Chapter 10 - Oni

Ryu was briefly flabbergasted by the sight of his horns. The man looked just like any other normal person, the only difference was his height and the black horns on his forehead. And the man looked like a teen, similar to Ryu's age. He had black eyes and hair. The size difference between Ryu and Kazoku was quite big. 

"A-are those horns...?"

Kazoku swallowed his food and pointed at one horn with his right finger, "This? Yeah, what about it?"

Kazoku nonchalantly asked.

Ryu wiped his eyes with both of his hands, he hadn't seen a person with horns before.

"Why do you have horns?" Ryu asked nervously.

Kazoku shrugged and replied, "Dunno, I got them when I ate that weird rock."

Ryu finally got it, "Ohhh... Wait... Are you the Oni that was terrorizing those merchants?"

Kazoku looked away ashamed, "N-no I didn't," He whistled lowly, not taking the accusation.

Ryu chuckled a bit, "Don't worry, I won't judge."

Kazoku nodded and smiled, "Yeah, I was hungry."

Ryu nodded but his face became curious again, "Why do you live here anyway?"

Kazoku sighed and replied with a sad tone, "When I ate that rock, I became a monster, and I... I killed my... I killed my Grandpa, and..." His eyes were overflowing with tears

Kazoku's face became very disheartened, remembering that past, he sobbed and tried to wipe his tears away.

Ryu became sad after hearing that story, his face turned into a sympathetic one, "I'm sorry to hear that..."

Kazoku, despite his tears, continued his story, "I didn't mean to do that, I-"

He sobbed greatly.

Ryu stood up and walked towards Kazoku and hugged him.

Even though Ryu was standing and Kazoku was sitting on the ground, Kazoku was still somehow almost as tall as him.

Kazoku hugged Ryu back, his tears staining his clothes. Ryu patted his back while saying softly, "It's fine... It's fine..."

Kazoku was crying all the time, while Ryu was trying his best to comfort him. They remained in that position for a while, Kazoku sobbing his heart out the whole time.

...

After a few minutes, Kazoku's sob slowly turned into low sniffs, still hugging Ryu tightly. Kazoku slowly loosens his embrace around Ryu, until he fully lets go of him.

"T-Thank you..."

Ryu smiled and replied warmly, "No problem." Kazoku smiled back.

...

They were sitting on the ground, resting their backs against the wall of the cave.

They sat beside each other, though maintaining a comfortable distance. They became friends there.

They were staring at the cave walls absentmindedly for a while until Ryu broke the silence, "How did you come here anyway?"

Kazoku was startled by the question because his mind was completely blank right before this.

Kazoku replied, "O-oh, uhh... I come from a village far from here... And when I ate that rock, I was not in control of my body for a while. I didn't what I was doing... And when I woke up, I was already lying in this cave. I was probably traveling while I was still a demon..."

Kazoku recalled the past few days.

"And now, I just steal the food from some caravans that use that road..."

Ryu nodded.

"B-But I didn't hurt anyone though! I was just using the demon's form to scare off the guards on those traveling merchants... I only steal food..." Kazoku added.

Ryu asked, "How long have you lived here?"

Kazoku shrugged and replied, "I don't really know the exact days, but probably 5 days, though I'm not sure..."

Ryu nodded, "Hm, that officer guy in the city asked me to get rid of you, in exchange for me getting pardoned for my crimes..."

Kazoku gasped and flinched away from Ryu, "A-are you gonna kill me?!" He asked loudly.

Ryu shook his head, trying to clear up the words he said, "W-well, I was going to, but because you saved me and you're a good guy, then I definitely won't now!"

Kazoku lowered his guard and nodded, "O-oh... I got scared there."

They both chuckled.

Kazoku asked, "Well, how are you gonna explain this to that guy, then?"

Ryu thought for a while, "Hmmm..."

...

"Do you wanna travel with me?"

Kazoku asked, "To where...?"

He replied, "The whole country... And maybe the world."

Kazoku nodded, "Well, now that I think about it, this cave is really not the best place... And I don't want to live here for the rest of my life... So, yes, I would like to join!" He replied eagerly.

Ryu smiled, "Great!"

They both smiled at each other until Ryu's face turned into worry, "But I still have to deal with that officer..."

Kazoku nodded, "Yeah..."

Ryu pondered for a while, until an idea came to his mind, "Hey, I'm gonna lie to that man, while you stay here! All you have to do is not disturb anyone, and once I come back, we'll leave, got it?"

Kazoku nodded.

Ryu went out of the cave. The sunlight hit him hard and he blocked the light by raising his hand. He smiled, knowing that he found someone he could be with in his travels. He trekked the woods in the direction of the city.

...

Truth be told, he was lost. Ryu was confused about where the city was. For a while, he was just walking around with no sense of direction. The rustling of the dried leaves and cracking of the twigs overwhelmed the silence of his walk.

He was silently walking for a while...

*growl*

His stomach growled from hunger, "Right... I haven't eaten yet."

He shook his head and continued walking anyway, though his face was scrunched up. He continued walking, ignoring the growls of his stomach.

"I really should've asked Kazoku for some food," he muttered under his breath, his words filled with light regret.

...

After what seemed like hours, he finally saw a dirt road, "Thank the heavens..."

His face lit up and he walked towards the road. He stood in the middle of it and looked in both directions. He looked to his right and saw the city, "Finally..."

He hurriedly ran towards the city.

...

...

...

He was being interviewed by the big officer. He was staring outside the window, his back facing Ryu.

"So you took care of that monster in those woods?" He asked curiously.

Ryu nodded, "I did what you asked for, so can I leave now?" Ryu asked eagerly.

The officer chuckled and turned around to face Ryu, grinning widely.

"Do you have proof?" The officer was grinning with contempt.

Ryu was baffled, "W-what do you mean...?" Ryu's face was horrified.

The officer was laughing, "You know, I really didn't think you'd survive that."

...

The officer rubbed his chin with his thumb, "Do you even have proof you killed him?"

Ryu looked down, still scared.

The officer shrugged, "Well, even if you did, that doesn't matter, you'll still be in prison, kid."

He laughed again, "You should've just run away when I told you to beat that guy... You fool~"

The officer was laughing sadistically, "Ahhh... That was hilarious..."

"Guards! Come here," the officer shouted for his men.

The door opened and four men in uniform entered.

A lot was going through Ryu's mind at that moment.

"Should I just run away now? If I can beat them with my Aura... No, that would be stupid, I could barely fight one boar, let alone a company of soldiers... Maybe I can run away when they take me to my cell... Maybe I can-"

His thoughts were cut short when the soldiers tied his hands. As Ryu was being escorted out of the office, the officer was grinning sadistically and waved goodbye mockingly.

Rage.

That was what Ryu was feeling. The symbols on his palms glowed blue. The soldiers noticed, "What the...?"

In the blink of an eye, Ryu punched one soldier's torso. When his fist connected with the soldier's armor, he was thrown at subsonic speed onto the wall.

*BOOM*

The explosive force was too great and the wall of the building on that side collapsed. One side of the officer's office collapsed as well, which revealed his shocked face.

Ryu looked at the soldier, a literal hole in his torso, and the life from his eyes was gone. 

He killed a person.

Ryu gasped, unable to take that fact. He stared at the lifeless body of the soldier and stared at his bloodied hands.

"G-get him!" The officer yelled.

The three other guards were frozen, Ryu glared at them and told them in an intimidating tone, "Don't come after me."

Ryu ran outside the building.

...

Ryu ran through the crowded street, chattering rumors after hearing that explosion. Rumors such as a barrel explosion, an unknown Stone-User gone loose, and whatever else.

Ryu weaved through free spaces between each person in the crowd. Along the way, he was panting and gasping for air. That was his first time attacking an actual human being.

"What have I done... I didn't mean to hurt him" He thought, tears threatening to flow out of his eyes.

"The soldier could've been someone's father, he could've been a kind person, he could've been-" 

Ryu's thoughts were swirling around like a storm.

But his run was cut short when all of a sudden...

*swish*

A slash from a blade went through the air horizontally.

Ryu managed to roll forward in the last second.

He looked back to see who attacked him.

There in the streets with crowds of civilians watching, was a figure standing in the middle of the road. The spectators formed a circle away from Ryu and the figure.

He wiped the tears from his eyes to see the figure better.

The person had sharp, avian eyes glinting with an otherworldly intelligence. With the head and beak of a raven and the muscular body of a warrior, it exudes a formidable presence. Dark, glossy feathers cloak its powerful wings, which stretch out wide, casting an ominous shadow on the road.

Muscular and poised, its warrior's body is adorned with hints of traditional Japanese armor, adding to its fearsome presence. The long, sharp nose juts proudly from its face, and its clawed feet grip the ground with a predatory intensity. The surrounding spectators can only cower in fear, as the figure exudes an aura of mystical power and untamed nature.

In its grip, the tengu wields a naginata, its long, curved blade gleaming with a deadly sharpness. The weapon's shaft is crafted from polished wood, intricately carved with enigmatic symbols. The blade itself is made of steel, with delicate, crimson inlays that resemble flowing blood. As the tengu moves, the naginata cuts through the air with a menacing hiss, embodying a lethal elegance that mirrors the creature's own fearsome grace.

...

(???), Special-Stone: [Tengu]