“Burden?”

“The Kitsune. Do you remember what it means?” Lilith turned to her sister with a pensive expression.

“Good lord, no. It has been centuries since our first summer in Scara Brae. I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast.” Ruby wrinkled her brow. “Enlighten me?”

Lilith continued with a soft tone, glad to finally share her secret with another.

“The greatest of the Great Kami is Inari Okami. What we would call a god of fertility, agriculture, and everything unique to Akashiman culture. The Kitsune is how he manifests in our world, its number of tails growing as his power grows. Nine tails symbolise a time of renewal and power in our country’s history.”

“You had nine tails when you showed me your true self. Your work with the Senate has done wonders for your home.”

“It has. It will continue to do so. But you’re not listening.” Lilith pointed to the shrine. “The Kitsune came from the Tap to preserve that which Inari Okami holds dear – Akashima. It needs a vessel to manifest in the physical world and if I do not welcome him into my heart, then this land will wither and die.”

“Why? All those years when the kami were thought dead Akashima remained.” Ruby tried to reconcile what she knew of the Thayne and of the Kami. They were supposed to be the same. “I thought people gave gods power, not the reverse.”

“I don’t know why the Kami are different to the Thayne. They are both born of the Tap, that is undeniable. The similarities end there, however. Unlike the Thayne, who feed off the prayers and fear of mortals the Kami are the one who dream and give rise to us.” Lilith corrected herself. “Well, give rise to Akashima.”

“You’re saying your home is a fever dream?”

“I have communed with the Kitsune and Inari Okami only fleetingly. From what I can understand someone found this wellspring and when the harnessed its power, it was Inari Okami who broke through the veil. From another world, perhaps, or another time; but his presence planted a seed of culture and thinking in that poor man’s mind. The founder of Akashima was possessed by Kitsune and everything we stand for stems from that union.”

Ruby started to miss the nausea from the maelstrom. At least it had a cause. The dread in her stomach now was unwavering.

“You’re saying you have to stay…”

Lilith nodded softly. “Akashima will only thrive and prosper if the union between mortal and Kami remains. That means that I must commune with the Kitsune so Inari Okami’s blessing can shield our lands.”

“What will happen to it when the Illar are all gone?” Ruby started to worry.

“We all set out to kill the Thayne when we learnt their true nature. The Kami, however, are not the same. Just because two people are born in the same place doesn’t make them accountable for one another’s crimes.”

“I guess…but how do you know the same thing won’t happen again? We’re not doing this to change our lives, we’re doing it to change everyone’s life.” Ruby had taken a long time to accept their fate. But, as they drew close to the grand finale, she realised how blinkered she had become.