Tales Of Ayakashi

CHAPTER 6

There was a reason why yokai classified plant demons among the weakest of them, even though most have over a million years of cultivation experience. 

It was because of the fact that once a plant demon assumed a human form, they would be going against the natural order of things, so to balance it out, they were only given a few years of life as a human and their millions of years of cultivation would be used up, rendering them completely human. 

In short, plant demons would exchange their powerful cultivation bases in exchange for  a few short years as a human whenever they transformed. So, plant demons who were brave enough to go through human transformation were very rare, and those who did only ended up living for a few years. 

Ayakashi smiled bitterly as he looked at his older brother. "You can't choose who you fall for," he said. 

Black Onyx King's shoulders slumped. "You-" he sighed. "I don't know whether to call you lucky or unlucky," 

"It happened in an instant, you know?" Ayakashi said after a moment. Black Onyx King strode forward and slumped down beside him. 

"At first I was annoyed. I took her in because I thought she would make a fine plaything, but..." Ayakashi smiled, wryly. "Before I knew it, she was by my side and it felt as if it was always meant be," 

"Fate, huh?" Black Onyx King wondered, gazing out at the big sakura tree in the courtyard. he smiled, reassured. "If it's you brother, I'm not worried," he said. 

"Eh?" Ayakashi looked at him. Blakc Onyx King glanced at him from the corner of his eye, then turned  to face him. "To tell the truth, when I heard that you've taken in a plant demoness as a wife, my first thought was to kill her. I came today to do just that, but then..." he paused. 

Ayakashi who had stiffened when he hears about his brothers plan to kill Hanamari, looked at him, cautiously. 

Blakc Onyx King didn't look at him, as he inhaled his pipe. Exhaling, he watched as the tendrils of smoke swirl out and dispersing in the air. "You seemed happy," he said, after a while. 

"Ayakashi blinked, "Hah?" 

"Don't sound so surprised. Ever since you came back...no...ever since you gained your divinity, it always felt like that there was no end to your blood-thirst. Actually, I was worried for you even before then. It felt as though you would one day be consumed by your own power. I was worried that a day would come that we had to put you down. Not because you were evil or anything, but simply because you'd loose control," Black Onyx King said, his voice serene as if he was talking about an everyday thing and not the fact that he had contemplated killing his own brother. 

Ayakashi pursed his lips. It's hard to say that he wasn't disconcerted at the fact that his brother had been wary of him, but he knew more than anyone that he had had a reason to be worried. 

Actually, Ayakashi's violent tendencies was mostly because of the fact that he was born half yokai and half devil. The Devil blood in him always sought to control him, and his Yokai blood fought against it. Because of this, he was always sick as a kid, and many thought he was weak without an ounce of strength in him.

There was next to no expectation from him as the next head of the clan, so he was always left alone. It was during this time that he slowly accumulated his  strength and consolidated his power. It had always been a thin line between life and death for him. 

Whenever he got stronger his devil blood would surge and yokai half of him would suppress it. If he fail to control it in time, the price would be his soul erased out of existence. It was one of the reasons why devils and yokai never mingled. An offspring from such a union was like a cursed existence, never to live to see a full ten seasons.