by Fuyumi Ono
She spent the summer walking through the battlefields and the ruins. And then the summer ended and the snow began to fall. Perhaps because of all the soot, it was a gray snow, a harbinger of worse times to come. The winter that year was particularly harsh. The snow piled up in great drifts. Many of the houses in these parts, though built to withstand the elements, collapsed under the weight.
At the end of the cold, snowy winter came a dry summer. Rarely had Tai seen such a hot summer. The farmland lay parched beneath the sun. And when winter came again--
She believed it was the following year when youma began to appear more and more often. For a kingdom without a king, this was hardly out of the ordinary. But they multiplied practically in front of her eyes. The old-timers said that no way would youma appear while the true king reigned. People began saying with greater conviction that Gyousou must be dead.
Risai stared into the night sky above the courtyard. How were the people faring now? Here she was, while Tai suffered all manner of privations. The summer was drawing to an end. Another terrible winter waited in the wings.
Please save us. Even now, she could not shed the desire to cry out and cling to her. The more she got to know the Royal Kei, and the more she knew about the people around her, the deeper the grievous nature of the sinful action she demanded seeped into her soul. And yet knowing--
"But there is no other way."
Somebody must rise up and bring a halt to Asen's villainy. Lacking a leader with the power to subjugate the youma and bless the land with bounty sufficient to last the winters, Tai could not last many more years longer. This year, or the next, or the year after--it hardly mattered now--when the snows would melt away in the spring to reveal the frozen body of the last citizen of Tai.
"What in the world are you doing here?" a voice queried behind her.
Risai glanced over her shoulder. An old man was standing at the gate to the courtyard. "Nothing," she replied.
The old man was Enho, the Taishi. This was his manor house. It might well be nothing out of the ordinary to him, but since being moved here, he had stopped by to see her on a fairly regular basis. The Empress's entourage was few in number, but they were all good-hearted. Whenever she thought about Youko in these terms, she grew fearful even of herself.
"Are you all right? Being up and about at this hour?"
"More or less, I guess."
Enho slowly approached her and sat down on the steps leading up to the promenade where Risai was seated. "It seems that the Royal En will be lending a hand in the search for the Tai Taiho."
"Y-yes."
"And yet you appear quite disheartened."
You don't say, Risai thought to herself, but couldn't repeat this to Enho
"Indeed. We are faced not simply with the matter of finding him. And supposing that we do, a mountain of tasks lay ahead of us. Once the Taiho has returned, searching for the Royal Tai becomes that much easier. Yet, it would then become necessary that the Taiho return to Tai, and doing so might very well risk losing the Taiho as well."
"Yes." Risai nodded.
"In order to effect a successful search for the Royal Tai, a large contingent would be necessary. However, I heard that assembling such a number of allies would be well-nigh impossible. And if they can somehow be found, while the search for the Royal Tai is underway, the people will continue to bear the unbearable."
"Winter is coming. Not many months remain until the first snowfall."
"When you think about it in those terms, Tai is a hard country. You cannot survive the winter in the open air."
"It's true. Winters in Kei must be quite temperate."
"Compared to Tai."
Risai nodded dejectedly. "There are temperate kingdoms and kingdoms that are not. I have to wonder how much better off Tai would be if it shared Kei's climate--if people huddling together and sharing the warmth of their bodies was enough to make it through the winter. Why must there be both warm kingdoms and cold kingdoms in this world?"
"Why, indeed."
Risai looked up at the Moon. "Why did Tentei create a kingdom such as Tai? It would be enough if only people could depend on the warm of their own bodies to survive the winter."
"Asking such questions does not change what is."
"But--" Risai said, biting her lip. "Didn't Tentei create the world? Then why did Tentei create such a place as Tai? With such merciless winters? If I was Tentei, I would have at least created kingdoms with more pleasant climates. The winters not too cold, the summers not too dry. A world like that."
"Huh," was Enho's only response.
"If the people were starving, I would send them manna. When a cruel pretender rose up, I would strike him down. Why isn't Heaven more like that?"
"It does make you wonder."
"But why? It's said that the right to rule their kingdoms is granted by Heaven to kings according to the Way of Compassion. If so, then why would it be a sin to dispatch soldiers also in the name of compassion? It was Heaven that sat Gyousou-sama on the throne. Didn't Tentei make Gyousou-sama king and promote him to the throne? So why doesn't Heaven protect him?"
Enho didn't answer.
"Does Tentei really exist? If He exists, then why won't He save Tai? Why won't he listen to the prayer of the Tai people, even as they drown in their own blood? Are you saying that their prayers somehow aren't enough? Or perhaps that Heaven wishes Tai to be destroyed?"
"Risai-dono--"
"If Tentei doesn't exist, that's fine too. A God who doesn't deign to save his own creations has no business existing. But if there is no God, then why can't the soldiers of one kingdom trespass the borders of another? Who is it punishing that sin? If some person is making those judgments and passing those sentences, they why doesn't that same person pass that same sentence upon Asen?"
Enho warmly covered her cold, quivering hand with his own. "I understand how you feel. You musn't allow your passions to sap your own strength."
Risai took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm sorry. I got myself into a bit of a tizzy there."
"I do understand where you're coming from. After all is said and done, we are left to live out our lives under the Providence of Heaven. For as long as that holds true, we are condemned to this irrational state, the logic of which we cannot control."
"Yes."
"However, this is the world of men and women. Pay no mind to the business of Heaven. Instead, find a way to live within whatever Providence dictates. That is the end to which the Royal Kei is devoting her heart and mind."
"Yes. I apologize."
"You need not worry about it. Nobody is casting Tai aside."
Risai nodded. The cruel light of the Moon shone down on the World Below.
Chapter 27
"Yo," said Rokuta, sauntering into the Seishin. Ten days had passed since he and Shouryuu had returned to En.
"Another visit out of the blue." You didn't seem to have any problems finding your way here, she didn't need to add.
Rokuta grinned. "Well, I've been here before. Anyway, my hair mostly does the talking for me. Nobody has to ask who I am. Except that I don't seem to have gotten through to that man of yours at the front gate. Gaishi was it? I'd appreciate you clueing him in for me."
Youko sighed. "You do have a habit of popping in without much notice."
"Hey, I consider that a virtue. Speaking of which, you need to get packed and ready to go. Snap, snap."
"Ready to go?"
"Sure. I've been doing diplomacy. Kyou, Han, Sai, Ren, and Sou are on board. Including En and Kei, that comes to seven kingdoms. Hou and Kou currently have vacant thrones, so I didn't include them. And Ryuu and Shun didn't respond favorably."
Youko rose from her chair. "Five more kingdoms."
"At any rate, we'll do the most we can with the help we've got and send search parties to China and Yamato. Sou is on good relations with Kyou and Sai. They'll take on China. We, together with Han and Ren, will handle Yamato. We're arranging for the Taiho from Han
and Ren to come to En. As far as Kei's role is concerned, I didn't think it advisable to lay any more burdens on the Kei national treasury. I hope you don't mind."
"No problem. En is perfectly equipped for the job."
"All right then," Rokuta grinned. "Despite this being on such short order, we can count an august official from Ren among our number. He's currently arranging his schedule, but considering the long distance he has to come, he's likely to be delayed a bit. In the meantime, there's someplace we both need to go."
"Go? Where to?"
"Mt. Hou," Rokuta replied.
"Mt. Hou?"
Mt. Hou was located in the Yellow Sea in the very middle of the world, the holy place where the kirin were born. Youko had only been there once. Shortly after ascending to the throne, she traveled there to receive her Divine Dispensation.
"What are we supposed to accomplish on Mt. Hou?" Youko wondered aloud.
"We're going there to meet the Mistress."
"The Mistress? You mean Hekika Genkun?"
Hekika Genkun was the Mistress of the wizardesses who lived on Mt. Hou. Youko had never met her.
"Yes. In any case, what we're setting out to do has never been done before. We've got a lot to learn. Shouryuu told me to bring you along, seeing as you're the one who dreamed up this plan. We'll be flying there by kijuu, so pack light. The sooner the better. I want to get back before the guests start arriving."
Youko hurriedly got ready, and left everything else in Koukan's hands. She borrowed a shirei from Keiki. She was all set to depart from the Forbidden Gate, but Rokuta laughed at the proposition. "There's no telling how long it'd take going via the low road. It's a lot quicker flying above the Sea of Clouds."
Youko blinked in surprise. Typical of the Ryou'un Mountains, the peak of Mt. Hou projected above the Sea of Clouds. However, except for an unattended shrine, she seemed to recall that the peak of Mt. Hou was unoccupied. It hadn't looked like anybody resided there.
"Well, you'll understand once you see for yourself."
With that, Youko climbed onto Hankyo and they took off. After a day and night astride the kijuu, she drowsily awakened to the sight of the Adamantine Mountains rising from the sea in the early morning light like an island atoll. The day was approaching sunset when she recognized the outlines of the Gozan (the Five Mountains).
Mt. Hou was the eastern peak of the Gozan. A magnificent white temple palace stood at its peak. As they alighted before the gate, Youko recognized the figure of the person standing there. The luxuriantly-arrayed woman looked up at the hovering kijuu.
"You see?" Rokuta grinned.
But of course. You'll see once we get there, he should have said. Youko had never seen Hekika Genkun before, but from the poise and appearance of the person awaiting them, she concluded that was her.
"I am, as always, grateful that you could arrange to meet us here," Rokuta called out as soon as he set down.
The woman laughed and answered in a bright voice, "It is I who should be saying that to you. May the Taiho and his always unexpected visits remain unchanged until the end of time."
"I just can't help being who I am. I brought someone with me I'd like you to meet, Genkun."
Almost as if on Rokuta's cue, the woman's clear gaze turned to Youko. "This would be the Royal Kei, then."
Youko started a bit. "You know who I am?"
"Well, I do happen to be the Mistress of Mt. Hou," Gyokuyou answered with a cheerful smile.
"Once we've gotten the introductions over with, there's some stuff we need to talk about, pronto. And if we could grab a little shut-eye along the way, that would be appreciated too."
Gyokuyou smiled and pressed Rokuta on towards the temple palace. Beyond the door-less gate was a broad courtyard paved with white stone. There was no surrounding wall or promenade, only a small, red shrine in one corner. It faced the Seiden, but Gyokuyou didn't head in that direction. Instead, she stood in front of the shrine. With her fan, she rapped once on the shrine doors and opened them. The last time Youko was here, the doors opened onto a crystal staircase. But now the stairs leading downward were white.
Rokuta returned her surprised look with an wry smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. She's something of a supernatural being herself."
Gyokuyou laughed cheerfully and urged the two of them on.
The entranceway seemed to serve the same purpose as the Forbidden Gate. The white staircase continued on for a relatively short distance, taking them to a similarly white structure. Stepping onto the floor and glancing backwards, the shrine doors were nowhere to be seen. Instead there was a white wall. The several other sides of the octagonal building were open to the world, revealing the bare stone ridges covered with green lichen.
"This way."
Gyokuyou led them to a nearby palace. When they entered the spacious building, nestled within an outcropping of deformed rocks, tea and a light repast were waiting for them. The wizardesses said to reside in Hourou Palace were nowhere to be seen.
"I excused our other residents for the time being. Is this to your satisfaction?"
Rokuta said, "I'm always impressed by your generous hospitality. I'll pose this question to you directly. Are you here at Mt. Hou aware of the current situation in Tai?"
"As we have received repeated inquiries from En as to the existence of a new Taika, we can only conclude that the disposition of Taiki remains in question."
"Anything else?"
"The throne of the Royal Tai appears to be empty."
"That's the whole of it. A pretender sits upon the Tai throne. The Royal Tai and Taiki are nowhere to be found. The Royal Tai doesn't seem to have left Tai, so his fate is beyond our control. That's why we've decided to look for Taiki alone. It seems very likely that Taiki was swept away to the other world by a meishoku."
Gyokuyou said nothing as she filled the teacups with hot water.
"But this is too much for us to handle alone. We are asking the other kingdoms to pitch in and help. We hope to find Taiki and return him to this world. But simply taking him back to Tai would hardly be the end of things. Tai must lay away stores and prepare for the coming winter. Taiki would require allies and backers in order to escape the eye of the pretender and resume the search for the Royal Tai."
"There is no precedent for the kingdoms reaching beyond their mutual self-interest to tackle a problem together."
"Do you think this offends Divine Law?"
"Hard to say. I see nothing wrong with seeking out Taiki and returning him to this world. I am concerned with what would happen next. That may well offend Divine Law." Gyokuyou replaced the cover on the tea cup and offered it to Rokuta. "Moreover, that Taiki has not returned since he was swept away tells me that he is unable to at the present time. We don't know what condition he is in. If these circumstances, and the reasons for them, can't be addressed, then the difficulty of removing those obstacles remains."
"Indeed. And what would you advise?"
"Hmm--" Gyokuyou sank into silence. A long moment later, she nodded. "In any case, this is a pitiful state for Taiki to remain in. Let me look into this further."
"If you wouldn't mind," said Rokuta.
Gyokuyou stood up. "Grab a wizardess and make yourself at home in any of the palaces. I'll see you again tomorrow at noon."
Chapter 28
Youko watched Gyokuyou leave. She gave Rokuta a troubled look. "What exactly just happened here?"
"Exactly what it looks like. This incident really lacks for precedents. Nobody is exactly sure how to proceed. So she's going to confer about it."
I got that much. But Youko kept these thoughts to herself. She felt quite unenlightened, and yet didn't know how to express the feeling.
"What kind of person is this Genkun?"
"Pretty much what you saw there. She's the Mistress of Mt. Hou. The one who keeps the wizardesses in line."
"So having met with her, what happens next?"
"She'll give us an answer. That's why we came here, rig
ht?"
"Why would she know the answer?"
"Ah." Rokuta sighed. "But of course. It's the whole ball of wax you're after." He fixed his gaze on her. "In this world, Divine Providence is fixed and inalterable."
"Yeah, I know, but--"
"Yeah, you know, but you don't really know, right? This isn't one of those things. This world is defined by boundaries of Divine Providence."
Youko answered with a quizzical look.
"The Divine Providence of Heaven is taken as a given by the people. Or rather, the absolute nature of its logic is imposed on them. And nobody can change it."
"I still don't get--" Youko started to say.
Rokuta waved his hand, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Okay, okay. Let me give you an example. And I'll make it simple. Right now, there stands in our way a sin of the most immediate nature. The armed forces of one kingdom may not trespass the borders of another. This dictate constrains us in our attempts to save Tai. In fact, there is in our past the precedent of the Imperial Army of a kingdom crossing an international boundary. Namely the Jun Tei incident."
He continued, "Jun Tei sent his Imperial Army into Han. As a result, both Jun Tei and Sairin were struck down almost at once. That day, there appeared to be nothing particularly wrong with Jun Tei at all. He went about his business as usual. But exiting the Outer Palace, he suddenly grabbed his chest and fell down the stairs. Alarmed, the ministers rushed over to him. A small river of blood was flowing out of his flesh and over the cobblestones. They tried to help him up, but found that his body had turned into a sponge, and any pressure only squeezed out more blood. He soon expired."
"You can't be serious--"
