Sachihiro

"Hey there," I say to Mira pleased to see her.

Though we may have sex often, very often, and now have a child together, we aren't mated. I don't think I'd even dream of being mated to her. We are friends more than anything else and the relationship seems to work but fundamentally still very different people.

"Hey to you too," she responds as she slumps on the floor of the main room of the house we share with a here again gone again Asriel. The house is made of wood with rooms partitioned in a type of fibre that provides privacy but does nothing to stop sound.

"How is Saya?" She asks of our helper, Kuyoki, who has been a godsend in taking care of little Vigdis when we are away, which is most of the time nowadays, the schedule is intense of late.

"She is fine," I say. "We just put her to sleep though so you can't have her."

Mira huffs, "you've gotten stingy with her affection these days."

"Only because you were hoarding her to yourself while feeding her. Now that she's weaned she will spend time with her da learning the ways of the tribes from my knee."

I say proudly, placing a kettle of warm tea and cups close by her. Tea is just one of many new things I have been introduced to here. Honshu tea does wonders to clear the mind of fatigue, and it smells really nice.

Mira groans as she gets up, folds her legs under herself and pours herself a cup. At least she isn't bleeding and covered in cuts this time.

There are a few magical healers among the mountain clans but none that don't leave scares. As a result Mira's body is riddled with them. She tries to act brave and carefree a lot of the time, she doesn't complain about her training with the sickle-chain. But I remember the days when she used to come home from kenjutsu crying, covered in pink fresh healed scares.

She was a complete novice to physical combat before we started our journey and it showed when she met people who knew how to fight back. Instead of the snakes and little creatures we let her kill on the trip now she faces people, I admire her resilience.

They started her kenjutsu training with children less than half her age, kids that beat her bloody for nearly a month. But she didn't quit which I admire about her. Mira can be very stubborn and she had told herself that she wouldn't be a burden so she hasn't stopped improving herself.

She graduated to be barely able to keep up in kenjutsu school, but they let her attend regardless. The sickle-chain is a very difficult weapon to control and wield properly but she says she wants an edge.

The weapon requires the wielders entire body to efficiently control. Spinning this way and that or flipping forward or back to control the slack, a mid-range milly weapon . It can even act as a close-range weapon when fully retracted which I like. It is very difficult to defend against the kurasigama using a sword, probably is the main purpose of the weapon id itd ability to bend around objects and turn corners. Mira's so-called edge.

Learning it took her many months, four months to be exact. While simultaneously doing all her other lessons. Every single one of the Hito people is an expect of the katana at a basic level, every one of them. It is more than a weapon to them, it is a way of life. Even Koyuki, seemingly harmless beautiful Koyuki. A 60-year-old woman who has become fast friends with Mira is a master of the wakizashi, the Hito short sword.

Kuyoki is soft-spoken, warm, and seemingly meek. Only once have I heard her raise her voice and that was to admonish Mira for pushing herself too hard after returning in a particularly haggard state, even by her previous standards she was haggard.

To see Kuyoki practice her forms is to watch water flowing down a stream. Her moves are smooth and flowing, never stationary. One move leading to the next. Her entire body moving with her blade, Kuyoki dances through the forms masterfully.

These Hito people, these followers of the way are all crazy, obsessed and I like it. Their serious but easy-going way of life and way of thinking is very appealing.

We sip our tea in comfortable silence all thinking our own thoughts. There is hardly ever a need to rush here and most everyone seems to be happy. Though a few bloody duels take place often amongst the samurai they are never to the death.

Even when the soul samurai and some samurai leave for the Underworld it’s a celebrated occasion. I'm told it’s an even more auspicious occasion when they return, if they return. Apparently, their front lines are in the Underworld, these mountain villages are peaceful frontiers of sorts where the old and tired come to raise families in a semblance of peace.

I admit I don't know much about the Underworld. But a perpetually dark place hundreds of miles underground populated by undead creatures, dark elves, shades and other creatures of the darkness isn't a place I'm eager to visit anytime soon.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Yet the soul samurai go there to perform a duty they apparently have been doing for centuries. A duty they elected themselves to perform of keeping the things that can only be killed using soul magic or soul swords from reaching the surface world ever again.

It's humbling to know that there are such struggles happening all over Gaia and I never even knew about them. But the soul-samurai also probably like testing themselves down there, and returning here to rest. Having a worthy opponent to test yourself against can be liberating.

I grin thinking about Ava. I'm 4x a better swordsman now than I ever was, even better with a sword now than I am with an axe. But I still like keeping my axe skills honed. You never know who might need hacking into.

Thinking of undead...

"So... vampires huh?" I question with my tone as politely as possible.

"You dislike vampires?" Koyuki asks. Then sips her tea. I don't want to step on any toes 'cause I know the new arrivals are revered here.

"What the fuck are you people thinking trusting vile creatures of the dark?" Mira asks tactlessly. "You know we're good to them right?"

I could face palm.

Koyuki doesn't seem offended though, only amused. She gets up from her sit pillow and moves to light the candles and check on Saya.

Returning with another kettle of warm tea and food for Mira. The woman may not be Awakened, but she has magic of another kind.

"Most vampires are made from people," she begins. "Turned through the exchange of blood between a humanoid and an elder vampire."

She sees my confusion. 'Elder vampires'?

"Yes, not all vampires can turn people. Only those old enough or strong enough in blood magic.

"Vampires do not Awaken like other creatures. But the older the vampire the more powerful it becomes and vampires are immortal. So you can imagine how powerful they can get with age," Kuyoki says and settles herself on her pillow again.

"When a humanoid is turned. Depending on their willpower before the transfusions took place, they can spend anything between 7 to 70 years as a mindless beast. Knowing nothing but the thirst for blood and the voice of their master. Creatures with no remorse, knowing no mercy for their prey, ravenous beasts in human form.

"The master is the vampire that turns the person, and is the only being not immediately attacked by these creatures of slaughter and blood when the transformation is complete."

"I've heard stories of such creatures since I was a child. My people teach not to trust creatures with a strong affinity for the dark," I say nodding my agreement with her story.

"Yes, but when these creatures 'Awaken' from their mindlessness. They remember who they were in life, and they remember what they have done in undeath. Driving some insane with grief, others... Well others are just strange," she shrugs with a frown scrunching up her button nose.

"But all vampires used to be people. And it is mostly old age and ennui that makes them seem like cold bloodthirsty creatures to us."

"What about the other types of vampires?" Mira suddenly says. Pushing the now empty plates away.

"Pardon?" Kuyoki says.

"You said 'most' vampires are made. What about the rest?"

"Ahh... Very perceptive Mira. I think Hiro-san is slipping."

[Pfhh...] "I just wanted to let you get to it at your own pace," I say nonchalantly. Clearing away the dishes so that Mira may rest a bit longer. Her condition has gotten better but she still eats and sleeps as much as Vigdis.

"Some vampires are born."

"I thought all vampires were infertile," I quickly add.

"All made vampires are infertile." Kuyoki corrects.

"So you are saying the original vampires are fertile?"

"Yes, and so are their offspring. But thankfully all the Originals were banished by Gaia to the Ascension Gates many millennia ago.

"There is another way for a vampire to produce offspring though."

She says then stays quiet. Seeping her tea and looking at us from the rim of her cup. I can practically feel her smile behind that cup.

She likes testing the patience of her listeners this way. I've seen her doing it to the children when she tells stories. She lets them fill the silence she leaves with speculation and questions.

Mira and I stay quiet and wait her out. Mira grumbling under her breath before losing her patience.

"How?" She asks eventually. I grin, having had won the unofficial match.

"By coupling with sex demons of course," Kuyoki says as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

My heart rate immediately speeds up. Memories of Dee, Om, Harold and I coupling with a vile creature while in her thrall. Doing anything we could to please her until we eventually reached our own climaxes.

I shudder a littleat the memory. I know I was under her thrall but there is still a disconnect between how hideous I now know the creature was and how good it felt to fuck her. I sip deeply. Disgusted by the growing bulge in my pants.

"Explain," Mira says, not noticing my reaction.

"Daemons are not from our world, they are different to us people, hailing from the last of the seven worlds. A world said to be furthest from Rigel and closest to the spirit realm.

"Daemons are mostly physical beings but they also exist as strong spirits. Sex demons are known as succubi if they manifest as a female and incubus if they manifest as a male.

"But they are neither, or both; no one is sure. But succubi feed and get stronger off of sex. They are said to be the masters of lust, sex and sensual passion. They manifest as very beautiful and without equal when it comes to giving physical pleasure throughout the Seven Worlds.

"The danger is that once you sleep with one it has an influence over you. And the more you sleep with one, the greater that influence. Yet, everyone that has had sex with one claims once is never enough.

"One of their greatest uses though, are their ability to mate with any creature, and produce offspring. But only if they so choose.

"A succubi can be with child at will, or in its incubus form can impregnate any woman regardless of precautions taken."

"So you're saying that vampires have had children with daemons?" I ask. Slightly horrified, slightly fascinated.

"Exactly. And Khan Watanabe, our honoured guest is a product of such a coupling.''

I'm baffled, floored, disgusted, suspension and fascinated all at the same time.

"I see..." many creatures of horror and nightmare seem to have some association with these people, what does that mean? Where does that put me?

"What is Khan Watanabe's role here," Mira asks while my mind dissects my preconceptions.

"The Khan is here for the forging of soul-samurai."

I am all ears I am all eyes, judgement about this side of the Hito will come after I have seen and heard. Vampires coupling with daemons to produce these large handsome mysterious beings, ''so what are they? daemon or vampire?''

''Well, they're both.''