Huff! Huff!

A man sprinted with labored breath, every fiber of his being drained as he pushed himself to keep running. 

He had shed a significant amount of blood, lost an arm and an eye. Then, suddenly, he stumbled over a protruding tree root, crashing painfully to the ground. 

Determined not to waste a moment, he crawled towards a nearby tree, struggling to regain his footing. The stakes were too high to give up now.

"Why is this torment upon me?" Yasuhiro pondered, his voice barely a whisper as he fought to rise.

"Damn it, Yoshiaki, Miwa, Tomoko, please wait a little longer. I will soon join you all," Yasuhiro declared through tear-streaked cheeks. 

An hour earlier, Yasuhiro and his family had settled down to camp for the night as darkness engulfed the surroundings. 

A crackling fire illuminated their makeshift campsite, with Miwa preparing a simple meal to stave off the chill of the night.

"Dad, tell us that story again," Yoshiaki, his 5-year-old son, requested eagerly.

"Yes, tell us," chimed in Tomoko, his 3-year-old daughter, her innocent voice echoing in the night.

"Shhh, you wouldn't want Tsukiko-sama to come for you," Yasuhiro warned, using the eerie tale to quiet his children, a method that proved effective. With bated breath, they listened.

"Long ago, in this very region, there existed a village. During a year of great drought, when the land lay barren and starvation loomed, the villagers faced dire circumstances," Yasuhiro recounted, his tone grave.

"One fateful night, a group of hunters ventured into the mountains in search of sustenance. Only three returned, bearing a deer. When questioned about their missing companions, they revealed that they had encountered the mountain spirit, who demanded a sacrifice in exchange for food," Yasuhiro continued, his words painting a haunting picture of desperation.

"As the villagers teetered on the brink of starvation, they devised a grim solution – offering sacrifices to the mountain god, Tsukiko-sama, in exchange for sustenance. Years passed, and the village began to thrive, but the true nature of their pact remained a dark secret," Yasuhiro narrated, the tale unfolding with a sinister undercurrent.

"When the drought ended, and prosperity returned to the village, the need for sacrifices waned. Yet, this displeased Tsukiko-sama, who descended from the mountain one fateful night, unleashing her wrath upon the unsuspecting villagers for their broken promises," Yasuhiro concluded, the weight of the story hanging heavy in the air.

"Dinner is served," Miwa announced, breaking the tension that lingered after Yasuhiro's unsettling tale.

Rustle! Rustle!

A sudden rustling in the bushes startled the horses, setting an ominous tone. Yasuhiro swiftly armed himself, shielding his children from whatever threat lurked nearby, while Miwa attempted to calm the agitated animals.

Emerging from the shadows was a woman of ethereal beauty, her features captivating in their otherworldly allure – thin lips, fair complexion, and cascading black tresses that seemed to shimmer in the firelight. 

Yasuhiro found himself entranced by her presence, unable to tear his gaze away.

"Stop gawking," Miwa snapped, her disapproval punctuated by a sharp pinch that jolted Yasuhiro from his reverie.

"Ouch!" he yelped in pain, his focus returning to the surreal encounter unfolding before them.

"I apologize for the interruption; I seem to have lost my way," the woman spoke, her voice a melodic contrast to the tension that gripped the camp.

"You have a beautiful family," she remarked, her words tinged with an air of mystery.

"How do you know we're a family?" Miwa's voice held a note of suspicion, her protective instincts on high alert.

"Oh, pardon my assumption," the woman replied smoothly, her gaze lingering on the family before her.

"Miwa, calm yourself. The lady appears lost," Yasuhiro interjected, seeking to diffuse the growing unease that permeated the scene.

"Would you care to join us for dinner, um..." Yasuhiro hesitated, unsure of how to address the enigmatic stranger.

"It's Tsukiko," the woman supplied, her name sending a chill down Yasuhiro's spine as memories of his earlier tale resurfaced.

"Ah, Tsukiko-Sama, much like the stories," Tomoko innocently remarked, her words echoing the ominous folklore shared by her father.

"Hush, don't speak nonsense," Yasuhiro scolded gently, wary of the unfolding reality that seemed to mirror the chilling legend.

"My apologies for the unsettling story," Yasuhiro offered, attempting to navigate the delicate balance between courtesy and apprehension in Tsukiko's presence.

"No need for apologies. I must admit, I find this tale quite intriguing," Tsukiko replied cryptically, her gaze holding a hint of something darker beneath the surface.

As Yasuhiro recounted the harrowing legend to their unexpected guest, a strange smile played upon Tsukiko's lips, a portent of impending dread.

"What troubles you, Tsukiko?" Yasuhiro inquired, sensing a shift in the atmosphere that hinted at impending doom.

"Who would have thought there was a survivor? Fate smiles upon me this day," Tsukiko murmured, her words laden with a sinister undercurrent that sent shivers down Yasuhiro's spine.

Before he could react, a sudden thud shattered the night, the head of his beloved daughter, Tomoko, rolling to his feet in a grotesque display of horror.

"What sorcery is this?" Yasuhiro's voice trembled with disbelief, his mind struggling to grasp the nightmarish reality unfolding before him.

"Aaaaaaaah!" he screamed, a primal sound of anguish and terror echoing through the darkness as his world crumbled around him.

"Yes, that look of despair, it's a delicacy I savor," Tsukiko remarked, her words chillingly devoid of remorse.

The haunting sound of his weeping son stirred him from his slumber, granted him just a faint sliver of resolve to rise. 

He could not bear the thought of losing the rest of his kin while he wallowed in the desolation of his own misery.

Yasuhiro summoned every ounce of strength within him to pull himself together, a mere shadow of his former self, and hastened towards his son and wife with a drawn sword in hand. 

His heart quivered with fear as he faced the grim reality before him.

"Ah, fret not, for I shall not end your lives now. Begin your escape while I savor my first meal," Tsukiko uttered, pointing towards the lifeless form of Tomoko. 

Miwa stood paralyzed in shock and fear, soon fainting to escape the reality of what she just witnessed, while Yoshiaki wept in confusion.

Dread immobilized Yasuhiro as he stood face to face with the malevolent being who embodied the folklore passed down through generations—a deity no, a demon. 

"Time is slipping away," Tsukiko's voice pierced through his inner turmoil.

"Indeed, your daughter is rather delectable and soft to chew, albeit a tad too bony for my liking," Tsukiko remarked as she began consuming Tomoko. 

Tears mingled with blood cascaded down Yasuhiro's face as he witnessed the macabre scene, prompting him to hastily place his weeping son and unconscious wife in their cart, fleeing from the scene of horror.

Despite the seething rage within him towards Tsukiko, fear remained the dominant emotion, rendering him incapable of resistance. 

His body refused to comply with his will to confront the demoness, compelling him to flee.

"Hiya! Hiya!" Yasuhiro's desperate cries echoed into the bleak night as he urged the horse to gallop faster, endeavoring to outpace the pursuing demon. 

The darkness enveloped him, along with the cold night air gnawing at his very core, disorienting his sense of direction.

At a sudden jolt, the wheel of his cart collided with an obstacle, sending his wife and son hurtling through the air. 

With a resounding crash, their bodies crashed to the ground. Miraculously he was unscathed save for minor scratches, Yasuhiro scrambled to his feet, only to witness the tragic fate that befell his son.

His son's life seemed to have been extinguished in an instant, he had a bad fall and landed on his head, followed by his wife landing on top him cementing his fate.

A grim contrast to his wife who landed atop him, awakening to the horrific realization that she may have inadvertently caused her sons demise. Yasuhiro's shattered psyche could not fathom the unfolding tragedy.

"It's all my fault," he murmured like a malfunctioning machine, his wife cradling their deceased son, singing a lullaby she once tenderly crooned to their children. 

Bereft of reason and will, Miwa found solace in madness, having lost her two offspring.

With the horse bolting into the darkness, a foreboding swish and thud announced Tsukiko's arrival. 

"Ah, there you are," she remarked, standing amidst the aftermath of devastation. 

"How delightful. It seems your son is already dead," Tsukiko's said upon witnessing the scene, her words plunged Yasuhiro deeper into despair.

Haunted by guilt and remorse, his mind spiraling into darkness, Yasuhiro faced the cruel reality of his actions. 

Upon witnessing his defeated form Tsukiko came up with an idea to make things more fun for her, offering a sinister game of survival.

"How about a game, where I feast upon your wife and son, and you flee? If I catch you when I am done, you can offer a piece of yourself to me in return, I will let you flee again. If you can endure my pursuit until dawn, your life shall be spared," Tsukiko proposed, a twisted bargain that reeked of despair and impossibility.

Drowning in conflicting emotions, Yasuhiro hesitated, torn between sacrificing his beloved wife and his own survival. 

The whispered promise of a chance to start anew gnawed at his conscience, compelling him to make a harrowing decision.

With a heavy heart, he rose to his feet, turned his back on his family, and fled into the night, leaving behind a trail of tears and shattered lives. 

And as he stole a final glance, the image of his wife's tear-streaked face burned into his memory, a poignant reminder of the sacrifice he made in the name of survival.