The Hakutaku’s Message

General Isamu leapt from his chair. A jade-tipped spear formed in front of his right palm. He grabbed it as his foot landed a few centimeters from Shin’s head. “That’s good enough for me!” Isamu aimed the spear’s tip toward Shin’s skull; however, before he pierced it, Takeda pulled on his collar.

“What’s this for? Are you committing treason, Takeda?”

“It may look like it, but no. The final verdict hadn’t been announced yet, and the cross-examination hadn’t begun. So, until then, you can’t harm a hair on that boy’s body.”

At this realization, Isamu sucked his teeth before making it back to his seat with one leap. However, he didn’t relinquish his spear; he held onto it tightly, waiting for the opportunity to paint it with the blood of Yasura Shin.

The only one to speak up after Isamu’s outburst was General Kurea. “I’m sorry about my colleague’s outburst. The floor is yours, Takeda.”

“Thank you, General Kurea,” Takeda said as he made his way toward Yukimura and Satori. Satori smiled toward Takeda, as if they were expecting this outcome. On the other hand, Yukimura didn’t glance in his direction, keeping her eyes glued to the desk. Even so, Takeda patted her head. “You did well, Yukimura.”

“Is that all for the cross-examination, Taku? A head pat?”

“Yes. But while I have the floor, I’d like to submit a new piece of evidence: a Hakutaku’s message.”

“A Hakutaku’s message?” General Kurea repeated as if to reaffirm Takeda’s words.

“Yes. It said that on Halloween, an official war between the Onmyoji and the Yokai will begin. In the center of that war will be the being inside Yasura Shin.”

“That’s even more reason to kill him!”

“Hold on, Isamu. Let him finish.”

“Thank you, General Kurea. On top of that, the Hakutaku said that Shin is the key to ending that war as well.”

Everyone in the courtroom gasped as they heard this; everyone except Satori. Instead, Satori stood beside Takeda with that same fox-eyed smile on their face. “I can confirm. It’s true.”

When Satori confirmed his story, Takeda smiled and glanced up at how the three generals were faring. Isamu was the easiest to read; he was furious at the thought of even sparing a single yokai. Kurea had the opposite reaction to Isamu. Takeda could tell she was calm, but only because of her curiosity about understanding the minds of yokai. The only one he couldn’t read was Hyon, whose eyes remained closed for this entire trial. And that same Hyon was the first one to speak after receiving the news.

“So, he is dangerous, but we need him to prevent danger?”

“Yes, we do, sir.”

“However, such a dangerous being can be a liability as well if handled by the wrong hands… if it can even be controlled.”

“Look with your eyes and see for yourself.” As Takeda instructed, Hyon opened his elderly eyes, focusing them on Shin and his pain. “That boy is fighting for control even as we speak, and with a bit of guidance, I know he can control it. All we need is time.”

Hyon’s eyes slowly moved to Takeda. His eyes fixed on him, focused on him, stared at him and through him, before Hyon spoke once more.

“Then in that case, I’ll give it to you. One week. That is all the time I can give you to train the Kishin… Until then, Shin’s sentence will be postponed.”

Those words were the last straw for Shin. When he heard them, his body and his mind gave out, rendering him motionless with his head on the desk.

Isamu scoffed at the news. He thought they should kill the Kishin now, but he didn’t dare say it; instead, he stomped out of the courtroom with his hands in his pockets. Following him was Kurea. She left with wonder and curiosity in her eyes, only muttering, “See you in a week.” It was obvious her mind was elsewhere.

After two of the three generals left the courtroom, Takeda finally let out a sigh.

“Finally, we won. My back was cramping from standing for so long.”

He then patted Yukimura’s head once more in celebration of their victory.

“We did it, Yukimura. I know this was rough on you, so you can wait in the car while I haul Shin out.”

Yukimura got up silently, not uttering a word. However, before she could fully leave, Satori spoke up.

“Actually, can you take Shin with you, Yuki? Hyon has some additional things he’d like to say to Taku.” Yukimura only nodded before lifting Shin. His unconscious body was heavy, but manageable enough for Yukimura.

When she was out of earshot, Satori did a 180-degree turn to face Takeda. Satori’s spiral-patterned eyes opened as they spoke again. “Now, about the results of the trial…”