Nagare: “I feel sick”

Shoyo: “Hang in there buddy, I can see the shore from here”

Nagare: “The sooner we get off this thing the better”

Apparently Nagare got seasick rather easily. Being on the back of a sea serpent made it even worse.

Yama: “She is a pretty cute up close, isn’t she?”

Now that Yama’s hair caught on the wind, it was obvious that only the right side was white, but he combed it in a way that white side always faces the front.

Nagare and Kai: ‘Cute? This man is nuts!’

Shoyo: “She is pretty cute”

Yama: “What do you think of Bessie for a name? Kind of suits it, does it not?”

Nagare: “Using a monster as a means of transportation is unheard of. Why didn’t you just kill it? Why do you even bother naming it?!”

Yama: “Out of convenience, really. Besides, it’s not like I gotta kill every monster just because I am a Demon Hunter”

Nagare: “That is exactly what being a Demon Hunter means!”

Yama: “Not all monsters want to harm humans. Some just want to be left alone. And some can be used as a steed”

Nagare: “Have you done this before?”

Yama: “Nope, but as the saying goes, you don’t know before trying it at least once”

Nagare: “Wait, are you saying we are on the back of a gigantic lake monster and you are not even sure you have it under control?!”

Yama: “That about sums it up”

Nagare’s right eye started to nervously twitch.

Nagare: ‘I regret asking to be on his team. If I knew just how crazy he is, I would never have volunteered!’

In contrast to Nagare’s horror, Kai’s eyes had nothing but admiration for their leader.

* * *

“Koutarou”

“Yes master”

“The style I am about to teach you is fundamentally different from all known human styles, for it is not a style of life, but a blade that must be one with death”

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“No style is all powerful, but this one is truly dangerous, not only to one’s opponent, but also for the user. It is a double edged sword. If used incorrectly, it will kill you. Countless users of this style fell because they could not control it”

“It is a rare power that only few can have, but it also a burden like no other”

“The sword that can save your life can also just as easily end it”

“Make sure you heed my words well, for your own sake”

Koutarou: “Yes, master”

* * *

Yama: “Good girl”

Somehow, he tamed the beast to the point that it allowed Yama to pet it.

Shoyo: ‘Leave it to my student, dealing with a beast in such a manner’

One of the many lessons he taught Koutarou was to kill only as a last resort or when it was unavoidable. Not all creatures deserved death. Just as he demonstrated, leaving a monster alive did come in handy.

Nagare: “I am so glad that is over! Sweet, sweet land!”

He started to kiss the ground.

Kai: “It was not that bad”

Nagare: “Not that bad? We were on the back of that thing for hours! It could have turned on us at any second!”

Kai: “But it didn’t, did it? Perhaps you should have more faith in Yama-san; he is not a Guardian for nothing”

Yama: “Hope to see you again, Bessie”

The beast simply dove into the water, disappearing form sight soon after.

Yama: “Everyone, now we have entered a highly dangerous territory. As soon as the sun comes down, this place will be swarmed with demons. We cannot afford to sleep at night. Be ready to fight”

Kai and Nagare: “Yes sir!”

Shoyo: “Aye”

* * *

Koutarou: “Master, why must people die?”

Master: “Hmm?”

Koutarou: “It is not fair that they had to die, while we get to keep living”

They were surrounded by countless corpses, all people who died from starvation, wounds, or disease. Battles between warring factions were very common, and those caught in the middle always paid a price.

No matter how young or old, none was spared.

Master: “That is one way to look at it”

Koutarou: “What is the other?”

Master: “Some would feel proud to have outlived them”

Koutarou: “But that is too cruel! They did not need to meet such a horrible end! They should have been alive with us!”

Master: “That is merely an ideal, not the reality”

Koutarou: “Why can’t reality be different? Why can there not be justice?”

Master: “No matter how much you may want it to, the reality will not change, such is life. And justice is merely a concept created by humans; it does not exist in nature”

Koutarou: “Then what does nature dictate?”

Master: “One must die for the other to live”

Koutarou: “That can’t be…”

Master: “Just like that bovine we ate the day before, to provide us sustenance, it had to lose its life. We are no different”

Koutarou: “Doesn’t everyone deserve a chance to live?”

Master: “The concept of deserving something in this world is simply nonexistent. Good people will die, and bad people get to live, it happens every day, no matter how much you want to believe in justice, there isn’t any”

Master: “It is a harsh and brutal world. People die every day. Either by natural or unnatural means. Such is the gist of human condition. Only immortals are not bound by such restrictions, at least partially”

Koutarou: “Immortals?”

Master: “But their fate might be worst of them all. Just how many deaths does one need to witness until his own end finally arrives? Too many…”

Master: “Even you, if you live long enough will see plenty of deaths. What you see before you is just a reminder that all life is temporary”

Koutarou: “It’s just not fair. It’s so cruel.”

Master: “It truly is. But there is nothing we can do. No amount of praying will bring someone back to life. The only thing we can do for them is take care of the shells they have left behind”

Koutarou: “Why human beings are so weak, why can’t they beat death?”

Master: “Because every story must come to an end”