In the most deeper part of a forest lives an unseen beast -- an unseen beast that it would wake up every twenty years, waiting for its next offering to calm its hunger.
Seiren, a woman born between a human and a unseen being, is chosen to be the sac...
Twenty years ago, in a small village, a child between the union of a human and a unseen being was born. Since her birth, the villagers saw her as a symbol of misfortune, blaming the poor baby for every bad thing that happened inside the village. Only for the whole reason that this child was so different from any other human: one of her eyes resembled the color of blood, her skin was pale as a lily flower and around her crimson butterflies fluttered.
Fearing for their lives, the baby and her mother were chosen to become the next sacrifices for the unseen beast trapped inside the forest located on the outskirts. By how the rumor goes, this forest, thousands of years ago, was cursed by an unseen creature, causing every life to perish. Different strange and grotesque creatures appeared out of nowhere and made their home there.
In the most deepest and darkest part, this unseen beast was imprisoned with invisible chains. However, it will only wake up every twenty years to wait for its next offering to calm its hunger, to gain his strength back and find a perfect vessel in order to be free.
The few villagers that were able to see this evil creature, described it as something that did not have a body or a face. In fact, it only appeared as a black, giant shadow with piercing, crimson eyes and a wicked smile.
That's why the moment the chief of the village saw the baby's red eye for the first time, the bloody eyes of the beast came to his mind in a heart beat. The resemblance was uncanny. It was like the two of them shared the same eyes. Even the red butterflies fluttering around her shared the same color. This frightened the old man even more, who for a moment though that his daughter had conceived the child of the beast.
In his mind, it did not sound crazy at all, since his daughter wasn't dating a man from this village nor any men from a close town. Just one day she said she was pregnant, refusing to tell who was the father. At that time he did not think much about it, but now he couldn't help but be suspicious. Even though the beast had been in a slumber for the past twenty years!
Being someone who believed in every legend of his ancestors, he told everyone about his granddaughter. But instead of telling them what he believed, he told them that the child was cursed by a powerful, evil spirit. A evil spirit that has taken the form of red butterflies, suggesting to sacrifice both of them in order for the village to not fall into a circle of misfortune once the beast awakes from its slumber.
Being struck by a sudden wave of misfortune after the baby was a few weeks old, everyone ended up accepting the decision of the chief. Even the mother of the poor woman!
The day the beast finally woke up, she did not move a single muscle to stop the villagers from taking her daughter and granddaughter away, much less her husband.
Knowing it was futile to resist, the woman, with her baby in her arms, walked without resisting the path towards the cursed forest, accompanied by four men. One of them was in front of her, the other two by each side, and the last one behind her, each one of them holding a oil lamp in their hands to provide light on this dark night.
No one cared to strike a conversation, walking almost in complete silence. Only the sound of their footsteps hitting against the hard ground, filled everyone's ears.
However, that changed when they reached the dead forest. "Good work," the voice of a man was heard. "I'll be taking Yorozu from here."
The woman called, Yorozu, for the past few minutes only stared at her baby, tearing her gaze away for the first time to look at the man who just spoke since she recognized his voice.
A pink-haired man, with unique black marks on his forehead, nose and cheeks, dressed in a light-colored kimono with a black edge, and a black scarf, was leaning against a tree trunk with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Sukuna," Yorozu muttered, not expecting to see him here.
The man in the front approached Sukuna, offering his oil lamp to him. "For the first time, two sacrifices had been chosen."
Sukuna took the lamp. "I see," he simple responded, his light, brown eyes fixing on the black-haired woman dressed in a white kimono holding a baby wrapped in a blanket. "The four of you can go back."
Without being told twice, the four men left, leaving the woman and the baby in the hands of this man. It wasn't hard to guess that he was chosen to escort the sacrifice to the deepest part of the forest.
Words were not spoken between them, until Yorozu run into Sukuna's arms. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, Sukuna."
Not being able to embrace the man, she only buried her head on his chest. Sukuna did not move a muscle, nor he was bothered by such actions. In fact, he understood the position the woman was in. She probably only wanted the comfort of someone after her fate changed for the worst.
"Are you really going to escort me to the unseen beast?" Yorozu asked, aware that the chosen to escort the sacrifice always lost his life inside the cursed forest by the clutches of the grotesque creatures. "Because I would rather if you don't."
"No," Sukuna denied. "I'm here for another reason."
"Another reason?" She repeated, wanting for the man to explain himself.
"I'm here to save one of you," he confessed, lifting Yorozu's chin to make her look at him. "If it wasn't for the fact that the beast indeed needs a sacrifice in order to calm his hunger and fall again into a slumber, then I'd definitely would have suggested to you to run away with me even before this day would have arrived."
Yorozu's heart throbbed by such suggestion, never expecting to hear something like that from the man she always loved. If he had confessed a long time ago, then her life maybe could have been different. But now it was too late!
"Then," she started, not thinking twice who should be saved in this cruel situation, "Save my daughter. Save Seiren," she took a few steps back, extending her arms to the front for Sukuna to take Seiren.
Sukuna did not refuse nor had the intention to protest about her decision, taking the baby with his free hand into his arms. It wasn't a surprise for him that Yorozu had chosen the life of her daughter over her own life.
Yorozu took the lamp from Sukuna and gave her sleeping daughter a kiss on her forehead. "Grow healthy and strong, Seiren. I'm sorry that I'm not going to be present in your life, however, Sukuna would always be there for you. So goodbye my dear child. And goodbye as well my dear, Sukuna," she touched the man's cheek, stealing a small kiss from him.
Being that her last words and actions, she turned around and run inside the cursed forest without even giving Sukuna time to even react.
Unknown to Yorozu, starting from this day, the life of Seiren will be stained by a circle of hatred. All caused by her own wrong decision!
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