Sureiyazu

Episode 58: The Report and the Broken Exchange

The Sureiyazu were almost back to the castle when, in the distance, they saw a disturbance in the hills. 

Hachirou came running towards them. 

"What's going on?" Akuma demanded. 

"Honestly, I have no idea," Hachirou admitted. "You have to see this. C'mon." 

The demonslayers, who had only yet returned from their days-long trip, anxiously followed behind him as he took off. 

They stayed silent as they ran over the hills, worry choking their voices. 

They were equally as silent when they looked down into the pit. Days ago, it had been alive and evil. Today it was silent and dead, bottom cracked and dry, with only strange skulls littering the bottom. 

Heishi, Taichi, Mizuki, and Ryou stood by them. 

Ryou jumped into the pit, landing casually on his feet. "A couple of days ago it opened up from the ground - from Jufuku. But all that's left now is completely in Sekai." 

Aya bent down to gaze into it. "And there were demons, presumably?" 

"Not presumably," Mizuki snorted. "There were. They flew out all over the place. We kept most of them contained though - that is, we killed them all." 

"Slayed them all, you mean," Ryou said absently. "Demons remain alive in Jufuku, in one form or another." 

"I sent a report to the Army of Sekai," Heishi said. "I figured this was a major occurrence and they might want to document it." 

"Goody-two-shoes," Mizuki muttered. 

"And they said?" Aya prompted. 

Heishi immediately went scarlet. "I, uh, only sent it today. They couldn't have gotten it yet, even." 

"Yeah, he only sent it 'cause they sent a report to us first," Hachirou said. 

Aya crossed her arms. "And you decided to tell us about the hole in the ground first?!" 

"We thought that seemed more important," Heishi said awkwardly. 

"Their research could mean the fate of the world!" 

Taichi, who had remained silent, finally spoke smugly. "I told you we should have given her the update first." 

"Shut up, Taichi," Mizuki huffed. 

~~~

Enclosed is a full report of the recent discovery of the Army of Sekai regarding the once strange and mysterious plague, the Demon's Kiss. It is our hope that, as the Sureiyazu, this knowledge will aid you in your travels, and in our mission to together rid the demons from Sekai. 

"The Demon's Kiss," Aya breathed. "Fascinating." 

"Open it, then," Taichi said. 

Just inside the castle, the demonslayers were gathered around the envelope, though Aya was the one who held it in her hands. She opened it up - it had clearly been opened before, very carefully - and she mimicked that carefulness. 

"I've, ah, read through it already," Heishi explained. "Just to make sure there was nothing of immediate emergency." 

Mizuki rolled her eyes. 

"Well?" Akuma said after a minute of Aya reading. "What does it say?" 

"Yurei," Aya breathed. "They've cured the plague."