Beautiful Blood

Revelations

-I still cannot believe... all those things are real.- Ryuuji shook his head, leaning back on Eihi’s couch, smoking a cigarette.

-I had a hard time believing it myself.- She said.

The few books her grandma left her were all over the living room table, each opened on a random page. They had not gone through all of them and Eihi had just finished her conversation with MyAnna.

-You should have told me earlier.-

-I know but it was too risky. I was taught to not tell anyone. It’s dangerous. I never thought you would believe me. I was afraid you would send me to a psychiatric ward even as I was telling you today.-

-I know you since the academy days, Eihi.- He huffed –I always suspected something. You could have told me, but what’s done it’s done. Now we have to find out what that son of a bitch actually is.-

-Then we need to figure out how to find him and kill him.- She nodded –And, Ryuuji?-

-Yes?-

-Thank you.-

He smiled –You’re welcome.-

Ryuuji turned his cigarette off and leaning forward took a book in his hands –Let’s see. Sunken eyes, bat-wings, scary teeth. Is that not a bit general?- He mumbled, turning the pages one by one.

-It is. I’ve checked all the yokai, so it’s not one of them.-

Ryuuji shivered –They’re all real.-

-Not scary bedtime stories, I know.-

He shook his head and kept looking.

-I can’t find anything.- Eihi whined closing one of the books, putting it on the table.

-You know, this makes me remember an old story my grandmother told me; my father’s mother.- Ryuuji said, closing his book and placing it on the table.

-An old story?- Eihi tilted her head slightly.

-My grandmother was from Okinawa, it’s a story from her village, centuries old. It was passed from generation to generation.-

-Tell me the story.-

He shifted to a more comfortable position and started talking –About over 400 years ago, the people in that village lived peacefully. It was a small village but they lived in prosperity and wealth. The main reason for that was that they were blessed by the gods. They offered sacrifice, just small things like fruits and gold, to the statues of their deities and in return, they lived a happy and prosperous year, one year after another.- He made a small pause. -But one day, the gods decided to descend to the village. Or at least, that’s what the villagers thought.-

-What do you mean?-

-I’m telling you word for word, be patient. - He said –So, one day a beautiful man came to the village. He looked exactly like one of the statues. People were happy and frightened at the same time. They exclaimed that their god had come to visit them. They made sure to do whatever he wanted them to do but his demands were somewhat...strange to them. He asked to be fed blood, to be offered virgin girls that he would simply take away and never return. He lived in the village for months, pleased and well treated. Others of his kind heard of that so more people came; more beautiful men, women and children, descended to the village.-

Eihi raised an eyebrow and lit a cigarette.

-Their demands were the same and they passed by as gods since they did look like the statues.-

-But they were not?-

-No. It turned out the villagers were worshiping demons the whole time. One day, after getting sick of their selfish and whimsical demands, they decided to rebel against them. They refused all their offers, thinking real gods would help them banish the demons. But it only angered them. One day, they attacked the village. They killed everyone in the village. Well, almost everyone. Some of the villagers took wooden sticks and decided to attack the demons, to fight them.-