The journey's last leg

[Amaterasu]

Warning: post contains heavy spoilers of Okami. Reader discretion is advised.

Amaterasu walked along the leyline with haste even though she was almost certain that her speed did not matter. Time was bended into relativity so much that the concept of how "long" she spent here was in itself baseless. The only one whose impression changed was she herself, and that was her subjective view of things. She only hoped that this time bending would not lead her to exit the Void long after Oki, Urist and Fiara were past the meeting point. But, she was not walking fast because she was worried that she would arrive late.

She was advancing with grand steps to begin a new journey.

An idea was forming in her head that was grander than anything she had ever pursued in Nippon in her time as a white wolf. Her past experiences from the day she had first awoken on the pedestal of stone in the form of the legendary Shiranui, the knowledge of the Omniverse acquired through her own journey and the tiny glimpse that she had caught of Tearen's memories came together like black storm clouds that gathered to form a wind to bring great change to the land it would cover. Yet her head felt clearer than it had ever been.

She accepted her own weakness. No longer was she the sole savior of a land, the single hero who saved all with the aid of her allies. Here she was one among many, but her opponents were manifold and powerful. There was no shame in admitting that she could not stem this tide once it rose, not alone. Like a shoot of bamboo she would be broken and washed aside. Like a candle her light would do little to evaporate the flood that threatened to consume the Omniverse.

But there were others out there. Others that were weaker than her, others that were stronger. Others that had seen more and witnessed greater events than she ever had. Some of them, perhaps, had seen as much, if not more, than what he had. Yet against opponents of such magnitude they, too, were like shoots of bamboo and single candles, scattered throughout the world. But together they could ascend to greater power than divided and by themselves. Ten bamboo shoots could be woven into a mat, a hundred could form a wall, a thousand could create a barricade, a million a dam. Just like a million candles could burn bright as the sun, to dry great lakes with their warmth. The only question was, how many were necessary to contain this tide and stand strong? How many candles were needed to dry a flood this great?

And of course, they would not flock to her that easily. What could she hope to accomplish by speaking big words and threatening people with an uncertain evil that would one day come? She would make herself look like a buffoon at best and like a delusioned madwoman at worst. Or like a rebel to the system.

In Nippon she had gained the Praise of the people by performing acts of kindness, aiding them with their small and big issues and restoring nature to rekindle the people's belief in the kami. And it was through the Praise that she gathered that she had grown stronger, until she could stand against Yami himself. Here it was doubtful that most even knew her name, as she had seen confirmed time and time again. No, there was little fire to kindle and grow into a great flame of belief here, and it would be of limited use if all those she could gather by it were weaker than her. She had to gather others, those stronger than her, through a different message, one disconnected from religion and belief, but something more fundamental. A message not of fear, one that people would shut out, but a message of happiness. A promise.

Yet promises of peace, of protection, of prosperity and of friendship meant little if there was nothing to back them up. In other words she needed to find a way to fulfill those promises. Sacrificing her powers as a Prime and the conjuration of Omnilium would be a cheap and short-lived way. Besides, the only method there was to gain strength seemed to accumulate Omnilium. To gain the material from which she could conjure anything she desired. To fulfill everything she wished for. It was obvious, though, that the evils had gathered far more of it than she could hope to. If she offered it to the people by conjuring gold and warriors to protect them she would not have any left, and the people would follow her for the material promise, not for the greater message.

What, then, was a better way? An opportunity maybe. The chance to grow. A land free of conflict and war full of opportunities for those willing to give it a try. A place that would welcome them with open arms if they accepted. A place with laws to keep the darkness out and with forces of light to uphold those laws as paragons to the rest. Like Tamagahara, a grand plane where the light could shine upon all.

A force that in time could reach out to others. There were great forces out there, and though maybe not all would be willing to take the offer or would even oppose it, in time these outreaches could result in a network spanning the entirety of the Omniverse like a chain of people holding each other by their outreached hands, with the strength to stand against all that would attempt to shatter these bonds. A union of people very different from one another, joined by their cause. That would be the ultimate goal of such a force, and no doubt one that would require immense dedication and immeasurable lengths of time.

And one problem remained: the existence of forces that would want to drown this Leviathan while it was still in its infancy, small and helpless. Amaterasu thought long about this one.


The power of Orochi had only been able to spread so freely because the eight-headed snake had chosen a small and secluded town. Likewise, Amaterasu's actions had gone widely unnoticed in the grander area of Nippon. Kamiki Village laid behind Shinshu fieds, far outside the long arm of the Emperor. This was the case even more so for Wep'Keer, the snowed village in Kamui at the foot of the Ezofuji, which was far beyond the grand monarch's interest and unlikely to be more than a footnote in his considerations. Had Orochi or the twin Demons Lechku and Nechku begun their dark machinations under his nose, they would have been met with his burning wrath, and the blades of his warriors. Only Blight had been able to slip by unnoticed, and that was only thanks to its ability to shrink.

Her cause was a far nobler one, of course, but who was to say that evil had not already reached its tendrils out to infect the minds of the great leaders out there? And even barring that, there would be few that would look favorably upon a group trying to found a new nation, especially one that could risk to grow into a force threatening them.She would need to find a place safe from the paranoid gazes of such powers.

Then, it occured to her. The Frozen Fields! A wasteland of ice and snow, occupied only by two factions of limited strength who were warring with each other and far beyond the reach and interest of most large factions, she imagined - it had little value as far as she could tell. On the other hand, the dwarves would likely welcome the opportunity to establish stabler trade routes and a free city to meet merchants from outside of Dwarfholm, and it would pose no risk to them. As for the trolls, she would need to find ways to get in touch with them too, somehow. Perhaps through ways of emissaries or diplomats...

It was all in her head, yet she could see the foundings already if she closed her eyes. Allies and enemies, alliances and wars, conflict and peace... under the shining light of a star that would lead the way to all who were willing to seek it.


She would, through her actions, gather other Primes, too. And with them she would share her warnings, telling those who she trusted about what she knew. She would have to be careful, for the item she wielded could be taken from her, and there was no telling what could happen if this orb fell into the wrong hands. But she was confident that she had it in her to succeed.