The farther south the four of them went, the more wrong everything became.
The sky was no longer blue, but a murky dark purple, as if something had rotted behind the clouds and stained all the color dirty.
Saku stepped onto a patch of that ground, her foot slipped, and she nearly fell.
Sakura caught her at once, lowered her head to look at the dark-red rotten soil, and furrowed her brows tightly.
"Don't step on places like that."
"Mm..."
The evil aura here was too thick.
Sakura crouched down, cupped her younger sister's face in both hands, and looked at her.
"Only sense the three of us and Kikyo. Ignore everything else."
Saku nodded, closed her eyes, and tried hard to compress her sensing range to the smallest possible size.
The silver-white bracer glowed faintly, but its light was much dimmer than before.
"Okay... It's a little better now..."
"Don't push yourself. If it feels bad, say so."
"Mm."
Inuyasha walked at the very front. The Red Fang Blade was already drawn, and the crimson patterns on the blade looked especially glaring beneath the dark-purple sky.
He could feel it.
The Red Fang Blade was heating up.
"You think something's wrong too, huh..."
Inuyasha looked down at the blade, and the crimson patterns pulsed once, as if answering him.
Kikyo walked at the head of the group, her steps still unhurried and steady.
Her right hand stayed lowered at her waist, her fingers lightly resting on the edge of her quiver, ready at any moment to draw an arrow, nock it, and shoot.
"Who forged your weapons?"
Sakura froze for a moment, not expecting her to speak first.
"Master Totosai."
Kikyo's steps paused.
"...That eccentric old man?"
"You know him?"
"No. I've heard of him."
Kikyo continued forward, her