Ghosts of a Demon

[Kuzuru]

For how long did the cursed swordsman chase the green-skinned brutes through the twisting trees of the forest? His bloodlust clouded his mind and turned him into a simple-minded predator. He followed the scent of their peculiar blood and their clumsy tracks. Before long he had lost sight of them and shortly after he lost any indication of their trail. Kuzuru raged against Renji, calling him weak and slow, cursing his inability to chase the neanderthals through the forest. Without a response the now-focused swordsman sheathed his sword and quieted the demon. Something was strange, the forest felt different somehow.

Silence.

Complete and utter silence. Normally the Tangled Green was alive with the sound of animals and the rustle of leaves in the wind, but now everything was silent. Renji stood in a clearing, surrounded by the uneasy quiet. His keen sense scanned his surroundings and yet he found nothing, no silent predator, no wandering animal... Nothing but trees and shrubbery. A sudden chill came over him, forcing his entire body to shiver. Such a warm pleasant day had taken a turn for the worse and now the air was filled with an ominous chill. Goosebumps crawled across his bare flesh and Renji wished he had brought along a shirt.

“Oh... You’re an interesting one, a collection of poor stolen souls” a shrill voice called from the treeline, shattering the silence. Each word reverberated like tin and echoed upon itself. Renji scowled and scanned the area, his red eyes darted around trying to find the source of the voice.

“Who is there!?”

His demand was met with a snicker. Renji scowled and stepped into the center of the clearing. An eternity of battle experience had gifted Renji with a special sixth sense. Even with such a staggering amount of expertise he was drawing a blank and unable to get a bead on anything. Without warning the wind began to howl and swirl around the warrior. Whips of wind and dirt swirled around Renji, threatening to shred his unprotected flesh. Through the torrent of debris Renji’s bright red eyes focused on a humanoid figure standing in the treeline.

The man stepped forward and the whirlwind died as quickly as it started. His entire body was a pale see-through grey and it seemed to flicker in and out of existence. Despite the ghastly appearance, Rou’s smug grin was unmistakable. A wave of panic crashed into Renji, his mind raced to piece together how Rou’s soul had managed to escape the prison of Renji’s blade. The apparition flickered and a shit-eating grin cracked across Rou’s sly face.

“My... My Renji, lookit this lookit this. I’m a real boy now” he snickered, every word echoed upon itself.

With a flick of his wrist Renji sliced through the apparition. The sword passed through Rou as if he was made of smoke. A shrill laugh cut through the air, Rou was cackling like a madman.

“Oh please, go ahead and cut me Renji. I know you just want to slice me to bits, come on take another swing.”

Renji scowled and swiped once more to no effect. A thin layer of frost had accumulated over the quiet trees and greenery that surrounded the two. The millennial swordsman;s mind raced with worry, this ghost was terrifying. If Rou was able to leave the sword, then could the others follow suit?

“What do you want from me?” Renji asked, a hint of fear cracked through his voice. The laughing halted, replaced by the ever-present silence. Every moment filled the air with tension. Rou’s ghastly form flickered several times and he began to laugh again. The shrill guffaw pierced Renji’s ears and he gritted his teeth in pain.

“Are you that dumb?! What do you think I want? A cup of tea?” he mocked Renji.

“Tell me what you want!” Renji demanded, slashing once more through the ghostly figure. It was almost like flipping a switch, the laughing stopped and Rou’s grin disappeared. The air around Renji turned frigid and he shuddered to knock of a thin layer of ice that attached itself to his skin. Rou’s body flickered out of reality once more, but this time he moved in between the flicker. His hand was suddenly clamped around Renji’s neck and his face was contorted into an evil grin. He spoke with brimstone and fire, spitting forth hot coals and soot from the bellows of his throat.

“I want my soul back!”

The sudden movement startled Renji and he pulled back from the ghost’s icy grip. Instinctively he struck out with his fist, sending a slight burst of black and red energy into Rou’s form. The energy seemed more effective then the blade, it actually managed to scatter the ethereal ghost. All that was left behind was a shrill giggle and a cloud of smoke. Even with Rou’s poltergeist dispelled the Millennial Swordsman knew this was far from over. The normally talkative demon stayed silent through the entire exchange and Renji felt uneasy. With twisted guts and a dizzy head he wanted to go back to Ambrosia, but the path had disappeared and he couldn't remember the way back anyways. The forest threatened to consume the swordsman. His body was chilled to the bone and he found warmth in short supply. Every stepped forward felt like one step closer to stepping from the abyss and falling into a deep despair.

[Kuzuru]

Frost had swallowed the forest, large sheets of frost clung to dead and twisted branches. Every breath released a hot cloud of steam and Renji shuddered in the cold. He had been trudging forward through the cold for several minutes now and he felt as if he had made no progress. The wicked sword stayed silent, Kuzuru had been quiet ever since Rou’s jailbreak and it made Renji uneasy. It wasn’t that he cared or missed the demon, it was the fact that Rou and the other lost souls trapped in his sword might actually be capable of escape. The thought of the potential escape of an uncountable number of souls forced Renji’s stomach to twist into a thick knot.

Dancing around his peripheral vision, ghosts and spectres taunted Renji. Familiar faces and voices were made manifest and he struggled to ignore their mocking. Before long he had somehow managed to circle back to the clearing and he growled in exasperation. Their ghastly magic had him trapped, how long did they plan on toying with him? This had gone on for far too long and the swordsman’s anger peaked.

“Come on out you damned ghosts! Stop mocking me!”

A sinister wind swirled around Renji, he felt helpless against these apparitions. He watched in fear as a female materialized in front of him. She had long hair and a gentle smile. Her body was slender and elegant, something about her form seemed all too familiar. She smiled and gently moved a length of hair from her face.

“Renji... Do you remember?” she asked. Her voice was distorted much like Rou’s, but her words held a certain undefinable comfort for Renji. He paused before responding, taking an eternity to study her eerie beauty. Who was this enigma? The Swordsman had met her before, but he was unsure of her significance. He had several females trapped within his blade and he cared not to remember any of them. The prisoners were weak and unworthy of remembrance. Phantasms and ghosts began to swirl around the two, whispering secrets and curses at the swordsman. His red eyes met theirs and they grew quiet.

“Remember? What am I supposed to remember?”

She frowned and Renji felt a string in his heart sever. It was unexplained, but he felt a strong connection with this soul. He stepped towards her and pointed his sword at her chest. The millennial swordsman demanded an answer from the ghost.

“Who are you? Answer me!” his red eyes flared with anger and fear.

She flickered in and out of existence and from the swirling cloud of souls Rou stepped forward, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Come on Renji. You don’t recognize your own wife?”

It clicked.

The gears in Renji’s twisted mind finally snapped together and he remembered.
And it hurt.

It hurt a lot.

The torrential stream of painful memories crashed into Renji. He no longer felt the cold, but he did feel a certain gnawing emptiness deep in his gut. This girl, Sara, was once his beloved wife, but now her forlorn spirit was locked within his blade. Slowly he unsheathed his blade and staked it in the ground, severing his link with the wicked sword. His body trembled as he stepped forward towards his wife.

“Sara... I” his voice quaked “I’m so... Sorry.”

The swordsman reached out for his wife, but his hand phased through her. She was nothing but a memory made of smoke. He visage looked like it would cry, but she was unable to muster the tears. She reached out and touched his face, her hand chilled his skin where she touched.

“You’ve become such a twisted person Renji... I missed you” she pulled her hand away “or rather, I miss who you were.”

With that devastating statement the swirling cloud of ghosts reached out and pulled her into their whirlwind. Renji reached out for her, but Rou pushed him backwards. The swordsman growled and tried to rush past him again, but the ghost knocked him on his ass. His voice was slick and taunted poor Renji.

“She’s not yours anymore” he leaned over the defeated swordsman and smiled a venomous grin “she’s mine.”

“You bastard!” Renji jumped to his feet and swung wildly at the apparition. His fists found smoke and disappointment. Behind him Rou materialized and laughed in his ear.

“Until you release my soul, she’s mine and there is nothing you can do about it.”

[Kuzuru]

The millennial swordsman was finally brought low, not by sword or sling but by his own lack of humanity. Before him stood the testament to the countless atrocities that he had committed under the influence of Kuzuru. Thousands of innocent souls trapped for eternity with his cursed blade. Renji stood silent and met eyes with every forlorn soul. For the first time in a long time he actually felt remorse. Now that Kuzuru’s iron grip was absent he was truly allowed to bear the weight of his sins.

Rou chuckled softly and put an ethereal hand on Renji’s shoulder. The ghastly touch sapped all heat from his flesh and sent a chill through Renji’s body. The swordsman turned to face Rou and the two met eyes.

“Well Renji, see what you’ve done? All this pain... All of this suffering, you caused it.”

The ghost’s words echoed and scratched at Renji’s psyche. He tried his best to contain himself, but without the demon’s protective shell of apathy the swordsman found himself in pain.

Rou leaned in and spoke to Renji, every word dripping with venom “allow me to take the burden of this cursed sword. Allow me to ease your suffering... Just hand me the sword and you can be with your wife forever.” The ghost flickered in and out of existence for a mere moment as he reached for the sword.

“No.”

Renji pulled away from the ghost and held his sword tightly. A horrid shriek tore through the forest, every spectre screeched and wailed in anger. Rou’s noble form became twisted and malignant as he seethed against Renji’s decision.

“So you wish to continue on killing innocents!? You’re a fool Renji, a fool!”

“Shut up” Renji snapped, his red eyes flared and shot daggers at the ghost. “This is my sword, not yours Rou. I was blinded by power and Kuzuru’s influence... I did... I did terrible things, but I won’t let you take hold of this twisted blade.”

“What about your wife? What about the countless innocent lives that you swallowed in your mad quest for power!? How many more atrocities are you going to commit?”

Renji laughed slightly and sheathed the blade “ I have no desire to kill for the sake of killing anymore. My mind is my own as is my body Rou. Thanks to your jailbreak Kuzuru has no power over me anymore.” Each word came like a crashing tsunami, every syllable tore into Rou and his ghosts.

Rou’s form twisted and howled at Renji’s vindication The sky darkened the the swirling mass of geists screamed curses at the swordsman. He did not budge, for what could he do? Running had proven fruitless as did attacking, Silently he pledged to change his sadistic ways and to reclaim control over his own life. Yes he stilled wished to become the greatest swordsman, but he would not rely on this demon as a crutch. This sword was his tool, not Rou’s and he would force it to submit to his will.

“Come on then, come on and strike me down Rou. Make me pay for my sins you bastard!”

The turbulent mass of spectres screeched at the defiant man. He stood against them, prepared to bear the full weight of his sins. Renji stood prepared to answer for his transgressions and crimes. He closed his eyes and awaited his punishment. And yet no punishment came, indeed the ravenous ghosts seemed preoccupied. Renji opened his eyes to see the ghosts scatter into the wind. The twisted treeline became eerily quiet, except for the voice of a small strange creature holding a pink lock of hair.

“Togetic?” it called out.

Renji raised his eyebrows and a small smile formed on his lips. The small creature was only about two feet tall and had small wings on its back. Several red and blue triangles adorned its body and in one of its small paws it clutched a lock of familiar pink hair, Guu’s hair. The swordsman walked over to the screature and it flew a few circles around him.

“D... did Guu send you?” he asked, unsure if this was just another illusion.

“Togetic” the thing nodded in confirmation. It flew towards the edge of the clearing and pointed off into the distance, begging Renji to follow. A chill crawled down Renji’s spine, asides from a pair of pants and his sandals he was completely bare. With a flourish Renji sheathed his sword and held up his hand.

“Give me a moment to collect myself please” Renji did not want to return to Ambrosia looking haggard. He took several minutes to create clothing from Omnilium. His traditional robes and bamboo hat was all that he truly needed, but he also took the time to fashion a jet black pipe. Togetic watched him anxiously, the pokemon felt uneasy within the haunted forest. It clutched Guu’s hair nervously, hoping that it would ward the ghosts away.

“Alright, I’m ready. Lead the way oh fearless leader” he spoke, slightly exasperated from his recent encounter.

With a happy chirp the little pokemon zipped through the trees. Renji’s keen eyes kept sight of the swift creature. However, something felt strange he couldn’t help but feel as if they were being followed. Every now and again, in the peripherals of the swordsman’s impressive vision he would catch a glimpse of a pale blue orb darting along besides them. Ignorance was bliss and the swordsman ignored the strange orb. After his encounter with Rou, he did not feel like enraging anymore spirits. The poor swordsman just wanted to return home.

Ambrosia.