Raiten

  Acromner is a season that lasts five months. Comes once every few decades. The last time I bore witness to it was back when I was just six or seven.

  The details are a bit fuzzy. But I remember a slit of light shining through a veil of dark clouds, like a sword wound or a snake eye.

  And they always told us, no matter what…

  “Avoid the light.”

  Adachi went on lockdown, as did almost all the other clans and nations. I’m sure that trade stopped, wars halted, and society itself went on freeze as everyone endured the months of darkness.

  Darkness, broken only by terror.

  And it was during that time of terror when I met my first hero.

  …

  He stands before me now, all wrong, all silver.

  I press a hand against the shield. Feel it tingle along the translucence.

  “How is this… possible?” I ask. Sadai shrugs, his metal arms creaking like old rickety bridges.

  “Not too sure myself, cub. I have a vague perception of everything now—one that’s fading fast. I can only keep this up for some time.”

  A hand touches my shoulder. Kiren pulls me back, dark eyes flitting between me and Crooked—or Sadai, I guess.

  “What is happening?” he whispers.

  Before I can answer—or fail to answer, really—Sadai’s head vibrates once more: “Look, I don’t have too much energy to spare. So, I’ll be quick about explaining it. I think, whatever weapon this is, merged with me.”

  I can see that much. “How?” I ask.

  “I heard it calling, cub. Me and the Lady heard it. She forged ahead to merge with it. I think the weapon expected a reciprocal relationship—symbiosis. Not this… parasitism.”

  “The Lady?” I vaguely remember the term. Bad memory though. Colored by mad ramblings, shoving, head and heart squeezing. Sadai, before his end, talking on and on about this “Lady” of his.

  Some measure of past pain must’ve leaked through my question, for Sadai’s shoulders droop now.

  “She is the one who called me to death. She is the curse of our end, little cub. She is the spirit.”

  Umbrahorn perks up at the mention of a spirit, though I can tell he knows nothing of this.

  But I can connect some of the dots. “The spirit of the tower.”

  Sadai nods. “Tell me, Raiten, have you ever wondered why we are assailed by so many enemies? Why does Adachi need a Thunder Watcher?”

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  “Was it not for testing? To refine the methods of cultivating and using angel dust?”

  “Partly. But that’s not the whole picture. I only really found out when I was dying. No Raiten, the other reason why we are slaves is because we are expected to stop monsters from killing the Elders, taking the Thunder Tower, and in doing so, removing all Adachi seals from the spirit of the tower. Because if that’s done, then the spirit is released. And if she is released, then the Lady will kill every last member of Clan Adachi, down to the last infant.”

  I back away from the shield, almost tripping over myself.

  “What—why—” I pause, trying to process. First the weapon comes back. Then, it's Crooked. Then, it's Sadai. Then it’s the Lady and the rest of them, all in one being, one vessel. And now this Lady is the spirit of the tower?

  “You must be confused. It's a lot to take in. And, since my time is almost up, I’ll boil it down to the most important points. Focus cub: first, you have to kill this thing. Meaning, you have to kill me. If you don’t, it will continue to hound you till the ends of the Earth. It won’t go and kill the Elders until you are dead—mostly because the greatest binding to it is you.”

  “Wait, Sadai I can’t—”

  “Second: I can only hold her back for so long. And the more I try, the shorter the bursts, the longer the delay between me taking control. Good news is, I’m not the only one fighting back: the spear wants her to forgo you and go for the old man. But, it too will be snuffed out soon enough. Her will is too strong, and she wants your head the most. But she’ll destroy anything in her path to taking it. Good instincts mancer boy, I see you’re about to lower the shield—but don’t.”

  Kiren backs away from the shield wall, furrowing his eyebrows.

  Sadai continues, his cadence quickening. “I would’ve told you to kill me from the start if you could, but she’s only holding back her resistance so that she can save it for breaking the shield. If you do lower it, she’ll immediately take back control and you’ll all be dead.”

  “So what do you expect to do? Sit around and wait?” Umbrahorn chimes.

  “For now. I will give you a signal when I can put up enough resistance to at least weaken her. Then, you can try to kill her.”

  “Sadai—I…” I pause, remembering all that he’s done for me. Remembering how he used to pick me up by the ankles and spin me around, laughing. How he played seed-sack with me.

  “I can’t kill you.” It's less of a declaration and more of a realization.

  “You’ll have to cub. Because I can’t kill you either. And if she does, then it's on me.”

  “I mean, what is she?”

  “She’s—” he pauses, head vibrating, voice distorting. His silver form keels over, hands clutching his chest. “She's half-primordial. First Elders di–did some–something to her a long time ago. Vende—vendetta ever sInCe.” His voice crackles, lags behind. His body begins to shake.

  “SorRy cUb. OuT oF tIme. Wait for signAaasdfiajeighaioe—”

  My breath quickens as I walk back further, stumbling over a branch. I fall flat on my ass as the… thing in front of me shakes violently, crying out and screeching like it did earlier now.

  Then, it all ceases.

  And when it rises once more, its movement is fluid. Predatory.

  It looks down on me before pointing, with its three bladed left arms, at my head.

  I get the message.

  But now I have a reason to hate back.

  I stand and stride right back to her, almost pressing my head against the shield.

  “First you convince Sadai to kill himself. Then, you try to kill me in an illusion. And now, you’ve trapped Sadai.”

  She tilts her head. I narrow my eyes.

  “I’m going to kill you,” I hiss.

  She flinches back, surprising me. But then, her head cranes back further and her misshapen hands hold her chest. A sound of echoing, untuned drums comes forth from her vibrating head.

  She’s not flinching you idiot.

  Why would she?

  Rather, Crooked is just laughing.

  More accurately…

  The Lady of the Thunder Tower, the spirit I unknowingly kept imprisoned for ten years, laughs in my face.

  Because finally, she is free. And she can finally have her vengeance.

  Sound familiar?

  I scoff. Chuckle.

  “Raiten…” Kiren begins, but I tune him out. Start giggling like a little shit.

  The Lady’s laughter falters and she looks down on me.

  I can’t help myself.

  I laugh too.