The current time is 5.30 am. The morning sun rises higher, and its brighter light penetrates into the sacred shrine behind the main house of the Takeru family. Inside this shrine, Ken and his grandfather were seen standing face to face talking to each other. Ken said
"The first sealer?"
Makoto nodded
“Yes, the one who invented the sealing and Yokai controller technique, Monk Rengoku Shinokuro, better known as monk Ren. He is also known as “The First Yokai Controller”
Ken looked a little confused
"I don't understand, can a human do such a thing?"
Makoto smiled
"It's not just a legend, you already witness Suga Hisoka"
Ken looked curious
"That’s right… From grandpa's explanation, so it's true that this Yokai might be released?"
Makoto crossed his arms
"Yes, but you don't have to think about it, the monk never taught this liberation technique, and brought it to his death..."
Makoto's expression turned doubtful. On the other hand, Ken appeared to have realized something
“No wonder, because if these Yokais were free, humanity would be in danger, right?”
Makoto's expression turned serious
“True, but that's not the only reason. The possession of this Yokai medium will go to the sealer, and one sealer is only capable of having one Yokai to control. If the sealer dies, the ownership will only go to his descendants or close blood relatives, because these seals recognize souls, and the blood appears to hold a small part of the soul that is similar to its owner before. With just a drop of blood, a blood relative or descendant will become the new owner, just like what happened to you. This possession can only change lanes, if the Yokai is re-sealed, after being released. From that alone, you must have known what the monk meant by not teaching the liberation technique, right?”
Ken appeared to know what his grandfather meant
"Humans will fight each other to get this Yokai power"
Makoto gave a nod and then continued speaking
"So true, people believe that this is the reason monk Ren did the ultimate sealing"
Ken looked confused
“Ultimate sealing?”
Makoto replied
“Since you're still early, to put it simply, it's a technique where the user can seal multiple Yokais at once, and that's what Ren did. But the truth about this technique itself is still shrouded in mystery because it is impossible to do. You will understand the connection later if you become a Yokai controller”
Ken was silent for a moment thinking while giving a nod, soon his expression appeared a little nervous. Makoto continues talking
"As long as there is a sibling relationship, someone who is not the controller can sometimes meet the Yokai when the "Dream premonition" happens, which is actually your subconscious is connected to the Yokai, for some reason. The meeting with the Yokai is also not always from a second-person point of view, it can also be the third one”
Ken looked a little confused but still managed to digest it. Makoto continues talking
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"For your information, I had a dream premonition, when you accidentally became the controller of Asanuma, that's why I can guess if you broke through the shrine"
Ken was surprised
"What kind of dream did Grandpa have?"
Makoto was silent for a moment, recalling the dream while resting his chin
"Asanuma came to you in your room"
Ken looked surprised again
“Wa, wait a minute, Grandpa's dream is the same as the dream I had. Grandpa saw it from a third-person point of view?”
Makoto appeared a little surprised, being quite familiar with this
“Yeah, I saw it from a third party's point of view. This means dream premonitions can connect some people's dreams. Although, maybe we can't interact with it consciously”
Ken paused for a moment to think
“How can we know when we are having a dream premonition? Because when I first experienced it, I didn't think it was anything special. Even if grandpa doesn't tell me this, I'll take it as an ordinary dream”
Makoto replied
"There are no special features unless the dream feels real, and you meet the Yokai in question in it"
Ken replied
“Does the Yokai in question know about this?”
Makoto replied
"Of course, the dream came from him, but it is said that even the Yokai can't really tell the difference between an ordinary dream and a dream premonition"
Ken looked a little scared
“Grandpa mean… Asanuma could be doing something in a dream, not realizing that it was a dream premonition, and it felt real to me?”
Hearing this, Makoto became laughing
"Hahaha, you don't have to feel bad like that, After all, it was just a dream, not reality"
Ken's expression turned astonished, he then laughed languidly as he replied
“Haha… That doesn't make me feel any better”
Makoto replied
"Dream premonitions are rare, unless something unusual happens, like you breaking through a shrine and accidentally getting glove puppet Asanuma"
Ken became embarrassed and smiled awkwardly. Makoto continues talking
"Okay, let's continue. Ownership cannot end, unless the Yokai and the Controller make an agreement of mutual consent, where both agree to each other to break the bond, by agreement of both. From here, did you notice anything?”
Ken's expression turned astonished
"What does grandpa mean?"
Makoto replied
“If only relatives can be affected, murder between family members is possible. It's like a curse…”
Ken was surprised, he then looked nervous
“Since grandpa said so, I also just realized that…”
Makoto's expression was serious but then turned into a smile instantly
"Don't worry, somehow if a family member kills another family member who has a Yokai on purpose, the Yokai becomes uncontrollable by the family and will be imprisoned forever. But anyway, the owner of the Yokai will be protected by the Yokai. Moreover, most Yokai controller families now avoid becoming Yokai controllers”
Ken gave a nod with a reluctant expression. Ken then looked surprised because he realized something
"Wait a minute Grandpa, what if all the relatives, let’s say died, Yokai owner will possibly fall to who else?"
Makoto appeared a little surprised to hear this
“Good question, you realize this possibility. The answer is, the Yokai that is sealed inside the medium will never be able to appear again in the world and is forever confined because there is no controller. If it comes to that, the only way this Yokai can re-emerge into the world is to be released by some kind of releasing technique. But you know yourself…”
Ken replied
“That technique is brought by Ren to his death, which means there is no more hope for the Yokai?”
Makoto answered with a nod, but it appeared that something was bothering him
“Actually, from the true legends regarding the monk Ren, some may not be true either. Like if the Yokai liberation technique has completely disappeared or not”
Ken looked curious
"How can grandpa think like that?"
Makoto came to his senses, he then smiled
"Yeah, maybe this is just my opinion"
Ken's expression turned confused
“I don't know if I should be happy with that possibility or not…”
Makoto walked out of this shrine, and Ken then followed him.
Ken and Makoto are now on the terrace of the shrine, in front of the entrance. Outside, the sky is getting brighter, the morning sun is rising gently, and the sky looks cloudy. Ken looked at the glove puppet Asanuma he was carrying, slightly look confused
"What should I do now grandpa?"
Makoto replied
“The choice is yours, Ken”
Somehow, Ken looked confused. Makoto said
"Looks like it's enough to get here first, we'll continue later when you get home from school"
Makoto then relocked the shrine's door and walked away from here. Seeing this, Ken looked surprised
"What about Asanuma grandpa?"
Makoto turned to face Ken again and smiled
“Asanuma doesn't need to be locked up in there anymore. Think about it while carrying the glove puppet with you”
Ken is only able to answer with a nod.
The current time is 12:30 pm. The sky was clear and cloudy, with the sun overhead. Makoto was walking on a balcony in one of the balconies in the main house, it appeared he was carrying a scroll in his right hand, and before long he was whistling loudly. From the direction of the trees around the hill in the backyard of the main house, a crow flew toward Makoto. Makoto then handed him this letter, the crow appeared to react, he then flew alight on this scroll, gripped it, then flew high while carrying this scroll, farther and farther until finally, it was no longer visible. Makoto's expression was serious.