Silver silky strands of hair gently fluttered in the wind like scintillant strings of fate. Until a sharp blade would cut them in half—its slash so precise it barely changed the hair’s trajectory in the air.
The holder of the polished curved blade was a young man in his late twenties. He was rather short, but his piercing black eyes and hair knotted up in a bun behind his back made him look a fierce warrior.
“You’re not bad for a human.” A woman spoke as she stood in front of him. Her legs were slightly bent and spaced apart with her left hand open in front of her while the right was kept in a gently closed fist firmly tucked behind her stance. “But to swing a crude weapon like that… it makes you look unrefined.”
She was a bit taller than him. Her crimson eyes were sharp and the two blackened thin horns protruding out of her top of her forehead split her bangs in three. Despite her almost regal looks, she wore a simple fur jacket that covered her breasts and loincloth of the same material while standing bare on her feet.
“My apologies for my undesired behavior.” The young man spoke. “But this is how us humans have been fighting against your kind for centuries.”
The wind quietly brushed the foliage of the trees above them. Birds and insects remained quiet as the gust of wind slowly came to a pause. A drip of sweat fell from his brow and slowly made its way between his eyes as it parted in two between his nose.
Tension. Miyamoto knew how strong they were and now that they had finally struck peace with humanity—there he was fighting against them again. For a cause that he himself didn’t believe, but one his former master did. An unified continent.
But to do that, he needed help. So much so he resigned himself to seek from the one who almost destroyed humanity—the oni king. In front of him was none other than his second in command, Hizuki. From all the opponents he fought against, she was by far the most threatening as well as the most beautiful.
He swallowed dry as his breathing steadied itself. His core tightened instinctively and that same tension spread to his lower body as all muscles in his legs became one. However, as he was steeling his resolve to face his opponent, he saw a glint in the eyes of the man sitting atop a broken throne of stone.
Yoshitsune. The oni king himself—wearing nothing but a robe made of purple textiles not found in the continent, he was nothing if not enigmatic. He was known for never smiling or giving the opponent mercy. But there he was wearing a teeth baring grin that could only be described as pure amusement.
‘Does this see this as a joke?’
Miyamoto thought in contempt for a split second before he noticed where the horned man was actually looking and upon following his gaze he realized—he wasn’t looking at him, but Hizuki herself.
At that moment a hint of hesitation grew inside him. This didn’t feel like a duel to the death, no, it was more…
“What are you looking at?!”
Hizuki dashed in to land a straight punch, but Miyamoto barely dodged it while trying to nick her arm with his blade but the metal simply slid right off as she hardened her skin at the point of contact. They both remained within striking distance, but even in the face of danger—Miyamoto was still somewhat calm.
“You are one impatient lady.” He said while adjusting the grip on his weapon. His expression never really changed. “I came here only to petition your king and yet you met me with full arms.”
“Petition? Is that what you call brandishing that crude thing in my king’s court? Is that how humans ‘parley’ these days?”
Miyamoto noticed the king looking at him with an inquisitive expression. Despite no words being exchanged it felt like the towering man was asking him what he would do next.
‘I’ve killed many like her before. It would be simple to do it again. Yet… it would be such a waste. Her strength, her speed—with a bit of discipline and practice she could surpass even the most skilled swordsmen of these lands.’
“Say whatever you like but know this—I can cut you down where you stand in the blink of an eye.”
He said confidently as mana started to surge from within his body. A light blue glow enveloped his limbs and body. Hizuki narrowed her eyes as she started to focus mana through her arms.
“You talk a lot for a swordmaster.”
“Because I am.”
In a literal blink of an eye he closed the gap in one, single fluid motion. His blade arced downwards with deadly precision. The impact rang like thunder as Hizuki’s reinforced arms met the blade head-on. The polished blade cracked and then shattered—fragments of the weapon scattered like shards of ice across the dueling grounds.
Hizuki stood with a faint smirk on her face as she knew a mere piece of metal wouldn’t be able to slash through her defenses.
“You call yourself a swordmaster? That was-”
When she lowered her arms to continue the fight—Miyamoto simply sighed and raised his own.
“My loss.”
He held the remains of his weapon with the rest of the former blade being scattered around them. His sudden resignation confused her. Her smirk faded as a few sparkles entered her peripheral vision.
‘What the…’ Her silver hair fluttered alongside the edges of her cheeks. They were too small to be just random strands falling. ‘No… did he…?!’
“And the winner is. Our Princess Hizuki.” Yoshitsune announced with a somewhat unsurprised tone as he climbed down from the throne to meet the two combatants. “Hm? What’s the matter, Hizuki? Are you not satisfied with your opponent?”
She tore her gaze from Miyamoto, her expression a mix of confusion and anger as she bowed before the king.
“No your majesty. It is nothing.”
The king smirked before turning his attention to Miyamoto.
“You fought well for a human. But considering that you’ve lost I won’t be able to provide you with the army you sought from our tribe. My condolences for you master.”
The swordmaster shook his head.
“No apologies needed, I brought it upon myself.”
He bowed deeply, but as he straightened his back and was about to leave, his mind lingered on the shattered blade. He had gambled everything in this duel and was now leaving empty handed. The road home seemed even more uncertain—until he heard the king’s voice come from behind him.
“Although…” His voice seemed tinged with amusement and respect in equal measure. “I think for this strand of hair I might be able to lend one person that might be of help.”
Miyamoto stopped mid-step, his body tensed up. He swallowed dry as the king’s words hung in the air before slowly turning to face him once again. The enigmatic king was beside Hizuki with his right hand resting lightly on her left shoulder.
“Think of this as a temporary alliance. While I won’t make an army march at the whims of one man alone, you may yet prove that your cause is right and just—through her eyes.”
Though she said nothing, her crimson gaze flickered towards Miyamoto, unreadable yet intense. Was it disdain? Curiosity? Or perhaps, a glimpse of respect? She remained motionless, waiting for his answer.
Miyamoto’s chest tightened. The loss of his family at the hands of onis and later his master at the hands of humans were both the reason why he took up the blade and mastered it. A man shaped by grief and sorrow—looking to make amends for his inability to protect others. There he was. Now being entrusted with yet another life.
But she was different.
Her unwavering gaze, the ferocity of her strikes—Hizuki wasn’t one to break under pressure. No, the strength she wielded was nothing Miyamoto had ever seen before from either onis or humans alike.
As such thoughts swirled in his mind suddenly a tinge of hope started to grow within him.
‘Maybe, this time… this time will be different.’
He straightened his posture, then bowed deeply, his voice filled with determination and conviction.
“May this be a fruitful alliance to us both.”
The proceedings seemed to move at a dizzying pace as not even an hour had passed ever since news of the alliance between the two men and the Princess was already assigned an escort. Not only that but her luggage was already packed in the form of a large leather sack carried by said escort.
She was a shorter oni, standing roughly at the same height as Miyamoto. Her jet black hair barely met her own shoulders with her straight fringe being divided in three by the two black horns protruding out of her forehead. She wore a similar garb as Hizuki but it was slightly darker and she had some sort of makeshift gauntlets hanging by the side of her belt.
“Greetings. Lord Miyamoto.”
She was standing beside the swordmaster right outside the gates of their town. It was a rather quiet city. Oni children ran around playing with each other while the adults were either going about their lives or helping pack up food and other supplies for Hizuki’s travel. Since it was a mountainous region it was rather difficult to have a steady source of food outside of farming the usual rice crop.
“H-hello…” Her unfathomably quiet steps startled him slightly as she spoke up. “Mind telling me… how you were able to put together everything she needs to travel so fast?”
“Huh? Oh, Princess Hizuki has very few things to her name. She isn’t very materialistic, you see.”
“Ah… yes, that would make sense.” He started to remember how fierce she was with her fists alone. “Say.” He continued after a pause. “You call her princess, but… what is she to your king?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Well—considering she holds so much respect from your people, I thought she might be the king’s daughter or something, but-”
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“They don’t look like each other.” She finished, nodding in agreement. Miyamoto nodded along, relieved she understood what he meant. “You see.” She started to whisper as if out of fear of being heard. “Our current king bested her father in combat which made him the new king. That’s our way—only the strongest may lead.” She glanced around before continuing. “Although it is the first time one of our kind allowed the former king’s child to live.”
He seemed surprised at first but then asked.
“Allowed to live? What made her the exception to the rule?”
“That…” She said while looking at Hizuki finishing talking with the townsfolk as they seemed to be bidding her farewell. “Is not my place to say…”
“I see.” He firmly nodded once. “Thank you for letting me know…”
He glanced at her with the face of someone who didn’t exactly know what to say next.
“Aiko, my name is Aiko.” She bowed slightly. “Pleasure to meet you.”
He bowed somewhat awkwardly in return.
“The pleasure’s mine.”
As they finished exchanging words, the Princess approached them with the townsfolk right behind her.
“Aiko, there you are.” Hizuki’s voice came from behind them. The oni princess effortlessly held a large rucksack over her left shoulder as she approached them. She glanced briefly at him and asked with a raised eyebrow. “Are you ready to depart?”
With her intense presence he couldn’t help but chuckle as he tilted his head towards her and said with a confident smirk.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
They left the town with the townsfolk bidding farewell as they slowly disappeared in the horizon.
“Hey human! Take care of our Princess!”
“Safe travels, Princess Hizuki!”
“We’ll be waiting for your return!”
Hizuki herself waved over her shoulder while showing a smile as more and more townsfolk started to crowd the front gate to say their goodbyes.
Miyamoto chuckled to himself softly.
“You really are loved by your people.”
As their voices and cheers faded, so too did her smile. The usually composed oni princess was now with an expression tinged in sadness.
“And I really love them back.”
For a time, the gentle afternoon breeze shaking the foliage and the crunch of their footsteps on the dirt path were the only sounds surrounding them. No words were exchanged in the hours they spent walking, which wouldn’t have bothered Miyamoto—if not for the memory of Hizuki’s sad expression.
‘Tsk… why am I bothered by this?’
He thought while scratching the underside of his chin. He wasn’t exactly good at understanding people, but seeing her like that gnawed at the back of his mind—filling him with an unfamiliar sense of guilt.
“Isn’t that heavy?” He asked suddenly, breaking the silence as he pointed to the rucksack she carried. “Let me carry it for you.”
“Hm?” She raised an eyebrow as a smirk slowly appeared on her lips. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Oh come on. You may be strong but I-”
Before he could finish she let go of the rucksack which almost brought him to his knees upon landing between his arms.
“Hmph! What the-?! What are you carrying in here?!”
He exclaimed with his voice strained from the effort he was making in order to not drop the thing. Hizuki couldn’t help but laugh, a sound as rare as it was genuine, before effortlessly picking it up off his hands.
“Food supplies.” She said while still chuckling. “This is three days’ worth of food for the three of us.”
He stood upright with a groan as he rubbed the lower part of his back.
“Three days’?! Are we eating like royalty or something?!”
She gave him a confident smile as she easily slinged the rucksack over her shoulder once again.
“Oni appetite.”
She strode ahead leaving Miyamoto behind with a half open mouth as he glanced at Aiko—who met his gaze with a slight shrug and an amused nod.
“Well… she’s not wrong.” She said with a faint smile as they started to walk a few steps behind Hizuki. “Thank you, Lord Miyamoto.” Aiko whispered, her tone light but sincere. “Way to lift my lady’s spirits.”
“It wasn’t exactly my intention to fail at carrying a rucksack you know. It hurt my pride.”
He whispered back, embarrassed.
“But all is fine in my eyes.” She chuckled softly. “As long as my lady is happy.”
“A man still has to protect his honor. Besides…” He looked at Hizuki’s back, noticing the spring in her step. “I feel a bit guilty for taking her away from her people.”
“Worry not valiant swordsman. If she truly didn’t want to come—you wouldn’t have left the town alive in the first place.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, caught off guard by her bluntness, but decided against saying anything. Instead, he let out a silent sigh—unsure whether to laugh it off or take her seriously at that point.
The evening would soon come to a close with the sun settling behind the mountains.
He scouted for a place amidst the pine trees. Dry, spacious and inconspicuous. Using a dead branch, Miyamoto brushed off the dry pine needles and cones from the place where they would sleep while making a campfire with rocks by the trail they were walking.
Aiko had settled the large sack of their belongings beside a tree where Hizuki used it as a makeshift cushion to lay on while her escort went out to grab firewood. The nights in that region were cold and unforgiving to the unprepared—he knew it well enough from experience, but looking at the princess lazing comfortably against a tree made him wonder how sheltered she truly was.
“Say.” Miyamoto spoke out loud, picking her attention right away. “Have you ever left that town before?”
“Not really, I’ve always taken strolls around the outskirts of the stone walls but never traveled so far as I did today.”
“I see…” He tossed a few pine cones in the middle of the campfire before sitting cross-legged on the ground and pulling out a length of string alongside a tuff of kindling from one of his pockets. “Well I hope the scenery on the way back to our land will make you feel glad to have traveled from your town, at least for a while.”
He grabbed a large sturdy branch and made a bow out of it before using it with another stick to create a fire.
“Yeah, I also hope…” She noticed the strange contraption he built. “So…”
Her voice slowly faded as she looked at what he was doing. He wrapped a straightened stick around the bowstring. With deliberate movements, he used the bow to make it rotate while using a flattened stone to press down from above to create more friction against a piece of wood. With a bit of effort—the plank below the drill soon started to let out thin tendrils of smoke.
“What is that? Some kind of trick humans use to make fire?”
“This is called a bow drill, it’s not as easy as lighting it up with magic but it works…” After a few more minutes, the plank became blackened with heat as he carefully picked it up and tilted the newborn ember into a bundle of kindling. “There we go.”
Blowing air gently into the ember between the kindling—the smoke started to thicken until a flame flickered into life. He put it in the middle of the dry pine cones while placing loose sticks from the branch he had used as a broom.
Hizuki gazed at the dancing flames consuming the pinecones as it grew bigger. The fire’s warmth was familiar yet it had a distinct feeling to it—perhaps, because it was the first time she camped outdoors.
“It’s strange, we’re not that far away from town but it feels like a totally different place.” She muttered while gazing at the night sky beyond the treetops. “Everything feels so… alive.”
Miyamoto smiled softly while he snapped twigs off the branches to feed the fire.
“It’s exactly as you say out here. Although there might be some dangers, it still is quite liberating to camp outside.”
Her eyes slowly trailed to the side where she stared at a lone pinecone tilted against a nearby tree. Her faint smile faded as she muttered to herself.
“Liberating, huh?”
‘That expression again…’ He thought while glancing at her through the corner of his eyes. ‘What was your life in that town like?’
Before he could dwell on it further, a sharp snap of a branch nearby made his body tense up. He rose up and reached for his sheathed weapon with his right hand while the left grabbed a hold of the scabbard.
“Aiko? Is that you?”
He raised his voice while looking at the direction where the sound came from. His fingers tightening the grip around the weapon’s hilt.
“Huh? Yes, it is me, Lord Miyamoto.” A familiar voice came from behind one of the trees. “What’s the matter?”
Only when Aiko emerged from the shadow did he relax his stance—eventually sitting down again with his legs crossed.
“Nothing. Can’t be too careful when camping outside.”
He took off his weapon from the sash of his robe and left it on his lap. Aiko approached him and left the firewood she had gathered on the ground. Some of them were as thick as his thigh which meant it would take forever to start burning.
As she was about to toss it into the fire, Miyamoto gently grabbed a hold of her arm and said.
“Let me cut it.”
She blinked a few times before unconvincingly uttering.
“Huh?”
After convincing her to put the rather heavy log on the ground—he removed his broken sword from its scabbard and held it between both hands. For a moment the only sound around them was the crackling campfire and the distant sounds of insects. Hizuki’s attention was drawn by both of them moving and as her eyes naturally trailed towards the swordmaster—her expression became full of doubt.
‘Does he really intend on cutting a log that size with that thing?’
Miyamoto stood still while focusing mana through his arms, though she could see the glow, merely empowering an attack with mana would do little to ‘cut’ it and would more likely ‘crush’ it with sheer force—or so she thought.
Time seemed to slow down for a brief moment when he raised the blade just slightly above his chest height—the mana in his arms surged to the ragged edge of the broken blade until he brought it down in one short and precise motion.
A thread thin wave of mana sliced cleanly through the log leaving the two halves falling down with soft thuds, revealing the untouched ground beneath.
Hizuki flinched as she didn’t believe what she just had witnessed.
‘What the…’ Her gaze lingered on the cut log for a bit before eventually looking at the swordsman—who had just sheathed his weapon. ‘How did he…?’
“Lord Miyamoto, what was that?”
Aiko broke the silence with a mix of curiosity and awe in her voice.
“I call it blade energy.” He explained while grabbing the cut log. “This is the technique I developed to cut through things a normal blade can’t.”
He sat down and tossed one of the logs into the fire. Embers and sparks spewed from it into the air before vanishing into the night.
Aiko lowered herself beside him, crossing her legs as she studied him intently.
“You created it?”
He nodded as his gaze softened.
“That is how I earned my master’s trust.” He chuckled sourly. “Imagine asking your retainer to cut your hair with a technique strong enough to cut through steel.”
He looked at his own sword with a faint smile.
“So…” Hizuki’s voice broke the growing silence, catching both of their attention. She hesitated for a moment before continuing—knowing little that the question she was about to ask would change everything. “...the reason you created that technique was to defeat us onis?”
Her question hung in the air like smoke from the campfire. Aiko shifted uncomfortably, glancing between the two but not saying anything.
Miyamoto tilted his head slightly sideways to avoid looking her in the eyes. A bitter taste started to grow in his mouth as he replied with a weary tone.
“I did what was necessary to survive. Your kind destroyed my home—killed my family. Not a single day has passed since that I haven’t longed to cut down the ones who stole my happiness.”
Hizuki swallowed dry, her chest tightening. That foreboding feeling—the same she’d felt during their duel—washed over her like a raging river. The tension was palpable, it even made her glance briefly at Aiko, whose fingers hovered over her gauntlets.
But as Miyamoto’s eyes finally met hers, the venom in his words seemed to be at odds with his expression. There was no hatred in his eyes—just a mix of sorrow and resolve.
“But…” He continued, his voice softening. “...such it is war. I grew this strong because of it.” Both his hands tightened into fists before letting it go as he opened them again. “And besides… I have a promise to keep. I won’t unify the continent if I can't let go of my hatred.”
The fire crackled, its glow casting flickering shadows across their faces. For a moment neither Hizuki or Aiko spoke. The weight of his words hung heavy in the air—his tale was unlike anything they ever heard before.
Each of them knew little of the war their people had fought. Their histories, told through the lens of convenience, served only to perpetuate a cycle of aggression. Yet here, at that singular point in time, something took a different turn. An undeniable bond was formed—fragile, but full of potential.
Hizuki’s gaze lingered on him, her heart stirring with emotions she couldn’t yet name. Before her stood a man of unyielding resolve, someone that would not bend or break to the will of others. He sought power not for his own gain, but to shield others from the pain he had endured. This man—a swordmaster unmatched by any man or oni —stood as a testament to strength born of purpose.
Aiko’s fingers that lingered above her gauntlets, made her chest tighten. She knew he was no ordinary man, but witnessing such conviction from a former enemy felt overwhelming. The notion of attacking him, even in defense of her princess, now felt like betrayal to his integrity.
Hizuki’s crimson eyes were glinting with firelight. Her gaze was skeptical and guarded from the scars of the loss of her father. Yet amidst uncertainty, hope started to bloom.
“Do you… truly mean that?”