It wasn't hard finding the Vessel when most of the Sorcerer world was after her. 'Guess some practices don't change.' I thought, trailing the schoolgirl from the rooftops while effortlessly avoiding the other Sorcerers. Most of them were trying to keep eyes on her, only to be cut off by her guard. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about the girl. She seemed slightly aware of what was happening around her—but other than that? She was just a completely normal young girl.
"She's adorable, Ryou."
Cracking my neck, I stood from my perch and turned to head back to my apartment. 'Nothing interesting about her it seems—other than that title.' Sighing, I jumped down into an alley and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it as I stepped out of the shadows.
"Ryou, you should see if she needs your help."
"I'm not interfering with the Sorcerers."
I merged into the crowd as the hallucination kept pushing me to help the girl. Sighing again, I patted my pockets, frowning. 'Must've forgotten to grab more pills before doing this.' Kaede's voice grew louder, grating at my nerves. I grabbed my phone and held it to my ear, pretending to be on a call.
"I've told you hundreds of times when I was trapped in that fucking block of ice, Kaede." Cracking my neck in frustration, I continued. "Even if the girl needs help, why should I be the one to do it? Because I have the strength? We both know that while my body's fine on the outside, it's not the same on the inside."
Just bringing up my condition made my chest tighten.
"And what if she doesn't need help? I'd only be exposing myself, Kaede. I didn't find any records about me, sure, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. You know what'll happen if the Clans or Elders realize I'm Sasaki Souta."
When the hallucination didn't respond, I glanced to my left—and saw Kaede looking at me like a disappointed parent.
"No."
My resolve cracked slightly under her gaze. 'She's not real.'
Slowing my pace, I groaned. "Fuck."
A soft, familiar chuckle washed over me, soothing my soul.
"I know you're not real... yet why... why can't I stand seeing you so sad?" I muttered.
And then came the answer—one we both knew too well.
"Because you love me, even after all this time."
-
'Never been good with plans.' I thought to myself, just as a sweet, soothing chuckle graced my ears.
"I know, I know..."
Sighing, I considered what to do with the information I had so far. First, the Vessel was being watched—some of the watchers had already been taken down by her maid guard. Second, she seemed mostly oblivious to what was happening around her. Third, I had no idea how many people were protecting her, or how many were after her with malicious intent.
'Though that's not exactly hard to figure out.'
While the Kaede hallucination was practically useless—aside from making me feel immense regret and guilt—it did serve one useful function: a kind of "radar" for those that bore hostility.
"Calling your wife useless?"
Ignoring her, I extended my senses slightly until I felt the presence of a Sorcerer nearby. With their location pinpointed, I leapt from my rooftop perch and hopped across the next few buildings until I reached them.
'So?' I questioned Kaede internally. She simply frowned in response.
'Good enough for me.'
I approached silently. The moment I got within arm's reach, the Sorcerer reacted turning around and flaring their Cursed Energy as they swung a fist toward me. Tilting back just enough, their punch missed my shirt by inches. I responded with a swift kick to the balls.
"Fu—!"
They hunched over clutching their groin, completely open. I didn't hesitate. I brought my fist down like a hammer on their skull, feeling a satisfying crack.
'Now to tie them up and find out more about this Vessel.'
"That was disgraceful."
I snorted at Kaede's words. "So? You expect an old man like me to go toe to toe with a young Sorcerer?"
Kaede sighed and turned her head away, disappointed. I returned my attention to the unconscious Sorcerer.
~Scene Change~
"Wakey wakey~"
I slapped the Sorcerer's face until they groggily opened their eyes. Pulling my hand back, I watched as they took in their surroundings and before they could cry out in pain, I shoved my fist into their mouth.
"None of that."
All I got in response was a muffled whine as their eyes dropped to where their right arm used to be.
"Ready to talk?" I asked, removing my fist. Their otherwise forgettable eyes locked onto my glowing purple ones.
"B-Bastard… I'll—"
I ignored the attempt at cussing me out, raising my right hand and channeling Cursed Energy through it. Judging by their expression, they could feel the shift.
"This can be easy. Answer my questions truthfully and I won't start cutting off your fingers. Stay silent, and I'll begin with your left thumb and work my way down… Then I'll move to the stump and carve it down bit by bit."
The Sorcerer clenched their jaw—then suddenly, their eyes widened.
I rolled mine. "I know all about those tricks. Now… what'll it be?"
We stared at each other for a few tense moments. Eventually, the Sorcerer sighed and lowered their head.
"What do you want to know?"
I cut the flow of energy from my hand and sat down in front of him, legs crossed like this was just a casual conversation.
"First—what's the Vessel's name? Then I want to know why she's being targeted."
He hesitated, then met my eyes again before replying.
"It's Amanai Riko. She's fourteen… and she's the Vessel for Master Tengen."
'Tengen?'
I shrugged at the unfamiliar name and cupped my chin. "Who's Tengen? And what does the Vessel do?"
The Sorcerer's face twisted with a mix of emotions before he sighed again.
"Master Tengen is an immortal Sorcerer—"
"Immortal?" I interrupted.
He nodded and I frowned deeper, gesturing for him to continue.
"They're said to be the greatest barrier Sorcerer to have ever lived."
'Barriers…'
My mind flashed back to a thousand years ago—to the moment I was sealed.
'Maybe? No… Has to be a descendant or someone after my time.'
I shook the thought off. "What about the girl? What's her purpose as a Vessel?"
He exhaled like he was exhausted from just knowing the answer.
"According to records, the Vessels—or 'Star Plasma Vessels'—are young women who possess the potential to merge with Tengen. The fusion is what stabilizes and prolongs Tengen's immortality."
I hummed, then gave a slow nod and rose to my feet.
The Sorcerer looked up, confused. "C-Can you let me go now?"
I looked down at him, just as Kaede's voice whispered gently against my ear.
"Let him live. He answered truthfully."
I nodded and bent down to untie the bindings before helping him up.
"We never met." I said simply, gesturing for him to leave.
He didn't waste a second.
"Dear..."
I watched his back as he took off running.
"Don't..."
I raised my right hand, extending my fingers into a spear like shape and running Cursed Energy through it. Then, I raised it above my head and with a whisper I let it go.
"Slash."
An arc of dark purple energy erupted from my hand, cutting through the air toward the Sorcerer.
He turned at the sound of my voice, wide eyed. "You sai—"
Thud.
The arc split him in two. His lower half dropped first, then the top followed.
"Why?"
I cracked my neck, feeling sweat trail down my spine.
'Took more out of me than I thought.'
Sighing, I ignored the hallucination and turned toward my next destination: the Vessel—Amanai Riko.