08. Akibara Girls Destiny

Yuuto smiled faintly, memories of his first meeting with the teacher suddenly surfaced. He, who used to be a child who liked to hide from stealth, has now grown into a powerful young man.

Yuuto has grown up, he has managed to master various basic abilities and martial arts from the teacher.

It was not in vain that the training given by Hiroshi — the old man he had met dozens of years ago. Over the years, the old man taught the young man with his long, untidy hairstyle, the Yuuto, various martial arts moves and so on.

Yuuto always remembers the message conveyed by his teacher, that to live in a harsh world one must have great determination. He felt there was a point. Yuuto needs strength.

Apart from studying life science with his teacher, Yuuto also learns from the monks he meets on every spiritual journey. Sometimes, the young man would help out the monk who had given him spiritual knowledge with his services for free.

Yuuto was told an interesting spell by Hiroshi. In the past, he could not return to the human world, to the place where he should be, Earth. However, thanks to the magic of the teacher who he considered his own grandfather, Yuuto finally has the ability to create his own portal to the world he wants.

The 25-year-old young man can move at will.

He can go to the Upper World, a place where demons and demons all gather. Also able to return to the human world, back to his home in the Fukuoka area, Japan.

Amongst all those places, there was no place that made Yuuto yearn apart from the Underworld; a gathering place for hermits, spirits and good humans who live side by side with demons. Sometimes you can also find demons there, and there are very many.

Until now, he had never been to the World of the Dead, because there was nothing good there other than the many ferocious and very evil demons and demons. Even though Yuuto didn't know, that he had been there before.

It happened when he was being chased by a terrifying snake demon several dozen years ago, and thanks to the invisible entrance made by Hiroshi, the two of them were finally able to meet. Even though the teacher never mentioned that he was the one who created the portal, Yuuto is sure it was all his teacher's doing.

Yuuto himself often visits the human world, mingles in markets, even prays at his family's Akibara shrine. However, it never occurred to him to meet the family he had been separated from for a long time.

Yuuyo still wants to enjoy his wandering in some other world. Without knowing if ... misfortune had already met his favorite sister, Rin.

***

Rin woke up in a field, outside the forest that looked dark because of the thick trees. The white clothes she used to wear while at the temple looked dirty because suddenly he was lying on the wet ground. Her red pleated trousers were full of dust and dirt.

    Rin blinked her eyes a few times, the retina of her eye trying to match the incoming light. Rin can feel that her back hurts, somehow she can arrive at that strange place.

    Was she thrown? Or did she crash on the ground? Rin really can't imagine if that really happened to her.

    The girl then tried to stand up using her small legs which had not stopped shaking since a while ago. Since waking up from fainting, Rin was not feeling well.

    All the joints in his body ached. Rin, who had stood up straight, then turned her gaze around. Unfamiliar dense forest. No, everything looks foreign to her. Where the hell is that girl?

    Crack crack

    A strange sound suddenly appeared from the direction of the bushes not far from her, the girl who was curious finally chose to slowly approach her. Then parted the bush carefully.

    "HUWAAA!" screamed Rin in fear.

    The girl retreated quickly when a strange-shaped creature jumped out from behind the bush that she had opened because of her curiosity.

    The alien's big red eyes were staring at Rin with a gaze that was hard to explain.

    From its wide mouth dripped long saliva which made Rin shudder with horror. The girl then quickly took out several sheets of spell paper from under her clothes, containing the prayer for the antidote to stealth that she always kept there.

    Luckily, Rin has been equipped with the basic knowledge to exorcise evil spirits.

    Rin then threw two sheets of spell paper at the alien, just as the creature tried to jump at her. Rin then rose to her feet carefully, then sprinted into the forest when the creature was unable to escape due to the binding seal stuck to its body.

    Rin ran fast, without looking back at all.

    The steps that sounded close to make the girl's heart pump no less fast than her feet. Strange noises came again, entering Rin's ears who had no intention of stopping her run.

    Her curiosity provoked Rin to turn her face slightly to the back. The girl witnessed creepy creatures of various shapes chasing her.

    Their unnatural forms, and their eyes of various colors and sizes stared at Rin hungrily.

    The girl was trapped in a difficult situation, she could only surrender to the fate that was now beginning to loom over her.

    Rin chose to keep spurting her feet towards the cliff she saw not far ahead, intending to plunge herself into the abyss.

    Rather than the pain of falling from a high place, Rin was more concerned about the beings following her with hungry eyes. By God, she would rather die from falling to the bottom of the abyss than have to die from being eaten by a terrible demon.

    Bravely, Rin ran straight without fear and finally fell into the abyss.

    "AAAHHH !!!" Rin immediately dived down quickly, as soon as there was no more ground to stand on. Her body immediately hit the rocks and the roots of a large tree embedded in the cliff after he decided to jump from above.

    Does not care about the state of his own body.

    There was a loud thud. Once on the ground, Rin lay alone at the bottom of the ravine in a white shirt that was flushed red from the seepage of blood from her wound. The girl's face looked dirty because of the ground that hit her.

    The girl lay alone with wounds, and endless fear. His black eyes stared at the sky that turned gray.

    "Maybe ... this is my destiny," whispered Rin sadly. Her sad tears fell for a moment before she lost consciousness. Does she still have a chance at life?

***

Kaede entered her living room with a sad expression, she had succeeded in sending her beloved daughter Rin to the Underworld to the teachings of the 5th generation of the Akibara family. She did not deny that half of his heart felt that she had lost her child. It's really hard for her, releasing Rin for the sake of smooth rituals passed down from generation to generation to his family.

Moreover, Rin is a very smart and kind child, that girl is also polite and very cheerful. Of course, as a mother who gave birth and raised her wholeheartedly, Kaede really felt that she had lost the girl she gave birth to 18 years ago.

Of course it is not his own will to do this, but it is a must in the Akibara family. Like a tradition that existed long before the grandmother's birth.

However, what can you do? This is what the damn thing was destined for their poor Akibara family. A cruel curse that is inhumane today. Kaede wanted to cancel the curse and not send her beloved child to the Underworld, but it was too late.

Rin already went there. The only way to make it back is to defeat Yamasuke, the demon cursing the Akibara family.

Moreover, this elegant woman did not know what would happen in the future if they did not send sacrifices to the demon monkey, a figure who had cursed their family for hundreds of years.

Kaede didn't want to take any risks. However, they and their family must survive and fight for their lives by carrying out this sacrificial ritual so as not to make the devil angry.

The woman then sat on her knees near the wooden table, there was already a glass of green tea and a pot of hot water on the table. However, Kaede didn't feel like drinking right now. Her thoughts dissolved into the terrified face of her daughter Rin.

Her heart still felt pain and loss. Her appetite disappeared somewhere.

"My daughter, Kaede, how are you? Have you sent my granddaughter? Did the ritual that you did run smoothly?" The gentle voice of an old woman greets the deaf woman with a unique birthmark on her right cheek.

Kaede turned her head and nodded slowly. Sadness still clung to his heart. "Yes ... Mother," she replied softly. Kaede lowered her head deeply.

Asano looked at Kaede with sadness that was no less bitter. The middle-aged woman knows what is burdening her beloved daughter's mind.

What else is the source of her sadness besides the departure of a cute girl named Rin from their life forever? Although it is unlikely that the cute girl can win against Yamasuke and break Akibara's curse, but there is nothing wrong if they prepare their hearts first from now on, right?

Rin is Kaede's second child and granddaughter that Asano is most proud of.

The sweet oval-faced girl had to be sacrificed to become a victim because of the demon monkey's request, Yamasuke. Hundreds of years ago, their family ancestors were cursed by him, causing one by one Akibara's 18 year old daughters to be exiled to another world. More precisely, they were deliberately thrown into that world in order to fulfill Yamasuke's request.

Asano still caught the sadness on her daughter's face. She knew the feeling of loss. In the past, she had also sacrificed her daughter to the devil and it still felt as painful as before.

Her name was Haru, she was Kaede's older sister, and at that time Kaede was very young — about ten years old. Everything is still ringing in Asano's memory, though it's not very clear. Although vague, but still as painful as before when he had to sacrifice her first child.

Cries and requests not to be sent to the Underworld echoed within Asano's mind.

"Mother! Mother! No! Please, Mom! Don't sacrifice me!" Haru cried hysterically, screaming incessantly for her mother. Ask her for mercy. "Mother! Mother! Help! Free me, Mom! I promise to be a better girl in the future! Please, Mom!"

Asano closed her eyes, her heart ached with tears. Very sick and makes her sad. Oh, we both, groaned Asano in his heart. A drop of clear liquid dripped off and fell on her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Haru ... all of this for the sake of our family," Asano whispered softly. She began to do the ritual of sending the child. Before starting to recite the mantra, the woman with sad eyes said to her first child.

"Please beat Yamasuke. If you succeed ... then we will meet again. Gather as usual," she said quietly as she looked into the puffy eyes before her. How it hurt her to see sadness and despair present in her beloved child's expression.

However, Asano must not waver. She must be strong, this is all for the survival of their family.

The Akibara family must endure, and all these wounds and losses are nothing.

"I'm ... so scared, Mother ...." Haru whispered softly, tears flowing again from his puffy eyes, wet nose and cheeks. "Please ... not me, Mom."

Asano was silent, no longer answering Haru's words. She began to cast spells that would send the girl Akibara to the Underworld, fighting for 100 days there before finally ... eliminating Yamasuke. If the strength is enough.

Gradually, Haru's body faded from Asano's sight. The girl screamed, calling out to the mother with great difficulty, but Asano looked away.

That day was the last time they saw Akibara Haru.

+ Note +

Youkai *: means stealth in Japanese. Refers to creatures that have various terrible and strange forms.