The Road of Bones

Katio gripped the steering wheel, his hands frim as the SUV crawled along the icy and treacherous rod. A relentless bizzard raged around them, the furious whiteout obscuring everything more than a few feet ahead. It was only mid-fall, but the environment outside the car was a brutal display of early winter that was already deep in the clutches of an unforgiving cold.

They had disembarked from a flight that had taken them from the bustling warmth of Tokyo to the biting chill of Yakutsk, Russia. Now, their destination was Oymyakon, a tiny and remote town nestled deep in the Siberian wilderness. Famously known as one of the coldest inhabited places on Earth. The irony of seeking something "unusual" in a place already defined by its extremes wasn't lost on Kaito.

Inside the vehicle, the air was surprisingly toasty, kept warm by Tamamo's talismans that was plastered everywhere – taped to the dashboard, clinging to the windows, and even swirling visibly around the covers of each chained wheel, preventing the tires from slipping.

Eleanor sat composedly in the front passenger seat. She, like Kaito, was in disguise. Her usually white hair was now a demure black, and a pair of fake glasses, cloaked by Maria's magic to prevent anyone from linking their appearance to their original identities, rested on her nose. Kaito, too, wore a similar pair of non-prescription spectacles. Tamamo herself was curled up in the back seat, soundly napping, a disgruntled ball of fur no longer.

Kaito leaned forward slightly, peering at the GPS navigation displayed on the car's screen. The glowing line stretching across the digital map seemed to go on forever.

The endless stretch of icy road continued. Kaito, now well into his drive, could discern the faint outlines of ghostly apparitions flickering into existence every so often. Most of their features were lost, reduced to mere silhouettes of their former selves, but occasionally, a downtrodden face would materialize, unmistakably Russian. These were likely historical remnants of the now fallen USSR, trapped echoes of a bygone era. Kaito ignored them. After hours on this desolate road, such spectral sightings had become a familiar, almost boring, part of the landscape.

Then, a text message popped up on his phone, which was resting on the dashboard. Eleanor leaned forward slightly to read it aloud. "Maria's flight in Tokyo is delayed due to bad weather. It seems it will take her a while to get to Oymyakon."

Kaito nodded. "Alright. We can look for a place to stay and scout the surrounding area for any potential dangers until she arrives."

Suddenly, Kaito's eyes narrowed on something ahead. He immediately applied the brakes, easing the SUV to a gentle halt a safe distance from the obstruction, careful not to disturb Tamamo's peaceful nap in the back.

"It's just a fallen tree," Kaito murmured. He exited the SUV with the biting cold instantly assailing him, and summoned Shikabanehime. He plunged the blade into the fallen trunk. Almost instantly, the tree withered and crumbled into ash, clearing their path. Kaito then returned to the warmth of the driver's seat.

"Is that the ability of the cursed katana?" Eleanor asked with a note of awe and concern in her voice as she looked at the lingering dust where the tree had been. "It looks rather dangerous."

"It is," Kaito admitted. "Be it in the wrong hands, or even in the right hands it's extremely dangerous if not handled with care. But that's precisely why it's crucial I learn to wield it responsibly, regardless of her nature as a cursed blade. Its power can be destructive, but it can also be used to protect."

Floating silently behind Kaito, Shikabanehime let out a subtle smile upon hearing his words.

"Her... by chance is that katana also... sentient?" Eleanor asked.

Kaito started driving again. "Yeah, she is," he confirmed. "You can meet her true form later, in New World Online, Eleanor."

Eleanor nodded, still processing the information. "Is it common for weapons to be sentient?"

"I'm not sure," Kaito admitted with a shrug. "But two out of two weapons I've encountered are sentient."

'We are unique existences, not something you would encounter by chance,' Durandal interjected from behind Kaito.

'It must be fate that Master encountered us,' Shikabanehime countered.

"Perhaps I'm just lucky," Kaito chuckled, though his attention was suddenly pulled by an unsettling sensation.

The car tilted violently. Eleanor and Tamamo were thrown to the right side of the car, pressing against the door.

"What's going on!?" Tamamo shrieked, jolting awake from her nap.

The road beneath them had collapsed. The SUV lurched and began sliding dangerously down the steep mountainside. Eleanor reacted instantly, trying to freeze the vehicle in place, but the sheer momentum overwhelmed her grip.

Without hesitation, Kaito unbuckled his seatbelt, reached for Eleanor and Tamamo, and yanked them from the tumbling vehicle.

As Kaito stood suspended in the air, clutching the two, he could only watch in silence as the SUV vanished down the cliff below, swallowed by the swirling white.

"Maybe I'd spoken too soon," he muttered.

The blizzard raged wildly around them, obscuring almost everything from sight. Kaito carefully placed Eleanor and Tamamo down onto the snow-covered ground. Tamamo immediately began shivering violently. Kaito quickly pulled out the clothes Yumi had given them and adorned them on Tamamo, who instantly felt a rush of warmth. He then handed a jacket to Eleanor. Kaito put on his own jacket; even though it was warm, it was nowhere near as comfortable as the toasty environment within the car had been.

Tamamo plastered some talismans onto her jacket as her tails instinctively tucked themselves in for extra warmth. Eleanor, however, seemed entirely unfazed by the drastic change in temperature, appearing perfectly comfortable in the howling blizzard.

"We should find a place to camp until this blizzard is over," Kaito said, his voice carrying over the wind. "We're somewhat near Oymyakon, but I can't fly in this environment."

"The fault lies with you, human!" Tamamo immediately retorted. "If not, I would still be in Japan instead of freezing in this blizzard!"

Kaito simply patted her head. "Let's get moving. Complaining won't get us anywhere."

"Fine," Tamamo huffed, though she complied. She then tapped a talisman as her eyes glazing over slightly. "There seems to be an open space and a small lake ahead. We can take shelter there."

Surrounded by nothing but unforgiving ice and snow, Kaito, carrying Tamamo in one arm and with Eleanor walking stoically beside him, began their trek to the location. They soon reached it: a flat space blanketed by thick layers of snow, nestled beyond some rocky terrain, with a scattering of trees around its perimeter. A large, frozen lake glinted nearby.

With a graceful wave of her hand, Eleanor summoned a swirling gust of snow. The loose flakes gathered and compressed under her control, shaping themselves into a dome. In mere moments, a large, sturdy igloo rose from the earth like a conjured fortress. She inspected her work with a satisfied nod as her breath curled into the frosty air.

A few paces away, Kaito stood at the edge of the frozen lake. Drawing Durandal, he sliced a perfect square into the thick ice then lifted the chunk of ice out of the surface like a trapdoor, revealing the glassy water churning silently beneath.

Not missing a beat, Tamamo stepped forward. She knelt beside the opening and pressed a glowing talisman against the ice. Within seconds, several startled fishes shot up from the depths, suspended midair as if caught in an invisible net. With a flick of her wrist, Tamamo dropped them onto the icy surface beside the opening.

Inside the spacious igloo, three figures sat by a small, crackling campfire. Its smoke gracefully ventilating through a small opening at the dome's apex. The air, though cold outside, was warm and surprisingly comfortable within. The aroma of grilled fish filling the makeshift shelter as they ate.

"This reminds me of when I took the Academy's Trial," Eleanor mused with a nostalgic glint in her eyes as she carefully picked at a fishbone.

"Academy?" Kaito prompted.

"I can't go into deeper detail due to a confidentiality contract," Eleanor explained, "but it's like a specialized school for us agents, and the trial was the ticket to attend there."

She hugged her knees, gazing into the flames. "It was the first time I'd ever truly camped in the wilderness. But unlike now, I was surrounded by constant danger, without the same comfort. It's much more... peaceful here."

"I've never gone camping before," Kaito admitted with a slight smile. "This is certainly a first for me. It's reassuring to have an expert accompany me."

Eleanor let out a soft chuckle.

Tamamo, who was comfortably sprawled on the smooth, surprisingly soft ground—a result of talismans—huffed dramatically. "If anything, I'm the true expert here. Neither of you have endured the wilderness for centuries as I have."

"Very well, great master," Kaito conceded playfully, "what wisdom can you impart upon us regarding the designation where we are headed?"

"Hmph," Tamamo sniffed with a dismissive wave of her hand. "As if I would know anything about this desolate land. I'm amazed you told me there's even a human settlement here of all places."

"What about Russian history, then?" Kaito pressed. "What was it like during your time, Tamamo?"

"Japan never interacted with this region during my time," Tamamo stated. "I've not heard of any rumors about it either. Perhaps some practitioners of ice magic might choose to live in such a frigid region, but even then, I can't fathom why they would choose to do so for such a slim increase in proficiency in their practice."

"Hmph, I guess we'll have to investigate from scratch then," Kaito concluded with a note of resignation in his voice.

Eleanor nodded. "Yumi did say there were agents from numerous nations there. Perhaps we can find clues by following them."

"Right," Kaito agreed, stifling a yawn. "We should rest up. It's been a long trip for all of us."

They extinguished the campfire, plunging the igloo into near darkness, save for the faint glow of the distant blizzard filtering through the snow walls. They lay down on the surprisingly soft ground. Tamamo, despite her earlier complaints, found herself nestled between Eleanor and Kaito, as they instinctively huddled together for warmth. The sleeping Eleanor instinctively hugged the sleeping Tamamo, who, even in slumber, subconsciously frowned, as if trying to get away from the frosty hands of Eleanor. Kaito lay peacefully asleep beside them.

As they slept, a subtle shift occurred. Shikabanehime no Miko, the physical katana, suddenly appeared on the ground beside Kaito. Moments later, Durandal materialized in similar manner, settling itself between Shikabanehime no Miko and Kaito.