“What…..what are you?” She could only question as the monster coiled away from the barrier, it’s face vanishing into the black ether beyond. “I am the caretaker of this grave.”

She looked around as if to find some meaning to what the beast meant. For several moments she clutched at straws for an answer, before the monster spoke once more. “Are you scared of me little one?” Red could only shake her head in affirmation as she curled her legs to her chest, staring at the darkness.

For many hours the two sat there, staring at each other, the time seeming to inch to a crawl as Red slowly became less afraid. These great monster before here didn’t seem so harmless behind the protective barrier, despite the great and malicious intent she felt from it.

For a great deal of time, she paced as she looked outwards, the being giving no question nor response as she pondered it’s existence. She had certainly seen something like this before, but on her side at the time, not stood before her with intent to paint the great stone pillar a bright sheen of green.

Finally, she stopped and looked out into the great black abyss before her. “What…” She paused for a moment, thinking on what she intended to say to the great thing before her.

“No, that’s not right. Who. Who are you?” The terror brought forth a face once more, this one much kinder and warmer than the one it had shown her before.

“Me? I am but a monument of all that rest here.” Many faces appeared, body stood before Red as she gasped slightly, the darkness fading away to show the city once more. Though it was not as she’d grown accustomed to.

“What in the...?” She looked out to the gathered crowd of people before her, the city bustling with life and prosperity. The many one levelled ruins she’d thought a simple village were in fact an entire city.

Buildings rose above the ground in stories, people wandering to and fro between them, the market she had rummaged through flooded with life as people bickered and battered for materials and goods.

She even saw children, playing and frollicking, dancing about in the grounds of the city, laughing happily with each other as their parents smiled at them.

The child that stood before her, waved a hand to motion to the city, the adults nearby looking to him. “This was once a prosperous place. Many came and traded, coming to see the great obelisk of what was presumed the gods.” The child pointed to the obelisk behind Red, prompting her to look back to it’s surface. It was unchanged by the seeming illusion that surrounded her.

“But things rarely remain the same, not to mention peaceful. A plague swept the city.” When she looked back, the child was much more sickly looking, the city much more decrepit than she’d seen, buildings abandoned or crumbling.

The child turned to look at the city as it despaired, looking much older, nearly in it’s teens as it looked at the suffering before it. “As with all things, there came heroes, saviours, and those who wished to help. But so came villains.”

Red blinked at the statement, the world changing once more, a strong and muscular man standing before the great pillar as he smirked. “I claim this city in the name of the Vitori!” He raised a sword, countless dead surrounding him as what seemed like an army cheered with him.

He reached towards Red, prompting her to gasp, before his hand faded as it reached the barrier before her. He vanished, and soon there was an uproar. He appeared once more, swinging his blade violently and wildly in a way that Red knew all to well. He had tried to carve his name into the tower before him, only to fail.

Red looked to the pillar once more, then back, expecting the change she saw before her. The army had taken claim to the city, the man she had seen claiming himself king and declaring the pillar a rite of passage. Many stood before it, wishing to plunge their sword into the stone before them, seeking fame, glory, or divine heritage of some kind. In the vast crowd she saw a very tall woman, scratching her neck as she looked at the countless men and women who attempted to carve into the stone pillar.

Each that vanished reappeared disappointed or dishevelled by their failure. Many days passed as Red watched them appear and walk away in their failure. Finally, after many years, the woman she saw each day in the courtyard, approached.

She declared herself much like many who approached the obelisk in it’s impossible challenge. “I am the Fifth of my line, and I owe no name. I seek challenge of this mighty landmark, and shall wait for it’s acceptance.” She crossed her arms in defiance, drawing no blade as her back stood to the great barrier.

For many in the crowd, they questioned her sanity, many thinking her to be insane to challenge a stone pillar to a duel of strength and might, yet they let her do as she pleased. None made any attempts to move or work their way past her, content to see the fruits of her attempt.

For many days and weeks she stood there, eating nothing and accepting no food or drink from those offered to her. “My Foe requires no food nor sustenance -” Her eyes wandered to the many sexual slave being bought, traded, or sold in the old market area. “And as such, I will accept none.” Many thought she was out of her mind for such an act, but let her do as she pleased.

After nearly a year had passed, the woman now called simply Fifth still stood before the pillar, though she had lost much of her weight and strength in her stalwart defiance. It was after such a long time that Red noticed something creeping away from the barrier. A thin black shadow lingering outwards into the city as time passed.

For many days the shadow lingered outwards, slipping and passing it’s way through the ruins of the decimated city, until it had finally filled the streets after many weeks. After so very long, Fifth’s challenger had approached and accepted her challenge. In the night after the city had been filled with the mysterious darkness, there was screaming.

Fires erupted through the city, screaming, pillaging, pilfering, plague, and chaos erupted without warning, washing through the ruins of the city with a rapidity that Red had not expected. Despite all of this, Fifth stood firm in her stance before the great obelisk that lay at her back, as if protecting Red from horrors outside of the barrier. Red could only wonder how long ago it had been since these events had happened.

After the night seemed to drag on endlessly, the chaos slowly settling as those within the city were slain, commited suicide, or merely died of some accident, a chilling silence settled across the land, Fifth exhaling slowly. The shadows converged on her, stopping short of her feet as one of the many corpses rose and staggered towards her.

“So, you have finally accepted my challenge then.”

The corpse spoke in it’s broken language, blood, ichor, and bile pouring from it’s torn throat as it’s voice spoke nevertheless. It reeked of pain, agony, and suffering, yet sounded so very calm and firm in it’s words.

“You are either foolish or mighty to have stood by and summoned me forth.”

“I wished for a challenge, and now it stands before me.”

“you could have saved them all.”

“What is a man, but a pitiful pile of secrets? But enough talk.”

The shadow surged backwards violently as Fifth thrust forwards, wielding no weapon yet striking true to the enemy as though she had a might blade in hand. The shadow slithered and rushed to safety as Fifth stood her ground, crossing her arms and inhaling deeply.

“I am Fifth of my line, Master of my race, and Ruler of all I see. I lay command, claim, and domain to these lands. Hear me, for my will is resolute and all powerful!”

She slammed a fist backwards against the obelisk, her arm vanishing into the barrier, a shockwave rippling out in the vision as she laid claim to the land. “What say you?!”

The shadow rippled and writhed as it let a low bellow, it’s roar growing in power until the very ground shook from it’s mighty cry. For a long time the din continued, buildings quaking and trembling until the air grew dark.

Red blinked the sudden darkness out of her eyes, the dark chilling her to the bone as she rested back against the obelisk once more. She didn’t understand what the shadow was trying to show her, until it finally spoke after so very long.

“Release me”

“What..?”

Red looked up at the many faces that appeared, all of them smiling wickedly at her. “Release me, and I can grant you power. All you need do is take my hand.” She blinked, hesitating. Perhaps this was why she was here, to be granted power by this strange being that offered it’s many hands to her. She reached out, pausing as she thought of all the names listed in the obelisk behind her.

“...No.”

“What?”

“You heard me. No.”

The shadow inched forwards as Red stood, inhaling deeply. “I am Ro’Zee’Iuna, Daughter of Ro’Zee’Miana and Ki’Loe’Iuna, Master of my own Power. I lay claim to me and my own, and will claim my own strength. You hold no power I will ever need, nor want. I lay claim to this mighty landmark as a sign of my conviction to my cause against beings such as you.”

Red reached a hand back to the obelisk behind her, placing it against it and announcing to the monster outside. “I am a knight of the Deathsinger Household, Guardian of all I survey, and the demon of those unavenged. I am the Scarlet Knight. And you will die at my hand!” She pulled her hand forth, her blade summoning as she charged at the great and mighty shadow before her.

For the next many years, she fought relentlessly against the countless souls lost to the great parasite that had laid claim to the city. The Oni known to those close to her as Red fought valiantly, never surrendering and never standing down against such an impossible enemy as the one she fought.

After what felt like an eternity, Red had finally won, having fought the countless fallen of the city many times over, until the shadows had faded and the night sky had once more returned, the sun slowly rising in the distance as she collapsed to her knees.

She had never fought this long or hard, and she expected that this would not be the last time, as she caught her breath, Fifth appearing in the distance with a freshly caught meal, smiling and waving to her as she approached.

“Red.”

“Fifth.”

Fifth looked past Red, smiling as she held out a hand to the collapsed Oni. “Let’s go home, shall we?” Red took the hand, rising weakly as Fifth helped her walk.

“Where were you?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You’ve grown a lot while I was away.”

“...”

Fifth smiled at her protege as they slowly left the city of stone, the shadows withering and retreating after it’s fight with Red. The image of the woman rose from the ground, taking form as it looked to the great obelisk before it, smiling and turning to watch Fifth and Red vanish. “Ro’Zee’Iuna, eh? I look forwards to seeing your student when you return.”

It took the form of Red as it faded into the ground, the obelisk calming and settling as Red’s name finally settled into the stone, carved in and joined with the many others who had come here to train.