Amnesia

Seimei had amnesia? Seeing the scene before her, Miketsu was momentarily stunned. She suddenly wondered if her soul severing technique had been too crude, causing damage to Seimei’s soul. But then again, half of his soul was gone; it would be stranger if there were no side effects or lingering damage.

“Besides your name, do you really remember nothing else?” Miketsu asked Seimei again with a soft sigh. Seimei frowned, rubbing his temples, and responded after a moment of thought.

“Besides my name... I remember that I seem to be an Onmyoji, capable of Onmyojutsu and such... My duty is to guard the human realm and maintain the balance between Yin and Yang...”

He still remembers his profession and duties, and his skills don't seem forgotten? It seems he hasn't forgotten everything entirely... That’s not too bad then...

Miketsu mused. Just as she was about to say more, a sudden movement came from beside Seimei. Looking closely, she saw that Hakuzosu, who had been unconscious, had also slowly woken up. Now only the size of a small dog, he was gradually standing up and shaking his little head.

Hm? Perhaps Seimei’s Shikigami might know something? This thought occurred to Miketsu when she saw Hakuzosu. After looking around blankly for a moment, Hakuzosu looked at Seimei and cried out happily.

“Seimei-sama!”

“Uh... do you know me too?” Seimei asked, still in a state of confusion, looking at the tiny Hakuzosu.

“Of course I do! Little White is Seimei-sama’s Shikigami!” Calling himself Little White, Hakuzosu spoke to Seimei as if it were the most natural thing in the world. However, from his tone, Miketsu sensed another slight problem.

“Then, Little White... do you know why we are here?” Seimei asked. Hakuzosu responded with a look of pure confusion.

“Eh... Little White doesn’t know either. Little White is Seimei-sama’s Shikigami, so wherever Seimei-sama is, Little White is there too. As for other things, Little White doesn’t really remember...” Little White’s expression and tone were completely innocent. Miketsu couldn't help but curse inwardly. She hadn't expected amnesia to be contagious. Was it because of the contract, or because he had been corrupted for too long?

“You don’t remember either...” Hearing Little White’s words, Seimei also looked troubled. At that moment, Miketsu pointed to the tree beside them.

“Then, do either of you have any impression of that young girl over there?”

“A young girl?” Seimei and Little White said in unison. They turned their gaze and saw the girl sleeping among the roots.

“What a beautiful girl, Seimei-sama... but Little White doesn’t know her.”

“Hmm... I don’t have any corresponding memories either, but I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before. She must be someone I knew...”

Both Seimei and Little White indicated they knew nothing, which made Miketsu feel that things were becoming even more difficult. Just then, the sleeping girl’s expression shifted slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes. It seemed that with the removal of the Onmyoji’s restriction, she was finally waking up.

Seeing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Miketsu’s eyes. She hoped to learn something from this mysterious girl. However, the very first words out of the girl’s mouth made Miketsu’s heart sink.

“Where is this? Who are you?” Opening her eyes, the girl showed the same confusion as Seimei and Little White. Miketsu immediately had a bad premonition.

“You can call me Seimei, and this is Little White. May I ask who you are? Do you remember why you came here?” Looking at the girl, Seimei introduced himself slowly.

“Um... I remember... I remember my name is Kagura... and then... as for why I’m here, I’m not quite sure... because I can’t remember anything except my name...” The girl named Kagura spoke as she stood up. Hearing her words, the corners of Miketsu’s mouth, hidden beneath her glow, twitched.

Great, another one with amnesia. What on earth is going on? Three individuals full of mysteries but devoid of memories were gathered together, and not a single shred of valuable intel could be gathered.

Sigh... it seems that understanding Orochi’s plan all at once is impossible for now. I can only take things slow.

Thinking of this, Miketsu sighed softly. Just as she was about to turn and leave, Seimei called out to her.

“Please wait. Although I don’t know who you are, you should know about me, right? Could you please tell me?” Having lost most of his memories, Seimei was very confused and distressed. He did not want to let this mysterious person, who seemed to know his past, leave so easily.

Hearing Seimei’s words, Miketsu paused. After a moment’s thought, she pointed in a certain direction.

“Go to Heian-kyo, to the courtyard at the end of Tsuchimikado Avenue. Wait there, and someone will come to tell you what you want to know.”

“A courtyard...?”

“Yes, it is your courtyard...”

...

After giving Seimei directions, Miketsu quickly returned to Mount Inari atop Tsuruha. Inside the small building in the Secret Realm, she began to carefully comb through the details of this incident to see if she could organize any information. This was her only option after encountering three amnesiacs in a row.

First, and most importantly, Orochi could actually use the Four Symbols Seal to corrupt its holder. This greatly surprised Miketsu. Initially, she thought Orochi’s frequent attacks on the Four Symbols Array were to use its power to summon himself into the human realm. But now it seemed there was a specific connection between Orochi and the Four Symbols Array, allowing him to influence the Divine Generals who held the Four Symbols Seal.

“It seems the activation of the Four Symbols Array is heavily linked to that snake’s escape, and He can even corrupt the Divine Generals through it... Tsk, if that’s the case, is Mokou in danger too? No, I’ll have to check on her in a bit.”

At the mention of Mokou, Miketsu suddenly recalled the experiences Mokou had shared with her when they first met. After encountering Orochi’s former Divine Messenger, Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto, she had been controlled by him using the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi to burn the Land of the Four Gods. At that time, Heian-kyo had not yet become the capital, and the Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array had not yet been established...

“This means... the Four Symbols power in this land of Heian-kyo actually existed long before the capital moved here? The so-called Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array is actually utilizing a special power that already existed on this land? It wasn’t a defense mechanism built from scratch by those Onmyo Clans to protect the imperial capital, as they claim?”

Miketsu thought about it and found it increasingly likely. Given the level of the Onmyo Clans in Heian-kyo, they indeed didn't seem capable of establishing a god-level formation like the Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array... Therefore, the Four Symbols power had existed here long before the Yamato Court relocated. And what was the purpose of its existence?

Thinking of this, Miketsu’s brow arched. She suddenly realized that her own Inari Shrine had also been established on Mount Inari a very long time ago, much earlier than the relocation of the Yamato Court. So, what factor had led the previous Inari God to establish a shrine here?