The Tarnished from Land of the Rising Sun.

Chapter 2 : just joining the fray, tarnished?

Once a person dies, their souls will depart to the Sanzu river where they'll take an arduous journey. The weight of their sins will determine the path they'll take. The wicked will cross the infested river, and the fair soul will cross the bridge. Once they cross the river, the spirit will be judged by Enma-ou, and it decides how the soul will be reborn in the next life...or so they said.

None of their tales were described in this foreign realm...there is no Sanzu river, no spirits, no Enma to judge the wicked, and fair sorts. All he can see in this lonely isle of rock is the unstable wooden bridge that stretches to the otherside and beyond the isle....is the golden great tree that stretches up to the gloomy sky, with its branches piercing through the clouds. A towering golden tree that mocks the samurai beliefs of his afterlife.

"Ugh...Nani?...Nani ga okotte iru?(what?...what is goin on?)"

Ryuzo holds on to his aching head when the reality of his beliefs is being twisted by this realm. So, he stares blankly at the great tree as he tries to put this baffling puzzle together.

At first, he still remembers who he was. His samurai armor, his guns, and his dual katanas reminds him that he is the last samurai of Shimazu who serves the lord of the Shimaru...his uncle. He remembers that he slayed the enemy general before he joined with the departed souls. Still remember that he promised to find them in the afterlife...

Yet, despite the knowledge that he is dead, he still somehow feels that he is still alive...why? Why does he still feel the cold air breeze through his warm skin? Were the departed souls supposed not to feel any of these mortal senses?

Maybe they were wrong...maybe the tales that he heard from his ancestor, and the Buddhist priests were false. After all, no living truly knows the truth of the realm of death, except for those who already died. Ugh...such baffling questions are cluttering his mind.

Realizing that these thoughts will only hinder him. The red samurai decides to sit as he crosses his legs, and silently meditate in this chilling air. Trying to clear his mind, and calm himself so he can search a clear path for his objective.

Once his mind is clear, the one-eyed samurai finally has some grasp of his objective. First, prioritize his survival...finding a shelter, food, and safety which means getting out of this barren rock, and looking for any signs of vegetation, if such things exist in this realm.

No, that humongous golden tree clearly states that there is life in this realm, and the bridge is the path that leads to that answer for his doubts. Maybe, along the way he might find some answers in this realm of oddity.

No time to waste, the samurai stands up, and marches across the wooden bridge. Hoping that he might find some answer for his thousand's question. Sadly, no answers were found in this foreign courtyard. Only more questions to fill up his notes of inquiry. Such as the statue in the shape of a lady that stood in the middle of this courtyard.

Questioning its origins, meaning and purpose of this statue...is this some sort of a religious deity? A statue sculpted in the image of the ruler of this isle? Or in this realm? Ugh, another headache for his rambling thoughts.

The red samurai put his questions away for a while, and focused his energy on searching for a way out. So, he continued to march across this barren courtyard only to freeze every fiber of his muscle when he felt something amiss in the wind. His warrior instinct kicks in when he feels the sudden change of the atmosphere...it feels ominous....as if someone knows he is here, and it's just waiting for its opportunity to kill him.

There is no doubt that he senses danger in this place. So, he puts his hands on the hilt of his katana, and scans his environment with his one eye. Patiently, and cautiously waiting for his foe to come out from its hole....