The morning after the long night was cloudy.
The overcast weather felt gloomy, it contradicted the energetic summer despite it was nearing the end.
The gloominess of the sky extended itself into many hearts at Tenjou Shrine.
The priests and priestesses of the shrine were hustling around after being told to prepare for a simple wake service.
The wake service took place in the utility hall beside the prayer hall.
There was a coffin, a little table decorated with flowers and candles around a memorial tablet and nothing else, it was exceptionally painful that there wasn't any family members of the deceased at the scene.
The person in charge of the wake service was actually Akira and the deceased was none other than his teacher, Domon.
Domon's body was moved back to the shrine by the police around dawn after Akira made a request to his grandfather.
Shinzo, who had some special connection with the regional police force, pulled some strings and made it happen, for the sake of his grandchild and the soul of a lonely old man.
Akira, Mako and his grandfather were standing in front of the altar.
All of them dressed appropriately for the occasion, even Akira who would rather wrestle a tiger than wearing a formal suit.
A while later, Mako's grandfather brought Taka and Carly in.
Taka and Carly walked to the front.
They bowed to Domon first, then Shinzo, and before anything was spoken, Taka's tears rolled down his cheeks ceaselessly.
Taka weeped badly in silence, he took his glasses off to wipe the tears, but no matter how many times he wiped, his face was still soaked.
Akira walked over, put his hand over his friend's shoulder to offer some comfort and then looked at the memorial tablet with a calm face.
Akira hated funerals a lot, not because he has to bid farewell to the people he knew but because he didn't know how he should feel.
He understood from a young age that people die, everyone would eventually leave this world one day and there was really no reason to feel bad about it but people would still weep over the deceased in every funeral he attended.
Carly stood beside Mako after the bow and watched quietly. She didn't know Domon but she knew he was someone important to Taka, so she tends to share the burden of emotion with her boyfriend.
They prayed and paid their last respects to Domon. Taka and Carly also passed a white envelope to Akira, it was actually condolence money for the family of the deceased by since there weren't any, the money was treated as a donation to the shrine.
The group further chatted with Akira explaining Domon's death to Taka.
Of course he couldn't tell his friend about a wicked Yoma possessing his teacher and used the teacher's memories to try and kill him.
According to what the police said, they found Domon's body under the bridge. If it wasn't for a morning jogger, the body could lie there even longer. Judging from the autopsy, Domon was dead the day he parted ways with his students and his body has been moved around several times before ultimately ended up under the bridge. The cause of death was a heart attack and the police still hasn't ruled out the posibility of this being a murder, so the investigation continues.
Of course, all those were what the police told Akira when they moved the body back to the shrine, as for how true was it, Akira didn't know and did not want to know because he knew what really caused Domon's death. The explanation from the police was just something to ease the public's heart and those not involved in the supernatural world, like Taka.
"I am such a failure, I didn't even make sure sensei go back safely…" Taka blamed himself for the incident.
"Hey, it's not your fault. It's not our fault, no one expected this to happen. Don't be too harsh on yourself." Akira put his hand on Taka's shoulder and comforted him. He added, "It's natural for people to die, it's a pity that Domon-sensei went away in such a lousy way, but it's a part of life. You don't need to be sad over it, and I am pretty sure Domon-sensei wouldn't want us to feel bad for his passing, he would say 'Go live your life to the fullest, you are young and energetic, don't waste your time crying for an old man', or something like that. I know I should feel sad, but I just can't by remembering sensei's teaching."
Akira added a smile at the end.
Taka saw the smile, his heart was somewhat calm and the pain was softened a little. Amid his wet face, a smile slowly came afloat. Taka took his handkerchief and wiped his face clean, took a deep breath and said, "You are always so lively and positive, you brought so much energy to the people around you, it's like you can never be down or sad. I am jealous of that."
"You know me, I'm the ever happy Akira, I have no time to feel sad when I am busy making everyone happy." Akira's smile grew brighter, his teeth were showing and it added a lot of comfort to Taka's heart.
Mako and Carly stood beside them and watched quietly. Carly was impressed by Akira's positiveness, she was glad that Taka had a friend like him.
On the other hand, Mako puckered her lips and heaved a long breath.
There were still many unanswered questions in her heart but she knew now wasn't the time and Akira wasn't the person that could provide answers, at least not all of her questions.
Taka and Carly stayed for lunch before both of them returned to Osaka later that evening.
Taka took the first bullet train back when Akira called him around dawn, he flew back immediately just to pay his last respects to the teacher that taught him so much. He still has classes and exams to take care of the next day, so regardless of how tiring it was, Taka did not voice a single complaint.
As for Domon, since there wasn't any more relatives or known acquaintances coming, Domon's body was planned for cremation the next day morning.
Later that night, Akira, Mako sat in the living room with Shinzo and Samuro after dinner.
Samuro was sitting beside Shinzo with a cup of tea in his hand, his eyes were slightly squinted as he sipped on it.
On the other hand, Mako felt a little suffocating because of the unusual silence in the atmosphere.
Neither Akira or his grandfather spoke, both of them stared into each other's eyes like statues.
Mako looked down and clenched her fists on top of her laps.
Minutes flew by, the situation did not change.
Sweat started to roll down from her temple, Mako was never good at being in an awkward situation, it forced her brain to stop thinking, so she has to find a way to break free.
After some more messy thoughts, Mako finally mustered enough courage and said, "Er…. Aki-"
"HA! I won!" Akira suddenly said loudly.
"Ah, damn it! I lost again!" Shizo looked down and blinked repeatedly.
"Try again next time gramps, I'll try to go easy on you!" Akira crossed his arms and showed a big wide smile.
Shizo looked up with after the blinks, tears filled up his dry eyes as he said, "Until next time then, my PRECIOUS grandson."
Shinzo curled his lips into a determined grin.
"What just happened?" Mako asked out of confusion.
"A staring contest." said Akira and Shinzo nodded in agreement.
"When did that happen… Wait! Forget about it, I'm not here to witness the result of your random staring contest!"
"Lord Overseer, do you know what happened to Akira?" Mako asked.
After Akira and Mako returned from the mission last night, Akira had told Shinzo everything, including his teacher, the light that burst from his body and the short encounter with Rei, yet the reply he got from his grandfather was to wait until dinner.
There they were, sitting in the living room, having tea after dinner and after that little silly staring contest which happened spontaneously, it was time for questions to meet answers.
Akira looked at his grandfather with shimmering eyes, he was curious about what happened to his body.
"Gramps, tell me about the light first." asked Akira.
Shinzo deeply sighed before he said, "The white light is from the White Seal, one of my special moves that I invented back in my younger days."
"White Seal?" Mako asked.
"Consider it as a layer of protection for my dear grandson, it protects the bearer from harm and to provide healing abilities whenever the bearer is damaged." Shinzo explained as he took a peek at Akira.
He knew he wouldn't get any reaction from his grandson but he'd try nonetheless.
"Since when do I have such a thing on me? Why didn't you tell me about it? Why?" Akira asked out of curiosity, he wasn't angry about his grandfather keeping secrets from him.
"Since the day you are born, and it only activates whenever you are in danger. Meaning, the battle yesterday must have been hard. If I remember correctly, it is the first time since your birth that the White Seal is activated, though it is still active, I'd suggest you be more careful and train yourself to be stronger." Shinzo looked at Kieran with a stern look.
Akira looked back with a determined smile, "Of course, that's what I've been training for, and Gramps, thank you for always protecting me."
Despite Akira voicing his gratitude, he had a hunch that the White Seal wasn't just a mere protection, there must be something more than it meets the eye.
He knew his grandfather's character, he would never want to trouble his dear grandson, hence Akira didn't press on for the true answer. His grandfather deemed it was necessary to protect him, but from who? Or what?
The seed of curiosity was planted in Akira's heart, it ought to grow big in time.
Shinzo slightly looked down and chuckled, "You are my grandson, of course I will protect you."
The atmosphere instantly turned warm after the exchange, both Akira and Shinzo looked at each other with utmost determination.
Akira's gaze showed the determination of becoming stronger to answer his grandfather's expectations, whilst Shinzo's gaze showed the hope and faith he has in his grandchild.
Mako smiled too, she always enjoyed the warm atmosphere around her family but before she got carried away, she thought of someone.
"What about the person in black?" Mako asked.
"Oh that guy, I met him before when we are chasing your little foxes. He seems very calm around Yoma and the supernatural stuff last time. After he intervened and killed Kamen, I suppose he is an ally?" Akira gave his deduction.
Shinzo and Samuro had never heard of this young man in black before, they searched their memories but found nothing of similar.
"It seems like there is some unknown party in town. We still can't be sure whether he is really an ally to us, so it's better for you two to be careful. If you two meet him again, try to communicate with him and find out more." said Shinzo.
Everyone was baffled by the appearance of the mysterious Rei but since they lacked information, it was useless for them to speculate with empty guesses.
After more chit-chats and jokes from Akira, the two young ones went to bed, it has been a very tiring day for them, especially Akira.
Even though Akira couldn't feel the sadness, Shinzo urged him to get some rest to readjust his mental state.
Shinzo was left alone with Samuro, his long time friend and assistant.
"Are you sure you don't want to tell Akira the truth?" Samuro asked.
"Keeping it a secret for now is actually doing him good, and I owe him that much. It's not time for that yet. What I must do now is to continue the search for the 'key', since there is someone obviously targeting him, I must hasten the progress." Shinzo answered.
Golden spirit particles gathered around Shinzo's shoulder and formed two ethereal arms.
Despite its ethereal state, they arms were able to move like Shinzo's own.
He reached out to the cup of tea in front of him with the pair of golden ethereal hands and took a sip.
After a sip and a sigh, Shinzo put the cup back on the tea table and said, "Hope he is ready for the truth when the time comes."
Samuro nodded and took a sip from his cup.
The two elderly friends were able to enjoy the quiet night with a cup of tea and a game of shogi.
It has been a while since they played because of Shinzo's search for the 'key'.
The night was quiet even though there was still hours to midnight.
Dinner time was over and people started to go home from social meetings and work.
Rei was walking alone the hustling crowd. His dark attire would turn eyes from time to time but did not attract a crowd, it was no surprise that weird things happen on the streets all day long so the people weren't overly bothered by Rei.
Rei walked into a 24 hour coffee shop, ordered a cup of cappuccino and picked a seat at the corner.
While waiting for his cup of cappuccino to be served, Rei took off his fedora and scarf.
His has a clean cut silver hair, he looked rather charming and handsome with the sharp facial features. His eyes were stern, but somewhat puffy at the moment, his nose was sharp and his jawbone was very pronounced.
It was fair to consider Rei as a cold handsome young man.
When the waitress served him his beverage, she flushed a little and attempted to start a conversation but Rei coldly looked at her and shun her away.
The waitress wasn't unhappy though, she walked away bashfully and added her colleague in the heated discussion.
Rei turned a blind eye at the ladies, it wasn't the first time he received such reaction and it wouldn't be the last, there was nothing to be surprised.
He took a sip from his cappuccino and looked outside the window.
The hustling crowd on the streets was getting lesser as it was getting late, but it showed no signs of stopping, just slowing down.
Rei liked to watch people come and go, from high up in towers to standing in the crowd on his own, the bustling crowd around him tend to calm his mind.
"Welcome. May I know how many?" greeted the waitress.
A man in black suit entered the coffee shop. He didn't reply verbally, instead he pointed at the table in the corner with a smile, stating that he has someone waiting for him.
The waitress slightly bowed and led the man to Rei's table.
The man sat down opposite Rei and then made an order with the waitress, "Strawberry parfait please."
The waitress nodded and left for the kitchen.
"New face again, Mumen?" said Rei as he looked at the man.
The man, or Mumen, had a semi-long black hair with a center split, his facial features were pronounced and he looked like he was in his early 30s.
"I can be whoever I want, why always stick with one face? Anyway, I kinda like this new face, I'd probably stick with this for a while." Mumen smiled.
Rei sighed and took another sip from his cup.
"So I heard your little mask clown failed miserably." asked Mumen, he chuckled and then continued, "I told you not to pick up some random Yoma off the streets, you spent so much time and effort in searching for this potential candidate and you just let that clown messed up everything. The many pathfinders you sent out, the little kid you transformed in the kindergarten, I feel sorry for you my dear, all that effort fell short just because of an incompetant clown. All this wouldn't have happened if you took my advice from the start."
Mumen crossed his arms and looked at Rei with a pitiful gaze.
Rei stayed quiet for a while, what Mumen said was cold hard facts and he didn't want to argue.
"The clown did show some results though." said Rei as he looked at Mumen straight into his eyes.
"Oiya? What could that be?" Mumen was rather surprised that an incompetent Yoma could bring back results.
"The White Seal."
"Hoho? The White Seal? Things had just gone from mundane to interesting." Mumen put his fingers under his chin as he pondered upon the answer.
"Since the White Seal have come into play, meaning that person is also behind this target of yours. I'd suggest you to temporarily stay away from him, or at least don't try to break the seal yourself." Mumen grinned, he leaned forward to put his left hand on the table and right hand under his chin, "You know, dealing with something like the White Seal isn't easy, it's not like we can simply go kidnap him break the seal. I need some time to discuss with master, probably even need to locate an 'artifact' to finish the job, it's going to be a while depending on what bright idea master have."
Mumen smiled at Rei with an enchanting gaze.
"Thank you." Rei expressed his gratitude coldly, but Mumen wasn't unhappy with the attitude.
"Oh, it's fine, I'm your guardian after all. I'd go to the depths of hell just for you, if you want me to." Mumen chuckled like a father teasing his son, Rei however didn't show any reaction, he remained quiet throughout the majority of the conversation, occasionally took a sip from his cup.
"Oh, before I forget, since your little group of Yoma is all dead, let me lend you mine. I'll tell them to meet you in a day or two. Do what you like with them, use them to distract this Akira, keep him busy. Or you can even go befriend him or what now, you know, just to kill some time while I am away. But remember to be careful, I don't want that person come chasing after me." said Mumen
"Befriend him huh?" Rei reacted strangely towards that term.
Mumen grinned and looked at Rei in the eyes, he then noticed Rei's puffy eyes.
"What's wrong my dear, did it happen again?" Mumen moved his face closer and further examined Rei's expression.
Embarrassed, Rei averted Mumen's gaze, "It's none of your business."
"I understand, I understand, it's not the first time anyway. I hope you can find a cure to it after all these." Mumen then leaned back on the seat with a comforting smile.
After the little conversation, the Strawberry parfait Mumen ordered was served. He happily dug in and Rei quietly enjoyed his drink and the view outside the window.
The night was particularly peaceful, yet it felt like the calm before the storm.
Something was brewing in the dark, something wicked that could change lives forever and the collateral damage would be huge.