Vision

After entering the castle, we walk until we reach the room with a menacing aura inside. Rai stands in front of the door, her heart pounding. She takes a few deep breaths and raises her trembling hand. She knocks on the door thrice, saying, "Father, it's Rai."

"Enter," says an old man's voice from inside the room. We enter, and I see the man seated in his bed.

This is Rai's father? The King of the Sakura Kingdom. The last time I saw a King was when I was summoned here ten months ago. However, despite being past his prime, this man has a presence greater than Rai's. Similar to Raizo's.

"Father, we have formed teams to search for and convince Leviathan to join our side."

"Good," he says with heavy breaths. "If we gain Leviathan's power, that man will not be much of a threat to us."

"I will be joining the search party," demands Rai.

"Are you still...?"

"However," she interrupts, "before that, I have a friend who wants answers. He is a dragon named Haruki."

"Haruki?" asks the old man, surprised. He looks at me and I step forward.

"Good day, Your Majesty. I am Haruki Ryu. Rai has told me that you can answer my questions."

"Questions, you say? I know not if I can answer your questions; however, this meeting was destined."

"Destined?" I ask, puzzled.

"Yes, I have had visions of a cyan-haired boy who would appear before me seeking answers."

"Visions? Are you a prophet?"

"I am somewhat of a seer, yes. Ever since I was a child, I experienced visions that guided me through all my life choices."

"So, did your visions tell you anything else?"

"Yes, I saw an image of five shadows standing before two babies. One child had cyan hair and crystal-white eyes; the other had deep black hair, tanned skin, and blood-red eyes. There was also a woman; however, like the other shadows, she was also just a silhouette."

"Is that all?"

"No, I recently experienced a vision. A vision where one of these shadowed silhouettes was standing before the cyan-haired boy."

"A shadowed figure that I will meet?"

"Yes. This person had an aura of immense light and deep darkness. Seeing his silhouette sent chills down my spine."

When I meet this person, will I finally receive answers? Or will it be another dead end?

"Do not be hasty, Haruki," says the King, as though he could read my mind. "When the time comes, all the chips will fall into place. It seems as though you have..."

The King stops mid-sentence—his eyes staring off into the distance. They illuminate in a white light. "What's happening?" I ask Rai.

"Quiet," she says.

"Haruki Ryu," says the King, his voice echoes. "The King's words, do not fall for them. Beware, for his darkness is equivalent to his light. The shadows are watching and waiting. Waiting for the arrival of the sixth... The sixth... Sixth... Haruki... Code Name... Ryu..."

The echoing stops as blood runs from the King's nose. His eyes return to their regular brown colour and he faints.

What... was that...? I look at Rai, speechless.

The guards rush in to find the cause of the noise. After witnessing the King pass out, we are hurriedly escorted out of his room. 

"Father is dying," says Rai after we were taken back to the parlour.

"Dying? Is that why he was lying in his bed?"

"Yes. This is an 'illness' that prevents him from piloting his body. Something he had since birth."

"Since birth? Wait, don't tell me..."

"The 'illness' that he has is a demonic possession."

Demonic possessions. I read about them in Til. Because demons are sealed in Netherworld, they cannot physically pass through to this realm; however, there are occasions when a demon can spiritually pass through cracks in the seal. They possess a medium to gain dominion over a human body and wreak havoc in Leagard. Possessions happen often and can be stopped if the demon is exorcised by a Priest.

"We had a powerful Priest examine my father; however, after one visit, the Priest grew mad with insanity and committed suicide. This demon… is powerful."

"Is that why you want Leviathan to join our team?" I ask, figuring out her end goal. She nods her head. "A demon can possess a human. It often happens. You plan on having another powerful demon possess your father to drive out the current demon possessing him." She remains silent. "It's a good plan. The only faulty detail in this plan is whether your father can survive two possessions, or not."

"What do you mean?" she asks, concerned.

"There was this book on demonic possessions in Til, written by a famous exorcist named Michael..."

"Michael!!" she exclaims. "Do you mean the exorcist that drove Lucifer from Leagard?"

"Y-yes," I say, shocked. "Anyway, it was written that no human can withstand more than one demonic possession. Demons release a poisonous miasma into the medium's soul, slowly killing them. The moment the medium is weak enough, or in a dire situation, that is when they corrupt the soul, the mind, and then finally, the body. This is what's known as a demonic possession. If two demons possess one medium, the miasma will be too much for the human to handle and they will die after a day."

"But that has not been proven," protests Erika.

"If you want to prove whether this will kill the King or not, you are welcome to try it. I won't stop you."

She backs down. 

"Then what can we do?" asks Rai, desperate.

I have never seen a demonic possession before, and I am not well versed in exorcisms or Holy Magic like...

"Wait, why didn't you ask Niklaus?"

Rai looks down. "We asked him; however, he does not know the magic spell Purge."

"Is that spell necessary for an exorcism?"

"It's the only known spell used for an exorcism. It is also very difficult to learn."

Purge. A high-level exorcism spell. "What if we used a spell that rivals Purge?"

"Well... if it can exorcise a demon, it should work. However, what could that spell possibly be?"

"Healing Magic - Ancient Art: Sanctuary. This magic spell is the highest-level healing spell in existence. It can restore any person on death's door to full recovery. It can also heal any and all status ailments. A demonic possession is like an ailment, so I think it should work."

Rai starts to tear up. "Sorry," she says, wiping the tears from her face. "It's just... with this... Father..." She starts crying. She must be relieved that we could possibly save her father. I gave her hope, so I will do everything in my power to follow through.

"Haruki, when can you perform the spell?"

"Hmm, I will need some time?"

"How long? A few weeks? A month? A year?"

"Three days."

"Three... days?"

"Yes. Sanctuary is a difficult spell to grasp. However, when it comes to solving a magical formula, I'm the best."

Rai gets up and says, "Then I am counting on you, Haruki."

"With that said," I sigh, "understanding the structure of Sanctuary is gruesome." It's been a day since my promise to Rai.

"So, can you master the spell?" asks Rai. She has not left my side since yesterday.

"Yes," I say. "However, I need to think deeply about this spell."

"Is it that difficult to learn a magic spell?" she asks me.

"Not modern magic spells, no. But this spell is an ancient magic that requires a degree of knowledge to perform."

Rai leans forward looking down at the text I painted on the ground. She squints her eyes. "Haruki, what is this?"

"Ancient text."

"Ancient text? What's that?"

"Do you chant when you perform a magic spell?"

"Do I… chant?" she asks tilting her head in confusion. "Of course, I don't. Chanting is inefficient. It takes too much time and performs subpar spells compared to chantless magic spells."

"Subpar," I say, as a smile creeps on my face. I can't help but laugh at that statement. But I should be respectful to the princess. "Well, you're not wrong about that. Modern magic has corrupted the concept of true magic."

"True magic? What are you talking about?"

"Modern chants are spoken in the human tongue—a universal language that every being can speak. But that was not how it used to be. Chants were spoken in the ancient tongue. Humans were the only ones not proficient in this tongue. So, they modernised the ancient tongue into the human tongue. In doing this, they weakened the product that came from chanting spells. And they weakened themselves even further by doing subpar chantless magic. Honestly, humans are such moronic creatures."

"How are our chantless spells weaker than chanted? I've used both before and my output was much weaker when I chanted."

"Describe your process of producing a magic spell."

"The process? Well, I first create an image in my mind. My magic is Lightning Magic, so I create a picture of lightning. Once I have that image, the mana within my body flows to the body part I plan to release the spell."

"And?"

"And… what?"

"Sigh, Is that all?" She nods her head. "You were correct with the image. Imagining a concrete structure for your magic is the best starting point. However, you fail at producing true magic when you allow your magic to choose its course."

"What do you mean?"

"Mana is not sentient. It flows throughout the body like blood. And without proper guidance, only a portion of the body's mana will obey the spell's instructions. You have to guide the mana from your soul's core to the body part you wish. And you can only do that if you chant. True chantless magic is when you've become accustomed to the flow of mana in your body."

"But chanted spells were always weaker than chantless. If you say a chant makes a spell more powerful, how do you explain that?"

"You were taught the wrong words for the spell."

"What?"

"Scholars of the past tried to decipher the ancient text and translate it into the human tongue, but their attempts were futile. Their translations, like their knowledge and magic skills, were subpar. And these translations were passed down. You humans praised those scholars for their mediocre work. This is your fault." Rai's expression turns grim. "But you can change this tradition."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a princess. With your power, you can educate your people. It will take time. Long past your time. But if you work hard at it, I'm sure you can alter the past."

"Haruki…"

Erika bursts into Rai's room screaming, "Lady Rai! It's… It's…"

"What's wrong, Erika?"

"His Highness," she says, crying.

I hear Rai's heartbeat stop for a second. Her breaths become heavy, and her hands shake. She snaps out of her daze and storms out of the room. I follow along, but when I arrive, Rai is on her knees screaming.

I look at the king. He's surrounded by doctors with grim expressions. It can't be, I think as I listen. "The King… is he dead?"