"Clang..."
On Natsume's hand, the gradually depicted pattern began to emit a faint light, growing brighter with each stroke and line that Rozen drew.
At the same time, Rozen's magical power continuously flowed into Natsume, forming patterns on the back of her hand.
In this moment, Natsume could feel Rozen's magical power entering her body, causing the area on the back of her hand to heat up.
At this point, if Natsume had even a hint of resistance, the magical power entering her body would dissipate, and the contract would fail.
However, Natsume didn't resist even a bit, allowing Rozen's magical power to flow smoothly and spread throughout her body.
Gradually, after what seemed like a long time, Rozen stopped.
"Done."
With a sigh of relief, Rozen announced.
In that instant, Natsume clearly felt it.
She felt an invisible spiritual vein had appeared between her and Rozen.
This spiritual vein was very stable and powerful, tightly connecting the spiritual energy between Rozen and Natsume. Their spiritual powers intermingled rapidly and smoothly, as if merging with each other.
On her hand, a pattern formed by three interconnected rings was imprinted there, emitting a faint light.
"This is..."
Looking at the pattern on her hand, Natsume was astonished.
To this, Rozen smiled slightly.
"This is a custom-made shikigami contract by me."
Rozen explained.
The Tsuchimikado family emblem is a pentagram.
In Onmyoudou, the pentagram represents the fundamental pattern of the Yin and Yang Five Elements, which can be traced back to Abe no Seimei.
Therefore, it is often called the "Seimei Kikyo Seal" or "Seimei-mon." It is a well-known protective talisman that frequently appears in spells.
In the highest-level Shikigami contract granted by Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi to Rozen, the fundamental mark is the pentagram etched onto the Shikigami. This emblem serves as the source, elevating the spiritual connection between the practitioner and the Shikigami to its peak.
It enhances the flow of spiritual energy and synchronizes the spiritual senses of both parties. As long as they are not separated by a significant distance, they can generally sense each other's presence, allowing the practitioner to call upon the Shikigami.
However, Rozen modified this contract based on his own understanding.
Specifically, he changed the pentagram mark to a pattern of three interlocking rings.
It may sound simple, but in reality, it's not just a matter of tweaking the mark.
To accomplish this, Rozen made significant alterations to the contract ritual itself. Had he not possessed a deep understanding of contracts and extensive research on Chaldea's summoning system, this modification might not have been successful.
The moment he completed this modification, Rozen promptly replaced the contract between himself and Hokuto with this custom-made contract.
It made the spiritual connection between them incredibly robust, greatly enhancing the flow of spiritual energy. This enabled Hokuto to wield even greater power, and Rozen found it much easier to control Hokuto, making it highly effective.
Now, Rozen uses this custom-made Shikigami contract for Natsume.
Hence, Natsume felt the exceptionally strong and stable spiritual connection between her and Rozen, leading to signs of their spiritual energies gradually blending together.
Understanding this, Natsume was initially astonished, then voiced her confusion.
"But why this pattern?"
The pattern of three interlocking rings.
This pattern had never appeared in any of the traditions such as Onmyoudou, Mikkyo, Shinto, or Shugendou.
Naturally, Natsume had this question.
Rozen seemed to have anticipated Natsume's curiosity and explained straightforwardly.
"Because this pattern represents my fundamental nature."
That was the reason.
The pentagram represents the fundamental principles of Yin and Yang, as well as the Five Elements. It's also the Tsuchimikado family emblem, encompassing a wide range, diluting the precision of the contract.
It's akin to a weapon; anyone can use it. However, if it's a specially modified weapon tailored to a specific target, others might not be able to use it. But once used by that specific target, it can significantly enhance the weapon's power.
The Tsuchimikado family's Shikigami contract operates in a similar way. Anyone can use it, but with universality comes a certain level of smoothing in the effects.
Rozen, however, was not entirely satisfied with this. That's why he modified the ritual, replacing the pentagram, symbolizing the fundamentals of Yin and Yang, with the talismans representing his own essence.
In other words, Rozen turned this contract into a custom-made ritual for his own use, raising its precision to the maximum.
Thanks to this, due to the enhanced spiritual connection, it became nearly impossible for anyone to sever the link between Rozen and the Shikigami, unless Rozen willingly dissolved the contract. Even if the Shikigami itself tried to sever the contract, it would need to be significantly more powerful than Rozen to succeed.
One can imagine just how powerful the effects of this Shikigami contract are.
Of course, the conditions to use this contract have become quite stringent, demanding that the Shikigami does not resist Rozen's magical power in the slightest.
Otherwise, even a hint of resistance would not only cause the contract to fail but also prevent the mark from being engraved.
Rozen briefly explained, then raised his right hand.
"See, the same pattern is on my hand, right?"
Rozen showed the command seal on the back of his hand to Natsume.
The command seal had always been with Rozen, accompanying him wherever he went. Natsume, who grew up with Rozen, naturally knew about it.
However, including Natsume, everyone thought this was a birthmark of Rozen.
Although this birthmark was too distinct and realistic, aside from this, no one could think of a second possibility.
As for the ring worn on Rozen's hand, it was considered something very important to Rozen, and no one knew its origins.
Rozen mentioned that this "birthmark" represented his own essence, and Natsume could only nod in a somewhat understanding manner.
But...
"It seems like your left hand also has a similar birthmark."
Natsume pointed to Rozen's left hand and said these words.
Upon closer examination, on the back of Rozen's left hand, at some unknown time, the pattern of three interlocking rings had appeared.
In other words, a command seal had also appeared on Rozen's left hand.
If this were known to the people in Chaldea, they would be utterly astonished.
But Rozen touched the talisman on his left hand and smiled with a somewhat profound meaning.
"This is the ace among aces, you know?"
Rozen said with a smiling expression.
Then, he returned to the main point.
"Anyway, with this, Natsume, you have officially become my Shikigami," Rozen said to Natsume. "I'll rely on you for the days to come."
Upon hearing this, Natsume also touched the contract pattern on the back of her hand and felt a rush of happiness, joy, and the fulfillment of her wish.
"Yes."
Natsume nodded heavily.
And so, Natsume became Rozen's Shikigami, embarking on the path of jujutsu together.
After successfully forming the Shikigami contract, Rozen and Natsume started packing.
Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi had mentioned that their train tickets were booked for the next day. It wasn't an urgent situation, but they couldn't afford to waste time. They needed to pack today, so they could depart for Tokyo tomorrow.
Fortunately, Rozen didn't have much to carry. Aside from a few clothes and his self-made talismans, he didn't need anything else.
As for living expenses, Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi simply handed Rozen a card and told him to use it as he pleased. Rozen didn't have to worry about money. It took only a few minutes to finish packing.
On the other hand, being a girl, Natsume had quite a bit to pack. One night might not be enough.
Considering this, Rozen went to the Tsuchimikado branch family with Natsume to help a bit.
"You really don't have to. There's a Shikigami to help," Natsume kept saying, but Rozen had nothing much to do, so he decided to go along.
When they arrived at the Tsuchimikado branch family, it was almost evening.
At the doorstep, someone was coming out, and seeing Rozen and Natsume, they looked surprised.
"Akikan? Natsume?" The person spoke in surprise.
It was Harutora.
After many years, Harutora had grown quite a bit in height. Although he still had that goofy look, he seemed very healthy. The energetic and mischievous look he used to have had changed somewhat, appearing more composed.
"Hey, Harutora," Rozen said casually. "Long time no see."
Indeed, it had been a long time.
If you counted carefully, Rozen hadn't seen Harutora since the New Year.
The reason is quite simple—besides the customary New Year visits, Harutora stopped coming to the Tsuchimikado main residence for no reason.
The present Harutora looked like an ordinary high school student, blending into the crowd seamlessly.
This surprised interaction was a consequence of them not meeting for a long time.
In essence, the two were quite similar, and not meeting for so long wasn't surprising for either of them.
So, with a wry smile from Harutora and a shrug from Rozen, they didn't dwell on the matter.
"Um..." Natsume seemed cautious and asked Harutora carefully, "What are you doing going out at this time, big brother?"
"Nothing much," Harutora replied truthfully, "just going to the convenience store."
"Is that so?" Natsume glanced at Harutora, then at Rozen, and seemed to have an idea. She said, "I'll head in first. You two catch up."
It seemed Natsume wanted to give Rozen and Harutora, who hadn't seen each other in a long time, a chance to chat alone.
After all, they were leaving for Tokyo tomorrow, and they might not have a chance to meet again for a long time. They might even become complete strangers. It was good to have a chat.
With this in mind, as if apologizing, Natsume bowed and went into the house.
Leaving Rozen and Harutora facing each other, they both smiled one after another.
"Going to the convenience store?" Rozen said like that, "I'll go with you."
"Going is not a problem," Harutora hesitated, "but do you know where the convenience store is? Do you know how to buy things? Ah... and you need money to buy things..."
Before he could finish, a talisman was pressed against Harutora's chest.
Rozen held the talisman like he was holding a gun and pressed it against Harutora.
"You think I'm a shut-in idiot who never leaves the house?" Rozen said, half joking.
"N-No... Not at all..."
Harutora stammered, sweat forming on his forehead, his face stiffening.
It had been a long time, but Harutora was still the same, in need of some discipline.
They bantered a bit more before leaving the house and heading to the convenience store.
On the way, they discussed their childhood memories, gradually easing the sense of unfamiliarity between them.
Originally, Rozen and Harutora didn't have conflicts, but their different paths led to a growing distance. Being both stoic, they quickly rekindled their old friendship with just a few words.
When they exited the convenience store after buying their items, it felt like the old times had returned.
In this situation...
"I heard from Mom and Dad that you're going to Tokyo with Natsume tomorrow to attend the Onmyo Academy, is that right?"
Harutora asked, carrying two plastic bags on their way home.
"Yeah."
Rozen carried one plastic bag and answered nonchalantly.
However...
"You really plan to attend a regular high school?"
Rozen mentioned this casually.
It made Harutora pause momentarily, but then he continued as usual.
"I have no choice," Harutora said nonchalantly, "I can't see spirits, and even if I want to become an Onmyoji, it's not possible. So, I have to go to a regular high school."
This remark earned him a wry smile from Rozen.
"Who are you trying to fool?" Rozen said, "If you really want to be an Onmyoji, there's a way, isn't there?"
Indeed, being a natural Spirit Seer was extremely rare, and having a strong ability as a Spirit Sight was even more like finding a needle in a haystack. If one didn't possess it naturally, they couldn't become an Onmyoji.
But if one wasn't aiming for great power and simply wanted to see spirits, there were still options.
"There are spells that can make ordinary people see spirits, although they have their limitations and last for a limited time. But for a skilled Onmyoji, sustaining the ability to see spirits for a few years should be possible. You could ask your dad for help, right?"
Rozen revealed this secret.
This was also why people from the Tsuchimikado family felt uneasy whenever Harutora was mentioned.
Ultimately, it was Harutora's unwillingness to become an Onmyoji that led to the present situation.
In other words, he had given up a long time ago.
"Even if I use spells to see spirits, there are so many limitations. Plus, I have no natural talent. I'd definitely be the most hopeless kind and wouldn't be able to become a professional Onmyoji. Can't you understand that?"
Harutora sighed.
"So, I've given up on this matter. I'll let Natsume inherit the family, and as for me, I'll just be an ordinary person."
That was Harutora's decision.
"I don't dislike this kind of life, I actually quite like it. I've also made some strange new friends recently, and we get along well."
Harutora extended his fist toward Rozen.
"Natsume became your Shikigami, right? So you'll take care of her? Akikan!"
Harutora stared at Rozen intently.
Facing Harutora's gaze, Rozen fell silent.
Then, he sighed and extended his hand, giving Harutora's fist a light bump.
"Count on me."
Rozen made this promise.
Harutora smiled at that.
Bạn cũng có thể thích
bình luận đoạn văn
Tính năng bình luận đoạn văn hiện đã có trên Web! Di chuyển chuột qua bất kỳ đoạn nào và nhấp vào biểu tượng để thêm nhận xét của bạn.
Ngoài ra, bạn luôn có thể tắt / bật nó trong Cài đặt.
ĐÃ NHẬN ĐƯỢC