Prelude: The Shikon in the Night
His eyes glowed against the darkening sky as he glanced down at the shikon fragment embedded in his wrist. Blood dripped slowly off of his claws and pooled at his feet. The wake of the demon lay behind him. Bodies lay strewn out in the street of the small town as a few small fires ate away at what was left standing of their homes. The youkai grinned as he looked at the corpse of a human lying in the dirt. The man's face was still contorted in terror as his lifeless eyes stared up at the creature that had shredded his torso and ripped his heart from his body.
"Be thankful that I was merciful to you and your village, human," the youkai declared as he turned away from the carcass, "not all shall die as quickly."