me more in detail about that ruined landscape? I can't really tell that well about spots like that. I can sense something's off. But. I didn't have the chance to confirm or deny, and you weren't exactly willing to talk about it."
Daiji opens his mouth but hesitates. As if something is weighing him down. When he sees the glow of Siegfried's eyes again, he mutters "well" and reluctantly formulates words.
"Well. That place... Was used as the execution ground for "Odd Seigo"."
"The national hero...?"
At the answer offered, Siegfried furrows his brows.
"Yes... My predecessor was often at odds with him. And quite frankly, feared his immense power to singlehandedly defeat dragons. Together with the other Great Clans, they shackled him to the mountains. But even that wasn't enough to hold him. He rebelled, destroying the landscape to a frightening degree in the process. It finally ended, when the clans ripped a hole in space to banish him. Exiling him from the world."
His eyes are filled with guilt and disappointment towards the decision of his ancestor. Disappointed that they feared what they could not control with certainty. And guilt for what happened to Seigo. A man who gave more than anyone else for their homeland of Azuma. Such idiocy. He closes his eyes with heavy sigh as he is forced to feel these emotions once again.
The expression on Daiji's face made Siegfried stop scratching at the wound of the matter. From the brief explanation, a heavy question floating over him had faded away. The angel had most likely entered this world through the crack left behind from two centuries ago.
He would have been an indispensable ally. If I had made it in time...
No. Such thoughts are utterly pointless. Dwelling on the past won't help in the least right now. There were other things that took priority.
But it was an interesting method of removing an enemy, and dangerous. There is no telling where he would've ended up. It could have been Heaven or Hell for that matter. And once a crack like that is formed, it rarely ever heals. Allowing "others" to enter through that opening, like the newborn angel they had killed.
"By the way Daiji. How long have I been asleep?"
"...Three days."
His eyes are deadly serious as he states the truth. With those two words the mood is soured even more than before.
"I only woke up yesterday too. And while we were sleeping, we had some healers look to us. The circulation of Ki in our bodies is terrible. It'll take some time before we're back to full strength after all we put our bodies through."
"..."
"In the meanwhile we've met up with the other two clans' armies, and unlike us, their respective battles ended much more favorably. Now that you're awake, we can hold a war council with the four of us."
While Siegfried listens, he feels the fatigue creep closer each second. Threatening to pull him back into dreamland any moment. Nearly overpowering the pain.
Agh~ I'm sooo tired. It'll take some time indeed before I can pull stunts like that again.
"Okay... Shall we head out then?"
...
When they arrive in the main tent, three other figures are already waiting. One of them is Haruto who is clad in some bandages around his arms and over his left eye. Still, he can put on a smile full of confidence when he spots his uncle and Siegfried.
"Oi, uncle! How you feelin'?"
His voice is energetic to an disturbing extent. Betraying his injured appearance to the fullest.
"Lower your voice, Haruto... And you're not even supposed to be here."
Daiji scolds his nephew and stares sharp daggers deep into his soul. This makes Haruto slightly flinch and he quickly speaks out in protest.
"B-but!"
"No buts. This meeting is between me, Siegfried and the other clan leaders. Now shoo. Go rest that body of yours. Look at the state you're in! This is exactly why I was opposed to letting you join this conflict."
"I'm strong, and skilled! With me there, many more of our countrymen survived than if I had comfortably lazed around at home!"
When Daiji brings up his regrets, Haruto bats them away without hesitation. Not allowing himself to be dismissed as useless. After saying his short piece, he stomps out of the tent and down towards where his own was located. His uncle watches wordlessly as the boy vanishes out of his sight. Siegfried beside him is also looking at the boy. Not with eyes of regret, but with hope.
"He's going to be quite formidable, that one. I can clearly tell that this battle has sharpened his skills. And to come out of that hopeless situation for anyone but us two is no mere feat. Put more trust in him."
He gives a slap to Daiji's shoulder, inadvertently causing him pain in the entire region. Gritting his teeth at the pain, he replies to Siegfried's appraisal.
"I know. But this isn't a battle a novice to the world of death like him can survive. Only us hardened veterans can hope to overcome a monster like Kagutsuchi. If we even can..."
Interrupting their not so private conversation, a pair of voices come from within the tent.
"Are you two ready to begin yet? Hm?"
"Indeed! ~Hic~ Less get this shit over with. ~Hic~ So that we can beet that foohl who finks he can teyk us invisible warriors on! ~Gulp~"
"Don't you mean "invincible"?"
"Ye, that. ~Gulp~"
Calling to Siegfried and Daiji are two men in clothes equally as refined as Daiji. However, while one of them carries the air of a great leader, the other is clearly drunk. A strong scent of sake flooded out of him now that he came closer. How long had he been drinking?
The sober one of the two had a face that screamed intelligence. Though he was not extremely handsome, he wasn't unsightly either. Keeping a refined air around him. Sporting short black hair that glistened in the light. His haori, hakama and shitagi were all almost completely black or with dark colors. The haori was brandished with the golden emblem of two koi fish swimming around each other. This was Koyanagi Jin, the leader of clan Koyanagi.
The drunken man had a large navy-blue haori over his hakama of the same color and a white shitagi. Adorned on his back was the symbol of a white rabbit. The emblem of clan Nakagawa. A clan that was apparently, quite free-spirited based on the state of the clan head, Nakagawa Yuu. His medium long hair that was the same color as wheat fell over his face as his head bobbed sleepily up and down while mumbling something incoherent.
These two men stood by a sprawled out map littered with wooden game pieces. Planning and strategizing for the future of the campaign. Though, it was hard to imagine Yuu being able to say anything of importance in his drunken state. You could even see a vein popping on Jin's forehead and his lips slightly quivering in irritation. Clearly fed up with Yuu's drunken behavior.
It would seem that the arrival of Siegfried and Daiji would be his salvation. He sighs. You did well holding out! Good job!
...
(here)
"Soooo~ What's the plan guys...?"
Yuu asks. Now a little sober and actually able to form intelligent thoughts. He leans on the wooden table, looking from one side to the other, relaxed eyes without any shred of seriousness.
The meeting has started. Here they would decide the future actions of the nation of Azuma. How would they advance against Kagutsuchi and his mighty dragon-kin? During the last series of battles, they had all only managed to slay a handful of them, while the human warriors had been given a tough beating.
"Do we reconsider our position or...?"
"I say we press onwards. Riding the momentum of morale. We are only a couple of days away from Kagutsuchi's stronghold. His numbers has greatly dwindled while two of our three armies are almost fully intact."
Jin answers his peers, voice filled with confidence. Choosing to mention the blunder of Daiji and Siegfried.
The loss on clan Iiyama's behalf was sure to lead to a lower standing if nothing was done. They had so few left compared to before the battle. Clan Koyanagi and Nakagawa on the other hand had minimized their losses.
But the truth of the matter was that clan Iiyama had not only faced an angel but also suffered an ambush from the enemy leader, Kagutsuchi as well. If the other two clans had been present, they would surely understand better how bleak the situation was to the vast majority in the army.
But that's the past and the present nor future will not wait for them to pick themselves up. They must act quick if they want to remain ahold of the advantage. With serious eyes, Siegfried glances at the gameboard.
"To be honest, I'm concerned. There is likely more to the enemy than what we know. Before we set out I would say the scales were slightly more in our favor, even more if all had gone to plan. But now... Now I'm not so sure if our side has more weight to it. My body's a sore wreck to mention. I'll be weakened for the final fight... However. There is still a chance."
"What do you mean by that?" Daiji queries.
Standing silently at Siegfried's side, looking somewhat concerned. His pride and self-confidence had taken quite the hit after losing. Even as old as he was, he was still not too old to feel embarrassed.
To answer all of their questioning gazes, he takes out a ring from his pocket and places it on the table. All of the men narrow their eyes at the mysterious ring. A dark aura full of negativity permeates around it like smoke. This was the ring that the dragon-kin commander, then turned drake had wore on his finger.
"This is a type of magical artifact that's very popular with cults practicing "Black Magic". Something akin to a curse. It makes the wearer able to tamper and tweak the intensity of one's negative and destructive emotions. With this, one powerful enough would be able to manipulate hundreds of mindless, deranged solders."
The others' eyes light up at his words. Comprehending what this means, they look up with both hope and hopelessness.
"So ya sayin' that dis, is what enables dem to command those armies of crazies?"
"Exactly. Without these, they only have their fellow dragon-kin to count on. Not nearly enough to face all of Azuma's combined might. But beware, these can also be used on opponents if the one wearing it is powerful enough."
Siegfried conveys the seriousness of the situation while also shedding light on some appreciated hope. In thought, Daiji mutters something to himself. But this isn't enough in an of itself. While it is great that the enemy has a clear weakness, Siegfried has still not explained everything. They clearly understand this. Jin is the one to break the silence with a calculating voice.
"What else is there? How could they have acquired like this? An artifact that, from your way of speaking, originates from the West?"
"Yes. And that's not all. I heard that Kagutsuchi and his kin came from the East, meaning, the Dragon Continent. However. There should be a barrier in the Serpent Sea that would force them to travel far to the south if they wanted to reach the continent. And even then, there is no possible reason for them to land specifically at Azuma's eastern coast."
Questions filled the air. What or who stood behind the dragon-kin's sudden appearance? Outside interference was a guarantee. But who? And what would they gain from this? Conquest? Or something else?
Siegfried lightly shook his head and moved his thoughts on to the more pressing issue.
"How have their movements been after the retreat?"
Since no one takes the word, Jin does and relays the current situation to the rest.
"Actually. Our scouts have reported that they have pulled back further than necessary. By the most recent report, they are almost at their stronghold... This most likely means that there might be a trap waiting for us."
"I see... Well let's go for it anyway."
Simultaneously, Jin and Daiji widen their eyes at Siegfried's lack of caution. Behavior nothing like the leader of hundreds of warriors. As the two are momentarily speechless, Yuu, who had been creepily nonchalant for most of the meeting. Maybe due to the sake? Spoke without any hint of discormfort. Only curiosity.
"Ya got a plan, "Gin-kun"?"
"Yes... It's simple really. We separate our forces into a main and an elite. The main force will engage their warriors, aiming for the ring-bearers while the four of us, the elites, will slay Kagutsuchi."
Siegfried ignored the lame nickname and instead explained his stupid simple plan. Stupid simple, but better than throwing an endless stream of warriors at Kagutsuchi, who excelled in massacring armies. Made plain by his most recent demonstration and his ability to breathe dragon-fire.
The calculating Jin wants to object at how his plan lacks any real substance, but is forced to just sigh and accept. "Fine" he thinks. He'll submit and leave it to his vassals and retainers while he would be busy playing hero. Completely contradictory to him, Yuu is fired up and ready to go.
"All right! Let's do that then. That way, we can have our fun too with a blood-boiling battle."
I haven't forgotten how unique and interesting you are, Kagutsuchi. If anything, your demonstration has stirred an even stronger emotion inside of me. It'll be fun to meet you more properly.
Siegfried clenches his fist, allowing him to ignore the stinging pain in his muscles as he focuses on his thoughts. Unable to notice the foreboding look painted over Daiji's face.