Asoka and Basho Genji had departed Mayoi only days earlier. Genji was tight-lipped, saying only that he had received an important communication with instructions for a spell of summoning.

The trip was easy, and the weather fine. It was a diversion from the frustrations of the days before. No light had been shed upon the mystery of the cult in Uziz, or the possession of Kikuchi Kentaro. And the ever-present shadow of danger was cast over them. Asoka has already suspected that cultists occupied the abandoned outpost overlooking Shoushi.

The two arrived at a shrine outside of that great city, where Basho Genji suddenly halted and set upon mixing the components of the spell. Once completed and cast, the spell exploded in a blinding flash. Asoka had stared straight into it!

"Genji?" There was no answer. He stood and wandered off, hoping to find help. Instead, he inadvertently stepped into a portal and found himself sloshing through swampland.

After many nights of searching, Kikuchi Kentaro and Ma Zhirui found the dirty, blind monk. They tended to him with great compassion, healing his wounds and giving him water to drink. As he recovered his wits, Asoka began to tell the tale of what he had seen.

The two led Asoka into Yanshi, to the inn there, to recover. Asoka's spirits rose visibly as his sight began to return, but the scene was tainted by the unknown fate of Basho Genji. Anangikage soon joined the group and the three left Asoka to recover. They headed for Shoushi.