Cherry blossoms, blood, and flames

Leila Vergious  ❃  X-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

As if she were reading her mind, Yuki answered that question as well. “After some questioning, the chief’s son admitted that he grew rather power-hungry. He thought he could control the evil deity with the bloodstone and those monsters were his first tests. But since he couldn’t really control them, he just let them run free and cause havoc. His plans did not work out at all, the fox knew this well and did not bother stopping him. Even if he did harness the power of the stones, he could never hope to defeat it, much less control it completely.”

So that was why. Of course, he was a man who didn’t even wield any magic. He should have been glad that the crystal did not turn him into a monster the moment they started messing with such unstable powers. But all of that was over now, thankfully. Closing her eyes, the girl could feel a considerable weight being lifted off of her. Somehow she managed to pull through all of this nonsense. And the world drifted away as she succumbed to slumber once more. Given the history of bad things happening on the island, everyone easily agreed that she deserved the rest for stopping it all.

When she next opened her eyes, she was still in the same bed. But by her side was someone completely different. A girl with long raven-black hair and dressed in comfy clothes. Blinking few times and wiping her eyes clean, Leila quickly recognized this figure. “Ayame..?” Her body jerked when the words reached her, probably not expecting them. There was no telling when the silver wolf would wake, after all. But now that she was fully awake, the shrine maiden would smile wholeheartedly at the sight of her.

“Yes… I wanted to thank you as soon as I could. I’m sorry if I woke you up.” Leila only shook her head. “I didn’t think anyone could actually do it. I’m… I’m truly sorry. Ever since my sister’s death, I had these… blackouts. Times when I didn’t remember what I was doing at all. I should have told you, I should have-” “It’s fine. It was actually your little sister who showed me the vision of the past, I think. She wanted to protect you… so she put her faith in me. I’m glad I didn’t disappoint.”

Hearing all that, Ayame broke into tears once more. And Leila would let her, it was for the best to let all of those feelings out. Eventually, they were both able to get out of the house on their own feet, greeted by the villagers who celebrated their success, the deaf of the dreaded demon from ancient times. They even began a feast in Leila’s name. Though the girl decided that it would be best to contact the appropriate authorities first. Sending a letter that detailed all that happened to both her guild and the magic council, she ensured that this would not repeat.

And only then was she able to finally relax. Mages wielding powerful sealing spells would soon arrive and take the stone away, ensure that no more of its presence was left behind to take root. The area behind the shrine that was used for sacrifices was also now left bare for anyone to see as the veil completely collapsed. The villagers decided to completely destroy the place and instead focused on expanding the local cemetery to honor those who had passed away in the wake of this disaster.

A new chief was also chosen for the village, one that was chosen by the people. A reasonable man who had only the best interests of everyone in mind. Shattering the old traditions, he decided to fully cooperate with Ayame as the current shrine maiden rather than just commanding her around. With their joined forces, they were able to fully ensure that no harm would come to the people of the Eternal Bloom island. It was a bittersweet ending, given all the causalities that they suffered. Even for Leila, as she was unable to protect as many people as she hoped to, given the successful sacrifice during the night of her victory.

But alas, she could not turn back time. There were plenty of things that she could have done better, yes. But at the very least, she was able to learn something from her mistakes and that counted for something, at the very least. The feast was a bountiful one and lasted several days during which the girl was able to make full recovery, at least as far as her physical health was concerned. She did notice some irregularities in her magic like Yuki warned, but nothing that was an imminent danger to herself or those around her.

When she would get back home, she had to explore the extent of the damage done to her magic and figure out where to go from there. And when she was boarding the ship, well… she was sent off with quite the parade, alright. Nearly all of the villagers waved her goodbye, Ayame included as she stood at the very front of the crowd. Her life was a rough one, but at the very least, she had some peace now. What she would become from now on, that was entirely up to her.

Though Leila was sure that her new friend would be able to find a happy future unlike the vile prisoners that rested inside of the cell built into a second ship that arrived, one belonging to the rune knights and magic council. It was probably a bit annoying to have them snoop around the island and cleanse everything as they took them and the stone away, but peace soon returned to the village and everyone was able to live on without much worry. As far as Leila heard months into the future, the curse was indeed completely dispelled and nothing bad was happening to the village or the island itself. Tourists started visiting there again and the economy stabilized. That was really all they could ask for after all that had happened.