CHAPTER 9 – THE MIRROR’S DOMAIN

The late evening, Lily was sleeping soundly contained in the plain room.

The light moonlight filtered by way of the translucent paper of the sliding door and shone upon the woman who was frivolously coated in a blanket. Maybe Lily had already forgotten, however final evening, she stuffed the previous copper mirror into her yukata out of behavior earlier than going to sleep.

And that moonlight filtered proper by way of the skinny blanket and yukata that one would use in summer time. It shone upon the mirror and triggered an unimaginable energy, which made Lily half-awake. Her consciousness was clear, but she was unable to budge her physique. This energy pulled Lily’s consciousness into the mirror…

“That is, the place?”

Lily discovered that she was mendacity on prime of a magic circle that was carved into the stone. The floor of the stone was carved with eight illustrations of historical totems and markings that she was unable to make sense of. Your entire room was octagon-shaped, and roughly round ten meters sq..

How did she get right here? Wasn’t she simply sleeping within the room offered by the Matsuda clan earlier?

“Eh?”

Lily appeared to have felt one thing just a little completely different about herself.

She lowered her head to have a look.

“What?!”

She was as stunned because the time when she discovered herself turning into a woman!

He solely noticed himself carrying a white kimono, nevertheless, that was a male costume!

No! Not solely that, even his determine had turned again to the way it was when he was a boy!

Wh-What’s going on?!?! I’ve turned again right into a boy?

Lily was really glad in his coronary heart, however for some purpose, there was additionally a slight disappointment.

Nevertheless, he nonetheless couldn’t bear in mind the identify of her male self.

First, let’s have a look and see if I’ve actually modified again into myself!

Lily wished to retrieve the mirror from the sash1, however not solely did the male kimono didn’t have a sash, his hand truly handed by way of the physique!

“What?!?!”

Lily immediately realized that his palms and legs might cross by way of bodily objects with out obstruction. He tried to stretch his hand underground, and his hand truly sunk into the rock for half an inch. After that, he was obstructed by an invisible drive.

This… What’s going on?!

Am I present as an incorporeal soul in the meanwhile?

No, might it’s that my soul is on this mysterious stony room?

Within the middle of the wall forward, a square-shaped purple crystal was embedded in it.

Lily walked over to the crystal and checked out his look that was mirrored within the crystal.

“Ooooh…”

He set free an “ooooh” as a result of although the one mirrored within the crystal was certainly a boy, however he was prettier than the overwhelming majority of the ladies. His brief hair that just about reached the shoulders and the neatly combed bangs, only one look and you can say he was a short-haired woman with none drawback. And this boy was in no way what you’d take into account tall. His peak was about 1.6 meters, just some centimeters brief from his earlier self.

Nevertheless, this face was fairly just like the one he had up to now. Simply that, it appeared to be extra angelic and prettier than his unique face. He was beginning to look extra like a woman.

Nevertheless, when trying down, it was flat. There have been no bulging breasts under the white kimono.

Severely although, why did he even care about these sorts of issues? He was already a non secular lifeform, was it actually that vital to verify if he was a boy?

Nevertheless, it was simply that vital to Lily!

However how do I take off my garments in soul kind?

Simply when he considered that, the pure white kimono he was carrying immediately disappeared. Lily’s white, frail, and immature male physique was uncovered similar to this. Solely the pure white loincloth was left hanging at his waist.

Lily couldn’t assist however blush involuntarily.

“Wh-What sort of vulgar clothes is that this!”

“Eh? Wait a minute… how embarrassing!” Lily hit her personal head, however he couldn’t actually hit himself, “What do I imply by vulgar! I’m a person for god’s sake! What’s so vulgar a few huge boy carrying loincloth! What am I blushing for! How can a person blush due to this!”

May it’s that he had already turn into used to a woman’s way of life?

Nevertheless, regardless of the case, he was certainly a boy now.

“Simply the place is that this place?” Lily seemed throughout as his doubts elevated.

There was a really uncommon feeling which precipitated Lily to shiver.

It was nostalgic but sorrowful…

He turned his face round to have a look at the opposite aspect of the stony room. It appeared like a door fabricated from rock was there.

Lily determined to strategy the stone door. As he obtained nearer, the stone door slowly opened by itself.

On the opposite aspect was a smaller room surrounded by rock partitions.

The room was dimly lit by candlelight. The ornamental gadgets had been easy and unadorned. There was a desk at one aspect of the room, and a damaged lantern was positioned atop the desk with seemingly inextinguishable flame.

He seemed in the direction of the opposite aspect of the room, on prime of an previous picket mattress…

Senior sister Rin —with pure white yukata protecting her complete physique— was quietly mendacity down there.

“Senior sister?!?!”2

This time, Lily was dumbfounded.

Lily charged into the room and ran to the bedside as he yelled recklessly, “Senior sister?!?! Senior sister Rin!!”

Nevertheless, senior sister solely lied there quietly, with each palms positioned in entrance of her physique. Her eyes had been tightly closed, as if she was sleeping.

Her expression was very light, stunning, and tranquil.

“Senior sister! So you’re additionally right here!” Lily was actually delighted, “Senior sister! Get up, please get up…”

However irrespective of how a lot Lily yelled, senior sister by no means awoke.

“Senior sister! Please excuse me!”

Lily clapped his palms as he apologized, then he tried to shake the senior sister’s shoulder.

And but, his palms handed proper by way of senior sister’s physique with none obstruction.

At this very second, Lily’s eyes had turn into vacant.

The hope and pleasure that was sparked for that one second vanished in a flash.

He immediately realized, the one mendacity right here was probably not senior sister herself, however solely her soul.

She was presently in the identical state as him. Maybe this was some form of unusual place the place solely the souls might enter.

Later, it doesn’t matter what Lily tried, she couldn’t awaken senior sister’s soul.

That stunning woman was simply mendacity there quietly.

Lily took a step again powerlessly and flopped onto the bottom.

“I initially thought that senior sister’s soul was someplace on the market on the earth, I believed that I might by no means have the ability to see senior sister once more, however I didn’t count on she is simply quietly mendacity right here. She’s so shut but up to now!”

Lily recalled the final phrases of senior sister.

“Carry on residing.”

“Senior sister… not solely did she have such a pure expectation, she even saved her promise. She had given me her personal wholesome and delightful physique, but she herself was mendacity on this ice-cold stony room, unable to see the sunshine, unable to see the skin world. She’s simply sleeping in silence inside this darkness.”

“Why? Why are you doing a lot for me?”

“I’ve by no means finished something for you, I used to be solely secretly in love with you! Are you actually prepared to sacrifice your self for me simply due to that?”

“Senior sister, you want me proper? That makes me actually glad. I’m actually glad to recall these phrases, they offer me power on a regular basis, and the hope to reside on this Darkish Age. We had been virtually inside one another’s reaches, but now we have to reside up to now aside.”

“Senior sister! Don’t you are concerned, I’ll positively, completely, discover a option to awaken you! Even when my soul shatters and dissipate due to this, I can’t hesitate!”

“I’ll positively wake you up!”3

“We will certainly go dwelling collectively!”

Lily silently walked beside the sleeping magnificence and kissed her frivolously on the brow. Naturally, the sensation of contact was absent, however his coronary heart was deeply moved.

Lily helplessly kneeled at senior sister’s bedside.

“At the least senior sister’s soul remains to be right here… simply let me stick with you for some time longer. It should be lonely to be right here by your self.”

Lily tried to seize senior sister’s hand. Though she couldn’t actually seize it, she might, in reality, really feel an especially feeble pulse.

No, this was not a pulse. It was an especially weak and feeble fluctuation of senior sister’s soul!

Senior sister remains to be alive!

She was solely in a comatose state for some purpose.

Lily tried to speak to senior sister, retelling the attention-grabbing tales of their schooldays, and concerning the issues he encountered on this Heian Empire. Then he tried to really feel her soul fluctuation once more. By linking their intention, he tried altering his garments in accordance with these intentions. Nevertheless, irrespective of how exhausting he tried, senior sister was nonetheless sleeping peacefully and didn’t present any response.

Lily observed senior sister’s beasts had been barely transferring up and down. It appeared that the soul fluctuation precipitated the soul to breathe. Nevertheless, this could possibly be taken as proof that senior sister was actually alive. Simply that, he didn’t know when she would get up.

“I’ll positively awaken senior sister!”

“I received’t have the ability to assist senior sister if I simply keep depressed right here! Who am I? Simply an abnormal woman on this different world. What’s the soul, methods to really feel it, methods to affect different individuals’s soul, and why is senior sister’s soul sleeping right here?”

“That is positively not one thing an abnormal woman can perceive and resolve!”

This Heian Empire was devastated by demons and overflowing with ghosts. Let’s not point out discovering a option to wake senior sister’s soul, a single woman wouldn’t even have the ability to take a single step! Lily vaguely felt that, this was positively not an abnormal matter, and {that a} huge secret could possibly be concerned!

Solely by turning into stronger, similar to that silver-haired feminine samurai! Then would she have the ability to sweep by way of the continent, discover each nook of this world, and discover a solution to unriddle this secret!

“Even when I’ve to go to the top of the world, even when I’ve to transcend the Heaven!”

All of those required strengths. Energy surpassing earthly restrict!

Lily grabbed senior sister’s hand as sturdy ardour welled up in his coronary heart!

“I need to turn into sturdy! I have to turn into stronger!!!”

“Senior sister, simply await me. The day after I turn into actually highly effective, I’ll come to take you dwelling!”

Lily positioned her face on senior sister’s chest, even though he couldn’t really feel the physique temperature.4

If souls might weep, then maybe Lily could be crying now.

Simply right now, the ethereal voice of a woman resounded.

“There is no such thing as a level in staying right here any longer, it’s about time you return.”

This was not senior sister’s voice, however the voice of a proud and tender woman. Her voice reverberated within the stony room.

One way or the other, this voice sounded acquainted… That’s proper! It sounded just like the voice of the woman who informed him methods to use the sakura parasol to cover from the ghosts of the evening parade.

With out giving Lily the possibility to ask something, he was swallowed up by the darkness. Though he wished to have a look at senior sister’s stunning face for some time longer, Lily’s will couldn’t resist the ability and was dragged into nothingness.

Whereas, through the time when Lily’s soul was nonetheless within the stony room, the mirror which was held in entrance of her bodily physique was scattering some form of light gentle. There was a slight golden gentle in the course of the mirror, and the outer aspect was emitting a delicate purple luster. The misty ring of sunshine was seen even by way of the blanket.

Throughout this time, when her consciousness was robbed from her, a change was occurring to her physique beneath the affect of this heat and delightful gentle.

Although her outward look remained the identical, each inch of Lily’s flesh was absorbing that misty ring of sunshine. Her bones, physique, and veins had been being strengthened by this ring of sunshine whereas she’s nonetheless quick asleep. Even when individuals had been to the touch her physique, her muscle tissue had been nonetheless simply as delicate and versatile. Nevertheless, in actuality, her power had already drastically elevated!

All of those had been occurring with out Lily being acutely aware of it…

And simply when the woman was bathed within the halo of the mirror and moonlight, the silhouettes of many unfamiliar beings could possibly be seen simply past the skinny sliding doorways that led to the yard. They carried some form of distracted tempo as they walked by way of the moonlit door. With their varied sizes and styles, they fluttered throughout Lily’s spotless physique as if they had been just a few form of unusual projections.5 There have been even a couple of lofty and weird figures which stopped in entrance of the door momentarily, seemingly peering into the home!

Nevertheless, these monsters from the evening parade had been completely different from the monsters that had been initially residing or wandering on this space. With out the invitation of the proprietor, they had been unable to enter the home. Thus, additionally they couldn’t see the improbable scene within the room nor might they discover out what made this woman so particular. At most, all they might do was flip round and return to the place they got here from.6

As for why these ghosts from the evening parade would seem outdoors Lily’s room on the sixteen of July, no person knew.