There is a tale the Elders would speak of around the Village.
The story of the Forbidden Lands, and the hidden Spirit named Dormin.
Before your time, humans lived in harmony with this dual God. They spoke as darkness and light, male and female.
However, things changed. The humans began to see Dormin as evil. They couldn't escape the lands they called home, for Dormin trapped them.
The Lords prayed to the sky and begged to be shown the way to liberate their people.
Lo, a sword fell from the heavens from the talons of a hawk, Ancient and whispering secrets.
The youngest of them, Lord Emon, bravely stood above the rest and sealed Dormin away. 16 idols, pieces of the entity, were separated to destroy Their influence.
And so the people escaped the Forbidden Lands and found a new home, where no Spirit Being commanded them.
The tale lived on.
It was passed down, whispering of a Being that controlled darkness and light. A Being that could even bring souls back to the departed.
One man took it to heart, struck with grief.
A Wandering Warrior mourned the loss of his beloved Mono.
She had hair like that of a raven and lush brown eyes... but lived a cursed existance.
She died, leaving the man wrought with despair.
With passion stirred, he stole the Ancient Sword and rode with her and his steed, Agro, to the Forbidden Lands.
The Wanderer never truly expected a voice to call to him within the Shrine.
"...the...Ancient Sword...and a human...amusing" It was a female and a male speaking together, serene.
The Wandering man turned, hazel hair lit up like a chestnut red in the rays of light from the ceiling. His blue eyes, wide with wonder, stared above.
"Are you... Dormin?"
An echoing laugh rang off the walls.
"Aye, we are Dormin. Why hast thou come here, wielding the Ancient Sword?"
His stance shifted, uneasily listening to the ever-shifting, dual-gendered voice.
"This woman," the Wanderer glanced, "was taken from life too soon. Please...bring her back."
The laugh grew sharp before silencing. The disembodied voice returned, mellow as if from deep thought,
"... It is true we can do such a thing. However, thou must be willing to perform a task for us first..."
"Behold the sixteen idols along this Shrine's Hall.
Destroy them, and we shall bring thy beloved's soul back.
They cannot be destroyed by normal means...
In this land there are Colossi, beings of the Land. Slay them, and one by one the idols shall fall.
But know this...
The price thou pay will be heavy indeed."
After a pause, the man considered the offer.
He had come so far already...
"It doesn't matter."
"Very well. Direct thy sword to the light. It shall carry thee to thy first task..."
One by one, they fell to the Ancient blade.
The Minotaur, the Bull, the Fallen Knight, the War Horse, the Bird, the Dwarf, the Water Snake, the Wall Shadow, the Tortoise, the Sand Snake, the Flame Guardian, the Sea Beast, the Sky Snake, the Land Guardian, the Sentry...and the Great Magician...
There was deception here.
Each time a Colossi was slain, a fragment of Dormin's essence gathered in the Wanderer's being.
Lord Emon rode with soldiers, all too aware of the possible consequences.
Yet...
They arrived in the moment when the horror climaxed.
Dormin revived, using the Wanderer as a vessel. They mocked the Lord, relishing in Their victory.
"We have taken this Warrior's body..."
Mono lay cold upon the stone slab...the last sight the Wanderer ever beheld.
Taking up the Ancient Sword, Lord Emon cast it into the pool of water and poured all its essence into cleansing the human.
"Return him to a state where he knows no corruption..."
Dormin's hold instantly vanished...and with it, so too did the connection between the two islands.
"Someday," Emon looked upon the crumbling bridge with sadness, "they will be cleansed of their wrongdoing..."
Weak eyes fluttered open, the chilled stone beneath her losing comfort. All that was left was the man's horse, Agro... A creature she knew...
Softly, a cry came to her ears. The cries...of a child?
There in the remains of the pool lay a small infant. It held the horns of the cursed Dormin, but knew nothing of evil.
Mono picked up the child and wept.
"Heed our Words, O Wanderer.
Thy descendants now carry my blood. For this, we will allow thee to live in our lands. Eat of its plentiful bounty, live in freedom.
However, know this...
Should thou or thy children ever forsake our gift and leave these Lands... We will curse them from within!
Of the sixteen thou vanquished, so too will thy children be cursed.
They will be the vessel of their essence, the container of its strength and madness.
Should thou wish to break this evil, take up thy blade and slay them...
As was done so long ago."
Have you ever felt pure stone? The smooth yet rough texture, its imperfections and beauty.
It can become your shelter from the rain, the heat, or the cold.
It can become your enemy, sheer and jagged as it digs into your supple flesh and crushes you without mercy.
The rain...it has always been a part of my life. Thanks to the people I have met, the friends I have made... The rain has subsided in my heart.
I still remember her confident smile as she disappeared before my eyes.
My life is better for it. Yet still I feel a passion stirring in my soul.
It beckons me.
My name still dubs me as a guardian, should I not act as such?
17 months have gone by since the remnants of my short lived time as a Substitute came to an end.
Certainly, I could visit if I so wished. It didn't seem right though, so I put myself to work at school.
I convinced myself it was for money to go to college, but in reality it was just something to keep my mind and body busy.
Don't slack, I told myself. Keep your body strong!
Be ready for everything and anything, hard as the stone below your feet.
So why was I so distraught when old family faces came to call upon me?
In an instant, air was flying out of his lungs. It caught the young man off guard, since it was an hour EARLIER than his Father's usual wake up call.
Brown eyes flew open in shock, fists clenching in recoil to assault the intruder.
Instead he was met with an increasingly crushing body weight from a...petite...body!?
A short woman had both her knees digging into his gut, wearing a tank top and sleek black shorts. Her unkempt hair was messy and dark orange, littered with black streaks as if it were a bad dye job.
The terrifying part was her eyes. She was grinning innocently, but her eyes were glowing an unnatural blue hue.
Why did her knees feel like two jagged rocks?
"Get off!" Ichigo finally shouted at the intruder, fists still curled.
Thankfully, she obeyed. She flicked up, and landed with a very audible thud on the floor. It was then that he began to see who this was.
"Wait," his gaze narrowed, "Aunt... Yumi?"
The last time he saw this woman was over six years ago, at his Mother's funeral. She didn't look a single day over 25, and she claimed to be the "older" sister!?
"That's me! I'm so glad you remembered, little one." Her voice rang in his ears slightly, which he attributed to the early hour and his annoyance.
"Well, that's just peachy. Why couldn't you use the front door like a normal person, huh?" Ichigo shot an accusing glare. An emotional wall sprouted up around him, not wanting to admit being shaken. An intruder through the window reminded him almost instantly of his Shinigami companions.
...disappointment quickly became overshadowed by his shock.
"Does the old man know you're here?"
Her expression was amused.
"No. I only came to see you."
A short scoff slipped past his lips, waving a hand to gesture for her to speak her mind.
After 17 months of uneventfulness, this would certainly be a change.