Ch:66 – The fated path splits

After watching over Elise healing herself with a skill, I accompanied her to her home.

Soon, after, I headed back to mine.

In my room, on top of the desk, the grimoire remained still.

'Is she resting?'

We hadn't talked much since the last time. I grew used to her appearing and disappearing.

Apparently, the prince hadn't invited us to become nobles. There would be a party among nobles and royalty for that. To celebrate Aurora's intellectual prowess in chess. However, that was like the secondary reason. The main had been our father, who had saved the royal princess, third in the throne lineage.

That accomplishment had never been rewarded. 

Becoming a noble throughout an achievement like that was simpler and easier than fulfilling some strange or complicated wish my dad could have. Thus, for the prince Julius honor, he was quite content with just turning us into nobles, knowing we'd have to select a faction between the three most important royal members. They were the most dignified candidates to the throne.

In our case, we would have to pick Julius, whom Aurora had acknowledged as someone with intellect.

As for me, I'd mostlikely be dragged into their messy political warfare. Or not. But, either way, I wasn't upset or against it.

I had some experience from my past life. One could say, I had a lifetime of it. Not that it was true, but it was amusing to think of it like that.

Alas, I looked at the mirror, which remained silent.

The room looked normal, deprived of life whenever I was out. Even my dog wasn't sleeping on my bed.

I sighed a little, displeased, but at the same time, I deserved a good rest.

I had started to achieve a few things here and there. Also, there was no reason for me to overwork myself.

Slowly but surely was better than getting myself hurt.

I rested my hand on the grimoire, patting it briefly. Then, I took the soulstones out of the bag and placed them next to it.

'Three. Out of them, one has a decent quality.' It had a greenish tone, a stronger shine compared to the rest.

I lay on my bed and closed my eyes. The accumulated fatigue took over my body, and I fell asleep.

In the darkness of my dreams, I appeared at a bifurcation with a wooden sign in the middle. I read it out loud.

"Left to know your past. Right to know her past." My eyes danced from one side to the other, catching a silhouette on both ends.

Notice: The choice will influence your future.

"Why do my dreams influence anything?"

Notice: You possess the title reincarnated and the skill unidentified.

"I see... so I'm a little bit special."

If it was before the goblins torturing me, today, I would have gone right towards my sister's past.

My feet took me left towards who I truly was, willing to lunge at the unknown. In history, the evil spirit knew that I didn't.

"I'll show you!" My heart raced with angry sparks, not willing to be ignorant for much longer. My steps became heavier as I went.

Familiar sounds began ringing.

My soul ached, and my eyes quickly watered.

"Why am I crying?"

In this absolute darkness, pink petals began falling. Each striking the black, causing soft waves of pink to propagate and vanish.

"What are these?" I extended my hand, palm faced to the sky as I tried to catch one. Eventually, as I walked forward, one fell on my hand.

"Its strangely warm." I smelled it. The fragrance was sweet and felt like home.

Then, like snow, it melted, vanishing completely.

Something suddenly appeared a bit further ahead.

The shrine stood quiet beneath a canopy of ancient cherry trees, its wood darkened by age and potentially the surrounding darkness. There was an intense scent of incense smoke floating around like a will-o'-the-wisps. Three worn wooden steps led up to the entrance, their edges rounded smooth by generations of bare feet and whispered prayers. A thick shimenawa rope hung across the lintel, braided straw heavy with meaning. I could see how it was knotted between two white parallel pillars, as if connecting them together.

Shide paper streamers zigzagging like frozen lightning by a gentle wind that pushed me closer to the shrine. It felt no different than the hand of a grandma who wishes your best.

Faded ofuda seals were tucked into the beams and pillars, inked prayers half-peeled but still holding on.

Waiting at the threshold was a kitsune, poised as if she had always belonged there. Her hair flowed in soft layers, golden like mine. I noticed beautiful emeralds like the ones I saw when looking at a mirror. My tears kept streaming, and nothing I did could halt them. My sleeves were getting more and more drenched as I wiped the corner of my eyes.

It felt like her fox ears rose from her hair, adorned with small golden suzu that chimed faintly with each breath. One or more golden tails curled behind her, their tips brushing the shrine’s shadows.

Her eyes struck a beautiful, bright, and powerful all-knowing gaze, which watched the path I walked.

As I drew closer to her, I started noticing sacred lines that had been drawn at her feet in white powder and old black ink.

"What is all that?"

It looked protective yet welcoming, forming a boundary only spirits would notice. The air felt thinner the closer I got, harder for me to breath. There, suspended between dream and waking, she bowed in my direction, causing the bells to ring. 

Involuntarily, my body forcefully bowed back, and when it did, I felt something dangerous passing above my head. 

I noticed then, very few strands of my hair falling to the darkness below.

I gulped, understanding that if I hadn't bowed, my head would be rolling on the ground.

"Raise your head, stranger." Her voice was sweet with a strong temptation that drew me closer.

I did as I was told and looked at her straight in the eyes, my tears no longer falling.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Her golden chimes rang twice, despite the only thing moving being her lips.

"I came here to know my past."

Her eyes moved from top to bottom, and her palm suddenly appeared facing me. Long black claws could be seen. I couldn't read the speed of her movements. 

"You're... not one of us." From the middle of her hand, a line appeared, and then her skin eerily twitched. "Third eye." 

I opened my mouth at the sight of a surging eyeball, which quickly rolled to gaze at me. Their sound brought me a shiver.

Suddenly, I lost track of her. I noticed then how she reappeared at the very bottom of the stairs, her head knelt at the ground.

"Forgive me, Iris."