Shackled Princess

Yang Ji Hye

As Ji Hye drifted to the edge of the student group, she nervously fingered the metal water lily tucked behind her ear. It was a habit that she had slipped into ever since she had received the object from Eric. Sadly, there wasn't nearly enough energy in the metal to even deter the spirits she had chained to herself but the girl found that every once in a while, stroking the metal would send a vague tingling sensation of warmth through her fingers. It was enough for her, even this tiny amount of relief.

She barely had any time to admire the scenery of the park herself before dozens of tsukumogami manifested on the slightly more visible sub plane. The Korean girl made a small whimpering sound, seeing them suddenly scatter into different directions, sometimes intentionally passing through nearby people to make them shiver. Soon, Ji Hye couldn't look in a single direction without seeing at least one spirit loose.

Finally, Aoi no Ue said, slithering its way through the cool grass that tickled Ji Hye's ankles. A location not as dull as the others.

It would be nice to come to places like this more often, Kyoushi Sama said in a lazy purr of agreement. Hey, human. Take note of that, all right?

"Um, okay," the girl squeaked quietly. To be honest, she was paying less attention to those than she maybe should have. At the present, her eyes were nervously following the large, dark shape of Gom Gajug. The black eyed spirit yaoguai was prowling the line of bushes, growling threateningly at passing people who were deaf to it.

Hey, hey, what's this plant? Is this an oak tree? It looks like an oak tree but kind of looks funny! Maybe it's dying? I think it's dying. Xunhuan bounced around from spot to spot, trying to look at everything at once with wide eyes. Look over there! It's a human baby! You should go and take it! Don't you think it's cute?

You know, Mengyan said thoughtfully. I bet a lot of people would be upset to see this place wrecked. It cackled. Come on, kid. Just one fire. Just a little one. That's all we need for the entire place to go up in smoke! It prodded her. Come on, it whined. Don't be a stick in the mud. It would be funny!

Ji Hye shook her head and walked away quickly, fingers still touching the water lily. She didn't want to deal with any of her spirits that day. She just wasn't in the mood. Of course, she rarely was, but now it seemed like there was space enough for her to get some distance in for a time. It was probably just an illusion but it was an illusion that she was fine with having.

So she walked along, not really along as her main spirits trailed along after her and with tsukumogami running wild underfoot. But at least the sound was all moving off away from her in such a large space, to the point where Ji Hye could actually hear birds. She entered the small forest unthinkingly, assuming that the school group would wait for her and figuring that it would slow down some of the spirits long enough for her to almost be solitary.

A light blush came to her face as she wondered what Eric was doing then.

Just remember, if Sayuri can see Imouto, she probably isn't pure enough of heart to see Oppa.

Yang Ji Hye

The voices of the spirits were a little quieter now. For the most part, the main chained spirits had followed her, but from a distance. The bonds on them wouldn't allow for them to wander too far and though they were invisible, Ji Hye could tell instinctively that almost all of them were pulling at the limits. The exceptions to this were Imouto and Oppa, both spirits who were currently shadowing her steps. Both of whom the Korean girl liked the most and so didn't mind the company of. Among the three of them, it was comfortably silent.

Or, well. At least, it was for a time.

Wait. Reluctantly, Ji Hye looked back to Oppa. The enera had assumed a different form today, one greatly resembling the one it had taken when they had first met. Currently, it wore the form of a wiry young man with white hair and sharp eyes. There's something here. Can you sense it?

Sense what? Ji Hye wondered worriedly. But she looked around carefully, trying to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. To her, there didn't seem to be. She shook her head. "I don't know," the girl said quietly. "Everything appears so normal."

Or was it? A little more nervously, she scanned the area again. Maybe it was out of paranoia but she suddenly felt as if eyes were on her. The feeling was an oily one.

I think I do, Imouto said after a moment. What is that spirit? It feels funny. All of a sudden, its head went up. Oh! Over there! It pointed to a part in the grass.

Her heart starting to pound, Ji Hye edged a little in that direction and look to see... a fox?

Yang Ji Hye

Ji Hye stumbled back onto the ground in terror as the fox suddenly turned into a person. Or at least, partially a person. She had known that there were shapeshifters around but until that moment, the girl had never seen one for herself. And there was something very strange about this person with fox ears and a sinister looking smile. Ji Hye shivered at the familiar feeling that washed over her.

A spirit? she wondered. But this was a person wasn't it? But there was still that feeling... Is it possible to be both? Nobody had ever told her anything like that before, not her parents, not her spirits. Not even any of the holymen she had met passingly in her life.

How strange, Oppa drifted a little forward to look at that fox girl, frowning. It looks a little like a kitsune. Its frowned deepened as the strange fox girl spirit made its demands. Hesitating for a moment, it then walked in front of that strange being who was both spirit and living. Yet I am invisible to it. A mortal trait for a spirit?

Ji Hye cowered under the strange being's harsh tone. I don't like her. It. Her, the Korean girl thought in confusion. "What, what are you?" she squeaked. "Are you a spirit?" And suddenly, she felt the bonds on her main chained spirits slacken. They were coming back, probably having sensed this strange being's presence themselves.

Hey, hey, Imouto said, looking up at the strange being. Stop scaring Ji-chan! You're being really not nice. It wiggled in protest as Ji Hye yanked it away from the maybe spirit.

"Please, I don't want any trouble," Ji Hye said, blood cold and truly afraid. If this person or spirit could see Imouto, then it could probably see the others, too, who unlike Oppa were not restricted to the pure of heart. Far from it, actually. Not wanting anybody to be exposed to her host, the only thing she could do was flee.

"Ex-excuse me!" Stammering, she looked for an escape.

Yes, Sayuri is one of Ji Hye's spirits now.

Yang Ji Hye

Then the strange maybe spirit maybe person said something that Ji Hye did know about. Kitsune were fairly typical spirits, if not in actual encounters then at least in story. But all of this other stuff about Nogetsune and princesses was going right over the girl’s head. It was just crazy rambling to her, not helped at all by how the kitsune was acting so scarily arrogantly.

Now wait just a moment, Oppa said, circling around the proclaimed kitsune. I have no idea what this one is going on about. Certainly it is nothing like the other kitsune I’ve met. In substance and titles, anyways. The personality is more or less on mark. It frowned as it made this observation.

Ji Hye cringed as the kitsune came right in front of her. "Please don'€™t,"€ she said in a terrified mutter but the spirit just went on. The Korean girl began to edge away as the fox spirit trailed off but something had her frozen in place, the vague sensation of a spell beginning on the edge of Dark Sight.

Hey! Imouto reached its hands upwards, crying out as magic began snapping into place. Donâ€'t do that!

Alarmed, Oppa attempted to yank the kitsune away. But its hands passed through the fox as if it were just another spirit blind human. Stop her! it said urgently. Ji Hye!

Not particularly quick to react, the girl simply froze. It had been some time since anybody had tried to hurt her through magic and even longer since a spirit had attempted it. Somewhere along the line, she had simply forgotten how all of the parts of her own magic worked. Or, more accurately, she had mistaken its inactivity as her level control.

The ability to chain spirits was a burden to have. But it had its uses as well. Protection, for one. Even if it did nothing for her state of mind, any spirit chained to Ji Hye could at least never be able to physically harm her. At the moment, she was afraid of being hurt. And the kitsune had made the mistake of justifying that fear with action.

A new chain lashed out of Ji Hye before anybody or anything could stop it.