Daiyu walked up the steps leading to the temple. She remembered working on the design with Feng Shui masters. This temple was built shortly after the Nan Ching District Massacre. It was a place meant for people to pay respects to those that lost their lives that day. Though the public only knew the event as a massive Earthquake. The temple was dedicated to an earth spirit, meant to guard the residents. In reality it was entirely fabricated by the SAIB. The spirit was real, and had been strengthened by the prayers and thoughts form the public, but its purpose was different.

The temple was erected on the spot Qiong QI had been sealed and the guardian spirit was meant to ensure that it remained that way.

Daiyu walked up the long steep steps. They were made of red bricks, with the sides elevated to prevent people from wandering off into the hills. The surrounding area was bushy and forested. It gave off the feeling of isolation and serenity.

Daiyu was reminded of that day once more, and images of the event flashes across her eyes.

…

1 year ago…

They were in the final stages. Daiyu could tell..

“You fools… who do you think you were up against? I’m Qiong Qi! Fiend of Deviousness! I’ll kill all of you! I’ll bite your heads off in front of all your comrades in that little safe zone there!” Qiong Qi growled in his low booming voice as Rohan continued to barricade him with his barriers.

“We can’t do this for long!” Rohan shouted to Daiyu, sweat dripping down his bald head.

“Give us a bit more time!” Daiyu yelled back.

Raison was already preparing the seal.

A seal for Qiong Qi would normally require weeks to prepare. But Raison’s ability was unique.

He had contracted with The White Guard, a legendary deity responsible for guiding spirits to the underworld.

Raison’s ability was unique in that it wasn’t very suited for exorcising spirits and was more for capturing them and ‘rehabilitating them’. Raison was able to imprison spirits into prepared vessels infused with his unique spiritual signature. However, he would also have to make it so that they could be released if they fulfilled certain conditions. So each time Raison sealed a spirit, he had to form a set of conditions and rules for imprisonment and also for release. Like a mini-contract.

“The biggest deity I’ve captured was Omukade… It required months to prepare an airtight contract and vessel for its imprisonment and subsequent release… For Qiong Qi, I need you to create a similar vessel for me, but more secure, imbued with your specific energy. I’ll draft the contract so just do as I say…” Raison instructed Daiyu.

Daiyu focused on the instructions given to her. In order to create the vessel, she had to use her Convergence Technique. Regular seals created by other exorcists needed months of preparation and multiple exorcists imbuing their energy into a specially created vessel. Raison could do it on his own because of his contract abiltiy but even he needed time. For Daiyu, she had an ability that would help and it would simply take seconds. She breathed in deep. This would be her first time doing Convergence in the physical realm. She already had trouble with it in the spiritual realm but this was no time to begin doubting herself. She had practiced this and studied it immensely. She had to do it. At least long enough for Raison to complete the seal.

To achieve Convergence in the physical realm, it requires a near perfect visualisation and understanding of one’s soul and absolute mastery of one’s internal spiritual energy. The idea isn’t as complex as in the spiritual realm but it was technically more advanced. It required giving more power and access of your soul over to the contracted spirit. To the point where it would almost take over your sould but not entirely. It was a balance that required great skill and concentration. It was also going against the natural forces that maintained the balance of your spirit contract. The spiritual energy burden would be placed on the exorcist alone.

Daiyu’s spirit wasn’t contracted by her personally. It was inherited. Her family had contracted this spirit for generations as it was part of the initial spirit contract. Generational contracts like Daiyu’s were referred to as Blessings. They were born with the spirit already in them and the sacrifice they had to make was almost none.

But it made it harder for Daiyu to perform Convergence because it required a personal connection with the spirit. And for Daiyu, it was like talking to an ancient relative she had not seen in ages.

The deity Daiyu’s family had contracted was Tudiye, otherwise known as the Father of the Ground.

She searched deep within herself. Connecting with her spirit meant also connecting with her own ancestors. She was going to use her bonds to them as a way to connect with the spirit.

Daiyu sat crossed leg on her Iron Giant, meditating.

Meanwhile, Raison was writing the rules for imprisonment onto a hand fan. He had bitten into his finger, causing blood to ooze out. He inscribed words onto the fan, slowly and with much thought put into them. This was the contract he would present to Qiong Qi.

Qiong Qi slammed his claws into the barrier surrounding him. He was using considerable strength. It was impossible for the barrier held up by an already exhausted exorcist to withstand his blows. Which was why Qiong Qi suspected that another exorcist was aiding him. He glanced at the exorcist with the man-bun. He had considerable spiritual energy. The inside of the barrier was laced with his energy. And Qiong Qi soon realised that his blows were being softened. It was some sort of spatial manipulation. His strikes were slowing down slightly just before impact.

Interesting…

Qiong Qi stopped resisting and took a moment to think.

His form slowly started to morph. Gone was his monstrous frame and figure. His body began to take on a more human form. When he was done transforming, he looked like a regular human. He had an angular face, considered attractive even by modern standards, with long flowing ash-white hair and glowing orange pupils. He was tall and dressed in a traditional Chinese garment, a grand robe that travelled all the way down to his feet.

Qiong Qi gave a sly smirk that betrayed his handsome, pretty boy features.

“Now this form makes it easier for you to relate to me doesn’t it?” Qiong Qi spoke, addressing the shocked faces of the exorcists that were battling to keep him contained.

Rohan, Khan and the other exorcists kept their guard up. They would sense something was about to happen.

“I’m sure everyone here knows what kind of Fiend I am. They say I bite the heads of innocents and aid the evil in doing their deeds. But you see from my perspective good and evil… they’re both subjective no? Who tells you what is good and what is evil. Who made you the judge? You see… all I want… is to introduce a little change in perspective…” Qiong Qi snapped his fingers.

All of a sudden, the person in the barrier was no longer Qiong Qi. It was Khan. Qiong Qi had somehow swapped places with him.

Rohan quickly reacted, switching his focus to Qiong Qi who was now beside him. He placed another smaller but stronger barrier around Qiong Qi, releasing the previous one.

But then when he blinked, Qiong Qi was no longer standing beside him. In fact, the person he had just trapped in his barrier was Khan.

“What are you doing?!” Khan yelled.

“HAHAHAH! I never get bored of this. You humans are too easy to trick.” Qiong Qi was back in his usual spot, but his time, he was free to move around.

“Shit! He’s messing with my mind… watch out!” Rohan quickly released the barrier containing Khan and focused his attention back to Qiong Qi. But he was no longer in his spot.

Qiong Qi was fast. He dashed towards Daiyu, who was still meditating.

“Fuck!” Khan spat and activated his ability.

“[Infinite Distance]”

Qiong Qi found himself running on the spot.

“Ohhh very interesting…” Qiong Qi suddenly appeared next to Khan.

Khan looked back at where Qiong Qi was running and realised he had cast his ability on another exorcist.

“Hahahah, you can’t exactly trust what you see from now onwards… that’s a hint for you!” Qiong Qi gave a solid, reverberating punch to Khan’s gut, sending him flying.

Khan rolled on the floor and spat out blood. It felt like he was hit by a train.

He glanced towards Daiyu and Raison. He prayed they would be done soon. If not, they would all die.

Qiong Qi continued his attacks. He dashed toward Rohan and winded up a roundhouse kick. Rohan preemptively set up a barrier to block but Qiong Qi’s leg simply passed through it.

An illusion!?

But as Rohan registered that, he was kicked from the opposite direction by the real Qiong Qi. That single kick to the head was enough to render him unconscious.

“What did I say? You peasants are fighting a God! You really thought it would be that easy?” Qiong Qi continued beating down on the remaining exorcists. By using illusions and manipulating their perceptions, Qiong Qi was cutting them down with ease, even getting them to fight each other.

Raison was painfully aware of the unfolding situation. He rushed his final strokes. He had limited space on his fan and had to carefully word and plan every rule. This was the best he could do. He glanced at Daiyu. She was sweating and trembling. It was almost time.

“[Shackle of the White Guard]” Raison chanted and thrust his hand forward.

A shackle with a chain, both made of spiritual energy, lunged out of Raison’s sleeves. The shackle moved like a sentient being, searching for its target. It finally locked onto the feet of an unsuspecting exorcist.

The exorcist shocked face soon dissipated and his form changed to resemble Qiong Qi.

“Oh? You saw through my illusion?” Qiong Qi was impressed. He gazed at the glowing shackle on his feet.

“Ahh… so… The White Guard…” Qiong Qi’s confident smile slowly disappeared and was replaced with a sinister scowl.

Qiong Qi assessed the situation, there was no way he had a vessel with enough spiritual energy to contain him this fast, even with his ability. Then he remembered the exorcist that was meditating.

“So… you plan to seal me in?” Qiong Qi had realised that the meditating exorcist was the key to their goal and rushed after her.

Raison didn’t have time to waste. He pulled the chains back, trying to prevent Qiong Qi from getting any closer.

Qiong Qi jerked back, but pressed on. He was strong, he would not lose to a puny human. Even if that human had contracted The White Guard.

“Daiyu… any moment now…” Raison muttered under his breathe as he struggled to not let himself be pulled along. He was applying as much spiritual energy as he could to strengthen the chain and his stance.

Almost as if she heard, Daiyu stood up and faced Qiong Qi.

“[Convergence: Ashes to Ashes]” Daiyu Chanted. Her form did not change at all but her voice did. It was like the voice of all her ancestors combined. Her eyes glowed a golden yellow.

She descended from her Iron Giant and slammed the ground with her hands.

“[Dust to Dust]” Daiyu chanted. Instantly, the ground shook and gave way, swallowing Qiong Qi.

Qiong Qi sank into the ground, dirt and earth covering his body until his neck.

“The earth in this area shall be your vessel. To the dust you shall return.” Daiyu echoed, her body sliding across the ground below her towards Qiong Qi. The ground was moving according to her command.

“So… It takes both The White Guard and the Father of Soil-Ground to bring me down?” Qiong Qi spat, a devious smirk growing on his face. He struggled, attempting to break free from the shackle and the ground that held him there but it was impossible. The ground was filled with spiritual energy from the God of Soil himself.

Raison let out a small sigh of relief as he approached Qiong Qi. This was the chance, while Daiyu could still maintain her Convergence.

The vessel was perfect. Using the region’s earth was genius, and the power of Tudiye was undeniable.

“[Qiong Qi, the crimes you have committed against humanity amount in the thousands. Your acts of malice and deviousness knows no bounds. And yet by the grace of The White Guard you have been given a second chance. I will imprison you, and until you repent, you shall never experience freedom. For all those who make amends shall always be at peace.]” Raison thrust his fan towards Qiong Qi and a blinding light shone onto him. Raison’s spiritual energy warped around Qiong Qi and into the ground, linking up with Daiyu’s spiritual energy.

Daiyu acted on instinct and grabbed the back of Qiong Qi’s head, chanelling spirit energy into him, completing the seal.

A bright flash occurred, and what remained of Qiong Qi was a Jade stone, erected on the ground where Qiong Qi was.

Daiyu collapsed and returned to her human self. She passed out from pure exhaustion.

Raison was still standing there, his complexion pale. He had completed the contract with Qiong Qi, but an uncertain feeling was left in his stomach. Did he leave any loopholes?

Raison wondered but he too, was too tired to think anymore.

At the very least, they had succeeded in sealing the Fiend.

…

Present

Daiyu now stood before the entrance of the seal. She opened the door to reveal steps leading her underground. The seal was underneath the temple. It was there she would find her Iron Giant resting.

“I hope I’m not too late…” A familiar calm voice spoke to her.

Daiyu jerked in response to the sudden voice and turned around to see Raison. He was sporting a new haircut, his blond hair was parted in the centre, like curtains revealing his forehead.

“Charles filled me in. So you think the seal is related to the Epsilon anomaly?” Raison inquired, his face still neutral and unchanging.

“No, I think it’s the opposite. The seal is the main focus, everything else, a distraction. Raison, what were the conditions of release for Qiong QI?” Daiyu asked as she made her way down the steps, Raison following suit.

Raison raised his eyebrow.

“You have to understand something… Qiong Qi is a Fiend. For powerful Deities, my ability is unable to force them to agree to my contract. I have to enter a conversation with them, with The White Guard as the mediator. That happens during the flash you guys saw. Qiong Qi, being a Fiend, is able to have a say. As a result, it is hard to impose something like ‘swear to aid humanity’ because it goes against Qiong Qi’s very nature even if I were to make the seal a living hell for him.” Raison explained. Raison felt slightly uncomfortable. He was afraid of this. Afraid that this day would come.

Daiyu was already concerned that Raison was starting with this prelude.

“What were the conditions?” Daiyu pressed further.

“We came to an agreement. There were 4 conditions that needed to be fulfilled. The first, he would only be released from this vessel, if there existed a more suitable vessel in the Nan Ching District. Second, he cannot directly kill innocent civilians ever again. Third, there has to be at least 10,000 people in the Nan Ching District alone who want him to be released. The fourth, he would only be released if he could obtain 44 exorcists to sign off on his release.” Raison listed out the conditions in order.

Daiyu began to process what she had heard.

“I always insist on the first condition no matter what. This is because If I do want to contain them after they’re released, then there exists a vessel for me to put them into. Plus, it makes it harder for them to be released, after all, there’s no way there exists a vessel more suitable for a Fiend…” Raison spoke, but when he noticed Daiyu’s expression, his voice trailed off.

“What…” Raison asked, he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what Daiyu said next.

“There does exist one… we discovered one recently…” Daiyu’s face turned pale.

“Hmmm…” Raison mumbled, but Daiyu could tell he was bothered by it. Raison’s mind was racing, Daiyu could see the gears turning.

“The second condition… it’s obvious he can find ways to go around it. He can still kill innocents indirectly. And exorcists aren’t exactly civilians…” Daiyu moved onto the next condition.

“Yes… but it was the best I could do to at least minimise the damage he could cause… Which means… at least 2 conditions can be cleared…” Raison spoke in a deadpan manner but his anxiety could be seen creeping across his face.

“But there’s no way he can fulfill the last two conditions.” Raison reasoned.

“Getting 10,000 people in Nan Ching District to want his release…” Daiyu pondered for a moment.

“The deity… this morning… it appeared in the Nan Ching District. Meaning there had to be at least a sizeable group worshipping it that exists here.”

“So it’s not impossible for a cult that wants Qiong Qi’s release to exist?” Raison still found it hard to believe.

“Yes… and for the 44 exorcists to sign off on his release… who came up with that? Why that number? You do know that the number four is the number for death right?” Daiyu probed.

“Well, the last two conditions were actually suggested by Qiong Qi. And The White Guard approved. 44 is the number of exorcists that died that day wasn’t it? The White Guard found it fitting that he would need 44 exorcists to redeem himself and therefore approved it. It was also poetic that the number for death be used to redeem Qiong Qi. That’s how the White Guard likes it.” Raison explained.

“43…” Daiyu corrected.

The look on Daiyu’s face was that of horror.

“Sorry?”

“I know the Bureau didn’t release any official data, but it was 43 exorcists that died that day.”

“Okay, but still, whether the numbers match or not, how is he going to be able to obtain 44 exorcists to sign off on his release?” Raison asked, unsure of why Daiyu had to correct him.

“You… didn’t specify whether those exorcists had to be alive did you? If we count Ryu… then a total of 44 exorcists have died on the Nan Ching District…44 exorcists that died with the same curse…” Daiyu gasped as she came to this relaisation.

“The symbols… forcing the wills of dead exorcists… using their blood as a sign of approval for the release…” Raison connected the dots, his eyes widened as he came to the realisation.

By then, they had reached the bottom of the staircase leading down to the seal. It was a small underground area, the walls were made of steel and imbued with spiritual energy to prevent anyone from breaking in. It acted like an insulating force, preventing the outside world from detecting presences in the room. Daiyu’s Iron Giant and two Temple Guards were also supposed to be stationed in the room, guarding the seal.

But they were not standing guard like usual.

Instead, on the floor lay a broken chunks of Iron. Pieces of it lay scattered across the ground.

Further away from the staircase, a large body of Iron lay cracked and borken. Beside that iron body lay two human bodies lying motionless, they were dressed in temple guard attire, a set of black garbs.

But what demanded more immediate attention was the jade stone in the centre. It had been cracked in half and Qiong Qi was simply standing there, free. Next to him were two highly unusual individuals. There was a tall older man dressed in a three-piece suit with a black trench coat draped over his tall frame. He face was decorated with a gold monocle, a moustache and a goatee giving him an air of class and elegance.

The other individual beside Qiong Qi was a completely different person. He was hunched and only wearing a pair of sweatpants. His upper body bare. He was a man so thin, you could see his ribcage. His sunken, bloodshot eyes had severe eyebags underneath. He looked sick and frail but he still commanded a sense of authority from his stare. He was the only one that did not give off any spiritual presence whatsoever.

Both Daiyu and Raison could not tell how strong he was, but they were stuck in place just from his stare. A stare that carried so much weight that they were unable to move a muscle.

“Hello there, long time no see.” Qiong Qi addressed the 2 exorcists that stumbled onto the scene.

“It would seem that our time here is up.” The man with the monocle said.

“Indeed…” The frail man agreed and raised his hands.

“We’ll be seeing you soon…” The frail man spoke and with a wave of his hands, the three of them disappeared.

With that, Daiyu and Raison felt like they could move again.

“Fuck!” Daiyu yelled as she rushed in to check the vital signs of the guards. Their bodies were still warm, but they were dead.

“How… how did they know the conditions… I made sure I was the only one who knew!” Raison’s usual monotone voice was gone, replaced with exasperation.

“This must have always been part of the plan… To sacrifice 44 exorcists and to build a cult… This was the real purpose of the Nan Ching District Massacre…” Daiyu grimaced and let out a frustrated sigh.

“So, we were simply strung along all this while…” Raison furrowed his brow.

“Fuck! We were fools!” Daiyu punched the wall made of stone next to her, leaving a crack in the stone.

Daiyu felt her phone vibrate. She whisked it out and saw that she had a call from Shen.

She pressed the phone to her ear and listened. Raison saw her expression worsen and her eyebrows furrow.

Daiyu ended the call and stormed out of the room.

“What will you do now?” Raison asked.

Daiyu massaged her temples as she walked up the stairs.

“Right now, we regroup. I got more information coming my way. We need to look at everything and plan our next steps… I don’t need to tell you this, but something big is coming. Does the SAIB have assurance of your assistance?” Daiyu asked.

Raison nodded, his composure back to his usual calm demeanour.

“I have a responsibility too. Just tell me when you need me.”

SAIB Headquarters, Daiyu’s office

Shen paced up and down Daiyu’s office.

He had called for a recall of all trainees that weren’t on urgent business. To do that, he required Daiyu’s approval, which she gave over the phone. She told him she would hear his explanation later. She had something important to discuss.

He had something important to discuss as well.

The doors to the office sprang open. Daiyu stormed through, an unhappy expression weighed on her face.

“So, it’s been a long day… Let’s cut to the chase.” Daiyu sat down behind her desk.

“Why did you recall those students?” Daiyu followed up.

“I found Ryu’s notebook detailing his investigation into the Nan Ching District Massacre…” Shen said, placing the notebook on Daiyu’s desk, which she bagn flipping through.

“I have reason to believe that the recent increase in spiritual anomalies is a distraction from the real target of the one behind all this…”

“The seal…” Daiyu interrupted Shen.

“Yes… you figured it out? Then we must gather everyone and go to the temple immediately!”

“It’s too late. I already went there with Raison… Qiong Qi has been released.” Diyu revealed.

“Fuck!” he spat out. Shen frowned and rubbed his forehead.

“But I managed to get a good look at the one’s responsible behind all this. And likely responsible behind the massacre as well.” Daiyu said.

“I saw three of them. Qiong Qi, a man, no, a spirit dressed in a suit and a monocle and…” Before Diayu could finish her sentence, Shen interrupted.

“And an extremely skinny man?”

Shen flipped Ryu’s notebook to a page titled ‘Person’s of Interest’. Several photos had been attached, with comments and markings. The biggest photograph was that of a skinny, frail man. Ryu had circled this picture with a red marker.

“So Ryu was in this deep?” Daiyu was surprised.

“He only knows this man is connected in some way via the cult.” Shen explained.

“The cult?” Daiyu asked, her assumption that a cult was involved was right.

“Yes, Ryu’s investigation largely surrounded looking into this cult… He hasn’t managed to find the location of it, but he has spoken to the family of some cult members and he believes that this cult played a large role in the massacre. They call themselves ‘The Hell on Earth Society’” Shen then turned to a page with the symbols.

“From his notebook, Ryu thinks the symbols are part of a ritual of sorts. Like a curse of charm except written into the very earth itself and made with the sacrifice of exorcists…It would be safe to say that they’re goal, for some reason, is to turn Earth into a living Hell. To usher in the end times.” Shen continued.

“Another one of these kinds of cults… but it matches up…” Daiyu sighed. This was going to be a lot of hassle. But at least they now have a tangible enemy.

“And one more thing I wanted to show you…Something I found rather concerning.” Shen flipped back to the ‘Person’s of Interest’ pages. Besides the frail man, there were a few photographs of other people. Ryu had captioned them with titles like ‘cult member’ or ‘Senior member’.

But on the last few pages, there was just the photograph of a single person that looked unlike the others.

It was the photograph of a girl. She was photographed in her school uniform, walking out of school. Her long, dark black hair flowed in the wind and her pale skin shone under the sunny weather. She had a cardigan on as an outer clothing even though it was summer.

Daiyu recognised her instantly.

Even in the photograph, her big round hazel eyes could be seen clearly.

Under her photograph, Ryu had captioned the following:

[Name: Ruby

Connection: Person of Interest, related to cult??]