With the war finally over and the Takeda clan are now the new masters of Sunpu province, a large celebration has erupted around Sunpu castle in the Takeda camp and the normally disciplined army has given into revelry of all kinds in celebration of their victory. Music loudly playing throughout the camp, sake is flowing freely into every soldier's cup and the sound of laughter, and a sense of excitement fills the night sky. Even the normally stoic and serious Shingen has allowed himself to drink to his heart content with his generals in his meeting tent and they are happy to observe a jolly happy Tiger of Kai smile. Smells of fresh meat cooked over open fires and rice balls and all kinds of food are being served to all the soldiers to eat to their hearts content. Ryuzen is sitting in the meeting tent observing Shingen being so unusually jolly and Katsuyori smiling despite his wounds that he is still recovering from he is managing to smile despite the pain he is feeling. Then Enkai sitting next to Ryuzen says to Ryuzen, "My lord Shingen seems unusually jovial it is most interesting to see him so relaxed" Ryuzen responds, "It was a hard won battle and with his son wounded and the saboteur caught in camp, plus Okabe role in fightiing us in this siege it was alot of pressure to deal with and it makes sense for our lord to finally relax even if for one evening after such hardships our clan faced during this siege to feel a sudden rush of relief. In many ways I have learned much in how one conducts themself as a leader at war and I will remember it in the future" Enkai smiled and nodded in agreement. Then Shingen with a wave of his hand ordered the musicians to stop playing in the tent and he rose to his feet with a sake cup and spoke, "To all the generals and officers in this tent I raise my cup to you all in praise of your loyalty in helping win this siege" Then everyone in the tent raised there cups and shouted in agreement and then all drank the cups and Shingen continued, "With this victory we now control three provinces with Sunpu being the newest province but definitely not the last as we will grow ever stronger and bring peace to this war torn land. Our enemies will either submit or face annihilation in our noble quest" Again everyone cheered in celebration and Shingen again continued, "Celebrations aside the rewards will now be given, To my son Katsuyori who sacrificed his body in service to our clan will now receive Sunpu castle and the surrounding lands and act as a guardian against the Tokugawa clan and will be a forward base of operations in our future plans to the west" Katsuyori with help from his servant bowed and thanked his father for such a generous reward. Then Shingen continued, "To my Dragon of the Fields I give to you Kokokuji castle and its surrounding lands as well as the border forts leading to Kai and since you will need help in running these new land Okabe Motonobu and the surviving 400 Imagawa samurai will now serve you in your new lands. You will be my guardian in the east as we will expand west. You will be responsible for increasing our influence on the east against the Uesugi and Hojo" Ryuzen then bowed and thanked his lord for the rewards. Then Shingen also rewarded other generals and officers present in the tent and once the rewards and congratulations were finished the celebrations continued late into the evening.

  The very next day Ryuzen and his men packed up and left in the early morning despite the hangovers they were feeling from the previous evening. Ryuzen was eager to return home and see his beloved wife Isabell and his son. As they made their way home Ryuzen had first stopped at his new castle and assigned Okabe to rebuild the lands with the surviving Imagawa samurai and promised to return in about a month to inspect his progress. Ryuzen decided not to stay at the castle for the night and continued on traveling north back to his estate and did not want to delay going home any longer. It had been a long campaign, and he did not realize how much he missed his family until the campaign came to an end and wasn't occupied with fighting. Finally, after two days of non-stop traveling his estate in Kai came into view and a wave of relief raced over his body in seeing his home. The estate was busy as ever as Ryuzen approached with merchants and traders milling about the store for the salt that was stored here. Soldiers guarding and patrolling the area, his servants working the nearby rice fields, it was quite a sight to see so much activity. Ryuzen finally reached his mansion and Isabell carrying Arinaga wrapped in a blue baby blanket came outside the mansion as fast she could to greet her husband. Ryuzen dismounted and then quickly walked toward them both kissing his wife and placing his hand on his young son's head. Isabelle excited said, "I have missed you so much and thank God you are back safely" Ryuzen then hugged her with the baby and he then took his son in his arms and he was shocked how much his son had grown since he left him to go on campaign, his son stared at him with the beautiful blue eyes he inherited from his mother and the little baby immediately recognized his father and smiled at him. This melted Ryuzen's heart seeing his son smile at him and composed himself not tear up in front of his men. Then in the clear morning light his son's smile froze the sound of the birds chirping in background silenced, Isabell stood still as did everyone else and then Atropos one of the three weavers of fate appears before him.

  She stands before him and she looks like a harmless elderly farmers wife in peasants clothing and her face is wrinkled and weathered but underneath it all was a powerful force of fate. Ryuzen sees her approaching and he bows his head in respect. She then places her hand on his son's head gently and smiles and then speaks, "Threads may tangle. Threads may fray. But you have knotted two into something that does not belong. You have done something that even gods avoid. You have bred a question into fate's design. My blade cannot measure his fate like his father. The jewel of fate and the perfect error have given a new jewel a pulse that is a miscalculation" Ryuzen then interjected angrily, "You call him a miscalculation I call him my son" before Ryuzen could finish Atropos continued in a serious tone, "He may be your son but his power will determine everyone's fate around him and if not controlled or guided correctly he will be a greater threat than Melanios could ever have hoped to be with his ambition for the chaos of fate" Ryuzen then replied, "You fear what he might become. I fear only what he would be without guidance. He will not be raised by destiny. He will be raised by us. He will inherit her sight and my silence. He will not cut lightly. He will not choose carelessly. And if fate trembles, it will not be from cruelty" Atropos nods her head in agreement and then speaks, "Understand you will have until he turns the age of thirteen to guide him carefully before his powers manifest. I hope this child will learn from the jewel of fate and the perfect error or fate will bleed much worse than before and the healing will be reversed. All is not lost as you will have the weapon to balance those who can change fate. You have made the next step in obtaining the orb of fate. Once obtained it will be the weapon to balance fate against Melanios and any other imbalances to fate" Atropos then begins to dissipate and then everyone and everything around him begins to move like normal again like Atropos was never even there. Ryuzen feeling the weight of responsibility over his son and then hands his son back to Isabell and she looks at him puzzled as he was just happy and smiling one second ago and now his whole composure has changed to looking very serious and silent. Although she wanted to ask what was wrong, she knew him well enough not to ask when he was like this and she knew to be patient as he would eventually tell her what was bothering him. Their relationship and bond had drawn them so close that neither could keep a secret from each other for very long and would want to share what was on their mind with the other which was an unusual marriage for most couples in Japan to be so open and honest with each other. They both then entered the mansion and Ryuzen then kissed her on her forehead and stated he needed to wash the dirt and filth of the road off and would go to the recently constructed bath house in the bamboo forest near his training area.

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  As Ryuzen made his way to the bath house and was glad for it to be available for he needed time to think and unwind. Along the new rocky path that was created in the forest to the bath house. Along the way he saw Gensei sitting on a bench on the path and he appeared to be listening to the forest. Before Ryuzen could speak and let him know he was there Gensei spoke first smiling at Ryuzen in his direction, "My lord I hear your heartbeat beat with the burden of worry and responsibility, your steps move with a heavy weight and even though I have no eyes to see I can hear the burden you carry my lord. Allow me to join you in the bath house to play while you bath in the steamy hot water while you meditate and wash away your worries for a time" Ryuzen then spoke and smiled, "You are most welcome old friend, please do not be offended if I do not speak" "I cannot be offended for attending to my lord and I am glad only to help you lift your spirits" Then both men walked the stony path in silence as a soft cool wind blew and the sound of the bamboo trees moving in the forest could be heard. When they arrived at the bathhouse it was made of the finest wood and material. It was light brown smooth wood that gave a light brown color to certain parts of the bath house. The left side of the bath house was for men and the right side for women and two separate front entrances which were separated by a wall and there was a front room for changing and bathing with fresh cold water before entering the bathing area. A male servant stood at attention when Ryuzen entered with Gensei and then without saying anything quickly brought towels for Ryuzen and while he changed and Gensei sat on a bench in the front room and pulled out his biwa to begin playing. Gensei then began playing a very soft and continuous melody that the very atmosphere in the bath house changed into a relaxing soothing atmosphere. As Ryuzen disrobed and sat on a small wooden stool to wash himself with cold water he closed his eyes and began to feel unburdened from the pressure he was feeling on his chest. The servant took his clothes and then without asking brought some warm sake and served it to Ryuzen. Then the servant left the bath house and went to another part of the bath house where a continuous fire was used to heat the bath water and to ensure his lord was comfortable in his bath. Ryuzen took a sip from the small cup of sake and then proceeded to the hot bath water which was deep enough for him to sit and have the water level up to his shoulders. The water was supplied by bamboo pipes from the nearby water brook. As he sat in the hot water with steam rising from the surface Ryuzen began to meditate on what the weaver of fate Atropos told him about his son, the war he fought seeing that young man's face before he was executed for sabotage, the explosions from the Shimazu ships that killed many sailors, the enemy commander who committed seppuku on the first fortress his army laid siege too on the border of Kai and Sunpu. The countless enemy samurai he had cut down in this war had finally weighed heavily on his heart and even though he knew it was his duty it still bothered him that so many lives had to be taken to win this war. He then whispered a small prayer asking for forgiveness and prayed for the souls of the dead soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Then in private with no one looking he let out a small gasp of air and then shed some small tears that seemed to spiritually cleanse his mind, body, and soul. Then he listened to Gensei biwa playing and it soothed him even more and then thought of his son and resolved he would pour all his knowledge and ethics of being a samurai into his little boy and teach him the value of honor, loyalty, and most importantly restraint especially when wielding power that it required great responsibility. He would emulate his adopted father Jinsai example and teach him to be most importantly of all a good man. Finally, having felt better after his time in the hot bath he got out and dried off and got dressed and Gensei had already stopped playing and put his instrument away and both men walked back to the mansion.

  Sometime later in the early evening as Ryuzen, Isabell, Enkai, Gensei, and several officers were sitting in there dining area in the mansion eating and enjoying themselves with a well-deserved banquet for their victory over the Imagawa. Ryuzen sitting next to Isabell was holding her hand tightly and not letting go throughout the entire dinner. She knew he needed to talk to her and most likely missed her very much, but she was surprised by how much he was holding onto hand so tightly that it must be quite serious what he needed to say. Finally, as the banquet concluded and everyone retired for the evening Ryuzen took Isabell by the hand to their private quarters in the mansion and as soon as the servants had left the room and they were finally alone Ryuzen immediately kissed his wife deeply and passionately as he could and then sat her down and began to speak to her about the events of what Atropos told him and she listened intently to everything he said and then when he was done speaking. She reassured him that they both would not fail their son and make sure that they would raise him the best way they could bring him up as an honest and loyal man who would respect his powers and not abuse them as Melanios had done. Then with the vows taken about their son, Ryuzen took Isabell by the hand and blew the candle out for he had sorely missed his wife, and they do what all young couples do after a long absence from each other.

  The next morning Ryuzen had gotten up early and looked at his wife with her beautiful golden blond hair still asleep in early morning light and got dressed and grabbed his swords and then exited his room to check on his son in his room. As he entered his room his wetnurse was feeding him and the wetnurse bowed her head in acknowledgement of Ryuzen entering the room. She started to rise and he bid her to sit, and he simply went to look at his son as he was occupied with eating his breakfast and Ryuzen smiled and then left the room and exited the mansion. He then began to walk to the training area and could see servants moving about and a young servant boy drawing water from the well which reminded of his days of fetching the water from the brook and he thought how he had it so easier compared to his days of getting the buckets of water and chuckled to himself. The guards from the night patrols were coming back from patrolling the bamboo forest and bowed to Ryuzen as he walked by and finally, he reached the training area. He was being shadowed by Hanzo who would guard his lord while practiced and meditated. Ryuzen then entered the training area and stopped and stood in the center of the training area. He then closed his eyes and began to practice his breathing and dwell on his next move on how to surround the Hojo. With the addition of Okabe and his samurai plus the newly acquired fortresses and villages and towns in their vicinities his forces would now swell to 3,500 men and it was still not nearly enough to match the army of tens of thousands of soldiers the Hojo clan possessed so he would stand no chance against them in open battle and had to think what he could do since Shingen had assigned him as the protector and general of the east for the Takeda clan. The Kanto region was closed to him and would have to move further north above Kai and still further past Shinano for his next move, but which clan should he work on first to acquire new territory for the Takeda. If he attacked Echigo province which was north of Shinano province he has to deal with Uesugi clan controlled by the daimyo nicknamed the God of War and that would prove to be very costly and then in Ryuzen mind's eye he looked east of Shinano in the direction of Kozuke province. The clans were split and warring each other and not one clan controlled the entire province, and it was not influenced by either the Uesugi or Hojo clans. A plan then began to form in Ryuzen mind as to what he would do next and for now he would just continue practice his sword moves and think on how he might conquer Kozuke province before either rival clan could stop him. With his mind and spirit renewed the Dragon of the Fields began to stir again even though he had just arrived home.