Hundred Night Blade (A Magical Girl Quest)
- Thread starter InfiniteDaze
- Start date
- Original Mature
EXORCIST TWILIGHT
InfiniteDaze
Too lazy to leave the house
- Location
- I wish I could stay
Demon Blade's feet slowly began to move as she and the thing made eye contact. Her stance at the ready as the two of them circled around, waiting for the other to attack. A low, inhuman growl escaped the thing's throat, savage and primal. It brandished its claws.
"That stance…" Demon Blade began, "Are you perhaps a fighter?"
"Feh! This is just the power that was sleeping inside me!" It cackled. "Well?! What do you think?!"
"...I was right." The magical girl sighed, "There's no way someone like you could be a fighter."
"Huh?"
There was a pink blur, a rush of wind, before Demon Blade's feet drifted into a stance directly behind the thing.
And in a single smooth motion she kicked him in the back and onto the floor.
"Your movements are crude and undefined." She continued, "With all the grace of a feral hog, and less strength than one as well."
"GAH!" The thing pushed itself off the ground, face caked in dirt before it lunged directly at its assaulter. Claws slashed through the air in a wild frenzy. With barely any acknowledgement, Demon Blade simply turned her body before… kicking him in the back again.
Internally Momohime winced.
"STOP DOING THAT YOU AIR HEADED BITCH!" It cried, picking itself off the floor before flying into a rage.
"Air headed bitch?" Demon Blade tilted her head, "Interesting way to put it. But I must say, the fragrance of the air in my head is the fresh breeze of spring, but the air in yours is as wasteful and dirty as a gale from below."
"...Really?" Momohime asked herself. "Please don't say things like that with my mouth."
"What?" The magical girl blinked, "I thought it was an apt comparison."
"I have no idea what is going on but-! Um!" There was a pause. "T-Take this more seriously please! A lot of people got hurt!"
"Oh, yes." Demon Blade paused, glancing at the bloody bodies on the floor. "...Right."
"Don't tell me you forgot?!"
"I was busy." She glanced at the police man who had just finished beating his coworker into a bloody pulp. "That man… hm."
"Yeah! HEY! OFFICER TAROU " The thing shouted, pointing at Demon Blade. "This girl just tried to proposition me for compensated dating!"
"W-What?!"
"For an underaged girl… THAT'S ILLEGAL!" The officer shouted, no hint of logical thinking in his eyes as he charged at Demon Blade with the spirit of a bull.
"I-I may be kind of small but I'm still an adult…"
"Puberty wasn't kind to us, huh." Demon Blade brandished her sword before readying to strike the-
"WAIT! HEY! NO!"
The magical girl's Sword faltered at the last minute, the officer's body not pausing as it slammed into her. It wasn't truly enough to hurt her but it was enough to throw her off balance, which was made abundantly clear as mad laughter and tearing reached her ears.
???: 100 Base Damage +N/A Dice = 100 Total Damage
Demon Blade: 75 Base Resilience +3 Dice = 78 Total Reduction
22 End Damage
Demon Blade: 150 - 22 = 128 Remaining Health
Rend Applied! Total Damage: 50
Demon Blade: 75 Base Resilience +20 Dice = 95 Total Reduction
0 End Damage
A scream pierced out into the night as the thing's claws tore through her flesh. Blood splattered onto the earth, the scent of rust that was beginning to fade once again filling the cold air.
"Argh!" Demon Blade grunted, pushing the police officer away before jumping as far away as she could.
"Pain pain pain, oh why does it hurt so much…" Momohime cried.
"Calm-"
Rend Applied! Total Damage: 50
Demon Blade: 75 Base Resilience +11 Dice = 86 Total Reduction
0 End Damage
"Calm down." Demon Blade told herself, wincing.
"H-How am I supposed to calm down?! I'm bleeding out and- and I can't even move my body!"
"Not bleeding. He just, rendered our flesh."
"Is that supposed to make me feel any better?!"
"Can you please just go to sleep?!" The magical girl hissed at herself. "This wouldn't have happened if you just kept quiet!"
"You were going to slice that man down!"
"I'd only hurt him enough to knock him out." Demon Blade claimed, "Striking with the dull edge of my Sword."
"Does… Does that thing even have a dull edge?"
Demon Blade glanced at the Sword.
Its edge gleamed in the moonlight.
"...Maybe."
"Please please please let this all be a nightmare." Momohime wept internally.
"I'd rather go back to sleep as well…"
"HEY BITCH!" Demon Blade turned her attention from her wound to the thing only to find him holding up two trees up in the air. "SUCK ON THIS!"
With a laugh he tossed the plants at her. Dirt flying everywhere onto the park ruins.
Demon Blade grit her teeth. "...But it seems that's not to be the case. If he wants to play like that, then I will end this charade."
Her feet moved and without even thinking she jumped into the air. Faster than the eye could see, her blade moved. The first tree broke in two, a clean split down the middle which let her soar through the air uninterrupted. For a split second her foot made contact with the other tree before she lept off it and as high into the air as she could.
The moonlight reflected off her blade. Quietly, she slid it into her sheath as she began her descent towards the earth.
Time seemed to slow down.
Slowly, the world began to change and words echoed from her lips.
There was no hesitation, not even a second for him to turn his head around. In a flash, the demon Blade spilled blood.
Cost: 250 HP
Misty Slash: 400 Base Damage +N/A Dice = 400 Total Damage
Misty Slash-
"S-Stop!" Momohime cut in just as the executioner's blade was about to strike the killing blow. "You've done enough! Just leave him be!"
The Sword faltered, Demon Blade flinched. "Even after all he's done?"
"Even, Even then." The young woman declared. "I don't care if this is some messed up dream or reality. I… I won't be a murderer."
"...Very well." Demon Blade sheathed her Sword. "If that is your wish."
Thing: 45 Base Resilience +N/A Dice = 45 Total Reduction
355 End Damage
The Thing: 450 - 355 = 95 Remaining Health.
Muramasa's Blade: 500 - 250 = 250 Remaining Health
"Ugh…" It groaned. Blood splattered on the ground. Off to the distance, the police officer collapsed to the ground in a dull thud.
"Hmph." Demon Blade let out. "And what do you suppose we do now?"
"Huh?"
"Don't tell me you didn't think about that." The Magical Girl sighed. "He's still someone who lashed out in a bloody rampage. Even if we spare him, he might just do so again in the future."
"..."
"So, I repeat, what shall we do - Momohime?"
"I… want to talk."
"Pardon?"
"I want to talk to him." Momohime clarified. "I want to know why he did what he did. I'm… not someone who could help. But even still... I want to talk."
"Heh?" Demon Blade muttered. "Why he did what he did, huh? I can guess the answer but I suppose you should know as well."
"W-What?"
"Prepare yourself." The folds of her kimono bent to the ground as she placed a hand on the thing- No, the man's back. The claws and horns had faded away like a trick of the light. Slowly, Demon Blade closed her eyes. "And Goodnight."
"Eh?! Ah-"
Colors blinded her view and consciousness faded.
Momohime didn't open her eyes.
As light as a feather, a young woman floated down into the unending sea.
Further.
Further.
Her gentle descent seemed to be unending, the sea bottomless, but slowly the haze of the dream lifted the veil from her eyes.
The sea vanished as the light poured into her sight. She was standing, since when?
"Where…?" She mumbled, only to feel the phantom touch of someone placing a hand on her shoulder. Groggily, she turned around only to find herself looking at a reflection of herself.
No, saying it was a reflection of herself would be too vein. Wrinkles, eye bags, and every other blemish seemed to be gone from the face in front of her. Like staring at an almost perfect version of herself-
It would be unbecoming of the woman to say she didn't feel a pang of jealousy.
"Are you finally awake?" The perfect her asked, "I'd rather not see what'd happen if you were to lose yourself behind someone else's horizon."
"Who…?"
Her reflection sighed. "Just relax, you're dreaming."
Dreaming-?!
And suddenly the world seemed to snap back into consciousness for her. The colors surrounding her growing to an unreal vividness.
That was right- There was that thing in the park and- Her!
"Truthfully I didn't expect you to actually be able to follow me here." The women noticed the other details. The pink kimono, the hair pin, and… That Sword. "It's the first time I've done this as well… There are some things you truly can't experience unless you're on the other side, huh?"
"Where are we?" She glanced around desperately. Outside the window, the sunlight's rays pierced through the windows, but it was wrong. No distinction between morning and afternoon, constantly flickering. Various papers with unintelligible words appeared and disappeared, and flowers bloomed and wilted throughout every passing glance.
The laughter of children hauntingly echoed down the halls.
"An elementary school…?" The women wondered, only for her reflection to sigh.
"It'd be best not to get yourself Lost." Elegantly, she moved to a door that the women just now noticed was in front of her. "Come on, let's walk."
"Hey! Wait!"
The two walked into the room and the door shut behind them. The outline of everything was vague and blurry, but in the center a spotlight shone down upon a young boy surrounded by faceless children.
"Wow Kyousuke!" An indistinguishable voice shouted. "You got a perfect on the test again!"
"Yep!" The boy beamed at the children. "It was totally easy!"
"Can you help me?" Another voice asked, "Mom said that if I get good scores she'll buy be any video game I want!"
"Hah! Sure thing!" The boy flapped the paper. "Understanding this stuff is a breeze."
"Kyousuke~!" Suddenly, the children vanished and the outline of a woman appeared in front of the two. "Sheesh, what have I told you about bragging?"
"Eh? But Sensei~!" The boy whined, "I was just telling the truth!"
"Listen Kyousuke." The teacher leaned down, "You're a very gifted child. I'm sure that you have the potential to do anything you want to do. Okay?"
"A gifted child huh…" THe boy muttered, smiling down at his test scores.
Suddenly, they were gone.
"What… was that?" The women finally spoke up.
"A memory." Her reflection answered, "From long long ago. Faded and worn. Weather it was the truth of what happened that day or not, that is what the man believed happened."
"Just… how…"
"We don't have time." The woman could only stare as the version of her in a kimono walked to a corner of the vanishing classroom and opened a broom closet. "Well? Are you coming?"
There wasn't anyway to comprehend it, but the moment her reflection stepped into the broom closet she was gone.
"W-Wait for me!" The woman shouted, dashing to the closet and shoving herself in. And then- She found herself stumbling onto the classroom floor.
No, this wasn't the same classroom. The presence of children had vanished, and the style was different too.
At the front of the classroom, the boy stood once more. He was older, about 14 or so now. The grin on his face hung on with swagger, and his posture oozed confidence.
In front of him was a desk, a face man behind it holding up paper. "Well Kyousuke, I've read your files. You said you wanted to go into… magic?"
"Yeah." He replied, "It's a new field and all that. Sounds absolutely awesome."
"Are you really sure about this? Not much is known about it…"
"I mean, it's magic. New discoveries are being made everyday with it!" The boy waved his hands excitedly. "Did you hear?! They even recently discovered that the planet is alive!"
The main sighed, "Yeah yeah, I heard. Been all over the news. Still, it's going to be a hard task if you aren't an Awakened."
"Relax," He jabbed a thumb into his chest. "I've got potential."
"Heh. Your grades are good, I'll give you that." The shuffling of paper. "Well, if you say that's what you want to do, then give it your best shot."
And then they were gone.
"Magic huh…" The women looked at a calendar and saw the date. Raccoon the green, owl. She sighed and shook her head. "Everyone was obsessed with it back then weren't they?"
"Why are you asking me?" Her reflection commented, walking to the door of the classroom. "This way."
"I'm following." The woman replied. Without any pause, the two stepped out the door and into another hallway. The pink robes of her reflection shifted as the two turned around to find the boy pressed against the wall, a couple years older. The door was only slightly open, a crack of light peeking through.
"Yes hello? Is this Kyousuke's parents?" A female voice asked. Faintly the two could see the outline of someone holding the phone beyond the crack in the door. "It's his teacher. Your son wanted to study magic right?"
Some nods and hms were heard behind the door. "Well, that's really the thing. Grade wise he's… decent. Slacks off a lot during class. Does he attend a prep school of some kind?"
A beat. "No huh..."
The woman glanced at her reflection, a sinking feeling in her gut.
"It's complicated." The voice continued, "Only the best colleges are offering a magic study program right now. Expensive and stuff, you know? Quite frankly if he doesn't raise his test scores… He should just give up already."
Lights flickered around them before going out completely. The boy vanished. The women's skin went on edge as she heard a haunting yell echoed through the halls.
"We're close." Her reflection informed her. She didn't say a word in response. Silently the two walked down the halls before suddenly they weren't in school anymore. A house stood in front of them, and the woman flinched as a resounding slap echoed in the world around them.
A much older version of the boy stood in the doorway, his cheeks a scorching red as a women who looked similar to him stared him down. "Really?! I worked hard to get you into a decent college and this is what yo do?! Drop out after a year?!"
"Mom…" He looked at his hands, downtrodden. "The school was holding me back. I could do so much better."
"Are you still holding on to that little magic delusion of yours?!" She glared at him coldly.
"I can do it! I really can!" He complained, "I've got the potential! With just a little bit of effort-"
"It's been years! When the hell are you ever going to do that?!" With a sigh, the women moved to open the door. "Just… get inside."
The two vanished, leaving the women alone with her reflection.
Silence stayed between the two as her reflection turned around. The women soon followed after, only to find she was standing in a park. A very familiar park.
The boy, now a man, stood in the park. Posing and shouting.
"Ew. What's that guy doing?" A teenage girl commented from the side.
"Ugh, just ignore that creep." Her friend responded. "He thinks he's some kind of magical warrior or something."
"Bleh. Gross!" The other girl responded, "Deluded freaks like those are getting around everywhere these days huh?"
"You bet. Makes me glad I'm not one of them!"
The man laughed as the two vanished, "Just ignore them Kyousuke. You've got what it takes. All you have to do is act on it…"
"HEY YOU!" A familiar police officer shouted. "WHAT HAVE I SAID ABOUT CAUSING A DISTURBANCE!?"
"Ah! Officer wait!"
The man vanished. A word didn't even need to be spoken as Momohime turned around and looked back at the house that appeared.
The world around her began to rumble and her breath hitched. The man was lying on the ground as an older man began to pound into him.
"Waste of space!" He shouted, "I gave you that allowance to go get a job and you spend it all on that crap of yours!"
"A-ck!" The man coughed, trying to form words.
"SHUT IT!"
A fist slammed into his face once more.
"You said you were going to out job hunting but all you do everyday is make a damn fool of yourself in that park!" Pound, rumble, slam. "Why the hell is a useless piece of trash like you our son huh?! Do you know how the neighbors look at us now, huh?!"
Slowly, the man tried to escape only for his father to grab hold of him tightly and hit him once more. Weakly, he turned his head to the doorway where the women from before stood once more. "Mom…"
With a simple "Hmph." the door slammed shut.
"Trash." The dad began straightening his back, "You ain't no son of mine. Get the hell out of our life."
Everything flickered and the woman let out a scream as the world flickered to black, the scenery vanishing around her until the only thing left was a shining spotline where the man laid on the ground.
His voice echoed from every and nowhere.
"It's cold…" He mumbled, "The rock hurts. Bugs are crawling on my legs… it smells."
Blearily he opened his eyes. "This park is the only thing I have left huh?"
Silence was the only thing that answered him.
"Why did it turn out like this?" He muttered. "I… I have the potential. I'm a gifted guy. Just a little bit of effort and I'll be great!"
Slowly, the world began to grow hazy.
"Magic. Magic. Magic." He muttered in a mantra, "Take the potential inside me! Blossom! Awaken! Please! It's the only thing I have left!"
His body weakly drifted off to sleep as his thoughts shouted.
"If I tapped into my potential-!" He thought with all his energy, "I'll turn my life around! I'll show you! I can't let it end like this! Awaken the magic inside me! I'll prove it to the world! Please! PLEASE!"
Halfway through slumber, a voice reached his ear.
And with that, the memories came to an end.
The woman flinched as the blackness gave way to lights of every color. Sand that wasn't sand crumbled beneath her feet as she turned to the endless sea in front of her.
"What… was that?"
"I believe I already told you the answer to that."
"But I." The women shook her head. "It's sad but, that didn't explain anything! Why was he that monster we first met."
"Oh, that." Her reflection sighed, "I believe you'll find your answer there. We're close to the horizon."
"The Horizon?"
"Separating the mind and memories from the world of dreams." Without a care, she walked into the sea. Or rather, on. Impossibly stepping onto the water, her kimono not even an ounce wet. "It's time we end this and make our leave."
"If...if you say so…"
Hesitantly, the girl began to follow. If she had a stomach, it would've learched right now treating water like a solid. After a while of walking, she finally decided to ask a question that had been weighing on her mind. "Um, just who are you anyway?"
"Hm?" Her partner turned black. "I'm the one on the other side of the mirror."
"Like… an inverted version of myself?"
"No, now you're just taking the metaphor too seriously." The girl waved. "We have our differences, but we are one and the same. You can feel it yes?"
"I.... don't know." The women replied, "This is all so forigen and, I only thought I was myself."
The reflection paused, "I suppose that's true in a way. You are Momohime, after all. I on the other hand, am Magical Girl Demon Blade."
"Then- am I a magical girl?"
"Hmph." Demon Blade gripped her blade, "While Momohime might be Magical Girl Demon Blade, Magical Girl Demon Blade is not Momohime."
"Uh… huh?" The woman blinked. "That's some way to think about it."
"It's not like I have all the answers you know." The woman in the kimono raised a bitter smile. "In fact, you probably have more answers then me. All I know is that I am Magical Girl Demon Blade, and that we are one and the same. That and a few things I've learned in my years dreaming."
"Such as?"
"Such as that." The reflection pointed to a blurry outline in the distance before walking again. It was only when it came into view that Momohime gasped.
Halfway beyond the Horizon was a monster. The size of a human, but with skin as red as blood. A familiar horn and claw were spouting out from it, and it's face was a mere mockery of humanity. Beneath where it reached, the water turned red as poisonous dark veins stretched over the line.
"What…. what is that?!" The women gasped.
"Well, I can't say for sure, but it seems to be our monster." The magical girl replied, glancing at the corrupted water. "I see… that poor fool. He thinks that thing is actually drawing out that vague idea of potential in him."
"Eh?" Momohime took a closer look at the red splotch before taking a step back. Waves of hate and anger boiled beneath its surface on a scale she had never seen before. One wrong move and she would be drawn in it.
"Hmph." Demon Blade's arm went to her Sword. "All that thing's doing is just drawing out the anger in his heart. He has power yes, but…"
"It's, self destructive?" Momohime guessed.
"That's one word to describe it." The magical girl smirked, "Drawing up all the anger in his heart before making him burn it out. Talk about a shitty deal, but I guess he did want power."
"Well, then we have to do something right?!"
"...I can try, but I cannot guarantee his safety," her reflection stated. "Or if it will actually work."
"Um, that's…" The woman gulped before stealing herself. "If you can help, then I think you should at least try."
"Very well." The world rumbled as she unsheathed her Sword. "I shall bring this dream to an end."
And with that she was gone, running off into the distance. Her feet tapped against the water before she leapt over the corruptive fluids and into the air. Without even a sound, she descended from the sky before stabbing her blade right into the monster's heart.
"Be gone or my blade shall devour you." She simply declared.
"And do you think my Sword will let you free if you don't drop the contract?"
The magical girl didn't listen, and the demon blade was drawn before it sliced the monster in half.
"Leave." She ordered. "Now."
And with that, the monster pulled the pieces of its body back together before vanishing over the horizon. The corrupted water boiled for a minute before it began to fade.
"Exorcism complete." The magical girl nodded, sheathing her Sword. Slowly, she turned back to Momohime. "It's time for you to go."
"Eh? Go where?" The woman blinked, looking around.
"Where else?" Demon Blade pointed in an unknowable direction. "The place beyond the reflection… it's time for you to wake up."
"Ah, but-"
"Hopefully you never have to see this side of yourself again." The two of them began to float, their body fading away. "Goodnight, Momohime."
Momohime tried to shout as her surroundings faded from her vision but soon she found herself weighing too little for the words to come out.
Soon, the colors invaded her vision, and she drifted away.
The sunlight drifted into Momohime's eyes as she woke up. Somewhere in the distance, the don of a water fountain knocked, and a strange scent brought her to reality. Slowly, she lifted her head up and glanced around groggily.
Uh… was she still wearing her clothes? Did she crash as soon as she got home?
Idly she opened her phone to check the time and- "9 AM?!"
It was at that moment several things hit her at once.
The first was that oh god she was late for work.
The second was her sudden alertness made her realize that this wasn't her home.
And finally…
"Ack!" She coughed, her head hurting like someone had smashed a hammer into it repeatedly. A vile, nasally noise escaped her throat as she continued on with a coughing fit. Dimly, she heard the sound of a door opening and someone entered in the corner of her vision.
Before she even had the chance to react, they quickly paced up to her and grabbed her head in their heads. Blearly she met their eyes and vaguely realized it was a woman before she forced something down her throat.
It was small and- was that a drug?
"Relax." The women said soothingly. "It's a medicinal pellet. Your body needs to heal."
"W-What?" Momohime got out as she took in the woman in front of her. She was an inhuman beauty, curvy in all the ways Momohime wasn't. An orange kimono wrapped her skin which was pale as the moon. Idly, Momohime thought that this woman was probably the one who they used as the definition of a traditional japanese beauty. If it wasn't for her silver hair and her, her- "Fox ears?"
She had to blink to make sure she was seeing things right, but they didn't vanish. The women in front of her most definitely had two large, fluffy fox ears at the very top of her head. Suddenly the other details came into Momohime's focus. The tail that swished ever so gently, her eyes that weren't quite right…
"Ah, I see you're fully awake." The woman giggled, "I would advise you not to look at my features so much. I apologize for having to show this form to you when you still need rest but I felt you needed some kind of explanation, especially after the events of last night."
"Last…. Night?" Momohime asked before memories came crashing down at her. "The man, the park, the- the-"
"Yes yes." The fox lady stroke her head gently, "Don't try and force it, let your memories flow naturally…"
"What even happened?" She asked, "Was that, a demon?"
"Demon?" Her caretaker(?) raised a hand to her mouth. "That's quite a funny way to put it. Tell me, do I look like a demon to you?"
"Eh?" Momohime blinked, "Wha- No! Of course not!"
"But I must inform you that we're the same kind of creature." She smiled gently, "Ah but where are my manners? I am a Kongiku, the local kitsune assigned to the area."
"Ah, Momohime… Momohime Tsukigami." The office lady smiled weakly. "Wait- Kitsune?!"
"Quite." The fox lady nodded, "I must say, it gave me quite a shock when you and your friend barged into my shrine."
"Your… shrine?" Weakly, Momohime stood up and glanced out the door. "This is…"
Even though she was here just last night, Momohime couldn't help but feel like there was something different about the shrine. After everything that went down last night, she just couldn't look at the place with the same eyes again. Especially considering who was standing right next to her.
"Normally we have measures to prevent regular civilians from noticing this place's existence." Kongiku continued, "But yet it seemed that you somehow managed to bypass the protection charm on it. Thank you for your offering though, it was kind of you even if I can't grant your wish."
"Ah, I didn't really wish for anything though…" Momohime sighly spoke before shaking her head. "Wait, then the fox I saw-?!"
"Wasn't me." The kitsune declared to Momohime's confusion, "Well, that was me, but it wasn't. Her name is Yon, and she's my contractor. Say hi by the way."
"Eh?" Momohime glanced around before finding a sleeping fox on the ground. "N-Nice to meet you Yon!"
Idly the fox opened one eye before giving a small "Yip!" of acknowledgment.
"I must say you're getting used to this quiet fast." Kongiku giggled.
"Ah, well…" The office lady sighed, "I, I don't really know what's going on so I'm kind of just going with the flow…"
"I suppose that's fair enough." The kitsune nodded, "But that does allow me to explain some things, if you will?"
Momohime nodded and Kongiku began. "We, both me and the creature you encountered last night, are beings who fundamentally don't exist. I suppose it would be easier to say that we are ideas given thought? We are distortions of the truth itself, a bewitching mystery."
The office lady gasped as she realized what the lady was saying. "You don't mean-"
"Yes. In this land known as Japan, we are called the Youkai. Though there are several names for those who know our existence overseas." Her orange kimono folded as she took a bow. "We come from the land of dreams, where nothing exists. Ideas and stories… they all get distorted with every ripple and occasionally they find themselves attempting to become the truth. The world you live in is quite tempting you see."
"Ah…" Momohime let out a noise of understanding. "So, you're like Baku?"
Kongiku made a face. "That is… an oversimplification. Baku are Youkai yes, but they're usually quite content to stay on the other side of the mirror. Youkai like that creature and I however, desire to truly be in the weighted world. Unfortunately, it is not so simple for us. Unlike you who traverse our realm in your sleep, we struggle to take one breath of this world on our own. As such, we make contracts with the dreamers close to their Horizon. In exchange for giving us a connection to this world, we grant them our power and do our best to fulfill their wish."
"Then…"
"Yes." Kongiku nodded, "The man you met last night had also made a contract. As far as I can tell, the specific Youkai he made a contract with was an Amanojaku. Evil spirits, they've been cropping up a lot lately. Amanojaku specialize in bringing out the worst of people and are quite wicked so you should consider yourself lucky you didn't get seriously hurt."
"Eh, but last night I…" Momohime tried to remember the blow she took to her side last night, but the memory was like that of a dream. Phantom. Idly she placed a hand on where she remembered the tearing of flesh, but not even a scratch was on it. "That's right, she was the one who took the blow…"
The Magical Girl, Demon Blade.
"I confess I was not able to make it until after the chaos had settled." Kongiku looked away sadly, "I am… not fit for combat. After I was alerted that an exorcism had been performed, everyone was lying on the floor. It was only then that I noticed your body's condition, an allergic reaction to seeing and hearing things that don't exist for the first time. The symptoms are quite common… Ah, my apologies. I went off on a tangent. Do you mind recalling the events for me if they won't trouble you?"
"Ah, yes…" And slowly, bit by bit, Momohime recalled the events of last night. From the time she transformed, to when Demon Blade fought off the creature personally. "...And then, I was floating… and I found myself here."
"Oh my." The fox lady gasped, "That is quite the tale I will admit. To think you were a magical girl and yet still were able to perform such an advanced exorcism..."
"It was a surprise to me too." Momohime glanced at her hands. "But, I wouldn't say I was the magical girl."
"Yes, well, this is an abnormal situation I will admit." Kongiku sighed, "It's complicated, but as a defining rule us Youkai don't… coexist well with Magic. If what you're saying is true… If a Mahou user was able to use Hougi…"
"Hougi?" Momohime asked.
Kongiku waved the question away. "That is not a topic I should be discussing. Still, I find myself unsure what I should do here… I cannot find any trace of you being just a normal human who has been dream-touched and as such I… I'm afraid I must inform you that you probably have a contract with a Youkai as well."
"Eh?!" Momohime looked at herself as if it was a forign entity, "But- but I don't remember-!"
"...It is rare but occasionally dreamers won't remember making their contract." The kitsune explained, "Still, in this case there is some stuff I must give you."
"Huh?" Momohime let out as the dainty woman walked to the back of the shrine. There was a muffled sound of something being shoved before she walked back out with a… cardboard box and handled it to Momohime. Slowly she opened the box only to find a stack of books and… brochures? "This is…"
An awkward laugh escaped Momohime's lips as she read the titles.
The Ministry of Japan's Official Guide to the Night World, second edition.
So you've just contracted a youkai? Things you should know.
Government Opportunities For Contractors Seeking Employment.
"In recent years," Kongiku began, laughing lightly at Momohime's expression. "There have been an increased number of Youkai crossing the border and making contracts. As such some… regulation has been put in place. What you hold right there is the standard informational packet we give to new contractors like yourself."
"So…" Momohime looked between the books and the Kitsune. "You're a government worker?"
"Why yes." She giggled. "Officially, Yon and I are employees of the PR department of the ministry, though weather that stands for Public Relations or Paranormal Response depends on who you ask. Not that you'd be able to find any trace of us on a regular paper trail of course. Most of the government is… unaware of our existence. We could only get this off the ground due to those in power who have been touched by the other side."
The office lady glanced at the box before sighing and closing the lid. "Shouldn't I know about you? If Youkai are so prevalent…"
Truthfully, Momohime was more wondering how much taxpayer money went to fox girls.
"Ah, yes, about that…" Kongiku made a sullen face before she pulled out… a news paper. "I believe that this should make things clear."
Momohime's eyes turned to one of the open pages before gasping at the headline.
GROUP STABBED IN ALLEY WAY! POLICE OFFICER ATTACKING HIS FELLOW WORKER!
Last night already had an article? No it wasn't much but… even with the short blurb they gave of the incident, every word sunk in her gut as her nerves stood on end.
"I was so scared when he pulled out that knife." One of the victims, a teenage girl says. "Before I knew it he was already charging at us and stabbing. Luckily he was kind of crazy so he didn't stab anywhere vital…"
…
"I don't know what came over me." Police Officer Tarou comments, "He shoved this weird pill in my mouth, I think it was a drug of some kind? Next thing I know everything becomes this weird haze… If that's the state of the youth of our society, then I think we should regulate substance abuse more."
"No…" Momohime let out before tossing the newspaper away, "No! T-That's not what happened!"
Stabbing? Drug abuse? That poor man was being pinned for so many crimes he didn't do! Sure he went on a rampage but…
"I'm afraid that this is the official story." Kongiku told her sadly, "I'd like to tell you that this was just a cover up but… In truth, when those who have no connection to the other side come into contact with a Youkai of some kind this is what happens. Their memories twist and alter into something more… befitting of reality."
"I…" Momohime's hands shook before she stared Kongiku in the eye. "Then what about that man, Kyousuke?!"
"After you exorcised the Youkai and revoked his contract…. Well, his memories changed as well." She sighed. "You must understand, the weighted world rejects us. Even if he has to face charges for crimes he didn't commit… That is the truth that this world has decided."
"That's… That's terrible."
"Yes." Kongiku nodded, "But in the end, he was the one who made the deal with that Youkai, and thus this is his responsibility to bear. Of course, I would like to move on from this topic, if you don't mind?"
"..." Momohime gulped, "Please."
"Very well." The kitsune nodded before handing her another small box. "These are medicinal pellets to help with your body's recovery. They should also help increase your… I suppose I should say your immune system so that if you ever do encounter another Youkai the reaction won't be as bad. Now they should be taken twice a day, twelve hours apart…"
"Do you have a prescription note?" Momohime shyly asked. Without even blinking, Kongiku pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to her. Yeah, um, this looked legit.
"We have doctors for this sort of thing, of course." She nodded. "On that note, you will have to give your body some rest. About half a week or so is the recommended amount."
"Ah, um, I have work-"
"Not to worry." Kongiku pulled out another paper, this time a letter. "We've already, ah, convinced your office to let you take your sick days."
Having worked in that terrible company for long enough, Momhime shivered. What did they do to make those guys submit?
"Now, here's my business card." Kongiku continued, "And I should inform you that if you encounter another oddity of this sort around the area please inform me of it right away. Oh and I wouldn't mind if you just came for some tea."
"T-Thank you." Momohime bowed, picking up the boxes. "Um, I guess I'll be on my way then?"
"Take care now." The kitsune nodded.
Slowly and hesitantly, Momohime picked up all the stuff, took her box, and walked away from the shrine after giving another quick donation. In a haze, she barely even noticed when she got on the train, or when she got off the train, or even when she got back to her apartment.
"Free time huh…" Momohime muttered to herself as she stared at the box on her table. "It's… been a while."
She couldn't even remember the last time she had any chance to do a hobby. Her office had always kept her up late so she didn't even have time to decorate her apartment. It was barren and empty, with only the minimum of furniture.
But now, Momohime didn't have to go to work today. She didn't even have to go for several days.
"I, I guess I should do something huh?"
Of course, finding something to do after doing nothing for so long was a challenge in and of itself…
Pick (2) Options
[] Look Through the Packet of information
[] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
[] Try and find information on mythological Youkai
[] Maybe you can get in contact with Chika? (It's a pipe dream but it's a dream)
+5 EXP Awakened The Demon Blade
+10 EXP Defeated Kyousuke
+15 EXP Exorcised The Amanojaku
+5 EXP Welcome to the Night World
Current EXP: 35
-[] Spend EXP?
AN: Originally this fight was supposed to go on for at least another update but... Mechanical imbalance and also the fact that Demon Blade was fighting someone who was both drunk off his own power and had literally never fought before a day in his life. It wasn't a fair fight by any means necessary.
Speaking of Mechanical Imbalance, some patches have been applied to Demon Blade's sheet.
-Misty Slash has been nerfed to only dealing 400 Base Damage per slash.
-Divine Moon has been buffed to 800 Base Damage.
-Armor Pierce has been upgraded to Juggernaut on Divine Moon.
-For some reason the Arts had levels. This has been removed.
-Reinforced Steel added to the shop.
-Weightless abiities have been fully revealed
-Misty Slash has been confirmed to not smell like Mint.
In regards for the rest of the update... Welcome to Hundred Night Blade. The sun has only just set and It's going to be a long night.
"That stance…" Demon Blade began, "Are you perhaps a fighter?"
"Feh! This is just the power that was sleeping inside me!" It cackled. "Well?! What do you think?!"
"...I was right." The magical girl sighed, "There's no way someone like you could be a fighter."
"Huh?"
There was a pink blur, a rush of wind, before Demon Blade's feet drifted into a stance directly behind the thing.
And in a single smooth motion she kicked him in the back and onto the floor.
"Your movements are crude and undefined." She continued, "With all the grace of a feral hog, and less strength than one as well."
"GAH!" The thing pushed itself off the ground, face caked in dirt before it lunged directly at its assaulter. Claws slashed through the air in a wild frenzy. With barely any acknowledgement, Demon Blade simply turned her body before… kicking him in the back again.
Internally Momohime winced.
"STOP DOING THAT YOU AIR HEADED BITCH!" It cried, picking itself off the floor before flying into a rage.
"Air headed bitch?" Demon Blade tilted her head, "Interesting way to put it. But I must say, the fragrance of the air in my head is the fresh breeze of spring, but the air in yours is as wasteful and dirty as a gale from below."
"...Really?" Momohime asked herself. "Please don't say things like that with my mouth."
"What?" The magical girl blinked, "I thought it was an apt comparison."
"I have no idea what is going on but-! Um!" There was a pause. "T-Take this more seriously please! A lot of people got hurt!"
"Oh, yes." Demon Blade paused, glancing at the bloody bodies on the floor. "...Right."
"Don't tell me you forgot?!"
"I was busy." She glanced at the police man who had just finished beating his coworker into a bloody pulp. "That man… hm."
"Yeah! HEY! OFFICER TAROU " The thing shouted, pointing at Demon Blade. "This girl just tried to proposition me for compensated dating!"
"W-What?!"
"For an underaged girl… THAT'S ILLEGAL!" The officer shouted, no hint of logical thinking in his eyes as he charged at Demon Blade with the spirit of a bull.
"I-I may be kind of small but I'm still an adult…"
"Puberty wasn't kind to us, huh." Demon Blade brandished her sword before readying to strike the-
"WAIT! HEY! NO!"
The magical girl's Sword faltered at the last minute, the officer's body not pausing as it slammed into her. It wasn't truly enough to hurt her but it was enough to throw her off balance, which was made abundantly clear as mad laughter and tearing reached her ears.
???: 100 Base Damage +N/A Dice = 100 Total Damage
Demon Blade: 75 Base Resilience +3 Dice = 78 Total Reduction
22 End Damage
Demon Blade: 150 - 22 = 128 Remaining Health
Rend Applied! Total Damage: 50
Demon Blade: 75 Base Resilience +20 Dice = 95 Total Reduction
0 End Damage
A scream pierced out into the night as the thing's claws tore through her flesh. Blood splattered onto the earth, the scent of rust that was beginning to fade once again filling the cold air.
"Argh!" Demon Blade grunted, pushing the police officer away before jumping as far away as she could.
"Pain pain pain, oh why does it hurt so much…" Momohime cried.
"Calm-"
Rend Applied! Total Damage: 50
Demon Blade: 75 Base Resilience +11 Dice = 86 Total Reduction
0 End Damage
"Calm down." Demon Blade told herself, wincing.
"H-How am I supposed to calm down?! I'm bleeding out and- and I can't even move my body!"
"Not bleeding. He just, rendered our flesh."
"Is that supposed to make me feel any better?!"
"Can you please just go to sleep?!" The magical girl hissed at herself. "This wouldn't have happened if you just kept quiet!"
"You were going to slice that man down!"
"I'd only hurt him enough to knock him out." Demon Blade claimed, "Striking with the dull edge of my Sword."
"Does… Does that thing even have a dull edge?"
Demon Blade glanced at the Sword.
Its edge gleamed in the moonlight.
"...Maybe."
"Please please please let this all be a nightmare." Momohime wept internally.
"I'd rather go back to sleep as well…"
"HEY BITCH!" Demon Blade turned her attention from her wound to the thing only to find him holding up two trees up in the air. "SUCK ON THIS!"
With a laugh he tossed the plants at her. Dirt flying everywhere onto the park ruins.
Demon Blade grit her teeth. "...But it seems that's not to be the case. If he wants to play like that, then I will end this charade."
Her feet moved and without even thinking she jumped into the air. Faster than the eye could see, her blade moved. The first tree broke in two, a clean split down the middle which let her soar through the air uninterrupted. For a split second her foot made contact with the other tree before she lept off it and as high into the air as she could.
The moonlight reflected off her blade. Quietly, she slid it into her sheath as she began her descent towards the earth.
Time seemed to slow down.
"Blade Art Number #1."
Slowly, the world began to change and words echoed from her lips.
"Thousand Cranes..."
Her body vanished, hidden in the breeze. The thing shouted in shock, looking around but it was too late. Without a sound, Demon Blade manifested behind him.
There was no hesitation, not even a second for him to turn his head around. In a flash, the demon Blade spilled blood.
Cost: 250 HP
Misty Slash: 400 Base Damage +N/A Dice = 400 Total Damage
Misty Slash-
"S-Stop!" Momohime cut in just as the executioner's blade was about to strike the killing blow. "You've done enough! Just leave him be!"
The Sword faltered, Demon Blade flinched. "Even after all he's done?"
"Even, Even then." The young woman declared. "I don't care if this is some messed up dream or reality. I… I won't be a murderer."
"...Very well." Demon Blade sheathed her Sword. "If that is your wish."
Thing: 45 Base Resilience +N/A Dice = 45 Total Reduction
355 End Damage
The Thing: 450 - 355 = 95 Remaining Health.
Muramasa's Blade: 500 - 250 = 250 Remaining Health
"Ugh…" It groaned. Blood splattered on the ground. Off to the distance, the police officer collapsed to the ground in a dull thud.
"Hmph." Demon Blade let out. "And what do you suppose we do now?"
"Huh?"
"Don't tell me you didn't think about that." The Magical Girl sighed. "He's still someone who lashed out in a bloody rampage. Even if we spare him, he might just do so again in the future."
"..."
"So, I repeat, what shall we do - Momohime?"
"I… want to talk."
"Pardon?"
"I want to talk to him." Momohime clarified. "I want to know why he did what he did. I'm… not someone who could help. But even still... I want to talk."
"Heh?" Demon Blade muttered. "Why he did what he did, huh? I can guess the answer but I suppose you should know as well."
"W-What?"
"Prepare yourself." The folds of her kimono bent to the ground as she placed a hand on the thing- No, the man's back. The claws and horns had faded away like a trick of the light. Slowly, Demon Blade closed her eyes. "And Goodnight."
"Eh?! Ah-"
Colors blinded her view and consciousness faded.
Momohime didn't open her eyes.
As light as a feather, a young woman floated down into the unending sea.
Further.
Further.
Her gentle descent seemed to be unending, the sea bottomless, but slowly the haze of the dream lifted the veil from her eyes.
The sea vanished as the light poured into her sight. She was standing, since when?
"Where…?" She mumbled, only to feel the phantom touch of someone placing a hand on her shoulder. Groggily, she turned around only to find herself looking at a reflection of herself.
No, saying it was a reflection of herself would be too vein. Wrinkles, eye bags, and every other blemish seemed to be gone from the face in front of her. Like staring at an almost perfect version of herself-
It would be unbecoming of the woman to say she didn't feel a pang of jealousy.
"Are you finally awake?" The perfect her asked, "I'd rather not see what'd happen if you were to lose yourself behind someone else's horizon."
"Who…?"
Her reflection sighed. "Just relax, you're dreaming."
Dreaming-?!
And suddenly the world seemed to snap back into consciousness for her. The colors surrounding her growing to an unreal vividness.
That was right- There was that thing in the park and- Her!
"Truthfully I didn't expect you to actually be able to follow me here." The women noticed the other details. The pink kimono, the hair pin, and… That Sword. "It's the first time I've done this as well… There are some things you truly can't experience unless you're on the other side, huh?"
"Where are we?" She glanced around desperately. Outside the window, the sunlight's rays pierced through the windows, but it was wrong. No distinction between morning and afternoon, constantly flickering. Various papers with unintelligible words appeared and disappeared, and flowers bloomed and wilted throughout every passing glance.
The laughter of children hauntingly echoed down the halls.
"An elementary school…?" The women wondered, only for her reflection to sigh.
"It'd be best not to get yourself Lost." Elegantly, she moved to a door that the women just now noticed was in front of her. "Come on, let's walk."
"Hey! Wait!"
The two walked into the room and the door shut behind them. The outline of everything was vague and blurry, but in the center a spotlight shone down upon a young boy surrounded by faceless children.
"Wow Kyousuke!" An indistinguishable voice shouted. "You got a perfect on the test again!"
"Yep!" The boy beamed at the children. "It was totally easy!"
"Can you help me?" Another voice asked, "Mom said that if I get good scores she'll buy be any video game I want!"
"Hah! Sure thing!" The boy flapped the paper. "Understanding this stuff is a breeze."
"Kyousuke~!" Suddenly, the children vanished and the outline of a woman appeared in front of the two. "Sheesh, what have I told you about bragging?"
"Eh? But Sensei~!" The boy whined, "I was just telling the truth!"
"Listen Kyousuke." The teacher leaned down, "You're a very gifted child. I'm sure that you have the potential to do anything you want to do. Okay?"
"A gifted child huh…" THe boy muttered, smiling down at his test scores.
Suddenly, they were gone.
"What… was that?" The women finally spoke up.
"A memory." Her reflection answered, "From long long ago. Faded and worn. Weather it was the truth of what happened that day or not, that is what the man believed happened."
"Just… how…"
"We don't have time." The woman could only stare as the version of her in a kimono walked to a corner of the vanishing classroom and opened a broom closet. "Well? Are you coming?"
There wasn't anyway to comprehend it, but the moment her reflection stepped into the broom closet she was gone.
"W-Wait for me!" The woman shouted, dashing to the closet and shoving herself in. And then- She found herself stumbling onto the classroom floor.
No, this wasn't the same classroom. The presence of children had vanished, and the style was different too.
At the front of the classroom, the boy stood once more. He was older, about 14 or so now. The grin on his face hung on with swagger, and his posture oozed confidence.
In front of him was a desk, a face man behind it holding up paper. "Well Kyousuke, I've read your files. You said you wanted to go into… magic?"
"Yeah." He replied, "It's a new field and all that. Sounds absolutely awesome."
"Are you really sure about this? Not much is known about it…"
"I mean, it's magic. New discoveries are being made everyday with it!" The boy waved his hands excitedly. "Did you hear?! They even recently discovered that the planet is alive!"
The main sighed, "Yeah yeah, I heard. Been all over the news. Still, it's going to be a hard task if you aren't an Awakened."
"Relax," He jabbed a thumb into his chest. "I've got potential."
"Heh. Your grades are good, I'll give you that." The shuffling of paper. "Well, if you say that's what you want to do, then give it your best shot."
And then they were gone.
"Magic huh…" The women looked at a calendar and saw the date. Raccoon the green, owl. She sighed and shook her head. "Everyone was obsessed with it back then weren't they?"
"Why are you asking me?" Her reflection commented, walking to the door of the classroom. "This way."
"I'm following." The woman replied. Without any pause, the two stepped out the door and into another hallway. The pink robes of her reflection shifted as the two turned around to find the boy pressed against the wall, a couple years older. The door was only slightly open, a crack of light peeking through.
"Yes hello? Is this Kyousuke's parents?" A female voice asked. Faintly the two could see the outline of someone holding the phone beyond the crack in the door. "It's his teacher. Your son wanted to study magic right?"
Some nods and hms were heard behind the door. "Well, that's really the thing. Grade wise he's… decent. Slacks off a lot during class. Does he attend a prep school of some kind?"
A beat. "No huh..."
The woman glanced at her reflection, a sinking feeling in her gut.
"It's complicated." The voice continued, "Only the best colleges are offering a magic study program right now. Expensive and stuff, you know? Quite frankly if he doesn't raise his test scores… He should just give up already."
Lights flickered around them before going out completely. The boy vanished. The women's skin went on edge as she heard a haunting yell echoed through the halls.
"We're close." Her reflection informed her. She didn't say a word in response. Silently the two walked down the halls before suddenly they weren't in school anymore. A house stood in front of them, and the woman flinched as a resounding slap echoed in the world around them.
A much older version of the boy stood in the doorway, his cheeks a scorching red as a women who looked similar to him stared him down. "Really?! I worked hard to get you into a decent college and this is what yo do?! Drop out after a year?!"
"Mom…" He looked at his hands, downtrodden. "The school was holding me back. I could do so much better."
"Are you still holding on to that little magic delusion of yours?!" She glared at him coldly.
"I can do it! I really can!" He complained, "I've got the potential! With just a little bit of effort-"
"It's been years! When the hell are you ever going to do that?!" With a sigh, the women moved to open the door. "Just… get inside."
The two vanished, leaving the women alone with her reflection.
Silence stayed between the two as her reflection turned around. The women soon followed after, only to find she was standing in a park. A very familiar park.
The boy, now a man, stood in the park. Posing and shouting.
"Ew. What's that guy doing?" A teenage girl commented from the side.
"Ugh, just ignore that creep." Her friend responded. "He thinks he's some kind of magical warrior or something."
"Bleh. Gross!" The other girl responded, "Deluded freaks like those are getting around everywhere these days huh?"
"You bet. Makes me glad I'm not one of them!"
The man laughed as the two vanished, "Just ignore them Kyousuke. You've got what it takes. All you have to do is act on it…"
"HEY YOU!" A familiar police officer shouted. "WHAT HAVE I SAID ABOUT CAUSING A DISTURBANCE!?"
"Ah! Officer wait!"
The man vanished. A word didn't even need to be spoken as Momohime turned around and looked back at the house that appeared.
The world around her began to rumble and her breath hitched. The man was lying on the ground as an older man began to pound into him.
"Waste of space!" He shouted, "I gave you that allowance to go get a job and you spend it all on that crap of yours!"
"A-ck!" The man coughed, trying to form words.
"SHUT IT!"
A fist slammed into his face once more.
"You said you were going to out job hunting but all you do everyday is make a damn fool of yourself in that park!" Pound, rumble, slam. "Why the hell is a useless piece of trash like you our son huh?! Do you know how the neighbors look at us now, huh?!"
Slowly, the man tried to escape only for his father to grab hold of him tightly and hit him once more. Weakly, he turned his head to the doorway where the women from before stood once more. "Mom…"
With a simple "Hmph." the door slammed shut.
"Trash." The dad began straightening his back, "You ain't no son of mine. Get the hell out of our life."
Everything flickered and the woman let out a scream as the world flickered to black, the scenery vanishing around her until the only thing left was a shining spotline where the man laid on the ground.
His voice echoed from every and nowhere.
"It's cold…" He mumbled, "The rock hurts. Bugs are crawling on my legs… it smells."
Blearily he opened his eyes. "This park is the only thing I have left huh?"
Silence was the only thing that answered him.
"Why did it turn out like this?" He muttered. "I… I have the potential. I'm a gifted guy. Just a little bit of effort and I'll be great!"
Slowly, the world began to grow hazy.
"Magic. Magic. Magic." He muttered in a mantra, "Take the potential inside me! Blossom! Awaken! Please! It's the only thing I have left!"
His body weakly drifted off to sleep as his thoughts shouted.
"If I tapped into my potential-!" He thought with all his energy, "I'll turn my life around! I'll show you! I can't let it end like this! Awaken the magic inside me! I'll prove it to the world! Please! PLEASE!"
Halfway through slumber, a voice reached his ear.
"Well, if you're so sure about that~! HAHAHA!"
And with that, the memories came to an end.
The woman flinched as the blackness gave way to lights of every color. Sand that wasn't sand crumbled beneath her feet as she turned to the endless sea in front of her.
"What… was that?"
"I believe I already told you the answer to that."
"But I." The women shook her head. "It's sad but, that didn't explain anything! Why was he that monster we first met."
"Oh, that." Her reflection sighed, "I believe you'll find your answer there. We're close to the horizon."
"The Horizon?"
"Separating the mind and memories from the world of dreams." Without a care, she walked into the sea. Or rather, on. Impossibly stepping onto the water, her kimono not even an ounce wet. "It's time we end this and make our leave."
"If...if you say so…"
Hesitantly, the girl began to follow. If she had a stomach, it would've learched right now treating water like a solid. After a while of walking, she finally decided to ask a question that had been weighing on her mind. "Um, just who are you anyway?"
"Hm?" Her partner turned black. "I'm the one on the other side of the mirror."
"Like… an inverted version of myself?"
"No, now you're just taking the metaphor too seriously." The girl waved. "We have our differences, but we are one and the same. You can feel it yes?"
"I.... don't know." The women replied, "This is all so forigen and, I only thought I was myself."
The reflection paused, "I suppose that's true in a way. You are Momohime, after all. I on the other hand, am Magical Girl Demon Blade."
"Then- am I a magical girl?"
"Hmph." Demon Blade gripped her blade, "While Momohime might be Magical Girl Demon Blade, Magical Girl Demon Blade is not Momohime."
"Uh… huh?" The woman blinked. "That's some way to think about it."
"It's not like I have all the answers you know." The woman in the kimono raised a bitter smile. "In fact, you probably have more answers then me. All I know is that I am Magical Girl Demon Blade, and that we are one and the same. That and a few things I've learned in my years dreaming."
"Such as?"
"Such as that." The reflection pointed to a blurry outline in the distance before walking again. It was only when it came into view that Momohime gasped.
Halfway beyond the Horizon was a monster. The size of a human, but with skin as red as blood. A familiar horn and claw were spouting out from it, and it's face was a mere mockery of humanity. Beneath where it reached, the water turned red as poisonous dark veins stretched over the line.
"Hey~! Hey Kyousuke!" It cried, laughing over the man's sleeping body. "I know that's not all the potential you've got in there! Come on! Let it out! Let it out!"
"What…. what is that?!" The women gasped.
"Well, I can't say for sure, but it seems to be our monster." The magical girl replied, glancing at the corrupted water. "I see… that poor fool. He thinks that thing is actually drawing out that vague idea of potential in him."
"Eh?" Momohime took a closer look at the red splotch before taking a step back. Waves of hate and anger boiled beneath its surface on a scale she had never seen before. One wrong move and she would be drawn in it.
"Hmph." Demon Blade's arm went to her Sword. "All that thing's doing is just drawing out the anger in his heart. He has power yes, but…"
"It's, self destructive?" Momohime guessed.
"That's one word to describe it." The magical girl smirked, "Drawing up all the anger in his heart before making him burn it out. Talk about a shitty deal, but I guess he did want power."
"Well, then we have to do something right?!"
"...I can try, but I cannot guarantee his safety," her reflection stated. "Or if it will actually work."
"Um, that's…" The woman gulped before stealing herself. "If you can help, then I think you should at least try."
"Very well." The world rumbled as she unsheathed her Sword. "I shall bring this dream to an end."
And with that she was gone, running off into the distance. Her feet tapped against the water before she leapt over the corruptive fluids and into the air. Without even a sound, she descended from the sky before stabbing her blade right into the monster's heart.
"W-What?" It groaned.
"Be gone or my blade shall devour you." She simply declared.
"Screw off you human bitch!" It replied, "Do you think I'm just going to let the perfect Contractor go free?!"
"And do you think my Sword will let you free if you don't drop the contract?"
"I WILL TEAR YOUR SKIN OFF BEFORE-"
The magical girl didn't listen, and the demon blade was drawn before it sliced the monster in half.
"Leave." She ordered. "Now."
"Tch!" It groaned in pain. "Fine, whatever. This isn't fun anymore. I'll just find another contractor after I reform myself! We'll meet again!"
And with that, the monster pulled the pieces of its body back together before vanishing over the horizon. The corrupted water boiled for a minute before it began to fade.
"Exorcism complete." The magical girl nodded, sheathing her Sword. Slowly, she turned back to Momohime. "It's time for you to go."
"Eh? Go where?" The woman blinked, looking around.
"Where else?" Demon Blade pointed in an unknowable direction. "The place beyond the reflection… it's time for you to wake up."
"Ah, but-"
"Hopefully you never have to see this side of yourself again." The two of them began to float, their body fading away. "Goodnight, Momohime."
Momohime tried to shout as her surroundings faded from her vision but soon she found herself weighing too little for the words to come out.
Soon, the colors invaded her vision, and she drifted away.
The sunlight drifted into Momohime's eyes as she woke up. Somewhere in the distance, the don of a water fountain knocked, and a strange scent brought her to reality. Slowly, she lifted her head up and glanced around groggily.
Uh… was she still wearing her clothes? Did she crash as soon as she got home?
Idly she opened her phone to check the time and- "9 AM?!"
It was at that moment several things hit her at once.
The first was that oh god she was late for work.
The second was her sudden alertness made her realize that this wasn't her home.
And finally…
"Ack!" She coughed, her head hurting like someone had smashed a hammer into it repeatedly. A vile, nasally noise escaped her throat as she continued on with a coughing fit. Dimly, she heard the sound of a door opening and someone entered in the corner of her vision.
Before she even had the chance to react, they quickly paced up to her and grabbed her head in their heads. Blearly she met their eyes and vaguely realized it was a woman before she forced something down her throat.
It was small and- was that a drug?
"Relax." The women said soothingly. "It's a medicinal pellet. Your body needs to heal."
"W-What?" Momohime got out as she took in the woman in front of her. She was an inhuman beauty, curvy in all the ways Momohime wasn't. An orange kimono wrapped her skin which was pale as the moon. Idly, Momohime thought that this woman was probably the one who they used as the definition of a traditional japanese beauty. If it wasn't for her silver hair and her, her- "Fox ears?"
She had to blink to make sure she was seeing things right, but they didn't vanish. The women in front of her most definitely had two large, fluffy fox ears at the very top of her head. Suddenly the other details came into Momohime's focus. The tail that swished ever so gently, her eyes that weren't quite right…
"Ah, I see you're fully awake." The woman giggled, "I would advise you not to look at my features so much. I apologize for having to show this form to you when you still need rest but I felt you needed some kind of explanation, especially after the events of last night."
"Last…. Night?" Momohime asked before memories came crashing down at her. "The man, the park, the- the-"
"Yes yes." The fox lady stroke her head gently, "Don't try and force it, let your memories flow naturally…"
"What even happened?" She asked, "Was that, a demon?"
"Demon?" Her caretaker(?) raised a hand to her mouth. "That's quite a funny way to put it. Tell me, do I look like a demon to you?"
"Eh?" Momohime blinked, "Wha- No! Of course not!"
"But I must inform you that we're the same kind of creature." She smiled gently, "Ah but where are my manners? I am a Kongiku, the local kitsune assigned to the area."
"Ah, Momohime… Momohime Tsukigami." The office lady smiled weakly. "Wait- Kitsune?!"
"Quite." The fox lady nodded, "I must say, it gave me quite a shock when you and your friend barged into my shrine."
"Your… shrine?" Weakly, Momohime stood up and glanced out the door. "This is…"
Even though she was here just last night, Momohime couldn't help but feel like there was something different about the shrine. After everything that went down last night, she just couldn't look at the place with the same eyes again. Especially considering who was standing right next to her.
"Normally we have measures to prevent regular civilians from noticing this place's existence." Kongiku continued, "But yet it seemed that you somehow managed to bypass the protection charm on it. Thank you for your offering though, it was kind of you even if I can't grant your wish."
"Ah, I didn't really wish for anything though…" Momohime sighly spoke before shaking her head. "Wait, then the fox I saw-?!"
"Wasn't me." The kitsune declared to Momohime's confusion, "Well, that was me, but it wasn't. Her name is Yon, and she's my contractor. Say hi by the way."
"Eh?" Momohime glanced around before finding a sleeping fox on the ground. "N-Nice to meet you Yon!"
Idly the fox opened one eye before giving a small "Yip!" of acknowledgment.
"I must say you're getting used to this quiet fast." Kongiku giggled.
"Ah, well…" The office lady sighed, "I, I don't really know what's going on so I'm kind of just going with the flow…"
"I suppose that's fair enough." The kitsune nodded, "But that does allow me to explain some things, if you will?"
Momohime nodded and Kongiku began. "We, both me and the creature you encountered last night, are beings who fundamentally don't exist. I suppose it would be easier to say that we are ideas given thought? We are distortions of the truth itself, a bewitching mystery."
The office lady gasped as she realized what the lady was saying. "You don't mean-"
"Yes. In this land known as Japan, we are called the Youkai. Though there are several names for those who know our existence overseas." Her orange kimono folded as she took a bow. "We come from the land of dreams, where nothing exists. Ideas and stories… they all get distorted with every ripple and occasionally they find themselves attempting to become the truth. The world you live in is quite tempting you see."
"Ah…" Momohime let out a noise of understanding. "So, you're like Baku?"
Kongiku made a face. "That is… an oversimplification. Baku are Youkai yes, but they're usually quite content to stay on the other side of the mirror. Youkai like that creature and I however, desire to truly be in the weighted world. Unfortunately, it is not so simple for us. Unlike you who traverse our realm in your sleep, we struggle to take one breath of this world on our own. As such, we make contracts with the dreamers close to their Horizon. In exchange for giving us a connection to this world, we grant them our power and do our best to fulfill their wish."
"Then…"
"Yes." Kongiku nodded, "The man you met last night had also made a contract. As far as I can tell, the specific Youkai he made a contract with was an Amanojaku. Evil spirits, they've been cropping up a lot lately. Amanojaku specialize in bringing out the worst of people and are quite wicked so you should consider yourself lucky you didn't get seriously hurt."
"Eh, but last night I…" Momohime tried to remember the blow she took to her side last night, but the memory was like that of a dream. Phantom. Idly she placed a hand on where she remembered the tearing of flesh, but not even a scratch was on it. "That's right, she was the one who took the blow…"
The Magical Girl, Demon Blade.
"I confess I was not able to make it until after the chaos had settled." Kongiku looked away sadly, "I am… not fit for combat. After I was alerted that an exorcism had been performed, everyone was lying on the floor. It was only then that I noticed your body's condition, an allergic reaction to seeing and hearing things that don't exist for the first time. The symptoms are quite common… Ah, my apologies. I went off on a tangent. Do you mind recalling the events for me if they won't trouble you?"
"Ah, yes…" And slowly, bit by bit, Momohime recalled the events of last night. From the time she transformed, to when Demon Blade fought off the creature personally. "...And then, I was floating… and I found myself here."
"Oh my." The fox lady gasped, "That is quite the tale I will admit. To think you were a magical girl and yet still were able to perform such an advanced exorcism..."
"It was a surprise to me too." Momohime glanced at her hands. "But, I wouldn't say I was the magical girl."
"Yes, well, this is an abnormal situation I will admit." Kongiku sighed, "It's complicated, but as a defining rule us Youkai don't… coexist well with Magic. If what you're saying is true… If a Mahou user was able to use Hougi…"
"Hougi?" Momohime asked.
Kongiku waved the question away. "That is not a topic I should be discussing. Still, I find myself unsure what I should do here… I cannot find any trace of you being just a normal human who has been dream-touched and as such I… I'm afraid I must inform you that you probably have a contract with a Youkai as well."
"Eh?!" Momohime looked at herself as if it was a forign entity, "But- but I don't remember-!"
"...It is rare but occasionally dreamers won't remember making their contract." The kitsune explained, "Still, in this case there is some stuff I must give you."
"Huh?" Momohime let out as the dainty woman walked to the back of the shrine. There was a muffled sound of something being shoved before she walked back out with a… cardboard box and handled it to Momohime. Slowly she opened the box only to find a stack of books and… brochures? "This is…"
An awkward laugh escaped Momohime's lips as she read the titles.
The Ministry of Japan's Official Guide to the Night World, second edition.
So you've just contracted a youkai? Things you should know.
Government Opportunities For Contractors Seeking Employment.
"In recent years," Kongiku began, laughing lightly at Momohime's expression. "There have been an increased number of Youkai crossing the border and making contracts. As such some… regulation has been put in place. What you hold right there is the standard informational packet we give to new contractors like yourself."
"So…" Momohime looked between the books and the Kitsune. "You're a government worker?"
"Why yes." She giggled. "Officially, Yon and I are employees of the PR department of the ministry, though weather that stands for Public Relations or Paranormal Response depends on who you ask. Not that you'd be able to find any trace of us on a regular paper trail of course. Most of the government is… unaware of our existence. We could only get this off the ground due to those in power who have been touched by the other side."
The office lady glanced at the box before sighing and closing the lid. "Shouldn't I know about you? If Youkai are so prevalent…"
Truthfully, Momohime was more wondering how much taxpayer money went to fox girls.
"Ah, yes, about that…" Kongiku made a sullen face before she pulled out… a news paper. "I believe that this should make things clear."
Momohime's eyes turned to one of the open pages before gasping at the headline.
GROUP STABBED IN ALLEY WAY! POLICE OFFICER ATTACKING HIS FELLOW WORKER!
Last night already had an article? No it wasn't much but… even with the short blurb they gave of the incident, every word sunk in her gut as her nerves stood on end.
"I was so scared when he pulled out that knife." One of the victims, a teenage girl says. "Before I knew it he was already charging at us and stabbing. Luckily he was kind of crazy so he didn't stab anywhere vital…"
…
"I don't know what came over me." Police Officer Tarou comments, "He shoved this weird pill in my mouth, I think it was a drug of some kind? Next thing I know everything becomes this weird haze… If that's the state of the youth of our society, then I think we should regulate substance abuse more."
"No…" Momohime let out before tossing the newspaper away, "No! T-That's not what happened!"
Stabbing? Drug abuse? That poor man was being pinned for so many crimes he didn't do! Sure he went on a rampage but…
"I'm afraid that this is the official story." Kongiku told her sadly, "I'd like to tell you that this was just a cover up but… In truth, when those who have no connection to the other side come into contact with a Youkai of some kind this is what happens. Their memories twist and alter into something more… befitting of reality."
"I…" Momohime's hands shook before she stared Kongiku in the eye. "Then what about that man, Kyousuke?!"
"After you exorcised the Youkai and revoked his contract…. Well, his memories changed as well." She sighed. "You must understand, the weighted world rejects us. Even if he has to face charges for crimes he didn't commit… That is the truth that this world has decided."
"That's… That's terrible."
"Yes." Kongiku nodded, "But in the end, he was the one who made the deal with that Youkai, and thus this is his responsibility to bear. Of course, I would like to move on from this topic, if you don't mind?"
"..." Momohime gulped, "Please."
"Very well." The kitsune nodded before handing her another small box. "These are medicinal pellets to help with your body's recovery. They should also help increase your… I suppose I should say your immune system so that if you ever do encounter another Youkai the reaction won't be as bad. Now they should be taken twice a day, twelve hours apart…"
"Do you have a prescription note?" Momohime shyly asked. Without even blinking, Kongiku pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to her. Yeah, um, this looked legit.
"We have doctors for this sort of thing, of course." She nodded. "On that note, you will have to give your body some rest. About half a week or so is the recommended amount."
"Ah, um, I have work-"
"Not to worry." Kongiku pulled out another paper, this time a letter. "We've already, ah, convinced your office to let you take your sick days."
Having worked in that terrible company for long enough, Momhime shivered. What did they do to make those guys submit?
"Now, here's my business card." Kongiku continued, "And I should inform you that if you encounter another oddity of this sort around the area please inform me of it right away. Oh and I wouldn't mind if you just came for some tea."
"T-Thank you." Momohime bowed, picking up the boxes. "Um, I guess I'll be on my way then?"
"Take care now." The kitsune nodded.
Slowly and hesitantly, Momohime picked up all the stuff, took her box, and walked away from the shrine after giving another quick donation. In a haze, she barely even noticed when she got on the train, or when she got off the train, or even when she got back to her apartment.
"Free time huh…" Momohime muttered to herself as she stared at the box on her table. "It's… been a while."
She couldn't even remember the last time she had any chance to do a hobby. Her office had always kept her up late so she didn't even have time to decorate her apartment. It was barren and empty, with only the minimum of furniture.
But now, Momohime didn't have to go to work today. She didn't even have to go for several days.
"I, I guess I should do something huh?"
Of course, finding something to do after doing nothing for so long was a challenge in and of itself…
Pick (2) Options
[] Look Through the Packet of information
[] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
[] Try and find information on mythological Youkai
[] Maybe you can get in contact with Chika? (It's a pipe dream but it's a dream)
+5 EXP Awakened The Demon Blade
+10 EXP Defeated Kyousuke
+15 EXP Exorcised The Amanojaku
+5 EXP Welcome to the Night World
Current EXP: 35
-[] Spend EXP?
AN: Originally this fight was supposed to go on for at least another update but... Mechanical imbalance and also the fact that Demon Blade was fighting someone who was both drunk off his own power and had literally never fought before a day in his life. It wasn't a fair fight by any means necessary.
Speaking of Mechanical Imbalance, some patches have been applied to Demon Blade's sheet.
-Misty Slash has been nerfed to only dealing 400 Base Damage per slash.
-Divine Moon has been buffed to 800 Base Damage.
-Armor Pierce has been upgraded to Juggernaut on Divine Moon.
-For some reason the Arts had levels. This has been removed.
-Reinforced Steel added to the shop.
-Weightless abiities have been fully revealed
-Misty Slash has been confirmed to not smell like Mint.
In regards for the rest of the update... Welcome to Hundred Night Blade. The sun has only just set and It's going to be a long night.
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I hope they used a good graphics card for that. Rendering the flesh of a living being sounds painful if performed slowly.
vain
lost
The
I think you're missing a word somewhere between the comma and "man".
lurched
woman
whether
Huh. That is actually really interesting world building right there.
Calling this world the Weighted World I think is going for the implication that other worlds* exist, but ours is the only one that matters. Or at least that the things in it are weighted disproportionately.
*Different from Dimensions. Likely anyway since it seems everything else from "canon" is still going on.
Magical Girl Demon Blade is a Contracted Youkai, or possibly created by a contracted youkai from our dream/ideation. The indirect interaction could explain both her lack of existence outside of being a reflection of ourself and her ability to use magic/exorcise things since the kitsune said youkai's and magic don't mix well, or was that exorcism magic specifically? Doesn't matter in our case since we have both.
She also said she's been dreaming for years... I wonder... either she was created/connected to us back then or that was her initial birth as a dream/ideation of Motohime wishing to be a Magical Girl herself.
And the primary suspect would have been the alley shrine fox statue, but apparently that's the fox here? And she said she couldn't have granted the wish either anyway. Could be lying, but that's a pitfall, so eh. I say primary suspect cause foxes are also messengers for the Kami, but they usually have a mark of station... and she didn't say that she didn't know someone else who heard the wish, but again, pitfall, so... eh.
[X] Look Through the Packet of information
[X] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
As for XP... I said it before, and after beginning to rewatch a Muramasa LP, the Barrier Breaker is either going to be useless or vitally important with basically zero inbetween. Also possibly weird considering the mirror separating the Weighted World from the Youkai Dream World could be considered a Barrer possibly.
I'm betting on important since Daze does know what he's doing.
I could always be wrong too, but Barriers affect a lot in the game both mechanically and narratively. Mechanically they're what lock off areas and bosses, and subsequently gate your sword leveling/progression. Narratively they mostly exist to keep evil spirits sealed and protect those in power.
I very much want to get it, but we might need more combat and our first purchases of the three main stats are going to double our stats currently, so we'll probably need that. And Reinforced Steel. Still I'd recommend we just keep a banked 30 around in case we run into a barrier.
Calling this world the Weighted World I think is going for the implication that other worlds* exist, but ours is the only one that matters. Or at least that the things in it are weighted disproportionately.
*Different from Dimensions. Likely anyway since it seems everything else from "canon" is still going on.
Magical Girl Demon Blade is a Contracted Youkai, or possibly created by a contracted youkai from our dream/ideation. The indirect interaction could explain both her lack of existence outside of being a reflection of ourself and her ability to use magic/exorcise things since the kitsune said youkai's and magic don't mix well, or was that exorcism magic specifically? Doesn't matter in our case since we have both.
She also said she's been dreaming for years... I wonder... either she was created/connected to us back then or that was her initial birth as a dream/ideation of Motohime wishing to be a Magical Girl herself.
And the primary suspect would have been the alley shrine fox statue, but apparently that's the fox here? And she said she couldn't have granted the wish either anyway. Could be lying, but that's a pitfall, so eh. I say primary suspect cause foxes are also messengers for the Kami, but they usually have a mark of station... and she didn't say that she didn't know someone else who heard the wish, but again, pitfall, so... eh.
[X] Look Through the Packet of information
[X] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
As for XP... I said it before, and after beginning to rewatch a Muramasa LP, the Barrier Breaker is either going to be useless or vitally important with basically zero inbetween. Also possibly weird considering the mirror separating the Weighted World from the Youkai Dream World could be considered a Barrer possibly.
I'm betting on important since Daze does know what he's doing.
I could always be wrong too, but Barriers affect a lot in the game both mechanically and narratively. Mechanically they're what lock off areas and bosses, and subsequently gate your sword leveling/progression. Narratively they mostly exist to keep evil spirits sealed and protect those in power.
I very much want to get it, but we might need more combat and our first purchases of the three main stats are going to double our stats currently, so we'll probably need that. And Reinforced Steel. Still I'd recommend we just keep a banked 30 around in case we run into a barrier.
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Didn't want to double post, but half an hour fifty minutes and I need to sleep.
There's some interesting stuff in the char sheets. Kyouske's sheet has the ability Weightless Life which has the same wording as our Weightless Mass except replacing "The Muramasa Blade" with "The Contract." Which has implications on who or what we're actually contracted with and possibly the Magical Girl Demon Blade might be a bit more literal than it usually is.
Kyouske also has Attributes. And I mean Kyouske has Attributes, not just his weapon. Magical Girl Demon Blade has Affinities, our Blade has Attributes. My initial guess would be that the Muramasa Blade needed someone to wield it and found our dream to be usable/compatible/there and brought it to life in exchange for being its wielder. Maybe. Initial guessing, like I said. So probably very wrong somewhere.
Endless Night is... odd I feel. There seems to be some line, as murky as it might be with the above, between Motohime and Demon Blade. That character sheet is Demon Blade's, and Demon Blade herself said that "While Momohime might be Magical Girl Demon Blade, Magical Girl Demon Blade is not Momohime," except Endless Night talks about projecting into the "world that doesn't exist" which should be Youkai World as the Weighted World would be the one with the strongest existence going by its description (It might not be, but pitfalls, so... moving on) and Demon Blade is already there and so shouldn't be needing such a thing.
Unless that was our exorcism walk thing that we did... Maybe? ... *Shrug*
Or possibly its another world that exists even less than the Youkai/Dream one.
There's some interesting stuff in the char sheets. Kyouske's sheet has the ability Weightless Life which has the same wording as our Weightless Mass except replacing "The Muramasa Blade" with "The Contract." Which has implications on who or what we're actually contracted with and possibly the Magical Girl Demon Blade might be a bit more literal than it usually is.
Kyouske also has Attributes. And I mean Kyouske has Attributes, not just his weapon. Magical Girl Demon Blade has Affinities, our Blade has Attributes. My initial guess would be that the Muramasa Blade needed someone to wield it and found our dream to be usable/compatible/there and brought it to life in exchange for being its wielder. Maybe. Initial guessing, like I said. So probably very wrong somewhere.
Endless Night is... odd I feel. There seems to be some line, as murky as it might be with the above, between Motohime and Demon Blade. That character sheet is Demon Blade's, and Demon Blade herself said that "While Momohime might be Magical Girl Demon Blade, Magical Girl Demon Blade is not Momohime," except Endless Night talks about projecting into the "world that doesn't exist" which should be Youkai World as the Weighted World would be the one with the strongest existence going by its description (It might not be, but pitfalls, so... moving on) and Demon Blade is already there and so shouldn't be needing such a thing.
Unless that was our exorcism walk thing that we did... Maybe? ... *Shrug*
Or possibly its another world that exists even less than the Youkai/Dream one.
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- Location
- UTC -6
:,-(
[X] Look Through the Packet of information
[X] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
Momohime demands more information! Plus these seem like things that will be a headache to ignore. Chika will hopefully hear about being sick before she runs into Momo again.
- Location
- Attached to a wall
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Look Through the Packet of information
[X] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
[X] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
ApocalypticFish
Been reflecting lately.
[X] Look Through the Packet of information
[X] Maybe you can get in contact with Chika? (It's a pipe dream but it's a dream)
[X] Maybe you can get in contact with Chika? (It's a pipe dream but it's a dream)
- Location
- Garreg Mach Monastery
[X] Look Through the Packet of information
[X] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
[X] Find a way to get Misty Slash to smell like mint.
[X] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
InfiniteDaze
Too lazy to leave the house
- Location
- I wish I could stay
Votes locked in twelve hours.
- Location
- over there
[X] Look Through the Packet of information
[X] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
[X] You're a magical girl? Seriously? Maybe? Experiment?
InfiniteDaze
Too lazy to leave the house
- Location
- I wish I could stay
Votes locked~
Edit: The fuck? Again?
Edit: The fuck? Again?
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InfiniteDaze
Too lazy to leave the house
- Location
- I wish I could stay
Inserted tally
Lemme see if I can work around it
E: You need to click Update Tally before you insert it.
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OFFICE TWILIGHT
InfiniteDaze
Too lazy to leave the house
- Location
- I wish I could stay
The Ministry of Japan's Official Guide to the Night World, 2e was a… well, it was a very special book. Special not in the sense that it was amazing or some masterpiece of literature, but more the kind of special that you wouldn't want to be seen with. Like a weird oddball uncle that no one invites to the family reunion that somehow shows up anyways.
Firstly, it claimed to be written by someone she was pretty sure was long dead. Not just decades or centuries ago, but a millennium ago. Did this just so happen to be an ancient treasure unearthed like a magical tome?
Absolutely not. The book was written in 2013, just a scant five years ago. Just because that felt like lifetimes ago didn't mean it was actually a lifetime ago!
Secondly… It was confusing. When Momohime picked up the book, she expected a generic, dry, and technical guide on whatever mess she found herself drawn into. Instead, the book was written entirely in poetry. Very symbolic and metaphorical poetry.
"Beyond the Horizon lies an ocean unseen." Momohime recited from the page she was on. "The ocean is wide, but the ocean is not deep. Those who swim in it's waters eventually grow weary and vague. The Land begins to call for them. Scattered in the ocean are messages in a bottle, vestiges of ocean wanderers. They follow the trail until they too, must cross their horizons."
The office lady paused, putting the book down, leaning back on her couch, and staring at the ceiling. Slowly, she put all her thoughts into one final word. "...What?"
She glanced at the title of the chapter. "Where do Youkai Come From?"
"What?" She asked again, pressing a hand against her head. A headache born not from her illness. "I… don't really…"
What?
Momohime hesitantly reached over for the second book on the table. So You've Just Contracted A Youkai? Things You Should Know had looked remarkably unprofessional when she first saw it, mainly because it looked less like a guide book and more like a, um, what were they called? Light Novel…?
Regardless, it reminded Momohime a lot of the manga she read when she was a young girl. There was a chibi drawing of a kitsune on the cover along with various other Youkai. Hesitantly, she opened the cover of the book.
"Beyond the horizon lies Knowledge lost-"
Momohime slammed the book shut with a groan. Idly she considered doing something else with her day and then idly remembered she didn't actually have anything else to do.
She could unpack her things? The boxes of stuff she had after she moved into this apartment two years ago had mostly just been collecting dust. Mmh, no… She didn't even recall what was in them.
Momohime let out a sigh before picking up the book again.
"Hey, don't just slam this book shut like that!" Uh, What? "It was a joke I swear!"
Was this book psychic?!
"I'm not psychic." It lied, "While I can predict a possible future, in this case my talents are not necessary. You most likely have picked up this book after failing to parse through the Youkai dialect in rampant use throughout the book. But have no fear! This guide book has been written to help guide your human mind through the ins and outs of the Night World. Written and illustrated by me, Yumeko Houshi, writer of the currently running (as of the time of this publication), and award winning weekly manga Shoujo Sengoku!"
Momohime did a wild double take as she reread those words. She vaguely recalled such a title starting up back when she was starting to wane off manga a long time ago. The first chapter was… Ah, she couldn't remember. Um, she thought it was alright?
"Why am I, a mere mangaka, in charge of writing such an important book?" It was a good question. "Because no matter where you go in the Night World, all the roads lead back to me. Every Youkai, Every Onmyouji, and most certainly every Hanyou all are intertwined in my fingers in some way or another."
A chill ran down Momohime's spine as she read those words. There was something about them that she couldn't put her hands on, almost as if the book itself had a deep curse woven into its page. Which was almost impossible, as the book was most certainly a mass produced book that was printed in droves. And yet, the woman couldn't shake the feeling that the text was staring back at her.
Then she read the next line and almost stumbled from where she was sitting at the sudden whiplash.
"Sorry for scaring you like that~! It's okay, I'm most harmless!"
"Please…" Momohime begged, "Pick a tone and stick with it."
"Now on that note, a couple of disclaimers!" The text cheerfully read before turning into a dry and bland tone that was almost certainly written by someone else. "The following guide book is written with the knowledge that it could become outdated at anytime. The Night World has been going through rapid changes ever since the introduction of magic. Yumeko Hoshi and the governmental office of Japan are not liable for actions based on outdated information found in these books. Furthermore, this is only a guide to the Night World of Japan. Certain actions described in here are not applicable in the Night World of foreign nations. By reading this book, you hereby acknowledge these things and take full responsibility for any actions you take."
Automatically Momohime's hands went to sign on the dotted line except no, there wasn't a contract to sign.
"And now with that out of the way, on to the first chapter!" The office lady flipped the page only to see Dangers Of Being A Youkai Contractor written in big, bold letters written at the very top. Her eyes drifted downwards to the actual contents of the chapter before she winced at how icy the tone had become. "I'm going to have to be serious here. This needs to be addressed first. I don't care if you read this book to the end or drop off halfway, whatever it is read this chapter. This is not a joke."
Momohime gulped, for a second she didn't know if she could but her eyes betrayed her and she started reading again anyways.
"In the modern day we have people who have 'awakened' with magical powers. You, my dear reader, are very much not that." Er, technically… "If you're reading this then you've most likely made a deal. A very, very dangerous deal. I can not describe what a Youkai truly is, not in words that any sane person would understand. All you need to know is that the powers bestowed upon you are not a gift, and most certainly not your own. What you have is a Contract."
Though she didn't really want to, Momohime's hands flipped to the next page. Every word sent a chill down her back and her hair stood on edge as she continued to read.
The next words read as if specifically for her.
"You might not remember the contract you made. That's understandable. Usually they are made in our sleep, when your mind draws close to the border of reality." It spoke softly, "But it's contents are usually quite simple. Youkai target people who wish for something. Escapism as we know it. In exchange for granting such wishes, humans become an anchor into the weighted world… Apologies, a connection into reality for them."
"Escapism…" Momohime Glances at her hands.
Did she have a wish? Long ago she dreamed of being a magical girl yes but that dream died long ago. Those days were buried underneath the haze and monotony of daily life. Momohime couldn't even really remember what she was like back then.
So, why was such a wish being granted now?
"This is a warning. I beg of you, if there's one thing you take away from this book, let it be this: Get a long with your Youkai partner, and anchor yourself to this world." The words rang in Momohime's head like a gong. "If you fail to do such a task, and I apologize for my inability to put it any other way, then you will lose yourself to the Night. More than you already have that is."
"R-Right…" Momohime slowly closed the book and put it down. "That's, um, that's enough of that."
The office lady didn't know how she was going to sleep tonight with those words stuck in her head.
"But still, getting along with the Youkai huh…?" Momohime mumbled to herself, staring into the beige walls of her apartment. The woman wasn't exactly sure what she should do next if she was totally honest with herself. Magical Girl things? Was she really a magical girl? Demon Blade said that Momohime was Demon Blade but that Demon Blade was not Momohime- "Argh!"
A soft thud echoed through her apartment as Momohime grabbed he head before collapsing on her side. The gentle furniture cushioning her fall. The office lady whimpered, "This is making my head hurt…"
Lazily, she grabbed a pillow from the couch and slammed it into her face. It was an old friend, one that had accompanied her through many nights where she had just crashed on the first sof thing she could find when she got home. When was the last time she actually got to sleep on her bed? Did she have one? It had been so long…
"Urk." Momohime let out as a thought struck her. "Oh yeah, work…"
Who was she kidding. Her? A magical girl? Even if she did now have the power to transform, she still had bills to pay. After this short break she'd show up at the office again before probably getting treated a bit harsher by her boss and then she would get swamped with work again….
Momohime just didn't have time to go out and do magical girl things. Probably wouldn't ever. What would she even do?
...Um, what do magical girls do again? They like, transform and like, solve problems, and stuff. Was there a guide book on this? Something on the internet? No, wait, Momohime didn't have a computer. She had a phone though didn't she?
Groggily getting off the couch, the office lady reached for her purse before shoving her hand in and digging around. A couple minutes passed before she felt a familiar device in the palm. In a moment of triumph, Momohime gave an 'aha!' before yanking out-
A flip phone.
The office lady blinked owlishly. Was this really her phone? It felt familiar but, well, seriously? This wasn't even the latest tech when she was in elementary school, let alone a decade later. She could recall using it yesterday but somehow this still surprised her. Momohime shook her head to clear away the confusing thoughts before hitting the power button. There was a beat of silence before... nothing happened. The power was dead, making the device useful in the same way that a brick was useful as a paper weight.
"...Well, that was a bust." She plopped the flip phone on the table and groaned. That was it, she was out of ideas. None of this felt real to her at all. The only thing that prevented her from thinking this was all a product of her sleep deprived mind was the newspaper describing the events of last night and the things Kongiku had told her. Maybe she could transform? Test some things out? What was her transformation phrase again?
Think think think…. ah!
The office lady stood up and hesitantly, she recalled the words from last night. "I-I am… the one… who shall bear the curse?"
No no no that wasn't right. Maybe she should put more feeling into it? Okay let's try it like this!
"I am the one who shall bear the curse!" Momohime exclaimed, striking a pose. "Awaken, Magical Girl Demon Blade!"
A beat of silence echoed throughout the apartment and a grand total of zero magic happened. Slowly, heat began to rush into Momohime's cheeks as she hid her face in her hand and crouched on the floor.
Oh god, what was she doing?! She was twenty three wasn't she?! Momohime was way too old to be acting like this! What if someone saw her?! That was so embarrassing…!
WIth a sigh of long suffering, she flopped back onto her couch and continued to stare at her apartment walls. Nothing happened either. Was it all a dream? No, she was missing something. A crucial part of her transformation...
The forgotten word left escaped from her lips in Momohime's tired daze. "Invoke."
Suddenly the world in front of her warped as a Sword appeared out of nowhere. A memorizing blade that called out to her. That's right, this was what Momohime needed to complete her transformation. If she just reached out and grabbed the blade-
"No."
In a single instant, Momohime lost control of her body. All of her muscles locked up at once and she found herself a prisoner in her own flesh. Her breathing began to go faster and faster. She wanted to move she wanted to move she wanted to move she wanted to move-
"Call it off." A thought in her head told her, breaking her out of her daze.
H-Huh?
"This isn't the time. Call the Blade off."
"G-" Momohime forced through her own lips, suddenly finding it under control. The words which escaped her lips were covered in oil that forced its way through the stream of her consciousness. "GO AWAY!"
Thus- The Blade did.
For a brief second nothing happened before Momohime suddenly collapsed on the floor in a coughing fit. The office lady's throat felt painfully raw and her limbs felt like jelly, constantly shaking. A drip from her nose grabbed her attention, and Momohime suddenly realized that she had stained her apartment floor with blood.
Weakly, she pushed herself to her feet and stumbled for her purse again. Her voice came out in a muttered daze. "Gotta- Gotta find that medicine…"
Her head pounded in her skull as she pulled out a small bamboo container. With fumbling fingers, Momohime pulled out a small pellet before promptly forcing the drug down her throat. After a few moments, her world stopped being defined by constant agony only to replace by a sudden wave of sleepiness.
"Why am I so…" Momohime muttered, "Should… rest…"
And with that, her consciousness was gone.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
A girl awoke to the constant sound of iron hitting metal. No, 'awoke' was not the correct word to use in this instance. It would be more accurate to say that her consciousness gathered together in a feeling of lucidity. Slowly absorbing the world around her until she could think for herself.
Bang. Bang. Ban-
There was a pause before whatever was making that noise shifted in place. Suddenly, an old, nostalgic voice drew her attention. "Oya oya oya. Seems the Little Flame is finally awake."
Who…?
"Mmh. But not quite. The connection is only half forged." There was a sound of something being stroked before the girl felt the voice call out to her. "Hey, missie. You wanderers have eyes do you not? focus your attention on them and open them."
Focus her attention on her eyes? Why did she have to do that? All she had to do was open them and-
Her vision was immediately colored with the sight of a dirty old shrine that had been reworked into a workshop. In the very center was a familiar green spectral fire and floating above it was an old ghost, his skin ashen grey. He let out a scoff before turning back to the fire. "Of course you would pick it up quick."
She looked around, taking it all in. A sense of deja vu had begun to overwhelm her. The girl couldn't recall ever having been in here before yet instinctively she could recognize the forms and shapes of the various blades that were scattered around. As she tried to say something, her voice refused to work. She thought about how odd this was, and suddenly she could speak.
"Um…" The girl began to mumble, "Have I been here before?"
"Hah!" The ghost threw its head back, "I wish I could say you haven't! No no, I've seen you around quite often enough. First time I've seen you actually lucid though."
"Lucid…?"
"Conscious, awake, whatever you wanderers call it." He continued before pausing, "Speaking of… such a half made work offends my eyes. You better fix that form of yours before I throw you out myself."
"Form…" The girl trailed off before looking at herself before realizing something. She had no body, just a spectral green flame that floated in the air. Was this who she was? No, something was wrong here. She could feel it, deep in herCore .
"Don't tell me you don't know how…" The blacksmith grumbled before waving a hammer at her. "You have a Name do you not? Throw some of that Weight around already!"
"Name…" That's right, she had one didn't she? Her name was… Her name was… "Momohime Tsukigami."
The world around her grew more solid, it's colors more vivid as Momohime suddenly found her thoughts clearing up. Her body forced itself into existence in this fragile world, her feet touching the ground that didn't exist. The office lady gazed at her hands before pausing and noticing something.
"Eh?" She pulled at her clothes, "W-What am I wearing?!"
Though she couldn't remember putting such a thing on, Momohie found herself clothed in a pink kimono. It was almost identical to the one that her Reflection had, save for slight changes in the patterns intertwined in it's cloth.
"Hmph." The ghost in front of her let out, "Figures you'd be the spitting image of her."
"Her? Who?" Momohime whipped her head around, "Wait, where am I? Last I can remember I mumbled out that word..."
"Aye. She was mighty mad about that." The blacksmith nodded, "What you did was a dangerous thing. Dangerous and foolish. I'm sure she'll chew you out on that herself."
The office lady shinked in on herself, "I-I'm sorry but I really don't know who you're talking about."
"Pfft. Don't know who I'm talking about? Don't try and play the fool to this old man Little Flame!" He stared her in the eyes, "I'm talking about that darned Reflection of yours!"
"Reflection?" The only thing she could think of would be… "Magical Gir-"
A loud bang interrupted her as the fires grew higher. Momohime let out a shriek as the Blacksmith glared at her. "Oya. You should be careful on which names you utter in this realm. Names like those… you'll tear this world asunder if you aren't careful."
"This realm…" Suddenly a quote flashed into her mind, "Beyond the horizon lies an ocean unseen-"
"-The ocean is wide, but the ocean is not deep." The ghose finished with a nod. "I see you are at least somewhat educated on matters, unlike that reflection of yours. Those are famous words in this realm. Why, it's almost to the point that they have some Weight."
"I think I get it." Momohime closed her eyes.
The ocean beyond the horizon.
If this was the place that book was talking about then this realm… was where Youkai come from.
"I'm… sorry." The office lady winced as she glanced at the ghost. "I've never even asked for your name."
The old blacksmith paused, his wispy lower body flickering as if trying to decide on what to say. Finally, he answered. "I suppose you would know me as…Sengo Muramasa ."
"Eh?!" Momohime gasped.
"Oh don't be so shocked. This old man is merely a Ripple." Seeing the look of confusion that had suddenly appeared on Momohime's face, the blacksmith sighed. "Everything that was born in this realm was the product of something that exists in yours. Us creatures who you know as Youkai, are born from stories and mysteries. Every time you tell these legends, a new person throws in their Weight, causing countless variations of the same story. Thus, us Ripples are created."
"So…" She tilted her head, "You're not Sengo Muramasa?"
"It's pronouncedSengo Muramasa ." He corrected in a way that Momohime couldn't actually say. "And yes, I am merely a version that someone imagined. Though how long ago that was I can't recall…"
Muramasa paused before laughing, "Oya oya oya. You're much more enjoyable to talk to then your reflection young miss. All that brat cares about is that sword of hers."
"Don't call me young miss. My name's Momohime." The office lady said automatically before letting out a nervous laugh, "My 'Reflection'... have you known her long?"
"Long…. Time works differently in this realm Little Flame. According to her it's been years, and as she has more Weight than me I'm inclined to believe it. For us, seconds pass as years and years pass as seconds. It all depends on how one perceives it." A long suffering sigh escaped the blacksmith's lips, "And for me it has been a very long time indeed."
Momohime shifted uncomfortably, "Have I been problematic?"
"No no, you're a wonderful guest. Even if most of the times I've seen you all you did was just watch, it's much better than that brat." Muramasa waved his hammer around. She comes into my workshop one day and then pesters me on and on about that sword of hers… Bah! It's undoubtedly a Muramasa Blade but that Youkai baffles even me! And for some reason after she leaves she always manages to track me down again!"
"You know I can hear you right?" Momohime's voice interrupted, yet the words didn't come from her lips. There was a small thunk as the sliding door to the work shop opened and Momohime was met with the gaze of her (annoyingly more perfect) reflection. "It's rude to talk about someone behind their back."
"Oya oya. What do you mean behind your back?" Muramasa pointed at Momohime. "You're right here see?"
"...Hmph. Fair enough." Her Reflection turned towards her. "You're looking better. Less wrinkles."
"Eh? Ah!" The office lady ran a hand down her cheek. Certainly, the wrinkles from work on her face were gone but… "I'm sure because this is all just a dream."
"Don't underestimate the medicine of a Kitsune." Her reflection replied, "The fact that you are finally lucid in this realm is a testament to their strength."
"I mean I didn't really need skin care…" Momohime muttered. She didn't care about her looks that much. She was a little plain to be honest.
"You are correct. Such things are merely superficial." Said a woman who had no right to say such things, "Meet me outside, we have something to talk about."
With that her reflection turned to walk back out the shrine, leaving the door wide open. Momohime turned to her host who merely continued his work at the forge. "You don't need permission from me LIttle Flame. This is something you have to deal with yourself."
"Ah!" She bowed her head, "Thank you very much!"
The office lady turned to hustle out the door before gasping at the scenery. It was a beautiful luxurious nature path, something she had only seen in photos. Or rather, it was a view that you could only see in a photo. No matter where she looked, Momohime's eyes were met with a scene that seemed to have been heavily edited to look as eye pleasing as possible.
"It would be best not to get lost in the scenery. Such a thing is dangerous here." Her reflection chimed in, snapping her back to reality(ish). The woman sat on the steps of the temple, idly examining her blade. Momohime sooned joined her, the folds of her Kimono creasing. There was silence for a moment before her reflection spoke. "You know the blacksmith's name yes? Then are you familiar with his legend?"
"Um, a bit…" She fidgeted nervously, "Shouldn't you know the answer to this?"
"Just because we both know something doesn't mean that Momohime is aware of it." The sound of a blacksmith's hammer steadily beat in the background as her reflection held up the sheath of her Blade. "And in this case, you seem to be ignorant about a very dangerous thing."
"The Muramasa Blade…" Momohime muttered as she beheld the Sword. "Is that Blade really-"
"Indeed." Her reflection nodded. "But it is incomplete."
"Um…" The office lady fidgeted nervously, "It seems pretty complete to me."
"You are thinking too much in the rules of the other side of the mirror." And then much to Momohime's shock, her reflection drew the blade. "It's form is incomplete, it's name has no Weight. What you see before you is merely The Legend of the Muramasa Blade."
The serious declaration was underscored by the fact that her conversation partner had developed the face of a goldfish, her shaky hand pointing at the unsheathed Sword. "Ah-Bah-Wah?"
The reflection rolled her eyes before sheathing the Blade. "Yes yes. The legend states that those who draw a Muramasa Blade are driven mad with the desire to shed blood… But in this realm, I can control its bloodlust. Blood can not be spilled in a realm with no life."
Momohime's own eyes flared at her. "But on the other side of the mirror, this is not the case. Know this: If you seek to use my powers, then you must have a will to fight. Otherwise, a life may be cut short unnecessarily. Including our own."
"I-I see…" Momohime looked towards the ground. All of this was so crazy it was all going over her head… After a few moments of silence, the office lady realized her reflection was staring at her. She shifted nervously. "Ah, um-"
"Hm?" Her own eyes narrowed at her, "When you do something wrong you should apologize."
"Eh?!"
"Well?"
"I-I'm Sorry?!"
"Is that a Statement or a question?"
"This Momohime apologizes for any misconduct on her behalf!" The office lady bowed fearfully. Great, not just being bullied at the office but by herself as well. "I only wanted to, um, test things out?"
"Ho?" Her reflection raises an eyebrow. "And what purpose would this have served you?"
"I-I'm sorry but I don't know!" If she was awake, sweat would've poured down her brow. "I just figured that- like- isn't there supposed to be training montage or something."
"Hmph." The bully scoffed, "I have been training for years before you finally invoked the contract. But I suppose that the other side of the mirror contains inspiration for more Blade Arts…"
"Ah." That's right, the woman in front of her was the magical girl. She was still just Momohime. Regular, plain old Momohime.
"Don't look so down. It doesn't suit you." Her reflection let out a deep sigh, "You could serve to have more Steel in your soul. I suppose I will have to fix that myself."
Momohime blinked. "Huh?"
"Did I stutter?" The mousy girl eeped at the sudden glare. "Listen up and listen well. The only thing I care about in this world is completing this Sword. I have searched far and wide in this ocean but I have yet to find an answer. However, the world on the other side of the mirror may contain a hint. Since you are my reflection it is my job to make sure you are prepared for the dangers of the… Weighted World as some people in this realm called it."
The office lady let out a nervous laughter as her reflection stood up and went inside the shrine. Her mind had already begun to connect the dots on what her other self wanted but she refused to come to the conclusion for the sake of her sanity. Suddenly, a sword in a scabbed was tossed out of the shrine and she caught it with a shriek.
"This will do well enough." The demon wearing her own skin nodded, "Now, draw your blade. Our training begins now."
"Ah- Hold on a minute-!" But there was no time as her reflection began charging at her with the Muramasa Blade. Instinctively, Momohime withdrew the sword from its scabbard and the harsh sound of metal on metal rang in her ears.
"Ho? Very nice." Her reflecton's smile grew, "This shall be fun."
Momohime gulped before letting out a burst of nervous laughter. It looked like she wouldn't be getting any rest even in her dreams…
Before Momohime had even realized it, her short little 'vacation' had vanished. Over in a flash. Not that she really did anything. The office lady had spent the entire time trying to parse through the various books she had been given, except the "Official Guide". Momohime had shoved into her closet, ready to never have to deal with that headache again.
Other then that she kinda… lounged around? Momohime was pretty sure she was supposed to do some sort of relaxing hobby but she didn't really have one of those. She definitely didn't nap though. Oh no. Demon Blade wouldn't give her any break as she forced herself to spar with her.
Still, no matter what she did, time still passed, and eventually Momohime found herself waking up at 7 am one morning ready to go to work. 'Ready' was a relative word because each step there increased the looming sense of dread in her stomach. The office lady was right to be nervous, as she soon found her bosses and even some of her fellow coworkers giving her the stink eye as she sat down at her desk. Some however, didn't even bother to look her way, looking so utterly drained that it's a miracle they managed to even show up today. Yes, back to work like always…
"Momohime~!" A familiar voice exclaimed with energy, suddenly wrapping the mousy girl in a hug. "You're back!"
"Wuh- Chika?!" Momohime squirmed in her friend's grip. Gosh, why was she so tall? "Ah! Ah! Let me go!"
"No can do." Chika huffed, "Can't have you disappearing again. You're my only ray of light in this black world."
"Shh!" The office lady shushed her friend before looking around frantically, "Do you have to say that kind of stuff here?"
"Ah come on. You don't show up for work one day and then some strange men in suits come in. Next thing you know the boss is actually letting you use paid leave!" The brown haired woman moaned, "What'd you do, get caught in a government conspiracy or something?"
"Hahaha…" Yes. "No no I, just got a little sick. My, um, doctor said she had taken care of things for me and that I could just stay home and rest."
"Hmm?" Chika grabbed her friend's cheeks before squinting her eyes. "You are looking a lot better… more awake maybe? You don't look like you're going to fall asleep anytime soon."
"I uh," Momohime coughed, " I kind of don't want to take naps anytime soon."
"Whaaaaaaat? But like, you're almost always sleeping when you can get away with it! That's like, your character trait!"
"Hey! Stop exaggerating things about me!" Sure, Momohime got tired easily but she didn't sleep all the time! And she wasn't a princess either just because her name ended in hime!
"Right right." Chika rolled her eyes before letting her fellow office lady go. With an exhausted 'plomp' she threw herself into her swirly chair and let out a sigh. "Well your lucky break didn't end up being so lucky for the rest of us. The boss was really mad, not about you specifically but I think it was just a matter of pride. That well, couple with crunch time coming up… Yeesh. We're in a darker shade of black now Momo. Poor Satoshi's been taking the brunt of it too."
Momohime winced before looking at her desk. Let's see the work that had piled up- "Oh. Oh my."
"Yeap." Chika chuckled, "I tried to help out and did a fair share of your work in my free time but you've uh, you've got until the end of the day to finish that last I heard."
"I see…" The office lady could feel any energy from good sleep and relaxation gained over the weekend seep out of her body immediately. Momohime let out a groan before moving to the first order of priority. "Guess it's Overtime for me huh?"
"When is it not?" Chika laughed bitterly.
Yes. The grand splendor of her life had faded and it was back to dull, grey reality. Work work and more work.
That's just how Momohime's life is.
"Ugh…" The office lady groaned as she stumbled into the bathroom. Her head hurt and there was an awful noise ringing in her ears. "I had almost forgotten what exhaustion felt like…"
The entire day had passed by in a blur from her, yet each minute seemed to bring along with it a new type of pain. Really, it was just like any other day, save for a single highlight where she was personally called up by her boss and was threatened- Er, gently reminded that she shouldn't ever um, "cause trouble for the company" by her absence and sending those guys in suits again. Personally, Momohime didn't think her boss even recognized her. Probably just saw her as another worker drone in a suit.
Well, whatever it was, the sun had set already and day had turned to night. Momohime let out a tired yawn as she finished up her business and splashed some cold water down her face. Had to keep awake, no time for sleep, too much work to do…
And even if she did go to sleep she'd be driven like a slave in her own dreams. The office lady could already picture the face of that sword-obsessed girl in her mind's eye, which wasn't that hard since it was her own face.
"No, even I know the value of good rest."
Hah, like she would ever say tha-
"Gyah!" Momohime exclaimed as she stared at the mirror in shock. Her own reflection had been replaced with her… own reflection? Sorry, Momohime Tsukigami's reflection had been replaced by that of Magical Girl Demon Blade's. The office lady quickly made sure there was no one else in the restroom before turning back to meet her own gaze. "You- Wha- How-"
"Hm." Demon Blade simply let out. "It took me a while to figure this trick out but Kitsune medicine really does work wonders… I did not intend for the 'other side of the mirror' metaphor to be taken literally though. Truly, I must watch what I say in the land of illusions."
"Are you…" Momohime struggled for words, "Trapped in there?"
"Hmph. Of course not." Her reflection's gaze turned to inspect the sheath of her sword. "What you are seeing is merely your mind's projection of me on to this mirror. In essence, I am little more than a thought in the back of your head."
"Ah, I see." That sounded like she was hallucinating. Should she see a doctor about this? "Um, why are you here?"
"Straight to the point, hm?" Demon Blade sighed, "Momohime, when do you leave this drab building?"
"Um, maybe around five or so?"
Her own reflection blinked while she didn't. It was a disorienting experience. "Is it not already past seven where you are?"
"I meant in the morning." Momohime replied shyly, "I have a lot of work to catch up on so…"
"And after you finish?"
"Well then I'd go home, sleep, then wake up and um…" The office lady wilted under the piercing stare of her own gaze. "Go back to work?"
"...The day after that?"
"More work."
"And after that?"
"It's um, it's still work." Momohime shifted nervously, "I have to show up every day after all."
"Everyday? Simply working and sleeping?" Demon Blade clicked her tongue, "That's no good. That's no good at all. I'll never be able to get any inspiration if all you do amounts to nothing."
"I-It's not for nothing!" She protested, "I need the money for, um, food!"
"Food which you rarely ever eat." Her reflection sighed, as if pitying herself. "Such a pointless life. Do you even know what you do for work?"
"I-" And suddenly her voice stopped dead as her mind drew a blank. Work… she had been doing things her mind categorized as 'work' for ages and yet, when she thought about the specifics of her job, it all turned into a haze.
"Thought so." The magical girl(?) sighed, "I suppose if this is your life then I must abandon this avenue of pursuit."
"I'm… sorry." Momohime couldn't meet the gaze of her own reflection. She hadn't just disappointed herself, she had disappointed herself.
"Your worthless apologies are unnecessary." Demon Blade closed her eyes. There was a crack in the ceiling. "Hm?"
"Oh. The company only likes to keep the appearance of being stable. The inside is probably all full of junk from the cut corners and stuff." The office lady explained, "You get used to it."
"Is that so…" Momohime began to walk away from the mirror with a sigh, ignoring the creaking building. Suddenly, she heard Demon Blade shout at maximum volume. "MOVE!"
Days of sparing metally kicked in as Momohime threw herself to the side, moving into a roll as the ceiling suddenly burst open and blood-red brown roots with razor sharp edges pierced into the bathroom. The office lady screamed as they shot towards her, ducking for dear life.
"Momohime!"
"R-RIght!" She cried as the strange root whipped forward. "Invoke!"
The world twisted and the Muramasa Blade forced itself into existence. Her body wasn't her own as more and more roots suddenly forced their way towards her.
"I am the one who will bear the curse."
Gently, the wind blew against water in her soul. In a smooth motion, her Blade was drawn and the sound of roots falling to ground surrounded her like rain.
"Awaken, Magical Girl Demon Blade."
And thus, the bearer of the Muramasa Blade once again walked this world.
Momohime internally sighed as the action seemed to calm down. "Is- Is that?"
"A Youkai." Demon Blade nodded, "It looks like you weren't just exhausted."
Seriously? Here? In her own workplace?!
The magical girl glanced around before pausing and jabbing a specific area by the door of the rest room. A root wriggled and squirmed before dying.
"Hmph. They must be everywhere. We should watch our step." From beyond the door there was a loud noise, as if a crowd was forming outside the door. Demon Blade raised her sandaled foot and-
"WAIT WAIT WAIT!" Momohime screamed, "Don't just kick down the door! What if someone was outside?!"
"Hmmph…" Demon Blade sighed before lowering her foot and opening the door like a normal person. What greeted her eyes was a huge crowd of people, all pouring in from the office building and filling into the tight hallway. At the end of the crowd, a huge man struggled with the door to the stairs.
"DAMMIT!" He shouted, pounding on steel. "WHEN I FIND WHO BLOCKED THESE EXITS I'LL MAKE SURE THEY CAN NEVER GET A JOB IN THIS ECONOMY AGAIN!"
A lady next to him rapidly jammed her finger into the button for the elevator. "Come on come on come on…"
"This is bad…" Momohime muttered, "Everyone probably began fleeing when the ceiling started falling down."
"Judging from the direction of the roots, the youkai contractor is above us." The magical girl glanced around, "And with all the exits blocked, it looks like no one can escape."
"You don't mean-"
"Yes this was probably done deliberately." Demon Blade placed her Sword in its sheath. "Are the exits in front of us the only ones that exist?"
"For this floor, yes." Momohime sighed before wincing. "Please handle this carefully."
"Hmph. I am perfectly capable of dealing with crowds."
With that, the second Youkai incident of Momohime's life began.
[] Ignore the crowd, force past everyone, and push on through. There's places to be.
[] Calmly talk through this. Demon Blade was good with words, right?
[] Write In
+3 EXP Attempted to read a book
+3 EXP Venture beyond the Horizon
+5 EXP Case 2: Roots to ??? Start!
11 + 35 = 46 Total EXP
AN: I apologize for suddenly vanishing. I had decided to join Nanowrimo and my hands deteriorated to the point where I could only focus on that... Good news is I didn't walk away disappointed. Nope. I fucking killed it. Still writing that draft but I met the 50k word goal. Infinite bragging rights forever. Will be bringing my attention back to my quests now that that's done.
Momohime is kind of adorable to write, I'm not gonna lie.
Firstly, it claimed to be written by someone she was pretty sure was long dead. Not just decades or centuries ago, but a millennium ago. Did this just so happen to be an ancient treasure unearthed like a magical tome?
Absolutely not. The book was written in 2013, just a scant five years ago. Just because that felt like lifetimes ago didn't mean it was actually a lifetime ago!
Secondly… It was confusing. When Momohime picked up the book, she expected a generic, dry, and technical guide on whatever mess she found herself drawn into. Instead, the book was written entirely in poetry. Very symbolic and metaphorical poetry.
"Beyond the Horizon lies an ocean unseen." Momohime recited from the page she was on. "The ocean is wide, but the ocean is not deep. Those who swim in it's waters eventually grow weary and vague. The Land begins to call for them. Scattered in the ocean are messages in a bottle, vestiges of ocean wanderers. They follow the trail until they too, must cross their horizons."
The office lady paused, putting the book down, leaning back on her couch, and staring at the ceiling. Slowly, she put all her thoughts into one final word. "...What?"
She glanced at the title of the chapter. "Where do Youkai Come From?"
"What?" She asked again, pressing a hand against her head. A headache born not from her illness. "I… don't really…"
What?
Momohime hesitantly reached over for the second book on the table. So You've Just Contracted A Youkai? Things You Should Know had looked remarkably unprofessional when she first saw it, mainly because it looked less like a guide book and more like a, um, what were they called? Light Novel…?
Regardless, it reminded Momohime a lot of the manga she read when she was a young girl. There was a chibi drawing of a kitsune on the cover along with various other Youkai. Hesitantly, she opened the cover of the book.
"Beyond the horizon lies Knowledge lost-"
Momohime slammed the book shut with a groan. Idly she considered doing something else with her day and then idly remembered she didn't actually have anything else to do.
She could unpack her things? The boxes of stuff she had after she moved into this apartment two years ago had mostly just been collecting dust. Mmh, no… She didn't even recall what was in them.
Momohime let out a sigh before picking up the book again.
"Hey, don't just slam this book shut like that!" Uh, What? "It was a joke I swear!"
Was this book psychic?!
"I'm not psychic." It lied, "While I can predict a possible future, in this case my talents are not necessary. You most likely have picked up this book after failing to parse through the Youkai dialect in rampant use throughout the book. But have no fear! This guide book has been written to help guide your human mind through the ins and outs of the Night World. Written and illustrated by me, Yumeko Houshi, writer of the currently running (as of the time of this publication), and award winning weekly manga Shoujo Sengoku!"
Momohime did a wild double take as she reread those words. She vaguely recalled such a title starting up back when she was starting to wane off manga a long time ago. The first chapter was… Ah, she couldn't remember. Um, she thought it was alright?
"Why am I, a mere mangaka, in charge of writing such an important book?" It was a good question. "Because no matter where you go in the Night World, all the roads lead back to me. Every Youkai, Every Onmyouji, and most certainly every Hanyou all are intertwined in my fingers in some way or another."
A chill ran down Momohime's spine as she read those words. There was something about them that she couldn't put her hands on, almost as if the book itself had a deep curse woven into its page. Which was almost impossible, as the book was most certainly a mass produced book that was printed in droves. And yet, the woman couldn't shake the feeling that the text was staring back at her.
Then she read the next line and almost stumbled from where she was sitting at the sudden whiplash.
"Sorry for scaring you like that~! It's okay, I'm most harmless!"
"Please…" Momohime begged, "Pick a tone and stick with it."
"Now on that note, a couple of disclaimers!" The text cheerfully read before turning into a dry and bland tone that was almost certainly written by someone else. "The following guide book is written with the knowledge that it could become outdated at anytime. The Night World has been going through rapid changes ever since the introduction of magic. Yumeko Hoshi and the governmental office of Japan are not liable for actions based on outdated information found in these books. Furthermore, this is only a guide to the Night World of Japan. Certain actions described in here are not applicable in the Night World of foreign nations. By reading this book, you hereby acknowledge these things and take full responsibility for any actions you take."
Automatically Momohime's hands went to sign on the dotted line except no, there wasn't a contract to sign.
"And now with that out of the way, on to the first chapter!" The office lady flipped the page only to see Dangers Of Being A Youkai Contractor written in big, bold letters written at the very top. Her eyes drifted downwards to the actual contents of the chapter before she winced at how icy the tone had become. "I'm going to have to be serious here. This needs to be addressed first. I don't care if you read this book to the end or drop off halfway, whatever it is read this chapter. This is not a joke."
Momohime gulped, for a second she didn't know if she could but her eyes betrayed her and she started reading again anyways.
"In the modern day we have people who have 'awakened' with magical powers. You, my dear reader, are very much not that." Er, technically… "If you're reading this then you've most likely made a deal. A very, very dangerous deal. I can not describe what a Youkai truly is, not in words that any sane person would understand. All you need to know is that the powers bestowed upon you are not a gift, and most certainly not your own. What you have is a Contract."
Though she didn't really want to, Momohime's hands flipped to the next page. Every word sent a chill down her back and her hair stood on edge as she continued to read.
The next words read as if specifically for her.
"You might not remember the contract you made. That's understandable. Usually they are made in our sleep, when your mind draws close to the border of reality." It spoke softly, "But it's contents are usually quite simple. Youkai target people who wish for something. Escapism as we know it. In exchange for granting such wishes, humans become an anchor into the weighted world… Apologies, a connection into reality for them."
"Escapism…" Momohime Glances at her hands.
Did she have a wish? Long ago she dreamed of being a magical girl yes but that dream died long ago. Those days were buried underneath the haze and monotony of daily life. Momohime couldn't even really remember what she was like back then.
So, why was such a wish being granted now?
"This is a warning. I beg of you, if there's one thing you take away from this book, let it be this: Get a long with your Youkai partner, and anchor yourself to this world." The words rang in Momohime's head like a gong. "If you fail to do such a task, and I apologize for my inability to put it any other way, then you will lose yourself to the Night. More than you already have that is."
"R-Right…" Momohime slowly closed the book and put it down. "That's, um, that's enough of that."
The office lady didn't know how she was going to sleep tonight with those words stuck in her head.
"But still, getting along with the Youkai huh…?" Momohime mumbled to herself, staring into the beige walls of her apartment. The woman wasn't exactly sure what she should do next if she was totally honest with herself. Magical Girl things? Was she really a magical girl? Demon Blade said that Momohime was Demon Blade but that Demon Blade was not Momohime- "Argh!"
A soft thud echoed through her apartment as Momohime grabbed he head before collapsing on her side. The gentle furniture cushioning her fall. The office lady whimpered, "This is making my head hurt…"
Lazily, she grabbed a pillow from the couch and slammed it into her face. It was an old friend, one that had accompanied her through many nights where she had just crashed on the first sof thing she could find when she got home. When was the last time she actually got to sleep on her bed? Did she have one? It had been so long…
"Urk." Momohime let out as a thought struck her. "Oh yeah, work…"
Who was she kidding. Her? A magical girl? Even if she did now have the power to transform, she still had bills to pay. After this short break she'd show up at the office again before probably getting treated a bit harsher by her boss and then she would get swamped with work again….
Momohime just didn't have time to go out and do magical girl things. Probably wouldn't ever. What would she even do?
...Um, what do magical girls do again? They like, transform and like, solve problems, and stuff. Was there a guide book on this? Something on the internet? No, wait, Momohime didn't have a computer. She had a phone though didn't she?
Groggily getting off the couch, the office lady reached for her purse before shoving her hand in and digging around. A couple minutes passed before she felt a familiar device in the palm. In a moment of triumph, Momohime gave an 'aha!' before yanking out-
A flip phone.
The office lady blinked owlishly. Was this really her phone? It felt familiar but, well, seriously? This wasn't even the latest tech when she was in elementary school, let alone a decade later. She could recall using it yesterday but somehow this still surprised her. Momohime shook her head to clear away the confusing thoughts before hitting the power button. There was a beat of silence before... nothing happened. The power was dead, making the device useful in the same way that a brick was useful as a paper weight.
"...Well, that was a bust." She plopped the flip phone on the table and groaned. That was it, she was out of ideas. None of this felt real to her at all. The only thing that prevented her from thinking this was all a product of her sleep deprived mind was the newspaper describing the events of last night and the things Kongiku had told her. Maybe she could transform? Test some things out? What was her transformation phrase again?
Think think think…. ah!
The office lady stood up and hesitantly, she recalled the words from last night. "I-I am… the one… who shall bear the curse?"
No no no that wasn't right. Maybe she should put more feeling into it? Okay let's try it like this!
"I am the one who shall bear the curse!" Momohime exclaimed, striking a pose. "Awaken, Magical Girl Demon Blade!"
A beat of silence echoed throughout the apartment and a grand total of zero magic happened. Slowly, heat began to rush into Momohime's cheeks as she hid her face in her hand and crouched on the floor.
Oh god, what was she doing?! She was twenty three wasn't she?! Momohime was way too old to be acting like this! What if someone saw her?! That was so embarrassing…!
WIth a sigh of long suffering, she flopped back onto her couch and continued to stare at her apartment walls. Nothing happened either. Was it all a dream? No, she was missing something. A crucial part of her transformation...
The forgotten word left escaped from her lips in Momohime's tired daze. "Invoke."
Suddenly the world in front of her warped as a Sword appeared out of nowhere. A memorizing blade that called out to her. That's right, this was what Momohime needed to complete her transformation. If she just reached out and grabbed the blade-
"No."
In a single instant, Momohime lost control of her body. All of her muscles locked up at once and she found herself a prisoner in her own flesh. Her breathing began to go faster and faster. She wanted to move she wanted to move she wanted to move she wanted to move-
"Call it off." A thought in her head told her, breaking her out of her daze.
H-Huh?
"This isn't the time. Call the Blade off."
"G-" Momohime forced through her own lips, suddenly finding it under control. The words which escaped her lips were covered in oil that forced its way through the stream of her consciousness. "GO AWAY!"
Thus- The Blade did.
For a brief second nothing happened before Momohime suddenly collapsed on the floor in a coughing fit. The office lady's throat felt painfully raw and her limbs felt like jelly, constantly shaking. A drip from her nose grabbed her attention, and Momohime suddenly realized that she had stained her apartment floor with blood.
Weakly, she pushed herself to her feet and stumbled for her purse again. Her voice came out in a muttered daze. "Gotta- Gotta find that medicine…"
Her head pounded in her skull as she pulled out a small bamboo container. With fumbling fingers, Momohime pulled out a small pellet before promptly forcing the drug down her throat. After a few moments, her world stopped being defined by constant agony only to replace by a sudden wave of sleepiness.
"Why am I so…" Momohime muttered, "Should… rest…"
And with that, her consciousness was gone.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
A girl awoke to the constant sound of iron hitting metal. No, 'awoke' was not the correct word to use in this instance. It would be more accurate to say that her consciousness gathered together in a feeling of lucidity. Slowly absorbing the world around her until she could think for herself.
Bang. Bang. Ban-
There was a pause before whatever was making that noise shifted in place. Suddenly, an old, nostalgic voice drew her attention. "Oya oya oya. Seems the Little Flame is finally awake."
Who…?
"Mmh. But not quite. The connection is only half forged." There was a sound of something being stroked before the girl felt the voice call out to her. "Hey, missie. You wanderers have eyes do you not? focus your attention on them and open them."
Focus her attention on her eyes? Why did she have to do that? All she had to do was open them and-
Her vision was immediately colored with the sight of a dirty old shrine that had been reworked into a workshop. In the very center was a familiar green spectral fire and floating above it was an old ghost, his skin ashen grey. He let out a scoff before turning back to the fire. "Of course you would pick it up quick."
She looked around, taking it all in. A sense of deja vu had begun to overwhelm her. The girl couldn't recall ever having been in here before yet instinctively she could recognize the forms and shapes of the various blades that were scattered around. As she tried to say something, her voice refused to work. She thought about how odd this was, and suddenly she could speak.
"Um…" The girl began to mumble, "Have I been here before?"
"Hah!" The ghost threw its head back, "I wish I could say you haven't! No no, I've seen you around quite often enough. First time I've seen you actually lucid though."
"Lucid…?"
"Conscious, awake, whatever you wanderers call it." He continued before pausing, "Speaking of… such a half made work offends my eyes. You better fix that form of yours before I throw you out myself."
"Form…" The girl trailed off before looking at herself before realizing something. She had no body, just a spectral green flame that floated in the air. Was this who she was? No, something was wrong here. She could feel it, deep in her
"Don't tell me you don't know how…" The blacksmith grumbled before waving a hammer at her. "You have a Name do you not? Throw some of that Weight around already!"
"Name…" That's right, she had one didn't she? Her name was… Her name was… "Momohime Tsukigami."
The world around her grew more solid, it's colors more vivid as Momohime suddenly found her thoughts clearing up. Her body forced itself into existence in this fragile world, her feet touching the ground that didn't exist. The office lady gazed at her hands before pausing and noticing something.
"Eh?" She pulled at her clothes, "W-What am I wearing?!"
Though she couldn't remember putting such a thing on, Momohie found herself clothed in a pink kimono. It was almost identical to the one that her Reflection had, save for slight changes in the patterns intertwined in it's cloth.
"Hmph." The ghost in front of her let out, "Figures you'd be the spitting image of her."
"Her? Who?" Momohime whipped her head around, "Wait, where am I? Last I can remember I mumbled out that word..."
"Aye. She was mighty mad about that." The blacksmith nodded, "What you did was a dangerous thing. Dangerous and foolish. I'm sure she'll chew you out on that herself."
The office lady shinked in on herself, "I-I'm sorry but I really don't know who you're talking about."
"Pfft. Don't know who I'm talking about? Don't try and play the fool to this old man Little Flame!" He stared her in the eyes, "I'm talking about that darned Reflection of yours!"
"Reflection?" The only thing she could think of would be… "Magical Gir-"
A loud bang interrupted her as the fires grew higher. Momohime let out a shriek as the Blacksmith glared at her. "Oya. You should be careful on which names you utter in this realm. Names like those… you'll tear this world asunder if you aren't careful."
"This realm…" Suddenly a quote flashed into her mind, "Beyond the horizon lies an ocean unseen-"
"-The ocean is wide, but the ocean is not deep." The ghose finished with a nod. "I see you are at least somewhat educated on matters, unlike that reflection of yours. Those are famous words in this realm. Why, it's almost to the point that they have some Weight."
"I think I get it." Momohime closed her eyes.
The ocean beyond the horizon.
If this was the place that book was talking about then this realm… was where Youkai come from.
"I'm… sorry." The office lady winced as she glanced at the ghost. "I've never even asked for your name."
The old blacksmith paused, his wispy lower body flickering as if trying to decide on what to say. Finally, he answered. "I suppose you would know me as…
"Eh?!" Momohime gasped.
"Oh don't be so shocked. This old man is merely a Ripple." Seeing the look of confusion that had suddenly appeared on Momohime's face, the blacksmith sighed. "Everything that was born in this realm was the product of something that exists in yours. Us creatures who you know as Youkai, are born from stories and mysteries. Every time you tell these legends, a new person throws in their Weight, causing countless variations of the same story. Thus, us Ripples are created."
"So…" She tilted her head, "You're not Sengo Muramasa?"
"It's pronounced
Muramasa paused before laughing, "Oya oya oya. You're much more enjoyable to talk to then your reflection young miss. All that brat cares about is that sword of hers."
"Don't call me young miss. My name's Momohime." The office lady said automatically before letting out a nervous laugh, "My 'Reflection'... have you known her long?"
"Long…. Time works differently in this realm Little Flame. According to her it's been years, and as she has more Weight than me I'm inclined to believe it. For us, seconds pass as years and years pass as seconds. It all depends on how one perceives it." A long suffering sigh escaped the blacksmith's lips, "And for me it has been a very long time indeed."
Momohime shifted uncomfortably, "Have I been problematic?"
"No no, you're a wonderful guest. Even if most of the times I've seen you all you did was just watch, it's much better than that brat." Muramasa waved his hammer around. She comes into my workshop one day and then pesters me on and on about that sword of hers… Bah! It's undoubtedly a Muramasa Blade but that Youkai baffles even me! And for some reason after she leaves she always manages to track me down again!"
"You know I can hear you right?" Momohime's voice interrupted, yet the words didn't come from her lips. There was a small thunk as the sliding door to the work shop opened and Momohime was met with the gaze of her (annoyingly more perfect) reflection. "It's rude to talk about someone behind their back."
"Oya oya. What do you mean behind your back?" Muramasa pointed at Momohime. "You're right here see?"
"...Hmph. Fair enough." Her Reflection turned towards her. "You're looking better. Less wrinkles."
"Eh? Ah!" The office lady ran a hand down her cheek. Certainly, the wrinkles from work on her face were gone but… "I'm sure because this is all just a dream."
"Don't underestimate the medicine of a Kitsune." Her reflection replied, "The fact that you are finally lucid in this realm is a testament to their strength."
"I mean I didn't really need skin care…" Momohime muttered. She didn't care about her looks that much. She was a little plain to be honest.
"You are correct. Such things are merely superficial." Said a woman who had no right to say such things, "Meet me outside, we have something to talk about."
With that her reflection turned to walk back out the shrine, leaving the door wide open. Momohime turned to her host who merely continued his work at the forge. "You don't need permission from me LIttle Flame. This is something you have to deal with yourself."
"Ah!" She bowed her head, "Thank you very much!"
The office lady turned to hustle out the door before gasping at the scenery. It was a beautiful luxurious nature path, something she had only seen in photos. Or rather, it was a view that you could only see in a photo. No matter where she looked, Momohime's eyes were met with a scene that seemed to have been heavily edited to look as eye pleasing as possible.
"It would be best not to get lost in the scenery. Such a thing is dangerous here." Her reflection chimed in, snapping her back to reality(ish). The woman sat on the steps of the temple, idly examining her blade. Momohime sooned joined her, the folds of her Kimono creasing. There was silence for a moment before her reflection spoke. "You know the blacksmith's name yes? Then are you familiar with his legend?"
"Um, a bit…" She fidgeted nervously, "Shouldn't you know the answer to this?"
"Just because we both know something doesn't mean that Momohime is aware of it." The sound of a blacksmith's hammer steadily beat in the background as her reflection held up the sheath of her Blade. "And in this case, you seem to be ignorant about a very dangerous thing."
"The Muramasa Blade…" Momohime muttered as she beheld the Sword. "Is that Blade really-"
"Indeed." Her reflection nodded. "But it is incomplete."
"Um…" The office lady fidgeted nervously, "It seems pretty complete to me."
"You are thinking too much in the rules of the other side of the mirror." And then much to Momohime's shock, her reflection drew the blade. "It's form is incomplete, it's name has no Weight. What you see before you is merely The Legend of the Muramasa Blade."
The serious declaration was underscored by the fact that her conversation partner had developed the face of a goldfish, her shaky hand pointing at the unsheathed Sword. "Ah-Bah-Wah?"
The reflection rolled her eyes before sheathing the Blade. "Yes yes. The legend states that those who draw a Muramasa Blade are driven mad with the desire to shed blood… But in this realm, I can control its bloodlust. Blood can not be spilled in a realm with no life."
Momohime's own eyes flared at her. "But on the other side of the mirror, this is not the case. Know this: If you seek to use my powers, then you must have a will to fight. Otherwise, a life may be cut short unnecessarily. Including our own."
"I-I see…" Momohime looked towards the ground. All of this was so crazy it was all going over her head… After a few moments of silence, the office lady realized her reflection was staring at her. She shifted nervously. "Ah, um-"
"Hm?" Her own eyes narrowed at her, "When you do something wrong you should apologize."
"Eh?!"
"Well?"
"I-I'm Sorry?!"
"Is that a Statement or a question?"
"This Momohime apologizes for any misconduct on her behalf!" The office lady bowed fearfully. Great, not just being bullied at the office but by herself as well. "I only wanted to, um, test things out?"
"Ho?" Her reflection raises an eyebrow. "And what purpose would this have served you?"
"I-I'm sorry but I don't know!" If she was awake, sweat would've poured down her brow. "I just figured that- like- isn't there supposed to be training montage or something."
"Hmph." The bully scoffed, "I have been training for years before you finally invoked the contract. But I suppose that the other side of the mirror contains inspiration for more Blade Arts…"
"Ah." That's right, the woman in front of her was the magical girl. She was still just Momohime. Regular, plain old Momohime.
"Don't look so down. It doesn't suit you." Her reflection let out a deep sigh, "You could serve to have more Steel in your soul. I suppose I will have to fix that myself."
Momohime blinked. "Huh?"
"Did I stutter?" The mousy girl eeped at the sudden glare. "Listen up and listen well. The only thing I care about in this world is completing this Sword. I have searched far and wide in this ocean but I have yet to find an answer. However, the world on the other side of the mirror may contain a hint. Since you are my reflection it is my job to make sure you are prepared for the dangers of the… Weighted World as some people in this realm called it."
The office lady let out a nervous laughter as her reflection stood up and went inside the shrine. Her mind had already begun to connect the dots on what her other self wanted but she refused to come to the conclusion for the sake of her sanity. Suddenly, a sword in a scabbed was tossed out of the shrine and she caught it with a shriek.
"This will do well enough." The demon wearing her own skin nodded, "Now, draw your blade. Our training begins now."
"Ah- Hold on a minute-!" But there was no time as her reflection began charging at her with the Muramasa Blade. Instinctively, Momohime withdrew the sword from its scabbard and the harsh sound of metal on metal rang in her ears.
"Ho? Very nice." Her reflecton's smile grew, "This shall be fun."
Momohime gulped before letting out a burst of nervous laughter. It looked like she wouldn't be getting any rest even in her dreams…
Before Momohime had even realized it, her short little 'vacation' had vanished. Over in a flash. Not that she really did anything. The office lady had spent the entire time trying to parse through the various books she had been given, except the "Official Guide". Momohime had shoved into her closet, ready to never have to deal with that headache again.
Other then that she kinda… lounged around? Momohime was pretty sure she was supposed to do some sort of relaxing hobby but she didn't really have one of those. She definitely didn't nap though. Oh no. Demon Blade wouldn't give her any break as she forced herself to spar with her.
Still, no matter what she did, time still passed, and eventually Momohime found herself waking up at 7 am one morning ready to go to work. 'Ready' was a relative word because each step there increased the looming sense of dread in her stomach. The office lady was right to be nervous, as she soon found her bosses and even some of her fellow coworkers giving her the stink eye as she sat down at her desk. Some however, didn't even bother to look her way, looking so utterly drained that it's a miracle they managed to even show up today. Yes, back to work like always…
"Momohime~!" A familiar voice exclaimed with energy, suddenly wrapping the mousy girl in a hug. "You're back!"
"Wuh- Chika?!" Momohime squirmed in her friend's grip. Gosh, why was she so tall? "Ah! Ah! Let me go!"
"No can do." Chika huffed, "Can't have you disappearing again. You're my only ray of light in this black world."
"Shh!" The office lady shushed her friend before looking around frantically, "Do you have to say that kind of stuff here?"
"Ah come on. You don't show up for work one day and then some strange men in suits come in. Next thing you know the boss is actually letting you use paid leave!" The brown haired woman moaned, "What'd you do, get caught in a government conspiracy or something?"
"Hahaha…" Yes. "No no I, just got a little sick. My, um, doctor said she had taken care of things for me and that I could just stay home and rest."
"Hmm?" Chika grabbed her friend's cheeks before squinting her eyes. "You are looking a lot better… more awake maybe? You don't look like you're going to fall asleep anytime soon."
"I uh," Momohime coughed, " I kind of don't want to take naps anytime soon."
"Whaaaaaaat? But like, you're almost always sleeping when you can get away with it! That's like, your character trait!"
"Hey! Stop exaggerating things about me!" Sure, Momohime got tired easily but she didn't sleep all the time! And she wasn't a princess either just because her name ended in hime!
"Right right." Chika rolled her eyes before letting her fellow office lady go. With an exhausted 'plomp' she threw herself into her swirly chair and let out a sigh. "Well your lucky break didn't end up being so lucky for the rest of us. The boss was really mad, not about you specifically but I think it was just a matter of pride. That well, couple with crunch time coming up… Yeesh. We're in a darker shade of black now Momo. Poor Satoshi's been taking the brunt of it too."
Momohime winced before looking at her desk. Let's see the work that had piled up- "Oh. Oh my."
"Yeap." Chika chuckled, "I tried to help out and did a fair share of your work in my free time but you've uh, you've got until the end of the day to finish that last I heard."
"I see…" The office lady could feel any energy from good sleep and relaxation gained over the weekend seep out of her body immediately. Momohime let out a groan before moving to the first order of priority. "Guess it's Overtime for me huh?"
"When is it not?" Chika laughed bitterly.
Yes. The grand splendor of her life had faded and it was back to dull, grey reality. Work work and more work.
That's just how Momohime's life is.
"Ugh…" The office lady groaned as she stumbled into the bathroom. Her head hurt and there was an awful noise ringing in her ears. "I had almost forgotten what exhaustion felt like…"
The entire day had passed by in a blur from her, yet each minute seemed to bring along with it a new type of pain. Really, it was just like any other day, save for a single highlight where she was personally called up by her boss and was threatened- Er, gently reminded that she shouldn't ever um, "cause trouble for the company" by her absence and sending those guys in suits again. Personally, Momohime didn't think her boss even recognized her. Probably just saw her as another worker drone in a suit.
Well, whatever it was, the sun had set already and day had turned to night. Momohime let out a tired yawn as she finished up her business and splashed some cold water down her face. Had to keep awake, no time for sleep, too much work to do…
And even if she did go to sleep she'd be driven like a slave in her own dreams. The office lady could already picture the face of that sword-obsessed girl in her mind's eye, which wasn't that hard since it was her own face.
"No, even I know the value of good rest."
Hah, like she would ever say tha-
"Gyah!" Momohime exclaimed as she stared at the mirror in shock. Her own reflection had been replaced with her… own reflection? Sorry, Momohime Tsukigami's reflection had been replaced by that of Magical Girl Demon Blade's. The office lady quickly made sure there was no one else in the restroom before turning back to meet her own gaze. "You- Wha- How-"
"Hm." Demon Blade simply let out. "It took me a while to figure this trick out but Kitsune medicine really does work wonders… I did not intend for the 'other side of the mirror' metaphor to be taken literally though. Truly, I must watch what I say in the land of illusions."
"Are you…" Momohime struggled for words, "Trapped in there?"
"Hmph. Of course not." Her reflection's gaze turned to inspect the sheath of her sword. "What you are seeing is merely your mind's projection of me on to this mirror. In essence, I am little more than a thought in the back of your head."
"Ah, I see." That sounded like she was hallucinating. Should she see a doctor about this? "Um, why are you here?"
"Straight to the point, hm?" Demon Blade sighed, "Momohime, when do you leave this drab building?"
"Um, maybe around five or so?"
Her own reflection blinked while she didn't. It was a disorienting experience. "Is it not already past seven where you are?"
"I meant in the morning." Momohime replied shyly, "I have a lot of work to catch up on so…"
"And after you finish?"
"Well then I'd go home, sleep, then wake up and um…" The office lady wilted under the piercing stare of her own gaze. "Go back to work?"
"...The day after that?"
"More work."
"And after that?"
"It's um, it's still work." Momohime shifted nervously, "I have to show up every day after all."
"Everyday? Simply working and sleeping?" Demon Blade clicked her tongue, "That's no good. That's no good at all. I'll never be able to get any inspiration if all you do amounts to nothing."
"I-It's not for nothing!" She protested, "I need the money for, um, food!"
"Food which you rarely ever eat." Her reflection sighed, as if pitying herself. "Such a pointless life. Do you even know what you do for work?"
"I-" And suddenly her voice stopped dead as her mind drew a blank. Work… she had been doing things her mind categorized as 'work' for ages and yet, when she thought about the specifics of her job, it all turned into a haze.
"Thought so." The magical girl(?) sighed, "I suppose if this is your life then I must abandon this avenue of pursuit."
"I'm… sorry." Momohime couldn't meet the gaze of her own reflection. She hadn't just disappointed herself, she had disappointed herself.
"Your worthless apologies are unnecessary." Demon Blade closed her eyes. There was a crack in the ceiling. "Hm?"
"Oh. The company only likes to keep the appearance of being stable. The inside is probably all full of junk from the cut corners and stuff." The office lady explained, "You get used to it."
"Is that so…" Momohime began to walk away from the mirror with a sigh, ignoring the creaking building. Suddenly, she heard Demon Blade shout at maximum volume. "MOVE!"
Days of sparing metally kicked in as Momohime threw herself to the side, moving into a roll as the ceiling suddenly burst open and blood-red brown roots with razor sharp edges pierced into the bathroom. The office lady screamed as they shot towards her, ducking for dear life.
"Momohime!"
"R-RIght!" She cried as the strange root whipped forward. "Invoke!"
The world twisted and the Muramasa Blade forced itself into existence. Her body wasn't her own as more and more roots suddenly forced their way towards her.
"I am the one who will bear the curse."
Gently, the wind blew against water in her soul. In a smooth motion, her Blade was drawn and the sound of roots falling to ground surrounded her like rain.
"Awaken, Magical Girl Demon Blade."
And thus, the bearer of the Muramasa Blade once again walked this world.
Momohime internally sighed as the action seemed to calm down. "Is- Is that?"
"A Youkai." Demon Blade nodded, "It looks like you weren't just exhausted."
Seriously? Here? In her own workplace?!
The magical girl glanced around before pausing and jabbing a specific area by the door of the rest room. A root wriggled and squirmed before dying.
"Hmph. They must be everywhere. We should watch our step." From beyond the door there was a loud noise, as if a crowd was forming outside the door. Demon Blade raised her sandaled foot and-
"WAIT WAIT WAIT!" Momohime screamed, "Don't just kick down the door! What if someone was outside?!"
"Hmmph…" Demon Blade sighed before lowering her foot and opening the door like a normal person. What greeted her eyes was a huge crowd of people, all pouring in from the office building and filling into the tight hallway. At the end of the crowd, a huge man struggled with the door to the stairs.
"DAMMIT!" He shouted, pounding on steel. "WHEN I FIND WHO BLOCKED THESE EXITS I'LL MAKE SURE THEY CAN NEVER GET A JOB IN THIS ECONOMY AGAIN!"
A lady next to him rapidly jammed her finger into the button for the elevator. "Come on come on come on…"
"This is bad…" Momohime muttered, "Everyone probably began fleeing when the ceiling started falling down."
"Judging from the direction of the roots, the youkai contractor is above us." The magical girl glanced around, "And with all the exits blocked, it looks like no one can escape."
"You don't mean-"
"Yes this was probably done deliberately." Demon Blade placed her Sword in its sheath. "Are the exits in front of us the only ones that exist?"
"For this floor, yes." Momohime sighed before wincing. "Please handle this carefully."
"Hmph. I am perfectly capable of dealing with crowds."
With that, the second Youkai incident of Momohime's life began.
[] Ignore the crowd, force past everyone, and push on through. There's places to be.
[] Calmly talk through this. Demon Blade was good with words, right?
[] Write In
+3 EXP Attempted to read a book
+3 EXP Venture beyond the Horizon
+5 EXP Case 2: Roots to ??? Start!
11 + 35 = 46 Total EXP
AN: I apologize for suddenly vanishing. I had decided to join Nanowrimo and my hands deteriorated to the point where I could only focus on that... Good news is I didn't walk away disappointed. Nope. I fucking killed it. Still writing that draft but I met the 50k word goal. Infinite bragging rights forever. Will be bringing my attention back to my quests now that that's done.
Momohime is kind of adorable to write, I'm not gonna lie.
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Panicking crowd and attempting to calmly talk are... well, if you have enough charisma it can work?
I don't think we have enough charisma. Other options are to shout them down or just force our way through so we can't be ignored.
Something forceful to get their attention and then we can do something about it.
I don't think we have enough charisma. Other options are to shout them down or just force our way through so we can't be ignored.
Something forceful to get their attention and then we can do something about it.