Ayumi knew of horses and camels, then of wagons and carriages as humanity moved on to more comfort, then there was the trains, cars, and subways and all these technological advances up to planes. She liked to imagine that she would have had the chance to try most of them one day. But her current experiment had exceeded all expectations and hopes as she was travelling onboard a cloud, literally. Holding to Reiha's waist who did not seem to be annoyed or bothered, afraid to open her eyes and shouting every few moments.
"Oh come on, do not be such an imbecile!"
The princess of the earth commented , crossing her legs in a relaxing position and enjoying the view though refusing to show any amusement or appreciation for the princess of the wind ability to summon and control clouds, bending them to her purpose.
"Why did not you sprout some walking trees?!"
Ayumi replied, fear taking all the edge from her voice and Chiyasu did not dignify the mockery with an answer which was obvious, she could not use her powers over earth for far travelling, ironically as it sounded.
"Do not worry Ayumi, try to enjoy yourself. It is safe, it is all under my command."
Reiha assured the girl calmly, unlike the speed by which the cloud was moving. Ayumi dared to open her eyes a little and took a glimpse only to close them immediately.
"You are amazing, Reiha!"
She said honestly, but nothing changed in the princess's expression. She knew her powers well, and taking a pride in them was not a weakness of hers, while Chiyasu raised an eyebrow in irritation. Gathering her courage in another chance, Ayumi opened her eyes again and peeked down immersing herself this time in the spectacular scenery. She was literally floating above the earth on a cloud; the houses, even the high buildings, looked small, the cities they drifted across resembled one large lego setting, as the lights flickered like herds of fireflies. Slowly, the girl got used to the immeasurable height, enjoying herself without letting go or weakening her hold around Reiha's waist.
"I never imagined I will be able to experience this, going to England overnight, above a cloud!"
Ayumi exclaimed cheerfully, which, of course, the princess of the earth could not stand, and found her mouth moving faster her brain.
"Yeah, just a happy fairy tale. I hope this journey is not in naught for our sake!"
Chiyasu spoke in pessimistic flat mockery, to which the teenage replied:
"Why did you come with us then?! I thought you did not approve of me!"
"I still do not, and never will. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean I will allow petty creatures to steal powerful artifacts. I am still a princess of nature!"
Ayumi was not confused by the response, Chiyasu's loyalty did not lie with either Amaterasu or her, she detested both openly, sparing them no single ounce of disdain or hatred. Her killing instincts were still detectable. However, she clearly still wanted to protect the dead queen's legacy to the false pretense of being a princess. of nature, Auymi thought to herself. Both Reiha and the priestess Noriko had assured her multiple times that the princess of the earth will come to her senses in the end, but Ayumi knew that was not the case, at least, not for now or any time soon. Maybe she was waiting her to gain her full powers to be an equal match ad take her in a fair fight this time? But Ayumi could not forget the Chiyasu had played dirty in their first encounter... Was her heart becoming lenient? Not likely. There was a hidden reason, so much more to her mask of behaviors and mood shifts.
"We are here."
Reiha declared, and the other two peeked down to see the an old half collapsed church, forgotten from the efforts of preservation and remodeling.
"I am in England! Can we see Big -bin? Pretty please!!"
Ayumi pleaded like a spoiled girl, and Chiyasu harshly reminded her.
"We are on a mission here!"
"Let's investigate the place first and get over with this thing."
Reiha meditated the situation. They descended slowly down the earth, and as their feet touched the ground, the cloud dissipated into a graceful whiff.
Reiha took the lead, Chiyasu taking her sweet pace, showing no interest or anticipation. Turning around and commanding her wind to circle around the place, the wind princess stated:
"I feel no evil presence."
"This is good!"
Ayumi cheered following Reiha. The church despite its deteriorating state was a historical touristic site, so naturally it was surrounded by red ropes all around to regulate the tourists entrance and exist, with one or two guards sleeping.
"What should we do? Sneak in like spies?!"
Ayumi, all fear gone now, suggested thrilled by the idea, and assured of the impossibility of getting caught with two natural powers at her side. and that they won't get caught. Chiyasu smirked as she walked passed them, whispering as she forewent Ayumi.
"Idiot."
The princess pf earth tapped the muddy forest ground with her feet and silently, a tunnel was borrowed along which roots sprouted, carrying small buds flowering with a dim yet serene light. Ayumi stared with the same amazement in her face as when Reiha had summoned and made them mountain her cloud.
"Come on, no one will see or hear us."
The three went down the tunnel, Ayumi was astonished by the beautiful buds of light, she reached her hand to grasp one, stopping at Chiyasu's possibly false possibly true warning:
"Don't, they are poisonous!"
Ayumi pulled her hand away disappointed, they were so enchantingly beautiful and alluring. She looked at Reiha to seek affirmation but the latter was busy channeling her wind to detect any evil presence.
The tunnel ended to an already opened hole in the church ground, so they would not have to destroy the historical site and cause suspicions and unnecessary troubles. Reiha opened the brochure not to waste time and looked for the priestess sculpture. It was on the ground floor, thankfully, and after a short period of search they found the statue of an elegant woman in priesthood clothes, bowing her head humbly, a halo above her head proclaiming her a saint. A scepter was held in one hand, with the holy bible in the other.
"Is that Amaterasu's scepter?"
Ayumi asked in wonderment, and Reiha could affirm the scepter's truth with a single solemn look.
"But we still do not know if it is actually there… did you bring the crown as I asked of you?"
"Of course!"
Ayumi took the crown from the backpack she was carrying.
"You hid a powerful item in a backpack, the most obvious place, as if you were asking for greedy creatures to come after you?!!"
Chiyasu chastised just to create a problem, though her argument was kind of on point, but Ayumi was already sick of this ongoing banter , the woman just had to ruin the ethereal mood.
"Where was I supposed to hide it? In my…!
Before finishing her sentence, although reluctant to in the first place, the crown in her hand glowed in yellow shimmers like it was calling or responding to something. Reiha immediately remarked:
"It is there!"
Knitting her beautifully drawn fair brows, she thought for a moment unable to come to any other conclusion:
"It is a shame we will have to destroy the priestess' sculpture, but please know it is not out of disrespect or malice."
Reiha said with a tinge of sadness, casting her eyes down and lowering her long eyelashes but she was already summoning a strong breeze to break the item free of its stony coffin. A nudge on her shoulder interrupted her concentration, and she found Chiyasu walking toward the statue, standing in front if it and gazing at it, specifically the specter sealed in stones with an unreadable expression, but it was not neither anger nor furry.
"Such a perfect to place to hide it, whomever made this statue knew how powerful that artifact was, and hid it inside the stones to fool the eyes."
"You are in my way, Chiyasu."
Reiha commented, hoping to end this as fast as she could without causing a commotion but the earth princess did not move.
"We don't have to destroy it."
The latter said with an unusual calmness, putting her hand on the stones carved to hide the real thing, it molded under her touch revealing a similar golden light. Quietly and peacefully, the stones melted into her palm causing her no harm but the moment the real scepter appeared, she pulled her hand away burned by its light, shock and rage overcoming her previously calm countenance.
"Ayumi, grip it before it falls!"
Ayumi rushed to the statue, casting a side glance at Chiyasu, not missing the stare of surprise and hurt in her green orbs. She was stunned to see such a reaction from this girl, but she had no time to address the matter now. She quickly took the scepter without feeling a thing.
"Chiyasu, are you alright?"
She asked carefully, as if approaching an injured tiger. The latter did not respond, busy by molding the melted stones back into their original shape and repairing the statue to appear as if it had never been touched or tampered with.
"This is wonderful!"
Ayumi was happy to see that they did not have to break the statue or leave it defiled. For some reason, the humble eyes of that woman provoked a calm serenity in their hearts, and they did not want to destroy what little remnants remained of her remembrance.
"Thank you, Chiyasu."
Reiha added, though knowing this act was within the princess' power and costed her nothing, but she did not anticipate that she would use it for a respectful gentle gesture.
The words of worry, astonishment or thankfulness did not reach the princess's care. So the other two preferred to remain silent. Reiha was ready to declare the return to Japan, but Ayumi could not stop herself from asking:
"How did she come to possess the specter? Was she able to use it? Maybe she was a previous Amaterasu's successor?"
"No."
Chiyasu replied in a flat voice. Putting her hand on the restored statue. Reiha realized what was Chiyasu doing, listening to the take the silent stoned had to tell. And although she did could not figure why she Chiyasu was doing this, she left her to continue the story of the European Priestess.
"She was an ordinary nun like any other, she gave herself to the god she believed in, and did what any woman or man of god would do. Many things she had faced and overcome with faith. The death of her parents, the death of her family, declining the love of a man she adored. She had no special spiritual powers, she did not possess any. Just a woman doing what she vowed to do, no reward gained except for the appreciation of people which she did not desire. She traveled to many places, using her medical training to help with any outbreak of diseases and epidemics regardless how far or tiring the destination was, and what part of the world it broke in. In one of her travels, someone offered her the specter believing it was a holy item to use it. But she could do nothing with it. It did not respond to her vows of declining earthly pleasures and treasures, and life itself. She was pure mostly of greed. Still she kept it, to guard it, fearing it might bring ill omens upon others who wished to use it for wicked purposes.She did it fearing for their souls and not to satisfy the legends and miracles attributed to herself. Until she finally managed to pull a miracle through it."
"What miracle?"
Ayumi asked, thoughts storming her mind about the reason she, and not a selfless woman like this priestess was accepted by the light's power. Was greed for this material world part of the deal?
"It was the era of the plague, she was helpless, and could do nothing. People reached out to her out of despair but even her faith and knowledge could not save them. Her travels ended in a small village she could not get out of, but even if it was small and mostly populated by runaway thugs and evil – doers, she believed the punishment was too severe, and that even sinful people like them deserved a chance at salvation. So she prayed upon the specter to cure the village and help her residences to rectify their evil ways. The scepter to her surprise responded, but demanded a price."
Reiha sighed closing her eyes, she could picture what the price would be.
"Her suffering of the same ailment in place of the villagers... all by her own, only her... till the painful unmerciful death takes her soul."
Chiyasu pulled her hand away, rage stemming from her breaths and features. Ayumi's eyes widened in shock as she looked at this cruel item she was holding in her hands, and which had chosen her.
"But why? Why would it demanded such a horrible price for a merciful prayer?"
Ayumi asked, anger and frustration overtaking her fleetly felt happiness at accomplishing their mission without a fuss or danger, almost breaking the piece of gold in two by how harshly she gripped it.
"It simply acted to its queen's malice."
Ayumi turned at Reiha, shocked as she was expecting such an answer to come from Chiyasu and not the other princess.
"I don't understand, was Amaterasu a good or a bad person?"
"She was a good queen, that is all to it."
Reiha concluded the conversation, signaling at them to leave through the tunnel before summoning her cloud, riding back home in utter silence. If the specter had indeed responded to its queen's malice, then burning Chiyasu when the latter touched it stemmed from the same feelings. She was a good queen, Reiha had said previously but that did not mean she could not have made any enemies.
"That leaves one question… who sent you these clues? Someone is tracking us but I feel no clear presence…"
"Is it Noboru?"
Ayumi suggested but Reiha shrugged a no. Ayumi tried to lighten the mood but her joke sounded as tasteless as her guess.
"I don't believe he has this tasteless humor or any kind of humor!"
The two princesses did not respond. Feeling the heavy air, Reiha smiled a little looking back at Ayumi and then returned back to her usual frown.
Ayumi put the specter back in her bag, not wishing to see it for now, she wanted to ask how Chiyasu was feeling, but silence overrode any conversation.
***
A mirror, clear as a crystal sky refined by heavenly raindrops reflected the three princesses as they were leaving through the tunnel. The mirror was not hung on one of the room's walls or the ceiling, and it was not held by another sculpture or protected behind a box of glass, it was merely an old mirror used by women for wearing makeup. Despite Reiha's inability to detect any other presence, apparently there was not one but two. As two doll – like hands, perfect and smooth as porcelian held the mirror from both sides, the layers of the colorful kimono covering these small frail hands dripping down like the feathers of a peacock. The other shadow, much taller and older, approached the doll like girl and watched the reflections through the looking glass.
"Anger, longing and uncertainty. How predictable and boring. It should not be that hard."
The second voice commented while the child - like girl remained silent. Then the two shadows disappeared with the gleam of the mirror.
***