When Shiro was young, she had remembered seeing her loving parents hold each other with love filling their hearts.

She often made disgusted sounds at them, but she enjoyed the love that her parents had for each other.

Time and time again, her parents proved just how much they loved each other, along with how much they had loved Shiro herself.

As time went on however, the world was rather cruel to her family.

Her father had fallen ill, and after a year of fighting and putting on a smile for his family, he had sadly passed away while holding his wife’s hand.

Shiro had cried her eyes out, and furiously questioned her mother as to why she was not crying for him.

It was unfair.

Why did the world let her father be taken away from them?

Why did her mother not cry?

None of it made any sense.

Her mother began to move her hands away from her father, and instead, softly clasped Shiro’s hands together.

She smiled as her husband spoke to her, she smiled as he passed, and even now, she continued to smile.

She then spoke to Shiro as softly as she could.

Shiro. Don’t ever forget this, okay? Love is the most important thing in the world. No matter what, you should never abandon such a thing. Regardless of what it may cost, it should always be etched into your heart.

Shiro had seen her mother cry before.

Many times in fact.

But on that day, and every day that followed, not a single tear had formed on Airi’s face.

She had made a promise to her husband that she would only smile for him, and never let her tears take over.

The lesson she provided Shiro, the promise she had taken, all of it had solidified itself into the eight year old girl’s mind.

However, she had noticed the severe effects it had taken on her mother.

Around a year later, her mother began to ask Shiro where certain items in the house had been.

Those very items were placed right in front of her.

She grew worried over her mother’s state, but she knew what was the cause of this.

Her mother made a promise, and Shiro did not want to tarnish such a thing for her.

She wished to help her mother, but she would likely be shrugged off or scolded if she tried.

Another year had passed, and the worst possible effect had occurred.

Due to the stress caused from her forced back tears, Airi had gone blind.

She was brought to a hospital to have her eyes treated, but unfortunately, it was far too late.

Healing matōki had certain limitations. It could heal the very life force of one’s being, but the fatigue of a person could not be cleansed. In terms of physical injuries, it could only heal injuries as long as there was something else to reattach. If the skin was wounded, new skin could be formed from healing as there were still patches around it that were provided. For a missing arm however, unless the arm was still intact, healing such an injury would not be possible.

Airi had not lost her eyes, but the damage was not something that required a simple reattachment.

Airi could no longer see what was around her, and instead had to rely on her matōki.

This was not a horrible consequence in a sense, as Airi was incredibly skilled with sensing the presences of others. On top of this, she had grown accustomed to moving around in the dark during some of her old missions.

However, there was a part of it that both she and her daughter despised. She would never be able to look upon Shiro’s face ever again. If she were to have grandchildren in the future, she would not be able to see their faces.

All of this saddened her greatly…

…but she continued to hold true to her promise.

Shiro, who at the time of her mother’s total blindness, was now ten years old continued to watch as her mother pushed back against the tears that tried to force their way out.

Six years had gone by, without a single change.

Shiro had gone from being eight years old, to sixteen, while watching her mother continue to fight a battle within herself.

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The sliding door of the shrine-like house began to open, as a tall kitsune girl stepped into the room. Her two children excitedly greeted her, the three of them all beginning to hug each other. After a warm embrace, the kitsune girl looked down to the blond woman in front of her. There was not a single expression on her face, yet the girl knew what she would say.

Airi: [Kōkatsu. If you don’t mind.]

Kōkatsu: [Yeah, of course. Girls. Let’s go upstairs for a bit.]

Kaoru and Kiyomi: [R-Right.]

The three of them exited the room,

Now the blond woman stood in front of the doorway, by herself.

Footsteps followed from outside, and a girl dressed in white had appeared.

She walked over to the blond woman, and kneeled down so that she was at eye level with her.

She raised her arms up, forming a hug around her.

Shiro: [Hi, Mom. I’m home.]

The girl’s mother slowly raised her own arms, forming a broken hug of her own.

It was an odd hold that she had over her daughter, but the girl did not pay any mind to it.

However, the situation changed shortly after. An odd choking sound had started to produce itself near the girl.

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Shiro: [Hm? The hell’s that sound? Hey Mom, do you have something on the sto–]

Airi: [...hk!...ghk!..]

Shiro: [Mom?! Are you okay?!]

Airi: [I’m…I’m so…proud of…hk!...]

Shiro: [Wait, Mom, are you–]

The grip on her back only tightened. She could not see her mother’s face, but she felt it move deeper into her shoulder. That very same shoulder had started to gain a new texture to its feel.

It was damp.

All of this had made Shiro realize what was happening.

Shiro’s tears began to well up, as she smiled and embraced her mother in her own tight grip.

Shiro: [I did it, Mom…]

Airi: [I’m…I’m so proud…Your father…Your father would be…]

Shiro: [I know, Mom…I know…]

The two continued to hug each other in the middle of their living room.

A mother and a daughter, both of which expressed the same emotions at this very moment.

For the first time in eight years, Airi’s internal gate against her sorrow was broken.

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Iron.

The smell of iron filled the air.

A smell that should have never been there.

It was not simply just the smell of iron.

The walls, the floor, the ceiling.

Everything was painted with the true culprit of such a smell.

Blood.

Blood of others.

Blood of oni.

But there was one stronger blood that took hold of the smell.

There was blood that painted far more than the others.

The blood of a human.

The two looked onward in horror.

The little girl collapsed to the floor, devastated by what she saw.

A mix array of emotions began to well up inside of the brother who stood next to her.

There were multiple onis gathered in front of them.

One of them began to look back, and spoke to the two.

Oni: [Ah! You’re probably here to get revenge too, right? Sorry pal, you’re a little too late. We’ve still got a punching bag if you want a try!]

They looked at the sight in front of the oni.

An arm was detached, laying across the room.

The crushed ribs were visible with viscera surrounding them.

The legs were twisted, facing the wrong way.

There were cuts all over, both deep and shallow.

And finally.

The remaining eye was missing.

What laid in front of them was a corpse.

A corpse of someone they cared about deeply.

Someone they loved to see smile.

Someone they loved to see laugh.

Someone they loved to care about, and loved to be cared by.

Someone they loved.

They looked at the corpse in front of them, unable to speak.

Rather, the little girl could not.

The older brother began to grind his teeth, before uttering words quietly in the back of his throat.

Nero: [Revenge…]

Oni: [Hm?]

Nero: [You’re speaking of revenge….You’re saying that this was…revenge…]

Though she was horrified, the girl knew what would soon follow.

She quickly tried to move up, reaching out to stop her brother.

Mena: [BROTHER! NO–]

Nero: [DOES REVENGE JUSTIFY THIS TO YOU?!]

The very blood that resided within him.

The blood of an oni.

It had taken a complete grasp over his own being.

His horns began to appear, the fangs started to show, his eyes grew completely white, his muscles began to protrude.

But among all of these things, two bright blue lights began to form from his hands as his rage took over.

What soon followed was a massive explosion that wiped away the cabin entirely.

Not a single other person, other than the boy himself and his sister, had existed in this world.

He stood there in anger and sadness.

He despised hurting others.

He despised killing.

And yet, his mind had taken control.

After vanquishing the ones responsible, the boy sat there in a calmed sadness.

He cried over the loss of his caretaker, as his sister began to hug him.

Tears flowed down both of their faces.

However, a haunting message appeared in the boy’s mind.

To be certain that we do not reach this point in history, I have taken the necessary precautions needed.

A new fear rose in his mind.

There was someone else who was in danger.

Nero: [Yoro!]

He panicked as he looked down at his sister, and quickly gave a command.

Nero: [Mena! Get on my back, please! We need to move immediately!]

Mena: [But…But Moms…Moms…]

Nero: [She is gone, Mena! We need to hurry! There’s someone else who is in danger right now!]

Mena: [B-But…But…]

Nero: [PLEASE!]

Shocked by the crying shout of her brother, Mena quickly stood up and moved onto Nero’s back.

As soon as she was safely secured onto him, Nero quickly shot into the air with his matōki, and began to fly using it at a rapid pace.

The cabin that once held the woman who looked after them, along with the very woman herself…

…were now all gone.

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In the large castle, was now a mob of humans

They were infuriated.

Likely over the lives of their children, husbands, wives, parents, grandparents, grandchildren.

All who had been taken from them.

Beneath them were two large individuals.

The two were once strong together, but had ultimately fallen to the might of the angered.

They remained there, lifelessly holding each other’s hands.

Near the entrance of the castle, a girl watched on in horror as the mob directed their attention to her.

Mob: [That’s her!]

The girl shook in fear as she noticed them moving towards her.

Yoro: [Corti…Forti…]

She looked at the two mighty guards she once had.

They were now without the might that were so generously gifted with.

She remembered every day that she had spoken to them.

She remembered how they tried to make her laugh, but ultimately failed.

They were family to her.

She looked on at her now dead family members.

Mob: [We’ll make you pay for what you’ve done!]

Yoro: [Please…I…I didn’t mean to…I…I didn’t understand everything…I…]

She could do nothing but crawl away in fear. She was uninjured, but her body did not allow her legs to stand.

Had she been the same person she was before, these people would likely be wiped out in mere seconds.

But she was no longer that person.

She was someone who was far more kind.

All thanks to a certain individual.

A boy who she had loved with all of her heart.

No matter what, she would not break her promise.

Mob: [Let’s put her head on display for the whole town to see!]

Yoro: [Please…Have mercy…I’m sorry for everything…I didn’t mean to do anything…]

They grew closer in distance.

It wouldn’t be long before they reached her.

No matter what, she would not break her promise.

Mob: [Make sure she doesn’t die too quickly after everything she’s put us through!]

Yoro: [Please…I promise I’ve changed…I swear…]

Her back was now against the door.

Their distance was now incredibly short.

Yoro: [Corti…Forti…Help me…]

She cried out to the bodies in front of her, praying by some miracle that they would return to the world of the living.

The mob only grew closer as she did so.

No matter what, she would not break her promise.

Mob: [She’s close enough now! Get her!]

The mob began to raise their tools at her, ready to skewer her body.

She knew the pain that would follow would be immense.

She knew that she would die.

But despite this…

No matter what, she would not break her promise.

In one final cry, she produced her last words.

Yoro: [Nero…Help me…]

As they moved down to strike at her, a loud yell from outside reverberated through the castle.

???: [GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU BASTARDS!]

A light consumed the path of the human mob, wiping them out in an instant.

Yoro…who was still alive and uninjured, looked at what laid ahead.

The mob had disappeared, now replaced with the burnt field below along with the night sky above.

Corti and Forit’s bodies remained, resting on the other side of the room.

The only thing that had not made sense was the blast that produced this result.

Yoro quickly received her answer, as she saw someone fly down towards her, embracing her in a hug.

She grew worried over who they had been, but had soon realized her prayer was answered.

She tightly embraced them in a hug of her own, while crying her heart out to them.

Yoro: [I…I was so scared…I was so scared…Nero…I]

Nero: [It’s alright. It’s alright now, Yoro. You’re safe. I promise.]

The two continued to hold each other as the boy’s sister stood a few feet away.

She was unsure of how to deal with everything that had happened.

They had lost their caretaker.

Her brother had killed many people, both oni and humans.

And now, he had embraced a girl who she was not entirely familiar with, while two dead bodies were behind her.

She once again slumped to the ground, unsure of what to do.

Much like her however…

Yoro: [Nero? NERO?! H-HEY! NERO! PLEASE! GET UP!]

Mena: [BROTHER!]

Without another word, the boy had lost consciousness while holding the girl he loved.

The story of what happened along with what came next was concealed between those three.

For many years, these three would go through a rough recovery after the events unfolded.

For ten whole years, they would continue their lives as normal, without paying any mind to it.

However, nothing truly lasts forever.

What may occur shall forever be known in history.

What has occurred shall always be remembered by those who have witnessed it.

In some way, in some form, such things can be easily discovered.

Thus, for ten years, these events went under the radar.

But after those ten years transpired, the truth would soon be uncovered.

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END OF PHASE 2