1 Chapter One - The Boy in a Wolf Mask

◜According to an ancient Japanese myth, a long, long time ago, a powerful god and goddess roamed the islands of Japan. Their fates intertwined despite being so different, both in power and personality.

Kemono, the God of the Beasts and Dawn, who represented yang, was fierce and untamed—with a fire inside him that never burnt out. He was adventurous and very ambitious, determined to achieve his goals. He attracted the sun and its warmth, giving life to those around him.

However, the Goddess of Moon and Earth, Tsukimi, was a calm and collected individual and represented yin. She was cold and calculating and preferred a peaceful and relaxing environment. She attracted the moon and its glow, healing, and providing tides.

Though they were complete opposites, they fell in love—their personalities and powers both clashed and completed each other.

However, there was a great war between the gods—and the two had passed away, side by side, hands interweaved. Moved by their love, the greater gods had decided to bless them.

Ever since then, every one hundred years, the reincarnation of Kemono and Tsukina would be born to eventually find each other once again, and be together for another lifetime.

Somehow, Yozora Kougetsu and a certain boy had been seemingly blessed with being the reincarnations of the yin and yang deities—fates intertwined ever since the two of them were born…◞

∞

Kougetsu takes in a deep breath, the sweet, subtle scent of the cherry blossoms entering her lungs as she walked along the stone pathway that traveled upwards along the mountain, leading the way to her destination.

The cherry blossoms lined up on the sides of the stone stairs, their pink petals scattered all over the path. As the wind blew, she opened her palm as she carefully watched the petals float about in the air before softly landing in the middle of her palm.

Kougetsu hummed, moving her hand downwards and watched as the cherry blossom petal swayed back and forth in a rhythmic motion before landing on the ground. Walking closer to the trees, she plucked off the right amount before placing them in her thigh pouch.

"They'll be useful for later," She mumbled to herself.

She slowly began to hear voices and people as she approached the entrance, her sharp, silver eyes observing her surroundings. She walked past the welcoming gate, the wooden painted with ink reading, "Monthly Assessment for the Holy Order of Peacekeepers," before her eyes flickered to each individual.

Almost everybody here was her age—seventeen, which was the minimum age of requirement to enter the assessment—or a little over seventeen, with their katana attached to the side of their hips.

'They all have scars...whether it be mentally, physically, or both.' She noted in her mind.

Unconsciously, Kougetsu's hand gripped the limb of her bow.

While it was unusual for a Peacekeeper to choose a bow and arrow as their weapon to fight against the Cursed Ones—better known as Demons—there were exceptions. And, it wasn't uncommon for others to have more than one weapon.

Kougetsu was one of those people—with her katana sheathed comfortably by her hip, hidden by her plain, ink-black haori.

She often used her bow and arrow. While yes, it was much more efficient to use a katana, since she could slice into a Demon's chest more efficiently and magic to kill them more quickly—it didn't mean she couldn't use them on other weapons, too; that was a common misconception. Besides, she could easily pierce the heart of a Demon, even if it was a little far.

Being a Wielder was advantageous, mainly because they could combine their magic with their weapons.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Monthly Assessment for the Holy Order of Peacekeepers. I am Shirube Konoe, the organizer and host of these Trials," A feminine voice announced, her words full of authority.

Kougetsu looked up to see a young girl—no more than the age of fifteen—her navy blue haired pulled up in a tight bun, her hands smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles on her white, cherry blossom patterned kimono, as she used her magic to float atop of a small cloud to draw attention to herself.

"This location holds Cursed Ones, also known as Demons, that Peacekeepers have captured here. Because one of the weaknesses of Demons is iron and cherry blossoms, we have ones that bloom, no matter the season, that here cover from its foot to half-way up the slope, with high fences made of iron encircling the mountain." She explains, her guarded violet gaze that reminded Kougetsu of fields of lavender with specks of emotions—it was hope. Hope for the people here to make out alive, to be a part of their promise to slay the nightmares that roam Japan.

"However, once you enter that gate to the upper part of the mountain, there will be no more cherry blossoms, so they roam free. Your tasks are simple: to slay them and stay alive for five days and four nights. Since Cursed Ones get their energy from the dark, they hide during the day, as exposure in sunlight for too long can burn them alive. That's when you can come to the foot of the mountain to take rations or to receive medical attention. If you leave when the five days and four nights have not been finished, you are automatically disqualified and cannot return to retake your exams for a year."

Konoe paused for a moment, her hooded eyes sweeping over the crowd below her.

"You may begin."

Kougetsu watched as the others rushed into what she called 'The Demon Zone.' Kougetsu, however, preferred to stay behind and take some of a bit of her sweet time. After all, she wasnʼt in a rush to fight a Cursed One. She wanted to take in her surroundings properly and think up a plan.

Adjusting her jingusa, she jumped onto a tree branch, taking off her bow from her shoulder, reaching over her shoulder to take out an arrow from her quiver that was strapped to her back. She drew her arrow, the white feathers tickling the side of her jaw as her silver eyes narrowed, readied for any approaching Demon.

She stayed like this for a moment, the leaves of the tree providing her shade and keeping her hidden from anybodyʼs view. A few moments of silence, she heard the familiar sound of animalistic growls—indicating that indeed a Demon was nearby.

Kougetsu let out an exhale, form unmoving. Her gaze followed the Demon for a minute before she muttered:

"Lunar Arts: Striking Moonlight."

The tips of Kougetsuʼs fingers glowed a misty white, merging themselves with the weapon—causing the iron weapon to radiate silver as she released it, watching it spin as it flew towards her target at high speed, leaving behind a white streak. It hit the heart right in the middle—the organ bursting out of its back and hitting the ground.

The Demon shrieked, no longer able to regenerate or move due to the iron and the fact that its heart was no longer in its chest, the agony-filled scream piercing Kougetsu's ears as it turned into ash.

"Finally, it stopped screaming," she sighed, closing her eyes and rolling her shoulders back, the tension making her muscles stiff.

Just imagine all of the humans that thing killed…they were most likely screaming too.

Though Kougetsu was a bit experienced handling Demons, in general, the entire thing was unpleasant for her. The inner turmoil of emotions—disgust, anger, vengeance—but she couldnʼt express them. She didn't want to, nor need to—her face always displaying a calm front to bury the unnecessary emotions that could get in the way of killing Cursed Ones and thinking correctly.

Emotions were vital, of course. Kougetsu always thought that people who could express themselves were tenacious, and didn't need to put up a front. Their eyes tell a million stories, and she could easily read them with a glance at their face and behavior.

She couldn't do that—it wasn't the way she was taught, the way she was raised.

Kougetsu…she still had the chains of her childhood shackled to her entire body, even if they weren't visible.

Taking in a deep breath, Kougetsu shook her head.

Now is not the time to get caught up on your thoughts.

Smoothing out the wrinkles of her hakama, she made herself comfortable on the sturdy, thick branch she perched on before reaching over her shoulder for another arrow. Her fingers ran over the smooth iron shaft of the arrow, the faint smell of the cherry blossoms entering her nose, reminding her of which arrow she had taken out.

Kougetsu had several types of arrows in her quiver—ranging from the normal ones she had used earlier, to wooden, to oneʼs filled with cherry blossom poison—which she currently held in her hand. It was made from cherry blossom tree wood and dipped in a cherry blossom concoction she made herself—of course, with her friend's help, since she was well-versed in the poison magic. After all, she was one of the Guardians—top-ranked elites of the Holy Order of Peacekeepers.

Kougetsu sighed, fingers brushing over the feathers of the arrow before she drew her bow, eyes carefully scanning the area for any Cursed Ones.

A sharp cry of pain interrupted her scanning, head snapping to the source of the sound. She spotted a boy most likely around her age. Due to the lack of coverage on his upper body, she observed that he had a well-built physique and wore a wolf mask with gray hide going past his shoulders.

He clutched his deeply wounded shoulder—which, of course, was the source of his pained yell—blood oozing out and dripping down his back and arm, making the Demon in front of him salivate, spit dripping down its chin, letting out a harsh growl, crimson eyes slit like a catʼs.

With a sigh, Kougetsu aimed for the Cursed One, silver eyes narrowing at her target.

"Lunar Arts: Cherry Blossom Under the Moonlight." She whispered, releasing the magic from her fingers and into the iron weapon, releasing the arrow from the anchor point.

It spun, creating a whizzing noise as it sped towards the Demon—striking its heart with ease, with the organ bursting out of its back.

The boy stilled, tracing the arrowʼs direction from the tree—where Kougetsu was hidden.

'Well. So much for hiding.' She thought.

"Hey! That was you, wasn't it?" He called out, revealing his voice—it was deep, robust—it reminded her of the rumbling of thunder.

Kougetsu bit the insides of her cheeks, throwing her bow over her shoulder before jumping down from the tree branch, landing in front of the taller male.

Kougetsu looked up at him, eyes meeting that of a wooden wolf mask—carved neatly, and painted black—except for the yellow circle at the forehead of the mask, with lines descending from the circle, stopping in between the brows.

It was most likely meant to depict the sun.

Kougetsu blinked owlishly, eyes shifting over to his shoulder. "Did you want me to watch you die?"

"Huh? I couldʼve defeated that Demon. I donʼt need you," The male scoffed.

His voice seemed a little strained, though, Kougetsu noticed.

"Even if you have, you will die of blood loss." She gestured to his shoulder, watching as the blood continued to drip past his fingers. Large amounts of blood were gushing out of his wound, sliding down his arm and chest, down to his abdomen and his hakama.

She observed how he was just barely able to stand up, stumbling ever-so-slightly. His sun-kissed skin was slick with sweat, definitely not from his fight with the Cursed One.

She met the boy's gaze, even if she couldnʼt see his eyes from the mask, she knew that she was staring right into his.

"Let me heal what I can." Kougetsu offered, raising her hand to touch his shoulder tentatively—he grabbed her wrist, preventing her hand from getting closer to his wound.

"How can a Wielder be a healer?" He questioned, voice low, threatening to strike—just like how the lightning falls from the heavens after the roaring of thunder.

"I am a Moon Wielder. The power of the moon allows me to heal wounds to an extent." She explained, ripping her hand out of his grip.

'I donʼt even need to explain myself to him,' she scoffed in her mind.

"Now, quit being so cautious unless you want to die. Then Iʼll gladly watch you."

He stayed silent for a moment before letting out a defeated huff, walked to a nearby tree and sat down, leaning against the trunk, raising his head expectantly.

She approached him, eyes wandering to what was depicted on his defined abdomen. She didnʼt pay attention to his muscular build—it was the white dragon, coming up from the raging waves of the sea, seemingly watching the tides from where it flew.

What a beautiful tattoo.

It looked familiar.

Kougetsu cleared her throat, pulling out petals of cherry blossoms that she had plucked out of the trees earlier from her thigh pouch, sprinkling them around them.

That way, no Demons could come close as she tended to him.

She pulled a roll of bandages and placed them on her lap,

Her palms glowed white, a must-like substance emitting from her hands, the magic making its way to the wound. Slowly, the most surrounded the shoulder, starting by stopping the bleeding, then closing the wound.

It didnʼt close completely—but enough to make the bleeding stop and not bleed out again from harsh movements.

Gently, Kougetsu wrapped the bandage around his shoulder, her cold hands occasionally brushing against his skin—she almost pulled back a few times because of how warm his skin was.

It was unsettling.

After placing the roll of bandage back into her thigh pouch, she pulled out a canteen—brown, made of animal skin—and offered the boy some water.

"Drink it. It'll help," Kougetsu advised.

"Whatʼs in it?"

Oh, how badly did she want to roll her eyes.

"Water from the mountains infused with medicinal herbs."

After a few moments of silence, he took the canteen from her hands, with the other pulling back his mask and hide over his head.

For a brief moment, her eyes met with his—a glimmering gold. They reminded her of the melted gold of kintsugi. The way the sky turned to gold as the sun rose from its slumber.

He had beautifully defined futures—from the jawline to the slight sharp upturn of his button-shaped nose. It was slightly crooked, however, which indicated that he had broken it once. He had round, almond eyes, and the cheekbones—dusted with a few freckles, most likely caused by the sun, as well as a small across the bridge of his nose.

'Hm. He is pretty easy to read,' Kougetsu noted.

He brushed stray strands of his dark brown hair—tied in a loose bun—as he tilted his head backwards, eyes closing as he took large gulps of water, Adamʼs apple bobbing.

Thankfully, no Demons were close to her location. She would have to discard the petals sooner or later since she has to fight, but, since she was taking care of the boy at the moment, she had to keep it on her.

At the thought of him, Kougetsu looked over at the boy to see that he had lost his consciousness.

With the flask fallen out of his hands, the liquids had spilled, slowly seeping into the ground.

She sort of expected this—but, seriously? Did he have to drop her only canteen to the ground?

∞

"Wake up, Wolf Boy," Kougetsu spoke up, watching the boy as he stirred in his sleep, eyes opening slowly.

"You're still here?" He asked, voice hoarse. His golden eyes narrowed at the girl in front of him as he tentatively touched his shoulder.

Surprisingly, it was much better. And so was he—he felt more energetic and healthier, even. What did she do?

She nodded in response. "Yes. I needed to tend to your wounds every two hours or so. I used my magic and changed your bandages."

Honestly? He was shocked. After how he treated her in a cold, ungrateful manner, he had expected her to leave while he was out cold.

He was an intolerable boy. Due to being raised by literal animals until he was much older, it was a part of who he was. He was fierce, untamed, rude…

The only person that tolerated him was that old man who read him stories and his wife, who taught him the human language.

He decided that he wasn't going to question her intentions anymore.

"What's your name?" He asked all of a sudden, sitting up properly, eyes over to the girl.

"Yozora Kougetsu. Youʼre allowed to call me Kougetsu, seeing as weʼre the same age." She told him, silver eyes boring into his.

To be honest, he felt quite small (despite being much taller than her, as Kougetsu only reached his shoulder) whenever she did that—stare right into his eyes, with hers being cold and guarded. It reminded him of the full moon on pitch-black nights, yet it did not hold the comforting light in the darkness. It was biting, unruly—like ice.

It was strange—he felt like he had seen them before, somewhere.

But, for now, he will bury those feelings.

"Asahi Seijuu," His lips curled upwards into a wide grin, his golden eyes almost radiating. "Donʼt you forget it, Kougetsu!"

Kougetsu blinked owlishly, looking at the male in front of her, whoʼs demeanor changed instantly.

How strange.

"Whatʼs your magic?" She questioned out of curiosity, brushing out the stray grass on her black hakamashita kimono.

"Beast magic."

She hummed, nodding.

'I havenʼt heard of that before…I wonʼt pry, for now. But I wonder where it comes from.' Kougetsu thought.

"Would you like your ration now, Seijuu?" She asked, rummaging through a satchel—since when did she have a satchel?

"Hey, give me that," Seijuu demanded, reaching for the ration.

Heʼs still rude, no matter how happy and smiley he is.

Kougetsu gave in to the urge of rolling her eyes, giving it to him. She prepared her ration—cooked rice with red beans, cooked chicken giblets, and yellow pickled radish.

She raised her chopsticks to her mouth, about to eat the rice when her eyes shifted over to Seijuu, he seemed to struggle with opening the ration packets.

She raised a brow.

"Youʼre a pain to watch," Kougetsu told him bluntly, placing her chopsticks to the side as she scooted over to his side. She put her hand on his chest and pushed him back gently, causing him to growl.

"Huh? I'm not some little kid! Quit treatinʼ me like one!" He yelled, thick eyebrows forming into a deep frown, lips turned downwards.

She did not respond to his tantrum. Instead, she ignored him, opening the package of rice with red beans, mixing them. She put some sauce that came along to at least give it some flavor, as it was quite bland—it wasnʼt even salted, for goodness sake.

"You just proved you are by not accepting my help when you needed it."

His cheeks flushed a bright red, about to hit her with a stream of insults of his own when she suddenly shoved the chopsticks full of the rice and red beans into his mouth, effectively shutting him up.

His eyes widened in shock for a second before he pried your hands away, grumbling with his cheeks full of food.

Kougetsu bit the insides of her cheeks harshly, trying not to let out even the quietest of laughs at the sight of him eating quickly.

He was basically scarfing down his food, which the girl actually found amusing. She would usually be grossed out by such mannerisms, but with living in a village with lots of young boys for neighbors, she had eventually gotten used to it.

"Why do you use bow and arrows? Theyʼre weak weapons." He asked while munching on his food, causing Kougetsu to purse her lips.

'Ultimately, I may not be used to it, after all.' She sighed internally.

Kougetsu shifted in her place, swallowing the bit of rice she had left.

"They're not weak. And it is none of your business to know why. The only thing Iʼll tell you is that theyʼre wonderful for long distances. Besides, Wielders can have two weapons."

She didnʼt need to tell him that her bow and arrow were forged and used by her late mother. It was none of his business, and they were still strangers to one another.

She gestured to her sheathed katana using her chopsticks and continued. "Of course, I use a sword because they are much more efficient for our magic and close-range battle, which happens more often."

He merely nodded and continued to eat. Judging by the indifferent look on his face, he didnʼt care much for Kougetsu's explanation.

Then whyʼd he ask?

Sighing, she looked over the boy once more, before looking back at her food.

This was going to be quite a fascinating journey with him.