Deep in the woods in the middle of Japan, a castle looms against the horizon. A crash of thunder and a crack of lightning lights up the forest, scattering the animals and demons.
An old woman stumbles down the path, drenched to the bone because of the rain. She comes to a gate, barring her way to the castle and possible shelter. Pushing against the massive frame, she slid through.
She made her way between the rows of statues to stand in front of the door. Taking her cane, she rapped on the immense door.
Slowly, the door creaked open. A young man, the prince of the castle, stood there.
"Please, my Lord," she began. "I am cold and wet. May I take shelter in your castle until the rain stops? In return, I will give you this rose." Lifting her gnarled hand, she took a beautiful red rose from her cloak. The prince recoiled away from her, repulsed by her haggard appearance.
"Never!" the prince snapped, slapping her hand away.
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Please, my Lord! I am begging you!"
The prince once again slapped her outstretched hand. "No way in hell am I going to give shelter to you, you old hag! Now, get out of my castle!"
He turned around to shut the door, but a hand grasped his shoulder.
"You should not trust what your eyes tell you, young hanyou. For a rose always has thorns."
A flash of light caught the prince's attention as he turned around again. In the place of the old woman, a beautiful enchantress stood.
The prince, awed by her beauty, began to bag and plead with her to stay in the castle with him. The enchantress, however, refused his offer.
"I am the priestess Kikyou, and because there is no love in you heart, I place this curse on you and al the people who live here!" With a wave of her hand, the priestess had put a curse on the castle, turning the young prince into a horrible beast.
The rose she had offered was an enchanted flower, its power shining. "This rose will bloom for fifty years and when that time is up, the rose will die. If you do not find love and have that love returned to you by the time the rose dies, all will die."
With that statement, the enchantress disappeared. The prince, horrified by his appearance, locked himself in the castle, with a magical mirror as his only portal to the outside world.
That night, all the people in the county heard the wailing cry of the massive dog demon.
