Demonic Hollow: Mask of Courage - Season Two: Behind The War

Episode Six - Legacy

Ryu lays underneath a tree. Body battered, wounds continue to bleed. He pants heavily, looking into the dark night sky. The moon sends rays that pierce the leaves he laid under. He grunts as he sits up, pulling his backpack to his side, opening it slowly. He reaches inside and pulls out several bandage wraps. He slowly begins to treat his wounds, ripping pieces of bandage, wrapping them around the open wounds, blood seeps through the fabric. He winces in pain, finally covering the final wound.

He falls back, his back rests against the tree. He gasps, coughing. "That battle took a tremendous amount of effort...I was barely able to defeat him," he says to himself as he stares into the night sky. The soft, gentle moon rays light his face, sweat reflects the gentle light. He closes his eyes gently, taking slow and deep breaths. He fell asleep soon after, taking a well deserved moment of reprieve.

Tsuzuki awakens. His throat was as dry as a desert, and his brain thumped against his skull. He looks over at his left hand, which was bandaged with several wrappings. He sighs, groaning, laying himself back. It was silent, the only sounds audible to Tsuzuki was his heartbeat and soft, labored breaths. He laid in silence for a while, unassuming of the place he was in.

Moments later, a door opens. Tsuzuki's eyes shoot open. Footsteps approach the bed which the demon laid in. Suddenly, in the next second, a bright room light flares Tsuzuki, stunning him for a moment. He covers his eyes with his hands, groaning, "wh-who's there?!"

"Oh! You're awake!" a lady says as she walks into the room, foot after foot bounced in the demon's head. "Urgh- do you have to walk so heavily?" he asks. "My apologies," the woman says as she approaches the side of his bed. She laid down a meal, steaming with heat. Tsuzuki looks over, mouth watering slightly. "You've been gone without a proper meal for a while sir, so...I figured you'd appreciate it," she says as she looks to the demon. He looks at the food for a minute longer, then at the woman, giving her a warm smile, "thank you miss...?"

"Chūjitsu," she replies. "Ah, a beautiful name..." he says in response, gently sitting up. The woman blushes slightly, smiling, covering it with her hand, "ah...thank you sir, I-I've got other patients to get to. Thank you for your service, enjoy the meal." She swiftly removes herself from the situation, leaving the room. Tsuzuki looks at her with a smile as she leaves.

Moments after Ryu's eyes had shut, the sun beat them open. Vision blurred, he sat up, groaning with tiredness. He stood, grabbing his bag, sword, and map. He sighs, his walk home had begun again. On the way, he observed the map. He narrows his eyes, "there's a demon colony nearby...I wonder if I could visit." He had plans of visiting all and any good-hearted demon colonies in hopes of growing stronger, but not much effort had been made, due to his training.

"It's time..." he says to himself as he began his way to the colony.

Back at the newly rebuilt underground city, the grand elder walks through the long sidewalks of the town. It was bustling and busy, many people speak, children laugh, sounds of construction fill the air. Proud of the work he and Ryu had done, the man walks into town square, many demons socialize and gather in the grand open area.

"A good day, isn't it, sir?" a young demon says as he approaches the elder. He turns, "ah, our new prodigy." A young, and strong demon, Uragiri, gave the elder a smile. "You've been training," he says. The prodigy nods, "yes of course...there is war brewing, and I know that our new clan is in danger." The elder looks at the boy, "indeed it is. Your potential is astonishing, so I have no fear that those bastard demons will ever be able to destroy us."

Ryu approaches a small camp, a fire burns the air, smoke floats in the sky. Unsure of the owners of this small area, he carefully treaded closer. Behind a tree, he peaks from it, observing the tiny camp. Two men sat in front of the fire, food, drinks, and snacks scattered the area. Ryu sighs, "humans." He turns around.