Mountain of The Moons • Book 1

Chapter 19

"Come, just sit around." Chunami said gesturing to the main floor of the Dojo which was essentially a large soft mat. She sounded like she couldn't even care about what was going on and her demeanor was much the same. I was a little taken back but I guess we all handled fear differently.

"I'm sorry for your brother Master Chunami." I heard Siena say.

I looked around in confusion as everyone filed in and sat down on the floor in front of her and Minoru. No one seemed to look confused like I did, but I wasn't even aware she had a brother in the first place. My stomach sank when I realized why Siena was apologizing to her.

"My brother Haru was a good man. My brother and I have studied here at this temple since the day we turned 18 together. You all know how hard working he was- how hard working he is. This place was his home, this was everything to him." She said and her voice cracked towards the end but she stood as tall as you could expect her to.

I sat in the back of the group not even sure why Minoru told me to follow them all. Jun silently sat next to me but his eyes were on Chunami. I know he was mad at me, but now wasn't the time to talk about it. He looked a mess with his soiled clothes and as I was next to him he too smelt of burning flesh. It took me a moment but I could see part of his upper chest and abdomen were badly burned likely from dousing the fire.

"He was one of the strongest of us so if his death really was just a senseless killing by the Oni Syndicate, let his death at least be a harsh reminder that whoever did this is smart. They are more skilled then we may think. They are hiding among the other students pretending to be one of them when they are capable of murdering 3 of us in cold blood without a witness." She said and her hands were shaking at her side. "We will find this killer and put an end to this. Is that clear?"

"Yes Master Chunami." I heard the group say in unison. I saw her bottom lip quiver but she stepped off to the side before she could be seen showing any emotion. Minoru then took her place in front of us.

"We are going to discuss more in a moment but I have a bit of information I think you all need to know moving forward. You all are aware of Meishu Rin and his lack of involvement in Ethereal matters as a whole. The leader of the Oni Syndicate is Kenji Oshira. He has lead that faction for the better half of the last two decades and before that was his father. That family has a long history of power and control primarily in the central regions of the country as well as a little to the north and it's presence is expanding everyday." He explained and it felt weird to hear him talk about my father in a way I never knew him, it just didn't feel real. "They are our enemy, but they have enlisted in a male student here to do his bidding in his absence. We know for a fact it is a male student who is responsible for this heinous crime. The Meishu has received warning through a passage in the Umanti."

I saw Jun look to me for a moment and I looked to him but his eyes quickly diverted from mine. It felt like he was going to say something but he didn't.

"We haven't made it public knowledge until now for her own safety but this passage was delivered by an Oracle." He said and I felt my heart drop in my chest. "That Oracle happens to also be Kenji Oshira's daughter."

"Wait, his daughter is here?" I heard someone ask angrily and I shrunk back knowing what was about to happen.

"While we know this affiliation sounds unpleasant we can assure you she has nothing to do with her father or the Oni Syndicate. She came here to seek refuge from her family before she even knew of this world and his affiliation with the Oni." He explained and I felt horrified of what he was doing. "She has come here to train alongside us and the Gods have given her the ability to guide us through these times. She is not a threat to any of and has trained here for over two months now under the radar to most of you."