Trial

When the three exited Takeda’s car, they all could feel it. The tension in the air before a trial. The type of thick tension that not even a knife could cut. The only thing that broke it was his words.

“Seriously. Are these the type of clothes that someone should wear to a trial?” When Shin said this, he was referring to the white shirt he was wearing, which featured a massive yellow duck and had words surrounding it, reading, “Big Duck Energy.” Coupled with it were baggy sweatpants with a print of a squirrel holding its hands upward.

Takeda was stifling a laugh; even Yukimura’s eyes twitched while looking at Shin. His face flared a pinkish hue when he realized the other two were trying their best not to laugh at him. He turned his back on them, facing the door of the building in which the trial was supposed to be held.

“C’mon, let’s just go in!” Shin said this while opening the door and then holding it, waiting for Takeda and Yukimura to enter first.

When the door closed behind the group of three, they were met with a hall that seemed larger than the exterior of the building they had seen outside would physically allow. The walls of the hall were filled with white and black stripes. Their footsteps on the silver-tiled floor echoed as they made their way forward. Shin’s eyes wandered as they did, and they were met with the eyes of the portraits that decorated the striped walls.

Some were old. Some were young. There was a mix of both women and men. And as they went further down, the people in the framed photos progressively became more and more modern.

“Who are they?” Shin asked the group, knowing well it’d be Takeda who’d answer his question.

“These are all the past leaders of the Onmyoji throughout different points in history. We’ve been around for over a thousand years, separating yokai from the daily life of humanity.”

“Then what was it like before the Onmyoji existed?”

“Not sure. It was probably chaos, though. Without us, there was no one to stop yokai from doing as they pleased, killing whoever they wanted…But luckily, we don’t have to think about that anymore since we’ve arrived at the place where your fate will be decided.” The courtroom.

There was no door, just an open entrance. When they stepped inside, they were greeted with a grand chandelier, unlike the single lights that lined the hallway’s walls; the chandelier illuminated the room from the ceiling. And on a pedestal nearly as high as the chandelier were three individuals.

“Are those the three generals?”

“Yes. The one on the left, with the purple man bun and beard, that’s Isamu. The one on the right of him, with the mix of black and gray hair and the golden-rimmed glasses, that’s Kurea. Finally, the old guy with the gourd-shaped head is Hyon.”

However, before Shin could respond, the sound of skipping interrupted his train of thought. It was too light for a courtroom. Too lighthearted. The person skipping was one with brown hair and a smile on their face. A smile that a person normally wouldn’t have when deciding if someone lives or dies. Or maybe that was the reason why they were smiling.

“Hey, hey, Taku.” Their voice was as light as their smile when they waved over to Yukimura, who was standing right behind Takeda. “Hey, hey, Yuki…” Yukimura waved her hand toward the person as their head tilted, and their fox-like eyes squinted, locking themselves onto Shin. “And who’s this?”

“That’s Shin. The boy who’s being tried, Satori.”

Before Satori walked past Takeda and Yukimura to get a close-up of Shin’s face, Satori said, “I see, I see.” When their faces were close enough for their noses to touch, Satori opened their eyes. Both pupils contained a spiral pattern in their irises, each being composed of different colors.

Your eyes are pretty. That’s what Shin tried to say. However, before those words could be spoken, Satori spoke.

“I know a yokai when I see one. Whether you’re innocent or not is a different story. Let’s see, shall we?” Without giving Shin time to respond, Satori skipped over to the smaller podium below the three generals. They reached for the microphone in front of them, leaning into it.

“Takeda, Yukimura Suki, and Yasura Shin, please take your seats. We will now begin the trial of the Kishin.”