Page 92 of Son of Shadows

“What’s that?” Masaru whispered from beside Ryuichi.

At first, he had no idea what Masaru was talking about. Then he looked up into the sky, where his guardian was staring. There was a humungous crow soaring through the clouds.

“Yōkai,” he said, stating the obvious.

“No, shinigami.” Masaru all but spat the word out.

That made Ryuichi’s blood run cold. “I guess it’s too much to hope he’s coming for Orochi.”

“Yes. With our luck, I’m sure he’s coming for you.”

Ryuichi would argue, but Masaru was right.

The crow was heading straight for them. Ryuichi flinched in fear and braced himself. Masaru rose to his feet and drew his sword. Ryukage stood behind Masaru, ready to leap into action.

The shinigami circled over the gate, then turned back to the forest, descending until they were out of sight.

Ryuichi had a strange feeling in his gut. One he hadn’t felt since . . .

“I’ll be right back,” Ryuichi said. He could barely pull himself up, but once he did, he hobbled toward the trees, where he saw the shinigami crow land.

Masaru ran after him. “What are you doing?”

Ryuichi wasn’t sure how to answer. This just felt right.

He tried to run as fast as he could toward the area where he’d seen the crow land. He became winded so quickly. Even Masaru noticed.

“Are you okay, boy?” he asked with concern.

But Ryuichi didn’t respond. He was being pulled by some force outside himself. He leaned into this magnetic energy, putting his faith in his senses even though his body ached.

When he finally found the shinigami, Koichi, Haruki, and his shadow were climbing down from the back of the crow. As soon as they set foot on the ground, the bird transformed into a bishōnen boy around the age of sixteen.

Only Ryuichi knew it was an illusion. A shinigami could take any form.

His shadow came limping up to him, his face haggard. “It is so good to see you, Brother.”

Ryuichi bowed to Ryuichi-kage, showing his shadow respect for addressing him like family. He looked into Ryuichi-kage’s eyes and he could see a change in them. Instead of mystery and darkness, there was a softness and gentleness he would have never expected.

Ryuichi let out a cough, his chest hurting. At the same time, his shadow doubled over in pain.

“You two must reunite, now,” Koichi said. “Or else you’re both going to regret it.”

Masaru nodded. “Koichi’s right. If you don’t rejoin, Ryuichi’s shadow will disappear forever, and he will become a harbinger of evil.”

“But how?” Ryuichi said.

Suddenly, a swirling funnel of mist appeared. Yumi stepped out of it and immediately took Ryuichi and his shadow by the hand.

“In order to become whole again, you must accept each other,” she said.

Ryuichi-kage looked at his brother of flesh and bone. “You are a fierce warrior. I believe in you.”

Ryuichi looked at his brother of shadow and spirit. “You are more than just a part of me. I believe in you.”

The next thing Ryuichi knew, a wave of electricity traveled through every cell in his body. It didn’t feel painful at all. In fact, he was reinvigorated. Like he could take on Orochi’s army himself.

He went to see how Ryuichi-kage was doing and noticed he was no longer there in human form.