The god of blood and iron: Part 1

After I fell asleep to Sakuya’s touch, I didn't wake up until the following day. And at some point during the night, I had a nightmare.

...

I was standing in some kind of underground cavern. The place was dark but mostly illuminated by fire lamps hanging on the stone walls. The entire area felt large and ancient, as if it had existed for thousands of years. And just when I started to think I was all alone, I saw it.

A figure.

Black.

Tall.

Pressed flat against the opposite wall in front of me.

It was human in appearance, but not exactly.

It stood over eight feet tall, its body resembling shiny, deep-black copper. It was slender in form, yet its muscles looked chiseled from stone. Its hair was long, braided afro that almost reached its waist. It was barefoot but wore a loincloth to cover up its parts.

I recognized the figure almost immediately. Because for the past nineteen years, its visage had been engraved at the center of my chest in deep black ink.

It was Ogun.

The spirit god of war, iron, and craftsmanship.

Suddenly, I was terrified, and I couldn’t tell why.

I tried moving my legs, but they wouldn’t budge. I tried turning my head to see if there was a path behind me, but I couldn’t do that either. My heart rate elevated. My breathing came out in sharp, frantic gasps. A sinking realization settled in. Something bad was about to happen.

And it happened.

In an instant, the eyes of the Ogun statue flashed open, revealing bright, yellow circles.

Then—

BREAK!

The sharp crack of stone separating from stone.

Ogun, the statue, now had one hand freed from the wall behind him.

I was dead.

I was in trouble, and I knew it.

I wanted to run. I wanted to do anything but stand there, watching as the spirit freed itself. But that was exactly what I did.

BREAK!

BREAK!

BREAK!

BREAK!

The god was now completely free from the wall, standing at his full height.

My heart dropped.

I still couldn’t move.

I was standing right in front of him.

He was looking at me.

He had seen me.

Slowly, he shifted into a running stance.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

He was running toward me.

He was going to—

...

I woke up, sucking in a huge gulp of air just as the spirit was about to collide with me in the dream.

Phew, I thought, allowing myself to relax a bit. It was only a dream. Nothing to get worked up about—

I was wrong.

BOOM!

An unseen force suddenly crashed into my chest, sending me flying back and slamming my head against the wall.

An explosion of pain.

The wind was entirely knocked out of me.

I was breathless.

What... just... happened?

I was overwhelmed with pain. I couldn’t even think straight. I rolled off my bed and hit the floor. I still couldn’t breathe.

I was shirtless, from when Sakuya had rubbed lotion on my chest the day before.

I hugged the back of my head and winced in agony. I felt something wet.

Blood?

I brought my trembling fingers for a closer look.

Yep.

There was blood.

My eyes widened.

Was I about to die?

***

(At the Temple courtyard.)

That morning, Sakuya was held up in training with Ash.

Standing in the middle of the temple courtyard was a very large, seven-foot samurai spirit clad in full-body armor, wielding a sword, and wearing a straw hat. It was a reformed Onryo—a former vengeful spirit turned good. And now, he was their sparring partner.

Sakuya and Ash both walked up to the spirit to show their respects before battle. They bowed, and the spirit responded with a bow of his own.

"Kyō wa Rei Shugosha to sono shugosha to tomo ni kunren dekiru koto o kōei ni omoimasu," the spirit samurai said.

"It will be an honor training with the Spirit Guardian and her protector today."

Sakuya responded on behalf of both herself and Ash.

"Kōei na no wa wareware no hō desu, idai naru rei yo," she said.

"The honor is ours, mighty spirit."

"Hm." The spirit nodded.

Then everybody took their positions.

...

The large samurai still stood at the center, clutching his two massive blades. Ash was to the left of Sakuya, holding one of her swords. Sakuya herself gripped her staff.

They all waited for a moment.

The wind blew.

Leaves rustled.

Then—

Ash made the first move.

Sprinting.

Pup pup pup pup pup.

She teleported at the last second, reappearing midair behind the samurai and taking a swipe at the nape of his neck with her sword.

CLANK!

The samurai spun just in time and parried the attack.

"Hai!"

With a powerful wave of his sword hand, he pushed her off. Ash landed some distance away on her feet.

Finally, it was Sakuya's turn, but her mind was barely focused on the fight. As she launched toward the spirit with her staff, only one thought filled her mind.

Jumo.

She couldn't tell why.

She just felt like something was off.

***

(Back at the house.)

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong with me.

I tried getting off the ground after I was initially knocked down by the unseen force. My head was pounding. My skull felt like it was about to crack open. My breathing was heavy, and my heart was racing.

Was I still dreaming?

What the hell had touched me?

Slowly, I carried myself up and sat on the bed. The blood on the ground showed just how bad my injury was—how I was probably going to bleed out.

I was definitely not dreaming.

I briefly glanced around for my phone. I needed to call someone. Emergency services. Anyone. But I couldn't find it.

And then—

I felt it.

The tattoo on my chest began to itch again.

Violently.

However, this time, I could feel it spreading.

Panicked, I looked down.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I had to be dreaming. Or hallucinating. Or something.

The tattoos on my body were melting. Mixing. Spreading like black paint all over my chest, arms, stomach, and back.

What was happenin—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BAM!

I didn't even get enough time to finish my thought. The invisible force was back, and it had slammed into my face with such intensity. My head was violently jerked back from the blow, and I was suddenly launched across the room.

CRASH!

The sound of my back bashing into my bedroom mirror and shattering into pieces. Tiny glass cutting into my skin.

The pain was indescribable.

I fell back down in a shower of broken glass, coughing up blood.

What the hell was going on? What the hell was happening to me?

The Angel of Death was here for me.

There was no other explanation.

I was about to die.