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Kaito felt his consciousness detach from his body, continually sinking into endless darkness.
In the pure darkness, he gradually lost his sense of time and space, focusing solely on maintaining a tranquil state of mind.
After an indeterminate amount of time, a faint light appeared before him.
It was a light like the sun, golden in color but much softer than sunlight, gentle enough that it didn't hurt his eyes even in the pure darkness.
Closer and closer.
Kaito felt himself drawing nearer to the light source yet was never able to touch it.
Time passed unknowingly, and the light grew brighter, its source finally revealing itself before his eyes.
It was a winding river, its golden waters flowing quietly, casting halos of light in the darkness.
The moment Kaito saw the river, a warmth enveloped his entire body.
Unlike the warmth of sunlight on his skin, this warmth felt as though it penetrated every cell of his body, irresistibly captivating.
Kaito walked towards the golden river uncontrollably, overwhelmed by a strong urge to merge completely with the golden waters.
...
At the Ryūmyaku Seal.
Gurē held the talisman paper, watching Kaito's back with some anxiety.
While Ryūmyaku were known as the source of life, they were extremely dangerous for any creature that approached them without caution.
Gurē had heard from older yokai that creatures who got too close to a Ryūmyaku would become obsessed and slowly assimilated by it, eventually forgetting everything about themselves and returning to the most primitive form of life.
The only outcome was to merge completely into the Ryūmyaku, which Gurē found terrifying.
At that moment, a faint golden light began to radiate from Kaito's body.
Gurē knew this meant he was nearing the Ryūmyaku!
He watched Kaito's body intently, holding his breath, his hands inching closer with the talisman paper.
As the golden light on Kaito intensified and his skin began to appear translucent, it seemed as though he was about to melt away.
Without waiting any longer, Gurē quickly applied the talisman paper to his body.
...
"Whew... Ha..."
Kaito suddenly opened his eyes, propping himself up on his hands as if he had just been rescued from drowning, gasping for air.
"Are you alright, Kaito?" Gurē asked worriedly as he crouched beside him.
Kaito gestured with his hand and continued to catch his breath.
After a while, he recovered, his voice tinged with relief, "Thank you, Gurē. I was almost assimilated by the Ryūmyaku."
"No problem! So, how do you feel, what was the Ryūmyaku like?" Gurē asked curiously.
Kaito frowned slightly, beginning to describe his experience.
"I only saw a golden river, incredibly beautiful. The moment I saw it, my mind went blank, and I was drawn to it uncontrollably."
"This is entirely different from the limited communication with the Ryūmyaku we've practiced before," he said, somewhat troubled. "No wonder the ancient texts always warned not to attempt it lightly."
Gurē shuddered and asked quietly, "Are you going to try again?"
"Yes," Kaito asserted confidently. "If someone succeeded in ancient times, I can too!"
"But..." Gurē hesitated, "there's only been one person in legend who succeeded. It's too difficult."
"I will succeed," Kaito stated with conviction.
After resting for a while, he began his second attempt.
Gurē had no choice but to nervously hold the talisman paper, his eyes glued to Kaito.
He was afraid he wouldn't react quickly enough to wake him when needed.
Although Kaito's second attempt lasted longer, it still ended in failure.
Not just the second time, but over the next few days, he tried dozens of times, all ending in failure.
Worse, although he initially lasted longer each time, his endurance began to decrease.
Kaito knew his impatience was growing, so he forced himself to stop the futile attempts.
He began to leave the underground space of the Ryūmyaku node, wandering aimlessly through the ruins of Loulan or standing on abandoned buildings to watch the sunrise and sunset over the desert, clearing his mind of all thoughts.
After a few days, he felt his inner peace restored.
Yet, he did not rush into new attempts, instead choosing to have fun with Gurē, exploring the ruins, observing various desert fauna and flora, and even cooking scorpions and lizards to eat—though most ended up in Gurē's stomach.
Two days later, after a complete break, he continuously reflected on each of his experiences with the dragon
vein.
Finally, regaining full confidence, he began a new round of attempts.
...
When the golden river appeared before him again, his heart remained as still as an ancient well, and he firmly stepped into the water.
At that moment, he felt his consciousness split in two.
Half flowed with the river into the vast expanse, seemingly crossing endless time, acutely feeling the planet's breath.
The other half remained fixed in place, like an anchor.
After an indeterminate period, the indescribable sensations gradually receded, and his consciousness returned to the starting point.
"Has someone succeeded again? Congratulations, young man."
A voice came from the river.
The voice was soft and elegant, though its tone was ancient.
Kaito, surprised, looked at the river and asked, "Who? Can the Ryūmyaku talk?"
With a light laugh, the golden river slowly rose, forming a human shape.
Then, the river-formed figure gradually lost its watery essence and turned into a man dressed in ancient attire.
He wore a tall black hat and a pristine white hunting robe, holding a fan and smiling.
Kaito, recognizing him from paintings he had seen, exclaimed in amazement.
"Are you... Lord Seimei?"
The man nodded with a smile.
"Hello, I am Abe no Seimei."
(Fun Fact: Abe no Seimei is a real person)
At that moment, Kaito felt his mind whirl.
This person was none other than the famous onmyoji from a thousand years ago, Abe no Seimei, the only one in legend to have truly communicated with the Ryūmyaku.
According to records, this unparalleled onmyoji had mysteriously disappeared just before the advent of the Divine Tree and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, leaving behind endless speculations and theories.
Some even suspected that the Ōtsutsuki had secretly eliminated this powerful onmyoji before their move.
Kaito never expected to meet him here.
"I guess you have many questions," Seimei said, waving his fan leisurely. "Don't worry, I will answer all your doubts."
Kaito smiled in return.
"Hello, Lord Seimei. I am Uchiha Kaito."
His heart was filled with joy.
He hadn't anticipated such a turn of events in his attempt to communicate with the Ryūmyaku, sensing that this experience would be far more rewarding than he had initially imagined.
Indeed, he had always been a lucky person.