I was eighty percent done fusing with the Nekomata exactly one year later. In that time, Nazo had blazed fear across the land and become the strongest in the world. My brother was still under his control, locked inside a body like a lost corpse.
The elder Nekomata, Lord Shengoku, had passed away, and his seat was now under debate among the remaining leaders of the village. His death had frozen my training in place, leaving me unable to finish.
He had been the only one who truly knew how to help me. Some said he died of natural causes, but it didn't feel right. He had been found by a group of male Nekomatas, and their explanations didn't add up.
The entire reason for coming here had been to grow strong enough to defeat and kill Nazo. Yet here I was, sitting on my bed, torn between leaving the village to face him or staying to protect my homeland. On top of that, I still had to figure out how to unlock the last twenty percent of my power.
Then a heavy banging started on my door, and Jominara's voice cut through, shouting for me to come out. I wasn't in the mood and called back to say that I wasn't feeling it today. She hissed and warped straight through the door.
She started scolding me about how I needed to get out, to stop sulking over the old man, and to move on. Rage flared up inside me, and I told her to go away. I was angry at her for trying to help, but mostly because she sounded so insensitive.
She said she was only trying to help me get past the bad side of life. All I could manage was a frustrated cry, telling her that I didn't know what to do anymore. Jominara climbed off the bed and said that the elder cat had told her something important. When I asked what, she said his key to learning was to let go of personal restrictions.
In my mind, I didn't think I had any restrictions. I couldn't think of a single one. She told me that everyone had them — family, love, hate, fear, regret — and started listing examples. I sat with it for a while, but nothing clicked except my anxiousness to finish training. She couldn't figure me out, so she tossed out another suggestion:
There was a single bathhouse known for giving people clarity. She recommended that I use it tonight to think. I told her I would, but deep down I believed it would be useless. I'd know if something was really holding me back.
By midday, with nothing else to do, I went out to practice my fighting techniques. As I trained, I tried to think of what could be locking my progress. Maybe it was the way I kept leaving people without warning — Eqihr, my group — but that didn't feel like it. They had always known why I left.
Thinking about Nazo ground my teeth. He was the reason Manny was a puppet. I punched a tree with so much force that it splintered and flew off the side of Mount Ki Proce. Pain shot through my jaw as two sets of fangs replaced four of my teeth.
Then I thought about my mother and became heated. Black and purple aura erupted from me like flames shooting skyward. My eyes shifted — I knew this form; I'd used it during training to extend my limits.
I looked into a puddle of water and saw my reflection. For a heartbeat, the faces of my friends and family hovered next to mine. I didn't know what it meant, but it felt important. I waved the water aside and stared at the sky, still clueless about what I truly wanted.
Lord Shengoku had once told me Nekomata specialize in necromancy — the art of contacting the dead. But I still didn't see how that would help me defeat Nazo.
While striking another tree, my form dissolved back to normal. As I turned away, I swore I caught sight of Nagi at the edge of my vision. When I spun back, he was gone, like he had never been there. Maybe I was losing my mind. I finished training and headed back home.
As I walked, I kept my senses in sensory mode so I could feel anyone approaching. The drawback was that while it was active, I couldn't use any other abilities.
Nearing the village, I picked up a familiar scent — Amoi's. It was him. I didn't imagine it. I sprinted across the village like a chicken without its head. Sera ran into me, startled, and tried to calm me down, asking what was going on. I told her I could feel my brother's presence. She didn't know what to say, so she took me straight to Jominara, who was in the middle of eating. When Sera explained, Jominara rushed me to the top of the mountain.
There she threw me into the center of a ring of pillars carved with runes. She waved her hands, and rope-like tendrils shot out, wrapping around my wrists and restraining me.
Sera asked what she was doing, and Jominara only said that she was following Shengoku's instructions. A single chain levitated, then shot into me. It turned black and purple, triggering my new form.
The pain was so intense I pulled at the restraints and screamed to the sky. My aura burst upward into the clouds like a million fireworks. Gradually, the pain faded to a sharp jab in my chest. Jominara asked if I was okay.
Catching my breath, I said yes and asked her what she'd done. She replied that she had done exactly what Shengoku told her to. She looked worried, almost fearful. I asked why she was making such faces. She said I looked like a cat, but still partly human. My eyes widened as I glanced down at my hands. Sharp catlike nails had sprouted from my fingers.
Sera asked if they had put a Nekomata inside me or something else. Jominara agreed that I looked more like a Bakeneko.
I asked what that was, but they only said it was worse than a Nekomata. They covered me with a disguise and escorted me back to my hut. Most villagers ignored it, but they couldn't ignore the sky. My aura had exploded into the clouds, changing the weather. Purple clouds rolled overhead, flashing with lightning while normal rain fell beneath.
I sat on my bed feeling completely different. It seemed like my full power was inside me now, but it didn't feel right. This new form doubled my last one's strength. Sera and Jominara told me a Bakeneko might be inside me, but even I didn't know what that meant.
Lying back, I entered my mind space. It looked like I was standing in the clouds I'd created, water beneath my feet, and heavy clouds at the surface. I wandered, hearing faint voices hidden in the mist. Following them, the sound stayed constant as I moved.
My vision went cloudy, and I collapsed, sinking through the floor into a forest. Trees surrounded me, but my sight didn't reach far.
As I moved through the woods, I began seeing members of my family, leading up to a small stone temple. On top of it stood Nazo, holding out his hands, both Yin and Yang glowing in his palms. I stepped toward the statue and reached out for the spirits, and they exploded.
The statue of Nazo became animate and lunged at me. I dodged and evaded, but it forced me back against a tree. It said I would never reclaim the Yin-Yang spirits. Then it pulled a rod and stabbed my mother in the stomach. After that, it faded, and I began to crumble like dirt.
I jolted awake, realizing with a sick certainty that one of my own family members was the reason I couldn't reach my full power.
Sweating, I grabbed my things and headed for the bathhouse.