"I wasn't being baseless when I said we could sever immortality."
The Prince handed a letter to Kuro and said softly, "Wolf, take a look at this."
[Book to Sever the Dragon's Heritage
Obtained from the Prince
Records the method to sever the Dragon's Heritage
The book is quite old, its binding thread somewhat loose
Severing the Dragon's Heritage
Only the method to accomplish this is recorded herein
Journey to the depths of the Divine Realm of Fountainhead Palace
Obtain the Divine Dragon's Tears of the Immortal Land]
"This is an ancient book left in Ashina Castle."
"The Immortal Land's... Divine Dragon's Tears..." Wolf mumbled, repeating the book's description.
"That's right. As long as we have what's called the Dragon's Tears... perhaps I can sever my Dragon's Heritage," the Prince deduced.
"However... what exactly is this Immortal Land..."
"Hmm..."
The Prince pointed to a corner, "Wolf, go look at the incense burner over there. It belonged to a certain lord."
"This incense burner is..." Wolf approached the corner.
"I heard that in the past, within this Ashina Castle... there lived another Prince with the Dragon's Heritage. That Prince's name was [Jō]... this incense burner was his."
"That lord now..."
"He seems to have passed away a long time ago," the Prince mused. "Infuse it with the scent of the divine, and return to the Immortal Land."
"You mean, that scent of the divine... is the key to reaching the Immortal Land."
"It should be," the Prince nodded. "Wolf, unravel this mystery."
The quest had been issued, but where to begin investigating this scent of the divine?
After defeating Isshin Ashina, the player's early-game novice quests came to a conclusion.
Therefore,
To transition into the subsequent plot, the designer meticulously laid the groundwork, essentially digging many pits.
"In this castle, there are writings left by Jō."
While Kuro contemplated, the Prince's voice reached him again, "They were likely collected in search of a way to return to the Immortal Land. I will look for those writings."
Clearly, more than one individual with the Dragon's Heritage power found this to be a curse.
They wished to find any means to sever immortality, for in the world of Sekiro, immortality was the origin of disaster.
Yet, countless people coveted it, thus leading to all sorts of calamities and warfare.
The Prince had experienced this. If he hadn't possessed the Dragon's Heritage, he would have had a relatively warm home in his childhood, his parents would still have been alive, and the Phantom Butterfly would still have been a guest in their home, rather than an enemy coveting his Dragon's Heritage.
"Not only the method to reach the Immortal Land... but also information on how to sever immortality itself."
Wolf's consideration was thorough, his train of thought deeper than the Prince's.
"Oh, oh," the Prince realized. "In that case, it must be Lord Isshin. He might know something."
The Prince took Wolf's hand and led him aside, "Please follow me."
"Lord Isshin is recuperating in the watchtower outside the castle keep. However, that watchtower is closed, likely due to his condition..."
Isshin... Ashina Isshin?
Only he remained. Having lived the longest, his knowledge would surely be vast.
However, Kuro could not agree with the description of Ashina Isshin's condition.
After all,
If he wasn't mistaken, the Tengu he saw that day was Ashina Isshin.
It was quite coincidental, for it was Ashina Isshin's guidance and the Ashina style secret art book he gifted that indirectly helped him find the method for perfect parries and defeat the "scummy" Isshin.
The cycle of cause and effect?
Bidding farewell to the Prince, Kuro embarked on the path to find Ashina Isshin.
Back then, meeting Tengu Ashina Isshin was easy. Now, with the Tengu disguise removed, meeting the man himself had become incredibly difficult!
Following the hints, after defeating several elite enemies, Kuro finally arrived at the smoke-shrouded watchtower.
The lower levels were indeed sealed off, with no apparent entrance from the outside.
Circling the watchtower, Kuro discovered a half-open window on the northwest corner of the top floor.
*Tap, tap, tap!*
Leaping from the adjacent lookout tower, Kuro, as agile as a monkey, easily entered the watchtower through the window on the side.
The roof of the watchtower was an open octagonal platform, pieced together from thick bluestones.
The White-Clad Sword Saint sat before a desk.
Even just his silhouette, Kuro was struck by the serene, otherworldly aura he exuded.
His hair, white as frost; his robes, as pure as snow. Isshin's back, at first glance, seemed ordinary, but upon closer inspection, it held a distant, elusive quality, unreachable and unattainable.
Kuro bowed slightly towards the figure, "I am..."
"Oh?"
The latter appeared surprised, devoid of any lordly air, possessing a demeanor reminiscent of a playful elder.
"Before that, have a drink!"
"Uh...?!"
This caught Kuro off guard. Isshin was a drunkard!
"Take this as a reward!"
[Obtained:浊酒 (Unrefined Sake)]
"I'm sure this must be the secret to the Sword Saint's longevity," Kuro said with feigned seriousness to his audience, accepting the unrefined sake.
After a few rounds of drinks, Isshin got down to business, "...my grandson, Genichiro, who was misled by the water..."
"I thank you for stopping him. I must thank you."
Unexpectedly, Isshin also disapproved of that unworthy descendant, Sekiro. This indirectly showed that the old Sword Saint truly disdained the power of immortality, greatly improving Kuro's impression of Isshin.
"I was merely following my adoptive father's teachings."
Kuro was unusually humble for once.
"Teachings?"
Isshin mused, then nodded, "I see... so you are the son of the Owl, the child adopted during that war of conquest."
Just as he suspected!
Isshin's words resolved the doubts that had troubled Kuro for days. These older generation individuals, the Tengu... the Owl... the Phantom Butterfly... even the previous Wolf – the Sculptor – they all knew each other in their youth.
They understood each other deeply, deducing Wolf's identity with just the word "teachings."
During his time as the Tengu, he had recognized Kuro's cybernetic arm as a gift from the Sculptor, and the designer of the arm was Ema's father. This also explained why Ema followed Isshin.
"One becomes this way through experiencing such circumstances..."
Isshin suddenly burst into laughter, "Ahahaha... the bonds between people are truly interesting!"
"Don't you think so... Sekiro."
Sekiro?
Only the Tengu had called him Sekiro. The oracle had revealed his identity.
Kuro was slightly taken aback. He had already admitted his identity as the Tengu. "You..."
"...Speaking of which, what did you wish to ask?"
Isshin did not dwell on the matter of the Tengu, directly asking the reason for Wolf's visit.
[Ask about severing immortality / Offer fine wine]
Seeing the prompt, Kuro laughed heartily, "Why even ask!"
"Of course, I must offer the Sword Saint the most fragrant fine wine, hahaha!!"