Kashi jolted to his feet, only to collapse back to his knees, clutching his side as pain exploded through his ribs. "Tch... broken. At least three ribs," he grunted. "Are you alright, mister?" the girl asked, rushing to his side.
"I've been worse," Kashi replied, forcing a weary smile onto his face. "My question is what is a child like you doing on a battlefield?"
"T-those men.....they burned my village to the ground....t-they slaughtered everybody.....m-my mother..I-I ran...and never looked back" She cracked up ,tears flowing like a river.
She offered him her hand. "You shouldn't move too much." She mutter wiping away tears
"Where are we?" he asked, scanning the ruins of what once might have been a village shrine. Its statues were shattered, blood smeared across the stone floor. The scent of death still hung in the air. "A village near the battlefield. We hid in the shrine when the fighting started. But... he didn't make it," she whispered, clutching the hem of her robe.
Kashi stood, slowly this time, letting the pain steady him. "Who are you?"
"My name's Shiori." She timidly answered as Kashi studied her face, his eyes widened. Peeking just beneath her bangs was a faint mark—a red crescent, glowing ever so subtly. "No... it can't be," Kashi whispered. "You... you've been marked by the Oni." She blinked, confused. "What does that mean?"
"It means you survived contact with their cursed power. And it's inside you now."
"I-I don't feel anything. I just want to go home." She retorted tears welling up back in her eyes "B-but home is gone"
" Kashi sighed,he was a man of great talents yet comforting someone emotionally has always been where he fell short, turning toward the exit of the shrine. "But if we're both still breathing, that means fate hasn't given up on us. Come, Shiori. There's something we must do."
"Where are we going?"
"To find what remains of the Yamada."
They traveled by foot, Kashi leaning on a makeshift walking stick, and Shiori beside him, strangely unafraid despite all she'd seen. The land was quiet, eerily so. Burnt fields stretched for miles, the scent of smoke and ash clinging to the wind. Villages they passed were either razed or deserted.
But word traveled fast. Whispers in broken towns, hidden farmers, and old allies spoke of survivors—samurai who had retreated into the mountain passes, nursing wounds and plotting revenge.
They reached the outskirts of a ruined town by dusk. Kashi paused as a familiar voice called out from the rooftops.
"Kashi-sama?! Is that you?!"
He looked up to see Jinbè, bloodied and bandaged but very much alive, waving down at him.
"Jinbè... by the gods, you survived," Kashi said, emotion thick in his throat.
The young warrior dropped down, rushing to Kashi's side. "When we lost sight of you, we feared the worst. But seeing you now—"
"There's no time for celebration," Kashi interrupted. "There's work to be done. Who else made it?"
Jinbè nodded solemnly. "About thirty samurai. Some from Yamada, others from neighboring clans that were wiped out. We've regrouped in the forest hideout."
"And the Oni?"
"They've claimed the plains. No resistance left. But they haven't ventured into the mountains yet."
"Then that's our edge," Kashi said. "We make plans. We rebuild."
He turned to Shiori. "She stays with us. She's marked."
Jinbè's eyes widened. "The Oni mark? But she's so—"
"She's strong," Kashi said. "She's already survived what would have killed others."They led her through secret paths to a heavily camouflaged cave system nestled in a cliffside. Fires glowed in the distance, samurai resting, some meditating, others training with worn blades. Heads turned as Kashi entered. Murmurs rippled through the cave like wind through leaves.
"Lord Kashi lives."
"Kashi-sama has returned!"
He raised his hand to quiet them. "We've bled. We've lost. But we haven't been defeated. The Oni may have taken our lands, but they will never take our will." The warriors stood, rallying around him. Jinbè stepped forward. "What now, Kashi-sama?"
"We train. We prepare. We gather what knowledge we can about the Oni's movements. This is not the end. This is our resurgence."
Shiori clutched his robe and looked up at him. "And what about me?" "You'll train too," Kashi said. "There's a power inside you, and we'll need every blade and every will to take back what's ours."
"But I'm not a samurai."
Kashi knelt to her eye level. "Neither was I, once. The path of the warrior isn't given—it's chosen. And I see a warrior in you, Shiori."
She hesitated, then nodded. "Then teach me. I want to fight."
"Good." He smiled, and for the first time since the battle, it wasn't strained. "Then you'll be my student. And together, we'll show them the strength of those who've lost everything."
That night, under the stars, Kashi stood by the fire, watching his men sharpen their blades, whisper strategies, and eat what little they had. He clutched his side, feeling the sting again—but this time, it wasn't pain. It was the burning ember of something else.
The Oni's mark.
It pulsed faintly beneath his skin, responding to the presence of the girl. It whispered to him. Power. Rage. Transformation.
But Kashi closed his eyes and breathed slowly.
He wouldn't fall to it.
He would master it.
And when he returned to the battlefield, it wouldn't be as the fallen leader of a ruined clan.
It would be as the storm.
The Oni Within.
And the last student at his side. The fire cracked. The wind howled. The mountain watched in silence.
Their time would come.
And when it did—the Oni would tremble.
Kashi's vision faded to black for a moment, his body utterly exhausted from the unfolding of the last few days "I better get some rest" he whisper retreating to his tent ,Kashi layed down his thoughts not allowing him to drift off ,his mind raging ,his heart bleeding ,his Oni mark burning ,a storm was brewing on the horizon ,one of chaos and vengeance.