"So, have you calmed down a bit?"
"Yeah, thanks! I've been acting weird lately, right? Sorry about that. I'm fine now."
"Tell me about it! Ever since you came crashing down recently, it felt like I was talking with a different Izumo. Haha!"
Izumo looked with widened eyes at the boy walking next to him. For a second he feared that the secret he had kept for so many lives would now be brought to light.
Fortunately, it seemed that the worry had been for nothing. In Izumo's eyes, the wide and dumb smile of his dear friend was reflected. A single look was enough to tell that Kotaro had no idea what he was talking about.
"Haha… Yeah… A different person… How crazy would that be?" Izumo answered as if to stress the fact nothing in him had changed.
"Right? A new fighting style and better magic also. You've come a long way, friend," Kotaro said as he patted the back of his friend.
One thing was clear from this discussion: even if Kotaro was not suspecting anything, he was quick to notice the changes.
As the two friends were walking and cracking jokes, a sound could be heard from the forest. Kotaro quickly ducked and dragged Izumo down with him.
Izumo was ready to scream at Kotaro for using the boy's somewhat long hair as a means to pull him down, but he quickly changed his mind when he noticed the rusted kunai stuck in a tree right where his head should have been.
"Must be a wild kappa. What do you want to do?"
"It's not about what I want. We're right next to the city. If it is this close, we have to take him out."
The history of the kappas was a story of failed evolution. While they were sentient and had the ability to use tools, they'd never reached the level of forming civilized societies. In short, most of them were still turtles who looked disturbingly close to humans while keeping their savage traits.
However, a few examples of kappas living in developed cities served as proof that their mental capability was high. Why they chose to live almost like wild animals would remain a mystery.
One thing was clear: letting them near the city would prove dangerous, as they would often capture children and, in some cases, even feed on them. Hence why, ever since a young age, every kid would receive education about kappas, and later on they would also be trained in "dealing" with them.
As per their training, the two brought their backs together and started spinning around to detect the monster.
Using their wind magic to ruffle the leaves around would have been the optimal solution in a thick forest, but kappas were known as cunning, devious creatures. It was not unusual for those creatures to spread poisonous ingredients, such as spores, into the air.
By the strength that went into that kunai attack, it was clear that this one could also use magic, and knowledge for wind magic could not be excluded.
They saw nothing after a full spin.
As they were caught in a stalemate, Izumo went on to the next step of the standard procedure. He blew winds away from him and Kotaro with impressive strength. As a result, the leaves revealed the green shell of the kappa that was hunting them.
But this method also had its flaws. Since all the currents were going straight away from Izumo, it created the perfect opportunity for certain projectiles to be thrown, and the kappa seemed to know that, as another kunai was now heading straight for the boy.
"That's why they teach us those things at school, huh?"
Kotaro said that as he deflected the kunai that was rapidly approaching. Even so, the fast-advancing weapon missed Izumo just barely.
"Seems somebody didn't pay attention to those classes."
"What? It didn't touch you or anything. That aside, that thing is pretty strong. Have you figured out its magic type yet?"
"With that speed, it must be either wind or some type of enhancing ability. If it is the latter, that kappa also has a lot of skill performing such precise throws."
"Anything that may prove troublesome?"
This was a question that Kotaro usually asked to assess the situation. Only, the Izumo standing right next to him was not the same kid that would have trouble with such a low-level adversary.
Hence why the boy answered with a smile.
"Nah, we've got this."
Treating this answer as the signal, Kotaro ran from Izumo's side and started flying wide circles around him and the monster. In doing this, he created a barrier that, while not impenetrable, would easily destabilize anyone touching it.
With no way to escape, the kappa got out of the dense bush and pulled out a knife it held at its side.
In front of it, Izumo seized this chance to pull out his sword. With Kotaro busy flying at high speeds, he had all the leeway he needed to show off without anyone noticing.
"I've been waiting to blow off some steam."
As he said that, Izumo rushed the kappa, trying to end this as quickly as he could. He just wanted to move his body, not prolong the suffering of the poor creature in front of him.
To his surprise, one hit was far from enough to end the fight, as the kappa parried the heavy blow that should have cut it in half. With this, the nature of its magic became clear.
"So it was physical enhancement, huh?"
Regardless of the enhanced body, the severity of the blow could still be seen on the weapon used to block the katana. After a simple flick of the wrist, Izumo's sword completely severed the lower part of the knife from its top.
After this move, both of them took a step back. It was now clear that with such enhancements, cutting the turtle in two down the middle was not an option. Especially since Izumo's physical abilities were not too impressive as of now.
"Well, nobody's looking, so let's try this."
The kappa ran towards Izumo with its forearms guarding his face—a clear sign it was fully prepared for wind, water, and even fire attacks. This tactic and the enhanced resistance would have proven to be a problem for most people walking the lands nearby. Fortunately, Izumo's memory went back way beyond those three elements.
At first, the boy thought it would be a good idea to use earth magic and throw the creature off balance, but he soon decided on not using such cliché methods.
"How about something more refined?"
As he said that, Izumo used the dirty trick of taking away the light reflecting in the eyes of the tortoise. Suddenly losing the ability to see instilled more confusion than panic, but either of those was fine, as it would bring the same result.
The kappa kept running and hit the wall created by Kotaro. This was all Izumo needed.
The attacker lost its balance and left its weak spots around the carapace unguarded. Izumo didn't think twice before taking advantage and slicing the head of the attacker clean off.
It was not an honorable victory, but the one fighting was not the youngster aiming to be a samurai. The one fighting now was the man who had been trapped in a continuous circle of life and death, and honor had long since left his ways to make way for efficiency—and a quirky personality that sometimes played with prey.
*****
Once the fight with the Kappa ended, Izumo signaled Kotaro to stop with a specific whistle.
"Got it while it ran into the wall, huh? I guess it was not that smart after all," Kotaro concluded.
Izumo answered with a forced laugh. As far as kappas are concerned, the one they've just defeated could even be considered a genius. Were it not for the prodigy and the seasoned fighter, most teams throughout Tsukide would not have met such a favorable outcome.
"That aside, what was it doing so close to the city?" Izumo asked, trying to change the subject.
"Who knows? Maybe it was hungry?"
As the two contemplated the reason for this kappa's actions, a faint cry could be heard in the distance.
"I guess it kidnapped a kid. I hate it when I'm right. Let's go!"
The two of them ran through the lush forest to find a shelter carefully built on the damp soil near a nearby pond. Only, what they found lying in the shelter was far from what they were expecting.
"A basil baby?"
"Basil? What is that?"
The two of them were looking at the head of an infant with green scales, sitting in the middle of the nest while crying. Of the two of them, only Izumo had ever met such beings before. The reason was simple: the Basili people did not inhabit this country.
"Whatever it is, it's too late. Look!" Kotaro said with a heavy voice while pointing at the body that was still hidden by a cover of leaves.
As Izumo took off the cover, he could not help but let out a painful sigh. As Kotaro said, time should have long run out for the basil baby, for it had lost his two left limbs. Judging by the blood left behind, the wounds had never been treated. Soon after, the infant fell silent, never to take a breath again.
On their way back, the confusion clouding Kotaro's thoughts became more and more obvious.
"I don't get it, Izumo. Whatever that was, it was clearly not the child of a kappa. Why was it left like that? Did it try to save him? Was it eating him? Did all of that happen right next to us? What is wrong with those creatures? Should I hate that kappa? Should I respect what it did? But if it took custody of that baby, why did it end up like that? Hey, Izumo, this world… it's much worse than we, who grew up in this peaceful city, believe it to be, right?"
"Those… are some awfully hard-to-answer questions…" Izumo answered.
"Haha. I know, right? Sorry, I may be a bit too tired. Let's go home for today."
"Yeah, ok."
But there was another question troubling Izumo. Since knowledge also brings anxiety, Izumo could not help but wonder what kind of event would birth such a situation.
"I just hope it was some kind of crazy coincidence."
*****
It was soon after he got home when Izumo found out the situation at the edge of the city may have a nasty explanation.
As he entered the house, he found his mother waiting for him in his room with a note in her hand.
"Izumo, please listen calmly to what I have to tell you."
That evening, Izumo found out where his dad went. The kind ronin, who cared so much for his son and daughter, did not hesitate for a second when he was tasked with a scouting mission.
In his mother's hands, there was a bloodied note he managed to send back to the city. That note read as such.
"Rema is with them. The capital betrayed us for Haneba."
That was the message that triggered it all. The daimyo of Harubana, who up until now kept his conquering plans to guerilla and scouting tactics, was informed that his plans would soon come crumbling down. Harubana was alone against Rema and its own country. His only two options were to give up or declare all-out war.
Thus, the Rebellion of Harubana became public, and the war officially started.