Again, feels like it's been forever.
Well, happy new year, everybody! I hope you all had a great 2019 and I hope you'll all have an even better 2020!
To celebrate 2020, here's the first chapter of the decade! Enjoy.
Also, hey, this brings the story to over 100k words. That's something, I guess.
Honoka's eyes snapped open and immediately shut when they were greeted by red moon instead of the darkness of the Void. She opened them again, slowly this time and sat up slowly, looking around. They were definitely back in the Underworld. Chika was nowhere in sight so their trip through the Void must have been a success. She spotted Yoshiko a few feet from her, leaning against a rock, breathing heavily and wiping sweat from her face. Honoka finally stood and Yoshiko's eyes snapped to her.
"You're awake? Good. Wake up your friend over there. We shouldn't stay in one place too long." Yoshiko sighed and stood straight. "You've only been out for a few minutes. But going through the Void can take a lot out of a person."
All of the memories of what happened with the Void suddenly came rushing back to her and Honoka thought back to that last second. She had definitely struck Kanan, but what happened after? There was just darkness. She looked to her side to see Hanayo with her eyes closed. Yoshiko apparently hadn't even attempted to wake her up because when Honoka shook her a little, the girl's eyes opened.
"Honoka-chan…?"
"Mm. We made it, Hanayo-chan. Come on, stand up." She helped the brunette up. Hanayo seemed significantly more tired than her and she stretched and yawned once she was standing. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm…" Hanayo started but she paused as her eyes drifted over Yoshiko who crossed her arms and matched the girl's stare. "I can… see it…" Yoshiko tilted her head in confusion. "The Void…" It was hard to describe the feeling she got from looking at it, but she could definitely see it. The endless nothingness of the Void, clouding behind Yoshiko. It was unnerving to say the least and she almost felt like running away.
But then she turned to look at Honoka with the impairment of tiredness gone. And she could see and feel it. A soft warmth that enveloped the girl. Where Honoka walked, she saw orange and red leaves, crunching under her feet, fading in and out of existence. Behind the ginger, she could briefly see and feel other things as well. A cold white, a warm red, a vibrant green. It took her a second to realize what she was seeing.
"The Four Seasons…" Honoka blinked in surprise and tilted her head curiously. She looked to Yoshiko who simply shrugged in response. "I can see them… Yazawa-san was right…"
"Eh? Yazawa? Nico-chan? What about her?" Hanayo shook her head but didn't elaborate. How could she? Really, she had no idea what that whole thing was about. She hadn't gotten an actual name besides Yazawa, but she had called Nico her descendent. So, at the very least, she knew the girl was related to their friend. She turned her attention to Yoshiko.
"Y-Yoshiko-san." Hanayo paused to clear her throat and took a deep breath. "Yoshiko-san, do you know what the Prince of Blades is?"
Yoshiko frowned and sighed. "I presume the Void spoke to you as well." She eyed Honoka for a second, showing that she apparently already knew that the ginger had as well. "Well, it's not my place to question what the Void does. Yes, I know. A line of warriors that goes back almost as far as demons and demon slayers, cursed by the First Demon Lord. Ah, what was their family name? Yazawa, I believe?"
Honoka perked up at that. "Eh? Ehhhh!? Nico-chan is… cursed? Wait, what? What's going on?" She looked between the two girls, Hanayo just nodding slowly as if the whole situation made sense. "Hanayo-chan? Yoshiko-chan?"
"Yohane. And it appears you two are friends with the Prince of Blades. It's a long history, but well… From my understanding, the Sixth Demon Lord recruited a warrior by the name of Yazawa to assist him against First. However, that warrior ended up being cursed. How? I don't know. I doubt anybody but First, Sixth, and the Prince know. But the Yazawa line is forever cursed, the next in line inheriting the memories of the previous warriors. With all of the swordsmanship they've inherited, they are extremely powerful. Hence their title, the Prince of Blades."
"Eh? It's a curse that makes them stronger…?"
"Think about how you felt when you were first pulled into this mess, Honoka. Every member of the Yazawa line that inherits the curse feels that way. I'm sure your friend does not wish to be part of this world either. Just like we were given no choice, they will never be given a choice." Yoshiko sighed. "So, why exactly were you informed of the Prince of Blades?"
That was something Hanayo didn't know. Was it all to fix her eyes? Could the Void not have done that itself? Kanan had said that she was, at the least, capable of somewhat controlling them in that space. And supposedly, the Void knows all. Yeah, Hanayo was at a loss.
"I… wasn't really 'informed' of them. I met one. If their line goes super far back, then she was one of the earlier ones, I think. She helped me with my eyes." Hanayo raised a hand and stared at it before looking between the two girls again, confirming that she could still see the Void and the Four Seasons. "She said she was trapped there though… from the way she sounded, I think she's there of her own free will. Ah, she knew about the Void too. Which makes sense, I suppose, since the Void sent me there. Kanan-san made me look into a mirror and next thing I knew, I was there with Yazawa-san."
"Eh? You met Kanan too, Hanayo-chan?"
"Hmph." Yoshiko shook her head. "That's just the form the Void likes to take when speaking. She's a former Master of Void from long ago. Either way, she sent you to meet a Prince? I'll have to ask for answers later. But that can wait. As for you…" She turned to Honoka. "How was it? I've always been curious of how another heir's interaction with the Void would be."
"…Well… pretty terrible, I gotta say." The other two girls perked up at that. "She practically strangled me at one point. And she talked about how killing me would mean nothing. She called me a 'singularity' because she couldn't see my future."
Honoka turned to gauge Yoshiko's reaction but she didn't expect to see her mouth hanging open. The heir to Void took a moment to straighten out, a hand going to her head. She mumbled something to herself before shaking her head. Was it that surprising? Apparently so.
"You're… the singularity? But why? It doesn't make sense. The Void has long since dropped um… 'hints,' let's say, about a singularity, an abnormality in the future that could change the world. I never would have expected it to be you. And? What else did it say?"
Most of the discussion, if it could even be considered that, centered around her Master. If Yoshiko knew about the autumn blade, then she thought it was pretty likely that she already knew the history of demon slayers well enough. And the history of the Four Seasons.
"Just some… stuff. I guess I got a little heated towards the end."
"Is that why you struck the Void?" Honoka looked up in surprise. Of course she would know about that part. Why would the Void not tell her? "It's fine. I'm not upset or anything. It's not like we demon slayers are capable of killing the Void anyways. Though…" Yoshiko frowned as if debating whether or not to continue. "Well, it may not be important right now. We'll see. You may have… caused some damage. The Void requests that you refrain from using that blade while in the Underworld."
"Eh? Why?"
"I need not remind you that our blades are something akin to ancient weaponry. To all but the styles themselves, they are still mysteries, they still have properties that you can only learn by using them. Like our blades taking away our life force, for example. A blade like that, one that splits the very fabric of reality when it strikes, should not be used on a lower plane like this. Luckily, you were in the Void when you used it, so the damage… is probably minimal. I'm not quite sure yet. The Void simply told me it would investigate the issue. From what you've said, the Void was unable to foresee this coming due to you being the singularity. I know how dangerous it can be because we of the Void possess a blade with similar properties. So, for the time being, please avoid using it."
Honoka just nodded and let it go at that. When she was in the Void, she thought she understood that blade, but maybe she was wrong. Or maybe she was right on the money, but the effects were far greater than she thought. She figured that she was pushed to use that particular blade because of its ability to 'sever and open.' Whether she took it as severing her connection with the Void or opening a path from the Void back to the Underworld, it made sense to her. And, really, it had worked regardless of if she was correct in her assumption of the blade.
Yoshiko nodded and looked around them. There wasn't much, in fact this area was more barren than the other parts of the Underworld they had travelled through. Instead of varying landscapes, it was completely flat with nothing significant as far as the eye could see.
"Alright. You two, take a rest. You're probably tired from being in the Void, right? I'll commune with the Void and see where we should go from here."
They all agreed to that, Honoka and Hanayo sitting with their backs against each other, the ginger eyeing Void as she stared off into space. Unlike before, there was no darkness, just a blank stare on her face showing that she was looking somewhere far beyond them.
"Maybe I should try to talk to the Four Seasons…" The thought had passed through her mind before when she first saw Yoshiko communing with the Void, but it slipped out this time. She felt Hanayo shift behind her. "What do you think, Hanayo-chan? I don't think they can tell me the future like the Void does with Yoshiko-chan, but maybe they'll tell me something I should know."
"I… think that maybe it's a good idea." Honoka turned a bit see Hanayo already looking at her, a soft smile on her face. "I'm not sure, but… I think they want to talk to you as well. It's almost like they all got a little brighter when you said that, like they're trying to call out."
Honoka turned back and thought about it. How would she even go about this? Aside from the one time at ground zero, she had never really "communed" with any of them before. Autumn had spoken to her in the Void, but so briefly that she wouldn't consider it the same as what Yoshiko did with the Void.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It wouldn't hurt to try, right? Meditation was all about clearing the mind, or so she had heard before. It's not something that she had tried in the past. She concentrated, trying to let the feeling of hearing Autumn surface once again. Hanayo reached around and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze of encouragement and Honoka felt a smile spread across her face. The warmth from that hand spread through her and she felt a slight tugging.
This is… Hanayo-chan's…
Maybe it was because of Hanayo-chan's eyes and her sudden ability to see the Four Seasons, but she felt that tugging suddenly, quiet voices filling her head. She returned the squeeze, trying her best to concentrate on the hand and those voices, voices that grew louder with each passing second, voices that she couldn't understand yet. She felt a slight tingling around her neck and reached up, touching the scarf that she had almost forgotten about. It felt like it was vibrating, mana releasing from it in troves, circling around her, embracing her.
And she felt herself being pulled far away.
Did I screw up? Should I have finished the job years ago? Was it wrong to run away? Was it wrong to take an heir? No. That choice was not wrong. Honoka is meant to be my heir, I have no doubt about it. I would choose nobody else to inherit the Four Seasons. But…
Seira stared straight ahead, not sparing a glance at the beasts, the demons straight out of nightmares that jumped at her, that clawed at her. None of them got close. Each one would be left as a pile of gore and blood long before they reached her. She didn't even spare the time to prepare blades for the small fry that surrounded her.
Back then… If I had killed First, everything would be different. Would I still have met Honoka? I believe I would have. No matter what, I would have been drawn to her to bestow the Four Seasons onto her. Bestow? Is that what these styles are? A blessing?
"Four Seasons, summer style, 1st blade, Lammas." As a large serpent that she was paying no mind to lunges in her direction, she mumbles her blade, the beast being torn to shreds before reaching her. She didn't even look in its direction, just kept moving forward.
What do you think, Winter? What do all of the Four Seasons think? Are you proud to be wielded by us? Are you sad? Angry? What? If you truly desire for the destruction of the Demon Lords, then why did you let your masters be controlled by them for so long? Why? Why did Master's master have to die? Why did Master have to risk his life? Why do I find myself back in this place, now fighting for my heir?
"Four Seasons, autumn style, 2nd blade…" Seira paused, finally looking up, finally acknowledging the horde of demons surrounding her in every direction, clearly just a distraction. The more she thought about them just being a distraction, the angrier she became, the tighter she gripped her Demonbrand. "Falling leaves." In an instant, everything around her was wiped away, blood and gore splattering in every direction, the army of demons turning into piles of corpses in no time. Seira took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing herself to calm. But her anger only returned when she felt it, felt that presence near her, but one she didn't recognize.
"Show yourself. Before I decide to tear down the entire Underworld."
Seira's anger faded to surprise, to confusion, as a girl stepped out of seemingly nowhere, taking calm steps towards her. But it wasn't that she appeared from thin air, it wasn't that she appeared so calm and collected. It was her physical appearance that threw the girl for a spin. The girl stopped a few meters away, giving a deep bow, ash-gray hair obscuring her face, hiding the smile that formed until she stood straight, staring right into the eyes of the Master of the Four Seasons.
"You're…"
"Even though I went through the trouble of preparing so many things for you, you end up in the Underworld instead of entertaining my offer? That's rude, Four Seasons." The girl mock pouted, but her smile returned when she noticed the girl's confusion. "Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself properly when you introduced yourself to us, did I? I'm Honoka-chan's best friend, Minami Kotori. Just Kotori is fine. Or well…" She put a finger to her chin in mock thought.
Seira's brain was working overtime to process just what was going on. Invited? What was she talking about? When she had seen this girl in that café with Honoka and the rest of their friends, she sensed nothing. No aura above that of a normal human, no hostile intentions, nothing. Even Maki, who had no demon blood in her and hadn't practiced swordsmanship for so long, still exuded an aura that showed her capability. She even felt some strange aura from that purple haired girl but sensed no ill intentions so didn't question it. Why had she sensed nothing from this girl? This girl who somehow made her way to the Underworld? Seira felt herself suddenly sweating and she tightened her grip on her katana again as she stared into the girl eyes, Kotori finally perking back up out of her thoughts.
Then everything clicked suddenly as she stared into those eyes. For some reason, everything made sense to her. Seira knew exactly who this girl was, and that knowledge sent a cold sweat down her back. She could feel a warning, a warning from the Four Seasons, that this girl was dangerous. And, given who she was, that was hardly surprising. Kotori opened her mouth to speak and Seira shifted into a defensive stance. And her words confirmed Seira's fears.
"If you'd like, you can just call me Pestilence."
Just throwing some curveballs left and right.
Unlike other stories, I avoided doing things like dropping hints about characters really. I think it's fun to just be hit with a shock instead of an, "Ah, looking back on it, it should have been obvious," or something like that. Well, now you know.
I hope you all enjoyed. I just wasted a bunch of money buying all the School Idol Diary books.
Till next time. Be seeing you.