Kyomu Kaibyaku: Black and White

Shizuhana, who had suffered an attempted annihilation of her soul, lay in the center of the Hall of Purification, a sacred space deep within the sanctuary of the White Pole. The walls were adorned with ancient inscriptions that emitted a faint light, while a gentle current of divine energy flowed through the room, striving to restore her fragmented soul.

Tathuvan knelt beside her, reciting prayers in the language of the Gods, while Ruvyastra traced runes on the floor with crystalline powder that sparkled like tiny stars. Both worked silently, synchronized, aware that any mistake could worsen Shizuhana's fragile state.

Despite their efforts, Shizuhana's face remained pale, and her breathing was irregular. Her connection to the Ame-no-nuboko had weakened, as though the divine weapon shared in her pain.

Sorin Shinji entered the room with a grave expression. "How is she?" he asked softly, addressing Tathuvan.

Tathuvan shook his head without looking away from Shizuhana. "The wound is not merely physical. When the Alpha Manticore sacrificed its soul, it left a scar on the very fabric of Shizuhana-sama's existence. She is trapped in a cycle of fragmentation and regeneration. Her soul attempts to mend itself, but something is holding it back."

"What could it be?" Murayama asked as he joined them, visibly unsettled. "If anyone can overcome this, it's Shizuhana-sama."

Ruvyastra interrupted, her tone colder but no less concerned. "This isn't about strength. It's about meaning. The Alpha Manticore's sacrifice wasn't a mere attack; it was a condemnation. Its very existence was weaponized to attempt to erase Shizuhana not just from the physical plane, but from the conceptual plane as well."

"Hmph. Were it not for my protection using the Atikramaraksa1, my soul would have completely collapsed. Even so, I've sustained deep wounds that are difficult to repair," Shizuhana said, reflecting on the events.

Contemplating her state and the Alpha Manticore's sacrifice, Shizuhana closed her eyes and let out a weary sigh. Her body seemed lighter, but the weight of her fragmented soul was undeniable.

"That's enough for now," Tathuvan murmured, gesturing to the others. "Let her rest. The energy of the Hall of Purification will do what is necessary."

Ruvyastra nodded reluctantly but complied. "We must maintain constant vigilance. If her soul shows signs of collapse, we won't have time to react."

Shizuhana briefly opened her eyes, looking at her devoted followers with a mixture of gratitude and determination. "I'll be fine... for now. Thank you, all of you."

As they left, Shizuhana was left alone in the center of the hall. The runes on the floor continued to glow, and a gentle breeze of divine energy caressed her skin. She closed her eyes again, allowing herself a moment of calm.

Suddenly, a pulse resonated through her being. It was not a physical pulse but something deeper, more primordial, as though it had emerged from the very roots of her existence. The echo of the sound expanded throughout the room, momentarily dimming the light of the inscriptions on the walls. Shizuhana sat upright, her eyes wide open.

A chilling sensation coursed through her body, and her vision blurred. Everything around her faded, leaving only darkness. In the abyss, a blurry, indefinable figure appeared. It had no concrete form, but its presence was unmistakable—it was the anomaly that had momentarily emerged during the battle against the Kyoki Manticores. It was like a void that consumed everything.

"W-What are you?" Shizuhana asked, her voice barely a whisper.

The figure did not respond, but from it emanated a stream of images and sensations. Shizuhana saw glimpses of a world where everything lacked substance, as though reality were nothing more than a fragile façade on the verge of collapse. Mountains, oceans, stars… all were ephemeral, supported by a precarious pillar of emptiness.

Suddenly, amidst the chaos, a voice infiltrated her mind. It was unintelligible, devoid of gender or emotion, but laden with an indescribable force. It seemed to come from behind a veil, as though a barrier sought to obscure it, though small fragments of its energy escaped through cracks and reached her.

Shizuhana tried to respond, but her body was wracked with searing pain, as if her soul were being stripped away layer by layer. "Stop!" she cried, but the figure and the voice vanished, leaving her with one final vision: a world completely devoid of color, shape, or meaning.

When she opened her eyes, Shizuhana was back in the Hall of Purification, gasping for breath. Sweat covered her forehead, and her hands trembled as she clung to her Ame-no-nuboko, which had begun to glow faintly, as if responding to her emotions.

Tathuvan rushed in, alarmed by the shift in the hall's energies. "Shizuhana-sama, what happened?"

It took her a few moments to find the words. "I saw... something. A force. A force behind a force. I can't describe it, but I felt as though... as though everything we know is just an illusion. A veil covering something greater, something... real."

Ruvyastra, who had followed Tathuvan, frowned. "An illusion? Are you saying that reality itself is... distorted?"

Shizuhana slowly shook her head. "Not distorted. Hidden. There's something behind what we perceive, something that shouldn't be there but controls everything. And that force... I don't know what it seeks, but it's not natural. It's like trying to hold back a torrent of water with bare hands. Sooner or later, that pressure will find an escape."

Tathuvan and Ruvyastra exchanged worried glances. What Shizuhana described was not something they could ignore, but neither was it something they could fully comprehend.

"That force, if it's not natural, then it doesn't belong to either the White or Black Pole," Tathuvan reflected, his voice heavy with unease. "It could be... something primordial. Something that exists beyond our understanding. But since we lack precise answers about the situation, we should also avoid interpreting ignorance as a reason to let things escape our grasp."

Ruvyastra frowned, with severe tone. "If that force was behind the Alpha Manticore's attack, it could be even more dangerous than any enemy we've faced. If it has the power to affect Shizuhana-sama at this level, we cannot underestimate it."

Shizuhana nodded, regaining some composure as her breathing steadied. "This force… it's not just dangerous; it's different. It doesn't act out of will; it doesn't seek to dominate or destroy. It's something… indifferent yet irresistible. Like a law written before we even existed."

Tathuvan clenched his fists, his expression a mixture of concern and determination. "If this force can disrupt even your connection to the Ame-no-nuboko, we must prepare ourselves to face the unimaginable. But, Shizuhana-sama, do you believe this entity was directly responsible for the Alpha Manticore's attack?"

Shizuhana closed her eyes briefly, recalling the visions. "I don't know. I didn't sense intent behind what I saw, but everything felt connected, as if the threads of the battle were woven by an invisible force. The Alpha Manticore might have been just a tool, a pawn in a much larger game. But it's not a viable theory—its emanated color was neither black… nor white."

Ruvyastra sighed, intertwining her fingers as she pondered. "If what you're saying is true, then this transcends our conflict with the Black Pole. It may even transcend the balance we've believed to understand."

"If it's something of this magnitude, even the Gods are neither ready nor will they ever be prepared to face it directly," Shizuhana finally said, her voice firm yet tinged with worry. "But we can prepare. I need to understand more about this force and its purpose. If it's behind what seeks to conceal something deeper, then perhaps the key lies in learning how to see it, how to pierce through it."