Two dragons, one is false (Shen(蜃)), the other is disgraced (Gonami-Takadono(御波 樓)), sit on a veranda of the shrine. These two seemingly knew of each other's existence for a very long time, as such there is no aggression between the two, but no "beginner hospitality" either.
"Tell me your tale, Heibao(黑寶)." The disgraced dragon asked. The clam was shocked. Not only did this bastard kill their friend and force them into silence, but he also knew their old name, a name they didn't use in over millennia. It was a name given by their parents, it meant "black treasure" thanks to their natural ability to produce black pearls, which is considered rare by clam standards. The clam looked at the dragon with stupefaction and demanded the answers.
"I was investigating your case of forgery back in the day, simple as that." Great, their nemesis also turns out to be their pursuer. The clam looked at the dragon with disdain and the dragon sighs.
"I wasn't expecting to find *you* here. And I wasn't too invested in this case either. It was just something to do before I went into exile. And I thought you would feel at least a little bit appreciated if I mentioned your real name."
"Exile? So those people weren't your cohorts or something?"
"... I doubt you'll feel any sympathy towards me now, nor do I need it frankly. I just want you to be the person who shares this burden with me given that we're both disgraced sea dwellers."
While clam couldn't care less for the serial murderer, it wanted to hear what the dragon has to say. It might be as close to the dragon's life experience as they will get. The clam gave their sign of approval and the dragon took a deep breath. This tale was told only to a handful of beings, beings that are very close to them such as his envoy Osen, but for an odd reason, the dragon felt like sharing his story with the clam. Maybe that way, he would show to the clam that he is truly sorry for what has transpired back then.
"At first, let me ask you a question: what kind of dragon do you think I am?"
"Wani."
"... I guess it's partially true. In actuality, I'm actually Mizuchi."
"Mizuchi, the hell is that?"
"It was a tribe of fresh-water dragons that hunted people. To appease us, the human sacrifices were held so we wouldn't flood us. It was alright until the Buddhists came and we were exterminated en masse. I was one of the lucky few who escaped this fate by escaping into the ocean; but that meant I must adapt to the Wani lifestyle which prohibited killing. I wasn't upset at this change, but I had witnessed the ugly face of Wani society. While they present themselves as pacifists, in actuality they just don't want to get their hands dirty, as such employed the lower ranking sea creatures as their pawns and guards; the real Wani warriors were rare, and those who are the real deal and not a bunch of gloaters are even rarer. Even during your case, I was the only one of the investigation team who tried moving the case forward."
"You said that you weren't interested in my case though" the clam hissed a bit and the dragon fumbled a little with his words.
"These dragons were more upset about the crime itself, rather than delivering "justice" if you could call it that. That's another thing that I noticed with Wani society - the criminals were always low sea creatures; and even if there were Wani criminals, they would usually sweep it under the rug, as to not ruin their "pristine" image. I thought our bloodthirsty ways were awful, but I would rather live with a monster than a hypocrite."
Of course, the dragon noticed that he is making the situation a bit worse with his wording. He is self aware enough to realise his own hypocritical actions during his reign as a god and he knows that he isn't on the best of terms with the clam. He let the clam glare at him for half a minute and continued
"Eventually, despite my superiors' orders, I decided to visit the outskirts of the capital. This is when I saw the reality of sea life. Many are being devoured alive, some are scraping for food, and others are drafted for sea armies of numerous Wani to use against each other. Seeing elderly and children being routinely abused by these harsh conditions made me feel sick. And so I rebelled against them. By that I meant I was exiled"
"So you saw what *I* had to go through."
"Yes. At first I thought that such blatant forgery should be punished, but seeing clams be exploited for their pearls by forcing parasites into their bodies - I can imagine how lucky you were to escape such fate, with your talent to create illusions and whatnot."
"... I still resent them for what they did to my family. While I was flaunting my falsified lifestyle, I saw a glimpse of clams being used as pearl producers. Their shells were severely damaged, almost rotten; and the rate of pearls was abnormally high - they continuously would vomit them. That day some of your folk noticed something was off and I still won't forgive them for even thinking that was okay." The dragon felt that the clam felt sick from thinking about it, so he rerails the conversation.
"Turns out the life on the surface isn't that great either, in fact it was largely the same as the sea; so I decided to become a thing that would make both people and sea creatures fear approaching me - a pirate."
"Huh."
"I gathered many outcast yokai and humans towards my crew in hopes of creating a new society and we set sail. We would rob ships that were in our way, but it was a necessity to ensure our survival. It wasn't the ideal lifestyle, but we had each other to cheer us on."
Clam would've raised an objection, but given that it was no better, it fell silent.
"And then... I saw the nostalgic view of the capital. Even if I left the capital on bad terms, I still had so many fond memories as well. My friends, some of my adoptive family members, my first wife... I had to leave them behind. So when I saw it, against the advice of my elder crewmates, I sailed towards the capital."
"Thus falling into my trap."
"It was stupefying. To realise that this was all an illusion, I felt ashamed of myself and my daring decision. Some of the optimists on the crew suggested exploring this new island in search of people or supplies, so we started traversing it, feeling that it was. However, I could feel that the island was alive, and to not endanger my crew even further I had to do something quick."
"..."
"I used my lifespan to liven the land and to these people - I looked like I performed a great miracle. My crew cherished me, and so I established the island of Kirishima, thanks to your fog."
"Hmph."
Both of them sat in silence. Like the dragon expected, clam didn't drop a slither of sympathy: and why should it. From its perspective, the person who hurt them the most just told their "sappy" story for their pity. Then, the dragon asked them again for their tale. Clam sighed and told the dragon everything.
Their early years as a talented pearl maker, their years of being a devious prankster to a full-blown con-man, their years of exile and comradeship with their beloved friend, their years of isolation and pain, and finally, their years of deceit and defeat. The dragon felt even more horrible for the clam. During their first encounter on the island, he thought of the clam as nothing more than a regular youkai, but now, he realises he met the embodiment of Kirishima itself - the person who truly cursed the island for all eternity. And now, after the truth has been revealed, he wishes that things could've gone differently. Maybe he could've cooperated with these two to create a better society, the one he ultimately failed to do so.
The dragon asked if he could continue to refer to the clam as Heibao, to which it said that it didn't matter - perhaps this name would serve as a reminder of their past. The dragon, relieved, told the clam his real name, the name that he told only a select few people he confided in.
"My name is Mitsuki (美月), glad to make an acquaintance."