Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

It had been 300 years since it had been trapped. Sealed within granite and crystal in the Akaishi Mountains, and guarded by darkness. A demon with hidden powers so immense it was predicted to bring doom and destruction to all of Japan. The demons name is Yosei, the progeny of a powerful dragon demon named Ryukage. One day the predictions came true and Yosei's powers awakened but before the demon could release its wrath Ryukage sealed it never to be released.

Naraku's Castle

The sound of footsteps came closer and closer as a mysterious figure approached the private courters of Naraku. He held in his hand a staff which had a mystical aurora and wore a hood over his head concealing his face in the shadows.

"Who is this stranger before me?" said Naraku as the mysterious being entered and stepped forward.

"Greetingsss my lord. I am a soothsayer who has come from afar to bring you good news." said the soothsayer as he revealed himself to be a serpent-like creature with green scales covering his entire body like that of a snake.

"Go on", said Naraku; unimpressed with the appearance of the shabby creature in his private courters.

"Well my lord, I understand that you are collecting the shards of the sacred jewel, but why just collect the shards when you can have all of Japan at your mercy. Have you ever heard of the Doom-bringer Yosei?" said the soothsayer as he smiled slyly.

"No, who is this doom-bringer and how can he help me conquer all Japan?"

"My lord, the Doom-bringer was a powerful demon named Yosei, created to destroy everything in its path. It was predicted that it would destroy all of Japan. At first the predictions were thought to have been misguided, for at first glance the creature appears weak, but one day the demon became enraged and its powers were awakened. It transformed into a gigantic beast and nearly destroyed Japan, but the creature was captured and sealed by the demon Ryukage who guarded the tomb until his death. The demon Yosei still remains in the tomb. I can tell you where it is ..for a price", said the soothsayer as he grinned slyly.

"Yes, you shall receive a reward. Now where is the tomb?"

" It is located in the Akaishi mountain range on Mt. Kita Dake. Now where is the reward you promised." said the soothsayer angrily

"Yes, your reward. Step closer so that I may hand it to you", said Naraku as he continued to grin. As the soothsayer began to approach he looked into the eyes of Naraku's baboon pelt, which stared ominously causing him to hesitate in his last steps. "Ahh, here it is.", said Naraku as he pulled two pieces of gold from beneath his pelt. The soothsayer eagerly reached out to grab the gold, but as the soothsayer took the gold held in Naraku's outstretched hand, Naraku quickly withdrew his arm and grabbed the soothsayer's wrist tightly.

"What is the meaning of this?! What are you doing?! Unhand me!!!" he shouted as he began to twist and turn from the pain of Naraku's grip.

"Leaving here with your life should have been rewarding enough to you, but now you have chosen your fate which is to die with those gold pieces in your hand", said Naraku as his right arm began to wrap around the soothsayer, constricting him.

"Nooooo!! Thisss is not what I wanted!! Spare my li-Ahhhh!" the soothsayer screamed as Naraku's arm continued to squeeze tighter and tighter until the soothsayer's bones began to pop and twist. The soothsayer struggled franticly, but Naraku's grip was relentless and in one final squeeze the soothsayer's body became limp and lifeless.

"What a fool you were", said Naraku as he loosened his grip on the soothsayers lifeless body. Naraku dragged the dead body towards him and enveloped the body with his own flesh like a blanket. Naraku devoured the soothsayer.

"Ah, back to business, it is time for me to pay Yosei a visit" he said as his arm continued to retract into its normal form.

Mt. Kita Dake

Naraku arrived at the base of Mt. Kita Dake, a mountain located in Southern Alps of Japan otherwise known as the Akaishi Mountains. Naraku stood there, perplexed at the fact he knew not where on the mountain the tomb was. The freezing wind blew and howled fiercely as he searched for passage to enter the mountain.

"Where is the passage so that I may enter? That foolish soothsayer never mentioned were on Mt. Kita Dake the entrance was. I guess I must find it myself." said he as peered at the very top of the mountain. "It must be up there." he thought. Naraku then took hold of the wind, which carried him to the very top of the great mountain.

The wind gave an ominous howl as Naraku arrived at the top of the mountain. Everything was covered with snow and ice except for a huge cave-like entrance, which was shaped like a skull. The wind howled through it as if to yield a warning. The remains of the demon that sealed Yosei in the cave were still there. His gigantic bones poked out of the snow and howled as the wind brushed against them. Naraku began to approach the entrance of the cave."Yosei, you shall be mine." he said as he entered the cave.

Inside of the cave everything was dark. Naraku lit a small lantern and continued into the cave. The gigantic icicles which hung from the ceiling of the cave became barely visible as he continued deeper into the passage. Naraku began to grow impatient. "Will this passage never end?" he said as he continued further and further until he came to where the cave ended abruptly. As he looked around he came across an inscription on the wall. It was an old sutra containment spell which had been worn away by the water streaming down from the ceiling. "Ah, here it is." said Naraku as he looked at the granite wall and outstretched his hand to touch it. Miasma began to pour from his hand, melting the stone wall. As soon as Naraku melted away the wall an intense heat radiated from the room behind it. It was the place where the demon dwelled. Naraku covered his face as the intense heat blew toward him then suddenly died down. He entered the room too see a huge crystal which reached from the floor to the ceiling and revealed what looked to be a young girl wearing a talisman around her neck. Her arms crossed over her chest with an ancient mask held between them. Her long deep purple hair, which appeared to be black, draped her body like clothing.

"A young maiden!" Naraku said as he looked at the inanimate body. "Surely a maiden can not be the powerful demon that foolish soothsayer spoke of." The words of the soothsayer flashed-backed into Naraku's mind: "At first glance the creature appears weak." Naraku looked back at the body, "Perhaps she is the one."..