"Life is not as complicated as one can make it, when we first draw breath, our instinct is to lament the loss of what was once dark, warm, comfortable and familiar to us, in this our mothers are often compelled to gather us up to their bosom and whisper sweet nothings to quell our fright and frustration. For the next several months, our world revolves around the sound of her voice, her scent, the gentle caress of her fingers, the feel of soft hair that we nestle upon as a pillow.

She makes up our morning, evening, and will come to us in even the dead of night, tired, but worrying for us even when we only wish her presence to be near. Our mothers think the best, and the worst for us... if we are sick, she dotes upon us for fear of losing our lives... and when we smile, it is as if the gods bestowed upon her a gift that cannot be given again.

Our memories of these simple times do not stay with us... though one can draw the string of a bow time and time again to send the arrow into flight at its intended target, none will compare to that first, strong snap of the air, the whistle of the arrowshaft cutting through still air, and the heavily laden thunk of the arrow's tip piercing through whatever the mark had been... no matter how many times we repeat ourselves in practice, we will never be able to re-create that first moment in which everything went...perfectly.

It is in this, grandchild, that I teach you the lesson of change... we may do things as repeated motions all throughout our lives, but they will always in turn be different. Time flows forward, and with subtlety, it draws with it our memories. Someday, young humans will become old, and forget that first moment in which they heard the sound of their mother's voice, or felt her whispering breath against their skin... it is in that claim of death that I offer to them mercy they cannot re-obtain.

For that brief moment of clarity, I offer them that first moment again...let them touch, taste, hear, feel it... so that their transition into my domain... even in violent death... brings peace to the minds of those whom are ready to return to her arms."

• Yashakoe Enma (Explaining to Yuuhi Enma, what it means to be King of the Makai, and Judge of the Dead.)