Chapter Text
Sunlight fell through the church windows, illuminating the lines of priests standing along the aisle way. Each held a rosary in hand, heads bowed low in reverence. The silence was broken as the doors creak open and the thud of boots on wood reverberated. Light shone on the figure as she walked towards the church’s apse. There stood the head pastor, his robes long enough to pool on the floor as if he was melted onto that spot.
“Eli Ayase,” his voice boomed. Eli kneeled down, hands in prayer on her lap. A pose of subservience and mercy. She knew what was likely to happen. But perhaps she could ask for God’s grace one last time.
“Yes, Father,” Eli said, “Today I come to ask for judgement.”
“As you know, today marks the end of your training. However, your spiritual abilities are far too lacking. Although you are the next of kin in the Ayase family, there is no reason to pass on the title of High Priestess to you,” the pastor said, “Your sister far surpasses you in skill and by all means, you are inadequate for your station.”
Eli bit the inside of her cheek. She knew what she was going to hear, but that didn’t make the sting any less painful. Ever since she was a child she had been working her hardest to make up for her lack of natural abilities. But despite everything, she could still just barely communicate with spirits. There were children who could do better.
“However,” the pastor continued, “Your family and I have agreed your efforts should not be ignored. Therefore, we have created one final test.”
“I would do anything,” Eli said without a second of hesitation. She knew an opportunity when she heard it and it would have been foolish to refuse. This was the chance from God she was looking for.
The pastor nodded. “You must travel to the Eastern country south of our land. There, you will find a seaside town called Otonokizaka. The mayor of Otonokizaka will further explain your duties to you. It is not a test of spiritual abilities, but of your endurance and perseverance. If you succeed, then you may return. If you do not…”
“I cannot return to the Ayase family,” Eli stood up, “I understand.”
“You have grown so quickly, Miss Eli,” the pastor smiled, “You have a month to prepare for your journey. They speak the Eastern language there, so I hope you brush up on your textbooks. Good luck, my dear.”
“Thank you, sir.”
-:-
The light of the lantern barely illuminated the cramped desk that Eli hunched over. As any respectable Ayase hier, she had learned the different languages of the region as a child - but a lack of practice made the words sound too unnatural. Three weeks of intensive study has helped, but Eli was afraid she still wasn’t quite up to par. With a week left until her departure, Eli felt the pressure beginning to rapidly grow.
She had also been reading as much as she could about the region. But besides a few scant reports about fishing costs and a lack of logging, Otonokizaka seemed to barely exist. Eli looked at a newspaper with the only picture of the town she could find. It was barely bigger than her own village up in the snow covered mountains. Taken atop the town’s clock tower, Otonokizaka boasted a town square, a port, and scattered patches of homes. Eli tried to imagine walking through the streets, but came up blank.
Setting down the paper, Eli stood to get a new cup of tea. There was still more work to do.
-:-
The sting of the cold ocean breeze felt familiar to Eli’s face. Wrapped up in her coat, she stood at the front of the ship. It was hard to see because of the clouds, but the captain had told her that morning they would land by the afternoon. Before, it was hard to imagine riding in a boat for two weeks. But now that it was her reality, Eli could hardly imagine walking on dry land again. More than that it was merely hours until her real work would start. With sigh, Eli looked up at the gloomy sky and wondered if it was snowing back in the North. Even though it was midday the sun was barely visible.
Eli conversed with the captain about nautical techniques and sea maps until one of the crew members alerted her that they were about to dock and her luggage was waiting. The port was crowded with fishing vessels and Eli recognized some of the buildings from the photograph. Making sure she had everything, Eli gave a final nod of respect to the crew as she stepped off the boat.
Waiting on the dock was a woman dressed like the mayor of a small town. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun and on the lapel of her blazer was a pin of the town’s emblem. She seemed fairly young and her eyes were a soft amber. Eli bowed, “Hello, Miss Minami, I am Eli Ayase. I understand that you have called for my family’s services.”
“Indeed I have,” Miss Minami smiled, “But please, let’s not stand out here in the cold. How about we head to my office?”
Eli nodded, following the mayor as they walked through the town. Either there was even less people than she thought or people were hiding on purpose as Eli barely saw anyone as she traversed nearly halfway through the town. Most of the scenery was the same as the picture, but there was one odd building out. Hidden behind some trees, opposite of the sea and just at the edge of the mountain, was a large mansion. Its roof was just barely visible and Eli was about to ask about it when the doors to the town hall were opened. The mayor’s office was on the second story of the old building, a large window behind the oak desk. Miss Minami stood looking out at the town, tracing her hand along the frame.
“Miss Ayase, do you know why you’re here?” Eli shook her head and Miss Minami sat down in her chair, “Otonokizaka is blessed with its plentiful natural resources. The hills provide fertile soil for our plants as well as plentiful roots for medicines. The mountains are filled with minerals that the men mine and the ocean is stirring with fish that can be caught. It seems picture perfect, doesn’t it?”
“Indeed,” Eli said, attempting to stay cordial, “One would be lucky to live a long life here.”
“That’s what you would think. However, our town has always been plagued by demons,” Miss Minami said, “Every few generations people would be possessed. Those overtaken would be taken into the forest to die or isolated until they perished. But now - there are a group of girls who are all possessed. Due to their unstable conditions, we’ve been forced to isolate them.
I’m sure you saw the mansion at the edge of the mountain. That’s where they’re being held at the moment. It’s too dangerous to let them near the other townsfolk. They have supplies delivered to them regularly but… It’s hard for them. And for the families they left behind.”
Miss Minami closed the curtains, hands dropping to her sides. She took a deep breath before turning around, eyes desperate. Eli knew she couldn’t offer any words of comfort; it wasn’t what she had been trained for. She was to hold herself above others - they were clients, nothing more and nothing less. To them she was meant as a symbol of hope. There was no room for emotions and no room for wavering.
But Eli felt her throat tighten and her voice shook as she spoke.
“I swear,” Eli got down on one knee, “I promise to help those girls. Whether it takes a year, or ten years, or a life - I will bring them home.”
Miss Minami smiled sadly, relief washing over her face. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she brought her hands together above her chest, “Please. Bring my daughter home.”
-:-
Eli stared out the window of her room in the inn that Miss Minami had arranged for her to spend the night in. The wooden floor felt uncomfortable underneath bare feet and Eli hoped it wouldn’t take too long for to adjust to not wearing shoes indoors. There was little to unpack and Eli occupied her time before dinner mulling over the things she had learned.
It wasn’t uncommon for demonic possession to be centralized in one area, but multiple at a time was certainly odd. Demons moved solitarily to achieve their own sinful desires and it was the job of people like Eli to make sure they were sent back to Hell where they came from. Tapping her pen on her chin, Eli hadn’t noticed she had been doodling the entire time her mind was wandering. The open pages of her notebook were covered in half-finished sketches of Otonokizaka. In one corner was the sign for a bakery while tucked in close to the bind was half of the window frame. All of her sketches were surrounding by cross hatching as the sun had long since dipped behind the mountain.
From this spot Eli could just barely see the mansion, looming on the corners of Otonokizaka like a spirit. The mountain’s shadow shrouded it in more darkness than the lit buildings in the rest of the town. Eli turned to a new page and tries to sketch what she could - a window barely visible, the bricked roof, and a chimney with a thin trail of smoke. While it wasn’t far by any means, looking at it from here made it seem strangely isolated. It was hard to imagine anyone living there.
Eli sighed, closing her notebook and tossing it onto the bed. Pushing her thoughts to the side, she decided to go eat and turn in early for the night. Who knew what would be in store for her tomorrow.