A bright, gentle river of clear blue light flowed softly around Sesshomaru, silently expressing its gratitude. The souls that formed the river did not fly toward the Gate of Rebirth. Instead, they lingered before him, drifting slowly toward somewhere beyond.
"Come..." Each pure soul seemed to be saying this to Sesshomaru.
"Where..." Sesshomaru glanced at the girl in his arms and followed the river of soul-light without hesitation.
The souls did not answer him, quietly leading the way. They passed through the entire dazzling forest of ice crystals and arrived beneath a translucent Crystal Tree. Its branches had once borne darkened Ice Soul Stones, but when the souls trapped within the ice giants had been freed, those stones had vanished with them. Only one remained: the first gemstone ever born naturally in the world, and the last one still in existence.
In human terms, the Crystal Tree was the mother of the Ice Soul Stones, and the stones were its children. Though the Crystal Tree possessed limited intelligence, the Ice Soul Stones were merely gemstones. The great tree instinctively clung to them. Its will ruled this hidden realm, and only by offering souls and lives could anyone obtain an Ice Soul Stone from it. The original Ice Stone Giants that imprisoned human and demon souls had also been born of its will.
"The world's last Ice Soul Stone can save her life before its time is done," said an ethereal voice of souls. "That girl still has one breath left. Her final breath remains within her heart, unreleased, and so her life endures."
"I understand. Thank you." Sesshomaru nodded and walked toward the great Crystal Tree rooted deep in the seabed. So Tenseiga was useless on Han because she was still alive. As long as she was alive...
"No, we