Supernatural, Mystics, Occult...
Things what we thought were mere fantasies but wasn't
People really love it, to believe that there's a world more than what the eyes see
Some embraced that idea and made it a part of their daily life
Some however denied it
We'll focus on the former
Indeed, there are people in this world that still practice supernatural stuffs today.
Sorcery, Witchcraft, Cults, and more.
Desperately trying to reopen the once closed door between worlds.
That's what we've focused on today.
Indeed, an occult club.
It's another day, it's been weeks since the last explosion incident with Yozora.
He stopped coming to school ever since, also, I haven't seen that childhood friend of his for a long time now, perhaps she was mourning?
The ruined classroom is still closed, but the class for the rest has resumed.
That's why we're back in here.
But before that, he had SOME discussions.
About how we'll be able to balance my supposedly duty and my school life.
That's when our fox friend, also my teacher, Tamamo suggested.
" Why not create an occult club? "
Eh...?
Huh...?
Kaguya and I uttered in synchronization.
You mean, those things like in Mangas????
Be it a supernatural setting or a slice of life one
There's always one isn't there, right! Right!
Why would we miss that?!
Still...
Logically speaking, that does help.
Since our activities may count as occult in a way...
With a literal teacher on our side as a supervisor, THIS WILL BE A PIECE OF CAKE
Furthermore, Tamamo suggested it herself meaning—!!!
" Yes, leave it to me "
I think I just hit the jackpot by getting along with Tamamo...
She's so dependable, reliable...
I'm starting to feel a bit bad for depending on her...
And that's how our Occult Club has been formed
It's been a week since that...
So far, only Kaguya and I are the members
There's not much people interested
I mean, I can't really blame them, right?
It probably sounds fishy and childish...
Welp, that's not the point, heck, that fact is even better
This is supposedly to be used for our privacy and actual supernatural stuffs
Having another head might become a trouble...
Yep, let's hope no one tries to actually join...
Then boom, a knock was heard from the door
Sigh...
I opened the door, expecting that of a student, however...
" Excuse me, you're the occultists, right? "
There, a figure, not from that of a youthful person, but from an eldery one, and elder woman, somewhere her 60s?
Perhaps a student's guardian...?
Why would she be here....
And why is she interested?
Don't tell me—
— A flash of imaginary scenario played in Hikari's head
" You foolish children know nothing of true occultism! Zap!" As the imaginary old woman zaps them with an imaginary spell to their defeat —
Eh.....
I snapped back to reality when the old woman spoke again
" I don't know anymore, I no longer have anywhere to go to, this is the only place I can think of now...
Please, help me... "
When she spoke those words, her eyes were filled with worries and helplessness
Her voice trembled
I couldn't just ignore it...
So I accepted her request without giving it another thought....
I still don't know her situation
But I just don't like it, I hate it when I see grown people cry...
It shows that what they held back has bursted
As adults, you're forced to tough yourself through all the troubles
To see someone break down like that is unsettling for me
No, I don't like seeing people cry out of worries, pain or sorrow generally.
Or maybe, it's just that not all really are that tough as what they seemed.
Then, the three of us sat.
We asked the old woman what's her situation.
She hesitate for a moment, but she wiped her tears...
" I've been cursed " she answered
What...?
Cursed?
But why?
I asked her to tell me why, if she knows the reason, or if she knows what kind.
However, she gave no helpful informations.
According to her she can't remember, she doesn't remember her past to begin with, or anything regarding the curse
Strangely, it's only about herself and the curse that can't be remembered
It's like she's forced to shut up.
Kaguya was a bt skeptical so she stood up and tried to c confirm it
So then, she stood, stretched her arms and pointed
" Curse, huh? Let me see quickly.... "
She told the old woman...
After a few moments, the woman was filled with dark aura, like a bunch of black smoke
Kaguya was surprised by this sight
" She... she's cursed for real.... A really strong one on top of that "
Kaguya seems to be frightened by this
The looks on her face remains on one shocked expression
" Is that a big deal? "
Kaguya snapped back to her senses and suddenly bursted to scream
" OF COURSE IT IS, NO HUMAN WERE EVER ABLE TO DO CURSES AS STRONG AS THIS! WHAT'S FRIGHTENING ABOUT THIS IS NOT THE CURSE BUT THE FACT THAT A CURSE OF THIS MAGNITUDE APPEARED! "
Wait... No human ever? Then where, what? How?
" This only means one thing, someone, some god out there with an authority over humans placed it, NOT EVEN EVIL SPIRITS CAN CREATE CURSES LIKE THIS! "
Kaguya bit her thumb nail still thinking this through
" But you said Gods can no longer interfere... "
" that's exactly why I'm getting worked up... "
I see, makes sense
" tell me, what's your name? "
The old lady hesitated, but gave her Name anyway
" Hua... Hua Li " she uttered
" Hua? I see, you're chinese... "
" that's right, but I've been living here since I was a child " she told Kaguya
" No wonder your Japanese is fluent, I suppose you won't struggle with the characters as well "
" Now then, let's solve the case with your Curse, this curse can't be, it shouldn't have been directly casted on you, it must be transmitted in a way, that's what I want to believe "
The old lady nodded
Kaguya then asked questions that might give her clues
Until a certain Variable caught her attention
A hand fan...
Apparently it was a family treasure, as the only child of her parents, it was passed down to her, however it was simply locked in a chest, Hua who fancied handfans decided to actually use it unlike the rest of the family that simply not paid attention to it.
It was a red handfan decorated with golden patterns made of actual gold.
It was only the day after she used the handfan that she got cursed according to her, which makes it our primary focus.
According to Kaguya, Hua just came for aid right on time before the curse entered it's final phase
Had she not, she'll probably be gone by tomorrow
Kaguya asked if it would be fine if we visit her house later, which she agreed to, OF COURSE SHE WOULD
HER LIFE IS AT STAKE
We discussed about this with Tamamo, which she gave permission for us to be allowed to leave the classes for today.
How reliable.
She'll be a great wouldn't she?
Man, with those fluffy hair and ears
And her caring personality, any guy would be lucky to have her
Okay I'm kind of straying further from the actual focus here
We're heading towards Hua's house as of now
My eyes wandered around for a bit as we walked,
Man, the sky sure is pleasant.
Sky.... heaven, It's been some time already since I entered this situation...
I can't believe I'm actually partaking in something like this
I wonder what does this journey has in store for me
When will this end?
Do I have to say farewell to Kaguya someday?
She's a goddess...
I'm just a human. Well, half apparently....
Whoa slow down, is this fear am i feeling?
Hahaha... I somehow don't like that idea, having to part with her...
I wonder what does she think about it...?
I can only wonder
I wonder if goddesses can like someone in, that way, you know, you already know
Why the heck do I feel embarrassed about saying it?!? I'm just talking to myself so why!?
Damn...
Before I realized, we already arrived, I was lost in thoughts
I guess that's a later matter for now, she's with me right now and I'm enjoying everything about it!
" please come in " Hua invited us inside
We entered the door, which lead to the living room
She lives alone apparently, as for her things... It's rather youthful...
" hey, what are you spacing out for? " Kaguya asked me as she snapped me back to reality
" Oh... It's nothing "
Crap...
The 2 of us was then lead upstairs to Hua's room
And to my shock, this Part too Is rather youthful
The wallpapers, plushies and...
A pc? Damn...
She even got consoles....
What the hell a gamer grandma?!
She then leaned to get something from her cabinet
Hua could barely lean as her back hurts due to the old age
I can hear her breathing becoming heavier
Hua then took something out of a chest which design's stand out
It's a small chest
A Brown Red chest with golden decorations
She then pulled put a key, slowly putting it in as she twists it and a click sound was heard thus opening the chest
She then pulled out a beautiful handfan
It was, beautiful, just beautiful... Truly.
If I'm told it's an ancient treasure, I would believe it
The craftsmanship, the details, the feeling it has...
It's just beautiful, captivating... A work of art.
" So this is it? " asked Kaguya
To which then Hua nodded
" I see "
Kaguya then grabbed the handfan and closely inspected it
" This... A divine blessing...
A Chinese Deity?
No... It doesn't feel like that...
Actually, I can't make anything out of this blessing...
Intriguing
It's rather ironic how a blessed item became a tool of curse "
Kaguya commented
This might be a big trouble
" Let me ask you, are you ready to commence the ritual? to remove the curse, the bridge is necessary if it's a transmitted "
Kaguya asked
" Please do " the old woman asked desperately
According to Kaguya, any item can be used as a bridge as long as the caster of the curse had a prior relation with the object
It's just the matter of how strong the curse is.
Kaguya then took one of her crescent moon shaped hair ornaments
Which became her divine treasure
She then laid it down the floor, as she put the hand fan in the middle of the crescent
She then began drewing a circle around her divine treasure with a chalk
I'm not sure what it really is but it did seem like a chalk to me
" listen, curses clings to anything, it can be inanimate, it can cling to a person, what matters is that there's a vessel for it "
Kaguya talked about curses as she drew the circle
" curses are quite popular among humans, however, the curse they can access are weak ones, mainly causing misfortune most of the time as it can't do something that major "
" Curses are also my least favorite to deal with "
Kaguya complained
She then started chanting something?
Is this really necessary?
As she spoke, the room got darker as the crescent began glowing
" I speak as the crimson moon goddess, let my light illuminate the hidden shadows, let my might unveil the curtain of sorrows
The heavens descends to this land to purify what's evil, reveal thyself "
As she uttered these words, the handfan started glowing, and so did the black smoke on hua became thicker
As Kagiya slowly opened her eyes, she saw the immense shadow under Hua, and the black smoke growing larger
Kaguya then grabbed the Smoke
" Release— "
She then released the curse, is what she thought.
before the curse broke, it resisted, the black smoke broke free and descended the floor taking form of a face...?
The smoke twisted and towered over us forming something like a tornado as it slowly gathered together on one point forming a face
This face formed by gray and blackness resembled a sorrowful face
A face, pitch black eyes and putch black mouth that remains open but the sorrow could be seen
It has visible wrinkles as it frowned
The floor and walls began distorting as the colors of the surrounding jumbled randomly
The entire room disappeared and was replaced by a dark vast empty space
It warped the room?
" This is why " Kaguya followed her previous words with new ones
" wait, aren't we just removing a curse???? "
I asked
" yes, but an actual curse wielder will never allow their curses to be removed that easily! Of course they would come up with a way to defend it, which in this case is the entity that appeared out of nowhere "
Kaguya then tried eliminating it with her divine treasure
However it went through
It's made of smokes after all
The entity then shoot out stream of smokes that taints anything phantasmal into rotting through a curse
Kauya called back her divine treasure to dodge it and fly around
" damn it... " Kaguya uttered frustatedly
Kaguya kept on attacking the entity but it's visibly unaffected
The entity then disappeared into nothing
Kaguya is puzzled trying to predict where it went Will appear
The entity then reappeared and began shooting the Stream of smokes again
Kaguya quickly evaded them but is clearly struggling
The entity then repeated this same method annoying Kaguya
Kaguya is barely able to keep up as it's happening on random
While I'm just standing, not sure what to do
What good exactly can I do?
I could only just watch
That pisses me off... Being unable to do anything to what's happening before my very eyes
It's pathetic, a girl is fighting while I can only stand...
Nah, I'd fight too, I can do something
I'm not exactly powerless, I can be of help here
I remembered my training of phantasmal energy with Kaguya
Which then I utilized, shaping my will to form into reality, a form of raging waves of ocean.
I closed my eyes and smashed the floor thus summoning a raging waves of tsunami
It was a powerful surge
It swallowed the black entity
The wave towered 10 meters
However....
Even that, was unable to do anything
The entity remained unscathed, it just permeated through it
Of course that frustrates me...
I tried other forms of elements
Fire, lightning and more but they didn't work out
I kept on showering the entity with my arsenal as Kaguya distracted it by being the target for the dark mist it's shooting
The two of us might run out of gas soon...
The entity continued dancing through the dark
I kept on bombarding it with different flame and lightning based shots
But the entity is still unscathed, after all, it's an abstract existence.
It's the curse itself.
Kaguya then switched modes and pulled a handle from her divine treasure, turning it into a scythe
She switched to close combat
She ran towards the curse and begand swing her scythe swiftly but elegantly
Attempting to tear the entity apart
But it was no good
The blade of the crescent just went through it
Of course that was expected
Cutting won't work, burning won't, drowning won't work, then what will?
" This might be useless.... " Kaguya uttered sounding like she's giving up
That caught my attention, her of all people? Giving up? Where's that usual confidence she always have?
" You see, curse-borns scales to how powerful the curse is, reflecting how powerful the caster " she calmly explained
" what are you saying? " i responded
" Have you not realized? My Divine Treasure, I've used this countless times to destroy curse-borns, curse-borns that are pure abstract, yet right now, it's unable to interact with it.... "
Wait, what's she getting to?
" That means, the quality of this curse is beyond what I can imagine, this power, this existence value.... it means whoever put this curse is hundredfolds more powerful than I am, so is this curse-born... "
What? Is shw for real?
That doesn't make se— no....
It does make sense..... In the first place, phantasms are pure abstract, with the exception of half like the two of us, yet Kaguya, I've seen her destroy one, meaning, her attempt of attack is going through Not because it's simply untouchable, but because It's existence is a realm higher for us to touch " Kaguya explained
It's that strong? Wait...
I realized and remember how strong Kaguya herself, meaning, someone hundredfolds More powerful....
That's just unthinkable
This smoke is concerning
Smoke....black... Darkness...
Looking at this
This reminds me of what happened with Yozora recently
I observed the entity closely trying to figure out something, perhaps a way to atleast scratch it
Until I realized something from it...
Kaguya was still keeping it busy
So I started the idea I had.
As Kaguya said, Arts bends reality through will...
Then that means...
I closed my hands together onto each other
I firmly Kept my Hands toghether as I begand visualizing and pouring phantasmal energy as much as I have
This is just a chance, I'm not sure if it will work
I'm Gambling all I have on this
I then Closed my eyes and started imagining it, visualizing it
Something that can deal with this
A drain... A hole... Sucking everything...
I waited for a bit
Wated
Waited
Then waited
Until
The space began shaking violently.
A pitch black tear on the space began sucking the entity in forcefully
Beyond the Tear was nothingness
It was Powerful, not as strong but it felt like a black hole...
It violently sucked everything
The entity screamed loudly, shaking the space too with its voice
It's similar to a pig screaming but much louder and painful to ears
The entity then began getting smaller like it was falling
That's when i realized
The Black smoke was devoured by it...
After the purpose was fulfiled, the hole in the space disappeared
The surrounding too began warping ino different colors like it was glitching
Until the room returned back to normal
Kaguya was left speechless as she clinged to her scythe buried on the floor to keep herself from being sucked as well from earlier
" what just happened? " asked the flabbergasted Kaguya
" I think i did that.... " I responded
Kaguya just looked at me in shock
She couldn't comprehend what she just saw
Kaguya then looked at a corner making decision
As if she just discovered something that shouldn't be
Sweat poured from her right cheek
Tell me, what did you just do? How? What was that?
Asked Kaguya with a serious tone
" I just imagined it.... using phantasmal energy? "
Well that's weird, she's the one that taught it to me yet she doesn't know how I did that?
" I see.... "
" That, just now, was a gate leading to the twilight world. "
Kaguya stated with a trace of seriousness
" I don't know how, or why, but it's unthinkable for anyone to have a link with the twilight world, and yet, and yet you did it so casually... "
.
.
.
.
.
" Just what are you? " Kaguya asked after a long pause
" what do you mean? twilight world, it's just another realm right? Maybe I just opened a gate...I don't know... We're you not doing something similar with Takamagahara? "
I answered confused
" Don't compare Unseen Horizons to Twilight World! It's not the same thing! "
Kaguya answered upset
" I can open a gate to Takamagahara because I'm a goddess and I have ties with it! And for a human to open Twilight World... It's just unthinkable, Impossible. "
I don't understand....
Didn't I solve the problem? Why is she furious....
Shouldn't she thank me? Everything is fine because of me
So why!?
No, I have to calm down...
" You see, The Twilight World is a world of void, it's a place where all things that shouldn't be are, it doesn't exist, yet you manifested it so casually... "
" You're just not any human that awakened their third eye aren't you? Just who really are you? "
Said Kaguya as she looked at me with concern and trace of fear
....
What are you talking about... What's with those eyes?
Why are you looking at me like that?
Like I'm some monster that shouldn't be
Don't look at me like that...
Why?