Spectral Regalia

Ch 102: Izanami's Truth

Two people wearing robes similar to Erebus' walked in with nervous expressions. They were a middle aged man and woman who seemed as if they had something on their minds.

"What's wrong?" Erebus spoke while maintaining his position. The two Spectrals glanced at each other before the middle aged man spoke, "Lord Erebus, we have been discussing things with the others, and we are wondering why our savior isn't here with us."

Erebus sighed as he replied, "Have I not spoken about this before? He is tending to his own matters that may or may not benefit us. Regardless of the outcome, who are we to question his actions?"

The middle aged man crept back a little, as he felt Erebus' tone was a bit hostile. The woman spoke in his stead, "My Lord, that may be the case, but surely with our savior here we can improve ourselves and learn much more from him."

Erebus let out a soft sigh before speaking, "That may be true, but who are we to judge him? He gave us a seed and instructions to grow it. Are we supposed to still beg him to hold our hands? How can we improve ourselves if we cry out for him like a child wanting its parents? We need to take these matters into our own hands. Don't be impatient. When the time is right, he will send us a sign. One year or one-hundred years, what's it to us now?"

Erebus didn't necessarily agree or disagree with them. He wanted to take a more logical stance, which would hopefully put their minds at ease.

The middle aged woman nodded and bowed, "We understand, Lord Erebus. We will go tell the others. We apologize for interrupting." With that said, the two Spectrals turned and left, closing the door to Erebus' training room and leaving him in silence.

"Surely our savior hasn't abandoned us. It would be foolish to think so this early on. Preposterous." Erebus grunted to himself at the dumb idea.

Within the southern continent, a lone figure was sitting on a high cliff with the wind blowing across her skin and through her hair. It didn't stir a reaction, as she seemed lost in thought. This girl was Ayame.

She had a look of sadness and a tinge of regret. "Why would he try to kill me and Master? Were his motives truly evil like Master said?" Her thoughts seemed a bit conflicted and confused.

"Why would he try and kill me and Master Syrana? Is it revenge for the way we treated him? Maybe it really was my fault. I was aggressive from the beginning. I should have been more careful. He tried to kill me and Master, I'm sure he hates us both." With that thought, her heart felt a bit pressured.

While she thought to herself, a voice called out, "Ayame, why are you still sulking? You have been avoiding your family and neglecting your training. Are you still sad about Avrin?" Shimaru approached casually as he stood beside her.

Ayame blinked and stood up before bowing to him. "Forgive me, grandfather. It was wrong of me to have lingering thoughts of this." She showed proper respect and apologized to Shimaru, as she also knew this had affected her life.

"Ayame, you never had a good relationship with Avrin. Why are you feeling this depressed? Let it be a lesson to you. Although I don't think Avrin is bad, you should have been less aggressive towards him. Maybe he would have been more forgiving."

Ayame felt her heart tug as she nodded. "G-Grandfather, I..." Before Ayame could speak, Shimaru sighed inwardly and spoke "I can't play to your feelings, Ayame. You are a shinobi and your heart must be strong. I have high hopes for you. Don't let this get you down. There will be more opportunities for you later on."

Ayame chuckled softly and shook her head. "It's too late for this, grandfather. The time has passed. I can only hold this regret down for the rest of my life and think about what I did wrong."