Second Chances

Prologue

        Long ago, there lived a girl so beautiful, she unknowingly seduced a demon. This girl was named Miyuki, after the snowstorm that occured on the night of her untimely birth. The very next morning, as if the gods were celebrating the baby's arrival, the skies cleared, and a dazzling sheet of crystal snow covered the land.

        But the gods were not forgiving. As Miyuki's beauty grew with her age, her health declined, and illness pursued. Soon enough, the girl was bedridden, forced to stare out her window as the world passed by.

         Meanwhile, word of the most beautiful woman anyone had ever laid eyes on spread across the country. Men and women visited the girl daily to catch a mere glance at her heavenly beauty. Men, in particular, came bearing gifts of lavish goods and promises of fortune in return for taking Miyuki as their lovely bride. She never accepted.

         One day, a demon came to see if the rumors were true. Not even such a higher being was immune to the charms of Miyuki. The demon fell in love with the girl and continued to visit her, each time bearing only the gift of knowledge of the outside world.

        Miyuki agreed to become the demon's bride in exchange for a taste of the world outside her window. The demon promised to always protect his wife and thus the lovers set off into the world. 

        But as you know: the gods were not forgiving. Miyuki was quick to succumb to an illness and passed away. As for the demon, such a being was not quick to change its ways. After his wife's death, the demon set off on a rampage and disappeared soon after. 

        Some say the demon joined his beloved wife. Some say he still lurks around Japan, mourning his lost love.

        No matter where that demon may have been, you thought that was a load of complete nonsense. You hated that story and its creepy, weird lovey-dovey logic. Every time your grandmother told you that story, you interrupted just to question every misgiving and faulty point of reasoning.

        Now, as you shuffled home alone in the dark, you wish you didn't hate that story as much as you did. You wished you never questioned, interrupted, or slandered your grandmother's tale. After all,  the woman was only trying to keep you entertained with a family tale as she walked you home from school every day. You'd taken her company for granted for far too long, and it was a shame that you could only come to truly appreciate it when she was gone. 

        As you walked down the very road your grandmother used to guide you along, you couldn't help but stare up at the twinkling stars as they emerged into the newly darkened sky. You were quite lucky to live in an area rural enough to even be able to see the stars. The only downfall was walking through the dark just to get home if you ever stayed late after school.

        Just as you were about to run through another one of your grandmother's tales in your mind, an unnatural chill ran down your spine. You seemed to feel it coursing through your veins, hell even your bones. 

        It felt so terrifying, so evil, so cold. Quickly, you surveyed your surroundings, having heard stories of people "Trusting their guts" in the event of an attacker. Yet there wasn't a soul in sight.

        Then it hit again. The "chill" seemed to come back tenfold with the added spice of pain. The sheer intensity of the "chill" brought you to your knees whilst clutching at your heart. 

        You had no idea what was happening to you, but you knew it was bad. Whatever this chill was, it brought nothing but sheer dread and miasma. It seemed to flood your lungs, your heart, your stomach, anything it could possibly reach. You gasped for air only to find that the more you breathed, the more your lungs screamed for oxygen.