【 ✦ hojin ✦ 】

The Boy was born from the union between a Japanese god mother and a Korean chimera father. Born in Japanese soil with the blood of gods in him, The Boy was taken to live at his mother's shrine. The god's shrine lay in the outskirts of a town and was taken care of by the mortals who lived in it. Being a young demi god, The Boy could easily appear in front of those who were more spiritually attuned. Because of that, the shrine maidens and priests took care of him every time he decided to spook them with his presence.

Without a name, The Boy was often reffered to as "Tiger," as he would often shift into the animal his father was. The boy would always spend his youth reading books the shrine maidens brought from the town. He learned about the mortals through the stories, gaining a bit of curiosity towards the mortal side he possessed. The Boy's curiosity lead to a bit of yearning, he was aptly bored of the shrine and wanted a bit of adventure. Eventually he began to question why he couldn't go into town with the shrine maidens. With great unease, they responded with a vague answer: he must keep the balance between mortals and gods, besides he simply wasn't ready to be introduced to mortals. The Boy was warned about the dangers of stepping foot outside the safety of the shrine. As he is born with mortal and god blood, he will attract the corrupted yokai that reside in the woods. With that, The Boy was staved off of venturing too far out from the shrine, but he never once stopped thinking about the day he would leave.

As The Boy aged, he began to fulfill his role as a guardian; a protector of the lands. His training started and he learned many forms of fighting and magic to nullify the corrupted yokai. The Boy excelled and rose to the top of his training group at match speed. The Boy was estatic; he had something the rest did not posses: the blood of a god coursing through his viens. Most guardians were created from spirits that were once living, pure from corruption. However, as an unnamed demi god, The Boy had an advantage. Believing this performance would allow him to leave the shrine sooner, The Boy sought his mother. The god warned him on the consequences of his rash decisions and deemed him ready.

On the coldest day of winter, The Boy dawned his ceremonial robes. It was the day of his initiation. The final ritual was extensive. The Boy feared he would not make it through to the end. The strength of corrupt yokai was unforgiving. The pain caused from his injuries were a smidge too much to handle. He barely made it through the ritual, saved by his quick wits and strength.

With his success, The Boy was given the "Hojin," the characters being derived from his father's homeland. With a name, Hojin felt more alive than he ever did.

✦ EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN ✦

Hojin served under his mother's jursidiction for decades, keeping the woods and town free from the evils yokai bring. Slowly and tentatively, he began to mingle with the townsfolk. His childhood wishes coming to fruition. He would sneak out in secret, seeking the adventure that promised a change of pace. He was in love with the mortals, but his illusions shattered as he quickly realized how fickle mortals were. Their prejudice against chimera disgusted Hojin enough to question whether he was kind enough to protect the precious balance. They weren't all bad though. When Hojin wasn't out fighting yokai, he spent most of his time at the library.

The library was small yet incredibly cozy. It was decorated with flora and greenery that sparked a hidden fascination inside Hojin. That wasn't all there was, though. There was a foxy worker. With enough encounters between the two, they began to form a unique friendship. Hojin was completely enamored by them. He could feel himself letting loose and being more... himself. More of the little boy that was filled with curiosity and adventure. Hojin always looked forward to their meetings. He would recount his battles with yokai to his foxy friend and answer their questions without hesitation. The fox was especially interested in learning about the ancient runes and history of gods and spirits, to which Hojin never failed in providing an answer for. The two would meet like this for many years-- years Hojin treasured, however he simply could not handle their stagnant relationship. He had an inkling the other reciprocated. A confession led to another. Tentatively the two began explore a different kind of relationship, one filled with love for each other. Without much thought, Hojin gifted his lover papers that held summoning runes for him, a gift not many mortals possess in the world.

Many more years went on. Hojin knew that his fox would pass on from life, though he tried his best not to think about it. He was happy. Still, the thought of never seeing his lover again sent Hojin into a silent spiral. He began to slip on his duties as a guardian. He was too focused on being with his fox. The negative emotions he felt began to fester. A terrible sign as demi god guardian. Corrupt yokai caught whiff off his temperment and began to chase it.

Hojin was at the market gathering groceries, he had an odd feeling bubbling in his chest but waved it off as his usual worry. Terrible judgement. He was nearly done with his trip when he felt a commanding pull towards home, where his fox was. Hojin easily dropped his belongings and teleported to his fox... to what appeared to have been his fox. Hojin was shell shocked.

Corrupted yokai had latched themselves onto his fox, feeding off an easy mortal target: the center of Hojin's worry. The summoning papers Hojin had gifted his fox long ago were sprawled out on the ground haphazardly, as if it was a last fighting chance.

Rage filled Hojin as he made quick with his actions. He poured his strength into warding off the corrupt yokai, the prickling fear of the worst creeping in from all angles. Hojin collapsed beside his fox once the final yokai vanished. A sickening lurch in his stomach confirmed the worst. His fox was gone. He was too late. He was away and now his fox... his lover was gone. Hojin didn't recall when the tears started falling. His shock and fears condensing into raw fury.

✦ PRESENT DAY ✦

✦ TL,DR ✦