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“Top of the mornin’ to ya, lass! Where ya off to at this hour?”
As usual, the town had been bustling with people bright and early, going about their usual routines of readying the front of shops and preparing meals for the morning.
Shinonome Ena loved the familiar sight, and even more so when she could only think about the peace of the harmonious village where humans and demons coexisted. It was a world she’s always known, and could never imagine being any different.
Of course, such a world had only been achieved by the efforts of those who built the foundation of the village. The two elder women of the village, one of human descent and the other of demon descent.
To Ena, they were heroes, and as an artist who owed her success to them, as well as the many people of her beloved world, she wanted to give back to them in her own special way.
“Ah, just at the library, Mister Shiraishi! You know, the usual!” She answered the man who had just greeted her, following it with a wave as she headed on. The man chuckled, telling her to take care on her way before he went back to doing his morning preparation. Once again, she started to take in the familiarity she had with the bustling town square.
Ena loved the serenity of the town.
The sight of the quaint library came into view, which was run by a timid demon girl who went by the name Kusanagi, in place of her currently ill mother. She knew the girl, who had been just a year younger than Ena was, and while shy, she had studied most of the books in her care.
As Ena entered, she came face to face with the ceiling-tall bookcases with books with titles that brought her a sense of nostalgia upon first glance.
She knew that most of the older books in the village library had been written by both of the elders, and while she had read most of them for inspiration as a child, Ena only recalled the ones that truly struck a chord in her heart.
Ena had always thought of the elders to be enigmas, having the wisdom matching their age. Ena had always looked up to them, and admired the stories that they had to tell to the newer generation. Their stories varied from fictions that they’ve crafted during their adventures, to documents of those very travels in an era that she could not imagine living in. Ena had always had the pleasure of painting the images that they had seen, based on her own imagination.
Ena scoured the many bookshelves of the library, recognizing most of the covers and titles, and which of the two elders wrote it. However, one story in particular caught her eye, and one that she had yet to take inspiration from.
The painter had been instantly captivated by the ametrine pendant embedded on the leather bound, though it had been one that she had seen many times as a child.
“Oh, that book,” she heard Miss Kusanagi muse quietly from behind, with Ena quickly spotting the horns atop her head as she turned to face her. “That’s…written by Elder Yoisaki, right?”
Ena nodded. “Yes. If I remember correctly, this was one of the very first things she’s written.”
Miss Kusanagi flashed her a small smile. She gave the book one quick glance, before she also nodded approvingly. “Ah…. Will you be using it for one of your paintings, Miss Shinonome? If so, would it be alright for me to see once you’ve finished?”
“Of course! I always do,” she replied. The librarian had been, as far as Ena could remember, one of her art’s biggest fans, which was how they got acquainted in the first place.
The younger girl only smiled in delight. “Will that be all, then?” She asked politely, and upon receiving a firm nod from Ena, she merely backed away with a smile. “I can’t wait to see what you’ll be painting…!”
“Yes, thank you, Miss Kusanagi, and take care,” Ena replied, now making her way out of the library after bidding the young demon a quick fare-well, and with a joyful bounce to her strides, she headed on to her atelier for some studying.
She placed the book down on her angled table, its pendant decoration gleaming under the light of her lantern.
The elder who wrote it, as Ena recalled, loved to document stories that she would then tell to the young to inspire them, and needless to say, it struck a chord within Ena as a child.
The narrative was about a demon during a time where humans were segregated and hated their kind. Ena could not fathom such a time, but she merely assumed that the tale only contained fiction, seeing as the two species coexisted in harmony.
Ena remembered a lot of the key elements of the story, as it had been one that she was fond of in her childhood, but while the story itself hadn’t been long, she didn’t waste a single moment in opening the book and reading the well-crafted tale of the young demon named Mizuki.
Long ago, there was once a demon named Mizuki who lived with a wish.
That demon had been fascinated with the human world, and wanted to see it for themself. The beauty of a world unknown struck them as an adventure waiting to be taken.
Alas, the demon was stuck seeing the same scenery day by day, unable to leave the confines of their castle for the humans despised their kind.
The fear in their heart had been great, but their wish was even greater.
So, Mizuki conjured up the perfect disguise with their magic, and as they peered into the mirror, they saw a human staring back at them. No longer were their horns perched atop their head, and the fangs that threatened most were but dulled.
Mizuki set off from their castle one day, and their journey began.
They travelled far, seeing the wonders of the world. The many joys and sorrows that humans experienced, and how human society thrived in caring for one another as well as their environment. They, too, were captivated by the kindness of people.
For once, Mizuki learned acceptance, rather than fear.
Ena took a moment to pause, her fingers tracing the words etched on the old, browning paper. She wondered what this demon looked like, envisioning their emotions upon taking the leap of faith to see the world around them.
What else did they see?
Ena wanted to know.
She just couldn’t imagine it, as she, too, was merely stuck in the confines of her own comforting world. Ena commended the young demon, as they did not let the fear overcome them and instead, changed it for the better. This had been the very reason why she admired such a tale even in her childhood.
In a sense, Ena admired the demon’s resolve, though it was simply the beginning of their story.
Before she could flip the page, she turned to a spare piece of paper on her table, as well as a sharpened pencil she had been fiddling with before she made her way to the library that morning. The feeling of inspiration crept up in her heart and mind, along with the sympathy she had for the fictional demon.
As she turned to the next page, she began a sketch of the places and things that the demon in the story could have seen during their travels.
In their adventure, Mizuki came across a young bard, who, just like them, had a wish.
The silver-haired bard accompanied them to the next town, and during their trek together, they told one another of many stories of the things they’ve seen. The many songs they’ve sung. The many wishes they’ve dreamt of.
Not once did the bard realize that Mizuki was a demon, quickly becoming friends with them.
As their journey to the next town neared its destination, the two had been ambushed. Not by demons, but by fellow humans. Hunters, who only looked for trouble.
Severely outnumbered, the two friends tried to make their escape, yet they were surrounded. The bard was attacked, and Mizuki had no choice but to drop their disguise.
In order to save their friend, Mizuki unleashed their true power. A horrendous dark energy showing that they are still a demon, all throughout. This fuelled the mob, throwing everything they could to vanquish the demon.
In the end, Mizuki succeeded in saving the bard, yet they sustained an incurable amount of wounds.
The bard, who trembled in fear, only approached the dying demon. However, as they peered into their friend’s eyes, they saw concern.
“Get away,” the demon weakly said, but the bard insisted on staying. “But why?”
“You saved my life. It does not matter if you are a demon or a human. You are still a good person, who deserved to see the good of this world.”
As the demon heard those words, their eyes brimmed with tears. The wish that the demon had selfishly held onto had begun to fade from their mind, only being filled with the fulfillment of doing something good for a person different to them.
The repayment they received in return was vastly greater than the world they saw.
Mizuki took their last breath in the weeping bard’s arms, and yet, they only held a gentle smile on their face.
Ena’s hand stopped upon reading the final words of the tale, and while she hated to admit it, she felt the slight twinge in her heart upon closing the book that made her eyes flood with tears.
The ending of the story had been far too cruel, with the happiness that the demon gained and shared with their only friend merely stripped away from the two of them. Upon the demon’s demise, Ena, too, felt the hurt that the bard could process.
But she wiped her tears away, and stared at the cover once again.
The ametrine pendant captivated her once again, her fingers now glossing over it gently. Ena had no idea what the pendant symbolized, and why Elder Yoisaki decided to adorn the tale’s cover with it, but it certainly had an impact in attracting Ena to the story, more than she already was.
Perhaps it had been an artistic flair, or a mere concept that was meant to help readers understand the demon in the book, and certainly enough, it gave Ena a clue of how to design the demon in her next painting.
As she mindlessly traced the pendant on the book with her index finger, she began to find more room on her paper to draw, yet what was to come next had been quite unexpected.
Just in the corner of her eye, Ena caught the pendant glowing once more, stronger than whatever gleam the lantern could give it.
It soon became blinding.
Ena yelped, squeaking as the pendant flashed.
The next time she opened her eyes, she came face to face with the fair visage of a pink-haired demon with a missing horn. Amaranth coloured eyes that entranced her in an instant. Ena’s first instinct was to yell, but she only watched as the demon who now stood in her atelier backed away on their own, putting up a defensive stance.
“...huh…?” Ena muttered, finding herself rather dumbstruck with the sight before her.
Upon a more careful inspection, the demon wore a beautiful white and blue dress adorned with ribbons. An outfit that Ena has only seen the royals wear, perfectly accenting their light pink hair and eyes.
But what really stood out to the young artist had been the melancholic look upon their face, despite the stance they held.
“...Who are you, human…? You are not supposed to be the one to release my soul from my friend’s pendant,” stated the demon, only taking a step back whenever Ena made any sort of movement. They were scared, but so was Ena. What baffled her, however, was the reaction itself, as demons were never this wary about humans.
“P-pendant…?” Ena questioned, her mind not whirring fast enough to process the sudden happening in her tiny workspace. She took a quick glance at the pendant on the book she had borrowed, the pieces quickly clicking to her. “A-Ah, you mean the book…?”
The demon narrowed their eyes. “Who are you?” They reiterated.
“S-Shinonome Ena…. I don’t mean any harm, either,” she answered, once again observing the demon’s rather strange reaction to her being a human.
Finally, their words at the beginning finally made sense to her. “I-I’m sorry, did you say, your soul?”
The demon nodded.
“How else could I possibly be here, then? You have released my soul from the enchantment I have put on my dear bard friend’s pendant, to which I had gifted her.”
“Bard…?”
Ena took a moment, before a sharp gasp left her lips. “Wait, you’re the demon in the story! Y-you’re Mizuki!”
The demon flinched, holding up their arms in defense in a much firmer stance. The fear in their eyes grew, expression going cold, possibly from the sound of their name being uttered by a stranger.
“How do you know my name, Shinonome Ena?”
“I-It’s in the book! The elder of this village wrote a story of how you and the bard met at a time where demons and humans were segregated,” Ena explained, grabbing the book out of reflex and showing them the pages. Mizuki hesitantly took the book and gave a few pages a quick skim.
Finally, their expression relaxed. “Ah…. These are…true to the events I recall,” they mumbled, growing calmer as they dropped their guard. Still, Ena made no advances to the demon, as they remained wary. “Where did you obtain this piece of literature? And you say the elder of this village wrote it?”
Despite their vigilance towards her, it was clear to Ena that they did not intend to be hostile in any way, and merely wanted answers to alleviate their confusion. Understandably so, as they were in an unfamiliar terrain, coming straight out of what Ena believed to be fiction.
Ena managed a nod. “Y-yes…. One of the two elders in this village wrote most of the stories in the library. This has been in that building for as long as I can remember, though I think it…precedes me.”
The demon paused, eyes scanning the book and for a moment, flashing a soft, fond smile.
“If you must know,” Ena continued. “I simply wanted to use your story as inspiration. You see, I’m an artist in this village, and I wanted to give back to the elders through my art.”
“Art?”
Mizuki looked around at the tiny atelier, finally able to properly take in their surroundings. They looked at the art pieces Ena had made, some of which were hanging by a rope to dry, and some tacked onto the wall to decorate her rather messy workspace.
The demon took a closer look at some of them, which had been places that they did not recognize, yet the ones that included people only made them move a hand to their chest, hugging the book they now cradled. “Ah…. Your art…is rather warm. It reminds me of my dear friend’s music. I do not recall seeing any of these places in my travels, yet they…are just as how I would imagine the future to be.”
Mizuki placed the book down, though their eyes still remained fixated on Ena’s finished art. “Shinonome Ena, may I ask you a few more questions, if you do not mind?”
The glimmer in their eyes left Ena staring, reminding her so much of the ametrine pendant on the book.
They were eyes that knew of pain and horror, yet remained loving and forgiving.
Ena felt her heart skip a beat as she looked away, letting herself get lost in the beauty that she could see with her very own eyes. Mizuki themself had been a rather cute demon, bearing an aura unlike anything she has ever felt. Eyes that held such melancholy, one that Ena would definitely be challenged to paint.
So she smiled, accepting that very challenge.
“In return, could I also ask you a favour?” Ena interjected quickly. Mizuki blinked, looking at the girl with a puzzled expression yet let the young artist continue on.
“Can you be my muse?”
Mizuki’s sudden appearance, admittedly, left Ena’s atelier in a mess of scattered papers on the ground, to which they both took the time picking up first before getting into the matter of things.
Ena found it odd that Mizuki started off as wary of her, yet warmed up just as quickly as soon as she gave them more context. She figured, however, that they were only wary because of two reasons. After all, she was not meant to be the one to unveil their soul from the pendant, having only done so on pure accident.
But Mizuki was understandably cautious due to their demise, and for that, Ena couldn’t find it in her to get upset over being villainized only for a short moment.
The demon now sat on a spare sculpture stand that Ena managed to find hidden behind old easels, while Ena herself sat behind a canvas with a paintbrush. The painter allowed for them to move, and instead only used them as a reference rather than a model while they talked as per Mizuki’s request.
They didn’t hesitate to start asking questions as soon as they both sat down.
“You say that demons and humans now coexist in harmony…?” Mizuki had inquired, as it was the first thing Ena told them as soon as they agreed to their little deal. “How did that happen, exactly? Last I remembered…humans were the ones who loathed us demons, with the exception of my dear bard friend.”
Ena kept her focus on the painting, yet she still nodded. “A bit of a shocker, I know, but there are two elders in this village, a human and a demon. When they were young, they saved one another, and convinced both sides to form a truce with one another, hence why this village was made.”
“Fascinating….” Mizuki voiced out, and Ena couldn’t help but stare at their ethereal form with an amazed look upon their face. “I never thought that the world could progress in such a way, though my friend had me quite convinced that it would.”
The painter giggled, dipping their paintbrush in a cup of water. “I suppose that friend of yours did put in a lot of work just by being friends with you, huh?”
Mizuki’s eyes glimmered once again.
“She was amazing, Miss Shinonome! She had the most amazing music which showed me a world that I could not explore on my own as a demon! It is…the same feeling that I get from seeing your art, even if I am only viewing them for the first time today,” Mizuki went on, excitedly reminiscing before their eyes landed on another one of Ena’s artworks.
A view of the town square, and one of Ena’s most successful paintings that she kept for herself after the showcase she had put on recently.
“Ah, but I suppose it is not all the same. Your paintings…they are full of hope and belonging,” they admit. “While the bard’s music felt warm and comforting, they were…also laced with despair. Oftentimes I find myself lightly joshing her rather cynical way of thinking at times. But your art…. It is nothing but hope for the present time and the future, in gratitude for a past filled with hardships. It…feels me with such warmth that I am so drawn to it, as I want to experience such a world.”
Ena gasped.
Mizuki’s description of her paintings had been so spot-on that it even surprised her.
“Mizuki…. You mentioned that your friend hoped for a future with humans and demons coexisting, and it was attained several years ago, but…what about you?”
“Pardon me?”
“Did you also hope for such a future?”
Mizuki pursed their lips, a gentle smile gracing their lips.
“Perhaps I did. In my travels, I have seen so many wonderful things, with the belief that the humans are not as bad as I knew them to be. More than once, I tried to imagine a world where humans and demons could work together in creating an even more beautiful world.”
That was more than satisfactory for Ena. “...well, I guess that hope of yours wasn’t for naught, Mizuki,” she mumbled with a soft smile, looking away from her painting to observe the nostalgic expression on the demon’s face. “Why don’t we view the town together? Of course, if you’re alright with it?”
The demon’s eyes travelled to the girl’s unmoving paintbrush, their smile turning mischievous. “If you finish that piece of yours, then I shall take you up on that offer, Miss Shinonome,” they mused, a fine-tuned laugh escaping their lips.
Ena’s face reddened, not realizing that upon the focus she put on listening to Mizuki’s tale, her hand stopped. “A-ah…! Right…! I’ll get to it right away…!”
Mizuki laughed once more, becoming more loose than the tense stance they had earlier.
“I suppose you and my dear friend are also similar in that aspect; easily distracted at anything you two find interest in,” Mizuki teased, shrugging at the embarrassment that the girl before them displayed. Ena grumbled, hiding her face behind her canvas as she continued to paint.
“I-It’s embarrassing….” admitted Ena.
“Ahah, my apologies. You simply gave a rather amusing reaction that I could not help myself! Though, please do continue. I will not interrupt you any longer.”
Their chatter died down, and perhaps Mizuki was being respectful of Ena who needed to finish her art.
But the silence was comforting for both of them.
“Mm….”
The artist lost track of the hours that had passed, and before she knew it, she retreated to a rocking chair where she had taken rest, with Mizuki only quietly letting her do so. They made the promise of going around town after she had gotten decent rest.
Yet as she stirred in her sleep, she found her atelier void of another person.
“Mizuki…?” She questioned, rubbing her eyes in wonder as she looked around. The book in which Mizuki came from had still been on her table.
Has it all been a dream? Ena wouldn’t be the first to admit that she liked to sacrifice her sleep in favour of her art, and perhaps she was merely hallucinating at that point.
It could be that Ena just created a fictitious image just so she could craft her piece.
But…
…as she looked back at her painting, she saw a note resting on the easel, with a handwriting she was unfamiliar with.
No doubt it belongs to Mizuki.
「I thank you for the wonderful time, as well as the brilliant painting, Miss Shinonome. May I request of you to show the painting to my dear friend?」
It didn’t take Ena to understand what Mizuki had meant. The dear friend they talked so fondly of could only mean one person, and Ena figured as much as soon as the demon appeared in her workplace.
After all, Ena drew both the demon and the bard in the forest, happily singing songs under the bright moonlight.
“I suppose it’s not too late to go outside right now,” she told herself, lightly packing her satchel with the book as well as the note, before heading out with her new painting. Of course, she made a quick stop to the library, where Miss Kusanagi had given her a rather predictable reaction of delight, yet it was not unwelcome.
But when asked if she were to display it in her next art exhibit, she merely shook her head.
“No. This is going to be a gift.”
Miss Kusanagi only gave a smile, saying nothing more as Ena made her way out of the library and towards a familiar track that she did not take as often as she would like.
A little house nearing the outskirts of the village came into view, where a little old woman could be seen relaxing on the front. Her long, white hair bellowed in the wind, a gentle smile painted on her old, wrinkly face as she caught sight of the artist nearing her. Yet her eyes, Ena noticed, always held a sense of melancholy every time she saw her, as if she mourned the loss of something.
“Oh, my. Is that you, dear Ena?”
Ena returned her greeting with a wave. She knew the old woman to be a rather frail lady, having lived such a long life that most wouldn’t even be able to reach. For this reason, she held a lot of respect for the woman, and wanted for this piece to be of value to her.
“I painted something for you,” Ena started, showing the painting to the old woman. “I hope it’s to your liking, Elder. I did base it off a story you wrote.”
The old woman’s eyebrows raised, falling silent as she observed the artist’s latest work. A gasp escaped her lips, a bony finger tracing over the figure of Mizuki. “My dear, how did you…. How did you capture my old friend’s likeness so well…?”
Ena only smiled.
“Luck, I suppose.”
The old woman stared at the painting for a while, continuing to shakily trace the portrait. “Thank you, my dear…. Thank you….” She whispered, wiping a few tears away. “This…might be your best piece yet, dear Ena.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Ena watched as the woman’s eyes shifted into that of happiness, as if seeing the piece allowed her to finally be at peace with whatever weighed her down. She quietly bowed, deciding to leave the old woman with the painting, relieved that she liked it as much as she hoped.
She took the book out of her satchel on her way home, observing the pendant once more.
Ena could only hope that with this, Mizuki’s soul can also rest in peace.