[center]

[H3][color=7bcdc8][b]PROLOGUE[/b][/color][/H3]

[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/2d/02/d2/2d02d248908a85b8c5da028f6ede89d2.jpg[/img]

[i]They will not see your tears in the rain 
They will not see your blood in the soot 
That crown you wear is worn with pain 
Your family tree, they'll uproot

 [/i] [/center]


[indent][indent]	On the one hundredth and twenty second year of the Yomiyawa Dynasty, during the fifteenth day of the Falling Leaf season, the future of the empire cries on his father's lap.

"Now, now." The Emperor's voice, though frail and weak, still flickers like a dying light. "You must be strong, my son." 

The child forced his eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. When that didn't work, he pressed his face against the Emperor's emaciated chest that rose and fell with every labored breath. 

Ishawari shadowed the private chamber's sliding doors, keeping a close lookout. 

"Master, please..." Ishawari's impatience was felt in the air. "We have to go!"  

To speak to the Emperor in such a way would've been a grave offense under normal circumstances. Tonight was anything but.

"Now, Hotaru, repeat it again." The Emperor said, ignoring the bodyguard. 

The son sniffled, trying his best to stare at the gaunt face of his father. He took in a deep breath, then said: 


[center][i]H-head to [b]The Wilting Blossoms[/b] and offer the ferryman our...talisman 
Keep [b]The Smiling Monk[/b] h-happy so he can take you to the mountain men 
Do not scare the... [b]Tengu[/b], but be sure to take the silver feather 
And let it guide you to the east, to the islands of... [b]The Mentor![/b]
[/i][/center]

In the fading light of a single candle placed behind the Emperor, Hotaru could see his father's smile of approval. 

"Good, my son...now, listen closely..." 

Ishawari frowned, then glanced at his soon-to-be partner in crime, hands white knuckling the grips of his spear. 

"Are you sure about this?" It almost felt like he was asking himself that question. The two bodyguards had been at Hotaru's side since Mother Isai gave birth to him many moons ago. Ishawari still couldn't grasp the magnitude of the situation, the consequences they will surely face. 

"If you walk away...I won't hold it against you. Though, don't be mad if I come haunting you from the afterlife!" Ishawari joked, trying to lighten the mood like he always did, back when life as a bodyguard was less...complicated.  

 
[/indent][/indent]