After an afternoon-evening full of situations, such as Asahiko's apology to Akemi and the discovery of Kikyo's "secret," sunlight once again begins to shine over the village.
This would mark the beginning of another busy—or even inhuman, if you think about it with a modern mindset—day, since they work from dawn until dusk doing pure physical labor, something not many can endure, and even fewer without the benefits of technology.
But today that does not happen. Instead, waking time shifts from six to eight, and no one truly works in the fields; they only make a few inspection rounds and return to the village, where a festive air can be felt.
"I was weak! I couldn't refuse her when she started crying!"
Crouching down while covering his blue eyes with his hands—perhaps out of embarrassment or to avoid seeing the reaction of the young woman standing before him—Asahiko lets out words of defeat.
Such actions or words do not seem to surprise the priestess, as she does not even react to what Asahiko does or says. She ignores him and instead looks for a few moments at the pile of wood being gathered in the center of the village.
This is a festive bonfire, like those used during harvest festivals or major celebrations, but that matters little to Kikyo, who instead directs her eyes toward the group gathered farther away.
"That's the first thing children do when they want something and you don't give it to them—it's nothing but crocodile tears. That monk… is he still here?"
Speaking to Asahiko while keeping her gaze fixed on the group of villagers surrounding a bald old man—who wears loose robes, carries a copper staff, and holds wooden prayer beads—Kikyo makes a small gesture toward the elderly monk.
"I actually thought he'd leave in the morning too, since he said he was chasing a yōkai… Do you think that's it?"
"What else could it be? Obviously that monk was after my shikigami last night. The timing of his arrival and his purpose make it more than clear."
Naturally averting her gaze from the bald monk, who now seems to be looking toward them, Kikyo considers the current options and eventually reaches an obvious conclusion: they had to leave.
She… really did not want that, since this place had become a small sanctuary of peace after everything. But it's not as if she had better options, considering how obvious it is that she is a walking corpse that feeds on souls.
"Yes, that's a fact, but… you know… do you think he's noticed me?"
"He hasn't noticed you—he already did."
"Aghh, what a problem, and I've practiced quite a bit too."
Scratching his golden hair while brushing nonexistent dust from his clothes with the other hand, Asahiko glances at the monk who slowly approaches and stops beside Kikyo.
This makes the monk pause his movements for a few moments, though an innocuous smile soon spreads across his face, and he continues forward until he reaches both of them.
"Lord Asahiko, Priestess Kikyo, it is a pleasure for this traveling monk to finally meet those who helped this village."
"An unnecessary compliment, monk. Those actions were carried out entirely by him. I have done nothing worthy of praise."
Dismissing the monk's kind words without revealing any emotion, Kikyo redirects the conversation toward Asahiko, something the monk seems to appreciate with his gaze.
This is due to what they discussed earlier—that Asahiko's energy is more than obvious—thus drawing the monk's attention and making him ignore Kikyo's strangeness out of spite.
"Small actions for one can be great milestones for others, Priestess Kikyo. I have heard how you have been treating the villagers these past few days, without expecting any remuneration. To me, that makes you a savior as well, and this is a small gesture on my part."
Slipping his slightly wrinkled hand into his loose robe, the bald monk pulls out a yellowish talisman inscribed with red lines and places it into Kikyo's hands, all while keeping his gaze on Asahiko.
The talisman shows no reaction upon touching Kikyo's palm. She merely nods at the gesture and remains silent, surprising both the monk—because the evil demon did not act when he tried to save his prey—and the evil demon (Asahiko), because nothing happened to the living corpse that is Kikyo.
"Well now, what a surprise… But don't you have one for me too?"
"… Of course, Lord Asahiko."
Once again slipping his hand into his robe, the monk narrows his age-worn eyes and takes out another talisman. This one is not the same as the one given to Kikyo; it has many more lines and almost looks like an abstract work of art due to how random they are.
With that talisman in hand, the monk remains vigilant and hands it to Asahiko, but… nothing. Absolutely nothing happens—no screams, no tremors, not even the slightest reaction—leaving the monk surprised once again.
"So how do you use this? Do you just throw it, maybe chant something, or is having faith enough?"
"You… you… just throwing it is enough, Lord Asahiko."
"Then thank you for the gift."
"You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go speak with Lord Izayoi. I believe I should help with the celebration as payment for the food and lodging."
Uttering hollow words that still carry a faint tone of surprise, the monk makes a brief bow before leaving with slow steps.
"Ja… Ja… Jajajaja! Did you see his face, Kikyo? The—the surprise in his eyes was incredible. I didn't think that old monk could open his eyes that wide."
"An illusion? When did it happen?"
Raising only slightly an eyebrow upon noticing that the monk does not turn back at Asahiko's laughter, Kikyo quickly connects the dots in her mind and reaches an answer.
"When he touched me to give me the talisman. At that exact moment I dropped him into an illusion, so now I only need to use a small pulse of spiritual energy when he's nearby and I can make him dance, though… Are you okay?"
Wiping fake tears from his blue eyes, Asahiko looks at Kikyo—more precisely, at the hand still holding the yellowish talisman.
His words may come a bit late; he mocked the monk first, but that doesn't change the slight concern behind them. In fact, they reveal how genuine it is—anyone can speak without thinking, but few consider the effect of their words on others.
"I'm fine. Talismans are not universal; they follow a specific purpose, and this one… this one truly cannot have any effect on me."
"Oh, I see. Like using the right prayers against the right demon."
"Yes, although talismans are faster and have broader effects than divine sutras."
Accepting Asahiko's example—likely drawn from movies—Kikyo adds a few details and then stores the yellowish talisman inside her robes.
…
"Incredible. Even with my senses, I can't find anything alive around here… at least nothing large."
Sighing at what he considers unbelievable, Asahiko takes one of the many drifting leaves and injects a bit of his spiritual energy into it.
This causes the leaf to quickly transform into something else—a banana, a basketball, a pearl necklace, or various other objects.
"Perhaps because of what you're doing? Animals are very sensitive to people's intentions. Intentions that can be transmitted through spiritual energy."
Floating over Asahiko's shoulder while stealing one or two illusion-wrapped transformed fruits, the small elderly spirit dressed in white tries to offer a solution, though he seems more interested in the fake fruit.
"I'm not that stupid, Saya. I can control how far my spiritual energy extends—more or less. Besides, any animal touched by it would fall into an illusion and run toward me before even realizing it… which is not happening!"
"If you shout like that, it's even less likely you'll find anything."
"Oh yeah… no more fruit for you, little genius."
"Wait, no, we can talk this out like civilized beings!"
Clutching Asahiko's shoulder as if it were the last bottle of water in the desert, Saya tries to cling like a tick to skin, but with a single playful swat from Asahiko, he's sent flying.
Surprisingly, Saya doesn't recover midair, instead spinning exaggeratedly before crashing into a tree, making Asahiko raise an eyebrow at the overacting.
"Nice performance—so good that if you weren't a spirit, you'd be perfect as a great actor, Saya."
"One of the talents learned with age."
Proud of his fine performance, Saya floats back to Asahiko's shoulder and steals another freshly transformed fruit.
"Sure… By the way, where has that proud dragon gone? I haven't heard any of his tantrums in quite a while."
"Souga? He's still angry because you didn't give him that pink fragment you got from the ogre."
[My victory? Thanks to me you managed to defeat that ogre—I have a right to that fragment!]
Shouting and growling from within the gem embedded in the hilt of Clouded Fang, Souga finally makes his presence known after quite some time offline.
Of course, that doesn't make either Asahiko or Saya happy; they take it calmly and barely raise an eyebrow.
"Whatever you say, but I remind you—you're a sword. That is… nobody counts the sword during the distribution of loot. Simple logic; there's nothing I can do."
[I am a noble dragon. Even before you were born, I was causing chaos in hell itself!]
"Should I seal him again?"
"Nah, it's fun to watch him like this."
Ignoring Souga's grand tales—ranging from wiping out entire clans to fighting a giant moth—Asahiko and Saya continue on their way through the forest.
During this walk, which lasts longer than necessary, Asahiko finally feels something… no, more precisely, he hears something. What's the difference? The former is more of a spiritual sense, while the latter is purely physical.
Leaving that small clarification aside, Asahiko fixes his gaze in a certain direction, seeking the source of the sound. It isn't very necessary, however, as almost instantly the trees blocking his view collapse, revealing a massive beast.
"You've got to be kidding— is that even a boar?"
Drawing Clouded Fang from its sheath instantly, Asahiko easily stops the beast's charge, though not without being dragged several steps backward by its sheer brute force.
That surprises him—damn it, Asahiko is sure he can uproot a tree and use it as a club, yet even with that strength, the boar drags him back several steps.
Still, that's understandable. The beast is not only three or four times the size of a normal boar, but its physical capabilities far exceed any known—or unknown—specimen.
"It is… but look at its forehead."
"A fragment—are they handing those out like candy or what?"
Yes, embedded in its massive furry forehead is something that sticks out like a sore thumb: a pink fragment identical to the one once seen on the ogre Asahiko defeated.
Setting that aside, the boar's pupils constrict, and it releases a terrifying snort from its snout, while its muscular hind legs begin pushing forward, gradually dragging Asahiko along.
"You think I'm going to lose in raw strength… Well, you're right!"
Punching the boar with his left fist wrapped in flames—flames that have never burned anything—Asahiko takes advantage of the moment when the massive head loses momentum and slips away.
With nothing left to stop it, the boar is launched forward, uprooting rocks and entire trees along the way, though such things do little damage to its hide.
[What a fine opportunity that presents itself to us, young fox. Give me that fragment and I'll let you use my power—we both know it'll be a problem to pierce that hide with your claws or fake flames.]
"Did you forget I have Clouded Fang, Souga? Besides, your power… that red light? I can already kind of use it."
Mocking Souga, who falls silent, Asahiko dodges the boar's devastating charge and with a single slash of Clouded Fang opens a massive bleeding gash in the beast's body.
From that line pours a reddish cascade that stains the ground with blood, but before it can be fatal, the blood coagulates and the bleeding stops.
That makes Asahiko raise an eyebrow, but seeing that it isn't the ogre's monstrous regeneration, he dismisses it and begins circling the boar like a shark smelling blood.
[…That's just a spiritual-energy cut lightly touched by my power—nothing like what I can teach you. Don't you want the power of one of the three swords of conquest?]
"You tempt me, Souga… but what kind of power are we talking about?"
[Hahaha, I like your way of thinking.]
…
Watching the afternoon sun shining over the village through the window with her brown eyes, Kikyo stops thinking about how late a certain person is and directs her gaze toward a specific place.
There was nothing remarkable there—just a wall—but Kikyo's gaze seemed to pierce infinite distances and land upon a certain object, making her bite her lips with her white teeth.
"Another fragment… how could that idiot allow this to happen?"
Speaking with cold sarcasm while referring to the "idiot"—who clearly has something to do with the fragments' existence, judging by Kikyo's tone—she prepares to leave, but stops at the last moment.
Not because of a sudden change of heart, but because at the exact moment she was about to set out, a strange yet extremely familiar energy reached her.
That energy is unmistakably Asahiko's—so unique and distinctive that Kikyo knows it by heart… though she will likely never admit that of her own free will.
"Here you were, big sister!"
Leaping onto the distracted Kikyo like a lion onto a zebra, Akemi presses her head against Kikyo's chest and smiles happily, showing all her white teeth. That draws a small smile from Kikyo as well, but it loses all warmth when she senses a certain presence nearby.
"Well done, Akemi."
"… I'll go look for the other children we still haven't caught."
Noticing how Akemi's face loses some warmth due to her unconscious expressions, Kikyo's thoughts grow a bit colder toward that prying monk. Still, that resentment doesn't go far—Kikyo is a woman who knows how to control her emotions well, except when it comes to certain individuals.
"I'll tell you a secret, Akemi. When I was coming here, I noticed Ren hiding in the remains of the old watchtower—why don't you start with him?"
"Big sister… Cheating is bad. Are we going to have to cover your eyes and stuff something in your ears like with big brother Asahiko?"
Mocking Kikyo in the latter half of her words, Akemi regains her vitality when she's patted by Kikyo's pale hand and returns her cheerful smile.
"Don't lump me in with him."
"True, besides, big brother at least told us from the start what he could do… wait! You're actually the evil lady who seduces good men in those stories, and here I was thinking my brother was the problem!"
"A. KE. MI!"
"I'm sorry, big sister! Ah, right—I'll go look for Ren right now!"
Managing to escape Kikyo's grasp—who looks ready to prove why she's the big sister—Akemi runs out the door, leaving behind only an awkward apology.
That draws another brief smile from Kikyo, who seems to recall someone special in Akemi's figure, but any real emotion in that smile disappears when a new figure enters the room, leaving it hollow and cold.
"Priestess Kikyo, I apologize for intervening in your conversation… but I hope we can speak about your companion."
"Asahiko? What about him?"
Letting the question hang in the air—clearly probing how much the monk knows—Kikyo approaches a table holding a basket filled with various herbs.
Those herbs had been collected by her and Asahiko over the past few days, and they are the reason she is here despite playing with Akemi… yes, Kikyo was optimizing her time by using the game as an excuse to come here.
"Nothing important. It's just that this morning I could feel in him the same energy that permeates this entire village… only more concentrated."
"As if he were the source?"
"Yes, but this afternoon there was nothing like that in him—he was just a simple human. Have you noticed sudden mood changes, strange behavior, or other oddities in him?"
"Like someone possessed by a spirit?"
Grinding the herbs in a wooden bowl until they become a greenish paste, a flicker of emotion appears in Kikyo's cold brown pupils. That emotion is amusement—perhaps fleeting and brief, but one hundred percent genuine amusement at the monk's idea.
Of course, that fleeting emotion is quickly brought under control, and Kikyo's brown eyes return to their usual depth and coldness.
"Exactly, Priestess Kikyo. But I don't believe it's just any spirit—it must be a truly vile and dark one."
"And why do you think that, monk?"
"I arrived in this village pursuing a certain yōkai—but not just any. I was chasing a group of spiritual serpents that steal and carry off the souls of young women. There is no more vile act than denying the dead their eternal rest, but even worse is the following…"
Taking a breath of the strangely cold air in the room—something the monk notices but does not seem to mind—he utters a small prayer and continues.
"I believe that a vile and repugnant being is feeding on those innocent souls, all for some selfish purpose. I want your help—no, I need your help—to save your companion, Priestess Kikyo."
"Help you… help you with that disgusting and vile being?"
Tightening her grip on the small stick she used to crush the herbs inside the bowl, her white hand grows even paler from the force she exerts, and a faint voice escapes her.
No—perhaps 'faint' is not the right word, for those words carry a cold acceptance within them… though deep down, crawling through the cracks of that cold mask, a small glimmer of pain and despair lingers.
"I know it may seem like an impossible task, but such a profane and vile being cannot be allowed to live. As a priestess, you must know this—the dead must rest; that is the natural order of things."
"Yes, I understand."
Returning to grinding the herbs, Kikyo's expression does not change in the slightest as she accepts the monk's proposal, plunging the room into an uncomfortable silence until the monk leaves.
Now alone with her thoughts, with no one to see or judge her, Kikyo's eyes begin to ripple like a lake in a storm, as if thousands of thoughts were racing within her… and they were.
They were those souls—fragments, rather—those soul fragments that seem to mock Kikyo for her naivety in believing that this peace would last, that she could simply live… that she could forget what she is and always will be.
"Je, a disgusting and vile monster… What a joke."