Night Walk

As the air grew biting and the last of autumn withered away, winter's footsteps officially treaded into Heian-kyo, accompanied by frost and a whistling wind.

In the frigid night, a solitary moon hung high, its light piercing through the thin, scattered clouds in cold beams that spilled across the freezing streets. Due to the plummeting temperatures, the human avenues in the city—already lonely at night—became even more deathly silent. Not only did the number of patrolling samurai and Onmyoji decrease, but even the yokai lurking within the demon realm were less active than usual. While certain spirits only emerge during the winter, most yokai despised the cold; some even possessed the habit of hibernating. Generally speaking, summer was the preferred season for supernatural entities, the time when ghost stories were most abundant and the Onmyoji were at their busiest.

Yet, because of the mutual lethargy of humans and spirits alike, while incidents involving yokai were far less frequent during the winter, this did not mean they vanished entirely. Indeed, the most significant catastrophes often erupted during this period, catching the relaxed Onmyoji off guard.

Within the residential estate of a nobleman in Heian-kyo, tucked away in a bedroom in the inner manor, tightly closed shoji doors and paper windows held the winter chill at bay. A middle-aged woman held an infant, rocking the child gently and humming a quiet lullaby. The woman’s dress was simple; she appeared to be a hired wet nurse.

Once the child fell asleep, the woman wrapped the baby securely in swaddling clothes and placed her gently on the bedding. Picking up the soiled garments she had previously removed, she slid open the door to exit, intending to dispose of the laundry. However, she had only walked a short distance when a loud crashing sound echoed from the room behind her. Panicked, the woman rushed back only to find a hole as large as a man smashed into the paper windows. The infant in the bedding was nowhere to be found. At this sight, her scream pierced the silence of the entire estate. Lights flickered to life in every building, and the residence fell into a state of total chaos.

In the freezing silence of Heian-kyo, a lithe figure flickered across the rooftops. The intruder’s feet stepped lightly on the tiles, racing forward at high speed and leaping from one roof to the next. Walls, trees, fences—all served as fulcrums for this shadow’s flight. The city’s high-altitude space was like flat ground to her.

Held in the figure's arms, the swaddled infant remained in a deep slumber. Regardless of how steep or treacherous the path grew, the figure maintained extreme stability, avoiding any sudden jolts that might wake the child.

“That's the target over there! Chase it!”

Several figures dressed in black with masked faces appeared behind, likewise racing across the eaves and gables in pursuit of the figure carrying the child. Under the cold moon, a high-stakes chase unfolded. However, the speed of these men in black paled in comparison to their target. The distance between them was gradually widening, and before long, the shadowed figure would surely leave the pursuers behind.

Realizing their situation, the men shared a glance and reached into their sleeves, drawing out several darts inscribed with charms. Targeting the escaping figure, they hurled them all at once.

The darts whistled through the air, closing in with extreme speed. Detecting the sound behind her, the escaping figure slowed for a fraction of a second, nimbly twisting her body several times to dodge the incoming projectiles. The darts grazed her robes and flew past. Seeing the miss, the men in black immediately formed hand signs. With a subtle surge of spiritual power, the darts that had overshot their mark suddenly turned in mid-air, sweeping back toward their target.

Seeing the darts returning, the figure once again maneuvered to avoid them. Yet, fueled by the power of the talismans, the darts turned a second time to continue their relentless harassment. While the figure's agility prevented her from being harmed, she was now effectively pinned down, allowing the black-clad men to rapidly close the gap.

Now within range, the men showed no mercy. Some threw even more spell-bound darts at the target, while others cast flaming paper charms into the air, summoning several black wolves as shikigami. These shadows bounded across the roof tiles, snapping their jaws as they lunged at the figure tangled with the darts.

Faced with more darts and the charging wolves, the figure tucked the child closer with one arm and drew a long object from her waist with the other. With a sharp snap, a purple round umbrella fanned out. She whirled it in a circle, and with a series of metallic clinks, the umbrella blocked every single enchanted dart. Not stopping there, she snapped the umbrella shut once more, coiling demonic energy around it until it was as sharp as a sword. In a flash of silver light, she cleaved the charging black wolves into several pieces. The beasts collapsed onto the ground with pathetic whimpers.

Flicking the blood from her umbrella, the fleeing figure came to a halt. In this pause, she became clearly visible: a yokai wearing a short-sleeved kosode and an exaggerated bird-head mask. Her exposed limbs were distinctly talons and wings.

Having dealt with the darts and shikigami with remarkable speed, the black bird yokai resumed her flight. Along the way, she used her umbrella to sever a massive tree planted in a noble’s garden, sending it crashing toward the pursuers. The men were caught off guard; two were pinned to the ground before they could dodge. The bird yokai seized this opportunity to soar away, reaching a distance they could not possibly bridge.

“Curse it... that meddling creature again... she escaped once more...” the leader of the men muttered, staring grimly at the silhouette vanishing over the distant rooftops. His gaze then shifted to his two companions who were currently picking themselves up from under the fallen tree. He spoke sharply, “Get up! The night watch is coming soon. We must withdraw immediately!”

...

Inside the tower of the Astronomical Pavilion within the Onmyoryo, the elderly, white-haired Kamo no Tadayuki worked by candlelight. His trembling hands were busy writing administrative documents. No longer strong enough to perform frequent divinations or major spells, he had shifted his focus to two areas: the administration of the Onmyoryo and the dedicated training of a successor.

“Master, there is an urgent report from the night watch of the Boundary Bureau.” Accompanied by the boy’s voice, Seimei, dressed in his kariginu, approached the desk. He respectfully placed a piece of paper before Kamo no Tadayuki. Ever since Tadayuki had reached this frail state, he had kept Seimei by his side more and more often, wishing to nurture him as quickly as possible.

Kamo no Tadayuki picked up the paper, his brow furrowing as he scanned it.

“Again... Hmph, she’s certainly growing more brazen lately. The child-thieving yokai, Ubume...”