"Leviathan makes the water boil with its commotion.
Its stirs the depths like a pot of ointment.
The water glistens in its wake, making the sea look white.
Nothing on earth is its equal, no other creature so fearless.
Of all the creatures, it is the proudest.
It is the king of beasts." - Job 41:31-34
The day was dark…sinister like even.
If the sun were discernable through the heavy blanket of gray clouds it would have told that it was only mid morning, but the steep darkness that bellowed over the designated area gave it the appearance of hours past dusk. Those dwelling under the heavy weight of what was perceived to be a malicious fog hovering over a seemingly insignificant land mass, were inside their homes praying that whatever kami or demonic entity that was angered would be appeased soon. Even the oblivious forest animals had decided to take shelter in their woodland homes for even they could sense the impending threat bearing down upon them.
In the mist of the obvious surrounding turmoil laid a diminutive size hut that could have been used for travelers or the countries wandering nomads since it was situated on the outermost boundaries of the only human settlement in that region. Painstaking grunts and moans could easily be heard from outside the simple dwelling, that's if anybody was daring enough to be near the events taking place on the inside.
To the girl who lay in pain on the blanketed floor of said hut, the whole situation would have been comical if it were not for the extreme discomfort she was in, plus the added evil omen the so called midwives were hanging over her head every hour. And it had been hours since she had been able to feel relief absent of any kind of pain. If it wasn't for her prior knowledge of child delivery then she would have believed one of the superstitious old hags and assumed her baby was cursed!
And oh the irony that thought brought, she, calling the reluctant child birth assistants superstitious when she herself was a priestess said to possess other worldly powers like none other seen in their day.
Thrown away potential, the village elders liked to remind her. Thrown away in a yokai's bed, the elder's uppity wives would whisper about her during their gossip feasts.
She had shamed the whole village. But thank the gods for those few faithful villagers who held sway with the patriarch. If it was not for their resilient defense on her behalf she would have been annexed out, miraculous powers or not. But luckily she had found favor amongst an unprejudiced few. They may not have agreed with her indiscretion, but they were loyal to her, and would forever show their appreciation with what she was able to accomplish in a few short years as village priestess.
She had been thrown into the position at an early age, at the turn of the year two years ago when she had approached her fourteenth year. It was rather incidental that it happened. The current village priestess at the time fell ill and died during an area wide famine. It was because of this tragedy that she was able to make a name for herself. She fought off the mysterious disease within a year with an infantile knowledge of plants and medical procedure, but possessing a power so grand that her religious components over rid her ignorance. She could not even account for where all that power came from. Her mother was not known to have had such abilities, and she had never known her late father, but nothing was ever said about him out the ordinary to think she would have inherited such traits from that side of kin. And while she did appreciate the recognition the position gave to her she couldn't help but to sometimes feel the urge to close her doors to the public needs and satisfy her own by just living a solitary life, living for her self alone. But this was not an unusual impression of a priestess. Traditionally speaking priestesses did not live a life for themselves but they lived to serve and protect their fellow human beings who were not born with life saving abilities as they were.
Since she was still young she never thought the idea of being with a man would cross her mind anytime soon. But as her body continued to grow older, she noticed how the village men looked upon the other village girls, and she found herself longing for a man to look at her in the same manner. But those men never would. They respected her position to much to do so. Fear of what the gods would do to them for tainting such a holy woman she supposed. But such discretion on behalf of the human male population is what landed her in this current predicament. So what was a young and willing girl to do with no attention yet all the urge…?
She was out far from the village looking for a certain type of herb that didn't grow within the villages perimeters. She hadn't even sensed him, that's why she took him for human at first… and he half was. But if she knew what the other half was composed of she would have rather ran herself through with a blade than let him have her. But as the saying goes she acted as any young and dumb child did. She didn't know it would come to this. She wasn't trying to be the mother of an only half human child. She wasn't trying to be a mother at all. And now she was going to have to pay the price of her curiosity.
She had dramatically changed her fate. She was going to have to deal with her baby's father, and that undoubtley was going to deal out her death, she possessed no doubts about that.
And as she continued to ponder the ramifications of her actions, and the impending meeting with her child's father, another contraction slammed hard into her and she could distantly hear one of the midwives over the loud sound of pain drumming in her ears, to start pushing.
Yes the end would be coming up soon.
She didn't have time to bask in the afterglow of childbirth, or to even pay attention to whose features the child had.
She was running, running not for her life but of that of the child's. The father was approaching and she could guess that he was biding his time to see what she would do with the bundle hugged closely to her chest. She knew he was hoping she would destroy the child, purify it, so the child couldn't grow up with an ability to purify them, but she couldn't, but she shamefully admitted the idea crossed her mind. She was a priestess, and it was almost instinct to destroy anything with demonic blood in it, and now she wondered how her child was going to be able to cope with that constant struggle living within her. But this was her child she carried for nine months, and she knew the baby she held tightly while plunging through the forest was the key to deciding the world's fate. It might have been selfish, not thinking about the child's safety more than humanities, but what was really a correct choice in this type of situation, of course prevention would have been easier, but she was long passed that point of regret.
She could handle the father, but her daughter, she will be left with a huger responsibility, and unfortunately she wasn't going to be able to be there with her to see it through. She would be strong, stronger than her with the help of her mixed blood.
It was something too frightening to think of really, she didn't want to think of such a divine beast, a mythical fairytale supposedly, but she knew the truth too it now. Such a creature with unlimited power should not be permitted on the earth; it always plagued her mind as to why the gods allowed him in the first place.
It seemed like she had been running for hours, but thought that must clearly not be the case or she would have passed out from pure exhaustion by now. There seemed to be no refuge in sight just the open woods, and fields with no sign of civilization near enough to hand her precious cargo off too, at least no place safe. She did not trust the village she had left behind they would only promise to keep her safe till she was proved to be dead into the ground then all promises would be off.
But as soon as it seemed all hope was lost she picked up on a demonic aura and it was not the one of the being following her but one of a lesser degree but not entirely weak either. It was the only sign of a living being in the vicinity, and she was now far from any human settlement.
At the top of the hill she could see a figure standing out amongst the trees; for sure it was a demon, one couldn't mistake that aura. 'Another demon hiding amongst a human form,' she thought. That's what fooled her the first time. She could tell that this demon was a female by the clothing and shape of the creature. She had no choice; she hoped that she would do.
Lady Biyu gazed down from the grassed clearing she currently occupied, and took in the sight of the human girl that was running in her direction, and seemed to be holding a bundle that she perceived to be a child. What she couldn't figure out was why a human looked to be running toward her with relief. Did she think she was going to save her from whatever it was she was running from, although she could not quit sense anything was following the girl.
The human girl child approached her, and nearly fell over in exhaustion and fright.
"Please I know you are a demon, and don't care for what a human girl has to say but someone is chasing me, and this is their child and he wants her dead.-" before she could elaborate on the situation the demoness chose to interrupt her tirade.
"Priestess what are you running your mouth off to me for I care not –"
But the girl didn't let her finish she latched a hold of Lady Biyu's silk kimono sleeve in desperation.
"Can't you sense that?" she spoke sternly and clearly spooked.
Lady Biyu turned her attention away from the girl who had the audacity to put her grimy hands on her attire, and tuned into the aura that was starting to make itself known to her senses. Never one to be caught off guard by a threat of any kind for she was a demoness of high caliber, and only surrounded herself with others who were the same, but she was somewhat startled by something.
"Who is after you girl." A sharp tingle hit Lady Biyu, and it made her realize that something very dangerous was nearby.
"Please I'm begging you, I don't have much time, I can take care of him, but I will not make it out to see to the child's welfare, please!" the girl pleaded "I know you have no need for a human infant. If you must, take her to the nearest village but not the closest one headed east, anywhere but that one. I'm sure when she gets a little older she will be able to fend for herself." She trailed off thoughtfully "But please do not harm her…she is special."
Lady Biyu got the idea that she was not saying the babe was special because that's what everyone thought of their child. Her as a mother could relate. But there was another force here at work.
The priestess took the demonesses thoughtful expression as a close of a yes as she was going to get and moved to place the child in her hesitant but willing hands. She then turned to face what she thought to be her destiny. But she could not help to look back for reassurance.
"What will you do with her?"
"Do not question me, I will handle it," Lady Biyu snapped, then disappeared in a flash of light, leaving a legendary priestess alone to face her daughter's father.
Hisa's childhood and adolescence did not differ from any other human child that was raised in a well off home. She was taught what she needed to know for her age, and she was exposed to what a child was or was not supposed to be privy to for the times. She was sheltered from the outside world restricted to the fortress grounds, which as a young child seemed like the whole world anyways since the land of her caretaker was so vast.
Yes, her lifestyle was no different from any other noble human child. Except she was being raised as a noble human child by a house of noble thorough bred demons.
But it was only a matter of time before she would get curious to the world that lay outside those walls, they should have known one of hernature could not be kept away from what half of her blood would consider her natural habitat.
And so one day when she knew the Lady of the house was leaving on a trip, and her only supervision was the apathetic household staff, Hisa bid one of her servants to take her outside the castle walls.
So that is how the human girl that wasn't really so, caught in between human adolescence and demon curiosity got her first taste of the great outdoor wilderness, and the waters beyond the blanketed forest that spoke to her as plain as a dry summer's day.
…