Prologue
It had been a long, tiring journey, but the woman was glad to be home at last. Nearly three-quarters of a century had passed since she fled the village, driven away by terror and desperation. But the years had passed, and she had forced herself to grow strong. She'd found a new family, a new home, a new life. But as the decades slipped by, she'd felt the valley calling to her again. So she had said her good-byes, gathered her courage and returned to the place she'd once called home.
The valley was just as she'd remembered it. Lush green nestled between two mountain ranges. Somewhere at the southwest end was a small lake, buried beneath the forest canopy. Smiling, the woman recalled those warm days when she'd spent hours learning to swim, playing in the gentle shallows along the small, sandy shore. No time to look for it now, though. Night was already creeping over the eastern edge of the valley. With a contented sigh, she set off towards northern end; there, a small plateau rose partway up the side of the mountain, breaking free of the forest cover. It was atop this plateau that her family's home stood.
The first stars shone overheard as the woman approached the top of the hill. The main gateway rose into the darkness above her head, the stone blocks thick, and a bit intimidating. After all this time, that old archway still makes me feel small, she thought, lips twisting into a wry grin. The smile, however, was short-lived, once she cast her gaze through the gateway. Beyond the gate, all was complete desolation. Here and there were piles of broken, jagged stones, only a few half-crumbled walls remained to mark their former rooms. Small fires still burned amongst the debris, finishing off what little furniture might've survived the destruction. Where once were thick walls, brightly-lit windows, and welcoming gardens, now were only scorched earth, rubble, and ruins.
What…what happened here? she thought, her body frozen in shock. Her disbelief threatened to overcome her, as she gazed about her. The grass had been scorched into non-existence, the barren ground littered with charred debris. Minutes ticked by, and still the woman did not move. The melancholy sighing of the wind through the trees behind her was the only sound heard on this deserted hilltop. At last, she took a tentative step forward, then another. She continued this way, until, slowly, numbly, she made her way to the center of the ruins. Halting, the woman gazed around her once more, her mind grasping to understand this obvious catastrophe. At length, her gaze was drawn to a fluttering movement off to her left. What is that? she thought, a frown creasing her brow. It looks like… She began to move suddenly, her feet stumbling over the uneven ground. A moment later, she halted next to the source of her agitation: bodies.
There were three of them, a man, a woman, and a young girl. The man and woman lay on their backs, side by side, a few inches apart, while the girl lay on her face in the dirt between them, one arm draped limply over each of their chests. The woman knelt to check for signs of life. The two adults were cold, long since dead. Between the visible injuries and the amount of blood on these two bodies, and the decimation around her, the woman concluded that there must have been an intense battle fought here. It was safe to assume whom the winners -and the losers- had been. She sighed, reaching to check the girl.
Surprise flooded through her. The pulse was so faint she might've missed it. Turning the girl over, the woman leaned down, her ear close to the youthful face. After a moment, she heard an almost imperceptible sigh of breath escape the girl's lips.
"Hmm, it's slow, but just steady enough to keep her alive," she mused aloud. Something about the girl's appearance nagged at her mind. A cut on her forehead had trickled down her temple in little crimson lines. Two dark stripes stood out against the pallor of her cheeks. "Some sort of shrine mark?" she mused. She looked at her more closely. Her kimono was dirty and torn in places. Lifting her lightly, the woman found a shallow gash stretched across the left shoulder and down her back. Dried blood had stained the pale yellow material a rusty brown.
A full minute went by before the woman realized what she was seeing. It was so utterly unexpected, she gasped audibly. Even as she watched, the wound was slowly healing, the torn flesh knitting itself back together. The woman laid the girl on her back once more. Indeed, the cut on the girl's forehead was slowly closing, as well. That's when she finally realized what was bothering her. She focused her attention on the facial stripes once more. The woman had at first assumed them to be some sort of shrine marking, a tattoo, or perhaps even a brand. But rubbing her thumb vigorously over one stripe proved that they were in fact a seemingly natural discoloration in the girl's skin. Gasping, the woman reached a startling conclusion.
"This girl…is a demon," she said, stunned, and strangely delighted. Looking more closely at the two adults confirmed her suspicions. "The woman is human," she said aloud. "But the man is a demon, a hanyou, if I'm not mistaken…" She felt her breath unexpectedly catch in her throat. "They must have been this girl's parents…" The silence pressed in on her as she sat listening to her own thoughts. No one came looking for her, she thought. Nobody ever came to see if they all survived, or to bury the bodies, or anything. Either there isn't anyone who cares, or else anyone who did is… Sadness cast shadows over her face. She gazed down at the young face, sudden compassion stinging her eyes. She's alone now, she thought.
Like me.
*****
As the sun began to rise some hours later, the woman glanced back over her shoulder. In the hazy light, she could just make out the single stone she had laid over the pair of graves. The large stone bore only two crudely etched words: Father and Mother. With a sigh, she glanced back down at the unconscious form cradled in her arms. The girl's body continued to heal itself, but she had yet to awaken from her stupor.
Don't worry, young one, the woman silently promised, finishing out loud. "I will protect you now." And with that, she passed once more through the Gate and set off down the hill, disappearing back into the forest.