Mentioned Characters: Marisa

On the early morning of New Year's Day, Marisa collected water from a nearby stream that flowed under a thin layer of ice. She used this water to dissolve an inkstick, creating a bucket full of liquid ink. The inkstick was made using the traditional method―mixing soot produced by burning rapeseed oil with animal glue and then adding a pleasant aroma with borneol. The oil in the ink gives it a thick, sticky texture and a glossy black finish. Marisa stood next to the bucket, slowly stirring the ink.

In life, there are no take-backs. No matter how much you regret something, the past cannot be undone. The same applies to calligraphy. When writing on a blank white canvas, a single misplaced brushstroke can ruin the entire piece. That's why you must put the full weight of your emotions behind each one. Marisa boldly plunged her brush into the bucket of ink, and then, paying no mind to the ink splatters and drips, she started writing with big, broad strokes. "Art is all about power."

"I'll show you what I've learned over the last thousand years." The pleasant aroma of ink wafted in the brisk air of the new year. With a big whoosh of her brush, Marisa caused a glorious arc of black ink to spray off to the side and behind her. She danced with her brush atop the large sheet of paper like a child with too much pent-up energy. Or like a sentient sun burning to put its explosive energy into words. Marisa put every fiber of her being into each brushstroke.

The Witch of Scarlet Dreams smiled as she wrote her first calligraphy for the year, scrunching up the cross drawn with ink on her cheek. Her bold movements might have seemed haphazard or random to an onlooker, but in truth, they had been refined with over a thousand years of magical research and study. The kanji character for ink is a pictographic kanji representing a fire burning atop a mound of earth. Being well-versed in both fire and earth magic, Marisa was more than capable of making magical works of art with ink. The tip of her brush was as precise and unwavering as a planet's orbit around the Sun. "I've shed my doubts long ago. What about you, Blue?"

"Love your dreams." Marisa could only enjoy this moment because she managed to endure a millennium of torment. She kept studying magic while suppressing the ever-building heat that rampaged within her. Fortunately, Marisa no longer had to try to keep all this heat bottled up inside. Instead, she lets it out bit by bit in a controlled and productive manner. She achieves this by striking a balance between her needs and desires and using the heat as an infinite source of fuel for both. Having stepped out into a new world, Marisa was determined to shine brighter than ever before. She had already acquired a new kimono, attained new power, and found new friends, but she still had a whole new year ahead of her.