Fragment 11. Origin

A long long time ago, lived a miko. This miko was different from other miko. She did not only serve to lead rituals and maintain the balance of the shrine, but also acted as an intermediary between the human world and the spirit world. On many occasions, spiritual beings came to her—not as enemies, but as beings seeking help.

Lost spirits, souls that had not yet managed to deliver their final messages, and beings who had lost their place in the old world—all found peace after meeting the Miko. She was loved not only by humans, but also by spiritual beings.

However, that peace did not last forever.

As time passed, the balance between the human world and the spirit world began to break. Humans grew more greedy. They destroyed nature, cut down forests, and started wars.

Human greed and selfishness filled the world with negative energy. This negative energy not only drove humans to cause even more destruction on the earth, but also polluted environments that were supposed to be safe havens for various beings. Areas exposed to large amounts of negative energy slowly turned into nests for evil spirits. Meanwhile, the souls of those killed on the battlefield were unable to rest peacefully and eventually turned into vengeful spirits.

A world now filled with evil beings caused spiritual creatures to lose their homes. They lacked the power to fight against the increasingly powerful evil spirits, forcing them to abandon their original lands and flee to the only place considered safe—the shrine where the Miko resided.

With her shrine becoming a refuge for spiritual beings, the Miko’s daily life grew increasingly busy. The shrine that was once peaceful turned into a temporary shelter for various beings who had lost their homes. Conflicts frequently broke out, as many individuals lived together under pressure and fear. Moreover, almost every day, evil spirits came to invade their only sanctuary. But fortunately, there was the Miko, who always broke up conflicts, took care of and nurtured the spiritual beings, and warded off evil spirits.

Even so, the Miko also had her limits. She was no different from an ordinary human.

Every night, when the shrine finally fell silent, she sat alone in the quiet. Her body bore marks of battles that she could not always heal. When she removed her clothes, her body was covered in black smoke—the remnants of battles with all the evil spirits that had attacked.

Not only physically, but she was also mentally exhausted. She carried the burden of endless complaints. She helped many and became a place for all beings to find peace, yet there was no place for her to find her own peace.

Little by little, her strength was drained. It reached its peak when an extremely powerful evil spirit appeared. This spirit was the strongest she had ever fought, and even she herself was unsure if she could defeat it. Even so, she could not give up. She was the last line of defense they had. If she falls, then all the beings behind her would become victims.

However, determination alone was not enough to win the battle. When she was on the verge of defeat, one of the beings she protected stepped forward to protect the Miko.

That creature was small and furry, with a round body and black eyes shining like marbles. It was not the strongest, in fact his species is one of the weakest. Yet it was the first to step forward when the Miko was in danger, as if its courage was far greater than its body.

“Ponko, what are you doing?!”

“Please absorb me and use my power!”

“What are you saying?! I won’t absorb you! What if you die?!”

The creature named Ponko refused any compromise and forced its way into the Miko’s body. They even struggled as the Miko tried to force Ponko out, but Ponko did everything it could to stay.

The Miko possessed a power as a medium. In other words, she could serve as a vessel for spirits. With this ability, she could allow wandering souls to say their farewells to their loved ones, enable spiritual beings to do things they could never do in their astral bodies, and more.

The greatest of all was her ability to absorb spiritual beings and use their powers as her own. However, if she overextended and drained all the energy of the being she absorbed, she would kill that being and cause it to disappear without a trace.

As someone with a noble heart, of course the Miko never abused this power of hers. Using others for her own benefit was something that never crossed her mind. Therefore, she firmly rejected the offer to absorb the beings she protected.

But while they were still arguing, the enemy attacked. Creatures like Ponko were weak in offense, but among the strongest in defense. They could inflate themselves like pufferfish and use their fur-covered bodies to absorb damage from incoming attacks. By using that power, the Miko survived the deadly blow of the human-bodied, bull-headed monster.

Even after absorbing another being, the battle did not become easy. The difference in power between them was too great, and the Miko could only endure.

Witnessing the heart-wrenching battle, other beings stepped forward and offered themselves to be absorbed by the Miko. Then more and more beings began volunteering themselves. They felt guilty for forcing the Miko they loved to sacrifice herself to protect them. Driven by the same feeling—their love for the Miko—all the spiritual beings present entered her body.

The Miko, focused on surviving, could not stop them except by shouting for them to stop. Naturally, her cries of frustration went unheard as one being after another filled her.

When nothing remained in that place except the Miko and the evil spirit, her body began to steam. Smoke poured out of her like freshly steamed sweet potatoes. Not only her aura, but her physical form also changed. Her pupils narrowed into vertical slits, her fangs grew long, scales covered parts of her skin, her feet became hooves, and a pair of wings sprouted from her back.

After absorbing countless spirits, the Miko could no longer remain human. She transformed into a terrifying monster. But as scary as it looks, her power increased dramatically.

She suddenly vanished and reappeared beside the head of the five-meter-tall monster. She kicked with her hooved leg, sending the evil spirit flying hundreds of meters away.

With her surging strength, she mercilessly battered the evil spirit. Then, after it lay motionless, the Miko chanted a purification spell to cleanse it. The spirit still tried to resist, but it was swallowed by a pillar of light that soared into the sky before it could do anything.

After the battle, the Miko collapsed and lost consciousness. When she awoke, she found herself surrounded by spiritual beings. They all cheered joyfully, seeing that the Miko they loved was safe.

The Miko was swept up in the atmosphere and rejoiced with them. After all, they had defeated a powerful enemy. But then she realized that their numbers had decreased. In other words, she had absorbed and killed the very beings she was supposed to protect. Despite the victory they achieved, the Miko could not rejoice.