The wraith stood still for a moment, its gaze fixed on Zilong. It began to move, but not as a menacing creature. Its steps were slow and hesitant, almost human-like, as it approached Zilong. When it reached him, it stared intently, its voice soft, stripped of its previous malice.
"How do you know my name?" it asked, its tone now subdued. The aura of wrath that once surrounded it seemed to fade, replaced by something more vulnerable.
"I know who you are," Zilong replied, trying to ignore the searing pain that spread through his body. He understood now—the wraith was a vengeful spirit, born from the agony and relentless thirst for revenge of a samurai.
Zilong looked at the wraith and no longer saw a terrifying monster. Instead, he saw a soul overwhelmed by bitterness and sorrow. Tears streamed down Zilong's face as he gazed at the wraith.
"I understand what you've been through," he said, his voice trembling with emotion. He didn't know how to express his sympathy. How could he say he was sorry that the wraith's entire family was killed? That he lost everything to his greatest enemy? That his life had been reduced to this unending cycle of rage and pain?
"I feel your pain," Zilong continued. That was the only truth he could offer. He felt the wraith's anguish, its rage, its unfulfilled need for vengeance. Zilong wasn't sure how he had come to understand the wraith's memories.
'Maybe it was the wraith's blood that seeped into my wounds,' Zilong thought.
"You can't feel my pain," the wraith replied. Its expression was unreadable now, its eyes no longer glowing beneath the veil. The most agonizing part for it was realizing that even as a powerful spirit, it had still failed to avenge his daughter, his family, and his lost honor.
It had taken him 300 years to merge with his shadow, all the while allowing Toru Ikeda to continue ruling and ultimately die peacefully.
"He deserved to die, but the gods still favored him," the wraith said, its voice softer, almost defeated, as it looked at Zilong.
**Thwack!**
A sharp sound cut through the silence.
The wraith turned sharply to see Jacob, bruised and battered, holding an iron rod that pierced a mass of writhing flesh.
"Jacob, what are you doing?" Zilong shouted. Jacob had continued with their plan, attacking the heart of the wraith's ritual.
The wraith remained still, watching as the flesh convulsed violently, softening and transforming into a pool of blackish-red goo that spread across the floor.
Zilong glanced at the wraith, surprised to see it motionless, simply observing.
"Well, at least someone sympathized with me," it muttered, looking back at Zilong.
Zilong's eyes met the wraith's, and they held each other's gaze for a long moment.
"And you, boy..." The wraith's eyes shifted to Jacob, who was covered in the black goo. Jacob stood his ground, gritting his teeth.
"Do you know what they call warriors who kill evil spirits?" the wraith asked, its voice eerily calm. Jacob stared back, unsure how to respond.
The wraith's body began to fade, turning translucent as if dissolving into thin air.
"They're called onmyōji," it continued. "And they say the spirits you kill cling to your soul, tormenting you to death. I hope you can endure that..." With that, the wraith disappeared, vanishing into nothingness.
---
The group stood in stunned silence, staring at the pool of black goo.
"Was that its weak spot?" Emma asked, breaking the silence. "Did we defeat it? Was it really that simple?"
Jacob remained standing in the puddle of blackish-red goo, still gripping the rod, dazed.
*He did it...* Zilong thought, realizing he couldn't blame Jacob. After all, he himself had only learned about the wraith's past a short time ago. But still... the fact that the wraith had never achieved its deepest desire for vengeance must have been a tormenting existence.
"So, we actually did it?" Ava whispered, breaking the silence. The group remained still, dazed, before Emma moved to help her brother.
Zilong watched, weakly resting against the doorframe, in awe of what had just happened.
"Onmyōji? What is that? Some kind of cult? And what did it mean about torment?" Zilong had so many questions, but he decided to set them aside for now.
He looked over at Emma and Jacob, who were still motionless. Emma finally moved toward her brother, who collapsed onto the floor, limp. Zilong's vision started to blur. He wasn't sure how long the wound on his chest had been bleeding, but he felt weak. His vision grew even more unfocused as the poison finally paralyzed him.
He fell to the cold, tiled floor and lost consciousness...
---
Zilong found himself frozen in place, his feet rooted to the ground as if they were a part of the earth itself. He looked around, confused. The world around him was shrouded in eerie darkness, the air thick with an oppressive silence.
"Where am I?" he wondered aloud.
In the distance, he saw a colossal figure, its rock-like body stretching as far as the eye could see. The creature's skin was golden, with molten magma coursing through its surface like veins. The heat radiating from the giant was so intense that Zilong had to shield his face, even though the figure was miles away.
"What is this...?" he murmured, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
The giant was so vast that Zilong couldn't grasp its full form. It looked alive—no, it *was* alive, pulsating with a powerful, almost divine aura, standing so tall it seemed to touch the sky.
"How is this possible?"
Then, the scene shifted abruptly. The once-living giant now lay in a lifeless heap of stones. Its golden hue, once radiant, had dulled to a lifeless gray.
It was dead. But how? What could possibly have killed a being of such size and strength?
Zilong looked up to the top of the fallen giant and saw a man sitting there, dressed in ragged clothing like a beggar. His face was obscured by shadows, but his presence was palpable, radiating a quiet yet overwhelming despair.
The man's head was bowed, his posture that of defeat, as if he had just lost a monumental battle. Zilong looked around and realized he was in a desolate, barren landscape. It seemed as if these two beings had fought here, a battle that had left the earth scorched and smoking.
---
Zilong jolted awake, finding himself lying in a... comfortable bed?
"What the hell? How did I get here?" he wondered, his mind racing.