"I do not think this is working… nothing is happening!"
Ayumi remarked feeling ashamed of her lacking abilities, not knowing she was merely sent away as an excuse. Feeling guilty, Reiha commented offhandedly:
"Maybe the remaining specks of soul are weak and few, or maybe you just could not tell because of this."
Ayumi nodded, feeling down despite the reassurance, and then she stepped aside for Chiyasu to open that portal. It seemed things had calmed down between the two princesses, and they acted as if no accusations were thrown and no insults or cold words were exchanged.
Reiha kept herself away by a small distance, standing behind the other princess, while despite Chiyasu's clear look of annoyance, Ayumi tried to stick around her and see the "magical" process first hand.
"Give me some space before I order my roots to hang you on the ceiling!"
There was no ceiling in this territory or any other one, just a strange gloomy sky hovering over their heads in this particular one. Still Ayumi heeded the warning and stood next to Reiha peering her eyes and focusing her hearing as much as her senses could stretch and detect things around her and further.
One again, after sighing and rubbing her face like a student assigned a difficult homework, Chiyasu knelt by the yellow Katabami, holding her between her fingers by its receptacle gently as if cradling a baby and with respectful carefulness as if examining a precious jewel. She pulled the flower up from the soil, and its stem was lifted but not uprooted, it could not be. Its spiritual aura and the prayers placed upon it connected it to her mother earth, never to be plucked, yet it still complied with her princess of the earth and tried reaching her lips.
The petals touching the pale shivering lips of Chiyasu made it seem like they were making sure of something, and after they made their conformation, all the petals started to open after being merged together as if they had been sealing themselves from the outside world... the new world of the mortals they did not live to experience.
On the inside of every petal ancient symbols were engraved without hurting or tearing the delicate foliole though solid and not removable. They resembled a painting on those saffron petals or an embroidery upon them; Ayumi made out a laughing Buddha with a round belly and a large smile along the wish fulfilling pearl but failed to discern what other things were hidden inside the flower. They were two little figures that hazed in her vision as well, and something resembling a small cottage. The debilitated cottage did not suit the Katabami, it was a symbol for the prosperity and well – being of the imperial family, and according to Reiha's tale of the current princesses origins, they did not seem to come from wealth or fortune. Maybe the Amaterasu connected herself and her past to that flower later when she became the queen of nature.
Even as the flower opened, it was not in complete trust. The flower bloomed but it did not unfold any portal. It was waiting for Chiyasu to recite what the princess really did not want to. And again, it took a short while during which Reiha bit her lips nervously while Ayumi's glum feelings and curiosity intensified at the same rate and time. At last, Chiyasu leaned toward the flower and whispered.
"Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will."
The princess of the earth tried her best not to be heard, but the golden and pink smoke coming out from inside the flower, flowing from its roots all the way into the petals and the air surrounding them transcribed this sutra for all to see as the golden light changed into many shapes, seeming reluctant and hesitant. Maybe another conformation was needed, Ayumi thought to herself, they were trying to reach a person's most sacred place after all, their burial ground.
Chiyasu had to be respectful but she failed miserably, huffing loudly and sighing vexingly. She brought her lips together again to the petals, and through the veil of smoke she said.
"Little cry baby."
"Dearest hoydenish."
A voice answered, but there was no one there aside from the already present three, and it could not be Amaterasu's voice because it clearly belonged to a child no older than seven or eight. Still, the light finally took the intended shape, parting into two giant columns beaming through Chiyasu's territory's gloomy sky.
Ayumi was hesitant, and Chiyasu made no movement ignoring everything that had just been said and done. When Reiha took the first step and the lead, they could not but follow, engulfed in the aureate rays emanating from the two columns before they disappeared as the three visitors found themselves in a tunnel under the ground. Its walls high like towers, thick like a glass, and solid like tortoise's shell, each scute protruding sharply like a freshly whetted blade.
"How deep are we under the ground?"
Ayumi wondered, fear starting to seize her. Chiyasu only needed to look up, no roof visible in sight and replied.
"Eight miles under or slightly less."
Ayumi gulped, did Chiyasu really had to answer, could not she pretend not to know? But she obviously was capable of estimating the depth, they were in a hole of dirt and soil. However, the young girl was certain the princess who had been silent and ignoring them since the portal opened only answered to scare her.
Unlike the void separating the worlds of the dead and the living, this tunnel seemed like a welcoming place for now. The princesses powers were not restricted, and Reiha started a cool wind to enable them to breath. The scepter in Ayumi's grasp did not react, as if solemn and grieving lightening their path in dim shimmers, driven by longing to its deceased original wielder.
When the three of them first arrived, it was very hot, almost scorching but once again, this ground seemed friendly and harbored no harm to the three passersby as the incantation to reach it was correct and true. So, Reiha's wind successfully cooled the heat and they progressed forgetting about the hellish atmosphere they found themselves sweating through in the first few seconds of their arrival completely.
Ayumi wanted too badly to ask, and held herself for as long as she could but then she surrendered to her disinhibited curiosity and asked.
"Are not people usually buried six feet under? Why are we going deeper?"
"It is a way to protect the dead queen's body. Her body was not cremated…"
"Yeah, her corpse had to be maintained through a spell to remain a symbol of hope for the frightened people back then and after, while she was still remembered."
Chiyasu interrupted Reiha's explanation, returning to her sarcastic and vexed tone. Ignoring her, Reiha went on to ease Ayumi's worries.
"The place where Queen Amaterasu's dead body is buried is the usual depth or slightly deeper, but her grave extends further to elude grave rubbers and evil creatures seeking to steal her power as well as to lead vengeful demons desiring to defile her astray."
"In the end, Noriko made more cautious spells and traps after Amaterasu's death than during her life… she died with no friends but left many enemies."
Chiyasu commented unable to stop herself or more correctly; not wanting to, walking in a pretentious relaxed pace, giving her back to the other two so her expression was not visible, but the tone carried the hatred and schadenfreude doubtlessly written on her face as she crossed both her arms behind her head like a pillow as if she was exploring a beautiful forest or taking a relaxing stroll.
"Then why are we here?"
Reiha asked with a serious yet gloomy expression. However, Chiyasu was not defeated.
"To rub her spear, no different than any enemy of hers."
"No, we are here to carry her will and end her battle, we are all helping her rest in peace."
Reiha countered with confidence, erasing all shame from what they were thinking they were doing. Chiyasu did not reply this time, smacking her lips in disdain.
"This is right, once the battle is over, we will return the spear to her."
Ayumi joined in, taking Reiha's side as usual, finding the needed encouragement and solace in her reasoning that she wished had come earlier. Maybe Reiha really believed they differed not from grave robbers, but she had to restrain Chiyasu's disrespect of the dead, it was intolerable to both of them.
Chiyasu glanced over her crossed arms at the girl then sneered walking on ahead.
"If anything remains of it after the battle."
Ayumi opened her mouth but Reiha waved her hand stopping her and pausing the argument for now. It was useless anyway and diverted their attention from their critical mission as well as threatened to divide their fragile unity. None of this could be risked at that place and time.
***
Treading the place carefully despite the need for rushing was the wiser choice, so the three girls stuck to that choice with readable anxiety and visible restlessness. Ayumi had an impulse to touch the jagged walls but she realized there were not shaped like in this form for decoration, they were for protection and intimidation, which made her think.
"Are we going to encounter monsters or demons grave robbers on our way?"
"It is not impossible, but this place is protected with a great spiritual aura… it is not easily entered but if something had already managed to infiltrate the defenses or was dwelling here before the burial then maybe…"
Reiha answered truthfully sticking to her habit, and Ayumi tightened her grip on the scepter torching the darkness with a yearning shimmer. A small jeering sound escaped Chiyasu's lips adding to the eeriness of the place though it was low and barely audible but the metaphorical and literal deathly silence relayed it to the other two's ears. Reiha sighed in boredom at the ceaseless need for Chiyasu to take any chance at making a sneering remark or an insulting comment whenever it came to the late queen, and Ayumi was starting to share the same feeling despite knowing the story behind that need and what it barely fulfilled. The princess of the wind had lost all her interest in any jabbing words the other princess was itching to voice, but Ayumi still had some curiosity that kept growing with every remark the princess of the earth snickered.
"Noriko really outdid herself with all of this…"
Ayumi raised her head in shock, realization dawning on her by the brown – haired girl's comment. This was not a naturally carved tunnel, perhaps it originally was, but as it led to the dead queen's mausoleum, Noriko spared none of her powers or spells to turn it into a forebodingly guarded path posing a dangerous truthful warning for any greedy invaders. Noriko was truly no ordinarily priestess, not just as the highest ranking light priestess during Amaterasu's reign, but even after the latter's death and her own, she had managed to accomplish so many things while everyone else who stood with or against the murdered queen was attending to their own business and whims, disregarding the heavy cost of the priestess's life.
Indeed, Noriko was terrifying.
"It would be really a shame if anyone was able to break through all of this hard work to fulfill a tasteless or disrespectful intention…"
As with her constant mockery and sneering, Chiyasu's sudden lamenting and sad change in tone and attitude was no longer unexpected to Reiha and Ayumi so they said nothing, partially because they felt they were targeted by the last part somehow, especially the young girl.
They walked for almost an hour without taking a rest, all their tiredness forgotten as they were fueled by the wish to end things as quickly as possible. The more they progressed, the more the tunnel's darkness started to wane as opposed to how it was supposed to grow. Glimmering redness started faintly illuminating the stones and walls but it was still not strong enough to allow the three to see clearly without the scepter's light. The heat and breathing difficulty as well intensified but Reiha's wind and Chiyasu's floral fragrance were still able to keep the condition under control and bearable.
Silence remained the only constant along the path, until the route started to diverge into multiple smaller tunnels to the three's discontent.
"What path should we choose?"
Ayumi directed her question at Chiyasu, believing she had all the answers since she was the one strangely enough entrusted with the hidden portal riddle. However, the answer was in the typical angry tone of the princess, and it did not give the reply she did not possess this time.
"How the hell am I supposed to know?"
Ayumi did not speak; was Chiyasu feigning ignorance again? But she did not dare argue since Reiha did not seem to be doubting the angry response they got and she merely commented.
"No matter what path we decide to choose, splitting is definitely out of the question."
And her suggestion was absolutely wise, who could tell what lurked ahead? But was not this supposed to be a friendly place to the three visitors it had welcomed and accepted their intrusion? Ayumi was about to voice this thought out loud, though she was not willing to split, but they had to take some risk if they were to reach the grave and get the holy weapon fast. Indeed, it was a good thing she did not state her opinion because just as she was mulling over this idea, scratching and screeching sounds started to emerge from the divided routes.
The two princesses did not look fazed, merely annoyed so Ayumi did not find a reason to dread anything… yet. As they waited for a short while the sounds grew closer and little goblin – like creatures peeked their heads. These tiny small monsters were definitely more terrified by the three unexpected elemental princesses they did not expect to encounter than the opposite way around.
Nevertheless, these creatures with their greenish brown bodies, like decaying mutts and their spired heads were clearly frustrated and wanted to vent their anger or prove their worth, not hesitating at the sight of the two princesses and the new queen to bare their pointy yellowish teeth and expose their long sharp claws connected to both of their hands and legs. They jumped at the three girls ready to tear at them, hungry for the flesh of the living since they failed to get the one of the dead one lying ahead, protected and untouched in her tomb.
"Are they seriously attacking us?!"
Chiyasu exclaimed in repugnance ripping and prising their bodies into tiny pieces. Still the grave snatchers continued emerging and attacking in hordes coming from all the different split tunnels. Reiha joined the fight blasting them away with her wind into smithereens, while the scepter seemed beyond enraged at these pitiful creatures trying to desecrate the tomb and the body resting in it. Ayumi felt the angered weapon's power, quickly catching to these demons intentions and did not hold back in destroying them as well.
Although there were many of them, the outcome of the battle was decided from the beginning but due to the demons large numbers, the fight lasted an undesired while until the crowds of oni were completely vanquished.
"Why did they even attempt to fight when they knew they had no chance?"
Ayumi remarked, quite proud of herself for her contribution despite the battle's outcome being already decided before its start, but still, it was something that empowered her to go on with this gloomy mission.
"I doubt they could even make it beyond these tunnels, there is no way they were able to reach Amaterasu's grave. They were merely hungry and frustrated… probably trapped here for centuries trying to feed on the late queen's power."
Reiha explained but her face showed concern, and Chiyasu knew why.
"How could they reach this place to start with? Are Noriko's defenses weakening?"
"I do not think so… these are creatures of the graveyards and battlefields, feasting on the corpses of the dead, and there is no greater feast than Amaterasu's intact body, it could empower them beyond imagination. The portal is not the only way to this particular underground… It seems..."
"So they were already here perhaps?"
"Perhaps, or some battle had taken place or a graveyard was erected luring them here till they were trapped by their greed."
Ayumi asked and Reiha answered, still seeming concerned, Chiyasu sharing the same expression.
"They came out from all the tunnels but in varying numbers from each one… so the tunnel from which the largest group emerged is probably the right path since most of them kept trying navigating that path, lured by the treasure ahead."
Reiha suggested, and the other two had no complaints. It was a logical contemplation so they quickly went down the tunnel from where the largest group attacked. The stones maintained their sharpened shape but the hue of redness was getting more visible as the heat continued to rise. Out of the three, Ayumi started to sweat until Reiha increased her purifying wind. Noticing this, Chiyasu harshly chastised her fellow princess.
"She will be fine, do not waste anymore of your power unnecessarily."
Ayumi knitted her eyebrows, Chiyasu was still holding to the notion of torturing her by any means available but Reiha complied to her peer to the girl's surprise. She was starting to fall into shock before she understood why the princess of the earth had said what she said.
The tunnel they had chosen was starting to widen, as if leading to a secret compartment or perhaps just a wide part of the mountain's underground, and if the screeching and scratching of those demons was noisy and annoying enough to cause an instant headache, then the figures and shadows that started to emerge were ghastly and horrifying to make one turn tail and run without thinking... but that was absolutely not a choice. First because the three girls had to complete their mission, and second because it was utterly futile and meaningless.