Wasting no time, I got into my Onmyoji outfit. I put on a new pair of pants and a green T-shirt that carried the logo of the Ten-mon So—Five Golden Leaves joined in the middle.
I checked myself in the mirror. I noticed the dark rings beneath my eye. I will need to catch up on my sleep. Looking at the present situation, it will be a while before I can cancel my sleep deficit.
Satified with my look, I put on my trademark red leather jacket - the one that has been termed the Onmyoji Jacket by the social media. My fans, who had been following my action, had labelled it the Onmyoji Jacket and badgered me to produce franchise based on things I used. You know - T-shirts, jackets, mugs and pens.
However, I am a spirit master, one trained to bring balance to the human and supernatural realms, not a celebrity. I do not aspire to be one.
I studied myself in the mirror again.
Satisfied, I walked over to get my sling bag and prepared my tools - the amulets, the mugwort essence and my Buki(武）Brush which has the power to devise a series of power talisman to quel evil.
Then I rushed down the stairs and hopped onto my car.
I checked the details of the coordinates sent by Visnu. It sure is a remote part of Singapore and a good twenty kilometers from where I fought Yasu Ito. They had not travelled far. They are not familiar with Singapore roads.
I better catch them before they leaves Singapore.
Before I drove, I cast a protective spell over my car to fend off any attacks that Yasu may have planned for me. Forming my sword fingers, I executed the Kujin in 9 strokes and commanded
"Protect - mamoru"
I was on the expressway within minutes.
It was almost 2 am and the roads were dead quiet. I was vigilant, checking my blind spots in case of any vehicle tailing me. Thankfully the trip was safe and I reached the destination, which is a long road next to a vast patch of Lalang.
I spotted the police vehicle and a Land Rover which was parked 100 metres away and I noticed the familiar number plate SLZ 1400 which belongs. Visnu's.
I parked neatly behind the land rover and was worried when I found nobody in sight. I alighted with caution and was greeted by a chilly breeze with the Lalang swaying in a lazy rhythm.
I checked the vehicle's interior, worried they may have been ambushed. However, there were no traces of struggle or fighting. I extended my investigation to the roads and the immediate surroundings for signs of fighting.
As I was plodded on, I found nothing. Just when I was about to turn back, I noticed the little road to my left. It was a narrow strip of road half-covered by the tall Lalang grasses. Thanks to a row of street lamps, it remained well-illuminated.
I walked cautiously up the path. The thickness
"Visnu?" I called. There was no sound and I tread carefully looking at both sides of the narrow road. The tall grass in this area now looked like unpleasant sentries watching over me.
"Where could they be?" I whispered.
I reached into my pocket and decided to call Visnu but quickly realized there was no network signal.
I realized I had walked over two hundred meters from the main road and decided to backtrack to my vehicle.
As just I began to jog, the grass next on my right suddenly registered some movement. I jumped away and raised my fist in defence
From the thick grasses, a figure emerged and I was about to attack
"Dont!" He shouted. It was Visnu
"What happened to you?" I asked as I noticed he was wet from perspiration and had traces of exhaustion on his face
"What happened? Where did you go? I thought you asked me to come over."
Between huffs and pants, he stumbled onto the road. For a man over fifty and gifted with an athletic frame, I was surprised to see Visnu stumble. He is a regular marathon runner and has proven to be swift during action.
"What happened?"
He was gasping for air and pointed into the grass.
"Let me help you back to the vehicle." I said and Visnu nodded.
He was a good 1.8m and probably weighing over 100kg and it was quite a chore to move him. After some effort, with a near stumble, we reached our vehicles. He leaned against his vehicle while I got him water. He gulped and said slowly
"One man down."
"One man down?"
"Two of them went into the grass because they saw a group dashing into the Lalang. I followed but a few moments into it, I was lost. I struggled to find my way out and then I heard a cry."
"Whose was it?"
"My man. I went to check and saw him straddled on the ground. When I neared, I saw blood on his neck."
"I am sorry to hear that."
"I pulled out my pistol and ..."
I saw the facial expression stoned in fear
"Visnu? Visnu!" He was unresponsive, eyes staring into space like he had been stunned by an unseen force.
I folded my sword fingers and then tapped him on the forehead slightly
"Raito - light!" I shouted.
Visnu suddenly blinked and then looked around like he had just been teleported to the location.
"Are you fine, Visnu? Can you remember what happened?"
"Of course, I met you and then you..." He looked around him.
"I brought you back to your car and you were drinking."
Visnu nodded.
"Yes, yes you are right."
After some thought, I understood Visnu's condition. It is called ushinau in short for the phenomenon of Shōki o ushinau in which one lost his mind as a result of a spell cast by an Onmyoji.
"You will be fine. Just try to recollect and control your breathing."
Visnu nodded.
"What did you see inside the Lalang fields?"
"I saw a ..."
"What is it? Breathe and tell me..."
Visnu eyes widened and I felt his rational senses have returned
"What did you see?" I probed "Tell me."
"I saw something in the grassland" he pointed to the grass
"I arrived and saw one of our uniformed colleagues standing next to the grass. The other colleague had investigated some noises but did not return. After about ten minutes, I was worried, and so both of us decided to check."
Venus paused and drank from his bottle
"As I trudged through the grasslands, I saw something"
"What is that something?"
"Something hit me from the legs and then dragged me into the grasses. I could not see anything but it was giving out an unpleasant groan. It began to send me rolling through the grasses. I think I was thrown all over the ground."
I studied him and found his face and limbs actually carried cuts with a deep gash on his right arm.
"A serpent. Those eyes."
"Its Yasu! I swore it is him." I whispered.
"You are suffering from the effects of a spell," I said.
I looked to the grass. I am sure he is inside.
"How did you break free?"
He raised his hand and opened the palm "It was my charm amulet. It hissed and then let go of me."
"Let me check"
"Be careful! It is powerful and you just cannot see its true form."
Visnu warned.
"Should you wait for our colleagues? I had called for reinforcements and they should arrive soon.
"It will be too late." I turned to the tall glass like I am ready to take on an opponent. Behind the wall of grass, I knew an ominous presence awaits me.
"There is something in there. I need to act before it is too late."
"You may get hurt." Visnu said.
"I am sure Kelly is in there too. I need to find her and save her."