E2: Spirit Woes

A young, bright-minded girl woke up from her bed a week ago, skipping to the window and taking a breath of the fresh summer air. Her hair got blown by the wind carrying itself into her window, flowing around the few objects that can be moved. "I love this time!" She exclaimed, walking out and embracing the wind like an old friend. It was this time of year she always waited for, through the snow and through the flowers. Through the heat, and through the downpour that sprints through. All for watching the fruits of plant growth finally coming to reality, as seeds turn to various foods to pluck from the stems and ground.

She skipped away from her home, her feet landing on cool dirt while she traveled down to the village orchard. "Hello, Anna!" She yelled to the quiet how she passed. The curtains parted just enough for two green eyes to glare at her. "Are you ready for another great harvest season?" asked Anna. Seemingly grumpy, Anna closed back the blinds, retreating inside without even joining her in her barefoot adventure. She shrugged it off though, continuing on her trip towards the Orchard. Possibly a blooming flower could be waiting for her!

She came across a caravan, heading with bushels of hay and livestock to her village. She waved at them as they passed, but each of the horse directors was focused on keeping the horses in line. "If only they had something that could push itself, so they would say hi," she said to herself, seeing a yellow orb drop from one of the backs. "Wait!" she yelled, picking up the orb. Aside from a bit of dirt, it seemed perfectly fine, and pulsed in her hand. "This looks like one of those fortune balls that tellers use," she assumed, staring into it to see if she could see her future. Of course, most balls were for tricks, so she had no such luck. She silently swore and started running after the horses. Since they were trading, they stopped near the fields, talking to others while some started to let the livestock off and unload hay. She sneakily tucked the orb back into one of the caravans and went along with her day.

She was back on schedule to see the flowers! And this time, no weird magical orb stopped her. Her dress found itself grazing along elbow-high blades of wheat. She sat under various trees, staring up at the apples that were just starting to grow and ripen. She stepped on stray leaves from various potato plants. She sat in front of the grape bushes, just watching as if they were her children on a playground. No local that walked by thought it was out of the ordinary. The girl did this each year, dedicating entire days to checking the progress of everything grown. Some even talked about her as an omen; that if she stopped visiting the plants, not enough things will be ripe and ready for plucking come fall.

It is a superstition, but so far, nothing had happened to prove the notion wrong. She watched and explored until she had grown tired, and went back to her home to freshen up. When she came back to her door, she found that same orb at her doorstep, pulsing all the same as before. "That's strange, I thought I gave it back," she said, picking it up once again. The yellow orb pulsed harder, almost visibly vibrating in her palm. She stepped outside and went to the nearest tree, setting it down and hurrying back inside her room. She entered her bathing room. She stopped cold, seeing the glowing yellow orb sitting on the ground before her. She got worried, picking up the orb and quickly throwing it out of the window. "Stay there!" she said. The orb, still pulsing, rolled back to the window she threw it from, and up the wall back into the house. She picked it up and ran out of her house, near screaming the entire way.

"Anna!" she said, sliding to a stop in front of the shut-in's house. An irritated "What!?" came from Anna.

"I need your help!" she said. The door opened a bit later, showing a white-hair and short girl looking up at the orb-holder. If the first lady's hair was unkempt, Anna's looked like a hurricane had blown through her room. Her jade eyes gave an annoyed look. "It is too early for any nonsense Mizuki," she said.

"But Anna, look!" Mizuki showed her the orb. "It's some sort of glowing ball!"

"It could be a crystal ball, and a fancy one at that…" Anna said, making an attempt to take it out of her hand. However, it stuck to Mizuki like glue, pulling her with the orb into Anna. "Ouch!" she said. "Stop that, it hurts my hand!"

"Is the devil's glue on this thing?" Anna said, letting go of the orb. Mizuki shook the orb-holding hand, holding it while the pain went back down. Anna put a hand on her back as an apology. "Sorry, but why is the orb sticking to you so much?" she said.

"I don't know!" Mizuki whined. "It just wouldn't leave my hand no matter what!" She tried pulling herself, only to watch it pop cleanly off of her palm. Anna looked stunned, trying to pull it from its new perch on her palm. Mizuki started yelling in pain once more and Anna relented, giving her a moment to wait out the stings. "It seems to only like you," Anna said. "Where did you even find this?"

"It dropped off a wagon," Mizuki recalled. "I wanted to give it back, but-"

"WHY WOULD YOU PICK THAT UP?" Anna said not calmly. "You're cursed now, that's what it is. "

"I wanted to return it, honest. Is it really that bad to want to do something nice?"

"I guess not." Anna folded her arms and sat down on a seat. "But now you are cursed because of it. Idiot."

"Maybe it is a good curse. It will give me the ability to talk to nature!"

"Or corrupt you and make you destroy our village." Anna went to the kitchen, coming back with a bowl full of water. "We can try heating this up with a fire, then pour it on your hand…"

"But I can take it off!" Not wanting to burn her hand on boiling water, waved her hand rapidly through the air. With her palm outstretched, she thought she could jolt the orb off of her. However, even with its small perch on her hand, it stayed firm and didn't shake off. "It just...takes...a bit of effort…"

"Mizuki."

"We just need more hands to shake it!"

"Mizuki…."

"Please! Maybe um, um…." Anna put her hands on Mizuki's cheeks, shushing her up. "We're trying the water thing, this isn't going to work." Defeated, Mizuki nodded, not looking forward to heating up water at all. Anna took the metal bowl outside, getting someone to start a fire while Mizuki waited inside. "Why can't you just come off?" She said to the pulsing orb. "I don't want to burn my hand, but now you won't leave my arm….sigh, not like you'll listen anyways…"

"It is imperative that you don't separate us!" Went a voice in her head. Mizuki's head darted around, looking for someone that could be hiding behind a wall or furniture. "W-what?"

"You are the successor I was looking for," the voice said again. "This orb is the only way we can communicate. It took a while to fully bond to your spirit…."

"But who are you?" Mizuki said, opening the door to check for Anna. She was nowhere in view, meaning she had time before her hands will be tortured in hot water. "I'm flattered you would ask. I am a yokai spirit; one that has looked over your domain for centuries. I control the winds and the soil, the rain, and the fires, all that lets your crops bloom when the leaves turn golden…"

"It always did feel a bit superstitious…"

"Indeed. However, like all things on this land, I am not permanent. My power has been waning Mizuki…I need a new vessel to take on my powers, a new yokai to perform my duties."

"But aren't you a spirit?"

"Spirits may seem immortal, but not invincible. I was created by this world, and the world has urged me to move on." The glowing orb started to roll up Mizuki's arm. "Aii!" Mizuki said, caught off guard by the tickling on her wrist. The orb seemed undisturbed, slowly going on top of her head to sit. "Come now, I must train you before it's too late."

"W-what? But I can't leave now. I need to tell Anna!"

"You can inform her after you have finished, but we must go now. I sense a presence approaching, and a mass of boiling water approaching."

"That is Anna..oh no, she's gonna try to separate us!" Mizuki started pacing around, looking for an escape route. "Maybe the window…."

"That seems to be the best choice right now, but just to ensure." The golden orb sunk into her head without warning, making her woozy while it seeped into the insides of her body. Her nerves, her blood vessels, and the very fabric of her body were taken by the voice. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, replaced by two golden silts for eyes. "Now there is nothing stopping us," the voice said authoritively, taking her captive's body and diving through a closed window. The glass shattered to the floor as she broke her landing with her arms, picked herself up, and ran away.

Anna opened the door soon after, escorted by a gruff man holding the hot water. "Alright Mizuki, I realized that if we did it quickly, we could…Mizuki?"

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The spirit-possessed gal ran into a dense forest, her feet crinkling the leaves that were the first to fall from their trees. She ran at full speed the entire time, defying the limits of her body until she reached a yard tucked into the forest. Her feet touched cobblestone as she walked into the area, surrounded by dozens of stone statues made in the yokai's honor. Each one was a different symbol, etched out by what appeared to be a master of sculpting. Weeds and flowers grew within the cracks of the yard, showing their age.

Once her eyes rolled back to normal, her body collapsed onto the stone ground. It was no longer powered by the yokai, desperately needed oxygen and rest. Mizuki couldn't even talk, as her chest was busy rushing new air to replenish her body. Any attempted came out in gasps, no matter if she was breathing in or out.

"In this shape after such a small run? Rushing the matter turned out to be the right choice," the voice said again. The orb was no longer on her, but the yokai had already intertwined their spirits. At least physically. "We will need a lot more training before you can fully contain my power."

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After the extended break, Mizuki was guided inside what was supposed to be her new abode. She didn't even know how to get back to the village, but it was so buried within forest that it wouldn't even matter. Anyone who couldn't spot a path will be hopelessly lost. She stepped past two decaying statues of dragons, the moss covering their heads and the tails that winded back and forth like a whip. Past them, it did not get much better. The entire home was flat minka, with the flooring being wood and torn jute rugs. The only two rooms that weren't completely destroyed were the kitchen and her sleeping quarters. The kitchen was only barely recognizable by the coals in the central fireplace, which was more of a bowl with burnable material surrounded by a square cutoff. A pot hung from the roof, swaying gently as its support looked ready to collapse entirely.

The bedroom wasn't in better shape. What tipped her off was the comforters haphazardly on the floor. Other than that, it might as well have been a bathroom. "W-what is that smell?" Mizuki said.

"Deer dung," the voice said matter-of-factly. "Once I lost my physical form, it was...too much to use this home anymore."

"Ewwwwwww..."

"Nothing to be worried about. Once you have taken the mantle, this shrine can get back to its former glory!" The next stop was down the steps. They were originally hidden under flooring as a secret entrance, but years of decay had unveiled it to any animal that felt like going down. It led to a small room that lit up on its own, illuminating dozens, maybe hundreds of scrolls by candlelight. "This is the most sacred part of the home. Frankly, I am amazed it is still this intact," the voice admitted. "My predecessors have contributed their own records of spells and events. I have added my share of notes, and now you will have the chance to forge your own part of this room."

"It looks so full already…" Mizuki said.

"It will grow as it accumulates knowledge. Besides, making space for scrolls is not the most pressing matter right now…" Mizuki moved on to the last part of the land, the garden. It was a rock garden in actuality and one that was in terrible shape. Natural events had shifted the rocks all around and had even caused some to overflow their limits into the grass. Any relaxing things out here had been utterly destroyed.

The only thing that wasn't broken was the view. As she stepped out, she saw the forest side fall down, trees standing upright in the sloping hill. That left the sun to shine its brilliance through, making shadows that hit her and the home as it descended further west. It almost made her forget about the fact of poop being in the house. Almost.

"The light of Amaterasu blesses this land. It is the only reason it has a shred of respectable look left," the yokai said. "Mizuki, please heed my words. If I fade to become one with the lands, I will not fight it. But I just can't leave my home...like this. It is horrid."

"I understand...but what can I do? I'm just some villager."

"One that respects the seasons more than some of my peers. I see more than just a pretty girl. I see potential...I would place my hand on your heart if I had a physical form." Mizuki giggled and placed her hand on her chest. "Thank you. Now then, it will be one of the hardest trials of your life, you will endure many things that will make you want to end your existence right there. If you accept, there is no going back." Mizuki looked out towards the sun as if it had the right answer for her. It was silent, but she knew what she had to do. "It would be a shame if this place went to waste," she said. "I'll do it."

"Good! I mean, nicely chosen." The yokai corrected her voice, trying to hide her thankfulness. "Now then, before we can train, we must first clean up this place."

"Well, you help me with your power?" She heard the spirit chuckle quietly. "No, but I can be here to give sound advice, and constant support."

"That doesn't help at all."

"Sure it does! For example, there is a bundle of corn husk I use to sweep debris…."