The Dragon Lord’s Descent

The young Lord of the Dragon Clan, son of the Dragon God, Ryujin no Tatsu strode into the palace antechamber. He barely glanced at the golden walls and ceilings. Each wall was intricately painted with designs by the finest craftsmen, leaping tigers hidden in pines, weeping plums bowed down beneath snow, a cherry tree’s first bloom. But Tatsu had seen finer in the Dragon God’s palace.

Tatsu approached the dais where the chubby Emperor was sitting, the mortal ruler lost in his layers of robes. The Emperor’s appearance was almost comical, with a tiny, black-hatted head, peeping up from layers upon layers of gold-embroidered cloth.

In contrast, Tatsu wore simple white robes, his black hair hung down loose, held back by a single white ribbon. He was practically dressed like a peasant compared to the finery of the nobles.

As Tatsu approached the emperor’s dais he didn’t prostrate himself on the ground, the way normal court etiquette dictated in the mortal world. Instead, he gave the emperor a neat half bow. A sign of respect, between equals.

One which the emperor refused to return. The emperor spoke first. “My court welcomes the Dragon Lord, esteemed son of the Dragon God. We are honored by your presence.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Tatsu said. He noted the sweat drops rolling down the Emperor’s face. Wryly, he wondered if it was the stress of meeting the son of a dragon god, his recent illness, or simply the heat from wearing all those robes. He had heard that the emperor was not well recently. His unnatural pallor and sweat-stained brow seemed to confirm it.

“Why do we have the honor of such a visit?” the Emperor asked.

“We received word from the realm of the Gods, that this land is in danger.“ Tatsu spoke with grave tones. His face was cold as the heavenly ice sunk beneath the sea. With his silver eyes and blade-sharp gaze, it made the surrounding courtiers feel a chill. “There has been an increase in demonic activity recently. If it is not quelled soon, the balance between powers may become upset. I am here to investigate.” What he didn’t add was the consequence of the spiritual and demonic powers of the mortal realm becoming unbalanced. The fact that it not only endangered this empire but the safety of all three realms. The human emperor didn’t need to know that.

“Demons? “The emperor’s voice turned shrill.” Nonsense. There are no demons here.”

“I will be the judge of that,” Tatsu said. He released a layer of his spiritual energy over the court, not much, but enough to make the emperor and his nobles feel pressured by his aura. The room fell silent.

The emperor choked, face turning red. To either side of him, the rows of nobles, noblewomen and courtiers also stirred uncomfortably. Many faces paled under the pressure. All eyes were fixed on the son of the Dragon God. A half immortal descended to earth, he was the only one besides the emperor himself. Hundreds of pairs of eyes gazed at him with awe and fear. All except one set.

Tatsu felt the gaze before he found it. A slight push back on his spiritual energy, as if something were repelling his power. It came from a pair of golden eyes. They were half-hidden in the shadows behind the crowd of nobles. A woman in red robes, with sharp features. She looked at Tatsu with a mix of interest and amusement, but none of the fear from the rest of the court.

Then she stuck a finger in her nose, and wiggled it around. Her eyes shifted to inspect the excavated contents on her finger. Tatsu almost choked.

Tatsu had only seen one pair of eyes like those before. The eyes of the little fox spirit he had met all those years ago. But his eyes were purer than this pair, filled with innocence. Perhaps she’s a fox spirit from the same clan as him, he thought. But, would Inari have sent a fox to investigate the mortal realm as well? I didn’t sense any spiritual power. He was determined to find her later, to ask. Perhaps she would even know what became of that little fox.

Tatsu removed his pressure.

The Emperor let out a squeak. Then, he coughed and spoke.

“Esteemed Dragon Lord. We thank you for coming to aid our empire. Our court will assist you with all investigations. And our court’s Bureau of Onmyodo will be at your service for anything you might need. Their exorcism abilities may not be as powerful as your own, but we hope they will be able to assist you.”

The emperor waved a hand, and a man stepped out from the ranks of the exorcists. The man wore the white robes of the Onmyoji, the exorcists of the mortal world. His hair and beard were long and gray, his back was hunched. Despite his relatively strong spiritual powers, age had clearly taken a toll on him. The old man knelt down before Tatsu.

“It is my great honor to serve the dragon lord,” he said in a quavering voice.

“This is the head of the Bureau. He will serve you during your time here. Please ask him if you need anything.” the emperor said.

Tatsu nodded. The emperor was clearly trying to dismiss him.

“Thank you for your assistance,” Tatsu helped the old man up. “I will begin my investigation now.”

He spoke to Onmyoji. “Take me to your bureau, we have many things to discuss.” He held the elderly exorcist’s elbow, as the man’s legs were shaking so much from fear he could barely walk. Half supporting the old human, the two of them strode from the room.

Once they had left the large chamber, with all its stares, Tatsu let out a breath. He was a representative of the Dragon King. He could not show weakness in front of the mortals. But it was his first time speaking in front of such a large crowd.

Kuro watched as the Young Dragon lord left the hall. Kuro grinned, canines protruding slightly over his lips, giving it a hint of mischief. He had recognized the little silver snake immediately. Well, I’ve seen what I came for, time to get out of this place.

Kuro hated the court, It was full of evil schemes and greed. He wondered how long it would be until the young dragon lord’s white robes were stained as dark as the hearts of those nobles inside.

He strode out onto the covered walkway that led into the palace gardens .Wisteria hung heavy in arcs over the eaves. This deep into the 17th season of spring, the air was already muggy, making Kuro tug at the stiff noblewoman’s collar.

Even though the woman he’d been impersonating was likely still fast asleep in the arms of a courtesan back in the red light district, he had to hurry. He couldn’t keep this disguise up for much longer.

It was risky to sneak into the Imperial Palace. But it had been worth it. Kuro had seen some interesting things: the demonic power strangling the emperor like a snake, and those silver eyes, colder than he remembered.

A passing servant brushed by, plate loaded high with unseasonal fruit to be served to the nobles. Kuro’s eye’s lit up, he’d never be able to find fresh peaches like those in the lower city. He brushed against the tray, slipping a couple of the golden orbs into his deep sleeves before the servant noticed. He grinned. This made the trip to the palace truly worth it.

Just as he reached out again, a cold hand encircled his wrist. Kuro froze, like prey caught in a hunter’s sights. Kuro turned to see Tatsu, the young dragon lord, hand outstretched.

“Forgive my rudeness, miss,” the dragon lord said.

Kuro stared straight into those silver eyes. They pierced through him like a shard of ice, making his heartbeat quicken.

Kuro broke the gaze with a deep bow, saying, “how can I help the great dragon lord?”

Tatsu released his wrist. “You seem familiar. Are you perhaps a servant of the Harvest Goddess Inari?”

Staying bowed, to avoid Tatsu’s prying eyes, Kuro replied, “My lord, naturally I worship the great Inari like all citizens of this realm, may her bounty be upon us all.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Tatsu said.

Kuro wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he thought he heard a note of disappointment in the young dragon lord’s voice.

“Is that all my lord?” he asked.

“Yes, you may go.”

Kuro tried to keep his pace slow as he walked away, despite his desire to break into a run. He was so focused on calming his heart and mind that he did not notice the paper crane trailing him, kept aloft by a strand of silver power. The crane nestled into the raised collar at the back of Kuro’s robes.

Watching him leave, Tatsu’s pupils shifted into serpentine slits for a moment as his eyes narrowed.