Snippet #2549141

The trio from Yosai Village had caught a train from Tsuribazi Township after arriving there in the late afternoon. Kyo had been ecstatic about the novelty of it - she'd never been on one before, nor journeyed to the capital. The steaming and elegant engine sped along the tracks, pulling four carriages along behind it. The carriages were comfortably decorated, with large windows on either side to allow passengers to view the scenery.

It was less than half an hour out of the township that the train passed to the north of the Fields of Silence. Even atop the small hill that the tracks ran along, the cemetery stretched farther than they could see. The gravestones disappeared over a hilltop, continuing on past the horizon.

The sight was both beautiful and solemn. The graveyard was abloom with beautiful flowers and blossoming trees, but the sight of so many graves... it was haunting.

The fields of silence were home to the graves of soldiers from thousands of years of internal and external strife. Between the rows of graves, the occasional figure could be seen walking. The Guardians of Silence were responsible for maintaining the cemetary, and protecting it from any who would defile it. They were masked in white, and never spoke while on duty.

After a long silence, the graves drifting by as the train moved on, Kyo let out a deep breath. "I'd only ever heard about this place. I thought that it was an exaggeration that you couldn't see its end, but ... seeing it for myself. It's almost unbelievable."