Silence.
That's all I could hear in the forest. I didn't expect noise in the dead of night, but silence is really unnerving. The quiet that seems lifeless. I should've just slept and travelled in the morning. Instead, here I am walking alone through a silent forest.
At least the full moon is out. A bright, quiet forest was far more pleasant than the alternative. The large Sugi trees really do set a mood, the moonlight escaping through the leaves lit up the path in front of me. Where one would have to squint to look at the leaves if it were sunlight, moonlight didn't have the problem. The shine of the thin leaves was grounding and pleasant.
Walking through the spaced-out trees with no symmetry in place, a pathless path formed. Just head to Mount Fujikasane was all I was told about the destination. The Sugi trees, while long, didn't plan to obstruct my view of the mountain, at least. The knee-length grass damp with dew muffled my steps, which were already slow and methodical. It was almost calming.
"Yeah, let's stick with calming"
My breath visibly spread out; it was spring, but the winter air stuck around. The forest air held a hint of humidity made the blue kimono stick to my forearm whenever I walked; not enough to make it uncomfortable, but enough for it to be noticeable. Snow didn't blanket the ground thankfully. Fighting in the snow wasn't as fun as it sounded.
The plume of hot air ejected from my mouth shifted. Not in the natural way that it does when at the mercy of the wind, but in the way when someone rushes past. The wind had been calm all night long; this was nothing natural. Something had moved in the forest near me, but the sound remained hidden.
The world still stood silent around me. Trees stood in the way, but the gaps outnumbered them. If something were to move closer, it would be seen before it got close. The forest floor was almost reflective, not the night for any bandits or such to make a move.
"So close to the mountain, it was getting visibly larger and everything"
The wind picked up; whatever was out there didn't care about hiding anymore. Oh, who was I kidding? It had to be a demon. No animal got closer to a human speaking out loud.
A dark blur moved from the right-hand side of my peripheral. The rustle of the forest accompanied this demon with a flash of white from what looked to be its face. It jumped from a tree closer to where I stood. It's entire attention on me now.
A heavy thump spread throughout the forest. I could now see its demon-like feet visible in the moonlight, but its upper body still remained behind a tree's shadow. Nothing dark enough to hide the disgusting, deformed face. Rows of teeth all over the face, with no inclination where the jaw started and where it ended. The eyes were lopsided, almost looking squeezed by the numerous teeth. They were wide, glassy, and filled with a silent, shaking madness.
Tears of blood rolled down its cheeks without expression, staining the patchwork teeth a sickening red. It was large but not enough to steal attention from its hideous form.
It stood perfectly still. Too still. Not a single muscle twitched, almost like a wax sculpture abandoned in the woods. Its skin was an unhealthy dark blue, stretched smooth and tight like porcelain over a cracked structure underneath. The smell of blood enters the air with the demon.
What a saddening smell.
"Wait, can you talk?"
Morbid curiosity budded throughout me. How does it even eat? Would the face unravel if it spoke? I slowly bring my left hand to the hilt of the blade on my side. It was warmer than the forest air; it was comfortable.
It didn't move, just stared from inside the shadow.
"Not much of a talker, I get it. Random person walking in the forest in the middle of the night with a weapon, probably not a person you want to strike up a conversation with"
My smile didn't get the response I wanted. Because right after I finished speaking, it finally jumped towards me. The arms remained limp at its side as it ran to me headfirst, jaw splitting open as it came. The teeth where a human's neck would be open up. Every other tooth grinds against each other, but they don't seem to move otherwise.
Vile.
It didn't have any lips, that's why the face looked so off; well, outside of the obviously demon-modified face with only teeth and eyes. Its jaw was now only a few meters away. Thankfully, it was also mindless as it didn't notice I had walked to a slight opening in the forest. Perfect room for swinging a blade.
I stepped back quickly, far quicker than the demons pace.
"I guess our little moonlight date is over. I'd make a joke about you chewing with you mouth open or something, but I feel that might be a little insensitive"
I let a breath out and let my body relax. The forest for me slowed down completely. It was brighter than before, in my eyes, everything was clear to me. My hand went to the blade, unsheathing while I stared back at the demon. The blade reflected the moonlight as I held it with one hand parallel to the ground.
Its tip still shattered, but it was a nichirin sword, enough to slay this demon for good.
The forest air filled my lungs. I felt complete with it.
A calm breath slipped between my lips, steady and deep. The world dead quiet.
"Sky Breathing, First Form Horizon Slash."
The sword swept outward in a faultless line, like the distant edge where sky meets land. The Horizon itself. A wind gust roared after the strike, moving the grass in the direction of the wind and branches far up, swaying all in a wide, bursting wave.
The demon's jaw shone with an azure light for seconds before the top half of the head fell between my feet. It didn't even have the time to move. Dead before it could grasp any thought. The tree behind escaped with only a small cleave into its wood. The smell of burnt wood entered my senses.
One knee in the grass, I place a hand on the head of the fallen demon. Whispering under my breath.
"I hope you find peace"
It fades away. The only evidence of its existence remains in the cradle of grass where it fell, still pressed down, and the scars on the trees nearby. But those will also fade with time, slowly but surely.
Pity.
A slow breeze moves past all the trees. The moonlight rests on me. The forest's scent takes over once again.
It's calming.
Some last-minute practice with a mindless demon couldn't hurt. Bothersome that the difficulty of the exam still remains unknown to me.
I slowly put the blade away. I don't want it to completely shatter before the Final Selection. Getting there before the sun comes up means I probably have some time to get some sleep in.
Onwards towards the big mountain it is.