1. The Call to Arms
The mansion quakes under the Witchfiend assault, their snarls echoing through the halls. I prepare my flail, my hands trembling slightly as I steel myself for what lies ahead. You step in front of me, trying to block my way.
“Rem, wait! You don’t have to do this alone!” you plead, desperation in your voice.
I place a firm but gentle hand on your shoulder, meeting your gaze. “Lucas, please trust me. I need to protect you. Stay here where it’s safe.”
From behind, Ram scoffs. “Don’t argue, Lucas. You’ll only get in her way.”
As much as you hate it, you step aside, watching as I rush into the fray. The sounds of my flail colliding with enemies reverberate through the walls, but so do the Witchfiends’ unrelenting screeches.
2. The Breaking Point
You stand by the window, fists clenched as you watch me fight. I swing my flail with precision, but the Witchfiends’ sheer numbers begin to overwhelm me. My strikes grow fiercer, my movements sharper, and a faint glow emanates from my forehead.
Behind you, Ram’s voice is low, almost a whisper. “If the horn fully manifests, she’ll lose herself. Don’t make this worse, Lucas.”
But when you see a Witchfiend creeping toward me, ready to strike, you can’t hold back any longer.
“I can’t let her fight alone!” you shout, bolting for the door.
“Lucas, no!” Ram yells, grabbing your arm. Just as she’s about to pull you back, a Witchfiend lunges at her. She hurls a spell to fend it off, shouting after you as you vanish into the chaos. “You idiot! Come back!”
3. The Catalyst
The battlefield is chaos, my oni horn glowing brightly as I tear through the Witchfiends. My flail moves in wild arcs, blood and dust spraying in every direction, my ferocity unmatched.
You approach cautiously, your steps slow but steady. Despite Ram’s frantic shouts from behind—“Lucas, stay back! She’ll kill you!”—you keep moving forward, your eyes fixed on me.
The last Witchfiend falls, its body dissolving into dust as my flail crashes through it. The battlefield grows eerily quiet, save for the sound of my ragged breathing. Blood drips from my face and dress, and my horn glows like a beacon in the moonlight.
You step closer, your hand outstretched. “Rem...” you whisper, your voice soft but clear.
But I don’t hear you. My oni instincts flare at the faint movement, my blood-soaked eyes narrowing as I perceive a new target. Without hesitation, I swing the flail with brutal force.
The blow connects with your shoulder, and you’re sent sprawling to the ground. A sharp cry escapes your lips as pain explodes through your body, but you grit your teeth, refusing to make a sound that might provoke me further.
From behind, Ram gasps, her voice trembling. “Lucas, get away! Don’t move!”
4. The Oni’s Grief
Stage 1: Shinu! Shinu! Shinu! (Die! Die! Die!)
I don’t stop. My flail moves again, arcing toward you as if I’m caught in an endless loop of destruction.
“Shinu! Shinu! Shinu!” The word escapes me like a mantra, guttural and unrelenting. Blood sprays as my swings grow wilder, my form completely consumed by rage.
You weakly raise your arm to shield yourself, but the second blow lands against your side, sending you rolling across the ground.
Stage 2: Kurushii! (It Hurts!)
The sound of your body hitting the ground doesn’t reach me, but your gaze does.
You don’t cry out, even as blood trickles from your lips. Instead, you look at me—heartbroken and filled with sorrow, as if mourning a loss you can’t yet accept.
For a moment, your eyes catch the moonlight, shining with a spark of something I don’t understand. Love? Devotion? These things mean nothing to a raging oni.
But then it happens.
A sharp, searing pain grips my chest, foreign and unbearable. My hands fly to my heart as I stagger back, my flail clattering to the ground.
“Kurushii!” I cry, the word tearing from my throat in anguish. Tears streak down my face as the glow of my horn falters. It hurts—it hurts!—and I don’t know why.
The pain twists deeper as I realize the truth: that look in your eyes, that spark, reminds me of something... someone. You. Lucas.
Stage 3: Doushite?! (Why?!)
I stare at you, sprawled and broken on the ground, your face pale and streaked with blood. My horn’s glow flickers as I drop to my knees, my hands trembling.
“Doushite?!” I scream, my voice cracking with anguish. “Why... why did you come so close?! Why did I...”
My hands move to my face, clawing at it as if to banish the horror of what I’ve done. “Gomenasai... Gomenasai...” I whisper, the words trembling as they fall from my lips.
5. Ram’s Quiet Arrival and Healing
Ram approaches cautiously, her usual calm facade cracked by the faint shimmer of tears in her eyes. She looks at me in disbelief, then at you.
“Lucas...” she says quietly, kneeling beside us. “You brought her back.”
Her hand rests lightly on my shoulder, her voice trembling. “Rem, it’s okay. You’re back. You scared me...”
You offer a faint smile through the pain, glancing at her. “She’s not alone, Ram. Neither are you.”
Ram looks between us, her sharp tongue replaced by an uncharacteristic gentleness. “Idiot,” she mutters, but her tone is soft, almost affectionate. “You’d better not break her heart, Lucas.”
As she notices my horn has vanished, she whispers, “You really did it. You brought her back from... that. Nobody’s ever done that.” Her eyes land on your bloodied form, and for a moment, she’s quiet.
“You’re a fool,” she finally says, her voice breaking slightly. “You should be bleeding out for being so reckless. But... I can’t let you die. Not after this.”
She starts tending to your wounds, her touch uncharacteristically careful. “Not for you,” she murmurs, “but for Rem.”
6. The Oni Clan’s History
Back inside, after ensuring you’re safe, Ram sits at the foot of your bed, her usual sternness replaced by uncharacteristic thoughtfulness.
“The horn is both a blessing and a curse,” she begins, her tone heavy. “It gives us strength but takes something away in return. Once an oni enters that rage... they usually don’t come back.”
She pauses, her gaze distant. “I... lost my horn when I couldn’t stop myself. Rem had to break it to save me. It’s why she feels she owes me everything, why she works harder than anyone. She thinks she has to make up for what she did, even though she saved my life.”
You reach out, placing your hand on mine. “You’ve both carried this pain for too long. Let me carry it with you.”
I glance at you, my blue eyes still red from crying, and offer a faint smile. “Lucas... thank you.”