The old temple downtown was the kind of place most people ignored. Nestled between modern buildings, it was a relic of the past, its wooden gates covered in moss, its stone pathway cracked from time and neglect. A place of worship long abandoned, yet something about it still hummed with power. Shin stood outside the entrance, pulling his hoodie tighter against the cold night air.
His breath came out in white puffs. This place wasn't just old. It was active.
Something lived here.
His phone vibrated again.
[Unknown Number]: You're late. Come inside.]
Shin scowled. "Tch. Pushy."
Still, his gut told him to be careful. He turned on his camera—not for a live stream this time, but just in case he needed evidence. Then, with a deep breath, he stepped past the gates.
Inside, the temple grounds were dimly lit by ancient stone lanterns, their flickering flames barely holding against the wind. A figure stood in front of the main shrine, hooded and motionless.
Shin narrowed his eyes. "Alright, you got me here. Who the hell are you?"
The hooded figure didn't turn. Instead, a smooth, calm voice spoke.
"You're reckless."
Shin scoffed. "Wow. Real insightful. You drag me out here just to criticize my life choices?"
Finally, the figure turned. A woman, maybe in her early twenties, with sharp golden eyes and short silver hair tucked under the hood. She studied him like a puzzle she wasn't sure was worth solving.
"You have no idea what you provoked last night."
Shin crossed his arms. "I provoked? I was just doing my job. If anything, that thing provoked me."
The woman's expression remained unreadable. "You call livestreaming an exorcism a job?"
Shin grinned. "If it pays the bills."
For a second, there was silence. Then—unexpectedly—the woman chuckled. A dry, almost amused sound.
"You're either an idiot or the bravest fool I've ever met."
Shin's smirk widened. "Little bit of both."
The woman sighed. "That entity wasn't a ghost. It wasn't even a normal yokai. It was something much worse."
Shin's grin faded slightly. "Yeah, I got that much when it reassembled itself after I exorcised it."
She nodded. "Because you only forced it back. You didn't destroy it. And now it's attached to you."
A chill ran down Shin's spine. "...What?"
She gestured toward his arm. "Look."
Shin hesitated before rolling up his sleeve.
His breath caught.
Dark markings. Black veins ran faintly along his forearm, pulsing under his skin like ink bleeding through paper. They hadn't been there before.
"What the hell…?"
The woman's voice remained calm. "It left a piece of itself inside you. A curse. If left unchecked, it will consume you."
Shin swallowed hard. "Great. So how do I un-consume myself?"
The woman reached into her sleeve and pulled out a folded talisman, pressing it into his hand. The paper was warm, as if it had just been pulled from a fire.
"You need a full purification ritual. A real one. Not the half-assed charm-throwing you pulled last night."
Shin clicked his tongue. "Hey, that half-assed charm-throwing kept me alive."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "For now."
Shin glanced at the talisman. "Alright, fine. Let's say I trust you. Who are you, anyway?"
She pulled back her hood, letting her silver hair catch in the dim lantern light.
"My name is Rei Amakawa. I'm an onmyoji."
Shin frowned. "No way. The exorcist clan? Thought you guys were wiped out ages ago."
Rei's expression darkened. "Most of us were. The rest of us hide."
Shin exhaled, taking in this new information. "Alright. So what's the plan?"
Rei turned toward the shrine. "We cleanse you first. Then, we find out who summoned that thing."
Shin smirked. "And after that?"
Rei met his gaze.
"We destroy it."
Shin felt his blood pump faster.
Now that was something he could get behind.
[TO BE CONTINUED…]