Everyone else in the world can see them... Everyone else but me. In this world... Spirits exist. Yokais to Sea Monsters to humongous animals. Everyone else can see supernatural beings. But not me, I was often a pretty strong guy, but what use is it if I can't see them. Well I'm not entirely blind to them. I can see their Vitalis, their life force, the stronger the creature the clearer they appear to me.
The village of Tsurugi had always been quiet—maybe too quiet. But tonight, there was an unsettling tension in the air, thick enough to taste. The streets were practically empty, save for a few stragglers huddling in their homes, watching the events unfold from behind closed doors.
But there I was, standing in the square, unsure of what was about to happen.
The Banisher arrived as the twilight sank deeper into the horizon. Cloaked in dark robes, his tall, imposing figure moved like a shadow, swallowed up by the night. His presence was enough to make even the bravest of villagers cower. Not that anyone dared show it—at least not openly. They'd all heard the stories. The whispers about his power and his ability to deal with the spirits that haunted Tsurugi.
But as the Banisher stepped into the village square, there was something... different in the air. Something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
As if he could sense the unease in the villagers, the Banisher raised his hand, the relic clasped tightly in his fingers. His eyes swept across the group, cold and unyielding.
An older man with a gnarled cane stepped forward. His voice shook. "Are you sure this is the right way? We've heard the rumours, Banisher. This relic... it's never been used here before."
The Banisher smirked, his lips curling into an arrogant sneer. "You think I don't know what I'm doing?" His voice was low, almost like a growl, but it carried with the authority of someone who believed himself above reproach. "I didn't come here to ask for permission. I'm here to end your suffering.", he said as he snatched a relic from the elder.
The villagers exchanged uneasy glances, but none dared challenge him. They had seen what he could do. They had seen his power firsthand.
Another voice, a woman this time, cut through the tension. "But... the spirits, Banisher. What if it doesn't work? What if you make things worse?"
The Banisher chuckled darkly, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. "Make things worse?" He looked as though the thought was beneath him. "You're all so fragile. The spirits you fear, the relic I hold—they're nothing. Child's play."
He raised the relic high above his head, and the air trembled. A faint crackling energy began to build around him. His arrogance radiated, filling the square with a suffocating presence.
"I'll show you," he said with an icy sneer, his voice dripping with confidence. "You've been living in fear for too long. It's time to take control."
I didn't like the way his words felt. He wasn't just here to seal spirits away. He was here to dominate. The power rolling off him was like a storm, and yet... I couldn't help but feel something was wrong. I could sense the pressure building, the aura thickening around him.
One of the villagers, a man with a scar across his cheek, stepped forward, his voice loud and defiant. "We didn't ask for this, Banisher! Tsurugi never wanted someone like you coming here to take control!"
The Banisher's eyes narrowed. "You didn't ask for this?" He laughed, genuine amusement in his tone, but it was dark, twisted amusement. "Do you really think anyone cares what you want? I'm doing you all a favor. You should be grateful. You will be grateful."
He swung the relic in a sharp motion, and the air crackled with energy. The faintest glimpse of a spirit—its outline shimmering in the flickering light—began to emerge from the relic, the pressure growing thicker, more intense. The villagers gasped, stepping back in unison, but still... none of them dared speak up again.
They were afraid.
I felt it. The dark energy building, swirling around me. The spirits... I could feel them, even if I couldn't see them. The weight of their presence pressing in, urging me to act.
I was about to say something—anything—when the Banisher's smirk deepened. He raised the relic higher, and with a snap, the spirit tore free from it.
It was like nothing I'd ever felt before. The power was unimaginable, crashing through the air like a tidal wave. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that I still couldn't see it clearly.
The villagers started to scatter, rushing in all directions, desperate to escape the chaos. But I wasn't running. I was too focused on what was happening around me, too aware of the weight of the Banisher's arrogance.
And then, in a blur, the spirit vanished.
Gone. Just like that.
The Banisher's smirk faltered for a split second, but only a split second. He was too sure of himself. Too confident. He turned to face the villagers, his eyes gleaming with arrogance.
"Did you think you could escape this so easily?" he sneered, his voice cutting through the now-chilled air. "You should have known better than to doubt me. I'm not here to negotiate. I'm here to end this once and for all."
But as his words hung in the air, the energy around him shifted. The relic began to hum louder, glowing brighter, its power now spiraling out of control.
And I realized, too late, that the Banisher wasn't in control.
The spirit wasn't the only thing escaping.
I could feel it—the darkness creeping in, suffocating the square. The Banisher's arrogance was blinding him, and as the energy began to spiral, he tried desperately to control it. But it was too much.
The spirits... they were breaking free.
And I could feel it.
The air thickened with an oppressive pressure as the energy from the relic continued to spiral wildly. My heart pounded, and the villagers were now fully in panic mode, running for cover, desperate to flee the encroaching storm of spirits.
I could feel them now. The spirits. Their presence was everywhere, like a low hum vibrating through the air, an electric charge that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The faint outline of their Vitalis flickered around me, but I still couldn't see them clearly.
"Damn it!" I muttered to myself, my fists clenched. If only I could see them, if only I could fight them!
The Banisher, still holding the relic high, was too caught up in his own ego to notice the storm he'd unleashed. His smirk faltered, just a bit, as the power spiralled out of control. His eyes flicked around, scanning the air in panic.
"You fools!" he growled, stepping back, trying to gain control of the relic again. "This was supposed to be under control. You think I can't handle this?!"
But the relic seemed to pulse with a life of its own, as if mocking his every command. With a sudden crack, the spirit that had been released broke free entirely, and the ground shook beneath our feet.
I saw the ripple first—the faintest flicker of its Vitalis, the swirling chaos around me, and then it happened.
The spirits began to materialize. At first, they were indistinct shapes—blurs and flashes of movement—but quickly, they solidified into terrifying forms: towering shadows with glowing eyes, flickering figures that dashed in and out of sight, and grotesque shapes that tore through the air with unnatural speed.
The villagers screamed in terror, some falling to the ground, others collapsing as they tried to scramble away. But it was useless. The spirits were everywhere. The air itself was thick with malevolent force, pressing down on everyone around me.
I gritted my teeth. "This is bad. Real bad."
The Banisher's arrogance crumbled, his expression turning to one of desperation. He raised the relic again, his hands shaking, his earlier confidence shattered. "No... no, this can't be happening!"
I jumped back, narrowly avoiding a swipe from a passing spirit. I could feel the cold chill of its presence, its Vitalis almost tangible as it passed too close for comfort. "No time to play around," I muttered under my breath, trying to steady my breathing.
One of the villagers, a woman clutching a small child, cried out in fear. "Help us! Please, someone, do something!"
I could feel the pressure building with every passing second. These spirits weren't like the ones I'd heard about—these were angry, out of control, and their power felt too much for anyone to handle, Banisher included.
I reached for my own power, pulling on the energy within me. The Vitalis of the spirits around me, their life forces, flickered in my mind's eye. I didn't need to see them fully—just feel them. That was enough.
I stepped forward, moving toward the Banisher who was now frantically trying to control the relic. "Hey, genius," I called out to him, my voice sharp. "I don't care what your plan is anymore. This is your mess, and it's going to destroy all of us."
He looked at me, his eyes wide, filled with panic. "You... you think I don't know that?!" he spat, his voice breaking. "I can fix this! I just need—"
Before I could finish my thought, a sudden chill shot through the air. A spirit lunged at us, its presence like a wave crashing over me. I didn't have time to think—I acted purely on instinct.
I barely saw it, just the faintest flicker of its Vitalis, a pulse in the air. The spirit's presence was sharp, sharp enough for me to feel the air shift just before it struck. I dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding its claws as they slashed through the space where I'd been standing. My heart pounded, my breath quickening.
I spun, pulling in a blast of chi, just enough to form a weak strike. I couldn't see the spirit clearly, but I could feel its movement, its intent—its Vitalis was barely a whisper, but it was enough. My fist slammed into the air where I thought it was, a crackle of energy humming through my arm, but it wasn't enough. I only managed to push it back for a moment. I should be efficient with the time.
The Banisher screamed behind me, his voice raw. "I can't stop it! It's too much!"
I didn't have time to answer. The ground trembled beneath me, and I felt more spirits drawing near—there were so many now, too many. Their Vitalis surrounded me like a thick fog, almost suffocating. They were everywhere, and though I could barely see them, I could feel their movements, their pull. My instincts screamed at me to move, to fight, but I had to think fast. There was no way to face all of them head-on.
I focused on the faint pulses of their Vitalis, letting it guide me. Each spirit's aura flickered like a faint, distant star, guiding my movements, but it wasn't enough to see them clearly. I had to rely on my instincts, on feeling their presence more than anything.
"Get out of my way!" I growled, my voice more a force of will than anything else.
I gathered every ounce of chi left in me, pushing it to my fists, but I couldn't waste it. The spirits were circling, unpredictable, each one a flash of an aura that I could barely track.
I slammed my fist into the ground, sending a shockwave through the earth. It wasn't enough to banish the spirits, but the ripple of energy scattered them—if only for a moment. The air felt lighter.
Their presence is sealed
I can't let them overwhelm me. Not Now!
The Banisher was still panicking, his hands shaking as the relic hummed louder, energy building out of control. The villagers were screaming, running for their lives, but I could tell no one was safe—not with the Banisher's mess.
"I'm not going to wait for this to get worse," I muttered under my breath. My chi surged, my muscles tensing as I prepared for what came next. "Time to finish this."
The sight of Vitalis is getting stronger. That means it's getting stronger...