Chapter Text
Five hundred years ago, it is said that a fearsome demon lived in the deepest mountain ranges of this region. Those who claim to have seen him describe him as a ruthless creature, with the appearance of a giant dog, whose size could easily reach that of a mountain. With snow-white fur and red eyes, as red as fresh blood. If those red eyes looked at you, they could paralyze every muscle in your body, given the intense sensation of death they transmitted.
Many say that he was a beast possessing uncontrollable anger, he didn’t discriminate between humans or demons when he came to massacring those who roamed his lands. It is believed that some villages even abandoned their buildings to seek a new home as far away from him as possible, those who heard his roar would be engulfed by terror and hopelessness capable of driving them mad.
No one ever knew the creature's name, and no one ever needed to know it. The mere mention of him was an omen of catastrophe and tragedy, every living being simply longed never to have the misfortune of being on his way.
This demon was not used to leaving his lands to attack villages in search of food, and it is said that multiple warriors and armies went deep into the mountains, wanting to obtain his head as a very precious trophy. No man ever returned, even the most experienced exterminators speculated that the demon was capable of devouring dozens of humans with a single bite.
For hundreds of years the inhabitants of this region remained in a silent truce with the demon, fearful and cautious, but apparently he had no intention of initiating a massive slaughter until he was provoked. The existence of such a creature could not be ignored, but people learned to live with that ever-latent fear.
Until years later, a dying princess dared to go looking for him in the mountains. There are those who affirm that she had been cursed until she lost her sanity, and others say that she was only moved by despair, since her castle had been engulfed by wars and all were killed, including her first son after a few days of birth.
Apparently she believed that the demon could revive him and that, in addition, leaving him in his care would be the safest life option that the baby would ever have. No one knows whether the demon actually devoured the princess and left the boy's body to be eaten by scavengers, but the theory that has gained more strength over time is that he finally granted compassion to her. They say he poured his own blood into the baby's mouth and brought him back from the dead, allowing the mother to rest in peace knowing that her son would have a future.
Since then, convinced by that act of benevolence, the inhabitants of this region began to see the creature as a deity. At the foot of the mountains a temple was built where they venerate him with offerings and prayers, asking for protection for the lives of children, and also giving thanks for the life of that child who was saved.
“If I'm not mistaken, two hundred years have passed since such events.” The older woman finished her story, a long thick rod was used to remove the coals from the fire, thus trying to prevent the faint flames from being extinguished.
The silence that appeared made her suppose that Rin had already fallen asleep, throughout the course of the story the girl had not interrupted at all, something that was not very common considering her usual conversational enthusiasm. Kaede turned to the girl in order to check if her suspicions were true, on the contrary, Rin looked back at her while looking thoughtful, her small hands still clinging to the edges of the futon that covered her.
“But lady Kaede, I don't understand...” The girl murmured. “If that demon was so bad, why did people start to see him as a deity? You said no one knows what really happened.”
Again the embers were removed from one side to the other, Kaede remained silent when she analyzed the question.
Every night, the little eight-year-old would ask her for a story before bed. The old priestess had no problem accessing, she had many to tell, but Rin seemed to particularly like that story regarding the deity of the mountains, the demon dog who had fed a baby with his blood to bring him back to life.
And every time Kaede mentioned it, Rin had new questions.
“Exactly, nobody knows what really happened.” Kaede conceded. “But I suppose people need something to believe in, they prefer to determine that the demon is now a deity that protects this region, instead of continuing to live threatened by his existence. Perhaps, that manages to bring some peace to their spirits.”
Rin again fell into a pensive silence, the old woman took the moment to push aside the rod with which she fanned the bonfire, her intention clearly being to end the talk and stand up.
She would go check the candles and incenses in the sanctuary before returning to the cabin to rest, she hoped Rin was already sleeping by then.
“Lady Kaede.” Rin said again.
The woman stopped her steps halfway, finding herself already short of crossing the wicker mat that protected the entrance.
“In these two hundred years, has the demon saved other children again?” The girl asked.
Kaede thought about the question, not surprised by Rin's inexhaustible curiosity. The little girl always managed to ask questions that in one way or another marveled Kaede for her cunning, and another thing that also caught the old woman's attention was the way Rin's eyes seemed to shine every time they both tackled the story of the demon in the mountains.
“I've never known anyone who can assure that. Since he is considered a deity, the creature's domain is sacred and no one has attempted to traverse beyond the temple where he is worshiped. I imagine that they fear breaking the truce and consider that it is better not to provoke his anger again.” Kaede replied.
“I see…” Rin whispered.
Rin looked a little discouraged at the answer, but far from delving further into the topic, with a smile and a quick "good night" she turned in the futon, ready to finally sleep.
Kaede left the hut within seconds, her slow footsteps heading toward the rock stairs that would lead her to the top of the hill behind the village, where the sanctuary was located. The rest of the villagers were already in their huts, the stillness helped the old woman's senses analyze the surroundings in search of possible dangers, fortunately only the nightly howling of the wind was heard among the trees and the crickets singing their vibrant songs.
The shrine was equally quiet, with the candle flame wavering and incense smoking throughout the room. Kaede carefully forced her aging joints to kneel in front of the small altar, her palms were brought together at the height of her face and she whispered to recite prayers of protection, of prosperity.
The night was calm, after leaving the concentration of her prayers she stopped to ramble on the fact that, in recent days, the village had not been attacked by evil creatures of any kind. Even if she tried to cover a wider range of time, they had never been plagued by any truly regrettable misfortune.
Unconsciously her thoughts wandered to the story previously told, to the legend of the deity of the mountains. It was true that the village where they resided was not too far from the sacred grounds of that supposed beast, perhaps two or three hours of walking to the temple dedicated to him.
Could it be that the creature really was a symbol of protection? Kaede wasn't sure, most likely that demon's strong popularity was enough to keep less powerful beings away.
Carefully she stood up again, one last bow to the altar was her farewell to announce that she would finally retire for a rest. Kaede was turning in the direction of the exit when she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye as the candle flames shook violently, as if a sudden current of wind inside the shrine made them waver until they were completely extinguished.
Outside the shrine, all kinds of sounds suddenly stopped.
Kaede forced herself to rush her steps to the doors of the place. Outside, the night seemed to have become more disturbing because of the absolute silence. From the top of the hill she could see how some villagers, probably also alerted by the unexpected change, had come out of their huts and were looking around with a certain fear.
Everyone sensed that radical feeling of threat, as if the danger had risen from every inch of the ground to a deafening hum.
The old woman turned her attention to the top of the mountains, moved almost by a hunch and at the same time a very hidden fear inside her. She felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw how turbulent black clouds began to gather on the highest peaks, until seconds ago the moonlight clearly delineated each silhouette of the mountain ranges, but now with those black clouds covering the sky, the night had quickly become gloomy and terrifying.
Suddenly, an immense power exploded until it spread like waves through the air, the top of the mountains apparently being its place of origin. The noise of a thunderous roar was heard in the distance, the sound propagated in such a way that Kaede felt as if each tree, cabin and structure was shaken by its intensity.
Cannot be.
Kaede acted out of sheer instinct, quickly regained the mobility of her previously paralyzed body, and ran down the stairs, back toward the center of the village. She didn’t stop to consider the pain with which her old limbs demanded of her for the action, nor did she stop to consider the risk of stumbling and finishing the flight of steps due to falling.
Her heart was pounding in rapid warning beats. There were no new roars to break the silence of the night, but the dark clouds continued to swirl over the mountains, the crackling sensation of threat still hung over the village and seemed to spread further through the rice fields, through the forests, through every corner of the region.
Could it be that the demon's rage has finally been awakened?