We were in the living room. The atmosphere was thick, tense. Ryoku was sitting on the floor, covered in bandages from the injuries he had sustained. I couldn't stop thinking about everything Milena had said. It was as if those words had been burned into my mind.
I looked at my grandfather, who was silent, watching me with concern as he sipped his tea. I couldn't hold back any longer. I had to tell him what I knew.
—Grandfather, Milena told me something… —I began, trying to sound as firm as possible—. She said that in 365 days, the world will fragment. Everything we know will disappear.
Grandfather furrowed his brow, setting the tea cup down on the table with a soft thud. I could feel his gaze weighing heavily on me, but I continued.
—Apparently, these void wounds aren't simple natural phenomena… They've been summoned. Someone or something is behind all of this.
Ryoku, who had been silent up until now, looked up and, in a serious tone, said: —So, if those rifts have been summoned, could there be a higher plane from which these spirits and monsters come? Maybe that "lord" Milena mentioned is real, and that realm is the origin of all this.
The thought made me clench my fists. I had to do something, and fast. —Exactly. If that's the case, I need to go. I have to enter one of those rifts. Maybe I'll find that realm and that spirit lord. If I can reach him, I'll be able to stop all of this before it's too late.
Grandfather slammed his hands on the table, interrupting me. —No! —he exclaimed forcefully—. That's too risky, Jiro. You don't know what's on the other side. You could disappear forever, just like your father…
The mention of my father hit me like a knife, but I couldn't give in. Not this time. I slammed my hand on the table, standing up abruptly. —Did you not hear, grandfather? We have less than a year to fix this. Less than a year! I'd rather disappear myself than lose everything we know. We can't pay that price. No one should.
There was an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the sound of Ryoku calmly sipping his tea. —Hey, hey, could you stop banging the table? I'm trying to drink my tea in peace. —His words, though simple, helped ease the tension in the air a little.
I sighed and sat back down. —You're right, Ryoku… We should calm down a bit.
Grandfather ran a hand over his face, sighing as well. His gaze still reflected concern, but this time it seemed more resigned than angry. —But… what will your mother say when she finds out about this crazy plan?
I smiled faintly, trying to reassure him. —Don't worry, grandfather. I'll be fine. Besides, I have a powerful spear with me —I said, pointing to the weapon resting beside me—. And if I manage to track down Milena, I'll surely get more information about the void wounds and that realm she talked about.
Grandfather said nothing, only looked away. He knew he still didn't agree, but also knew he couldn't stop me. I had made my decision, and I wasn't going to back down.
It was decided.
—I'll leave this afternoon, —I said firmly, looking at my grandfather and Ryoku.
My grandfather put his hand to his face, sighing deeply.
—Oh no... This boy is already dead... —he murmured, as if mentally preparing for the worst.
Ryoku, sitting by the window, looked at me seriously.
—Are you sure about this, Jiro? —he asked, though he already knew the answer.
I nodded with determination.
—Yes, Ryoku. Maybe this way I can find my father along the way. Besides, it'll be the first time I leave the village... —My voice trembled slightly thinking about what awaited me outside, but I couldn't let fear stop me.
My grandfather sighed again, now with a mix of worry and resignation.
—But Jiro... at least you should say something to your mother.
—I don't think she'll let me go, Grandpa. And I can't let her stop me either. —I said the last part with a firm tone but a lump in my throat. I knew my decision would hurt her, but it was the right thing to do.
My grandfather nodded silently, understanding that there was no way to change my mind.
---
That night, Ryoku had already left, and I was sitting on the roof of the house, watching the four moons that lit up the night sky. It was a beautiful sight, one I didn't know when I would see again.
—I'm on my way, Dad... —I murmured, clenching my fist tightly—. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to save this world... and to bring you back, no matter the cost.
The cold of the early morning grew stronger. It wasn't dawn yet when, in complete silence, I got out of bed, took my spear, and put on a hooded cloak to cover myself. As I left the room, I saw my mother sleeping on the couch. I stopped for a moment, feeling a pang in my chest.
—Goodbye, Mom... I promise I'll come back —I whispered, before quietly leaving.
The cold morning air hit my face as I walked through the empty village. Everything was silent, only the faint creaking of my footsteps on the frozen ground could be heard. I looked around, observing every corner of the place that had been my home all my life.
—I'm going to miss this place... —I murmured with a small laugh, scratching my head—. Well, it's time.
With one last look at the village, I made my way to the large gate that marked the exit. When I crossed it, I felt as if an invisible weight had lifted off my shoulders. I was officially out. My adventure had begun.
But I didn't walk much before seeing a figure waiting for me on the path. It was my grandfather. I stood silently, feeling a little fear about what he might say to me.
—So you left without warning, huh? —he said, breaking the silence with a serious tone.
I didn't respond. I just kept walking, passing by him with my eyes fixed on the road.
—See you later, Grandpa... —I said, trying to sound indifferent.
But before I could move forward, I felt his hand holding mine. I stopped and looked at him surprised. My grandfather wasn't usually very expressive.
—I... I love you very much, Jiro. —His voice trembled slightly—. I wish you a safe journey, my grandson. Take care of yourself and make sure you come back safe.
My grandfather's words moved me more than I expected. I felt a lump in my throat, and my eyes watered a little. I couldn't help but hug him tightly.
—Please, Grandpa... take good care of them.
My grandfather nodded, patting me on the back.
—It's okay, my child. Now go. Follow your path.
With one last look and a heart full of determination, I ran off.
Time passed. The day fully brightened as I kept moving forward. I crossed rivers and waterfalls, passed through forests, and climbed mountains.
Everything was new to me, and every landscape filled me with a strange happiness. I felt like, for the first time in my life, I was truly free, exploring a world bigger than I'd ever imagined.
However, after two days of traveling, I realized a small problem...
—Oh no... Now that two days have passed... where should I start? —I said aloud, stopping in the middle of the road. The truth was that... I didn't even have a plan.
I put my hand to my head, sighing in frustration.
—Noooo... I don't even know where to start. What a disaster! —I shouted, feeling like a complete idiot.
I looked so heroic and emotional when I said goodbye to my grandfather and left the village... but now I just remember I left without planning anything! What do I do now?
While I complained aloud, I felt a strange vibration coming from the spear tied to my back. I stopped, looking around curiously. There was a peculiar energy in the air, one that seemed to resonate with my weapon.
—What's this...? —I whispered, following the trail of that energy to a nearby forest.
After walking for a few minutes, I reached a clearing where a beautiful temple stood. It was striking, clean, and seemed very well-maintained, even though it was in the middle of nowhere. My eyes lit up when I saw it.
—Wow, wow! Finally, a place to spend the night. —I smiled with relief and began to climb the stairs that led to the entrance of the temple.
When I reached the top, the door opened by itself, which surprised me a little.
—Well, that saved me some effort... —I shrugged as I entered.
The inside of the temple was very different from what I expected. It looked old and a little abandoned.
I looked around, feeling a little disappointed.
—It looked better on the outside... What a fraud of a temple.
Suddenly, the door slammed shut, and a cold breeze swept through the place, causing everything around me to start floating. A deep, powerful voice resonated in the air.
—How dare you call my home a fraud, human?
I immediately got into a defensive stance, watching as a dark spirit began to materialize in front of me. Its presence was imposing, and its aura powerful.
—Get ready, human... I, Kogorō the Destroyer, will devour your soul.
—Tch... —I slowly drew my spear, getting into combat position—. So early and already I have problems.
I ran towards that dark spirit with the spear raised. I thought that with a single strike, I would defeat it... but my spear passed through it as if it were air. I stopped abruptly, confused.
— But how? —I murmured, not understanding anything.
The spirit laughed, its voice resonating throughout the temple as if it were everywhere at once.
— What a stupid child. Do you really think a mere physical weapon can harm a spirit like me? —It snapped its fingers, and suddenly, I felt an invisible force crush me. I had no time to react, I could only feel my body being violently thrown against the walls.
The hit was brutal. I got up, aching, but before I could think of a plan, that monster disappeared into the ground and reappeared behind me. I didn't even see it coming; I felt the impact and flew straight into some old vases that shattered when I collided with them.
— Argh! —I grunted, trying to get up again. My whole body hurt, but something told me that if I stayed on the ground, that spirit would devour me without hesitation.
"This is wrong," I thought as I stood up again. "The spear doesn't do anything. How am I supposed to fight if I can't even touch it?"
The spirit stared at me intently, its gaze fixating on my horns. Something changed in its expression, it seemed... excited.
— Interesting… You're not a mere human, you're an Oni. Your soul must be delicious.
A chill ran down my spine. I couldn't stay here, I had no way to defeat it. I had to get out of this place.
— You, young Oni... —its voice resonated throughout the temple— You entered this temple and condemned yourself. I, Kogorō, the destroyer spirit, will be the one to devour your soul. Prepare to be my appetizer.
The ground trembled, and suddenly, shadows in the shape of pincers rose from all sides.
— Die! —Kogorō shouted.
I managed to react in time, jumping to the beams of the ceiling. I grabbed onto a wooden beam and took a deep breath as cold sweat ran down my forehead. "This is madness," I thought. "The spear should be able to damage spirits, but for some reason it doesn't work. Why...?"
Before I could think further, Kogorō appeared attached to the ceiling, right in front of me. I didn't have time to move; dark tentacles shot from its body and trapped me. I tried to struggle, but it was useless.
— Now let me devour you, insolent child —it said as it opened a dark, terrifying mouth.
The spear fell to the ground, lifeless. I looked at it desperately. I had no strength, I couldn't touch anything, and on top of that... the spear was inactive.
"That's it," I thought suddenly. "The spear is not active... that's why it didn't work before. But... how do I activate it?"
I tried to stay calm, but I was terrified. If I didn't do something soon, that monster would finish me off. Maybe... maybe the spear responded to a key word or something, like in the stories I used to hear when I was a child.
— Come on, spear, activate! —I shouted. Nothing happened.
The spirit laughed.
— He's gone crazy... —it mocked while preparing to devour me.
— Come on, rise to me! Launch yourself, sesame! —I kept shouting random things, until I lost patience.
— YAAAAAA! —I screamed with all my might, and at that instant, the spear began to glow with an intense reddish light.
The energy emanating from the spear hit me like a wave of heat, and before I could realize it, the spear moved on its own, flying straight toward Kogorō.
— What the hell...?! —exclaimed the spirit, surprised, just before being struck by the spear. The impact made it stumble back and released me. I fell to the ground, and before it could strike me, I rolled to the side and grabbed the spear.
It felt different, like it was alive, as if it had finally responded to me.
— Now... —I murmured, standing up while aiming the spear at the spirit— Your end has come, evil spirit.
Kogorō looked at me, incredulous and furious.
— It feels heroic, but it's just making a fool of itself... —it said as it began moving at great speed, passing through the temple's pillars.
I could see it clearly, it planned to confuse me and attack me from behind again. But something strange happened... I could feel what it was thinking. It was like an electric current running through my mind, allowing me to hear its intentions.
— Now you won't touch me... and when you let your guard down, I'll devour your soul —Kogorō said in its mind, thinking I didn't know.
I waited for the right moment. When it appeared behind me, I quickly spun around and struck it with the spear straight in the abdomen. The impact was so strong it launched it into the ceiling, destroying it completely and sending it outside the temple.
I didn't waste any time and ran out of the temple. From there, I saw how Kogorō crashed heavily onto one of the jade lion statues decorating the entrance. Its body trembled, and its form began to slowly fade.
— But... how? —it said weakly, before passing out completely.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I had survived, but barely. I looked at the spear in my hands, still glowing faintly.
— I guess this is just the beginning... —I murmured, as the sun began to rise on the horizon.
After a while of having defeated Kogorō, the place was in complete silence. The only sound was the crunch of broken stones under my feet as I lifted one of the jade beasts.
They were heavy, but nothing I couldn't handle after all the chaos I had just been through.
Suddenly, I heard a soft groan behind me. I turned around and saw Kogorō waking up from the faint. His eyes were half-open, blurry, as if he still didn't understand what had just happened.
—What… what the hell happened...? —he said, struggling to stand up, hunched over and trembling.
—Ah, good you woke up —I said while letting one of the beasts drop like a shopping bag—. I was getting worried, I thought I had taken you out for good.
Kogorō looked at me with a serious expression.
—Hey... why are you talking to me like we're friends?
—Hey, hey, don't act like that —I replied, with a relaxed smile—. I know you tried to kill me and everything, but there's no need to get so bitter... I'm being nice to you, you know?
His gaze hardened even more, but I could still see something strange in him. I got closer, observing him closely, and then I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.
—Hey, Kogorō... didn't you used to be a bigger size? Because now you look like a miniature will-o'-the-wisp...
—What!? Do you think I'm going to believe that!? —he shouted at me, indignant—. Enough with the nonsense! Now prepare to be devoured by me.
He adopted a fighting stance, though with his now-shrunken size, he wasn't intimidating at all. In fact, he looked more pathetic than anything.
—I think you should literally look at your reflection, Kogorō...
—Again with that! DIEEEE!
He shot a small purple fireball towards me. I saw it coming slowly, like it was in slow motion, and before it even touched me, it vanished into the air. It was... pathetic.
Kogorō stood dumbfounded, looking at his floating hands, which now seemed ridiculously small. Alarmed, he floated over to a nearby puddle. When he saw himself reflected in the water, his eyes went wide.
—HAAAAA! What the hell?! What happened to my form!?
He turned to face me, his face red with fury.
—YOU! Damn half-breed child! What did you do to meeeee!?
I just took a step back, somewhat uncomfortable by his reaction.
—Me? What are you talking about...?
But Kogorō wasn't listening anymore. He was shouting and waving his tiny hands while floating clumsily over the puddle.
—That lance! —he shouted, recalling the fight—. That damned lance released something! An aura that affected me from the deepest part of my spiritual being!
His voice resonated with shame and fury, while I only felt more and more guilty.
—Eh... well... maybe... I did something... I didn't know how to explain to him that, honestly, I had no idea what had just happened. I just knew that Kogorō was now literally a miniature floating spirit. And clearly, he wasn't happy about it.
Kogorō, completely angry, charged at me, puffing out his cheeks like a spoiled child. His pout and cute expression, instead of intimidating me, made me laugh so hard I could barely contain it.
—I'm not cute or pretty! —he shouted in his tiny voice. —I'm Kogorō, the destructive spirit!
He tried to punch me with his little fists and kick me, but his movements were so soft they felt like tickles.
—Hahaha, I can't... this is too much! —I said, laughing to tears. —I'm sorry, really... I never imagined it would end up like this.
—Don't mock me, you damn kid! —Kogorō roared, though his shrunken voice made even his threats sound adorable.
Suddenly, with one last effort filled with rage, he flew up into the sky.
—We'll meet again, you silly kid! —he shouted as he disappeared into the branches of the trees.
I sighed, thinking I was finally rid of him, but then the spear I had used during the battle began to glow intensely.
Before I knew it, a magical force pulled Kogorō back toward me at full speed.
—Did I just come back?! —he shouted anxiously as he landed roughly a few steps away from me.
He tried to fly again, but once he crossed the limit of about 20 meters, the spear dragged him back like a magnet.
—This can't be happening! —he repeated over and over, flying and coming back non-stop.
Three hours later, Kogorō was still desperately trying. His floating body was already exhausted, and I felt guilty seeing him in that state.
—Hey... buddy, —I said sympathetically. —I think you should take a break, you know?
—Shut up! —Kogorō replied, panting and furious. —This can't...
Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted.
I sighed again, walking up to him while shaking my head.
—No... not again, —I said, resigned to carrying the tiny, shriveled spirit once more.
When Kogorō woke up, I felt him move inside the semi-open bag I had hanging on my shoulder. I blinked as I heard his confused voice.
—What happened? —he said as he shook himself off and flew clumsily out of the bag.
—So you finally woke up —I said as I kept walking—. You passed out again.
—Don't make fun of me, kid! —he shouted furiously, though with his cheeks blushing—. Even the strongest and most feared like me can also be vulnerable...
—Vulnerable? —I responded, raising an eyebrow—. Don't you think that contradicts your "Spirit Destroyer" image a bit?
Kogorō, visibly uncomfortable, looked away.
—Alright, kid... let's change the subject.
—About that... well, I think I know what happened —I said, scratching the back of my neck as I gathered some courage—.
My spear seems to have sealed you. It also drained part of your spiritual power, which is why you can't get away from it. You're... bound to the spear.
—I know, that's why I want you to break that seal now! —he demanded, crossing his arms with a determined expression.
I felt sorry for him. I awkwardly pressed my fingers together as I lowered my voice.
—The thing is... I don't know how to do it. I'm sorry, friend.
Kogorō went silent. His eyes widened, and I could clearly see how his spirit—literally—shattered into a thousand pieces at my words.
—So I'll be stuck with you for the rest of my life...?
—Well... it doesn't have to be forever. Maybe later we'll figure out how to break the seal, but for now... you'll have to stick with me wherever I go.
—It can't be! —he screamed desperately, flying in circles in the air.
Two days later, we walked down a clearer path. I took the moment to explain my situation to him.
—I need to go to the Spirit Kingdom —I told him—. It's an infinite kingdom, but the truth is, I don't know how to get there. That's why I'm looking for a woman named Milena.
—Milena knows how to get there... but I still don't know where she is.
Kogorō floated beside me, listening attentively, though he seemed uninterested.
—Milena? —he asked—. Doesn't ring a bell.
—It's strange that you don't recognize the Spirit Lord —I said, frowning—. All spirits should know him.
—The Spirit Lord? —he repeated sincerely—. I have no idea who that is.
I was surprised.
—So where do you come from?
Kogorō looked down, as if searching for something in his memory.
—I don't remember what my life was like when I was still alive. I don't know where I come from... but I'm aware of what I am now.
That confession left me stunned. A spirit who didn't remember its origin.