The Selected Person
These days, people would pass time by working, doing a hobby, or meeting up with friends. No matter young or old, man or woman, they will always find the time to do what they want.
If that's what people think, they are mistaken.
Everyone would say time is gold, but to Reimu Hakurei, gold is time.
Having spare time is nothing but luxury for the poor. Food, shelter, water, and clothing - those without money would have to work hard in order to gain something. Without money, Reimu could not afford to have free time.
From a young age of 9, she was already an orphan.
"I'll wait for you until you get back."
Those were her last words to her parents. On that fateful day, her parents died in an unknown accident, leaving her to face the harsh reality of the world by herself.
Though, at first, she did not have any problems living alone. Diligently waiting for her parents, she lived peacefully in their shrine for days like a hermit. But as the world's cruelty has it, the shrine's food supply was eventually depleted.
With their shrine built in a secluded area far away from a village, very few people went to pray. Thus, Reimu has no one to turn to but to rely on herself to survive.
She was forced to go outside the shrine and forage for food in the forest, and catch any moving animals for meat. Reimu would collect anything edible to her eyes! Mushroom, grasses, berries, she picks without hesitation for they could be valuable in the future.
Reimu lived this life until the age of 17. Thanks to all those years of knowledge, Reimu is an expert in survival. Even if she was dropped in the middle of a foreign land, she can quickly adapt and live a peaceful life.
But she is not satisfied. Reimu wanted to change this miserable life of hers.
Money!
Reimu wanted money and live like a queen. But everyone has to start somewhere.
Reimu, having been alone at a young age, has no advance education. She does not know why apple fall off trees, but she knows anything not flying will fall on the ground. The limits of her knowledge are basic mathematics. Though basic it may be, whenever there is money or amount of food involved, her brain goes beyond human capabilities.
20 pieces of berries, 6 about to spoil in 2 days, and 14 freshly picked, 3 newly ripened apples, 4 mushrooms, and an unlimited supply of water from the nearby stream. Rationing everything she currently has, she can live minimally at most 2 weeks without spoiling any food.
Reimu has no job, and her only income is working as a beggar. Going into villages dressed poorly in cheap clothing, people stay away from her. She will sit down in her favorite spot near the village plaza, and stay in that position for hours until the sun comes down.
"She's here again."
"Look at that poor girl."
People pitied her. Some are kind enough to throw a coin or two in the cup she placed in front of her. Each time she hears the coins jingle, she forms a crooked smile. Nothing is better than free stuffs in this world. That is Reimu's motto.
Originally, she did not go there to beg for money.
Once in a while, Reimu would find old books that people no longer wanted and read it. Reading anything and everything, a hobby for reading was formed. It was essential for her to read. She needed information about the world, and the more she knows the more she survives.
Each time she reads a book, she feels satisfaction and jealousy, wishing that she was the main protagonist in the story. Out of all genre, what she like most is the one that contains adventures and magic. The idea of a world in a fantasy setting captivates her. But she knows too well the reality of the world, so everything she wants is nothing but a dream.
One day, while foraging for food in the forest, she found a suspicious book lying in the middle of a clearing. Not saying no to free things, she more than welcomed the book.
The content of the book was simple, and contained various stories compiled into one, not like the previous books she had read which only contains one story.
The book was filled with stories about the past. Information about the history of the world that was once controlled by a great mighty dragon. What captured Reimu's curiosity was about the topic of faith.
It says that devoting one's self to the dragon would lead to fortune and happiness. But Reimu knows too well.
"Bullshit!"
She knows that nothing can be earned merely by praying for it. The world is all about hard work. Without it, no one will truly enjoy the life they deserved.
But still, her curiosity won over her mind.
Reimu Hakurei was supposed to be the next shrine maiden of the family, but with the death of her parents and the location of the shrine, there was no point in continuing that tradition and faith. She would rather die fighting for food than die praying for food.
She decided to head to the village where she spot a dragon sculpture in the middle of the plaza.
Wanting to hide the book, she clutches it on her belly and hid it under her ragged clothes. It was no doubt an appearance of a hungry beggar.
Once she saw the dragon sculpture, she did not bother to go nearer, as the book stated that merely being in the presence of the dragon is enough to shower you with fortune.
Still, Reimu has doubts. She had forgotten how to pray and never knew how the gods do their magic. Her faith is basically nonexistent. She had no idea what to do now.
Reimu Hakurei groaned.
"Argh! So careless!"
She shouted. She should have planned everything first but instead she went headfirst in an unknown situation. Worse, what she was doing was not for food nor for money, but for a stupid story in the book.
"Alright, I have to calm down. I know, I'll meditate."
Meditation!
It was one of her first hobby while living alone. With the benefits of meditation, she could sit for half a day without worry for food since her body slows down. It was truly a technique that Reimu Hakurei could not live without.
A few hours had passed and Reimu Hakurei brought back the world to her senses.
It was a complete waste of time.
She only did this because her heart was pulling her to do so, but now she regretted it whole. If she spent the day looking for food or meat she would have at least something, but instead she wasted her time sitting in the middle of a village doing nothing.
She was about to cry in frustration when suddenly, a few coins dropped in front of her from the sky.
It was a blessing. The dragon has accepted Reimu.
But in reality, it was only alms given to Reimu out of pity. nevertheless, she silently smiled and accepted it with gratitude.
Happiness and fortune indeed!
After that wonderful event, Reimu Hakurei decided to visit the village at least once a week in order to meditate. To other people it might be the hardest place to meditate because of the noise, but to Reimu, the sound of coins jingling on her cup drowns out all the other noises.
She diligently aligned her faith to the dragon and meditated like a faithful devotee.
After a few months, it was then when Reimu noticed something different. Everytime she meditates, a voice would appear in her mind. At first Reimu was irritated. She had hoped it would disappear soon, but after a few days, the voice became clearer.
"R...mu."
"Re...u."
"Re...mu."
"Reim.."
"Reimu."
The voice was calling her name. Everytime she heard the voice, she would immediately spring her eyes open and quickly dart around to search for the voice. But after a few failed attempt, she gave up completely.
Instead, she had a weird idea of responding to the voice in her mind.
"Who are you?"
"I am once the ruler of this land."
"...Are you the Great Dragon?"
"Indeed I am."
Shock filled every bone of Reimu. She did not expect it to hear her voice, and only responded out of annoyance, but it replied. Reimu Hakurei thought she was getting delusional, but she immediately dropped that idea. It was the dragon speaking! All of her doubts about magic and fantasy in the real world has suddenly vanished.
She searched her brain for all knowledge about gods talking to humans. Thankfully, with all those books she read, she found the proper reply immediately.
"I, Reimu Hakurei, answers your call. What does the Great Dragon want to a lowly human?"
Reimu Hakurei responded with subtle flattery. She learned that flattery will get her to anywhere according to the books.
"I have come to tell you of an important task that you must do."
A task, and from the Great Dragon itself. Reimu's imagination went wild. Usually, when people ask another person for help, what naturally follows is a reward appropriate for the work done.
Reimu decided. A task from the Great Dragon would surely grant her a wish or two. A situation like this does not come for at least once every millennium. It was a great honor to work for the dragon that guided her to getting alms from people.
"Tell me, O Great Dragon. I will listen."
"My power is slowly weakening as the years pass by, and in a few century I will no longer be able to watch over this world. It pains me to see the creatures of the past struggling to survive.
Magic had suddenly disappeared, but a few traces remain.
In the past, this land was filled with creatures unknown to man's imagination. Magic was abundant and the men of the past lives harmoniously with the creatures..."
It was one of the story in the book Reimu Hakurei found. Reimu had already read everything the dragon had told her, but she still diligently listened, afraid that the conversation might cut off if she did not concentrate.
"... And so, the time has come for me to interfere. A place where magic is gathered must be created. A land where these roaming creatures of the past must stay in order to bring peace to the creatures of the present. I ask you, Reimu Hakurei, to bring me this land."
Reimu Hakurei has never seen this in the book. Bringing a land to the dragon. How can she do that in the first place? It is not like berries where you can pick in the forest and put in your pocket. Reimu Hakurei does not know how to respond. It was a preposterous request. A very ridiculous one.
But before Reimu Hakurei had the chance to say anything, the dragon disappeared.
"I trust you will be able to do this task. I have high hopes to you, since you are one of the few remaining people in the present with a strong relation to the past."
Reimu opened her eyes.
She had just been entrusted a great quest in search for a land. And to even present it to the dragon.
It was against common sense. In fact, speaking to a dragon in her mind is crazy already. What more about bringing a land?
Not wanting to hassle herself anymore, Reimu ended the day sleeping in the forest.
Two weeks had passed. The dragon has been persistently contacting Reimu over the past few days.
"There is an original dragon sculpture filled with power. Find and retrieve the pieces."
"The book will help you. Read and understand it whole."
"The Hakurei blood flows in you. The spirit will guide you."
"You are the only person with the potential to wield the forces of the past."
The 'Great' in 'Great dragon' isn't just a title. Reimu has no doubts in its greatness. The Great Dragon even knows how to persuade a person such as Reimu. With words that says 'Reimu has the power' coming from the Great Dragon, Reimu could not just say no.
Truthfully, Reimu wanted to do what was entrusted upon her, but she had no idea where to start. She needed something to help her, and that was when the book comes in.
According to the Great Dragon, the forces of the past meant magic. And Reimu wants magic. Opening the book again, as told by the dragon, she found some pages that seemed to magically appeared out of nowhere. She was sure she read it whole. It was only then she noticed that the book was thicker than it used to be.
The book contains all the knowledge of the past, and the one reading it must have some affinity with the past in order to see the pages. The more knowledge and connection you have with the past, the more pages you can read.
Reimu found magic materials in the book.
Basic magic, faith, fairies, youkai!
It was like an encyclopedia of magic for kids.
Since then, Reimu would read and try what was written in the magic section of the book.
Basic magic is simple. For a person to wield magic, that person must be able to visualize the kind of magic he/she possess.
"..."
After visualizing your own magic, simply materialize the image in the real world. The manifestation of your own magic is the simplest one, as it is in its pure form.
"..."
Even after Reimu read what was written in the book, she still has no idea how to do it. It was the most basic yet the hardest.
Reimu did not give up. She tried her hardest to visualize her own magic. One time, she searched in the book how to visualize your own magic, but all the book told her was that magic is natural.
It made no sense at all. Still, she tried and tried. Every day after gathering food, she tried. After taking a bath in the river, she tried. Before sleeping, she tried. Meditation was all she did.
Eventually, the Great Dragon pitied her. The Great Dragon know it said that Reimu is the only person with potential, but it did not know she would have a difficult time with it.
The Great Dragon's time in this world was short. After the time is up, the Great Dragon will go into sleep and would have to wait for the rebirth of the world in order to awaken, which would take a time unmeasureable by human. Since Reimu's parents are now gone, the Great Dragon has no other choice but to rely on Reimu.
It only has 1 to 2 centuries of energy left, keeping it at its most minimum. If it tried to materialize itself, it would take more energy required than simple being there spiritually. Instead of 2 centures, it might only live for 50 years constantly supplying magic to its physical form.
Thus, the reason it decided to leave the task in Reimu's hand.
But now, it has to take risks.
Without the Great Dragon, the peaceful world would fall into chaos after a few centuries. Magic would really vanish, and the energy of nature will dwindle. But the Great Dragon was willing to risk that peace.
Reimu is its only chance to prolong this world. The Great Dragon does not want to wait for an infinity just to wake up again. The end of the world does not affect the Great Dragon, but the thought of being lonely for a long time is boring the Great Dragon. It is forced to go into hibernation and wait for magic to replenish once the world falls, and the Great Dragon does not want that. Its only enjoyment in life is watching over the creatures it governs.
Everyone has a hobby, not even the Great Dragon escapes from it!
And so, the Great Dragon decided to open Reimu's power.
One night while Reimu was peacefully sleeipng in a makeshift tent made out of leaves, the Great Dragon entered her dreams.
It did not show its form, but it showed Reimu her greatest desire.
Money, fame, food!
In Reimu's mind was nothing but love of material possession. The Great Dragon ignored it. In truth it was passing most of its energy to Reimu in order for her to tap into her magic. The visions of desire was merely a byproduct of it.
The Great Dragon only had enough energy left to nurture a few of Reimu's magic, but it was enough. It was akin to planting a seed, and when taken care of, it would grow fruits. Originally it planned to completely nurture Reimu's magic, but It did not know that the magic was rooted deeply in her descendants and was hard to forcefully develop.
Still, the Great Dragon thinks that Reimu has the closest affinity to magic. It did not regret spending almost all its energy, leaving only 5 years for himself.
Reimu woke up feeling refreshed. Reimu felt as if she was reborn! It was a good night sleep. Today was the day she has to forage for food again. She collected everything she could find enough for 3-5 days. Fruits, mushrooms, edible grasses, and a wide variety of edible food.
She would not take more than what she needed, as supplies are limited. She already learnt her lesson when she was a kid - It would only bring her trouble when everything became spoiled.
Afternoon came and Reimu decided to take a bath in the river.
Undressing herself, she folded her ragged clothes by the river and went in. She might be living in the forest, but her body is what you would call healthy. Reimu would be the person of envy of every woman trying to maintain a healthy body.
The bath was uneventful, but the refreshing feeling after the bath always put Reimu in a trance. It was the feeling of earned rest after a hard work.
As Reimu dresses, she wondered why the dragon has not spoken to her yet. Usually it would speak early in the morning pushing Reimu to find the pieces of the original dragon sculpture, or sometimes flattering Reimu that she has the power and that only she can do it.
'Well, it's not like it has to speak to me. A quiet day is nice too.'
After every bath, Reimu tried the basic magic from the book again.
Sitting near the river calmed her mind, the flowing of the water soothed her.
Immediately after meditating and trying to visualize her own magic, an image in her mind formed. It was her first time seeing it. It was the yin yang symbol.
'Could this be...?'
It was weird. On her mind she was repeatedly saying 'visualize magic', and what suddenly appeared was a yin yang.
Reimu immediately opened her eyes and tried to manifest it. It was hurting her head, yet it was showing.
A small orb of light was forming in front of her. Reimu immediately reached her hands out hold the ball, afraid that it might fly away any moment. She concentrated on the orb of light, remembering what she was in her mind.
'Yin yang. Yin yang. Yin yang.'
She repeated it and after a few seconds, she managed to manifest exactly what she saw visualized. a small yin yang orb, the size of an apple. It looked solid, yet Reimu knew it was intangible, as her hand that was holding the orb was not feeling anything.
'Amazing... so this is magic?'
Reimu was lost for words. Since a kid, she knew how real reality can get, yet in the palm of her hand is something that defies everything about reality. Though it could be said that magic is actually a part of reality, since it has so in the past, but still Reimu could not believe her eyes.
Magic!
She was using magic. Reimu's imagination went wild. Casting spells like the wizard in that book where they fight a mighty army of darkness, searching for that one item. Fighting with wands in a school of magic to defeat an evil overlord without a nose. Reimu wondered if there are other people like her, but she dropped that idea. The Great Dragon said it was only her, there was no reason not to believe that!
She wanted to learn more!
*Crack*
*Thump*
Reimu heard a groan, after what sounds like someone falling. The orb of light immediately disappeared and Reimu looked around wildly
Reimu was annoyed and irritated. Who dares disturb the joy of a young lonely maiden like her, and even stalk her in the forest. It was unthinkable.
Reimu immediately followed the voice, with instincts and awareness honed by nature.
She was sure she could catch up with the person, but in the end she could not find the perpetrator. With her practice getting spoiled, she went back to her humble home to rest.
Revision: 01