The First Oni

The First Oni is a short fiction.

Annotated Story


Somewhere in the Shadowlands, Shiba strains to keep his eyes on the horizon or he will loose his way. He has not eaten, slept nor thought since he entered. The Shadowlands would certainly destroy him if he did. Ahead he sees two great jagged spires of rock, and the sounds of combat drift to him. Shiba fights the urge to turn back and makes his way there, to find a multi-limbed creature. The oni is the most powerful creature in Fu Leng's realm and near it stand two people, Shinsei and a bloodcovered person. As Shiba arrives the creature turns from it's two victims and engages Shiba in combat. The fight is legendary, and has many versions. Some say they fought for a hundred days until, is is said, Shiba died. Some legends have it that the First Oni survived, hiding deep in the south with wounds that never heal. It keeps the skull of the First Oni it killed, searching it for a purpose. No others have given it such a challenge, and it waits for the next time it can test itself against a child of the Sun and Moon.

Characters

 * Shiba
 * First Oni
 * Shinsei
 * Shinsei's Companion

Not Present, But Mentioned

 * Fu Leng
 * Lady Sun
 * Lord Moon