SPINNING A LANTERN ♦ open

Just like that, in a bright flash of light, darkness quickly had followed. How long had it been? A couple days or a dozen centuries? It was impossible to tell time when shrouded in darkness. Sleep was rare; the poisonous magic kept her from fully sleeping or fully being awake. She was in a state of limbo and it truly was painful. All the while, she was forced to relive the memories of her recent years and of the moments leading up to the darkness.

...

The guild that she called home had been forcibly disbanded by the cruel council, which had caught onto their shady doings and learned that they had given the weapon of mass destruction piece to the peaceful kingdom that had originally owned it. The family that called themselves Black Rose, however, stayed together. Family stuck by each others sides, even when the going got tough. But that was not enough for the vengeful council, who had learned of their whereabouts and had given the bakedanuki an ultimatum: turn herself in or they would kill the family she had left.

She had no reason to ask questions or deny them; the safety of the only people she had left to care about came first. Upon handing herself over to the council, all of whom were quick to see her magical abilities disabled with use of other magic and seals, she was locked away and transported elsewhere. To a high security prison, to her execution, she was left in the dark as to where she would end up. Unfortunately, prison and execution were fates far too merciful for the yokai. The council had hired an onmyoji to seal away the bakedanuki, deeming her evil and a danger to society. The onmyoji was one she had met before, a rather friendly fellow who she never dreamed would ever do anything against her. That was wishful thinking. He was an onmyoji, a mage that fought against and could exterminate yokai quite easily. Why had she bothered to think otherwise?

In the bright and painful flash of light, the bakedanuki was briskly sealed away outside of that world. They would not seal her away in a home planet, which was deemed too risky. Years passed in that dark space, unbeknownst to the yokai who fought so desperately against the seal. Every ounce of her magical energy was spent trying to pick apart the horrid seal. The process was slow and exhausting. Months without rest were spent slowly tearing at the seems.

...

Three years passed and a glimmer of light appeared in the haze of darkness. There was little of her magical energy left, it all having been used up to break the onmyoji’s seal. Rose-colored eyes re-opened for the first time in years. The silver-furred tanuki gazed around through blurry vision and took in the unfamiliar smells. Something was off-- this was no place she recognized, nor was it any familiar land. Another world entirely, she had come to realize most painfully. And the others-- her family, her friends? What of their fates?

…

The starved, muddled tanuki had been wandering the large city for what was likely a few weeks. She had no magical energy to speak of and could not even bring herself to tap into her innate abilities, such as transformation. Today, the silver-furred raccoon dog had stumbled upon a rather large and beautiful campus. It was peaceful for the most part. She could only guess it was an academy, judging by the majority of children flooding the courtyard. Hopping up on the sun-warmed stone of a fountain side, the bakedanuki curled up quietly, too exhausted and physically sore to bother hunting some small vermin to call lunch.