When Ichika and Kira were safe and sound in bed, and the festivities in Nightcastle had long since passed so that the silence of night at last returned, Masanori remained sleepless.
He carried himself up the long stairs from the shared dwelling in the middle of the tower all the way to Sky Temple. The steps, long and arduous that they were, had become a meditative practice for Masanori. Each movement opened an opportunity to think deeper about his intentions, and by the time he reached the top, he was always prepared for one of Nideke’s lessons.
The grand doors, etched with depictions of the four spirits, including Baku, groaned open beneath Masanori’s touch. At the end of the long hall filled with banners depicting Ishoki clans, both lost and current, the four braziers beneath the fou
