Hirara

Hirara knew that "sky" all too well. Within the illusion created by the Great Armament "Ukifune", there were no stars, only a river, the "Meisen," hanging upside down in the sky. She walked barefoot across the scorched land, the searing pain sending tremors of ecstasy through her body—the same feeling as when crimson stained her gaze as she beheld the Higanbana. In the hellscape within the fans, the world's most magnificent Noh play was performed without end. "Come, it's tonight's opening act." Hirara snapped open her fans, and the evil spirits descended upon her. Enthralled by Hirara's dance, they sought to tear her apart and claim that unfading beauty. Hirara, smiling amidst her twirls, gently shredded them before absorbing their essence. Upon this scorched ground, cruelty was the pinnacle of elegance. The madness of this scene always reminded Hirara of her teacher—once the most renowned geisha of the Flower District. Her teacher lived in terror of aging, until one night when she set the teahouse ablaze. "Never forget, 'erosion' is the most vile curse in this world," the teacher said, holding the young Hirara. "Only by becoming ash can fleeting beauty be saved." As silk turned to ash in the fire, Hirara did not scream; instead, she greedily inhaled the charred scent—she seemed to understand the lesson in this destruction. Suddenly, a crimson figure cleaved through the sea of fire. It was Hanabi, covered in soot. Though they had never met, she grabbed Hirara's wrist without hesitation. The warmth of her hand burned hotter than any flame in that inferno blaze. Afterward, Hirara was brought to the Scarlet Sect where she volunteered to become Hanabi's personal guard. When Hirara asked about that night again, Hanabi said she was simply saving her. To repay this grace, Hirara wished to save Hanabi in the most profound sense of the word. Shielding her from blades was not enough; she must save her from "erosion," the inevitability of decay. One moonlit night, an unexplainable obsession drove Hirara to push open the forbidden gate and reach for the "Ukifune" fans—the hellish armament forged from "Kaerazu" and "Meisen-e". If she could control them, she could save Hanabi, she reasoned. Power surged through her the moment she touched them. Hirara got her wish, but her physical body fell into an illusion—a hell beneath the Meisen, born of the Great Armaments. Here, amidst the endless slaughter, she found herself in ecstasy. The connection between the Great Armaments gave her, the master of "Ukifune," the privilege to freely spy on the "Higanbana" blooming above the Meisen. At first, her gaze held only awe. As the heir to the Scarlet Sect, Hanabi was as dazzling as the sun. But as time passed, she saw Hanabi stumbling through rain and snow for the "honor" of the Scarlet Sect, chasing the phantom called "victory" while being knocked down again and again, only to struggle back up... The cruelty of this fleeting world was like a dull blade, chipping away at her