[IC] Shrouds of Hatred | | Tundra ♦ QueenofWands

[AlteredTundra]

n the time of the reveal,
All shall make sense.
But for now, just enjoy the ride~

---

There was a moment before they had set off from the grasslands to the mountain that Raiko was worried. Though Aoi and Kage were typically laidback and often acceptive of his usually-lax demeanor and the actions that always followed from it. His biggest worry was when he saw that priestess’ staff start to react when Aoi and Kage approached them. While he had no personal attachment to the girls and would likely not cry over the spilled milk, he didn’t want to see any blood being shed when the situation got a little tense. Thankfully for Raiko’s quick thinking, it was resolved before the problem got worse. The mention of Ryoshi and Kaito was what saved this from turning ugly.

Oh if only that’s where it stopped. Before anything could be done to prevent the next course of action, specifically on Aoi and Kage's part, the two respectively had rendered the trust that Raiko thought he had with these two to nothing but mush. Revealing his name wasn’t the thing that did it, though the one called Ren seemed to be taken by surprise by it. No, what really did it was Kage snatching the staff from her hands and then, of all things, Aoi speaking about eating her.

Raiko hid his actual worry about just how serious they were about that when he looked to the two women. “Don’t worry, it’s just a figure of speech.” Raiko was lying of course. He knew that, while Aoi and Kage liked him and gave him free reign on most things, they never feigned the joy they had out of eating humans. Still, Raiko wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to these two. He wasn't one that offered to bring them to Ryoshi, so they were his responsibility.

The half-demon looked over to Ren’s direction, seeing frozen where she stood. For whatever reason, she wasn’t able to register anything that Raiko had said to her. Whether he repeated her name or waved his hands in front of her, she was lost in her own world. “Ah well, there’s no time for this.”

Letting out a sigh, Raiko scooped her up, supporting her neck and legs with his arms. He was easily able to lift her up and run while she was still in her arms. Whether or not she snapped back into it wouldn’t matter because the distance that Raiko’s own speed allowed him to cover had them arrive at the base of the mountain within a minute. It didn’t take much longer than another twenty seconds for Raiko to catch up to Kage and Aoi as they reached the top of the mountain where the Shadow Serpents all resided. And though the return of Raiko and Ryoshi’s top demons was a welcomed sight, Raiko saw nearly instantly the vile snickering the others had when they caught the scent of humans.

Raiko glared at all of them, his eyes glaring red. “If you want them, you’ll have to go through me.” He declared, firmly putting them on notice.

That seemed to set them straight. Raiko could hear Aoi and Kage laughing, though they didn’t comment. Instead, the group traversed a few minutes away from the common area of the mountaintop to where Ryoshi was always at. Unlike before, however, Raiko noticed that Ryoshi wasn’t drunk. On top of that, he didn’t appear to be happy, specifically with Raiko.

“So what’s this I hear about you interacting with the humans, Raiko?”

“Now before you lose your shit, maybe just hear me out.”

“I gave you one rule. You are to not interact with them. Did I not make this clear when we took you in?”

“Now hold on just a--”

“And here I thought you had it in you. I thought you would be loyal to those who looked after you.”

“WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME, YOU ASSHOLE!” At that moment, a massive pulse of demonic energy came from Raiko’s body, flaring up a deep red color, the shape of a dragonic-like spirit hovering three feet above him.

“Is this really how you want to play it, Raiko?” Ryoshi stood up, the demon revealing its form to be a humanoid demon of humanoid size. He had pale white skin with a scaly skin, though it wasn’t nearly as bad as Aoi. His was subtle. He had white hair and wore a dragon skin pelt over his head.

As soon as Ryoshi took a step forward, his own demonic aura flaring up, easily outweighing Raiko’s. The sudden move by Ryoshi had caused Raiko to stand his ground, but inside he wasn't prepared to fight Ryoshi right here and now. It had seemed that Aoi and Kage were thinking the same as they would prepare to back up, their feet sliding backwards against the dirt. It did seem as though the two were about to fight, but Ryoshi’s aura disappeared as soon as he saw Kaito next to Aoi. “My Kaito! You’ve come to me!”

“Well if you would have listened to me, I would’ve told you we brought her to you,” Raiko commented, scoffing.

Ryoshi had completely ignored Raiko and ran past him, picking up Kaito in a loving embrace.

Meanwhile, Raiko looked over at the priestess. She didn’t seem to be out of her daze. “You okay over there?” Raiko asked her, snapping his fingers in front of he rface, hoping to get her attention.

[QueenOfWands]

恋 清水

☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷
☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲ In the cherry blossom's shade there's no such thing as a stranger. ☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷
☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷

❦❀┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈❀❧

Everything seemed to rush by Ren so quickly, as the demon scooped her up and began to rush them to the mountain. At first, Ren gasped and clutched onto the front of the demon’s shirt. She felt as if she were flying, and if he dropped her, she would go plummeting to her death. However, they weren’t far from the ground. And it wasn’t due to the height that her hair was whipping around- it was due to the rushing of the air past them. He was running no- jumping across the ground, and with such ease of carrying her. She felt as if she was going to be sick, from the sudden and quick movements. But in a few seconds they had stopped at the base of the mountain, catching back up with Aoi and Kage. Looking towards Kaito, Ren noticed that she didn’t seem worried at all. She was very brave for a village girl. Anyone else would be kicking and screaming from being whisked away by these demons. Did this mean she trusted them? Ren’s guard was still up. She didn’t know anything about these demons, and she didn’t know if she should blindly trust them like Kaito was. All Ren knew, was at the earliest possible moment, she would have to steal back the Chowa.

Just when Ren thought she was safe, she could feel her body being lifted into the air, as the demon continued to lift her, this time scaling the side of the mountain. Ren had to keep her eyes fixated on the demon in front of her to avoid looking at the ground. Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look… She chanted repeatedly in her head. Instead, she decided to focus her gaze on the demon that carried her. His messy silver hair, his pale eyes, his mischievous grin. A warmth seemed to erupt in the bit of her stomach, and it caused Ren to tense slightly. Why was she getting these weird feelings around him? Why did his arms feel so familiar? And why did she feel… safe?

That feeling of safety seemed to drain away though once Ren’s eyes landed on the dozens… hundreds… if not possibly thousands of demons that sulked around at the top of the mountain. Ren’s eyes darted to Kage ahead, who was still carrying her staff. She needed to get it quickly, though Ren’s breathing practically caught in her throat from the demon’s statement. It was rather protective. Odd, why did he care what happened to them? It was a lot more compassion than Ren was expecting from any demon, almost as if there was a bit of humanity in the young man. Reaching the top of the mountain, Ren was able to stand on her own feet again, but remained close to the young demon’s side. With his earlier statement, she figured it was probably in her best interest not to stray too far from his side at the moment. A booming voice practically caused Ren’s spirit to jump from her skin. Coming from who she could only imagine was Ryoshi. Ren stepped away slightly from the two, as Ryoshi and the younger demon seemed to go back and forth with one another.

But Ren’s eyes remained locked on the demon, Ryoshi. She instantly recognized that face, that body, those hands as they reached out to embrace Kaito. Almost in an instance, the entirety of that one day whisked through Ren’s mind. The temple, Tanaka, the demons, “The Boy” echoing through her head. The boy… her best friend. Ren could feel the immense power radiating from the young demon and from Ryoshi, but Ren’s eyesight was now blinded by anger, by heartache. It took the young demon snapping in front of her face to bring her back to the moment. In seconds, Ren charged at Kage, ripped back the Chowa into her own hands, and pointed her staff at Ryoshi. “I banish you, Demon Ryoshi!” Ren screamed at the top of her lungs. A bright aurora surrounded the Chowa, and launched forward towards Ryoshi. “Ren! No!” Kaito moved quickly standing in the path of the light shooting from the Chowa, deflecting it away. Ren winced slightly as the power was sucked back into the Chowa in her hands, almost pushing her back. Damn. The Chowa had no effect on humans. Especially not one good enough to defend a demon from an exorcism. “Ren! How could you?? Have you really judged Ryoshi to be evil after he embraced me?”

Ren clutched the Chowa tighter, keeping her angry eyes locked on Ryoshi. “This isn’t about the village anymore. This is personal!” Ren took a deep breath, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “Ten years. Ten years ago, you stole from me the most precious person in my life. My best friend. All these years, I looked forward to the day I would banish you soul… for stealing my best friend, Raiko! You-” But Ren couldn’t get out the rest of the words as both Kage and Aoi moved towards Ren, trying to pry the Chowa from her hands again. But Ren wouldn’t let them take it so easily this time, and she resisted. But just as soon as they charged her, she soon felt Aoi and Kage back up, as Ryoshi lifted his hand, signaling for them to move away. As they did, Ren began to take her stance to send another attack towards Ryoshi. But, he was faster, quickly wrapping his massive, dark clawed hand around Ren’s neck and lifting her off the ground. She couldn’t breathe, and she instantly dropped the Chowa to the ground, lifting her hands to Ryoshi’s firm grip to try and lift her neck to breath. “I thought I recognized you.. and that damned little wand of yours.” Ryoshi’s voice boomed, his eyes looking over the young priestess. Kaito had take a few steps back, obviously feel the anger radiating from Ryoshi.

“You are not from the village of Ryoshi. You are from Seiki. And a priestess at that. An apprentice no doubt to that damned Tanaka. Tell me… Ren Shimizu. Did you really think you could banish my soul to hell, when even the experienced, old hag Tanaka couldn’t?” Ren gasped for a second. How did he know her full name? Ren struggled, kicking her legs to try and break from the grip, but her physical strength was that of a fly compared to a behemoth. Ryoshi’s grip tightened slightly, eliciting a yelp from Ren. “Ryoshi! Don’t hurt her! Let her go!” Kaito hurried towards Ryohsi, wrapping her own arms around his forearm to get him to bright down his arm. “Ryoshi, please! Don’t ruthlessly kill her. Spare her life!”

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[AlteredTundra]

Reunited at last.
And it feels oh-so-good.

---

For the amount of time it had taken Ryoshi to speed past Raiko and embrace the human girl, Kaito, it had taken just as much time for the loving, if not uncomfortable (for Raiko), moment to dissolve and devolve into a dire situation. It was only due to the Priestess, Ren, suddenly pointing her staff at Ryoshi, declaring something that hit Raiko like a ton of bricks coming down from the sky and hitting their mark. Everything she said from the village she was from to how Ryoshi had taken her best friend from her. At first, Raiko was confused. What did she mean? Was there some other person she knew that was from Seiki who Ryoshi and the others might’ve taken without Raiko’s knowledge?

And then she said it. Well, not it. She said his name. He never gave her his name. The only time it was ever uttered was when Aoi said it out of habit. So how did she know it and why did it seem like she knew him? Better yet, why was Raiko overcome with such strong emotions about her and about her actions towards Ryoshi and the others?

“I don’t--”

Raiko’s head started to pound and pound, his vision pulsating, flashing between the present and the past. As each flash got increasingly quicker, the vividness of the same image as before: the sight of a cherry blossom tree in the center of some village and the sight of what was once a blurry, young girl, sitting high up on a branch; except this time around, she wasn’t blurry. As clear as the cherry blossoms around her were, Raiko saw her. She was, at that age, pretty and regal. Her dark hair tied up in a traditional bun and her smile pure and innocent. And as he looked up, the lips the smile was created from said a single word. And at that same moment, Raiko heard the same word being uttered as if he his consciousness was in both past and present.

”Raiko!”

This one word changed everything for Raiko. He gripped his head so tight that he let out a screeching yell, his demonic energy bursting around him. The bright, deep red aura from before had returned, but this time it was organized and precise. It fed off of Raiko’s emotions, which were now focused on Ryoshi, taking the demon by surprise as a burst of energy took the shape of a dragon claw, forcing Ryoshi back about three feet, effectively removing his grip upon Ren’s neck.

"Master!" Kage and Aoi said in unison, rushing to his side, though the surprised looks on their faces were more about who did it.

“Raiko..why?”

When their eyes met Raiko’s, he had Ren in his arms, resting her staff in her own arms. “Because I finally remembered who this woman is. I just hate that it took so long,” Raiko said to Ren, looking into her eyes. “I am sorry, Ren. I couldn’t go to the village because I was protecting you from them, but that is no longer necessary.”

Raiko had directed his full attention on Ryoshi and the others. From what he saw, he knew they were still in a state of shock, though Ryoshi seemed more amused than anything else. “Here I was beginning to wonder when you’d finally grow that pair you were so full of when we took you from that village.” Ryoshi stood up, dusting himself off, looking over to Kaito. “They needn’t worry from me, my darling. As far as I am concerned, they do not matter to me anymore."

“They aren’t?” Aoi looked surprised as he glanced towards Ryoshi’s way.

“Did I stutter?”

“N-no, master. But what about the priestess and how she was going to banish you?”

Ryoshi knew that Aoi had more than those words for him, but when the demon looked at Aoi, the blue-scaled demon saw the look of fear in Ryoshi’s eyes. The amount of pressure exerted from him was enough to make even the strongest demons submit to his will.

“i-I’m sorry for questioning you, Master.”

Ryoshi decided to ignore Aoi and Kage, choosing to only focus on the smoke from the distance. “You better hurry or you might not be able to save that village of yours.”

Confused, Raiko was wondering what he meant. Only when he turned around and saw what Ryoshi was looking at did Raiko see what he meant. The smoke in the distance and sight of flying demons from the Desert Wastelands opposite of where Serpent Mountain was were hovering over Seiki. What was even worse, fires raged throughout the village.

“What’s happening over there?”

“What indeed. You better go, Raiko. And remember. This is where our partnership ends. Come this way again and you will have no mercy.”

Though he was livid at Ryoshi, Raiko had more pressing concerns than just what Ryoshi just said. He had to leave with Ren, though he would stop himself for a minute. “Kaito, you better stay here. I imagine Ryoshi won’t hurt you,” Raiko at Ryoshi, “right?”

“My beloved is safe with me. And as soon as she wishes it, we will send her home with Aoi here. Now, go, Raiko! Go save your village.”

There was a sense of acceptance and even some respect between the two. Raiko knew he would have to return to the mountain at some point. He didn’t know when or if it would be wise of him to do so, but something Raiko knew was that, if he did return, it would be a fight nobody would ever forget.

And so he left. With Ren in his arms, they went down the mountain.

Meanwhile, when they left and Kaito was sent with Kage to get her fed, Aoi stood next to Ryoshi. They watched Raiko travel down the mountain like proud fathers of their son. “Hard to believe he’s all grown up.”

“That he is.”

“Are you sure it was not to tell him who is really behind all of this?” Aoi asked Ryoshi.

“He wasn’t ready to know the truth, Aoi. I’m sure he’ll figure it out sooner or later.” Ryoshi was confident of this.

Aoi wasn't so sure about that. “How do you know?”

“When he finds out the truth about his father, he’ll have questions that only we can answer. After all, that’s the least I can do for my younger brother.”

[QueenOfWands]

恋 清水

☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷
☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲ In the cherry blossom's shade there's no such thing as a stranger. ☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷
☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷

❦❀┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈❀❧

Feeling the air re-enter her lungs, Ren took several deep breathes, coughing and trying to regain her focus. It was as if he had cut off all blood flow to her head. Her attention was slowly coming back, and she could feel the warm embrace of someone’s arms, and the feeling of something in her own arms. The Chowa, she recognized it as she took a firm grasp of the staff. And the warmth… Raiko? She could feel the tears forming in her eyes again. She was so blinded by her need for revenge towards Ryoshi, she had completely missed this whole time that the mischievous young demon was… Rakio. She felt foolish and embarrassed by it all, no very much like a priestess.

Then ren felt it, the rushing, surging energy that was flowing out of Raiko. Normally it would threaten and scare Ren, but for some reason she felt safe in it. No, not some reason- she knew exactly why. It was the protection of her best friend, and Ren finally had him back, after all this time. It felt as if she didn’t even have a minute to embrace him, and enjoying being reunited with him when Ryoshi mentioned the village, and both Ren and Raiko turned their attention towards the billowing cloud of smoke in the distance. Ren could feel her heart sinking in her chest, as her hand shot up to the dragon tooth that hung around her neck. That was her village. That was Seiki in the distance.

Nothing needed to be said, as Ren kept a strong grip on Raiko as to not fall from his arms. Though now, she felt as if he wouldn’t just suddenly drop her, that she was cemented to his body. But her concern rested on the village. Had it been a mistake for her to leave? Should she have stayed a few more days? She may not have been able to find Raiko then but, at least she would have been doing her duty? Speaking of which, she only felt more disappointed in herself. Her whole life destiny was to banish out the demons of Japan, and already she had only banished out a lesser, animalistic demon. She has already encountered an army’s worth in a single day, and couldn’t do anything about it. Her hand moved to her neck, still feeling Ryoshi’s lasting grip on it. She didn’t want to return to be a disappointment to Tanaka. But at the same time, as they drew closer and the smell of smoke from burning buildings intensified, she knew she had to be here.

At the entrance of the village, Ren jumped from Raiko’s arms and charged in, staff at the ready. A few of the village’s men had their swords and spears drawn. All of them looked really scuffed up, and one by one it seemed their faces lit up at the arrival of Ren. “Ren! Than goodness you have returned! The village is under attack by a large demon!” One of the men shouted, Ren could feel the Chowa radiating energy. Something was close, and it was big. “Where is Taiki and Tanaka?” Ren demanded and the villagers pointed in the direction of the nearby woods.

“They both chased the demon into the woods, just before you arrived. You must hurry. They are both severely injured.” Ren could feel her heart racing in her chest, full of worry for both Tanaka and Taiki in the woods, turning towards Raiko, the tears continuing to form in the corner of her eyes. “Raiko, let’s go!” Ren yelled back, charging into the forest without much of a second thought. Little did she know, she was about to charge right into the demon’s own trap.

Tanaka and Taiki stood in the center of the woods, Taiki brandishing swords in both his hands and Tanaka holding her own personal staff. One much weaker than the Chowa, but still not something to laugh at. The two were panting heavily, several cuts and lacerations across their arms, legs, faces, and chests. Tanaka was using the staff to support her weight. Without it, she would have already collapsed. “Don’t give up on my now Priestess Tanaka. You know I can’t banish out this thing. I can only hold it off for so long.” Taiki winced slightly, feeling the blood rushing from many of his wounds, especially from a large cut going across his chest. Tanaka began to shake and fell to her knees, shaking her head. “I can’t, Taiki… I’m so sorry…” Taiki glanced over his shoulders at Tanaka as she fell to the ground, at the same time, he heard rustling through the branches, and he charged past Tanaka.

“Die demon!” He raised both his swords, but rather than a demon appearing from the trees and brush, Ren appeared, wielding the Chowa. It was giving off more intense energy to the closer she moved in on the circle, and Taiki froze up seeing her, taking in a sharp breath, his eyes not leaving the dragon tooth hanging around her neck. He only hoped it would be enough to protect her. For the first time ever, Ren saw an emotion across Taiki’s face. Though it wasn’t a smile or laugh as she had always hoped. This time, it looked like pure fear. “Ren… Ren! It isn’t safe here. Go back to the vill-“ But his cry was cut short as something pounced from the other side of the field. A short demon, with hair like flames and burning red eyes, charging towards the group. In his hand he wielded a sword that was encased in flames, a demonic, evil grin spreading on his lips. “Finally! The great True Priestess has arrived to save her home and family. A little too late, don’t you think, Priestess?” The demon raised his sword, bringing it down on Ren. She threw up her Chowa, holding it in both hands to block the slash of an attack. Ren couldn’t hold off the attack much longer, as her physical strength was weak compared to her spiritual. But she locked eyes with the demon, trying to push him away. “How dare you attack my home! I will personally see to it that you rot in hell!” Ren clenched her teeth, gripping the Chowa tighter to hold him back.

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[AlteredTundra]

You’re going to be my ride or die.
With you till the end.

---

When they had finally arrived in Seiki, Raiko found the moment to be a bittersweet one. In the ten years, he had stepped foot into his home village. He had thought about it, of course. For the first couple of years, he was with Ryoshi and the others, Raiko wanted more than anything to return home and be with the people he had known to be his family. The villagers were the closest thing that Raiko had to family. Even though Ryoshi was the closest thing he had to family, he felt as though it wasn’t what he needed - not at that age, at least. The elders and the villagers who had accepted him were the kind of people that Raiko wanted to be around.

And even now, as he stood next to Ren in Seiki, it wasn’t exactly how he pictured it. When he pictured his grand return after it was safe for him to do so, Raiko imagined he’d be greeted by the villagers and Elder Tanaka and there would be a grand feast with all of his favorites. There would be laughter, smiles, and a joyous energy as they all celebrated the return of Raiko. But...Raiko didn’t expect half of the village to be burned down with bodies of both critically-injured and those who have suffered mild injuries. It was practically a battlefield and Raiko felt guilty that he might’ve caused this for engaging with Ren and Kaito. He felt as though, somehow, he brought this terror to his home.

For a moment, Raiko felt paralyzed by his own regret. “If I had just stayed away, maybe this wouldn’t be happening,” he muttered to himself. Raiko quickly shook those thoughts away when Ren took off towards the forest. Raiko wasn’t far behind her.

As they ran through the forest, Raiko’s senses were overcome by the amount of demonic energy within the immediate area was so intense that it took him a moment or two to finally adjust to it. By the time he had, however, the duo of Ren and Raiko had arrived at the core of where the source of the strong demonic energy was. It was, quite fitting to the situation at hand, that in the middle of the forest, they were met by a strong demon. And what was even worse, the demon seemed poised to attack some human male and the Elder Tanaka. This demon had a flaming appearance. Everything from the skin on its body to the sword it held in its hand, all of it was lit aflame and it even had the temperature to match.

“Ren wait--”

Too late. Without warning, Ren charged forth with her staff in hand.

“Well, at least her courage hasn’t wavered,” Raiko noted aloud, standing next to the injured Elder Tanaka and the human male. Tanaka looked at Raiko warily, though he gave her a smile. “Nice to see you again, old lady.” He snickered, smiling.

“Again? Old Lady--wait. It couldn’t be…”

As much as Raiko would have loved to hear the rest of her thought, there were more pressing concerns. Specifically, Raiko and Ren had that demon with flames all over his body to deal with. Though, as Raiko noticed, Ren was already ahead of him on that front. She charged forward at the same time the demon did and their weapons clashed. Demonic and spiritual energy creating a shockwave of sorts; and though Raiko wanted to help, he saw Tanaka and how she wasn’t doing so well.

“You, human. Take the elder back to te village so she can get the aid she needs.”

“I can’t. I need to stay with Ren. She needs my help.”

“Ren will be fine. The Elder needs help right now!”

The man didn’t know what to do and Raiko knew this guy was afraid of both the demon and how Ren was here.

“Listen, Ren will be okay. I will be here to make sure this demon doesn’t hurt her. The elder needs help or she will die. Do you want that on your conscious?”

Raiko saw the man was stuttering to find the words.

“Goddamn it, man!” Raiko’s demonic energy flared up, though parts of it seeped into Tanaka, closing up the major wound. “That won’t last, but it’ll buy you some time. Now go!”

Without any further words coming from his mouth, the man sheathed his weapon, took Tanaka in his large arms, and ran back towards the village.

After Raiko had seen they were gone, he charged forward to the demon and Ren, both of whom were still locked in a struggle. Raiko unleashed a powerful wave of his demonic energy that flew over Ren’s short frame and hit the demon right in the head and allowed Ren the perfect opportunity to capitalize on it.

[QueenOfWands]

恋 清水

☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷
☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲ In the cherry blossom's shade there's no such thing as a stranger. ☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷
☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷

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Taiki was exceptionally reluctant to leave the presence of Ren. But the silver haired boy was right. Tanaka was not doing good, and she needed to be attended to immediately. However, Taiki had a bad feeling that the only ones who would be capable of attending to the wounds of Tanaka would be herself or Ren. Be safe, Ren… He thought to himself, carrying the warry Tanaka into the village and finding a hut that was not burned to the ground to lay her on a soft bed. Tanaka stirred slightly from the pain, taking in a sharp breath. It was becoming more difficult for her to withstand the pain. “Taiki, go to the temple. Grab two small vials, one pink, one blue, and bring them to me…” Taiki nodded and was quick to his feet, running to the temple. As worried as he was for Tanaka’s safety, it tore deeply in his own chest to have left Ren alone. Well, technically she wasn’t alone. There was that mysterious silver haired boy who was with her… Who was oddly so familiar. Why had Taiki been so quick to trust him?... Who was that boy? Taiki looked up at the sky, where the stars were beginning to scatter the navy sky, as if he could find an answer among them.

With the sun setting, the open field was illuminated by the energy of the two demons. Ren was just feeling the muscles in her arms begin to give up. The demon was too physically powerful to withstand. Damn, if only Taiki were here. He was so powerful, he would be able to push off this demon with ease. However, it was more important that Taiki brought Tanaka into the village. Besides, Ren luckily had the assistance of her long missed, beloved best friend. And, it was Raiko who intervened to knock back the demon on his butt into the field. With the heat of the flaming sword now gone, the air felt cold on her cheeks. The demon looked unconscious and Ren wielded the Chowa, feeling the warmth where the fire sword had just been making contact on the shaft of the staff. “Leave this world, De-“ But before she could finish the statement, or raise her staff to fully point at the demon, he was back on his feet, and seemed to move faster than ever. But instead of wielding his sword, he had his hand open towards her. The nails grew sharp like claws, and there was fire now jumping at the tips of his fingers.

Ren had no chance or reacting. In one swift sweep of the demon’s claws, five slashes sliced through Ren’s upper blouse, and five deep gashes were formed on her upper chest. One of the claws cutting the string to the necklace that Taiki had given her. The fire demon grabbed the dragon’s tooth swiftly, jumping up into the nearby trees and glancing over the artifact. “Yes, this is it! Well, my mission was to retrieve this and terrorize the village. So with that- I say good bye!” And with the swift swinging of the fire demon’s blade, he seemed to vanish in a thick cloud of smoke. Ren fell to her knees, gripping onto the Chowa to hold her up from completely collapsing. Damnit! He got away. Ren moved her hand to her chest, feeling the burning and throbbing pain of the slashes across her chest, the front of her blouse now becoming blood soaked. When she moved her hand from her chest, she could already see her palm soaked with sticky red blood. Her hand gripped the Chowa, feeling her body shaking and tears continuing to form in her eyes.

Tanaka was wrong. Ren was no True Priestess. She had been completely failing her entire life purpose thus far, and now Ren was sure that she was a failure. Lifting her head, she gave Raiko an apologetic look before falling over on the ground passing out.

“If you don’t get out of my face, I will punch you in it.” Ren opened her eyes. The village could be seen in the distance… and it wasn’t in ruins… and it was no longer the middle of the night. In fact, it seemed more like winter time as there was a thin layer of snow across the ground, and everyone around her was wearing thicker clothing. In front of her stood both Taiki and Raiko. Though, not as she had just seen them. They were all younger again, as if 10 or 11 years ago. The village wasn’t destroyed, had that just been all a dream?

“You and what army, Taiki. I can do what I want. And that includes pestering you.” The two younger versions of Taiki and Raiko both seemed to be exchanging glares of death at one another. But something about them being so young seemed amusing to Ren, and she lifted her small hand to her mouth, giggling. She instantly noticed the difference in her voice- she was young once again. But even this didn’t quite feel real. It felt too much like a memory, or maybe even a dream. “You two are silly!” Ren went into a full laugh, and both Taiki and Raiko looked over at Ren, no longer glaring at one another, as a pink blush seemed to dust both their cheeks, although it was less noticeable on Taiki. Yikes, even Taiki’s face was scary in their youth.

“Ren, why do you spend so much time with this jerk?”

“Takes one to know one.” Raikio rebutted, sticking his tongue out at Taiki.

“Stop fighting already! It is freezing out here and I want to get back to the village, inside a house, and warm up by a fire. Can we get a move on already?” Ren went to take a step, but her feet felt as heavy as lead, as if she had been walking all day. Her chest had a weird throbbing pain too, and she moved her hand to her chest.

“Are you tired Ren? Let me carry you on my back.” Taiki began to approach Ren, but Raiko’s hand on Taiki’s shoulder quickly stopped him.

“No, I’ll carry Ren. You’re the one that always brags about being good at fighting. We need you on the defensive if any enemy appears.” Raiko taunted Taiki, stepping towards Ren to allow her to climb on his back. Taiki was quick to step up too, trying to push Raiko to the side.

“You idiot, you know there aren’t any enemies around.” Raiko clenched his teeth at Taiki’s sudden assault and jumped to his feet. “Oh yeah, well you’re looking right at your enemy number one!” And with that, Raiko pounced on Taiko and the two rolled around in the snow, throwing punches and smacks, much like little kids lacking fighting coordination. Ren put her hands to her cheeks in shock and slightly paralyzed. Oh no, what was she going to do with these two? Ren whined, wrapping her arms around herself as if to attempt warming herself against the harsh winter air. “Guuuuys! Stop fighting!!”

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