The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting golden streaks across the forest trail. Willow adjusted the thick straps on her shoulders and shifted her weight slightly. The wooden box on her back creaked quietly.
Inside, Kokushibo let out a small grunt. "I am… not fond of this method of travel."
Willow couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips. "You agreed to this, remember? Daylight's not exactly your friend."
"I recall," came the low reply, a touch of resignation coloring his tone.
Despite the humorous image of the former Upper Moon One being carried like a grumpy toddler in a backpack, Willow's thoughts stayed sharp. This was her first mission. No more training montages or theoretical strategies. Real danger. Real lives on the line.
She looked up toward the sky, where Philza soared in a lazy circle above the treetops.
"Remind me of the location again," she called.
The crow fluttered down briefly, perching on a branch ahead.
"Southwest village!" he squawked. "Mountain pass! Burned camps and ruins! People go up—don't come back down!"
Willow nodded. "Right. Demon likely moves at night—probably uses the day to hide somewhere close. If it's luring people, there has to be a pattern or trap."
She reached the base of the mountain pass by midday. The area was eerily quiet. Ash clung to the rocks, remnants of old fires painting the ruins in char and soot. Crumbled remnants of stone walls and long-abandoned tents littered the area like a battlefield frozen in time.
The sun was still high, so she knew she had time to scout before nightfall.
With Kokushibo safely hidden, she began her investigation.
The first thing she noticed was the claw marks—jagged grooves torn into trees and stones near the path leading up. Recently. Too clean to be old damage. Someone—or something—had come through here within the last few days.
Willow knelt and pressed her fingers to the scorched earth. "Drag marks… heavy. Someone was pulled."
A rustle caught her attention. She sprang up, hand on her hilt—but it was only a squirrel darting from a bush.
Her heart was pounding harder than she wanted to admit.
" Calm down. You're not a trainee anymore. "
She took a steadying breath and continued higher into the pass. As she walked, she passed what was once a campsite. A broken cooking pot, torn scraps of cloth, and a child's cracked wooden toy lay abandoned among the rocks. Her jaw tightened.
They didn't even get the chance to run…
Willow's grip on her katana tightened. Her breathing slowed, her mind sharpening like the blade at her hip.
She scouted the upper ridges and found a half-collapsed cavern tucked into the cliffside. The opening was narrow, easily missed unless someone was looking for it. There was a faint scent of rot wafting from within.
It had to be the nest.
But the sun was still out.
She pulled a thin cloth from her belt and tied it over her mouth and nose. Then, drawing her blade, she carefully stepped into the shadows of the cave entrance—only a few feet in, never deep enough to risk full cover.
Her foot nudged something. She looked down.
A shoe.
Small. Covered in dried blood.
Her stomach clenched.
The demon had lured a child here.
She turned away from the cave and left a clear marker of her presence near the entrance. Making it obvious that new prey is here.
The sun was dipping low when she returned to the ruins and made camp in the open clearing, just down the slope. A risky move—but she was bait now, and she knew it.
She sat beside a small fire, cross-legged, polishing her blade.
"You're drawing it out," Kokushibo said softly from within the box. "Deliberately."
She nodded. "It won't resist fresh prey. Not if it's used to feeding."
There was a pause. "You are… prepared for this?"
Willow's voice was calm. "I trained for this and I have you here, too."
The silence stretched. Then Kokushibo spoke.
"Should the situation turn… chaotic… let me out."
A faint smirk crossed her face. "You'll be the first to know."
As the last rays of sunlight faded behind the mountain ridge, the world darkened.
Then came the sound.
A low, wet dragging. Like something pulling itself over gravel. Then a laugh—dry, broken, like a rusted hinge creaking open.
Willow stood.
The fire crackled quietly behind her as she slowly drew her blade.
The demon emerged from the treeline ahead—tall, grotesque, with limbs too long and skin that sagged like melted wax. Its eyes were pitch black, mouth wide with a lipless grin.
"Well now," it rasped. "Another little traveler. You smell young… strong…"
Willow's stance was steady. "You're the one who's been killing villagers."
It cocked its head, the sound of bones cracking echoing across the clearing.
"They came to me. I simply offered them rest. Can you blame me for needing to feed?"
Willow's eyes hardened. "I can."
And then she moved.
One step. Two.
"Dragon Breathing, First Form: Fiery Breath!"
Her blade flashed downward in a Blue blazing arc, catching the demon by surprise and slicing across its chest. It screeched, stumbling back.
She pressed forward. "Ninth Form: Flowering Snapdragon."
A spinning strike caught its leg, and it crashed to the ground, shrieking in fury. But the wound began closing almost immediately.
"You'll need more than pretty swings to kill me!" it hissed, leaping into the air.
Willow slid back and slashed, cutting into its arm mid-flight—but a claw caught her across the shoulder, drawing blood.
She grunted, skidding back across the dirt. Pain flared hot. But she stood.
She could feel something shifting inside—her blood stirring, just beneath the surface. Her vision shimmered for a heartbeat.
Not yet.
She gripped the hilt tighter.
"Twelfth Form: Dragon's Inferno."
Her blade whipped around her like a dance, carving clean into the demon's neck as it lunged. The blade bit deep.
The demon screamed—but Willow pressed forward, fury and determination guiding her strike.
With a final surge, she twisted the blade and severed its head.
The body collapsed, twitching once before going still.
Willow stood over it, chest heaving.
As the ash settled and the night wind carried the last embers away, Willow exhaled.
Sheathing her sword, she turned toward the trail leading back down the pass.
Philza landed on her shoulder, rustling his feathers.
"Mission complete. Well done! Well done!"
Willow smiled softly, eyes scanning the horizon.
"Are you ok?" Kokushibo asked.
"Yes, I'm Fine." Willow responded