Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 2

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, thank you. Though I think this is more the result of long time spent thinking about such things."
>Carry on for a few more steps
>"Do you think someday, if you were to find yourself in a position similar to Ayumi's there, you might feel bold enough to do likewise?"

>"Ya mean give my phone number ta someone I was a fan of?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, for example."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, for example."

>Rin thinks about that for a moment as you walk abreast of the green-haired miko playing catch. "Ahh, ya mean could I do somethin' like that, and in front of a crowd?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I think she was relatively private about it, but it still does require exposing oneself to the recipient, in a sense."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, I think she was relatively private about it, but it still does require exposing oneself to the recipient, in a sense."

>Rin pauses for a moment to consider your question. "If I was standin' in front of someone I fancied, would I have the balls to do what she did...?"
>Her use of the word 'balls' outside of one of the holy grounds of town doesn't seem entirely appropriate, but you let it slide while she thinks.
>After a pause, Rin answers, "I think I could, yeah. If I knew the other person wouldn't get upset over it."

[DracoOmega]

>Chuckle a little
>"Well, in that respect I'd like to think that I was a disarming audience, at least."

[Oldmansour]

>Chuckle a little
>"Well, in that respect I'd like to think that I was a disarming audience, at least."

>Rin blinks. "Try that again?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I just meant that I hope no one would think I would get upset over such a thing, at least."

[Oldmansour]

>"I just meant that I hope no one would think I would get upset over such a thing, at least."

>"Well, there's at least one Kappa that don't, that's fer sure." Rin replies with a grin.

[DracoOmega]

>"Yes, I suppose there is. Or willing to risk it anyway, at any rate."

[Oldmansour]

>"Yes, I suppose there is. Or willing to risk it anyway, at any rate."

>Rin's grin turns to a small smile, "Can't blame her, either."

>Kiku's voice returns, I have found the book I was looking for. It does indeed tell of what became of the Hell Raven's corpse.

[DracoOmega]

>Smile a little self-effacingly

>And what did?

[Oldmansour]

>Smile a little self-effacingly

>And what did?

>Susano'o took pity upon the Hell Raven when he saw it dead. He forgave it for its weakness that drive it to Yomi, and in a funeral pyre sparked by the first light of the sun, he set the twisted corpse of the fallen kami ablaze. Its corruption burned away, and the freed kami was taken to the heavens by Susano'o, where it stood in judgement by Amaterasu. The cleansed kami was smiled upon by the Sun kami and was given form again, and though it was once more a pure divine spirit, its feathers were forever blacker than its fellows, and its eyes never once shed any tears, for any cause.
>The cursed third eye, however, did not burn. It weathered the flame that consumed the flesh surrounding it, and its countenance burned with hatred so vile and toxic, that wherever the fire touched it, the flames turned black and belched poison smoke into the sky. What Susano'o did with that eye, this book does not say. I have a theory, but nothing to confirm it.

[DracoOmega]

>A theory?

[Oldmansour]

>A theory?

>I believe that Susano'o may have buried the eye where he buried the main head of the Orochi, beneath Mount Sentsu to the west.

[DracoOmega]

>Do we know where this Mount Sentsu is?

[Oldmansour]

>Do we know where this Mount Sentsu is?

>Much like Kiku said, it lies to the west of Mayoiga, on the main island of Yamato. It's one of the tallest mountains on Yamato, and unique for its somewhat isolated location; though part of a greater range, it is considerably taller than the mountains around it for miles in any direction.

[DracoOmega]

>About how far away is that from here?

>You say it belched poison smoke, yes? Forgive me if I am being altogether silly here, but when the sacred flame of your shrine turned black, did it also produce some kind of foul smoke?

[Oldmansour]

>About how far away is that from here?

>You say it belched poison smoke, yes? Forgive me if I am being altogether silly here, but when the sacred flame of your shrine turned black, did it also produce some kind of foul smoke?

>You don't recall exactly how far, but when you and your family traveled there by car to celebrate Myoren's fifth birthday, you remember it took at least six hours to get there, so.... you guess between somewhere in the vicinity of 400 to 450 miles away.

>Yes. As a matter of fact, it did. But the smoke wasn't poisoned, if that's what you were thinking. It couldn't have been, all of us present would have been affected by such a thing.

[DracoOmega]

>Are you certain you weren't? What about the block in your mind, and those of your sisters? And of Satori's recent behavior?

[Oldmansour]

>Are you certain you weren't? What about the block in your mind, and those of your sisters? And of Satori's recent behavior?

>Kiku does not immediately answer.
>After a long moment's pause, her voice returns, No, it cannot be. I would have sensed such a thing. My memories may have been affected, but my powers haven't been. Someone here would have sensed a power at work within the shrine.

[DracoOmega]

>But there is some power at work there, no? Whether it is this or something different. The barriers in your minds came into being somehow, and it would take a powerful force indeed to affect the sacred flame as it has been. Even if you still cannot sense what form it has, there is tangible evidence of something's presence.

[Oldmansour]

>But there is some power at work there, no? Whether it is this or something different. The barriers in your minds came into being somehow, and it would take a powerful force indeed to affect the sacred flame as it has been. Even if you still cannot sense what form it has, there is tangible evidence of something's presence.

>Of this there is no doubt. But it cannot be the work of the Third Eye of the Hell Raven. If that object had once again become active, it would mean that the Orochi had also been resurrected. And THAT would be an event of apocalyptic proportions.

[DracoOmega]

>Forgive me, but I do not understand how one implies the other. Was there any connection between the two aside from the fact that the Orochi had eaten the hell raven?

[Oldmansour]

>Forgive me, but I do not understand how one implies the other. Was there any connection between the two aside from the fact that the Orochi had eaten the hell raven?

>As I told you, I believe the two were buried and sealed together by Susano'o, after he had slain the Orochi. If one is active again, the other would have to be as well.

[DracoOmega]

>But you said you had nothing to confirm this theory, yes? Perhaps they did not share the same seal?

[Oldmansour]

>But you said you had nothing to confirm this theory, yes? Perhaps they did not share the same seal?

>Even if that were the case, an object so tainted, so potentially powerful, would have sent up signs all over town if it was used, if not the country. Even mages would have detected its presence, not just onmyouji like myself. Surely one of the other shrines' more powerful members would have detected it and informed the rest of us by now.

[DracoOmega]

>Yes, I suppose you may be right. Forgive me if I am leaping at connections which may not exist; it just sounded ominously coincidental that the woman I mentioned earlier would suddenly start having visions of this hell raven near to the time when your sacred flame was affected in a manner reminiscent of the flame that touched its eye. Given the events of late, I hesitate to dismiss something merely because it sounds too incredible to be true.

[Hanzo K.]

>Perhaps, just to be safe, we should keep an eye on her all the same. It is quite possible that this is not mere coincidence.

[Oldmansour]

>Yes, I suppose you may be right. Forgive me if I am leaping at connections which may not exist; it just sounded ominously coincidental that the woman I mentioned earlier would suddenly start having visions of this hell raven near to the time when your sacred flame was affected in a manner reminiscent of the flame that touched its eye. Given the events of late, I hesitate to dismiss something merely because it sounds too incredible to be true.

>Perhaps, just to be safe, we should keep an eye on her all the same. It is quite possible that this is not mere coincidence.

>I'm not in the habit of dismissing coincidence, myself. Nevertheless, I am reasonably confidant in that the Third Eye is not at work here. I could attempt to divine the item's location, but the process involved has multiple risks.
>As I suggested myself earlier. Our Light powers may offer more insight than our mundane senses.

>The back side of the Tortoise shrine is virtually a mirror of the front side. It has a step leading up to the veranda and several sliding doors to the left and right of the main entrance. A brown-winged miko with dark green hair sits to the left of the entrance, listening to a pair of young girls who stand in front of her, and while you can't tell what they're talking about from here, the girls arms' and bodies are quite animated.
>There is a decent sized field in front of the veranda, a grassy patch of land standing in front of a woodland area. A somewhat winding path has been cut through the trees straight across from the exit of the shrine, strung at intervals with tall covered lamps, though the power lines show they are electric, not oil, like the ones on the way in.

>"What about you, Mistress?" Rin asks quietly.