There was quite a bit of excitement after the demonstrations, and Lord Noguchi was intent on keeping the mood going, but when Hayakawa made an excuse to retire for the night Yoshika and Rika were quick to follow. Hayakawa’s quarters were elsewhere in the castle, but Jia and Eui were joined by Rika on their way back to the guest wing, chatting amiably.

“I cannot believe how much stronger you two have gotten! You did all that while you were lost in the woods!?”

Jia scratched her cheek awkwardly, unsure how to respond. Rika was one of her best friends, but she wasn’t entirely sure if it would be a good idea to mention Jianmo yet.

“Well, uh, I guess we just got a lot of combat experience with all those beasts.”

Rika nodded.

“No kidding! I’m pretty embarrassed to admit that I spent most of that time sulking in my room. I um...well, I guess I wasn’t sure whether I’d get a chance to see any of you guys again. I got a lot better with my Hundred Mirrors technique!”

Eui raised an eyebrow at Rika, who blushed and averted her eyes.

“Uh, g-grandpa said I should name it something else, since it wasn’t technically the Unseen Fist anymore. He was happy enough to consider it part of the Takeda style, but he insisted on a new name. Chiyo helped me with it.”

Eui snorted at Rika’s transparent attempts to blame the name on her little sister. Jia just shrugged, though.

“I think it’s a nice name! It’s not like we can judge when we named our artifact ‘The Claws of Heaven and the Fist of Earth.’ That’s way too long for normal conversation.”

They all shared a giggle at that. Coming up with ostentatious names for their artifacts and techniques was part of the fun of being a cultivator.

They parted ways for their own rooms once they reached the guest wing, and Jia and Eui found a letter waiting for them on the table of their sitting room. The letter was perfumed for some reason, and unlike the subtly sweet scents of the bath and soaps, Jia found it cloying and overpowering to her enhanced sense of smell. She suppressed the urge to sneeze as she opened it and read.

Miss Lee,

Lord Noguchi has found himself fascinated by your exotic beauty, and extends to you the invitation to share his bed this evening. He wishes to assure you of his discretion with regards to your partner, and asks the same in exchange. Simply deliver this letter to any castle servant to be guided to his chambers.

A spark of lightning incinerated the note in an instant. Eui cackled madly at Jia while she fumed angrily, preparing tea and setting out three cups.

“Ugh! And here I was starting to think that Rika was being uncharitable. What a creep! ‘Exotic beauty’ my fucking tail!”

Eui laughed as the appendage in question lashed back and forth irritably.

“Yeah, I bet that’s exactly what he was thinking about when he said that, hehehe!”

Jia flattened her ears against her head and narrowed her eyes at Eui.

“Don’t be gross, Eui. Shouldn’t you be more upset about some lord making moves on your girlfriend?”

“Eh, something tells me I don’t have to worry about it too much.”

Jia shot her a withering glare, but that just prompted Eui to snicker even more. She sighed and shook her head—sometimes it was hard to understand Eui’s sense of humor, but that was one of the things she loved about her. Eui could find joy—or at least dark amusement—in just about anything. Jia had just finished pouring the third cup of tea when she heard a knock on their door. She’d been expecting the visit, following Hattori in her domain ever since they’d left the dojo.

“Come in!”

Hattori Koji, the old priest, let himself in. His grey hair was back in a topknot, and he was dressed differently from the formal robes he’d had on during the dinner party. The new robe resembled a monk’s garments, but the quality of the fabric and the distinct emblem on the front and back gave the impression of a uniform of some kind. He bowed politely as he stepped into the room before taking the seat that Jia offered.

“Thank you! I see you were expecting me.”

He took an appreciative sip of the tea Jia had prepared. All that time she’d spend watching Eunae and Yue wasn’t for nothing. Jia and Eui sat opposite him across the table. Neither was certain how to start the conversation, so they simply waited quietly while Hattori took his time to gather his thoughts. He set down his teacup with a sigh.

“So...I suppose you have many questions, but I am not certain that I will be able to answer. Many of my secrets are not mine to share, you understand.”

Jia cocked her head curiously.

“Why not? I mean, is it really such a big deal that you aren’t actually manifesting the spirits you carry with you?”

Hattori sighed.

“That is complicated to explain. Yamato has a long history of treating with kami—indeed, it is our veneration of kami and youkai that causes the Empire of Qin to label us as barbarians and savages. In your previous encounter with an imperial spirit-wielder, they manifested their shikigami directly, yes?”

Jia nodded in confirmation. Bai Lin’s spirits had definitely been immediately present during that fight. Hattori shook his head ruefully.

“It’s a cruel bastardization of our traditions. Qin’s cultivators entrap kami and force them to do their bidding, where our shikigami are willing protectors. Kami desire physical form, and a shikigami is just one way of providing that form. I would not take that form away, or hold it hostage, as they do in Qin.”

“Hmm, but why the secrecy, though? If actually summoning the spirit is cruel, why do you want people to think that’s what you’re doing?”

Hattori coughed once, averting his eyes in embarrassment.

“Well, it’s going to sound foolish to an outsider, but it’s a matter of appearances. Most don’t understand the intricacies of kami—frankly, neither do we priests, despite our best efforts. Onmyouji, like myself, are especially seen as a beacon of coexistence and cooperation with kami.”

“Hmm...I don’t really get it. Heian doesn’t seem to mind manifesting, and Forge the tsukumogami projected her domain from within her vessel without any problems. Why not have your shikigami just do the same?”

Hattori nodded.

“A reasonable question—I can’t speak for your case, but Grandmaster Murayoshi’s tsukumogami is an extremely powerful kami, and its vessel is an artifact crafted by the nation’s greatest. Shikigami are housed in ritually crafted paper talismans, and most lack the strength to withstand a kami’s full power.”

The onmyouji retrieved a small paper doll from his robes, shaped like a crane. In her domain, Jia could sense the power radiating from the object. Hattori didn’t just call it a talisman by coincidence—it really was a spell talisman, with the magic woven into the folds, creases, ink, and even the paper itself. The essence powering the spell was none other than the spirit housed within. Peering deeper within, Jia could get a sense for the essence of the spirit dwelling in the little paper crane—a spirit of rebirth, burning away excess to allow new life to flourish from the ashes. She looked up to meet Hattori’s eyes.

“So the phoenix that you manifest is just the spirit channeling magic through this talisman? That’s why it’s just fire instead of rebirth like the actual spirit.”

Hattori sighed with a frown.

“If you’ll permit me to ask, Miss Lee—how can you tell? That’s been a source of consternation for me ever since we parted ways earlier.”

Jia shrugged—it wasn’t really a secret.

“I have a domain similar to that of spirits and xiantian cultivators. It’s not just me either—Eui does too, and Rika. It’s like a mage’s mana sense but...more. It’s hard to explain in simple terms but...well, I can just tell.”

The old man grimaced.

“Miss Takeda as well? Is this likely to become commonplace?”

Jia thought about it for a second, reflecting on the awakening stone that she still carried within her dimensional ring. She still had no intention of giving it up to Yamato, or anyone else for that matter.

“Probably not any time soon. Though children learning the technique now might develop it when they become adults, if they are talented enough.”

Hattori sighed.

“A new age, I suppose. We onmyouji will simply have to adapt, as we always do.”

Jia shrugged. It didn’t seem like a big deal to her.

“So do you think it would be possible to teach Heian to cast spells like that? Maybe not those exact ones, but just in general.”

“I’m not really sure. Your relationship with your guardian kami is strange. I had worried you were like a channeler before I saw it for myself.”

Eui’s eyebrow twitched, and she let out an irritated huff.

“She—Heian is a person, not a thing. Stop referring to her like that.”

Hattori was taken aback, and he stammered over his flustered reply.

“I—I, erm, meant no offense, Miss An. However, spirits aren’t people as we understand them, and do not have genders.”

Now Jia joined her girlfriend in irritation, and their thoughts were so aligned that they nearly merged into Yoshika by reflex. She frowned deeply at the old man.

“Heian is absolutely a person, and she is absolutely a girl. She is our girl, and she’s like a daughter to us. If you don’t believe me, I can just show you—Heian!”

Heian felt, more than heard Jia’s command, understanding intuitively what was being asked of her. She communicated the emotional equivalent of a begrudging nod before appearing next to Jia in her human form. Her bright blue eyes were half-lidded from weariness after the earlier fight, and she nuzzled herself between Jia and Eui, leaning her head on Jia’s shoulder as her cat ears drooped and her tail curled up lazily.

Hattori’s eyes practically bulged out of his head as he shot to his feet pointing at the little spirit in disbelief.

“It—no, she can take human form? How can that be possible?”

Jia shrugged her free shoulder dismissively.

“How should I know? She first did this after I channeled her during my fight with Bai Lin. She’s gotten a lot better at it, and sometimes we can even convince her to use words, isn’t that right little miss?”

Heian responded only by grumbling sleepily and nuzzling her face into Jia’s shoulder. Jia looked up helplessly at the old priest.

“Well, it’s a work in progress. So, you tell me—why shouldn’t it be possible?”

Hattori took a moment to compose himself before sitting back down.

“Kami always take the form of animals, or objects. Plants, sometimes. Concepts, ideas, things—but never people. Well, almost never—very powerful fox spirits of legend were said to take human form as symbols of change and beauty.”

Jia’s thoughts drifted back to Seong Eunae and her family—currently the ruling clan of Goryeo. She wondered if they might know more about that, given their reputed closeness with their spiritual progenitor. Returning her thoughts to the present, Jia smiled down at Heian and ruffled the little cat spirit's hair.

“Well, then I guess Heian is just special. We’ve been trying to help her cultivate her understanding of humans and develop herself as a person. I think learning to use magic like we do would help. So can you teach us?”

Hattori stroked his chin in thought, staring at Heian critically as he considered it.

“We onmyouji seek above all else to cultivate an understanding between humans and kami. I think what you have with Heian is indeed something special, and if your goal is to help her achieve true embodiment, then I would like to help you see it to fruition.”

Jia wasn’t entirely certain that was her goal, but she also wasn’t certain that it wasn’t. Heian—both the greater spirit dwelling within the flower she kept stored away, and the fragment dwelling in her soul that she had come to know and love—was still a mystery to her. If that was what Heian wanted, then Jia would help her make it happen. Heian’s arms wrapped around Jia in a tight embrace as if to affirm that the feeling was mutual, and Jia could feel the happiness radiating from her. Jia returned the hug with a smile before turning back to Hattori.

“We’ll look forward to working with you, then!”