You Failed

As the hours passed by, Fey had fallen into a vicious cycle.

If the demon's limbs showed any signs of healing, chop them off so he couldn't run

If his screams and curses were irritating and hateful, stab him in the throat so he wouldn't speak.

If his bloodshot eyes stared at you with a haunting visage, stab them so he would close them.

As he spent more and more time with the demon, waiting for dawn, Fey started to hate him.

Hate his voice.

Hate his eyes.

Hate him, and everything that makes him up.

Fey was tired and exhausted. He had been walking for most of the day with little breaks in between and food to be had. Then, just when he thought his situation would get better, it got worse instead.

No warm bath, no hot food, and no rest. Fey was too preoccupied with survival before to think about it, but now that the fatigue was catching up to him, he started to grow resentful.

His stomach grumbled and his arms and legs shivered and trembled in protest to the cold and hard labor. Having spent hours in this condition, while in the dark, with a demon who only knew how to curse and stare at you with resentment. Fey's consciousness grew blurry and only his resounding hatred echoing inside his skull.

His deep purple eyes had lost focus and were glazed over. The last string that has been keeping him awake for this long, coiled around his arms and drove the blade down as he chopped and chopped.

At one point the blade chipped, so Fey had to chop twice.

Later on, as Fey's arms grew weary, he had to start chopping three times, and then four times, and then five times.

As the sun rose over the horizon, Fey dropped his katana. The first ray of light touched his toes and went on to cover his feet. The demon was screaming painfully in the back, but Fey couldn't hear him.

The sun looked so beautiful.

While the demon faded into grey ashes, Fey's eyes slowly regained focus. Tears were peeking out from the corner as his eyes stared straight at the sun. It was as though the sunlight would wash away his fatigue, and so Fey stared at it for as long as he could.

With tears streaming down his face, he wanted to make sure he would never forget this scene.

*Thump*

Eventually, he could no longer bear the fatigue that had been accumulating for the whole day. Fey's knees buckled under the pressure as his upper body fell towards the ground.

However, before his face could fully acquaintance itself with the ground, a figure appeared by his side catching him as he fell. Wearing a red tengu mask, as well as a blue jinbei kimono with clouds on it, the figure gently lowered him onto the ground.

The masked figure turned Fey over to face the sun as he inspected him carefully. Black straight hair that flowed from one side of his face onto the other and covered part of his wounded forehead. A straight size nose as well as pinkish lips that were trickling with blood from the corners.

His face was neither round nor square, but rather oval-shaped, with features more reminiscent of a boy as opposed to a hardy man.

The figure placed his fingers over his eyes and gently pried them open to see a set of deep purple eyes, at which point he could finally confirm something.

While Fey looked slightly different from the description in the letter, as his face is marred by cuts and bruises, his key features evidently lined up with the person that the masked figure was looking for. He also demonstrated a certain level of understanding when it comes to demons and how to kill them.

Having found his target, the masked figured gently picked Fey up and left the bloodstained scene behind.

----------------------

Sometime after sunset.

The sound of cicadas echoed around a small hut by the foot of a mountain. A dim light coming from inside, and spilling out of the window, chased away the darkness in the surrounding area.

A fresh breeze crawled into the room and tickled a young boy's nose.

"Mmmmmhhhh"

The young boy, Fey, opened his eyes slightly. He could hear the sound of nature and feel its touch, but he realized that he was not in its embrace.

There was a soft blanket placed on top of him and a pillow beneath his head. Fey could also see the candles dancing with the wind as well as the wooden beams that were holding up the ceiling.

"Go back to sleep. Your body is still tired and it needs some rest."

From the corner of the room, Fey could hear a rough voice. He forced himself to stand up despite the pain and grabbed the katana that was resting by his side.

The commotion, in turn, forced the figure to turn around, and once he did Fey could see his face, or rather his masked face. An intense feeling of crisis resurged in Fey's heart as he drew his katana out from its sheath and dashed over to slash at the figure. However, he failed horribly.

The masked figure turned his body to the side and easily dodged the incoming blade without a trace of panic. Then the figure grabbed Fey's collar as well as his wrist and twisted his body, dragging Fey along with him and making sure to place his foot behind him so that he would trip.

Following through with the motion, the figure pinned Fey down with his knee making sure to maintain a firm hold over his arms and neck.

"Calm down, I am not the demon you were fighting before."

Fey's mind was still dazed.

How did he go from standing up, to looking at the ceiling?

However, after a couple of seconds had passed, his mind finally registered what the masked figure had said, but this didn't mean that Fey would drop his guard. He stared at the figure defiantly as though he was declaring 'wait until I get out of this'.

"I am Sakonji Urokodaki. I assume you are Fey, the one that Ubuyashiki sama sent for me, correct?"

At the mention of Ubuyashiki, Fey's mind cleared up a little. His grip loosened as he let his body relax. Only the real Urokodaki would know that he had been sent by Ubuyashiki to learn from him.

"Yes"

"And you wish to learn how to slay demons from me, right?"

Upon hearing this, Fey's heart started beating rapidly.

"Yes!"

Fey declared excitedly

"You can't"

'Huh?'

As they often say 'the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment'. Having walked for seven days straight and gone through a whole ordeal, the revelation that he was denied by his teacher was like crafting the most beautiful sandcastle only for it to get washed away by the high tide.

Fey wasn't quite sure what to feel at this moment.

"Why?"

Almost as if he were expecting this question, the figure finally got off from Fey and sat in front of him in a seiza. He stared at Fey straight in the eye, and he could feel the seriousness and determination that this masked figure carried.

"You have failed my test."

"Test, what test?"

At the mention of a test, Fey was confused. He had never been told there was a test, nor did he remember being asked to do something. Shouldn't he have at least been notified or something, and what was this test that he had failed?

He remembered his fight against the demon that looked strangely similar to the figure in front of him, and once he did, he clenched his fist as he stared at Urokodaki again. Matching his determined stare with his own angry glare.

"From the moment you woke up, until now. This has all been part of my test. I saw your fight against the demon. Your lack of determination to crush his head could've killed you, thankfully you were at least smart enough to make sure he never had an opportunity to hurt you."

At this point he paused, taking a moment for Fey to sort out his emotions.

'He is right. If I had just crushed his head in the first place I wouldn't have to go through all that, but even so, the thought of having to do that was too much for me.'

Fey lowered his head in shame. He knew that he was right, but even so, he didn't want to commit such a brutal act. What he did was pretty bad, having to cut him every once in a while so he would eventually die once the sun rises, however to Fey this was still different.

In order to make sure that he is completely dead, Fey would've had to come up close and personal and smash a rock to his head repeatedly. At that distance, he would've surely felt his skull slowly break as his blood and bits of brain splashed onto his face and clothes.

"I know what you are thinking, however you must remember that the demons will not give you such mercy in a fight. Do what you must to kill them before they kill you."

Fey lowered his head even more.

"However, this is not why I failed you. I had left your katana by your side in order to see how you would react. From the moment you woke up, your mind was still tense and filled with thoughts of survival and battle. As you are now, you are not fit to be taught."

His words were harsh but true. Fey clenched his fist as he didn't want to give up just yet.

"Give me one more chance."

Urokodaki acted as though he couldn't hear him.

"One more chance! You said I am not fit to be taught now, right? Then I'll wait. I just ask that you give me one more chance."

Fey stared at him and waited, never once breaking line-of-sight. Eventually, after a couple of seconds had passed, Urokodaki nodded.

"Very well, in that case, I will give you one more test. Pass this and I will teach you what I know."

"THANK YOU!"

Fey bowed politely. He needed to pass this test or his future endeavors would be far more difficult, as for what the test was, he wouldn't find out until tomorrow. Urokodaki had ordered him to rest, and Fey had little reason to decline.