I need to get out of here right now!
In the empty temple, Kukurihime-no-Kami suddenly stood up.
She walked steadily, heading out of the temple.
But as soon as she reached the temple gate, she suddenly stopped.
"No, I'll wait here until Omoikane arrives."
Kukurihime-no-Kami's face showed a painful struggle.
She clutched her head with both hands and screamed wildly in the temple, "Stop controlling me! I want to leave!"
Her body was trembling. She took a step forward, then pulled her foot back.
She took another step, then pulled back. Her hands gripped the doorframe, her knuckles turning white.
Her head was throbbing, as if something was pulling and tugging at her brain.
Sometimes it's her will, sometimes it's something else.
When she walked forward, someone pulled her back. When she stepped back, someone pushed her out.
She was trapped at the temple gate, like a bird in a cage, able to see the sky outside but unable to fly away.
She knelt at the temple entrance, her hands gripping the threshold, panting heavily.
Her white hair was scattered all over the ground, lying on the cold stone slab. She raised her head and looked out the door.
" Omoikane! Come out now! You must be hiding nearby! Otherwise, your will wouldn't be so strong!"
Footsteps echoed from the depths of the temple. They were slow and steady, each step revealing composure.
Kukurihime-no-Kami didn't turn around. She knew who it was without even turning around; the footsteps were too familiar.
" Omoikane! Quickly release me from your control! Don't you know that this behavior is strictly forbidden by Great Goddess Amaterasu?"
" Kukurihime." Omoikane-no-Kami's voice came from behind, "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
Kukurihime-no-Kami stood up, bracing herself against the threshold. She turned around, leaned against the doorframe, and looked at Omoikane-no-Kami.
He now resembles Kushinadahime, with wheat-colored skin, a rough face, and a pair of black eyes.
But when those eyes looked at her, there was something in them that didn't belong to Kushinadahime.
That was Omoikane-no-Kami, the god who used her as a pawn.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Kukurihime-no-Kami.
Her voice was almost hoarse, like a roar, completely lacking the demeanor of a prophetic goddess, instead conveying a sense of panic at the end of the road.
"I am merely a god without fighting power. I cannot defeat anyone. All I can do is prophecy. Why are you treating me like this?"
Omoikane-no-Kami walked to the center of the shrine and slowly sat down. He sat on the main seat, the seat where Kukurihime-no-Kami usually sat.
He sat casually, as if he were at home. He looked up at Kukurihime-no-Kami.
"Because your prophetic abilities are too important," said Omoikane-no-Kami. "I can only feel at ease when I have this ability in my own hands. I don't trust anyone, including you."
"But I'm willing to help you!" Kukurihime-no-Kami's voice rose. "Whatever you want to prophesy, I can help you. You don't need to control me!"
"You're willing to help me?" Omoikane-no-Kami smiled. The smile was gentle, like a newly sharpened blade. " Kukurihime, you're loyal to Amaterasu, and I'm not so sure I can gain your loyalty. Of course, there's an even bigger reason..."
Omoikane paused for a moment, frowned slightly, but showed no embarrassment on his face.
" Amaterasu is too powerful. So powerful that my abilities have no effect on her at all. Therefore, taking over her abilities is the best option."
Kukurihime-no-Kami fell silent.
She bit her lip, a stubbornness still lingering on her face. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
" Amaterasu will come to save me. I am loyal to her, and she knows that. She has always known. She will not abandon me!"
"I won't abandon you?" Omoikane-no-Kami tilted her head. " Kukurihime, don't you understand yet? What does Amaterasu take you for?"
Kukurihime-no-Kami.
She treated you like merchandise. She gave me what I needed, and I left her what she needed.
You're just part of the deal. She knew all along that I would control you.
But she didn't stop me; she left you here because she knew I would come looking for you.
"Impossible!" Kukurihime-no-Kami screamed, "You're talking nonsense!"
She turned around and shouted towards the temple gate, " Amaterasu! Amaterasu! Save me! Save me!"
Her voice echoed in the empty temple, then slowly faded away.
She stood at the door, trembling, calling out again and again until her voice was hoarse. But there was nothing outside.
The sky was gray, the stone steps were gray, and everything was as quiet as ever.
She shouted for a long time, her hands bracing against the ground. Tears dripped from her face, falling onto the stone slab and shattering into tiny beads.
" Amaterasu..." Her voice was barely audible, "You... you really... abandoned me?"
Omoikane-no-Kami didn't urge her. He sat in the main seat, watching her cry, watching her shout, watching her gradually break down. Only when her voice had completely disappeared did he slowly speak.
" Kukurihime. You are loyal to Takamagahara. You are loyal to Amaterasu. But in Amaterasu's eyes, the gods of Takamagahara are nothing more than consumables used to prolong Takamagahara."
You, me, the Flower God, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami, Susanoo —we are all consumables.
Amaterasu can burn herself, do you think she would care about us?
Kukurihime-no-Kami, her voice growing softer and softer, as if talking to herself.
" Amaterasu, if your goal is to ensure the continuation Takamagahara Takamagahara, what is the point if all the gods of Takamagahara die as a result?"
Omoikane-no-Kami looked at her for a while before saying, "I'll ask Amaterasu about this next time I see her."
Kukurihime-no-Kami gave a faint, bitter laugh. She drew a short knife from her sleeve. The blade was only half a foot long and not sharp. She pressed the blade against her lower abdomen.
Omoikane-no-Kami raised an eyebrow, but did not speak to stop him.
Kukurihime-no-Kami might. The blade sliced through the flesh and pulled horizontally.
Her body trembled, blood gushing from the wound, soaking her white clothes. Kukurihime-no-Kami with difficulty, her voice almost pleading, "Please help me."
Omoikane-no-Kami stood up. He walked up to her and drew a longsword gleaming with lightning from his sleeve.
Futsunomitama.
With a swing of her longsword, Kukurihime-no-Kami's head drooped down.
Omoikane-no-Kami stretched out his palm, grasped the wisp of white light in his hand, and then pressed it into his eyes.