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# Mirage of Blaze volume 8: The Supreme Conqueror's Demon Mirror 3

## Chapter 26: Receding Homeland

By Kuwabara Mizuna (author), Toujou Kazumi (illustrator)
Translated by asphodel

It was the dead of night. Ujimasa Houjou Ujimasa (北条氏政) 1538 - Aug. 10, 1590
Title: Sagami no Kami
Also known as: Matsuchiyomaru (松千代丸—childhood), Shinkurou (新九郎—nickname), 慈雲院松巌傑公 (posthumous)
Ujimasa was born in 1538 as the second son of Houjou Ujiyasu and his principle wife Zuikeiin, daughter of Imagawa Ujichika, and was older brother of Houjou Ujiteru, Houjou Ujikuni, Houjou Ujinori, Houjou Ujitada, Houjou Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora), and Houjou Ujimitsu. He became heir to the clan when his older brother Shinkurou died before reaching adulthood.
Ujimasa married Oubaiin, eldest daughter of Takeda Shingen and Sanjou-no-Kata, on the occasion of the three-way alliance between the Takeda, Imagawa, and Houjou clans in 1554. Their marriage was thought to be a happy one.
Ujimasa succeeded his father as the fourth head of the Sagami Houjou Clan in 1559 upon Ujiyasu's retirement. His first task upon becoming heir of the clan, per clan convention, was a a land survey evaluating how the Houjou lands were being used and the condition of the people serving on those lands. His relationship with his brothers was good throughout, and they were be a huge help to him in the governing of the clan.
In 1561, Uesugi Masatora (Uesugi Kenshin) of Echigo laid siege to Odawara Castle with a huge army gathered from the Kantou and south Mutsu. Under the leadership of his father Ujiyasu, Ujimasa was able to drive back the army. After the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima, he was able to take back a large part of North Kantou from the Uesugi in concert with Shingen.
In 1568, seizing the opportunity presented by the decline of the Imagawa Clan after Imagawa Yoshimoto's death at Oda Nobunaga's hand, Takeda Shingen invaded Suruga, laying siege to Yoshimoto's heir, Imagawa Ujizane in Kakegawa Castle. Ujimasa led the Houjou forces to repel the Takeda army and formed an alliance with Tokugawa Ieyasu of Mikawa in order to rescue Ujizane (his brother-in-law by way of his younger sister Hayakawadono). Ujimasa then had Ujizane adopt his son Ujinao as his heir, thus giving the Houjou Clan a legitimate claim to the territory of Suruga. In order to hold back Takeda, he formed an alliance with his old enemy Uesugi Kenshin, giving his younger brother Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora) as hostage. The severing of ties with the Takeda Clan, however, meant the dissolution of his marriage with his beloved wife Oubaiin.
In 1569, Takeda Shingen laid siege to Odawara Castle, delivering a crushing defeat to the Houjou Clan (though recent analysis by historians indicate that Shingen lost a great many men as well). In 1570, Suruga belonged almost wholly to Shingen.
In October of 1571 upon his father's death, Ujimasa broke off his alliance with Kenshin and reformed the alliance with Shingen in accordance with his father's will, after which fighting between the Houjou and Uesugi clans flared up again.
Kenshin's death in 1578 triggered a fight for succession to the Uesugi Clan between his two adopted sons, Uesugi Kagekatsu and Uesugi Kagetora (the Otate no Ran). Ujimasa was tied up at that time in a confrontation with Satake Yoshishige and Utsunomiya Kunitsuna in Shimotsuke, so sent his brother Houjou Ujikuni to their brother's aid in his place while asking Takeda Katsuyori for reinforcements. Katsuyori betrayed the Houjou and formed an alliance with Uesugi Kagekatsu, and the Otate no Ran ended with Kagetora's death and Kagekatsu's succession.
Ujimasa broke off the alliance with the Takeda clan a second time and formed an alliance with Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu to attack the Takeda territory in a pincer movement, but shifting alliances and hard fighting left the conclusion unclear. In 1580 Ujimasa proposed to Oda Nobunaga, who had just taken Ishiyama Hongan Temple, that the Houjou Clan become a vassal of the Oda Clan, but Takeda Katsuyori managed to form an alliance with Oda first. Ujimasa retired from the position of clan head in the same year, but like his father before him still held onto the government and military affairs of the clan.
In the following years, the Houjou Clan managed to gain control over a vast territory: Sagami, Izu, Musashi, Shimousa, Kazusa, Hitara, Shimotsuke, and a part of Suruga. Interestingly, however, Ujimasa did not seem to hold the ambition of ruling the entire country, a tradition passed down from the founder of the Late Houjou Clan, Houjou Souun. Instead, Ujimasa concentrated on independence for the 8 Kantou provinces under Houjou rule and alliances with other strong warlords such as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Date Masamune.
In 1589, using Ujimasa's refusal to proceed to the capital to attend him as pretext, Toyotomi Hideyoshi gathered an army of 220,000 to lay siege to Odawara Castle. It overran castles in the Houjou territory in quick succession. The siege against Odawara Castle lasted from May to August. On August 4, Ujimasa offered to surrender his life for the lives of his men. Toyotomi demanded the lives of both Ujimasa and his brother Ujiteru, as well as the lives of their vassals Matsuda Norihide and Daidouji Masashige. Ujimasa and Ujiteru committed seppuku on August 10.
Ujimasa left behind the following tanka verses for his death poem:
「雨雲の　おほえる月も　胸の霧も　はらいにけりな　秋の夕風」
「我身今　消ゆとやいかに　おもふへき　空よりきたり　空に帰れば」
translated (Sadler 1978, pp. 160–161):
Autumn wind of eve,
blow away the clouds that mass
over the moon's pure light
and the mists that cloud our mind,
do thou sweep away as well.
Now we disappear,
well, what must we think of it?
From the sky we came.
Now we may go back again.
That's at least one point of view.
There is another verse which is sometimes attributed to his brother Ujiteru, but is most often attributed to Ujimasa:
「吹くと吹く　風な恨みそ　花の春　もみじの残る　秋あればこそ」
which may be translated:
The wind's resentment—
Oh, see how it blows against
The flowering spring.
Yet it will leave us anon
The bright colors of autumn. had finally sounded the retreat from Mt. Nikkou Nikkou-san (日光山)
Mt. Nikkou, located in the north-west part of Tochigi Prefecture, is one of the 100 famous mountains of Japan and centers on Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyohou, and Mt. Tarou., and his troop of vehicles was climbing the wending roads of Iroha Hil Iroha-zaka (いろは坂)
Iroha Hill Road is a Japanese national highway (no. 120) which connects Nikkou's Umagae district to the banks of Lake Chuuzenji. The road, actually consisting of two one-way paths, is famous for its hairpin curves. Iroha Hill One, which goes from Lake Chuuzenji to Umagae, contains 28 curves, while Iroha Hill Two, going in the opposite direction, contains 20 curves. Iroha Hill One was established in 1954, Iroha Hill Two in 1965.
The name "Iroha" comes from the poem of the same name which uses each character of the Japanese hiragana exactly once; each of the 48 curves in the road is named after the character which it resembles. l. Cradled in his arm was the Tsutsuga Mirror Tsutsuga Kyou
The Tsutsuga Mirrors were originally a treasure of Futarasan Shrine, formed of a male and female pair. The female mirror has the power to entrap souls, and is called the soul-sealing mirror (Fuukonkyou—封魂鏡), while the male is able to release entrapped souls. Legend has it that when Holy Priest Shoudou founded the first shrine on the Nikkou mountains, he turned the two tsutsuga causing mischief on Nantai-san into magic mirrors with his spells.
Four hundred years ago, the Fuuma Clan mated the two halves of the mirror to give birth to a tsutsuga cub which High Priest Tenkai sealed into the female mirror by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu.. His destination: Futarasan Shrine Futarasan Jinja (二荒山神社)
Futarasan Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Nikkou founded by Holy Priest Shoudou. It enshrines three mountain deities: Ookuninushi, Tagorihime, and Ajisukitakahikone of Mt. Nantai (also called Mt. Futara), Mt. Nyohou, and Mt. Tarou.
Its main shrine (Honden) was built in 767, its middle shrine (Chuuguushi ) in 784, and its rear shrine (Okumiya) in 782.’s Chuuguushi at the Chuuzenji Chuuzenji-ko (中禅寺湖)
Lake Chuuzenji, located in Nikkou National Park in the city of Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture, is one of Japan's 100 famous views. It is the 25th largest lake in Japan and drains through the Kegon Falls. Lake-shore.

(Saburou...)

His mind revolved around a single thought: to kill Kagetora. His greatest enemy was not Takeda or Oda, but his own younger brother. And an enemy, kin or not, could not be allowed to live. How many generals before him had fallen to treachery by their own flesh and blood, assassinated in their sleep because they had been blinded by affection?

(You are Houjou’s seed of calamity.)

He could not be allowed to live. The ties of blood between them made Saburou all the more dangerous. Affection for family could all too easily backfire, as Ujiteru Houjou Ujiteru (北条氏照) 1540? 1541? 1542? - Aug. 10, 1590
Title: Mutsu-no-Kami
Also known as: Houjou Genzou (北条源三), Ooishi Genzou (大石源三)
Ujiteru was the third-born son (second to survive to adulthood) of Houjou Ujiyasu, younger brother of Houjou Ujimasa, and older brother of Houjou Ujikuni, Houjou Ujinori, Houjou Ujitada, Houjou Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora), and Houjou Ujimitsu. He was widely extolled for his courage and wisdom.
In 1559, he married Hisa, the daughter of Ooishi Sadahisa, master of Takiyama Castle in Musashi, and became Ooishi's adopted son and heir. (Later, Ooishi became a vassal of the Houjou clan, and Ujiteru regained the Houjou surname.)
In the following years, Ujiteru followed his father into several battles with neighboring clans, which greatly increased the Houjou sphere of influence. He also excelled at diplomacy, and maneuvered the alliance between the Houjou and Uesugi clans into place in 1569. He also secretly built up diplomatic relations with the Date Clan. Though he wanted the clan to form an alliance with the Oda Clan during Oda's period in power, the plan fell through because of opposition within the family and Oda's death.
In 1569, while the Takeda army was en route to a siege of Odawara Castle, a detachment of the Takeda army led by Oyamada Nobushige attacked Takiyama Castle, penetrating all the way to the outermost wall. Ujiteru crossed spears with Takeda Katsuyori during the battle. Ujiteru's forces managed to stave them off, but dissatisfied with Takiyama's defenses, Ujiteru abandoned it in favor of Hachiouji Castle.
In September of 1579, Ujiteru and his younger brother Ujikuni went to the aid of their brother Uesugi Kagetora in the Otate no Ran, but were stopped short by snow and hard-fought battles.
In 1590, during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Siege of Odawara, he entrusted his main castle, Hachiouji Castle to a loyal vassal and barricaded himself in Odawara. Due to that fact, Toyotomi saw him as one of the pro-resistance leaders, and demanded his death along with his brother Ujimasa's. Ujiteru committed seppuku with Ujimasa on August 10.
He wrote as his death poem:
「天地の　清き中より　生まれきて　もとのすみかに　帰るべらなり」
which may be translated thus:
We are born into
the brightness betwixt heaven
and earth; yet there is
another dwelling to which
we must all someday return.
Ujiteru's tomb is located near Hachiouji Castle. had learned.

(Wait for me, Saburou. If I can’t destroy you, I will seal you into this mirror for the rest of time.)

They hit Akechi Plateau and began descending toward Lake Chuuzenji Chuuzenji-ko (中禅寺湖)
Lake Chuuzenji, located in Nikkou National Park in the city of Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture, is one of Japan's 100 famous views. It is the 25th largest lake in Japan and drains through the Kegon Falls. without slowing.

The wind carried the late-night autumnal chill down Mt. Nantai Nantai-san (男体山)
Also known as: Futara-san (二荒山)
Mount Nantai is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan, located in Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture and formed from a stratovolcano. It is worshiped as a sacred mountain and was first scaled by Shoudou in 782, who founded the first shrines there. and across the lake at its feet.

All was quiet once more at Chuuguushi, which Ayako and company had recaptured from the Houjou hours before. It was almost three in the morning, and frigid.

Takaya awaited his brother Ujimasa’s arrival, standing before the tightly-shut gates as if he would hold any and all intruders at bay. He glared into the middle distance, his expression closed and cold; even Ayako dared not approach.

The road below them was nearly devoid of traffic, the night so quiet that the silence itself felt painful. The dark lake lay just beyond them with a whole sky-full of stars glittering on its surface.

They heard cars approaching from Iroha Hill. Takaya began walking toward the hill road when he saw the headlights. A black BMW slid to a stop before Chuuguushi’s Ootorii Hall, followed by several more cars out of which stepped armed men.

Last to emerge was a tall middle-aged man clad in priestly robes. He walked slowly to a mound in front of the wide-spread company. Takaya stood facing it, waiting. Though it was dark, Takaya could see Ujimasa clearly.

“Aniue aniue (兄上)
A more formal way to address an older brother than "onii-san" or its variants; could be translated as "honorable elder brother"....”

“...”

His robes fluttering in the breeze, Ujimasa glowered at Takaya.

“We meet at last, Saburou,” he responded bitingly, and raised his right hand toward his men in a gesture of dismissal. “All would have been well if you had remained in the mirror, but you insisted on escaping... Did the idea of becoming Hakone’s offering displease you so? If you had not acted so foolishly, you would even now have been made Houjou’s god of war.”

“...”

“Have you sold your soul to Uesugi?”

Takaya glared up at Ujimasa with an effort that felt as if he were pushing back against a strong wind. Ujimasa continued coldly, “Four hundred years ago you would not have turned such an expression on your brother. I suppose it was a mistake to give you over to the Uesugi after all.”

“Aniue aniue (兄上)
A more formal way to address an older brother than "onii-san" or its variants; could be translated as "honorable elder brother"....”

“So. Our bright, clever, docile Saburou is no more. It was your duty to remain a Houjou. Your mission was to work for the benefit of the Houjou always, even in Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture.. Have you forgotten that, Saburou?”

“...”

“Taking Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture. was within your capacity. You were sent there because you were entrusted with making that domain ours. To succeed Kenshin and make Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture. a Houjou domain. I trusted you, Saburou.”

“How dare you say that to me...” Takaya retorted in a stifled voice. “When you abandoned me so quickly... When you broke the alliance despite knowing that your brother was a hostage. How dare you talk about your expectations...”

“I would have expected you to understand the deeper implications. I did not abandon you. You were not Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture.’s hostage; you were a Houjou operative sent to Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture. in the guise of a hostage.”

“It’s too late to try to excuse your own selfishness!” Takaya—Saburou Kagetora blazed. Ujimasa raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t mind being a hostage if it served my clan! I would have given my life! No matter how painful the situation, I kept my brothers in my heart just as I believed you kept me in yours! That’s why, even at the moment of my death in Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture.... No, from that moment until now. I believed it, and told myself not to hate any of those who drove me to my death—because hatred would only hollow me out and leave me empty... Nonetheless!” Takaya clenched his fists. “This time—this time I will not forgive you!”

Ujimasa closed his eyes, his expression still.

“In the mirror I saw the truth—saw clearly that Saburou was a tool to you. That we are nothing more than pawns to be used and tossed away.”

“...”

“I am not your tool!”

Ujimasa opened his eyes to a slit, unmoved by Takaya’s passionate fury. “Is that all you have to say, Saburou?”

“...!”

“A persecution complex such as yours would never have survived the Sengoku Sengoku (戦国)
The "warring states" period, lasting from 1467 to 1615, in which the warlords of Japan battled each other for the rule of the country. Era. It was a time when the weak played their parts faithfully and devoted their lives to the strong in order to stay alive. Saburou, your life belonged to the Houjou. That was your true mission.”

“I stopped being a Houjou the moment Lord Kenshin bequeathed Houjou Saburou Uesugi Kagetora (上杉景虎) 1552? 1554? - Apr. 19, 1579
Also known as: possibly Houjou Ujihide (北条氏秀), Houjou Saburou (北条三郎), Saburou Kagetora (三郎景虎)
Historically: Uesugi Kagetora was the seventh son (sixth to survive to adulthood) of Houjou Ujiyasu, younger brother of Houjou Ujimasa, Houjou Ujiteru, Houjou Ujikuni, Houjou Ujinori, Houjou Ujitada, and older brother of Houjou Ujimitsu. His mother was the sister-in-law of Tooyama Yasumitsu, a vassal of the Houjou Clan (other sources say Zuikeiin, Ujiyasu's principle wife). It's likely that he and Houjou Ujihide were two different people and that Ujihide was the son of Houjou Tsunashige and living in Edo while Saburou was living in Echigo, so most historians refer to him as Houjou Saburou when describing his early life.
As a child, he was sent into the priesthood at Souun Temple in Hakone, then sent as hostage to Takeda Shingen of the Takeda Clan in the three-way alliance between Houjou, Takeda, and Imagawa formed in 1554 (though this last point is now in dispute, as it is told only in the Records of Ancient Battles of the Eight Kanto Provinces and recorded in none of the Takeda Clan records.)
He was adopted by his uncle Houjou Genan in 1569 and married Genan's daughter.
When the Houjou and Uesugi clans formed an alliance in 1569, Saburou was sent to Uesugi Kenshin in an exchange of hostages with Kakizaki Haruie. (At first, the hostage was set to be Houjou Ujimasa's third son Kunimasumaru, but Ujimasa could not bring himself to send off his son, who was then still a baby.) Saburou was sent to the Uesugi clan in early 1570. Kenshin, who never married, developed a liking for the handsome and intelligent Saburou. He married his niece Seienin, the daughter of Nagao Masakage and older sister of Nagao Akikage (Uesugi Kagekatsu) to Saburou, gave him the name Kagetora (a name that had once belonged to Kenshin himself), and adopted him into the Uesugi Clan.
When Kenshin died suddenly in 1578 without naming an heir, Kagetora and Kagekatsu, similarly adopted by Kenshin, fought for succession to the position of clan head (the Otate no Ran). Though Kagetora held the early advantage with the backing of Uesugi vassals such as Uesugi Kagenobu, Honjou Hidetsuna, Kitajou Takahiro, and the Houjou Clan, the tide of the battle turned with Takeda Katsuyori's betrayal to Kagekatsu's side.
When the Otate fell in 1579, Kagetora attempted to escape to Odawara Castle, but was betrayed at Samegao Castle by Horie Munechika and committed suicide. His wife committed suicide along with him (though there are also accounts that she remained behind at the Otate and committed suicide there when her brother Kagekatsu refused Kagetora's surrender.) His oldest son Doumanmaru died at the hands of Kagekatsu's troops along with Uesugi Norimasa, and the rest of his children were believed to have died along with their parents.
In Mirage of Blaze: He was born to Houjou Ujiyasu and Zuikeiin as their eighth (seventh to survive to adulthood) and youngest son. After his death in the Otate no Ran, he was charged by Uesugi Kenshin to become kanshousha in order to ensure that the peace of Japan is not disrupted by the onshou as the leader of the Yasha-shuu and the commander of the Meikai Uesugi Army. with his own name. You no longer have the right to command me.”

“I will say it once more: Saburou, obey your brother. Houjou blood runs in you, and you belong to us until the day you die. No, even beyond.”

“Not a drop of that ancient blood runs through this body!” A glorious aura sprang up around Takaya. “You’re just a phantom! You don’t exist anywhere but in the past, Aniue aniue (兄上)
A more formal way to address an older brother than "onii-san" or its variants; could be translated as "honorable elder brother".!”

“Don’t...Saburou!”

“You don’t belong here!”

Takaya crossed his arms and shot a «nenpa nenpa (念波)
Lit.: "waves of will/thought"; a nendouryoku attack using spiritual energy which focuses the will and releases it in a burst to strike at a target.» at Ujimasa, who stopped it with his right hand before launching his will sharply outward. The asphalt broke apart around them. Ujimasa’s retainers took that as a signal to begin their own attack.

“Ugh...!”

Takaya stretched a «goshinha goshinha (護身波)
Lit. "wave of self-protection"; the goshinha is a protective mesh spun from fine strands of spiritual energy which surrounds the caster and protects from an opponent's spiritual as well as physical attacks. The mesh gains strength and stability when it is multi-layered and becomes the goshinheki. The goshinha is Naoe's forte.» around himself against the rain of will.

“Haruie!”

“Got it!” Ayako rushed forward, whistling loudly with her fingers against her lips.

The gates of the main sanctuary opened, and Katakura Katakura Kagetsuna (片倉景綱) 1557 - 1615
Also known as: Katakura Kojuurou Kagetsuna (片倉小十郎景綱)
A military commander of the Sengoku era and hereditary vassal of the Date Clan. The Katakura family traditionally took the nickname of 'Kojuurou', so Katakura Kagetsuna is better known as Katakura Kojuurou.
Kojuurou first served Date Masamune's father, Date Terumune, as a junior page, then became Date Masamune's attendant in 1575. He was later appointed a strategist, and participated in most of Masamune's important wars where he rescued the Date Clan from many tight spots. His wisdom was extolled by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and his name was a byword for loyalty. (He was called 'Katakura Kagetsuna the Wise', and he, along with 'Date Shigezane the Brave', were named 'the twin jewels of the Date'.)
Kojuurou died in 1615 of illness. led the Date to the attack. They had possessed the riot police, whom the Date spirits had snatched from the Houjou «nue nue (鵺)
In Japanese mythology, the nue is a chimera formed from the head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, the legs of a tiger, and a snake-tail. The nue can transform into a black cloud and brings illness and misfortune.
In Mirage of Blaze: The troops of the various clans, lumped-together masses of onryou, are called the «nue». Mori Ranmaru commands the Nue-shuu of the Oda, who are onryou with strong powers.».

Waaaaaargh!

Now they fell upon the Houjou with enraged battle cries, and a great psychic battle began. Ujimasa’s aides de camp immediately began crumbling to the ground around him, unable to withstand Ayako’s «choubuku choubuku (調伏)
Also known as: choubukuryoku (調伏力)
The special power given to the Yasha-shuu to banish onryou to the Underworld using the dharani of Uesugi Kenshin's guardian deity, Bishamonten. The types of choubuku include "kouhou-choubuku", "ressa-choubuku", "kekkai-choubuku", etc. Each choubuku is begun with the incantation "bai" and the ritual hand gesture of Bishamonten's symbol.
Choubuku does not work against kanshousha, who have bodies of their own.». The riot police surged into the gap. Ujimasa whirled away from the chaos, his robe’s sleeves snapping, and began running with the Tsutsuga Mirror still in his arms toward the lake.

“Aniue aniue (兄上)
A more formal way to address an older brother than "onii-san" or its variants; could be translated as "honorable elder brother".!”

Takaya sprinted after him in hot pursuit. Ujimasa descended the slope and nimbly vaulted onto the road below, racing away to the west. Takaya shot «nenpa nenpa (念波)
Lit.: "waves of will/thought"; a nendouryoku attack using spiritual energy which focuses the will and releases it in a burst to strike at a target.» after «nenpa nenpa (念波)
Lit.: "waves of will/thought"; a nendouryoku attack using spiritual energy which focuses the will and releases it in a burst to strike at a target.» at him as he gave desperate chase.

A car suddenly appeared out of the darkness, heading straight for them. It braked sharply, blasting its horn. Without stopping, Ujimasa leapt high into the air and over the vehicle as it swerved into the guardrail, just missing Takaya. Takaya recovered and resumed the chase. Ujimasa had already reached the esplanade along the lake shore, and now lead Takaya further into the darkness. Takaya would follow Ujimasa to the end, wherever it lead.

He didn’t know how long they ran. Ujimasa descended to the water’s edge and turned. Panting, Takaya followed determinedly.

Silence descended on the lake shore once more as the brothers glared at each other.

“This is where you die, Saburou.”

“...”

“No one will disturb us here. You will surely bring catastrophe to the Houjou unless I destroy you so thoroughly that you can never perform kanshou kanshou (換生)
To possess another's body, driving out their soul, so as to be reborn with memories intact. Only Naoe of all the kanshousha has the power to perform kanshou on another soul. again. You should thank me for personally seeing to your death!”

With the Tsutsuga Mirror still in his hand, Ujimasa shook his sleeves wide. A swarm of butterflies flew out of them to converge on Takaya, the dust from their wings piercing into him. With a moment’s focus and a strong push of will, Takaya set the insects on fire. They dropped in ashy clumps to the ground.

“That won’t work on me!” Takaya yelled. He pointed, and flames blazed toward Ujimasa’s face from his fingertips. Ujimasa swept his sleeves in front of him, violently extinguishing the bursts of fire.

Counterattacking with a stream of «nenpa nenpa (念波)
Lit.: "waves of will/thought"; a nendouryoku attack using spiritual energy which focuses the will and releases it in a burst to strike at a target.», he remarked, “Saburou, Kenshin has spoiled you.”

“What?”

“One can hardly tell you were adopted!”

“...!”

Eyes lifting in anger, Takaya hurled a mass of pure will at his brother. Ujimasa shielded himself with a «goshinha goshinha (護身波)
Lit. "wave of self-protection"; the goshinha is a protective mesh spun from fine strands of spiritual energy which surrounds the caster and protects from an opponent's spiritual as well as physical attacks. The mesh gains strength and stability when it is multi-layered and becomes the goshinheki. The goshinha is Naoe's forte.» and retaliated with another swarm of butterflies.

“You were once the prettiest child in the Kantou Kantou-chihou (関東地方)
Lit.:"East of the Gate", the easternmost of five regions located on Honshuu Island which comprises of the seven prefectures of Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. This is the most highly developed and industrialized region of Japan and was the heart of feudal power during the Edo Period.
During the Edo Period, the area was also called the "Kanhasshuu" (関八州), or Eight Kantou Provinces: Musashi, Sagami, Kazusa, Shimousa, Awa, Kouzuke, Shimotsuke, and Hitachi.. A man Kenshin might have been...yet I suppose he visited your room every night? How could you not have secured Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture. after seducing him?”

“Shut up!”

The earth beneath Ujimasa’s feet exploded, and the lake rippled. Ujimasa attacked again from his new position standing on the water. Takaya held him off with a «wall goshinheki (護身壁)
Lit.: "wall of self-protection"; the goshinheki is a barrier constructed for an instant using spiritual energy. The goshinha is effective when maintained, but the goshinheki takes shape in the instant the caster is attacked and is a basic method of self-protection. However, its weakness is that it cannot protect the caster against 100% of the damage caused by the attack.».

“Lord Kenshin was never that kind of man! He was pure, his integrity spotless! If you dare slander him, I will seal your lips for you!”

“I’ve heard the stories, Saburou. Of the countless men who lost their lives because of their desire for you. Tell me, Saburou, how many did you spread your legs for in Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture.? Did you find them more virile than the men in Sagami? How many did you take into yourself?”

“...!”

Trembling with rage, Takaya threw a mass of will at Ujimasa in lieu of a response, sending him flying over the water. His eyes were wide and savage.

“How dare you... say such things...”

“You, out of all our brothers, were the most dangerous: you, who were capable of igniting even men’s passions if they did not ward themselves against you. You might change your body, but you can never change those tiger’s eyes. Within you lives that demonic temptation which drives men into madness.”

“...Shut up!”

“Your kind destroys homes and families. You are the source of the Houjou’s misfortune!”

Light stretched between Ujimasa’s hands and solidified into a sword.

“I will end the threat you pose once and for all!”

Ujimasa leapt high into the air. Takaya concentrated his will on his «goshinheki goshinheki (護身壁)
Lit.: "wall of self-protection"; the goshinheki is a barrier constructed for an instant using spiritual energy. The goshinha is effective when maintained, but the goshinheki takes shape in the instant the caster is attacked and is a basic method of self-protection. However, its weakness is that it cannot protect the caster against 100% of the damage caused by the attack.». The lake flashed and then glowed violently as sword clashed against «wall goshinheki (護身壁)
Lit.: "wall of self-protection"; the goshinheki is a barrier constructed for an instant using spiritual energy. The goshinha is effective when maintained, but the goshinheki takes shape in the instant the caster is attacked and is a basic method of self-protection. However, its weakness is that it cannot protect the caster against 100% of the damage caused by the attack.»—

“Gwaaaah...!”

—and bit into Takaya’s right shoulder even as his mind-strike flung Ujimasa back. Takaya tumbled to the ground, curling into himself against the pain. Ujimasa climbed to his feet and willed the sword again to his hand.

“My next blow will not miss!”

Takaya’s eyes jerked up as Ujimasa’s sword swung down. He caught the blade between his hands mid-descent. Lightning shot out from his fingers and traveled up the blade toward Ujimasa’s arms, sending him somersaulting backwards with a scream. But again he rose, this time to envelope Takaya within a massive cloud of butterflies. Their dust covered Takaya’s shoulder wound and burned into him.

Takaya swayed, still crouched on the ground, as blinding pain drove into his head. Ujimasa approached once more and wrapped his hand crushingly around Takaya’s temples.

“Uungh...”

“Their poison finds entrance into the body through wounds.”

One hand still clenched against Takaya’s head, he pinned Takaya down with the other. Takaya struggled, but could not move: his «power» had been blocked by the hand against his head.

“Oh, my poor Saburou. This is the end.”

Ujimasa drew the short sword at his waist. The sharp blade glinted in the darkness.

“Don’t...!” But his scream could not seem to reach Ujimasa. A murderous arm swung the knife down toward the tiger’s throat.

And suddenly stopped dead before it could touch him.

“What!” Ujimasa groaned. He couldn’t move. Strong arms held him pinioned from behind. He turned his head. “Ujiteru!” he gasped, stunned.

The ghostly form of Ujiteru pinned him in place. Astonished and terrified, Ujimasa yelled, “Thou’rt alive! What meanst thou by this? Release me!”

A silent Ujiteru held on. Ujimasa struggled violently, but could not move. The hand clenched against Takaya’s temples fell away, and Takaya saw his other brother.

“Ujiteru-ani...”

“Release me! Release me this instant, Ujiteru!”

Ujimasa attempted to tear himself violently free, but there was no slackening of Ujiteru’s iron grip. He returned Takaya’s gaze gravely.

«Act now, Saburou. Hurry.» he urged. «Exorcise us both.»

So Naoe had not been able to exorcise him after all. Staring in disbelief, Takaya shook his head a little as if to say “I cannot do it.”

«Saburou!» Ujiteru insisted, at once chiding and imploring.

“Let me go, I say! Wouldst thou betray me, Ujiteru?! Art thou not my ally, prepared to follow me until the very end?” Ujimasa yelled, his voice growing ever more deranged. Ujiteru held him more tightly still.

«Hurry, Saburou!»

“Ujiteru-ani...!”

«Do not hesitate! Do it while I can still hold him!»

“I can’t kill you, Ujiteru-ani!”

«If thou dost not, our brother will surely kill thee!»

“I can’t, Ujiteru-ani!”

«Hurry—! Saburou!»

Takaya’s shoulders shivered like that of an upbraided child. Ujiteru looked at Takaya once more with all his heartbreaking sincerity. He murmured slowly, thoughtfully, «This time, at least, I wish to save thee.»

“Ujiteru-ani...”

«Do it now!»

Takaya bit his lip and shut his eyes tightly in pain, holding back his tears. He cut off his emotions and and formed Bishamonten Bishamonten (毘沙門天)
Also know as: Bishamon, Tamonten, Vaiśravaṇa, Kubera
Bishamonten is one of the 12 Deva Guardians, the protector of the North and the most powerful of the Four Heavenly Kings. He is the god of warfare and warriors, sometimes called the "black warrior"; black is his symbolic color, and winter is the season over which he presides. He is often depicted as warrior with a crown on his head, a pagoda in one hand and a trident in the other. He punishes those who do evil and is also the guardian of the places where Buddha preaches. He is one who is all-knowing, who hears everything, who is always listening, and is completely versed in Buddha's teachings. He is one of Japan's Seven Deities of Fortune. The soldiers of his army are the powerful earth deities called Yaksha.
Bishamonten is also called "Tobatsu Bishamonten" (刀八毘沙門天), or "Eight-Sword Bishamonten", because of an error in translation passed down through the centuries. The original name, "Bishamonten of Tobatsu", pointed to a manifestation of Bishamonten which appeared in the Central Asian kingdom of Tou-po or Tobatsu (兜跋) to protect the capital city against invaders. Bishamonten in this form is depicted with a diadem on his head, four hands holding a key, a gem, a pagoda, and a halbert before him and eight arms holding eight swords around him.’s ritual gesture.

“ (Bai bai ()
Intoned by the Yasha-shuu at the beginning of choubuku, 'bai' is the "seed syllable" for Bishamonten, originally known as Vaiśravaṇa.)!”

Ujimasa convulsed. The «outer bind gebaku (外縛)
Also known as: gebakuhou (外縛法), gaibaku
Lit.: "outer bind"; a method of tying a spirit body or physical body to one place such that they cannot move, also commonly called "paralysis". Kagetora and company use gebakuhou when they wish to perform «choubuku» on especially powerful spirits or a large host of spirits during "kouhou-choubuku" or "kekkai-choubuku", etc.» froze both Houjou brothers in place. Ujimasa resisted fiercely, but with his power sealed by both Ujiteru and Takaya, he could not move.

“Noumakusamanda bodanan baishiramandaya sowaka noumakusamanda bodanan baishiramandaya sowaka
「のうまくさまんだ　ぼだなん　ばいしらまんだや　そわか」
A mantra of Bishamonten which protects the caster from fatigue and calamity, usually used when starting a long or complex invocation.
"noumakusamanda bodanan" = a devotion to the Buddhas/"homage to all the Buddhas".
"Baishiramandaya" = a reverence to Bishamonten, or "hail Bishamonten!"...”

Light flared within Takaya’s fists. It grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the silent lake.

“Namu Tobatsu Bishamonten Namu Tobatsu Bishamonten (南無刀八毘沙門天)
Lit. "Hail Eight-Sword Bishamonten" Chanted during "light-enclosing exorcism," the summoning of the Sword of Bishamonten, and other invocations to Bishamonten.!”

«Stop, Saburou! Stop! Stop this now! We can talk this over, Saburou. Stop this, Saburou!»

“For this demon subjugation...! Lend me...thy...power...” His voice faded as he hesitated, eyes closed and power gathered like a miniature sun in his hands. He could not pronounce the final verse of the incantation.

As Takaya trembled in pain, Ujiteru urged, «Do not falter. Thou must finish this...»

Takaya clenched his teeth at the sound of his beloved brother’s voice.

«Hurry.»

“Aniue aniue (兄上)
A more formal way to address an older brother than "onii-san" or its variants; could be translated as "honorable elder brother"....”

«Lift thy head...»

Takaya obeyed, and recalled the power to his linked hands. The weakening light shone brightly forth once more.

«Now.»

Takaya opened his eyes wide as if in defiance of his pain. Gazing at his brothers, he completed the incantation with a piercing cry:

“«Choubuku choubuku (調伏)
Also known as: choubukuryoku (調伏力)
The special power given to the Yasha-shuu to banish onryou to the Underworld using the dharani of Uesugi Kenshin's guardian deity, Bishamonten. The types of choubuku include "kouhou-choubuku", "ressa-choubuku", "kekkai-choubuku", etc. Each choubuku is begun with the incantation "bai" and the ritual hand gesture of Bishamonten's symbol.
Choubuku does not work against kanshousha, who have bodies of their own.»!”

Flash.

For a moment the dark Chuuzenji Lake-shore glowed bright as noon. The white explosion illuminated even the ridges of Mt. Nantai Nantai-san (男体山)
Also known as: Futara-san (二荒山)
Mount Nantai is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan, located in Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture and formed from a stratovolcano. It is worshiped as a sacred mountain and was first scaled by Shoudou in 782, who founded the first shrines there..

A scream pierced the air.

Violent «choubukuryoku choubuku (調伏)
Also known as: choubukuryoku (調伏力)
The special power given to the Yasha-shuu to banish onryou to the Underworld using the dharani of Uesugi Kenshin's guardian deity, Bishamonten. The types of choubuku include "kouhou-choubuku", "ressa-choubuku", "kekkai-choubuku", etc. Each choubuku is begun with the incantation "bai" and the ritual hand gesture of Bishamonten's symbol.
Choubuku does not work against kanshousha, who have bodies of their own.» enveloped Ujimasa and Ujiteru. Ujimasa’s fierce cry echoed as he was destroyed within the white light. Ujiteru vanished into that enormous power in silent acceptance.

Thus did the brothers’ lives come to an end, storm-ridden. Unable to bear that last fading cry, Takaya screamed into the whirling light, his throat tearing against the desperate cry: “Aniueeeee aniue (兄上)
A more formal way to address an older brother than "onii-san" or its variants; could be translated as "honorable elder brother".—!”

Violent swells surged across the lake surface, driven to frenzy by the release of that devastating power. Hugging himself against the sudden squall, Takaya stared into the fragments of precious memories awakened by the fury of his «choubukuryoku».

Engulfed and drowning within the crushing waves.

Two souls vanished from the world. With their passing, a memory of looking out upon the wild surging waves of the Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture. Sea and hearing the whispers of a phantom Sagami Sagami-no-kuni (相模国)
An ancient province in south-central Japan which was ruled by the Later Houjou Clan during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Kanagawa Prefecture. Sea: “Come back to us...”

His beloved brother’s last words, swallowed now by the raging storm, gone forever from the world.

Time passed unacknowledged...

Stillness had returned to the Chuuzenji Lake-shore at last.

The man dressed in priestly garb collapsed along with the fading of the light.

Pain in his right shoulder finally pulled Takaya back to consciousness. He climbed to his feet and staggered to the man’s still form to extract a flat object from the robes at his chest: the female Tsutsuga Mirror, which had once been his prison.

“...”

Takaya hugged the demon mirror close, overcome with emotion. Then, having resolved himself, he focused his power at the tip of his fingers and thrust them at the mirror.

A crack ran across its surface.

The mirror broke apart. More and more cracks ran through the smaller pieces until they exploded, and the wind scattered glittering mirror-dust over the lake.

There was the sensation of sublime transformation, of a great many people liberated from their fetters and soaring free.

He recognized them a moment later as the formerly tree-bound souls on Mt. Nikkou Nikkou-san (日光山)
Mt. Nikkou, located in the north-west part of Tochigi Prefecture, is one of the 100 famous mountains of Japan and centers on Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyohou, and Mt. Tarou. and at Hakone Shrine Hakone-jinja (箱根神社)
Hakone Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Hakone Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, at the foot of Mt. Hakone along the shores of Lake Ashi. The shrine itself lies hidden in a dense forest, but its large red "floating" shrine gates (Torii of Peace) stand prominently in the lake.
From chronicles stretching back as far as the Nara Period (710-794), Hakone has been named as a spot sacred to the mountain-worshiping religion. The original shrine was founded during the reign of Emperor Koushou (475 BC – 393 BC) on Mt. Komagatake. Holy Priest Mangan revived and relocated the shrine to Lake Ashi in 757. It was separated into three parts dedicated to the deities whom legends says appeared to him in a dream as a Buddhist acolyte, government official and woman and asked him to deliver the grace of the Buddhist and Shinto religions onto mankind.
In the year 801, before general and shogun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro set out on an expedition to quell the Northeast by imperial command, he left an arrow as offering in front of a cedar tree at Hakone Shrine as a prayer for his victory. The tree become known as the Yatate Cedar, or 'Standing Arrow Cedar,' and in later years other legendary generals such as Minamoto no Yoshiie, shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune all left arrows as offerings there.
The shrine was destroyed by fire in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Siege of Odawara and rebuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu..

The strength left his legs, and Takaya went to his knees.

It’s over, Takaya whispered to himself.

The wound at his right shoulder burned incessantly.

As he recovered his breath, Takaya dazedly rebuked and exhorted himself: he couldn’t just sink to the ground and close his eyes. There were still things he needed to do.

(I have to go look for Yuzuru...)

Yuzuru still needed him. Unless he intervened, Yuzuru would one day lose himself. He had already been awakened once. His power must be restrained—Takaya must restrain it: this was the mission Kenshin had given him.

(Isn’t that why I’m alive?) Takaya asked the memory of Kagetora within himself.

Kagetora had performed kanshou kanshou (換生)
To possess another's body, driving out their soul, so as to be reborn with memories intact. Only Naoe of all the kanshousha has the power to perform kanshou on another soul. on this body because his soul had been given new life in this world. If Narita Yuzuru had not attained this flesh and been born seventeen years ago... Perhaps he would have thrown away everything and allowed ‘Kagetora’ to come to an end.

(I have to...)

A hollow wind swept through his body.

Takaya clenched his teeth against the tightening ache in his heart as he looked into the far distance.

He had to go...

To ‘him,’ his best friend, just as he had been then... Not his enemy this time, only someone who wanted to be near him, who understood him...

He bit his lips against the bitter memories stirring deep within.

He had to protect ‘him’...

The one who had attacked him and driven him to his death. The one he had hated more than any other as the hellfires surrounded him at Samegao Castle Samegao-jou (鮫ヶ尾城)
A castle once located in Myoukou City, Niigata Prefecture belonging to vassals of the Uesugi Clan.
The date of its construction is undetermined, but during the 1500s the Uesugi (Nagao) Clan used it as a defensive fortress to protect and service the highway through the northern provinces.
During the Otate no Ran, Horie Munechika welcomed Uesugi Kagetora into the castle, seated on the only viable escape route into the Kantou, after the surrender of Kasugayama Castle to Uesugi Kagekatsu. However, Munechika had already been persuaded to betray Kagetora, and he set fire to the outer citadel before evacuating. Samegao fell to Kagekatsu's general offensive two days later..

The one who had defeated him.

(Protect...)

“Unngh...!”

The pain in his shoulder pierced straight into his head. And he realized that the wound was not purely physical.

It heated and chilled by turns, eroding his strength. Something was wriggling into him, spreading a poison that ate into him from within. He collapsed to the ground, unable to remain upright any longer.

(Why...)

He struggled to raise himself, and failed. Failed again and again. All strength left his body.

“...Why can’t I get up?!”

Was he dying? He shivered in horror.

Something had entered his body through Ujimasa’s wound and was now steadily invading him. What had he said about the butterfly dust? Was that it?

Fear spiking at the strangeness of his own body, Takaya desperately clawed at the ground around him. He was drenched in cold sweat, and he began to shake.

(Why...!)

He floundered and thrashed. His body was going numb; it refused to obey him. He could feel the approach of death. He was going to die! He writhed in frenzied terror.

Someone...

Increasingly deranged horror and panic had taken control, and he begged for help. He struggled wildly, helplessly. Someone, anyone, please.

(Help me!)

His heart raced. He panted for breath. His body burned as his thoughts dimmed. A man’s face floated into the consciousness to which he clung with all his might.

(Come to me...)

The image of his broad back walking away from Takaya down the hotel corridor was seared into his memories, and he saw it again behind his closed eyelids. He called to it with the desperation of a prayer: Come to me. I don’t care about anything else. Just come to me! Nothing else matters, I need you at my side! Takaya screamed in his mind. Come now, or I’ll die. I’m dying!

(Just come to me...!)

He was dying. He didn’t want to die here. He didn’t want to die alone!

(Please, hurry...)

The fever ate into his body. He convulsed violently as cold sweat poured out. This was the butterfly poison Ujimasa had described. It hadn’t been an illusion. It was meant to injure and kill.

(Is this it...?) he wondered in anguish.

Then, suddenly, he sensed the presence of another.

“...Who...?” he reflexively raised his head.

“Don’t move, or the poison will spread.”

He focused. A man in late middle-age wearing the garments of a Shinto priest stood there in the darkness, though it was difficult to see him clearly.

“You’re...”

“...”

The man sat down next to him without responding. He pulled back the robe at Takaya’s right shoulder to expose the laceration there, now swollen and livid. Takaya let out an involuntary scream of anguish as the man dug a finger into the wound. He chanted an invocation of some kind, then drove in even deeper before finally scooping out a dark mass.

A caterpillar-like form writhed in the man’s hand. This poisonous parasite had burrowed into his body to infect him from the inside, and would have killed him within the day.

Fire flared in the man’s palm, burning the parasite to ash and then nothingness. The man briskly extracted a small gourd from his breast and pouring the liquid therein onto a piece of cloth which he applied to the wound.

“This is holy water from Hakone Shrine Hakone-jinja (箱根神社)
Hakone Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Hakone Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, at the foot of Mt. Hakone along the shores of Lake Ashi. The shrine itself lies hidden in a dense forest, but its large red "floating" shrine gates (Torii of Peace) stand prominently in the lake.
From chronicles stretching back as far as the Nara Period (710-794), Hakone has been named as a spot sacred to the mountain-worshiping religion. The original shrine was founded during the reign of Emperor Koushou (475 BC – 393 BC) on Mt. Komagatake. Holy Priest Mangan revived and relocated the shrine to Lake Ashi in 757. It was separated into three parts dedicated to the deities whom legends says appeared to him in a dream as a Buddhist acolyte, government official and woman and asked him to deliver the grace of the Buddhist and Shinto religions onto mankind.
In the year 801, before general and shogun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro set out on an expedition to quell the Northeast by imperial command, he left an arrow as offering in front of a cedar tree at Hakone Shrine as a prayer for his victory. The tree become known as the Yatate Cedar, or 'Standing Arrow Cedar,' and in later years other legendary generals such as Minamoto no Yoshiie, shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune all left arrows as offerings there.
The shrine was destroyed by fire in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Siege of Odawara and rebuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu.. It will heal your wound. Please keep pressure on it...there.”

A dazed Takaya submitted quietly to the man’s courteous treatment—then he abruptly realized who he was.

“You’re...are you...”

“...”

The man gazed down at Takaya in silence for a moment, his expression deeply moved. Then he told Takaya quietly, “How well I know that a dream is nothing more than a dream.”

“...”

“I must go. I have gazed on our clan’s fate with mine own eyes. My role is finished.”

“Wait!” Takaya rose, clinging to the man. “Wait, please! Please don’t go! There are so many things I want to talk to you about. So many things I want to tell you!”

“Saburou.”

“...I want to tell you everything. Everything I’ve lived through all these years, everything I’ve thought about...I want to talk to you about all of it, Great-Uncle!”

Houjou Gen’an Houjou Gen'an (北条幻庵) 1493 - 1589-11-01
Also known as: 北条菊寿丸, Houjou Nagatsuna (北条長綱)
Historically: A warlord of the Houjou clan in the Sengoku province of Sagami, the fourth and youngest son of Houjou Souun and a concubine from the influential Katsurayama Clan. He entered Kongouou Temple, the bettou-ji (administrative temple) of Hakone Shrine, at a young age and later became its head. He took the name of Gen'an (lit. Phantom hermitage) upon his retirement.
He had three sons, all of whom died before him, and two daughters. He adopted Houjou Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora) as his heir, but the adoption was annulled when Kagetora was sent to Echigo. His grandson Ujitaka (son of his second son) later became his heir.
Houjou Genan was described as a master of horsemanship and archery who led armies, but also a man of culture who was skilled with his hands. He became elder statesman and trusted adviser to Ujiyasu and Ujimasa. He was 97 when he died (though opinions differ); eight months later, the Houjou clan was attacked by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and destroyed., elder of the Houjou Clan, only shook his head gently at his adopted heir, whom he was meeting again for the first time in centuries. “We are not what we were. I am thine enemy. Thou must continue alone.”

“Great-Uncle.”

“Think of this as nothing more than a dream. Methinks I, too, have been dreaming.”

“Please don’t go! Stay, and tell me what path I should take! Great-Uncle!”

“Saburou.”

“Tell me what to do! Tell me how I must live! Please, Great-Uncle!”

Gen’an quietly extracted himself from Takaya’s grip and stood. He shook his head. “Thou hast nothing more to learn from me.”

“...”

“Go forth with thy head held high. Believe in thyself, for thou art not wrong. Thy path is righteous. These are our final words to thee.”

“Great-Uncle...”

He became aware then of a gigantic shadow behind Gen’an—a dragon soaring over the lake like something out of a dream. It looked in stillness down at Takaya with deep affection in its eyes.

...Oh... Takaya thought. Its gaze tugged at his aching heart. He needed no one to tell him the dragon’s true form.

(Father...)

Tears slipped unnoticed down Takaya’s cheeks.

Fog came drifting out of nothingness. Gen’an slipped softly out of his vessel, leaving it to fall soundlessly to the sand. The dragon and Gen’an’s spirit disappeared into the fog. It spread like a shroud across the beautiful lake, so quietly that it almost seemed nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

A motionless Takaya gazed after the two vanished figures, heedless of the tears streaming down his face.

His family was gone forever... He knew at long last what prayer he had clutched to himself across all these long years, and he whispered it before burying it again in the deepest part of his heart: “—I want to go home...”

The tranquil homeland in his heart had become his eternal Pure Land.

Ripples slowly spread across the deep lake. Its gentle waves lapped against Takaya’s feet— the one left behind.

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