Zan #3

Zan follows the voice of a young woman, perhaps fifteen, sixteen... so pale she is almost transparent.

Zan knows that he must change his path and flees the bloodbath for Mt. Koya -- the eight holy peaks -- to heal his soul... to be closer to the gods... but when he gets there, he finds the temple has decayed and its protectors -- lion-dogs, dragons, magical creatures -- have been replaced by goblins who would eat him.

Upon opening the doors to the miniature shrine, Zan found a dark gray metal suit of armor and he strapped it onto his slender chest. It was a perfect fit, almost a second skin.