24 In the Darkness of the Night

That last conversation with Hunter left Saki with more questions than answers.

Dimensional tears… doorways… mysterious scrolls… 

She has to admit that the adventurer side of her was excited by all these. She needed to investigate more.

Finishing her meal, Saki cleans up in the kitchen before heading to her study, taking with her the backpack she brought to Iya Valley.

A messy pile of enlarged photos of artifacts and documents covered her big walnut desk; unprocessed data from the Mongolia expedition. However, she wasn't really interested in looking at them right now.

Instead, she proceeded to clean the room, sorting through the documents into organized piles until one can finally see the table's dark brown surface.

Sitting on the black leather office chair behind her desk, she then pulled out the Ziploc bag containing the sword tassel from her bag and began to examine the artifact under a magnifying lens which she got out from a drawer.

A closer inspection further strengthened her earlier guess that the item was in fact made somewhere between the 11th or 12th century. The craftsmanship and weaving style was of a method distinctive of that era and has long been forgotten since.

But what puzzled her was that the tassel looked relatively new, like it was made during the present year, instead of hundreds of years ago. There was minimal ageing in the strings, the knots were perfectly tied with no signs of fraying, which one would expect from such an item from long ago.

Then she remembered something Hunter said to her in the plane: that his ancestors had found a scroll with a weathering condition that does not match its timeline.

Could the tassel be the same?

There was only one definite way to settle that question once and for all, and that is to conduct a series of tests in the laboratory. Saki decided to put that on her agenda when she goes to work tomorrow.

She thought about her conversation with Jiro again. If the boy was telling the truth, then who could have placed this inside his pocket? And more importantly, why?

To be honest, she also felt like she had seen the tassel before but she couldn't remember where. She subconsciously began to rub the material between her fingers, tracing the knots on the tassel as she tried to recall where she had seen it.

"Ouch!" She dropped the tassel on the table and checked on her right thumb. There was a bead of blood forming on the surface.

She inspected the tassel once again under the magnifying lens. A drop of blood had already stained its surface, making it look darker. Hidden within the knots was a small sharp thorn. She must be very tired or else she couldn't have missed such a thing when she was examining it earlier.

Suddenly, the tassel began to emit a reddish glow that was growing brighter by the second.

The light grew bigger and bigger, until it was big enough to surround her.

And in an instant, Saki dropped to the floor. Unconscious.

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Once again, we have been forced to flee by boat during the night.

The stronghold has fallen and many of the leaders have either been captured or killed. Not that it differed, for in the end, all that fall in the enemy's hands will perish. It was only a matter of time.

In fact, it would be better to be killed in battle, than to fall into their clutches alive. At least, we get to die with our pride intact.

I watched in the darkness as my companions huddled together inside the boat, jumping on every little noise that came from outside. We were forbidden any kind of light, as even the smallest one may betray our location to the enemy. Not that I needed one since my eyes are sharp enough to see things in the dark.

How ironic. The once prestigious clan, reduced to a bunch of ragtag armed groups running in all directions like a chicken with its head cut off.

We are defeated, I knew that much. The old master's greed became the clan's downfall. We had prayed that his death would end the torment and chaos he had started. Yet like a demon, he had placed his curse unto the clan and sent his sons to continue what he had started. And those of us who are bound by oath to serve the clan have no choice but to make a stand and fight.

The child began to cry while his mother tried to comfort him. But what comfort can one give to an innocent child whose death is being sought by an entire clan? The poor boy has no idea what was going on. What has he done wrong that would warrant so many people to want to take his life?

I wanted to take that child and run away. But to where? Which ends of the world will allow us to escape both clans' clutches?

I felt guilty and helpless. We were taught to protect the innocent and the weak. But no one taught us what to do when facing such a situation.

The atmosphere inside felt so stifling, making me nauseous and breathless. I headed up to the deck, hoping that some fresh air would clear my head and make me feel better.

My hand subconsciously went to my katana which hung by my waist. My fingers seek the tassel that I tied on its tsuba, hoping for the comfort it brings when I rub it with my fingers.

A flash of images appeared in my mind.

I don't understand any of them. Yet they all felt familiar.

The nausea felt stronger, I felt as if the world was spinning around me.

Who am I?

Why can't I remember my name?

I looked at my hands. Are these mine? I felt disconnected.

Who am I?

Someone tell me.

I ran to the side of the boat, afraid that I might throw up on deck.

The clouds had opened for an instant, letting moonlight shine onto the water's surface.

I saw my face as it was reflected on the water.

Saki. My name is Saki.

Pink flowing hair… and a face so different from my own.

I screamed.

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Hunter woke up with a start, sitting up on his bed.

He immediately looked around his room, sending out his awareness to every corner.

There was no one around. However, his entire body's reaction tells him that there is danger present. His heart was beating rapidly, his eyes alert, and his senses were tingling.

He glanced at the clock on the table beside his bed. 12:00 am. He muttered a choice number of curses under his breath.

He thought he had heard Saki screaming, which was what jolted him into wakefulness. Was it just a dream?

His cellphone suddenly rang, breaking the silence in the room. 

"Master." Hamarr's voice was on the other line. "We found an anomaly on the rift. I think you should come down and look at it."

Hunter quickly stood up and got dressed. The mention of an anomaly is never good news in their line of work. 

His cellphone rang again as he was leaving his room. This time, the caller ID showed that it was Tizon, who was sent on duty that night to keep an eye on Saki.

There was a sinking feeling in his stomach as he answered the phone.

"Master, Miss Saki fainted and is now still unconscious."

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tsuba - hand guard of a Japanese sword