Ren didn't find the spirit convincing at first.
He knew its promise was too good to be true. Yet, for some reason, he still had made the sacrifice. Do you call this being too selfish to stay with the truth or just being a typical kid?
He lowered his head as two of the men walked by his side out of the ship. When they got to the surface, Ren saw a caravan already waiting there. Together with a couple more men.
Yes, to transport a demon, such precautions were necessary.
The tall man who ordered him to get up in the basement signalled towards the caravan.
"Do you mind getting in?"
His tone was subtly aggressive, with a frown on his face.
Without a word, Ren gently climbed into the black caravan and the knight closed the door beside him. They set the wheels moving across the sandy coast by the river. Along the way, Ren realised there were a lot more empty ships.
The great samurai recently mentioned that some civilians were rescued from Tsukigahara. That should have been the purpose of the ships.
There were a lot of footsteps across the road too. So, Ren nodded his head.
The wheels of the caravan were the only source of sound when they travelled. Call it noise, but they were a better companion than these grumpy samurais. And of course, Ren didn't need to look either side to confirm that someone was glaring at him.
He got better at seeing both sides without looking. It started when people gossiped about him whenever he walked by.
Staring down, Ren asked:
"Pardon me for asking. But did the great samurai escort the refugees back into the capital?"
A subtle silence followed. Till a voice responded.
"Great samurai? Are you talking about Commander Jinrei?"
Ren slowly turned his head up with a gentle smile.
"If that's what he's called. I'll appreciate it if you can answer me, my lord."
It appeared to be the man on the right side of the caravan, stashed in a brown kimono like the others. A second later, the man cleared his throat and looked away.
He didn't answer.
Ren stared back at the caravan's surface with a forced smile.
"Right. Guess he really did. I have never actually learned that much about the capital. But I know this isn't the usual path into it. You're taking a secret passage when the kingdom's centre is probably…" He looked up "... being troubled by Kaidans."
Ren could feel slight goosebumps on the back of his neck immediately. Someone might have unsheathed their sword halfway behind him. The men in his line of sight stared back.
Does everything he does now invite threat?
A gentle smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Was that something wrong to say? Forgive me…"
The leader groaned back.
"Yes. Coming from something like you? It's like being warned of what's to come. You better stay silent along the journey or we'll just assume you're ready to pass on."
For some reason, Ren's heart ached. Not from fear, nor anger, but from something he couldn't comprehend. He then rested back in the caravan, intertwining his hands and pinning them against the back of his skull.
He mumbled.
"Unbelievable."
***
In a few minutes, they left the coastal area and travelled through a tunnel. Upon reaching the surface, a wide alleyway stretched before them.
But the caravan suddenly stopped. The samurais looked everywhere with caution, unsheathing their swords. Ren was more anxious - swallowing hard - than surprised. Because a lot of dead knights and commoners slept across the alley.
The air was mixed with both smoke and metal.
Clearly, one Kaidan or more had appeared here before.
The leader stared back at Ren before saying:
"Just as we expected. This path has been infested too."
'Hm?'
Ren mumbled. He shook his head, shutting his eyes. Not for anything but because of a sharp bell sound that rang in his ears. But it vanished almost immediately.
He looked up.
"Random."
He saw the leader signal to two of the other knights.
"Turn the caravan backwards. We're using the second path now. Gets us as near the garrisons as possible. And that…"
Ren gasped.
…
WHEEW-WHEEW-WHEEW!
"W-watch out!"
Ren cried at the leader.
When the man turned around, a machete was already rolling his way. It slammed into his chest without hesitation. Blood shot out of his chest in a single gush. Just before he collapsed, he glared back at Ren with so much hatred.
"I knew it…" That's what he said.
Ren had grunted through gritted teeth.
"It wasn't me!"
The man's body crashed into the ground.
Telekinetically, the machete slipped out of the chest and dashed back a long distance into the hands of a creature.
A Kaidan with many heads.
Ren's eyes were wide, and his back dropped hard against the wooden wall of the caravan. All the samurai drew their swords and positioned themselves afront with skillful footwork.
One of them rushed forward and chanted.
"Advance, soldiers!"
"Yes!"
Everyone else rushed after him.
But the Kaidan would never move nor stop grinning. It stood as tall as a man, pale-skinned and had bulky arms the same size as its legs. The kind of size that's enough to call a human both obese and muscular. Each head seemed like a different person; one had a mischievous grin, another was frank, and the last had eyes that could see through an abyss.
The samurai all seemed strong. But something about the Kaidan seemed greater than anything else Ren had ever seen. He could feel it in the depths of his skin.
He stuck his finger forward, as though trying to reach out to something.
"It is… it is so different." He screamed out. "S-stay back! You will all die!"
At that moment, one of the samurais stared back with so much fear. But that was the end. The monster moved just as swiftly as Ren had seen the great samurai move. Almost better. It macheted the men in the most brutal way. A sharp stab to the neck in a way they could only slump on the floor and die after losing so much blood.
Ren cried. Not from sympathy, but from a kind of fear he had never felt before. He threw up and tried to leave the caravan. But it had been chained from outside.
Just when the Kaidan was moving towards him, a sudden wind rushed in. Ren knew who it was immediately.
His heart almost skipped a beat.
The great samurai appeared right on the roof of one of the houses and dashed straight down in a sharp line to the Kaidan. It could only take one step back within that short, deadly period of time.
The samurai's sword cut sharply as he landed. And the Kaidan's right arm slumped to the ground behind him. Almost immediately, he channelled himself upwards, definitely aiming for the neck.
Ren couldn't help but gasp. How is someone like this human?
All Ren witnessed afterwards was an exchange of attacks he couldn't follow. They moved so fast. Changed positions both at inhumane speeds. Cut each other in the blink of an eye.
When Ren was allowed to breathe, the Kaidan was kneeling just below the Samurai. Before it vanished into black mist.
….
Ren screamed out loud.
"Are you okay?!"
Down the alleyway, Ren heard him say.
"Come on out and take him in."
In the aftermath, another set of knights appeared, directed the caravan to the end of the alley and took Ren out. They opened the gate, and everyone but the samurai got in.
Ren stared back at him with worry. Now, he saw it clearly. The man didn't just kill the Kaidan. He got pushed to the mouth of death as well.
His body had got stabbed in so many places, almost cut wide open.
Ren gulped.
One last time, the man looked up and nodded.
"Go on. It's safe behind the Great Wall. Tell the daimyo that I…" He exhaled, clutching his side while shutting his eyes.
Ren gasped.
"He's dying."
He could hear whimpers all around him.
The samurai completed his statement.
"Do tell him that I fulfilled my oath. I fought till death."
He then turned around. The knights, together with Ren, did the same.
Right at that moment, the man stabbed himself with his own sword and fell to his knees. A second later, his head fell forward.
Ren's jaw trembled. How could he die like that? He was one of the best people in his life so far!
The other knights whimpered for a while before walking Ren down the dimly lit passage.
That was when the truth surfaced in Ren's heart. About himself.
'Who am I to feel sorry for someone?'
Because, from now on, he might be the most pitiful human in history.
A Kaidan, actually.