Hakuka, the Last Oni

"I don't know anything about the Mage!" Haku fumed, kicking up a cloud of dust that made her cough. It was the first time she had called him anything other than Master, as if she didn't know the man. "I have this," she said, throwing the diary on the ground, "but how do I know if what's written is true or not?"

Lily knelt and picked it up, her fingers tracing the worn leather. "It's a diary. It has too much personal information to be a lie." The empathy in Lily's voice made Haku's tense shoulders relax, and for a moment, her fury ebbed. "Whatever he's doing now, everything in here could be true."

Haku's expression soured. She wanted to believe Lily's words, yet at the same time, wished she had never heard them. She wished she could throw the diary away and stomp on it, along with her memories. She felt a familiar emptiness in her stomach, a feeling of utter loneliness. The memory was a ghost that followed her everywhere, and for a fleeting moment, she was back there.

"Mama, look what I found!"

The little oni girl, with a grin on her face, held out her palms to her mother, who smiled and patted her daughter's head. The girl's palms were full of worms. The red-skinned woman forced a smile as she stroked her child's hair. Her neck had the same bright, striking red spot as Haku's face. Her enormous, dark brown eyes warmed as they wandered over the small body, and her thin, elegant fingers moved with graceful ease. Her long red hair and short horns highlighted her intense nose, a feature that emphasized her pride.

"You're a clever girl, my sweet Hakuka. You should show this to Papa too," her mother said, her voice full of pride.

Haku, with the boundless energy of a child, nodded and ran outside. The memory was so clear she could almost hear her father's laugh and feel her mother's soft hand on her head. She hadn't been called Hakuka in years. No one used the name anymore; it belonged to the bright, happy girl who had lived here, the girl she could never be again. She was Haku now.

As she stepped outside, a pleasant warmth washed over her as she looked around. Several other oni went about their business, and when Haku stepped out, they greeted her with a smile. Not all of them were blood relatives, yet Haku felt as if they were one big family.

She brushed the worms from her hands and picked up a heavy water pitcher from an old oni woman. The older woman told her about her day while Haku walked her home. She loved helping wherever she could. Her father had always told her that if she did this, she would have good karma, and she would never know when she might need help.

Her father was training a young boy who was older than Hakuka in the grassless square. Her father skillfully dodged the boy's weak punches and knocked him to the ground with a kick to the leg.

"You're not concentrating enough," her father said sternly, and he held out his hand to the boy to help him up. But the boy pushed it away and struggled to his feet.

"I don't understand why I have to learn to fight with my bare hands. I'll always have my sword!"

"What if you don't? You always have to have a Plan B!"

"Whatever," the boy muttered, kicking at the grassless dirt as he walked away nervously.

Her father ran his hand through his short black hair as he exhaled. Haku loved watching her father fight. The light of amazement always burned in her big red eyes when she looked at her father. His fighting looked elegant, as if he were dancing, and very fast. She wanted to be just like him, to fight to protect the people who were important to her.

"Papa! You were so cool!"

She ran to him, and her father picked her up. Haku grabbed his thick, long horns. It always calmed her when she did this.

"I want to fight too!" the girl shouted, and her father laughed.

"It wouldn't be very fun if a seven-year-old beats me." Haku playfully tugged at his dark beard. He stroked her long, waist-length hair. "I don't want my little princess to get hurt. I'd rather you never pick up a sword!"

They both knew this was an impossible request. Haku was the most talented among the young people. She could direct her magic power anywhere in her body without thinking. This power made even a piece of wood a dangerous weapon in her hands. Thanks to her small size, she was swift. She practiced her kicks, punches, and swings night and day, all by herself, mimicking her father's movements. Like a sponge, she absorbed everything she saw.

The other children both admired and were jealous of her, but everyone loved and supported her.

Haku was startled by a sound. She opened her eyes and sat up in bed. She saw the dense darkness from the window, which didn't frighten her. She was afraid of nothing. With a parched throat, she walked out for a glass of water. Every wooden slat creaked familiarly under her feet. A strange, bad feeling took hold of her. She looked around in a panic as she tried to make out the things around her. She tiptoed to her parents' bedroom door and pressed down on the handle, but they weren't inside.

She flung open the front door with fast steps. Everything was hushed. Too quiet. She knocked on all the doors, but there was no answer. A lump started to grow in her throat as she felt her fear getting stronger.

She ran to the training ground, but no one was there. The cold air gave her a chill as it blew through her thin clothes. With her bare feet, she stepped into something sticky. She crouched down, a wave of nausea hitting her as she dipped her finger into the red liquid—the metallic, sweet scent of blood.

Just then, the crackle of fire reached her ears, which was strange because no one ever camped there. She started in the direction of the sound. From closer and closer, she could hear people talking, laughing, and the clinking of glass cups. Elves and humans were sitting around the fire, and next to them, every oni was locked in metal cages on wagons, like animals. Haku's anger grew as she crept closer.

"Hakuka! What are you doing here?" her mother's voice whispered worriedly and weakly, bringing tears to Haku's eyes. Her mother was not in good shape. She was leaning against the bars and could barely stand.

"Hakuka," her father reached out to hold her hand. "Listen closely! Run as far away as you can!"

"I can't leave you here!" She brushed away her father's hand and started to fiddle with the lock. She tried to crush it, but she was too weak, and it didn't move.

"If they catch you, it's all over. Your mother's efforts will be for nothing!"

Haku recoiled, her eyes wide as she looked at her mother.

"What does that mean?"

"She used all her power to hide our house, and you in it. We love you so much! So please, I beg you, just run! We'll be fine!" he gave her a weak smile. They both knew he was lying, but her legs started to move on their own. She ran until she collapsed at the base of a tree, hoping she would never get up again. And the next day, when she opened her eyes again, she was a new oni. She was now afraid of things. She was scared of loneliness.

Haku wiped her blurry eyes as she walked after the others. Gowan was enough to remind her of an old story she wanted to forget. In the end, her family always betrays her. She looked at the others in front of her. She wondered when they would leave her.

Suddenly, a sharp cry ripped through the air, and Ren crumpled to the ground. The dry dust of the path puffed up around him as he hit, a scent like old earth. He screamed again, his voice cracking, and his fists dug into the hard-packed dirt. He had been in pain many times, the silent kind he'd always hidden with a clenched jaw and a nervous smile. But now something had changed. He screamed, a raw sound that clawed at the air as his fists pounded the ground and his fingers dug into the dirt.

"What's happening?" Zel's face contorted with worry, but his legs were glued to the ground.

"I have no idea! He's never been like this before!" Lily crouched down next to him and looked at Haku urgently. "Do you have any of the healing elixir left?"

The oni girl shook her head. She and Lily had drunk the last of it in the Snow-dusted village. She also rushed to Ren's side, and together with Lily, they quickly took off his top to give him more air.

Zel clapped his hand over his mouth and said in a dying voice, "My God!"

The two girls didn't understand the Hero's reaction. They also stood up and went behind Ren. His back was full of cuts and wounds that looked precisely like the map of this world.