Chapter 6

“Okay, let me explain it briefly. You know of the folklore legends of the six Protogoni, don’t you?”

I slowly nod.

“Okay, those are real.”

I nod again. Normally I would have denied those words coming from this strange and unknown woman, but after directly meeting Lady Death I don’t think I can bring up the willpower to deny the Protogoni in any way ever again.

“They wander around and sometimes come in contact with us mortals. And then they can bless us. That's what Aomade was mentioning earlier on. If you are blessed by a Protogoni, you have a blessing. Simple, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Okay, those blessings make you different. They bring you nearer to the godhood and core existence that the Protogoni embody and can thus use special powers. The people who are blessed are called Blessed. Still simple, right?”

She doesn’t give me enough time to reply.

“As there are six Protogoni, there are six core blessings. The Blessing of Light, the Blessing of Darkness, the Blessing of Fate, the Blessing of Time, the Blessing of Love and - last but not least - the Blessing of Death.

All of those six have similar core traits, but the way they actually manifested themselves is different for each person. For example, both Aki and Aomade here posses a Blessing of Light. Despite that, it is very different.

Aki can absorb light and form it through concentrating it and forming it in a way she knows. Aomade on the other hand can greatly enhance the light in a certain area and thus blind people. He can even hurt people if they are stupid enough to walk directly into the concentrated area through burning them. Still still simple, right?”

“Uhhh…”

“Okay, each power is unique, but some people are blessed more strongly than others. Their powers are stronger most of the time… However, there is also a special kind of people. Those who are blessed by not one Protogoni, but by multiple. Those are extremely rare though.”

I scratch my head. But don’t worry, I still follow! I only scratch my head because it itches!

“Any questions?”

“Uhhh… Don’t think so, no.”

“So?” Aomade looked at me. “What’s your answer now? Are you a Blessed?”

“I… don’t think I am.”

“Bullshit!” The guy stares at me. Taya Hanebana keeps going.

“You know about Yokai, right?”

“Yeah, of course I do.”

“Good. You also know about the thing you two fought back there?”

“The Ushitora? Yeah, I do.”

“Good… Then you also know that the Ushitora is an A-Rank yokai. Defeating one isn’t an easy task… Especially not killing it with one single blow.”

Aomade interrupted her.

“Not easy my ass! It's impossible for most Blessed even!”

Taya Hanebana waved her hand as if to tell me to shut up.

“What my dear Aomade says is true though. Defeating one should be impossible for someone who isn’t Blessed… Especially if it’s a normal person like you… You are normal. right? You don’t train every day, doing 100 push-ups, 100 squats and running 10 kilometers, right?”

“Uhhh.. I don’t?”

“Strange, very strange indeed! Then you must be a Blessed!”

“Not that I-”

I stop.

“Well, maybe your parents sacrificed and prayed for you when you were young or even prior to your birth? That's how I became a Blessed, y'know?" Aki looks at me.

Taya Hanebana stretches.

“Once we are at the academy we can test it. Shouldn’t be that hard to find out…”

Unnecessary. That’s unnecessary. I already know the answer:

Lady Death. When I met Lady Death, she has blessed me. That is the truth behind my blessing.

“I… think I might have been Blessed by Lady Death.”

None of the other three say anything. After some time passes Aomade says something.

“Lady Death, blessing someone? A normal person like you? Nah… Nah, she never blesses anyone. The only other person there is would be Doctor Itu…”

“Well, it's not impossible though… After all, he is a survivor of a Poem of Death, after all.”

“He’d still be the first in… what, 40 years?” “Still possible though.” “Surviving a Poem of Death is extremely rare on its own! Being blessed right after must be next to impossible, don’t you think?” “Next to impossible… is not impossible. It’s still possible.” “You know that’s absurd, right?”

I interrupt them.

“Sorry, but… what exactly is a ‘Poem of Death’?”

All three of them look at me for a while, then Aomade and Aki look at their teacher. Taya Hanebane sighs, then she proceeds.

“Okay… Uhh… A Poem of Death is… Uhh… Basically, every 13 months Lady Death writes a small poem. Whenever this happens, a tragedy hits. This tragedy can vastly vary. It can be the death of a single animal… But it’s something way worse most of the time. Events like the destruction of your village, for example, are pretty common and the standard difficulty of those tragedies. It can also be worse… It is rumored that the Great War itself was originally caused by a Poem of Death as well, but that’s mostly a rumor.

The poem itself gives a vague clue regarding the location and difficulty of the tragedy. Well… The most recent tragedy seems to have unfortunately chosen your village and its people.”

It took me a while to understand her words.

What had just happened was a common occurrence. Lady Death did something like it every 13 months. Sometimes she does even worse. And this just… continues to happen.

But I don’t want that. I don’t want a tragedy like this to ever fall upon anyone else. I don’t want to accept that. I can’t accept that. I won’t accept that.