Chapter 95: Duties Of A Father & Sins Of Man Part 1

It took three hours to hang the corpses for blood drainage, and it would take another hour for it all to trickle out, even after cutting some of the larger stray devils into smaller bits. Stepping out from behind the barrier, I let out a sigh as a headache throbbed behind my eyes. I started using Shundō to head back towards home, where Eri and Retsu awaited, I tried to shake off the fatigue.

'Hope things are better there than here.' I thought, leaping from tree to tree. My mind drifted to what lay ahead, to the theory I was betting on. Bathing in this blood was supposed to bridge the gap, to either reconnect with Muramasa or reignite my bond with the Blood River. I wasn't sure which would be better. Muramasa had been my trusted blade since the beginning, always sharp and reliable. The Blood River however, had granted me the ability to wield cursed magic, a power that though I didn't need now with Reiatsu, was something I still wanted in my arsenal.

I sighed again, catching sight of the mountain's peak up ahead. My mind was a tangled web of doubts, but time was running out. Summer was just days away, and with it the start of the Hyakki Yagyō. 

~Scene Change~

I was greeted by Eri crawling through the grass as Retsu watched her with a calm smile. They both noticed me, and Eri began making excited baby sounds. 'So cute.' I thought, walking over to pick her up with one hand. Carrying her, I went to sit beside Retsu. "I'm back, Retsu."

She hummed in response, watching as Eri started nibbling at my hand while I took a drink that had been set nearby. "Ryou, I take it your training has been going well?"

I nodded, looking down as Eri reached for Honjo Masamune at my side. "Want to hold it, Eri?" She responded with garbled enthusiasm, still reaching. Setting her down at my feet, I placed the sword across her lap, letting her examine it.

Retsu's voice was soft but firm as she spoke. "I thought I told you that I don't want Eri touching any weapons until she's older."

I gave an awkward smile. "It's out of habit. Anyway, I just came back to tell you that I'll be gone for the next thirteen or so days."

She frowned slightly but soon returned to her calm smile. "Very well. Have you dealt with that cat?"

I nodded, casting a glance at Eri. When Retsu had mentioned an unfamiliar energy around, I'd suspected cursed magic at first, but she had ruled that out. She'd said it felt more like the aura of the youkai from town. The thought of that Bakeneko stirred anger within me again, after that discovery, I'd started trying to learn more about different shapeshifting youkai, which lead me to discovering about Bakeneko's.

"You're frowning, Ryou. Is everything okay?" Retsu's slender hand rested on my leg, and I turned to see the concern etched on her face.

I gave a reassuring smile. "Yeah, just thinking."

She hummed, her hand staying in place. "If you're sure. I've finished co—" Her sentence was cut off by Eri's garbled words.

"Mwa!"

We both turned, seeing that Honjo Masamune was no longer in Eri's lap, discarded to her side. She was looking intently at Retsu.

"Eri, what's wrong?" I asked gently as Retsu and I knelt down beside her. She pointed toward Retsu. "Mwa!"

While Retsu looked confused, it took me only a moment to piece together what Eri was trying to say. Smiling, I asked softly, "Eri, can you say Mama?"

Eri tried again, managing a determined. "Mmwa!"

I stifled a laugh as realization dawned on Retsu, who turned to me.. "I'm not her mother!"

I raised an eyebrow. "So? I'm not her biological father, yet she's my daughter." I turned back to Eri, who kept pointing at Retsu, still trying to form the word.

Retsu hesitated. "I only helped raise her in your stead because you needed a hand."

I hummed, a smirk tugging at my lips. "Is that so? Well, I guess you won't mind if someone else comes along when Eri's older, someone she might start calling 'mother.'"

I caught the faintest twitch of Retsu's usual calm expression. "I... I can't be a mother, not after what I've done."

I snorted. "So what if you've done bad things in the past? I've killed people in front of Eri, and she still chose to call me Otousan."

I patted Eri's head as she grew visibly frustrated at not being able to pronounce mama. "Eri, calm down and try slowly. Say, 'Mama.'"

She looked at me, copying the slow, even breaths I demonstrated, before turning to Retsu. Her small voice tried once more. "Mwamwa!"

I chuckled. 'Close enough.' Retsu's expression softened, and she reached out to pick up Eri, pulling her into a hug.

"Y-yes, I'm M-Mama!"

I gave them a moment, settling back in my chair as I watched Eri giggle in Retsu's arms, my heart filling with warmth. A soft smile crossed my face, though it faded into a frown as my thoughts turned elsewhere. 'I've got no more doubts.'

~Scene Change~

I was back in the cave, deactivating the barrier to let the blood flow through the bamboo pipes into the bathing pit. As it slowly filled, I descended the stairs, undressing and setting Honjo Masamune aside, watching as the blood rose higher. Once I was ready, I looked down at my reflection. 'This is it, Ryou.'

Taking a deep breath, I turned, leaning back so that my back would be the first to hit the surface. As I fell, the last thing I saw was the cave ceiling above me and the thick, metallic smell of blood.

Reiatsu pulsed around me, a steady lifeline as I submerged, and then I waited. Time passed by the rhythm of my counting. 'One, two, three… a hundred seven, a hundred eight…' The minutes stretched into hours, into long stretches of silence broken only by the bubbling of blood in my ears and the thud of my heart, beating faster than it should.

'Two hundred fifty-nine thousand two hundred…'

'Four hundred thirty-two thousand seventy-two…'

Nothing. No sign, no connection only the sound of my voice in my head.

My mind drifted, then snapped back to counting. 'seven hundred seventy-seven thousand six hundred, seven hundred seventy-seven thousand six hundr-'

I opened my eyes, and was greeted by a familiar sight, The Blood River.

"Is it odd that I find a strange comfort here?" I spoke into the silence, hearing my own voice echo. 'Not like I wasn't expecting a response.'

The Blood River stretched before me, as full and vast as it had been before Trihexa's escape. I began walking toward the spot where Muramasa once rested, each step rippling through the crimson depths. After what felt like half an hour I found it. Muramasa, its cursed blade sunk slightly into the river's surface. As I drew closer, a heavy resistance slowed me, but I pressed forward, reaching for the handle.

"That wasn't so ba—"

Golden chains burst from the blood below, coiling around my arms and legs in a fierce grip.

"Shi—!"

I was yanked down, submerged beneath the Blood River. My mouth clamped shut to keep from swallowing any blood. 'Not yet anyway.' I thought, struggling against the burning chains. 'What the hell are these made of?!' Their searing heat bit into my skin, intensifying as the chains pulled harder and faster.

Abruptly they stopped. The sudden jolt snapped my head forward then back. My arms were stretched wide, held fast by the golden bindings. And in front of me, emerging from the darkness, was a massive black shape.

My eyes widened as an enormous yellow eye, larger than a house opened and fixed on me, seething with a mindless overpowering rage. The dread clawing at me was unlike anything I'd felt, except for one being that made me feel like this, Trihexa.

The black mass twisted, shifting as it took form, and soon seven heads appeared, each that of a different beast, all glaring at me with eyes glowing with hatred. The creature began to rise, but just as it did, golden chains erupted from its body and the river beneath, wrapping around it, restraining Trihexa.

The chains strained and snapped, and all its eyes turned toward me. A deafening roar split the Blood River, reaching so deep it felt like it was tearing at my very soul.

'Fuck, I need to get out of here!' Panic gripped me as Trihexa's dragon head lunged, swimming toward me with its jaws widening, filling my vision. I thrashed against the chains as more golden bonds shot from the river, trying to hold it back, but they shattered on impact.

With wide eyes, I watched as the dragon's massive mouth descended, its teeth closing around me and plunging me into darkness.