Sea of the Wind, Shore of the Maze, Prologue

nyokai's egg develops on the roots of the Shashinboku. When the fruit of a kirin  forms on a tree branch, the nyokai will hatch on the following day. And then, for ten years as the fruit ripens,  she will stand guard under the Shashinboku until the kirin is born.
    "And the kirin's gender?"
    Only a nyokai knows the gender of an unhatched kirin.
    "He's called Taiki."
    "I see."
    A male kirin is named Ki, and a female is named Rin. The clan name of the kingdom is added before  this, and the designation of a kirin is formed. This is a rule that has been passed on since very ancient times.
    The Ki of Tai Kingdom was growing on the Shashinboku, and the surname of Tai Kingdom is Tai. Thus, the  name of this kirin is "Taiki." [note: tai, the kingdom, and tai, its surname, have the same pronunciation, but
    different kanji.]
    Gyokuyou nodded her head, turned in the direction of the Shashinboku and started walking. Teiei and  Youka lowered their heads to respectfully see her off.
    It was then that suddenly the air began to tremble.
    A strong wind violently blew into the small paths, as if it wanted to scrape everything off the face of  the mountain.
    Before they could even say anything, Teiei had already tumbled to the ground. The same had happened  to Youka and she let out a scream.
    A deep sound occurred all around and pieces broke off the crags. A strange roar came out of the entire  maze.
    "What's happening...?"
    Though Teiei had heard Youka's frightened voice, she was not able to respond.
    This was no simple storm or earthquake, for, if it had been, the symbol of the Eight Diagrams would  certainly have shown it. Also, under the protection of gods and goddesses, a simple variation in the weather  would not encroach upon Mt. Hou like this.
    "Genkun, hide in the palace quickly!"
    For the safety of the mistress, Teiei grasped the stone steps firmly with her fingers and wearily lifted  her head to look towards Gyokuyou, only to find that Gyokuyou was standing firm, staring up at the sky.  The sky had turned red, as if it was covered with curtains of red mist.
    "It's a shoku..."
    Gyokuyou was not paying any attention to the earthquake, looking directly at the bright lights flying in  the sky.
    To be able to stand firm when that sudden, strong wind came shows that Gyokuyou had the strength of  a goddess. However, Teiei did not currently have the spare time to express her admiration for this.
    "Shoku...?"
    She could feel that the entire current of the air was already completely twisted, rapidly moving  nonstop. And with every movement, the red mist above her head would move about.
    In a fissure in the red mist, an image revealed itself like a mirage.
    "How...?"
    A land that was not of this world drew near.
    The soft petals of the poppy flower fluttered along with the strong wind and continuously hit Teiei on  the face.
    "Ah! The Taika's in danger...!"
    Sanshi was crouched under a white tree branch, the wet moss making her skin itch. She looked at the  fruit on the end of the branch with happiness.
    This fruit, which bore the Taiki inside of it, would ripen in ten months.
    After ten months, Sanshi’s master will hatch out of this Taika--Taiki. Sanshi needed only to think  about the moment that the ripe fruit cracked open and she became so happy that tears would flow from her  eyes.
    Just when Sanshi’s heart was full of joy and pride, in that moment when she had lifted her head to look  at the gleaming golden egg, something suddenly happened!
    At first, Sanshi was at a loss for what was going on.
    The air began to swirl into itself, destroying everything around Sanshi. A red tent-like fog covered the  entirety of the sky. Fear made Sanshi’s whole body tremble, when finally the word "shoku" floated into her  mind.
    She suddenly stood up as the fierce winds brushed at her feet. The white branch could not bear the  pummeling of the wind, as it shook violently and creaked.
    Sanshi shouted loudly and sprung towards the tree branch. She held the branch tightly and straightened  her body up against the wind. Her wind-blown hair was messily tangled with the branches. In the violent  shaking of the tree branches, a portion of her hair was torn out, but she didn’t have time to acknowledge the  pain on the top of her head. She thought with all her heart of only protecting the Taika. When she looked up  toward the branch, all she saw was the twisting air.
    "Taiki!"
    The roaring wind continuously hit her body.