The atmosphere was heavy and still and there was no sound around the two frozen bodies up the watch tower, no birds, no animals... nothing; and Kagome, breathless, was still on her place, arrow ready to strike.

Then she saw it. In front of her, amidst the forest's shadows the trees began to wither and the leaves falling, like something was sucking their life away, leaving behind nothing more than dark and deformed carcasses. But that wasn't what caught the girl's attention, there was something stranger going on, and that made Kagome let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

On the wall passing through the stones, there were strange creatures-like worms staining the once white wall stones with a dark reddish color, almost like it was dripping from the cracks. Kagome questioned herself about those things, but her thoughts were cut short when the wall exploded, giving a way to an even more strange and horrifying creature to pass. Its appearance was similar to a big spider with a pair of red eyes and a long body, formed by the same worms that appeared on the wall, now destroyed.

Both the girl and the old man were caught by surprise by such vision.

"It's a demon!" - The old man shouted, regaining his composure.

"A demon?" that word snapped Kagome's mind and brought her back to reality. Now everything made sense: the lack of birds and animals, the dying trees and crops, and the ominous aura that she had been sensing since that morning. 'So this... is a demon' the girl thought as she looked back to the beast, now heading towards them, leaving behind a dark trail of dead grass and earth, and a dark red color that looked like fresh blood.

As the demon approached the tower, leaving the shadows behind, and upon entering the light's reach the worms backed up and flew away to reveal a giant boar, all bloody and wounded. As the demon-boar roared, a serpent made of worms flew back to the boar's body, enveloping it into a black ball and turning it once again into a spider creature. Catching glimpse of the helk, the creature sped up in its direction, not minding the burning sun on its twitching body.

Watching the proximity of the demon-boar from their place, Kagome looked down worried and saw Yakkul trembling, frozen in place with fear and his fur all standing up. The idea of her best friend being killed by this... thing, terrified her.

"Run, Yakkul! Run!" - She shouted but to no avail. He wouldn't move. Taking a quick look at the incoming beast, Kagome didn't think twice, as she shot her arrow at Yakkul's nearest poll, cutting the rope in two. This snapped him out and Kagome saw her mount run away from their location.

As Yakul got away from the site, the monster collided with the tower, making it fall down the cliff and thus destroying it, leaving the creature stunned and its snakelike black tendrils waving around the few remaining sticks. During the fall, Kagome succeeded in grabbing Ji-san and jumped to a nearby tree, using it to break their fall. Regaining its balance, the monster got sight of the village down the hill and without any other thought picked up speed on its direction.

"It's heading for the village! I need to stop it before it's too late!" - Not wanting to wait anymore, Kagome got off the tree and climbed the cliff, leaving the old man by himself.

"Princess Kagome, wait!" - Ji-san shouted, "Be careful! Whatever you do, don't let it touch you!"

Kagome ran towards the cliff's top and settled down on a rock, calling with a whistle for Yakul and putting a new string on her bow, as the previous one broke during the fall. As soon as Yakul arrived, Kagome jumped on his back and rode at top speed down the cliff, hoping on rocks with great agility and through trees and bushes, catching up to the raging beast in the middle of the forest.

"Calm your fury, I beg of you!" - Kagome shouted at the demon, while extending her arm towards the beast, in a matter of respect, still on her mount, "Whatever you may be! God or demon please, leave us in peace!" - Kagome was panicking, she couldn't calm down that strange creature, as it continued rampaging through the forest and into a large grass field.

As they got out of the forest and with the monster distracted by Kagome, it took a few minutes for the demon realize that the village was not far…and also the three boys right down the path. The boys watched as the beast approached them and Sota hurried his friends to run towards the safety of their village.

"Please! Go back! Leave our village alone! Please!" - Kagome begged at the spider-demon, but to no avail, "Stop please! Stop!" - The monster continued on its way towards the village, leaving a trail of burned nature on its track.

While fleeing from the creature, one of the boys tripped and fell, making Sota shout at the other to help their friend get up while he would protect their backs with his knife. Kagome was not expecting this and fearing for her little brother and without thinking, she shot her arrow into one of the beast's eyes, giving time for the boys to flee and leaving the beast screaming in pain.

Now she had its attention, as the demon shot its black tendrils on Kagome's direction while she tried to run far away from it. But she wasn't quick enough, as the black tentacles reached and coiled around her right arm, burning through her clothes and skin.

Without minding the insufferable pain and the gigantic black snake right behind her, Kagome shot another arrow, this time aiming for the boar's head, now with its tendrils falling away from the wounded body.

Perfect shot. The beast wails in pain and the black worms fall down to the ground. Yakul stops on its tracks sensing his master's pain, Kagome can now worry about her arm, her sleeve and skin melting away, leaving burnt flesh on its place. It's too much pain and she whimpers, but at least she succeeded in stopping the demon, that now falls to the side heavily wounded.

The men from the Emishi village were eagerly expecting this, prepared with spears and wooden shields, but as soon as they heard the demon falling to the ground they ran towards the site, being Sota the first one to arrive and help Kagome down her mount. The men soon surrounded the siblings and a few approached the boar's fallen body.

"Kagome-nee-sama, you're hurt…" - Said Sota, reaching for his sister.

"Sota, don't touch it!" - Kagome said weakly when Sota tried to help, "This is no ordinary wound…" - When she said it, Kagome started to put dirt over the wound, trying to make it less painful, which Sota soon followed in doing the same.

"The princess has been hurt!" - Shouted one man, "Where's the Oracle?"

"Here she comes!" - Shouted another.

A younger man came running up the hill with an elderly woman on his back, and when close she shouted, "All of you! You must keep away from her now. Stay back!"

"Kaede-sama!" - Sota cried, standing up. The woman then handed to him a brown vase "Take this water and pour it over her wound child, slowly…". Sota did so, and while the water ran over her wounded arm, Kagome tried to cry but instead she just whimpered, trying to withstand the terrible pain.

The Oracle, Lady Kaede, approached the fallen boar's wounded body and bowed, "Oh nameless God of rage and hate, I bow before you," - Lady Kaede bowed once more, "A mound will be raised and funeral rites performed on this ground where you have fallen. Pass on in peace and bear us no hatred" - She bowed one last time.

The boar however, was not that respectful with his words, "Disgusting little creatures…Soon all of you'll feel my hate and suffer as I have suffered…" - These were the first and last words the boar spoke, before its body started to dissolve rapidly, leaving nothing but bones and a dark puddle of blood in its place.


After one. Freaking. Year!...i finally posted the second chapter for this fanfic...

I hope you like it...sorry for the late...

I'll try to post this at least a chapter once a month.

Thank you for your continuous support