"T-Thank you, Yaihan," the soldier rattled. "I've never seen a single man take on... an Oni. Let alone two." As the injured man tried to set himself upright, he moved his hand to cover his wound while letting out a faint grunt. The cultivator angled the man upwards with his arm and looked into his eyes.

"Don't struggle too much. You'll only hurt yourself further," Yaihan said. “You deserve some rest.”

The dying man struggled to put on a smile. "You've done something that no other Xiwaoan has. I've lost many friends in battle trying to take on battalions of Onis that were even just a third our size. We haven’t won a single battle since their invasion started. I never thought I'd see a normal man kill an Oni on his own... let alone unarmed."

"Can you tell me anything about the Oni-Zhen? It's been a while since I last stepped on Xiwao's mainland. This is the first time I've ever encountered these demons."

"Consider yourself lucky,” the soldier said with a frown. “T-They were once... like us..." The man’s words were interrupted by a violent cough. He put a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound, only to coat his fingers in blood. 

"If it hurts to speak, then rest. I am sure I can find someone else who could fill me in on what has happened in the past ten years." Yaihan reached for the waterskin fastened to the belt wrapped around his waist. He gave the container a quick swirl to get an idea of how much was still inside. 

"Sounds like you don't have much left," the soldier said, eyeing the container. 

"I don't. But I'll be fine." Yaihan held the back of the man's neck and tilted it back before placing the spout to the soldier's lips. "You'll make better use of it than me."

The wounded man closed eyes and slowly drank the remaining amount of water inside. Once he downed the drink, he let out a sigh of relief. "They say you should never waste water on a dying man," the soldier muttered. Despite how quiet his voice was, there was less pain present.

"You fought well. The least I can do offer you comfort in death."

The soldier smiled one last time. He blinked a few times, unable to prevent a tear from escaping. "Thank you. The least I can do... is tell you where to go from here. My village has been conquered. Everyone has either been slain or captured. I managed to escape… at least for a bit. Wanted to keep fighting with what little remains of our army. There are rumors of one last Xiwaoan stronghold. Just over that way."

With a shaky hand, he pointed to Yaihan's right. The land ahead was an expansive field of stone and dirt. But the direction that the soldier pointed too had a single, ominous gray cloud looming over it despite the rest of the sky being blue. 

"I'll head over there now."

"One more thing." The soldier coughed again and then took another series of deep breaths. "Some say there are other powerful warriors... over in Shanyong. I don't know how true the hearsay is. But it's been said that they have a magical healer. Many have fled there... only to get cut down on their journey. Seems that I'm only going to be the latest on that never-ending list. Please... don't end up like me. Xiwao needs you."

Yaihan nodded. "I'll do my best to make sure I make it to Shanyong."

"Good. Because if that falls... then the entire world will." The soldier closed his eyes and stopped trying to stay upright. "Thank you. Again." 

His entire body went limp. Yaihan lowered the deceased soldier to the ground and lay him so his arms rested over his stomach. He then stood up and looked at the two demons that lay on the dirt. The one without a head remained motionless, but the other demon with the sword in between his ribs still squirmed. The cultivator went to his side and with a well-placed kick to the demon, flipped him upright. 

"You're still alive?" Yaihan said to the Oni, his voice carrying both confusion and scorn. The demon reached for the sword embedded in his side, only for the cultivator to grab his index finger and stop him. 

"What more do you want from me?" the demon said with a trembling voice. "You've already killed my comrade. And you stuck this sword in my side! I can’t stand up with all this pain. You've won already!"

"I have many questions. And I demand answers." Yaihan pinched the demon's finger tight. His fingers pressed into the scaley skin like it was rotten fruit, making the Oni squeal. 

"Gah!" 

"Your friend could use a new head. Perhaps I could help you in lending him yours," Yaihan said as he let go of the finger. 

"No, no! I think he's fine the way he is."

"So, you'll cooperate?" Yaihan let go of the demon's hand and walked next to his head. From his laying position, the demon nodded. 

"What do you want to know?"

"Where do the Oni-Zhen come from?"

"Y-you really don't know?" the demon asked with confusion. "I thought you were just playing dumb as part of a trick."

"This is my first time back on Xiwao's mainland in a decade." Yaihan's eyes narrowed. "Now, answer my question."

"We made a pact," the demon began. "We perform a ritual... sell our souls and we get these new, powerful forms. And in exchange, we carry out our leader’s bidding. We were promised that mere humans would not be able best us! Xinglo told us that this land would be ours to rule forever!"

Yaihan perked up after hearing the familiar name. "Xinglo?" he asked. "I've heard that name before. He was nothing more than the leader of a band of rebellious marauders that was on the verge of annihilation when I last lived on the mainland. How did he come to take charge of an army of demons?"

"I don't know the full details. I'm just a recent convert. Once my division was wiped out, I was given the choice to either convert to Oni. Or die."

Yaihan shook his head. "And you chose both."

The demon's eyes widened. Fear was evident despite them being pitch black. "But you promised to spare me if I answered your questions! I'll keep giving you answers... just let me live!" the Oni pleaded.

"And as a former Xiwaoan soldier, you promised to protect the country and to protect those that cannot defend themselves. Yet here you are, chasing a wounded man." Yaihan stepped to the side and pointed at the dead warrior on the ground. "You broke your oath. I see no reason to uphold mine."

The demon placed one hand on the ground to try and upright himself, but Yaihan stopped his rise by pushing his shoulder. The Oni fell back to the earth with a thud, sending dirt and sand scattering around as he grunted. "Wait! You can't kill me! You don't know what lies on the other side for us Oni-Zhen when we're slain!"

"Enlighten me." Yaihan pinned his enemy to the ground by stepping on his shoulder.

"Eternal damnation!" the Oni mumbled. "My soul will burn as I toil in perpetual servitude for the beast that Xinglo made his deal with.

"And why would you make a pact that would claim your soul?"

"B-Because... we were told we'd live forever if we survive the war! No human can fight an Oni head on. Within a year, the Oni-Zhen had conquered most of the country with minimal causalities... For me, it was either certain death or certain victory."

The cultivator pressed his foot down hard enough to make the bones in the demon's shoulder crack. "Sounds like cowardice, to me."

"I-I'll admit it!" the Oni replied while wincing. "My choice was made in a moment of fear and weakness. All of my allies were slaughtered in front of me. Either I follow their fate or survive to fight another day. Surely... you can see why one would become an Oni. You can't fault me for being human!"

"I can't." Yaihan took his foot off the demon's shoulder. "But you are no longer human."

A tear slipped from the demon’s eye. “Please! Even if what I’ve done was wrong… do you think that warrants what’s waiting for me on the other side? I could atone for what I’ve done wrong… switch sides even! Just think of how much help an Oni could be to the Xiwaoan cause.”

“I have no sympathy for the wicked, no matter their story,” the cultivator said sternly. 

Yaihan raised a fist. The demon took in one last deep breath out of fear before the cultivator ended him with a single jab to the forehead. The strike ended the Oni's life in a gory yet whimsical explosion. Bone, blood and flesh scattered across the ground, livening up the dull landscape with a collage of bright red. Yaihan shook his hand again, flinging the bits of the demon stuck to his fingers onto the dirt. Another wind passed through, sending the scent of blood through his nostrils again. 

Without looking back, Yaihan marched forward to the gray storm cloud that lingered in the distance.