Ginko’s wanderings are driven off course when he comes across a strange sound echoing through the frozen mountains. Following the source back to a village, there he finds the people plagued with a rust that all can feel but none can see. As the Mushi Master investigates the young girl who's been blamed as the source of the curse, he hears a tale of tragic youth from a voice long unused. When the cursed are not to be blamed, it must be the fault of the mushi.