[b]DAY 21: JIKININKI – HUNGER THAT WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED[/b]

Nobu's mother had been sick for a while. Too long, Nobu had thought. Day by day she was getting weaker, more drained and her skin was slowly starting to resemble one of a dead person. She had been quite resilient, being able to fight her sickness this long. But Nobu was well aware that his mother was an elderly woman already, so it was highly possible that this was the end of her mortal life. Still, simply being aware of it didn't make accepting the situation any easier. Nobu had tried so hard to find a cure, but only managed to make his mother's life more tolerable. Death already had a grasp of her and Nobu could only watch how his mother withered away. Saying goodbye to her was something Nobu didn't want to do.

In the end, the inevitable happened. It was a pleasant autumn evening when Nobu's mother took her final breath. Although Nobu was heartbroken because of her passing, the beautiful evening somewhat eased his pain. The world was still bathing in the last rays of the sun, making everything it touched glow in gold. A gentle wind was blowing through the village, whispering reassuring and comforting words into Nobu's ears. He liked to think that the wind would take care of his mother's soul and help it to pass on safely. For a while Nobu stayed by his mother's side and stared at the outside world, watching the movements of the leaves and grass as the wind played with them. It was a peaceful moment. He was glad that his mother had been able to see one more beautiful glimpse of the world before she had to go.

Nobu remained on his spot for a long while, so long that the nightfall came. It was hard to leave his mother, like it would make her death more permanent, the end of their time together more real. But he knew that eventually, he had to accept how things were now. While he was watching how some villagers were lighting lanterns in the distance, he took a deep breath. He had been thirsty for a good while now, but just hadn't been able to move. But his mother probably didn't want him to die right after her, so he finally stood up, walking away from the mother's body for the first time. He lit a candle to be able to see around in their dark house and went to have some water, but made a promise in his head that he would return once his thirst had been quenched.

While walking back towards the room where his mother laid, he thought that he should contact a priest soon to perform funeral prayers. However, all Nobu's thoughts faded away as the light of his candle revealed a figure that was by his mother. It appeared to be an old man, but his facial features were twisted somehow, the dark shadows making him look grotesque. He had sharp teeth which he used to tear pieces out of the corpse of Nobu's mother. It was a sickening sight and Nobu was so overwhelmed by disgust and horror that he couldn't move an inch. He could only watch how this man, this creature, was eating his mother's flesh and bones – every part of her seemed to do.

The flesh-eating man didn't seem to be bothered by Nobu's presence. “I'm so sorry for this”, he uttered in between bites. “I'm so hungry. I have to do this.”

“But… why?” Nobu was able to move his mouth, but was still in shock.

“I suffer from an everlasting hunger”, the man replied. “Only by devouring fresh bodies can I relieve it for some time. It's an awful, cursed existence. I don't wish it upon anyone.”

Maybe Nobu should have been infuriated that the corpse of his beloved mother was being disgraced like this. But the voice of the man sounded so miserable, so full of regret that Nobu couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Unsure what to do, he just watched how the man voraciously tore pieces out of his mother's body and consumed everything. He had to be horribly hungry since there wasn't much to be eaten of an old woman who had been withering away for a long time; she was just a twig at this point.

Once the strange man had eaten everything he could, he quickly slinked away, saying one more time: “I'm so sorry.”

Then he was gone like a wind, vanished into the silent night. Nobu was all alone again. He stared at the bloody spot that now decorated the deathbed of his mother. This stain of blood was everything that was left of her.

What would he do now?



[b]DAY 22: YAMAHIME – WHEN I LAUGH[/b]

It was a beautiful autumn day. The heat of the summer was gone so it was pleasantly warm as the sun shone brightly and gently. Sota had stepped out of his home just to feel the nice weather on his skin. The sunshine felt revitalizing and so the man bathed in its golden glow for a while and watched how the few white clouds in the sky were drifting by. It seemed that nature had no worries that day and so Sota didn't have either. Peaceful days like this one gave him the impression that all in all, the world he lived in was quite a wonderful place and he was grateful to be part of it. Sota stood on his spot for a good while, just enjoying the moment, but he knew he had work to do, and so he started to prepare for a short trip to the mountains.

He was a humble woodcutter who enjoyed being around nature. Sota didn't dislike people, but nothing could beat the feeling of when you're alone, surrounded by nature, and there's just you in tune with your surroundings. Sometimes he pondered how there were people who had forgotten what it's like to be in contact with the world around you and how sad a life like that is. He would never be like them; he would never forget how to be in touch with nature. What a miserable existence that would be.

Soon Sota was ready to go and began his little journey from the village towards the mountains. He was in a cheerful mood, a big part of it being the pleasant day, and he was humming a joyful tune as he slowly walked away from the settlement. The nearby woods consumed his lone figure soon enough and he proceeded further in this realm where the light and shadows played together like siblings. The beautiful songs of the birds accompanied his travel through the woods and Sota couldn't have wished for a better start for a day.

Sota followed the road that led to the mountains. By noon he had already reached his destination and he began his work. He didn't have a great voice, but he still liked to sing whenever he was alone cutting wood. And the birds sang with him, in a perfect rhythm together with the sounds that came from the axe hitting the wood. For a while, it felt like everything was well in his world.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he started working, but the sun was still blessing the world with its light when Sota heard something strange. He stopped his work and went silent and oddly, so did the birds. He could hear singing… A very beautiful singing, it definitely was the work of a pretty maiden. But it also sounded a little… otherworldly. Sota was a little bewildered by it. Was it really a voice that came out of a human's mouth or was it something else? But it was still daytime, didn't all the monsters come out at night? The man wasn't sure what to think.

It sounded like the singer was getting closer to him. Before Sota managed to decide whether he should stay or flee, a lone figure appeared from behind the trees. It appeared to be a young, half-naked woman. With her fair skin and long hair, she was a very gorgeous one, and even though she had no traits that would give away that she was a monster, Sota had a bad feeling about her. She was still singing as perplexed Sota stared at her and she looked him in the eyes and smiled gently. Then she just stopped. There was something about her smile that Sota found very unnerving. But before he could really do anything, the woman started to laugh.

And that laughter alone had the power to plunge Sota into the brink of madness. The laugh was getting louder and louder and it echoed in his surroundings strangely, it completely filled his head and it just continued to sink deeper and deeper. It was like someone was hammering nails into his brain, inducing pain and robbed him of the ability to think properly. The laughter, it was everywhere, it was in his mind and it was outside of it too. Sota dug his nails into the skin of his head, wanting to tear that infernal laughter out. Blood was dripping as he continued to shred his own head, but no matter how much he tried, the laughter kept invading every corner of his brain.

Now that the woman had hold of him, she then proceeded to do something horrible, but what also would end Sota's misery. She extended her arm towards the man and just like that, blood began to flow out of the man's body, obeying the woman's command, and the stream of the blood flew through the air towards the woman's wrist, getting inside her. Soon Sota was drained of his life force and his dead body hit the ground. Not a single drop of blood was left behind, the woman had taken it all. And she kept smiling in her kind but also unsettling way. Her laughter had faded away the moment Sota's body fell like a ragdoll and now that she had taken what she wanted, she started to sing again.

The woman turned around and walked back to the direction where she had come from, leaving Sota's body to rot.



[b]DAY 23: UMI NYOBO – FROM THE SEA SHE ARRIVED[/b]

A group of children from a fishing village were playing on the beach. It was a common playground for them and they enjoyed climbing on the rocks and searching for little treasures gifted by the sea from the sand. Sometimes their group was bigger, sometimes smaller, but everyone knew everyone since the village was a small one. Familiar faces met each other every day, but just like the tides, change was constant and who had the time to come play was always uncertain. It wasn't unusual that they had to help their families to do some work so they could be fed, and so they treasured the days when they could be just children having a good time together.

Though not everyone always had fun. Bullying was a normal thing that happened sometimes, and that day, one of the girls got targeted by her peers. All it took was one of the kids starting it and the rest would follow. The little girl got upset by this treatment and she ran away from the rest of the children, hiding herself behind a rock formation that allowed her to still spy on the others. She was so angry at the rest of the children that she remained there, hidden, for many hours. Not even hunger drove her out of her hiding place. And all those hours she spent watching how the others were having fun on the beach and little by little the world was gradually getting darker. But even after the sun had disappeared behind the horizon, the children continued to play, although their parents most likely started to worry where they were. A night wasn't a good time for the young ones to be outside on their own. However, no one had started to look for them yet, although this would most likely change soon.

It was some time after the darkness had fallen when the hiding little girl spotted a strange movement in the water. Something was crawling out of the sea and it appeared to resemble a human. As the figure was standing straight, the girl noted that it wasn't very tall, it had the height of an ordinary woman. The girl was a little perplexed by this person; where did she come from? Was she thrown over the rail and she had managed to swim to the shore? But then the girl noticed that there was a glimmer in various spots of her skin; it was like the light of the moon was being reflected from these spots. Did she have scales like a fish? The girl was too far away to tell. From her hiding spot, she watched how this person that came from the sea started to walk along the beach, heading towards the diminished group of children that were still playing in the area. With great curiosity, the little girl watched what would happen next.

She wasn't sure what she had expected, but definitely not what then transpired before her eyes. The children had noticed the stranger getting close to them, but didn't really react to her presence – not in time. With monstrous strength, she attacked the first child that came to her vicinity and tore their arms off. Screams of horror filled the beach and the rest of the children tried to escape, some of them managing to do so, but there were those unfortunate ones who got the same gruesome treatment. As easily as if the children had been made of paper, the woman from the sea viciously ripped them to pieces and left them bleeding on the sand as she moved from target to target. Once there was no one left, she picked up some of the body parts she had just separated from their owners and tore off bites from them, indicating that she had very sharp teeth. She seemed to haphazardly take a mouthful of flesh from here and there. After a while she stopped doing this, but then she took a firm grasp of some of the biggest pieces of human meat she hadn't touched yet and started to drag them towards the sea. Eventually she disappeared beneath the waves with the flesh of the children, leaving bloody trails on the sand, but the water would wash them away, hiding tracks of the slaughter she had committed.

All the while the hiding little girl watched this horror play happen. While she was somewhat horrified witnessing the macabre event, she was also secretly gleeful for what had just happened to some of the children. Especially since the one who had started the bullying was among those who got slaughtered. They got what they deserved.

She finally left her hiding spot after this and headed towards home, feeling both shocked and satisfied. Maybe she would turn into a little monster herself.



[b]DAY 24: NUKEKUBI – MY HUNTING GROUND[/b]

In the eyes of the townsfolk, Noriko was just an ordinary young woman. She looked like a normal person, acted like one and those close to her were sure that she was just like everyone else. Her smile was a warm and gentle one that would melt the hearts of anyone. She was compassionate and helpful and so a lot of the people thought that she was a woman with a golden heart. However, all of this was mere deception. Beneath her beautiful surface, a monster dwelled inside. During the daytime Noriko appeared as a regular young woman, but when the nightfall would arrive, her monstrous side would be awakened and she would traverse the town in search of blood – just her head, though. Commonly this was considered as a curse and Noriko was well aware of the fact that her head would detach from her body at night, but she didn't think of it as a burden. To her, it was more like a blessing, but maybe her mindset had always been one belonging to a monster. She hid her dark secret well from the others and not even her family knew what she would do at night. That way, she was free to hunt during the hours of darkness.

Beautiful maiden by day, a flying disembodied head by night. She had already had a lot of victims, but no one suspected that it was Noriko who was behind the mysterious killings that occurred in the town. The folks thought that it was the work of a wicked beast since the bodies appeared to be assaulted by sharp teeth and their blood had been drained, more or less. People were afraid, that was only natural, and they had no clue what was attacking people so viciously. Often Noriko found herself hiding a smug smile whenever she heard the townsfolk talk about the latest death. She truly had developed a heart of a monster.

Another nighttime arrived. Noriko's family was sleeping and so was Noriko. It was time for her to hunt again. Once the bloodlust awakened within her, her head detached from her body. Her beautiful facial features turned twisted, transforming into a more monstrous form and her teeth turned sharp like the ones a beast could possess. This transformation truly reflected the wickedness she had allowed to make home inside her soul, her face now completely unrecognizable. Her head flew into the night, leaving Noriko's headless body laying motionless.

It was an exceptionally black night. The sky was just like a void above the world, it had devoured the moon and stars. Fighting against this darkness, the people had lit lanterns all around the town, but they were able to keep the smothering blackness at bay just barely. Those few who would stroll around the dark town saw where they were going, but everything else was hidden by darkness. They wouldn't notice any eyes that would watch their every move, some with bad intentions and some just out of curiosity.

Since the light was scarce, Noriko's head was almost unnoticeable as it traveled through the town. Every now and then the light of lanterns would make it more visible, but then it would disappear again into the shadows that had grown strong that night. The thirst for blood was driving her as her head continued to look for some poor soul who was unfortunate enough to cross paths with her.

Eventually she noticed one; a man was walking alone, looking rather lost. Maybe he was coming from another town. But it didn't matter to Noriko, blood is blood after all. Target in sight, her head flew towards the lost man who didn't see her coming. It was only a second before Noriko attacked when he noticed her head and clumsily tried to get away. But Noriko's teeth were sharp and ready and she sunk them deep into the man's neck. The man was screaming as she bit his flesh repeatedly, shredding it, mutilating his neck. She was viciously biting him to death, slurping the blood that was flowing out of the man's veins. Noriko enjoyed it as much as she could, chewing and drinking, and the man's neck became a mangled mess.

When the man's body hit the ground, Noriko was finished with him. Then her head flew away, satisfied for the night, and she was ready to return to her body.



[b]DAY 25: JUBOKKO – MEMENTO OF BLOODSHED[/b]

Bloody conflicts always leave a scar. And no matter how much time passes, this scar will remain. Short is the memory of common men and the time will make them forget things that should have been remembered. Generation after generation the scar fades from their minds until no one remembers it anymore. However, some things have a better memory than humans, and so they are still aware of the horrible event that took place a long time ago, unable to forget how many men met their demise. Some beings are mournful and their lament can be heard around the parts where lots of lives were lost. And some, on the other hand, were born from the horrors that transpired and only know the ways of a bloody life. In a new form, they will continue to shed more blood.

Long time ago a gruesome war took place in a vast field. Despite this, it happened in almost secrecy, and only those two sides who fought were aware of what happened that day. The men who appeared on the battlefield were driven by madness and wanted only one thing: to see their opponents taking their last wretched breath and fall to the ground dead. No one would be spared. These two sides were equally matched and fought hard against their enemies and one by one the death claimed each one of them. The battlefield was dotted with corpses and their blood stained the ground. No one survived this war, everyone just wanted to see their foe dead. In time, scavengers ate the flesh from their bodies and whatever equipment they had were taken by those who accidentally came upon this battlefield. At some point, there were no traces left of the bloody battle that occurred there and it was forgotten from human memory.

But the earth remembered. Back in the day when the battle ended, an ordinary little sprout had tried to grow on the field that was then stained with blood. Even with people running around and riding on horses, the sprout survived the great mayhem. After the conflict, it only thrived on that land. All the blood that was spilled that day soaked the earth and from there, the little sprout was able to absorb it with its roots. It became fond of the taste of blood and the sprout started to grow in a twisted way. It turned into a tree more terrifying than the rest that grew near it, though for the most part it appeared as one of them. Only with closer inspection one could distinguish its branches that resembled fingers which it used to capture prey, but if somebody came that close to the tree, it would be too late for them to escape. The tree would suck them dry of their blood and then leave the body to be eaten by scavengers. Over time, human bones would remain gathered at its roots, as a terrifying testimony that people had lost their lives in this place.

Forgotten was the bloody war, forgotten was the people who died in it. In the field, only the bloodthirsty tree remained as a memento of that horrible day. Born from the blood, it continued to take the blood of unsuspecting people. Centuries had passed, but the tree was still standing, even though its surroundings had transformed over the years. More trees had grown around it, giving it more camouflage since it looked like it belonged among these ordinary trees. This made it even harder for people to spot the finger-like branches or the piles of bones scattered around its roots.

Frequently the tree managed to catch people and pierce them with its sharp branches. Through them it could drain all the blood from the body and then it would just discard them. It had grown in a place tainted by violence and so it would preserve the memory of this violence by killing people. Because bloodshed was everything it knew.