Demon's Banquet: Chapter 2

Samurai means "the one who serves". That's the main lesson you’re instructed about. The basic code that will rule your whole life. And I don't regret about it.

My name's Tomoe Ame. I'm the main servant of Lord Noriyuki, of Geishu clan. He's surely the youngest man becoming a daimio I've ever know, and probably the most honorable you can find in these confused times. Every time I see him, I'm most than sure of offering my own life for protecting him and everything he means. There were not few occasions to prove that, many of them with mean Lord Hikiji always trying to push him between the devil and the deep blue sea. Fortunately, things were always solved in the best of ways, thanks to providence and our good allies.

But sometimes we had to confront really uncommon sinister situations. Like the one which began with a foggy autumn afternoon.

Lord Noriyuki had called me. I noticed him kinda nervous, his eyes surrounded by little bags pretty imperceptible under his face’s black fur. It was obvious to me he hadn't sleep well. My first though was he needed advices about complicated political decisions, or also new Hikiji menaces. So, I was totally opened to help, as usual.

-Did you call me, Noriyuki-dono?

I never looked him directly to his eyes, as protocol dictated, unless he gave me permission. But I could feel he had that confused fearful glance you could find in a young man trying to understand a twisted enigma, or a horrible vision.

-I did. You're my best confidante, Tomoe Ame, and I need to share something with you. Probably you're the only one who will never thing I've driven mad...

He was scared. Having such a huge honor like being Lord Noriyuki's confidante let you to know more about your master than nobody probably would never know. And I couldn't help to feel kinda protecting to him. He was so young, after all...

-Is my lord worried with some complicated matter? -I sounded him out-. Of course, I'm able to help with whatever you need...

Noriyuki-dono breathed, transmiting me a hard heavy feeling growing inside him like a bramble.

-I... I had a dream.

I heard dreams are usually messages from the gods, so I looked at my lord showing him my own concern. What kind of horrid vision they sent to Noriyuki-dono just for driving him so scared?

-Please, my lord, tell me about it.

It took a while for him to be able to tell me anything. But he finally found his strength.

-I was walking through a shadowy valley. Nobody could be identified beyond the dark mist, and no sounds could be heard. No birds, no people, not the current from a near river... Nothing. Looked like only death could be the lord of that barren land. At first, I thought it was a vision of future, Tomoe… Maybe our future, with our land burned to the ground by war… But how could I possibly know, with no corpses or weapons laying around me? And then... I saw them.

Again, my lord seemed to lose heart. His words got blocked into his throat. My worry began to grow, as I tried to make him to understand he wasn’t alone.

-Who was… them, my lord?

-They were… people, in front of me –he finally was able to say-. Not sure how many, but I’m sure I distinguished some noble men, priests, samurai, farmers… The whole society levels, all of them were there. They were walking in single file, to a gigantic stone wall, raising beyond a dark diffused sky. I tried to catch their attention, but it was in vain. They acted like something… or someone… was calling them. And suddenly, I noticed the stone wall was even more… a huge fissure halved it, like an ono’s <axe> cut. The people walked to it… And jumped. For a second, I was sure they were being absorbed by some sort of powerful wind draft. But then, I realized they were actually falling. That was not a common fissure, but a cliff. I was watching a cliff’s abyss like if it was a bird flying’s view… But setted over a stone wall… What kind of madness…?

I noticed my lord’s very nervous breath, so I demanded him to finish his tale, in order to help him to let off steam and relax.

-Please, my lord, continue…

-Then… Oh, by the gods, then… I saw it. A nine-eyed beast stared from the darkness to the people’s file. It held on the cliff’s borders, but its claws were like shadows’ extension. People fell over it… I’m sure the shade itself was its body, and it swallow them one by one, just covering them in darkness. Suddenly, the nine eyes shone like the pale moon, across the dead land… And finally, they stared AT ME.

It was that moment when I realized Noriyuki-dono were not just describing that dream to me, but he also was visualizing it again… Even more, he was living it again. I forced myself to put a hand over his, so he could return to reality. He panted and, slowly, returned to normal. I could read fear in his eyes.

-So… D-do you think I’m mad, Tomoe?

I’m embarrassed to confess it took me a few seconds to answer my lord. Of course I never thought he was mad at all, just needed to assimilate such a disturbing tale. A dream like that…

-Of course not, Noriyuki-dono –I said-. If you let me express my opinion, I think it sounds like a vision. Maybe… an advice. But I’m not used with dreams interpreting, I guess…

-I see… -it sounded like my lord felt reassured on the one hand; however, on the other, he didn’t receive a good response to his worries at all, so I could understand he didn’t felt satisfied. And suddenly, I had an idea.

-Maybe you should describe your dream to a priest, my lord. I’m sure the holy men could help you to decipher what gods are trying to say to you.

Suddenly, Noriyuki-dono’s face completely changed its expression. It shone with a new light, that which comes from hope.

-Do you believe so, Tomoe?

-Sure! I heard Shiratoi’s temple is not far from here. We could prepare a travel, maybe even an offering, so we could soothe the god’s wrath in case they are.

-That’s a great idea! –Noriyuki-dono immediately recovered his usual mood, which I was delighted-. Yes, you’re right. Keeping pleasant with the gods is what we’d need right now…

We could not suspect how much reason there was behind those words…

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Wow! It took me a while for writting this one xD. Don't worry, I have no intentions of stopping this fanfic, or leave it without an end. Maybe I'll work a bit slow on it, some other matters to worry about, you know.

Hope you like this little setting change. Next chapter we will return to Usagi and Hellboy as well.