Chapter 3: The Serpent and the Frog
Faith is a curious thing, abstract, insubstantial, and yet endlessly powerful. The energy of will that drives souls onwards leaks out through the gaps in the mental realm and coalesces into the physical, through faith. This strange, curious power of faith is that which forms the gods. Shared faith directed towards a single target coagulates, stitching together an entirely new being. Yes, it is this faith that brought Chishiki Libre into being, but there are far greater faith-born beings than her. The awesome power of faith made manifest as a beating heart is never to be underestimated; even the least of such beings is a force to be reckoned with, but what of the greatest? Is there a goddess that stands atop the world, undaunted, unrivalled, staring down upon her domain?
Suwako Moriya stared down upon her domain in a literal sense, from her vantage atop the great Youkai Mountain. Ah, how wonderful a place! Up here, where the earth met the sky, where better for a union of earth and sky to make their home? True, the inconvenience of travel to and from the mountain's peak reduced visitors to the Moriya shrine, but what did such trivialities matter? Bringing in worshippers, that was Kanako's job. So long as she graced visitors with her divine radiance, her role as goddess was complete.
Suwako lazily kicked a loose stone from her vantage, giggling to herself as it clattered down the mountainside. Her four eyes blinked in succession as a cold wind rustled her hair. Life was good to those who didn't take it quite so seriously. Yet, despite this, she was grateful that there were those who did concern themselves with bending life to their whims. If there were no ambitions, after all, what need was there for gods? Faith is only placed in a goddess for so long as they are needed. Still… Why care for the future? The cool breeze tickled her face as she dangled her feet over the cliffside. The soft grass massaged her palms as effectively as any pillow. Floating on the air was the delightful smell of Minoriko's sweet potatoes roasting on the fire. Truly, all the world was at peace.
The gentle breeze grew a touch more ferocious as Suwako's reverie was interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing. The comparatively larger figure of Kanako Yasaka towered over her, snatching from her the pleasant warmth of the mid-moring sun. As the smaller goddess deliberately ignored her, Kanako cleared her throat again, and spoke.
"Suwako, we need to talk for a moment."
In response, Suwako patted the ground beside her, and replied, "Why bother with words on such a nice day?"
Kanako sighed. "Suwako, this is serious. Something, someone is stealing our followers, and not in small numbers. We're losing faith at an alarming rate, worse than when that Myouren Temple appeared."
Suwako didn't move, however the eyes atop her hat swivelled to meet Kanako's gaze. "Do we still have followers left?"
"Yes, but not as many as we had, and increasingly fewer."
"Why worry about it, then?"
Kanako stamped her foot, splitting the earth where it struck and sending cracks running through the soil. Suwako quickly hopped backwards as the ground beneath her broke apart and collapsed downwards. In a huff, Kanako grumbled, "This is the exact kind of apathetic laziness that lost us all our followers in the outside world. If a wolf is stealing from the flock, the shepherds must drive it away."
Suwako planted herself firmly back where she was sitting prior, as the dirt and stone rose back up the mountainside and reaffixed itself. Her eyes betrayed a small degree of mirth at her partner's annoyance. "Alright, alright, I get it. Who's the culprit?"
Kanako blushed slightly as she stammered out, "W-well, actually, at this time I don't exactly know. Whoever the culprit is, they're being subtle."
"You didn't ask around?"
"I'm not exactly going to parade around the human village announcing that we're losing faith. You know how fickle humans are, one sign of weakness and they all jump ship."
Suwako scratched her head in mock thought. "Guess we can't go ourselves then. Hey, let's send Sanae to look around, while I go back to my important shrine duties. Such a shame, but I guess it's for the best."
Kanako sighed. "I don't know why I expected you to be useful. Still, you do make a good point. Sanae would arouse less suspicion. I'll send her to investigate."
As she stalked away towards the small wooden building of the Moriya Shrine, Kanako wheeled around one last time. "Please at least do something useful today."
The strongest of all the native gods gave no sign that she had heard.
Suwako Moriya
Pinnacle of Perfect Faith
Three hours ago, Sanae Kochiya had been sweeping loose dirt from the steps of Moriya Shrine. Now, here she was, on a high-stakes espionage mission, scouring the land for enemy saboteurs. She clutched her snake hairclip and giggled, resisting the urge to look for a cardboard box. Still, she had to admit, it was rather a frightening prospect. Here she was, walking down the familiar village streets, and yet it all seemed so alien and unfriendly. Who knew what hostile eyes were watching her from the shadows? What kind of enemy used trickery and deception, rather than good old-fashioned danmaku? She felt a sudden urge to hide, but resisted it. After all, her mysterious enemy surely didn't know that she knew anything yet. Acting suspicious would only draw unwanted attention. She strolled through the streets, her basket growing heavy with groceries, yet the faces of each shopkeeper she visited betrayed no signs that all was not right. Her belly growled in complaint at her lack of results. Taking a seat, Sanae removed a small bun from her basket of groceries and ate it, deep in thought. Who could be stealing her followers? Could it be someone old, or someone new? Certainly, the peace with her old rivals was tenuous, but this was unprecedented.
Sanae chewed and stewed, pondering the situation until her grocery basket was empty, and her belly was very much full. The realisation that she had just eaten several days worth of groceries, including several raw potatoes, washed over her as a sudden wave of nausea. She spent the next few minutes retching glumly in a nearby alleyway, her concerns of faith and espionage currently forgotten in favour of more immediate problems. It wasn't until she at last rose to her feet and wiped the tears from her eyes that she noticed she was not alone in the alley. Three humans and a youkai formed a ring around her, blocking off both paths of escape.
Wiping a strand of bile from the corner of her mouth, Sanae attempted a nonchalant grin. "Can I help you?" she asked, cheerfully.
One of the humans, a brawny male, stepped forward, speaking in a rough voice. "Yeah, ya can. We're s'posed to deliver a message ta a green-haired Shrine Maiden by the name o' Sanae. That you?"
Sanae's hand slowly crept into her pocket, grasping a handful of talisman seals. "I guess that depends on the message."
The man smirked. "Message reads as follows."
He snapped his fingers, and all of a sudden the alleyway was plunged into darkness. A quick burst of wind saw Sanae coast through the air and above her attackers, and a moment later she was rewarded with the crunching and swearing of three punches colliding full-force with a solid wall. Sanae could barely see through the oppressive darkness, but the glowing pink of her talismans were clearly visible in her hand. With practised perfection, she struck all three attacking humans with a single seal, even through the total darkness. Their delicate pink glow split the shadows as they flew, and she could clearly see as each human fell to the ground, unconscious, but not dead.
A snickering echoed through the thick shade. "I did tell the Lady humans weren't any good, except for eating."
Sanae called out to her hidden opponent in response. "Do you plan on devouring these humans, youkai?"
The voice snickered again, this time from slightly closer. "I'm gonna eat you, too. You look real tasty, and the Lady says she doesn't mind."
"Who is this Lady you mention?" asked Sanae.
Another snicker. "Oh, you expect me to just give you all the answers? I'm not stupid you know. Not that it matters what you know when you're all eaten up."
"You believe that you can eat me, then?"
One final snicker, from right in front of Sanae. "Oh, for sure. You can't see me at all. You don't have any clue where I am. I could attack from anywhere and you'd be too dead to know from where I hit you.
Sanae sighed. Truly, this youkai was fantastically stupid. With a patronising tone, she carefully explained the obvious. "No, you're right. I can't see you. I can, however, hear you perfectly."
With a flick of her wrist, an array of glowing pink talismans collided with the surprised youkai's face, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Rumia
Youkai of Shadow
Sanae held her head in her hands, anxiety washing over her as nausea had earlier. Certainly, her opponents had been pathetically weak, but that did not conceal the primary concern. For small fry youkai to feel safe wandering through the village, let alone for them to team up with humans, it was a sign that something major was happening. Normally a creature like Rumia would have been turned away long before entering the village. It likely meant that she had the backing of someone powerful, someone with sway over the village folk. Perhaps it was this 'Lady' mentioned earlier, but who could that be?
Searching through the unconscious bodies of her attackers, Sanae felt a blush seep across her face. Yes, she was merely searching for information, but still, it felt a little too much like groping her victims. Video games had never done justice to just how violating it felt to search an enemy. Finding only yen coins and various irrelevant detritus on the humans, Sanae turned her attention to Rumia, and quickly discovered a message bearing the unmistakable calligraphy of Reimu Hakurei. She read it, confused, and was completely shocked by the contents.
"Hakurei Faithful.
These last years have seen the Hakurei following dwindling, as more and more of us are stolen by these unwelcome guests. Moriya Shrine. Myouren Temple. I, for one, am sick of being treated like a joke. I believe it is time to show these newcomers that we need no gods but the Hakurei gods that have defended us for generations.
To begin, please abduct the Shrine Maiden Sanae Kochiya. I would like to forge a more favourable deal on my terms. If we hold her captive, the gods Suwako and Kanako will be forced to listen, for once. If she resists, kill her. That will at least send a message.
-Reimu Hakurei.
P.S. If you have to kill her anyway, you can eat her."
Sanae scrunched the letter, angry for a moment, then lost in thought. In actuality, such an attack seemed quite out of character for Reimu. Typically, if Reimu had a problem, she'd try to beat it into submission herself. Subtlety was never really a strong point of hers. Still, if not Reimu, then who, and if Reimu, then why? Regardless, this was something concrete to bring back to the mountain. Surely Kanako or Suwako would know what to do?
Sanae crept through the village, looking back and forth in an attempt to isolate any additional threats, but none seemed to be present. The village seemed deceptively peaceful. The air was not still and quiet like at the mountain's peak, but rather full of warmth and noise. Chatter from the market stalls, the crunching of boots on cobblestones, the sounds of children playing, they lit the streets with light and life. It all normally had a gentle, welcoming tone to it, but today it seemed sinister. The soft din seemed to be a comforting mask, hiding a fierce predator that could strike at any moment. Sanae found it a lot harder to keep her expression calm leaving the village as she did entering it. Fear and excitement swirled in her like a tempest. She wanted to run, to fly, to fight, but instead, she calmly walked.
None of the eyes fixated on her showed any sign that they were looking. None of them gave her reason to suspect. Each of them simply watched. There was knowledge to report back to the one that knew everything.
Kanako Yasaka
Goddess of the Mountain and Sky
As Sanae finished her report, Kanako showed an expression of concern, while Suwako showed amusement.
"Why would Reimu order an attack such as that?" pondered Kanako. "You are right, that doesn't exactly fit with her established behavioural patterns."
Suwako leaned casually against the air, air that was quickly filled by a pillar of earth. "Could be that she's acting out because her friend died."
Kanako and Sanae both blinked, surprise painting their features. "Excuse me?" Kanako retorted.
"Oh? Didn't you know? Marisa Kirisame's dead. Reimu's probably pretty broken up about it."
Both goddess and demigoddess reeled backwards at this announcement. After a few seconds of silence, interrupted only by the mountain breeze, Sanae spluttered out, "How do you know that?"
Suwako hopped onto the raised pillar of earth and announced proudly, "It's simple. The dollmaker buried her. If it's in the ground, it can be found… By me. That said, there's something else you're missing."
"And, what might that be?" asked Kanako.
Suwako pressed a finger against the letter in Sanae's hands, pointing purposefully to where it said "Hakurei Faithful". Almost impossible to see, for it had been deliberately written over, was a small watermark. "From the desk of Byakuren Hijiri".
"Who wins if Moriya and Hakurei Shrines go to war?" postulated Suwako, proudly.
As Kanako and Sanae stared at the letter, Suwako hopped down from her perch and bounced away, cheerfully humming to herself. The humming merged with the gentle breeze and the warm afternoon sun. It was a lovely day, the kind of day that seems to melt all troubles away, and yet, neither Kanako or Sanae felt the least bit at ease. Eventually, Sanae broke the silence.
"What does this mean, Lady Kanako?"
The goddess placed a hand on Sanae's shoulder and smiled savagely. "It means, Sanae, that it's time for a good, old fashioned Holy War."
High atop the mountain, a goddess and a demigoddess worked in secret, planning the downfall of a rival. Far away, in a small, hastily constructed hut hidden by the trees, a tick was placed on a checklist, the black ink marring the page's pure white surface, staining it with promises of blood.
As the sun trailed further across the sky, and as day dwindled slowly into evening, a figure in red and white trudged slowly, purposefully, across the plains between the Youkai Forest and the Forest of Magic. In her mind she saw a deep red mansion, adorned by a monolithic clock tower. As she raised her head, she saw the tip of that tower peeking over the trees in the distance. The bell would chime at sunset. It would not chime again when the sun rose once more. Each footstep onwards painted the fresh spring grass a deep red. The white was almost gone from the red and white robes of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden.
Sakuya Izayoi
Maid of Flawless Temporal Elegance
Well, here it is. The chapter I'm least sure of. I think this was the pinnacle of where I didn't know what I was doing or where I was going, and at the time I didn't really understand the characters either. There's only so much a biography can do to help you write a character, you have to know them yourself.
You watch them, how they act, how they talk. That is how you learn to write them.
Well, it's not so bad as to warrant a total rewrite in my opinion, so bear with me. It gets better from hereon.