The following day.

  The slow creaking of their carriage mixed with the bustling ocean as they neared the little village. Home. It appeared unchanged. Same dirt paths winding past the wooden houses, same low murmur of life at the end of the day.

  They approached their small hut, coming to a stop. Their home remained as they left. Modest, nestled between two cedar trees. Both of them stepped down from the carriage, and his father detached it from Mikage’s harness, setting up a support block to prevent it from rolling away.

  “Father, I’ll help once I take Mikage back to her pen.” He gently grabbed the reins and escorted her around the home, her heavy hooves pounding against the ground. They reached the wooden gate, and InuShin opened it, following her inside and releasing her from the reins.

  “Mikage, thank you again for getting us back home.” He rested a hand against the silky mane, running his fingers through it. “I need to go find some berries for you, but first I need to help Father take things back inside. Can you wait for me?”

  With a nicker, she nodded her head, as if she understood every word.

  “I appreciate you.” He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against her head, breathing heavily, sensing the rhythm of her heartbeat. “I will find the juiciest berries for you.”

  After a brief moment, he stepped away and bowed to her, exiting the pen and closing it. He turned towards the front, noticing the branch bouncing as the wind whistled between the leaves.

  InuShin returned to the carriage, the faint heartbeat of the earth pulsating through him, as if speaking to him, but he did not know the words. His father emerged from the home, wiping sweat from his brow.

  “One more box.”

  “Let me, Father.” He stepped around the carriage, reached inside, and pulled out the final box.

  The metal inside shifted with soft clinks, steady and familiar. Amid the constant change, the weight brought some comfort. Consistency. He carried the box through the front door, greeted by the scent of pine floors and soot-dusted walls.

  InuShin placed the box next to the others and stretched his shoulders.

  “We’ll clean and sort them tomorrow. No use rushing after the trip.”

  He nodded, glancing out the window.

  The wind ceased. Completely. The sound of rustling leaves has vanished. No distant birds chirping.

  Only stillness.

  “Something wrong?”

  InuShin blinked a few times and shook his head. “No. Just… the air feels strange.”

  His father stepped over to the hearth and stirred the ashes with a metal poker. “Rain’s coming. You always feel it in your bones before it shows.”

  This doesn’t feel like normal rain. He approached the door, staring out into the sky. It didn’t feel like it was just rain. There was a stillness crawling just beneath the world’s skin. And it was watching. “Is it okay if I collect berries to feed Mikage?”

  “Hai, but don’t wander too far.”

  “I won’t.” He grabbed his satchel and slipped it into the sleeve of his haori, exiting the home. The moisture in the air clung to his skin. “I hope it doesn’t rain, I’d like to go for a swim.”

  A few off-white clouds occupied the vibrant blue sky.

  “I don’t see the rain coming, but why do I feel this way?” InuShin stepped onto the narrow dirt trail that led towards the outer edge of the village, where callicarpa bushes grew thick and wild beneath the shade of old pines.

  Mikage always favored the sweet berries, as they brought a sense of calmness to her, and InuShin had found a few ripe bushes before their departure. He hoped no one found them while they were gone.

  The forest greeted him with a cautious stillness. No birdsong, but the subtle hum of insects and the faintest creak of branches reminded him he wasn’t alone. He approached one of the trees and crouched beside the bushes, careful to avoid the thorns. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a small cloth pouch and a pair of pruning scissors, snipping off a plump cluster of red berries.

  They were still cool from the morning, their skin glistening and taut.

  He slipped the berries into the cloth pouch, shifting to another bush. His body tensed as he felt eyes fixated on him. It wasn’t the animal. Their eyes had become familiar. Curious, thoughtful, never judging.

  This gaze felt sharper. Harsher.

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  The sound of footsteps crunching on pine needles confirmed it.

  InuShin stood up and spun around, noticing three familiar faces emerge from the path. “Why can’t you guys leave me alone?” They approached him, their straw sandals stained with mud, expressions anything but kind. The one in the middle, the leader, stepped forward, smirking.

  “Well, look who’s foraging? Does your dad make you do it since you don’t have a mom?”

  InuShin stiffened, keeping his eyes low. “I’m just picking them for Mikage.”

  “You hear that?” another boy snickered. “He talks to horses. Explains why he doesn’t have any friends.”

  “Who’d wanna be friends with a freak? Just look at his hair, turning silver. And those eyes, I bet he can’t even see straight,” the third added.

  Laughter erupted. InuShin clenched his fists around the pruning shears. His heart thudded hard against his ribs, his pulse drumming like an impending thunderstorm. He tried to focus on breathing, but the shame already rose to his throat like bile.

  He glanced down, his hair falling forward and catching the faintest shimmer of silver.

  “No, since he doesn’t have any friends, he made a deal with demons to talk to animals,” the first boy continued. “We should see if he bleeds like the rest of us.”

  InuShin stepped back, panic rising as his stomach dropped. Each boy held a stone in their hand.

  Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind brushed past InuShin with a howl like a low growl. Leaves scattered. Dust spiraled.

  The first body stumbled backward and fell, the rock rolling from his hand as he yelled. The other boys flinched, shouting and shielding their faces.

  InuShin stared at the sight before him, heart hammering, the wind calming to a gentle breeze. His body trembled. Fear? Power? Anger? He wasn’t sure.

  “Demon!” a boy screamed as he ran.

  InuShin darted through the forest, berries forgotten, scissors swinging wildly in his grip. His eyes stung with shame, confusion, and fear. “Please, Dad. Tell me you know something.”

  The wind howled loudly as he bolted through the village paths, sandals slapping against the slick dirt. The words echoed through his ear. Am I a demon? He shook his head, fighting away the tears.

  He slammed the door open, breathless.

  His father looked up from polishing a blade, startled. “Shin? What happened?” He quickly placed the tool down and rushed towards him.

  “I do…don’t know…” he gasped, tears finally forming. ”I was pi…picking berries fo…for Mikage…”

  “Did you get caught on the thorns?”

  InuShin shook his head. “No, the village boys,” his body shook. “They were saying things. Laughing. They picked up a rock and then… the wind just…knocked him down. I didn’t touch him. I swear!”

  His father stared at him, silent.

  For the first time, he saw fear in his father’s eyes. Confusion. Lost.

  “Please, tell me what’s going on. I’m scared.” His chest heaved with deep breaths. “What if a demon cursed me? What if Mom was, too? Maybe that’s why she had to leave.”

  His father placed a hand on InuShin's shoulder. “Don’t ever say that. You’re not cursed. There’s nothing wrong with you.”

  His father’s warmth provided little comfort, yet the contact felt foreign. It must be serious if he's touching me. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he clutched his hands, knuckles turning white.

  “InuShin,” his father whispered. “We need to find a place for you to go.”

  He flinched, pulling back. “You want me to run?”

  “No, I want you to live,” he stared deep into InuShin’s eyes. “I don’t know what the villagers will do, but you’re just a boy. I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

  “Are you coming with me?”

  “We must leave. Now. Before they come.”

  But it was too late. Heavy knocks rattled the door. “Fuji-san, we need to talk about your boy.”

  “He has a name,” he muttered.

  His father grabbed a sheathed tantō, slipping it into his haori sleeves.

  “Stay. Quiet.”

  He rose to his feet and approached the door, opening it to a small crowd of villagers, many with tools in hand. Not as weapons, but as if for defense. Each face was filled with uneasiness.

  “We don’t want any trouble, Fuji-san,” one of the elders said. “But something’s wrong with the boy. Strange things are happening. Unusual appearance. Our children are afraid.”

  “So is mine,” his Father shot back, holding the doorframe. “He’s just a child, scared, alone.”

  “My son said he attacked him!” Another villager shouted.

  “I saw him talking to their horse as if it were a person,” a third joined in.

  “He’s a child of a demon!” one shouted from a distance. “That’s why we’ve never seen his mother!”

  InuShin hid behind his father, peering out at the villagers, darting between them as his body tensed and shook.

  In the distance, dark clouds, almost black, approached from the seaside. They weren’t like the stormclouds from before. Soft rays of blues, violets, greens, and pinks danced at the edges, as if a rainbow was trying to break free.

  What’s that?

  “Your son isn’t normal,” the elder continued. “And to keep our village safe from dangers, from demons…”

  The elder’s voice faded, overpowered by a crackling thunder overhead.

  InuShin stepped backward, chest heaving as his senses began to suffocate him. A melodious tune, the one from his duel, flooded his ears. His spirit.

  His skin burned from where his pendant rested, forcing him to his knees as his chest tightened.

  His hair lashed about, not from the impending storm's wind, but from a pressure of energy. Unknown to him.

  CRACK!

  As the thunder echoed, the pendant ignited with a silvery-blue light, pulsing in sync with the beat beneath him.

  “Dad…” he called out, but failed to hear his voice, as tears streamed down his cheeks.

  “My child, wake up,” a voice within the melody rang.

  Everything faded; the villagers, his home, his father, as the light intensified, engulfing him.