Chapter 24. Ginkaku-ji Barrier

As I approached the barrier surrounding Ginkaku-ji Temple, I couldn't resist the urge to touch it. To my surprise, my hand didn't pass through it as I'd expected. Instead, it met something that felt like sticky rubber, yielding slightly under the pressure.

"What the...?" I muttered without thinking. I'd been expecting something more… conventional from barrier magic, but this texture was completely unexpected.

"This is the pinnacle of barrier magic," Senko said, stepping up beside me and pressing her hand against the barrier as well. "It separates the human world from Urakyoto — the Youkai's artificial world — with an impenetrable wall."

"But how?" I kept my hand there, trying to sense the energy behind this sticky surface. I pushed harder, but all I got was a slight indentation, as if the barrier was pushing back in response. The more I pressed, the more resistance it gave.

"You're only seeing a small part of the barrier," Senko continued, a hint of scientific precision in her tone. "This section stabilizes the boundary between Urakyoto and the human world. Essentially, this barrier is as strong as the borders between dimensions. There are very few who have the strength to break through it."

"The barrier forms a complete sphere," Sorai added. "You're touching the top, but it extends all the way to the other side of the world, separating Urakyoto from the Dimensional Gap."

"So, Urakyoto is kind of like the Land of Oz?" I asked, glancing between Senko and Mom.

Just like in ancient legends, the Land of Oz is where so-called "mages" live. In reality, these mages were witches — my ancestors. Long ago, they were part of one of the greatest magical organizations, which not only controlled mystical knowledge and rituals but also directly influenced the balance of the supernatural world.

But as with all great organizations, time and internal conflicts brought changes. The organization eventually split into two factions: the Grauzauberer, who continued their work in Europe, and the Witches of Oz, who took a different path. They created their own sanctuary — an entirely separate, artificial world cut off from human reality.

The Land of Oz isn't just a metaphor or a legend. It's a real, meticulously constructed, artificial world built within the Dimensional Gap — a unique magical void existing beyond the human realm, and outside the heavens, the underworld, and the mythological dimensions. This interdimensional chaos is the antithesis of any physical or magical laws, making it not only extremely dangerous but also nearly uninhabitable.

That's why the barrier around the Land of Oz is one of the most complex and sophisticated magical constructs ever created. Not only does it sustain this world's stable existence, but it also acts as an impenetrable defense against any outside interference. The barrier's functionality relies on complete isolation from the physical laws of Earth and from any forms of magical energy circulating in other realms. This makes the Land of Oz totally independent of human reality or any other realms — an ideal autonomous system where witches gained absolute control over their fate.

So, when I heard the term "artificial world" used for Urakyoto, it's no wonder my mind immediately drew a comparison.

"Something like that," Mom said with a shrug. "Urakyoto and the Land of Oz are both artificial worlds, but built on different principles. The witches chose complete isolation from the world, while the Youkai decided to stay connected to Earth's ley lines, using their power to sustain their barrier."

That was the key difference: the witches created a fully closed system, while the Youkai integrated their sanctuary with Earth's magical ecosystem.

"The Land of Oz is completely cut off from the human world, 'floating' in the Dimensional Gap. Urakyoto, on the other hand, is closely tied to the human world since its supporting barrier draws energy directly from Earth's ley lines," Sorai added, his tone cold and matter-of-fact.

My heart skipped a beat. Ley lines? Essentially, they're enormous spiritual and magical pathways that run through the planet, conducting vast amounts of prana — the life force of all living things. To control them in order to create a barrier like this? That went beyond regular magic and even surpassed the abilities of gods. At least, I'd never heard of anything similar in any known pantheon.

"Is it even possible to control ley lines like that?" I stared at Sorai, trying to gauge his seriousness.

To really grasp how stunned I was by Sorai's words, you have to understand what ley lines are.

Ley lines are like the magical arteries of the planet, channels that carry streams of prana — the energy that gives birth to life. If you think of Earth as a living being, ley lines are its veins, and prana is its blood.

Curiously, many myths mention these places. In Celtic mythology, for example, sacred dolmens were often built where several ley lines converged into a single energy node. In these places, prana becomes so concentrated that even an inexperienced mage could feel it, much like a senjutsu user would. These energy nodes are points of power, natural reservoirs of energy.

When a ley line — or a ley line node — runs close enough to the surface, prana seeps through the earth's crust, spilling into the surrounding space. But unlike prana itself, actually tracking down one of these "veins" is nearly impossible. You'd have to be not just a sage but also have an incredibly fine sensitivity to prana flows — one precise enough to detect it deep underground. And that's key. That's why the idea of controlling ley lines shocks people; it's practically impossible… well, almost.

It's not that interacting with ley lines is completely out of the question — not at all. You can tap into the prana flowing through them by, say, standing right in its path and letting the flow wash over you like a stone in a river. Some deities can even temporarily redirect a ley line along a small stretch, altering its course. But full control? No, not even a god can manage that.

"Not just any ley lines," Senko said with a mysterious smile. "Kyoto sits at the intersection of ley lines from North America and Asia, making it one of the largest ley line nodes in the world. There are only seven of these places on the entire planet, and this is one of them."

Now it all made sense. The reason Kyoto's air felt so much denser with prana than Kuoh or Tokyo was due to the ley line convergence from two continents. And apparently, this node was close enough to the surface that prana filled the air like mist in a valley at dawn.

"Damn…" A cold sweat ran down my back.

To grasp just how massive this is, you need to understand one key thing: right below us, deep underground, are the "life veins" of North America and Asia intersecting.

If someone could block this prana flow at the intersection, the consequences would be disastrous. Without the constant energy flow that sustains all life, ecosystems across both continents would start to suffer from a severe prana shortage. The effects would be like plants unable to photosynthesize without sunlight, or animals perishing from a lack of essential nutrients. Gradual ecosystem collapse could lead to mass extinction, disrupting food chains and eventually devastating entire regions.

"Don't worry," Sorai cut in, as if sensing my concern. "The ley lines beneath Kyoto can only be controlled by the Kyuubi Kitsune. Even the most ambitious gods couldn't handle it. Besides, our leader would never let the planet come to harm like that."

That's what any loyal follower would say…

"I know what you're thinking," Senko spoke up, her voice gentle yet piercing. "But there's really no need to worry. Besides Yasaka being a balanced and benevolent Youkai, having such power also imposes certain restrictions on her. These limits prevent her — and any future leaders of the Kyoto Youkai — from trying anything close to a 'Blitzkrieg.'"

I looked at Senko, surprised.

"You really know terms from modern military strategy?"

Senko huffed, as if she hadn't anticipated that reaction.

"Of everything I just said, that's what caught your attention?" She gave me a strange look, like she was trying to figure me out.

"Honestly, yeah," I shrugged. "It's not like I could do anything if your leader actually decided to start a war. So I'm more interested in how well-versed you are in military tactics." I paused, then added a bit more quietly, "Maybe I could at least prepare for the worst-case scenario."

My sister, Tomoe, snapped me out of my thoughts with a light smack on the head.

"What exactly are you planning to prepare for?" She frowned, clearly unimpressed. "We're all friends and acquaintances here, so people let your words slide. But do us a favor and keep thoughts like that to yourself when we're in Urakyoto. Talking about wars between races never leads anywhere good."

Mom, watching us, laughed softly and gave me a pat on the head.

"I like the way you think," she said approvingly.

Sorai, who had been listening closely, finally decided to weigh in, looking around at us.

"Don't worry," he said, his tone calm and steady. "The adult Youkai won't take a human child's words seriously. However," he looked directly at me, "I'd strongly advise you not to make comments like that in front of our leader and the elders. It could complicate things more than you'd like."

I frowned, glancing between Senko and Sorai.

"We're meeting your leader?"

Senko smiled and ruffled my hair, confirming my suspicion.

"It's been a while since we last saw Yasaka, and this seemed like a good opportunity," she gave us a soft, almost motherly look. "Besides, Yasaka doesn't mind meeting you. But just a heads-up: since becoming a mother, she's especially sensitive when it comes to her daughter. So be careful with her, and with her child."

"So, we're getting in on special terms?" I shot a glance at Mom, purposely sidestepping the mention of kids being involved.

"On special terms," Mom nodded, smiling, clearly enjoying the situation.

"You're both unbearable," Tomoe muttered irritably, shaking her head.