《The Pilgrimage of a Crow》 Chapter 0: Prologue On a particular rocky mountain path flanked by precipitous cliffs, the sound of footsteps could be heard. The wind flows heavily, making the wailing sound of a newborn child. The mountain path was full of rocks and dusts, adorned by many rock pillars, slowly eroded by the passing wind. Churning and billowing fog obscuring the sight of people who come to pass. On this desolate road, the cold temperature with the sinister ambiance gave a spine -chilling sense to whoever came to this place. Tap..tap..tap.. On one side of the cliffs, there''s a flight of stairs seemingly formed by nature itself. Two men were seen descending the stairs with one in front and the other following. The man in front was bald old man wearing a monk''s robe, his feeble old hand carrying a lantern as the only source of light for them in this ill-lit path. His tired old eyes were half-closed, full on vicissitudes of life seemed struggling, reluctant to continue on this journey yet there''s also a hint hopelessness in them. The man in the back was a middle aged man in his thirties wearing a dark-gold silk robe with a simple decoration of red daffodils knitted on the sleeves. There''s a simple sword strapped on his waist with daffodils crest on the sheath. The man has bold and charismatic aura, his eyes shown his nature as a brave and strong willed person even though he looked tense and unease, it didn''t affect his handsome face. Silence accompany their descending journey, the both of them seem to have their own thought. When they reach to the bottom of the stairs, the middle-age man finally speak. "Old monk, how much longer? We need to arrived before dawn" The monk keeps walking in front, still looking up ahead replied with a weak, helpless voice "Not much longer my lord, please use this time to think it through". "I have, that''s why I''m here. No need to persuade me any longer Old Monk, I have made up my mind." His eyes flashed with hints of hesitation but quickly replaced with vehement resolution. Hearing the reply, the old monk can only sigh and keep walking. Silence once again descended on their journey. Walking to their destination, they see many human skeletons still wearing clothes albeit tattered, undoubtedly the original owner of the skeletons had died a long time ago. The puzzling thing was, a lot of this skeletons were in the pose of kneeling, kowtowing or praying with their hands clapped together as if they died while worshipping to something. The middle-aged man warily looked around. His hand unconsciously tighten the grip on his sword. He put on his full attention on their surrounding, with limited visibility and sinister ambiance, his caution that were ingrained to his body kicked in. "I thought this place is long deserted by the people. It''s been more than a hundred years since it''s closed off to public. Looking at the skeletons, they haven''t died for more than 20 years." he said "Even though this place had been closed for a hundred years, the story of this place passed on as legend and still lingers in people''s mind, many still believe in ''them'' and the power ''they'' hold. The people who reluctant to enter Samsara and had lived a life full of bad deeds, they came here and curse the Heaven for their miserable life, casting of their humanity to seek ''their'' blessing instead and bargaining for their life. Of course, these people never have their wish fulfilled" The Old Monk keeps walking steadily, as if this disturbing sight didn''t affect him. After walking for several minutes they arrived at a wider area. Here the fog greatly diminished, improving their visibility. The sight that greets them shocked the middle aged man, while hopelessness and resignation overwhelms the Old Monk. The Old Monk knew the he can''t change the middle-aged man''s horrifying decision anymore. With only a lantern as source of light, they can see what''s in front of them. There was a massive red gate, made of 2 large red pillars and 3 beams on top of it. There is no door on the gate, instead there is white thick rope connecting the 2 pillars. In front of the gate, there is a small dilapidated old cottage that were broken-down by time. But it was not the gate nor the cottage that shocked them but the mountain wall with a huge entrance behind the red gate. The entrance, no, it was more like huge cracks on the mountain wall that leads deep into the mountain itself. It was more than 100 meters in height, but it''s width was only 18 meters or so. The entrance has a sinister aura, and even though they can see the entrance quite clearly, they can''t see anything beyond it. "So this is The Red Gate of Naraka" the sight in front of him brought awe and reverence to the middle-aged man. The old monk suddenly kneels to the middle-aged man, with a loud thud, his knees falls to the ground followed by his head. "Lord Yakumo, we have served this country for hundreds of years, we in our best of capabilities always act for the best interest of this nation and its people. It is my duty to once again to dissuade you from your choice, ''they'' will bring misery and suffering unto your people as it had a hundred years ago." he begged. "Old Monk, our people already fell into misery and suffering. Disasters befell our land, disease plagued our people, crops withered, the men dying in flames of war, women taken both body and soul, the old lived in despair and the children die in terror. What I''m about to do is not choice, is necessity. If this continues on, our country will cease to exist. I''m not going to let this country that has been passed to my family for generation to perish in my hand." His eyes burned with stubbornness, the resolution in his heart keep getting stronger and stronger.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Hearing that the old monk didn''t raise his head with a soft sigh he said "We are bound by oath and our loyalty has demanded, to guide our Lord when they are astray even if it means defying our Lord''s orders." The old monk slowly raised his head, with concern and anxiety filled his heart he continued "The old clan ancestor has tasked us with this, so my deepest apologies My Lord, although I brought you here, I can''t help you anymore" "I know" the middle-aged man replied, unfazed by the statement of the old monk. "I even know the monks had burned the book of Nine-Ring Seal, but it doesn''t matter" The old monk was taken aback. ''if he knows about us burning the book of Nine-Ring Seal, then why he still insists to come here? Does this mean they have a way? the rumors are true?'' he wondered. Following his line of thought the old monk was aghast, fear and despair overcome him and by the progress of the situation he can no longer change it. Looking at the monk, the middle-aged man were filled with complex emotion. "Old monk, you''ve been a teacher all my life, you are more of a father to me than my real father. I''m sorry to disappoint you and I''m sorry.." They looked at each other and they can see from each other''s eyes, the unconditional love of a father, the ever-present respect of a son. The old monk looked at the middle-aged man with warmth, tenderness and pride. As he was looking at the middle-aged man, he can''t help but recollecting their joyous past as a family. But his thought were suddenly interrupted by a sudden pain in his neck and he slowly shift his eyes downward only to be stunned by the sight of a bloodied steel. It was inconceivable, never past his mind that he would die in this place and the hands that doom him were of this man in front of him, the one he prized, cared and loved. The sword was swiftly pulled and followed by gush of blood. The monk struggled, using every strength he had to focus on his eyes to see the face of his killer, but the face was overlapped by an innocent face of a kid with wonder and puzzlement on his eyes. As his consciousness quickly fade away there''s only one thing that he keeps hearing. "I''m sorry" The steel shook, blood dripped to the ground. The middle-aged man looked like nothing happen yet his face was wet by tears and his breath were ragged as if he was gasping for air. but quickly he closed his eyes and calm himself down, after a few seconds he were back to his normal self. He quickly reach for the dead monk and start searching for his ''mala''. When he got it, he quickly held the monks body and soak the mala with blood gushing from the wound. After the mala was soak through and through, he put it around his clasped hand* and start walking to the cottage. When he''s inside, he sit down with his hands still clapped together. As blood dripping to his hand from the mala, he keeps chanting some protection mantra. After some time, his eyes suddenly open and he pulls apart the mala scattering the beads around the floor. He quickly put his hand together again, and still in sitting position. "With this blood as medium, let my voice through and be heard. Under 108 tainted Fruits of Earth, you are protected. Come, come, come into light children of Mara." After shouting those words he stilled waiting for something to happen but the atmosphere are deadly still. After a while, he starting to get anxious, his brows furrowed and sweat starting to appear on his forehead. Even though he has utmost confidence in the ritual, after looking at the result he can''t help but feel dejected. Just as he''s trying to get up to inspect his surrounding his eyes caught something. The scattered beads on the floor started moving while making no sound. They gathered together and forming a circle, the blood that soaked the beads were slowly separated and forming intersecting lines and the intersecting points is in the center of the gathered beads. Slowly a fire appear at the intersecting point, it was blue and beautiful like the color of frozen lake shined by moonlight. All of this happened silently without sound. "It works, It goddamn works. Our time has come, it has come" The middle-aged man heaved a sigh of relief seeing the blue fire. But just as he wants to start talking, he noticed he can''t make or hear any sound. "What the hell is going on" he thought. The ritual works but the outcome is not like how he predicted. How is he supposed continue and ask for their help like this? While he was stunned, the blood line starting to diminish as it was consumed by the blue fire. He swiftly make his decision, grabbing the sword at his side and cut his arm drawing blood from it. Using his blood, he started to write. "I ask for your help" he wrote. The blue fire suddenly jumped on the writing startling the middle aged man and knocked him down. It scorched the blood to nothing. The flame flickered slightly after consuming the blood writing. The flame make no sound nor any writing, but the middle-aged man keeps looking at it intensely and he rejoiced. It turns out ''they'' will answer his question by showing it in the flame. After looking at the fire for a while the man started writing again. "Power" The flame consumed it again while the middle-aged man stare at the flame with a zealous look, but quickly his face changed. After seeing the answer, he start contemplating for a few seconds and made up his mind. "It will be one way or another" he thought. Then he wrote "The seal breaking method?" The fire pounced on the writing again, it suddenly turned bigger and violent. The blood lines that were acting as fuel were consumed by the flame at a great speed and quickly diminishing. The man focused on the flame trying to remember every single detail it manifest. A horrified look appeared on his face as he can''t believe the scene that he was seeing in the fire. He quickly dipped his finger with blood and wanted to start writing again but the blue fire exploded suddenly as all of the blood lines were consumed. When the fire in the center was extinguished, the 108 beads lit up at the same time with the same blue fire burning it to nothing not even ash were left. The room was quietly still as if everything that just happened is an illusion. The man didn''t leave the room and stayed for a few hours. Although the fog is thick the sunlight can still illuminate this place, it was morning when the man finally decided to get out of the cottage. When he walked out he did notice the body of the old monk were nowhere to be seen but it didn''t even slowed him down. When he walked out of the mountain path and ascending the stairs his steps were no longer heavy but firm and steady instead. His hands on his back were clenched tightly, his eyes filled with wild ambition and his face was plastered with a smile. A sinister smile. Chapter 1: The Travelling Boy The fragrance on the air after a heavy rain are somewhat unique, the earthly bitter smell of watered grass and dampen dust has a particular effect of calming one''s mind. The sun just barely escaped from the clutch of the dark clouds, forming pillars of light that try to make its way to the ground. Some of those light has to struggle not to be blocked by the reddening leaves in this forest that are largely made up by chinquapin trees. On a road that cuts this forest in half can be seen a puddle of murky water, clearly the sign of rain in this place not too long ago. The usual white noise that can be found when travelling by the forest that made up by birds, insects and alike are not present, likely they are still hiding and sleeping in wherever nests they have. The only sound on this road are made by a pair of straw sandal-strapped feet and a wooden staff belong to quite a tall and large figure wearing a priest-like black outer robe. The figure is wearing a bamboo hat on his head that clearly large enough to shelter him from the nauseating-sunlight in the summer and the rude biting of autumn''s rain, or even the soft gentle touch of the cold falling snow in winter''s time. The multi-purpose hat was designed in a round shape to cover his face so he can incur the curiosity of passerby that sees him. "A dangerous man" usually that was the thought that passed people''s mind when they see him ¡ª well that and "He''s ugly", but there''s also people who thinks he''s the combination of both. In this turmoil times when war ravages the country, it is common to find disfigured person on the street. Most of these people were ex-soldiers that desert the army ranks and roamed around as bandits terrorizing people and pillaging villages. Thankfully the lack of blade on his person help lessen people''s caution. Maybe it''s because of the rain but the road is desolate of travelers and even though it isn''t big, this road clearly enough to accommodate high traffic. The only person on this road is the black robed man in quite a wretched state. His clothes look bedraggled because of the rain and the black socks on his foot was stained by the mud. He walks slowly almost limping clearly exhausted by this journey, he might''ve pass out on the road side if not because of the staff providing balance and the beautiful sight of establishments with a plaque in clear writing ¡ª Restaurant & Lodge. Because of each villages and cities are far away in distance these establishments usually designated towards travelers before reaching their destination, they also to provide logging and refreshment for vagabonds. After walking a few meters he arrived at the establishments with three buildings standing next to each other. The establishments are simple built guest-house and without doors so the traveler can see the inside of the buildings. One of them are two-floored building with the first floor serve as a restaurant, the other one is a store as it displayed many goods that travelers need such as clothes, sandals and other utilities. The last one is a workshop selling various type of metalwares such as blade, knives, even to horseshoe. Although the road were desolate, surprisingly there are a number of people in these establishments with most of them in the restaurant. When the black-figured man entered the restaurant, he attracts the curious gaze of the customer''s in the restaurant with all of them trying to size him up. Without paying attention to all the gaze directed at him, he walks up to a table near the entrance on the left side of the restaurant, sit down and put his staff beside him then proceed to take off his hat. The face that emerged from the hat''s obstruction belong to a young man who probably hasn''t even reach 20. He has a short black hair with light-brown complexion clearly the sign of being baked under the sun during his journey. His worn out dusty face show he just had a long journey, there''s even mud smudged on his left cheek. His brown citrine eyes are lidded because of the assaulting fatigue but even so it still filled with warm amiable glow. He has a soft gentle demeanor on him which actually dumbfounding, because normally there are two types of standard features of vagabonds, the one who were mean-looking, giving out a dangerous vibe and the one called "The undead" with their hollow eyes and deadpan expression. Apart from his pitiful wearied looks, the young boy didn''t appear like a traveler at all, more like a naive stable boy from next door who lived in a peaceful city. The dumb countenance on his face while his eyes darted around the restaurant with his mouth shaping into an "o" and tired eyes makes him come off as the type of person who will get conned in every single journey he''s on. Yup, that type of guy when you sold him into slavery, he will even help you put in chains and convince the customer to buy him. After seeing his appearance and behavior, the watchful gaze of the people in the restaurant disperse immediately as they turn uninterested of the young man, some of them even replaced it with mockery. Finally there''s a middle aged man in his 50s coming in from the back of the restaurant, seeing the young man seating at a table he hurriedly scuttle to his desk with a warm smile plastered on his face. Although he''s a little bit short, he has a broad shoulder and thick neck, his visible forearms are lined up with green veins showcasing his unwaning strength in his old age. He warmly greeted him while putting up a glass of water in the table. "Welcome young sir, do you want to order some food? I guarantee it has good taste and price" the middle aged man ask. "Yes, a bowl of millet, vegetables soup and tea" the young man replied after drinking the provided water. "alright, please wait a moment young sir" "oh boss, may I ask you something, I reckon the Itsuwari Village is around this area? Can you tell me which direction it is?" Just as the owner wants to go to the back to prepare his meal, the young man ask. When the question jumped out of the young man''s mouth, it shocked the room to silence. All of the customer began to stare at him again including the owner. "Y-You want to go to Itsuwari Young sir?" Stammering his words, the question obviously shocked the owner. "Yes, I''ve been traveling for a few days searching for the place" "Actually, I-Itsuwari Village is not far from here. But Young Sir, don''t tell me you haven''t heard the rumors?" questioned the owner with concern. "Rumors?" "Yes, it.." Just as the owner wants to explain something, he was interrupted by a skinny man sitting in a group of four, two rows from the back of the restaurant. "Hey old man, don''t you feel sorry for him, I can see he''s starving already. Why don''t you just go prepare his meal?" The skinny man put up a smirk, the dark circles under his eyes make him appear as sick yet wicked at the same time. He and his companions seems to be in their early 30s and one can tell immediately they are dangerous people by their appearance. The skinny man and two of his companions are not worth mentioning aside from their outfit, they resemble more as a peasant or farmer, but the other one was a man with an eye-catching build. He''s tall with broad shoulder, large and thick back and with two bulky arms that are showcased out of his sleeveless robe which likely he tore it himself. With a big spiked wooden club at his side, he can intimidate any regular person to run at the opposite direction upon first contact. While the big man only wears a sleeveless robe and trousers, the skinny man and two of his companion are wearing a short-sleeve robe and short trousers (kobakama) equipped with armors (d¨­), vambrace (kote) and greaves(suneate) made of leather that decorated with many cut marks mostly made by swords. The three of them have a sword strapping on their waist and one of them even has a bow beside him. Their weapons and half-full armor they wore which probably stolen from the fallen soldiers in battlefield quietly insinuate their profession as mercenary. The owner still insists on explaining further but the glance from the bulky man discourage him to do so. He bow to the young man and quickly step off to the back of the restaurant. After the owner leave to prepare his meal, the young man once again inspecting the restaurant and the all of the customers in it and quickly notice almost all of them are donned with leather armors and carrying swords, knives, bows and other type of weapons. It''s not uncommon to see bands of mercenary on rest area between villages, but for all of the customers to be mercenaries is quite unlikely. The young man quickly realize the situation but still putting up a uncaring expression. While he observed his surrounding, the customers are observing him too but mostly with a cunning look. It was the skinny man who started the conversation with him "Hey kid, you want to go to Itsuwari eh? I know the place" said the skinny man still with his annoying smirk on his face. "Really uncle? if it''s not too much can you tell me where it is?" seem impervious to his scheming mind, the young man nonchalantly replied. "Well it''s a half day walks from this place, if you follow this road you''ll arrive at 3 way intersection, take the right and you''ll arrive at Itsuwari." "Oh so it''s really not that far, thanks for the information uncle" he slightly bowed to the skinny man giving him a smile full of gratitude. Seeing this, some of the customers in the restaurant giving out a light chuckle as if taking delight in the misfortune that about to befall this kid that wet behind the ears. And sure, as if he''s rehearsed it a hundred times, the skinny man giving out a hearty laugh and put up a friendly smile showing his crooked yellow teeth. "Ha ha ha, It''s alright glad I can help, but it just so happens me and my friends here are also heading there. Would you like to join us, we''re leaving at dawn tomorrow? We can share the road together, the more the merrier." The skinny man politely inquired. "Thank you, but uncles seem on an important business there. So I''ll have to decline I''m afraid I''ll just be in the way. I''m sorry uncle." "For your information kid, the road to Itsuwari nowadays are dangerous with a lot of wild animals and bandits between here and there, I heard they even attack travelers who are in groups let alone you who travel by yourself. Let''s travel with us together at least we can take care of each other. What do you say?" he informed the young man, but his tone turned from polite to a mocking one. "Thank you for your concern uncle, but I still have to decline. As for bandits and wild animals I don''t think I''m that unlucky to encounter them." with an innocent smile the young man replied "What a stubborn kid, if you want to let my good intention go to waste then suit yourself" he then continue on sipping his tea after shot him a ridiculed glance. The other customer seem delighted at the fail attempt of the skinny man to invite the young man to his group. The restaurant then return to its previous calmness where they eat and conversing in peace with their own group some of them even leave the restaurant to drop by to the other two establishments including two of the skinny man''s comrades. After a while, the owner come out from the back bringing a tray of food and putting it on the young man''s table. While doing so he stare at the young man as if want to convey something to him but with a long sigh he then drop his intentions of doing so. With the same warm smile he asked "This is the food you order, please enjoy. Is there anything else I can help you with?" "Yes do you have rice cakes? or any other food that suitable for long travel?" the young man take out a wooden box wrapped with white cloth. "and I see the "lodge" sign out there, is there a room available" the young man continue to ask.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "We do have rice cakes, as for the rooms I''m sorry to say that we are fully booked tonight(that there are no more rooms available). Please understand we''re only a small lodge house for passing travelers, we only have a few rooms in the first place" The owner smile apologetically while . "are there any spare rooms? I''ll even take a small storeroom, as long as it''s large enough for resting. I don''t need it for tonight either, I''ll rest for a couple hours and continue on my journey" The young man reply was loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear, and he once again draw the attention of every customers, but now it was accompanied with shock. "For a few hours? you plan on to continue your journey to Itsuwari today? Young Sir, it''s a half day walks from this place to Itsuwari" with widen eyes the owner asked. "Yes that uncle just told me, I have urgent matters in Itsuwari so I''m actually in a hurry, but I need to rest for two maybe three hours. So boss can you help me?"asked the young man with a begging tone. All of the sudden the people in the rooms started laughing and they chimed in on their conversation convincing the owner to help him "Yeah boss help him", "He''s tired boss let him sleep for awhile", "I feel sorry for him why don''t you let him rest in our room then, ha ha ha" The owner still in his shocked state were immediately woken up by the loud roar of the customer''s laughter. He wants to reject the young man''s request but after seeing the determined expression even with his droopy eyes he can''t help but accept it. "he''ll still set out for Itsuwari today. But at least with a little rest he''ll be in a better condition" he figured. After the young man wolfed down his food and the received the wooden box that already filled with rice cakes, they pay a visit to the store next to the restaurant. There are two women at the store, an old lady around 70 years of age with head full of white hair and wearing a green yukata was weaving bamboo into the shape of a basket, while the other one is a plump woman in gray yukata probably in her late 40s cleaning and re-arranging the displayed goods. When the owner bring him into the shop, the middle-aged woman stop her dusting and come forward to greet them while the old lady only spare them a glance then continue weaving the bamboo basket, he then proceeds to introduce them to him. The plump middle-aged woman''s name is Etsuko and it turns out she and the restaurant''s owner were husband and wife, while the old lady is the actual owner of the store and they refer to her as Granny Sae, because of her old age Etsuko helps her from time to time to clean and manage the store. "Granny Sae, could you rent your storeroom for him to rest for awhile? He has urgent business in Itsuwari and plans on going there today." The owner turned to granny Sae. "Itsuwari? Y-Young sir you want to go to Itsuwari, haven''t you heard of the rumors?" it was not granny Sae who replied but Etsuko instead. "Rumors of wild animals and bandits? The uncle in the restaurant told me there''s a lot of them occupying the forest on the road to Itsuwari." "Wild animals? Bandits?" Confusion filled Etsuko''s face and then as if something dawned upon her, she turned to glare at her husband. Feeling the prickly stare of his wife, the restaurant''s owner can only smile sheepishly, "Young Sir, back there because those group of mercenary threatens me, I''m too afraid to inform you about the real situation in Itsuwari, Please forgive me" bowing his head, he apologized to the young man. "The thing that targeting travelers to Itsuwari is not something as simple as wild animals and bandits, but something more infernal ¡ª Demons" the room was silent for a moment after the word demon comes out of Etsuko. "Demons? in the forest near Itsuwari village? How can people be sure it''s not just wild animals?" "Some of Itsuwari''s villagers are reported missing after entering the woods, the first one is around two moons ago. At first they thought he just lost in the woods or maybe went to another village, but from then on more people went missing, after a while they find a human remain on the woods belong to one of the missing person. It put them on alert as they thought there are wild animals on the woods and then decided to do a search. but one night, a group that patrolling the woods were attacked by a bizarre creature, it wrapped and dragged them into the dark of night. The groups survivor told the rest of the villager it was a demon that attacked them, since then the people of Itsuwari never left the village not even to trade with neighboring village" the owner explained with a serious face. "They stayed in the village? then how the rumors of Demons spread then? Boss, don''t tell me you''re from Itsuwari?" "No no no, I''m from Fusa, the neighboring village near Itsuwari, if you follow this road you''ll meet an intersection, if you take the road to the right you''ll arrive at Itsuwari after more than a half-day walks, while the left road is the way to Fusa village. As for the spreading rumors, the last victim was a merchant as it attacked his carriage and he only survives by fleeing with one of his " After hearing all of that from the owner, the young man was silent. He closed his in contemplation. His calm demeanor actually astonished the husband and wife couple, it''s to see a lone traveler and a young one nonetheless to be this composed after knowing their next destination would be w . While the couple were astonished, the old lady has a different feeling, while inspecting him she get a very familiar feeling out of him "If there''s a demon involved, doesn''t it mean the capital will send a team of demon banisher?" The young man opens his eyes "The demon rumors only come up around two weeks ago, how can they already be here? although I''m sure the merchant already reported the case to the capital, It could take a few weeks even a month for them to arrived. That''s why there''s a lot of mercenaries here, they hope to earn some money from Itsuwari by hunting the demon" the restaurant''s owner sighed. Demon Banisher. A title bore by the people who has completed the hellish training to track, hunt and kill demons and purge evil. They are raised, trained and dispatched by the grand temple in the capital to every corner of the country to fight demons and they''re also the only people who officially has the right to do so as commoners and ordinary soldiers are not trained to handle it. But of course, there''s only so much of these demon banisher in the country and they are placed in important cities so they can''t quickly respond to the demon problems in remote areas. Push come to shove, the unfortunate people will hire mercenaries to kill the demons. Most probably, that''s the reason are here for, trying to solve Itsuwari''s demon problem. If they can solve Itsuwari''s demon problem they will be paid a huge sum of money by the villager and if they can''t find it they''ll dressed up some wild animals then present it to the villagers as "demon". Hearing that the young man can only lightly shake his head. "Well, unfortunately for me I have important business in Itsuwari , it seems like I have to be vigilant on the way there, so granny Sae could you please rent your storeroom for me to rest for a while?" He broke out a resigned smile and once again put on his request to Granny Sae. Even after knowing there''s a demon reside in the forest near Itsuwari, he still stubbornly plans on going there. It really displeased Etsuko a little bit as it shows in her face with her furrowed brows. She just wanted to chide the young man, but her husband stops her by pulling her arm then gestured his eyes to the restaurant. Noticing her husband''s serious face and his signal, she discovers some of the mercenaries are looking at them and understands her husband''s intention. Even though she still felt a bit displeased, she choose not to say anything. This little action of theirs doesn''t escape the old lady''s eyes as she sitting quietly and still weaving that bamboo basket of hers. Suddenly she get up and walk toward the back of the store. "Come, even if it''s only a storeroom I''ll charge you the same" she disappears to the back of the store. The young man let out a relived sigh he then pay the restaurant''s owner for the meal he had and gave a quick bow to the couple before following the old lady. After they''re alone, Etsuko once again glare at her husband but he still maintain his serious face. "The mercenaries want to force him to their group as a bait so they can lure the demon out or maybe they want to rob him in the middle of the way. Nevertheless it''s better for us to not interfere and keep out of their business besides we already warned him about the dangers and he still insists on going there." he gave a quick glance to his wife and he walk back to his restaurant. ¡ª¡ª It''s been several hours after the rain stopped, although it still appear a bit glum, the dark clouds slowly but surely starting to clear itself from the sky showing golden blush on the horizon. The fresh wind after an autumn rain breeze past, swaying the grass on the roadside to Itsuwari left and right as if waving their goodbyes to the ones who leave. Currently there was a man clad in black robe with a staff in his hand walking down this road. It was the same young man that stops on the rest area, true to his words he only rests for a couple of hours then depart the rest area to continue on his way to Itsuwari. Not appeared as dirty and tired as before, he has been walking for some time before he was stopped by a voice. "Looks like nobody''s noticed you left" the young man turned around only to see it was the old lady, Granny Sae is standing on the road side with her hands hiding behind her. She was carrying a bamboo basket on her back not sure if it was the same as the one she was weaving before, it is filled with mushrooms, berries and edible plants. "Well, seems like somebody did. Are you foraging in the forest Granny Sae? Must be tough" the smile on the young man still as friendly and amiable as ever. "Be careful kid, a demon is not something to be taken lightly" said Granny Sae with a straight face, ignoring his remark. One of his brow twitched, clearly taken aback by the Granny''s words but of course he try not to shows it. "Yes, well I hope I don''t run into it on my way to Itsuwari" he maintained his usual smile. "I''m not as gullible as those foolish couple, you''re not looking for something in Itsuwari. You''re looking for the demon" the granny gave a light chuckle. "How do you figure?" "Usually if people learns there''s a demon blocking the road to the place they''re heading, they''ll reconsider. They''ll ask if there''s another road or if the nearby villages has the thing they''re looking for. But you ask neither one, instead you ask about the situation around the village for more information." Silent descended them for a moment and after that the young man bursts out laughing. He was dumbstruck, surprised and mostly amazed by the Granny''s perceptivity. It really is the case of experience comes with age. "What''s you name kid?" she walked towards him "Just call me Crow." introduced the young man. Crow. Clearly an alias but she didn''t try to ask further. Granny Sae walked right to his side and stopped, she lift up her head to watch the sky. "When I was a child, I remember there was a man in my village. A monk, but unlike any other monks I know, he was very reserved, a bit cold even, but if anyone are in need of help, he was always willing to lend a hand. But what separates him and the other monks the most is he was never afraid of using violence. He fought off thieves, robbers, bandits and all of the people who likes to cause trouble and he was very good at it. He was our village protector." "He was like you too, a man who travels a lot. Sometimes he left for many moons before he came back and nobody ever knows where he went off." "On one morning, I saw him left the temple and I knew he was about to leave for his travel because he was wearing his usual attire he used to travel. Out of curiosity I asked him why did he travels so much and where did he go. He smiled and patted in my head "I have go to purge evil from this land, so you and the others can be safe". When I told the villagers that, they shrugged me off as children''s rambling. I thought it was ridiculous too until one day he never came back from his travel. Not long after he disappeared, bandits and thugs came to our village. Without our protector, they beat us, robbed us and killed some of us and at the end, they even burned our home." "Only after we lost everything I realized, all this time he had been keeping evil off of our village." She reminisced. Her aged eyes that has had witness many twists and turns of human lives were looking at the golden horizon. Moist. Yet there was no tear that come out. Even Crow can''t tell all of the complex emotions that contains within them, but he did recognized one. Longing. For a person. For her distant past. Not knowing what to say, Crow keeps his silence while he scrutinize the old lady''s expression. Granny Sae then turned to him "Having the same purpose you remind me of him. At first it was only because your outfit matches his when he travels. You do have "that" on the inner-sleeve of your robe, don''t you?" Crow''s face was frozen after hearing her sudden question, it really throws him off. "She knows that? how? Does she knows about us?" questions were popping up one by one on his minds. Fortunately his chaotic face were hidden by his hat although his silence already give her an answer. The uncomfortable silence didn''t last long and it was Granny Sae who broke it "This is my advice to you, kid. In your life, your responsibilities are only to yourself and the people who care about you. Don''t go fighting for something that you don''t understand, to protect people you don''t know in a battle that doesn''t concern you. The only demons you need to kill are the ones who attacked your loved ones" Maybe because she was unable to bear the thought a young man throwing his life to fight demons, she ended up reprimanding him. Without hearing his response or looking at his face, Granny Sae turned around and walk back to the direction of the rest area. Crow also didn''t say anything to her admonishment and only replied with a bow then he take off to the opposite direction. Recalling her advice he just heard, he can only smile, seared it to his mind. A voice, a murmur appeared and disappeared as quickly, only leaving it to be heard by the grass and few trees on this narrow street. "Unfortunately, humans can''t kill demons" Chapter 2: The Ox and The Tiger It came again. Always on time. Forgotten a lot of things, yet this one lingers. What a pain. Shaking his head side to side, maybe trying to shake off whatever memory that just came up, Crow stop in his tracks for a while. He squints his eyes trying to ascertain the surrounding. Since he parted with Granny Sae at the rest area, he''s been walking presumably for half a day, but this so called Itsuwari village is still nowhere near. Wrinkles on his forehead, squinted eyes probably because the lack of light in this place and of course ¡ª sleep, he examines the small passageway he''s on and switch it to his surrounding and finally to the sky only to be blocked by the dense tree crown, but at least he can still see the moon. He then started to tread ahead again after confirming his direction "at least I''m not lost.. I think" he tried to reassure Although it was a cloudless night sky with the moon still hung on it, with the help of this dense forest, it is an of course that moonlight won''t be enough to illuminate his surroundings, the only positive this darkness bring is, it heightens his other senses especially his hearing. So with drowsiness and exhaustion assaulting him from the past couple of hours, he still put on his highest level of vigilance, heavily relying on his ears to catch even the slightest of sound especially the sudden one. He''s been on alert since he entered this forest that covered the area near Itsuwari, but from the lack of presence of demons, coupled with the only sounds he has been catching are from bats, crickets and toads, it is safe to say his efforts bear no fruits. Because of this, he can''t help but re-calling the information he got."Am I still too far from there?" He thought, "It shouldn''t be, maybe it didn''t just attack every passerby who take this road." It was not recklessness that force him to brave the road at this late hour of the ox (1-3 AM) to Itsuwari. It was well within his plans to do so. From rumors and information he got along the way, most of the victims are last seen some time at night and disappeared by morning came. So most probably the demon only hunted at night. With this reason in mind he forced himself to continue his journey without rest, knowing he''ll be near Itsuwari before sunrise and perhaps can chance upon the foul creature. But it seems like reality won''t be playing out the same scenario as the one he has expected. As he continues on, once in a while the moonlight that escaped through the gaps of the tree crowns will hit him, bringing along some memories from the past tempting him to drift his mind to it. Sigh. Exhaling the warm air from his lungs, his visible breath is forming a small thin cloud ¡ª sign of the cool air on a autumn night, flowing slowly toward the back as he walks forward. It was much colder that night, and the moon.. the moon.. much more beautiful.. much more sinister.. Crack. The sound of a twig breaking, broke him out of his reverie and with an instant his body tensed up, his left hand tighten the grip on his staff and bringing it to his side, he put his right hand in front of him in a blocking pose, ready for any incoming ambush. Upon a closer inspection, his pose were more like a samurai ready to drawn out his sword. The drowsiness and fatigue that has annoyed him a moment ago were gone instantly and replaced by alertness. His body were facing towards where the sound is coming from, still and steady, not making a single move. It was unknown he does it on purpose or not, he had already stopped breathing. Tension filled the air. The suspense and pressure present can even paralyzed a man. He tilts his head to the right angle until his vision were clear out of the blockage of his hat. He waited and waited until a weak, scared and stammering voice come out of the darkness in his line of sight. "T-t-t-t-traveler?" "Show yourself!" he replied without lessening his caution. He waits for a while but the owner of the voice didn''t step forth out of the dark. But just when he decided to make a move, he heard the sound of footsteps, albeit slow it''s surely coming towards him. When the figure were exposed to the ray of moonlight, he finally relax for a little, but he still maintain his stance. The owner of the voice belong to a little girl, around 10 years of age . She was wearing a light green kimono with a contrasting deep blue sash. Her shoulder-length black hair were pulled back and tied into a ponytail. Her black gem-like eyes are fixed to the young man in front of him, she stare at him with fear but also with wonderment. Both of her arms were placed in front of her, using it like a basket to carry piles of plants and mushrooms she just harvested. At less than 5 meters from the man, she stopped approaching out of fear of this black figured young man. "a-a-are you a traveler?" her round eyes staring at him without blinking "I am. Who are you little girl?" "I''m just a peasant from Itsuwari village" she replied with a weak voice "I don''t have anything valuable, please don''t hurt me mister" "Itsuwari eh" he observed her from head to toe and can see nothing but a normal village girl. Finally he let out a sigh of relief and let down his guard. "Don''t worry, I don''t have such intention. Little girl, if you are from Itsuwari, it means it''s not far from here right?" When she feels the pressure emitted from the man were lessen, she also disperse he fear bit by bit. "Are you lost mister?" she then . Hearing her question, one of his brows twitched "Lost? What do you think I am? A cat?" he certainly feel a little bit offended, but still let out a smile and calmly reply instead. "Yeah, I want to head there. Is it still far from here?" She shakes her little head "No, it''s an hour walk from where we are" "An hour huh, could you help me lead the way?" "Alright" after hesitating for a while, she then agreed to help him. They then proceed towards Itsuwari, with a short but quick stride the little girl leading in front and Crow following behind. When Crow realized the direction they were taking, his brows twitched again "It seems I am lost". Looking at the little girl in front of him, he felt a little perplexed. Why would a girl this young wandering the forest at this time of day and from the many type of wild plants she carried in her hands, clearly she was foraging for food. If she is from Itsuwari she should know there''s currently a demon in the forest. Curious, he then opt to ask her. "Little girl, are you wandering the forest to search for food?" She startled a little bit, yet she doesn''t stop "Y-Yes, our family doesn''t own a farm so we depended on the woods for a living." Her voice were timid but at least she doesn''t sound as scared as before. "But why are you doing it at this late hour of the ox? Shouldn''t you wait until sunrise?" "I need to help tending the neighbor''s farm in this harvest time, so I can get some provisions to last through winter." she replied rather casually. Hearing that, Crow stopped in his track for a moment. His brown eyes were lock onto the small and frail looking back of hers for a while. Just to survive, that frail back were foraging foods in demon-infested forest, hours before dawn. Just to survive, that small slender hands needs plow and reap the lands. All of it not to live, but to survive. His brows were furrowed, there''s an odd feeling gradually welling up within him, maybe it was anger but it was also something else. Displeasure, at her family that can''t take care of her. Disgusts, at the villager who take advantage of her. But mostly, Anger, at himself for having no power to help her. Sighing, he choose not to pry. . But of course he can''t refrain from giving her a little bit of advice. "It''s dangerous to wandering the forest at this time. You should wait until dawn or maybe do it hours before sunset." heThis narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "Especially now when..."He stopped in the middle of his sentence, there''s a sudden feeling of dread that came to him. He turns into his 2''oclock direction with an open wide eyes he try to this uneasiness feeling that come from the dark. Because of his unfinished sentence, the little girl felt something strange and turn around to face him, only to see he has stopped walking and not even looking at her, but at something far in front of them "What is it mister?" she pace her black eyes between Crow and the place he was surveying. But she can''t find anything out of the ordinary. But suddenly there''s a whistling noise emitted from the dark, like something was ripping the air apart and coming at them at an extreme speed. "WATCH OUT!!" Crow jumped to the little girl and shove her to the left side with force. The many wild plants on her hands were hove away and scattered to the ground when she was hurled to the side before a tree stopped her and gave her quite a hard slap on the back. Trembling because of the pain, she slowly open her eyes and when one of them finally able to catch a glimpse of what happen, the sight that greets her was that young man using his wooden staff that were gripped tight by both of his hands were hit by something. A creature, maybe because of the pain or shock coupled with dusky environment it gave the appearance of a flying worm ¡ª writhing and wriggling ¡ª with a whip-like movement but it was much bigger and stronger. Because of its strength, he was carried off the ground when it hits him and it catapult him backward more than 10 meters. With the help of his staff that planted to the ground, Crow successfully stopped himself thrown further, of course it was after a few hard somersaults on the ground. After taking the hit, his lungs were stagnant, refusing to pumps air for few seconds. There''s something surging upward from his stomach, maybe it was water or foods he ate few hours ago, trying to burst out from inside him but he quickly suppressed it and held it down in his throat. Only his heart was working to help him, it beats with a quick and quicker pace as it was in rhythm with his trembling hands. After "re-energized" by the hit, his wide open eyes try to discern what kind of creature that just targeted them. But because of inadequate lighting and the facts that he just took a deadly hit, his hazy, blurry vision can''t make out the creature''s form, he only saw it hits one of the trees before it retreated to the dark. Staggering, he pull himself to his feet and quickly return to the little girls side, afraid it will strike them again. Now, the little girls face were pale white, she can''t begins to fathom what just happen in that brief seconds. what is that thing? who is this mister that strong enough to take hits from that monster? what is going on? Her brain constantly firing questions to the point it almost overheat making her wants to just sleep and pass out. But before she can do that, a stern heavy voice enter her ears. "Get up! quickly get your things. We need to leave this place. NOW!" not paying attention to her distress, He''s more concern about more incoming attacks. After a scold from Crow, the little girl jolt out of her fright and quickly acknowledge his order. She only picks up the things nearest to her before she turned to Crow, her mouth moved a couple of times but no sounds were coming out, until she finally able to squeeze out some questions with brittle, quavering voice. "W-W-W-What is that thing mister?" "A demon" this innocent little girl starting to give him a headache. "If you''re from Itsuwari how come you don''t know? there''s demon in the forest near your village for months" When the word demon come up, she gave the expression of being choked as she stopped her breathing. "D-Demon? Wh-What should we do Mister" Crow then pulled out a small knife that were wrapped by a navy blue cloth, he hands her the cloth and kneeled down, and facing his back to the little girl. "Use this to carry your food and then Climb up, do you have a house? or any shelter nearby?" He asked The girl was startled by his action. First it was because he took out a small knife, but then, it was because he offered her a piggyback ride it. Of course she was a little hesitant, but fearing the demon would come up on them, she quickly do what the young man''s asked. Quickly wrapping her forest''s harvest tightly and make sure it wouldn''t easily undone, she climb up to the young man''s back. "My house is that way mister, you just need to follow this footpath" she pointed at a small road ahead that leads to her house Crow then swiftly dashed toward the way she pointed. while carrying a girl on his back, a staff on his left hand and a small knife on his right, he runs quite quickly, definitely wants to get to a safer area as quickly as possible. "How much further is your house?" Crow asked. "If it''s from here I usually take a little bit more than 30 minutes" trying to shield her eyes from the harsh wind, she shut her eyes tightly. "Hang on little girl" he added his speed completely forgetting the pain and exhaustion on his body. While he was running, he kept thinking that his endeavor to head to Itsuwari without rest might not be fruitless. At least he met the creature even though he was bested by it. "I can''t catch its shape or form, but at least I got some idea about how it moves" he kept replaying the events in his mind and then he figured out one thing after analyzed it for a time¡ª Its target was the little girl. "When I shove her out of the way, it tried to change its course to her. But why would it target her?" he wondered. He kept constructing different reasons why it would do so and cross-checking it with the information and experience he had. There''s only one plausible explanation he can think of, one horrendous reason why it would target her. He take glimpse at the little girl and throw away his thought. It can''t be. After running through the thick woods for 10-15 minutes, they entering the part of the forest that were more spacious where the trees are not tightly packed together, sign they were nearing a place of habitation, like a village. Fortunately, the demon hasn''t appeared on their path again. Later, they finally arrived at their destination following a few change of roads. It was a small house made out of bamboo and straws, more like a cottage, near a creek as they can hear the sound of burbling water. There are no other house around it making it a little bit desolate. Understandable. In a small and rural village like Itsuwari, usually the houses are set at distance apart, most of their lands are used as crop fields or farms for raising livestock. Moreover the little girl told him that her house is one of the many houses set up at the edge of the village. When they arrived, Crow let the little girl down from his back and once he did so, he feels like his backbone is almost broke down from fatigue. Both of his legs were wobbly almost devoid of energy and only with the help of his staff supporting him, he can maintain standing up. In a way, he did so to maintain his dignity too and avoid appearing pathetic. He put on a straight face and briefly observing the area, there''s only one thing on his mind and it keeps ringing after they arrived ¡ª sleep, I want to sleep. When she climbed down from his back the little girl immediately pull down her upper body to bow to him. "Thank for your help Mister, F-For protecting me back then" giving a sincere gratitude with her weak timid voice. "If you wouldn''t mind, Mister can rest at my house for a while" "Then sorry for intruding" actually he has a half a mind to refuse, but he was really too exhausted this time and his strength was almost spent. "O-of couse not" delighted that the young man took up her offer, she display her white teeth in a sweet smile. A bright innocent smile that adults rarely show anymore. "Please, come in" She slide open the door and entered first as the owner of the house and then gestured the young man to invite him in and sit down. Only after she gestured him to enter then he politely step into the house and take off his hat. When he took off his hat, the little girl had a surprised expression on her face, at the forest because of it was dark and his hat was obstructing her view, she can only see a part of his face. She already guessed in her heart that this Mister is actually a young man but it appears he is younger than she guessed. The both of them sit down in this small house that can fit in 3 people in lying position if they were squeezed tightly. It was very simple decorated with only a few things inside. The house only has one room which is the one they use now and no other. There is a small box at the corner of presumably to store clothes, on top of the box there are a couple of thick blankets to use at winter season. There are many varying utensils hang at the walls near the entrance door, from cooking utensils to the ones used for working the field. At the center of the room, there''s a small Irori* (‡ì¯ÑY) and a small pot hanging down from the ceiling. The floor was not made from Tatami but earthen floor covered with straw mats instead. Most of the peasants in rural places are very poor and they usually live in a house like this. *Irori: Japanese sunken hearth After Crow sit down, he''s tempted to just passed out but he successfully fight it off. The little girl sit down in front of him and both her hands were folded and rest on top of her knees. "I know it''s a bit late, but let me introduce myself, my name is Nanako, mister can call me Nana" She introduced herself, for a girl so young she is really polite. "Alright, I will call you Nana then. While me, you can call me Crow." He smile to her. "Crow? what an odd name" she thought, but she didn''t dare to say it out loud. "Mister Crow, you can rest for a while in here, I don''t think the demon venture would venture here." Crow nods his head as a sign of agreement. "By the way Nana, Where are your parent? have they leave to village to work the farm" He can''t help but asked after noticing there are nobody in the house. The first thing he thought maybe they have gone to the village to work. Although it''s still at the early hour of the tiger, considering the distance between here and the village it still make sense for them to had leave at this early hour. Nana shake her little head, and replied with her usual expression. "My parent had passed away when I was still a kid. Now I live with my brother" Learning her parents had passed away, Crow felt pity and also guilt towards this little girl because he can relate to her in a way. same as me huh. Not wanting to further this conversation Crow then inquired her brother''s whereabouts "has he gone to tend the farm?" because her brother is nowhere to be seen too. "My brother''s gone to the capital" unlike her parents, when mentioning her brother she turned a bit glum, because her parents had passed away since she was a kid, maybe she''s closer to her brother. "So you live by yourself? what an irresponsible brother to leave his sister alone." His brows were furrowed clearly displeased with her brother''s decision to leave her alone. Leaving the only blood he has at this place on her own, and she was just a kid no less. "How long has your brother in the capital? a year? two? does he visits you? She can only laugh wryly when Crow accused her beloved brother as irresponsible. But she didn''t defend him either because she was also displeased at her brother leaving her alone. She shook her head a little bit and replied "He hasn''t been gone that long, he just left with a merchant about two weeks ago."