Mikage
It was the time when she was being taken by her mother, Sawako into a strange place where the old and abandoned shrine was located. It was an assignment of Sawako that she need to cleanse but before she did her cleansing, she left Mikage to handle that part, and Sawako dealt with the foul beast residing around the abandoned shrine. She was just sixteen and being exposed to a very difficult task of her mother and there she witness a powerful spider dwelling around.
‘Mikage! Set up the barrier!’
‘But…its huge and powerful…’
Fear eat her up and could not do well on the spot which put her mother in a tight spot for fighting, defending, and protecting her all at the same time. Her mother went to her and she was being hit over her shoulder Mikage was totally scared but Sawako just smiled at her.
‘Be strong. You’re my daughter.’
Sawako might say that she summoned her beast to protect the child that she took with her. Mikage was afraid for her mother who was fighting head-on over the huge spider before and Sawako almost died back then if a lady in the shadow did not come to rescue her mother. Sawako was badly injured and was being placed beside Mikage.
‘Don’t kill it, Sal. Seal it. Tame it. I’ll do the cleansing later.’
When Sawako stated that to the lady in the shadow, the air around the lady began to shift into something deadly and dangerous that made the huge spider cower in fear. Then the next thing Mikage saw was a very thin lightning that began to wrap around the huge spider and quickly turned into an orb. When it was being sealed, it was trying to break free but the lady in the shadow wrapped its lightning around the glowing orb and gave it to Sawako.
‘I’ll be taking it if you can’t tame it, Lady Sawako.’
Mikage’s eyes shoot open as soon as she heard the familiar voice that made her cover her mouth from what she realized through the sudden meditation that she was supposed to find her inner shrine maiden. But instead, she was being taken into the memory line.
“They knew each other?” Mikage was totally puzzled and confused about what she managed to recall from the memory line that made her get up from her spot and then dashed back home. She did not even care if Yumiko was calling for her name.
Sally
Fujishima Estate: Sawako’s Household
Morning – 10:10
The air in the house of Sawako’s backyard was totally serene even Sally’s white tiger was sleeping peacefully on the earthly ground as if it misses lounging around the place and it was making Sally smile. She even removed her mask which surprised Hiroshi with what she did and made him recall what he wanted to ask to her.
“Sally, I know you might not answer me like what you did to my father, but can you tell me the truth why stayed here?” Hiroshi went on being blunt with Sally as soon as he recalled what he wanted to ask her.
“Even though you already I won’t tell you, you still have a gut to ask.” Sally smirked yet her tone was more neutral than her blank expression which made her smirk creepy.
“Well, I am just curious because you’re good at the line of your work and suddenly just by doing what you’ve been assigned, you suddenly stayed that’s why I am wondering what changed your mind and stay here.” Hiroshi was curious about the sudden decision that Sally did and stayed in their household.
“That’s a fair reason why you want to know and with that, I will give you my honest answer. Actually, I am not here to stay at your family household but I am here to stay with Mikage since your daughter asked me too.” Hiroshi was surprised that his daughter will ask somebody to stay with her. Knowing Mikage, she was a stubborn child who does not easily let anyone stay with her without any real and good reason.
“Insisted her to stay here. Right, Sally?” Sawako interjected as she handed them the hot tea that she just made for the three of them.
“You two sounded like you knew each other...” Hiroshi chuckled as he took notice of how the two ladies easily interacted with each other.
“Indeed we do.” Sawako giggled as if she recalled something from the past while her husband was put in his thoughts.
“Are you saying…” he was about to ask Sally something when he earned a pitch to his side from his wife.
“Don’t finish those words, dear. It was not right for a man to ask a lady’s age.” Sawako glared at her husband and Sally found it amusing.
“Let’s just I am ancient.” Sally answered Sawako’s husband without any emotion since she was not hiding or even bluntly exposing her age to anyone.
“Old geezer.” Hiroshi teased like his children toward Mikage.
“Respect me then.” Sally countered that making Sawako laugh. Sally was not sure if it was a laughing matter but she just leave it to her and don’t dwell on it much.
“But, how did you two meet then?” Hiroshi changed the subject and let his wife enjoy herself in her own world.
“I was pregnant with Mikage when we first met.” But Sawako still managed to answer what Hiroshi just asked Sally.
“Don’t worry, Sawako was not doing her maiden task at that time. She was buying groceries that time when we met and I have to carry some of it till one of your servants fetched her at the bus stop.” Sally cleared since she sense that worried and confusion over their first meeting with Hiroshi.
“Ah, I remember that. You made me worry because you did not tell anyone where you were going.” Hiroshi recalled that moment since he was busy as well in his asked task around the perimeter of their estate. It explained why he was worried about the well-being of his pregnant wife.
“And her daughter grew up like her.” Sally agreed and added that Mikage was like Sawako in some ways. Temper and stubbornness.
“Can’t argue with that.” Hiroshi agreed before he started laughing while Sally was smirking.
“Hey, I’m here.” Sawako reacted.
The mood around the three of them while they were drinking their hot tea was totally calm and no tension at all. But there was something in Sally’s mind when Sawako mention a kind of beast that can copy the entire being of a person until she recalled something from the past.
“Sawako, do you remember that last task that almost kills you from protecting Mikage and performing your ritual?” Sally dropped her question as she addressed it directly to Sawako which made Hiroshi just listen to them.
“Oh, do you want to take it now?” Sawako put down the cup and answered Sally with a question as well.
“Did you tame it?” Sally countered with another question which made Sawako wary of giving her a direct answer.
“Yes and thanks to what you wrapped around it, I managed to do what I should have done it there.” Sally could sense it as she listened very carefully to what Sawako answered her.
“Then it’s yours.” Sally nodded and let Sawako handle it since she already managed to tame it.
“But I don’t think I am its master. I might tame it but there were times that it did not follow my command.” Sawako released a heavy sigh as she was sad about it. She was good at taming but she was not that great enough to make it follow her.
“Then summoned it.” Sally ushered Sawako to summon it and Hiroshi spilled some of the tea that he was drinking when he heard that. He did not like the sound of it at all.
Sawako looked deeply at Sally and she saw the firm and determined side of Sally who let that beast be in her custody years ago. She released a sigh and get on and stood up with such confidence and power then she raised her hand making Sally’s white tiger yawn as a white-grey summoning portal appeared over the earthly ground. Within just a few minutes, a huggable size of the stuffed toy came out from the summoning portal and when the glow around it faded, it finally revealed itself and it was the spider that Sally sealed.
“It was stubborn even to respond to your call.” Sally took notice of how long it responded to her call.
“I told you.” Sawako sighed as her husband was already inside the house and just taking a peek at them since he hates bugs and he had a bad experience with them.
“Did you name it?” she wondered if Sawako managed to name it.
“I did but it seems like it did not like it that’s why it was not following my command easily. It was a bit picky about which command it will follow.” Sawako nodded as she explained to Sally the attitude that it was giving her while they watched the two beasts lounging around the backyard garden of their house.
When the spider was being summoned around Sawako’s household, Sally began studying the energy flow around it and around Sawako. Sally noticed that their wavelengths were not synchronizing at all. Naming nameless beasts can sometimes do its tricks but in Sawako's case, it was not happening to her it was the first it happened to her.
“Name?” Sally asked what Sawako named it.
“Arachne.” Sawako flatly answered and Sally looked over at her like she could not believe that a shrine maiden named a beast with a typical and literal name for it.
“Wow…so literal.” Sally only reacted which made Sawako roll her eyes away from being upset looked over Sally’s.
“That’s all I can think of at that moment, so, spare me, Sal.” Sawako reasoned as she crossed her arms over her chest and then sat back on the wooden porch.
“I am not saying anything.” Sally just chuckled and leave the sulking Sawako on her seat as she studied the spider before them.