"Sunrise over the Ginkgo Tree" by Elena Kondratskaya, summary Automatic translate

The 2024 novel tells the story of the final phase of a bloody war between humans and ancient spirits. A fragile girl, Miko, becomes the target of monsters and the hope of the inhabitants of a mystical island. She pays for every step with the lives of her loved ones, her sanity, and her shattered soul. She tries to save her beloved tengu, Raiden, from certain death. Together, the heroes confront an ancient evil.

This work is published as the third installment in the "Dreams of Origin" series. The trilogy combines this work with the novels "A Thousand-Year Dream" and "Ashes of Pecked Birds." The series explores Japanese mythology and the complex relationships between humans and yokai.

Dreams and broken destinies

The narrative begins with Miko’s distressing dreams. Every night, she physically feels the suffering of the fox Makoto. The cruel kitsune Katsumi burns his flesh with hot coals in the dungeons of her castle. The Guardian attempts to discover the location of the fugitives who broke the ancient seals. Raiden decides to rescue the prisoner, ignoring his recent betrayal. Miko’s companions — a wingless tengu and the demon Hanzo — infiltrate the fox’s gloomy castle. They rescue the wounded, eyeless Makoto amidst the chaos of a samurai attack. A human fire dragon descends upon the fortress, opening the heroes’ escape route.

The heroes return to the Sky City to a grief-stricken Kyoko. The silver-haired she-wolf blames Raiden for Prince Hideo’s death. She nocks her bow and aims an arrow at the tengu’s head. Raiden takes the blame. He asks that revenge be postponed until the armed conflict is over, so as not to condemn the lands of Origin to destruction. Kyoko lowers her bow. Meanwhile, refugees flood the city streets. Inugami clan soldiers demand payment from the unfortunate youkai for shelter.

Enraged, Kyoko transforms into a massive beast, rips off a guard’s head, and claims her rightful command of the dogs. The leader of the Inugami, Nagamasu, agrees to hand over the army. He demands strict adherence to an ancient oath. Kyoko is obligated to become his concubine and bear Inugami puppies. Her friend Takaya, a healer and devoted companion, offers himself as her husband to save the she-wolf from dishonor. They perform a formal soul-swapping ceremony, linking their lives and magic forever. Nagamasu keeps his promise and places the Inugami under Kyoko’s command.

A spark in the palm of your hand

Inspired by an ancient rite, Miko and Raiden hide in the abandoned Temple of the Shining Goddess. The golden sun filters through the stone torii. The girl and the tengu perform a kagura-suzu dance, completely opening their hearts to each other. An invisible golden thread flares between them. Sparks of their souls burst forth and merge. The girl experiences absolute happiness. She clearly senses the emotions of her beloved tengu. Her partner’s feelings are felt as vividly as her own. The bond between their souls erases lies and omissions.

Snake skin and snowy peaks

The fighting escalates rapidly. The ancient snake Rei emerges from the shadows. Born from chaos itself and devoid of compassion, Rei makes a pact with Satsuki’s treacherous brother Takayuki. The monster plans to take over all of Hinoshima. Miko, Raiden, and Makoto encounter the gigantic black snake amidst the burning forest. The tengu unleashes blue lightning on the beast, expending its last vestiges of magic. Rei survives. Its impenetrable scales save the snake from certain death.

During their escape, the heroes rescue Princess Satsuki. The girl hid from her distraught brother in bulky samurai armor. Without a strong army, the heroes cannot survive. Raiden goes to the snowy mountains to see Ranmaru’s father. He asks for soldiers, but is categorically refused. According to the laws of the pack, a wingless tengu must earn the right to simple conversation. Raiden sits in the freezing cold for four nights without a crumb of food or a sip of water. He passes out from exhaustion.

An unequal fight

Ranmaru challenges his son to a brutal fight in front of the entire clan. The tengu fight with all their might, wielding wooden bokken and sharp katanas. Raiden, exhausted from the long wait in the snow, is unable to resist his father’s onslaught for long. At the end of the brutal battle, Ranmaru mercilessly cuts off his arm above the elbow. Bleeding and broken, Raiden collapses in the crimson snow. He admits defeat and goes into exile.

Deep despair and emotional pain trigger the magical disease O-Boromi in Raiden. A dark taint eats away at his flesh like black veins. The eccentric witch Bunko agrees to perform a healing ritual. In exchange, she demands a new metal arm. An alloy must be forged from the rarest metal of the Abyss, the bone of a white monkey, and life threads from the realm of the dead, Yomi. The heroes split into teams to search for the necessary components. Time is running out.

The price of salvation

Makoto, Satsuki, and Hanzo set out to retrieve black metal. In an abandoned underground temple, they find an iron cage containing the demon king Izuru. In exchange for their freedom, the monster leads them into the Abyss. He helps them obtain the needed ingots from a local forge. On their way back, they are attacked by enraged demons. The odds are too great. Hanzo transforms into a true horned monster. He remains in the dungeon, blocking the narrow passage with his massive body. Makoto carries a crying Satsuki out.

Miko descends into the dreary wastelands of Yomi with the small spirit of Yuri. She finds the soul of her late sister, Hotaru, in an illusory palace. Miko deceives her sister, promising to bring her back to life. She takes a thin silver thread from Hotaru’s chest. The witch Sengo catches them at the very exit. She brutally severs Miko’s living connection with Raiden. The intense stress and pain cause her to go into premature labor right there on the gray grass.

Miko gives birth to a stillborn baby girl. She buries the infant under the roots of a ginkgo tree. The girl returns to the palace with a shattered heart. The good spirit Yuri sacrifices himself to pay off his debt to Bunko, disintegrating into golden fireflies. The girl forges a mobile prosthetic. Raiden, awakening, receives a new arm, imbued with the magic of his own feather. Shaman Shin expends his remaining energy grafting cold metal to warm flesh. The old man dies in Akira’s arms.

The Great Battle

The climax comes when enemy troops of wild Komori attack the tengu’s mountain abode. Miko fights desperately on the snowy streets alongside samurai and yokai. She sheds blood and proves her right to the title of Origin Maiden. A recovered Raiden challenges his father once again. The tengu unleashes the devastating magic of his new prosthetic. His metal fingers shatter Ranmaru’s sword. Raiden knocks his father down with powerful blows and brutally severs both his wings.

The defeated father commits ritual seppuku. The tengu unconditionally recognize Raiden as their rightful leader. Meanwhile, Rei leads hordes of monsters toward Hinoshima’s capital, Ginmon. Satsuki secretly leads allied forces through abandoned temple tunnels. A bloody massacre ensues right on the city streets. The white serpent Renji — Rei’s snake brother — crushes buildings and breaks Kyoko’s spine. Itsuki’s thousand-year-old spirit sacrifices itself, transforming into a colossal White Ape, to restrain the maddened Rei.

Silence over the island

Komori mortally wounds Satsuki with a barbed arrow. Akira, filled with deep compassion, transfers his eternal life to the princess. Transforming into a white crane, he flies away. Miko weaves the threads of thousands of souls. She successfully summons the Spirit of Origin. The powerful entity pierces Rei’s impenetrable scales. Sharp horns flood the streets with snake blood. The tengu cast enchanted fetters on the snake. Makoto traps the monster in a demonic cage. Evil is finally defeated.

The book’s ending depicts peaceful days. The brutal war is over, humans and yokai are learning to coexist without bloodshed. Satsuki wisely rules the empire. Raiden and Miko are rebuilding their burned-out home. Miko writes a chronicle of past battles, carefully preserving the memory of her fallen friends. Raiden promises to await her return from Yomi even after a thousand years. A bright, hopeful dawn breaks over the branches of the red ginkgo tree.