The Oni Sisters
As the race standing at the peak of all demi-humans, the Oni tribe possesses exceptional physical strength and magical power.
With resilient bodies and a natural aptitude for mana, the racial traits of the "Kings of the Forest" make them even stronger in nature, and in battle, there is no race more dependable than the Oni.
The Oni's only weakness lies in their absolute scarcity as a species.
Although each individual is born strong, giving birth to new children is extremely difficult.
As a result, they live scattered in villages built deep in the mountains.
Despite their incredible combat strength, the Oni are, contrary to expectation, gentle by nature, and harbor no dissatisfaction with this secluded lifestyle.
Precisely because they live in isolation in village units, the Oni have several strict rules.
One such rule is that twins are considered "Children of Taboos."
Normally, Oni are born with two horns on their head.
These horns are usually hidden within the skull, but when provoked or under certain conditions, their instincts take over, causing them to enter an Oni form—revealing their horns and devouring surrounding mana to vastly enhance their combat power.
Horns are incredibly powerful organs, the source of their pride.
But twins? Twins are born sharing only two horns between them.
In Oni culture, losing a horn is called being "hornless," and such individuals lose their standing in the tribe.
Even losing just one horn invites scorn.
And twins, from the moment of birth, are already defective by lacking their full horns—this makes them taboo.
Because of this, twins, deemed taboo children, are traditionally disposed of upon birth.
That has been the custom.
The fate of the Rem sisters was the same.
Originally, their lives should have ended then.
The chieftain made the painful decision to dispose of them, but at the moment the sentence was to be carried out, one of the twins released a massive surge of mana—her talent was beyond rare.
Saying it was "not common" is a vast understatement; it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of power.
Newborn Ram countered the strongest member of the Oni clan with her power.
As a result, the twin sisters were spared, though only as the lowest-ranked members of the Oni.
Their lives from that point were far from smooth.
Though their lives were spared, the fact they were twins—hornless—never changed.
From the moment of birth, they were branded as "hornless."
Including their own parents, the entire tribe treated them coldly, as if they were objects.
This harsh treatment continued until they became aware of themselves.
More precisely, it continued until the elder sister, Ram, established her sense of self.
In her early years, Ram was what you'd simply call a "prodigy."
No one in Oni history had shown comparable talent or intelligence.
Her mana capacity increased unexpectedly fast, and the pure white horn on her forehead—her mark of destiny—was proudly displayed.
In the eyes of the Oni, nothing was more beautiful than that horn.
The entire tribe naturally bowed their heads to her.
Even their estranged parents, the tribe members who mocked them, and the chieftain who had once resolved to execute them were now humbled before her brilliance.
She was seen as the reincarnation of the mythical Oni God.
The remaining Oni who had not yet been annihilated vowed to dedicate everything to Ram.
In contrast, Rem walked a much more awkward path.
She had no outstanding talent, and her mana capacity was just average.
Her strength as an Oni was that of someone with just one horn—nothing exceptional.
Unlike her sister, she lacked confidence, withdrew into herself, avoided the spotlight, and acted only in the shadows.
That was how the young Rem protected her still immature heart.
Her gentle sister, her hopeful parents, the tribe that supported her to become like Ram—all of it, to Rem, felt like a painful ordeal shredding her soul.
Needless to say, Rem also tried her best in that situation.
She attempted everything she could to close the gap with her sister, working hard to surpass her.
But no matter what she did, Ram was always ahead.
No matter what she tried, she couldn't reach the same level. That unreachable height belonged only to her sister—perfect in every way. Even as a child, Rem came to understand this.
The light that illuminated the world always shone on her sister first.
Rem stood in her shadow, peeking out nervously, and as the brilliance intensified, her own place in the world grew ever smaller.
Then came that night.
Rem woke up from a feverish sleep, sensing a strange heat. Looking around, she noticed her sister—who had been sleeping beside her—was missing.
She thought: I must find her.
Even if her sister had simply gotten up to use the bathroom, Rem's mindset was so rigid and pressured that she believed she had to immediately follow behind that glorious figure.
As she stepped out of the room, she finally realized her mistake. The heat came from her familiar home being engulfed in flames.
In the center of the village, a pile of charred corpses had been stacked.
The houses were engulfed in raging fire, trees were burning, and the world she had always known had turned into a crimson hell in a single night.
Among the twisted, burning corpses, she saw familiar faces lying side by side.
Her mind broke. She collapsed on the spot.
A figure in a black cloak slowly approached her.
Despite the horror, a faint, inappropriate smile spread across Rem's face.
This young girl, still so small, showed a resigned expression—as if she had already accepted death.
She had already been killed many times in her heart.
The shadow raised its hand.
In its palm, a silver blade glinted as it was brought down toward the girl—but the shadow's head was suddenly blown away.
No scream, just blood spraying in silence.
The life was extinguished before it even realized it had died.
Such immense skill, and such a familiar mana presence—Rem knew immediately. It was her sister.
'My sister is still out there. I must follow her.'
Rem stood up on the spot and looked around, though she didn't need to—her sister was already running toward her, holding her tightly and checking her for injuries.
Wrapped in those arms, Rem felt a mix of unbearable joy and sorrow.
But they were already surrounded.
The shadows filled their vision, leaving no room to escape.
All Rem could do was stand there and watch.
'From this point on, I'll leave everything to my sister.'
Even so, Rem believed her sister would find a way out.
Her sister was always the best, always right, the most revered among all possibilities.
But then, the sister who had been cutting through the enemies suddenly turned back and embraced Rem.
And Rem saw it.
A steel weapon struck her sister's head. The white light of her horn danced across the blood-red sky.
The horn was severed at its root. Blood spurted. A sharp scream rang out.
I saw it happen, and I was thinking something—I still remember it clearly.
To save me, she suffered such brutality.
As I heard her scream while her beloved horn was broken, I watched that beautiful white horn, the one I had always envied, spin through the air.
——Ah, it's finally broken.
That was what I thought.
And when the girl named Rem realized what she had thought—her time stopped.