Have you ever believed in fate?
Have you ever believed in destiny?
Can you see the world differently?
Do you believe in a possibility?
There are many forces in the universe, they spin like cogwheels repeating the cycles, put two mirrors of the same size and have them face each other and see if you can count the number of worlds reflected. What if you were never the person you were? What if you weren’t even real? What if… you didn’t do something you should have done? What are the repercussions? Will it change the past, present or future? Nobody even knows, not even I.
I find absolute commonality in stories, tales of the greats who rise to power and fall, and those who fall will rise again which is an endless cycle that absolutely bores me. What if I tell you that I have the power to see through the infinite reflections of the kaleidoscope mirror? Can you look through the glass like I? Can a cogwheel just function to rotate clockwise? Where’s the thrill in that? You’ll never know that your existence in other parallel worlds could have lived differently or perhaps just the same with different decisions.
I believed that there is such fate, there is such destiny, viewed and written differently than ours, its not a theory but a possibility…
Have you ever believed in destiny?
Can you see the world differently?
Do you believe in a possibility?
There are many forces in the universe, they spin like cogwheels repeating the cycles, put two mirrors of the same size and have them face each other and see if you can count the number of worlds reflected. What if you were never the person you were? What if you weren’t even real? What if… you didn’t do something you should have done? What are the repercussions? Will it change the past, present or future? Nobody even knows, not even I.
I find absolute commonality in stories, tales of the greats who rise to power and fall, and those who fall will rise again which is an endless cycle that absolutely bores me. What if I tell you that I have the power to see through the infinite reflections of the kaleidoscope mirror? Can you look through the glass like I? Can a cogwheel just function to rotate clockwise? Where’s the thrill in that? You’ll never know that your existence in other parallel worlds could have lived differently or perhaps just the same with different decisions.
I believed that there is such fate, there is such destiny, viewed and written differently than ours, its not a theory but a possibility…
Ageha and Aiyana
Shirotsume, a small town located in the mountainous area. It has a feudalistic government and has several large mansions; only the highest class of citizens in Fiore lives here. A woman with a well-trained slim body and pale, who bears an air of seriousness and wore eyes of crimson that stand out like fiery jewels, such rarity among humans and the genetic possibility of generating one would be around 00.01%. Her name was none other than Ageha, who just so happened to stepped out and boarded off the train, following her was another girl with long black hair that reaches down just past her shoulders who wore bright golden eyes and wore traditional Midi attire was Aiyana Shuer, a friend of hers for almost more than a year.
Ageha came to this town to investigate the floating rumors, sightings of a ghost and as for someone who wishes to explore and discover the truth behind phenomenal matters and unravel the supernatural for she finds no greater thrill than to see these magical creatures up close and personal as there are hardly any around. Aiyana accompanied her because Ageha requested it but it wasn’t just that she needed a partner.
“Alright Aiyana, remember why we’re here today! We are here to seek out the rumored ghost in this town and it is my best interest to see that this mystery is solved! FOR I AM MYTHBUSTER AGEHA!!” She roared as she strike a pose.
“And I am her faithful assistant! MYTHBUSTER AIYANA” exclaimed Aiyana as she did the same.
“With your ability to track them and my skills as an investigator, we will expose this ghost and learn the truth!” Ageha shouted as Aiyana could only cheer for her in agreement. Their silly display of charisma did attract a lot of attention to everyone in the train station and as soon as a number of eyes were staring right at the duo, Ageha couldn’t help but freeze and transform back to her introverted ways, hiding behind Aiyana and blushing out of embarrassment.
Aiyana could only pat at Ageha.
“Alright, alright let’s leave this place first, you know Ageha you’re lucky that you’re adorable, I can just eat you up!” Aiyana smiled as she dragged Ageha away. Heck Ageha is surely lucky…
… that she isn’t the one being stared at.
The duo exited the train station and headed off, walking around in hopes to find information about the ghost but the townsfolk knew little of this ghost themselves and for all they can tell about it….
“We aren’t exactly sure why it continues to exist every midnight and its even hard to look at the thing directly, unlike most ghost who hide their appearance by either disappearing or by blurring their image, this specific one seemed to have a more terrifying appearance, its constantly been covered by a blackmist, and many would mistake it to be an illusion but alas it was not for you see it just fell a tree and knocked down one of the local guards pursuing it. Umm if you would look at this surveillance lacrima..”
From what the lacrima has captured, whenever the ghost comes directly on sight, the entire vision of the lacrima blurs and when the ghosts pass, it stabilizes.
Ageha was surprised. “No.. normally ghosts would appear as wisps before the camera so I have reason to believe that this ghost is special because the ghost itself knows magic!”
“A ghost that knows magic?” Aiyana asked
There’s a difference between ghosts and spirits, spirits are those who exist in, and visit from, the other side of light, they are ascended and commune with the ways of magic itself. In contrast, ghosts are individuals who have not undergone the tunnel of light experience or life review. Their condition is one of darkness or lack of understanding, as they struggle with the present, past or future fears. Yet, other ghosts have been witnessed to be non-interactive with the physical world. What they saw was either a spirit or a ghost as for what the townsfolk have seen it could be either.
The two mages pondered about it for a few moments.
“If it were a spirit, it would have not just a hazy appearance.” Said aiyana
“But if it weren’t a ghost, it would have not interfered with the lacrima vision.” Said Ageha.
Aiyana claims that its just a mere ghost and Ageha insists that it’s a spirit and soon they started arguing about it in no time much like little children trying to prove whether a garbage can is a trash can or a garbage bin.
Mura Kensho
Outside shirotsume, up on a hill, surrounded by tree stumps, lying down on the ground with a bundle of lumber piled up was a boy, lying down on the trimmed grass was Mura, who was sleeping soundly as the wind would blow and caress him as he enjoys a peaceful rest.
And that ended with Senrei, his spirit companion started to shout out again.
“MURA” Mura’s feet stomped down to a piece of lumber, sending it twirling up high in midair and just as Mura was sitting upright, the piece of lumber bonked his head in such comical fashion.
“awww… well what’s with the wake-up call Senrei?” As Mura would look up in the sky, he would realize that it would be almost past noon.
“You’ve been asleep for almost an hour and you haven’t eaten much, I admire your resolve into training your swordsmanship, your well-being must come first, and otherwise without any sustenance you will never be able to continue your training.”
Mura can only scratch and rub the pain from his head and remember what happened the other night.
Mura and Tenchi
That night….
The streets of shirotsune was all but abandoned, nothing but the lamp posts illuminated its cold and dark streets. In one street in particular, Mura was just on his way to the nearest noodle shop late at night when suddenly the lamp posts began to flicker as the air became colder, Mura could hear screams a distance away from him up front.
A group of night hikers weren’t hiking, they were running for their lives as they passed Mura.
“YOU BETTER RUN KID, ITS HERE! ITS HERE! THE GHOST IS HERE!!” Shouted one of the hikers as they high tailed out and turned to one side of the street.
“A ghost you say sounds interesting!” Mura was feeling a bit spirited and the thought of food has to wait and ran towards the ghost who has been causing a ruckus late at night. Mura couldn’t believe his eyes as such figure never resembled a spirit or a ghost, it was something else.
Senrei was summoned to his side.
“Its strange Mura, its like a spirit wearing the presence of a ghost but I can’t seem to decipher whether or not he’s actually one of those spirits, this is my first time in years since I have seen such like before.”
“Well senrei, let’s go and get this show on the road…”
What Mura faced is a phantom figure shaped as that of a human on a horse clad in dark armor, the knight dismounts as everywhere it went, the black mist would follow in its wake, concealing his appearance, was he by chance a phantom?
Mura didn't care what it was but the fact that the phantom knight dismounted his horse must be a sign that he agrees and answers to the challenge. Materializing from the phantom’s hands a black weapon with veins that glow green and red. And as soon as both parties walked three steps forward, they begin by dashing and clashing their blades together. Kura was forced back, blocking a heavy blow from the phantom figure just in time.
“Nngh… dammit is this even a spirit?” Mura prepared a defense stance with his blade as senrei fused with his blade.
“I’m not sure, Mura becareful this doesn’t seem like the average spirits we encounter.” What has bothered Senrei was the fact that he cannot sense anything spiritual about this phantom but it was no illusion either and perhaps that in itself is the scariest part about their opponent, it’s a complete anonymity.
The sword fight went on and as the attack patterns of the phantom knight became predictable, Mura was able to counteract and disarm the phantom leaving him weaponless and without any hesitation.
“Draw slash!” With a swing of Mura’s spiritual powered blade he striked the phantom and sent him back meters away from him. The phantom couldn’t help but drop down on both knees facing the sky. Mura though as a young teenager, has traveled across the lands to seek out challenges from different fighters and warriors in order to sharpen his swordsmanship, this battle he just fought was proof of that experience. The glowing red of the visored phantom disappeared but the blackmist still remained.
“Phew that took awhile, he was tough too!” Mura wiped the sweat out of his forehead as he casually rest his blade on his shoulder.
“WAIT! MURA IT ISN’T OVER YET!” Senrei shouted as the phantom figure’s visor lit up red again and finally stood up, examining the blow to its armor. Mura’s strike was guaranteed to cut deep through the armor and just by the force he should have wounded the phantom but it didn’t seem so wounded.
As for what happened next has truly shocked Mura and caught him off guard.
Mura was affected by a mental interference which was caused by the black mist as he suffers from mental pain.
“Mura stay focused!” Mura shook his head back into reality only to find too late as the phantom delivered a swift blow to Mura’s abdominals sending him flying towards another sector of shirotsume. If Mura comes in contact with the lamp, it would explode and that Mura would be heavily injured Mura was about to crash to one of the lacrima powered lamps in shirotsume but with the use of his ability to turn his own body into a spirit, he was saved, however the lamp post began to flicker and malfunction as he passed through, as Mura materialized back into mortal form, he tumbled and rolled into a wall and was ultimately knocked unconscious rolling downhill and dropping down to the river. He was not only hit hard in the abdominals, he was knocked out cold by the impact of cement.
The Phantom knight summons his horse and mounts it, as the horse would neigh; all lights around them were dimmed and were shut off immediately as the phantom figure rides out of town.
Of course the fight between Mura and the Phantom figure had no audience, no one except for one person in particular, Tenchi one of Fiore’s top info brokers. He watched the entire thing from his binoculars and smiles.
“These surveillance camera lacrimas also served as light to anyone down the street, however they were all shut down by the phantom himself, was there something special about that black mist that interferes with a surveillance lacrima to even record the image? Truly fascinating, now that’s just interesting.” Tenchi’s binoculars now looks at the unconscious Mura who so happens to be floating downstream.
“However I do not appreciate the fact that this Phantom throws garbage like that down the river, well as a good citizen of this nation I know exactly what to do!” Tenchi dropped down from the place where he spectated the entire fight and grabbed Mura’s unconscious body, dragging Mura out from the river and….
… into the dumpster.
“And my work is done!”
“And it took you three baths to get all that smell out from your body but tell me Mura, have you not recalled what you did?” Senrei asked.
“Well everything is a blur, it’s like I’m only been given the figments of what happened but not everything in detail, I did remember him kicking my butt and that was when he’s unarmed, I guess he wasn’t as easy of an opponent as I thought.” Mura stood up and began walking back into Shirotsume.
“Well I guess I should go for that noodle shop now, I’m starving..” And when mura went back into town to buy some noodles, only after eating did he realize that he didn’t have enough money for it and ended up paying the noodle shop owner back with manual labor.
