If I had only waited a mere 532 years. That time has both passed in the blink of an eye, and dragged on like the slow drip of lava into an endless ocean. Could those in heaven not see how divided our land had become? The chaos. The violence. The pain of my people was all too much to shoulder and I had foolishly believed that the heavens moved too slowly. As a young man, I'd wrongfully assumed that if heaven had forsaken us in their slothful indifference, I could make a pact with the demons below to better serve my ancestors.

In the end, my impatience cost me everything. To add insult to injury, only half a millennium later, and Japan would become unified; restored, renewed, and revolutionized like never before. I would have lived to see it too had I not skipped the fine print of my contract. Immortality among the living, but still susceptible to death by the blade. Now, having watched the years go by, my homeland evolving, I doubt my presence even made a ripple in the ocean of time. Who was I among the many Shogun that wanted to unify our lands to their own ends?

I know who I am now... what I've become. Soon, my latest bounty will also tremble before my name. So much like myself nearly five hundred years ago, this pitiful young man sought power by his own means and failed to consider the price. This man's name was Takeda Tokoyama, a loyal general of the remaining Shogunate who resisted Imperial Rule. What fools. Could they not see the progress that Japan had made into becoming a global power? Did they not see what their rebellion could cost our people?

Regardless, this young general Takeda Tokoyama desired the power to overcome his foes. As the final battle of the Boshin War drew near, he had preyed to Those Below as I had done centuries earlier. He was eager, brash, and impatient to wield whatever power could turn the war in his favor. So much like my younger self, he never considered the price of failure.

The year is 1868, on a particular cold June evening. Takeda Tokoyama has deserted his forces, fleeing into the northern forest of Ezo. There is only a sliver of silver in the sky as the moon wanes in the dark night above. Takeda's footsteps pad against the black soil. He attempts to outrun his fate. Like his military campaign against a unified Imperial Japan, his last race will also end in failure.

Even in this new immortal form, I tire of this pointless chase. Withdrawing my great sword from its hilt, my blade slices downward into the massive Spruce Tree ahead of Takeda's path. A mighty crash resounds. The great wood falls and crashes into the earth while Takeda releases a cowardly cry and stumbles backward. He lands face up on the ground like an overturned tortoise: helpless.

I stalk toward him, unrolling the bounty contract scroll as I read aloud, "Takeda Tokoyama, the price of failure has come due. I've come to collect your soul as repayment--"

He brandishes a pistol at me. His hand shakes as he screams, "Back, devil! It is not my time. We can still-- I can beat-- STAY BACK!" As I continue to approach he fires. The led rounds harmlessly sink into my armor, pass through my body, and are pushed out the other end as my flesh remakes itself before Takeda's eyes.

With my blade at his throat, I follow protocol and read his sentence, "I, Marth Yagami, demon lord of the 9th House of Ki, sentence you to a life of bondage in eternal damnation. You've brought dishonor to your ancestors and the great nation of Japan for perpetuating needless civil war. For your failure to utilize the powers gifted to you by The Presence Below, I now cast you down to join them. Do you understand the charges brought against you as I've read them?"

Takeda is frozen solid, the wind ceases to blow through the trees. Everything became grey. Typical. My familiar and hellish minder once again interferes with my work. The irritating four tailed fox, Yokai, once again appears to inspect my work.

Yokai trotted around a terrified Takeda suspended in time. With a snort, the fox asked, "Why do you read from that scroll? His soul was ours the moment he signed the contract."

I was not about to be roped into another endless debate again. I answer simply, "It is proper procedure to read the condemned man his sentence. Those are the rules."

With a dismissive wave of his paw, Yokai spat, "It's a formality. What rules bind a demon lord?"

I must not lose my patience again. Within the 9th House of Ki, any display of weakness would be a forfeiture of the autonomy I've been granted. Even though I am no longer the Marth Yagami that once ruled the Mikawa Prefecture, what personal identity I retain in this afterlife could be stripped away in the blink of an eye.

Plunging my sword deep into the chest of Takeda Tokoyama, I feel the last beats of his heart pound through my blade up to the hilt. It's a clean kill and I move to withdraw my sword from the bounty I've slain, but my weapon remains: immobilized. 

With a snicker, Yokai demands, "Twist it. Make him feel it." I resist. The fox commands, "I said, twist your blade Marth Yagami! Are you not a true demon lord worthy of the house of Ki?"

Gritting my teeth I watch as the fox distracts himself by gnawing on Takeda's boot; "I've completed my mission and collected the bounty. Torture is not my department. There is no honor in--"

"HONOR?" Yokai snorts, "Honor need not concern you, Marth. As your Familiar, if you wish to retain any semblance of your mortal form, you will do as I command and inflict delicious pain upon this idiot mortal." He sits on his haunches, facing me now, "Or, perhaps I should report you to the boss, eh?"

My hand gains a tighter grip on the blade. I contemplate another hundred years of torture if I fail to appease this demon fox. Another hundred years within a perpetually shrinking box, or submerged below the bottom of a boiling sea? A century long cycle of punishment for doing what is right? For following the rules? If failing to indulge this sadistic animal meant I'd suffer more, and spare this poor bastard a moment's peace in death, it's a price I must pay.

Withdrawing my blade from Takeda I swiftly cleave the demon fox in half. As the remaining halves of the fox fall to the ground, it's two mouths scream; "You self righteous fool! I will bring your actions before the council. You will feel unending pain like never before and--"

A blinding white light separates the night. In an instant, the grey frozen world has become a day. No, much brighter than day. Dawn had not merely broken the night, but the heavens themselves had opened up, tearing away the vale that contained this reality. I try and look upon this newly torn shroud that spanned from the horizon higher than even my eyes could perceive. The sheer brightness is overwhelming. A beautiful chorus sang out louder than any I'd encountered, all praising; "Libra, great is thy name above all others, glory to them forever. Their justice reigns eternal. Peace be upon those whom their favor rests."

I drop my sword and bow, "To whom do I speak to, Lord of lords?"

The heavenly host replied, "Marth Yagami, son of Toshiro Yamami; your services are requested by They Who Are Above All." Hurricane force winds raced across the earth out from the hole in reality before me. Trees splintered as the choir spoke again, "Do you choose to serve justice and bring balance?"

Lowering myself further into the soil, I cry out, "Lord, I am indentured to Those Below. How might I serve One Above All while slave to another?"

Again, the heavenly host cried out, louder than before, "Your Lord Libra holds authority over all principalities, realms, and dimensions. If you choose to serve, your debts would be purchased by They Who Are Above All." I dared to lift my head and address the otherworldly presence that had torn my reality asunder. It was more beautiful and horrifying than I could comprehend. Beings of pure light, many wings, and a multitude of omniscient eyes pierced the soul I thought I'd sold long ago.

Without waiting for an answer to stumble from my lips, the presence knew my heart as it declared with voices of roaring thunder; "Rise, Marth Yagami. Your mission awaits...."