Spirited away

Chapter 6

- Mukashi, Mukashi!

The witch was dancing on the stage. Above her, the tornado of pages was dancing. Crimson and charcoal, the cloud hummed as it took turns. It brought gusts of wind with its moves, which sliced through the crowd, bringing smells of burning to our nostrils.

Beneath the mages white mask rose her voice, dark and sententious:

- He rose from the depths of the Earth in a cloud of crimson flames! Came the Akashiki!

A gong behind the stage shook our eardrums and the air in our lungs. The origami swirl gathered, became a volcano, then erupted in a black flare.

- It burst into the world, slicing through the mountain, unsealing the underworld! Came the Akashiki!

The eruption morphed into a huge dark figure, a katana in his hand.

- He soared into the skies, brandishing a blade of destruction! Came the Akashiki!

The flights of papers continuously shifted, collided violently, unfolding the image of a gigantic and hideous demon. A titanic stature, haloed by a malignant fire. The blade glinted in the sunlight, formed by rows of lined up white sheets. The gong sounded again, the koto going wild. After the origami, it was a long silk ribbon that escaped from the witch's robe. The dragon of treads, pure blue, stretched into space.

- It stood, all powerful, draped in rage, in front of the bridge between the land of Men and Kamis. Came the Akashiki!

The monster slammed its weapon edge into the bridge of azure. The fabric seemed to resist at first, then twisted and got sliced cleanly. The gong sounded once more, the notes of the koto pouring down. The scarf disintegrated into charred splinters. The witch's song turned into a cry of agony.

- Hakaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...

The show wasn't fiction. It was History, the story of how the world was ruined. The Akashiki razed Japan, broke the bridge between Heaven and Earth. Silent in the square, in our minds, we recalled the Collapse, the earthquake, the undefinee period of unconciousness that had carried us out of normalcy. Our old world had ended.
The witch was just catching her breath. After a gasp for air, the events continued to unfold from her throat. Another giant stood in the sky, dressed in red and flames, crowned by the sun. Amaterasu. Guardian of daylight, patroness of Mankind. Their battle made the sky tremble and the stars waver. Amaterasu defeated the demon. Perfidious, he struck a final blow to her head. The blade of embers melted the face of the goddess. Origami-sama let out a cry of pain and anger, so powerful that tears came to my eyes. The divine incarnation of the sun crumpled to her knees, burned by a fire stronger than her own. The black being, weakened but alive, fled.

- Half-dead, he roamed across the world to regain his strength. The demon contaminated waters, crawled through the soil, corrupted spirits, burned villages, rotted crops. In the furnace of its breath, he swept away the efforts to rebuild. Thus came the Akashiki!

Desolation spread in his wake, and evil spirits awoke. Silhouettes stood up to him, vainly at first. Then months passed in the story and the figures multiplied, gathering behind another giant in formation. Two paper storms faced each other, one as white and pure as the other was black and spoilt.

- Finally. Oh, mighty protector of life, guardian of cities and waters. The magician with the purifying hand. Came Yamatogami!

The two clouds hurled themselves at each other in roaring waves. Each trying to swallow the other, taking turns to the upper hand. A black arm rose up, its sword of blazes extending from it. He brought it down again. Yamatogami didn't break like the bridge. He didn't burn like Amaterasu under the scorching assaults. It wrapped itself around the blade, which creaked under the pressure. Cracks appeared, extended. In another gong slam, the paper simile fell to pieces, each twirling leaf a shard of the broken katana. Victory was Yamato's, but the Akashiki continued the desperate fight. Soon enough, only a white swell reigned over our heads, the maelstrom subdued back to a calm sea. The scent of char disappeared. Origami-sama, still singing the epic ode, concluded the act on these words: