Inkblot 2

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

[Amaterasu appears with a burst of light and a howl like a dog in pain.]

No! It's back! It's all back! Shinshu is a cursed zone again, Sakuya's guardian saplings are failing, and I can smell Yami's taint on the wind!

But how is this possible? Yami is defeated, dead, gone from Nippon. Yet his demons are roaming the countryside again, as if they never left! I cannot even move past Shinshu to find out if the curse truly affects all of Nippon...

How is this possible?

Comments

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

Reality, time, life and death. They meddle with the very forces of nature. It is not right, not at all.

[lamb_of_gold]

It should be impossible, yet here we are.

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

[Heavy sigh and she butts her head against Mu's hand.] Here we are.

[lamb_of_gold]

[Strokes her head softly] Despite everything that goes wrong, part of me is glad I was brought here.

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

[She smiles up at him.] The people here, at the very least, make it all worthwhile.

1/2

[lamb_of_gold]

Precisely.

2/2

[lamb_of_gold]

Now, tell me what troubles your land. Perhaps you will, at least, be able to protect what is within your boundary.

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

[She nods.] I suppose, then, that I should start at the beginning.

Long ago the Moon Tribe brought a gift to the Celestial Plain--the Ark of Yamato. What they did not know was that Yami and his demons here sealed on board. They broke free of the Ark and ravaged the Celestial Plain. The gods were scattered and the Celestial Beings were forced to flee aboard the Ark, not knowing that it was the source of it all. The demons killed the Celestial Beings and crashed to Earth along with the Ark.

I have been fighting them ever since, but 100 years ago I was almost defeated by one of Yami's minions. The fight left me wounded and exhausted, and I was forced to sleep for an entire century.

When I awakened, Yami's curse had all but consumed the world. Sakuya, the guardian spirit of Kamiki Village, had only just managed to keep the world from falling completely into darkness. So, with Issun's help, I traveled through Nippon, dispelling the curse where I found it and freeing the Brush Gods. Finally we were able to locate Yami. The fight was long and hard, but I managed to finally defeat him in the end, and Nippon was at peace once more.

I was returning to the Celestial Plain when I found myself here. And now Nippon is exactly as it was when I first woke up, except that Issun and Waka are nowhere to be found. I am at my full power now, and would be able to find and defeat Yami again, but I cannot move past Shinshu Field and Hana Valley. Which means also that I cannot dispel the curse beyond them.

[She closes her eyes.] I can feel the people of Nippon suffering and I can hear the land crying, but I can do nothing for the rest of Nippon. Not until I can reach past Shinshu.

[lamb_of_gold]

Then protect Shinsu with everything you have for the time being. With luck, people from surrounding villages will flock to you.

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

That is good advice, Mu. I can only hope that not all of the nearby villages have been affected by the curse. People trapped within cursed zones end up turning to stone--which in some ways is rather fortunate, as it offers some protection from the demons. And they return to normal once the curse is dispelled.

[lamb_of_gold]

It may seem morbid, but let us hope that the faraway ones have found such a mercy.

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

At the very least, they will be safe from further harm. And those who have been unaffected will know something is wrong and will work to fight off any demons who come near.

[Thoughtfully,] I'm sure Oki and Issun are already rallying people capable of fighting.

[lamb_of_gold]

Is it possible to get a message to either of them?

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

[She considers this.] I cannot travel...but Sakuya should be able to travel between her guardian saplings, at the very least. Assuming she is strong enough...which might not be the case, as her saplings are beginning to fail again.

[lamb_of_gold]

Can you lend her strength at all?

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

Now there's an idea! Perhaps some blossoms and some clean water are in order. She is a tree spirit, after all. And sunlight! Of course, sunlight.

[lamb_of_gold]

Which is what you are best at, I hope.

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

[She giggles.] No one is better at creating sunshine than I am!

[lamb_of_gold]

I'd hope not, else you'd be out of a job!

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

Indeed, and then what would I do with myself? There isn't much market for ex-goddesses these days.

[lamb_of_gold]

Well, I suppose you could become the Goddess of Good Cheer.

[shinypaws.livejournal.com]

And create my own niche in the market, you mean! I like the way you think, Mu!

[lamb_of_gold]

A pleasure to be of good service to you, madame.