Page 28

28

The Threads That Bind

TATSUYA

T he streets were eerily quiet as we stalked through the night, the soft padding of my feet the only sound beneath the hum of distant traffic. I kept my senses sharp, feeling the weight of the demon stirring beneath me, its hunger only partially sated from earlier. It wasn’t just the blood that it craved—no, this wasn’t something as simple as a thirst for flesh. The Oni had a hunger for control, for power, for destruction.

And I hated it.

After everything that had happened, something unexpected occurred. The hunger that had consumed me—both Tatsuya and the Oni—subsided. It wasn’t an instant change, but with Momoi’s touch, her presence, something in me shifted. The rage, the bloodlust—it all seemed to recede identically to the way the tide pulled away from the shore before a tsunami.

I felt my body return to its human form, a sensation as unfamiliar as it was relieving. The sharpness of my senses dulled. My skin returned to its natural color. The horns vanished. My hands were no longer monstrous claws, but human again, trembling as they held onto what little control I had left. I didn’t understand why this had happened. I didn’t know how long it would last or even if it would happen again.

It was an odd, fragile reprieve. I could almost pretend—if only for a moment—that I wasn’t the beast I’d become. But that thought was fleeting because the weight of everything that had happened still lingered. And deep down, I knew there was no going back.

But right now, in the aftermath, it was the only thing that kept me from spiraling into madness, kept me alive, and moving forward.

For Momoi, I had to keep going. I couldn’t afford to stop. Not until I figured out how to protect her from everything coming for her. The Yakuza, the lies, whatever dark forces had her caught in their grasp—I couldn’t rest. I couldn’t let myself break. Not when I still had a chance to keep her safe.

Even if I had no idea how to do that.

She was everything I had left, and for the first time in a long time, I wanted to be something more than the monster I had become.

"We’re close," I muttered under my breath, the Oni’s senses guiding us, alert and always searching for the next threat. My mind still wrestled with the conflicting desires, the demon pushing forward as it relished the idea of tearing through anyone who stood in our way.

"Stay focused," I thought to myself, a grim reminder. It was not just about killing. It was about surviving. About controlling this madness long enough to fix things.

My mind was still trying to wrap around what happened between me and Momoi. Though I had fantasized about it in the quiet of my room back at the temple, I didn’t think she would desire us after my transformation. I had prepared myself for her to be disgusted, for her to scream at me to stay away. Instead, her unpredictable nature shocked me once again, leading to our... bizarre three-way union.

A growl rumbled in my skull, the Oni still seething at the thought of sharing her with me. Tough luck. We were one in body. And to my disbelief, she had called for me too, in the heat of the moment.

The guilt and shame that would normally consume me were dulled by the Oni's raging carnal cravings. I couldn’t tell if that was a blessing or a curse for me.

"Stay focused," I muttered, trying to push aside the swirling chaos inside me.

The Oni chuckled darkly, his voice dripping with disdain. " Ah, the monk speaks of focus. Like a leaf on a turbulent river, your mind is tossed by every gust of wind, Tatsuya. "

I clenched my fists, trying to ignore the mocking tone. "I know what I’m doing," I bit back.

" Sure ," he replied, his laughter rumbling low in my chest. " Like the blind man searching for a green flower in a field of red. "

The target was another hidden Yakuza faction, one I had only just recently heard whispers about in my time away from the temple. Their ties to the Takehide’s overseas operation and the murky depths of Momoi’s past had led me here.

We stopped in an alley, shadows swallowing us whole as I crouched beside a rusty dumpster, my eyes trained on the building ahead. I could hear voices, muffled and low, drifting through a small crack in the wall. The Oni stirred inside me, sensing the game ahead, and I knew it was only a matter of time before it would demand to make its presence known.

“Focus,” I repeated, my hand gripping the stone wall beside me as I willed myself to hear what they were saying.

Through the cracks, I caught the low murmur of a few voices—Yakuza, unmistakable by their gruff tones and half-formed words.

“I heard she’s some brat related to the Takehide’s overseas," one voice said, low and cautious.

Related? By blood? Was that why they were after her? Was she a Yakuza princess or something?

The Oni laughed, a low, rumbling sound that seemed to shake my very bones. " Oh, how the plot thickens ," he said, savoring the irony. " A hidden past, a secret bloodline, and here we are, tangled in it all. " His voice dripped with dark amusement. " You should be grateful, Tatsuya. This drama, this chaos—it’s just the kind of thing to keep things... interesting. "

I ignored him.

"Yeah, you didn’t know?” another sneered, probably the new guy. “She’s deeper in than anyone thought. They want her sent overseas in trade for more human shipments. Her name’s already crossed the radar. Supposedly, she’s the key to something. Though how they let her reach Japan still doesn’t make any sense, but what do I know?”

"Shit." The first voice sighed. "Didn’t they say she’s got a half-brother in prison? Some kid that’s tangled up in this mess, too?"

I froze, every muscle in my body going tense. A half-brother? Momoi had never mentioned him. The thought stirred something unsettling within me, but there was more—something else I needed to hear.

"Yeah," the second voice responded. "His name’s Kaito. He's in a high-security prison. Not sure what for, but I heard rumors about him trying to take over some of the family’s operation."

The conversation seemed trivial at first, but there was a pattern forming, threads connecting themselves intricately into a web. I knew where this was headed.

"And the Karura? What do they say about that?" A new voice, deep and jagged, broke through the conversation.

The mention of a Karura froze me. That was no ordinary creature—a legendary warrior of unimaginable power, a deity. The very idea of it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. If Momoi was truly connected to it, the stakes had just been raised to something far darker and more dangerous than I could have ever imagined.

The Oni inside me immediately reacted—an icy chill raced through my body as if something had sparked within me, the dark memories of old whispers rising from the depths of the past.

I leaned in closer, my heart pounding against my chest. The Karura. I had heard it spoken of before in hushed tones—an ancient symbol tied to power, to bloodlines that were older than time itself. It was more than just a myth.

“What about the dragon?” I whispered under my breath, the words lost to the night. The Karura were known to battle dragons. Their battles were legendary, like fire clashing against the storms of the sea.

But the Oni wasn’t lost. The mention of the Karura and the dragon, a potent combination tied to power, brought the demon to full alert. It was an awakening, a sudden pulse of violence beneath my skin as if my very essence had been set on fire.

"Did you hear about the Karura and the dragon?" one of the Yakuza asked again, his voice low with fascination, yet there was something else—fear.

“Yeah," the other answered, “They say whoever controls the Karura controls the power of the dragon. I don’t know how it all fits with the Takehide, but Momoi's involved in it somehow. She’s the key. I mean, rumor has it that it was a ‘gang war’ that took out the head?—”

My blood ran cold.

The moment their final words hit my ears, I felt the rage surge through me like a lightning strike.

The Oni, hungry and violent as always, reacted without hesitation. He tore through my thoughts with a force that was impossible to ignore. Before I could even attempt to hold him back, he was already in full control.

" Not now, not yet... " I tried to protest, but the Oni didn’t care.

I could feel the muscles in my body stretch and crack as my bones shifted, reshaping into something monstrous. The familiar rush of transformation flooded over me. Skin turning a deep, fiery red, horns breaking through the top of my skull, and those eyes—those eyes burning with a yellow fury.

The Kanabō—a spiked club—appeared in my hands as if summoned by the demon itself, a weapon made of pure fury and hunger. I was no longer Tatsuya. I was a force of nature, a monster born to destroy.

The laughter echoed in my skull, that dark, twisted sound of the Oni enjoying himself, basking in the chaos he had created.

“What fun this will be,” he crooned, his voice stronger than I had ever heard it since this all started.

I wanted to scream, to fight against him, but it was useless. His laughter drowned out my thoughts and my protests. I was helpless to stop him.

I watched, unable to control my own body, as the Oni surged forward, moving with the kind of paranormal predatory speed that only he could possess. The men in front of us never stood a chance. With each swing of the Kanabō, bodies crumpled, bones shattered like brittle twigs. Blood sprayed across the room, staining everything in its wake.

I could feel the violence in every blow, every brutal strike. The Oni’s laughter filled the air as if he was savoring every moment, every death.

"Pathetic," the Oni taunted. "They thought they could stop us?"

I wanted to stop. I wanted to pull back and regain control, but the Oni's hunger burned brighter than ever. There was no holding him back. He was in full control now, and the only thing he cared about was spilling blood and leaving destruction in his wake.

I watched as he obliterated the last of the men, their bodies broken and twisted. The Kanabō came down one final time, and the world went silent.

For a moment, everything was still. The Oni's laughter finally faded, and I was left alone with the aftermath. The room was a blood-soaked mess, the air thick with the stench of violence. I could still feel the heat of the Oni's rage in my chest, his presence overwhelming.

How could you ? —

“—and it won’t stop. It can’t," the Oni continued, its voice dripping with venomous satisfaction, the hum of its deep tone echoing in the back of my skull.

I gritted my teeth, fists clenching at my sides. This is what you wanted, wasn’t it, Tatsuya? he mocked again, the words crawling under my skin like fire. This is what happens when you let me out. You can’t stop it, can you?

I wanted to scream. I wanted to scream and deny it all—shout that I never asked for this, that this wasn’t what I wanted. But I knew the truth. I knew the truth of how much of me was now intertwined with the demon inside me. That hunger—the insatiable, twisted need—was mine, too. As much as I hated it, as much as I cursed it, it was part of me.

I didn’t answer. There was nothing I could say to him.

The Oni’s laughter echoed through my mind, loud and dark. You see, Tatsuya, he sneered, The bloodshed, the violence... it’s all so sweet, so fulfilling. But now, what do I crave more than anything else?

I felt the words build in the pit of my stomach, the foul hunger stirring again. My hands clenched tighter, the claws underneath my skin itching to break free.

“Momoi...” the Oni purred, the name slipping from its tongue like a predator tasting its prey. She’s the only thing that can truly sate me now, don’t you think? After all this blood... the only thing that will keep me satisfied is her.

My breath caught in my throat. The idea of her... No. It twisted something inside of me, something dark and uncontrollable. I could feel it—the pull, the desire, growing stronger with each passing second. The Oni’s hunger wasn’t just his anymore. It was mine too. And I hated that. Hated that my own desires were becoming as twisted as his when it came to Momoi.

I had to fight this. I had to stop him before it consumed us both. But the more I struggled, the more I felt the line between us blur. The Oni wasn’t just a separate entity anymore. He was a part of me. And that part of me was craving something I couldn’t give, something I didn’t want to feel.

The demon’s voice coiled in my mind, insistent and vile. She belongs to us, Tatsuya. She wants us—both of us. Why fight it?

I gritted my teeth, the rage building inside of me, clashing with the shame and guilt. This wasn’t who I was supposed to be. This wasn’t how I wanted to feel about her.

But every time I tried to push him down, to suppress the monster within me, I felt my grip on myself slipping. Let me have her, the Oni taunted. She’s already ours, Tatsuya. The blood we spilled, the fire we’ve ignited... it’s all leading to her. She’s our prize.

I clenched my fists so tight my knuckles ached, trying to drown out his voice, trying to hold on to the small piece of humanity that remained in me. But the truth was clear now. There was no turning back. The Oni wasn’t going anywhere. And neither was I.

I hated it. Hated that the very thing I feared was becoming a part of me, a part of my desires. And even more than that, I hated that the one person who had the power to bring me back from the edge was the very person I now feared would be consumed by both of us.

I had to stop. I had to control this. But the Oni’s presence, the hunger, the darkness—it was too strong. And the worst part was, I wasn’t sure I wanted to stop anymore.

“Shut up,” I finally forced out, my voice hoarse. “You can’t?—”

But it was no use. His presence surged within me, overpowering my attempts to reason. You’re just as much a part of this as I am, Tatsuya. She wants us—both of us. She needs us, and I’ll claim her again and again until she never forgets it.

I could feel the demon’s rage boiling up again. It wanted to hunt, to claim, to dominate. The bloodshed had only fueled it further, fed the beast that lurked in me.

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. Part of me, the part that was still human, wanted to protect her, wanted to shield her from this monster inside me. But the other part of me—the Oni—hungered for her in a way that twisted my very soul. She was the prize, the one thing that could both calm and ignite the fury in me.

I didn’t know how long I could hold this all back.