Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 16.3: The March of the Yami

In the days that preceded the conflict, we kept busy, drawing up strategies and counterplans, gathering supplies, stockpiling food.

We guarded our posts, looking always out to sea, to the wave of darkness that we knew was coming. We lit torches everywhere, in order to conserve the Goddess Essence. Oozen-Oo forbade any use of the Goddess Essence in the days preceding the conflict. We would need every bit of it for the coming battle. We placed buoys at sea, at strategic points around Amaya Peninsula, going for miles around the temple perimeter. These were the only places where use of the Goddess Essence was permitted still. The buoys let us see our surroundings better. A fear crept inside me: would our light, a pale substitute for the real thing, be able to stand up the pure, malevolent darkness of the Yami? Secretly, we had hoped that others in Kuro, those whom we had helped time and again throughout history, would come to our aid in battle, sending reinforcements or providing assistance in whatever way they could. But in the end, Talthys stood alone, as it had always, as the rest of the world watched on in fear.

As the hour of conflict approached, we spoke in hushed tones. We busied ourselves with the most menial of chores. It kept our minds off our fears. I must have opened and closed my pouch hundreds of times, checking to see if my precious seals were safe within, taking careful inventory of them. The waters of the Sea of Kaito roared angrily around us, the waves crashing upon unyielding rock, a grim herald of the coming onslaught.

Finally, almost mercifully, the day was upon us, and I shall never forget it. They came with great speed, and our world was smothered in true darkness. What we beheld that day that could not be conveyed, a feeling of horror reserved only for those who had the misfortune to be present at the event. A few of our sisters, greenhorns with no battle experience, began retching, their vomit spilling over the five-layer walls. I felt the fear myself, the same dread in the pit of my stomach.

"Courage, my sisters," I implored. "We stand with the light of the Goddess herself. The Darkness fears us as much as we fear them."

I calmed myself by focusing on the shadow that was moving in. Over the sea, the Yami force poured in like a tenebrous flood. The normally angry sea of Kaito turned even more tumultuous, so that the buoys at sea rocked unsteadily as the waters were disturbed by a great force. The Yami was so close now we could make out the crest on the horizon, a black tidal wave high enough to reach the top of the cliffs.

My heart beat so fast, I thought I was going to explode. I hoped I would not falter in this trying time. This was the experience I had been waiting for, the chance to prove myself on the battlefield, the opportunity to stake my claim in Talthys history.

I felt a warm hand grab mine. I knew instantly she was by my side – Searra, my sister who would never leave me. "Searra, you must get back to your post," I whispered softly.

"I shall, Vannah," she whispered back. "I had only wanted to see you one more time. We do not know the outcome of this battle. I ... I had wanted to hold your hand perhaps one last time."

I shook my head. "Do not say that, my sister. This darkness that befalls us, we shall triumph against it. Let us trust in the power of the temple and the sisters that came before us. Talthys and Tengoku-ji will not fall, so long as we both draw breath." Searra nodded and smiled. And then she was gone. The wind blew into my face. I hadn't realized how cold it had gotten. The Yami chose to attack during the hours of the Slumber, a time at which we were at our weakest. But we were prepared for this, having switched our sleep cycle, acting during the Slumber and sleeping during the Waking.

The approaching Yami force was so close now, we could make out their forces. Countless black ships appeared on the horizon, dotting the landscape as far as the eye could see. The light of the Aurora cast a pale glow over the force, giving the demons an even more sinister appearance. The vessels themselves were hard to make out. Nondescript, almost formless, they veiled themselves in the darkness. Even with the powerful South wind behind them, they moved at a speed far greater than any human ship. At the bow of each ship, we saw Jiang-Shi, reanimated bodies of the once-dead, hungry ghosts, that fed upon the living; and alongside them, the Shakryss, shadows that took various forms, and could only be harmed by the light. They were ethereal, almost like the air, their forms shifting. Some took animal form, looking like panthers in the darkness. A few took humanoid form, walking upright and standing alongside the Jiang-Shi. Placed at the front, sides, and back of the Yami army, the Shakryss conveniently concealed the rest of the force. It was their shadowy nature that hid the vessels from sight, making it difficult for us to see their form.

When they reached us, the Yami did not bother to speak. They immediately attacked, the Jiang Shi going out swiftly over the water, their undead bodies floating above the roiling waves. The ships fired, dark orbs of pure Yami energy hit the Bougyou-Kabe with a suddenness that took us all by surprise. The very foundation of Tengoku-ji rocked. Several of our sisters were thrown back as they hit the walls. We were unprepared for the ferocity of the initial attack, but the Bougyou-Kabe lived up to its name. The defensive layer held fast. It pushed back with Amaterasu's energy and drove the Jiang Shi back as they attempted to scale the cliffs, hopping up from crag to crag. Lights filled the air as the Kougeki-Kabe activated its offense, beams of light energy arced from the wall hitting the Yami vessels. The Yami army closed in, tightening its defenses. For the first time, we could see how well organized our foe's movements were.

But the Yami found it hard to mount an attack. Faced with the combination of the Bougyou-Kabe's impregnable defense and a heavy assault from the Kougeki-Kabe, their progress was halted. Had their forces not numbered so many, the tide would have turned quickly. But forces of darkness were legion. They kept coming, a dark wave crashing upon the walls of the Bougyou-Kabe.

"Stand your ground!" we heard the elite priestesses scream. "The Bougyou-Kabe will hold!"

A few of the younger priestesses moved into formation and began unleashing seals. It was too early, the seals would be wasted. I saw Nyana running frantically toward them, trying to quell the useless attack. Many of our novices were not battle tested, and were making costly mistakes on the battlefield. A few were openly weeping, fearing for their lives.