Thanatos's Curse

Four: The Fall of Anwei; Part One

"We have to go back." Kaida took his hand, starting to run towards Anwei, their village.

Yukio looked towards the bloody waters that kept getting red by the minute. As if on cue, monsters crept out from the shadows and trees. They were horrible, deathly looking beings from the depths of hell. They were glaring at them, starting to stomp closer and closer to them.

Shivers ran down his spine. "We need to run. Now." He tightened his grasp on his sister, sprinting away from the monsters.

Kaida's eyes widened. "No, what about all those people? What about our family? If we run fast enough, we can warn them."

"Kaida, I'm sure they saw the bloody water by now. They'll get away safely, but for now we need to worry about ourselves fir-"

She gasped, the deep sickening feeling in her stomach growing. She quickly took her dual swords from their sheaths, and with a quick motion, she beheaded the monster that was about to cut Yukio with it's claws. It landed with a sickening thud, dark blood pooling around the decapitated head. There were more coming from around them. "They're surrounding us, Yukio."

Yukio blinked once, then twice. If it weren't for Kaida, he would've been dead. He shrugged it off, trying to focus. "We'll run back to Anwei, through the forest. If you see anything in your way, just dodge it. It doesn't look like they're there yet anyways. Follow my lead."

The two sprinted back towards the forest after hiding their possessions under a bush hastily. Going through the Forest of Giant Trees normally took three hours at the least. They channeled qi to their legs as they ran. That way, their muscles wouldn't ache with exhaustion as quick.

Soon, they found the outskirts of the village, still yet to be touched by the monsters coming to destroy the entire place. Kaida looked to her left. The water was completely blood red, but with whose blood?

"Look out!" Yukio whispered loudly. He grabbed her, holding her close behind a tree. There, they saw them, approaching Anwei in a rigid line.

"We have to hurry." She spoke softly. They made their way, quietly speeding through the hidden paths of the village back trails. As they looked around frantically, everyone seemed completely normal, as if they didn't see the bloody water running through the river.

"Kaida? Yukio? We've been looking everywhere for you! Your mother and father were searching for you not too long ago." An old lady said to them, noticing their presence.

"You don't understand. We all need to evacuate immediately. We're going to be under attack." Yukio preached loudly. Everyone looked at him crazy.

"What are you talking about? It's just a normal day, as always. Besides, Aunt Li is protecting as us we speak. There's no need to worry." A middle aged man said, unconcerned and indifferent.

Kaida's eyes lit up. That was Uncle Kang! She took Yukio's hand and approached him." Uncle, please. Help us convince these people to evacuate." She insisted. Still, everyone was ignoring them, including him.

"You should go back to your father and mother. Disappearing in the middle of the night was very dishonorable of you." He peered at his niece disapprovingly. "Yukio, you should watch over your sister more carefully."

He glanced at Kaida, then Uncle Kang. He bowed slightly. "Yes Uncle. But you need to listen to Kaida. This time, she's right. We need to leave."

Suddenly, the hooves of a horse came pounding from the distance. It was a warrior from the nearest village. He was torn up and bloody, his skin a sickening pale color. Numerous wounds scattered his body. "We are under attack. All of us. We need to evacuate imme-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, an arrow came and shot him in the back, right through his heart. He landed to the stone ground with a heavy thud, his horse neighing from the sudden motions. It quickly galloped away in terror, away from the Forest of Giant Trees. Everyone started screaming frantically, dropping dishes and baskets full of food. The monsters and demons had finally come.

As the twins looked at their right, Uncle Kang was soon gone. They saw him running away from the monsters, leaving them behind. But now wasn't the time to ponder about that.

"I'm going to find Izumi. I need to protect her." Yukio looked around in distress. She always wore her hair in high buns that kept her hair out of her face, with flowers that Yukio picked for her.

Kaida looked at him. There wasn't anything she could do to stop him. "Don't die." She muttered to him, before sprinting to their home. She ran as fast as she could, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aunt Li, simply kneeling and drinking tea on the doorsteps of her pagoda. "Aunt Li! What are you doing?"

Aunt Li's eyes widened. "What are you doing here, child? You need to leave now! Do you not remember what I told you?"

The screams of the people pierced her eardrums. "...Did you know this was going to happen?" Kaida questioned, approaching her as the people ran through the streets.

"This was meant to happen in the end." Aunt Li sighed, closing her eyes. She took a sip from her teacup.

Kaida paused. It was better not to question her. It was the end. She simply ran, looking back at the Fortune Teller for the last time. Was it right for her to leave her like that?

Finally, she saw her home, the entrance burnt to ashes. The pagoda roofing was completely demolished, the walls smashed and crumbled to dirt. The ground around her home seemed to be uprooted towards the back. A shrill scream shot through the air, turning her blood cold. She took out her dual blades with shaking hands, and silently willed herself to the back of the house.

As she peered out from a large uprooted block of stone, her eyes widened. Her father lay helplessly to the ground, Mother at his side weeping. Grandmother shot blasts of fire through the air, into the demonic face of the monster that bestowed upon them. It made her cower, the way the monster smirked, as if this was just a little hobby of his. Its legs were spider-like and long, with sharp bones sticking out from the joints. It's jaw was sharp, with a mouth full of pointed, bloodied teeth sitting below the sinking hollows of rough skin. Horns grew out from above its eyes, which were dark with sinister glints of yellow. Everything about it made her want to run.

Suddenly, it bellowed with a loud cackle. It grabbed Grandmother by her waist, and threw her at the demolishing wall. She landed with a loud thud, her body scattered with cuts and stabs.

That was it. She couldn't stand to watch any longer. Impulsively, she shot a blaze of fire at the monster in a fit of rage. It flew back from the impact, and she stood there in front of her family, panting in fury. She jumped forward, blasting giant fireballs toward the monster. Gathering the qi to her stomach, she roared furiously, spitting fire at its face. Then she fell to the ground, gasping for air. 

"Kaida!" Her mother cried, as if seeing her for the first time in ages. Grandmother had already gained back consciousness. She sat at her son's side, with her daughter in law. She watched Kaida in worry. Then she turned away, her hands together, as if she were praying.

Staggering, Kaida stood, facing the monster straight into the eye. It glared back at her, its head burning from her fire. She inhaled, taking a deep breath. The scent of death was all around her, the only thing she could smell. It was the stench of rubble and blood mixed together, like a potent perfume for a witch.

"Run! I'll take care of this." Kaida shouted, positioning herself in a fighting stance. She waited for the disapproving remarks of her mother. As she turned her head, she saw her supporting the weight of her father, who was now gazing at her with proud eyes. It was as if time had stopped for a moment. He finally smiled at her, and his words seemed to be the only thing she could hear.

"I'm proud of you." He said, before blood stained the vision of her eyes. The walls of her very own home collapsed on top of her family, the crash resonating through her head like a broken record player.