Rumors

Heian-kyo, Greater Imperial Palace Onmyoryo, above the Astronomical Pavilion, Kamo no Tadayuki was sitting at his post, calculating trigrams while listening to his son Kamo no Yasunori's report.

"So, the final verified result is thirty-seven deaths. Overall, this was a very serious incident." Kamo no Yasunori respectfully reported the casualties of the leopard cat yokai incident to his father.

"So many... truly audacious. Hmph, these Harima yokai really don't put us in their eyes." Hearing the exact number of deaths, Kamo no Tadayuki paused, then continued after putting down his pen.

"Then, do we know their objective in attacking the Vermilion Bird Seal?"

"It's unclear. We couldn't get more information from the captured fleeing leopard cat yokai; they were merely following the orders of a yokai general. As for divination, it's also very difficult, as it involves not only a yokai general but also Fujiwara no Kanehira." Kamo no Yasunori continued, responding to his father's question.

"However, based on our investigation into the yokai around Heian-kyo, we found that the objective of these leopard cat yokai in coming to Heian-kyo has always been merely to pursue rebels who defied Oyakata. They had no particular intentions regarding the Vermilion Bird Seal, so I suspect..." Kamo no Yasunori paused here.

"What do you suspect?"

"I suspect that Fujiwara no Kanehira might have cooperated with the rebels being pursued by those Leopard Cats, and that cooperation utilized the Vermilion Bird Seal, which then led the leopard cat yokai to attack the Vermilion Bird Seal." Kamo no Yasunori finished, then fell silent.

After hearing his son's words, Kamo no Tadayuki remained silent for a while before speaking.

"Your idea isn't without merit, but this matter is ultimately a Fujiwara family affair. We don't need to interfere too much. The final handling of this matter will depend on Lord Tadahira's wishes; we only need to cooperate."

Kamo no Tadayuki's meaning was very clear: involving the high echelons of the Onmyoji clans, the Onmyoryo itself no longer had much say. Ultimately, it would depend on how they decided the matter within their own clan. After all, although the Vermilion Bird Seal was attacked, it was not damaged. Fujiwara no Kanehira's own actions were suspicious, but in this incident, he ultimately stood on the side of defending the Vermilion Bird Seal, so his basic stance was not problematic. Although dangerous, this incident would not cause an overly large impact.

"Understood. However, Father, during my investigation, I noticed that some rumors about this incident are circulating in both the human realm and the demon realm."

"What rumors?" Kamo no Tadayuki asked next. For his son to pay such close attention meant these rumors were unusual.

"One is in the human realm. In the villages and towns around Heian-kyo that were previously plundered by the leopard cat yokai, stories are now circulating about a deity sending a fox-like Divine Messenger to rescue humans from yokai. It seems... it seems to have originated from the survivors."

"A fox? A deity? Do the rumors mention which deity?" Kamo no Tadayuki raised an eyebrow, speaking as if he had thought of something.

"That's not clear yet. No one can explicitly state a specific name, so I believe this might be the work of a wild god who hasn't yet received a specific divine name for worship." Kamo no Yasunori continued, adding that while some wild gods have very malicious personalities, they are generally benevolent towards humans.

"And... the second rumor?"

"The second rumor is circulating in the demon realm. It's about a yokai who recently appeared suddenly around Heian-kyo. It's said that he had a conflict with the leopard cat yokai and helped the rebels they were pursuing. Reportedly, that rebel only managed to slay the leopard cat yokai general with his help." Kamo no Yasunori said, recalling the information gathered by his shikigami in the demon realm.

"A yokai general capable of slaying a Yokai Lord? When did such a character appear among Heian-kyo's yokai?" Hearing his son's words, Kamo no Tadayuki couldn't help but frown.

"I don't know. This yokai is very mysterious, having suddenly appeared in Heian-kyo's Ghost Market not long ago. Other than his name, no other information is known, only that his strength is immense."

"His name is Owl..."

...

Watching Kamo no Yasunori leave the room, Kamo no Tadayuki was silent for a long moment. He didn't continue his calculations on the paper but instead looked at the empty room and spoke.

"Seimei, what do you know about that Owl?"

As soon as Kamo no Tadayuki finished speaking, the young Onmyoji Abe no Seimei emerged from the shadows of the room and respectfully said to Kamo no Tadayuki.

"Immense strength, unfathomable demonic power. Everything else is a mystery."

"Since you say that, you must have seen him. In that case, Yasunori's rumor is true; this Owl probably did slay Oyakata's yokai general... It seems we need to investigate him thoroughly. If he is a destabilizing element, it would be best to subjugate or seal him promptly." Kamo no Tadayuki said, turning his gaze to Seimei and meeting his eyes. A stern look appeared in his gaze.

"Seimei, I remember admonishing you many times before. As an Onmyoji, your greatest responsibility is to guard the human realm from the encroachment of evil spirits from the demon realm. Do not meddle or inquire too much into other matters. It seems you haven't taken my previous words to heart." Kamo no Tadayuki said slowly, his tone filled with displeasure.

"Teacher's guidance, Seimei keeps it in his heart."

"Keep it in your heart? Then why are you still investigating the Minamoto clan, even discovering their 'Beast,' and thereby getting involved in a struggle we should not have been involved in..." Kamo no Tadayuki said with displeasure. As one of the three great clans, the Kamo were the most purely neutral and least interested in power, absolutely avoiding conflict with any other Onmyoji clan.

Facing his teacher's questioning, Seimei's expression remained unchanged as he slowly replied.

"I do not agree with the Minamoto clan's way of treating shikigami, their attitude towards living beings. What they do does not solve problems; instead, it creates them... This is not good for either the human realm or the demon realm..."

Facing his disciple's answer, Kamo no Tadayuki's expression hardened, then he replied earnestly.

"Seimei, I know you are very benevolent, but that benevolence should be reserved for humans only; do not extend it indefinitely. As Onmyoji, we are only responsible for protecting humans; other matters are not our concern."

As Kamo no Tadayuki spoke, his expression towards Seimei grew solemn.

"Seimei, I know you have another half of blood in you. You are naturally caught between the Human and demon realms, able to empathize with both humans and yokai... But I want to tell you, you cannot maintain this state indefinitely. One day, you must make a choice. Otherwise, you will eventually be torn apart by the realms... lost forever..."

"This... is my divination for you..."