"She told us we'd be safe."
"She told us she loved us."
"She...was a liar"
flames engulf my memories once again as I envisioned the people around me racing through what remained of the village. The structures around me crumbled and all I could do was stand there and think, why won't my body move?
Then the flame went out.
I sat up encircled by darkness once again. "Jin!" I called his name but there was no answer. I was covered in the dark goo that had submerged me though I was on a tangible surface now. we'd been separated which wasn't a good thing.
pulling myself up to my feet I glanced around my surroundings. I didn't have Jin's light anymore so there was no way to see what was around me unless I used a talisman, but I was already running low on them.
I managed to feel around for a wall pressing my body against it as I walked. As I cautiously moved forward, my hands grazed against rough, cold wall walls. The air grew increasingly stale, filled with an unpleasant odor that made me wrinkle my nose. My heart raced, the demon could be anywhere.
In the distance, faint sounds echoed through the darkness—whispers, distorted and eerie. I strained to listen, hoping to catch any clues about Jin's whereabouts or the nature of this forsaken place. The voices seemed to mock me, their words blending together into an incomprehensible cacophony.
Time felt distorted, stretching and contracting in the suffocating darkness. I stumbled upon the uneven ground, my foot catching on an unseen obstacle. The sound of scuttling creatures skittered around me, and a chill ran down my spine. It was as if the very walls were alive, watching and waiting.
I wouldn't get anywhere in this darkness, so despite how much I needed to save them, I used one of the talismans I had, conjuring a small orb of light, illuminating a fraction of my surroundings. The feeble glow revealed a narrow path ahead, curving deeper into the abyss. With a deep sigh, I pressed on. I had to find Jin and defeat the demon one way or another.
Through the abyss, there was the sound of crying echoing around the cave. a crying child? in this cave? the same cave with at least 2 demons? As much as I wanted to see what was going on I knew Jin might scold me for not being more careful. It could be a trap... but at the same time what if it's not?
I crept into the next cave peeking my head just far enough to be able to see. Inside was a young girl covered in a long black cloak. I could sense demonic energy all around us but I couldn't sense any coming from the girl herself.
She had short shaggy black hair pulled up into pigtails and I could see what looked like bandages wrapped around her head. The girl seemed to sob endlessly and I couldn't help but reach out to touch her shoulder.
"stop! don't touch her..." I felt a grip on my arm. I spun my head around to see Jin out of breath and covered in the same black goop.
"Jin?" my heart raced when I saw him but I couldn't help but be confused. "why not?"
Jin looked at the girl and then back at me "Look at the back of her neck... she's a devil bearer." I closed in on the small star burned into the girl's skin.
"But how could such a young girl be hosting a demon?" I looked at him.
He furrowed his brow "You can't seriously be so Ignorant. I thought the master taught you better. Anyone could host a demon!" he was scolding me again.
"Right, right. sorry~" I looked back at the girl. she seemed to be controlling more than one demon as well. Devil bearer's like that don't show up often, something was wrong.
"Then we'll save her." a voice rang in my mind, though I couldn't think of who it was. "Demons are pitiful creatures, and the ones who hold them are even weaker. It's the job of the strong to protect the weak, don't you think?" the voice echoed in my mind.
"Wait, what?" Jin raised his voice a bit but I was already setting my plan into motion. Saving devil bearers wasn't something hunters usually did. Devil bearers are usually too powerful to even attempt to be saved but it had happened before, more than once in fact. So if there was any chance of bringing her back I'd try my best.
"Sorry Jin, I'm stealing your Talismans" I pull the talismans from his pocket and start to throw them around the cave.
"wait! Lady Rinko, you're crazy!" he said in a whisper.
Finally, a talisman landed in front of the girl who sprang up in a panic. she spun around and we locked eyes. The girl had black sclera and inky jet tears streaming down her face.
Spines started to grow from her back but somehow didn't destroy the cloak. she let out a high-pitched shriek summoning many of those centipede demons. Claws sprouted from her fingers and the demonic energy started to ooze from her body in a burst.
The girl must have made those scratches on the wall. "Jin! cover me" Most hunters would have said she was a lost cause. But like every devil bearer I came across, I would attempt to save her too.
Jin frowned but pulled out his sword and slashed the demons around us deflecting their attacks as I focused on the girl. With each step I took toward her, I could feel the weight of the demonic energy pouring through her, the struggle between her humanity and the demonic forces that threatened to consume her.
I reached out, my hand quavering as I made contact with her shoulder. In that touch, I pressed a heavy hand on her shoulder chanting a bit under my breath. "Listen to me," I spoke softly, my voice a gentle melody amid the chaos. "I know you're scared and lost, but you're not alone. You don't have to surrender to the darkness. You can find your way back."
As the chaos raged around us, I tapped into my own spiritual energy, intertwining it with the girl's dark aura. It was a delicate process, unraveling the knots of darkness that had entangled her soul. Whispers of encouragement escaped my lips, a lifeline amidst the cacophony of voices.
The girl trembled, but in a flash, her spines surrounded us almost piercing me through. I managed to dodge them but not without sustaining a few grazes. I whispered another prayer and the talismans around us began to glow "Listen to me!" I gripped her shoulder.
I had to try, I had to. even If I didn't succeed. "Don't let the demons take over!" I yelled and the cave began to shake.
Jin was still fighting the centipede monsters, but it didn't seem like they were going to stop anytime soon. There were so many of them, and knowing that this girl was a devil bearer she might have an unlimited supply.
The girl thrashed her head into the dirt blindly swinging her claws at me. "No! No! NO!" she screeched.
No matter what I said, I didn't seem to be getting through to her. "She'll come back! She won't leave me! She loves me! She hadn't abandoned me! I have to wait for her!" The girl crumbled the spines sprouting from her back beginning to move in spasmodic motions.
I continued to hold onto her, my grip tightening with determination. "Listen to me! Your loved ones want you to be safe. They want you to find happiness. But this path, this darkness, won't lead you to them. It's a lie, a deceitful trap," I pleaded, I had to... though I don't know why. I knew I had to at least try and save her.
The girl's trashing intensified, her claws inches away from my face. But I refused to let go. I refused to give up on her. I closed my eyes, channeling every ounce of my spiritual energy, drawing upon the teachings of the master into the talismans.
"Remember who you are," I whispered, my words resonating through the chaos. "You have a choice. You can choose light over darkness. You can choose love over pain. Let go of the lies, and embrace the truth within you."
The girl finally looked up at me with rage burning through her eyes. When she looked at me she froze and as if in response, a flicker of recognition sparked in her eyes. The demons' grip on her weakened, their hissing fading into the background. It was a brief moment of clarity, a moment of hope.
"Princess...Yamihime?" a tear ran down her cheek and all the dark energy around us began to fade.
Who was Princess Yamihime?
As the dark energy surrounding us began to dissipate, the girl's transformation halted, and she slowly seemed to be regaining control over herself. Though her demonic features didn't seem to disappear, her face was still that of a frightened and confused child. The spines on her back retracted, though her claws were still as sharp.
I softened my grip on her shoulder, keeping a cautious distance but ready to act if needed. "Princess Yamihime?" I repeated softly, uncertainty filling my voice. The name held a weight to it, a significance that eluded me at that moment.
The girl stared at me for a moment as if she was in awe. I looked back at Jin who was catching his breath over the corpses of many centipedes. Glancing back at the girl we locked eyes. "is that... your name?"
Blinking again the girl shook her head. "Princess... you're back? you... came back for me!" the tears began to fall down her cheeks. was she talking... about me?
As the girl whispered those words, a surge of memories flooded my mind, fragments of a past I couldn't grasp. Through the flames, the screams, and the cries the name "Yamihime" echoed in my thoughts. A sense of familiarity intertwined with a deep longing. Who was this girl? She seemed to know me but I couldn't grasp why. Who was Yamihime?