Chapter 27.5: Asahiko's ascent. 

It was a dark and gloomy place, while the few torches hanging on the walls could barely keep away the darkness that tried to claim the entire subway compound. 

*drip* *drip* *drip* *drip* *drip*"

Tiny drops of water trickle between the stones that make up this subway prison, while from the multiple prisons that are nothing more than a hole within the rock, the wails of those who find themselves imprisoned here can be heard. 

"How did I end up here... I knew it was a bad sign that we were separated before entering the castle."

Letting out a sigh of resignation and leaning his body even more against the iron bars that separate the inside from the outside, the young man observes with unfocused gaze the stone structure of the prison. He has blond hair that seems to glow even in the darkness that surrounds him, white skin and features that make him look beautiful, although all this is overshadowed by the rags he wears on his body.

"Silence beggar!"

Striking the prison bars with a wooden spear and iron tip, the guard who wears simple armor lets out a warning shout into the prison. All that fuss on the man's part was really useless, since the prisoner is stuck to the bars and can easily hear him without raising his voice so much. 

"I thought I'd enjoy this as an experience. Well, not that I've ever been in a prison though, but good lawyers always fix those things. Hahaha I got off the subject at hand, ¡sleep!"

Noticing the clear confusion that appears plastered on the guard's face, the young man simply places a warm smile before blurting out some words that are in a few tones higher than the others. It was like magic, the young man's words were brimming with a strange and lethal charm to all listeners, thus succeeding in sending the guard crashing unconscious against the prison bars in a thud.

"What happened, stop it ah"

"Noisy~"

Before he can finish speaking to the second guard and with a rather comical tone in his words, the ragged young man again uses his strange voice to make this one also crash to the ground.

"I guess now is the time to escape, but I can't leave the whole scene like this."

About 15 minutes passed between planning things out, getting the prison open and leaving a pretty believable crime scene for when they'll find those two unconscious. After all that and paying no attention to the screams from the surroundings, a strange door that seems to say "Evil thing here" and his outfit that can't even be called that anymore, the young man walks out of the prison. 

"I'm free! Oh, are you serious… ¡Sleep!"

*crash* *crash* *crash* *crash*.

With the thud of the two bodies belonging to the outside guards crashing against the wood, at the same time as the young man observes the scene with a face that seems to say "Ouch, that must hurt", the scene falls silent again for a few seconds.

After all this rather strange situation, the young man begins to climb the stairs by which the guards have just fallen and in a few moments he enters a labyrinth of corridors. Yes, it seems that the prison is located in the basement just below the castle and its exit is inside it. But none of the aforementioned seems to matter to the young man, who sniffs the air for a few seconds and then starts walking down a corridor with full confidence. 

"How did someone of your ilk get here? Gua-rd-s!"

Suddenly and without any warning, one of the doors on the side of the corridor opens and from inside it an older man appears. The old man had barely any hair on top of his head, a bushy beard and an Onmyōji suit of light shades. Without hesitating for even a second, the young man quickly immobilizes the old man before entering the room from which the older man just exited.

"Well, well, well... What shall I do with you now?"

Speaking menacingly and closing his eyes until they barely resembled a slit, the young man grabbed the old man by the shoulders as he slowly brought their faces closer together. 

"Hey, ¿why don't you answer?"

Opening his eyes again and completely destroying the oppressive atmosphere that surrounded them, the young man looks forward only to notice that the old man has fainted quite some time ago. It was normal for him to faint, an invisible, hairy and long object had completely immobilized him. Yes, I'm talking about one of the tails belonging to the young man. 

"Tsh, he didn't interest me anyway. Well, I guess it's time for a change of wardrobe and identity... Umm I'll see what I can do about the latter."

Gently leaving the old man to one side of the room, he begins to move around the room until he finds a wardrobe to suit his tastes and in the meantime thinks of a new name for himself. 

From here on he will be known as: Asahiko, "Master Onmyōji" or old man thief for those who know this little anecdote.