The sacred tree stood there.
Shinji followed Kikyō through the village, across the fields, through a small grove.
The further they walked, the clearer the giant tree's outline became.
Its trunk was astonishingly thick, covered in heavy moss, with small vines clinging in the crevices. The grey-brown bark was etched with the grooves and lines left by time.
Its canopy truly blotted out the sky. The dense leaves showed varying shades of green in the sunlight. Occasionally, a few golden rays slipped through the gaps, forming scattered specks on the grass.
On the trunk, something could be seen slowly flowing.
It was definitely not something carved by human hands, it was natural, as if the tree itself contained this transcendent power.
"We're here." Kikyō stopped before the tree.
Her hand still held Shinji's, fingers intertwined, with no sign of letting go.
Shinji looked up at the giant tree, an indescribable emotion welling in his heart.
This was the sacred tree.
"Can we go closer?" Shinji asked.
"Yes." Kikyō quietly released his hand and stepped back half a step. "The sacred tree does not reject those it recognizes."
Shinji nodded and walked toward the giant tree.
With each step closer, he could feel that vast power slowly pulsing.
It wasn't demonic aura, nor spiritual power. It was something older, purer.
Like the breath of heaven and earth itself, the rhythm of all growing things.
Shinji reached out and pressed his palm to the trunk.
It was warm to the touch, with a reassuring pulse.
Then
[Detected target]
[Sacred Tree]
[Quality: Divine Artifact]
[Current Affection: 0 (Stranger)]
[Evaluation: A sacred tree connecting past, present, and future. It has grown here for several thousand years, older than this country itself. It has witnessed countless partings of life and death. It bears you no hostility, but no affection either. To earn its recognition, you must show sufficient sincerity.]
A divine artifact, indeed.
This quality was the same as the Shikon Jewel's.
Higher than demonic artifacts, which contained demonic power, and higher than ordinary artifacts like Sōza Samonji or Muramasa in its initial state. This was the highest-quality target Shinji had encountered so far.
An existence nearly divine.
The Shikon Jewel was formed when the strongest shrine maiden, Midoriko, perished together with hundreds of powerful demons. It contained the four soulcourage, kinship, wisdom, love while sealing the demons' resentment.
The sacred tree was a divine tree nurtured by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, possessing the power to connect time and space.
Their essences might differ, but their quality should indeed be on the same level.
"Interesting," Shinji murmured.
He didn't rush to claim it.
First, he quietly felt the warmth beneath his palm, felt that ancient and vast power.
Then
"How many years have you grown here?" he spoke.
His voice was soft, as if chatting with an old friend.
"A thousand years? Two thousand? Or longer?"
The sacred tree did not respond.
It just stood there quietly, its branches and leaves gently swaying in the breeze.
"It must be very boring," Shinji continued.
"Watching people come and go, watching the cycle of life and death, while you remain standing here forever."
"But...." The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"From today, I'll come see you often."
Still no response.
But Shinji could feel that pulse beneath his palm had changed slightly.
Just a little, almost imperceptible.
But it was there.
[Sacred Tree: Affection 0. It still has no interest in you, but it has "seen" you.]
Still zero, but it was a beginning.
Still, it was foreseeable that progress would be slow.
Probably even much slower than with the Shikon Jewel, which had the "pure spirit" cooperating.
"How is it?" Kikyō's voice came from behind.
Shinji withdrew his hand and turned.
Kikyō stood a few steps away, her white robes and red hakama vivid in the sunlight, her long black hair gently swaying in the wind.
Her expression was still cool, but her dark eyes held obvious curiosity.
"It's an existence I can talk to.'" Shinji didn't hide it.
By now, even if he didn't say it directly, Kikyō must have guessed some of his ability, to speak with all things.
Kikyō raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
"You can sense it?"
As the shrine maiden guarding Kaede Village, she knew of the sacred tree's special nature, but even she couldn't sense anything from it.
"Yes." Shinji walked to her side and took her hand again.
This action had become very natural.
So natural that neither of them felt any awkwardness.
"I can communicate, but progress is slow," he said. "It will probably take a long time to earn its recognition."
Kikyō nodded, her expression returning to normal.
"The sacred tree has grown here for thousands of years," she said, her lips parting. "Getting it to recognize a demon who's only been here a few months is indeed not easy."
Shinji smiled.
"Are you trying to discourage me?"
"I'm just stating the facts." The corner of Kikyō's mouth lifted slightly.
This woman usually so cool, but when she showed expressions like this, it was almost unfair.
"Let's go." Kikyō pulled his hand, leading him back. "The sacred tree isn't going anywhere. There's plenty of time."
Shinji followed her, but his mind had turned to another matter.
The Bone-Eater's Well.
In the original story, the Bone-Eater's Well was made from the sacred tree's wood.
That well could connect to modern Japan five hundred years in the future, allowing people from later eras to travel back to this time.
If he could find that well, maybe he could also try to claim it.
Maybe even gain some clues about "transmigration."
"Kikyō," he spoke.
"Hmm?"
"Do you know about the Bone-Eater's Well?"
Kikyō's steps faltered.
"The Bone-Eater's Well?" She turned to look at him, her brow slightly furrowed. "How do you know that name?"
Shinji's heart stirred.
"What about it?"
Kikyō's expression grew strange.
"The Bone-Eater's Well is part of the sacred tree, a well used to dispose of demon remains. But it's been abandoned."
"Abandoned?"
"Yes." Kikyō nodded. "That well is behind the shrine, you actually see it every day."
Shinji was silent.
He did see it, but every time he passed it, there was no prompt. Even touching it yielded nothing not even as much as the other well in front of the shrine that had once helped him block the Kamaitachi.
That was the Bone-Eater's Well?
No.
"That well probably hasn't been activated yet," Shinji thought of something else.
In the original story, the Bone-Eater's Well existed from the start, and it was indeed used to dispose of demon remains. But the problem was, before Kikyō became the guardian of the Shikon Jewel, she didn't actually have that many demon remains to dispose of. Most demons, she just purified with her spiritual power.
Only when there were too many to purify quickly would she use external means.
And since it was a well for disposing of demon remains, corpses thrown in would disappear, that meant the well itself might also require demon remains.
Since there hadn't been many demon remains to dispose of before, theoretically, it was highly likely it hadn't been "activated."
"Activated?" The word made Kikyō pause. She seemed to see his thoughts. "Perhaps."
"But from now on, that abandoned well will indeed need to be used."
She didn't finish the thought.
But Shinji already understood.
Now that they had the Shikon Jewel, the number of attacking demons was growing daily. If the accumulation of their remains became too great to purify quickly, letting them scatter naturally would indeed pollute the land.
So at that point, the Bone-Eater's Well would be needed.
And the Bone-Eater's Well would be "activated."
"It seems..." Shinji took a deep breath. "I have one more thing to wait for."
Kikyō looked at him, a faint smile appearing on her lips again.
"Keep going," she said.
Her voice was soft, carrying an indescribable gentleness.
[Shikon Jewel · Pure Spirit: Affection +1]
[Current Affection: 70 (Intimacy)]
[It says: "She's encouraging you."]
Shinji looked at the prompt and couldn't help complaining inwardly.
Like I needed you to tell me that?
Back at the shrine.
Shinji began making a new plan.
The sacred tree was of divine artifact quality, with an affection ceiling of probably 100. But at this rate, maxing it out would take years, maybe even decades.
That was too long.
But Shinji wasn't worried about that.
He knew some things couldn't be rushed.
He also knew that the effort and the harvest were directly proportional.
Just like his feelings for Kikyō, from initial "using," to later trust, to now genuine care.
How many things had happened in between?
The sacred tree was the same.
It needed time to get to know him, to understand him, to trust him.
Rushing would backfire.
The Bone-Eater's Well needed even more waiting.
"These can wait," Shinji said to himself. "Focus on what's in hand."
The thunder horn, the dragon scale, the cat demon's paw.
And Yura.
The progress on these four was advancing.
Thunder horn: currently 7 affection, rising 1-2 points per day.
dragon scale: currently 4 affection, needed careful handling, but not the slowest.
Cat demon's paw: currently 3 affection.
Yura: currently 6 affection. From negative thirty to now, she was progressing the fastest of the four, because he could communicate directly.
But because she had consciousness, the later stages might be harder to push.
People were always harder to deceive than objects.
So next.
"Focus mainly on the thunder horn!"
Lightning, offensive and mobile, well-suited to Shinji's current stage.