Chapter 15: Spirit Ally

The usually busy office of the exorcist duo Ren and Jiro was unusually quiet. The bustling sound of the old fax machine echoing through the room was conspicuously absent. Instead, a slight hum of the air conditioner, coupled with Ren's relaxed sigh, was all the noise they could muster. Ren was flipping through a small pile of papers on his desk, while Jiro sat idly in his chair, aimlessly spinning a pen between his fingers.

"Business seems to be slow today," Jiro remarked, glancing at Ren.

"You're right," Ren responded, setting the papers down on his desk. "Ever since we took care of that banshee case, things have been calm."

Just as Ren was about to put his feet up and relax, their office phone rang. He reached for the receiver and listened intently as the caller on the other end spoke. Jiro watched as Ren's expression changed from nonchalance to curiosity, and then to a firm determination.

"What is it, Ren?" Jiro asked once Ren had hung up the phone.

"That was a call from Mrs. Suzuki from the east district," Ren started. "She's been hearing strange noises in her house for the past week. No one else in her family can hear them, and she's starting to get scared."

"This doesn't sound like our usual cases," Jiro noted. "Are we sure it's something... spectral?"

Ren shrugged. "We won't know until we check it out ourselves. Either way, it's a job. We could use the distraction, don't you think?"

With that, the two gathered their gear, ready to investigate what could be their next spectral encounter. Little did they know, this would prove to be far more than just a simple haunting.

Upon arriving at Mrs. Suzuki's house, Ren and Jiro were immediately hit with a sense of unease. It was an old Japanese-style home, with faded wooden exteriors and an eerily quiet atmosphere. They were met at the door by Mrs. Suzuki, a sweet elderly woman with a warm smile that masked her underlying fear.

"Thank you for coming, boys," she said, leading them into her house. The interior was filled with old family photos and traditional Japanese furnishings. Despite the home's quaint charm, the silence was deafening, adding to the house's overall eerie aura.

"Could you describe the noise you've been hearing, Mrs. Suzuki?" Ren asked, as he started to unpack his gear.

Mrs. Suzuki hesitated, looking a bit embarrassed. "It's hard to explain. It's not loud, more like a whisper. But it's continuous, and it's only me who can hear it."

Ren nodded, understandingly. "We'll do our best to figure out what's causing it. Don't worry, Mrs. Suzuki."

Ren started the investigation by checking the spiritual energy in the house. His eyes glowed with a faint purple aura, a sign of his unique spiritual sensing ability. As he moved through the house, his eyes narrowed. He could sense a presence, faint and benign, unlike the malevolent spirits he had encountered before.

Jiro watched him closely, trying to read Ren's expression. Though he couldn't see spirits like Ren, he trusted his friend's ability and judgment implicitly. This whole situation was a learning curve for Jiro. His role was usually the logical and practical one. He was the one who kept their business in order while Ren handled the spiritual aspects.

"What do you think, Ren?" Jiro asked, as they returned to the main living area. Mrs. Suzuki watched them from her seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

"There's definitely a spirit here," Ren announced. "But it doesn't seem malevolent. I think it's trying to communicate."

Ren took a deep breath, feeling his spiritual energy welling up inside him. His eyes once again glowed with that distinct purple hue as he reached out to the spirit.

"Speak to me, spirit," he said softly. His voice echoed in the silent house, a soft murmur that resonated with the undercurrent of spiritual energy surrounding them.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, there was a whisper, like a gentle wind rustling through the leaves, and the faint image of a woman began to form in front of Ren.

The spirit was a young woman, her face serene but etched with sorrow. She was dressed in an old-fashioned kimono, her hair arranged in an elegant updo, a style that spoke of the distant past. Seeing the spirit's sad eyes, Ren felt a sense of empathy towards her.

"I'm sorry for intruding," Ren spoke, his voice carrying a level of respect and patience. "May I know who you are, and why you're here?"

The woman looked surprised at his politeness. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. It seemed she had difficulty communicating, Ren thought. Her whispering must be her attempt to talk, to make herself heard.

"Jiro," Ren turned to his friend, "Could you bring me the Spirit Slate from the bag?"

Jiro, despite being unable to see the spirit, promptly fetched the Spirit Slate — a small, square stone tablet imbued with spiritual energy. It was a tool used by exorcists to communicate with spirits who struggled to make their voices heard.

As Ren held the slate in his hands, the spirit's gaze fell on it. She seemed to understand its purpose, her eyes lighting up with a faint glimmer of hope.

The two friends held their breath as the spirit reached out, her hand gently touching the slate. And then, in a shaky, delicate script, words started appearing on the slate.

"My name is Ayako… I am searching for my child…"

Reading the words, Ren felt a pang of sympathy for Ayako. The spirit world was complex and full of mysteries, often reflecting the struggles and desires left unfinished in the mortal world. A mother searching for her child, even in death.

"We are here to help you, Ayako," Ren said gently. His words were sincere, his gaze steady and calm. "Please tell us about your child. What happened?"

Ayako paused, a look of sorrow washing over her translucent features. She hesitated, then slowly began to write again.

"I was...killed...my child was...taken," she wrote. Each word seemed to drain her, but she continued. "I need...to find him...to ensure...he is safe."

Ren felt a chill run down his spine. This wasn't a simple haunting. This was a spirit driven by maternal love and the despair of losing her child. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. They were in this now, and he wasn't about to let this spirit continue her torment.

"We will help you, Ayako," Ren said firmly. "We will find your child."

As he said these words, he felt a strange sensation, a warmth spreading through his body, centering on the bracelet he had acquired recently. Looking down, he noticed it was glowing with a faint purple light, a color similar to his own aura. The light pulsated gently, like a heartbeat.

The look of gratitude on Ayako's face was more than enough for Ren. He felt determined, empowered. And as he locked eyes with Jiro, he knew his friend felt the same way.

But what they didn't know was that this case would bring them closer to the mysteries of the exorcist world than ever before. Their journey was just beginning.

Digging into Ayako's past was not as simple as Ren had hoped it would be. The spirit was unable to recall many details of her former life. Her memories were fragmented, scattered. She could not remember her last name or the name of her child, which made tracing her origins difficult.

Despite these challenges, Ren was determined to help Ayako. He turned to his resources and spent long hours at the office, scouring the internet and public records for any hint of a woman named Ayako who had been murdered and whose child had been kidnapped.

Jiro was by his side, assisting him in every way he could. Despite not having the ability to see spirits like Ren, Jiro's analytical mind and attention to detail were invaluable assets. He suggested they look into cold case files, reaching out to his contacts in law enforcement for help.

As the investigation went on, Ren noticed a peculiar development. His purple aura, the same one he'd noticed during his encounter with the Banshee, had become a constant presence. It was no longer merely a sensation he felt during confrontations with malevolent spirits. Now, it seemed to be reacting to Ayako, to her sorrow and desperation.

The glow of the bracelet, matching the shade of his aura, seemed to intensify whenever Ayako was nearby. Ren could not explain this phenomenon, but he had a hunch that his newfound abilities were not just random, but were somehow connected to his mission as an exorcist, to help spirits find peace.

His commitment to Ayako, a spirit who, in life, had experienced unimaginable tragedy, seemed to be fueling this strange power within him. It was as if the spirit world itself was acknowledging his efforts, aiding him in his mission. But Ren knew better than to take this for granted. He needed to understand this power, to control it.

The mystery of his new power only added to the enigma surrounding the case. But Ren was undeterred. He would help Ayako, not just for her sake, but to understand his own destiny as an exorcist. The truth was within his reach, and he was determined to grasp it.

A Week passed. The search for Ayako's child felt like looking for a needle in a haystack. There were numerous cases of missing children across the city, each as tragic as the other. Yet none matched the exact circumstances described by Ayako. Ren and Jiro's spirits were waning, the lack of progress gnawing at them.

One evening, Ren was again going through the information they had gathered so far. Jiro was napping on the couch, exhausted from the day's work. Ren's eyes had started to glaze over the pages when a photo caught his eye.

It was a newspaper clipping about a cold case from a few years back. A single mother had been found murdered in her home, and her four-year-old son was missing. The woman's name was not Ayako, but something about the photo of the house seemed familiar.

He turned to Ayako, who was floating nearby, seemingly lost in her own sorrow. Ren showed her the clipping. "Ayako, does this house look familiar to you?" he asked, pointing to the black and white image.

Ayako floated closer, peering at the clipping. A shudder ran through her translucent form. "Yes," she whispered. "That's... that's my home."

Ren felt a jolt of excitement. They finally had a solid lead. He woke Jiro up, showing him the clipping. After sharing their discovery with a startled Jiro, the duo worked with renewed vigor.

The house in the clipping was in a neighborhood not too far from their own. Early the next morning, they set off, hoping to uncover more about the cold case that could lead them to Ayako's son.

As they moved, Ren's bracelet pulsed with the purple aura. It felt stronger, more focused, as if guiding him towards a truth that was waiting to be uncovered. It was a strange sensation, but Ren welcomed it, hoping that it would lead them to the resolution of Ayako's sorrow and the answers he sought about his own powers. Maybe the purple aura was actually fusing with the bracelet or maybe not. Something about the bracelet was different. Seemed like it was sucking the purple energy.

The neighborhood where Ayako's home was located looked rundown and neglected. The houses stood shoulder to shoulder, bearing the signs of age and decay. It was eerily quiet as Ren and Jiro walked down the narrow, deserted streets.

The house from the newspaper clipping was easy to locate. It stood out among the rest due to the black scorch marks on the facade, remnants of a long-forgotten tragedy. The windows were boarded up and the entrance was blocked by a padlocked chain.

Ren felt a pang of unease as they approached the abandoned house. His bracelet pulsed again, the purple aura growing brighter, almost thrumming in rhythm with his heartbeat. The air felt heavy, saturated with an invisible energy that made his skin crawl.

Something is not right, Ren thought. Something is very very wrong here. His purple aura seems to be resisting something. Just a few minutes ago the purple aura was full of life and felt like even pulsing. The more he is getting close to the house, the more weaker it was feeling. It almost felt like the purple aura was exited when he found the house but something in the house is suppressing it.... no it's almost like something inside of him was suppressing the aura. Ren was feeling a bit different. As long as the purple aura was pulsing, his mind was very clear but now it seems like his mind is gradually getting full of rage..... it felt so unnatural.

Jiro, however, seemed oblivious to the sensation. He was busy inspecting the padlock and chain at the entrance. After a moment, he turned to Ren, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Ren, I think I can pick this lock," he said, producing a small set of lock-picking tools from his pocket.

"No need," Ren replied, his gaze focused on the house. He stepped forward, extending his hand towards the chain. He channeled his energy, directing the pulsating purple aura into his hand and strangely instead of the purple aura, a dark sinister aura was coming out from his hand. Ren looked oddly at his hand. What is happening to me?

With a burst of concentrated energy, the padlock snapped open and the chain fell away. Jiro gawked at Ren, impressed by his friend's growing abilities.

With the way cleared, they cautiously entered the house. The interior was in no better state than the exterior. There was an old living room, a small kitchen, and two bedrooms. One of them was obviously a child's room, with faded posters on the wall and a small, dusty bed in the corner.

As they explored, the dark sinister aura around Ren started to invade the bracelet and pulsed more intensely, as if resonating with the residual energy in the house. It was not a hostile force, but the sensation was overwhelming.

Ren was growing more convinced that Ayako's child was not just an ordinary child. And that the truth they sought was within reach.

As Ren and Jiro made their way into the house, they felt an overwhelming power engulf the space. Despite the lack of visible entities, a deep chill ran down their spines.

The house was old, the wallpaper peeling off, and cobwebs hung in every corner. The single room was dimly lit by an old lamp, its flickering light casting long shadows on the walls. The house was eerily quiet except for the soft humming of the lamp. In the center of the room, they saw an antique mirror.

Reflected in the mirror was a sight that made their blood run cold. A spirit with an aura so powerful, it sent waves of fear coursing through their bodies. Its eyes burned with a dark energy that stood in stark contrast to the weak flickering of the lamp. The spirit was trapped within the mirror, its ethereal form shifting restlessly.

The spirit's gaze fell on Ren, and it seemed to recoil in surprise and fear. "You... you... who are you? Why do you carry the aura of My Lord? Hm....? now i see... the last vessel isn't awakened yet" it exclaimed, its spectral voice filled with terror and awe.

Ren's heart pounded in his chest. What do you mean? Who are you and what do you know about me?

The sprit smiled mysteriously then said " Now is not the time. You will soon know"

Despite his fear, he knew he needed to seize this opportunity maybe the sprit will tell about the boy if he asked. "What happened to Ayako's son?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

The spirit looked uneasy. "That... Kunnay G," it hissed. "He trapped me in this mirror and took the child."

The name struck a chord. Kunnay G was a renowned name among the elite exorcists. He was known to reside in the west district.

"We need to find this exorcist," Ren told Jiro, his gaze not leaving the mirror.

Jiro nodded in agreement, his face a mask of determination.

It was time to find Kunnay G and Ren knew that he must come back to this place and talk to this sprit later to learn about his power and the sprit should know what is happening to him. So he looked back at the mirror and said i will come back to you as soon as i finish my words with Kunnay G.

"Don't... you fool...are you out of your mind? " The sprit hissed. "He will kill you the moment he sees you if you visit him now. Don't you know who you really are and who will set me free if you die?"