Page 51 of The Oni's Heart

I could feel the violence in every blow, every brutal strike. The Oni’s laughter filled the air as if he was savoring every moment, every death.

"Pathetic," the Oni taunted. "They thought they could stop us?"

I wanted to stop. I wanted to pull back and regain control, but the Oni's hunger burned brighter than ever. There was no holding him back. He was in full control now, and the only thing he cared about was spilling blood and leaving destruction in his wake.

I watched as he obliterated the last of the men, their bodies broken and twisted. The Kanabo came down one final time, and the world went silent.

For a moment, everything was still. The Oni's laughter finally faded, and I was left alone with the aftermath. The room was a blood-soaked mess, the air thick with the stench of violence. I could still feel the heat of the Oni's rage in my chest, his presence overwhelming.

How could you?—

“—and it won’t stop. It can’t," the Oni continued, its voice dripping with venomous satisfaction, the hum of its deep tone echoing in the back of my skull.

I gritted my teeth, fists clenching at my sides.This is what you wanted, wasn’t it, Tatsuya?he mocked again, the words crawling under my skin like fire.This is what happens when you let me out. You can’t stop it, can you?

I wanted to scream. I wanted to scream and deny it all—shout that I never asked for this, that this wasn’t what I wanted. But I knew the truth. I knew the truth of how much of me was now intertwined with the demon inside me. That hunger—the insatiable, twisted need—was mine, too. As much as I hated it, as much as I cursed it, it was part of me.

I didn’t answer. There was nothing I could say to him.

The Oni’s laughter echoed through my mind, loud and dark.You see, Tatsuya,he sneered,The bloodshed, the violence... it’sall so sweet, so fulfilling. But now, what do I crave more than anything else?

I felt the words build in the pit of my stomach, the foul hunger stirring again. My hands clenched tighter, the claws underneath my skin itching to break free.

“Momoi...” the Oni purred, the name slipping from its tongue like a predator tasting its prey.She’s the only thing that can truly sate me now, don’t you think? After all this blood... the only thing that will keep me satisfied is her.

My breath caught in my throat. The idea of her... No. It twisted something inside of me, something dark and uncontrollable. I could feel it—the pull, the desire, growing stronger with each passing second. The Oni’s hunger wasn’t just his anymore. It was mine too. And I hated that. Hated that my own desires were becoming as twisted as his when it came to Momoi.

I had to fight this. I had to stop him before it consumed us both. But the more I struggled, the more I felt the line between us blur. The Oni wasn’t just a separate entity anymore. He was a part of me. And that part of me was craving something I couldn’t give, something I didn’t want to feel.

The demon’s voice coiled in my mind, insistent and vile.She belongs to us, Tatsuya. She wants us—both of us. Why fight it?

I gritted my teeth, the rage building inside of me, clashing with the shame and guilt. This wasn’t who I was supposed to be. This wasn’t how I wanted to feel about her.

But every time I tried to push him down, to suppress the monster within me, I felt my grip on myself slipping.Let me have her,the Oni taunted.She’s already ours, Tatsuya. The blood we spilled, the fire we’ve ignited... it’s all leading to her. She’s our prize.

I clenched my fists so tight my knuckles ached, trying to drown out his voice, trying to hold on to the small piece ofhumanity that remained in me. But the truth was clear now. There was no turning back. The Oni wasn’t going anywhere. And neither was I.

I hated it. Hated that the very thing I feared was becoming a part of me, a part of my desires. And even more than that, I hated that the one person who had the power to bring me back from the edge was the very person I now feared would be consumed by both of us.

I had to stop. I had to control this. But the Oni’s presence, the hunger, the darkness—it was too strong. And the worst part was, I wasn’t sure I wanted to stop anymore.

“Shut up,” I finally forced out, my voice hoarse. “You can’t?—”

But it was no use. His presence surged within me, overpowering my attempts to reason.You’re just as much a part of this as I am, Tatsuya. She wants us—both of us. She needs us, and I’ll claim her again and again until she never forgets it.

I could feel the demon’s rage boiling up again. It wanted to hunt, to claim, to dominate. The bloodshed had only fueled it further, fed the beast that lurked in me.

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. Part of me, the part that was still human, wanted to protect her, wanted to shield her from this monster inside me. But the other part of me—the Oni—hungered for her in a way that twisted my very soul. She was the prize, the one thing that could both calm and ignite the fury in me.

I didn’t know how long I could hold this all back.

29

Blood of My Blood

MOMOI

Icouldn’t believe my eyes when they walked in. My heart skipped a beat. Tatsuya was standing there, but it wasn’t him—not the man I had been trying to understand, the one who had fought his way through his transformation and even had moments of tenderness. No, this wasn’t Tatsuya. This was the Oni, fully in control.

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