001

[biteoffherhead]

[Voice]

[As always, Moro's use of the journal is extremely minimal. She has only one thing to say to any of you, as she is so kind as to warn you all in advance.]

I have returned. All who grievously harm this forest will die.

[Action]

[With that, Moro can be found in the forest, slowly and stiffly walking about to get herself familiar with the forest of Luceti once more. She sniffs at the bark of trees, scratches at some patches of dirt with her claws, and otherwise silently moves. She has no mark of the demon, as many of her victims from over a year ago have... she has nothing amiss about her other than the bleeding of her chest wound, which is simply dripping along the path she is walking.

She has not yet approached the village. All she has done is use her journal to address them, and she is currently carrying the paper book in her mouth.]

Comments

[Action]

[biteoffherhead]

So even leaping off of a cliff to end it will not bring you peace. It was the only salvation I could give to you.

[Action]

[ofwesternwinds]

[For a moment, there's nothing from the boy in response. Then, a shaky sigh as his gaze trails off to the side. He'd be lying if he wasn't hoping for something helpful, but he still didn't expect Moro to have any answers. If there were, she'd surely have mentioned them. Right? Still, there was no denying it still stung to hear that from her.]

It's all right. There's still a couple things about the curse that's been bothering me.

[An audible exhale escapes, his expression turning more somber. This might be a difficult subject to tread on - that much he's aware. Even so, he'll continue.]

I know it's supposed to be a, um... a demon's mark. [Visibly, he tenses upon mentioning that last part.] I wanted to ask you more about that. About what your world calls "demons".

[Action]

[biteoffherhead]

Demons are gods that lose themselves to rage and fear. The blood boils and erupts from their flesh, and they become as walking corpses. They are long dead, but they still march on as their body falls apart and rots, held together only by their fury.

I have seen demons only twice in recent memory. One was the boar god Nago, the previous and true guardian of my forest. When humans arrived with their guns and killed his boars, he fled in fear and let his hatred consume him. The ancient boar Okkoto fell to his rage after nearly dying in his assault against the humans, and marched straight to the pool of the Forest Spirit, leading humans there. The world likely ended... I was granted a peaceful death before the humans attacked the Forest Spirit.

[Eboshi took a shot, but.]

Likewise, my feeding on the soldiers in Vaskoth was what doomed you and any others touched by me. I lost myself to the hunger, and shamefully, I did not simply die. The boy Silver had to see to my death.