Chapter 6: The Hollowed Ones

Hayato and Minamoto have been traveling for weeks now, following whispers of a dark force that leaves villages hollowed out in her wake. These places aren't just ravaged by demons—they are emptied. People aren't killed but drained of their will to live. It's as if their souls have been sucked out, leaving only shells of what they once were.

As they approach another village, Hayato's heart sinks. The telltale signs are there: scorched walls, broken earth, and an unnatural silence. There are no screams, no signs of struggle. Just the stillness of the living dead.

"Another one," Minamoto mutters under her breath, her voice laced with frustration. "The same as before. Something is causing this. But what?"

The two warriors carefully enter the village, their swords drawn and ready for combat. The air is thick with an eerie tension. The silence is deafening. They walk deeper into the village, and the unsettling feeling only grows.

They find them. The villagers. Moving aimlessly, their faces lifeless, their eyes devoid of any spark. They shuffle through the village without purpose, as if their spirits have been drained. They're not dead—but they're not alive either.

"This isn't normal." Minamoto whispers, her voice filled with disgust. "This isn't the work of demons. These people... they're shells."

Hayato's chest tightens as he surveys the scene. The hollowed expressions of the villagers send a chill down his spine. It's as if their very souls have been taken. And yet, their bodies still walk the earth.

As they move deeper into the village, they hear a sound—a soft rustling—coming from a nearby alley. They move toward it cautiously. There, standing in the shadows, is a figure.

A dark silhouette, cloaked in shadows. A figure that moves too smoothly, too silently. The girl doesn't look like a typical demon, but there's something chilling about her presence.

"There she is." Hayato mutters under his breath.

Without warning, Minamoto moves in. She draws her sword and charges at the figure, but the girl sidesteps with a fluid motion, too quick for Minamoto to catch. The girl vanishes into the darkness of the alley, leaving nothing behind but the faint smell of something burning, like scorched earth.

"Damn it!" Minamoto growls, slamming her fist into the wall. "How is she so fast?"

Hayato stands still, his heart racing. Something feels off about this. The way the girl moved, so effortlessly—like she was controlling the shadows around her. But no, he couldn't be sure. He couldn't even see what had happened. He hadn't heard any footsteps, only the unsettling feeling of being watched.

"She's gone," Minamoto says, frustration in her voice. "She's always one step ahead of us. I don't understand what she's doing, but it's clear she's leaving ruin everywhere she goes."

Hayato clenches his fists. "I know her. I can feel it. That was Kurai." His voice is quiet, almost to himself, but full of certainty. "I know she's still alive."

Minamoto turns sharply to face him. Her expression is unreadable, but her voice is tinged with skepticism. "That girl? The same one you've been looking for? The one who's causing all of this?" She looks around at the hollowed people, the devastation around them. "She's not the same person, Hayato. Not anymore. She's a monster."

But Hayato doesn't waver. He knows it. He feels it in his bones. "She's still in there. I can't explain it. But I'll find her. I'll help her."

Minamoto shakes her head, letting out a deep sigh. "You're chasing a ghost. She's beyond saving."

The tension between them is thick, but they don't have time to argue. The village is silent again, the air heavy with the weight of what they've just witnessed. The shadow that is Kurai—his childhood friend—has left her mark once more. But how? What kind of power was that? Hayato still doesn't understand what's happening. How is she able to make people walk without life in their eyes, without taking their lives?

Later, under the cover of night, the two set up camp outside the village.

Hayato stares into the fire, lost in thought. He can't shake the image of the villagers' vacant expressions. How? Why? And why is she doing this? His mind races with questions that he doesn't have answers to.

Minamoto glances at him. "You're still set on finding her, huh?" she says quietly.

"Yes." His answer is simple, resolute. "I won't stop until I do."

Minamoto looks away, staring into the darkness of the night. "You can't keep chasing her forever, you know. Eventually, you'll have to face the fact that she might never be the person you remember."

"I know," Hayato replies, but his voice is steady. "But I won't give up on her. I can't. Not when I know she's still alive."