Chapter Text
Following instructions from a letter, whom she doesn't know who it was from. Might be sceptical and dangerous, but Nayeon's life was already that catastrophic since yesterday. So following something like this was just another thing on the list.
It was rather easy packing all her stuff into one of the knitted bags that her mom made for her. Not that she was carrying many things. Just some essentials, clothing, some food, and water to keep her alive and well through this journey. A journey to what? She doesn't know.
What she does know the writer instructs her to go to the northern Alps. This was also a blind location given how the site was not written in detail but she keeps on descending the mountain that she was living at. Slowly her lungs don't feel more cumbersome than it used to be.
The low altitude means more oxygen to breathe in. Living in the mountains makes her lungs restricted and keeping her from breathing more air since her body was still trying to adapt to the cold temperature that is the mountains of Japan.
Descending the mountains made her see more vibrant colors other than just white. It was Spring under the mountain unlike at the top where it always wintered. The floral smell of the bitter-sweet scent of the cherry blossoms fills her nostrils.
Since it was Spring, the cherry blossoms flowers blooms and the fragrance of it spread around Japan. It is the signature flower from "The Land Of The Rising Sun", And it was Nayeon's favorite scent since she moved here.
A smile painted across her face as she keeps on walking. Stopping now and then to take some rest or to eat and drink. With only the help of a compass and a map, she followed the road towards the Nothern Alps or what the Japanese called the Hida Mountains.
Through the significant and many patches of rice fields and small villages that Nayeon was lucky enough to pass through on her way. She was filling up her bag with more resources to last her for a couple of days. It was mostly a smooth journey.
Until the sky turns dark and all of the villagers hurriedly ran inside. Closing their food vendors and stopping all of their evening's activities. Nayeon was surprised at the sudden change of routine but followed the rhythm. Quickly packing her stuff inside her bag and to continue.
Some people tried to warn her, grasping at her arm to stopping her from her walk. "It is too dangerous, walking alone at night, Child. Stay at my cabin until It was early in the morning. Then you can continue your walk." An old lady tried to stop her.
Her wrinkled, covered face couldn't hide the fear that she had. The concerning look she gave to Nayeon almost drove her in. But she didn't want to delay. Her heart somehow told her to continue, telling her that her destination was close.
She just slowly turned around and rest her other hand on top of the grandma's. "Thanks, granny but my destination is almost near. I'll be fine. I'll run if I hear something bad or defend myself." Even so, the old lady still didn't want to let her go.
She convinced her to stay, but Nayeon insisted. Her decision was final, and she doesn't care if what ends up was terrible. She knows her heart would never disappoint her, so she follows it. The old lady stopped trying and only pray for Nayeon, so God's of Buddha may protect her.
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The sheer coldness of tonight's breeze is surrounding her body, giving her a slight chill. Good thing she was wearing a rather thick kimono that was suitable for this kind of temperature. Not to mention her surrounding was mostly dead silent.
Even the crickets weren't brave enough to chirp. So it was only Nayeon and the rest of the world. The sky is empty, the stars were hiding behind the moon, and it was all colored dark blue enough to give Nayeon that grimed feeling of loneliness.
Just as she thought it couldn't get any worse, she heard a loud shriek right in front of her. Her attention that used to be on the ground quickly shot to the front. She froze at the noise, and cold sweat was starting to run down her face.
The noise was getting more and more horrific. Someone was definitely in trouble. Nayeon didn't know why or what happened but the next thing she knew, her feet were running towards the source of the sound. Inside the thick and tall trees of the forest.
Rustling sounds were made, as she steps on the dry leaves that fall from the tree — running at full speed to the source of it. The shriek turns into a big scream, almost piercing through her ear, panting hard as the noise started to go more transparent and more precise.
Until it decided to stop making Nayeon halt at her tracks. Silence was starting to take over, and she was surrounded by trees as long as her eyes could see. She was still breathing hard from all of that running. Her heart was beating out of control.
Then she caught another sound coming from the same place. She searched around in the darkness of the forest. No sign of a person near her but the noise was unexplainable, almost like the sound of a claw scraping into an object.
An object that was so soft to be called one, to begin with. Her ears were catching more sounds, and the sound of crunching caught her off guard. Cold sweats were trickling down her face, and it was starting to go colorless.
Every breath that she takes was slow and painful, wrenching her lungs. Her brain tells her to run far away because she knows that the scream was a result of something. Something that has been terrorizing this town for a long time.
But she didn't, even though every part of her body tells her to. Instead, she stands there with both of her hands holding tight on to the handle of the blade, bringing it through her journey for stuff like this one. With a big loud swift, she retracted the blade out of the case.
Giving it some time to shine under the moonlight. The light of the moon reflected across it, and she didn't even notice its color. Almost as dark as the night sky. A very weird looking blade with a dark color, she thought maybe they used a special kind of ore to make this one.
Her ear twitches a little as she caught an abruptly quick sound. It was the mixture of running and panting accompanied by crushing leaves. Someone or something was running towards her. Focusing on the source of the music, she stands firm on her guard.
Looking all over her surroundings. The sound was echoing throughout the forest. It was getting nearer and nearer closing in the distance. Her hold on the handle started getting shaky until it shows itself from the dark of the forest.
His eyes were red as bloodshot, and his veins were popping out of his skin. Skin pale as white as snow and blood were gushing out of the mouth with sharp pointy teeth resting on to it. It was a little boy, and he was wearing a standard black kimono that was in no good shape.
In this kind of condition, he could no longer be called a human and was the same thing as her father, a demon. It could no longer make a rational thought, so it charges towards her. It is catching her off guard, making her swing her blade with no sorts of direction nor aim.
She was only wounding it a little with no necessary cuts. It keeps on charging giving her no time to recover. His nails were sharp and cut right through her kimono, making a big claw mark and made her off balance. Her breath hitched as she fell to the leaf-covered ground.
Crushing all the dry leaves as she made an impact. It hurt her and stunned her a little. She could feel all that fear slowly consuming her, but It was stopped when that little boy jumped on top of her. He bites on to the blade that was used to protect herself from him.
He was tiny, yet he was strong, and his nails were digging through her ribs. The pain was agonizing, but she tries to fight him off. His teeth were chomping trying to break the blade, but it was strong enough that every time he pushes through it, It was cutting through his mouth.
Nayeon knew that this blade was sharp enough to harm him. So she thrust her hand up, pushing him forward just as he chomps towards the edge. Gritting on her teeth and practically screaming off her lungs, she pushed through his flesh, cutting through the veins and hard skull.
Until it was just in half, it finally stopped attacking. But Nayeon was no amateur. She remembered back then when she did the same thing to her father. The stunt didn't kill it immediately, but instead, it regenerated and healed itself.
So for proper measures, she cut off the neck without any knowledge that it would work. But she knows that it was working when his body started disintegrated into a blaze of ashes and flown as the cold air hits it — flying across the night sky.
Knowing that it was all over, she absentmindedly rested her head on the ground, looking up to the night that was accompanied by the stars. She was still hyperventilating at was just happened, but it was starting to calm down.
It was one hell of a night, and she was starting to think maybe she would have to do this now every night. But the thought was so absurd and was probably just a mild coincidence. So she sat up looking through the trees as far as she can see.
She is observing its height because, by all means, it was higher than her. But she could still see the long branches that grow on it, and she could slightly see something standing on one of it. Shocked by what she sees, she quickly held on to her blade and stood up, focusing on the new guest.
It too tall to be a bird and too slim to be a bear also bears don't stand up on their feet, especially not on a tree branch. Looking at it thoroughly and figuring out its shape. She knows that it was a man watching her.
She could not see his face because he was hiding under the shadow.
But she could see the color of his clothes. He was wearing a two pattern haori one was solid red and the other she could not see because of the shadow.
On the inside was a plain white shirt followed by a hakama and a geta for the finished look. It was a mixture of modern and old Japanese clothing. Even under the shadow, she could still see the grey strings of hair that was slowly turning white.
He was just standing there watching her from afar. Just how long have that older man been watching her from. Curious of his intention Nayeon fixes her breathing to ask him a few questions.
"Who are you? Why are you just watching me from up there?" Which was responded by an act of silent?
Nayeon sighed loudly, this was getting nowhere, and she knows it. That man isn't going just to watch her, Right? Or maybe he's the reason she has been encountering these demons. Her question was interrupted when he finally opened his mouth.
"The blade, Where did you get it?" His voice was hoarse and deep, and she could almost tell how old he was just by the sound.
But her attention was now on her blade. Why would he ask her about it? Out of all of the questions, she asked. Instead of answering it, he asked another question. She wasn't in the mood to play those sorts of games and kept it straight to the point.
"I asked you first! It's rude to answer someone with a question." Looking up and down from the blade to the older man.
"My name and reasons are not important. What's important is, Where did you get that blade?" It was getting more serious, and his tone was getting aggressive.
With the intensity that was rising from his tone, Nayeon shivered. "M-My Father own it." She stuttered.
No answer for a couple of minutes and her hold on the blade was still tight. Her hands were starting to turn white because of it. The wind was getting stronger, and their kimono and haori were flying through the wind.
Nayeon thought that maybe it's just one of that crazy older man minding her business and was about to lose her grip on the handle to start walking again. Until she saw movement from the top, he changes into a cross-legged sitting position, almost like he was meditating.
He could hear his breath; it was even unlike any other people and was perfectly balanced. Circulating on his lungs. "Where is your destination?" He asked out of the blue.
Nayeon gasped a little and hummed. She is under no circumstances are going to give her destination away to some stranger. But the way he was talking was luring her in. Like she knows that this old man means no harm to her.
"The Hida Mountains." She knows it wasn't specific.
There are many mountains in the northern Alps of Japan. Climbing everyone of them would be a challenge. But the writer didn't say to climb it. Instead, it told her to find someone. Someone called Giyu Tomioka whom she never even met before.
Her eyes were fixated onto him, waiting. "Purpose?" Gentle as it may seem.
She was reluctant to keep it a secret, but somehow her mouth just answers without her doing it. As if he knows or trusted this old guy.
"I'm looking for someone called Giyu Tomioka." Then the wind blew, and the atmosphere got colder.
He flicked it made Nayeon flinched a little. Now standing on the tree branch, Nayeon could hear the loud thumping sound that is from his heart. It was as if the mention of that name gave him a little of a shocked and almost anger.
She could hear his ragged breathing coming right out of his mouth. "How did you know that name?" Anger was visible on his tone, but she could hear the soft gentleness that followed behind it. He was trying to keep calm.
Hearing the intensity of the tone, Nayeon didn't answer immediately. This old guy must've been trouble. "It's none of your business." She tried to cover the fear that was indulging in her tone.
Refusing to response the old guy leaps down from the tall tree branch. Making a loud thud once he was on the ground. Seeing that Nayeon was shocked, her eyes went wide, and she holds her blade firm to her front even though it was shaking out of control.
How could a man with that kind of age, fell from that height without making a bruise? She didn't know, but now she could see his face. The dark shadows of the night cannot hide him anymore. Thus his face is revealed.
His face was covered with wrinkles, and he has thin eyebrows with sharp dark blue eyes. Messy grey hair tied back into a low ponytail dangling on his back. Nayeon could now see the second pattern on his haori, a geometrical pattern with green, orange and yellow color.
When she thoroughly looked at him, she was in a complete shocked and quickly gripped her blade tighter. Right on his waist resting on the side of his white belt, something was popping out, a blade identical to hers but much more prolonged and older. She could see that it was used quite often.
What surprises her more was the traces of dry blood from it. It seems fresh like he just slaughtered someone. She was shaking, and her heart was beating out of her chest. If the demons didn't manage to kill her, this older man could.
He was slowly stepping closer, and it pulled Nayeon back to reality when she heard the sound of leaves crunching — stepping back as he steps to the front until Nayeon bumped into a tree and decided to look over her shoulder.
She looked at him with her serious face, trying not to show the fear but miserably failed when she stuttered. "W-What do you w-want?" Shaking on her hold.
He stopped at his tracks showing no sign of attacking, keeping the distance just right. His face was flat and severe. "Just some answers. The name, How did you know the name?" This time his tone was much more gentle and raspy equivalent to the older man.
Nayeon was fighting with her mind, whether to tell him or not. Physically she was told to fight him but seeing his posture and movements. This old guy must've been a professional. Fighting him would've been a mistake.
Mentally she was told to tell him. But what good would come out of it? She was following a letter from an unknown person who happened to save her from all of this catastrophe. But it was better than the idea of fighting him.
Breathing out a big lump of air, that forms a great mist. Uncertain whether it worth the try. The letter was clueless more like unfinished. The unknown writer, not specific detail and an indeterminate sentence saying "Tell Him that the sun has risen."
It was like a wild goose chase. But because this old guy was forcing her to answer. She had no choice. Even if how weird the letter was.
"I know it from a letter." She told him and his eyebrows knitted together.
It was much more severe now. "What did it say?" He asked, raising one of his eyebrows while still looking at her.
Nayeon breathed out again; this man was weirder than she thought. "The sun has risen, that's what it said." It was a random sentence.
Was it telling her to wait until the sun rises so that she could search for this person name Giyu Tomioka? Or Was it the location name? She didn't know it was all just random for her. But once she said that, his expression change into one she called confusion.
He was surprised, and then he slowly smiled. It was a cocky one like he didn't believe what she said. "So, this is the girl you sent? How pathetic!" He mumbled, but Nayeon could hear him loud and clear.
He just looked at her with a smirk on his face; he was not impressed. Then he whistled towards the sky and came flying down from heaven an old crow that looks like it could die any minute now. But it rested on his shoulder, and he whispered something.
So quiet, even Nayeon couldn't hear him. Once he was done, the crow nodded like it understands what he was saying and fly across towards her. It floats in front of her, so they are in the same range. Nayeon could see that the crow was so old it started to grow some grey hair just like the guy.
"Follow me!" It said, its voice was low and raspy like a man and Nayeon gasp letting out a small shriek.
Because that crow can talk and crows don't speak, not in an ordinary world she thought. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, even hitting her head a couple of times. Just to make sure she wasn't just dreaming. But she wasn't when she still see the crow, floating in front of her.
"Just follow him, I'll explain later." Nayeon tilted her head to look at the source of the other sound, and it was the old guy who was talking.
"And why should I?" She asked, slightly annoyed.
She's not going to follow any stranger with a talking crow on his hand. Not when there's a blade resting on his side. He shook his head and jumped. It wasn't any average jump. He used his core muscle for that so he could reach the top of the branch.
She could hear those muscles pulling and stretching as he makes the big jump, landing on one of the branches. Nayeon shriek again because of that.
"I guess all Japanese people are Ninjas!" She said to herself and looked at him facing his back.
"You want to meet Giyu Tomioka, right?" With the mention of the unknown person's name, Nayeon hummed and nodded her head vigorously.
A slight chuckle came out of his mouth, looking far through the trees upfront. "Then follow the bird, He'll lead you to him." He said and disappeared to the distance.
Jumping across from branches to branches, leaving Nayeon with her mouth agape. She shook her head, closing her mouth, chasing him with the crow flying right by her side. "W-wait! How do I know you are not lying?" She said while panting and stopped.
She yelped because of the sudden pain on her head. The crow pecked her with his sharp beak, right at the crown of her head. She rubbed it a couple of times as the pain was radiating throughout her head. She was sure it became a wound.
"Just follow me! You don't have a choice, remember?" The crow said cockily.
His wings are flapping in front of her, so they are in the same range. He flies ahead of her, not caring if Nayeon followed or not. Annoyed and slightly angered, Nayeon started running to catch up. He was right; she didn't have any other choice.
So, she just followed him. Running across the dark forest, until she slowly could see the light of the sun, peeking through the leaves of the tall trees. The sun has indeed risen.
It was another day.