Chương 43: Arrival of the Singers

A short while after the feast started, Galan paused mid-bite. The Princess of Crows and the Prince of the Sky had arrived, speaking with an attendant near the stairs. After the polite exchange was over, they approached the table.

"Haha! Here come the guests of the night!" Shuten Dooji boomed. The Prince of the Sky bowed, his massive eagle wings shuffling.

"Thank you for the invitation, Shuten Dooji." The Princess of Crows mirrored his gesture, her sleek crow wings fluttering.

"It is an honor to be here."

"Come on, sit down!" Shuten Dooji slapped the empty seats beside him. The Prince of the Sky signaled an attendant, who quickly and expertly removed the backs of their chairs to accommodate their wings. As they settled in, the Prince of the Sky noticed Galan staring at him.

"A human?" he asked, turning to the champion.

"Is he one of your fans?"

"Hahah! You could say that," Shuten Dooji laughed, clapping Galan on the shoulder.

"But he's more of a fellow warrior." The singers' eyes widened.

"He must be quite powerful for you to see him that way."

"Why don't you tell him?" Shuten Dooji grinned at Galan.

"Yeah, I beat him without a scratch," Galan said around a mouthful of food.

"How is that possible?" the Princess of Crows gasped.

"I'm a god." The singers flinched, their wings tensing in shock. They immediately stood and bowed deeply.

"My apologies, Dear God," the Prince of the Sky said.

"Pardon our intrusion."

"I hope you can forgive us," the Princess of Crows added, her voice trembling.

"Yo, is this normal?" Galan asked Ootake Maru.

"What have Amaterasu and the others done for them to act like this?"

"It is not what they did," Ootake Maru explained.

"It is the ten-gu's inherent belief in respecting higher powers."

"No way, there has to be more to it," Galan said, turning to the Princess of Crows.

"Heard you guys resisted the gods when they wanted to turn this place into a resort."

"Well... that is true," she admitted, looking down.

"But it was because we feared the foreign gods would cause them to lose their way."

"Yeah, I get it. Corruption is a common problem for gods in Astanka too." Galan swallowed his food.

"But to be honest, I thought they humbled you like a certain archangel I heard about."

"Who is this archangel?"

"Lucifer," Galan said casually.

"He wanted to change how Heaven handled humans because of all the evil he saw. Yahweh didn't like that, so he had the other archangels cut his wings off while everyone watched. Left him for dead in the Mortal Realm. He then had to carve his own path to become an archdemon in Hell." The table went silent. Ootake Maru looked horrified. But Galan continued unabated.

"So... I suppose your change of behavior is a much better case than what he had to deal with."

"Reiha... why are you so quiet?" the Princess of Crows asked her husband, concerned.

"It's nothing, Ayame," Reiha said, shaking his head.

"I was just surprised to hear this side of Lucifer's story. And by a knowledgeable god, nonetheless."

"Hey! Don't ruin the mood!" Shuten Dooji shouted.

"This is supposed to be a party!"

"Sorry," Galan said, smiling and scratching his head.

"Just noticed some patterns."

"You haven't even properly introduced yourselves yet," the champion sighed.

"Oh, right. My name is Odagalan." Galan paused.

"Odagawa. Nice to meet you." Reiha bowed his head.

"Kanpeki Reiha. It is a rare honor to meet another who can see the omitted verses of official songs." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Satanvubo, this bird is sharp, Galan thought.

"Likewise." Ayame bowed as well.

"Kanpeki Ayame." She looked up, her expression a mix of reverence and curiosity.

"By the way, your name... Calm River... it is very beautiful."

"Until you realize the color of the water." Galan grinned.

"What do you mean, Lord Odagawa?"

"Don't mind me. Your name is also beautiful, Iris Flower." What an incredibly weird god, Ayame thought with a wide smile. He's just like my Reiha. Is he the reckless god the Council spoke of? Reiha wondered.

"Nice," Shuten Dooji said.

"With that done, we can now order a good meal for you two." Shuten Dooji waved his massive hand, his voice booming across the table.

"Yo! Katsu! Get over here! The guests of honor are hungry!" The note-taking oni from before rushed over, bowing to the singers.

"Lord Ten-gu. What may I bring for you?" Reiha gestured to his wife.

"Why don't you order first?" Ayame nodded gratefully.

"I would be most grateful for a simple dish," she said.

"Perhaps some grilled brown-capped mushrooms and a bowl of spinach with sesame dressing?"

"And for you, sir?"

"The same," Reiha said.

"Along with an order of fried tofu, if the kitchen can prepare it. And a pot of the restaurant's finest green tea."

"Likewise," Ayame added. Katsu jotted down the order without batting an eye and hurried off. Shuten Dooji shook his head, bemused.

"Mushrooms and tofu? Hah! You skyfolk really don't know how to party. All that flying must've burned up your appetite for real meat!" The other oni chuckled, while Ootake Maru ate his pork belly with quiet dignity.

"With all due respect, Shuten Dooji," Reiha said, "we rely on our wings to fly, not our muscles, the same way your rival uses his mind to think instead of his sense of narcissism." Ayame gasped. Reiha, that's impolite!

"Huh?" Shuten Dooji frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"It means 'warrior's spirit,'" Ootake Maru lied smoothly. Galan grinned around a mouthful of food. Heh, good one.

"Oh, I'm flattered, truly," Shuten Dooji beamed.

"So, what's your plan after this?"

"We have three more performances this week," Ayame said.

"Then we will join the other ten-gu on our pilgrimage across Japan."

"Quite laudable for a singer," Shuten Dooji said. He nudged Ootake Maru.

"You should follow their example and spend your time doing something good for yourself instead of teaching the others how to read and write."

"Yeah!" another oni agreed.

"Reading scrolls doesn't make your fists punch harder!" Ootake Maru sighed.

"Trust me, you will be glad I did in fifty years from now."

"Hah! I'll look forward to being proven wrong, Mountain Goat!" Shuten Dooji turned to Galan.

"Got anything to add, Foreign God?"

"Well," Galan chewed thoughtfully.

"There's one thing I want to ask regarding the ten-gu." He swallowed, fixing Reiha with a serious gaze.

"It's something extremely important that will change the way the world sees your race."

"Ugh, don't make things heavy," Shuten Dooji groaned.

"It's okay," Reiha said.

"Ask what you will, Lord Oda. I will answer with absolute honesty." Galan set his chopsticks down with a firm clack. He drew in a slow breath as the table went silent, the two ten-gu steeling themselves to explain any sort of dark past they will have to explain away.

"So... what I want to ask you is..." He said, his voice hardening into a grave, solemn tone, his eyes intense.

"Do you guys lay eggs?" Silence. Then, Shuten Dooji slammed the table.

"Hahahaha! What was that?!"

"I'm serious," Galan insisted.

"Everyone back home wants to know." The other oni roared with laughter. One almost choked on his food. Ootake Maru and the singers, however, can only stare blankly.

"So... uh..." Galan scratched the back of his head.

"Will you two answer it or what?" Reiha shook his head rapidly, trying to clear the noise.

"Hold on, let me think." Ayame recovered first. She took a deep breath, and her voice snapped out, commanding and sharp.

"Shizuka ni shiro!" Her command to silence immediately killed the laughter. The oni froze, looking like scolded children. Even Shuten Dooji grinned, impressed by her authority. Ayame cleared her throat, smoothing her robes. Her voice returned to its gentle, motherly tone.

"Well then, Lord Oda. Let me start by telling you about the nature of our kind." She glanced at her husband reassuringly.

"To answer your... direct question... no, we do not. We are a convergence. A blending of the spiritual essence of the mountains, the body of a human, and the flight of a bird." So that's what the souls of the Great Gods turn them into, Galan mused. They actually think a giant pile of rocks can do that?

"Go on."

"Our wings are not determined by lineage," she explained.

"They are a reflection of the individual's spiritual affinity. A daiten-gu like my Reiha is born of the high, sharp peaks where eagles nest. He resonates with power and authority." She touched her chest.

"A crow ten-gu like myself is born of ancient, deep forests. Our essence is tied to mystery and... perhaps a little mischief." Reiha hid a grin.

"Thus, our wings are built for agile flight through the canopy. There are others—seahawk wings from the coast and owl wings from the sacred groves. Our form is a living expression of the land itself."

"So any ten-gu can have a child with any other," Galan clarified, "and the result is determined by where the mother spends her time?"

"Yes," Ayame nodded.

"We decided to pair with one another. It is not uncommon." The singers shared a gentle smile, reminding Galan of the ones he used to share with his first wife. He looked down, a pang of longing hitting him.

"Although our lifestyles differ," Ayame continued, "we synchronize our paths. We used to meet in the canopy of the Central Island to—" She flustered.

"I mean... we managed to find time together." Reiha comforted her with a touch of his hand.

"But now," she smiled, regaining her composure, "we spend our time in hanging hotels and private bathhouses. With the changes to this island, I can experience this luxury for most of the year. And I have Reiha with me for half of it, since he agreed to relinquish his role as migration leader." Reiha nodded, his smile free of regret.

"And that is how things stand today." Guess mating on warmed chandeliers is worth the trade if the alternative is a cold, damp branch, Galan thought.

"Understood," he said, nodding.

"Let me think about it." As he assumed a thinking posture, he saw the attendants marching toward the table, bearing nature-grown delicacies for the singers.