The Day of Thunder

He smiled and bowed. "I would be honored to travel with you, Nanzi-sama."

Nanzi Ai wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 16, 2023 5:32 pm

That was an intriguing thought and she asked, "Is this a journey you are undertaking, alone?"

He nodded. "That was my plan, though it's not a requirement that it be alone."

He nodded. "I planned to go south to confirm my theory. If it's true, the former Nezumi capital will be where any escapees will be."

Nanzi Ai wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 15, 2023 5:47 pm

"I always figured both were aligned with each other," she responded. "Are they distinct and different forces?"

He nodded. "I think something changed when the Taint invaded Yume-do. It... woke something up, I think."

He shook his head. "My Yume-Jigoku's standards, I'm the same as anyone here. The control of Yume-Jigoku and the control of Jigoku itself are different. I imagine it's eating into Jigoku as well as Yume-do as we speak."

"It's... beautiful! Of course!" She was in awe and then anxiety set in if this was a gift ornot but she felt justified that she was more... messenger and courier. "It is gorgeous." He smiled. "It's only natural. It's them. How could it be less than beautiful? The sight a bird died upon seeing."

His eyes go a little wide as he listens and he soon bows his head to keep his composure. "I... understand." He pauses, silent for a long time before he continues. "I will be going into hermitage for a while to rid myself of the last of Jigoku's influence. After that... I intended to travel south to ...

He nodded with a smile. "I do. I'm glad you were able to speak with her. It sounds like things went well." "My nightmares..." He let out a long breath. "Finally being able to return to Kyuden Doji, only to find Hajime and Ananzihime dead. There are quite a few in that vein. Being forcibly returned t...

He smiled a little. "I do know. It's all right."

He approached closer. "I do sleep. A lot of nightmares, but the last couple of nights have been all right. I am mortal, like anything that so much as sets foot in Ningen-do, though I'm not any more human than I was."

"How has your sleep been?"

The monk soon arrived to join her, simply listening for the moment.

He smiled, the expression warm. "Thank you." He looked out toward the edge of the village. "I may have to go south, to the lands of the Nezumi. I suspect Jigoku's natives may be trying to escape. I have no doubt that Yume-Jiogoku is eating into its other parent realm, as well."

"I hope so, as well. I trust those who have come here to defeat the evil that's coming," he said with a smile, nodding. "I'm glad we've met again, Sora. If you don't mind, I feel like I can call you a friend."

Kichi chuckled and nodded. "It... it really does mean a lot, to have someone to talk to. Even after five years... It still feels strange." He was silent for a moment, then said, "I will not do so except under the most dire circumstances, but... If it looks like people may not otherwise escape, I wil...

He took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. "If I survive this, I will be going into hermitage for some time to free myself from the last of Jigoku's influence. Then..." He shook his head. "I'm not sure just yet. I want to find an answer to what my place in the world is, as ...

He smiled a little. "I appreciate it. I wish I could say there was an easy solution, but this is an inevitable part of this happening." He lifted his shoulders and dropped them, not quite a shrug. "Ukyou-sensei has been guiding me for five years, but I knew our paths would diverge soon. He has a pla...

He shifted his shoulders before finally straightening. "I appreciate it." He looked up at the sky. "Yume-Jigoku is close. I can practically feel it. Everything smells wrong when that's close by."

"Let's go get stronger!" Ichirou says, and all the children drop and go start playing a game that had something to do with that, undoubtedly.

Kichi drops his arms and stretches his back, which lets out a couple of pops. "My hero."

The monk was standing in the village streets, seeming to be amused with several children dangling several feet off the ground holding onto his arms and giggling. He looked over as Sora arrived. "Sora-san. You'll forgive me if I don't bow." One of the kids drops to the ground with a grin. "Kichi-san ...

He chuckled. "I'll do my best."

He sighed and shook his head. "I wish I could agree. He's still alive. I struggle with him each day. But he is getting quieter as time goes on."