Ren lay motionless on a cold medical table, his skin still pale and clammy from the ordeal. Around him stood Testuya, Sakura, Kaoru, Aiko, Saionji, and Mizuki, watching anxiously as Ren remained unconscious. Aiko was just about done healing Mizuki's bruised neck, the last vestiges of her technique shimmering as the flesh reknitted itself. "That should do it," Aiko said, stepping back to survey her work.
"Thank you," Mizuki responded quietly, rubbing the newly healed skin on the back of her neck, trying to get used to its smoothness again.
Sakura threw herself onto Mizuki, pulling the brown-haired female into a tight embrace. "I was so worried, Mi-chan! I'm glad you're okay now." Mizuki let herself be held, patting Sakura's back with one hand.
Kaoru smiled slightly at the display of affection. At least Mizuki had her friends' love and support. He turned away, focusing instead on Ren's motionless body. "So, what's the next course of action? I can guarantee you the ethereal tribunal will send someone to kill him if we let this information get out."
"Wait, what? Kill him?" Mizuki pulled away from Sakura and looked at Ren worriedly. "But it's not his fault. He couldn't control his body!"
"They won't care about the details," Testuya replied, folding his arms across his chest. "I have a hard time believing the ethereal tribunal will show any mercy towards anyone. Even Ren."
As grim as it sounded, it was true. There were too many risks associated with a mysterious wraith occupying his body like this. They had to keep the boy hidden while figuring out what to do next. That would require some planning, which they couldn't do if the tribunal officials ordered his execution immediately.
"We can't keep this hidden forever. Then the elders will want to execute everyone in this room for harboring a known threat," Saionji noted grimly. "We have to let the ethereal tribunal know what's happening and figure out a way to handle it accordingly. Otherwise, they'll think we're being reckless."
"Like hell I'm letting that happen. Let me handle the ethereal tribunal. In the meantime, nobody should be spilling any of this to anybody until we get the full picture," Kaoru urged. He wasn't sure whether they could afford to keep Ren around. But the boy hadn't chosen this fate—it had been bestowed upon him. Kaoru decided the kid deserved to have a fair chance to fight it, that's the least anyone could give him.
"There might be an easier solution," Aiko piped in. All eyes shifted toward her expectantly. "In the Meiji era, there was a documented case of a similar situation. A wraith had taken possession of a guardian, much like what we're seeing with Ren. The solution involved forcibly separating the wraith from the host through an ancient ritual."
"What kind of ritual?" Testuya asked.
"It's called Severance Binding. The guardian's body is placed in a state of suspended animation—neither alive nor dead—while a team of specialized practitioners uses energy to isolate the wraith and drive it out. The host's life force is kept intact by a secondary ritual that maintains a connection between their body and soul."
"That doesn't sound so bad," Sakura said hesitantly, glancing at Ren.
Aiko's lips thinned, and she sighed before speaking again. "The success rate wasn't high. For the wraith to be completely exorcised, the practitioners have to overpower its energy without damaging the host's body or mind. If they miscalculate even slightly, the host's body could collapse. Their soul could shatter. Or the wraith might take complete control, making it impossible to save them."
"That's not a solution," Mizuki said firmly. "It's a gamble. A dangerous, reckless gamble. I won't let that be done to him." There was no way they could knowingly put Ren through such a risky process, especially considering it had a very low success rate.
"I'm with Mizuki. That does sound a bit insane. There has to be another way," Sakura chimed in.
"Even if it's the only option we have right now, it's not the right one. We can't risk Ren's life on something with no guarantees," Testuya spoke up.
Kaoru, who'd been leaning against the wall and listening attentively, broke his silence and approached the unconscious youth on the table. "I'm not a fan of it either," he said, standing over him. "If there's even a chance that this thing could go sideways, we need to look for alternative solutions."
All of their concerns were valid, but they were running out of time and options. "I understand how you all feel, but we need to consider the reality of the situation. The talisman is a temporary fix. It won't hold forever. And if we don't act soon, the wraith might find a way to strengthen its hold on him," Aiko reminded them sternly.
"So we find another way," Mizuki insisted, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "Anything else. Just not that." What were they thinking? To go into the ritual, all or nothing, not sure it will work out...leaving Ren out on his luck was cruel, and it was not happening.
Suddenly, Ren's body jerked violently, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. His eyes flew open, wide and unfocused, as if he had been drowning and finally reached the surface. Everyone held their breath, wondering if this was it. If the wraith was about to break free, right here and right now. Ren's hand clutched the side of the table for support as he struggled to catch his breath.
"What... What happened?" he rasped, his voice hoarse. He glanced down at the talisman on his chest and then back up at the group. "Why are you all staring at me like I did something wrong?"
Kaoru, never one to mince words, bluntly said, "Because you did." Mizuki immediately glared in his direction, resisting the urge to hit him upside the head. It would have made her feel a bit better, though. She cleared her throat, turning her attention to the man on the bed.
"Don't pay any mind to him. You didn't do anything wrong, okay?" Ren was in no state of mind to endure Kaoru's antics right now. Kaoru huffed a puff of air through his nose, slightly annoyed that Mizuki scolded him in front of everyone. Still, he held his tongue, knowing she was trying to calm the poor kid down.
"Ren," Testuya began, "do you remember anything from earlier? Anything at all?"
"I don't…" He trailed off, trying desperately to recall what exactly happened, but he only remembered bits and pieces. "I don't think I remember. Just packing boxes with Mizuki and—" Then it hit him. From the moment he nearly choked Mizuki to death, to Kaoru knocking him flat on his ass, his head throbbed as the memory came rushing back. "Oh, shit..." He looked straight at Mizuki's neck, which had been cleaned and healed. "Mizuki," he begged, "I'm so sorry. I don't know why I—"
"It's okay," she assured him gently. "I know it wasn't your fault."
He couldn't tell if she was putting on a brave face or not, but she did seem sincere. Either way, she didn't appear afraid of him, which was a relief.
"Yeah. But still...I feel like I need to apologize," Ren replied sheepishly. "For hurting you." He pointed at her neck, wincing. Mizuki offered Ren a soft smile as she ran her fingers absentmindedly along her neck. He really hated the look she was giving him right then. "I'm a dead man, aren't I?"
"I won't let the ethereal tribunal execute you without good reason. But you really fucked up when you took that amulet," Kaoru chastised him. "It released a sealed wraith that most definitely possessed you to gain corporeal form."
"Huh..."
Kaoru groaned, running his hand down his face in frustration. "I can't believe I'm having to explain this shit to you. Didn't you just graduate?"
"Cut me some slack, alright? It's a little hard for me to focus after waking up with a talisman taped to my chest!" Ren argued, throwing his hands up in defeat.
"Cut it out already!" Saionji snapped, causing the two of them to fall silent and shift their attention over to the principal. "Yamasaki, listen carefully. That talisman on your chest is not a joke. It's the only thing keeping that wraith from regaining control of your body. If you so much as think about removing it, I will personally make sure you don't have the chance to regret it."
"Alright, fine. No need to threaten me. I wasn't going to take it off," Ren grumbled. "I mean, I get it. It's serious. But is all of this really necessary? As long as I don't take it off, everything should be fine, right?"
"No, it's not fine," Aiko scolded. "That talisman is a temporary measure, Ren. It's not a permanent fix. It can weaken, or worse, fail entirely if the wraith's energy grows strong enough. Saionji's right—you need to stay here where we can monitor you."
He could see the logic behind that and reluctantly admitted there wasn't much else they could do for the time being. "Ren, don't worry about your living situation. You can move into your old dorm," Saionji offered, hoping the younger man could understand his perspective. He saw no reason for Ren's life to be affected any more than it had to be; he still needed somewhere safe and comfortable to call home while this problem was dealt with. "We'll leave a barrier over your room. The talisman will keep the wraith from coming out, and we will put protection sigils inside and out. The thing shouldn't even be able to peek out unless it finds a weak spot to exploit. And that's very unlikely, considering our barrier specialists will do a perfect job setting it up."
"Lovely. I'm being babysat until further notice..." Ren complained.
"Well, to be fair, picking up a creepy unknown item without a second thought is something a three-year-old child should know not to do," Kaoru scoffed.
"For Christ's sake, alright! Point taken!" Ren shot back defensively. "If I had known something terrible would come out of it, I wouldn't have even bothered touching it! It was in my family's possession. Why would I think it would have been dangerous? Honestly..."
Mizuki bumped Kaoru's side, nudging his shoulder to remind him to quit berating Ren. It was getting out of hand at this point and her friend wasn't even doing anything wrong to begin with, just a couple bad mistakes on his part due to sheer curiosity and unadulterated innocence.
"Alright, alright." Aiko patted Ren's back a couple of times, prompting him to get off the table. "Looks like we're all done. I believe there's a new manager filling in for Hayami. I think his name is Renji or something like that. Total sweetheart. Anyway, go find him so you can get settled in."
Out of curiosity, Mizuki's head tilted to the side. The name Renji rang a bell to her—had she met him before? Or perhaps someone that went by a similar name? Hmm. She wasn't quite certain, but now it was all she was thinking about. Perhaps when the others made their leave to find said replacement manager, Mizuki would be able to glean a face to the name and complete her inner queries.