Sympathy & Mirth!

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"Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni: First Night"

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Chapter 5 (h)

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Erika: "Isn't she a pretty sight, Dlanor? What do you think? *giggle*"

Dlanor: "I believe it will be necessary to teach her some humility."

Erika: "Ah, indeed! Who the hell does she think she is? Who the hell does she think I am? Does she even know who is she up against to?"

Dlanor: "She probably does not, and we can use that to our advantage."

Erika: "Ha! Is that even necessary, Dlanor?"

Dlanor: "This is her territory, in this world she is nearly almighty. Her confidence stems from the belief that she cannot be defeated as long as we are in her domain. She is inexperienced, but extremely powerful. I advise against underestimating her, Miss Erika."

Erika: "Ha ha ha! A greenhorn like her cannot hope to seriously stand on my level. What does she even know about magic?"

Dlanor: "She believes to know magic a lot more than you do, Miss Erika."

Erika: "And that's exactly what's so hilarious! But don't you worry, Dlanor, I won't let my self-esteem cloud my own judgment. This will be extremely entertaining!!!"

Floating in this weightless environment, we move closer to the one who summoned us. When we are at about ten meters from her, we stop. She must be at least a bit surprised that I am in no way discomforted by the lack of gravity. Much to her disappointment, I am still as graceful and elegant as ever.

Maaya: "Welcome, great detective! Welcome, Erika Furudo! Welcome to my realm! Today you're my precious guest. Enjoy your stay, while you still can. Ah ha ha ha ha!!!"

What a hideous, haughty laughter! But I am not so easily swayed by such petty provocations; I answer with a courteous smile.

Erika: "I thank you for this warm welcome... but who do I have the pleasure to be the guest of? If I may ask? *giggle*"

Maaya: "Oooh? Has my appearance changed so much that you're unable to recognize me? I expected more from a great detective!"

Erika: "Your human vessel is of little concern to me at this moment. State your nature, state the essence of your existence!"

Maaya: "Very well, I guess it's only appropriate for me to introduce myself properly. You have the honor to stand in the presence of Maaya, the witch of power!"

And so she confirms it, the unforeseen and delightfully welcomed twist of this day is that Maaya Teramoto is a witch. And the being that stands before me is no other but her meta-self, the incarnation in a higher plane of the illusory image that she created to exalt her true nature.

Erika: "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Maaya, witch of power... Your title intrigues me. Would you mind to indulge my curiosity?"

Maaya: "Is that enlightenment that you ask, human? I shall consider it the last wish of a convicted to death."

Erika: "I came to know many witches in my life, and I'm familiar with several of their different kinds, but this is the first time I meet a witch of power."

Maaya: "You've never met the real deal then, ah ha ha ha ha!"

Erika: "'Witch of power', that's quite high-sounding, isn't it?"

Maaya: "Impressed?"

Erika: "I would, if I wasn't used to the inflated ego of witches and their fancy words. Take 'witch of origin', for example. That's just an euphemism for one who creates stories out of thin air. And take 'witch of endless', that's just a title for those who can daydream forever while accomplishing nothing. So you're a witch of power, but what does that actually mean?"

Maaya: "Very amusing, do not lump me together with those failures! Being a witch of power means to be destined to command humans, create empires and rule over them!"

Erika: "I see, it makes sense. I guess it's quite fitting for your case."

Maaya: "Do you understand my greatness, human?"

Erika: "I understand that a witch of power is a fancy name for one who doesn't have any power of her own."

As soon as I complete my statement, a blue dart made of pure energy materializes in front of me. In a single instant, it bolts forward aiming at Maaya's forehead. It is as fast as a bullet, and as much as deadly, but its target doesn't flinch, she just reacts with a slightly surprised and amused expression.

The dart impacts an invisible barrier and disintegrates.

I expected that much, she won't be defeated so easily. This was just a test, I just probed her defenses.

Maaya: "Ah ha ha ha ha! I didn't imagine you would attack so quickly! If you're so eager to measure yourself with me, you just need to ask, great detective!"

Erika: "*giggle* *giggle* That was just a little demonstration."

Maaya: "Is that so? Then allow me to give you a demonstration of what true power is!"

With an imperious flourish she raises her eyes and right arm towards the turbulent clouds above. Her open palm seems to be ready to grasp the universe itself. I feel a bit ashamed of myself for admiring the perfection of her posture, but she literally radiates mightiness.

Maaya: "Chosen ones, heed my call! Grant me your strength, grant me your power! Enter in communion with the mystical circle and become one! Let your energies flow, let them pour onto me! Sustain me! Support me! Obey me! By yourself you are nothing, together we can move mountains and tear oceans asunder! I can take your single strengths and multiply them together. Follow my light and you shall know greatness!"

The eleven pillars react to Maaya's invocation. The magical inscriptions have started to glow of a bright red color. They pulsate at steady intervals. I hear a rumble, it is getting louder. The swirling, formless mass outside the spherical hall is raging with an impressive strength.

Then I see sparks. Electrical discharges begin to spiral around the pillars, they move swiftly like centipedes.

Maaya: "Come! Release your energies! Relinquish them onto me! Open the gates of your minds! Set yourself free from the shackles of the material world! There is so much untapped power in your spirits! Do not let it go to waste! Let it flow onto me, and with it I shall create our paradise! Follow me, and I'll show you wondrous worlds beyond your imagination! Fantasy! Excitement! Power!"

Then, suddenly, with a thunderous roar eleven energy streams trace arcs from the tips of each pillar to the center of Maaya's open hand. They are connected. A tremendous amount of power flows inside the body of the mistress of this world. She screams and laughs overflown by the excitement. The eleven streams flutter restlessly producing shrieking sounds, they look like living beings desperately trying to escape a predator's grasp.

Maaya: "Power!"

She is completely inebriated.

Maaya: "Unfettered power! Boundless power! Unstoppable power! Overwhelming power! Ah ha ha ha ha!!!"

At last she regains control over herself, and while still drawing energy from the pillars, she directs her eyes and her attention on me once again.

Maaya: "Are you observing, detective? Are you witnessing my strength? Are you still unimpressed?"

Erika: "Why? It is as I said, this is just borrowed power."

Maaya: "And what of it? The ability to draw power from external sources is a power in itself, and a great one at that! You might as well point out the fact that a human doesn't have fangs and claws, but how is that of any importance when he can wield far deadlier weapons? You might even have some kind of peculiar talent for yourself, detective, but you're just a single pathetic being, while I... I have legions at my commands! You are a maggot, a vermin! And I shall crush you like the puny bug that you are!"

Erika: "Ah ha ha ha! You might have a point indeed, the power you're playing with right now is a lot greater than anything that I can muster from my own spirit. Truly frightening! However you'll soon realize what a fragile being is he who relies on something other than his own self! But before we begin this fight, let me check one thing. You claim to be a witch, but which is the witch that acknowledged you?"

Maaya: "Oh? What are you talking about?"

Erika: "Just as I thought, you're pretty new to this, aren't you?"

Maaya: "Hmph! Spare me your clumsy attempts to insult me, human!"

Erika: "As a rule a new witch needs to be acknowledged by a witch from the senate. Oh well... considering your strong will, you're probably under the protection of the witch of certainty."

Maaya: "Ha ha! I have no need for such trivialities! But if that's really a tradition among witches, so be it. I don't dislike that: certainty! Very well, I shall destroy you with absolute certainty! Ha ha ha ha!"

Erika: "My my! Certainty sure is great, but I'm under the protection of the witch of miracles, and miracles can defy even an absolute will! Just like scissors always win against paper, miracles always win against certainty!"

Maaya: "A miracle! Ah ha ha ha! Yes, that's really the only way you can hope to defeat me! Begin to pray!"

Erika: "I wouldn't laugh, if I were you, you might be able to witness a miracle pretty soon."

Maaya: "Now I'm even more certain that victory will smile upon me. I have no reason to fear those who rely on miracles."

Erika: "Fool, you despise what you don't even understand! Do you even know what's at stake? I'm a slayer of witches, and there's one just in front of me. Do you understand what does it mean to be killed in this place? If I succeed, Maaya, the witch of power, will die. And then only an empty shell will remain, just an average student of a third rate high school, wasting her time with worthless rituals and anachronistic superstitions!"

Maaya: "That goes for you too! What would remain of you, if the great detective Erika Furudo were to die by my hands? What kind of pathetic being would be left in her place?"

Erika: "Why don't you try to find that out by yourself? Assuming that you can, of course. *giggle* *giggle*"

Maaya: "One of us will be slain today! Will it be the witch of power Maaya, or will it be the great detective Erika? I already know the answer to that question!"

Erika: "What a coincidence! I know that too!"

Maaya: "Ah ha ha ha ha!!!"

Erika: "Ha ha ha ha!!!"

Together with her laughter, the witch of power unleashes part of her energy into a powerful electric discharge. The entirety of the gigantic spherical hall is ravaged by a violent thunderstorm. Myriads of lightnings, with erratic and unpredictable trajectories, are thrown at the speed of light all around. There are so many of them that they almost fill the whole place, and I need to give my all in order to avoid being skewered. I barely make it, literally grazing most of them. I must admit it, this is really impressive.

So this is how Maaya plays. She knows that she has energy to spare, and she doesn't shy from making use of it with unfocused multiple attacks on a large scale. Terrifying...

I quickly look behind me to check Dlanor's status. She is fine, for now, it looks like my furniture is sturdy enough to withstand such degree of power.

Erika: "Ha ha ha... This is fun! It's as if I'm against the blinded rage of the natural elements themselves! Are you fine, Dlanor?"

Dlanor: "I believe I can manage this level, somehow..."

Erika: "So this is a witch of power!"

Dlanor: "She is stronger than I had predicted."

Erika: "Strength! Sure, she's got that aplenty! But it takes more than that to defeat me. Raw power alone is nothing against my superior intellect!"

Dlanor smiles, in a way that I rarely see on her face. This is what she becomes whenever she is involved in a real battle. It is as if she turns into a different being. The usual self-restrained and analytical demeanor of my companion has been overridden by adrenaline and excitement. Nothing can move her soul more than the prospect of a fight. She is, after all, Death Sentence Dlanor. Slaying evil witches is her raison d'être.

Erika: "I think it's time to bring forth and wield our weapons. Don't you think so?"

Dlanor: "Let us give her a taste of what a true battle is!"

A single mental command, and immediately an ethereal red longsword materializes in Dlanor's right hand. Similarly a blue shortsword appears in the other. Those are my companion's favorite tools of destruction. Also called the 'red key' and the 'blue key', they are blades made of pure energy who can cut through every illusion with the power of truth.

As for me, I have a quite different taste. I extend my arm forward, and calling upon my inner power, I visualize in my mind the shape of the weapon that I wish to brandish. The raw matter of the metaworld gathers following my desires and quickly forms a long stave. Then from its farthest end a protrusion, perpendicular to it, begins to enlarge. It spreads and broadens tracing a curve and emitting an intense blue glow. A few little decorations to please my aesthetic sense and my work is complete. Ominous, splendid, and awe-inspiring, my scythe is ready to fell my enemy and drink her blood. I swing it left and right a few times to test its balance. Perfect.

Maaya: "Are you trying to impress me with your primitive tools? Oh, but I see that even that thing that you always bring with you has thorns. I almost didn't realize that she was here. You must pardon me for ignoring her until now, what a terrible host I am! Let me make it up for that by providing her with a suitable playmate!"

Erika: "Uh? What is she..."

Dlanor: "..."

Maaya changes her posture, she no longer focuses on draining and releasing energy. Instead she raises her eyes and arms above, with the palms open in the act of receiving blessing from the higher planes. With the grace of a divine being, she begins to perform strange and complex movements with her hands, in a mysterious, ritualistic manner.

Maaya: "Astrachios, Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat, Anabotas, Jesubilin, Scigin, Geneon, Domol!"

Her invocation begins. I can feel already the pressure of the spiritual energy flowing towards and all around her.

Maaya: "Spirits of the land, of the seas and of the heavens, grant me, I pray, the power to conceive in my mind and to execute that which I desire to do, the end of which I would attain by your help!"

Something very mysterious is happening. Maaya's words are resonating with the eleven pillars. They start to vibrate and echo her words.

Maaya: "Astrachios, Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat, Anabotas, Jesubilin, Scigin, Geneon, Domol!"

"Astrachios, Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat, Anabotas, Jesubilin, Scigin, Geneon, Domol!"

Like a chorus they answer, their voices fill the entire hall.

Maaya: "Spirits of the land, of the seas and of the heavens, I entreat you to inspire the bearer of storms to manifest before me, that he may give me true and faithful answer, so that I may accomplish my desired end!"

"Astrachios, Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat..."

Maaya: "This I command, in the name of Maaya, the witch of power!"

"...Anabotas, Jesubilin, Scigin, Geneon, Domol!"

Maaya: "Answer the call! Obey the spirits that bind you, Lord of the southwestern wind!"

"Astrachios, Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat..."

Maaya: "Master of all fevers and plagues, grinning dark angel of the four wings!"

"...Anabotas, Jesubilin, Scigin, Geneon, Domol!"

Maaya: "Hear my invocation! Your name I call!"

"Astrachios, Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat..."

The spiritual pressure has increased to unimaginable proportions. A furious wind is blowing with unnatural strength.

Maaya: "Pazuzu! Pazuzu! Pazuzu!"

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Happy Higanbana to everyone!

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"Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni: First Night"

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Chapter 5 (g)

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I step inside my enemy's lair. I am welcomed by dozens of dancing flames. Excitement and anxiety saturate the air. The eleven first year students are already sitting around the magic circle. They left a spot for me, almost on the opposite side from where Teramoto is standing. She is just between the circle and the triangle, with the statue of Pazuzu right behind her. Surrounded by these flickering lights it almost looks alive, a true demon standing by his mistress' side. Tremendous, powerful, bloodcurdling.

An eloquent gesture of Teramoto invites me to sit down. At the same time one of her lackeys shuts the door as much as its poor state allows. We are now isolated from the rest of the world, the rules and the laws that work out there are left behind. Here, in this place, anything is possible. Nobody is saying that, but it can be felt, like an invisible shroud, masterfully woven by Teramoto and her friends, enveloping us all.

This is a lot better than I thought, in spite of the lame premises, this doesn't look amateurish at all. Under the bright light of the day, in a mundane environment, it is very easy to make fun and laugh of the occult. But here and now, in the midst of this otherworldly atmosphere, it is finally a real challenge. And I feel a chill in my bones, a growing restlessness in my nerves, and deep inside my barren heart I feel grateful.

I am so glad I issued this challenge!

I am so glad to be here!

I am so glad I can experience this ritual in person, with my own eyes!

I sit down on my assigned spot, I am now part of the spectators, and the show can begin. Teramoto nods once, with an ostensibly confident smile.

Club member: "Behold, chosen ones! Now that you are all assembled around the mystical circle, the great seer will speak! She is going to reveal the occult truth of this school. Listen with care, and remember! Do not speak carelessly of what you will hear and see. The secrets that you are about to learn are not meant for the clueless men to hear!"

Teramoto claps her hands twice, and then she extends her arms to the sides. It is beginning.

Teramoto: "My name is Maaya Teramoto..."

Her voice echoes calm and authoritative.

Teramoto: "...I am the heir of a family of Shinto priests. The spirit world is vast and mysterious, and originally it was powerful and strongly tied to this land. Spirits dwelt in every place, they were all around us and we called them kami. Our ancestors... "

I have listened to these words before. This is the same long monologue that she recited during the interrogation of two days ago. She must have repeated it dozens of times for the past two years. I don't think that she actually memorized every single word, but it must be pretty close to that. If there are differences from what I listened to before, they must be minimal.

Teramoto: "In the beginning I was unhinged, I had never perceived such an overwhelming power before..."

This is the part where she describes the first time she came to this school, allegedly perceiving the presence of the demon Pazuzu. Once again she claims that she fell ill, and that she had to stay home for a while. That part must be true somehow, it would be too risky for her to state something that her classmates can deny, but of course it was probably just a flu or another mundane disease.

Damn, I feel this strange 'pull' again... I don't know how else to define it. It is like a gravitational force slowly dragging me away. Away from where? An towards what? This is ridiculous! And yet it is getting stronger...

Teramoto: "And in that fierce attack many perished, including several students of this school!"

Am I the only one who is noticing this? I take a quick look at the other girls sitting around the magic circle, and I almost choke. They are... raptured. Is this Teramoto's true power? This is way too abnormal. I understand that this is a very suggestive setting, and this is the place where a true murder occurred. This must have a very strong effect on them, but the way they are reacting is too much. Why? They should be giggling and sneering at this pathetic story! It makes no sense, it is full of holes, and it isn't even that interesting! Can they really start believing in demons and spirits so easily? This is the third millennium, and they are not kids anymore! How is this possible?!

Teramoto: "The demon of the southwestern wind!"

Suddenly a rumble, a sort of quite vibration, can be heard. It is as if the demon reacted to Teramoto's call, and in fact I am quite sure that it came from that statue that stands right behind her. Did I just imagine that? Teramoto keeps talking as if nothing happened. I see no reactions from the club members either, but as for the other young girls, the chosen ones of today's ritual, it seems that they noticed. They look a bit confused, they must be wondering just like myself: 'did I really hear that? Was it real or just my mind playing tricks?'

Teramoto: "And once again he was back to the material world!"

The material world. She uses different terms, but perhaps her cosmology isn't that different from mine. She says 'material world', I say 'world of humans'. She says 'spiritual world', I say 'metaworld'. Could it be...?

Teramoto: "His revival was at hand, after thousand years of oblivion!"

The way she speaks is different from that other time. She is a lot more passionate, like a leader from the past talking to the masses and inflaming their spirits. Indeed, she is like a modern Joan of Arc. Yes, this is a fitting comparison, I must say. Does she know what kind of fate awaits her? Perhaps she does, she is no fool, not completely. Maybe her hubris persuaded her that she can defy karma itself.

This dragging force is driving me mad! It is a vortex now, a maelstrom! My head aches!

Teromoto: "Mysterious incidents occurred, chaos and discord spread among the students..."

Is it me or the lights are changing? Aren't they dancing in a less erratic way? No, it isn't even a figure of speech anymore. They are... literally... dancing...

They are wobbling and wavering and bouncing synchronized to a silent tune. Or perhaps it is Teramoto's flow of words that to them sounds like some kind of music. They are swirling merrily around the vortex, ring around, ring around... kagome kagome!

Teramoto: "And this is why we need to perform the ritual. This is why your power is necessary!"

Are we already at the end? Wasn't there more that she needed to tell? Or did I miss it? Am I losing perception of the passing time? I can no longer concentrate. What in the world is happening, right at this crucial moment? Stop circling around me! Stop pulling me!

Club member: "Everyone raise your hands!"

Teramoto: "Lend me your power! Together we can defeat the demon! Together we can bend him to our will!"

Lies! You just want to harness his power! It is your will that you want him to bend to: the demon, and all of us! All of us!

Teramoto: "Let the ritual begin!"

Club member: "Behold! The great seer is about to reveal her true self!"

She is going to take that cloak off. Two of her lackeys get to her sides to assist her. What exactly did she hide until now? What is this true self that she is about to reveal? What kind of significance has that outfit that she is wearing? Something comes to my mind, and yet it is hard to focus.

Dlanor: "She once said that she is not a Shinto priestess."

Right! She pointed that out, and she wanted to make that clear. I didn't give to that too much importance back then, but now I wonder: what is she? What does she define herself as? The garments she is wearing will reveal it. If she was a Shintoist shrine maiden, she would be donning a red hakama.

Dlanor: "She is wearing full length gloves, violet in color."

That doesn't fit with anything from Japanese folklore, nor from anything of Asian origin, as far as I can tell. Is she a medium? A demonologist? A summoner?

Dlanor: "..."

I know, Dlanor, I am running in circle, like those many dancing flames.

I am one with them, swirling and closing in, to the center.

She is going to reveal, what she is, her true self.

The black cloak is removed, the curtain is being raised.

The opening of a new dream, a new world.

The truth that I have been waiting for.

She is what I should have expected.

A fitting master for a demon.

Just like my hated enemy.

A beautiful western dress.

A pointy hat.

Twisting, spinning.

Falling...

Dlanor: "Reality alteration detected. Rationality limits have been breached. Anchorings to the physical world have been severed. Impossible to restore."

Erika: "Prepare for battle, Dlanor, this is a declaration of war."

Dlanor: "I am unable to identify the source, this is not a registered identification code."

Erika: "This place is different..."

Dlanor: "Current location confirmed to be somewhere in the sea of fragments... I am unable to provide further specifications."

Erika: "I've never seen a metaworld like this before. The attacker isn't Beatrice, not this time."

Dlanor: "Agreed. It is probably her."

Erika: "To think that she had already reached this level. Isn't this a pleasant surprise?"

Dlanor: "Miss Erika, the fact that she was able to create her own world on this plane of existence can only mean one thing."

Erika: "Of course, Dlanor, I know. At this point there is no longer any doubt."

There are no walls, ceiling or floor. This is just a swirling pulsating mass, a storm in the fabric of the sea of fragments. I am finally at the center of the vortex, at last. This is what has been trying to drag me in for the last few minutes, and it succeeded. As I float forward, to an unspecified destination, the foamy mist surrounding me slowly clears up. I start to see in the distance a vaguely discernible space. It is a sort of giant spherical hall, with no visible boundaries. I can tell it is a sphere, because the nebulous raw matter of the metaworld is swirling all around it. If I had to compare this to something existing in the world of humans, this would be a quasar. In other words this is a primordial existence, a potential universe still in the making.

There are objects down there, some kind of pillars. As I get closer I notice that they are covered in cuneiform inscriptions, most likely magical formulae of some sort. There are eleven of them, and they are displaced all around the perimeter, forming a circle.

There is someone at the center, the mistress of this world. She is waiting.

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Follow your desires!

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"Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni: First Night"

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Joyful music!

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contain spoilers about

"Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni: First Night"

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