Mono Valley

'I'm caught off guard yet again. Just like last night in the temple, I couldn't sense anything unusual. What's going on with me? Why are my senses so dulled?'

Rei Li jumped into action, running over to Yama who was flat on the ground. He helped her up on her feet, checking if she was injured. He was confused, studying the girl's now dirtied, yellow robes.

After a minute, he brought his eyes back to the bridge where Amethyst still stood. She was in slight awe that once again, she hadn't realized the possible danger. She tried to piece together in her head when it began.

Her three day journey to Ke during the hunts had gone well. Anytime she'd sensed something was off, which was often, she had been able to hide herself or get away. She'd never had the problem before, and she couldn't.

The next time she went to sneak a look at her younger sister, if her senses were still off, it could end badly. She'd never been nervous, not since the first few times, to go to the palace wall. She knew being caught meant death, so she didn't go often. But she'd trained so well her senses, and was always prepared.

Now, she couldn't tell a living being from a ghost.

But it had only started a few days ago.

'Maybe...something or someone is meddling in my senses. Jun An? But why would he do that?

Is it the area? I've only passed through the path once, and the valley a few times, it's possible it's always dampened my senses, but I hadn't noticed.'

While she racked her brain, Yama began to cry. She wiped her face with her now dirtied sleeves, smearing her face. Rei Li tried to calm her, but she just began to cry harder and harder. Even those in the valley began to take notice. Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed her attempt across the bridge, so she was still more or less safe.

Amethyst stood still, staring out past Yama with her head full of questions. Rei Li didn't mind her, just walked to the bridge and inspected it. When he noticed the protection sigils, he nodded to himself. Tracing his hand across them, he felt the spiritual energy coating them, tickling at his hand.

Yama finally began to settle, patting her face dry. It seemed the full picture clicked in Rei Li's head, and he finally broke Amethyst's focus.

"Can you take her across?" He asked.

Amethyst, being pulled back into the situation, nodded in response. She walked over to Yama, saying,

"Let's wash your face. Then we'll go see your parents."

Her tone was warm, and Yama sniffled one last time. She stared at Amethyst for a moment, in awe or in thanks. Then, she politely nodded, following Amethyst to the river.

She helped wash the young girl's face, drying it with her brown, hemp robe. She then helped dust off the dirt that streaked her yellow clothes, adjusting them tighter and tying the sash around her waist.

"There." Amethyst smiled, feeling a bit better herself. It was so obvious to her now that Yama was a ghost, and though she'd suspected it, it was odd to not have been sure until now.

The spiritual energy that surrounded her, the familiarity, it was the same ghostly energy that the Masked Demon had left behind.

At the very least, ghostly energy would tell a caster that they weren't human, be it demon, ghost, fallen god. It should have been her first sign that she wasn't human. So why did she not know immediately?

Rather than continue to dwell on it for another long minute, Amethyst focused on the task at hand. She nodded to Yama, who smiled back.

"I'm going to lift you up and take you across now. Just close your eyes, and count to three."

She lifted Yama in her arms, and the girl clenched her eyes shut. Amethyst began to count for her.

"One…" She backed up from the water's edge.

"Two…" She steadied herself.

"Three." She got a running start and jumped as she hit the edge of the river. She cleared the river easily, jumping about three to four meters and landing firmly on the other side.

Rei Li, who'd crossed the bridge, greeted them again as Yama was placed back onto the ground. The girl opened her eyes, smiling as she back at the river. With wonder in her eyes, she silently thanked them with another bow.

That was too easy. Amethyst thought.

If a couple of pretty sigils on the bridge are all they have for protection, I fear for their safety. Anything larger than a little ghost girl could easily clear the river. Maybe I should spell the water before I leave…

"Miss Amethyst, Rei Li… thank you for getting me here."

She looked back at Mono Valley, her eyes catching the sign of the ancestor's. It was a small, temple-esque building not too far from the river, serving as a resting place of many families' ashes. She bowed to them once more, running off in its direction, gleefully going to see her parents.

Rei Li patted Amethyst's shoulder, a beaming grin on his face. It was probably one of the few times he'd gotten to do something like this, despite the amount of ghosts he saw on a daily basis in the Third. He'd always dreamt of becoming a Divine caster, exorcising spirits and redeeming ghosts. When he'd hear stories from the few who travelled between the Third and the rest of the kingdom, and especially when he'd hear Amethyst's stories, he'd dream of doing them.

It was day two of their seven day journey and he'd already seen a fallen god in a creepy mountain temple, the Masked Demon, and had brought a ghost girl to her final resting place. He was overflowing with adrenaline and energy.

"Did you know she was a ghost the whole time?" Rei Li suddenly asked. Amethyst shook her head, but didn't verbally respond. She began to walk toward the merchant-side of Mono Valley. A few had seen what happened, but Amethyst currently had an intense aura due to being caught off guard, so they didn't dare speak of it.

"You know, I've never seen you jump so far! I knew you could, though. Never doubted you, not once. After all, you were the Dragonfly-"

"Another dead name, Rei Li." Amethyst said, her tone slightly dark. Her attitude had changed. Although she was happy to set Yama free, there were too many things that didn't add up.

Her diminished senses, Yama's name and unknown relation to Jun An, even the clean floors at the mountain temple. Even with her senses dulled, she felt rationally that something was off.

Things tended to go awry when Jun An was around, there was no doubt about that. Many times during her travels, Amethyst would have to fix a mess he'd made, or stop him before he did something unnecessary. But he'd not only gone off the map for about a year, he'd only magically shown up whenever Rei Li had finally come along with her.

And the trouble wasn't just caused by Jun An like was typical. It wasn't following him, it was surrounding him. He had an unusual encounter by the fallen god, Dozao, who he said he'd barely spoken with. But the thick miasma and resentful energy, and the way he suddenly burst into a rage upon hearing Jun An's name, how could he have barely known him?

And again, suddenly vanishing whenever they came across Yama, who was coincidentally born with his family name.

"Now that I think about it, I didn't see any damage in Rea."

"What?" Rei Li questioned, caught off guard by her suddenly speaking again.

Amethyst continued,

"Jun An said that Dozao was made to protect the town of Rea, but when the emperor placed a hold on the Third, he wasn't needed anymore. But he refused to die, and started wreaking havoc. Why would he be wreaking havoc in the town he was born to protect?"

"Maybe he was angry that they weren't praying anymore?" Rei Li added, walking side by side with her.

His light brown eyes caught the glint of something in the sun, and he perked up, his mind tearing away from the conversation. He picked up his pace, coming to a merchant's table full of weapons. Amethyst slowly walked behind, only stopping when she reached him.

The merchant didn't speak, only bowed to the two outsiders. Rei Li overflowed with glee as he looked over each one. He'd dreamed about having a good-quality sword, but had never bought one for himself. He'd refused to live with Amethyst, so any coins he picked up went to food.

Even then, he still found himself at Amethyst's little shack often, where she'd cook and take care of him.

Still, the coins he'd picked up from doing odd jobs were few, and he'd never accumulated enough to get a good quality sword. And the one time he'd asked Amethyst, she'd said,

"A poor worker blames his tools. A skilled worker can excel with a blade of grass."

He couldn't help but admire the blades, touching each one and even holding them. He kept feeling the hilts in his hands, comparing it to the one he was used to holding. Many of these were much heavier than he was used to, but they somehow all felt regal.

"I didn't see any damage in Rea. I only saw Jun An spouting off in the streets about how he'd saved them." Amethyst spoke again. Rei Li was hardly paying attention as he felt the weight of each sword.

"Well, the people were thanking him." Was all he said.

He picked up another sword, fiddling with it. The weight was a bit more than his rusty old blade, but not as heavy as the others. When he held it, the hilt felt perfectly sized to his hand. He touched the edge, which was reasonably sharp and it shined with power. He was amazed at the energy flowing off of the sword, not negative or resentful, but Divine.

Amethyst sighed, turning to the merchant. She couldn't very well turn a blind eye at Rei Li's excitement, nor the heavenly power coming from the sword.

"Excuse me, sir, could you tell me about the blade he's holding?"