Chapter 14: Miko (I)
The current status of Makai was a matter of notable concern to Miko recently, though she knew not the exact reason for the disturbance she felt. Though she knew of its existence full well, Miko had no reason to ever visit Makai, nor did any of her followers as far as she knew. Makai was a world of demons, creatures that she had no desire to ever associate herself with.
Senkai, the world that Miko had created herself and now resided in, was a world that could theoretically connect to any other world within the confines of their universe, and Makai was no exception. Ever since the previous incident, after all the religious feuds had begun to wind down, Miko took notice of what felt like a sort of growing darkness from Makai. But she did not know the reason for it, and did not feel the need to investigate. The recent incident at hand was a more pressing concern at the time, and it drew Miko's attention away from the troubles of Makai. Unfortunately, when all was said and done, the resolution of the incident hadn't really done a thing to bolster Gensokyo's faith in Taoism. Miko and her followers had essentially broken even, at best. It had proven to be quite the disappointment overall.
Recently however, over the last several days, that dark energy she sensed in Makai seemed to have taken on a very malignant desire. One that Miko could no longer ignore. And to make matters still worse, its growth had taken on an astonishingly exponential rate of increase. But Miko knew little about the exact nature of Makai, its goddess, and their relation to Gensokyo. Perhaps it was merely an isolated incident that would be of no concern to the people of Gensokyo, or perhaps their goddess could be planning some sort of invasion. She had no way of knowing without investigating the matter personally.
"Futo, I would like to speak with you," Miko addressed her follower, who had been off training on her own when Miko approached. Evidently, Futo's rather humiliating encounter with a certain flower youkai had damaged her pride, and she had since spent a considerable amount of time training.
"Ah, the Crown Prince!" Futo was brought to attention immediately, turning to face Miko. "What wouldst thou wish to speak to me about?"
"I'm not entirely sure of the importance of the matter just yet. However, it concerns the Demon World that borders Gensokyo." Miko stated her point right from the start, but the very mention of Makai concerned Futo, who much more so than Miko already harbored a deep-seated loathing toward most youkai. Demons weren't exactly an improvement.
"Fiends, then! Foul creatures that no doubt threaten to overtake thy home, my Prince." Futo would have continued, but Miko held her hand up as a gesture to silence the woman.
"No, it is nothing like that. Not so far as I can tell. It is merely... a growing disturbance in Makai that I feel can no longer be ignored." Truly, Miko felt no real fear at the growing darkness in Makai in regards to her own well-being. She had never made contact with that world of demons, and the realm of Senkai was surely out of their reach should they even learn about it. "I do not fear for my own safety in this situation. A demon will never set foot in Senkai. But I do believe that perhaps... The Makai goddess may be amassing a demon army of sorts, to perhaps attack Gensokyo. But I would like to discuss this matter with the Hakurei shrine maiden first, before we investigate personally."
"Yes, of course my Prince!" Futo appeared to be considerably relieved knowing that their own safety was not a matter of concern. "What wouldst thou ask of me in the meantime? Surely there is a reason you hath decided to consult with me on this matter."
"I just wanted to keep you informed, for now, that I will be departing shortly." Miko turned to leave, but before she could exit the room, she stopped again, considering something. Realizing that she had one last thing to ask, a necessary precaution should things come down to it. "I would like for you to repeat this information to Tojiko. Should I deem it necessary, the three of us will be paying a visit to Makai ourselves."
The prospect of investigating the matter herself did not appeal to her in the slightest. If Reimu was not able to offer any words of encouragement that would put Miko's worries at ease, she realized that a visit to Makai could be potentially hazardous to her own safety, as well as her comrades.
Ever since that first hint of malicious desire that Miko had felt, she had kept a very close eye (or ear, rather) to the state of affairs in Makai. Despite what had been on obvious increase in dark energy, which Miko had attributed to the Makai goddess herself, she found herself sensing a very bizarre change in the status of the world itself. It was as if the very underlying nature of Makai was somehow abruptly diminished, only to be overcome by some foreign, malignant entity.
It was troubling indeed.