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鏡花水月
-kyou-ka-sui-getsu-
by Amanozako-hime
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第0章
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In the land of Izumo, the three races - Senjou, Youkai, and Ningen lived in peace within their own kingdoms, rarely interacting with each other but preferring to mind their own business due to the differences in their cultures and beliefs. The Senjou dwelt in their forest halls in the center of the land, while the Ningen preferred the wide plains in the northern part of the continent. As for the Youkai, who had few dealings with the two other races, thrive in the mountains across the desert in the south.
Of the three, the Senjou and Youkai has the ability to use mahou, or magic, and it was because of this shared trait that they tend to disagree with the other. The Senjou, peace-loving creatures they are, use their magic in healing and in enchantments, and due to their inherent love for beauty, they use their magic in creating beautiful weapons, clothing, and just about anything under the sun. Youkai see it as a waste of power, so while the Senjou dabble in the arts, their darker counterparts used their time in developing more active uses for magic, like offensive spells, curses, and sealing, among others, which they use when going in battle against the other Youkai clans. Unlike the Senjou, the Youkai are not unified, and there would be the occasional quarrels and thus the need to develop such uses of magic if they are to protect their loved ones. In a way, it made the Youkai more powerful than the Senjou, but constant battles against their own kind also diminished their numbers, until none but the strongest clans remained, and then and only then did their fighting was brought to a halt.
As for the Ningen, the frail powerless humans that existed side by side with this magic-wielding beings, they used to live in fear, thus their need to built those stone castles inside their walled villages. But as time passed, they came to realize that the Senjou meant no harm, and while the Youkai are intimidating, they are too far south and too reclusive to cause them trouble. Once a year, a few Senjou would come into their villages, looking for pretty things to bring back to their enchanted forests, and would trade them for fancy things that they created using magic. This yearly interactions sparked interest in both races; the humans marveling at the Senjou's magical powers while the elves wondering at the humans' ability to create things with just their bare hands. It wasn't long before the Senjou's curiosity compelled them to visit the human villages more often than not, until a friendship was formed between the two races. With their almost constant presence, the humans were able to observe them using magic, and not willing to be the only ones who cannot use such power, the humans began to try to use magic as well. However, no matter how hard they try, humans just cannot seem to gather energy from nature and convert it to magical energy like the Senjou.
But humans, for better or worse, are persistent creatures, and after years and years of research, they finally made a breakthrough. They discovered that instead of looking outward, they should have looked the other way instead. They found out that humans have these magic circuits or majutsu kairo inside them that can convert their spiritual energy into magical energy, making it possible to do magic like the Senjou, who, upon learning of this latest development, were more than wiling to teach them their kind of magic (it was the Youkai who had expressed their dissent at the Senjou's generosity with the secrets of their kind). It wasn't long before the elves and humans began to live together, some even went as far as marrying each other. The sterile stone castles turned to elaborate palaces, and came the fourth race - the Konketsu, half-human, half-Senjou.
In terms of magical abilities, pure humans are at a disadvantage since they can only perform spells in accordance to how much magical energy or maryoku they can produce, which is directly proportionate to their spiritual energy. As for the Konketsu, they have the advantage of having both the human's magic circuits which they use to convert the life force or mana from nature much like the Senjou, though in a lesser capacity, although it was later proven that extensive training coupled with discipline can actually expand their capacity in holding in the converted mana inside them. The Senjou, on the other hand, directly manipulates the mana around them when they cast spells, which basically means that as long as there is mana around them, a Senjou can use magic infinitely.
The land of Izumo flourished during the peak of the peace between the three races, but as the Youkai had known all along, peace like that is just the calm before the storm.
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A/N: Senjou is the equivalent of elves, while the Youkai are more like dark elves instead of demons. This is because demons will be appearing in later chapters, but more of the oni (ogre-like creatures) and bakemono (monsters) kind. Now, Ningen are obviously human beings, and the Konketsu are the half-breeds, equivalent to InuYasha's hanyou. There. Just to clarify things. If you have questions, suggestions, let me know by reviewing or by sending me a PM. Now, this story is made with the permission of The Emperor's Empress, who was so kind to let me write a fanfiction from her own fanfiction for the KuroBasu's fandom. Some of you might recognize the OC in this fic - it's Kimiko Akumi from her story titled The Runaway Empress. I love the interactions between Kimiko and Akashi that I found myself writing this one as a way to pass the time while waiting for an update on TRE. The Emperor's Empress has written several stories, mostly AkashixOC, all of which are still in progress (sadly) and some really good AkaKuro one-shot series that are a must read for fans of that pairing. There. Might as well promote her stories because she doesn't seem like the type to do so - she doesn't even demand for her readers to review! Now, I think that I am a kind person, but not as kind as her. So please, read and then review! I expect to have the same number of reviews according to the views made for this fic - I'll be watching you, my dear readers! See you in the next chapter and enjoy the story!