In the flickering lights of the many candles set around the inner sanctum of the shrine, Uchida Ren, master of the Kiyomizu-Dera temple and shrines and head of the Susanoo faction of the true shrines and temples of Japan stared at the documents his son had brought him.

“Are you certain of this, Yamato? If so, this could be… problematic.”

His son nodded, bowing low. “Yes father, I’m afraid it’s true. Luckily the… incident… didn’t happen in our faction, so we’ve lost little.”

Oh really, lost little? Ren clicked his tongue in annoyance. His son was smart, that was for sure, being a student at Kyoto university, and his looks were acceptable, but he had no… no delicacy. It is not all about profit and loss… Even being chosen by the Gods has done little to change that.

Looking at the great golden statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, with her serene expressions on her eleven faces, he put aside his anger and allowed his intellect to prevail. Yes, this is not the time for irrational emotion. Cool heads are needed.

“So, just to confirm… the shrine maiden of that shrine is dead, found… horribly mauled and mutilated, and worse… the sacred statue in the shrine had shattered. And the Diviner stated that the kami within had perished, never to return?” It sounded ludicrous, how could a kami, a God, perish? Still, the Diviner would have no reason to lie… even now, if trust in her was lost it would hurt her Faction too much… “The Gods aren’t even able to come down to the world any more, you should know that better than anyone, Yamato.”

His son agreed. “Yes, it seems that the Gods are too powerful to manifest, even in the Spiritual World. Most of the Gods enshrined in Kyoto are too mighty, ours included. But perhaps… if I was to hazard a guess…”

“Go on, I would hear what you have to say. You are the most well-informed of our entire Faction on these matters.”

“Since she was belonging to a smaller shrine, and the kami within was minor at best… I wonder if she was a ‘chosen’ and made contact with her kami. Then she tried foolishly to expand her sphere of influence and … ran afoul… of some of the many dangers that lurk in the Spiritual World. Since Kyoto is an old and deeply spiritual place, the dangers I have seen here…” Yamato shuddered, and his father sympathised. “… if the kami manifested, maybe it too was devoured…”

Such foolishness. The loss of a precious irreplaceable kami, and for what? Misplaced pride and self-belief… “This is why we need to pull together. We should have already had the conclave, but those bastards from the Amaterasu faction are constantly pushing… they already claim to have two ‘chosen’ in Kyoto. I thought that would pressure Kudou-san and his fence-sitters to support us, but now it’s devolved into a three-way deadlock, with every Faction eying the others warily. Madness.”

Why do people not think? If Japan was experiencing a resurgence in the spiritual then other countries would be doing so as well. And while we are bickering, our potential enemies may be uniting… Tales of yore, such as the horrors of facing Chinese Cultivators, or the darkness of the Night Parade… if such things were to happen to a disunited Japanese community…

“It will be all right, father. I have good news. I have solidified the sphere of influence around our temple to the Second Rank. With the gift I was granted, I can call upon the Golden Warriors to defend us should anything go wrong…”

Yamato was trying, he could hardly fault his son for that. Forcing a smile, he congratulated him, though understanding how the spiritual world could be controlled was beyond him. “Well done, Yamato my boy. We need to stand firm, or the other Factions will walk all over us. Still… I hope you are right, and we don’t have some crazed killer loose in Kyoto. Far better to assume it was just a greedy fool getting in over her head…”

“I can ask some of our allies to look into it.”

He waved off his sons offer. “No need. We have other matters to attend to. He unfurled a map of Kyoto, with the known locations of the shrines tied to the ‘chosen ones’ each faction had disclosed marked out. The map had also been annotated with information from Yamato, who had highlighted areas of danger or reward.

“If there are others hidden, can you find them?” he asked.

Yamato frowned, deep in thought. After a while he nodded. “It should be possible, in time.”

“Do it then, but safely. I don’t want you put at risk, my son.” It would be helpful if we had a second like the Amaterasu bastards. That way he could front us and spare my son from the greatest dangers… oh well, no use wishing for what I don’t have. Hang on, maybe that one…

He dismissed his son, who gratefully returned to his rest, having exhausted himself in the Spiritual Realm. Producing a report he looked at it once more. Before he had barely glanced at it, but now he sensed opportunity…

Yes, a ‘chosen one’, not from a shrine or temple, but an outsider, yet supported by some small Tokyo temples of no Faction. I had penned them acceptance of their invite to conclave, but thought no more about it. But now, we could use the extra support. That sly dog Kudou-san is likely keeping some hidden, if he can… and as for the Amaterasu…

He had been ecstatic when his son infirmed him he had been whisked to the Spiritual Realm by a messenger of Kannon, and gifted the power of the Golden Warriors. Seeing his son grow stronger and faster, more able to exercise his abilities on Earth, as if it was the distant past… the thought brought tears to his eyes. He had been so proud, and also overjoyed that the long-awaited return of the Spiritual seemed nigh.

However, Yamato had also been warned of grave danger, that dark forces would descend from the Spiritual in time, seeking to plunge the world into darkness. In addition, Yamato had grown careless, and had suffered injuries within the Spiritual World. He had healed, true, but remembering that morning when his son woke up drenched in blood, crying in pain…

Biting his lip hard enough to draw blood he continued reading, putting aside his fears. If I could pull this one to our faction then he can take the danger, while my son remains safer, focusing on building up his strength and our sphere of influence… let me see, which shrine was this…

He rang a small golden bell that was on the table beside him and a young shrine maiden came in, bowing. He ordered her to fetch the list of true shrines, and a short while later she returned, breathless, carrying a bound book. He thanked her and allowed her to leave, flipping open the book until it reached the page for Shirohebizumi shrine.

I see, small and unimpressive, but with a long history. Still, that just means they will be susceptible to currying favour with more powerful factions. But did they write to us alone regarding this matter? They… probably wouldn’t have sent anything to Amaterasu, they don’t seem an overly aggressive lineage, but to Tsukuyomi… I need to move fast on this…

In addition there was another matter he had to attend to, one that he had been putting off, trying to rally Kyoto to his cause and pinning down a date for the conclave while his wily foes bickered. Taking out his mobile phone he dialled a long-time friend and supporter, though favours from him did not come without a cost. After a few rings the phone connected, and a strong baritone voice greeted him.

“Ah, Uchida-san, it’s been too long. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’m sorry for calling so late, Takakura-sama. Still, in times such as these, sleep is a luxury we cannot always afford.”

“Quite. Well, do go on.”

“I was wondering if you had given any more thought to my request? It would be most helpful if I could count upon the support of the Three Houses, and considering your influence with them…”

“I have broached the subject with them, of course, and the three Grandfathers are certainly considering how this matter will influence Japan and their duty in the future. However, I suspect they feel it is much too soon to intervene one way or the other… besides…”

Besides…? Ren stifled a gulp.

“… I have been approached by several others seeking… similar assurances. Therefore it is tricky to know quite where to place my influence. I would suggest, and this is echoed by the three Grandfathers, that you do not let this matter break out into open chaos. Preserving the precious past and legacy of Japan is important above all.”

“You suggest? Not… order?”

“… goodness no. the Shrines and Temples of Japan are one of the three pillars, us Nobles are merely the second pillar, no more important than the first. But losing what we have striven for centuries to protect over… infighting… would be disappointing. And worse…”

Worse?

“… we have more interests and contacts outside of Japan, and we have heard… troubling… rumblings from America and China. We would not want to be caught flat-footed here. I do not claim to understand the particulars of this ‘Spiritual Awakening’ the world seems to have undergone, but I do understand that if we are divided, stronger more united powers will reap the benefits. I hope you will take that to heart.”

With that the call was over, leaving Ren unfulfilled and irritated. Still, it was not entirely unexpected. Of course the others would have reached out to the Nobles as well. That makes securing some trump cards ever more important. First, this ‘chosen one’ from Tokyo. He should be within our hands. Secondly, there must be others, hidden away. We must secure as many as possible for our own ends…

The temples and shrines would reclaim their rightful place as those who guided Japan. And Japan would surely guide the world. But who would guide the temples and shrines? Only I am fit for that role. I and my son… After all, we serve Kannon, Goddess of Mercy. And what does the world need more than ever now, but mercy? If dark times and darker beings are coming, the light of true faith and mercy shall light the way…