Come to think of it, Ayumi would have never known of this story if it was not for the two princesses appearance, the princesses that chose to follow their natural duties and disappear from the human's world before the light of their queen was reborn along with her will bedding them to end the fight that was not delivered its end properly. If Ayumi wins this fight, if she defeats Laila and avenge Amaterasu by killing Noboru and sealing evil forever, will she be remembered? Will this battle, taking place on the borders between two worlds, one of mortals, the other of supreme beings, even be known or remembered?
Thoughts weighing heavily upon her chest, the girl only found consolation by affirming one particular something.
"But her ashes… they still remain... right?"
"Of course. I have never moved them."
Reiha entered the once red coated, gold painted shrine, standing on pillars rising as high as waves calling to the celestial heavens, now only a barely standing hut, scrapped together by single hands, Reiha's, from what few logs that managed to survive the change in time and weather, pertaining to the original grave. Followed by the other two, the princess's of the wind eyes immediately fell on a urn made of clay, put securely on a shelf with a protective charm. Of the grand alter carved of marble and gold that once stood to receive the offerings of praying people and hold their wishes and reflect her guidance, a piece of white marble, few centimeters in length, shattered during a successful robbery attempt, was all that is left. The golden bars and coins have disappeared as well, and not a humble bowel of rice was in sight.
"People carved a golden urn for her ashes disregarding her wishes, they thought this was a sign of respect. These foolish humans, had they truly respected her, they would have had honored her wishes and her urn would never have been stolen."
"Stolen?"
Ayumi asked in shock, irritating Chiyasu even further, who replied with visible anger.
"Do you think she was laid into an urn made of clay? Her urn was golden and bejeweled… stupid human… they fought the priestess's will and created it, then did not fight the urge to steal it! Seriously, I have no idea why Noriko would be still concerned with protecting them, even from beyond this life!"
"At least someone had the decency to remove the ashes and place them somewhere else and put a protective charm over them instead of selling them as spiritual devices or spells."
Reiha remarked as she was checking the place, with touches light as a feather, as the slightest pressure seemed to doom the place to collapse completely while Ayumi was left nauseous by the idea of selling someone's ashes.
"Are we sure these are even her ashes!"
Chiyasu looked over the urn with uncertain eyes, but the soothing aura that whiffed out of the urn washed all her doubts away. Despite its saddening condition, the place still emanated with a pure calm atmosphere, the priestess's spirit still providing calmness and reassurance for travelers and passersby.
"Maybe this simple urn truly suits her best. Clay to clay, that what humans are, born out of it, and returned to it."
Ayumi pondered over these words. In some religions, the first human was created out of clay in god's image, and indeed all humans decay back into dust and mud. These thoughts of immanency of death and the meaning of someone's legacy fed the emptiness dwelling in her heart even more without filling it, on the contrary that emptiness expanded into a deeper anxious darkness. If she still had not find for herself a purpose, then maybe honoring the queen and her priestess's wishes were her purpose; a selfless pure intention that she became happy to acknowledge upon seeing how fleet a life and its remembrance could be.
"I have visited this place several times but never have I sensed an evil aura… there is nothing here. Are you sure she said that she had sealed the sword here?"
Reiha asked after an hour of searching and looking for a strange or ill aura to no avail and Ayumi responded with certainty.
"I am sure… she said to look for it in her shrine, and that she had sealed it before her death!"
"Her body was burned, could be that the sword was burnt with it? Then it is already destroyed!"
"No, I don't recall a sword was burnt with her."
Reiha dismissed Chiyasu's theory leaving the latter to wonder in irritation:
"What, you were there at her funeral?"
"I was."
Ayumi looked at the two princesses, shifting her gaze between the two of them, how distant did the princess of the earth became after Amaterasu's death? Then, an idea flashed in Reiha's mind. She turned to Ayumi interrupting her guesses and thoughts.
"You said she told that she had died while sealing the sword?"
"Yes."
"Maybe she took it to the afterlife with her!"
"Then she would not have asked us to destroy it! It would have been destroyed already!"
Chiyasu butted in, running out of patience. She could flip the place with a single finger click and unearth any hidden sealed weapons, but of course she could not do so out of "respect the deceased" and this whole searching process grew frustrating and unnecessarily long so she directed her anger at Ayumi, as usual.
"You, cannot you sense an evil aura or something? Can you feel anything unusual? How useless are you with your powers?"
"I am sorry but I cannot sense anything!"
Ayumi half angry, half frustrated answered. Chiyasu was rude indeed, but also right.
"You know, your theory is absolutely correct!"
A chirping voice joined in, not belonging to any of three princesses and they instantly recognized the voice. It was indeed so annoying and even more inconvenient to hear it again so soon.
"Laila!"
Ayumi exclaimed, wielding her specter as the princess of darkness manifested inside the shrine, making the other two princesses fly into a fighting stance.
"I am not wielding my weapon inside this graveyard. Do not you know it is disrespectful to disturb the dead?"
Laila casually dropped the comment, enraging them in a second as Ayumi yelled at her.
"You are one to speak! Princess of the darkness!"
Laila threw a bored stare at her, as if having the guts to claim that people always assume the worst of her, but really how not to? It was all in the name. Any sane person would be right to assume the worst of her but nevertheless, Laila continued explaining:
"The princess of the wind is not wrong. Noriko died trying to seal the weapon, wishing to take it to the afterlife as she failed to destroy it. Yet that sword was not hers, it did not respond to her command and power and thus remained stuck between the border of this world and the next. Neither belonging to the living nor to the dead."
"So Noriko assumed it remained here, in her shrine?"
Chiyasu finished the story and Laila nodded in agreement. At this rate, the battle was unavoidable as Laila was definitely here to claim the evil sword. The two princesses prepared to leave the shrine and drag Laila along as roots slowly filled the place to capture her. Still she refused to unsheathe her giant ax wondering in her childish manner.
"Really, why fight over nothing? At least let us reach the prize first then fight over it!"
"And how do you propose to reach the border between the living and the dead? I will personally send you there as a scout!"
Chiyasu mocked her openly, directing her roots like preying snakes to surround the princess of the darkness, but the latter remained unfazed even as the roots made their way around her ankles.
"It is way too simple. All it takes is a wish."
"A wish?"
Ayumi asked, the idea of visiting the border between this world and the next dawning on her and terrifying her bit by bit.
"A wish for death."
Reiha furrowed her eyebrows, fearing a foul play. Chiyasu was silent, as if the words had gained her attention, even her roots stopped midway.
"Unfortunately, I have no such wish. Neither you two…"
The princess of the darkness said pointing at Ayumi and Reiha, before she went on:
"And my companion's wishes cannot be heard or attained so that leaves us with one person who wishes thus and luckily she is here!"
"Your companion? Is that Noboru?"
Reiha furiously demanded, but Laila was not interested in talking anymore. She had laid the trap she came for, successfully offering the bait. Her gaze was now fixed at the princess of the earth whose roots suddenly disappeared, as if her defenses were all gone, suddenly and unexpectedly. Realizing who this person was Ayumi ran toward Chiyasu as if to protect her and Reiha turned at her ready to stop any stupid move. But the princess of the earth simply uttered:
"Are you saying you can grant this wish for anyone?"
"Chiyasu!!"
Ayumi screamed in terror, why would such a powerful semi – eternal being wish for death? For that unanswered question, for that dreadful darkness and deafening silence?
Laila smiled, and along her alluring charm the ominous click of that box was heard again.
Chiyasu needed not utter her wish, the longing residing in her heart was enough to trigger the spell and in a moment everything fell into a silent darkness.