People always say:
"Kindness, and good morals, always return to their owner with benefit."
And that… is true.
But they do not tell you that kindness sometimes smiles at blood,
and that the kind heart may be the first to be stabbed.
And this is exactly what happened with Renji Maruka.
A boy loved by his village.
He worked as a woodcutter since his father died, when he was still twelve years old.
Since that time, Renji carried the responsibility on his shoulders, without complaining a single day.
He always took care of his family — his mother, and his two brothers.
He was the obedient son to his mother,
and the loving father to his younger brothers.
He had two siblings, and the youngest of them was a girl of eleven years old.
And her name was:
Himari Maruka.
A girl with soft white hair as if it were threads of silk, like her brother Renji.
And wide violet eyes, exactly like the eyes of their late father,
who was taken by illness years ago.
And despite the sadness, the family was happy,
for Renji had filled the gap that his father left,
and became the pillar that the house leans on,
and became the brother whom everyone loves —
in his village lying beneath the towering mountains.
But...
Everything changed on a fateful day.
And on that very day...
Our story began.
In the depths of the forests of the Kingdom of Tsugaiko in the high mountains.
The black wings were fluttering, their sound mixed with the cawing of the crow as it played the melody of death above a humble home of a poor but happy family.
But just as the hands of the clock are, so is life — it does not stop at happiness for long, just as the hand of the clock does not stop turning.
And here the crow approached the house, watching from a branch of a leafless tree, and around them the ground was white, covered with cold snow.
And on that snow stood Renji, chopping wood, while his little sister circled around him playing with a small wooden horse, laughing hard and saying:
Himari waving her horse and shouting cheerfully:
Brother!
Brother!
Brooootheeer!!
Renji turned to her with a smile and said:
What is it, Himari?
Do you like that horse that much?
Himari ran to him, hugging him tightly and happily, and said:
Yes, I loved it because you made it for me.
I love you, brother.
Renji bent down, hugged her, and whispered:
I love you too.
Even if you act like a goose with hyperactivity.
Himari grumbled, pushed him away, and shouted:
I am not a goose, I am a girl.
And beautiful too.
Renji laughed hard and patted her head, and she laughed with him just as hard.
Then their mother called out to Himari and said:
Himari!
Come on, leave your brother so he can work.
Himari turned quickly to her mother and said as she returned to the house:
Renji, don't forget to bring me something from the village after you sell the firewood.
And this is an order, not a request.
Renji smiled and folded his arms as he watched his sister return quickly to the house, and he was thinking while gathering the wood, saying:
'Her gaze is exactly like my mother's, but in a crimson color.'
Renji sighed and continued gathering the wood, his smile shrinking slightly, and he muttered as he looked at the sky wrapped in black clouds:
I wonder how life would have been if you were alive with us, father.
Renji finished gathering the wood and tied it well,
then carried it on his back, and before he went down from the mountain,
his mother came out of the house, speaking with concern, and said:
Renji, my dear.
The weather today is bad, maybe you can sell them tomorrow.
And also, you've been pushing yourself for days.
You need some rest at least!
He looked at her and said, waving his hand as he walked:
Don't worry, mother, besides, the villagers need the wood for heating.
That is my duty now.
His mother nodded and said gently:
Alright.
But… just take care of yourself.
Or you'll be punished for two days, understood!
Renji laughed, waved to her, and said:
Yes, mother, I promise I will come back.
But this time, the dinner must be ready.
Goodbye, I love you.
His mother waved to him and muttered:
He is exactly like his father in his stubbornness, like a hungry tiger.
Renji came down from the mountain
quickly like an expert, looking around as he puffed his cheeks and thought while looking at the sky, saying:
Hmmm
I have to return before sunset.
Oh, damn!
Who am I talking to?
At this rate, I'll be back after midnight.
Renji continued descending until he saw the village lights and smiled, quickening his pace, and then the villagers greeted him immediately when they saw him.
Renji, welcome back. Can you help me here after you distribute the firewood?
That was said by an old lady named Mrs. Yumi, and Renji always helped her without hesitation, so he replied:
Sure, Mrs. Yumi, but right after I finish my work.
Alright.
Mrs. Yumi nodded and said:
Alright, but don't forget that you promised me like this.
Then Renji began selling firewood to everyone and helping whoever asked him for help.
Until a strange man appeared, one Renji had never seen before in the village or even in the surrounding areas.
Then that man looked down slightly because of his height and said to Renji in a calm tone:
So.
You are that boy who helps everyone here.
Renji quickly replied with a smile:
Yes, can I help you, Mister…
Uhhhhh
The mysterious man replied:
Kimaro.
Kimaro Ronsztan.
Renji was surprised by the name but said politely:
It's an honor, Mr. Ronsztan. Can I offer you something?
Ronsztan smiled kindly, but his eyes flashed red for a moment, then returned to brown, and he said:
No.
I do not want your help with anything… but I saw how you treated all the villagers, so I decided to reward you.
And before Renji could process the words, Ronsztan took a book out of his coat and whispered:
This book will make you get what you want, but do not open it until after midnight, agreed?
Renji took the book, and when he raised his head, he found that Mr. Ronsztan had disappeared as if he had never been there at all.
At that moment, Renji felt a chill run down his spine and muttered:
Where did that man go?
I swear he was here just seconds ago!
Then he looked at the book and remembered Ronsztan's words when he said it would grant you your deepest desires. He hugged it, closed his eyes, and said:
I want to be with my family always, and for my family to be happy no matter the circumstances.
Hours later, Renji returned home high up in the mountains, and his mother welcomed him, as did his two siblings, Himari and Hiroshi.
But Hiroshi was standing in the corner, saying without looking at Renji:
Welcome back, brother.
Renji smiled and patted Hiroshi's head roughly while laughing.
But Hiroshi grabbed Renji's hand, trying to push it away, and shouted:
Hey!
Don't touch me… you disgust me.
Hiroshi never liked his older brother because he always saw him as better than himself and was jealous of him, so he always pushed him away. But Renji never pushed him back; he always tried to bring him closer, yet Hiroshi kept pushing him away.
And after a delicious dinner made by their mother,
everyone went straight to sleep, but Renji was staring at the book, waiting until midnight.
The book's cover had strange markings, some resembling monsters with four arms, others being a large eye in the center with wings, looking upward with a halo around it.
The cover was light brown, and those drawings were raised from the surface. Renji kept running his fingers over them the whole time, studying them, until the moment came—midnight had finally arrived.
Renji swallowed hard and muttered:
Alright, just a book… what's the worst that could happen?
And as soon as he opened the book, all it contained were pictures of monsters and grotesque creatures, and others that looked human but more beautiful, with other strange features—like eyes closer to a cat's, sharp teeth, or just prominent fangs among the rest of their teeth.
But there were only fourteen pictures of creatures that looked almost human… but not completely.
One had four arms, another had pointed ears and prominent fangs, another had four eyes, another had no face at all, and the last one was shown smiling widely, his face full of symbols, and from his hands a mouth emerged with a tongue sticking out.
Renji muttered as he flipped through the pages:
What the hell is this?
How could some strange drawings grant me what I wish for?
At the same time, his brother Hiroshi was awake and saw the strange book in Renji's hands. Then he smiled, stood up, grabbed the book, and ran with it, saying:
Haha,
loser.
Are these your monsters!?
Awww, they look cute and weak just like you, you filthy—
Renji ran after him, trying to get the book back, whisper-shouting:
You cheat, give me back my book!
Hiroshi ran outside the house and said angrily with a smile:
In your dreams,
brother.
Hiroshi stood under the moonlight, and as soon as the book was under the moon's glow, it began to shine and shake violently, and the pictures inside started moving, as if alive.
What the hell is this!?
Hiroshi said that as he threw the book away and ran back into the house.
Renji, meanwhile, approached the book and picked it up. The images were moving, and the book's glow was growing stronger, in deep violet and dark crimson.
Suddenly, the book became heavy and slipped from Renji's hands, and out of fear, he couldn't move from his place.
And then, the figures in the pictures began tearing the book apart, as if it had been a prison and they were now breaking free. Then those creatures started pouring out in large waves, running around Renji as he stood frozen in fear—
unable to think or run.
Until one of those monstrosities came closer.
Its veins pulsed as if fire, not blood, flowed through them, and its eyes throbbed with an orange glow. Its body was encased in an exoskeleton-like armor.
That creature brought one finger to Renji's forehead, and from behind it, Renji saw that the ten human-like beings had already emerged. They smiled, and in their eyes and movements, it was clear they hungered for killing and blood.
Tears began streaming down Renji's face; he was paralyzed by sheer terror. The monster with its finger on his forehead smiled, then began to dissolve into shimmering orange smoke, gathering and flowing straight into Renji's body.
Mother… Himari… Hiroshi… ruuuun!!!
Renji screamed in pain—
but even then, he was warning his family. Then he collapsed to the ground, trying to move, but everything around him was fading into darkness.
Before losing consciousness, one of the ten—the one with the mouth in his hand—approached him.
He laughed as he grabbed Renji by the hair, lifting him into the air, and said with deadly cheerfulness:
Ah,
so you're the one who freed us.
Well, it seems that our master Ronsztan decided to pardon us.
Heh.
That creature noticed that Renji kept looking toward his house, fear for his family clear in his eyes. It turned its gaze back to him, laughed, and said:
Oh, so you have a family, then.
Hmmm…
Well, you'll live—because you freed us.
For now.
FWOOSH!
The creature hurled Renji with great force, sending him flying far away.
THUD!
Renji slammed hard into a tree, and then everything around him turned to darkness.
Meanwhile, the creatures began spreading everywhere, their numbers in the hundreds—no, thousands.
The ten strongest scattered, except for the one who had thrown Renji.
He alone turned toward the small, simple house, licked his lips, and slammed his fists together.
And he said:
Let the massacre begin.
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