“Higan! ...Higan, come here. ...on.”
A voice calls from somewhere. It’s too dark. Where…? I cry out soundlessly into the space.
“Hey, calm... ok. Over here... Higan.”
My mind flutters. Slowly, something stirs.
“Alright… go. Now… Higan…” The voice fades away, that word embedding itself into my mind. The… fog…? It’s too hazy. No, the voice wasn’t fading... away…
“Ugh.”
I push myself up onto my knees, away from the grass and dirt in front of my face. Immediately, I use my hands to wipe the dirt off. The afternoon sun bakes my back like a clay oven. Stiflingly still air pushes against my skin. It’s not pleasant.
“Huh?” says a startled voice.
In response, I snap my head up. In front of me is a surprised girl. Eyes wide, I take in her black and white dress. But more striking is the long, thin black hilt protruding from over her shoulder and the massive rain blue blade poking out behind the skirt of her dress. In her hand she holds small plain mushroom.
“How’d you get here?” The girl already regained her composure, as if strangers popping up at her feet is a common occurrence for her. Perhaps it was. The mushroom falls to the ground, bouncing lightly on contact with the spring grass between her booted feet.
“I - uh - I don’t know, “ I stutter. I can count the number of things I knew on one finger. Which happens to be-
“What’s your name? I’m Destiny Stormsong,” says the girl as she strikes a pose. “And a magician!” She winks and points a finger gun at me, fingertip sparkling. “Wanna see?”
In a single, smooth, motion, Destiny raises an arm and draws her sword, holding it in front of her pointed to the side. She extends the sword out to her right, letting a single finger from her other hand run along the length of the blade. On contact with her skin, the blade takes on a subtle sheen, exuding a pale blue light.
She smiles broadly, her arm straight as the horizon, and shouts. “Yeah!”
The tip of the sword twinkles - and ignites with an explosive burst of wind. A blast pushes me back and forces me on my knees. A golden light bathes the ground before me, lending each blade of grass a glorious energy, the break of dawn after the endless night.
With a hand on her hip, Destiny twirls the glowing sword, hair flowing and hat fluttering. The ground visibly melts when she plants the blade down, and she runs a hand through her hair. “How’s that?”
Still recovering from the blast, I manage a soft croak.
Destiny laughs, a little disappointedly. “Hey, you should meet someone. She’s probably not the one who brought you here, but she’s got the best shot at reaching the person who probably did that.” She grabs the fallen mushroom off the ground and raises it to the sun. Her head tilts to inspect it from different angles.
I get up off my knee. After a pause, I shuffle my feet. “Um… aren’t you gonna take me there?”
“Hmm?” She looks up. “Yeah, after I’m done here.”
Our destination turns out to be a lonely shrine, both small and unimpressive. A long path stretches from the steps to the opposite horizon. Destiny ignores the road completely, taking a direct route over the trimmed grass.
“She’s probably in there, taking a tea break.” Destiny says.
“She lives here?” I ask questioningly. Whoever Destiny wants me to meet certainly didn’t take care of the place very well, although the grounds were clean enough.
Reaching for the door, Destiny turns towards me. “She’s the miko, of course she lives there. Where else would a shrine maiden live? Yo, Te-???” As she pushes the door open, she jumps back with a yelp of surprise. “Hidari???”
“You don’t usually act so startled to see me,” said a voice from inside as I peek over Destiny’s shoulder. The woman sitting there is far too elegant for the shrine’s outwardly tattered appearance, although the inside is a little better. Before her is a short table with a set of tea, one cup with steam floating from it. “Ooh? Who’s that?” She says in a light and cheery tone.
“Her name’s, uh,” Destiny says, equally cheerfully, standing in front of the open door. She’s already regained her composure, just as she did when she saw me. “Wait, what was it?”
“It’s Higan.” I provide helpfully.
“Like the other side of the Sanzu?” The woman sounds perplexed. “That’s a strange name.”
“Yeah, some people are strange like that,” Destiny nods sagely, walking towards Hidari. “Like you.”
“Who, me?” She laughs, reaching out to retrieve a fan from thin air and covering her face. “Ahahah, I’ll need a more precise look for this one.” She waves her fan, beckoning me closer.
Cautiously, I step forwards. She... feels powerful, somehow. Perhaps it’s her casual use of magic to draw a fan, although that might be normal. Maybe it’s just her sheer elegance. Whatever it is, I stop a few feet away from her, my every sense alert. Although I don’t think there would be much I could do if she tried to hurt me.
As if sensing my wariness, Hidari sighs. “Guess that's close enough. Anyway, she’s not one of mine. Doesn’t look special either. You sure you didn’t just find one of the stray village kids messing around?”
“C’mon Hidari,” Destiny began.
Hidari cuts her off with a tinkling laugh. “Just a joke. Seems like she’s just another one of those spirity beings that end up spawning everywhere. Hmm, a note - usually their lifespans are about the same as ours, but with this little power, this one might live a lot longer. You can keep her if you want.”
She turns and reaches out, motioning at me with the fan. “You’re gonna need a new name, by the way. Higan is just where you all come from, or something. It’s always the first thing your type says.”
Hidari picks up her tea and takes a sip, closing both eyes. “Now, get outta here!”
“This isn’t even your shrine!” Destiny protests.
“You planning to stick around?” Hidari opens an eye halfway, which stares balefully at Destiny, who sighs and leads me out of the room. The door closes gently behind me.
Outside, Destiny looks at me thoughtfully, leaning beside to the door. “Yeah, you’re mine now.”
“Wh-what?” I stammer.
“I’m keeping you. You don’t have anything better to do, right?” She tilts her head.
“…”
“Exactly.” Without another look, she walks off purposefully, and I follow after her.