Abyssal Sovereignty

"Lady Miko, I've come to visit, meow!"

The cat-eared girl flung open the door at the heart of the shrine and pulled the young girl inside with her.

"Hmm? Where's Lady Miko?"

The cat-eared girl scanned the room, but there was not a soul in sight. Even after she sniffed around, she couldn’t locate anyone.

"Could she be slacking off somewhere? How rude not to invite me… Meow!"

"You still need to practice more. Even though I'm standing right behind you, you haven’t noticed."

"Uh… Lady Miko…"

The cat-eared girl turned around to face the person behind her. There stood a girl in traditional red and white shrine maiden attire, her pink hair blending seamlessly with her fox ears. Her golden eyes, glowing with an ethereal light, possessed a mesmerizing allure.

In contrast to the cat-eared girl's toned, curvaceous body, Lady Miko appeared rather disappointing. She was barely over a meter tall, and her modest figure paled in comparison to the cat-eared girl's, especially with her chest barely surpassing the girl brought by the cat-eared girl.

"By the way, why did you react so differently when I grabbed your tail compared to when Shirone did? You were sweating profusely then~"

"Uh… Meow haha… I wonder why?"

"Well… If you don't know, I'll ask Shirone."

"Wait! Lady Miko, don't!"

The cat-eared girl dropped to her knees, clutching the fox-eared shrine maiden's legs, which were partially exposed by a single knee-high sock. She nuzzled against her like a kitten.

"Please, please, don’t tell her…"

"Hmm… What to do? I'm so curious now. If only there were something to distract me…"

"Meow…"

The cat-eared girl immediately released her hold on Lady Miko and lifted her small white vest to reveal her belly. She curled up on the floor, resembling a kitten begging to be petted.

"Good girl, good girl~"

Lady Miko petted the cat-eared girl’s belly, causing her eyes to swirl like a dazed kitten.

 

……

"Alright, back to the topic at hand."

In the room, Lady Miko sat at a low table, with the cat-eared girl slightly behind her, while the young girl sat across from her.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Misako, and I am the shrine maiden of this shrine."

"Meow! I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Haru! I’m Lady Miko's guard cat."

"…"

The young girl remained silent.

She had intended to introduce herself, but as soon as she tried, she realized she had forgotten her name.

"Forgetfulness is quite normal, given the severe and prolonged battles you’ve endured. It’s remarkable that you’ve managed to retain your sanity."

Misako recalled the future predictions she had glimpsed while using her divination techniques. She had seen the young girl fighting a relentless swarm of insects, using a strategy of exchanging wounds for wounds. With her powerful regeneration, even severed limbs didn’t deter her; she continued to fight and consume the defeated insects, sometimes even battling without a head.

"I’ve been keeping an eye on you since you fell into the abyss. My premonitions told me that your future would be tumultuous."

"However, you’re still far from sufficient. That’s why I instructed Shirone to bring you here."

Misako's gaze was penetrating, exuding an air of authority that seemed to pierce through everything.

"… How much did you intervene?"

The young girl asked softly. She had a vague sense that parts of her path had been influenced by the little loli before her, though she couldn't quite remember the specifics.

"Not much. The most significant intervention was leaving a few messages with the mermen. Oh, and the merman king has some connection with us, though it’s not extensive."

"… What’s your purpose?"

"My purpose? Hmm… If I had to say, it’s to see what lies beyond the abyss."

"Meow? The abyss?"

"Oh, I haven’t mentioned it?"

Misako's expression shifted from relaxed to serious in an instant.

"Where we are now is not a world in the traditional sense."

"Originally, we— or rather, I and your ancestors— lived in a world with a sun and moon, a sky full of stars. It was a beautiful world. But one day, we were coerced by a powerful entity to wage war."

Misako’s expression turned from anger to self-mockery.

"And of course, we were defeated. I and your ancestors, along with some other participating races, were cast into a vast subspace by this entity, a so-called ‘abyss.’"

"Since then, I’ve lost track of time. Even your ancestors have long passed away, leaving only me."

"Lady Miko…"

Seeing Misako’s lonely expression, Haru instinctively reached out to comfort her.

"Hmph! They always mocked me for my underdevelopment. In the end, they all died before me. Isn't that the consequence of growing up fast!?"

Misako put her hands on her hips, speaking with indignation. In reality, as a member of a long-lived race, she had grown indifferent to life and death. It was just a moment of melancholy, but focusing on the present was far more important.

"Enough about my ancient past. Your goal should be to leave the abyss, correct?"

"…"

Goal? Yes, her goal was… revenge.

She had survived all this time for revenge. To achieve it, she needed to become stronger and escape the abyss.

"Our goals are aligned. But I must tell you honestly, your strength is insufficient to leave the abyss."

Misako pulled out a fan from her shrine maiden attire, opening it to partially cover her face. Instantly, an overwhelming pressure filled the room.

"I’ve already mentioned that the entity that ended the war and cast us into this abyss defeated us with a single blow. Naturally, we must possess sufficient strength to leave."

"Her power far surpasses mine."

As soon as the words were spoken, the pressure vanished as if it had never existed.

"Here’s a piece of advice: sometimes, a person’s inner strength is more important than their physical strength."

……

The young girl and Haru left the room, leaving Misako alone.

[ How is the situation? ]

"Well… I can only say it’s very dire."

During the meeting, Misako had already noticed that the young girl was now driven solely by the desire for revenge, leaving nothing else behind.

[ Is that so… ]

"I fear that even if she manages to break the seal and return to the world, she will not last long."

[ Agreed. ]

Misako looked up and sighed.

"… Alas, I fear I may be unable to continue much longer. The rest will be up to you."

[ Yes, I will do my best. ]

Misako's gaze pierced through the wall, focusing on the direction where the young girl had gone.

‘Don’t die so soon…’