“Keugh..! There’s no way, he’s already here?!”

  A demonic yell rumbled across the sea of spirits that ran in the other direction, away from the unsheathed blade that glistened under the moonlight. Rapid footsteps barely sounded against the ground, as the silent sound of grass blades rustled along the nightly breeze. Breaths of air were visible within the frigid wind, as the swordsman that had been chasing after the cowering darkness finally swung his blade. Once. Twice. Until the demonic forms had been diced up into nothing but dust onto the ground, he had sheathed his blade with a disgruntled sigh.

  “Oh my, thank you!” A voice called out, a man rushing out from the village that had been long behind him. “We have.. huff.. another favor to ask of you..”

  “Will this be added onto the current costs of extermination?” The brunette swordsman turned to the man, who seemed to shrink before him.

  “If you would like them to be, yes. There’s been a serious drought and..” His voice trailed off, he pointed to the mountains above the village. “..we believe that the witch in the mountains cursed us.”

  “A witch? You speak of those cursed women from overseas?” Turning to follow the man along, his eyes following in the direction to where he pointed.

  “This one is a clear foreigner, she arrived right near our rice fields.” The man explained, his eyes wary. “She was clearly not from around here, for she spoke a different language and wore what not even the Westerners would wear.”

  As he explained along the way, the more the swordsman was slightly interested. The woman was branded a witch, as she not only spoke nothing near their common language, but did not believe in rulers or anything of the sort. Spoke to air, spoke to dead people, according to the words of the villagers that overheard everything and decided to add onto the story. It had been years since they had banished that woman into the mountains, some even made tales about her to scare naughty children. Yet, ever since the villagers had gotten rid of her, there had been nothing but turmoil for the villagers.

  “Our rice has been overrun by pests, our crops overall have wilted. It must be that blasted woman!” A villager had spoken up, her voice scornful. “Yet she was the crazy one, laughing up at the sky.”

  “She must be the one summoning demons down into this village, she resents us so.” Another villager added, his eyes narrowing in distaste. “Plus, weird symbols have been showing up on our packages whenever we prepare to ship out anything that’s good.”

  “Demon summoner.. seems plausible.” The swordsman thought, before glancing around. “Could the village chief accompany me? He should accuse her of such things face-to-face.”

  Henceforth, once the villagers had gathered to see off both the swordsman and their chief, the old man had paid him upfront. Without further delay, the two ascended up the slowly rising terrain, without so much as a word spoken between them.

  Demons, who were more intelligent and malicious forms of spirits, were mostly overridden by the sin they seemed to carry the most. Pride. Greed. Wrath. Envy. Lust. Gluttony. Sloth. Most of the time, they’re spirits who simply delved far too deep into sin. However, there is the occasional occurrence where someone could have manifested them into reality, for a strict price. The swordsman was well aware what his many duties were to be, which was to exterminate demons without much other purpose. Cleansing the world was his goal, for peace to be everlasting. Spirits, wandering or not, would rebuke his energy and escape his eyes without much of a fight.

  The pair eventually found themselves seeing light ahead of them, for what felt like hours of walking, only to see the sight of a makeshift shack. Someone clearly had just returned, seeing the silhouette of someone enter their house and kick the door shut behind them. The moment the chief set his foot forward before the swordsman could warn him, the wooden mugs and cups clamored as an alarm system. Quickly reopening her door, the sight of the woman stepping out with her arms crossed.

  “Thank you, Miss Xiuying.” She spoke suddenly, her eyes glancing in the direction of the seemingly empty trees, before they batted right back to the two before her. “My goodness, this must be the malicious intent they were warning me about before.”

  “Ah, chief..” The swordsman muttered, his eyes looking at the woman before back to him. “..She speaks what they call English. I can make out some of the words she’s saying.”

  “Truly? What luck. Ask her to stop with the curses, threaten her if you need to.” The old man quickly said, seeing the impatience on the woman’s face.

  “Muh.. miss,” Setting his hand onto his chest, he was slightly embarrassed by his broken language as he noticed her eyes brighten up. “I am, Erxi Liu, I-”

  “My, my! Aren’t you a doll? Come, come. Clearly, you have a bright noggin.” She cut him off, motioning them to join her inside.

  “Ah-” The two were slightly startled from her sudden hospitality, yet they simply couldn’t refuse the scent that escaped from the open door that seemed more like a heavenly gate.

  Entering the household, it was quite the cramped space, yet nonetheless was constructed with love. A small table for one near the window that faced out to a river that was seen more clearly in the moonlight, a kitchen constructed on weak clay and stone, clearly appearing as if it’d all fall apart within moments. Heading over to the giant clay pot, she rummaged through the piles of wooden bowls and plates until she grabbed a few, setting them full of soup in front of them. It was steaming, hot soup. Grabbing a crate, she dragged it over for the chief to sit on. The two analyzed the bowl before them, seeing the stew. Mushrooms and potatoes, the only visible and recognizable parts of the food.

  “So-so,” Leaning against the table, the smile on the woman’s face was bright as she handed them utensils. “What brings you here? Are you going to kill me? If so, I’d have to warn you-”

  “No, no kill.” Erxi quickly spoke up, feeling more awake after taking a small sip of the soup– its flavors far more different than the food he was used to. “I will speak, with you.”

  “Ah! I understand now.” Nodding her head, she noticed the relief in his more relaxed expression as he seemed to get across to her. “So what do you want?” Her tone lowered, immediately understanding their intentions.

  “They say,” He motions to the door, trying to convey the words he couldn’t muster. “You cause-”

  “Hah! Don’t finish your statement, I know why the boss is here now.” The woman shook her head, pointing to the chief. “But he shouldn’t be complaining, I warned him. His karma would catch up to him, consume his people if he didn’t apologize.”

  “What is she saying? She appears to be going mad.” The chief muttered in their regular language, having already finished his bowl of soup.

  “Hold on.” Erxi replied back in a whisper, noticing the frown on her face, before shaking his head. “She must be..”

  Suddenly, the house seemed to rattle. The woman went over to the windows, closing the makeshift curtains and yelling out words to the supposed howling of the wind– before it eventually stopped. Erxi had sensed the presence of an enraged spirit, one that seemed to seethe into silence. Once the wind quieted down, the woman sighed.

  “She says she despises him,” She walked over to the window and opened the curtain, Erxi noticed the pair of eyes behind the glass– the golden sheen to them akin to a predator’s. “She wants him to repent.”

  “You.. can hear her?” Erxi asked slowly, getting up and unsheathing his blade.

  “Of course, I’m not one of the blind or the deaf.” Her eyes gazed into the spirit’s, before she looked at Erxi. “Can you see her?”

  “Yes.” He deadpanned, earning a dim expression from her end.

  “What is happening?!” The village elder spoke up, far more confused and panicked with their reactions.

  Walking out of the house, Erxi quickly followed after the woman, watching as she stood before the giant spirit. Spirits normally were revolted by his presence, enough to deteriorate within a mile’s radius of him. The only conclusion he could come to, as he stood before the giant seemingly anguished spirit, was that he was witnessing demonic corruption before him. The woman held her arm out to stop his approach, as she held her other hand out to the ghost.

  “I, Nyrcia Amanzi, hear your agony, pain, and sorrow! Heed to me, show me reason!” Her voice echoed, as if her hand seemed to absorb the ghost– her shoulder’s relaxing .

  “Is this woman mad?!” Erxi had prepared his blade, yet something told him to hesitate. “She’s aware of that spirit’s corruption, so why-”

  The woman’s light-ash brown hair, that had been done into messy twin braids, snapped free from the weak thin ribbons and billowed within the wind. Her head turned to him, her eyes appearing to wince. To Erxi, it appeared as if he was witnessing another’s agony. Something he could never read on a demon’s face, let alone a spirit’s. He recalled her bitter words from before, it was clear some sort of grudge was in place for the chief.

  “Despise, repent.. the spirit spoke of vengeance, then?” Erxi pondered, having zoned out in his thoughts, easily startled by her presence being before him. “Or was it this woman beginning to go mad?”

  “Darling,” Nyrcia smiled up at him, her fingertip on his hand that held onto his sheath. “Help me.”

  “With.. what?” He slightly tilted his head, noticing the shimmer in her deep rose-pink eyes.

  Taking his hand into hers, he felt a bit taken aback by her boldness. It unnerved Erxi slightly, how there was a clear boundary between the world of their words, their mannerisms, but most importantly– barriers when it came to someone they had just met. She certainly had no qualms on being handsy, while most women in the country wouldn’t dare to lay their hands on anything that even reeked of filth. To begin with, she had a certain air of casualty around her, so much so that his guard seemed to become the very dough he spotted on her rutty stone counter. Being guided through the forest, noticing the wisps of spiritual wind that glided beside them, Nyrcia looked back at him as they slowed down– her gaze on someone else completely.

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  “Tell.. this woman.. huff.. to stop all the madness she’s caused..!” The village chief, having been out of breath from trailing them, appeared to be anxious as he locked eyes with her.

  “Right here,” She sneered, pointing in his direction before her finger dragged to the ground. “You killed a woman.”

  “Killed a woman? That’s a wild accusation, but judging from his demeanor..” Erxi turned to look at the chief, his eyes bore into the dirt that he stepped back from. “..It seems sound.”

  “What is she saying? What is she- keugh!” Being cut off by a sudden chill, the chief held his body.

  “Say her name, I know you can understand it.” Striding up to him, she knelt down– her eyes eerily burning into his. “Haiyan. Hai-yan.”

  The woman’s voice seemed to unravel layers of guilt in the old man’s mind, simply understanding the name she spoke of. Descending into a panicked amount of laughter, the chief held his head as he bowed to the ground. Behind his eyes were the pale figure of the woman called Haiyan, one that stared back at him with nothing but disdain. Gorgeous enough to be deemed a birch spirit, yet was killed in silence through the easiest of methods– poison. Haiyan, Haiyan, Haiyan. The name twisted and raked at the chief’s guilty conscience, one that seemed to have festered for ages. Haiyan, Haiyan, Haiyan. A woman he killed on a whim, purely due to her disinterest in him.

  Yet to Erxi, the man seemed to have gone mad as he cackled and buried his fingers into the ground. He could only glance at the witch beside him, whose presence seemed to shift completely. Her hair had done itself back into its original state, two twin braids that messily matched her appearance of a winter coated fox. Erxi realized instantly that she had allowed herself to become possessed, making herself what many called a “host”. One that was capable of listening and heeding to the dead, he felt as if her presence had ignited the mission he had long lost. Within the hysteria before them, he could tune in his master’s words as he looked into the witch’s wide eyes.

  Hell is coming to break our worlds apart,

  Find one who will parry your might with ease,

  Rein victory over the searing awakening of evil.

  That is the meaning of your name, Erxi Liu!

  “It is done.”

  Nyrcia’s voice snapped the swordsman out of his trance, as he noticed the clear pale white spirit that held the witch’s hand— her gaze distant as they landed on the cowering man, who looked up at her.

  “Haiyan..” The chief’s voice trembled, his hands raising up towards the figure.

  “You’ve acknowledged her,” Nyrcia spoke up as she walked in front of him. “Repent.”

  Pointing her finger at his forehead, a light pierced through his head. Erxi quickly pulled her away, yet he watched as she scoffed and turned her head away into a triumphant expression. The chief instantly dug up the ground rampantly, his body as if moving unconsciously.

  “What have you done?” Erxi saw the sneer on her lips, the pride in her row of pearls.

  “He’s going to repent and Haiyan will rest in peace.” She answered, her smile becoming crooked as she giggled.

  “You.. are straight..” Erxi paused as he attempted to find the word his master would consistently use to describe him, especially when teaching him the foreign language that he now heard consistently out of this woman’s mouth.

  “Straight? Or strange? My, the swordsmen of this land truly are awkward.” Nyrcia patted his back, before she looked back at the chief. “Look.”

  Ungrounding the scattering bones that withered with rot, doused in the earth that stained the remains. Raising the brittle bones that fell apart, the chief knelt down and gathered them all back together in his arms. Rushing in the direction of the village, Erxi instinctively followed after him, slightly peeking back as he noticed Nyrcia staying behind.

  “That’s right, she was banished from the village.” He thought momentarily, before continuing his pursuit.

  Bells rang, announcing their return down to the village— only for every single one of them that had gathered to hear of good news remained stunned in place.

  “I killed Haiyan! I killed Haiyan!” The chief yelled out in hysteria, dropping the bones into a pile before the disgusted crowd.

  From thereon forward, only good tidings seemed to come.

  The chief himself had been branded as a murderer, confessing to his every crime beyond poisoning Haiyan. As if simply overnight, crops that were once withering without bearing any fruit immediately became more healthier. Rodents that once threatened the crops were all found to be killed by a sudden swarm of cats, as if the goddess of fortune was looking down upon them. It was all a truly overnight occurrence, some completely forgetting the hopelessness they once felt at the conditions of their village’s poor agriculture and commerce.

  Erxi had been welcome to stay for a while in the village, being surrounded by the majority of felines. Leaning back in his seat, while being pawed at his sides by the furry beings, he could only ponder on what his next move would be.

  “That woman is a witch, a spirit chanter.” His hand absentmindedly pet the head of the fattest cat within his vicinity. “They’re usually overseas, I don’t think I’ve ever met one besides her.”

  “She was.. eccentric. Also incomprehensible half of the time.. most of the time.”

  “It was also my first time seeing a spirit up close.”

  Watching the festivities occur around him, every villager appearing more lively than the next as the town was bustling. Among the sea of people, he decided to move from his spot, every cat decided to trail after him. Erxi steeled his resolve, realizing that he could finally begin his journey of tracking down major demons that are more dangerous with the assistance of land spirits.

  “Hah? You’re back? My friends truly don’t appreciate your presence.”

  He had found her by the riverside, seemingly bathing first thing in the morning. Shaking her head in disapproval, she tilted her head back to look at him. He could only analyze the many markings on her backside, tattoos of what appeared to be flow-like markings, faint names embedded within them. She frowned at the sight of his gawking, splashing water in his direction.

  “Shoo. Shoo, I say. You’re awfully perverted for someone who’s supposed to have honor.” Nyrcia pouted, adjusting her soaked bathing dress.

  “Ah, sorry-” Erxi quickly averted his gaze, yet he could only be filled with excitement. “She’s acquired the powers of so many spirits..! She’s powerful!”

  Noticing his giddy behavior as he turned away, she looked away with a grimace. Immediately kneeling down, he lowered his head.

  “Miss, I ask-” He began to speak, before he was cut off by her scoff.

  “You can speak in your common language, Haiyan gifted me with understanding.” Nyrcia crossed her arms, noticing his expression of awe.

  “I should attempt to speak your language often.” He quickly switched back to speaking his familiar tongue, keeping his gaze on the ground beneath him.

  “What do you want? I only did what I did since you brought the source of Haiyan’s grudges to me.” She spoke crassly, her gaze arrogant.

  “Miss Nyrcia, please travel with me. I believe I won’t meet another experienced spiritchanter even if I scaled this land twice,” Erxi kept his head to the ground, mostly due to him wanting to avoid her eyes. “I have nothing to pay you with, except for the bonus I received recently.”

  Nothing but the sounds of the forest around them filled the air between the two, with Erxi lifting his head to peek at her reaction. Her expression and silence seemed more than enough to say “the nerve!” to his request, he quickly lowered his gaze again.

  “I don’t know what else I’ll offer, as I don’t have much now.” He admitted, hearing her slip out a small “pfft”.

  Lifting his head to meet hers, her once brooding expression was one of amusement– he almost considered trying to butt in a couple of nerdy clauses of his. Covering her mouth momentarily, before lowering her hands and revealing her smile, Nyrcia cocked her head upwards as if she were a royal appointing a knight.

  “Traveling with a man who doesn’t hesitate to stare at a woman’s bare back,” She was verbally jabbing at him, her eyes keen with gaiety. “You’re annoyingly bold, samurai-man.”

  “That is one of my best qualities.” He stated.

  “Don’t boast about it.” Nyrcia snapped.

  Standing up, beginning to stride past him, she glanced back at him with her continuous smile.

  “Wait outside, we’ll talk then.” Nyrcia purred, her hands set behind her back.

  Hence, he waited. He remained outside of the makeshift shack, up until the cats from before had found their way to him and gathered around him once more. Eventually laying on the ground out of boredom, he was buried in nothing but purrs and furs. Once it was dusk, he eventually heard the door creak open. Every cat was startled by the drop of a giant bag that was set in front of him, each and every one of them scattered off into the depths of the forest.

  “If you really want to travel with me, you’ll listen to my every rule.” Nyrcia declared as her hand landed on her hip, her eyes perky with a mischievous glint. “Break one and I’ll curse you and your lineage forever."

  “Very well,” Sitting up on his knees, Erxi gaze drifted to the giant bag before returning to her. “What’s in here?”

  “Nothing worth your notice,” She pointed directly between his eyes, seeing that she got his attention. “Listen well. I never repeat myself, only for chants.”

  “Rule number one, keep all sorts of religion away from me. Believing in a faith that requires your necks to straighten up for the skies makes me gag,” She patted her chest in pride. “There is nobody above me.”

  “Rule number two, I must do my nightly rituals. Do not stop me.”

  “Rule number three, I will never make a deal with the corrupt or demons. I will never make a pact, even if it is to save a life.” Poking his forehead, she kept her glare. “If it comes to it, I will leave you behind.”

  “I understand, self preservation comes first.” Erxi simply nodded, bowing his head. “Due to me asking this of you, I will protect you to the best of my abilities.”

  “Hmph. There is one reason why you cannot do what I can. Religion has you reaching for beyond your skies, belief is what keeps you grasping at a higher being you believe to be above you. I, alone, long broke away from those shackles of the norm and saw my worth. I, against the will of what you believe in, embraced the earth you all desperately attempt to ascend from.” Turning away from him, the clicking of her boots sounded out against the mildly done stone layer path. “My magic stems from the true love I hold for this world. So rule number four, don’t correct what I see as just.”

  “If you understand my clauses,” She returned with a handkerchief, pointing to his sword. “I believe we’ll work nicely together.”

  Removing his sword from its sheathe, he watched as she tied the fabric around the hilt of his sword. Noticing her eyes scanning his expression, as if she expected a reaction from her action, he could only nod in appreciation.

  “I understand, as long as you respect my boundaries and beliefs, I won’t complain about a single thing you do.” Erxi set his sword back into its sheathe, taken aback from the slight disappointment in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong, peh.” She scoffed, pointing to her bag. “Carry that for me.”

  Getting up onto his legs, picking up the heavily packed bag. Setting it onto his back with a huff, he watched as she returned with a light blue ribbon.

  “Lower your head.” Nyrcia huffed, her eyes set on the messy bunch of hair on his head. “I can guide us through the night, but when it comes to demons, I believe you can handle them.”

  “..Thank you.” He felt her hands comb his hair that he normally allowed to ball up, his eyes peeking to see the concentration on her face.

  “It was bothering me, no need for thanks.” She tightened the knot, before stepping back. “Let’s get going.”

  “Now? Have you eaten?” Erxi asked, following behind her figure that quickly began to make her way down the terrain.

  “Plenty, it’s why I took so long.” She lightly teased, beginning to turn away.