A Toast to a Past Life

"Let this wicked world be swept away in the flames. Twenty-five years, gone like a dream, washed down like a cup of wine." "Are you alright?"

Through the numbing rhythm of blood droplets hitting the ground like, Karrie heard a voice. It was sharp enough to pierce through the night, yet gentle as a spring breeze.

"I'm all right," was what Karrie wanted to say. Just as she would always say when facing any situation. As a commander of the Hokkai army, her every word determined the lives of thousands, her every emotion reflected on the battlefield. She could not be anything but all right. But while leading the attack on Shinonome, Karrie was ambushed by a coalition of rival Daimyo, and her outnumbered forces were completely annihilated. After fighting to the bitter end, she no longer had any strength left to speak. Her battered body curled up on the blood-soaked ground as she gazed at the inverted world in the sky, painted in red. Suddenly, she could smell the scent of sakura. Karrie felt her wounds being tended to with meticulous care and the stench of blood dissipating as the fragrance of sakura soothed her soul.

Karrie had been saved.

The invader was saved by a Shinonome shrine maiden named Angela. Her bloody and torn armor had been changed with the traditional white robe and hakama of a shrine maiden, and Karrie laughed to herself. Many years ago, when war and chaos swept through the land, Karrie's family arranged to send her off to become a shrine maiden. But Karrie refused to be trapped behind those Torii gates, nor did she wish to place her hopes in the mercy of the gods. She wanted to learn how to fight and change this turbulent world with her own two hands... But how would she accomplish all this? Karrie still did not know, but she knew that being confined to a shrine was not the answer. So she escaped from the shrine, driven by an inexplicable impulse, leaving everything behind to venture into the world.

It wasn't until she was recruited by the Franco, the Daimyo of Hokkai, and made a name for herself during the Momiji Hunting Festival, that she finally began to find her way. When Franco entrusted Karrie with the Momiji Chakram, a symbol of honor and trust, she finally made her decision. From that moment on, she would give her all to save this world. Proclaiming himself as the "Tenka-bito," or Great Unifier, Franco aimed to end all of the fightings and unify the world under his rule. And Karrie would be his sharpest blade.

With this newfound resolve, she led his campaign of unification with unwavering determination. After sweeping through Nanzan and Nakatsuchi, she marched towards Shinonome. Hokkai's banners were planted far and wide in her wake. Nothing could stop her advance, except... She had paused only once in her mission, in a fleeting moment when the gentle breeze rustled through the maple leaves. Karrie's attack on Shinonome failed, but she survived thanks to Angela. And there, in a tiny courtyard of the Shinonome Shrine, she experienced a rare moment of tranquility amidst the chaos of the world.

Before departing, Karrie made a promise to Angela: when she conquered Shinonome, no harm would come to the shrine. Karrie kept her word, but could not keep it a second time. After Franco's ambitions were burnt to ashes by betrayal at the Gurenji Temple, he would eventually return from the Underworld, not as the Tenka-bito, but as the new "King of Hell" to bring his vengeful wrath upon the mortal realm. And Karrie stood at his side as always. "Shhh."

She raised a finger to her lips and the undead soldiers around her fell silent. Nearly unrecognizable from her human past, the reborn Karrie had led the legions of the Underworld back to the doorsteps of the Shinonome Shrine, where she was once saved. But this new life was owed to Franco, and nothing could stop Karrie from fulfilling the task she was given: destroy the Mandala Circle within the shrine, open the seal to the Underworld, and lead the conquest of the mortal realm. This was her sole purpose.

The wind picked up as the autumn leaves burned with a vengeful flame. Karrie recalled the moment she first knelt before Franco, accepting him as the Tenka-bito and his cause to quell the land. That was the path she chose.

She recalled when she left the Nanzan Shrine and shared a drink with Lancelot, who was also searching for his own answers. She told him that one day, she would find her reason to fight. And she has. A path paved by fallen leaves, undeterred by life or death.

Twenty-five years, gone like a dream, washed down like a cup of wine.

The wind was relentless. Karrie raised her cup, savored the last sip, and moved forward as always.