Fate

"What if it doesn't rain for the next month? Or what if they've already decided to sacrifice Rin?" Han Jiang began forcing Yae Sakura to face the issue.

Han Jiang hated that he lacked the power to destroy Hiyori outright. Otherwise, he would never have had to force sixteen-year-old Yae Sakura into making such a choice.

Driven into a corner, Yae Sakura would raise her blade against the evil god.

But before that, she could not abandon either side. Even though those villagers had hurt her and even forced her to sacrifice her own sister.

Just like Yae Sakura five hundred years later: even when Changkong City was reduced to ruins, she still secretly hunted Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts, protecting a world unfamiliar to her.

"Shrine Master, do it!"

Footsteps sounded in the courtyard. The old woman's grating voice cut through the night, carrying the will of countless villagers as it bore down on the Shrine Master.

"You should leave first. As the Shrine Master of Yae Village, I know what I'm doing." The Shrine Master's steady voice reassured Yae Sakura inside the room.

But now that the villagers had come all this way, how could they obediently listen to the Shrine Master?

Someone shouted, "You must sever the sacrifice's hand and foot tendons in front of us! And those two outsiders offended the god—they must be sacrificed as well!"

"The sacrifice must be carried out! Do it now!" the crowd shouted.

The Shrine Master's face tightened. He did not want to place his own daughter on the altar with his own hands either.

But Yae Village had worshipped Inari since ancient times and revered the Yae Family above all others.

The Yae Family had to bear responsibility for the villagers' safety and conduct rituals to pray for rain.

In the Shrine Master's view, the village could still hold out for a while. If heavy rain came during that time, there would be no need to offer up his daughter at all.

His younger daughter had always been frail and sickly. Whether she could survive was uncertain, but how many parents in this world could personally push their own child into the abyss?

"Rin is in poor health. If her tendons are severed now, she may very well..."

The old woman leading the crowd pointed at the Shrine Master. "Then hold the ritual tomorrow. The sooner the rain comes, the better. Are you going to ignore the lives of the villagers just to care whether your daughter is happy?"

"Not only must you sever the sacrifice's hand and foot tendons, but the shrine maiden must personally offer her as well. This is the fate your Yae Family has carried for generations!"

The Shrine Master could not find the words to argue. The Yae Family normally stood above others, but when disaster struck, they had to be the first to step forward and make the greatest sacrifice.

"Fine!"

The Shrine Master's low voice quieted most of the villagers. With heavy steps, he walked to Rin's door.

"Rin, you're awake, aren't you?" Without knocking, the Shrine Master spoke softly from outside the door.

Yae Sakura wanted to speak, but Rin stopped her with a look before repeating words that had been spoken countless times over five hundred years.

"Father, I know." After speaking, Yae Rin could not help coughing.

Once those first words were spoken, both of them fell silent.

"This is fate. It is the destiny our Yae Family cannot escape." After a long while, the Shrine Master finally spoke slowly.

Yae Rin opened her mouth, but no words came out.

She had thought her heart was strong enough. She had thought that after experiencing it so many times, she would no longer care.

"Father... is the god truly worthy of our faith?" For the first time in five hundred years, Yae Rin asked that question. Her frail voice trembled slightly.

"As long as the god can protect Yae Village and resolve this once-in-a-century drought, it is worthy of our faith." The Shrine Master took a long breath after speaking, unwilling to show even the slightest reluctance.

He knew that if he showed any hesitation, the villagers behind him would hurt Rin themselves.

Unlike him, the villagers would not care about Rin's feelings or try to keep her from becoming frightened and suffering unnecessary pain.

"I understand, Father." Yae Rin lowered her head forlornly.

The next moment, Yae Sakura rose and pushed open the door, staring at her father.

"Why? Why does it have to be Rin? She's still so young. She still has to see next year's cherry blossoms with me. Why can't we wait a little longer?"

The Shrine Master's expression returned to calm as he explained evenly, "Rin is ill, and the ritual must be held. Our Yae Family is not much nobler than anyone else."

The first sacrifice had been an ordinary family's daughter. No one had resisted then. This time, it was the Yae Family's turn.

"Only by sacrificing a girl with shrine maiden blood can the god send rain and let us live good lives. The sacrifice must be made!" a villager shouted.

"Whenever something happened before, we made sacrifices, and the god helped us. Why are you shrinking back now that it's someone from your Yae Family? The lives of the entire village rest on you!"

Han Jiang observed the crowd outside. No black mist drifted around them, and they were not being forcibly controlled by Hiyori. These were the exact words from Yae Sakura's memories.

"These people have all gone mad. Don't they know what kind of god they're worshipping? Can a false prosperity built on living human lives really be considered a good outcome?" Theresa could no longer endure it.

"Let's go, Sister," Yae Rin said softly to her sister.

She wanted her sister to let go of this memory completely, to stop being bound by that twisted faith, and to stop carrying regret in her heart forever.

Han Jiang had already drawn the Muramasa of Bizen. He was waiting for a single word from Yae Sakura.

He was ready to fight his way out of the residence at any moment and take Yae Rin as far away as possible.

"Rumble!"

Dark clouds suddenly gathered in the clear sky, and deafening thunder roared. One by one, the villagers craned their necks and stared eagerly at the heavens.

"It's going to rain!"

The Shrine Master breathed a sigh of relief. If it rained, his daughter would escape this ordeal.

Joy appeared on Yae Sakura's face as she grasped her sister's frost-pale little hand. Was it finally going to rain?

Even Theresa smiled happily. Though she hated the evil god here, avoiding conflict would be wonderful, especially since she had no power at all right now.

"It's going to rain. Go home and bring in your laundry!" Han Jiang said to the people outside, leaning against the doorframe with the Muramasa of Bizen in his arms.

The Shrine Master glared at Han Jiang. How could just anyone enter his daughter's bedroom? What kind of propriety was this!

But with the heavy rain about to arrive, he could not be bothered to make trouble for Han Jiang.

The clouds overhead grew denser, and the wind already carried faint traces of moisture. Yet Han Jiang's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

Hiyori was no benevolent being. It would never kindly bring rain without conditions and help the villagers survive the drought.

Even if this was only a memory!

Everyone was immersed in the joy of the coming rain. Han Jiang said nothing as he watched the people outside the room, afraid that someone might rush in and hurt Yae Rin if he let down his guard for even a moment.

These people's minds had been subtly influenced by Hiyori for far too long. Beyond concern for their own safety, they were filled most of all with jealousy, resentment, and other negative thoughts.

"Crack!"

An exceptionally bright bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, bathing the entire courtyard in blinding light before it dimmed again.

The villagers erupted in cheers. With lightning that powerful, how could rain possibly fail to fall?

No one expected that after the courtyard's light faded, it would gradually brighten again.

The gale stopped. The clouds began to disperse, leaving only a black fox-shaped shadow in the sky.

"Sacrifice!"

The shadow spoke the word "sacrifice," then drifted in its entirety toward the shrine and vanished completely.

"Ah! The sacrifice!"

A villager rushed past the Shrine Master toward the room, but Han Jiang kicked him back into the courtyard.

With a ringing shing, the Muramasa of Bizen was drawn. Han Jiang pointed it at the villagers. "I'd like to see who dares take one step inside!"

"A sacrifice requires a ritual! We must prepare enough offerings, or if the god grows angry again, we won't even have anyone left to sacrifice!"

The Shrine Master spread both arms before the door. He feared the villagers would ignore his warnings and rush into the room. If that happened, not only Rin, but Sakura might be hurt as well.