[P] Sun and Storm

[AMATERASU]

@snowflak3

---

A forest clearing on a mountainside is perhaps a stereotypical setting for the Great Crossroads, the Land of Myth, where the Rules of the World were twisted and my Authority was at its peak. But why not? Mountain forests played a large role in several mythologies after all. Even my own. Or at least what I, Kurama, could remember of it.

I was pretty sure I had smote a mountain or two once a upon a time. On a whim, I allowed my spirit cores to escacalate in a feedback loop. Psycholigical trigger; sword cleaving the sun, initiated. My magical energy reactor shut down from the sudden overload and rebooted, feeding a quick surge of magical energy across my magic circuits. My body grew hot, my ears and tail, representations of my power and Authority, could no longer be concealed. Here, in this place, with the sun shining down, maybe I could do it.

Regression to the Age of Gods. A return to the height of my power. I wasn't that attached to the past, but for some reason I really wanted to know if I could do it. My body began to glow, a small sun opposite the mass of flame in the sky. I gathered the magical energy into my fist, altering it from pure light to heat and flame. The spirit that was my constant companion backed away, hovering as far away as her could.

It was hot. The fire was hot enough that even I as the caster wasn't completely protected, though it was enough that it wasn't painful. Now the test! I slammed my fist into the ground with a sickening crunch, and pushed the magic down into the stones. I was going to blow the whole side of this rock off!

The light faded, and the damage dealt was...minimal. All I'd managed was a small burn mark on the grass and a broken hand. That part actually hurt, but it fixed itself quickly enough. Kind of a shame that I stilm couldn't access the power I had as a goddess, but I wasn't about to let that get me down.

"Hm. Well that was boring. Maybe we should look for some more work?"

[Deleted]

[The White Wolf]

There was always something new to check out. The life of an immortal was one of learning to enjoy the ever-changing maelstrom that was this world. As such it was nice to get out and explore for such phenomenon up close. Such thoughts passed through my head as I drove along the countryside on my ride back. My helmet kept the wind from breaking across my face, but even still I could smell the difference in the atmosphere here. It felt similar to the feywild.

I'd finally get off my ride back and make a few handseals and put the machine stored into my scroll. With a small 'poof' the ritual seal was completed. Now that I was alone I took a moment to realize where I was among the surroundings. I wore my armor, not because I was expecting a fight, but rather so I could mask my presence here on these lands. Sadly given my power simple acts like taking a walk in some domains is enough to alert powerful entities. As a moved a faint black smoke would seem to hug onto my armor like a strange ever fluid smoke. Aside from that the only weapon I carried on me today was a white mantray skin katana, known as Tokihaga.

I had a duffel bag full of supplies for a short escapade into the woods. I had slung it over my shoulder and opened up the visor and took my helmet off. I attached it to my hip and kept walking a short way forwards. I looked upwards for a point I could get a good view on the environment and found it a bit more difficult to navigate the area. Such a feature seemed to be missing here. I'd take a short squat and jump a good 70 meters into the air and take a good look around me. Suddenly airborn for a second I'd look around and see a few things at once. First a squadron of giant eagles in the distance. The other seemed to be a small fox looking demihuman of sorts in a clearing. Demihumans weren't common, but this one appeared different from any I had seen before.

After landing back on the ground. I'd land and then quickly tuck the duffel bag back around my back and start walking towards the clearing she was at. After getting to the edge of the clearing I'd walk forwards tentatively but without fear. "Er... Hello there! Do you live in these parts by chance?" I asked aloud.



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[AMATERASU]

"Hm? Oh! Yeah, all my life. Technically. Sort of. Hey, don't sneak up on people like that, buddy. Good way to get into trouble in a place like this, y'know?"

I scurried back, hiding my ears and tail. He wasn't native, or he would have attacked without announcing himself. I shouldn't have pulled out so much of my magic energy at once. That was just asking to be noticed.

By that point, if he noticed me and approached anyway, he couldn't be weak. Weak people would have run, or hid. My spirit companion approached, checking him out. His unique circumstances meant that he couldnt normally affect the world, or be affected himself, so in a way he was a perfect scout. Shame I couldn't really communicate with him.

"So what's your deal, tall, dark, and spooky?"

[Deleted]

[The White Wolf]

"My name is Shiki. Shiki Senri. I'm here to explore. See new things and to meet new people. I didn't mean to sneak up on you, it's why I called out to get your attention." I'd pause for a moment and flash a small smile.

"Might I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" I'd ask with an interested tone in my voice.

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[AMATERASU]

Names. Names names names. I have too many of those, come to think of it. Well, maybe I can still play this off as a Human. [Second Impressi]

"Good to met ya Shiki Senri. Or well, hopefully? Lets just go with good, at least until it gets not-good. I'm...Mikuzune. From Atago. Mikuzune Atago.

"Planning on dialing down the spook-o-meter so I can see who I'm talking to? The 'dark cloud of mysteriousness' thing is getting kind of in the way. Not that I totally blame you, being an explorer and all. Dangerous business, exploring."

[Deleted]

[The White Wolf]

"Oh. That's what you were talking about. I'm sorry I never realized it was so distracting." I'd wave my fingers over the runic engravings of a dire wolf on my armor and quickly the shadows would disperse into nothing. "Sorry about that. I was trying to mute my chakra signature to prevent anyone from worrying or getting territorial with me as I traveled." I'd say trying to explain the situation. I'd pause for a moment and look over the creature.

"If that is why you are attempting to deceive me about your identity I apologize for putting you off ease." I'd say with a small grin. "Anyways. I'm here to get a feel for this place. See it's creatures and landscapes. This place is soon going to be teaming with humans, I'd like to make sure everone had a good idea of what was out here."


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[AMATERASU]

"Not bad, not bad. You have some quality stuff. No wonder you didn't want to be noticed." With the shadows gone, the quality of his clothing and armor was instantly apparent. If it had any other abilities, I'd need to spend more time looking it over to figure out.

"Ah, didn't work, huh? Figures. It's easier to pass for Human when they don't see me first. I like you guys, but you're a little bit hard to deal with sometimes when you look like this." My ears and tail popped back into being to illustrate the point.

"It's not like I was totally faking though. I really am Mikuzune. Er, sort of. It's just that I have another name too."

I drew myself up to my full height, which still really wasn't much, and hovered off the ground slightly with the increased flow from my magical energy reactor. I allowed my Light to shine forth freely again, and laid bare my spirit origin. My parameters should be clear in this state to anyone with enough magical talent to read them. Although I was eight tails and a celestial scale of magical energy short of the original Kurama, I mustered all the gravitas I could manage.

"I am Kurama."

[Deleted]

[The White Wolf]

"oh, this stuff?" I'd say as she mentioned my gear. "Yeah I'm a Kyoudo. I'm able to manipulate metal quite well. I fashioned a bit of armor for myself so I could explore places I'd otherwise not be able to reach or survive." I'd say with a bit of pride behind my work. I'd pause as she seemed to be unable to sense my chakra. Well that was good, at least she wasn't a sensory type.

"That black spooky mist actually masks my chakra level. I've got quite a bit of it and sometimes it can make powerful entities curious about me if I enter an area. I didn't wish to be targeted or alarm anyone. So I decided to keep my signature hidden for a moment. But if the rest of the locals share your disposition I shouldn't have any issues. Is there anything around here you reckon I should see?"

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[AMATERASU]

I laughed. I couldn't help it.

"Hahahaha. Oh you're funny. I like you. Normally I'd get more of a reaction from something formal like that.

"But uh, no. No I'm not exactly emblematic of nonhumans around here. You're in over your head, explorer. This is a place totally unlike anywhere else in the world - the mana in the air here, the od, its like a little peice of the Age of Gods surviving in the Age of Man. Let me be the first to welcome you to the Great Crossroads, Shiki Senri," I said, returning to my normal state with a bow. "The Land of Myth, where the Rules of the World are twisted on themselves and those with common sense need not apply. A land of gods and spirits and anncient magic.

"Oh but dont think I'm trying to scare you off or being overly dramatic. Its not like Humans don't get by just fine. Its just that life is a little different around here. Rather than wolves and bandits, they're more concerned with oni savages, hauntings and curses. Speaking of curses, I think you might have run into a few. Might wanna get that checked out.

And if you're looking for landmarks, theres one you should think of before any others. If the Land of Myth is the Great Crossroads, then this place is the actual road itself - Yggdrasil, the World Tree. From there you can reach any of the Nine Realms, as well as several other minor dimensions and planes of existence. Basically if you know how it works you can go almost anywhere.

"For the record, I don't know how it works. But you really can't miss it. Its supposed to be the tallest, widest tree in the world. Maybe you can see it from here?"

[Deleted]

[The White Wolf]

"Ah the curses." I'd say with a few air quotations. "That would be my wife's work. She's worked out a way to imbue a positive effect as a curse so that it lasts forever. It's essentially a way to keep these sorts of magics to last longer." I'd pause for a moment and look over for a tall tree in the distance. "Now that tree... that sounds kinda cool. You wanna come to check it out with me?"

I'd take a moment and smile. "Don't mind me. I'm not one to shy around oni and demons or monsters. Most of the smart ones tend to leave me alone at this point. Only the really foolish or ambitious make moves against me. When those types of beings start threatening humans, I normally get paid to intervene and stop the problem. The more intelligent ones I can reason with, the more aggressive ones I end up having to slap em around a bit."



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[AMATERASU]

"Confident. Very nice. Hopefully you don't break down out here. Well, you do basically the same job as me, so you're probably fine.

Well, I say the same, but it could also be called the opposite? You do the physical work, I mostly handle spiritual subjects. I do the rounds out here and get paid a bit for exorcisms, blessings, cleansing, fortune telling and the like. Its honest work, at least when I'm doing it, and I like being helpful."

I was making conversation as I led the way up towards the mountaintop. I didn't think Shiki Senri was the type to attack me with my back turned. If he had wanted to hunt the Demonic Fox of legend, he would have already tried to kill me instead of asking directions like a tourist.

At the top, without any obstructions, the World Tree was obvious, stretching like a massive tower into the clouds. Even with the eyes of hawk, seeing even the lowest branches was a physical impossibility.

"So my name, it doesn't mean anything to you? Nothing at all?" I asked in the vain hope that despite his lack of reaction to my Big Reveal, maybe he knew more of the Mythology around me than I did.

[Deleted]

[The White Wolf]

Divine Lore 0

"Nope. It sure is a pretty name though. Kooo-RAH-MA." I'd say playing with the name a bit. I enjoyed it, how it rolled off the tongue. "I apologize for not knowing if you are important though, I'm afraid I don't spend a lot of time plugged into current affairs or history in general. I am afraid many of the people I've met in the past have made me relatively wary of humans in general. I don't spend much time learning about them." I'd say trying to explain my stance a little further along.

I'd look up at the massive tree. "Wow. Now that's some timber. I wonder if It's possible to take a sapling or a small branch of this thing. This would look amazing growing at my Vineyard!" I'd say with a bit of admiration. I'd look around for any sort of saplings or seeds of this massive tree. "I'm a bit of a collector of sorts. Magical creatures, plants, potions, and just generally rare things. I like to preserve ancient things and keep them from falling to time."



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[AMATERASU]

"Important? Mm...maybe. HOW important though, and why...nah, it doesn't matter. Don't worry about it I guess. Ypu sure do like to keep busy though. But I'm not sure if a second World Tree would FIT in your garden. Even a small one would essentially be an island in the sky.

"The only reason this one doesn't keep growing and cover everything is because of Nidhoggr. Big dragon. Looks mean, but he's actually a vegetarian so he doesn't bother anyone unless they bother him. He eat's Yggdrasil's roots. Not much of a conversationalist though. He doesn't seem to speak any known language, not even Dragon. Or at least, he's never acknowleged anyone. Just goes about his business, eating, sleeping, and digging."

[Deleted]

[The White Wolf]

"I See."I said taking some mental notes. "There sure is a lot to this place." After a few moments collecting a few bark samples, and a small branch I could germinate later I'd unfold a large scroll and open it up. Taking a moment I'd use a travel ritual to bind the plant parts into the book. "Perfect!" I'd say cheerily. "I'm afraid I don't speak much dragon either. In fact the last 5 dragons I saw all tried to kill me. I had to kill them and put their souls inside of my sword. Perhaps eventually when they have calmed their souls down I can devise a way to bring them back into this world."

"I won't exactly have a giant vegetarian dragon to keep the tree in check. But I do have quite a few gardeners. Seeing as a world tree probably takes some time to grow I don't think it will be much of a problem in the near future. Besides, it would be kinda cool to see what this plant will become in a few millennia." I'd speak about the item as an immortal would have. The concept of time no longer having any real bearing on me.

After a moment I'd walk over to the tree. Hesitantly stick one foot onto the side of the tree and take a single step up the tree so that I was now standing on the tree trunk perpendicular to it."Can I assume you can walk up trees or fly Kurama?"

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[AMATERASU]

"You know, I'm not sure. I'm relatively certain that was something I used to be able to do, if I felt like it, but I'm not exactly what I used to be these days."

Psychological Trigger; Blade Cleaving The Sun. Accepted. Magical Energy Reactor, switch on. Magic Circuits active. The tiny spark of my own Prana ignited the Od absorbed from the World. My body temperature started to rise as my Spirit Origin swelled with power. Do I know how to fly? My feet lifted from the ground...and stopped.

"Nope, can't fly. Walking should be doable, but why are you going up the side?"

I abandoned the flight attempt, but kept my mana curcuits running. With a reversal of intention, my power shifted from repelling the ground to being attracted to it. Placing a foot against Yggdrasil's side, I concentrated on maintaining the connection. A slight hop from the dirt proved my success. Now I just needed to get used to the change of perspective. Funny how uncomfortable ot felt to stare into the infinite sky, considering I was somehow associated with the sun.

"Yup this works. Don't go too high though. The air gets pretty thin, and if your mana runs out...well, getting down will be faster at least."

[Deleted]

[The White Wolf]

"I won't run out of Mana. But if you get tired you can always lean on me for some strength. What I'd like to do is see what's towards the top of this thing... I have a machine that could fly us to the top of the tree. I'm just not sure if there would be any place to land up there." I'd take a few tentative steps towards the top of the tree. "You ever been to the top of this thing before?" I said as I looked towards the towering tree that seemed to stretch far off into the clouds above. I'd pause for a moment weighing the pros and cons of just trying to fly up.

Some input might provide a bit of clarity on the matter. Until then there was just the matter of this insanely large tree and what lay atop of it. "It sure is pretty out here. I can feel the energy in the air. It's primal. Last time I felt something like this was the feywild."

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[AMATERASU]

"Nope. Nobody lives around here, so there's no reason to hang around. Well, no Humans anyway. Plus y'know, dragon. He doesn't pay much attention to where he's going, so he's accidentally stepped on more than a few attempts to settle the area. Eventually everyone got the hint. Yggdrasil is for visiting, not for staying.

"Also its just too big. We're in for a long walk just from what I can see; nobody knows how tall it actually is. The breathing problem is one you'll notice just by hiking up some of the higher mountains to visit the shrines and temples up there.

"Kinda wonder if maybe it just goes on forever. If this is the road where all dimensions meet, maybe it's infinite and just crosses over into other worlds until you get lost and die or go mad. Sorry, I'm being dramatic. I really can't be much help though. I don't have many details on how this works - Yggrdrasil is part of a different Mythology."

[Deleted]

[The White Wolf]

"Well. I'm gonna build a house out here somewhere. It's gonna be tricky if what you say is true. I'm gonna need much larger masking sigils. Perhaps make the place underground. Not that I plan on living here exactly. But if I find a safe spot around here I can set up a place to teleport from around the world to this location and from this location out to the world." I watched Kurama and see if she knew what sort of technique I was speaking about. "Have you traveled much outside these lands before?"

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[AMATERASU]

"Hahahaha. You ARE something. Casually saying you wanna build a vacation home in Yggrasil's shadow. Are you really a Human, Shiki Senri, or have you been yanking my tail? As long as you don't build in the flatland around the roots it should be fine though. You'll want to make sure your plot doesn't need cleansing first, then ward the perimiter before building. Any discontented spirits or lingering curses could cause trouble during and after your work after all, not to mention phantasmal-class raiders," I explained. This really was a nice place, and I hoped I wasn't making it sound worse than it was, but settling the Land of Myth came with a unique set of hazards unlike anywhere else. Only the most stubborn Humans managed to really thrive here. Then I realized as a newcomer he might not understand quite what a phantasmal was.

"Erm, that means alive, but still more spiritual or magical than physical. Things like elementals, wyverns, chimaeras and such. Dragons and Kishin too, technically, but they're way too high class to be steered away," I clarified.

"Travel though, uh...actually kinda hard to answer. I mean, probably? I don't really remember all the details."

[Deleted]

[The White Wolf]

"I see..." I would say as she explained the situation to me. "If I am still a human... I don't know the answer to that anymore. My body is the result of years of training, magic, and ritual. There are a few things that change a person irreversibly. I've done quite a few of those things." As we walked for a moment my smile would slip and falter. Like killing gods... or slaying demons. Images would rush to my head of the last necromantic incursion I had to fight off. The legions of undead townspeople that had to be cut down by my blade...


"Honestly. I try not to bother myself such questions. I avoid most humans... yet a few seek me out in my sanctuaries. Either for a favor or for knowledge. Some seek me out to fight me and measure themselves against me. It's gotten to the point where I only accept audiences with people unless they have left me an offering of sorts."

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