Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or its characters. I do own, however, the original characters: Alden, Cora, and Setsuko. Using my original characters in your own stories is not permitted, unless with my consent. Thank you.

Chapter 12

Severe Distortion

The new morning presented an inauspicious thunderstorm. The wind battered the abodes, as everyone hurriedly shield their doorways and open windows. The village was awakened by the loud peals of thunder and blasts of air.

Alden was once again, unusually, granted a full night's of peaceful slumber. No disturbances or nightmares. He was relieved to find that a thunderstorm was the cause of his awakening.

Gray clouds now enshrouded the sky, lighting up with the flashes of lightning. Cora possessed a strong urge to uncover the window of their abode and look at the ensuing downpour. Everyone seemed to remain silent in the village for a while, listening to the sounds of the storm.

Thunder erupted threateningly, in sporadic screams.

"What a storm!" Cora said.

Alden sat up and listened to it. Cora kept quiet for a while and listened attentively as well. They sat alone in their abode.

"I haven't been having any more nightmares, Cora," Alden finally said, after a few minutes. "Strangeness."

"A good thing," she said. "Maybe things are looking up for us."

"I don't know what to make of it. It's just…strangeness."

"Pf! Whatever, Alden. You and your strangeness."

The sky suddenly lit up from a large bolt, followed by a loud bang of thunder and a short tremor. Startled and shaken, Cora jumped. Usually stoic and unflinching by intense volumes of noise, Alden was even stirred by the abrupt boom.

"Whoa! That was loud!" Cora said. "Did you feel the ground shake or was it just me?"

"No, it did," Alden told her. "It shook. That bolt must have been really close."

The rain and wind persisted, but the thunder and lightning soon ceased entirely. During this time, Cora wrote in her notebook and drew doodles. Alden played tic-tac-toe and hangman with her for a while, as they waited for the storm to stop. Afterward, they got dressed and prepared to leave for the abode next door. By this time, the rain was only a light drizzle.

"Okay, let's go next door for breakfast," Alden said. "Come on, Cora."

"Okay. Let's go."

They left their abode, covering the door securely in case of another storm.

The atmosphere they entered was heavy and damp. A blanket of grayness seemed to enshroud the village, left by the thunderstorm's wake. It was very uncomfortable.

Before proceeding to the abode, something caught their eye. In the midst of the village was a congregation of people gathered around something.

"Hey, what's going on?" Cora wondered.

"I don't know," Alden said. "Let's check it out."

Cora and Alden walked over to the crowd to see what was happening. The villagers were surrounding what appeared to be large twin branches, which seemed to be burnt by fire.

"The tree was smote by lightning?" someone asked.

"An omen of evil," a villager exclaimed. "A grave one."

"A shame," someone else said. "It was so good to us."

Alden inquired about what they were talking about. A middle-aged woman answered him kindly.

"A bolt of lightning from the storm struck the tree in half," she said. "It was a very old tree, but nonetheless a prosperous one. It has provided the village with fruit for many decades now. But this morning, its leaves and fruit were burnt, and the lightning destroyed it. It now remains in two pieces."

"So that's why that one bolt was so loud and the ground shook," Cora reminded Alden. "The lightning was closer than we thought!"

"This is very serious though," the woman continued. "Not only for the loss of a great tree, but because many consider it a bad omen."

"An omen?" Cora asked.

"Yes. An omen of serious malevolence ahead."

"That's scary. But I don't know if I believe in that kind of stuff or not."

"I know I do," Alden said. "After our experiences in this era and all of my nightmares, I know omens are real."

"Pf! Whatever!" Cora said, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. "I'm telling you, Alden. Your nightmares don't mean anything. They're just random stuff."

"Yeah, well, you'll see once I have a dream of you being chased down by a huge demon with bloody fangs and claws…you'll see what will happen…you'll see if you'll believe in them or not…"

"Pf!"

Alden and Cora continued to listen to the villagers' conversation for a while, commenting to each other about whether omens existed or not. Soon, the conversations began to go in a circle.

"Maybe we should let the others know what's going on," Alden said. "Come on, Cora. Let's go tell everyone."

"Okay."

They thanked the kind woman for the information, and left for the abode.

Inside, everyone was just getting up. Apparently, Alden and Cora had been up early. Cora knocked gently on the heavy board that was propped up against the doorway. Kagome answered it.

"Good morning," she greeted them, moving the board aside to let them in.

"Kagome, the great tree of the village has been destroyed!" Cora said, upon entering.

"The tree?" Kagome said, confused.

"Yeah. Come look!"

Kagome followed Cora outside, while Alden told everyone else inside. Myoga and Kaede were particularly intrigued, knowing of the omen that existed. Soon, they were all outside, gathered around the remains of the fallen tree.

"No demons around here," Inuyasha said, sniffing the air.

"Well, it was struck by lightning," Alden told him. "Like I told you before."

"Feh. Who cares then?"

"An omen of evil," Myoga said. "A grim sign…it's even more unusual since it was cleanly cleaved into two. A most dire warning."

"Feh! Mumbo jumbo."

A gale of wind swept through abruptly, along with a strange silence that sliced through their surroundings. The thick air began to resonate threateningly.

The sky was suddenly pierced and ripped by a bizarre force. A bolt of light had erupted from the Bone Eater's well near the green fields by the outskirts of the village. The light was brilliant and loud, appearing like the mysterious lightning that had fallen the prosperous tree of the village. The well began to radiate and pulse with an unusual rhythm. Everyone watched the strange spectacle with mixed curiosity and trepidation.

"Something is happening to the well!" Kagome cried.

"I'll go look," Inuyasha told them. "Everyone, stay here."

The well flashed again and spat more eerie lights. It surged and swirled with conspicuous anomaly.

The villagers became concerned and somewhat frightened. The well seemed to sing a sorrowful and foreboding elegy, which wavered with unusual notes. Inuyasha ran towards the song and lights that were being emitted from the well.

"The well's magic seems severely distorted," Myoga said. "Much more distorted than before. Chaos could run loose!"

Kagome, despite Myoga's words, followed after Inuyasha. The others soon proceeded behind her, grasping their weapons and seizing the valor they could muster.

The well was now swelling with cacophonies and streams of luminance. It spiraled and spun with chaotic motions.

Inuyasha peered from the apex of the nearest grassy hill. The air was swirling unusually, warped and rendered dissonant. The well gave off an enormous moan, as it unleashed another channel of strange light.

Inuyasha's eyes dilated as he beheld something emerge from the depths of the Bone Eater's well. At first it seemed like gargantuan tentacles, stretching out towards the humid sky above. They whirled and flailed in the air like dangerous cracking whips. The bizarre light then faded, and the tentacles came into clear focus. They were not truly tentacles, but great thick vines the size of a grand oak's branch, accompanied by frightening briar thorns protruding out. The thorns surrounded the giant vines like an armor of large barbed wire.

Soon, Kagome caught up with Inuyasha atop the hill, watching the vines in shock and obvious confusion. The others watched behind them.

Some villagers still watched from a distance. They saw the multitude of vines still flailing like great arms of a monster.

The thorny vines continued to flail about for a moment longer, and then suddenly grasped the sides of the well like the strong palms of a giant. Inuyasha sensed danger and took a step back, planting his feet firmly into the grass on which he stood. More great vines snaked their way up from the bottom of the well and wrapped around the corners of the well. Inuyasha clutched the scabbard at his side, and unsheathed the Tetsusaiga. It extended and grew with might.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked Kagome. "I told you to wait over in the village!"

But before Kagome could even utter a word to answer him, more monstrous vines leapt out of the well and clutched the sides. The vines then held onto it in unity, as if in one huge mass. They seemed to be all connected somehow to each other. But then quite suddenly, that question was quickly answered. The vines held on tightly, providing support for the form that was hidden in the depths of the well. It then heaved itself up from the inside of the well, revealing what appeared to be a massive head of the vines. It had enormous leaves surrounding its globular, cabbage-like head, which waved in the ominous wind. The leaves were quite the literal size of elephant ears, with a vibrant green color and somewhat nicked and torn ends. Its head was embossed with large lime veins and stems.

Without warning, the monstrous plant head unraveled its leaves and revealed a terrifying mouth. It bore enormous teeth that looked like iron daggers, jutting out at unusual angles. Its throat appeared bottomless, like a deep shadowy tunnel. With its mouth agape, it finally let out a breath and a petrifying roar that seared the air.

The remaining villagers that were distant spectators fled for their abodes. The terrible roar that struck their ears and the sight of the horrific mouth that opened, bearing enormous teeth, sent them running away in fear.

"Finally. Some action," Inuyasha said.

Inuyasha was already leaping into action, feet midair, poised with the Tetsusaiga overhead.

"Tetsusaiga!"

Aiming for the huge plant head, he brought the iron sword down in hopes of cutting it to shreds. But to no avail, the plant abruptly smacked Inuyasha out of the way with its massive vine arm. Inuyasha's body went soaring, plummeting him into the earth.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried.

"Damn it," Inuyasha muttered, getting up to attack it once more.

The vine monster produced a shrilly screech, swinging its myriad arms about. Inuyasha eyed it threateningly with rage.

"Time to trim the hedges!"

But the attack was fruitless. Leaping into the air with incensed eyes and the Tetsusaiga, the plant abomination brought another vine out abruptly and grasped the Tetsusaiga with its monstrous grip. Inuyasha tried to free it, but it was futile. The Tetsusaiga shrank, rendered powerless and slender like a useless rapier that could cut nothing.

"What the hell?"

The plant head let out another roar from its mouth.

"Fine then," Inuyasha said, sheathing Tetsusaiga. "I can still fight this thing."

Inuyasha flexed his claws and leapt into the air once more.

"I'll rip you apart!"

From the depths of the plant head's throat, sprang forth a great spiked tongue that had a tip the size of a large melon. The monstrosity opened its mouth and it was unleashed like a spring, boring right into Inuyasha's side. It cut and stung him like a demonic wasp and sent him back down to the ground. As he tried to stand up, he became very disoriented.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried once more.

"I'll take care of it," Sango told her. "Hiraikotsu!"

Riding atop Kilala's back, Sango unleashed her dangerous boomerang, which spun crazily through the air, aimed directly at the plant head. Sensing the imminent danger, the plant monster shielded its head quickly, causing the Hiraikotsu to be hurled back awkwardly. It headed straight for Sango, spinning out of control. Unable to catch it, Kilala was hit in the back and fell to the ground below. Sango fell with along with her.

Seeing Sango fallen, Miroku took action.

"Wind tunnel!" he cried, about to unleash the power of his cursed hand.

"No, Miroku! Don't do it!" Kagome yelled to him. "You won't be able to suck in those thorns! They'll rip the hole in your hand right open!"

Miroku knew she was right. He held back, covering his hand back up.

"Looks like it's up to me," Shippo said. "Take this!"

Shippo jumped up into the air with great agility, sending sparks of fox flame toward the plant monstrosity. It had no effect.

"Oh no!"

"I need to do something," Cora thought. "Everyone's in trouble."

Getting in close parameters with the dangerous plant, Cora used her backpack. Pulling back the lever, she unleashed a few pellets and firecrackers toward the plant head. Some of them missed, while others merely fell into the plant's mouth. It swallowed some of them in indifference, a few of the firecrackers snapping.

"It didn't do anything!" Cora cried. "Oh no!"

After a moment, the plant monstrosity decided to squash Cora under the palm of its most enormous arm. It brought it down quickly, Cora's eyes shivering in absolute terror. She closed them, concealing her horrified eyes that swirled like a desert storm.

There was a clash, and then, silence. Cora opened her eyes to find Alden standing in front of her. He had deflected the blow with his unusual sword, which had somehow managed to conjure up a hidden energy. The huge vine recoiled with the great power that had sent it back.

"Alden!" Cora cried. "How did you…"

"Get back!" Alden screamed, grabbing Cora quickly and running away.

An arm came crashing down just as they moved out of the way.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked with intense concern.

"Yes," they both replied.

"Good. I guess then, that I have to do something," Kagome said with decision.

Taking up her bow, Kagome pulled an arrow back, keeping it taut. Mustering all of her power, she let go, sending the arrow flying through the perilous air. It struck the plant head like a bolt of lightning, piercing the top of its leafy mouth. It emitted a scream of pain and anguish.

"I got it!"

Unusually, the well began to flash and glow again. With the plant still disoriented and screeching from the arrow, the magic surrounding it began to churn and toil once more. Strange sounds erupted from the Bone Eater's well, as it was again engulfed and swallowed by the unusual lights. A final channel of luminance shot forth, exploding like a cosmic star. A second later, the plant monstrosity had vanished without leaving even a minute trace of dust, as though it evaporated instantly into the light.

"What just happened?" Kagome wondered. "Did I kill it?"

The well continued to surge with lights and haunting hums. During this time, Inuyasha recovered and leapt over to join the others. Kilala licked her injury, while Sango patted her head.

"What the hell was that all about?" Inuyasha asked. "What was that thing?"

"I don't know," Sango said.

"That was strange," Miroku said. "Kagome, did you sense any jewel shards?"

"No, nothing," Kagome said. "I guess I killed it."

"What is going on with the well?" Shippo asked. "That was scary!"

"Hm. It appears to be extremely distorted," Myoga said abruptly, hopping atop Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Well, if it isn't Myoga," Inuyasha snorted. "We have you been?"

"Never mind that! The important thing now is the well. There is something going on here."

"Aye, there is," Kaede said, appearing from a nearby knoll.

"Kaede, do you know what's going on?" Kagome asked.

Kaede turned toward the well, watching the magic stir chaotically within and around it.

"The magic is quite tumultuous," she said. "Something is seriously wrong with it now."

"It's a good thing we didn't test it out before by trying to return anyone to a different era," Myoga said. "It is far worse now and far more dangerous."

They watched the well continue its strange song. The lights continued to spark and explode.

"It is dangerous," Kaede finally said. "This is indeed a grave situation."

Cora turned to Alden.

"Alden," she said. "Thanks…for saving me…"

Alden smiled slightly.

"No problem. I had to. You're my annoying sister."

"How did you do that?" Cora asked, ignoring the last comment.

"What?"

"Hit that huge vine away like that with your sword? Inuyasha couldn't even manage to do that!"

Inuyasha overheard her, but didn't respond. He merely muttered something unintelligible.

"I don't know," Alden told her truthfully. "I just saw that you were in danger and did what I could to protect you."

"That's awesome," Cora said. "You did something like it before, remember?"

"Yeah. I don't know what it is. Like a weird energy surges through me and I just do what I can to use it."

Cora smiled.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with strange powers."

"I guess not. Nothing is normal any more though. This era is completely different…"

They were silent, as the well let out prolonged sighs and mumbles. The lights spun around quickly, as another channel of light erupted from its depths.

Everyone watched as a great beast sprang forth from the well's explosion. It appeared to be a beautiful mare, with unusually vibrant fur that gleamed golden. Its coat was a vibrant orange and its eyes were a mysterious blue. Its head was covered in streaming silver hairs, while its angel-like wings carried it up from the ground.

The magnificent creature leapt into the sullen air, seeming to dispel the horrible gray surrounding it. Its shine appeared celestial, as Inuyasha and the others watched it in awe.

Not noticing the different environment and strange people around it, the heavenly horse began to travel across the dreary sky. But as soon as it began its gallant flight, the radiant beast was suddenly stopped by the well's magic. It circled around the horse's ankles like a wraith-like lasso, constraining it from moving any further. It was shackled. The horse neighed loudly, its nostrils flaring. It fought back in frustration, beating its wings desperately. But, to no avail, the well's ghastly chain pulled it back quickly, swallowing it up in one large gulp of a whale.

The Bone Eater's well began its torrent of discordant sounds once again, along with its bizarre lights. It swirled and turned like a disrupted twister. Rays shot out and cacophonies blared, as a beam of light, once again, burst forth in a brilliant channel. The valiant beast was gone in the flash.

"What the hell is going on?" Inuyasha wondered, with obvious frustration.

"It appears the well is very distorted," Myoga said. "It seems to be randomly transporting different beings from different times and places."

"This is serious," Kaede said. "We must leave."

"Something has been tampering with the well's magic…now more than ever," Myoga said. "Some evil, unseen force…"

"We must leave," Kaede repeated. "We must leave now!"

Before any actions could be taken, the churning lights and the swirling cacophonies intertwined together in dissonance, bursting forth from the Bone Eater's well like a cataclysmic eruption. Luminance pierced the sky, wind pushed in blasts. The eruption bore a hole in the ground, in the midst of a depression between two grassy hills. It cut and carved the earth like an unholy knife. The well's magic caused a great circle to be born in that ground, one with a powerful seal that was now unlocked. The circle faded and then disappeared completely.

The ground began to shake and tremor. At first it was merely a quiet rumble, but then gradually intensified. Everyone tried to hold their ground, as the earth trembled.

A fissure was suddenly created in replace of the magical circle. It seemed as though something were trying to rip through the earth from beneath. It continued to tear open, the ground shaking violently. The earth ripped open some more like a bloody wound, as a fiery maelstrom burst forth from the great tear in the ground.

Alden's eyes widened in shock.

Something emerged from the torn earth. Shadowy and dark, the figure stretched out a set of monstrous wings and opened its eyes. Sparks and embers frolicked around it ominously. Flames still burned around it, as it leered its red eyes. Still obscure and shadowy, the figure stood still in midair, while volcanic ash showered down in the aftermath of the eruption. The figure had managed to create a great crater in the ground, molten debris spewing forth haphazardly like a fiery fountain. It flapped its wings and ascended into the now black sky.

"It's the shadowy demon from my dreams!" Alden gasped in realization. "The one that struggled and escaped from Hell!"