The heavy oak door to the room slammed shut with a bang, rattling against the frame of the Ritsuzen estate.
"Ugh, stupid sister, stupid clan, stupid magic!"
Back in his room at the Ritsuzen estate, Ren's frustration finally boiled over. He turned toward his shikigami, his voice sharp with desperation. "Kon! You have to teach me how to harness spiritual power now! Those people... I'll show them!"
The helplessness he had felt earlier still gripped him, leaving him agitated and pacing the floor.
"Mah, mah, relax, relax," the little silver fox drawled. Kon remained stretched out, his eyes narrowed into lazy slits. "First, you need to understand what spiritual power actually is."
Ren stopped mid‑stride. Kon's calm tone always had a way of cutting through his agitation. He exhaled, shoulders loosening as he waited.
Seeing Ren finally settle, Kon hopped onto the wooden desk. He rose onto his hind legs, placing his front paws on his hips like a tiny, self‑important sage.
"Kuhum!" Kon cleared his throat, his tone suddenly dropping into something meant to sound profound. "First, you must understand spiritual power is the Yin aspect of a sentient being. The energy of the soul."
"Yin part?" Ren tilted his head, catching the detail immediately. "Then what about the Yang part?"
"Eh? Well, the Yang part is the lifeforce of the body itself. It's not important right now, you're still far too young to be training in that," the fox explained, his profound momentum interrupted. He shifted slightly, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Ah? Well, okay." Ren felt a twinge of disappointment. It was frustrating to hear there were other avenues for power, only to be told they were out of his reach.
"Hum! Don't interrupt me!" Kon scolded, wagging a tiny paw in a jokingly stern manner before continuing.
"As I was saying, your soul, the Yin, is where your focus must lie. It's not as explosive as mana, but it lets you do all sorts of nifty things: illusions, sensing, spiritual manipulation. Most Onmyōji spend their entire lives mastering spiritual power alone. So don't pout, your path is plenty strong."
Ren straightened a little at that.
Kon puffed up his chest again, tail flicking with theatrical importance.
"Listen closely, Ren‑chan. Spiritual power isn't just some energy you squeeze out like toothpaste. It's the Yin half of your existence, the part of you that thinks, feels, remembers, dreams. The soul."
Ren leaned in, curiosity overtaking frustration. "So… it's me?"
"Exactly!" Kon jabbed a tiny paw at his forehead. "Your emotions, your intent, your will—those shape spiritual power. That's why it's so tricky. If your heart is a mess, your power becomes a mess. If your mind is sharp, your power becomes sharp."
He hopped down, circling Ren like a tiny lecturer. "Spiritual power is subtle. It doesn't punch holes in mountains like mana or lifeforce. But it can do things those brute‑force energies can't."
"Like illusions?" Ren asked.
"Like illusions," Kon nodded. "And sensing. And binding. And purification. And, most importantly, communication."
Ren blinked. "Communication?"
"With gods, dummy." Kon tapped Ren's chest. "Spiritual power is the only thing humans have that the gods actually hear. It's like a divine radio frequency. Mana's too noisy, lifeforce is too crude, but spiritual power carries intent cleanly to Takamagahara."
Ren's eyes widened. "So that's how Onmyōji borrow divine power?"
"Yup!" He puffed out his tiny chest, looking unbearably smug. "This is also why Onmyōji worship the gods. The gods of Takamagahara are the absolute top dogs of the moonlit world; to the Ritsuzens, they're mountains you can't climb, only bow to!"
Kon flicked his tail, warming up. "And it's not just gods. Spirits, yokai—anything with a soul can hear you if your spiritual power is strong enough. That's how Onmyōji form contracts and summon shikigami."
Ren's eyes lit up. "So that little flame you used earlier—was that spiritual power too?"
"Eh? That?" Kon puffed up proudly. "That was fox fire. Kitsune are born able to shape their spiritual power into flame. It's instinct, a bloodline trait. Humans can't do it unless they're part fox, so don't get your hopes up."
Ren deflated. "Tch… I wanted to try that."
Kon smirked. "If you refine your spiritual power, you'll reach heights far beyond flashy flames."
Ren straightened, determination replacing envy. "So, if I refine my spiritual power… I can reach that level?"
Kon lifted his chin smugly. "Exactly. Strength comes from the soul. And you've got a long way to go, Ren‑chan."
Ren swallowed, the weight of it settling in. "So, if I want to get stronger… I need to refine my soul?"
Kon grinned. "Bingo. And lucky for you, you've got me."
"Listen closely! To unlock spiritual power, there are two ways!" Kon declared, striking two digits into the air.
"Firstly—the traditional method. The way ancient sages did it. And that method is…" Kon paused, milking the moment with theatrical gravity. "Deep. Meditation."
"Huh?! That's it?" Ren stared in disbelief.
"Humph! Don't underestimate it," Kon huffed. "It's not just sitting around humming. We're talking deep meditation. Enlightenment-level stuff. It can take years, decades even!"
Ren's face twisted. "Then how am I supposed to show those people not to mess with me!?"
"Relaxxxx…" Kon drawled. "Didn't I say there are two ways?"
"Oh… yeah." Ren scratched his cheek, sheepish.
"The second way," Kon said proudly, puffing out his tiny chest, "is to have a master of spiritual power unlock it for you. In most Onmyōji clans, the elders do it for the young. Lucky for you—" he tapped his own chest with a paw "—I happen to be one such master!"
Kon hopped to Ren's side with a thump. "Alright, Ren-chan. Sit your butt down."
Ren blinked. "Eh? Right now?"
"Yes, right now! Spiritual power doesn't unlock itself." Kon flicked his tail, already gathering faint wisps of silver light around his paws. "Sit cross‑legged. Back straight. Don't make a weird face."
Ren hurriedly sat, adjusting himself twice before Kon clicked his tongue. "Good enough."
A soft glow began to radiate from the little fox, the air around him shimmering like heat haze. Ren felt the temperature drop, a coolness brushing against his skin as if something unseen had opened around them.
"W‑what's happening?" Ren whispered.
"Shh." Kon lifted a paw and pressed it to Ren's chest, his tone suddenly serious. "I'm opening your spiritual gate. Every human has one, but most never touch it. It's like a door in your soul."
The silver light drifted toward Ren, curling around his chest like mist.
"You'll feel a tug," Kon warned. "Don't fight it. Just breathe."
Ren swallowed and nodded.
The mist sank into him.
A jolt shot through his body, not painful, but startling, like plunging into cold water. His breath hitched. His heartbeat echoed in his ears, loud and rhythmic. Something deep inside him stirred, as if a long‑sleeping part of him had opened its eyes.
"There it is…" Kon murmured, his voice softer than Ren had ever heard. "Your spiritual core. Mn, just as I said, it's pretty large for your age."
Ren's eyes widened as a faint warmth bloomed in his chest, spreading outward in slow, steady waves. It wasn't explosive or fiery. It felt gentle. Quiet. Like a candle being lit in a dark room.
"I… I can feel it," Ren whispered.
Kon smirked. "Of course you can. I'm a master, remember?"
The warmth settled, pulsing faintly like a second heartbeat.
Ren exhaled shakily. "So… this is spiritual power?"
"For now, just the spark." Kon hopped onto Ren's knee and tapped his chest with a paw. "But from this moment on, you can wield it freely."
Ren's fingers curled into a fist, knuckles turning white as his eyes burned with determination.
Slowly, he uncurled his hand and raised a single index finger. Closing his eyes, he focused on that faint, pulsing warmth in his chest, trying to guide the gentle current up his arm and toward his fingertip.
A faint, silvery glow flickered to life at the tip of his finger, identical to the glow Kon had used to unlock his spiritual power.
"Woah…" Ren breathed, his mouth falling open. His eyes reflected the shimmering light, shining with raw, uncontained excitement.
Emboldened, he tried to push the energy outward, attempting to launch it into the air. But the moment the silver light detached from his skin, it fizzled out like a snuffed match, dissolving into nothing.
His face fell slightly, though the disappointment was fleeting. He had just awakened his core, after all. He couldn't expect to be perfect on the first try. He narrowed his eyes, focusing harder on the pulsing warmth, determined to try again.
Kon watched all of this from the side, resting his chin on his paws with a bland, knowing expression. He knew exactly what the boy was trying to do, and it was a classic rookie mistake. Not even the greatest grandmasters of the Onmyōji arts could project raw, unshaped spiritual power into the air like a crude mana blast.
It was the fundamental rule of spiritual mechanics: spiritual power required a medium. It had to be guided through a spoken chant, woven into hand seals, or channelled through the cinnabar ink of a talisman. Only then could the raw energy be moulded into something tangible, like a barrier or an illusion.
Kon smirked. He was fully prepared to let his young master suffer a few more humbling failures before graciously stepping in to deliver this lecture. It built character, after all.
"I did it!" Ren suddenly cheered happily.
Kon's ears twitched. 'Impossible.'
The fox's head whipped around so fast his neck popped. His golden eyes widened considerably, nearly dropping out of his furry skull.
There, hovering a solid two inches above Ren's index finger, was a perfectly spherical ball of condensed silver light. It wasn't fading. It wasn't tethered to his skin. It was just... floating. Pure, raw spiritual energy, existing flawlessly without a medium.
"Whaaaaaattt!!!" Kon shrieked, his profound sage persona shattering into a million pieces.
'Th-this is unfair!' the fox's thoughts spiralled. The sage-like, serious shikigami vanished, instantly replaced by a furry ball of pure, unfiltered indignation at the heavens. In his utter shock, he didn't even bother to analyse how Ren had just casually broken a fundamental law of spiritual mechanics; his mind was entirely consumed by how profoundly unfair the world was.
Startled by Kon's sudden shriek, Ren flinched. The perfect little sphere of silver light vanished with a soft poof.
"Hmm?" Ren blinked, turning his confused gaze toward the side. "Kon? What are you shouting about?"
Shaking off his stupor, Kon scrambled to the edge of the wood. "H-how did you do that?!"
"Do what?" Ren asked, tilting his head.
"That! The way you just emitted raw spiritual power into the air!" Kon practically yelled, pointing a trembling paw at the empty space above Ren's finger.
"Ah? That? It was pretty easy." Ren paused, scratching his cheek as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Umm... I just focused really hard, and then it just... floated?" He ended the sentence like a question, entirely unsure of how else to explain it.
Imaginary black lines of exasperation seemed to drop over Kon's head. The fox slumped, muttering in pure disbelief. "F-focused really hard? If it was that easy, I would've become an all-powerful Daiyōkai centuries ago."
With a heavy groan, Kon collapsed onto his stomach, utterly sulking in defeat.
Seeing the usually arrogant little fox look so thoroughly crushed, Ren felt a pang of guilt. He still had absolutely no clue that he had just casually performed a feat considered impossible by the vast majority of spiritual practitioners.
"There, there," Ren cooed gently. He reached out, placing his palm on the fox's soft silver fur, awkwardly trying to comfort his shikigami.
"Sigh..." Kon let out a long, weary breath. Unable to find any logical explanation that wouldn't further shatter his worldview, he simply surrendered. "Let's just say Ren-chan is... absurdly talented."
Hearing this, Ren flushed with a sudden, shy pride. "Hehe. Is my talent really that good?" A happy giggle escaped him, the heavy frustration from the meeting his sister and Riku's group completely washed away by the praise.