Grimm Tales: Rise of the Yokai

Chapter 18 Orochi Reborn

The jar shattered and threw us back as waves of smoky darkness surged around me and my friends. Icy dread tried to claw its way through me as the shadows pressed in. I couldn't see. I could barely move. There was nothing but darkness, and a rising sense of panic.

But I did my best to hold it back. To force the me that was screaming into some small corner of my mind where he could sit down and shut the hell up. I may have been a helpless kid last time, but those days were done. I was older now, and stronger, too. I could fight back.

And that was exactly what I was going to do.

I could feel the power flowing through me as I called up my magic. In a blast of light and force, I pushed the darkness away.

"Everybody alright?" I asked.

"Yeah," said Jason.

"We're all good," said Kora.

"What happened?" asked Sarah. "That should have worked! It held her before, so why didn't it work?"

"I don't know—"

A cold voice rang out from the darkness.

"Of course you do."

The darkness pulled in on itself, solidifying and taking shape, until Izanami was once again standing on the sand in front of us.

"After all," she continued, "I couldn't have done it without your help."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "What help?"

"You know, I've always thought you were rather clever, for a mortal," said Izanami. "I'd have thought you would have worked that one out already." She shook her head. "So disappointing."

"Are you going to tell me what you mean," I asked, "or just stand there and gloat?"

"I am a goddess, you silly boy. I'm perfectly capable of doing both at once," Izanami said with a cheeky grin. "But do try not to get too worked up. It's not good for your blood pressure. And after all, your blood is such a precious commodity. Amazing, really, what just a few drops can do."

"What are you on about? How could my blood possibly have let you break out of ... of the ...?"

And that's when it hit me. All the pieces fell into place. The attack on the Vault. All the monsters she'd thrown at us. Risking attacking on the island a second time. Now it all made sense.

"So that's it. You took my blood, even though you had to know we'd be able to track you with it—"

"True," said Izanami.

"—but you took it anyway. And now, all of a sudden, you can break out of a prison that had held you for who knows how many years." I felt like I was going to be sick. "This whole mess has been you making sure we couldn't lock you up again. It wasn't about my blood. It was about my magic."

Izanami clapped slowly as a devilish grin spread across her face.

"Give the boy a prize," said Izanami. "Yes, as the guardian of the Vault, you are magically shielded from the powers of any of the items stored within. A few drops of your blood, and I was able to extend that protection to myself."

"But we're not in the Vault!" exclaimed Sarah. "That kind of magic shouldn't work out here!"

"Sarah's right," I said. "I'm not protected outside the Vault, so you shouldn't be either."

"Well, that's not entirely true," said Izanami.

"What do you mean?"

"My retched little prison was already inside when that spell was first cast. And it, along with everything else that was inside at the time, was affected. Inside or not, nothing that was present that day will work against you. And thanks to your blood—"