-=Sisters of the Forest, Oni of the Island=-

“I’ll never forget today, you know. For the first time in months, you finally said something.”

Emma Raine, 18 years old, had kept this fact in mind all day, ever since she heard 16-year-old Genya Raine verbally give thanks to the bandit who had helped them fend off ribboned pigs. After that moment, the older sister was filled with hope. For a great deal of time, Genya had been so shy and so withdrawn that she never said anything out loud, not even to Emma. Today, however, that had changed, and Emma knew what it was. Even though she didn’t actually see it, she could tell that Shadow had rescued Genya from certain doom, and that more than likely sparked something within the younger sister in a way that, for once in a great while, gave her the courage to open herself up to people.

It was truly a hopeful moment for Emma, even though it was just for a moment. Ever since the girls parted ways with Shadow Viper, Genya was once again her silent self, albeit somewhat responsive with an occasional head movement. In this case, Genya simply nodded at Emma’s words.

Though she was slightly downtrodden from Genya’s renewed speechlessness, Emma was still strong of heart. To her, the act of kindness the younger child had been shown was but a single step in a process that could one day help Genya break free of her shell. In addition, it gave Emma many ideas of how she could make that possible.

All in all, though, Emma didn’t put any promises or certainties into this idea, for she could only help her sister on the path to speaking full-time again. Whether that was going to actually happen was up to Genya and Genya alone. Still, Emma looked at the situation as opportunity as she sat with the junior Raine at their treehouse-style home in the towering forest village of Ellinia.

“‘Thank you’ was what you said to him, wasn’t it?” Emma asked with a smile.

Genya nodded again.

“Little sister, do you have any idea how long it’s been since you last said anything to anyone?”

Genya thought for a moment, then held up four fingers.

“That’s right, four whole months! I guess, to me, the worst part of it was that we know why you stopped speaking.”

Genya lowered her head, nodding sullenly as she rubbed one of her legs.

“Genya, for goodness’s sake! How much longer are you going to let that get to you? I’ve told you time and time again, it wasn’t your fault!”

Genya’s lowered mood didn’t change, even after what Emma told her. Instead, she pulled out the three pieces of her broken wand, put them on the table, and pointed at each one.

Emma laid a hand on her forehead in exasperation. “That WASN’T your fault EITHER!” she yelled.

Genya’s anger rose with her sister’s as she slammed her hands on the table, then knocked the wand remains onto the floor. Incensed at the action, Emma stood up out of her chair and slapped her sister full in the face. She pulled Genya’s face close to hers. “STOP ACTING LIKE THIS!” she screamed. “It doesn’t help EITHER of us! Especially not after you JUST SAID SOMETHING!”

Genya recoiled in horror at her sister’s actions. Immediately, she wailed out uncontrollably, crying tears of fear and sorrow. Emma’s rage left her completely and instantly in response as she saw the error of her ways. She quickly wrapped her younger sister in her arms, hoping to calm her down.

Genya’s weeping slowly faded away as she felt the warmth of her senior sister’s embrace. Eventually, she hugged Emma back.

“Genya….I’m sorry…” Emma said slowly, fighting tears of her own. “I never meant to hurt you, I just….I’m tired of the fear you feel, the fear WE feel. For the longest time, ever since the the first day passed in which you stopped speaking, I felt…frightened. I know that isn’t a common feeling for me, but I did then. I was frightened that…that a vital part of our livelihood had been forever lost. Today, though, you finally spoke, and….ever since that moment, I’ve just….wanted us to…to….” Tears began flowing from Emma’s eyes as her composure was lost to her own grief.

“Talk……again,” Genya whispered slowly as she began wiping Emma’s tears.

Emma looked up suddenly when she heard the words. “…Yes,” she replied, also in a whisper.

Genya opened her mouth to continue, but stopped abruptly, her words dying on her lips. She hung her head in failure, even as she gathered up the pieces to her wand, then handed them over to her sister. Emma took the ruined weapon thirds and threw them in a nearby trash can. “It’s okay, Gen,” she said, placing her hands on her sibling’s shoulders. “Just…don’t forget what happened today. Please, don’t ever forget.” Genya nodded as her gaze rose to meet Emma’s. Then she looked over at the trash can. The older Raine looked over as well and chuckled. “C’mon, let’s get you a new wand.” Together, they left the house, each one keeping in mind what had been discussed.

A few minutes and ladder ascensions later, the Raines made it to Ellinia’s equipement store. Before they entered, they took a moment to gaze at the wonder that was their home. Ellinia was a town made entirely of trees and treehouses sitting in the middle of an enormous forest. The trees themselves stretched endlessly towards the sky, decorated with a sea of green leaves. This made it impossible to see the sky itself, though select spots between the trees were open enough to let numerous patches of the sun’s glowing rays brighten the region. Large branches and multiple vine “bridges” served as the means for people to navigate their way through the forest. Inhabitants of Victoria Island believed this part of the island to be entirely magical in nature due to it’s makeup, along with the sudden, soothing feeling of calm they got whenever they entered this enchanted area.

“I never get tired of seeing it,” Emma said as she looked around in awe. “Ever since I first saw it as a baby, I wondered who, or what, created this place.” Genya nodded in agreement. Eventually, the sisters’ minds returned to their dailies as they walked in the shop. Inside, they met a small collection of fellow spellcasters chatting amongst themselves, along with the shopkeeper sitting behind her desk and keeping her eyes on things. The Raines walked up to her.

“Ah, Emma and Genya, good day to you!” the shopkeeper greeted with an inviting smile. “How are you both on this beautiful day?”

“Good day to you as well,” Emma replied. “I’m doing very well, and-“

“H-Hi,” Genya managed to say rather nervously. All other talking ceased at that moment. Slowly, the shopkeeper and other inhabitants looked over at Genya as though an improbable event just happened. The younger Raine soon found herself hiding behind her sister, clearly intimidated by the eyes her seemingly nonexistent voice had acquired.

Emma checked on her sister, patting her back assuringly. Unfortunately for the siblings, Genya’s silence wasn’t exactly a private matter. Rumors had spread among Ellinians as the time period without the younger sister’s voice passed. Most of these rumors were negative. Some were even derogatory. All had caused the Raines nothing more than undue stress and agony, knowing that a portion of the town was taking advantage of the situation. Through it all, though, Emma helped Genya remain strong; neither of them would let pointless rumors ruin their lives. “Genya is also doing well,” Emma finally announced, returning to the shopkeeper.

“I…I see,” the shopkeeper replied, trying unsuccessfully to hide her suprise at the situation. “Um, Emma, tell me, just when exactly did your sister start sp-” her words were cut off by Genya’s sudden and impatient foot tapping.

Emma quickly acted upon the distraction. “Please, ma’am, we’re here to shop,” she explained. “We were training against pigs today, and one of them managed to destroy Gen’s wand. She needs to buy a new one.”

The confusion of the moment left after Emma’s words. The spellcasters slowly went back to their earlier conversation, and the shopkeeper found herself conducting business again. “Oh, yes, of course!” she exclaimed. “One wooden wand, coming right up.” She went to her supplies for a moment, then returned with a new, whole wand. Genya paid the mesos and was soon smiling brightly as she looked down at her new weapon. Emma patted her shoulder in approval, and the two sisters hugged again.

The happy moment didn’t last long, however. The shop door suddenly burst open as a young male spellcaster dashed in, sweating profusely. Every inch of his body was shaking with fear. “Everybody, everybody HIDE!” he blurted out. “Its…its him! The Victorian ONI!” Everyone already in the shop immediately looked around, concern and horror coloring their expressions. Emma and Genya were no exceptions.

Acting quickly, Emma grabbed one of Genya’s trembling arms. “Then it’s time everyone went home,” she announced to everyone. The spellcasters nodded and quickly left the shop, including the nervous one. The shopkeeper put a sign on her desk that read “Service currently unavailable” and dashed down into the basement. The Raine sisters were the last to leave the store. They looked around unceasingly as they moved quickly back to their house. Looking beneath the branches that they walked on, they could see that the entire lower half of the town was locked up tight; they had gotten warning, which was fortunate. As they continued moving, they heard a girl scream in fright. They looked up at a higher branch to see a young spellcaster girl yell out to other Ellinians. “Take cover, everyone! The Victorian Oni is getting closer!” Nearby townsfolk stopped whatever they were doing and scrambled towards their homes. Emma, however, took a moment to see where the oni was. Her answer soon caught her eye, as she finally saw him, just branches behind them. Without another thought, she dashed off with Genya in tow, as they quickly climbed down a nearby ladder. It wasn’t long before they found their home. They flew inside, slamming and locking the door behind them. Carefully, the older Raine peered out a window in the oni’s direction. Thankfully for them, he didn’t climb down the ladder, but instead continued up the branches before him.

Ironically, the Victorian Oni wasn’t actually a demon, but rather a six-foot tall man, dressed in chain link armor and a mask that held the face of a demon, the mask’s unmoving face locked in a sinister smile. From behind the mask peered two blood red eyes, unblinking as they gazed forward, leading the man on his path, a path from which all others fled with no desire to follow. The demon of a man walked forward slowly, simply plodding along as though he had his entire life to walk. His right hand gripped the red hilt of a six-foot great sword with a blade the deepest of blacks. The sword itself, however, didn’t scare anyone as much as it’s wielder. The Victorian Oni, as he was called, was heralded as the Maple World’s epitome of evil.

Emma quivered without pause as she watched the Victorian Oni lumber upwards through the trees. *It’s been a year since he was last in this town, and four months since he was last on this island,* she thought, her mind recalling his past appearances. *Every time he leaves, I always pray he never returns, and every time, my prayers are unanswered. I just hope this time he didn’t k-* her thoughts ceased quickly as she noticed something else on the masked man’s left shoulder. Narrowing her eyes, she could see tiny things of red drop from what it was on his shoulder.

Emma quickly realized what it was, and from then on, it was all she could do to keep from screaming. The Victorian Oni was carrying death with him. Literally. Slung over his left shoulder was a female spellcaster’s body. Streams of blood rained from the dead woman, staining her white robes. Her unmoving eyes were frozen in front of the leaves that turned red beneath her. Emma averted her eyes from the window, fighting the urge to throw up. Genya tried to help her, but she herself could hardly move.

Why….why is he here? Why is he back?

A loud cry, mixed with anger and fear, rang out through the forest. Emma and Genya returned to the window. Before there widening eyes came a new scene of potential horror as a young boy wearing a gray t-shirt, khaki shorts, sandals, and a yellow cap ran up the branches, chasing after the Victorian Oni. The Raines shook with intense fear. *Oh, for the love of all, little boy, don’t face him,* Emma prayed silently, tears slowly falling from her eyes. *Please, don’t…*

Emma’s prayers were for naught as the boy ran into the Oni. The masked man slowly turned around to see the boy shaking, yet standing firmly, aiming his wand at the imposing figure. “Y-you…” he stammered as he spoke. “G-give her back…g-give her back!”

The Victorian Oni simply looked down at the boy. He didn’t say a word or move a muscle. He simply gazed at his young query, his eyes focused intently on him.

The boy shook even more now, but still stood where he was, keeping his weapon pointed at the oni’s head. “Give her back!” he cried out again. “GIVE MY MOMMA BACK!”

*Don’t face him, please!* Emma kept praying. *Run…run! NOW!*

Unfortunately, the boy didn’t run. Instead, he slowly readied a spell to cast at the demonic figure. Just as he was about to unleash it, the oni immediately flashed his sword in front of the boy’s eyes. Immediately, the young spellcaster drew back an inch, unable to move. Every ounce of courage left him as his eyes stared at the sword with increasing fear, even when the oni brought his left hand down towards him.

The Raine sister held hands amidst their shaking as they watched. They both knew it was too late.

“AAAAAA! LET ME GO!” the boy screamed as he was held well above the ground. The Victorian Oni’s eyes stared at the struggling boy intently. Eventually, his sword arm was raised high above both of their heads.

Emma gasped. *No, don’t…*

The boy stopped moving as his eyes saw the blade once more.

*No, no, don’t you dare!*

The Victorian Oni narrowed his eyes.

*Curse you, demon, STOP THIS!*

The greatsword quickly descended. The boy let out a scream.

When he entered, death came with him. When he left, both had someone new.

The scream was cut off by a deafening blast. For those who managed to watch, a cascading pillar of shadowy darkness stretching miles above the town accompanied the noise. Afterwards, the Victorian Oni let out a bloodcurling roar.

Emma and Genya were no longer at the window. Instead, their faces were buried in each other’s robes as they sobbed endlessly. Meanwhile, the oni resumed lumbering towards the top of the town as if nothing happened. A smoldering pile of ashes and the yellow cap were all that remained of the boy that dared to face him.

The legend that was known as the Victorian Oni had truly come to life.

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Number two!

Previous Installments:
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