Karma of Causation

Chapter Twenty

Karma of Causation (Yukari)

“Aaaaahhh!” Yukari cried out in agony as the swords of light impaled her body. The leader of the Himeyama forces breathed her last, and died, with her eyes wide open.

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Feeling dizzy and nauseous, Yukari held her forehead with her right hand. She’s alive. Yukari looked around, and found herself standing with the rest of her elites, by a small hill at the foot of Kageyama, with a young girl trembling in pain in front of her. It’s the seven year old Kagami, whose soul had been summoned forcibly out of her by Ryō five minutes ago, and a fragment of which had been snatched away and imprisoned in a hollow sphere. A moment earlier, Yukari had just branded Kagami’s heart with scorching white-hot magic, which would destroy Kagami whenever Yukari would activate it, from wherever in the world.

Yukari knew the rest of the story. She had just lived through it.

Kagami would become greatly depressed after gradually losing all ability in sword, magic, and alchemy, and would become one of the cleaning staff at Kageyama, doing menial labour. She eventually regained some physical strength, after another eight years.

Arashi would get married at age twenty with Akishi’s younger brother, who had volunteered to practice swords with Kagami during her first class. They would give birth to a baby girl named Ran, which meant orchid, and Ran would have Arashi’s spirit protecting her well past the regular three days. Ran would be brought back from the caves and live together with her parents.

Yukari would make an unannounced attack on Kageyama in order to capture the family of three, so that she could order experiments and tests to be performed on them, in the hope of some personal gain from the findings. Ran’s father would die in battle, while Arashi, holding tightly onto Ran, would leap off the west cliff.

Kagami would find them, then bring Ran to a secret place, as directed by Kageyama, to keep the baby girl safe. Arashi would wake up from her severe injuries a month later, and would be prevented from knowing the whereabouts of her daughter until she made a full recovery, a process which would take two years.

After making a full recovery, Arashi would get her daughter back, and would cut all ties with Kageyama due to two years of bottled up outrage from the forced separation between her and her child.

Upon hearing that Arashi was no longer at Kageyama, Yukari would launch a full attack with all of Himeyama’s forces. All would be cruelly tortured and brutally slaughtered, and yet, when the last person, Kagami the cleaning staff was to be put to death, after much mental and physical torment at the hands of Midori and Ryō, strange powers awoke from within Kagami, and summoned innumerable swords of light and shadows to fill the whole sky. These swords would wipe out the entire army of Himeyama, along with Yukari herself.

And this entire series of events was nothing more than a dream by an ordinary girl named Hitomi, who was currently experiencing the world inside this Kagami, who was writhing with enormous pain in front of her right at this moment.

Yukari felt disgusted. Her existence, her mightiness in battle, her supreme ability as the commander of Himeyama’s unstoppable military forces, her dominating leadership which drew a great multitude to obey and follow her, her peerless talent and capacity... was merely meant, even less than a fully developed character in a script, for some girl to tell others as a tale of curiosity.

Eventually, Hitomi would write it down, and the story would end with an ending that did not even include Yukari:

Kagami burned her own spirit as a sacrifice. With her body becoming dust of light, swords of lights and shadows rained down from the night sky, killing all of the Himeyama forces. Arashi tried to preserve Kagami’s soul in a toy doll that Kagami had once made for Ran, but it failed due the incompleteness of the soul. Arashi sacrificed a portion of her spirit to open a channel in the fabric of time and space, sending the remnant of the doll with incomplete soul to another universe, hoping it will live out its own life in peace.

Hitomi woke up, and it was the middle of the night. When morning comes, she would go to the lake side in the quiet park. Even though it was a pity that, according to the dream, what was missing was a fragment of her soul and a portion of Rin’s spirit, the absence of which had caused the breakdown of their relationship, Hitomi and Rin now lived in rather peaceful separate lives. They had been together; they had made unforgettable memories. Despite the outcome, they did not betray Kagami and Arashi’s faith and trust from the other world.

Feeling relieved and resolved, Hitomi fell back asleep. Alarm wouldn’t ring for another five hours.

(“What can I do now?”) Yukari wondered. She pointed her finger at Kagami’s forehead, putting Kagami to sleep while simultaneously setting a barrier to prevent anyone from finding out what had happened. Then, Yukari proceeded to lead her group of elite noble warriors back to Himeyama.

Yukari, upon her return to Himeyama, made her way to the Grand Depository, where records, charts, notebooks, scrolls, manuscripts and incomplete parchments with spell diagrams were housed and studied.

She immersed herself in the archaic mountain of knowledge and theories, of experiments and hypotheses, of errors and successes. Yukari was determined to change her own fate, and guide Himeyama onto a different path, out of predetermined doom along the way.

After almost two years of shutting herself in, under the magnificent dome of the Grand depository, Yukari emerged once again from its shadow. Yukari started with laying down rules for the battlefield: “One. Do not kill; only immobilize and incapacitate the opponents and take them prisoner. If one cannot overpower the enemy without killing, then the said warrior is too weak to be in the attacking forces. Two. Demand full surrender with a specific date. Only attack when full surrender is not offered upon arrival.”

Yukari entrusted the administration of the student body to Midori and Kasumi, before disappearing into her study.

Yukari drew a matrix with unprecedented complexity, a task which was the result of her two years’ worth of concentration and effort.

If her previous life was simply to be a strange tale, Yukari would demand her own self to be described, and not some pretender assuming her name and identity.

In her previous life, her thinking was shrouded by a mysterious consciousness, and she, as if being compelled and manipulated, sleepwalked through her short life of prescribed maliciousness, sadism, ruthlessness, mercilessness, hatred, greed, lunacy and vanity.

That life was not hers, and she would not allow people to know her by some ill-conceived assumptions.

The spell was complete, and Yukari slowly sang an enchantment, sending her spirit to the world where Hitomi resided, through the matrix that combined the wisdom of millennia.

There sat Hitomi, in a tiny apartment, plainly furnished, located by a noisy major street, and she was writing down her dream for a novel contest.

“With superb skillfulness, Midori cast the elaborate spell that dampened Kagami’s talent, which would also, for the next two years, gradually reduce Kagami’s capacity for sword, magic and alchemy to a painful nil.”

Seeing that Hitomi was about to describe how ‘Yukari’ would find joy in seeing Kagami be overcome with agony, Yukari’s spirit quickly halted Hitomi by telepathy, and planted a short sentence into Hitomi’s head:

“She would not; that is beneath her.”

Hitomi was shocked. A character in her short story had come alive, and was taking on a life of her own. Hitomi debated whether she would keep true to the dream she actually had, or would she respect the will of a character.

After much mental debate, the real Yukari proved triumphant.

“That changes everything. I was going to just write down that dream, but now I don’t even know what the ending will be. I just found out about the novel contest on the last day of August, and have less than a month to write it all out. Now what...” Hitomi sighed. “I wonder how Yukari would cast her spell then...”

Like giving stage direction, Yukari spoke commands into Hitomi’s mind, changing the story a little at a time.

‘Yukari’ would put Kagami to sleep before invading Kagami’s consciousness to erase her memory.

‘Yukari’ would not brand Kagami’s heart with a scorching spell.

‘Yukari’ did not find delight in the misery of others.

As to what Ryō did with Kagami’s soul, Yukari’s spirit did not intervene. Whether Ryō would make a fragment of Kagami’s soul into a toy to indulge in her cruel fancies did not concern Yukari. Yukari did not bother to care about Ryō, or Kagami for that matter; she was indifferent to them. Ryō was an efficient soldier in her forces, contributing her usefulness toward furthering Yukari’s ambition, and that was what mattered.

A few days later, Hitomi was about to write the part where Arashi would marry Akishi’s younger brother. Yukari’s spirit intervened, surprisingly. Having fought Arashi in battle, Yukari held Arashi’s strength, and Arashi's respect for her noble sword, in high regard; the ultimate arts of sword, magic, and alchemy demanded respect like royalty, and Yukari cared more for these noble arts than she did for humans.

“Arashi only loves her sword. Do not defile her with a marriage.” Yukari’s command sounded in Hitomi’s mind.

“Oh, great. Now the whole story runs the risk of falling to pieces. No marriage, no special infant girl, then no sudden attack from Himeyama. I don’t have a story anymore.” Hitomi felt rather sad and was in despair.

“I demand Kageyama to submit because I desire so. Not out of greed. I shall reign by my unmatched powerful command of magic, and by my virtues of delighting in no pain and judging each equally.” Yukari’s firm speech entered Hitomi.

“Why does every stereotypical antagonist want to reign over the world?!” Hitomi shouted out loud, “It’s a lot of work to establish administration to properly operate the world, and these characters can somehow only think of ‘I have military supremacy, thus I deserve to reign’, instead of what is their actual plan in governing it. From Himiko Jō’Ō Heika in the anime Ikki Tousen, to Nagi denka in MaiOtome, to Lord Enorume in Mahou Shōjō ni Akogarete... What do all these characters want? Reign over the world; all shall kneel and worship and submit and obey... Then what? Balanced budget? Free higher education for all ages? Better pension system? Suitable work opportunity for all people including those with various disabilities? A more advanced health care system that provides what people need while reducing wasted resources by carefully discerning what would be merely ‘wants’? An intelligently set up system of crown corporations to generate revenue for the state, lessening the dependence on income tax, without stifling the private business sector? How to fight wildfires and floods and other disasters without draining resources due to the upkeep of a large special force? How to monitor the performance of government staff yet not encouraging irresponsible spending, nor scaring officials into inaction due to overly severe scrutiny? Couldn’t these ‘masterminds’ put more thoughts into their actual government plan??? Or are they simply going to copy the precedent of ancient empires by sending trusted military generals to be lords and governors, only to have them usurp the throne later, or to be mini-kings that divide and devour the emperor’s authority???”

“Urgh...” Hitomi lounged on a recliner. “Sure, I will write a new ending. But I’m tired of this ‘I have supreme strength thus I am meant to reign’ mentality. I’m taking away all power and capacity and talent and prestige from the Five. They will become commoners, with zero gift in magic.”

Hitomi thought of what the Five would be like, and her thoughts were read by Yukari’s spirit.

Yukari incurred hatred of her pack of elites as they lost all their strength. In a great outburst of rage, the four of them turned on her, and killed her.

A new ending appeared in Yukari’s mind, as Hitomi contemplated how to conclude the story. Yukari was enraged: why did Hitomi want her killed in the first place?

Hitomi’s annoying train of thought did not end there. Furious, Yukari saw in Hitomi’s mind that the new ending being devised now somehow includes Ryō in a ‘happily ever after’:

“

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[Author’s note]

[vocabulary: rin means cold wind, arashi means storm, ryō means a long narrow piece of fine sink, around 15 cm by 2.4 m, that often was used for strangling, tying, or binding someone. By the way, Yukari, which I have chosen the character for purple, is usually the reading of a different character, which means Karma of Causation.]

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I am Rin, I am Arashi, I am Ryō

I am the storm that envelops you, I am the silk that entangles you, I am the cage that imprisons you, I am the wintry wind that freezes you into a crystal sculpture of ice, I make you my own, I claim you for myself, for eternity.”

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How unfair! Yukari thought. Because Ryō took a fragment of Kagami's soul, she got to be in the ending -- with no punishment for the crime, either! Hitomi, in designing the story, had shown blatant favouritism.

“Stop those thoughts of nonsense!” Yukari’s spirit ordered. “If you are so concerned with being ‘right and just’, denouncing my ambition and my belief, then show equity yourself!”

It took Hitomi three days to come up with an ending that Yukari would tolerate.

In the new ending, ‘Yukari’ was shown in good light, and no longer acted as a stereotype, but in a dignified manner that Yukari’s spirit approved.

Yukari’s spirit returned to her body, which was still seated in her study at Himeyama. Pleased that she would live her own life instead of being a blindfolded caricature in a script by someone else, Yukari took out a blank scroll, and started to draft the upcoming annual budget for Himeyama Academy, dependencies, and estates, along with a revision to her ten year plan.

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That’s the end!

Thank you so much for reading!

Hitomi

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[Author’s Notes]

Anyhow, Arashi is Rin’s actual first name. We met in winter 2007, a few months after Arashi’s break up with her high school sweetheart. And I chose the name Rin for her because ‘rin’ means icy wind, which marked the day by the quiet, frozen lake, and in 2009 the relationship ended. Arashi herself described her fancies as “malicious hobbies” (akushumi). We last spoke in summer 2014. Needless to say, she didn’t come to my wedding.

The dream with the self-proclaimed witch happened in 2011, the same year I was in Ireland and the UK. I don’t know whether “Use lethal forces lethally” is still the first lesson of the Northern Ireland Police Department. It was when I was there. All the herring talk is real.

I’m not sure if Enshuu Hachiro Ryuu of kendo survived to this day. It may have been absorbed into other styles or might be entirely lost. It only has three forms, which are aimed at the sides of the neck, the abdomen, or the back of the neck. My granduncle (born 1947) lost his only child three years ago, at that time his sole grandchild was still six. He has become very frail since the passing of his son, so I don’t think it’s possible to keep the art alive in my family.

O Gladsome Light (Phos Hilaron in Greek, Lumen Hilare in Latin) chanted in Syriac (which is Aramaic, Jesus’s native tongue) should be readily available on Youtube.

What is the gem colour that Hitomi personally thinks fits herself best? Lapis lazuli and aquamarine.

When it comes to anime, I really like Kannazuki no Miko, MaiHiME, MaiOtome, Koihime Musou, and these are the ones with fighting. Whereas Tonari no Kyuuketsuki is just super sweet. Magica Madoka...when IS the movie finally coming out??? Mahou Shoujou ni Akogarete, [heeheehee *giggles*]

My favourite voice actresses include Shindō-Naomi-san, Tanaka-Rie-san, Yukana-san, Nakahara-Mai-san, Chiba-Saeko-san, Koshimizu-Ami-san, Ino’u’e-Kikuko-san [In the anime Killing Slime for 300 years, Ms.Inoue gave voice to goddess MegaMega, at approximately the age of 60! Could anyone tell!?!?]

Reader's question: Why were Arashi and Akishi mourning Kagami's death? We didn't see any great close relationship between them.

Answer:

It was mentioned that Kageyama was like everyone's family, because graduates usually stayed beyond instead of going away to seek employment. Due to the small number of recruits every year, Kagami was still viewed as a member of the big family, despite her decline in ability. For Arashi, her initial complaint during the emergency staff meeting was that the staff were being cowards. Arashi went to take on Himeyama by herself to try to get her alma mater out of trouble, so seeing Kagami sacrificing her entire being in a courageous act to save Kageyama deeply moved Arashi.

Akishi is the warmest character in the entire story and she really enjoyed having Kagami as her "little sister." Akishi put in considerable effort to help Kagami find meaning again after she withdrew from all academic studies. She invested considerable emotional energy towards Kagami.

Reader's question: Did the mini theaters really happen? What was that about?

Answer:

No, mini theatres were mutually exclusive about what happened; they did not happen; they were just interesting thoughts when writing the story.

Reader's question: Who did you write this story for?

Answer:

In the beginning, I took this opportunity to write down the dream that I always wanted to record. I had trouble typing it for myself back in February, as I kept returning to archaic literary language, so this Isekai novel contest was a kickstart to bring me finally to complete the task. However, by chapter 9, Yukari took over, and it's safe to say that by this point the story is a goal in and of itself.

Who's your favorite character?

Answer: I would say Arashi and Yukari. They are very much alike. They understood each other, and they respected each other. I started the novel for Arashi. The novel became what it is now because of Yukari. I will have to say both are my favourite characters. In fact, Rin, the grown up version of Arashi, looks very similar to Yukari.