High above them, a shadowy figure peered out from one of the windows of Soshi Castle. Dressed in the garb of the Ninja, Togashi Amadan watched the samurai with intrest.
"What path do you think they are taking?" He asked quietly into the darkness. His gaijin accent echoed across the empty room, which was once the chambers of an important Scorpion noble.
"I do not know, Amadan." A strong voice seemed to come from the very darkness itself, the voice of Bayushi Tashiro, a samurai of the exiled Scorpion. He stepped from the doorway, and came to the window next to Amadan. "Why do they worry you?" He asked.
"They don't" The scout said. He turned away from the window and sat upon the floor next to his pack. "The fact that they are the fifth group of mercenaries we have passed in three days heading north. That is what bothers me." Amadan reached into his pack and produced an bundle of old, cracked scrolls. He carefully unfolded them and began reading.
Tashiro nodded, "Hai. The Crane and the Mantis make war." His eyes became distant as he spoke, "No doubt the Unicorn will join the fray to bring peace. The Dragon are beseiged by the Naga, while the Lion march upon the walls of the Crab." Tashiro smiled bitterly and muttered, "If perhaps the Scorpion and the Phoenix were able, we would war upon each other, as well." He sighed deeply and said, "I had beleived Rokugan had seen enough bloodshed for so many years. I was wrong."
Tashiro continued his watch in silence as Amadan read over the scrolls. The sun would rise in a perhaps two hours, and the pair would make their way again towards Kyuden Bayushi, to find Amadan's old mentor and play their part in finding the lost Emperor.
"Tashiro!" Amadan hissed suddenly.
The Scorpion turned to see the scout's eyes transfixed on the scroll paper he held. Upon Amadan's face was a look of nothing but sheer horror.
Tashiro was startled and kneeled next to the gaijin. "What is it?" He asked quickly.
Amadan looked up, and said, "Do you know of the Phoenix, Isawa Norikazu?"
"Hai," Tashiro said, puzzled.
"I have here some of his more recent prophecies." Amadan handed the Scorpion a paper, "They have been dismissed as a madman's ravings by most. I think you should read them."
Tashiro looked down on the paper, and ready the wispy script.
When the Crab stand triumphant on Hiruma Castle, the Darkness with Three Faces will make itself known to it's ancient enemies.
Tashiro looked down at Amadan, and furrowed his brow, "And?" He asked.
"And this," the scout said, pointing at the other papers. "It is a tale of the beginning of this world." He picked one of the papers up and read it,
"Do you see the circle I have drawn, child? Where is the beginning? Where is the ending? Of course, you cannot answer, for there is no answer to this question. There must be a beginning or an ending, but there is neither. Just like the circle, this story has no beginning and no ending. Before this world, there was another. After this world, there will be another, and our sould will fal into that world, carried by the weight of our great and lowly deeds. This is the way of things, child, a way you must learn. Only by learning the way will you find peace in this world of sorrow."
Tashiro looked away from the Dragon, realization dawning on his face as he remembered the tale. Amadan continued,
"The beginning of this world, as it has been for every world, is with nothing. Nothing was alone in the void, and so it was for countless ages. Then, without warning, Nothing realized that it was alone, and it was afraid. This created one third of the world. Then, Nothing realized it desired a companion. This created another third. Lastly, Nothing realized that its weakness had created the world, and it felt regret, wishing to undo what it had done. Nothing's regret completed the world and made it whole."
Amadan looked up from the papers, and Tashiro whispered, "The three sins..." He came back to his senses and said, "And your vision of the shadowy thing. Even you, not of this land, recognized it as a form of the Nothing..." Tashiro leaned over and grabbed his satchel. "We must leave now."
Amadan nodded and picked up his pack. The scout turned ninja pulled his mask over his face and said, "What if we are correct?"
Tashiro did not look back, "I pray we are not. What can we do against a great Nothing?" He walked out of the room, leaving Amadan to finish tying his ninja garb. As he left the room, for just an instant, he imagined that the darkness in the corner moved towards him. As he turned to look at it, the shadow had not moved.
"We must do everything we can," He whispered into the night.