The Path of One
By Rich Wulf

Three men stood in the spire of the ruined tower. The bitter winds of late fall howled through the tattered structure, echoing like moans of the dying. Two of the men shivered uncontrollably in the chill breeze despite their best efforts to maintain composure. The third, their master, stood at the broken edge of the ruined tower, eyes fixed on the clouds above. The wind did not seem to affect him. Even his heavy robes - pale white and blood red - seemed to hang undisturbed.

"Master," one of the men said, stepping forward hesitantly. "I do not mean to speak out of turn, but I do not think there is anything more to be found here. This tower is dangerous. We should leave before -"

Toturi Sezaru turned, and his yojimbo fell silent. A pale white mask of porcelain covered Sezaru's face, the bright red sphere of the rising sun blazing upon his forehead. The mask was a symbol of his lineage - child of the Son of Heaven and the Oracle of the Void. It was a symbol of his wisdom. Most of all, the mask was a symbol of his power, though a redundant one. A single look at Sezaru's eyes was all one needed to see the authority the man commanded. A single glance, and Toturi Koshei fell silent, his head bowed respectfully.

"Faith is a strange thing, Koshei," Sezaru said, his voice quiet and detached. "Like the sea itself, it ebbs and flows. I find that at times, it seethes in abundance. At others, it departs without warning, leaving the soul empty and barren. Do you not find it to be so, Koshei-san?"

"My only faith is that which I have in you, my lord," Koshei said confidently. "Such a thing cannot waver. I am samurai. If you believe that the tower is safe, then of course it must be safe."

Sezaru chuckled. "Rather mundane, but to the point. What other answer would I expect from a former vassal of the Akodo? Your sincerity is impressive, Koshei-san, if not your insight."

"Hai." Koshei nodded quickly. "Arigato, Sezaru-sama."

Sezaru turned to the other man. "And what of you, Asako Ryoma? Do you not find, at times, that you doubt yourself? That you doubt the Celestial Pattern itself? Do you ever wonder if it may require every fiber of your essence merely to gather the strength to go on another day?"

The Inquisitor's face did not change. He steepled his fingers for a moment and looked Sezaru in the eyes. The Wolf returned Ryoma's gaze, but the Inquisitor did not turn away. The man's brazen confidence was the primary reason Sezaru had requested his services. "Of course," Ryoma replied. "Without doubt, there can be no growth. Only those who have known the depths of Jigoku can aspire to the Celestial Heavens."

Sezaru nodded, almost imperceptibly. "So it is indeed, Asako-san. So I continue to remind myself. Faith. That is what has brought us here."

Koshei nodded, satisfied with his master's answer though he did not understand it.

Ryoma frowned in thought. "Do you truly believe she will come?"

"Do you know what this place once was?" Sezaru asked, ignoring Ryoma's question. His hand traced a jagged outcropping of broken wall as he paced across the shattered heights of the tower.

"Hai, Sezaru-sama," Koshei replied immediately. "We stand in Nichibotsu Fusheru, the tower which once stood as a beacon and guardhouse for the city of Otosan Uchi. For seven hundred years it guarded the Imperial City and Golden Sun Bay against invasion from the sea, until the day the great Kumo spun its web above the city."

"Sunset Tower," Sezaru said in reply. "They say even when the Shadow descended, the Seppun and Kasuga who stood watch in this place never wavered, never surrenderedÉ and what did it earn them? They did not leave so much as a single corpse to mark their passing. OnlyÉ rubble." Sezaru gestured at the wreckage. "What did their precious courage earn them? Their duty? Their honor? Their sacrifice meant nothingÉ Just as my father's death meant nothingÉ and my motherÉ" Sezaru trailed off, fingers scraping the rubble as his hand dropped limply to his side. He stared blankly toward the sea, lost in reverie.

Koshei opened his mouth to speak, concerned by his master's mood. Ryoma held up one hand to silence the Lion, displaying the ivory eye tattoo upon his palm. The dour Inquisitor had served Sezaru for many years. He knew well when to question his lord and when to leave him to his thoughts.

When Sezaru spoke again, his voice was harsh, as if from tears. "The Agasha once taught me: when all seems darkest, light a candle. When surrounded by questions, seek an answer. That is why we have come here."

"Will you find the answers you seek here, my lord?" Ryoma asked.

"Perhaps I will find that there are no answers," Sezaru said bleakly. "Perhaps that is enough in itself? Faith, Ryoma. That is all I have left. It must suffice."

The wind seemed to suddenly increase. Ryoma pulled his orange silken robes tighter about his thin chest. Koshei's jaw tightened as he steeled himself against the chill; he was too proud to show weakness. Sezaru still seemed unaffected by the cold, though his head snapped up with a start.

"You have come, Doji-sama," Sezaru said reverently. "I knew you would come." The son of Toturi bowed deeply. Koshei and Ryoma merely looked on in confusion, for their master seemed to be speaking to the wind itself.

In fact he was.

The howl of the wind increased in the tower. The shattered timbers began to shiver against the sudden storm, and even Koshei feared that the broken tower might soon collapse. Ryoma was the first to see her - save of course his master - a pale figure with hair and robes as pure white as spring clouds. Long white scarves billowed in the air about her, like the wings of a great majestic bird. Her feet did not touch the ground, though one hand hovered near Sezaru's bowed head. The Wolf's long hair rose of its own accord, attracted by the static emanating from the spectral woman's fingertips. She turned, briefly, and fixed her eyes upon Asako Ryoma and Toturi Koshei.

Infinity echoed therein.

"It is the Oracle!" Ryoma hissed, "Bow, you fool!" Ryoma slapped his comrade in the shoulder and dropped to the ground.

Koshei hesitated only a moment, his mind frozen by the woman's unearthly beauty. He fell to the earth as well, rearranging the swords tucked beneath his obi as quickly as he could. The woman looked at the two men, her face twisted in vague amusement, and returned her attention to Toturi Sezaru.

"You knew I would come, Son of the Void?" the woman said, her tone mildly mocking. Her voice was the merest whisper, but seemed to echo with the power of thunder itself. "You have sought me out, and I am here. I am the Oracle of the Wind."

"I know who you are. You revealed yourself at my father's funeral," Sezaru replied. "I have come to seek your guidance."

"I revealed nothing," the Oracle said. "That you were able to perceive me is astounding. I should have expected no less."

"Clearly it was meant to be, Doji-sama," Sezaru said. The Wolf rose, though his head remained bowed respectfully. The Celestial Pattern knew I was in need of guidance, and revealed you to me."

"Perhaps," Wind replied. For one of the Four Winds to begin his quest by seeking the advice of the Wind seems fitting enough."

"My quest?" Sezaru glanced up, surprised.

"Is that your question?" the Oracle asked. "Each mortal receives but one, and you are but mortal, Toturi Sezaru. Do you wish to know your destiny?"

Sezaru paused for a moment, detecting a hint of reproach in the Oracle's voice. "No," he said. "that is not my question. I already know my destiny."

"Then ask your question," she replied, "and we both shall see the answer."

"What is the name of the beast that slew my father?" Sezaru said simply, lifting his head to look upon the Oracle's face.

The Oracle closed here eyes for a moment, and the wind seemed to cease. The air thickened and became warmer as all fell silent around the tower. Her eyes opened once more, and she spoke a single word. "Fushin," she replied. "The Onisu of Betrayal, the Nightmare of the Scorpion. I can say no more. Your question has been answered." The Oracle of the Wind rose several inches in the air, as if preparing to depart.

"I see," Sezaru nodded. "Yet before you leave, should you not answer their questions as well?" He gestured to Ryoma and Koshei. "After allÉ they are mortals as well, and in need of your counsel."

The Oracle looked puzzled, then a wry grin split her features. "You are a clever man, Toturi Sezaru," she replied. "You have your father's keen mind. Ask your questions, servants of the Wolf. Feel free to take your time if you need to recite them from memory."

Ryoma rose swiftly and stepped forward. The Inquisitor was inwardly terrified, but was careful to display no trace of his fear. As a Phoenix he had been raised among legends of the terrible wrath of the Oracles. Though they could be kind and merciful, they were known to despise weakness. He bowed as deeply as he could and yet remain standing. "Who summoned the oni who slew Toturi the First?" Ryoma asked.

"The nightmares of the Scorpion summoned Fushin, Black Inquisitor," she replied as the answer was revealed in her mind. "But Daigotsu opened the door for his arrival in this world."

Ryoma nodded, and knelt once more, relieved that his task was done. Roshei rose, his expression fearless and confident.

"I suppose you wish to know who Daigotsu is, or where to find him, Toturi?" she asked with a short laugh. "Gain a third question for the price of one, and complete your master's abuse of my power."

"Nothing of the sort, my lady," Koshei said with a nod. "I merely wish to know where my Lord Sezaru can locate the Oracle of the Earth."

"The Oracle of the Wind blinked, surprised. The wind rose once more as her laughter rang through the tower. "Well played, Sezaru-san," she said, turning to the shugenja. "I see that you seek not only my wisdom, but that of my brethren as well. Will you seek your mother when you are done?"

"Answer my yojimbo's question," Sezaru said simply.

"But of course," she answered. Pivoting and hovering in mid-air as she turned to face Koshei once more. "Your master seeks Shiro Heichi, the home of the once-proud Boar Clan, hidden deep in the Twilight Mountains of the Crab. There shall you find the man once called Hiruma Osuno."

Koshei nodded and knelt once more.

"Ryoma, Koshei, you are dismissed," Sezaru said promptly. "Wait for me at the base of the tower." The two men nodded, rose, and quickly departed.

"Fire and Earth, those two," the Oracle of the Wind stated, tilting her head slightly as she turned to Sezaru. "Both shall serve you well, but for their own reasons. Be cautious, and trust neither too deeply."

"Easy enough. I trust no one," Sezaru said.

"A shame," the Oracle replied. "You must be a lonely man."

"I need no one," Sezaru said.

The Oracle of the Wind frowned in pity. "Will that be all, Son of the Void?" she asked in a gentle voice.

"I think so," he said.

She smirked. "Perhaps you have a serving girl or stable boy nearby who wishes to ask me something as well?"

"No more divinations," Sezaru said with a curt wave of his hand. "Yet I would ask a simple question before you go. One you might answer without the insight of the Dragon of the Wind, if you would indulge me."

"Of course, Son of the Void," she replied, moving closer yet. Sezaru could feel the Oracle breath upon his throat, the static heat of the electric nimbus that surrounded her. Her skin was pearly, luminescent. He almost imagined he could see through her hovering form.

"Ask," she said.

"Do you miss it?" he asked simply.

"Miss it?" She drifted closer to him. "Miss what?"

"Mortality," he said. "Once you were a simple Crane artisan, Doji Hanae. Now you are a servant of the Dragon of the Wind. Do you regret what you have sacrificed for your power?"

"How can I regret what I am?" she asked.

Sezaru reached up and removed the white mask from his face, revealing his simple features. His eyes were marked by sadness and exhaustion. "Why does your kind retreat from reality? Why do the Oracles set themselves apart? Why must youÉ why must you be what you are?"

"We cannot be human because we are not human," she replied, stroking his cheek with one hand. Her touch was soft and light, her flesh cold. "We enforce the will of Tengoku, the Celestial Heavens. To become distracted by mortal matters is to become mortal, and upsets the balance of what we are."

"And if that balance should be disrupted?" Sezaru asked, his gaze suddenly intense. "What would happen to the Oracles?"

The Oracle of the Wind studied Sezaru, her pale face expressionless. She drifted away from him, rising high upon the breeze. "Ask your mother," she whispered.

And she was gone.

Sezaru cursed beneath his breath. "Answers breed more questions," he said to himself. "I swear I shall find the end of this, or die in the attempt." Replacing his mask, he left the crumbling tower to find his servants and begin the long road to Shiro Heichi.

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