Chapter Text
It was the era of monsters and slayers. Humble villages and the poor people who lived there were the victims of malicious oni and sadistic spirits. Some villages were able to protect themselves by being under the protection of trained slayers; others were guarded by the magic of priests and priestesses who devoted their lives to mastering the spiritual arts.
You were of the latter, a young miko studying to join the ranks of priests of Katakura village. It was a heavy task to train to be another protector of Katakura, as the land was unfortunately under the heel of a powerful oni king. So feared was he, your people treated his very name like a curse. He lived atop the mountain that loomed over your suffering town, but no hunters have been able to find the entrance to his hidden castle. Many hunters who dared trespass the demon’s woods weren’t even lucky enough to return from where the beast king lurked. The oni king had never been seen, but he made his presence known with powerful bursts of oppressive spiritual energy; the roar of his booming voice would seem to come from all around. He would command his minions to ravage and raid your town as they pleased, claiming them as his dues when your village wasn’t able to give the offerings he claimed he deserved.
The head priest of your temple had long since given up trying to create defensive wards and barriers strong enough to keep out the invaders. On the occasion that he was able to create a powerful enough ward to block out the lesser onis, their king would take it upon himself to break the magical walls himself. Under the foot of the oni king, the elders of your home saw no other choice but to surrender to the requests of the powerful monster. By each full moon, your village would deliver a grand offering of treasure and food to the demon’s altar. These heavy offerings impoverished your home and your people were struggling, but it was the only way to keep the oni from pillaging your village.
With how poor your village was, there was no hope to hire more powerful mystic slayers to save you all from the oni king. This difficult situation hardened your resolve to be a strong mystic; praying you could one day exorcize the dreadful Oni King. Or at least make a strong enough barrier to protect your village.
A heavy sigh left you. The light of the waxing gibbous brightening the quiet shrine where you were reciting sutras. A grim frown fell to your lips. You resisted the urge to rip the scrolls and prayer slips you’d been working on in your frustration. The last full moon “festival” had resulted in a rather dire food shortage. With possibly two months left before winter’s coming, there was simply no way your people would be able to meet the demon’s demands of offerings and take care of themselves. There was a cloud of misery and fear over the village; you had thrown yourself into your training to try and overcome the hopelessness, but everyday was harder to face.
“I know it is bold of me to make demands of a god, but please ! How much must we suffer under your supposed watch? We honored you, brought you gifts, and sang of your blessings. Have you ever deserved them? I am begging you, help us . Just something, anything to give us a chance…” Tears began to spill from your tired eyes. Curling your knees into yourself, you fisted the fabric of your red hakama pants and sobbed. The shrine was almost always empty at night nowadays; the Head Priest long since abandoned his duty to properly protect it. Because of this, you didn’t hold back your emotions and cried openly. Your only company was the burning incense sticks and chilly wind of the night.
“A chance huh?”
Your breath caught in your throat as the voice of a male you didn’t recognize startled you. Whipping your head around to desperately find who had disturbed you, he released a chuckle that seemed to echo around you.
“What a sorry state I find this shrine to be in. No wonder the oni are able to run amuck. I can’t really say I’m surprised though, the elders of this place have always been useless.” There was a pause, your eyes roamed the darkness in search of the presence you felt surrounding you.
“Reveal yourself!” You snapped, standing from the floor and glaring at the shadows. A dark chuckle seemed to reverberate in the air around you. Your hair stood on end as you felt a pressure upon your body- no, your very soul; like gravity had increased tenfold on you, bringing you to your knees. With panicked eyes, you desperately tried to raise your head, but the pressure remained constant. Forced into the pose of a dogeza, you choked back a sob of fear as your nails dug into the floor of the temple.
“There we go now, perfect for begging for forgiveness for such insolence in my presence. Who are you to raise your voice and make demands of me?” The voice snarled from what seemed to be directly above you. Tears gathered in the corner of your eyes as you clenched your fists and gathered your courage to give the powerful stranger your name.
“P-Please! I had been weak and forgot my place. I beg of you mighty spirit, if I must die please protect Katakura village!” You pleaded with a trembling voice.
A silence filled the room you were in save for the racing heartbeat in your ears. Like a weighted blanket being lifted from your body, you were released by the force. A layer of sweat had coated your skin as you hesitantly rose from the floor. Anxiously, you dared yourself to look around the darkness for whoever was with you. Another chuckle echoes around you.
“So you curse the gods and then have the audacity to beg for a favor after being scolded? How lucky for you that I am in a good mood.” You feel an energy in the air that seems to tickle your skin as it meets you. The stranger hummed from behind you and you froze; unwilling to face the powerful presence you felt towering over you.
“You have good instincts, I’m sure your little rabbit heart is screaming at you to run from something so much stronger than you. I can feel it though, you have a potential for some real power.” You shudder at the feeling of your hair being touched lightly. Every part of your being told you to hide, you were in danger .
“Unless that power could one day stand against the Oni King, then it is of little worth, great spirit…” You said softly. The crackling energy that was once a tickle now felt like the lightest scratch of a cat’s claw. Hardening your resolve you resisted the urge to flinch at the sensation and spoke again.
“I am alone here, training myself to be stronger and it feels useless. Those who should be my mentors have long since surrendered and I am desperate. Please, I can sense the strength you possess. Was it my prayers or my curses you came to answer?” New tears fell from angry eyes as you glared ahead of yourself. The presence behind you seemed to flare their spiritual pressure at your words as you waited for your possible death.
His chuckle became a laugh.
A laugh so genuine and condescending , it shook the rafters and your very core.
“A curse or a prayer, I will let you decide. For your potential and for leaving me in such a pleasant mood, I will help you hone your claws to face the Oni King.” His voice no longer filled the temple, instead it came from beside your ear. You dare not move, his spiritual pressure engulfed you for just a moment before completely receding. Blinking your eyes, you recoiled in shock at the intimidating figure who hovered before you.
Imposingly tall, he had frosty blue hair and vibrant blue eyes. There was a sharpness to his handsome features and you carved the image of this mighty spirit into your very soul. His torso was decorated in beads and mitamas while his lower body was dressed in extravagant dark blue armor and pants. Your eyes flitted from the hole in his navel to the beastly jaw bone on his face; your staring wasn’t subtle and he seemed to read your apprehension from the narrowing of your eyes.
“Either gaze at me in reverence or I’ll pluck out your eyes. Don’t look at me as though I were a common monster.” His words were harsh and there was a dangerous edge to them. He was right though; there was nothing common in his appearance as monstrous as it was. He lacked the horns upon his head to reveal his nature as an oni. You swiftly banished the thought he might’ve even been the Oni King himself when you gazed upon his arms.
In one of the few known stories of the Oni King, before he’d made his home on the mountain, it's said he’d challenged a mystic slayer who was supposed to be the strongest of all, Sosuke Aizen. Aizen had easily struck down the monster and taken his arm with a single sword stroke, so says the legend. Most storytellers had different ways of telling how the Oni King got his left arm back, but it is important to note that the arm he would now have would be black as the night and overflowing with power from his grudge. The spirit before you was indeed strong, but his muscular arms matched his fair skin tone.
“I apologize for my disrespect. I am in awe of you and grateful you would share your presence with this lowly miko.” You were quick to fall to the ground in a pleading dogeza, this time of your own will. You needed his help no matter how frightening he was; if he would make you stronger, you would do anything. With your eyes staring at the floor beneath you, you missed the smug grin as he sneered down at you.
“I’ll forgive this transgression, now let us begin your training.”