Phantasmal Foxfire, Stringed Instrument Motif

  Weave symphonic magic into illusions fueled by the creativity of the performer. Size, duration, and strength of illusions are based on performance quality and instrument used. Illusions do not physically exist. Requires constant performance to maintain, with a refrain completion rate of 75%. Illusions strengthened by 100% if performed on Biwa.

  I read the description again, my mouth hanging open slightly. I read through it again as the ink dried and the system prompted me to learn the song. I immediately selected Yes and the sheet of music dissipated from between my fingers as the knowledge filled my mind.

  “While it is possible to perform that song with your current instrument, it was written to be played on a biwa, such as mine.” Mae stepped closer, her hand reaching towards my lute. “May I?”

  I hesitated for a moment, but extended the lute towards her. Mae didn’t reach to take the lute. She caressed it with one carefully manicured finger. “Beautiful. It is as I thought. This is a bonded instrument, yes? I sense magic within.”

  “Yes, this is the Lute of Azure Skies, a gift from my mentor, though he said it was a loaner.”

  “Hmmm,” she purred, nodding. “This is as fine a gift as any I have seen. A plethora of potential resides within. A loaner, you say? I doubt that. Bonded instruments are not separated from their chosen performers without significant effort.”

  “It didn’t seem like the lute had much say when I bonded it.” I thought back to when the system prompted me to bond it.

  She barked a gentle laugh. “The choice may have seemed to be yours, but the opportunity alone is an indication that the instrument chose you.

  Lute of the Azure Skies, you called it? Yes, it is familiar to me. There are stories of this lute. It was last held by a human woman of incomparable beauty, as the story goes. One of the first to make a name upon arrival to this world. Winry Goldentone, Starsinger.”

  She looked up, drawing my gaze into hers. I felt my mind being gently tugged towards her. Carnal desires raged in my heart.

  “For you to have this… Your mentor… Alendricahl Goldentone?”

  “Y… yes.” Thinking was difficult, like wading through hip-deep water. I stared into her eyes, watched them shift as my essence was drawn into her. She inhaled, smiling, then exhaled, stepping away and breaking the eye contact.

  I lurched back, the connection severing with a nearly tangible snap.

  “What did you just do to him?” Katarina growled. Encore rumbled with her, a small, dangerous noise that reverberated deep in his chest. The sounds startled me as I blinked, my senses reorienting.

  “Worry not, it was a confirmation and a debt repaid. A debt long owed. You will recover, though you may be tired for the next day.”

  “What did you do?” Katarina replied, taking a step forward. Mae turned, a lazy smile on her lips, and looked at me.

  “Ask your mentor about it, next time you meet. Ask him of Tamamo no Mae, and of the seven blossoms. He will remember.”

  Katarina squeezed her fist, stepping closer. Encore stood at her feet, his fur puffed out and all nine tails held stiffly back. They both continued growling.

  Katarina: Chanter, are you really okay? Do I need to punch a bitch?

  “It’s okay,” I looked over my status screen. Exhausted flashed just below my health. It lowered my overall stamina by 25%, but that was it. “Really, I’m okay.”

  Katarina stopped, her gaze shifting between Mae and me. Encore paused as well, sniffing the air before bouncing over to me and rubbing against my leg in a very feline-like gesture that surprised me. Concern radiated from the small bundle of emotions in the back of my mind through our connection.

  “Did she just do what I think she did?” Katarina’s words were half whisper, half snarl.

  Abernathy watched the interaction, shrunken down and making himself as small as possible. He quivered slightly when our eyes met. I smiled reassuringly and he sat up.

  “It’s fine, I’m okay.”

  Katarina grunted, but stepped back.

  “It was a debt repaid. Nothing more, nothing less.”

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  “Payment for the song?” Abernathy squeaked, then shrank down as Mae’s gaze turned towards him.

  “No. The song was freely given, for the one bonded to my cousin.” She nodded to Encore, who showed his teeth. She laughed softly. “It is good to see you so protective of the one you have tied yourself to. See that your connection strengthens so that you do not break yourself should it be severed.”

  “That makes no sense,” Katarina cut in.

  “Hmmm. Sense? It would not, to one such as you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Katarina’s knuckles popped as she clenched her fist. Mae’s smile deepend.

  “I am fond of you, human. Your fire burns bright.” She took a deep breath, flourishing. “I feel energized and generous on this fine day. Our time together draws near its end. You will need to distance yourselves from this place to fully sever the connections we have formed. Before you go, one last gift. A flame for the flame.”

  Mae turned and gracefully strode back into the building. Katarina walked over, touching my cheeks with the back of her hand.

  “You’re okay?” Her voice was a gentle whisper on the wind. Something trembled between us. I felt her concern, her discomfort, her anger.

  “I’m okay,” I leaned forward, touching my forehead to hers. We exhaled as one.

  “Good.” She backed up as Mae returned, holding a small object in one hand. A dense, circular cluster of blue flower petals.

  “This was gifted to me by an emperor long, long ago,” Mae’s stride slowed as she approached. “Though it may seem untrue from this interaction, I am not a gift giver. Most of my encounters end in gifts being given to me.

  Maybe this generosity stems from seeing another of the blood after decades. It matters not. May I?” She approached Katarina, who tensed as the other woman approached. She glanced towards me, then locked eyes with Mae.

  “What is that?” She asked. Her words were softer, though still lined with an edge of distrust.

  “Ajisai are gifts given in apology. My actions, the fulfillment of a debt long owed, have angered you greatly. I envy and respect your fearless, protective reaction. Here, bend your head.”

  Katarina swallowed, gritted her teeth, and complied. She bowed her head slightly. Mae reached over and pulled a flexible stem from the base of the blue flowers, weaving it into her bun. The flowers shifted, acclimating themselves to the tight bundle of hair, spreading to cover the bun in a small layer.

  “Beautiful. May it bring you fortune in the face of hardships to come.” She stepped back, glancing towards Abernathy. “I am sorry, small one. I have no gifts for you.”

  “It… it’s alright,” Abernathy struggled to speak, glancing away from her gaze.

  Mae walked over, cupping his cheeks in her hands. His body froze, vibrating with tension. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. He sighed as his tension melted away.

  “This will need be gift enough.”

  Abernathy sat down his eyes large, blushes appearing through his furry cheeks. “Th- thank you.”

  Mae smiled, looking up at the sky. “It is time for you to leave this place. Something is coming, a great change. I will leave this place soon, a precious place I have called home for a long, long time. It saddens me, but the melancholy is lessened with the knowledge that there are more of the blood that still roam these lands. I hope our paths cross again some day.”

  Mae walked us back to the donkeys. We worked together, affixing them to their harnesses. They both chewed contentedly at great swathes of grass in their mouths. Abernathy got the cart turned around.

  Mae walked over to the doors leading out of her courtyard. “Be wary. My eyes were not the only ones that caught sight of your flight, cousin. There are other dangers in this pass. Do not be caught unawares.”

  Encore leapt, shrinking and landing atop my shoulder. I walked over, holding out my hand. She grabbed it and pulled me into an embrace.

  “Keep my bloodkin safe,” she whispered, her warm breath on my neck caused my skin to tingle. I felt Encore gently butt his head against mine on the opposite shoulder.

  We separated and Katarina stepped forward, extending her hand out aggressively. Mae did the same thing, pulling Katarina into an embrace and whispering something in her ear. Katarina tensed for a moment, then relaxed a little, bringing one hand up to pat Mae’s back.

  She stepped away from Katarina, who glanced at me and then away, and up to Abernathy, who sat upon the cart. She stepped up into the bench in two graceful motions and kissed him on the head. His fur fluffed out, his feet clomping on the footrest of the bench with a thump. Her melodic laugh drifted between us as she stepped back down and made her way to the gate.

  “Remember,” she called as we made our way out of her hidden courtyard. “Keep an eye out. Do not be caught unawares. And practice that song! It is an heirloom!”

  “Thank you!” I called back as she closed the large gates, darkening the hallway.

  We made our way back out into the sunlight, turning right to continue up the mountain trail.

  “What an odd encounter,” Katarina looked back and stopped walking. “It’s gone!”

  I turned and saw a blank mountain wall where the opening had been. Katarina ran over, holding out her hand. It met solid stone. She pushed against it, grunting with effort. “What the hell?”

  I walked over as Abernathy stopped the donkeys and hopped down, flipping a breaking mechanism he had constructed over the wheels of the wagon.

  The steep side of the mountain was cold and firm against my pressure. I looked around at Abernathy. “This is the spot, right?”

  “Yeah,” he replied, “we just came out of this spot. See that scuff in the ground? I remember seeing it as we passed through.”

  He pressed against the wall, and I laughed. “We look ridiculous, the three of us pushing against the side of this mountain.”

  “The situation is ridiculous, not us,” Katarina replied, punching the stone. She cursed, shaking fragments of stone free from her knuckles. “That was real right? It really happened? I’m not losing my mind?”

  “Oh, it definitely happened,” Abernathy absently rubbed at the top of his head, leaning against the steep mountainside. “Wait. Do you hear that?”

  His large ears shot up and twisted, honing in on something behind us. I turned my head and heard something approaching. Great whomph, whomph, whomphs of displaced air. A form rose from the edge of the cliff, temporarily blotting out the sun with it’s massive bulk.

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