After the rain in Minazuki-June-the sky was as blue as the clearest stream. Pure air, faintly damp, filled their lungs and washed through their hearts. Amid the towering mountains, between verdant woods and fir trees, a stern silver-haired man and a graceful, lovely girl walked over thick layers of fallen leaves accumulated through the years. Behind them, a little green monster followed closely, clutching a tall Human-Head Staff, while a snow-white rabbit hopped along, occasionally looking around in curiosity.
Sesshomaru and Han had been walking through the mountains for nearly ten days. The silver-haired girl raised a hand above her eyes to shield them from the brilliant sunlight. Far ahead, atop a towering mountain wreathed in clouds and mist, she could just make out a pale pavilion concealed beneath milky-white vapors, standing at the highest point like a slender bamboo stalk.
"Is that a great demon's residence?" Han looked at the quiet dog demon beside her, her clear, pleasant voice echoing softly through the woods.
"That is where the Crane Immortal resides. They say she is a monster even older than Hakuōju-or rather, a being already close to a god." Sesshomaru gazed at the faintly visible tower, without a trace of disdain in his golden eyes.
"Wouldn't a monster like that be invincible, powerful enough to rule the world?" Jaken marveled.
"Heh." Sesshomaru glanced at Jaken and said scornfully, "The stronger such monsters become, the less willing they are to interfere in worldly affairs. Once the right opportunity arises, they become true gods-gods this world cannot accommodate."
"Gods..." Han murmured, remembering the clan of gods Shun Ye had once mentioned. "Then the God Clan..."
"The God Clan are merely Godfolk. True gods are entirely different beings. Some gods were once heroic human spirits, some were powerful monsters, and some were