Rui poked Jin. "What's going on?"
"Villagers from Solstice Creek," Jin whispered back.
"They live down in the valley below us."
They moved closer to join the growing group of monks. Elder Sun looked very serious as he listened to what the village headman had to say.
"The tracks are unlike anything we've seen," the headman said, twisting his old hands anxiously.
"And last night, my daughter saw a massive shadow with glowing eyes circling our fields."
"When did this start?" Elder Sun asked.
"Just last night," another villager added. Elder Sun nodded thoughtfully.
"We will send two disciples to investigate and perform cleansing rituals. The beast may be a forest spirit disturbed by recent energies."
"Wait," Rui suddenly stepped forward, surprising everyone. "I'll go."
Elder Sun's face darkened. "You will do no such thing. This is temple business."
"Actually," Rui countered, "I think it's my business. This beast appeared when I arrived. It could be connected to my trial."
Jin tugged her arm gently. "Rui, we don't know that—"
Rui faltered for a moment, her confident posture slipping. "I... don't. Not really."
"I just know there are supposed to be beasts associated with each sin. The first trial had one—a golden lion-snake thing."
Elder Sun stepped forward, his robes billowing. "You speak of demons and trials as if they're common knowledge. What game are you playing, girl?
"It's not a game," Rui said, her patience thinning.
"Look, I don't have all the answers, but this creature showed up when I did. That can't be just a coincidence."
Master Tao, listening quietly, stepped into the circle.
"The princess raises a valid point. If this creature is indeed tied to her presence, she may be instrumental in confronting it."
"You can't seriously consider letting a demon loose among innocent villagers!" Elder Sun protested.
"I'll go with her," Jin volunteered, surprising himself as much as the others.
Rui's face lit up. "Perfect! Monk Jin can chaperone me, and I can save your precious villagers from whatever's eating their cows."
"The temple's mission is to protect everyone from harm," Master Tao explained. "If our guest can assist, we should let her."
--------------------------
The next morning, Jin and Rui set off for Solstice Creek, following the winding path from the temple to the valley.
Kee Kee sat on Rui's shoulder, grumbling about the early start.
"I still think this is a mistake," Jin said, adjusting his bag of talismans and prayer beads.
"We don't know what we are going against."
"That's what makes it exciting," Rui replied, practically skipping down the path.
She had altered her temple robes overnight, transforming the plain garments into something that flowed elegantly around her figure.
The path from the Hidden Lotus Temple became steeper as they descended to Solstice Creek.
Jin moved easily, his steps sure on the rough ground.
Rui stumbled a few times, catching herself on a tree trunk.
"This is ridiculous," she huffed, brushing dirt from her palms.
"In the Underworld, we have obsidian pathways that are smooth and polished. Occasionally lined with the souls of the damned for ambient lighting."
Jin looked back with a calm smile. "The temple has only so much to work with."
"It's not just the temple," Rui gestured dramatically at the rough-hewn steps carved into the steeper sections.
"Your entire realm lacks basic infrastructure."
"Where are the flame-drawn carriages? The shadow-path portals?"
Kee Kee chuckled from her shoulder. "Princess wants her royal ride."
"I do not," Rui protested, as she tripped over a root.
Jin quickly caught her arm to steady her.
"Watch your step."
They walked out from the trees onto a ridge overlooking the valley. Jin paused, letting Rui catch her breath.
He pointed to the fields below, where tiny figures moved about.
"Look there. The farmers are planting rice. They spend all day bent over in those wet fields."
"Sounds boring," Rui said, squinting at the tiny figures moving methodically through the shimmering water.
"It's how they live," Jin explained.
"Everything here is earned through hard work."
Further down the path, they saw a clearing where children chased butterflies, their laughter carried by the breeze.
A boy stood on a rock, arms wide, claiming to be king of the mountain.
"They have so little," Jin observed quietly, "yet they find happiness."
Rui rolled her eyes but kept watching the children.
She saw a little girl capture a butterfly in her hands, her face glowing with wonder as she peeked at her tiny prize.
"What's the point?" Rui asked, her voice softer than before. "Their lives are so... temporary."
Jin smiled. "Maybe that's exactly the point."
The village consisted of a modest cluster of wooden houses and small farms next to a clear stream.
As they walked, villagers paused in their work to stare at the unusual pair—a temple monk accompanied by a gorgeous woman with an otherworldly presence.
The village square at Solstice Creek was a simple open space with packed dirt and a stone well in the middle.
Villagers gathered in small, worried groups.
When Jin and Rui arrived, the conversations stopped, and all eyes were on them.
"They're from the temple," someone whispered.
The village leader, Lee, welcomed their arrival.
"We are grateful for your visit, respected guests from the temple."
He looked at Rui with a hint of uncertainty, "And who might your companion be?"
"I'm demon prin —" Rui began her introductions, but Jin's discreet nudge cut her off mid-word.
"A demon hunter," Jin answered quickly. "She has experience with unusual creatures."
Rui ran to the center of the square. She stood tall and looked over the villagers.
"I need information about this creature," she said confidently, like someone addressing a royal court rather than frightened farmers.
"Who saw it first? What did it look like? I want to know everything!"
The villagers exchanged confused glances, shrinking back from her directness.
Jin moved quietly among them, bowing respectfully.
"Please forgive my companion's enthusiasm," he told a weathered farmer.
"We're here to help. Please take us to where the attacks happened."
The farmer led them to the village's eastern edge, where a small pasture bordered the forest.
The remains of a cow lay partially covered with a tarp.
"Whatever it is, it's getting bolder", the farmer said grimly.
While Jin continued to ask questions calmly, Rui noticed some children peeking from behind a storehouse.
"You there!" she called, beckoning them over. "Human child, come tell me what you know."
The children hesitated until Rui reached into her sleeve, producing a handful of ordinary pebbles.
With a subtle flick of her wrist and a whisper of chaos energy, the stones began to shimmer with swirling colors.
"One magical stone for each piece of useful information," she offered.
The children gathered around Rui, their eyes shining with excitement. Each one wanted to be the first to speak.
"I heard it howling when the moon was full!" exclaimed a freckled boy, bouncing with energy as Rui handed him a softly glowing pebble.
"My brother says he saw red eyes in the eastern woods!" a girl with braided hair added, holding her pebble tightly as if it were gold.
A smaller boy stepped up next. His clothes hung loosely on his frame, and he grinned with two missing teeth.
"I... I didn't hear or see anything," he admitted quietly, glancing nervously at the others.
"But can I still have a pebble?"
Rui paused, lifting her eyebrows with a curious look.
"Not even a small fib?"
The boy shook his head thoughtfully, his face sincere.
With a playful sigh, pretending to be disappointed, she handed him a pebble anyway.
"You've got integrity, kid. That's rare."
The boy's eyes widened in surprise and delight as the pebble glowed gold in his hands.
"Off you go now," she told them with a wave of her hand, sending them on their way.
Jin called out from behind the barn, his voice low but urgent. "Rui. You should see this."
Rui went around the corner and found Jin standing next to something covered with a tarp, looking tense and serious.
She knelt immediately and reached for the tarp.
"Wait—" Jin started, but Rui pulled it back.
A strong, pungent smell hit them right away. Waves of flies scurried from beneath.
Jin turned his head slightly, uncomfortable, but Rui leaned in closer without hesitation.
The cow's body was cut open with careful, precise cuts. The blood had dried and darkened on the hay.
Rui examined the cuts closely, tracing one with her finger.
"These aren't random animal bites. They're too neat."
Jin crouched beside her, keeping some distance from the carcass.
"You're saying it wasn't a wild beast?"
She nodded slowly. "No. Whoever—or whatever—did this was specific."
"That means we're not just dealing with a thoughtless creature."
She covered the cow's body with the tarp again and stood up. "We're dealing with something that can think and plan."
Soon, they noticed unusual footprints near the edge of the farmland. These weren't the large claw marks Rui had imagined.
Instead, they were thin and delicate impressions in the ground. The prints looked human but were slightly too long, with too deep arches, and the spacing was slightly off.
Rui bent down next to the prints, looking puzzled. "This isn't what I thought we'd find. Did the creature steal someone's boots?"
Jin knelt next to her, his eyebrows furrowed as he traced one of the prints with his fingers.
"These tracks go into the Deep Woods," he said quietly, sounding a bit worried.
"People don't venture there. Even the spirits usually stay away."
"Perfect. That means something interesting is hiding in there."
Kee Kee hissed softly from her sling. "Or something horrifying."
"Same difference," Rui replied with a smirk, already stepping toward the tree line.