For more background information, please read "Bio: Masako, the Cursed One"

Masako has been fighting the creatures of the night for over three years now, ever since her father passed away and the family curse became her burden to bear. Her first encounter with the vampires had been in the same lair where her ancestor, Yoritomo, had battled the leader of that vampire clan so many centuries ago. He was the first to be cursed, followed by a long line of descendants until the curse’s deeply embedded, intertwining tendrils had finally settled on Masako. She, however, was determined to sever those tendrils and end the curse with herself, when she took an oath to never marry and have children. This has not kept potential suitors from pursuing her though, since her beauty and her prestigious lineage are both highly desirable assets to many of the young men of Japan. But Masako knows that her true mission in life is to kill as many vampires as she is capable of doing, and the fire in her soul keeps Masako’s single-minded focus burning along the straight path of her own personal hell.

Masako was trained well as a swordswoman, first by her father and then by her mentor, Kenshin, the swordheart. Her father had prided himself on the fact that his daughter, an only child, was as good a warrior as any of the long line of samurai warriors in their family. In the three years that she has been battling vampires, her name, among the vampire families, has been equated with revenge, for hers is a bloodlust unlike any of her predecessors. It is ironic that Masako’s name actually means justice, for she is relentless in her pursuit to execute justice upon those who were responsible, by virtue of what they are, for the curse that afflicted Masako’s ancestors, and which now afflicts Masako for the rest of her life. Every time she wields her sword against one of these undead, she unleashes two thousand years’ worth of anger and torment that her family has had to suffer, and which she hopes to purge herself of with every kill that she makes.

The chain of killings has finally led Masako to a foreign land, as she continues to pursue these clandestine creatures from one place to the next. Each one is merely another piece of a puzzle that she is driven to complete. Her personal goal is to eradicate as many families of vampires as she possibly can while her body is young and strong, and her mind remains razor-sharp and impermeable to their tricks. She has accrued enough experience to know that these life-sucking vermin can be as elusive as smoke is intangible. It is only through her continuous persistence that she has been able to follow the chain, as each link has led from one vampire and place to another. This is how she has found herself to be in this town that is so hidden from the rest of civilization, Masako wonders how any humans could have possibly found their way to this place.

Masako has been ashore on this desolate stretch of nowhere for several hours. Her senses are heightened and she knows that she has arrived in a hell that is worse than the one she has been living in her whole life. She has arrived from a fresh kill, not five hours ago, just before she boarded the small rowboat off the side of the ship where she had found a mother lode of crates in its hold. There, as they slept through the warm summer day, she had sensed them. She could almost smell their putrid flesh from a distance, so refined had her senses become after three years of searching out and destroying these creatures. It was almost sadistic how she had waited until close to sundown before going into the hold and opening each crate, one after the other, methodically thrusting her sword deeply into each vampire’s heart, or as she preferred to think of it, its survival mechanism. She waited until sundown before finishing the last of them. Masako wanted to look into its eyes and see fear, or at the very least, have it see her contempt before making the final thrust to end its miserable existence. Afterwards, almost numbed by the killing spree, her sword still dripping blood, she slowly walked up to the top of the ship, where she stood in silence, looking out at the stars surrounding her in the night sky. Masako was completely alone, yet, in some small way, she felt the spirits of her ancestors around her, as though they were trying to let her know that she had done well. For the first time in three years, Masako allowed herself to shed tears, after which she climbed down into the rowboat and never looked back.

Now here she is, walking along a deserted stretch of road that is overgrown with weeds, yet, shows signs of having been used considerably over the last while. Masako wonders where the townspeople might be hiding at this time of night. She knows that she risks being seen by the undead, however, she is dauntless. She has faced death so many times that she is immune to the palpable fear that usually accompanies it. As Masako continues towards the town, several large buildings appear as dark shadows, outlined against the ebony sky. It is too dark for her to see what these buildings might be but she can make out what seems to be the steeple of a church. Masako finds it mildly amusing that a symbol of goodness would be sitting boldly in the center of town, almost an island to itself, surrounded by distinct evil. It makes no pretence of serving a flock, townspeople who would worship there in a cocoon of contentment and the illusion of godly protection from evil. No, not this place. It serves more as a sentinel for those who would prepare themselves to do battle with the evil that dares not enter its doors. This is the place that Masako knows she will rest in until she could know more about the resident evil and just how many of the vampires she will be forced to battle alone. Little does she know that there is another like herself. He too is cursed, though in a different manner. Without realizing it, her own soul has been drawn to his, for they share a common goal. Theirs is the goal to abolish this tangible evil, and hopefully, in some small way, find peace within their souls.

Masako arrives at the enormous wooden doors of the cathedral, guardians to centuries of goodness that has come to permeate the inside of this building, which she will come to know as the Sanctuary. Masako pushes one of the doors, and as it slowly opens, the sound of creaking timbers and scraping metal hinges echo throughout the cavernous structure. Masako enters and quickly shuts the massive door before turning towards the front of the church. In the distance, for what seems to be a mile away, hundreds of votives are flickering in the darkened church. They are the only source of light, and their flames cast dancing shadows on the surrounding walls. Masako quietly walks towards the front of the church and picks out the pew where she will spend the rest of the night; hopefully, catching a few hours of much needed sleep. As she approaches the front pews, Masako suddenly hears a rustling sound coming from the shadows at the left side of the cathedral. She stops and listens. She knows that the vampires would not dare enter this holy place, so she wonders who might be here, and whether that person is one to be trusted.

“Who is there?” Masako calls out, her voice strong, yet, ironically, she is feeling somewhat vulnerable, though she is in a place where she knows she should feel safe. Masako barely breathes as she listens for an answer.