Cloak and Scalpel

THE CADIA ARC: Collateral Damage

Author's Note:

A note on Kagura's lore: Previously, Kagura was the descendant of Seimei, her ancestor and a powerful onmyoji. In true blue Moonton fashion, they revamped her lore when they launched the game in China. I recommend reading it if you have time. It's very well-written.

Anyway, thank you for all the reviews on the previous chapter! I hope you guys enjoy this one. And again, I do apologize for my sluggish updates lately. Life has been busy, filled with endless studying and traveling.

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The Present Day
Cadia Riverlands
The Scarlet Shadow
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Morning light slipped through the shutters, casting golden slashes across the floor. Everything was still—the kind of quiet that settles just before a storm or a goodbye.

I sat cross-legged by my unmade futon, my rucksack open in front of me. Kagura had managed to find a spare amidst her grandfather's things and insisted that I use it for the journey. The leather was worn smooth at the edges, scuffed from years of use, but it was sturdy and that was enough.

I packed slowly, my mind replaying the events of the previous day. Hanzo had been sighted once again, this time further inland. Hayabusa had told Kagura and I that he intended to go after the rogue shinobi and bring him to justice. If I recalled correctly, Hanzo, having learned of the dark deeds of the Scarlet Shadow elders, had taken the demonic blade Ame-no-Habakiri for himself. His goal was to wipe out the corruption infesting the Scarlet Shadow. Or so he claimed.

In his quest to uphold his nindo, Hanzo had sacrificed Kuren, Hayabusa's brother, to the demonic blade, devouring him whole.

I hadn't really given much thought to the Scarlet Shadow's lore since coming here. I'd been too preoccupied with trying to fill in the gaps in my memory and trying to recover the strength I'd lost at sea.

Turning back to my rucksack, I pushed all thoughts of Hanzo from my mind and focused on my packing. There wasn't much to pack, truth be told. The only thing of value I owned had been the clothes they'd found me in, the bracelet in my pocket, and the ring I wore on my finger.

My gaze drifted to the ring. I'd taken it off and set it upon the chabudai near the veranda. The stones caught the sunlight, throwing tiny rainbow pinpricks around it. As a doctor in my world, I wasn't the type to wear much jewelry, and certainly not rings. I was a would-be surgeon, after all. It was a habit to keep my hands free of trinkets.

So how in the Land of Dawn did I get such an expensive-looking ring?

I tried to wrack my memories once more and drew up short. I winced as my head began to throb, like it always did when I tried recalling the memories I'd lost.

Whatever, I'll do that later. For now, I needed to get back to packing.

A bundle of dried herbs went into the rucksack first, wrapped tight in linen. Kagura and I had picked them together. They'd be useful for the journey, she'd told me. Next was a tinderbox, my waterskin still cool from the well, and a thin blanket. You can never go wrong with blankets, Kagura reassured me.

Then I reached for the map.

I unfolded it carefully. It was the rough map I'd drawn of the Land of Dawn, every continent, every city, recalled from memory. I'd written little notes about each place, and each hero that might be found there. It was a mental exercise I'd given myself over the past few days. I was glad to say, it was mostly a success.