2022-12-22 09:01:13There’s a full moon out tonight. Something about how the moonlight plays with the colors of the flowers gives the garden an otherworldly beauty. Moths dance with the wind under the light of incandescent bulbs– entranced. And amidst it all, there are maids planting new flowers where wilted ones used to be. Their heads are bowed down, as though in reverence. An ever beautiful garden as enthralling during the day as it is at night.
“More tea?”
“No, thank you, Kiara. I’m absolutely stuffed.”
“I’m fine as well.”
Kiara, the head maid of this whole place bows and retreats back into the shadows, where the sight of her won’t ruin the beauty of the garden. Pale-faced and dull-eyed, she reminds Haru somewhat of a dead fish. She wears her jet black hair short and in small natural clumps. Overall, eh, like a 3/10. Pass from Haru.
“Are you frustrated?”
“Who wouldn’t be?”
Tomoe starts walking around the garden. She gestures for Haru to follow her.
“It’s bullshit!”
“Mhm.”
“You believe me, right?”
“More than I believe Gleam. But, ah well, you win some, you lose some. That’s just the nature of the game we play.”
“That is… true, but still, it doesn’t sit right with me.”
“A certain level of moral suspension is required in this line of work, unfortunately. But don’t worry, we’ll get them eventually.”Tomoe runs her hand through the surface of a freshly trimmed bush.
“By the way, you said ‘them’.”
“Pardon?”
“When you said that we would get them you used the word ‘them’. Who is ‘them’, exactly?”
“Aside from Gleam? Nui, and Florence.”“So… they’re the ones who sided with Gleam?”“Yep. They’re in a difficult spot right now. While it’s true that the head of our operation was cut, they’re in danger of that very same thing happening to them. Only that for them, if Gleam falls, then their whole political party falls apart.”“Sounds fragile.”
“It is. They cast their bets with the losing side not because they wanted to, but rather because they had to.”
“I assume it’s something to do with Lady Tsubame with Nui.”“You’re brighter than you look, Hamamoto.”
She ignores the comment.
“Gleam was one of Lady Tsubame’s disciples. A devoted one at that. It’s Nui’s belief that Lady Tsubame would have wanted Gleam to succeed her, due process be damned.”
“And Florence?”
“Florence is barely in control of his status. His supposed ‘subordinates’ basically run the show at this point, and they’re hungry for more power.”“Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to cast their vote with the winning side?”
“The real reason is somewhat… counterintuitive. Think about it this way. Regardless of whether Gleam wins or loses, they profit. If Gleam wins, then excellent, the division of power is split between only three people, Gleam, Nui and Florence, which is a lot more than they would get by casting their vote with us. And if Gleam loses, well then Florence looks bad. If that happens, they have a very real chance of deposing Florence and taking his spot for themselves.”“Hmmm… I think I get it. When you put it like that, it does seem like they’re in a pretty bad spot.”
“Mhm.”“But then… that sorta gets me thinking. What’s your stake in all this? Like, why did you side with Kentomi?”
“Hmmm… why, I wonder?”Tomoe stops walking. The moonlight on her already white hair takes on a silvery glow.“Hey, Haru, are you familiar with how the first Magical Academy fell?”
“Sorta. I know that the denizens of the Magical Academy destroyed it, but I don’t know anything more than that.”“That’s a good guess.”
“Do you have a better one?”
“I can do more than a guess. I was there. I saw how it all played out.”“That would make you…”
“A teacher-facilitator at the first magical academy back then, so it only makes sense that I reprise my role as teacher-facilitator at Takakumo.”“For real?”
“For real.”“Man, where do I even start?”
Haru circles around Tomoe, as though trying to decipher a particularly difficult jigsaw puzzle.
“You don’t look that old. Do you… Does your kind not age?”
“Oh no, we do age, just in a way that humans can’t see.”“Fascinating. So it’s possible that there are still more of you out there?”
“Maybe. We all went our separate ways after the diaspora. If those old geezers are still alive, they’ll either be in the mountains or hiding among the humans. I doubt we’ll ever see each other again.”“Sounds rough, my guy.”
Haru winces.
“Sorry, that came out sorta rude.”
“I don’t mind. I’m just happy to talk about it.”
“Do you ever miss home? Like, the original magical academy?”“Oh, that wasn’t our home. Not our real one, anyway. We lived in it, but we left our hearts behind somewhere else. Up there.”Tomoe closes one eye and raises her hand.
“When the moon is at its apex of its arc, measure the length of an index finger towards the brightest star in the sky, then measure a thumb’s length to the right. Sitting at the tip of your thumb is my home.”
“Is it beautiful?”
“It was. So, so beautiful.”Tomoe’s eyes drink up the night sky, savoring the stars especially.
“But this place… Earth… is so much more so.”
“How so?”
“Humans are special. You’re all different. You all change. Not just physically, but your souls as well. So fickle, so fleeting, but so beautiful.”“You still think so? Even after all that we’ve done to you?”
“I haven’t forgotten what your kind has done. Both to us and to yourselves. But in my opinion, that only makes your kind so much more precious. Your lives are so fragile. So many experiences, so many memories. And yet, when you die, they all just disappear. Like they were never there. It’s amazing.”“I don’t understand.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying at all.”Tomoe looks at Haru, puzzled.
“There’s nothing cheaper than a human life. Nothing so easily taken away, nothing so easily made. Hell, you don’t even have to really try to create a human life, sometimes they just spring up out of nowhere by accident.”
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She should know. After all, the only reason she was born was because of an accident. “That’s a rather depressing way to look at it.”“The way I see it, the way you look at it is much more depressing. All those lives lost, all those memories, all those moments. They all inevitably turn to dust. It’s much easier to lose something that’s worthless, no?”“I suppose.”“I can tell by the sound of your voice that you don’t agree with me.”Tomoe sighs. “True enough. I suppose that’s the difference between watching lives be taken and taking lives.”“You can tell?”“I’m not ignorant to the ways of the outside world. I know what your kind’s done with the magic you stole. You built cities to escape the laws of the jungle only to turn your cities into jungles where the strongest thrive and the weak are exploited anyway.”“And what’s wrong with that?”“You humans. Always so ready to tear each others’ throats out. I remember a time, no matter how brief, where all humans worked together against a c
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“Please, help yourself to some tea.” Nanashi gestures at the chair across from her for Haru to sit down. It hasn’t been that long since they’ve last met but already, she’s made a little home for herself in Takakumo. It’s surprising how much laboratory apparatus she’s managed to cram into such a tiny space. Arcane sigils, test tubes, and strange machines clutter the room in an organizational system that Haru could never decipher even if she had a lifetime to try. And in the center, is a simple table and two stools set up. “No thank you, I have a temperature-sensitive tongue. It burns when I eat even slightly warm food.” “Ah well, that’s a pity.” Nanashi takes the teacup away. It looks comically tiny in her armored grasp. “So, what business do you have with me?” “I believe your terms with Tsumugi stipulated that only half of the Papilio in Takakumo return to their Think-Tanks, correct?” “Yes, that is true.” “By any chance, would you ever consider capturing Takakumo for yourself and
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A gargantuan scythe blade the size of a mountain manifests from the tip of Tsumugi’s staff while Gleam blazes pure white, light magic seeping out of her very being. With a ponderous sweep of her arm, Tsumugi brings the scythe down, its tip aimed right for the crowd. The Deathless start to disperse but there’s not enough time. Someone trips. She closes her eyes to brace for impact but the impact never comes. Instead, there’s a brutal grinding sound. Opening her eyes, instead of seeing the tip of the scythe bearing down on her, she sees Gleam’s back as she clashes against Tsumugi’s scythe. “RUN!” The girl scrambles to her feet and runs away. Now all Gleam has to worry about is the mountain of cursed energy bearing down on her. “GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!” Gleam lets out an unearthly cry as she wills herself to go faster, to break through Tsumugi’s attack, to turn the tides of this battle. “STELLAR!” The speed of light isn’t fast enough to move the scythe more than a few inches.
Chapter 67 Motteke! Sailor Fuku!
They come bursting out from the trees. Large metal transports with segmented armor that makes them resemble pillbugs. A far cry from the train-like things the Monarchs used all those years ago. They speed across the landscape, skimming across the flora of these lands. One transport in particular rushes ahead of the others, setting an example that the other transports follow. Atop its roof, stands a green-haired girl shredding her guitar. Heavy rock music, amplified by her sound sorcery, blasts outwards. It’s so loud that the ground almost seems to vibrate as they approach. But they find nothing. No patrols. No Deathless anywhere. It reeks of a trap. Tsumugi sticks her head out of the transport she’s in to yell at Haru.“Stick to the plan!” Haru nods and swaps tracks to the one corresponding to the signal for ‘Stick to the Plan’. The transition is nearly seamless. One by one, the transports climb the walls protecting Takakumo like it’s nothing. In the distance, they see it, Takakumo
Chapter 66 Aloha
“It seems we’re not welcome here anymore. You’ve been exiled.” Haru relays Gleam’s speech to Tsumugi. “What do we do?” Florence asks. “Nothing has changed. Let’s keep moving.” Haru waves her hand out the car window at the other Elites to follow close behind. They comply, mostly out of fear. They know that their duty is to Lady Kentomi first, Takakumo second, and Haru third, but the thought of going against Haru is just too much. The streets are empty, nearly everyone’s attending Gleam’s speech. What few people are left behind smile and wave at them as they pass, blissfully unaware of what Tsumugi’s become. They know not what she knows. “Where are we going exactly?” “To the forest on the edge of Takakumo’s borders. I’ve arranged for a meeting there.” Ah, to where it all began. The memories of a month or two ago come flooding back to Haru. It felt like a lifetime ago they were on that train and came crashing into Takakumo, completely unwelcome. “This is nostalgic.” Haru rests he
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Letters make words, words make sentences, sentences make paragraphs, paragraphs fill pages, and pages fill up the tome. Number 3344 works dutifully, slowly but surely working through the book she’s been tasked to fill up. That is the purpose of the Papilio after all, to lend their minds as processors to the great Monarchian supercomputer complex, Nivosus. It is a purpose shared by the uncountable Papilio filling up this facility. They do not know better. None of them do. So they toil away, their minds working to the bone in the computational visual matrix.Every paragraph, every sentence, every letter is another crumb of data in the great compendium that the Monarchs seek to fill with all knowledge in existence. Years pass in the blink of an eye for the Papilio. Seasons pass them by without being noticed. They all keep their eyes downwards, scribing everything being fed to them. Number 3344 is no different. Just another drop in the ocean. Just another body being kept in a tube. Then
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As soon as the door closes behind her, Tsumugi immediately breaks down into tears as everything she’s done and everything that happened to her comes crashing down in a terrible wave. She starts to run, as though she might be able to outrun her guilt. “What have I done?!”She keeps running. Further and further away from Gleam. Further and further away from the best friend that she threw away. Further and further away from any chance of going back. More than once, she considers turning around and apologizing, telling Gleam that she was foolish, begging for her forgiveness. But no matter how much she wants to, she knows she can’t. Tsuki believed in Tsumugi to be able to turn her own dream into a reality. This is the only way. Her dream was always incompatible with Gleam’s. From the very beginning, she knew that. It’s only natural that they would both eventually come into conflict with one another. But even then, her heart aches so much she fears it might shrivel up and die. She slowly
Chapter 63 Preparations
As soon as the door closes behind her, Tsumugi immediately breaks down into tears as everything she’s done and everything that happened to her comes crashing down in a terrible wave. She starts to run, as though she might be able to outrun her guilt. “What have I done?!”She keeps running. Further and further away from Gleam. Further and further away from the best friend that she threw away. Further and further away from any chance of going back. More than once, she considers turning around and apologizing, telling Gleam that she was foolish, begging for her forgiveness. But no matter how much she wants to, she knows she can’t. Tsuki believed in Tsumugi to be able to turn her own dream into a reality. This is the only way. Her dream was always incompatible with Gleam’s. From the very beginning, she knew that. It’s only natural that they would both eventually come into conflict with one another. But even then, her heart aches so much she fears it might shrivel up and die. She slowly
Chapter 62 Bad to Worse
“Kikimi faltered.” Kazuko takes a deep breath just to check if her lung is still punctured. Surprisingly enough, it seems that the damage Tsuki dealt her just a few hours ago has already healed. Usually, it takes a few more hours.“That’s fine. She’s more useful to us dead.” Florence stares out the window at the full moon hanging in the sky. “Now that she’s out of the picture, Gleam’s a legitimate threat to both Tsumugi and Tomoe. But now that they’ve already severed their alliance, it’s going to be that much more difficult to stop her.” “Yeah, whatever. I don’t care about any of that stuff.” Kazuko slowly lifts herself off the chair she was sitting in. “You’re on your own from now on.” “Wait, hold on, what happened to owing me your life?” “A life for a life. My debt has been paid in full.” Florence saved her, and she killed Kikimi. Fair’s fair.“How do I know you won’t just rat me out?” “You don’t. But you don’t have any other choice.” Florence looks on as Kazuko slings her cape
