"First, you should hold it like this," Thanatos says as he places the talisman in between his middle and pointer finger. "This is the proper way to hold it before you throw the talisman because if you hold it in any other way, it won't fly straight to a direction."
Thanatos threw the talisman just as he demonstrates and it went flying straight and got stuck in a wall. He grabbed another one and threw it without holding it the way he told me to. It didn't fly straight and it just fell like a light feather.
"Ohh, I see, I see," I say as I observe him.
"You can also throw the paper dolls this way to prevent contact with a Yokai you're trying to capture." He adds.
It's been a month now since I started to work here in hotel Asphodel. I have helped a couple of ghosts with their unfinished business. Most of them ascended, but some went below.
Right now, we're in a dojo room here in the hotel. Since I'm also an onmyoji now, he decided to teach me about onmyodo talismans and their uses. These will help me in case I encounter dangerous Yokai.
Back then, there were a lot of kinds of talismans that exist according to Thanatos, but as of now, there are five. Red, blue, yellow, green, and white.
The red one is used for banishing Yokai to the underworld. These talismans only temporarily banish Yokai from this world but may return again in a few or one millennium.
The blue one is a barrier. If used in the ground, a large dome-shaped barrier will appear and can protect anything inside it, though it only lasts for a couple of minutes or if it has been damaged too much.
Yellow damages the Yokai. It is the only talisman that can inflict damage and weaken them. This is also the only talisman that can stick in a Yokai's skin.
The green is used to stick to places so a Yokai can't enter or appear near that place. This only takes effect when stuck on a surface.
Lastly, the white talisman. This is now a rare talisman because back then, this was the most used talisman and now, white talismans are running out, which makes it rare. This talisman permanently banishes a Yokai from this world. They can never get out of the underworld ever again.
"Why don't you try it?" Thanatos hands me a talisman.
I took it and held it the way he tells me to. I focused for a bit and threw it. Just like Thanatos' throw, it flew straight and stuck to the wall.
Thanatos cheers on my work. "Nicely done!"
I smile and slightly chuckles. "Thanks."
Thanatos approaches me and places a hand on my shoulder. "Learning the functions and how to use these talismans are very essential in your job. As I said, you'll encounter a lot of dangerous Yokai as you help these ghosts. Not only that, but some evil Yokai also do unnecessary killings, taking life away when it's not their time yet. We also need to stop those Yokai from disrupting the life cycle."
More and more ghosts have been checked in in this hotel, and according to the Shinigami 4 Seasons, most of them aren't even their time yet, which means that they are being tormented and killed by evil Yokai. By stopping those evil Yokai, I am helping the hotel by preventing unnecessary deaths. At first, this isn't what I signed for, but knowing that lives are being taken away while they still have time left, I feel like I had to do something. No. I HAVE to do something.
I nod in determination. "I will do my best, Thanatos!"
Thanatos saw my determination, which made him smile. He also nods.
A moment later, a Nekomata climbed through the window of the dojo, and continue to walk towards us in its hind legs. The black Nekomata with blue eyes and two tails, with blue flames igniting at the end of his tail, sat in a position like a cat. "Sir Thanatos, I am here to report a Yokai sighting!"
Ever since I started here in hotel Asphodel, Thanatos went all out and started a patrol unit full of Nekomata. He called it the Neko Patrol. It consists of multi-colored nekomata that patrol around the city and report any sightings of Yokai or a ghost, which they will tell the Shinigami 4 Seasons so they could escort the ghosts here.
Thanatos kneeled one knee in front of the Nekomata. "What is it Kuroneko?"
"We found Ittan-Momen behind the elementary school and killed a passerby there!"
"Huh? Ittan-Momen?" I said. "The one that looks like a toilet paper?"
"Yes," Thanatos answered. "You know this already, but Ittan-Momen is a tsukomogami. He's a roll of cotton that kills its victims by wrapping itself around the body of its victim until it chokes to death."
Yeah. I did my research on Yokai and this thing came up also. It's kind of pretty sad knowing that you died because of a toilet paper-looking kind of yokai. Respects to the dead, of course. "I'll still call him toilet paper though."
Kuroneko continued to report. "Ittan-Momen dragged the victim towards the back of the elementary school and played with him there, by tossing the victim around, and finally choked him to death."
"Sheesh, what a way to go," I said.
"The victim is checked in at the hotel as we talk, sir!"
Thanatos looked at me. "Let's interview the guy?"
I nod. "Yes."