Chapter 28

Walking the big or narrow streets, flying above the rooftops or crawling through the tighter spaces of [Mirrored Tokyo], I talked to various supernaturals.

I admit that it isn't easy, even with my skills.

Only having visited this place a maximum of three times --tonight included--, I know not a single individual that I can ask who, where, what, or how without drawing suspicion.

Unlike Gensokyo or Academy City, I don't even have a reputation here. Coupled with my appearance being the young middle schooler that I am, no one would have taken me seriously without throwing a few han- heads.

It was technically self-defence, considering that I didn't strike first. And it's not that bad either, no one here would fuss over a few broken bones when they can naturally heal it within a week at best.

That said, after wasting a few hours of the night --Or day, it is honestly hard to figure out which when the sky is constantly dark regardless of colour.-- The clues I gathered had eventually lead me to this decrepit place.

It was a detached property, a bit of distance away from the more modern architecture. I'd been bracing myself for guards as I pulled up to the gate flanked by steep walls, but it opened up of its own volition.

The yard that greeted me was set with a dry fountain, flower beds populated with nothing but nameless weeds, and a crumbling cobblestone path. Combined with the unmanned entrance, the dilapidation of it all reminded me of a corny horror film.

As I mused to myself about how the owner of the residence liked their pomp and circumstance, I was confronted with a dimly lit entrance hall with a lone figure standing within.

'I wasn't exactly subtle with my investigations, so it's no suprise someone caught wind of my arrival.' I thought. 'That, and I wanted to finish this sooner to actually enjoy what's left of my vacation.'

Walking further inside, lit only by candlesticks more broken than whole and a chandelier hanging at a dismaying angle was a woman who looked like death.

I happened to be recently acquainted with a few undead souls given my earlier interrogations, but the woman before me looked like a genuine corpse.

Her hands, peeking out from the sleeves of a dark-gray robe, were thinner than wilted branches; her neck could fit easily within a single hand. But most of all, her cheekbones drew the eye to her emaciated face, where two black bags ran deep below her eyes, as if tattooed on. So sickly was her pallor that her skin seemed blue; though most of her face was covered by a flood of greasy hair, it parted enough to leave room for one goggling eye in the shape of a near perfect circle. Had someone told me she'd just been dug out of her grave, I would've had no choice but to believe them.

Yet there was a strange balance to her features, a dreadful allure that only made her more horrific. For a deathly monster to be hideous was cheap, the ugliness would chip at the sense of dread. That she retained some semblance of beauty as a collection of skin and bones let her better embody the terror of death.

"Greetings, eastern dullahan... I don't seem to recall... Ever having crossed paths... To have earned your ire." She said slowly, each between long breaths. "It seems I owe you a warm reception..."

"No thanks. Rather, I'm not here for you to offer anything."

"Ohhh?"

Eyeing the mystic fumes that billowed from her Kiseru --A traditional Japanese smoking pipe--, I sense not spiritual energy, but potent magic from whatever she's filling her lungs. Exhaling, the smoke coiled on her person like slithering snakes.

Only then have I confirmed, that the woman in front of me is, in fact, a witch.

After a moment of staring at each other in constrained tension, she broke the ice. "What brings you to... My humble abode?" She asked while running a hand through her slick hair in genuine confusion.

"The quirk boosters out on the streets. One of their kind was of magic origin." I start, my eyes keeping track of her and her smoke's movements.

"And? You think of me as the culprit?" She chuckled. "Even I am aware... That the mundanes outnumber us... Severely."

"A few little birds have chirped, saying you have a handle on this side's recreational drugs?"

"Hardly." She smirked. "What I create are... Mediums for spiritual relief..." She said, as the smoke around her slowly dispersed. "I have no hand In such things... For one, I specialise on more... Blissful dreams."

"Hm?" I raised an eyebrow on her statement.

"Well then... What to do? We could settle this would force... But I'd really rather not..."

"That makes the two of us." I roll my eyes. 'Troublesome matters are troublesome, afterall. If it can be dealt efficiently, then why not?'

She observed me for a second before turning around and walked deeper into her home. She briefly turned her gaze back to me and said: "Follow me... For I feel that... we have much to discuss..." She turned back and continued walking, her footsteps echoed loudly.

Although apprehensive, I felt no malice or ill will. Trusting my instincts, I followed her deeper.

When we arrived at her study, she poured ourselves a cup of tea. Although it can from the same pot, I didn't partake to even wet my lips. If my guess is correct, then I should be cautious.

The decorations and the books on the shelves were enough telltale signs to prove my conjecture. So to clear it up, I asked her directly.

"You're a wiccan?"

"Former." She said while setting down her cup. "The church and I do not share the same views... There were others like me, of course... Children from who-knows-where, raised to be loyal dogs..." She sighed. "Due to some... unfortunate events, Some of us had no choice but to banded together... And escaped when the time was right... We separated shortly after our newfound freedom."

"Hmmm..." 'So there would be others like her? I just hope they won't be troublesome. Although I am curious as to what unfortunate event forced them to go that far.' I thought.

"About what you said earlier... Relief, was it?" I inquired.

"Indeed... Relief from the same mirage we see every day in this thin cage of bones... Don't you think a nice one would be better?" She exhaled more plumes of white smoke, but this time, they simply dispersed directly.

'Ah... She's ones of those kinds of people.' I thought. "Sounds tempting. But I refuse." I shook my head in refusal. "Besides that smoke is the 'Sleep Cloud' spell, right? Aren't wiccans chained by the law of three?"

"Goodness... Why does every last person insist on 'reality'?" She sighed, the vapors from her drooping pipe served to dampen her own mind. "And to answer that question... It was long ago that I've made my escape... Shortly before the initiation. Before then, I simply studied from the books and scrolls... We were never allowed to practice magic before the ritual of three, you see?"

"Practicing magic while you're young is common sense, isn't it?"

"It is. But only for those who actually can..." Her eyes glazed over, as if recalling a familiar scene. "I remember failing almost endlessly on the same simple spells... Friends and teachers alike gave up on me..." She then smiled. "When I finally found something to excel at, I was ecstatic. I wanted to suprise them, to make them proud of me... I studied harder, and sacrificed o' so much..." A look of anger flashed on her face. "But they... When they found out about my magic, they branded me a heretic..."

Certain things were better left unsaid. By how she shook in silent wrath, she looked as if she was ready to tear the images of people inside her mind to shreds.

Silence hung above the room. She seems to be pulling herself together, taking in long deep breaths of her pipe. The amount she took in would be enough to knock a dozen men to Dreamlands and yet she took them with no other viable effects, other than calming her nerves.

With one last puff of her smoke, she sighed. "Apologies... For such shameful display."

"No, It's fine." I assured her. "It's better to vent those emotions than to keep them bottled up. Moving on, about the quirk boosters..."

"Yes... Those are not of my own make." She shook her head. "As I have stated, I create mediums for spiritual relief... A recreational drug, so to speak..." She took a deep breath from her pipe and exhaled a black cloud. Inside, it forms different pictures as she continued her explanation.

"Hard drugs like those would be made by someone else... The ones that come to mind are The Life Masons-" An image of large, hulking individuals colluding came from the smoke, each with their own tools of choice in hand. "Chasers of Colors-" An Image deranged individuals appeared, unnaturally thin and sickly as them seem, all of them running after a rainbow light in the distance. "And finally, The Neo-Shintoism." An image of a banquet appeared. Monks and priest, followers and believers of various sizes, all of them indulging in different forms of debauchery.

'Huh? That priestess looks familiar...'

The black smoke receded with a wave of her hand. "Of course, we can ignore the Chasers of Colors... They are act more like a mob than an actual organisation... They would not be able to focus long enough to research such a potent drug."

"What about those Neo-Shintoism?" I asked while trying to remember where I've seen that face.

"Them?... They're a group serving the self-proclaimed new gods of Shintoism... A cult that acquired followers en masse... They're an infuriating bunch that gets their noses in everyone's business... All to make more gods..."

"Make?" I scoffed at the notion. "If all it took was faith and followers, top heroes would have become gods long ago."

"Even so, they never stopped trying." She sighed. "The false gods they have flaunt their powers for faith... It was a pitiful sight, to say the least... They were overcompensating in flamboyance for what they lack."

"Speaking of compensation, why are you telling me this?" I narrowed my eyes and looked at her directly. "Nothing comes for free, that much I understand."

She puffed another cloud of smoke before she spoke. "Let's just say... That I am Investing on you... Part of it is to repay a favour."

"A favour to who?" I asked while extending my senses.

She chuckled at my question. "You will know eventually... Just know that she means no harm."

'No malice, just... Amusement? Like how Saten would tease Uiharu...' I relaxed my senses. 'She means no harm so it should be fine. And it's better to have more allies than enemies, anyway.'

"By the way, where are the locations of these Neo-Shintoist?"

"Within temples and the like." She smirked. "Due to their... Tendencies, they have plenty of enemies everywhere... They change locations quite frequently."

I read between the lines and nodded in acknowledgement. "With that many people moving, they would have had to make use of some sort of mass teleport or maybe even a subspace item."

"Ohhh? You plan of going after them?"

"No. Just curious, is all." I said standing up from my seat. "I'm gonna go back then. It was a pleasure meeting you-"

"Nanna. Just refer to me as Nanna."

"Right." I nod. "Just call me Kizuki, then. It was a pleasure but I have to head on home. I still remember the way out so you don't have to escort me."

"Very well... If you need anything, then pen me a letter. Be it relief, information or even sweeter dreams." She said as mystic fumes once again surrounded her.

"Yeah sure." I laughed as I make my way out the study. "Still not gonna use them though, so keep dreaming."

"And what makes you think I was awake to begin with?" She giggled from behind me. "After all... Everything is but a dream conjured by a gory sack of meat..."

~~~~~~~~~~~

As the boy- no.

As Kizuki left the room, silence once more descended my sanctuary.

'The land loved by the gods...' I mused. 'Then very same one that those old fools covet oh-so much.'

Even if it was the reason for my exile, I never once regretted learning mind magic.

The sheer amount of knowledge I harvested from the brains of bishops and cardinals were all worth the trouble.

'Because after all, if none of that happened, I would never had met my mistress.' I chuckled.