21 The Priestess

~~ Author Note ~~

https://discord.gg/6PBf4ccNCT

Hello, readers.

Hashire sori yo, kaze no you ni, tsukimihara wo, padoru padoru...

As always, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

~~ End Author Note ~~

***

Under the moonlit sky, a torrent of petals flitted to the ground. As they settled, Dianthus glanced up towards the moon. "It seems that the day and night cycle of my realm has desynced from this world," he muttered to himself. He looked off into the forest upon sensing multiple presences, one of which was familiar to him. "Hoh, this seems interesting."

Dianthus stepped forward. Immediately his figure blurred, disappearing from the location. Trees whizzed by as he quickly moved to the area of interest.

Once Dianthus arrived at the scene, he lept up onto the branch of a nearby tree. From where he stood, he was able to see the entire spectacle. Ahead was a small clearing beside a large stream. A beautiful black-haired priestess stood in front of the water, surrounded by motes of light. Some distance behind her was a middle-aged monk accompanied by a fledgling apprentice. Coincidentally, the last actor in the play was a small child hiding amongst the brush below Dianthus' location.

"Miss shrine priestess, you..." The monk paused, "Are dead, aren't you?"

The black-haired woman turned slightly. "Why don't you just let it pass?"

"I can't do that!" the monk exclaimed. He lifted his hand, exposing a small golden orb with a dragon engraved upon it. The trinket began to shine, lighting the small clearing. From it emerged a green dragon that possessed a serpentine figure. The dragon flew towards the priestess, encircling her body tightly. Its scaly three-pronged foot closed around her throat.

Dianthus heard the child hidden below whisper the name Kikyo in worry. He ignored the child and watched the scene with little interest. The trinket the monk used barely qualified to be a toy in his eyes. The priestess, Kikyo, was the only thing that piqued his curiosity. However, if she perished here, she was worth little more than serving as brief entertainment.

"You cannot escape from my soul-binding spell! Go to nirvana!" As Kikyo struggled in the grasp of the dragon, the monk continued to speak. "Stay there and be evaporated. Your soul will be saved."

Dianthus began to lose interest. It seemed as though the monk had thoroughly won in this struggle. However, just when he started to turn away, a significant fluctuation of spiritual energy gradually gathered around the priestess.

Kikyo's temperament grew cold, and she no longer struggled in the dragon's grasp. She raised her head, looking at the monk with a dangerous glint present in her eyes. "Save my soul? You think you..." The spiritual energy burst from her body, causing the dragon to explode into many pieces. "Are going to save me!"

Rampant energy carried the dragon's claw that initially grasped Kikyo, leading it to pierce the monk's throat. Blood gushed from the wound as the monk collapsed face-first. The orb rolled out of the monk's hand and shattered into many fragments. Upon seeing his master collapse, the apprentice shrieked and ran away.

Kikyo stood over the monk's body, looking at it emotionlessly. "Had you minded your own business, you wouldn't have ended up dead."

The collapsed monk's hand shot forward, latching onto her ankle. "Priestess, tell me what your purpose is." He took a ragged breath as blood continued to leak from the corners of his mouth.

"Time continues for the living. They carve their futures with each passing moment. However, for the dead, such as yourself, time stands still. Thus, the dead and the living cannot reside together. And yet, you insist on trying. How tragic..." the monk trailed off as he breathed his last.

Kikyo looked perplexed at the monk's dying words. 'Tragic, you say... I am tragic?' The empty feeling in her chest continued to grow as if to mock her. Noticing a presence, Kikyo turned towards the child hiding in the brush. "Who's there?"

Kikyo noticed the child peeking out past the shrubbery, fear evident on their face. Kikyo's expression softened upon seeing the little girl. "Sayo... You saw that, huh?" The priestess walked towards the kid and reached out towards them. "Sayo..." Sayo flinched and closed her eyes tightly.

"Sorry. I've given you a bad memory." Kikyo's expression showed a deep sadness. She stood and walked away from the child.

The girl opened her eyes and looked at the leaving priestess. "Wait, Kikyo," she hollered.

Kikyo turned back once more. "Farewell, Sayo. Please forgive me." She continued into the forest, out of sight from the child.

Kikyo kept walking through the forest until she felt that something was amiss. She was unsure when it happened, but a field of flowers had surrounded her. Amongst the trees and shrubbery, many purple and white hyacinths bloomed. "What is this?"

"Do you desire another chance at life?"

Kikyo looked around for the source of the voice. "Who's speaking? Show yourself!"

A man jumped down from a nearby tree, landing amongst the scattered hyacinths. "Pardon me. I didn't mean to alarm you."

Kikyo looked at the white and pink-haired man. "Who are you, and what do you mean another chance at life?"

"My name is Dianthus." he bowed slightly. "And, I mean what I said. Do you desire another chance at life? Rather than being a soul trapped in a fake body, why not gain another body and live once more?"

Kikyo skeptically looked at the handsome man. "How would that be possible?"

"It's pretty simple. I could find a suitable body and modify it to house your soul." Dianthus smiled, "Of course, we would need to reacquire the portion of your soul that is no longer in your possession. After that, it's a simple process."

To say the offer didn't tempt Kikyo would be a lie. However, she simply didn't trust the man. "Why would you bother to help me? What do you desire?"

Dianthus shrugged his shoulders. "You caught my interest, and I need a housekeeper."

"What?" Kikyo looked dumbfounded.

"As I said," Dianthus shrugged once more, "I need a housekeeper. I think you would be an excellent fit for the role. I'll help you reattain your life in exchange for your service."

Kikyo pondered over his offer for a moment. The temptation was immense, but she couldn't give up her vengeance. She must see Inuyasha's death, even at the cost of her own life. She looked at the man with unwavering eyes. "Sorry, but I refuse."

Dianthus looked into her eyes. All he could see was the determination to accomplish something unknown to him. He sighed. "I see." He waved his arm, causing one of the white hyacinths to flutter into her hands. "If you change your mind, burn the flower."

Dianthus turned and walked into a storm of violet petals. As the petals settled on the ground, Dianthus was nowhere to be seen. The garden of hyacinths had wilted upon his disappearance from the clearing.

Kikyo looked at the flower in her hands. "Another chance to live, huh?" she muttered to herself. The priestess stored the flower away in her kosode. She continued her journey into the forest as many more motes of light carried by small yokai floated around her.