LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 1: Tell me all, child
"Tell me all, child," the witch rasped, her voice low and gravelly.
From across the table in the dim room, the witch's face was barely discernible, half-hidden beneath a dark hood. Shadows danced along the walls, cast by the two candles flickering in ornate holders at either end of the table.
Mika felt a wave of terror wash over her. As frightening as her problem was, the woman before her filled her with an even deeper fear.
Just a few moments ago, the 20-year-old Mika had stood trembling outside the witch's door, her heart pounding in her chest. The street she found herself on was far from the bustling heart of Kyoto, tucked away in a forgotten quarter where time seemed to linger in the air like the thick haze that clung to the ground. Mika had walked in a daze, her thoughts clouded by dread and confusion. The mist swirling around her feet with each step she took filled her mind with more apprehension. Yet something–something deeper than Mika could comprehend–kept pulling her forward.
The cobblestones of the side alley she turned into were slick with moisture, and the scent of damp earth filled the air. Creaking, sagging wooden shutters of the old buildings seemed to stare at Mika like the eyes of the blind.
Finally, Mika stood before a heavy wooden door marked with strange, weathered symbols, shrouded in shadow, as if the entrance wished to remain hidden from prying eyes.
This is it!
Doubts swirled in her mind. What was she thinking! Was she about to make an irreparable mistake? What if things only got worse? What if the witch was just a charlatan?
But just as Mika turned to leave, the door slowly opened in front of her. "It's a sign," thought Mika as she reluctantly stepped inside.
Mika looked up at the witch. "I need your help," Mika blurted, her voice shaky. "I have no one else to turn to. Please help me!"
The witch seemed to study her. "Is it about love? I sense a man is involved."
"It's not about love," Mika replied, swallowing hard. Under the witch's piercing gaze she struggled to find words. "I don't know how to explain what's going on, because I can't fully grasp it myself… I need to get this role in a movie—but I have this premonition that someone will try to deny me the chance—and I have to get this role!"
The witch leaned back slightly. "How odd. Yes, you are young and quite beautiful, you have something to offer. Yet your aura doesn't show frivolity. Either way, you're in the wrong place, child: sorcerers for whores and sluts are down the street."
Mika's blood boiled. How dare she! I'd never sell my body!
"You're mistaken!" She struggled to keep her composure, fists involuntarily clenching at her sides. "I don't need this role for myself. I don't want money or fame. If I could just play this one role, I'd be content to live the rest of my life in obscurity and poverty."
The witch regarded her for a long moment. "Even odder still. What is this role that you want so badly?"
Mika braced herself. She had never spoke these words out loud. "Aiko, the mountain princess."
"Aiko? What an unusual choice," the witch's hood shook slightly side-to-side. "It's been years since I heard that name last. What do you have to do with Aiko?"
"I must be her."
"You must?" She chuckled darkly, her voice sending a shiver down Mika's spine. "Why? What do you even know about Aiko?"
"I'm compelled to do it by forces beyond my understanding," Mika replied quickly, her voice growing firmer. "You know more than me about the spirits. Can they demand something from me? Because I feel that they are."
The witch paused, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the table as though considering her next words. Every second of sudden silence stretched out excruciatingly long. "Don't speak lightly of the spirits, child. You mind could be playing tricks on you." She let out a deep sigh. "But I'm sensing there is more to it than just your imagination. Your aura is tortured and stretched. I must warn you, child, you might be headed down a dangerous path."
Mika's heart raced and her hands began to tremble. The air in the room seemed to change, growing colder.
"How did you get a sign?" asked the witch. The shadows from the candlelight abruptly stopped dancing wildly and stood ominously still.
Mika averted her gaze to the table. The room seemed to close in around her, the darkness pressing down on her like a physical weight.
Her throat tightened as if trying to prevent her from replying, so she had to push her words out with an effort. "I had a vision."