Tainted?
Raikou stared blankly, puzzled by Morpheus's words.
Why would he say Abe no Seimei was tainted?
Morpheus knew Raikou, in life, was a warrior. While not entirely ignorant of magic, her understanding was limited.
So he explained, "When Abe no Seimei burned all his power to perish alongside Tamamo-no-Mae..."
"His son, Abe no Yoshihira, paid a great price to gather a fragment of his soul."
"To resurrect him, Yoshihira used the yokai energy and flesh of demons to nourish Seimei's soul."
"As the son of a fox demon, Seimei was born with yokai blood, so using yokai energy and flesh to sustain him wasn't inherently wrong."
Raikou's heart sank.
Whenever words like "originally" were used, a twist often followed.
Sure enough, Morpheus continued, "But Yoshihira overlooked one thing: Seimei was just a soul fragment."
"Though he recovered quickly under the nourishment of yokai flesh and energy, his personality and thoughts were inevitably tainted by the demonic energy and resentment."
"For a millennium, Yoshihira used yokai flesh and energy to sustain Seimei."
"And Seimei was indeed saved."
"But countless yokai energies and flesh have drastically altered his mind."
"Endless demonic energy has corrupted his soul."
"The Seimei now, in both humanity and personality, is nearly consumed by yokai energy."
"He's still Seimei, but not the human Seimei."
"He's more yokai than human."
Raikou listened quietly, falling into silence.
In her lifetime, she was either slaying yokai or on her way to slay them, dealing with them her entire life.
She knew their ways and nature all too well.
Yokai energy was no benign force.
Some, tainted by it, grew erratic, cruel, or even fell to darkness, becoming new yokai.
She'd seen it countless times.
But she never imagined Seimei-dono would fall to such a state.
Though confident the living Seimei would never turn evil, she understood he'd been nourished by yokai flesh and energy as a mere soul fragment for a thousand years.
A thousand years—a truly vast span.
Raikou couldn't fathom what Seimei might have become under such prolonged corruption.
Could he still retain his true self?
Raikou closed her eyes, recalling her past with Seimei, then slowly opened them, a newfound resolve glinting in her gaze.
"Boss."
"Hm?"
"I want to see Yoshihira. I want to ask why he did this, why he let his father fall to darkness."
Raikou's voice was icy. "Does he truly wish to ruin his father's legacy?"
Morpheus replied, "You don't need to ask Yoshihira. I can answer that."
He paused, looking at Raikou earnestly. "What's wrong with a child wanting to save their father?"
Raikou's breath caught, as if struck in the chest.
For a moment, she was speechless.
Yes, what's wrong with a child wanting to save their father?
How could that ever be wrong?
He only wanted to save his father—what fault was there in that?
Raikou's resolute expression softened into sorrow.
Morpheus continued, "To you and me, Yoshihira isn't wrong, just misguided. He shouldn't have used yokai flesh and energy to nourish Seimei."
"Especially not for a thousand years, with Seimei as a mere soul fragment."
"It led to his complete corruption."
Morpheus sighed. "When I read Yoshihira's memories, I found he's already sensed something off about Seimei."
"Especially when Seimei sought to use yokai flesh and energy to forge a new body—Yoshihira realized this father wasn't the one he remembered."
"But he can't turn back."
"First, Seimei's current state is his doing."
"Second, he's no match for Seimei now."
"Third, he can't and won't act against his father."
"So Yoshihira can only follow Seimei blindly, shutting out all doubts."
"It's his choice, after all."
Raikou declared without hesitation, "But his choice is wrong."
Morpheus looked at her with interest, smiling. "Indeed, it's wrong. So what will you do?"
Raikou said, "If it's wrong, I'll correct it. I'll use my own methods to wake Yoshihira and fix his mistake."
"After all, I watched that boy grow up. I know he's not bad at heart, just too eager and misguided."
"As someone who watched him grow, I can't ignore this."
Morpheus pressed, "And Seimei?"
Raikou's tone turned cold. "That's not Seimei-dono. It's just a monster inhabiting his form."
"I'll deal with it myself. I believe Seimei-dono, in the afterlife, would agree."
Morpheus couldn't help but give Raikou a thumbs-up.
"Impressive, as expected of Minamoto no Raikou. I support you. Do whatever you plan."
"But I hope you'll hold off for now."
"Saeko and Hitomi are quite excited for this tournament."
"You wouldn't want to disappoint them, would you?"
Raikou thought of the two enthusiastic girls and nodded.
"Very well."
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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