Chapter 26

So... an interesting request. Much like how I wish to meet my father, they too are missing theirs.

Izanagi.

The so-called creator God of Japan. I suspect Izanami had just as much hand in it as he did.

But I wish to answer their plight and help however I can. I... am excited at the prospect of even meeting my father, I wonder what he's like.

All I know, is that's he's powerful. Powerful enough to throw me through dimensions regardless of the boundaries between worlds. And the woman who was beside him... I can only assume is my mother.

I wonder what she's like.

My expectations are all over the place.

Regardless, I was just... Happy to meet my father. The very idea, I... want to know the reason for my existence, and to be of help to my father.

I... want to be a good son.

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Here I was.

The dreamscape.

My... my hands are shaking. It... its been 300 years... since I've heard her voice... seen her-

No... she won't smile. After... After what I did, I'm lucky if she'd even look at me.

It was an interesting place. A... path. One surrounded on either side by flourishing sakura trees. Their pink petals flew through the air, gently landing on the floor and on my hair and shoulders.

It's... so peaceful.

Looking ahead, I saw a lake. A clean lake, unblemished by any pollution. Each of my steps, I stared at the lake and found that the closer I got, the more obscured it became.

The water looked... murky... and upon reaching the lake, it was entirely opaque. I couldn't see anything in it. I crouched and my hand couldn't even pierce the water.

"What are you doing, Walter?" And there it was... as a stone was skipped across the rigid lake, I heard her voice.

"The water looked strange." It really did. It was as black as oil, yet previously looked as clear as the sky. Maybe... maybe a reflection... of the pain I had caused her.

I don't even know anymore.

"Turn around, and look at me." That was where my entire body tensed up. How... how could I bare to look at her? After what...

"You... always were a man who blamed himself." I felt a hand on my right shoulder, urging me to turn around.

Slowly... I turned to the woman who had taken my heart, just as I had crushed hers.

"What happened to your eye?" Oh... I had forgotten that she hasn't seen me with the eyepatch. How do I...? No. No lies, no half truths. Just the truth.

"I tore it out in a fight." And I found her reaction to be acceptable.

Mitsuri shattered my jaw.

Normally, that'd be impossible. But we're in her mind. Her dream.

My back hit the solid lake, I just lay there.

"You... you idiot! Why... why would you willingly do that to yourself?! I'm... I'm not sure about any new sternritter, but at least the ones I know don't want to see you suffer! How do you think they feel? Each time, something else is wrong. Can... can you imagine the pain they must feel? Having learnt that you willingly tore your eye out! Feeling pain is one thing, but watching someone you care about slowly decay and break down... that's something even worse." There wasn't a point in there I could refute.

Not like I was going to anyway.

I deserved every word of it. My jaw was still shattered and-

Why was she on top of-

The crunch of my jaw snapping back into place was sickening, yet not strange.

"You... you need to get yourself together Walter. I haven't seen you in 300 years, but you've gotten... what's the word? Complacent? No... I don't know the word, but I don't like what you've become Walter. I... haven't even mentioned your infidelity." A tear shot down her cheek, her left sleeve floating in the wind.

"I... don't know what to say... I'm... a shitty guy. When I was given the opportunity... in some... misguided and deluded belief. I thought it might be ok, that my fantasies could be realised. Back when I was still unsure of how real this all was. So... i... just... took advantage of the moment." Those were my honest thoughts, I can't remember whether those thoughts are right. But... that was my attempt at guessing what I was thinking.

"So... melascula... was just a toy to you?"

"No!" I... dont know what she was to me.

"Do you love her?" That was a good question.

"I... I'm not even sure anymore. At one point, I think I mistakenly believed it as love. No doubt, I care deeply for her. But I myself can't even say. To my knowledge, at least from what's left of my memories, I can't recall anything about any intimate relationships before all this." That was immediately met with the look of pity.

"How much do you remember?" That... that concerned tone.

"I no longer remember my parents faces. Nor their names. I can recall no relationships other than you and melascula. I... might have had a sibling, might not. Its all very blurry. All I can recall for definite was my profession as a masseuse." Even then, that was getting blurry.

The muscle memory will remain, the memory itself not so much.

"Why... you suffer so much... and for what? Peace? World peace for people you don't even know, may never even know?" Thinking back on it...

"I don't remember the original reason."

"Then why-"

"Because to go back now, is to go back on my own word. I wanted to bring peace, there shouldn't be War. Of that much, I'm sure. Anything deeper? Not a clue. But... the world will halt to a standstill should I do nothing." The pillar looked at me, an indescribable look on her face.

"I... don't even know anymore. I think that's enough talk for now. Before you go, I want to say two things." Mitsuri got up, walking away from me, on the path of the cherry blossom trees.

"I... am fine with other woman. In your state, without someone you care about deeply... you take drastic measures. You need someone to regulate your actions, tell you when they're wrong. If they make you happy and watch over you, then that's all I ask. Second... visit me every now and then, it gets lonely." After all that...

She still cares about me...

"Thank you... mitsuri..."

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Izanagi.

If his children weren't aware of his location, I certainly could not be. Therefore, I could guess one might know...

The wife.

From what I have been told, the wife was... obsessive. Obsessive and vengeful. After Izanagi went against his word. But nonetheless, she may know where he is hidden away.

And so, with these eyes of mine, that perceive the dimensional layers and fractures, I followed the threads of yomi. The threads of death, the ones that lead to Izanami's domain.

These eyes... see much more than can be seen.

And so, follow I did. Through rivers, up mountains, through caves and all sorts of terrain. Until...

I came across a boulder. One blessed with divinity and sealed the entrance to yomi.

How... do i go about this? Tearing my way through was never the intended plan, because tearing out of a dimension with no owner is Easy, the inner space is naturally weaker. Whereas a space that is under the authority of a god, is not only much harder, but nigh impossible considering I am stood on Japanese soil.

"Who... who is it I sense at my abode?" A gravelly and pitiable voice called faintly out from behind the rock.

"My name is Modoru. I am here on matters of takamagahara, specifically a favour requested by Amaterasu-no-mikoto and Susanoo-no-mikoto."

"No...mikoto? I... I have more children? He... that bastard... cheated?" Hmm. You know...

Why not.

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The son of Newgate casually placed a pointed finger against the rock. Izanami herself felt this, an immense pressure descended upon her, as if the weight of hundreds of thousands of souls weighed upon her.

And then, the rock shattered...

The divine blessing faded, as if having never been there. Shattered to pieces along with the boulder.

Revealing a woman, around 5ft 6 wearing a black veil that was entirely opaque along with a black kimono. Modoru had to say...

She was attractive.

"You... shattered my brothers blessing? How?" The boy walked past her, peering into the vertical chasm that was Yomis'entrance.

"Power. Raw, unfiltered power. If you smash two rock's together, one will break and the other will be degraded. If you swing a sword at another sword, the blades will chip and dull until they break. If you smash overwhelming power into divinity..." The child grabbed a rock, crushing it into dust which fell from his clenched fist. "The divinity will be crushed into nothing."

"But... you'd have to be as powerful as... the kotoamatsukami..." The being didn't know who they were, but could make assumptions.

"Regardless, shall we go chat in your home?"

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At the rise of dawn, was the moment to attack.

In vampire society, Daywalkers are typically shunned due to a simple fact.

Most Daywalkers, are not purebred.

A half-blooded vampire, only has half the weaknesses and half the strengths. But a large majority are daywalkers unless said impure blood is of another light vulnerable race.

And so, purebred day walkers are incredibly rare.

Yet they only retain weaknesses to holy weaponry and a stake through the heart. That much, makes them valuable assets in combat.

Day raids.

Impossible for normal vampires, but with the inclusion of Daywalkers, it becomes very possible.

That was Sunny's plan.

Vampires sleep at day, resting in their coffins. And no vampire would be fearful of being killed in the day. The humans of Romania were paralysed with fear from the vampires. They wouldn't dare to rebel.

Hence, the tepes faction felt safe in the day. And that was what allowed for the town to be taken so easily.

Sunny watched from above, standing high in the sky. The sun beaming down on both herself and the city. Watching carefully as the souls of Carmilla's guards trickled into the city.

"A simple plan I must say. One that can effectively be put into action because of Carmilla's Royal guards being Daywalkers. I can also understand, we don't know all of Tepes' cards, and so just revealing our abilities haphazardly could be disadvantageous." Melascula spoke next to her comrades ear, fanning herself with a darkness construct.

"It would also just be annoying to kill the lot of them myself. Singlehandedly staking each of their hearts. Its quicker just to get the royal guards to act simultaneously." Sunny had moved to sitting on the air, chin resting on her left hands palm.

"It doesn't help that my Zanpakuto doesn't cut."

"Really? Doesn't zanpakuto mean soul cutter?" Sunny pulled out ichimonji, her shadow opening to reveal it.

"A handy Quincy technique, I'll say. But, it doesn't cut souls. It cuts names. And the weight that names hold, is incomprehensibly greater than just the soul itself. If your name is to be cut, so will your power. For example, if I was to cut someone's neck, for stronger opponents like Walter, I may only cut away one letter. But on average, I'll cut away two or three letters, reducing the strength of your neck by 75%. In the case of three letters." Melascula looked up to the sky, still fanning herself.

"So if anything, you're more suited for support than actual combat." The painter hummed lightly.

"My way of combat is somewhat roundabout. I have to bombard the enemy with kido to make openings, then I use those openings to cut away their strength or in especially hard fights, remove their name." That in itself grasped the snakes attention.

"Truly, you're quite scary."

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Shit. It amazes me how lazy I can be. It's been fucking time since I wrote a chapter.

Sorry about that.