Hikaru

It was a windy Fall in Hikaru. The wind whistles with the wind-chimes and bells. Which coincides with the cherry blossoms falling off the trees and into the waterfalls, where they float to the village of Kikei-tekina. It is here where the famed Dadelus Hanna XXVI resides crafting his manikin puppets. He crafts them out of clay and wood. Clay for the sockets and wood for the body parts. Then he paints their bodies with magic ink to give them unique looks and says a few incantations. At which it comes alive and does what it was programmed to do prior to incantation. The village is a peaceful town with puppets working on the field crops, their decorated in cloth robes that still look beautiful. At the river canal there are puppet fisherman. And then their are puppet samurai knights. Their armor a combination of both. They wear a breastplate, a billowing cape, bamboo shoulder plates , straw sandals, a clay animate horse, and chain leggings. Their faces hid behind fearsome dragon masks. The first spring fall of the month is when Dadelus receives bad news. His two live human apprentices come to him with grave news, his son whom he had exiled has come to put the village and the surrounding area under siege with his manikin army. He has gotten closer and it won't be long before he makes it to this peaceful town. With two samurai knights,Dadelus quickly gets to his animate clay horse and rides to one of his biggest creations, his animate castle. Their he hopes to prepare for the siege. He dashed to the horse forward and forward.But he is stopped at the crossroads right outside the castle. The castle sits on a mountain.Icarus had waited for him with his four samurai knights. Their visage covered by a steel visor, they clank and whirr like a machine.

"So father have you decided to send troops to Kain as promised.That severely undercuts you in Hikaru."

"I will have no one who would abuse the crafting arts like you do ,tell me what is and isn't of interest for the sake of Hikaru and it was you who sent my creations so that you could weaken me"

Dadelus quickly tugs the invisible strings signaling his warriors to attack.

They charge on their clay horses right toward Icarus. In which he too sics his creations. Dadelus gallops towards the castle gate. In which the doors slam behind him anotomically. Then he dismounts his horse and rushes through the courtyard, past the garden into a room. Containing a cryo tank. Containing his creation. A living doll, with an actual anatomy of a human being. It's a human girl. Frozen in stasis. Their is a console connected to it. He hits a button on a nearby console activating a escape protocol, it puts the cryo tank into a rocket and it jets into the air. To land in a safe area offworld. In which he hears a crash and the sound of battle. Out comes Icarus.

"Why can't I be perfect father why am I not perfect"

"Because you were made by faulty hands my son, you are human!"

"I wish to be something more.This is your fault father"

"I know my son and I have done steps to help right this wrong"

"Computer activate the Steel Protocol"

In which the computer acknowledges in a robotic voice.

"Steel Protocol in action. Goodbye doctor"

At which the volcano is activated spewing out molten iron and heat. Destroying the castle and covering everyone within it in molten iron. Only Icarus survives but at the cost of his sanity. He is trapped within his own robot armor. He has been transformed. This will spark the Puppet-Manikin war. And as he writhes in pain Icarus can think of only one person who would owe Icarus a favor. A man has recently been granted sanctuary in his castle. He seemed to be a spellcaster. It's high time to put him to work to build the war machine Icarus had designs on for ages.

But meanwhile another battle is taking place in another part of Hikaru deep in the vast forests. The shapeshifting warrior clans have been feuding with one another. And they too have been called to Kain. Here they prepare for battle both domestic and foreign. In the hidden villages of Sheipushifutingubirejji where they live in a natural environment that closely resembles their sword shape forms. The Kyoryu clans live in the jungles. They are known for their dinosaur forms.They often choose clubs and staffs as weapons.The Akuma clan live in the volcanoes, they are known for their demon forms. They have a preference for spears. The Akuma and Ryu clan have been in conflict with each other for years. The Ryu clans turns into dragons and are located in the mountainous plains of Hikaru. They often rely on swords and are allies of the Kyoryu but the Kyoryu tend to stay away from the fight with the Akuma clan. The Tori clan turn into birds, they fly with magic scrolls. They are mostly located in the mountains but also found in other terrain as well. The Magic no kemono clans turn into magic beasts and use chain and whip weapons. They are nomads. However they are rivals with the Dobutsu clans who use animal forms and bow and arrows as weapons. The Dobutsu clan are located in the forests. The Umi no kaibutsu clan transform into sea monsters and have been neutral in the clan wars. They are composed of exiles from all the other clans. They are known to be pirates that ply the seas in all the known worlds. Finally there's the Konchu clans who share the forests with the Dobutsu as well as the jungles with the Kyoryu .The Konchu who are known for their insect forms as well as their swords are neutral in the conflict as well. There are various other clans like the Kirin clan in the mountains,the Mamushi clan in the swamps , the Scarab tribe in the desert and other clans scattered all over. Almost all of them have some relation with their more bigger parent clans, the Mamushi snake clan for example is an known ally of the Kyoryu clan. Their are over a million clans most clans only containing a family. However their are clans with over a hundred members. Some clans have been wiped out over the years due to political intrigue.

The Akuma clans are the only clans that have consolidated and absorbed all of its relatives into one major clan. Most of the leaders are dead the clan being led by one leader who often has to deal with assassins and roving bands of hostile tribes on a daily basis. As a result only the most ruthless and cunning can be leader.

It is said that one cannot live under the same sky with his fathers murderer. This saying is applied in practice on a Sunday at church where news of a racial purge has just been reached to Hikaru. A sorcerer has been ousted from the Church of Holy Spirit. But not before killing the head of the families of all 218 church members. The petition for vengeance has been reached to the Shogun,leader of all the samurai clans, and has been accepted. Meanwhile the demon summoning sorcerer has fled to places unknown, with his former friend on his tail. It is said that the Sorcerer is making deals with the evil spirits in the Spirit Realms and that would be a good place to look. So the Bounty Hunter has asked a spirit guide to take him their. In a barren room the Hunter,as instructed, meditates with no distraction before he is placed into a mineral hot spring. Where his body slips fully into the water through the portal to the other side. The hunter awakens. He is in the land of spirits. And from the sounds of it is in a Bathhouse. All manner of spirit creatures can be seen here. From nature spirits to ogres. Broomsticks brush the floor themselves. Towels float in the air. Steam covers the area like a sauna. The smell of otherworldly food wafts in the air. The Hunter goes outside. He is on the 20th floor. He is on a pagoda. He looks down and sees a sight that shocks him. Down below him their was armies of spirits fighting each other marching and partying. It seems as though that someone has emerged to lead the armies of evil to the material plane. The hunter flees back into the the spring. He must warn the others. He swims into the spring then emerges. He is back in the material plane. He sputters for air. While marching out of the pool. He marches toward the mountains. The Ryu clan is said to live their maybe they know what's going on.

It took what seemed like days as the air became rain, sleet and snow. And he was ever near collapse of exhaustion. Until finally he fell succumbing the winter mountains. The last sight he saw was a visage of unearthly beauty. A feather winged snake wrapped with silk streamers. His eyes drop until they close. The radiance comforting him.

The warmth faded and was replaced by a feeling of tepid temperatures.He opened his eyes. His vision was blurry.And as things became more clear he saw that he was in a beautiful room. The room doors and walls showed paintings of dragons fighting monsters and demons. Their was a beautiful chamber pot in the corner. Even that was beautiful it had images of a pair of dragons biting the tails of other dragons creating a criss cross pattern that was in appearance of a flower. The tatami straw mats were clean. As if no one has been on them. And the futon bed he was sleeping in was made of the finest silk. A potted floral plant was in the corner opposite to the chamber pot.Their was a balcony so obviously he was in a nobles home. The door to the balcony is closed but he knew it was still snowing to a crawl outside. A man dressed in lordly attire is smoking a pipe outside. He comes back in.

"Ah your awake"

"Where am I"

"The monastery of the white dragon"

"I need your help do you know why the spirits are coming to the material world via magic?"

"The Red Son has finally come to lead the armies of darkness then it seems"

"What do we do?"

"For now we wait, you have probably heard of the samurai clans like the Kirin or the Akuma. But these samurai that are in my employ are different for they serve the light. Their battle form is the creature know as Tenshi. They are celestial spirit beings from the heavens sent down to this earth to help mankind.Now because of the interference of the Akuma ,the spirit world is pouring itself into this plane of existence causing cosmic turmoil. The Tenshi clan will help us fight against the Evil Spirit clans as well as the forces of darkness throughout the multiverse."

"When will the Tenshi show"

With that the old man snaps his fingers. And with that light appears in the gray snow air. The light travels toward the pair then stops. And from the light sprouts forth a plentiful bounty of beings. They had metal wings and had halos of flame. Each halo was different. But all of them were in flames that came in different colors. They all carried swords, each one beautiful but as beautiful as all the others none were imperfect nor perfect. Some had cloaks of feathers, silk and cloth. Some wore metal armor not found in Hikaru. Others wore the traditional samurai armor. Some also carried manacles and chains. Some were even blind and covered their eyes with shawls, they carried scales that measured justice and witness the world with their flaming ocular halos ever as vigilant.

"With the uprising of the Clockwork Lord, this world as well as other worlds is in jeopardy it won't be long before he builds his army and marches to the land of the samurai. Rumors abound he has made a deal with the Akuma clan, and that bodes ill for everybody. To make things worse the spirits are invading from their realm. The objective is thus, find allies to fight this full scale war we cannot fight this battle alone. The Tenshi clan will help by keeping the evil forces at bay. Go now"

The bounty hunter goes, he is given a parcel of supplies all packed in a backpack. The final words of the monk is this, his query of looking for the man he wants is to look further than this realm. There are secret ways of going to other lands, it is believed they are located in the caves of the floral valley inhabited by faeries. He is given a horse, a white stallion. And with that the bounty hunter takes off to places unknown. To the floral valley where not even your own eyes can be trusted.

Meanwhile in an unknown valley of the haunted the casket that was ejected out of the castle opens with a pneumatic hiss. And out comes a beautiful woman. She looks around and sees that she is near a small hut. The hut is in disrepair and has seen better days. It's surrounded by dark foliage even though the sun is out. In the distance on a dank mountain stands a manor. Piano music can be heard. This must be a foot man's quarters. The trees and roof seem to beckon her toward the manor steps. The wind brushing aside the thorny bushes that have taken over the rough ramshackle stony path to the manor. She takes one step at a time towards it.

Meanwhile in the darkness of Hikaru in the Plains of the Moon. A pact is made with the one clan no one has seen for over a thousand years. The Tenshi and the Shitai. Disgraced Samurai clans are banished to this realm where it is always night. Things don't make sense or go right. The air is toxic and the people act like they are under a spell. The Shitai live here, only the strong survive in a sense however they become warped by its evil magic. Demons dare not dwell here for to long for it is haunted. By the armies of the damned.

Here we meet with Haro one of the many leaders of the Tenshi clan, who meets with the most cruelest and depraved of the Shitai, the Shadow Lord. Alongside him are the Chimera clan, the Skeleton clan, the Gaki clan and the indigenous people, the Daku Hito. They are believed to be powerful spellcasters. Some even say they have ties to Hilligree, the place of death and darkness. Although they call it Enma.

Here they discuss a deal that is sinister to outside forces.

"Shadow Lord, I have to come to make a bargain. This land is sick and the people with it. It is time for the forces of darkness to come to light. Where suffering will be a thing of the past. And everyone will be allowed to be free of it. Many atrocities have been done in this land. It is time for it to pick a side. An evil greater than itself has surfaced will it be a son to the father of evil or will it listen to the mother of good. Will you redeem yourself? What day you?"

The Dark Lord looks at this radiant being through his eyes behind a mask of bone. His armor black as shadow.

And says ...

"Yes"

"That is settled then we march to Arrown! We will surely find support their"

2000 years ago in Hikaru before the manikins came in a mountain hut, their was a lonely mother and her son. The mother was the daughter of a rich prominent merchant. Yet she chose and discovered the simple life of a farmer. However she had money around, not as if her or her son wanted it. However one day a samurai-oracle came. An evil one. He came demanding as it was his right. On his bright vibrant blackish red clothing he had a trinket on his daisho, a pair of matching swords one short one long. It was a beautiful jewel encrusted miniature scimitar. And Fukunusubi, the son wanted it. So his mother bargained for it. And it cost her, her entire fortune. As the money exchanged hands. The samurai kills her. And the son enraged takes the samurai by surprise and kills the samurai. But not before saying with his dying breath that he was Dark One and that Fukunusubi was successfully tempted. Fukunusubi will return and become the personification of greed 2000 years later. And that is when Dark One will return to destroy the multiverse. Fukunusubi in a fit of grief and anger then kills himself with a kitchen knife.