A Spirit's Destination

5. Trouble's following Me

The cave was pretty deep, there were, glowing mushrooms, water everywhere on the ground, stalagmites and stalactites.

I still don't know which one is on top and which one is on the bottom.

And there were those bioluminiscent insects fluttering about.

Finally got the word.

There was a wierd blueish aura surrounding the area. It got thicker as we went closer to the shrine.

And I just found out that Akemi-san was with us.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she's also here to become a spirit host.

Well why?

I don't know.

Yesterday I did the 'criminal' act of dragging the princess around the capital streets.

Why was she even there on the streets.

I don't know.

And then when I apologised along with the old man while doing the dogeza, she got embarrassed.

What.

And then she let us off the hook instantly for what wasn't even a crime.

I was pretty sure I was gonna get 20 whips to the back at least.

Dunno why, I was just caught up in the moment

Uh so we reached the shrine. The blue aura was as think as it could be.

It was a classic stone pedestal about my height on a raised platform in front of the back wall with a wierd symbol on it. The back wall had numerous wierd symbols on it.

I was at the very back of the group, Akemi-san was even further back than me.

We formed rows in front of the shrine, I was near the front, and Akemi-san went directly in front of us to the numerous wierd symbols.

Maybe she was here to just observe the symbols.

As soon as she looked over there, I don't know what happened but she uttered 4 words under her breath. 'I can read it'

She then started crying of happiness.

What exactly was written on it?? I mean I couldn't read it. Is it sort of a secret language?

She gave one glance at us and and then went to side, signalling the minister to start.

The minister told us to sit in a zen pose in front of the pedestal, close our eyes, and then wait.

Which was what exactly the first Spirit host in line did.

The wierd blueish aura flew in front of the shrine and floated around a bit.

It looks amazing really.

After a few moments of the aura swishing around, it all joined together to form-

"A Bear!", the minister announced.

It was just a cub though. The cub looked as if made out of that blue aura. The cub went inside of the host.

Yes that's right, inside. Just walked straight through him.

A mark appeared on the host's shoulder.

That was the proof of his pact with a spirit beast.

Oh yeah, that blue aura is called 'Spirit Energy'.

Every living being has it in a small concentration but Spirit beasts are made out of it entirely.

Spirit energy can be utilised for many things.

Mainly it was a weapon of war.

A brutal one at that.

Spirit energy, if used correctly, can level cities.

But Humans had very less of it, so they exploited spirit beasts for war.

With the arrival of the Sylvestia dynasty, this was stopped, in mass that is. The Spirit Corps exist.

The minister would then continue to announce each spirit beast's name that the other spirit hosts got.

God am I getting hungry.

Lemme take out the carrot.

I saw each spirit host get a variety of animals, snakes, oxen, reptiles, a girl even got a butterfly.

It was amazing.

The ceremony was amazing too.

The spirit hosts would then get out the cave and get their horses back to their hometown.

And then wait for further orders which would be sent by an eagle.

I checked on the princess.

Her face was brimming with happiness as if she solved something.

No she did solve something.

She definitely did.

What did she solve? My brain is too dumb to comprehend.

Maybe what she whispered into her dad's ear was permission to come here?

I mean I haven't seen her much since then, but I always have this feeling that she's never in the castle. Only rarily, just for meals and important stuff.

What the hell is wrong with her.

I'm never gonna figure out.

Welp its my turn. Most if the children were already gone. Only a couple were left.

Okay so I went up to the shrine, and-

Woah, the whole ground's shaking. Is the cave caving in?

Oh shit, should I panic?

Well the others are certainly panicking.

Maybe I should panic as well.

Everyone started to run back up.

I guess I'll run too?

I started to run-

"Oww"

I got blocked by something?

What was it?

"Ouch!", The princess was also blocked by something.

What is happening.

The guards behind her weren't being blocked. They started to panic even more.

It was like, we were separated by an invisible wall.

What.

Only me and the princess were trapped, the other children, the minister and guards just left.

What is this? Plot convenience?

I looked back at the shrine.

The spirit energy had started to swirl. Wait it was getting bigger. And bigger. And bigger.

It was 20 times bigger than what I had seen ever.

The princess' tears turned into actual tears of sadness.

We were blocked along with this huge swirling glop of spirit energy.

The swirling glop slowly but surely, formed into a huge blue spirit dragon.