The night still continues to reign in this part of the world, the clouds that once gave way to sporadic moments in which the moon and its beautiful brightness could be appreciated are over, at the same time that a humid wind begins to blow slowly.
Located inside one of the multiple rooms, the most comfortable and opulent places of the castle, two figures rest.
The first was a young man who is entangled in multiple golden tails, leaving only his head out, making him look like a coil. The second figure was that of a lady with long flowing black hair, beautiful face and a bow resting at her side.
...Kikyo pov…
Opening my eyes slowly and watching the ceiling so that they get used to the darkness, I let my senses travel around the room giving me an approximation of the place.
Everything is the same as when I have fallen asleep, the door firmly closed, objects with no movement and a large build up of energy against the wall.
"As I have thought, there is no trace of negative energy coming from it. I can only feel the fragments of the pearl and this surge coming from them every now and then."
Speaking loudly, so that the other person or being here can hear me. I lift my body off the two person futon and look towards... Asahiko, his real name is complicated.
"It's a subject I'm just as confused about as you, though after searching my memories... I might know what's going on."
With a leisurely voice, at the same time touching his beard for every word he says, the spirit called Saya, materializes his transparent body and begins to answer my words.
Staring at him for a few seconds and considering whether to ask or not, I shake my head, although this affects the pearl... perhaps I should, No! Getting my thoughts in order, I stop staring at the spirit and pick up the bow.
"So young Kikyo. where are we going?"
Leaving the room, I start walking down the well lit hallways of the castle, I hear the spirit's voice behind me.
Even knowing it is following me, I don't turn around and continue to move forward with slow steps, in the approximate direction of the remnants of negative energy I felt from finishing that extension.
"As I purified the extension that was attacking us outside, I could feel a slight connection before it was severed between the main body and the secondary body."
"That connection ended inside the castle?"
Turning down one corridor and avoiding the two people guarding the other, I begin to think about his question. At the time of purification, the negative energy separated into two parts, the first was purified, while the second took the opportunity to escape downwards at that time.
Not to the castle grounds itself, the most likely options may be a subway cave or structure beneath it.
"No, the connection is cut off underground, but considering we are on a mountain, it is likely due to a subway cave or submerged structure under the castle."
"I see, we are moving towards the castle prison... the place with the most negative energy and that is deep within the structure."
Nodding with no change in my face and keeping my eyes straight ahead, I take another few turns through the corridors until we start to move into a colder, wetter and darker area, where the structure starts to become wilder.
Everything had changed at some point, the wooden floor was replaced by rock and the chandeliers by burning braziers. The exact moment of change was after he had descended some stairs, which were strangely unprotected.
"They were not unprotected, He... What a difficult name. Asahiko took care of the guards when he escaped."
"Where do I leave them?"
Ignoring if he was able to read my facial expression or just guessing by pure luck my thoughts, I look around and see no one.
"I don't know, I only know that he left them all in the same place and had wiped their memories."
"He can do that."
"The fox charm is a type of mind control, it's quite simple for them to erase or create memories in humans."
Her words are true, that's why foxes camouflage themselves so well among humans.
"There they are!"
*snore* *snore*.
Hearing the loud snoring, I turn my steps lighter and avoiding any obstacle or object that could make noise in my way, I approach the fork before looking over there.
Piled on some wooden crates and letting out extremely loud snores, two moderately equipped soldiers sleep soundly while a smell of alcohol floats in the air.
"Oh, those are the first two he sent to sleep. Chris, Chrst, Asahiko is easier to pronounce. What a weird name he actually has."
Hearing the spirit's words for the second time, I am forced to give him a silent affirmation about the strangeness of the name of... Yes, it is strange.
One of the soldiers has his head inside the box, also the smell of alcohol is not only coming from them, but there is also in their surroundings, obviously someone has spread it around the place.
"Looks like it wasn't an illusion I felt from Clouded Fang, that door must be the problem."
Looking at the solid wooden door, which separates what could be considered the castle from the mountain itself, I see how negative energy oozes outward and tries to invade the inside of the castle.
That negative energy is stopped by the same barrier at the top. No, the barrier at the top is merely a reaction to the real one down here.
"Most likely... The trace ends up in there and the negative emotions from the surrounding area are attracted to that place."
"I see, will you act now?"
Leaning me on the ground, he looked at the boundary between the barrier that serves as a rudimentary seal and the door.
Analyzing the seal with my eyes, I listen to the spirit's thoughts and after sorting out my thoughts, I reply.
"It is not the smartest thing to forcibly tinker with a barrier created by someone else."
"Isn't it simply replenishing the water inside a jar?"
"Human barriers have different cores, filling one of those with energy can lead to the balance between them all breaking down and the barrier crumbling."
At this instant the barrier is what keeps whatever is back there under control, but it is also what protects it from external attacks.
"So we have to wait for it to be destroyed and then act."
"Yes, despite being in such a bad state, the barrier keeps the power of the captured thing under a certain range. It's best to finish it off right after the barrier crumbles."
After talking to the spirit, I turn around and start to walk away from here. There is nothing that can be done by force, it all comes down to waiting for the right moment.