Chapter Three: Premonition
Mirai had no notion of when the worship hall vanished, or when time stood still on its axis, splintering her mind into a thousand glass shards. It felt as if a lightning bolt had struck her down, the impact leaving an indelible, searing trail through her entire being. Countless reflections appeared in her mind's eye, a current of memories that were nonsensical and strange and difficult to comprehend: a stagnant river, a pair of dark eyes at dawn, a cruel smile, wisps of smoke – a girl's voice.
You're wiling away in a dream. When will you learn that the world's not a fairy tale?
The current pulled Mirai under, drowning her in a stream of consciousness that was not her own. She was falling straight into oblivion, a spiral of sheer nothingness, until she found herself in a hellish landscape of white dunes and a starless night sky.
Clutching sand, Mirai gasped and shook.
Where am I? She thought with terror. What is this place?
She was exposed to the elements, her body naked and burning against a terrible frost.
A haunting song filled her ears.
Solemn cursed one. She is of eternity, of silence, of coldness, of stillness. Of maitri. She who dwells with maitri knows of the void. She who dwells with maitri knows of death. But she who dances with maitri, she is lost, for she who dances with maitri brings to life the world of death. So dance.
The song sent a shudder down her spine.
Solemn blessed one. She is of eternity, of madness, of heat, of movement. Of life. She who dwells in the light and the dark knows too much. She who dwells with maitri knows of creation. But she who dances with maitri, she is lost, for she who dances with maitri cannot leave the dance and will face the fire. So dance.
A figure appeared against the dunes, cloaked in a black shroud. There was a glint of gold at the forehead and wrists, but Mirai could not perceive their face for there was none. It caused her to recoil in fear.
Come to me, the figure beckoned to her. We must speak.
The sand under Mirai's body shifted into ice, and the scales of a large serpent appeared, slithering under the frozen surface like a drop of ink in a bowl of milk. The sight brought Mirai instantly to her feet, but she lost her bearing and fell to her knees.
She was trapped.
Please, she begged, wrapping arms around herself. Please let me go!
Mirai withdrew from the shrouded figure, dragging herself back limply even though the ice split her skin. But the figure drew nearer, holding their hands out. Above each palm, an orb of concentrated power was summoned: one white, the other black.
In a world where flowers rise from the earth, birds fly to the heavens, and ashes crystallize into diamonds, the faceless woman gazed down at her, what can be expected of your soul, I wonder?
The figure clapped her hands over her head, bringing the two orbs together in a violent collision which sent a shockwave across the land. The light it produced was cold, blinding to the eyes – and revealed gruesome shadows in its wake. Mirai curled into herself, her hair whipping savagely in the wind as the ground beneath her began to buckle. She prayed for mercy. She prayed for a blessing. She prayed for Tanasuya to come and save her. Crying out with a terrible scream, she watched as the great serpent burst from the ice, its bloody maw open and revealing white fangs.
It dove straight for Mirai.
No!
Mirai awoke with a start. In her mind, the snake had her in its jaws, sinking teeth into her flesh as it devoured her, but the strong scent of incense curled under her nose, behaving as a sharp stimulant that brought fresh tears to her eyes. She coughed violently, the sudden exertion producing a sharp pain down her back. It was enough to dispel the nightmare.
Her mind, still flowing with strange imagery, slowly began to subside into wakefulness.
She blinked.
She had been asleep. For how long, she wasn't sure.
All she knew was that she was very weak and warm and realized she was tucked under a heavy blanket. Underneath the blanket, she discovered she was still dressed in her ceremonial robes. The folds of her blue overcoat were crushed, the fabric light and gossamer to the touch.
Her hands, which had been folded neatly over her chest in sleep, were adorned with twin bangles of twisted gold. They vibrated against her skin, emitting a soft sound akin to medicine bowls.
Mirai peered at them groggily. Are they purring? She wondered, blinking back her sleep.
As the room came into focus, she was surprised to see glowing mandalas hovering in the air above her. They were alchemical in nature, a mixture of symbols and constellations. Some of them she recognized, the ouroboros in particular, but their arrangement was foreign to her. They moved with the same mysterious grace as the glamour created in the worship hall, but the mandalas were much slower and more dreamlike, creating a celestial canopy against the dark ceiling.
Mirai stared at them, confused.
There was something strange about this room. She had no recollection of the formless walls or the plain tatami floor. Stirring from her futon, she was shocked to find Nagisa sitting closely beside her with head bent forward and eyes closed, chanting over her hands which were held in a sacred mudra. The eldest korai was chanting nonstop, barely above a whisper.
"Nagisa?" Mirai's voice trembled. "What are you doing?"
But the korai remained in a trance, her lips moving in a blur. They were surrounded by candles and stalks of burning agarwood. Mirai reached out with the intention of shaking the older girl, but a voice stopped her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," it said abruptly. "She's holding everything suspended in a moment of time. We will need this chance to prepare you for what is to come."
Mirai jumped to her feet, alive and alert once more.
"Who's there?" she demanded. "Show yourself!"
An overwhelming presence filled the room. It dispelled the candle flames and incense with a powerful gust of salty air. Unnervingly, Mirai watched as a fountain of water erupted from Nagisa. It was vast and luminous and sprouted like the wings of a giant bird from her back, rising high above her. Its colossal shape changed color from sea green to warm turquoise to a cold iron gray. White foam unraveled around a formless face. It was this that spoke with a woman's voice.
"I am Nagisa's spirit bond, Umi," said the water. "The great ocean that resides in her soul. Much like the wildfire that lives in yours."
Mirai pressed hands to her chest. A spirit lived inside of her?
The water rushed into the room, curling in frothy waves that threatened to beach against the walls. It snuffed out all the candles, leaving the glowing mandalas as the only light source in the now darkened room. Its current swirled and buckled, forcing Mirai to back against the wall with arms bracing for impact.
"You're – You're a tsunami!" she said, gasping in shock. "Why would Nagisa have a bond with you?"
The water spirit burst forward, forming a wave that engulfed Mirai, causing her to yelp in alarm. But the moment the water touched her skin, it was warm and gentle. It flowed up her body and snaked around her shoulders, pausing in front of her eyes as though it were regarding her with extreme reverence. Mirai was startled to find it radiating with affection. It was almost sisterly.
"All korai of the shrine have a pact with a spirit. We are what give you your unique gifts," said Umi gently. "The union of a soul and a spirit is what makes you a korai."
Mirai, despite the chaos unfolding in front of her, couldn't shake the memory of the haunting dream. The enigmatic figure, the two orbs of power, the serpent, and the eerie song lingered in her mind, leaving her with a sense of urgency. What did it all mean?
"How would you know?" Mirai bit back, feeling small. "Who gives you the right to speak on Nagisa's behalf?"
The tsunami travelled in a rippling current around the room.
"She is me, and I am her. We are one and the same," said Umi. "You cannot separate us without losing the other."
Despite the spirit's warm voice, Mirai could not reconcile the natural disaster with her friend and mentor whom she had known for over a millennia. Mirai glanced at the eldest korai, torn. Nagisa was the calm, serene one of the sect who was very much the balm to Mirai's open blisters. Where the others may have gotten lost in a dispute over which dance to perform, which ablutions to give, or which stars to interpret, Nagisa saw things through with a gentle knowingness that cut through all the chatter. She had always been sisterly in her affection.
To think that this writhing ocean was a part of her was unthinkable.
Does this mean my power is sentient too? Mirai thought with a sudden shock.
"You seem troubled by this," said the spirit, noticing her discomfort.
Mirai huffed. "That's a severe understatement."
Her gaze lingered on Nagisa, who continued to chant in a trance, and for the first time, Mirai questioned the true nature of the bonds that connected them all. Was there more to their power than they ever understood?
"Where am I? What's happened? I…" she licked her lips, "I remember I was in the worship hall and the shimrasen, it–" All memories returned to her at once like a great flood, and she gasped. "It broke!" She remembered the screams of a child and how quickly the dragons had turned into dust, throwing the worship hall into a sudden upheaval. "What's happened to the others? Are they safe?"
"Do not fret. Time has not passed since you lost consciousness," said Umi. "Your companions are safe. But our primary focus is you. We must prepare you for the challenges that lay ahead. You won't have time to brace yourself once the spell unravels."
"Prepare me for what?" Then, more deliberately, Mirai asked again. "Who are you?"
"Nagisa and I – we were the first korai of the shrine. We knew what it was like to stand in the presence of Tanasuya, the first divine blessing. We watched her take up arms against the great threat of misfortune in the earliest days known to man. We have since watched over every divine blessing that has stood up to answer her call, including you."
There was a crushing silence.
"No," said Mirai in desperation, shaking her head. Her mind reeled, grappling with the enormity of the situation. How could she, a mere priestess, be chosen as a divine blessing? That was the role of Tanasuya, the spirit of mercy. The one for whom everything in the shrine was centered around! Mirai had always assumed the deity herself still resided in her place of worship, called upon to materialize in moments of need. To suggest that one of her priestesses was responsible for taking charge cast the whole construct into question.
Mirai refused to believe this.
"You have the wrong person," she said firmly.
The water spirit frothed and foamed, churning onto itself like a great tidal wave.
"You bear the mark," said Umi simply. "Her power is now yours."
The spirit extended a tendril of ocean spray much like a finger, pointing at her face. Mirai caught her reflection in the water, seeing a symbol etched between her brows. A hollow diamond with a smaller diamond inside of it. The shape was reminiscent of an all-seeing eye. It was vertical and cat-like with lines down the bridge of her nose. It was also gold and warm to the touch and shined brightly against her skin. It pulsated, giving her a dull headache.
"It is the mark of the divine blessing."
"I don't believe you, spirit. None of this makes sense! If what you're saying is true, then why not choose Tane or Nagisa?" Mirai blurted in confusion. "They are far more accomplished than I'll ever be. Why have they not been chosen?"
"It is not for us to question. The mark chooses the rightful successor always."
This caught Mirai off guard.
"Just how many divine blessings have there been?"
The water spirit grew silent, spiraling into a mesmerizing pattern through the constellations and sun dials up above. There was a heavy sigh.
"Ages go by in which the reign of seven korai is sufficient. Their techniques are capable of dispersing darkness and maintaining peace. But there is an old enemy, an ancient curse, that threatens to undo the delicate balance in the world. This curse is our one true foe and the reason Tanasuya came into being in the first place." The water spirit morphed itself, bringing the silhouettes of countless young women to the surface, all shown in varied degrees of armored dress. "One hundred divine blessings have come and gone before you, each chosen the same as you have been. A hundred more may be chosen after you."
Mirai withdrew from the spirit in shock.
"One…one hundred blessings…you mean, there were a hundred other priestesses who answered her summons? All korai? All from this shrine?"
The water spirit seemed to nod in confirmation.
"What happened to them all?"
"That is not within our power to know," said Umi with a deep sadness. "We prepare the divine blessing for her mission. Nothing more, nothing less. Just as it always has been."
Mirai shook her head dazedly, searching for guidance in the elder korai.
"Nagisa…"
"She will not remember this, I'm afraid. The seal prohibits us from retaining memory or the spell will not work. We are allowed these precious few moments to share what we know with the one who bears the mark, that is all." Umi curled around Nagisa, draping her shoulders with curls of water. "But we love you dearly. It is no simple task sending our dear ones into the unknown." The ocean changed into a deep gray as if conveying immense grief. "Please know this."
Umi spoke with a genuine tenderness that gave Mirai pause. The words the water spirit spoke sounded so much like the eldest priestess.
Fighting back her feelings of overwhelm, Mirai gathered her composure, willing herself to stay calm.
"You say there is an ancient curse. Is this why the veil is failing?" She asked the spirit. "What does this all mean?"
"The curse has a name, but we dare not utter it here. All we can tell you is that it endangers every living and nonliving thing in existence. It has a voracious hunger and will stop at nothing to consume everything in its path. Its violence knows no equal."
"And…you want me to stop it? How?"
"You have been bestowed all of Tanasuya's gifts. Her true nature will reveal itself to you in time. As her living vessel, you shall have access to her divine power."
The water spirit paused.
"Oh dear. We are nearly out of time." The mandalas were starting to fade, the glamour already dissolving at the edges. "I'm afraid the seal will not hold much longer."
"Please," Mirai begged the water spirit. "I don't have what it takes to do this! I don't know how to fight an enemy with no name!"
"You have and you will. It is in your nature to vanquish darkness. Do not lose heart. The three realms conspire to aid you in this task. To find the answers you seek, you must turn inward. Only then will everything become clear." The water spirit filled the room, sweeping into a large vortex. "Things have already been set in motion. This is where we part ways…for now."
As the ocean with its mournful hue began to quickly dissipate, Nagisa stirred from her trance with a sudden gasp. Her eyes, momentarily clear, met Mirai's with a glimmer of recognition. In that fleeting instant, Mirai saw the familiar warmth that had comforted her through countless challenges.
"Mirai?" She croaked.
"Nagisa! We're in danger!" Mirai gushed. "The shrine – the korai – it's not what it seems!"
"Mirai, wait!" Nagisa screamed as the ocean roiled to its full height.
She reached out, but before their hands could bridge the gap, Umi surged forward, reclaiming Nagisa in a swift embrace. Mirai's outstretched fingers met an invisible barrier, the force preventing her from reaching the elder korai. Their reunion slipped through her fingers like water, leaving her with a palpable ache.
"No, please!" cried Mirai, begging the other priestess.
Don't leave me!
The child's voice rang loudly inside her ears again, drowning out her own cries for help.
"Beware the shadowed abyss, a ravenous void that devours the essence of all it touches," bellowed the water spirit, its voice booming through the chamber. It echoed in Mirai's ears and in her chest, clear as a brass bell. "Like a silent tempest, it consumes light and life, leaving naught but an echoing emptiness in its wake. Step cautiously, for the black void knows no mercy, swallowing dreams and hopes in its relentless hunt."
The sound of crashing waves filled the room.
"Farewell, dear one."
The water spirit engulfed the room in a whirlpool of frothing sea spray, taking with it Nagisa, the mandalas, the candles and incense.
Mirai found herself suddenly weightless, dropping from the room and landing harshly on a cold stone floor. The lapping waters of the tsunami quickly vanished, leaving her in utter darkness. All traces of Nagisa and the strange shimrasen were gone. It had a startling finality to it that made Mirai want to claw her fingernails into the stone and go back to her quiet life in the shrine. She would never venture to the gate again if it meant returning everything to the way it was. She would even suffer Tane's endless reprimands if it brought her sisters back. Panick threatened to overwhelm her as she wracked her mind over everything she had just learned.
There were others. More korai brought to the shrine.
One hundred girls who had been chosen as the living vessel of Tanasuya.
Did this mean there was no Tanasuya? No spirit of mercy that inhabited the shrine? The very thought angered Mirai. Why would the gods' favor be carried out by her sect and not the divine blessing herself?
More importantly, what had happened to all the living vessels before her?
Mirai clutched at her chest which was racing now with adrenaline.
Then there was another disconcerting notion. The possibility and real probability that a spirit shared her body and had a will of its own. If a natural disaster could take over the mind of a korai, then what else had they not known about all this time?
Who is it that shares my soul? Mirai wondered in a growing panic.
"Anzu? Machi? Anybody! Can you hear me?" She shouted in vain. "Shuka!"
Her throat started to constrict, and her eyes were suddenly hot and wet with tears.
"Where am I?"
Mirai started to hyperventilate. The tiara on her head was suddenly too tight and her robes heavy and stifling. She was unaccustomed to this weak feeling. If she didn't know any better, she'd say it was what it felt to be human. Her body felt denser than it had ever before and vibrated with an electrical buzz at her temples and wrists.
Was this the effect of the mark?
Mirai touched her brow.
"I have to find the others," she decided, collecting her courage. What good would it do to wallow here in the dark? The shimrasen was in threads and the shrine's inhabitants were in danger. She had to warn Tane, the only priestess capable of handling this bizarre predicament and setting things right before they were all exposed to the truth.
Bearing this in mind, Mirai calmed down. Taking a deep breath until her diaphragm expanded, she let it out slowly through the mouth. The breath – a foundational principle of authentic presence. When all else fails, start with the breath. How many times had Nagisa told her this during training? Mirai repeated the process, drawing in even more air than before. It was the first step toward clarity.
Gradually, the panic ebbed enough for Mirai to gather her bearings once more.
She reached out in the dark. The sound of her breath was her only companion as she felt around gingerly, shifting her feet along the floor in case it gave way unexpectedly. She took a few strides forward, stopping when her palms connected with a tough surface. Running her fingers across it, she felt the soft ridges of wood. It was dry and very old but, to her relief, it was nothing more than a wall. I must be in a passageway, she thought with tremendous relief. And when there's a passageway, there's also – her hand bumped into something cold and she smiled, a bracket.
Mirai summoned her power, igniting the torch with a wave of her hand. Flames burst forth, crackling and snapping with a bright, reassuring light. It caught at the bangle looped around her wrist and she paused.
"What's this? Another heirloom?"
She attempted to take it off, but the metal simply disappeared only to reappear on her wrist once again. She tried the other bangle to the same effect. Puzzled, Mirai studied them in the firelight and noticed that they each pulsed with a strange thrumming. Like tuning forks, she thought with a frown. How peculiar.
Regardless, they were thin and perfectly formed to her wrists.
The water spirit had failed to mention anything beyond the ominous threat of a curse. But if it was the mark branded into her skin that was causing this raw sensation through her body, perhaps they were connected to it somehow too.
For now, their purpose was a mystery.
Mirai turned back to the dark corridor. Waving her hand, she lit several more torches and as the shadowy length filled with light, she felt tremendous relief at realizing she was still in the shrine. But upon closer inspection, it was not a passageway she had ever seen before. This hallway was broken up by long stretches of pale stone. Woven tapestries adorned the walls with muted colors of browns and reds, but it was the pattern etched into the stone slabs that caught her attention.
Gilded scales flickered under the torchlights, causing Mirai to recount her nightmare with the serpent. The coils meandered tightly down the hall, drawing focus to a central figure in the middle of the bas-relief sculpture. The figure was a woman who was standing tall with arms open and palms facing the heavens. Long, white hair ran past her shoulders, unbound and windswept in curls. Falcon feathers draped her body, each carved in black, red, and gold filament to form six imposing wings.
She was holding two orbs: one white, the other black.
A flash of the nightmare returned and Mirai winced.
Did Tanasuya, perhaps, appear to her in the dream?
No, this wasn't her. It couldn't be, Mirai dismissed the notion quickly. Of all the icons painted or carved in the shrine, none of them had portrayed the divine blessing in such a diabolic way. Tanasuya was akin to the sun goddess, Amaterasu. Bright, fair, beautiful, and filled with evident goodness. This figure was raw and obscure with a presence that was more curse than blessing. An angel of death.
Mirai abandoned it hastily.
Where these the quarters of the shrine that had been lost to them since antiquity? The artwork was primal, rudimentary – unlike anything else kept inside the shrine's vast rooms. Mirai ventured carefully down the hall, noticing there were rooms on either side that were windowless and dark. Each door frame bore an inscription at the top, a slab of ceramic with markings carved into the surface, but in a language that she could not read. The air was dry with a slightly acrid odor of dust and decay.
Drawing a sleeve to her nose, Mirai pressed on.
"Why would this place be sealed?" She wondered aloud. "Who was this all for?"
Torchlight flickered against something in the room to her right, catching her eye and she paused. For a moment, she was convinced she was seeing the outline of a person standing in the darkness and her heart pulsed against her ribs. The reflection danced, and as she approached it, she stumbled upon a wall willed with clothing. Gold brocade had gleamed against the flickering firelight, revealing decadent robes of the finest silk hanging along the wall. Some were embroidered, some with tassels, others with fur trimmings or precious stones sewn into the collar. They would have been mesmerizing were it not for the dust coating the fibers, or how they reminded Mirai of the missing korai that once wore them.
She vacated the room immediately.
"Enough. How do I get out of here?"
The hallway proved to be quite long. As Mirai traveled its path, torches on either side of her burst into flame at her beckoning, shedding light to guide her way. The corridor was strange. At times it curved to either side or ran perfectly straight, but it was several more paces before she began to wonder if she was trapped inside a maze. Her bare feet were starting to protest.
Gradually, the atmosphere shifted. Dampness crept into the air, accompanied by the rich scent of earth – an unusual juxtaposition to the otherwise stagnant hall. Mirai peered up at the ceiling and found it festooned with a lattice of intricately woven branches. They slithered and writhed, moving like snakes along the wooden slats. The bark was fresh, splitting in places to reveal white phloem running with green sap. There was an urgency to the way the branches moved as if fleeing from a predator. Mirai's heart sank when she saw that they were adorned with silver-green leaves.
"Taizo!"
There was no time to think. Mirai took off down the passage, feeling her robes whip behind her as she ran. Her feet struck the stone floor, but she ignored the dull ache in her heels and shins. The branches must have come from the worship hall. That was the only thought on her mind as she raced forward. That and if the shrine had a will of its own, it would guide her exactly where she needed to go.
"Take me to the kodama," she ordered. "Now."
The hallway creaked and moaned. It felt as if it were on the ocean, tossed in a raging storm. More branches slithered across the ceiling, causing the wooden panes to buckle and squeak in protest. Large roots protruded from the stone floor, forcing her to climb over them until she was nearly out of breath.
Maybe this was Taizo's way of reaching her, thought Mirai. Maybe he was combing the vast fortress in search of a lost korai. The weakening shimrasen must have stirred him awake and he was now resorting to desperate measures to hold everything together. The thought gave her a small glimmer of hope.
The carved doors of the worship hall came into view and Mirai threw herself against them. The impact was brutal. They were held fast, bolted from the inside. Much to her dismay, she would have to burst her way through. Standing back, she summoned her power once more, this time letting the flames materialize in her palms. The flames were a natural extension of her being, no different from the hair on her head or the nails on her fingers and toes. It was lively and rippled but knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish. Placing her hands on the doors, she gathered the heat to her palms.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, giving a fierce grunt.
Black blisters sprouted across the double doors followed by the pinkish red of white-hot embers until everything turned into a powdery ash. The doors had been a relic as ancient as the shrine itself, hand-carved and decorated with eagles. But Mirai had reduced them to nothing with a simple touch. The act dismayed her deeply.
Holding a sleeve up to her nose once more, she fanned away the smoke and pressed on into the worship hall.
It was a haunting reflection of its former self. The once pristine altar now lay crumbled at the feet of the sacred tree. Taizo had morphed into an unrecognizable entity – all gnarled and twisted bark. His trunk had tripled in size, his leafy canopy stretching across the ceiling in an overabundance of leaves. The branches, now wild and overgrown, obscured any view of the open sky.
The sight frightened Mirai.
This was the heart of the shrine. The last place where her sisters had been seen.
Now, it was empty. Lifeless.
Reaching for a torch, she freed its hilt from the bracket against an arched pillar and strode across the dais.
"Taizo, I demand answers!" She called out in anger. She tore the peach blossom tiara from her head and discarded it, inadvertently freeing her hair from its ragged braid. Petals trailed behind her, falling onto the cracked floor as she approached the altar. "What's the meaning of this? Abandoning your post while a threat looms over the shrine?" She chastised him, her voice hot with emotion. "Do you intend to stay silent while we're under threat? Have you forsaken us?"
The tree had lost its vibrancy. It behaved like a greedy vine, growing and expanding without sense. At this rate, it would take over the whole room with its snake-like roots. They traveled across the ground, reaching for Mirai's ankles. She quickly stepped back.
"What's happened to you? You're taking over the place."
The face carved into the bark remained frozen.
"Taizo, please! Hear me! Why aren't you responding?" Noticing the dark rivulets of sap bleeding from its closed eyes, she gasped. "Oh no! You're hurt. Who has wounded you?"
Any hope she had been clinging to quickly ebbed away. The bizarre nature of her reality was now all-consuming as she stared at the bleeding tree. There were deep gashes in the bark, the trunk twisting into itself with terrible wails of protest.
Shaking now, Mirai forced herself not to lose her nerve.
"Taizo, you answer me right this second or so help me," she raised the torch, holding it dangerously close to his branches which were dry and ripe for tinder, "I will burn you to the ground, your worthless twig!"
Dark laughter broke out in the hall.
Startled by the sound, Mirai felt a sudden shift in the energy around her. It was as if the very air was pulsating with a malevolent force, and overwhelming darkness that eclipsed anything she had encountered before. The atmosphere grew dense, suffused with an ominous dread that clung to the air, making it difficult to breathe. Mirai stood frozen, unable to turn. Shadows, thick and foreboding, seemed to writhe in the corners of the hall. There was a shift in the temperature too, and her torchlight flickered against a sudden burst of wind.
The chilling voice drew near, causing Mirai's heart to race.
"Ah. So, this is how I find you, Tanasuya."
A/N: Thank you, Apple Bloom! I appreciate you so much. :D
Maitri - tender-loving kindness; benevolence
Kodama – tree spirit; also Japanese for "echo"
Shimrasen* – golden glamour; derived from the Japanese word shimenawa which is a white tassel rope
Korai* – priestess; derived from the Greek word kore, or young woman/girl
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
Until next time,
Lavendermoonmilk