Behold the Exalt
Chapter Six: Magic
Two more months passed. After studying through the night for a few weeks, Leona was certain she had found something. It was a plain looking book called the Black and White Treatises. The book was a manual for learning sorcery, but the strange part was it was a manual designed for solar exalts. The book mentioned places that didn't exist, like Yu Shan, The City of the Steel Lotus, the Blessed Isle, and Lookshy; Leona recognized these names. It made no sense to her, these places weren't real and yet she could recall legal systems from Lookshy, geography from the Blessed Isle, culture from The City of the Steel Lotus, and the hierarchy of Yu Shan. The more she thought about these places, the more information she could recall. Leona shook her head and turned away from the book.
Something was wrong with her. She hadn't been able to contact Sol Invictus; seeing him had been so long ago it was beginning to feel like a fever dream. Now she was remembering people and places that didn't exist. Leona wasn't much of a scholar, but she had never heard of Sol Invictus, solar exalts, or any of the places that the book talked about, but they were real. They were real, and she was proof.
Leona chuckled. "You can't let yourself get caught on common sense," Leona said to herself, "Didn't a shrine maiden say that?" Remilia had told her that Reimu wanted to see the result of Leona's studying soon, and if this book was going to help her learn magic then she was going to read it.
After reading through the book, it seemed like she had already completed most of the steps. She had found humility in the vision of Sol Invictus, who was so great comparing the her to him was like an ant fighting the sun. She found tutelage in Patchouli, who had started teaching her because the sooner Leona learned sorcery the sooner she would leave the library. Her journey had been the change from a mortal to an exalt, and Leona had found fear in not being able to contact Sol Invictus. The only thing left was a sacrifice.
Reimu was waiting outside the Scarlet Devil Mansion. When she arrived she found Leona sparring with Meiling and Leona smelled like a muddy, sweaty, pig. Reimu had demanded she wash herself. As Reimu waited outside the gate, she wondered what to do with her. When Reimu saw her Leona had a strange look in her eyes. She wasn't quite looking past Reimu or spacing out, but the look on her eyes was strange. Leona looked at her and Reimu noticed that her fists were clenched, but Leona wasn't aware of it. One thing Reimu was certain of was that behind Leona's eyes was a frothing anger without end, and part of it was focused on Reimu.
Reimu was pulled out of her thoughts when someone called her name. "Reimu," Leona said, a bright smile on her face, "You wanted to talk to me."
"Oh, right," Reimu said, "Have you developed any spell cards?"
"Not yet," Leona replied, rubbing her neck "Though I figured out how to learn magic. There's actually a part that-"
Reimu squeezed her eyes shut. "It has been months" Reimu said, "And you are figuring out how to learn magic? This is unacceptable. What have you been doing all this time?"
"I've been study-"
"You've been wasting time, mine and yours," Reimu said, " How often do you think Meiling gets to use her martial arts in spell card duels, what makes you think you will? Is that what you spent three months doing? Practicing martial arts?"
Leona's nostrils flared, she refused to be treated like this. "And what were you doing? Drinking tea and eating snacks? If learning magic was so easy, why do you think Marisa keeps risking her life for new spellbooks?"
"Because Marisa is crazy," Reimu replied, "Do you really want to put yourself in the same boat as her?"
"No." Leona replied.
"Good," Reimu said, waving her hand, "Look, you said I could help you with learning. What do you need me to do?"
"Just listen," Leona replied, taking a deep breath, "He is dead. He is dead and I will never see him as long as I live." Leona could feel it, a change deep within her soul. She could see the fabric of reality shift a bend at her touch, disappearing before her eyes as the feeling vanished.
"So," Reimu said, "What was that?"
"A sacrifice," Leona replied, "The last thing I needed to do to learn sorcery."
"What did you sacrifice?" Reimu asked.
"Hope," Leona said.
Reimu looked away. "Listen, I'm sorry if I come off as rude, but keeping Gensokyo from tearing itself apart is stressful work."
"I can imagine," Leona replied, brushing her leg.
"So you were studying all this time?" Reimu asked, "With that done do you have any spell cards?"
"Not yet," Leona replied, "Come back in a few months and I'll have some."
"That long," Reimu said with a sigh, "I expected you to do this faster."
Leona's eye twitched. "What experience do you have learning magic?" Leona asked, "As I recall you were born with all your powers."
"Yup."
"And how long does it take Marisa to make a new spell card?" Leona asked, scratching her arm.
"A few months," Reimu said, "I'll leave you to it then." Reimu stared at Leona.
Leona scratched her shoulder. "What is it?"
"Do you have a rash?" Reimu asked, "Or is getting itchy a tell that you're lying?"
"I can make my body immune to any poison, disease, or rotted food," Leona said, filling her voice with authority, "and I am not lying." Leona pushed a finger into Reimu's face. Reimu slowly clasp a hand around Leona's finger, holding it in place.
Leona scratched her extended arm. "Then why do you keep doing that?" Reimu asked.
Leona looked at her arm. "I don't know," she said, "I just bathed, so I'm not dirty."
Reimu let go of her arm, "Maybe it was the soap you used?" she asked, "Though if you can make yourself immune to everything, why don't you?"
"It is incredibly tiresome," Leona said, "And I'm not going to waste limitless power on a rash."
"Suit yourself," Reimu said as she left, "And it's probably the soap."
"Hey wait," Leona said, holding an arm out, "Wait a moment."
Reimu turned. "What is it?"
"In the human village, I heard stories about you. Things like how you've fought with everyone worth fighting. Is that true?" Leona asked.
"Yes," Reimu said, tilting her head, "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I have a request," Leona said, scratching her arm, "If we fight, I mean if I become a problem and we fight, then if you win… I want you to kill me."
Reimu balked. "What? No. Why? Why would you want me to kill you?"
"It's just," Leona looked to the sky, "Everyone you fight, they have some grand scheme and after you beat them they become complacent. After fighting you, they just spend time drinking tea."
"Yes, and?" Reimu asked, "That's a good thing."
"I know, but it's just," Leona grit her teeth and ran her hands through her hair, "I have so much ambition in me. It's like my mind never shuts off, even when I'm sleeping. Plans and schemes are always running through my head, I feel like if I was told to sit around and drink tea then I would either train until I could go another round with you or end myself."
"Hold on, what?" Reimu asked, "You would rather die then relax."
"I guess that's what I'm saying," Leona replied.
Reimu blinked. "I'll remember this talk," Reimu said, pointing at Leona, "Don't cause trouble."
Two more months passed. Remilia sat in her throne, head resting on one of her arms and her body spread across it like an emperor. In front of her sat a crystal ball, displaying a sleeping Leona. Remilia lazily pointed a finger at Leona, and a red thread appeared on her finger and extended toward Leona. The surface of the crystal ball ripple as the thread moved through it. The thread made lazy, gentle loop around Leona's arm. Leona tossed in her sleep, snapping the thread.
Remilia narrow her eyes and bared her fangs, a slow breath moving across her teeth.
"What's wrong big sis?" Flandre asked, sitting forward on her knees and staring at the crystal ball.
"It seems my power does not work on her," Remilia said, "Though I do not know why. I had hoped to add another guard to the gate, but her mind is like an iron cage."
"Why don't you just ask her?" Flandre asked, "She seems to like training with Meiling."
"That's true," Remilia said, "But her body can generate sunlight and she acts like some sort of paladin. I try to maintain some degree of civility, but she and I are natural enemies. The girl already displays a knack for lethal combat, and I don't want to cause an incident with her."
"Why don't we just get rid of her?" Flandre asked, "It'll be easy. I could do it myself, she wouldn't stand a chance."
"Reimu would know we killed her," Remilia said, "And we do not want another fight with her. If she brings enough exterminators with her, they would eventually overwhelm us." Remilia looked Flandre in the eye. "Sister, you are very dear to me and I don't want to lose you."
"Come on," Flandre said, "Patchouli can get rid of the remains and make a living doll of her. Who would tell the difference?"
Remilia thought for a moment. "Very well," Remilia said with a wave of her hand, "Dispose of her."
Flandre extended her hand, focusing her mind on Leona's core. Dark, sickly red fire burned on her fingertips; Flandre clenched her hand shut, crushing the core. Leona's body contracted, and as Flandre closed her fingers, Leona's entire body blinked with golden light as fire exploded off of her. As the smoke cleared, Leona lay in bed wreathed in golden sunlight.
Flandre blinked.
Remilia starred with her mouth agape.
Leona snored.
"Enough," Remilia said, turning off the crystal ball with a snap of her fingers, "First thing tomorrow night I will run her through with Gungnir."
"Hold on," Flandre said, "Why exactly do you want to kill her?"
"Because what we are doing is foolishness, living peacefully together," Remilia said, "If we do not kill her then the next time father visits we will be made a laughing stock."
"And why do you care what he thinks?" Flandre asked, "Last time dad showed up he nearly killed everyone in Gensokyo. That was a horrible time. Why do you keep chasing after his approval?"
"Not once," Remilia replied, blinking away tears, "Not once has he said he loves us, or that he's proud of us, or that we've pleased him. What daughter doesn't what her father to be happy of her? Every time he sees us, he only seems to hate us."
"The only person dad doesn't hate is himself," Flandre said, "You've raised us both on your own, gotten us a great home, wealth, and power. I haven't always been the best sister, but listen. No matter what happens, I am proud of you, I love you, and you have certainly pleased me. Stop chasing after dad's footsteps, they will only destroy you."
Remilia pulled Flandre into a tight hug, "Thank you sister," she said, "I can't believe you're the crazy one." Remilia looked out the stained glass window. "The full moon will be out soon."
"Aww," Flandre said, "Back to the basement?"
"It's only one night," Remilia said, "I'll spend it with you, that should help whisk the hours away."
The final month passed. Marisa was back to her usual tricks: breaking into the Scarlet Devil Mansion, flying at breakneck speeds to the Voile Library, and stealing every book she could get hands on before the mansion staff caught up with her. So far, this run had been going great save for one small hiccup. To Marisa's frustration, during the six months she agreed to leave, Leona had learned how to run and jump fast enough the tengu would say "Hey, that's pretty fast," instead of learning danmaku. So far, Leona had been running on the walls by planting her foot so hard the wall gave way and then diving at Marisa.
"What part of-" Marisa ducked under Leona as she dove, leaving Leona crashing down the wall in a flurry of sticks and splinters "What part of danmaku didn't you understand?"
Leona leapt through the air, her fingers grasping at Marisa's broom as Marisa dodged to the side. "Well so far this is working," Leona said.
Marisa fired a spray of danmaku at Leona as she leapt to the far wall. "You do realize that if you tackle me like that then my soft, human body will be destroyed."
"Alright then," Leona said, running under Marisa, "Dominion Sign: Authority of the New World!"
Leona surged ahead of Marisa, her hands raised above her head. Above Leona came a massive. golden sword made of danmaku bullets. Leona swung her hands down and the sword lazily arced through the air. Marisa effortlessly dodged to one side.
"Is that all you got?" Marisa asked, a smug grin on her face. When the sword connected with the floor, it exploded upward showering Marisa with small bullets. Through the haze of bullets Marisa saw Leona drawing up another sword. The second sword slammed down, thickening the cloud of bullets. When Marisa saw Leona making a third sword, she pulled back and fired a Master Spark. All of Leona's danmaku was destroyed and the force of the beam smashed her into the wall.
"Not bad for a greenhorn," Marisa said as she rounded a corner and passed Leona. Leona ripped herself from the wall and sped after Marisa. Leona caught up with Marisa and leapt onto a wall.
"Back to this again?" Marisa asked as she charged her illusion lasers. The beams tore up the wooden walls, forcing Leona to jump across the hall.
"That's not all I've got!" Leona shouted, "Empress Sign: War of Legend!" Golden copies of Leona poured out of her body. The copies were covered in armor and wielding swords, axes, lances, bows, claws, and other weapons Marisa had never seen. The melee clones charged Marisa and she cut them down with her illusion lasers while the ranged clones fired at her with arrows, throwing knives, javelins, and gouts of fire. Leona leapt from the wall into what Marisa could only describe as a smaller, flashier version of the crazy machine the Moriya shrine had.
Leona's machine pulled a massive greatsword off its back, the melee soldier made shield walls in front of the ranged soldiers, and Leona charged. Marisa wove through the swings of Leona's machine, taking care to avoid the trail of bullets the sword left. When Marisa fired her illusion laser at Leona's machine she planted the sword in front of her as a shield. Leona swung violently, slowly pushing Marisa to the groups of soldiers. Marisa was forced to one of the groups, and the melee soldiers broke off and charged after her. Marisa spun around, cutting down the ranged soldiers, and ducking away from the wall of blades. The soldiers continued their chase in a rage while Leona's great sword forced her closer to other groups.
"Not bad," Marisa said, setting her illusion laser to unfocused fire. The wider spread cut and tore at the shield walls, leaving burn lines on Leona's machine. Leona's gilded army began to fall apart under Marisa's assault and her illusion laser ripped the limbs off of Leona's machine. Before long, Leona was shot out of her machine as her spell card shattered.
"Come on," Marisa said, making slow circles around Leona, "That can't be all you have left."
"One left," Leona said, staggering to her feet, "Glory to Ash: War of Thorns!" Leona's body exploded with danmaku, every type and size was hurled at Marisa. Walls of gold were built over Leona, and Marisa set to work tearing them down with illusion lasers. When Marisa broke down the first wall Leona's rate of fire increased, each bullet giving off a sense of desperation. Down to the final wall the air was so thick with danmaku that Marisa could barely see her hands in front of her face. Finally, the last wall broke and the danmaku disappeared.
Leona was missing. Marisa searched around for her and her broom pitched downward. Marisa leaned back to correct her broom and saw a hand gripping the end. Leona flipped herself onto the broom, one hand charging danmaku. Marisa readied her mini hakkero, but Leona swatted it away with one hand and her other hand fired. Five danmaku lasers struck Marisa and she spiral to the ground.
