CHAPTER 4.
The two of them arrived at a sewer, damp walls along with moisture on it. Water trickled down the uneven floor, leading into a dark and empty tunnel.
"How are we going to find souls in here? Wait, what rank?" Gojin asked, his pen resting between his teeth. He glanced at Taro with curiosity.
Taro replied, placing his katana on his shoulder, "Exile, since most people come here to cry their hearts out after a breakup with their partner." He smiled.
Gojin shook his head awkwardly. "In my past life, I did the same after my breakup with Lila. Thank God these things don't exist in the real world," he thought.
Suddenly, a cry mixed with laughter echoed through the tunnel. Taro grinned and ran deeper into the passage alongside Gojin.
As they ventured further, they encountered a Exile soul, a disfigured form of flesh with an uneven head and a twisted eye. Upon noticing them, it began to charge forward. Taro stood calmly while Gojin busily noted its appearance, unbothered by the sight.
Taro was amazed, as most kids would have been trembling in fear. "So this is an Exile soul? Nice," Gojin exclaimed as Taro used the hilt of his sword to slam it onto the creature's disfigured head. It exploded instantly, red blood splattering the ground along with chunks of flesh.
"Yeah, and only Ki users can see them. Sometimes, higher-ranked souls can possess humans and grant them abilities, but those are only Elysians, and none have ever been encountered," Taro explained.
"I know all that!" Gojin replied, crossing his arms.
As they were about to leave the sewer, Taro suddenly halted, turning around and drawing his katana. A black blade was revealed with purple energy swirling around it, which vanished moments later.
"Hahahaha," a strange laughter echoed through the tunnel. Something sped toward them faster than sound, but Taro slashed it before it could reach them.
It fell to the ground—a less disfigured soul than the last one—beginning to vanish into thin air.
"Is this also an Exile soul? It looks similar," Gojin asked.
"Yes, although this one was born from stronger emotions—tears of mourners grieving a beloved person's death," Taro explained, but before he could finish, a swarm of souls rushed toward them.
Taro sighed, "Watch how it's done. Do not remove your blindfold; it's transparent, so you can see well enough."
He dashed toward the swarm of fifteen souls, moving like a blur. In an instant, he slashed through them all and returned to Gojin, who was stunned by his speed. He had exorcised them in just two seconds.
"Wow, this is what a master exorcist can do. I wonder how strong Satoshi is, being a Grand Exorcist," Gojin mused.
Taro sheathed his katana and lifted Gojin onto his shoulder, holding the katana with his other hand. In an instant, they vanished, reappearing in front of a black car. Gojin's eyes widened in awe as Taro set him down.
"Am tired. Let's head back. Call the Junior Exorcists to clear the sewer; there are more souls inside," he ordered the man sitting in the driver's seat.
The driver, named Haruto, had sharp facial features, with neatly combed black hair and brown eyes behind stylish glasses. He wore a tailored black suit that accentuated his lean frame, and he was focused on a tablet in his hands.
Haruto nodded and continued typing, contacting the other exorcists—only three, though. They would be able to clear out about ten to fifteen Exile souls, but not as quickly as Taro; it would take them around thirty to forty minutes to finish.
As the car drove away, Gojin stared out the window while Taro pulled out his phone, scrolling through social media.
"Will Ryu and Yuki be back by now? I want to start training," Gojin inquired.
"In about ten minutes, they should be back, so when we get home, they will be ready," Taro replied.
[Ding! User has obtained a bell technique]
[Bonus for experiencing an exorcism]
[EXP 5 added! EXP: 15]
"I can also receive rewards only by just experiencing an exorcism? Great, i wonder what the bell technique can do." Gojin decided to test it out once he gets back to the palace.
****
They had arrived, Taro went back to his special quarter while Gojin went to the training ground, hoping to meet Ryu and Yuki there.
As Gojin approached the training ground, he spotted two young boys around Ryu and Yuki's age emerging with their hands behind their backs.
They were dressed neatly in kimono, and though they were not members of the Seren clan, they belonged to the Kuroyami Clan—notorious for their ruthless ambition and willingness to betray even their own kin to achieve their goals.
The two boys were the young masters, Haruki and Shinji. They had followed one of their clan's top exorcists, who was there to meet the clan's head.
Haruki and Shinji looked Gojin up and down before bursting into laughter. Mistaking him for a lowly servant due to his casual attire, Gojin felt a wave of disgust wash over him.
"Who are these fools? I wish I could just wipe the smirks off their faces, but I'd only be destroying something more significant than this trash." He thought.
"What is a slave doing, wandering around instead of cleaning something?" Haruki asked, composing himself.
"Oh, I know him. He's that cursed child, born with the power of doom—that's why his eyes are covered. What a pity," Shinji added sarcastically.
Gojin was about to confront them when a voice came from behind him.
"He is not cursed but blessed with a power that could end all evil souls and create the balance we've been seeking for over 500 years," Ryu said, handing Gojin a juice box.
Ryu approached the two boys with an annoyed expression. "You need to learn not to curse my little brother again. Don't you ever talk to him that way." He rolled up his sleeve, grabbed Haruki by the collar, and punched him in the face.
Haruki fell instantly, clutching his nose and crying.
Shinji, ready to flee, was caught by Ryu, who threw him to the ground, slamming his face repeatedly until blood trickled from his nose. The two boys lay on the ground, covered in dust and tears.
Gojin, filled with a desire to join the fray, was dragged back by Ryu.
"Curse you! Come on, bastards! Call me cursed again, you stoneheads! Freaks in hakama or whatever you are wearing, go learn the latest fashions if you even have a social account, which I know you don't!" He shouted as he was dragged away.
"You will pay for this!" Haruki yelled back, but Ryu ignored them, focusing on Gojin, who still felt the urge to fight.
Two grown men rushed to the boys, presumably their guards. They lifted them from the ground with worried expressions.
"Young Masters, are you okay? Who did this to you?" one asked, brushing dust off their clothes.
Shinji pointed toward Ryu and Gojin, who had walked further away. One guard caught sight of Gojin.
"That's the child. We should inform the master once we get back," he whispered to the other as they led the boys away, both angry and still clearing their tears.