The overflowing demonic energy slowly ebbed away, and the dark, oppressive shroud overhead began to brighten. The chaotic space returned to its usual state of tranquil silence, characterized by drifting white mists and a light dusting of snow.
In mid-air, the girl who had been struggling in agony gradually calmed. The girl in black who had been holding her began to vanish, while the garments on the girl in white were rapidly dyed a deep, midnight black.
Once she had found total composure, the girl slowly removed the Qin Xin mask from her face. The panic and terror that had once filled her eyes were gone, replaced by a calm indifference that was quite familiar to Miketsu.
"Thank you..." the girl said softly, her voice hushed with gratitude as she handed the Qin Xin mask back to the fox goddess. Miketsu took the mask, looking at her with genuine curiosity.
"Which one are you now? Black or white?" Miketsu asked, seeking to know which personality had taken the lead.
"I am both... I have finally accepted everything I once tried to discard. The person before you now is the result of those two halves merging. However... because my original 'main' self was too weak and young, her influence over me is minimal. My current thoughts are primarily influenced by my former dark will," the girl explained slowly. Even without the explanation, Miketsu could have surmised as much just from her expression and the way she carried herself.
"I see. Then how should I address you? By your original human name?" Miketsu asked, relaxing her posture and speaking more casually.
"I am a yokai now. My human name should vanish along with who I once was. In the future... you may call me Menreiki." As she spoke, the girl established her new identity.
"Menreiki? Isn't that the name of a mask tsukumogami? You aren't actually a tsukumogami."
"I cannot accurately define my own existence either. But since I have devoured the Masks of Hata no Kawakatsu, I might as well use that name." As she spoke, flickers of light shimmered around Menreiki. Shards of the broken masks flew from all directions, circling her in a protective ring.
"What do you plan to do from now on?"
"I suppose I will continue to stay in this mansion. After all, it was once my home. The destruction of the Kawakatsu masks has stripped me of much of my power; I will need time to recover." Menreiki looked toward Miketsu with a solemn expression.
"Thank you, Onmyoji. You have saved all the souls who suffered within these walls. You saved me and liberated us from nearly a century of curses. For this, we owe you an immense debt of gratitude."
Menreiki spoke carefully. Her gratitude was not just for herself, but for the spirits of the Hata Clan, the Onmyoji, and the servants who had been trapped within the residence. They had died indirectly by her hand and remained bound to the site for nearly a hundred years, unable to pass on. Menreiki felt deep remorse for their fate, so she took Miketsu’s act of liberation as a personal kindness toward her.
"I had originally intended to sink into an eternal slumber and ignore the affairs of the world, but the favor you've shown me is too great to ignore. Therefore, I will do everything in my power to assist you. If you wish, I can become your shikigami."
Miketsu was caught by surprise at this offer. Accepting a master just like that? It felt incredibly direct, perhaps even a bit too fast.
"A shikigami? You’re willing to accept such a binding constraint just to repay a debt?" Miketsu asked bluntly.
"Perhaps you have doubts, but I can assure you that my sincerity is genuine. For reasons I do not quite understand, I feel a deep-seated respect for you from the bottom of my heart," Menreiki continued. Her words gave Miketsu a strange sensation. She realized then that Menreiki was indeed using a very respectful tone, as if she were a mortal speaking with a deity.
"Respect?"
"Yes... in my eyes, you possess an unspeakable aura of affinity. It is because of this warmth that I trusted you, told you everything, and allowed you to help heal my mind," Menreiki added, though her explanation only deepened Miketsu’s confusion.
She possessed an inexplicable affinity with Menreiki? How could that be? Was it because the girl descended from a family of high-ranking priests who worshipped her? Or did it have to do with the fact that Menreiki was born with immense spiritual power and unique abilities?
Miketsu shook her head, putting aside the mystery for a moment while she focused on the girl before her.
"We can discuss the shikigami matter later. For now, tell me—have you considered letting more people live in this house? To liven the place up?"
...
Following that conversation, Miketsu and Menreiki reached several agreements. Menreiki would indeed become Miketsu’s shikigami. However, since her Masks of Hata no Kawakatsu had been nearly destroyed in the battle, her strength was greatly reduced. Combined with the recent merger of her personalities, she had much to adapt to and required a long period of rest. Therefore, Miketsu would not summon her to fight unless absolutely necessary.
Furthermore, Menreiki agreed to let Miketsu use the ancient Hata residence and didn't mind if others moved in. Her only requirement was that the inner courtyard be reserved for her to rest in seclusion.
Miketsu was quite satisfied with these outcomes. She planned to return and notify Nura Rihyon and the others so they could bring their people here. Perhaps with enough interaction and by inviting Menreiki to banquets, she could eventually help the girl overcome her reclusive, shut-in tendencies.
Having resolved the immediate issues, Miketsu decided to take a proper look at the great estate. She wandered through the ancient halls, and as she looked at the architectural style—which bore subtle traces of Huaxia aesthetics—a faint sense of familiarity rose within her.
Because Menreiki’s ghostly thralls had maintained the property over the years, the mansion showed no signs of decay. Though it was empty of people, it looked as if someone had been living there all along. Now that those souls had passed on, Miketsu’s band of yokai would take over the task of maintaining this historic home.
Miketsu walked through a wide corridor and entered a grand assembly hall. The chamber featured a high seat of honor and secondary seats stretching out in two rows on either side. Upon the dais where the master of the house would have sat stood a low, lacquered table with upturned ends. Behind it was a massive screen painted with a pitch-black divine bird. Over the screen hung a square black banner with an exquisite border, featuring a single large character in white.
When Miketsu saw the character, she froze. A look of uncontrollable shock surfaced on her face.
"This... this is..."
Miketsu recognized the character on the flag. It was the character for "Qin," written in formal seal script.
Ordinarily, a common seal script character wouldn't have caught Miketsu's eye, but things were different now. Seeing the word "Qin" on the banner immediately made her link it to that strange, stone divine tablet kept in the honden of the Inari Shrine. On the back of that tablet, which bore her own divine name, was a bizarre, engraved pattern.
That pattern had been composed of a bird at the top, a trident-like symbol in the middle, and rice seedlings at the bottom, along with other intricate details. It was an abstract and primitive design. At the time, both Miketsu and Tsuruha had been baffled by it, unable to understand its meaning. Only now, seeing the seal script version of "Qin," did it all click.
The bird at the top was abstract, the symmetrical trident symbol in the middle remained almost unchanged, and the pair of rice seedling patterns at the bottom had simply been simplified into a single character for "grain."
At this moment, the seal script character served as a bridge, connecting the modern "Qin" she knew to the strange symbol on her divine tablet. It revealed to her exactly what that mark meant.
It was the word for Qin/Hata, but an older version than seal script—a pictograph from thousands of years ago when the language was still in its evolutionary stages... no, at that level, it couldn't be viewed simply as a word. Beyond its phonetic use, it served a far more significant purpose.
It was a totem.
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