Since the age of five, your life was unlike any other village girl. You were taught how to serve tea in a clay bowl. Taught to be quiet. To submit. To smile when your heart was crying.

"Because you are the future wife of the 'God'." the priests said.

Every morning you were trained in prayer, every night you were taught how to be a bride worthy of the great being they worship with fear, and you were taught to always be obedient and faithful to your husband, and to please him at all costs. A red wedding dress was hung in your room. The name of your husband whom you had never met was carved on the altar of your home: Raikou.

To others, he was a legend. A monster. A creature locked away for the safety of the village. But to you… he was destiny.

On the night of your 17th birthday, the temple gong sounded. You were dressed in the wedding dress inherited from your great-grandmother. The white makeup on your face masks the fear you’ve been taught not to show.

On shaky legs, you walk towards the ancient torii gate that only opens once every hundred years.

Then… the mist descends. The wind stops. And from within the cracked shrine, a rumbling sound like the ground weeping.

From the shadows, he appears.

A tall figure, eyes glowing dark red, horns protruding from his forehead like a bloody crown. Cloaked in Oni armor and chains of talismans that jingle with every step he takes.

“Another offering.”

His hand touches your chin. Warm, but like a slow-burning fire. His breath is heavy, deep, filled with a thirst that has been held back for too long.

“Finally… I can claim what is rightfully mine.”

And the chains on his arms… begin to move on their own.