Mist seeped slowly from the crack beneath the ancient stone doors, spilling out over the draw bridge into the bubbling liquid surrounding the awakening fortress. A dull pulsing hum reverberated from within the black walls, thrumming along to an erratic rhythm that vibrated disconcertingly through her bones and nerves like shocks of electricity. Through high windows and towering parapets, fire light and shadows could be seen flickering against the dark stone, and she could make out distant sounds of clashing metal and hellish shrieks.
From her vantage point in the thick trees bordering the castle grounds, the woman warily observed the unnerving developments. While the steady trickle of rogue beasts and monsters that had been arriving over the past few weeks were concerning enough, these were the first signs of life that could be seen from the outside, and with it brought an ominous sense of dread that burrowed deep within her like a parasite.
The beasts and spirits had also grown uneasy. Most avoided wandering too close and many had left the forest altogether. The trees whispered songs to each other foretelling times of perilous darkness and horror. Fear polluted the stagnant air, heavy and suffocating, and the days grew darker.
Something terrible was coming.
A piercing caw tore her gaze from the foreboding stronghold to the murky crimson sky. Above her an extraordinarily large crow circled, searching, before plummeting down beneath the thick canopy of the forest. It appeared again from beneath her and fluttered down on her outstretched arm, talons carefully gripping the bare skin of her forearm. Returning her focus again to the castle, she cocked her in a silent question.
The crow cawed in response, ebony feathers ruffling as he adjusted his large wings. The woman frowned, her delicate mouth pulling down at the corners. "Strange," she breathed, reaching up to brush her fingertips against the curved beak fondly. With one last thoughtful glance at the castle, she disappeared from the concealed branches of the trees.
Blood sprayed from the gash across the demon's scaled abdomen as the weapon sliced through his thick flesh, showering her in the iridescent liquid. Her victim fell hard onto the forest floor, viscera spilling from the fatal wound, slipping like worms through his fingers as he feebly attempted to pull them back into himself. Blood gurgled in his throat as he gasped for breath before eventually dying, reptilian eyes still open and empty.
She crouched low, examining the remains of her prey with almost childish curiosity, prodding the eviscerated corpse with the tip of the blade. Demons were such vile creatures, disgustingly arrogant with an insatiable thirst for blood and destruction. They cared little for growing things and thus were her enemy. Satisfied that he was no longer among the living, she dispelled her weapon, the strange object liquefying and slithering back into her body through the pale markings on her palm.
Since her departure from the castle, clusters of demons had passed by her through the dense trees and underbrush. Many had already been slaughtered by the savage beasts that called this place home, and some even by the forest itself, for it was very much alive and wild from centuries of neglect and isolation. Any strays she dealt with herself.
Although she was unable to inspect the demons slain by the wilderness, she had noticed from the ones she killed that each bore an identical mark. The symbol was intricate; meticulously carved into the flesh of their necks, it strongly resembled an inverted pentacle encased inside a circle, a goat's head possessing human features placed in the center of the pentacle. It was a bizarre symbol, possibly of human origin for she had never laid eyes on it before.
Questions arose in her mind. She only knew one person who might have the answers.
"Shou." The call was quiet, as if she was afraid to break the silence that followed in the wake of dying screams. The crow flapped down from his perch above. "We must go now."
For late autumn, it was an unseasonably warm day. Keiko Yukimura huffed wearily as she slowly ascended the long stairway leading to the temple. Despite what must have been the hundredth time climbing those steps, she was still out of breath by the time she entered through the temple gate. Sweat dripped down her flushed face as she hunched over to catch her breath, hands resting on trembling knees.
"One of these days those stairs are going to kill me." Keiko gasped, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead.
While it was called a temple, the old building was more or less used as a house and dojo for close friends and even some acquaintances of Master Genkai. It was located on an isolated highland plateau where the trees and local flora naturally formed a significantly large clearing, making it ideal for the often abnormal activities that occurred here. And it definitely made it a pain in the ass to get to.
Having regained her composure, Keiko walked the short path to the entrance and entered the temple. It was oddly quiet inside. After removing her shoes and setting her school bag down, Keiko walked through the hallways to the back of the building. This part of the temple was prohibited to most visitors, as it was comprised of Genkai's private rooms and living areas.
In the kitchen, an old woman sat calmly drinking tea at the low table. She nodded a greeting to Keiko as the young girl kneeled across from her and helped herself to some tea.
"Where is everyone?" Keiko asked, taking a sip from her cup. "Yusuke and Kuwabara left sometime in the middle of class today with Botan. Without letting me know, as usual." She scowled, making a note to reprimand her inconsiderate boyfriend when she saw him.
Genkai shrugged, responding curtly in her raspy voice, "The two dimwits were asked to look into something for Koenma. They'll be back sometime tonight. Yukina is out gardening. Kurama and Hiei are training."
Quickly finishing off her tea, Keiko stood back up. "I think I'll go help Yukina in the garden for a bit."
The garden that Yukina was working in was out back, accessible through the kitchen. Keiko called to the unique looking girl as she crossed the short distance to her. Her long mint green hair was pulled back from her face into a loose ponytail as she dug at the moist soil with her bare hands.
"Need any help out here?" Keiko smiled as she crouched next to the Ice Maiden, pulling her own shorter chestnut brown hair into a knot at the nape of her neck and pushing the sleeves of her uniform up to her elbows.
Yukina sat back on her heels, brushing the dirt off her slender hands. "Hello Keiko-san. I would appreciate it if you could help with the weeding," she replied politely, her voice gently and warm. "It's a never ending battle with them." They both set to work, making idle conversation and enjoying the warm day while it lasted.
After a while when the temperature had begun to cool as it passed into late afternoon, they decided to quit before it got dark. Keiko stood up, groaning from the pain in her knees and back. "I feel like an old woman," she joked, rubbing the feeling back into her legs after clapping the dirt off her hands. Turning to look at the Ice Maiden, she paused unsurely at the strange expression on her friend's face. "What wrong Yukina?"
Yukina was quiet, staring off somewhere behind Keiko with a small frown, eyebrows knitted together with worry. "Yukina?" Keiko glanced over her shoulder in the direction Yukina was looking and reeled around completely, backing up into the other girl. "Who is that?"
A strange figure crouched upon a low hanging branch along the edge of the forest, too far away for them to make out any detail. Keiko and Yukina shared nervous looks with each other, slowly backing up towards the temple. When they looked back the figure had disappeared from the tree and reappeared hardly an arm's length from them, standing as tall as the Ice Maiden but holding themselves in a way that made them appear much larger and intimidating.
Keiko let out a shriek of surprise, latching on to her friend's arm. The figure, now easily recognizable as a woman, tilted her head in thought before stepping farther back to ease their discomfort.
She was peculiar looking. Her wild mess of hair was long and tangled, a stunning white that had mostly knotted into long dreads with strands flying loose amidst them. Beads and trinkets were tied and looped through the ropey locks, colorful strings and grass were laced tightly around some knots. Contrasting with her light hair was her skin, a deep bronze that seemed to shimmer like gold in the fading sunlight. Intense, pale green marking, tribal and intricate, wrapped around her entire, barely clothed body. Milky white eyes stared at them, owlish and unblinking. Her entire presence screamed feral and wild, though she almost resembled something like a fairy from old fantasy legends.
"I would like to speak with Genkai."
The woman held out her willowy arms in a gesture of peace, letting them know she meant no harm. Keiko couldn't respond, her tongue felt dry and heavy in her mouth and her chest burned with the need for air. Yukina seemed to have recovered slightly and nodded stiffly, pulling Keiko with her to the temple.
The woman stood still, waiting for them to return. She let her eyes wander, taking in her surroundings. Things hadn't changed much since the last time she'd been here. Her wide eyes narrowed suddenly as she felt two demonic presences closing in on her, one coming in quick and furious. The slower one felt familiar in some way, like someone she had met once a long time ago.
Just as she felt the former energy bursting into the clearing, she rotated on her heels, liquid pouring from her palm and solidifying into a short staff to block the blade that surely would have killed her had she acted a second later. Ruthless red eyes burned into hers, the demon's mouth twisting into a snarl as he pressed his sword harder against her own weapon. When she wouldn't give, he released the pressure and jumped back, preparing to strike again.
Just as the demon tensed, about to attack, a raspy voice cut through the tension.
"Enough!" Genkai commanded, stepping off the porch, hands calmly clasped behind her back. Yukina and Keiko shuffled closely behind her, less afraid than before but still skittish. "Both of you put away your weapons." She approached the two fighters and paused in front of the female.
The woman's staff melted instantly and drained back into her body as she stood before Genkai, completely ignoring the demon still scowling menacingly at her. The two women sized each other up placidly. It was a few minutes before either moved, the bystanders shifting impatiently as they watched. Then the strange woman confidently stepped close to Genkai and raised her hand, fingers gently caressing the old woman's face.
"It has been too long, my old friend," she murmured, smiling down at Genkai affectionately.