literature

Master's Spark 8: The Light and Dark of Fate

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Marisa shielded her eyes with an arm as a blinding flash of light erupted at the Hakurei shrine. As the brightness gradually dimmed, she gazed into the center, a smile growing upon her face as she saw the figure within.

Mima looked from side to side, confused, as she floated in place in front of the shrine. She caught sight of Marisa and Reimu standing side by side a small distance away, Marisa's smile dwarfing Reimu's grin. "You're freeing me?" the ghost finally asked.

Reimu simply nodded. "You've had your time to find yourself. Have you?"

Mima hesitated to hesitate, unsure how to act.

Though Mima could not put her feelings into words, Reimu felt the change in her essence; it was no longer a dark aura that surrounded the ghost. Words were not needed. "We thought you might like to know what has become of your apprentice," she gestured to Marisa.

"Master!" she gleefully shouted, standing proud as she placed a knuckle against her waist, "Reimu helped me find my own intrinsic magic!"

Mima was taken aback for a second. "But you're... human. How..."

"It's a Hakurei technique passed down through the generations," Reimu added. "How else would I myself remain human?"

"Oh," Mima recalled, "yes, of course."

"She even taught me how to bind part of my own magic into items that are already enchanted, so Manipulators of Auras can't break the magical link between me and them."

Only after making an effort to check Marisa's hands for a magical weapon did Mima spot the broom in her hand, in plain sight. She lifted a limp finger at it. "That's your weapon?" she questioned somewhat mockingly.

With a feeble attempt to mask her laugh, she continued, "No, this is to help me fly; I haven't figured out how to do that with my intrinsic magic. Sometimes it feels like everyone in Gensokyo can fly but me." She grabbed the rim of her hat. "This is all I need to help me cast spells—attack spells or otherwise. I still have a lot to le—"

"Why?"

"...Well, because it's imbued with part of your essence, and let's face it, Master, you're the most powerf—"

"No," she interrupted. "Hakurei, why did you teach my own apprentice this? What if I had chosen to learn your secrets through her to destroy you?"

"'What if you had chosen.'" She turned away, proceeding to the outer front gates of the shrine. "I think that statement answers itself."

Another bright light flashed from above, before falling to the ground with a loud series of clacks. In seconds, the light materialized into Mima's own staff.

Unable to comprehend the trust that a human had placed in her, Mima remained motionless as she stared at the staff. She could easily attempt firing the staff at Reimu's turned back. Or would it be a better idea to learn of Reimu's weakness from Marisa first, and attack once she knew her staff would be unstoppable? No, these were thoughts of habit; she had no reason to attack—did she? Through her time meditating in the sealed grounds, she understood that Marisa represented humans that were genuinely kind. Reimu just now proved that not all of them were mistrusting. But were they a proper representation? Do the good even outweigh the bad? And could they even earnestly love?

Something bumped against her torso.

"I missed you, Master."

As she pushed her thoughts aside, Mima looked down to see Marisa, embracing her. Without sign of emotion, Mima slowly lifted a hand, and after a hesitation, placed it on the girl's back. Without further thought, the two embraced, and for the first time in her youkai life, Mima smiled in sincere happiness. "You too, child."


At her workbench with a new set of crystals to toy with, Yuuka experimented further toward building an even more powerful weapon, beginning again with her old Hakkero. There was no client, only her own drive to free the Lunarian girl she had fated into servitude to the Scarlets. To think she ever trusted Remilia when she said the girl would be treated well. The girl's memories no longer even existed; Remilia may as well have killed the poor child.

Yuuka tossed the Hakkero aside and pulled open a drawer, unsuccessful at locating what she sought. She continued with several more drawers before shouting, "Elly!"

The gatekeeper arrived just before half of the drawers could be thrown to the floor in rage. "Miss Kazami, what—"

"The Hakkero that Mima paid me with—where is it?"

She paused for a moment in fear and concern. "...It's right in front of you, Miss Kazami."

Yuuka quickly darted her attention to the center of the table, and there in front of her sat the Hakkero in plain sight, right next to the one she had just discarded. She grasped it vigorously.

"Miss Kazami, are you feeling well? You don't seem to be yourself."

Yuuka's attention remained glued to the Hakkero she held in both hands. "Yes, this will work just fine," she grinned. "The Hakkero is flawless, so much easier to transfer energy than my cruddy old one. And all that potential to store energy... It's marvelous..."

"Miss—"

"Leave now, Elly," she promptly interrupted.

Realizing that her attempts to get through to her would be futile, Elly obliged with a bow of goodbye before returning to her post at the front gate. "Please, take care."

As soon as she was out of sight, Yuuka took hold of the four crystals in her right hand, forcing the full extent of their combined power into the Hakkero. A bright light emanated from the carvings of the Hakkero, nearly blinding her in their glorious power. Her smile grew more and more crooked as she began to laugh.


Snap.


When Yuuka awoke, she found the mansion intact, and half of the Hakkero in her hand. A great headache aside, she felt unscathed; the Hakkero must have contained the explosion despite breaking into two. She turned to her left, and after a double-take, stared in shock.

Beside her lay a replica of herself, sound asleep. Or was she herself the replica? With little thought, she touched the other Yuuka's hand, and the sleeping clone vanished.

"Miss Kazami!" Elly returned in a hurry. "I heard an explosion!"

Yuuka looked to Elly, and back down at the floor where her left hand once held... her left hand. She looked back to Elly. "Tell me honestly, Elly. Am I going mad?"

Elly paused before observing the room and offering a quiet laugh. "Perhaps I am, too."

"No, the explosion happened." She quickly skimmed the room. "It did. Right when I—" she interrupted herself, staring into her palm. "I need to get more."

"I'm sorry?"

"More crystals," she stood, making her way to the door, gently shoving Elly aside as she blindly walked out of her mansion and toward Remilia's.

Elly was about to call out to her, when for a split second, she saw Yuuka duplicate into two and phase back into one again.


"I must refuse," Remilia told her.

"Excuse me?" Yuuka muttered from the door to the tea room.

"I cannot allow you to come into contact with any more of the crystals in your... current state."

"What 'current state'? Am I diseased now or something?" she shouted.

"Miss Kazami, please ha—"

"I'm not sitting down."

Remilia eyed her for a moment. "Very well, I will be concise then," she placed her teacup aside to interlock her fingers. "I'm afraid you have been over-exposed to Flandre's aura, that which has been contained in the crystals. Her insanity is working its way into your own mind. I've had my suspicions before, but your actions have now confirmed my fears."

"I'm perfectly sane, Miss Scarlet," she replied as daintily as possible, without a sign of refinement.

"If you're requesting more crystals, that means you've accessed all eight within these past several months. That is a large amount of her energy you've had exposure to in such a short period of time."

"Six," she stated.

"Six?"

"One of them chipped the first day I got them, and another got lost in an explosion a month later."

"Oh dear," she delicately placed a thumbnail onto her lips.

"What?"

"Along with magical exposure, you've been in physical contact with her aura all this time, too..."

"I don't care," Yuuka finally blurted, "I'll worry about my own well-being. Just name your price and sell me more crystals."

She raised her eyes to Yuuka, and removed her thumb from her mouth. "I'm sorry, but I simply must refuse. Even if I selfishly set aside your well-being, our contract is complete; I owe you no more, and I now see I can no longer risk offering them to outside parties. I do hope you understand."

Yuuka snapped, raising her parasol to Remilia. "You little..."

The cold sting of a knife's blade rested against her throat.

"You have overstayed your welcome," the maid's voice murmured from behind.

Yuuka lowered her parasol, her face grimacing. "You stupid child." As soon as the knife was lifted from her neck, she elbowed her way out of the hold, and peacefully made her way to the front door. "Fine. You've sealed your own fate now."
Prologue | Part 7 | Part 9

Google Docs version


Credits:
- Written by me
- Based on the Touhou Project universe and characters of Jun'ya "ZUN" Ota
© 2012 - 2024 Apkinesis
Comments3
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I'm starting to get worried for Yuuka.

Awesome story.