Providence: Book One

Chapter One: Goddess Of Pestilence

　　Apologies in advance, my Japanese is not that good and if there are any corrections I need to make to make this more readable, I would love it if you let me know. Thanks so Much.

　　H. M. Stroud

　　Chapter One

　　Goddess of Pestilence

　　Rio pressed her forehead against the cool window pane, watching the rain drops trickle in rivulets down the blue tinted glass. She was antsy, restless, she would have given anything to be allowed to leave the Tsukishiro Family Shrine, but of course she couldn't be seen outside the Shrine gates, not without an accompanying guard the size of a small army. If her father had his way she would never set foot outside of the interior grounds. Rio had seen the village at the base of the Ekirein mountain, but had never been allowed to visit it, Nor was she allowed to associate with any of the villagers that lived there, toiling in the shadow of the great Mountain, upon which the Tsukishiro Shrine resided, The Villagers (Those healthy and determined enough) would, on occasion, make pilgrimages up to visit the Shrine in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Megami no Shimo Be, but personal contact was forbidden, she would be trotted out, dressed in her best robes and then she would be let back to her rooms. Her father considered her his special little treasure, and he had locked her into a gilded cage since she was born.

　　Rio was born with albinism, a sign of the Goddess' favour, her hair and skin were as white as fresh milk and her eyes were like two drops of blood in the snow. The jagged birthmark on her left shoulder marked her as the Proxy of the Goddess of Pestilence, Ekirei. To the people who worshipped her, this was a blessing. To Rio, who felt the shifting, coiling presence of the Goddess burning behind her eyes, felt her feral power aching to burst out, it was a curse. Rio was afraid of herself, afraid of what the Goddess was capable of, and the Goddess seemed to know this.

　　Ekirei liked to poke at her when she was alone, liked to unravel the edges of her mind, torture her with images and thoughts of the damage she could cause, the people she could kill if she just took off her sacred bracelets. The bracelets kept Ekirei sealed inside Rio, because Rio could not yet control the presence of Ekirei by herself. Several times Ekirei had brought her to the brink, Rio found herself with her fingers clutching at the beads of the bracelets, they would be so easy to snap off. But she always stopped herself, she had that much control over her own body at least. Ekirei couldn't take all of her, at least not yet.

　　"Father wants you," the harsh, scornful voice of her elder sister Yuina broke Rio out of her thoughts, she turned to find her standing in the doorway, her face twisted into a sneer. Yuina had always been jealous of the attention lavished on Rio for being Ekirei's chosen vessel, and she made no attempt to hide her disdain for her younger sister. Rio flinched at her harsh glare and looked down at her feet. Yuina snorted, then turned and left, not sparing her sister a second glance.

　　"Father wants me." Rio repeated to herself. She looked at the floor length mirror that stood in the corner of her room. Her hair was a mess, sticking out this way and that like porcupine quills, and she was still dressed in her night clothes, drool was stuck to the corner of her mouth, and there were visible circles under her eyes. She sighed, she would have to get ready.

　　~x~X~x~X~x~

　　Kasumi smiled encouragingly at Rio as she braided her long white hair, the old woman had been working for the Tsukishiro family since she herself was a young girl. And she felt immense sympathy for Rio, she had been a nurse to Rio since she was an infant, and Kasumi felt like she could understand her moods somewhat, despite Rio's rigidly formal behaviour.