"Lullaby of Mount Hogo" by Elena Kondratskaya, summary Automatic translate

Published in 2023, this novel depicts a dark Asian mythology. Here, magic is closely intertwined with political intrigue, family tragedies, and the survival of entire nations. The plot revolves around personal revenge. The world of the book is harsh and merciless to the weak. The heroes desperately search for lost artifacts, trying to prevent a global conflict between humans and ancient spirits. Samurai duels are juxtaposed with lengthy reflections on the nature of the human and demonic souls.

This work continues the popular "Source Dreams" series. It is considered the second part of the cycle. It is preceded by the novel "Dream and Ashes." The third book, "Sunrise Over the Ginkgo Tree," concludes this mystical story. All novels in the series are connected by an overarching plot and common characters.

Bonfires and false hopes

The story opens with a funeral pyre. Miko buries her sister Hotaru in the garden beneath a golden ginkgo tree. The girl is overcome with grief. A burning hatred for the tsuru Akira, who killed her sister, burns her from within. Miko trains daily with a sword until she is completely exhausted. She thirsts for revenge. Tengu Raiden hides the girl in his spell-protected castle. He intends to find the secret and remove the millennia-old seals from the lands of Origin. To carry out his ambitious plan, the tengu gathers his loyal allies.

A meeting with like-minded people turns out to be a bitter disappointment for Miko. Instead of legions of thousands, only four fighters follow Raiden: the last of the wolves, Kyoko; the half-breed kitsune, Makoto; the silent wanderer, Itsuki; and the devoted human healer, Shin. Assessing their meager forces, the small group decides to search for historical clues in the abandoned libraries of the old Ookami clan castle. Within the pages of crumbling tomes, the heroes discover a useful reference to a thirteenth monk. His mysterious presence at the ancient wedding ceremony of Princess Eiko conceals the true secret of the seals. The author of this strange chronicle is listed as a certain Silver Fox.

Road to the capital

Raiden and Miko set out to find the Silver Fox in the human world. An underground dimensional breach in the magical barrier transports them across the ocean. In human lands, magic is depleted to the limit. This immediately affects the heroes’ well-being. The travelers encounter hostility from the locals. In one remote village, the villagers drug Raiden’s sake. They attempt to kill the sleeping guests. A brutal brawl ensues. An enraged Raiden nearly kills his attackers with his bare hands. Miko manages to stop him and miraculously saves the villagers’ lives.

Having escaped their pursuers, the heroes reach the mountain temple of the Nursing Mother. There, they meet the young abbot. He secretly hides the emperor’s fugitive concubines. The monk grants the women the animal form of foxes. This magic forever protects them from persecution at court. From one of the temple’s inhabitants, Miko receives a scarlet ribbon with gold embroidery. This remarkable item will allow her to find the Silver Fox at the court of the formidable emperor in the capital city of Ginmon.

Ieyasu’s Palace Intrigues

Their arrival in brightly lit Ginmon coincides with a grand festival. Locals joyfully burn a giant paper dragon to honor their patron spirits. After enjoying dancing and street food, Miko and Raiden attempt to gather information about the kitsune at court. Their careless inquiries lead them to be ambushed by the Shinokage, merciless imperial guards in horned masks. The guards throw Miko into prison, where she is subjected to brutal torture with heavy stone slabs. Raiden breaks into the cell just in time and rescues her. At this poignant moment, a long-held secret is revealed. The Silver Fox turns out to be the eccentric court storyteller Akayo.

Akayo frankly confesses. A thousand years ago, he helped monks isolate the island, wishing to protect the people from bloody strife. The storyteller doesn’t know the exact spells for breaking the seals. He only mentions the ruined Temple of the Shining Goddess on the northern coast. The heroes decide to request an official audience with Emperor Ieyasu. A secret meeting is arranged by Crown Prince Hideo, Kyoko’s lover. However, the stubborn emperor flatly refuses to help the spirits. The monarch orders the petitioners’ execution. He is terrified of a monster invasion of his sovereign domain.

Sands of the Black Desert

Kyoko deftly frees the captives from the dank dungeon. The she-wolf kills the guards in cold blood. Together with the ailing Prince Hideo, the demon Shinokage named Hanzo, and Raiden, they hastily flee the capital. While crossing a forest dimensional gap, Miko trips. She plummets into the scorching Black Desert. This lifeless, magically saturated place constantly changes its appearance. Just look back, and the sand dunes instantly transform into a deadly labyrinth.

Left completely alone, Miko encounters a giant armored scorpion. With great difficulty, the girl dodges its powerful claws. She bravely defeats the formidable monster with a samurai sword. Help arrives in the form of the mysterious Wanderer. She leads the exhausted girl through quicksand to a magical tree of blooming magnolia. The tree opens a spatial pathway to the wanderer’s happiest memory. A fleeting sentimental thought causes magic to mercilessly transport Miko directly to the domain of her hated enemy, Tsuru Akira.

Battle for Freedom

Akira blocks the fugitive’s path. He tearfully begs Miko to stay and solemnly promises to atone. She rejects his conciliatory offers. The enraged Tsuru kills the magical raven. This death instantly destroys Raiden’s true magical wings. Arriving just in time, the friends fight to save Miko from the enraged guard. The brave Makoto suffers a serious stab wound. The exhausted group takes refuge in a safe haven to catch their breath.

Miko single-handedly stitches up Makoto’s lacerations. Healer Shin temporarily stabilizes Prince Hideo’s deteriorating condition. The young heir suffers from the incurable Curse of the Sleepers. It turns out that the rare affliction drains the user’s inner magic, killing them with certainty. The only remote chance of healing the prince lies in completely removing the seals from Origin Island. An armed detachment sets off north, into the rocky lands of Lord Nobu. The group strives to quickly find the lost temple of the thirteenth monk.

Call of the Spirit of Origin

On her way to the lost temple, Miko encounters the Origin Spirit. This enormous, ancient creature is woven from pure magic and moonlight. It is slowly fading due to the depletion of its natural forces. The spirit gently touches the girl. The magic grants her the ability to sense the pain and hopes of all the island’s inhabitants. This contact changes Miko. Her facial scar takes on a mystical golden glow. The heroine finally realizes that saving the island will require incredible sacrifices from each of them.

The price of reconciliation

A winding road leads the heroes to a high gorge. The narrow cliffs are swarming with dozens of bloodthirsty Komori. Having dealt with the shrieking pack, the party reaches the dark ocean shore. Nobu, with an army of armored bushizaru monkeys, sets a deadly trap for them. A brutal, bloody battle ensues. Raiden and Miko courageously fight to the limits of human and magical capabilities. Kyoko rips out Nobu’s throat. A huge, snow-white Great Serpent unexpectedly swallows Raiden. Miko boldly leaps straight into the monster’s gaping maw. There, she finds an internal dimensional breach that miraculously saves both their lives.

Hidden within a sheer coastal cliff is the sought-after ancient temple. Twelve desiccated monks silently guard the hall. In anger, Kyoko destroys their fragile remains. The she-wolf opens a shimmering portal to a secret underwater cave. The last will of the thirteenth monk is clearly carved into the stone vaults. The text declares that powerful seals will fall. For this to happen, a human and a yokai must voluntarily unite their souls forever in a sacred ritual dance.

Sacred ritual

Miko resolutely takes the ritual bells. A slow dance with Raiden begins. The shining spark of her human soul sincerely reaches out to the tengu. At the last second, Miko retreats and interrupts the magical ritual. The girl realizes that hastily opening the barrier will inevitably provoke a massive bloodbath. Akira and Emperor Ieyasu will destroy each other. Hundreds of civilians will die in battle. Miko tearfully asks for the ritual to be postponed until a peaceful resolution is reached. She wishes to save innocent lives.

Terminally ill Hideo and grief-stricken Kyoko desperately attempt to complete the ritual on their own. Their loving souls merge. The cursed island comes alive and fills with power. The prince’s weak heart can’t withstand the colossal magical load. Hideo dies suddenly in the arms of a sobbing she-wolf. Devastated, Kyoko refuses to leave. She remains in the cave next to her fiancé’s body. Miko, Raiden, and Shin emerge, heavy-hearted. Fiery dragons blaze across the night sky. These terrible harbingers carry the attack of the imperial fleet. The fires of a great war flare inexorably over the horizon.