Tenmaru walked inside and immediately noticed a door. A prison door with a latch that could only be opened from the outside. It had no keyholes, only a large valve to crank open.

Tenmaru gulped. He cranked open the door.

Kazou stayed far away from him and was ready to run away at any moment.

"Come on now. You’re making me nervous." Tenmaru whispered.

He pushed the door open. There was no light inside. Tenmaru shined the torch inside first. He noticed a skinny man being chained to the ground.

His two hands were restrained by unreasonably thick cuffs.

"A monster? This is no monster." Tenmaru stepped closer.

It really was just a man. A weak skinny man that was barely breathing.

Kazou got closer, "Be careful! We don’t know if he’s some kind of monster!"

Tenmaru ignored him.

"Hello? Are you awake?" Tenmaru said.

The man mumbled something that Tenmaru couldn’t understand. It was a different kind of language.

"What is he even saying?"

Tenmaru took his canteen out, "Here. Have some water."

The skinny man drank the water like he wasn’t drinking for years.

Then he said something that Tenmaru didn’t understand. But he noticed the man pointing his finger somewhere. A paper on the wall.

This one was written in this world language, "Banish All Evil."

"What is that?" Kazou said.

"I don’t know." Tenmaru said.

The man kept pointing at that paper and made a gesture of tearing it down.

"You want me to remove it? Heh. Sorry. I don’t know who you are but I am obviously not going to release you."

Tenmaru wasn’t that stupid. He noticed a doorway leading deeper into the cave in the prison cell.

"Let’s go, Kazou."

They moved on without interacting with the man more.

"Wait!" The skinny shouted.

"Oh? You know how to speak my language now, huh?"

"I know... a little." The man spoke in broken sentences and a weird accent. "Help... me."

Tenmaru nodded, "I can’t remove that seal, stranger. You were imprisoned here for a reason."

"No... That leaf... Up there..."

"Leaf?"

Tenmaru looked up and noticed a sort of sky well that looked straight out to the outside world. The young man jumped up and climbed out of the well.

"Huh? An actual well in the middle of nowhere."

The well was on a mountain. Moonlight shined down the well.

The voice of the skinny man echoed, "I... Sad... Moonlight..."

Tenmaru stayed silent. Then he sighed. He couldn’t imagine being imprisoned in a dark well for god knew how long. It would break him.

"If it’s just moonlight you want. I can do that."

Tenmaru broke the plant on top of the well, letting moonlight shine into the prison cell.

Kazou was just thinking. Suddenly he widened his eyes, "Wait!"

"Huh?"

The moonlight touched the skinny man. He laughed.

"Kekekeke! Fifteen years..."

The man suddenly spoke fluently.

"Fifteen years in this goddamn well."

His body changed. It grew larger. His muscle tightened and enlarged. Fur appearing on his skin. His mouth pushed forward.

The man groaned in pain. But he laughed. He laughed non-stop.

His mouth turned into a snout. His fingernails became claw. He grew a tail.

"Yokai?!" Tenmaru mumbled.

"No... Something’s scarier." Kazou disappeared. The Land Spirit was as cowardly as always.

The skinny man broke off the chains and cuffs. He jumped out of the well and landed.

The man was no more. In front of Tenmaru was a large Werewolf with black fur. His snout was long and full of sharp teeth. His two large canine fangs exposed outside the lips.

He looked like a Yokai, a hybrid of man and wolf. But he wasn’t a Yokai. It was something else more primal, more monstrous. It had no conscience.

The Werewolf howled. Terror immediately flooded into Tenmaru. But he hung on.

Tenmaru drew his sword just in time to catch the Werewolf’s teeth coming for him.

His sword broke in two.

"No!" Tenmaru widened his eyes.

This monster was too strong. Too quick. It felt like he was just hit by a mountain.

The Werewolf bit into his hand. Even more painful than any other strikes.

Tenmaru’s right hand dropped down. He only had his wrist left.

The Werewolf stomped him on the ground. It growled at him.

"Shit... Mikoto. What did you see in my future?"

The Werewolf’s animalistic gaze stared at him. Suddenly, there was humanity inside those gaze.

The Werewolf released Tenmaru and stepped back. It huffed.

"Thank you... for freeing me."

Tenmaru’s mouth twitched, "You just bit my hand off, you monster!"

The Werewolf laughed lowly. "A gift... It will return."

Then it rushed away with a blinding speed.

Tenmaru froze. "What does it mean ’a gift’?"

When the monster was no more, Kazou returned.

"That monster was so strong. It is at least an Elite."

"You ran without even looking back!" Tenmaru grunted.

"Lady Mikoto has said I can’t help you."

"Fine..." Tenmaru struggled to get up. He wrapped his hand with a cloth to avoid bleeding.

Tenmaru found the obsidian. He dragged a large piece back to False City with only one hand. A testament to his dedication.

When he returned, Koji was already there with healers standing by.

"You really have lost your hand?" Koji wasn’t even surprised. He was only shock.

"Damn it! She knew!" Tenmaru fell unconscious.

When he woke up. His hand was already treated and bandaged.

He jumped up and barged into Mikoto’s room.

Carter was sitting with Chiaki at the table.

"You witch! You know there is a monster there!" Tenmaru shouted.

"I did." Carter nodded.

Tenmaru pointed his sword at Carter. "I don’t care if you’re in the same sect as Master Musashi, I’ll kill you!"

"You can’t, Tenmaru. And you shouldn’t. As the second prince of the late Emperor, you really should control your temper." Carter said.

Tenmaru inhaled sharply. Chiaki widened her eyes in surprise.

"You are... Tenseitama Shinno Denka?" Chiaki said. "Weren’t you killed by Shogun Oda?"

"I survived." Tenmaru said.

"Yes, you did." Carter approached him.

Tenmaru froze up but he didn’t attack Carter. He let Carter push his sword down and unwrap the bandage on his hand.

"You met Ginro Musashi. Musashi led you to me. I led you to that monster. And that monster has given you a gift. This gift is a power that will help you get back your empire."