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[Chevaleresse]

"Is there another option?" The question was quite obviously rhetorical, as she nodded at Todoroki and proceeded forward.

[kj1225]

Daisuke hadn't said anything so far out of fear of offending. But he couldn't shake that this all was a bit too... coinvent. Not the cursed finding more cursed, the past three locations they'd been to resulted in that so he figured the trend was likely to hold up. No, it was how easily the master of the house let them in, plus the way of speaking he used and the odd details to the place.... If he had thought the offer by the new cursed had extended to everyone, and he didn't, she didn't seem to be big on talking to them from the start after all, he likely would have put his thoughts aside, but as it stood.... He couldn't help but wonder if the house was a den for spirits of some kind.

[IamanElfCollaborator]

It doesn't take very long for those who follow Keiko to reach her; she turns into a side room, containing only a small desk and chair. However, unlike the mostly pristine, if old, rest of the house, the walls here are slightly cracked, and the paint peeling. Paper talismans are mounted all over the walls; those versed in Mahou realise that they are wards designed for protection from various things, from being eavesdropped upon to being seen. Keiko is in the chair, tinkering with another talisman.

"Protective wards to make sure nobody can hear us. What do you want to know?"

[IcyTea31]

To have a room warded like this implied that Keiko had been here for a while; a good sign. But it also implied she didn't trust Kiyomaru; a bad sign.

"Everything..."

"...but to start with the most important thing: the Ox is gone. The Curse can be broken. As far as Hiroyuki could tell, it requires all of the reincarnated Cursed to be alive at the same time, and for them to have social connections outside of the group. Is that it, or are there some nuances he missed?"

"Oh, you already noticed, but the blonde-haired girl, Kaori, is the Sheep. With her, all of the Cursed, except the Ox, are alive and accounted for."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

"Hm. As expected. The Curse really is working as it should."
Keiko thinks carefully.
"If you've met up with Uncle Hiro, it means you know roughly what I do. There's not much on the Curse that isn't steeped in folklore and superstition. Remember, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, it's all a legend our Empress is obssessed with for some reason. But I told him the gist of it. Yes, the Curse needs everyone alive. Even the Empress."
The spite in her voice is apparent.
"It also needs the Cursed to find acceptance among those who aren't bound. You're aware of the legend of the Juunishi, right?"
"Y-yeah. The God of Life bound everyone together so....they'd be friends in the next life, but he missed the Cat."

Keiko stares over at Yusuke.
"Obviously he didn't. But that's not the point. The Curse is...well, the legend is close to the truth. The Curse was made to reincarnate the cursed animals, yes. It was only meant to reincarnate them once."

[ctsun]

"Once?", Kaori repeated, so quiet she could have been mistaken for muttering to herself. "You mean all of this came out of some mistake? Or..." She quietly paled. Maybe it wasn't a mistake. Didn't all the stories about the Juunishi and God of Life bring up their enemy, the God of Curses? Maybe. Just maybe he was real too...

[IamanElfCollaborator]

"I can't say for certain. I've done some tinkering with the Curse directly, at least how it works on myself. But it's like trying to pick a pair of manacles tied behind you with a strand of hair."
Keiko produces a few books. Curses and Bindings, A History of Mahou, The Records of Curses; it seems Keiko's been doing her reading on the Curse.
"All the sources I've discovered say that the Curse was only meant to reincarnate us once. I can't say if it was on purpose or not that we're trapped. What I do know is that it's nigh-impossible to break through magical means."
Momo shifts uncomfortably.

[IcyTea31]

"And yet, there's a way. We seem to be up to speed on that."

"Second thing: the Empress is after us personally. We're on a mission from Kensuke to carry a message to Kaedehara. On our way, we encountered Tomoe. Tomoe managed to find a loophole out of her orders, and she's with us now. We then had to fight against Hisao, but as we defeated him, she showed up. She's a monster, Keiko. We barely got away. I thought you should know that she's on the hunt."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Keiko barely blinks.
"No surprise there. The Empress....I don't know if you sensed it, but she doesn't even need to use Mahou to fight us. And of course...well...."
She thinks for a bit.
"She should have a Gnosis, but if she had one, she's not worn it for a long time."

[Praefectus Screptum]

"Where does she draw that power from?"

[IamanElfCollaborator]

"No idea, but I have a few theories. You are aware of what a Shiryo is, right?"

[Praefectus Screptum]

"Perhaps a tad too aware, considering how often we are mistaken by one."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

"Hm. Well. This'll need some background to explain."
Keiko looks deep in thought for a few moments.

"As those who studied Mahou should know, there are eleven elements corresponding to the eleven Gods of the Land, and the basis of all Mahou is based upon understanding how to manipulate these elements. The classical tetrad; fire from Ren, water from Giro, wind from Fuyin, and earth from Ozen. The dualistic elements; Amane's light, embodying curiosity, and Mao's darkness, embodying satiation. And the opposing tetrad; Rau's lightning, Asha's ice, Midan's flora and Suzume's iron. And life energy, employed by the God of Life, whose name remains forgotten. Ten of these elements can manifest in a Gnosis, governed by the remaining ten Gods of the Land. Life manipulation is weaker, less common; if you know your folklore, the God of Life died to seal off the God of Curses. This is why life energy can only be channeled through staves, or with specific incantations, and why nobody possesses a Life-elemental Gnosis; these things were only created after the God of Curses was sealed away, to limit the damage that the Gods of the Land could inflict when unchecked."

Again, Momo looks away awkwardly for a brief second.

"Shiryo, as those who know, do not use Mahou. Whatever magic they use, it's not one recognised by the scholars of the Five Kingdoms. We know they are vulnerable only to particularly strong Mahou or the use of a Gnosis. How you can tell this is those with a Gnosis, or those who use Mahou, can sense elemental energy. You can sense traces of it anywhere if you concentrate. Whenever a Mahou user channels Mahou, or a Gnosis wielder invokes their Gnosis, you can sense the elemental energy being utilised. For instance...."

She points at Nullstar. Keiko closes her eyes, breathing in deeply, before opening them. Her eyes seem to shimmer faintly.

"You are practically coursing with elemental energy. The mixture of energies within your armor, and the dark energy emanating from your Gnosis. That is how I can tell Mahou is being used."

Keiko's eyes cease shimmering.

"Shiryo don't leave those same traces. Their magic is detected by the absence of Mahou; if something clearly must've been created by magic but we can't sense elemental energy, then it is the work of a Shiryo. You saw the magic the Empress uses? Now, her Imperial Seal courses with a mix of energies, of course. A gift from the Gods of the Land themselves, it must do. But as for her actual magic, it lacks any elemental energy, and leaves no traces of elemental energy. My theory is that somehow, she has figured out how to tap into the same source of power the Shiryo do, without being one. But....that should be impossible; a Gnosis and the magic of a Shiryo are diametrically opposed. Which is why it's only a theory."

[Praefectus Screptum]

"An interesting theory. Did anyone ever report the existence of a sentient Shiryo?"
"Just pondering, really. If those do exist, that does make us wonder if...well, if she could be one."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Keiko shakes her head.
"There are legends of Shiryo that retain their human intelligence. Iwatani-douji, Muromachi, Kidoumaru, those monsters recorded in as part of the Hyakki Yagyo...they are rare, mostly exterminated. The Shiryo, no matter how powerful, are weak to the power contained within a Gnosis, and in any case, the only Shiryo known to have that level of intelligence have lived for centuries. It's not likely the Empress is one, given she herself is a Gnosis wielder."