The Send Off

Chapter Seventeen

The send off (miokuri)

“Yukari, now I shall pronounce my verdict.” Kagami looked at Yukari with understanding and compassion.

“Those who desire the crown shall first bear its weight of responsibility. As you have not readied yourself to take on the weight of being a monarch, your crown shall be temporarily taken away from you.”

“If people continue to follow you because of the wisdom you display in settling disputes, if people gather around you and obey your word because you espouse goodness in them, then you shall be made a ruler by people themselves.”

“If one day your wisdom has the capacity to uplift every person, along with the whole world, with her animals and plants, her rivers and mountains, her fields and lakes, if one day your loving kindness brings your heart to embrace the entire creation, and to move every heart toward caring fellowship, this power shall then seek you out and abide with you, as you have first proven yourself by taking on the grand responsibility.”

As Kagami had finished her judgement, the swords of light that had scattered all across the sky, which were formed by the dust of light left over from forming the holy vessels, charged at the Five.

Yukari, Midori, and Kasumi stood petrified, while Yayoi tried to activate transport spells and escape, and Ryō, being the most experienced on the battlefield, was the only one who managed to cast spells of defense before the swords arrived.

The swords passed through the spells of defence and transportation as if the magic matrices did not exist, and impaled the bodies of the Five.

The swords passed through the bodies as if the swords themselves were just part of a mirage, but as the blades pierced the Five, each sword tip removed a glowing fragment of magic from within them. The rain of the swords seemed to last forever, and by the end, the Five were sitting on the ground, exhausted, despite the fact that the swords did not inflict a single moment of pain, nor left behind a single wound.

“The extraordinary capacity of magic has been momentarily removed from you. Go and become real leaders, and your supreme strength shall return with jubilation.”

Yukari felt weak for the first time. (“Is this how commoners feel!”)

“Kagami, this is impossible! I can not be a leader if I am weak and tired. No one will listen to my words, let alone obey my commands!”

“Do not worry. The rest of your group are stripped of their super ranking as well. None of them are going to usurp you. You are familiar with administration. That experience and expertise still abides in you. Trust yourself. You will achieve success in operating Himeyama even without supreme magical talent.”

“My dear friends at Kageyama,” Kagami’s voice was now becoming faint, “thank you for the years of joy. I humbly beseech you to forgive Yukari and everyone at Himeyama, and do not turn them away when they want to have conversations with you. Teach Himeyama how to care and love and serve, not by words, but by your gentle gift of friendship.”

Kagami then looked at Arashi and Akishi, “my dear Oneesama, my dear Oneechan, take good care of yourselves, and may you live in peace and happiness, for the rest of your lives...”

Kagami’s voice faded away into the stillness. The sun had already set behind the dark clouds. The glowing holy vessels, which had lit up the space, began to disintegrate, returning to floating specks of light, then disappearing into the darkness.

The outline of Kagami’s spirit body began to glow, but instead of becoming solid again, it started to evaporate, until at last all that was left was a small whiff of smoke, which seemed ready to dissipate.

Arashi ran to the location where Kagami had been, while shouting with great urgency, “Akishi! Come help!”

Akishi dashed forward, “she has sacrificed her body AND her spirit -- we cannot revive her!”

Kagami had sacrificed her physical body to bring the divine power to this world, and the price for temporarily deactivating The Five’s unparalleled talents was her spirit.

“Akishi! Now even her soul is going to perish; I want to preserve my Kagami-chan in my dear sword before she vanishes forever.”

“Okay then, Arashi. I will draw a spell quickly with my blood, and you trace it carefully with yours.”

The two worked hurriedly while everyone looked on.

“Arashi, sword!”

They placed the sword onto the spell, and Akishi poured her strength into activating the magic.

The whiff of smoke started to drift toward the sword, and Arashi rejoiced. “Success!”

“Not done yet!” Akishi replied.

The whiff of smoke attached itself to the tip of the sword, and a pure glow of light blue started to coat the entire sword, like shimmering light from a pure aquamarine.

Suddenly, just as the glow was about to merge into the sword, it quickly started to fade. “It failed!” Cried Akishi, being taken by surprise.

“What went wrong?!” Arashi quickly asked.

“Her soul is not enough in quantity -- it’s incomplete!”

“Ryō!” Demanded Yukari.

“It’s in my sleeping chamber.” Ryō said in a depressed tone, rather disengaged.

“We don’t have enough magic to teleport anymore. Someone from Kageyama has to retrieve it from Himeyama.” Said Kasumi.

“Arashi, she will be gone in a minute.” Came Akishi’s voice.

Arashi took up the sword, with a fraction of it still vaguely glowing. She slashed the air in front of her, pouring her whole being into the mightiness of the attack.

The sword, unable to bear the energy, began to shake. Its surface started cracking, segments of the blade broke off along the edge of the sword.

A turbulent wind formed with the attack, and along the path of the blade’s daring cut, appeared a thin black line -- an opening to the unknown dark void.

“Kagami, you said you were from another realm. In this world, your incomplete soul cannot be in existence. So wherever there’s a world that an incomplete soul can survive, I am sending you there!” With these words, Arashi thrusted the sword into the void. “My sword, my dear companion, though damaged, may you take good care of Kagami on my behalf. Whatever transpires, live in peace, health, and happiness.”

The sword disappeared into the void. Arashi wanted to say the last words of ‘farewell’, but no sound came forth as she opened her mouth.

Tears slowly came down the faces of Akishi and Arashi. They sat on the ground, with the spell traced in blood between them. Neither of them said a word, as tears fell on the ground.

Yukari stood up, and slowly walked over to Arashi. Then Yukari sat down on the ground.

Yukari did not know how to comfort someone deep in mourning, but she thought she could start by learning to be at Arashi’s side in silence.