The raft creaked as it drifted onto the crystalline surface of Mirror Lake. The air grew unnaturally still. Beneath them, the water glowed faintly, reflecting not just their image—but warped versions of themselves.
Ereshan looked down and saw himself with glowing horns, dressed in black-and-gold robes, surrounded by yokai who knelt like worshippers.
"Guys..." he muttered. "Is it just me, or do I look like a cult leader down there?"
"You look like a tax collector from the underworld," Hajime snorted. "I'd give you my wallet just to get rid of you."
"That's actually Ereshan from a reality where he accepted the stone's full power," Mizuchi murmured, kneeling near the edge. "Mirror Lake shows potential destinies. Be careful what you look at too long... the lake might remember you."
Kiku, leaning with her chin on her palm, yawned. "Then how come Hajime's reflection is just him shirtless with eight women?"
"Because that's accurate in every timeline," Hajime winked.
Suddenly—SPLASH! A massive ripple cracked the silence. Then another. Then dozens. The water exploded.
GIANT KOI. Each the size of a small cart, with glinting scales and rows of razor-sharp teeth no koi should ever have.
One lunged—CHOMP!—missing the raft by inches. "ARE YOU FISHING KIDDING ME?!" Ereshan screamed, throwing a sandal.
Another koi leapt, nearly flipping the raft. "They're man-eaters!" Mizuchi yelled, his eyes glowing white-blue. He raised both hands, calling forth waves of glowing river runes. "Soul River, heed me!"
FOOSH! A geyser of spectral water burst upward from the lake, knocking back several koi.
Hajime, laughing like a lunatic, unsheathed his blade. "This is why I never trust anything that looks like sushi!"
He leapt across the raft, slicing into the air with absurd precision. Scales and water flew everywhere.
Another koi launched toward Kiku—who calmly sidestepped, then kicked it mid-air like a soccer ball. "Don't touch the goods, fish boy."
Ereshan flailed with a broken oar. "Why the hell are they after us NOW?! Is it the stone?! Why does everything with fangs want to kill me since that thing lit up?!"
"Because now they know," Mizuchi grunted, summoning spectral barriers. "The stone's no longer dormant—it's calling out. The yokai hear it. And they want it before we reach the gate."
"I'd like to reach land without being koi chow!" Ereshan shouted.
"Focus, boy!" Hajime yelled. "This ain't a fishing trip!"
He skewered another fish, then looked at Kiku. "Oi, pet! If I survive this, I'm gonna eat you next!"
"Gross," Kiku said, kicking another fish. "You sound like a pervert."
"I am a pervert," Hajime laughed, licking blood off his blade. "You should see me in spring. I mate like a demon squirrel."
Ereshan turned green. "PLEASE stop talking!"
Mizuchi, wiping sweat from his brow, muttered, "You people are exhausting."
Another wave of koi surged. Kiku shouted, "I got this one!" She jumped—landed on a koi's head—flipped, and drove her heel into its back, sending it spiraling into the lake.
"She fights like she flirts—painfully," Hajime chuckled. "Knew I liked you, snake snack."
They hacked, bashed, channeled, and screamed their way through the koi onslaught.
Finally, the last fish fell with a splash, its huge body twitching before sinking back into the deep.
Panting and soaked, the four slumped back on the raft. The lake returned to its eerie calm.
"Well," Hajime said, lying flat on the raft, "That was better than my third marriage."
"You were married?" Ereshan asked.
"To a river spirit. She left me for a waterfall. Said I didn't 'flow right,'" Hajime said bitterly, then added, "She also said my sword was compensating for something."
Everyone was silent. Hajime sat up and pointed at the dead fish. "These guys? They had worse bites than her. At least they died after trying to eat me."
"Can we just… get to land?" Ereshan muttered.
Kiku leaned over him and whispered sultrily, "You okay, my brave little fish bait?"
Ereshan's eye twitched. "Please. Stop. Talking."
The raft swayed again under their feet as they drifted deeper into The Mirror Lake, its surface rippling with eerie stillness. The water shimmered with reflections not quite right—trees in reverse, skies painted in night though it was day, and sometimes… their own faces staring back with different emotions.
Ereshan clutched the raft's edge, eyes wide. "Guys. Guys—why does my reflection have six eyes?!"
Before anyone could answer, another giant koi fish erupted from the lake with the grace of a ballet dancer and the hunger of a pit demon. Rows of jagged teeth replaced its usual dopey smile.
"WHY?! Why does every yokai want me now just because this dumb stone started glowing?!" Ereshan shrieked as Mizuchi leapt into action, his blade drawn like silver water. "This thing better come with insurance!"
Mizuchi's body glowed faintly, the air around him swirling with mist. "I'm the heir of the River of Souls, Ereshan. Let the current obey."
He sliced through one of the koi with a fluid motion, water splashing in spirals as the beast dissolved into light.
Meanwhile, Hajime stood calmly, arms folded, as koi after koi swarmed. "Y'all making a mess and I haven't even had lunch yet."
Kiku smirked, still adjusting her skirt for no reason other than chaos. "Do you always complain this much before doing something useful?"
"Not always." Hajime winked. "Sometimes I get a snack first."
He turned to Kiku, swept her into a sudden hug, dipped her like a romantic lead in a kabuki drama, and planted a comically loud kiss on her cheek. Ereshan and Mizuchi both groaned.
"Dude! Stop making out mid-battle!" Mizuchi shouted while ducking a leaping koi.
"I'm giving her strength!" Hajime defended himself proudly. "Besides, this would've been round fourteen. Watch and learn!"
Before he could launch into another declaration of love (or war), the lake began to rumble. A massive shape rose from the depths. Water churned, koi scattered, and from the mirrored surface emerged a serpentine dragon, gleaming gold and crimson, its whiskers trailing like comet tails.
Hajime stopped mid-pose, dramatically offended. "Oh COME ON! Is that—?! Did this koi evolve into its older brother?!"
The dragon growled, shaking the trees around the lake.
Hajime pointed an accusing finger at the sky. "This is why I don't date seafood!"
Kiku burst into laughter.
Mizuchi rolled his eyes. "Can we please focus now?!"
Hajime unsheathed his sword and grinned wide. "Fine. Round fourteen postponed. Time to fillet big brother sushi."
The dragon's roar cracked across the water like a war drum. Its eyes—glowing like twin moons—locked on them with ancient wrath. The sky darkened above Mirror Lake, as if the creature pulled clouds just to make its entrance more dramatic.
"Yup," Hajime muttered as he drew his blade. "That ain't a koi anymore. That's Big Brother Sushi Deluxe, with a side of genocide."
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Ereshan screamed, diving behind a barrel.
Mizuchi didn't flinch. "Formation. Distract it while I bind it down. I'll summon river spirits to weaken its scales."
"Or…" Hajime turned dramatically to Kiku, who now stood calmly, arms crossed and smirking.
"No. Don't you dare," Mizuchi warned.
"…I'll give my little pet here a kiss for luck." Hajime swooped down and kissed Kiku on the lips with enough flair to rival a romance movie finale.
Ereshan looked away. "I can't. I just can't."
Mizuchi gagged. "We're about to be roasted like marshmallows and THIS is what you're doing?!"
Kiku giggled and leaned against Hajime. "He said if we survive, I get to curl up at the foot of his bed like a good little pet. Isn't that sweet?"
Ereshan immediately leaned over the side of the raft and made dramatic vomiting noises.
"Kiku," Mizuchi muttered, blocking a whip of the dragon's tail. "Why are you like this?"
"I like men who know how to swing a sword," she said sweetly. "And Hajime swings both sword and his words like a beast, but they third is monster."
"Damn right I do," Hajime grinned, ducking under the dragon's claw and leaping high into the air. "Hey fishface! Come at me if you dare!"
The dragon did. It surged from the water with a speed no one expected, mouth wide, ready to devour. Mizuchi acted fast, slamming his hand onto the raft. Water erupted upward in protective spears, deflecting the worst of the blow.
Hajime landed on the dragon's snout with a grin. "Bet you weren't expecting me on the menu, huh?!"
He stabbed both blades into its scales, riding the dragon's head like a rodeo star.
"This is insane!" Ereshan yelled, throwing random jars of oil and fireworks from their supply bag at the beast.
"Focus!" Mizuchi barked, weaving spirit threads through the air. "I'm trying to bind it!"
As the dragon screeched and thrashed, Kiku stood serenely at the center of the raft, wind fluttering through her wild hair. She licked her lips and purred, "Eat him harder, big boy. I like it when he gets serious."
Mizuchi stopped mid-incantation. "Kiku, I'm begging you. Stop being horny for five minutes!"
Hajime, still wrestling with the dragon, shouted back, "Let her cheer me on, dammit! This is called motivation!"
He plunged his sword down between the dragon's eyes with a booming yell. With a shudder and an ground-shaking screech, the beast finally collapsed, crashing into the lake, sending tidal waves across the mirrored surface.
The raft was tossed like a toy. When it finally steadied, they were all soaked, bruised, and panting.
Kiku sat on Hajime's lap, arms around his neck. "So… about that bed thing, can we start now, master?"
Ereshan curled into a fetal position. "I'd rather get eaten by another dragon than spend one more minute on this raft."
Mizuchi just groaned. "Kami help us all… from disgraced samurai and his slutty pet"