The Spirit and the Lady

Oneshot: The Spirit and the Lady

The village of Mikayoshi used to be a village of the mystic arts that was settled in the east. Today, it is no longer a place for enchantments and fortune-telling, but certain present day Mikayoshians remember a story that their past generations passed along to them, and in turn, tell the tourists who come to see the former magic village. The Spirit and the Lady. Amuni, a young Mikayoshian woman is the only person to this day to remember the full story. Everyday, she tells the tale to visiting children and young people, in hopes that they will pass it on correctly. Her story, as always, is the same.

'The people living there in the old days were magicians, powerful sorcerers who were skilled with all forms of magic,' she begins. 'The Mikayoshians were respected and feared by the rest of the world, as most of their work were done in secret. Whenever a person identified as hostile entered the area, they were forced out, either by the Lady of the East, the sworn protector of Mikayoshi, or by the sorcerers themselves. Still, many criminals managed to slip inside the village boundaries, beyond the detection of the sorcerers. Since no one discovered them, they technically were under the protection of the Lady of the East, a powerful veil-covered woman who was most known for her control over light. The miscreants who were discovered, or failed in infiltrating the village, were thrown out. Despite the number of wrongdoers who slipped past Mikayoshian defenses, only one person could directly withstand the Mikayoshians' magic: the Midnight Spirit.

The Midnight Spirit was a warrior vigilante, cursed forever in silence and ambiguous identities to hunt down criminals to his own standards. His most distinguishable sign was the Immunity Mask, which protected him from all forms of magic. The Midnight Spirit was an expert swordsman and tracker; if anyone was breaking the law under his watch, it was the last thing they would ever do before being thrown in jail, no matter how elusive they were. To add to the trepidation, no one ever knew where he was half the time, as his skill of moving through the shadows undetected evaded even the most thorough search. Contradictory to this, he purposely, for an unknown reason, always stayed in view when attacking Mikayoshi. He and the Lady of the East were enemies, battling each other every full moon for the safety of the village. Of course, the Lady of the East did not know that the enemy lived among her people, so she fought hard against the vigilante. If the Lady of the East won the battle, the Mikayoshians would be safe for another moon cycle. If the Midnight Spirit won, he was free to take the village and purge it of any imminent crimes. The Mikayoshians, even after the Spirit's victories, had no idea that the people he cleansed the village of were hostile. Recently, however, the Spirit did not enter the village itself, instead standing guard until the Lady came back on the next full moon. No one ever knew the reason for the Spirit's confusing actions - until the second blue moon took to the sky during the sixth year.

Having a second blue moon in one year was impossible, some people claiming for it to be magical. They were right. A second blue moon was magic unto itself, so naturally it was created by the Mikayoshians. It had only happened once in the last century, but the Mikayoshians were planning another. It took a great deal of magic to create this phenomenon, harnessing the moon and altering its path, while consulting the best way to do it so it would not continue throughout the years. The the second blue moon was a sign of great achievement, so when the world witnessed the truth of the Spirit's actions, they knew that the second blue moon must have caused his confession.

The night started out like most: as the sun went down, the Lady of the East moved, as always, into her position in front of the village. The Midnight Spirit arrived, as always, to take the village. As always, they met a ways from the main gate, in an open field. As always, the Mikayoshians watched silently from their rooftops, breathlessly awaiting the battle. But something this time was not right. When the Spirit appeared, he usually immediately assumed battle-stance, and Immunity Mask showing his eyes, narrowed and alert. Tonight was not the case, however. His stance was casual, his swords dangling limply at his sides. To anyone who did not know him would say his eyes looked nervous, apprehensive for whatever was to come. The Lady, however, knew otherwise. The Spirit was known for his trickery, appearing weak and vulnerable up to the point where he cornered his victim and led them away. But when the Spirit did not change his stance or even tense up, the Lady knew something was up. Despite their common clashes, the two individuals trusted one another and fought fairly, almost like their opposition was show for the people watching. They took their defeats in good humor, and greeted each other in a friendly manner. So, when the Spirit, who usually struck first, gave no implications to want to fight, the Lady dropped her hostility and floated over to him.

"Are we enemies?" the Spirit's voice was deep and raspy.

The Lady frowned, not sure where this conversation was going. "No."

"Then why do we fight?"

The Lady had no answer to this. She was struck with sudden realization that she, in fact, did not know why they had fought for the past five years. "I...I don't know."

"We fight over a village, simple as that," the Spirit answered his own question, quickly and bluntly. "Yet, there is no true reason for this. The Mikayoshians can fend for themselves. Why are we forced to become enemies over something that can easily do our jobs for us?"

Again, the Lady had no answer to this. "But, you are the one attacking," she pointed out.

"True. But have you even asked why I confront you? Why I even come out here every full moon?"

The Lady felt slightly guilty and annoyed at the Spirit's confounding question. She decided to play along, to see what he would say. "Well then, why do you fight me for Mikayoshi?"

The Spirit glared at her, but when he spoke, his voice bordered on amusement. "Because your village isn't all that it seems."

"Explain." The Lady's response was commanding and harsh.

"You village. Not all of them are sorcerers. Some are criminals, somehow slipping past under your nose and killing off the Mikayoshians, one by one. I knew you would not accept an accusation like that, so I took to a simpler method: fighting you. Five years of it and yet you never questioned my actions, although you were generally amicable towards me during our battles. Which brings me to my first question. Are we enemies?"

The Lady hesitated. His observations of her were all uncannily correct. She had no choice but to answer his question. "I don't believe so. I know when people tell the truth, and you are not lying. However, I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, that you aren't telling me all of it. I have scanned the village personally and found no hostile individuals over the past three years. If there are no more miscreants, why do you keep coming back? Unless you truly want to defeat me, which I think not, you would only keep coming back for one reason. To see me."

It was the truth and they knew it. The Spirit's desire to continue visiting the Lady had persisted ever since their first battle, when the Spirit's intentions had been to purge Mikayoshi of evil. The Lady knew, and the Spirit knew it as well, yet he was reluctant to admit it. To admit to loving someone in this world would mean they would be punished by separation. But the secret was out and the Spirit, despite all of his knowledge, could not stall forever. The confession was sealed by a simple jerk of his head. Then, without any further words, he turned and left, growing smaller and smaller until the shadows of the rapidly vanishing night hid him from view.

That morning, the Lady of the East left Mikayoshi as well. No one knew where she was because her infinitely powerful magic shielded her from even the most resourceful of sorcerers. No one knows to this day if she still roams the earth, calling and searching for the only person she had ever trusted and loved in her life. The second blue moon does not happen anymore, as it was the Lady who contributed largely to the Mikayoshians' magic. For her to leave, was for magic to disappear forever. And that, my friends, is the tale of the Spirit and the Lady.'

Amuni does not know, that in the crowd, two lovers, both in their late teens, are listening to the story with an air that they have heard it before and know the story well. The boy is tall and slim, dressed in all black, with two swords strapped to his back and a mask-shaped bulge in the hood of his shirt. The girl is willowy and graceful, her face covered in a veil, and twitches her fingers slightly, causing them to glow faintly before going out. Amuni does not see them, although she feels different for a moment, like the magic of her ancestors is coursing through her veins, but the sensation is so fast, she assumes it was the effect of the story. No one notices them, as by the time the crowd has started to finally clear out, the two are gone.