It was strange. Days typically would crawl by. Every evening, ripped what little rest Aiden could get; his wounds never healed enough for the following battles. Fatigue was the most common thing he felt outside of loneliness. The food was never delicious alone, no matter the seasoning. Warm water never seemed to clean every part of his body when the deepest shadows of the house would taint his skin. And the silence that followed him everywhere would always cleave what little sanity he still had bouncing around in his mind.
"-And that's how you read that." Meilin pointed at a character in her notebook. About an hour had passed since they had been sitting on the porch. Though it was slow at first, teaching proved to be a rather fun activity for Aiden. He still struggled with the pronunciation of several Chinese characters, but compared to having known nothing, anything was an improvement. Aiden's gaze lingered on her for a bit; her joyous smile struck something in him he didn't know still existed.
Meilin was quick to switch tasks, now cleaning up their supplies while sneaking glances at Aiden, who was still trying to figure out the phonics of what he was reading.
"The girls should be back soon. So why don't we prepare lunch?" Even though it came off as a question, it was anything but that. She practically dragged him to the kitchen, where they began preparing sandwiches.
"Do you have any preferences? I like salmon with some crunchy lettuce. I know Ryn is a bit more childish with PB&J. Lyra...she typically makes her own food."
"Anything is fine, just no BBQ sauce."
Meilin raised one eyebrow. This wasn't exactly the most useful piece of information, but anything that could drive them closer was worth noting. A thin smile spread across her lips.
His eyes were glazed over. It was easy to be swept along by Meilin's positive aura, but it was nothing more than a temporary distraction. Nothing good ever lasted. It never has, and it never will, he was certain of that.
A cool mist spread by their feet. The fog grew thicker, seemingly sprouting out of nowhere. Even the basement door shut, his mother trembling in the darkness. The sun dimmed slightly, and storm clouds had infected the sky with their parasitic grey dullness. Meilin peered through the window, cursing silently at the poor weather.
"We will have to battle the beast through the rain...what a pain. But hey! I see the girls at the edge of the field." She rushed out of the kitchen before Aiden could say a thing.
But he didn't even notice her absence. His hand continued cutting. Pressing the blade down into the wooden cutting board. "-ouch" He looked down at the blood. It seeped into the grooves of the cutting board, slithering from the deep cut along his finger. He sighed, looking for more bandages. Unfortunately, there were none left.
After washing his hands and tying a dirty rag around his hand, his gait carried him into the commodious living room. The three girls had begun unpacking the many bags onto the couch. Of course, the supplies were nothing special, though some things caught Aiden's eye. A range of pinks, greens and even yellows. Various clothes, toiletries and snacks began filling the cupboards, wardrobes and the pantry.
He wandered onto the porch, sitting down on a step. The darkened clouds had remained. Aiden stared forward. The fog that wrapped around the nearby trees grew thicker, but he could feel the rift rippling through the barrier of normality. The barrier was the only thing keeping the world of demons, yokai and spirits away from the humans, but in various spots around the world, it weakened. His gaze hardened as the space rippled. Shockwaves smashed the glass panes in the living room.
Lyra figure lashed through the entrance, each step brought her closer to the epicentre of rippling spatial fabrics. Her eyes grew. A mass of blue, larger than anything they had ever encountered, stared back at her. Two feline eyes peered at her; she could make herself out in their reflection. Every bead of sweat running down her face, the wrinkles as her face contorted into horror.
Ding Ding
A bell. It bared its ugly golden bell, which was covered in ancient moss. Each ding grew more powerful, like breaking down a barrier in her mind. But it could not be overcome; she was an adult after all. And the beast of the Sanzu River did not affect adults.
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In a nearby village, wooden doors opened slowly. A tiny figure wandered outside. This quickly grew into a dozen, then into two dozen. They marched through the marshlands, running and screaming with glee as they scraped their little bodies against bark, stones, and branches. An army of little children coloured red stared at the Korean lady, then they shifted to the tiger's head.
One by one, they entered its maw.
"S-Stop! Don't go inside!" Lyra grabbed a small child, shaking her roughly, trying to break the hypnosis. But the child ripped herself apart from Lyra's grip, dislocating her own shoulder just to find her way into the creature's mouth, and be devoured like everyone else.
Sparks of black iron ripped through the serpentine scales of its long body. Green blood gushed, and its mouth split apart to pierce her ears with a deafening screech.
"Guh- Damned monster...The Nine-Tailed Fox didn't tell us about this sort of power..." Lyra backed off, wiping the blood from her ears. Her eyes flashed back to see Aiden and Meilin sprinting.
Silver flashed. Aiden barrelled through the air, his blade landing straight in the beast's eye. Its black Iris turned to stare right at his short body. "Creepy-" He fell onto his back. Air burned as it struggled to enter and leave his lungs.
The earth shook around them. Meilin's staff planted itself deep into the wet soil. A green aura burst, and small bubbles attached themselves to Aiden. Within seconds, he felt his body drop the fatigue.
"Catch!" Lyra threw her blade in his direction. 'Light' Compared to his knife, it was indeed lighter; it would take time to get adjusted to this new weapon. And there was something special about it...it seemed to be pulling something from him...his spirit essence.