Edo period.

  A distant echo of the Heian era.

  There was a time when humans and oni shared almost everything. Peace was not perfect — but it existed.

  Then came the accident.

  The arms of the Statue of Time were destroyed.

  The statue, guarded by two hundred thousand soldiers, stood within a temple forbidden to civilians. Its creation had allowed humans to travel across eras without altering the course of time. Any action taken in the past would dissolve upon returning to the present.

  But that day, everything changed.

  The statue, once crowned with four arms, had been reduced to a single one, fractured along both sides.

  The intruder had been intercepted by the regiment’s sole oni, who sensed the souls of his comrades fading one by one. The battle that followed left no memory behind. Not of the intruder. Not of the fight. Not even of the statue itself.

  The temple vanished from the map.

  From the memory of men.

  Of oni.

  Even of animals.

  Everything was forgotten.

  ---

  And yet, one decree remained.

  Any interaction between humans and oni became punishable by immediate execution.

  As years passed, accusations multiplied. As always, when tragedy strikes, blame seeks a neighbor.

  Hatred replaced coexistence.

  Humans were left alone.

  The oni grew scarce. Some could no longer be seen by human eyes — not by choice, but because those eyes had nearly closed to the spiritual world.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  The statue became nothing more than a fading folktale.

  A disaster with no beginning.

  As for its end…

  It began in Dokugan.

  ---

  The Ronin

  A lone ronin lived there.

  He was known as Leborgne.

  He had been born seeing through only one eye.

  Rumors claimed he was possessed by a malevolent akuma. An old legend spoke of a one-eyed man, accompanied by a woman and a yokai, who had once slaughtered half the village in a single strike.

  His birth was seen as an omen.

  In the region were several sacred springs — seventeen in total — believed to be gifts from the gods, each possessing unique properties.

  And cruel irony: if Leborgne remained submerged in those waters too long, he would drown.

  Fortunately for him, no one knew.

  ---

  Leborgne was tall and strong.

  His beard concealed much of his face.

  His hair, pale like fine flax, was tied back to keep it from his eyes in battle.

  Emotionally, he was almost empty.

  He felt only:

  caution

  anticipation

  interest

  Nothing more.

  He had learned to imitate human reactions, though not always convincingly.

  He trained relentlessly in weapon mastery. He fished.

  And it was during one of those fishing mornings that his true story began.

  ---

  The Lake

  After catching enough to eat, Leborgne remained by the lake to meditate.

  A scream interrupted him.

  A young woman stood at the water’s edge, weeping.

  He approached. She did not answer his questions.

  She stepped into the water.

  A minute passed.

  She did not resurface.

  He understood.

  She intended to die.

  He dove in after her.

  As always, the water reacted strangely. He sank as if falling through air. He caught up to her quickly, using his katana to push himself upward.

  Under the water, he saw another figure.

  He dove again.

  At the bottom.

  A woman’s motionless body.

  He cut through the water toward her, yet the closer he came, the farther she seemed to drift.

  With one final effort, he grasped her hand.

  A sudden pressure.

  The water tore her away.

  She vanished.

  He surfaced.

  The first girl had already plunged in again.

  He chose to save her.

  ---

  At the surface, she coughed and expelled water.

  Then tried to return.

  He stepped in front of her.

  He asked why.

  He did not know why he insisted.

  He stepped aside.

  “If you truly wish to die, then do so. I will not interfere again.”

  She approached the water…

  Then collapsed.

  He hesitated.

  Village? Home?

  The villagers would likely kill her, believing her to be a spy.

  Leave her there?

  He took two steps.

  Then that feeling.

  Like forgetting one’s blade.

  He turned back.

  And carried her with him.

  ---

  The Rumor Returns

  A villager had seen everything.

  Leborgne diving.

  Emerging dry.

  Carrying a woman.

  The legend.

  It was real.

  Panic spread.

  They decided:

  Lock the children indoors

  Arm the adults

  Wait for him to leave

  Fear settled over the village.

  ---

  Awakening

  The young woman opened her eyes.

  Leborgne was cooking fish.

  “You’re awake. Eat. You may return to your suicide afterward.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Then I will accompany you.”

  “You stop me, then allow me?”

  “I have no authority over you.”

  She began to cry.

  He asked if she was hurt.

  She shook her head.

  Her mother had just taken her own life.

  A curse.

  Anyone she loved would die.

  Leborgne decided to search for a counter-curse.

  “Your name?”

  “Ku.”

  “You may speak to me plainly.”

  ---

  The Village

  They entered the village.

  An unusual silence.

  Whispers.

  A merchant pointed them toward a man named Uzu.

  “Dangerous. But compared to you… he’d look harmless.”

  He realized too late what he had implied when he saw Ku’s expression.

  Leborgne thanked him.

  They followed the directions.