"Quickly!" Mhenlo called. "We must defeat Shiro before he can gain any more power!" He led his companions to the room Shiro had retreated to, preparing himself for whatever would meet their eyes. Already the sight of his old master lying lifeless on the floor, an image provided by one currently overactive imagination, sent chills down his spine. His friends wouldn't know the pain that caused, they had never even been to the Monastery, but he knew Lani felt it. He could see it in her eyes, the burning rage and anger she felt. No, Master Togo's murderer would not go unpunished.

"I thought I only needed to kill you once in the Courthouse Square... apparently I was wrong." Shiro's voice came to them, taunting them. They crossed over the bridge solemnly, not a single word passing between them. "You then proceeded to thwart me in the Tahnnakai Temple when I was attempting to bind Vizu, but her secrets will not help you now! In the Sunjiang District, I grossly underestimated your power."

"And you continue to underestimate us even now!" Mhenlo shot back.

"But this time, I am ready for you!"

They stepped into the room where Shiro waited, and the gate closed behind them, preventing any chance of escaping. Someone would have to die for that gate to reopen, and neither side thought it was going to be them. Sister Tai gasped at the sight of Master Togo lying face-down on the floor and looked away.

"It's time we end this." Mhenlo said. The fight began almost immediately.

It was chaos. Shiro shadow-stepped between them so quickly, they took friendly fire almost as often as the Assassin's attacks. It seemed the fight would be in his favor.

But at a signal from Mhenlo, they unleashed the celestial skills given to them by Kuunavang. Shiro was outraged; he had planned for surprises, but not this surprise! Where had they learned such magic? But he still had a few tricks of his own.

Devona suddenly vanished, a bound Warrior taking her place. "Look out!" Zho warned as one of its blades slashed down at Cynn's head. She ducked just in time and cast a Fireball right into the creature's face. It collapsed, and Devona was returned to them.

The fight seemed to drag on forever. Shiro showed no signs of fatigue at all, but they could feel the stress weighing them down. Then finally, he slipped up. A surprise Meteor from Cynn knocked the Assassin down just long enough for Lani to grab a blade from the fallen bound Warrior and run a very shocked Shiro through with it. He froze mid-attack, their eyes meeting for a brief second before she ripped the blade back out. He fell to one knee. Judging from the pain, she had hit a vital organ, and judging from the look on her face, she knew it.

It came as no surprise when she gave him the same death sentence he had given Togo. She handled the blade so well... He collapsed to the floor, bleeding heavily. Lani tossed the blade away and walked over to the corpse of Master Togo.

The gate opened once more and four Adepts came running through. Somehow Shiro had managed to find the strength to struggle back onto his feet and attempted his death wail once more, but the Adepts had formed a powerful shield around him. The only thing he had managed to turn into jade was himself.

The four envoys showed themselves one last time. Two of them held Shiro's spirit captive. "I demand that you release me!" he growled, struggling against them.

"You are no longer an envoy. You cannot demand anything from us."

"Of course I am. You have no power over me."

"You are wrong, Shiro."

"Denial and disorientation are common among the newly dead."

Shiro paled as realization hit him. "No.... no! This cannot be!"

"You are merely a new spirit, lost between the realm of the mortal and the Underworld."

"You are our charge now."

"We have reserved a special place in the Underworld for you." Shiro struggled harder; he knew what that place was. He refused to go there! "A place you will never escape from."

"A place where you will finally pay for all of your sins."

"I will get you all for this!" the Assassin growled. "This is not the end of me!"

"You are right about that. This is not your end."

"But you will wish it was."

And the last they saw of Shiro, he was heaving against his captors with all his might as they took him away. The remaining two envoys turned back to the humans. "We thank you for your help in capturing Shiro. We will be watching over you, waiting for the day when you will join us in the afterlife." The woman spoke and then she too disappeared.

"Until then, live a long and fruitful life."

"Wait..." Lani said before the last could vanish on them. "What are you going to do to Shiro?"

He laughed. "Let us worry about Shiro." He replied before leaving them. Behind them, the four Adepts carried away the body of Master Togo.

--

It was a silent walk to the Divine Path. Shiro's defeat had done nothing to brighten their moods. That triumph simply paled in comparison to the overwhelming grief over the loss of a great man. Lani couldn't shake the feeling that she had failed. She felt as though she had missed something...

Kuunavang and Suun were the first to greet them. The dragon still bore marks of battle on her scales. The Oracle approached them and bowed his head to them. "Never have I been more happy to be proven wrong about someone." He said. "You all performed outstandingly in Cantha's time of need."

"Thank you, Suun, but..." Mhenlo trailed off.

"I know, Mhenlo. The impact of what we have gained cannot overcome the impact of what we have lost. But I know Master Togo is proud of you all."

"Is?"

"His spirit will be inducted into Tahnnakai Temple. The emperor has invited you all to attend the ceremony."

"I would be honored to." Mhenlo said. He wandered further down the Path to speak with all the people that had gathered to celebrate, the others following after. Only Lani remained behind, leaning up against a wall and staring into space.

"You have much on your mind." She jumped at Suun's voice right beside her, and turned her attention to him.

"Yes, I suppose... I feel as though... I missed something. I failed. But I can't put my finger on why..."

"We can't always interpret what the gods are trying to tell us. You did all that was within your power, and that's all anyone can ask. I have something for you."

"For me? Why?"

Suun reached behind his neck and undid the clasp of a chain he wore around his neck, a softly glowing blue stone hanging from the end of it. He handed it to her. "This is the Amulet of the Mists. It will not always remain in your hands, but while you have it, it will grant you protection and insight."

"I... I won't get to keep it? What will happen to it?"

"There is someone you must meet, someone you must one day pass that on to. I'm afraid I cannot give you any clues; even I am in the dark as to who this person is. The Amulet will let you know when the time is right."

Lani nodded, gently stroking the smooth surface of the stone. "Thank you, Suun. I will treasure it." She clasped it around her own neck and after bidding the Oracle farewell, left to catch up with the others. Everywhere people were cheering and applauding. The Tengu even bowed as she passed. The Celestial Ministers argued amongst themselves over which Ministry's victory it was, the nearby peasants booing them and telling them to shut up. Even this comic scene still could not lighten her mood.

She finally found Mhenlo and the Professors standing near Emperor Kisu. They silenced themselves as she approached, letting the emperor speak.

"Cantha mourns the loss of a great man this day. Master Togo..." He paused, his voice nearly breaking from his own grief. "...was beloved by all. His service during the Tengu Wars brought peace to a nation torn by war. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment stands embodied before us." Lani blushed lightly, looking down at her feet. "In our time of greatest need he brought forth heroes, the likes of which we have never seen and will likely never see again. You have done the impossible. You defeated Shiro. You brought an end to the plague. You have brought peace, however brief, to two peoples who have only known war. You have saved Cantha, and for that I bow to you."

The emperor bowed to her, and her companions followed suit. "Why are you all doing that..." she asked, uncomfortable at all the attention. "You fought with me, I'm not the only one that deserves all this..."

"It took two men to slay Shiro the first time." Mhenlo replied. "This time it took only one woman to bring him to his knees. We were barely able to leave a mark on him, but you got close enough to wound him severely. You delivered the death blow."

"Can we go home now?" Cynn suddenly whined, breaking the solemn mood.

"You're being rude." Devona snapped. Lani sighed softly as the five friends settled into an argument, Mhenlo trying desperately to keep the peace. Emperor Kisu chuckled softly at their antics.

"Ah, I just remembered..." The emperor said, and turned to speak to one of his guards. The guard nodded and ran out. "I have something in my possession I believe will be of more use to you than to me."

"More gifts?" she asked before she thought twice about it, and Kisu chuckled softly.

"Yes, I see Suun has bestowed his precious Amulet upon you." The guard returned, carrying something wrapped in dark blue silk. The emperor took the bundle and carefully unwrapped it, showing a pair of twin blades similar to the ones Shiro had used in their final battle. "These are the blades Shiro wielded in life. Devona explained to me how skillfully you handled that blade in slaying him, and so I think it only fitting you should have his weapons. Do be careful when you touch them though, they will drain the very life out of you." After checking to make sure her gloves were still securely on, she gingerly lifted one of the blades.

She had never seen such remarkable craftsmanship, and she had seen very many well-made swords in her life. Her father was a merchant, after all. "They're beautiful..." she murmured, and accepted the gift. "Thank you." She wrapped the blades up once more and tucked them under one arm. "I..." She sighed. "I suppose it's back to Shing Jea Monastery with us, then."

"Visit your family. Tell them your goodbyes."

"Goodbye? What do you mean?"

Kisu smiled knowingly at her. "The wanderlust has been awakened in you. You dread returning to Shing Jea because now you know how small it really is. There's a bigger world out there, and you want to see it. Am I right?"

Lani thought about it and nodded. "Yes, I suppose you are." She smiled. "I suppose now the hard part will be deciding where to go first. Istan, maybe... I've heard such stories about the city of Kamadan."

--

"How could I have failed... I was so close..."

"...Power..."

"...Who's there?"

"You seek power, do you not? If you have power, she will respect you."

"...Yes..."

"Serve me, and I shall grant you all the power you desire. Become my general, and you will become invincible. Then you shall have her. I have foreseen it."

"Yes, my master... I will serve."