𝐘𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐚 - 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐗𝐢𝐚𝐨!𝐬/𝐨

⊱---𝟐𝟔---⊰

Why was it that [ Name ] and Xiao were the only ones remaining of the Yaksha? Why is it that the rest had to die while they got to live?

A Yaksha's karmic debt builds up by using their powers to slay demons, and it slowly kills them over time. That's their curse, by helping others, they're slowly forsaking themselves. And that's the main reason the others had succumbed to death. But [ Name ] and Xiao lived despite having the same condition.

That was due to a bard. The music he played had the ability to cleanse them of any built-up karma. The first time was purely coincidental, [ Name ] and Xiao listening to him play and feeling instantly soothed as Karma sapped out of them without his knowledge.

However, the bard came to realize the impact he had on these two. From then on, he would occasionally head to Dihua Marsh so that he could cleanse them. Although Xiao maintained his distance and listened in silence, [ Name ] would thank the bard and chat with him after he finished playing. They were both equally appreciative despite their different personalities.

[ Name ]'s in a world without that bard. So, who is there to help her now? Who would cleanse her of her Karma? If there's no one, in time, she'll succumb to death like the Yaksha in the past.

——————♡——————

The day [ Name ] began to feel better and less sluggish, she resumed her nightly patrols. Standing where the moon shone, she would make herself seen as she lured in demons from the shadows. She proudly stood atop buildings wielding her weapon, never backing down from any creature she would encounter.

Her limbs would heavily sag with the weight of lead and her blood would boil in agony, but the thought of even turning her back to a demon was one that never crossed her mind.

Tonight, like many other nights, she had fought one of those demons. It was ferocious and unforgiving, teeth baring sharply in hopes of shredding her into pieces. But she was just as ferocious in battle despite hating to fight so much. She put the creature down as gracefully as she could in a situation where not only was the demon against her, but the world she stood in.

Her energy was sapped after only one battle, and it was far too risky to be getting into any other altercations. Karma built up and swelled, her veins pulsing painfully as it begged for the relief of this curse.

The pain experienced from Karma wasn't something a doctor could heal, so a hospital visit wasn't on tonight's plans. [ Name ] placed her hand against the wall she walked by before stopping completely. She crouched down, knees bent for a moment of rest since her feet ached from the travel.

The pain made her mind bounce in waves, like an angry ocean of red trying to escape out of her forehead. A pained whine fell from her lips as she clenched the fabric covering the left side of her chest, her legs giving in so that she was no longer crouched but fully sitting on the floor.

She scooted back so that her back was pressed against the wall for support, not wanting to fall over in a pathetic display of not even being able to sit up because of the Karma that was overcoming her.

Shakily, her free hand slid down her side and into her pocket. She grasped her phone, Takemichi's old one that he had given to her, and brought it towards her line of sight. The overwhelming brightness of the screen made her wince, but she still only knew the basics of the phone and wasn't entirely sure how to lower the brightness. When her vision adjusted, she unlocked it, the device taking prolonged seconds to respond because of its age.

As she clicked on the messaging app, the old ass phone glitched and slid the screen over so that her finger accidentally hit a different app. [ Name ] cursed at the phone under her breath, but before she could click out of the app, something clicked in her mind. It was a music app that Emma had downloaded for her, and maybe, just maybe this could help her better than any message she would send out.

Shaky fingers typed letters into the search bar, one by one slowly, the four seeming like so many with the pain that was racking her body.

L y r e

She scrolled down until a song someone uploaded had caught her eye. The cover picture showed a beautifully crafted wooden lyre decorated with flowers and silver strings. Pressing the 'play' button, the gentle sounds of strings being pulled reached her ears. She clicked the button on the side of the phone to raise her volume before her deep frown loosened up.

Maybe it was the familiarity of the instrument or a Placebo effect in play, but she felt pressure fall from her skin to the floor. Not as potent as hearing the pretty bard in Dihua Marsh play for her, but enough that she felt she could bear the pain.

[ Name ] craned her neck back and laid her head against the wall, angling her face up to the sky as she closed her eyes and savored the music that was playing on repeat.

She'll have to thank Emma for this later. This discovery would not only extend the amount of time she could stay alive in this world, but her efficiency with her task of slaying demons. Perhaps there were more loopholes out there that she could find, but she was thankful for this one for now.