Original subtitles

Now, you are…

in the dream you see every time.

This dream…

is a memory of your past.

What can you see?

The Heian era.

The era when true darkness still existed.

People believed that invisible creatures lived side by side with them.

Not in the distant forests or in the heart of the mountains.

People, demons, monsters…

lived in the darkness of the same capital,

sometimes, even under the same roof,

hushed together shoulder to shoulder: such was this era.

Spanning 4.5 km from east to west,

5.2 km from south to north,

and split in the middle by the 84-meter wide Suzaku avenue:

this is the old capital, Heian-kyou.

In its northern part sat the Daidairi, the outer palace,

center of all state functions, just like the Kasumigaseki district in Tokyo today.

And in its heart was the Dairi, the emperor's private chambers.

In this era, the emperor was the supreme ruler,

supported by the high aristocracy and state officials,

and individual policies were decided through divination.

The people who conducted this divination were called…

onmyouji.

O N M Y O U J I 0

Bureau of Onmyou (aka Bureau of Divination)

The Bureau of Onmyou was an equivalent of today's departments,

and was the workplace of the state officials called onmyouji.

It also performed the function of an educational institution

for those who were studying to become official onmyouji.

Students

Their academic supervisors were called doctors.

Doctors

In this age, class differences were stark, and for those of non-aristocratic birth,

civil service was the only open path for career advancement.

But this path was narrow and harsh.

Many people dropped out.

But some, who wouldn't give up, remained simple students even well into middle age.

Doctor of Astronomy

It would be quite inconvenient to use the language from over a 1,000 years ago,

so let us continue in modern Japanese.

The Minister of the Right, Lord Sugawara-no Michizane, was exiled to Dazaifu,

where he died, filled with hatred for the aristocracy.

The disasters that befell the capital afterwards are attributed to his curse.

How was this curse subdued?

Sadafumi?

His rank was restored posthumously,

and last year, he was deified under the name of Tenman Daijizai Tenjin.

That's right.

Protecting the capital from curses and disasters:

this is our job as onmyouji.

Understood?

To summarize, apricot and peach pips can be used as medicines,

but if you err with the dosage,

they can also turn into poison.

Doctor of Onmyou

Any questions?

What's the strongest poison in the world?

You take snakes and centipedes,

poisonous spiders, frogs, etc.,

a total of 100 poisonous critters,

and put them together, alive, in one pot.

Thus,

you force them to devour each other.

The last creature that remains alive

is the strongest poison in the world.

This is called kodoku.

Oi! Careful.

If there was poison in there, you'd be dead!

Write me a report on this. - Yes, sir.

The theory of the five elements starts from the Gate of Spring, that is, from the tree.

The tree grows, and through it, flame is generated.

Fire generates ash, in other words, earth.

Metal is born in the bowels of the earth.

Finally, just as dew appears on the surface of a cool metal,

water is generated.

And water, in its own turn…

nourishes, i.e. generates the tree.

Water is both the end and the beginning of all living things.

It is the bridge between this world and the next, between subconscious and existing.

Doctor of the Calender

The water in our water clock springs from the extreme depths of the earth

and does not know even the slightest impurity.

Curse

Spell

Curses.

Aka spells.

They do not act directly on the physical world.

Head of the Bureau of Onmyou

They influence the consciousness first and foremost.

And it, in turn, affects the physical.

Kaneshige.

Yes?

Give me your arm.

We take this red-hot fire poker and…

But in reality,

this is not a fire poker.

Kaneshige.

Take a good look.

Kaneshige…

was so certain that this was a red-hot poker, that his belief affected his body.

This is called a suggestion.

Or also known as hypnosis.

Suggestion / Hypnosis

Many cases are known of people dying

because they were wrongly convinced that the snake that bit them had venom.

Suggestion / Hypnosis

A first-class onmyouji must be a honors student of this spell.

Spell

That will be all for today.

I was sure his arm burned!

Yes, it even smelled of burned flesh.

In order to become an onmyouji, one had to attain first the status of honors student.

Honors student

Above him were the onmyouji,

then the doctors,

and at the top was the head of the Bureau of Onmyou.

But…

the peak of the profession, that all onmyouji aspired to,

was the position of Onmyouji of the Imperial Household,

Onmyouji of the Imperial Household

i.e., the personal onmyouji of the emperor.

At that moment, this position was vacant.

By the way, where's Seimei? Skipping class again?

He's the doctor's personal student, he does what he wants.

Connections matter, damn it, not skills!

But don't they say he can use magic because he's a fox child?

Magic? What, have you actually seen any?

No, I haven't.

Right!? Such a thing doesn't exist.

If it did, we wouldn't be cleaning here like this.

We'd just clean with magic, right?

That's true.

Sadafumi! Copy these by the end of today.

Today?

Are you talking back at me, student?

You're still a student, too, Yasuie.

What did you say!?

B-but…

we have classes today…

Studying won't do you any good anyway.

You're still a student at this age!

Even if by some miracle you became a honors student,

you'll die before you become an official onmyouji.

You'd be of more use to the world if you worked as a simple servant.

Did you see it?

The face of the man who killed your parents?

No.

But you should have seen it.

You can't remember it because…

My heart prevents me from seeing it.

Yes.

You have to let go of your hatred and fear,

and only look at the reality.

Thus,

one day,

you should be able to see him.

The fox child is here?

Yes, he's with the Reverend Kancho now.

Here he comes.

Are you the fox child from the Bureau of Onmyou?

Then you can use magic, fox child, can't you?

For example, you could kill someone?

Can you or can't you?

You can't?

If you want to find out…

shall we try it?

On one of you.

N-no, no, that's not what we meant!

Then why don't we try with something other than a human?

That sounds fun!

There's a frog over there. Can you kill it with magic?

A frog is not a human, so it doesn't matter if you kill it.

Such bloodlust, and in a temple, no less.

What's the problem? It's just a party trick anyway.

Is that so?

Well, if you say so.

If I use a spell,

all I need is one simple leaf…

and I could kill.

Oh, no!! Oh, this is horrible!!

This frog was listening to the Reverend Kancho's sutras every day.

It'd be no wonder if it gained consciousness and went to avenge its death…

on one of you.

Who's that person?

Abe-no Seimei, a student at the Bureau of Onmyou.

Abe-no Seimei…

What an honor, Lord Hiromasa is here!

We would have gladly come if you called for us, instead of coming to our humble Bureau!

It's fine, it's good for me.

Are you here for a divination today?

Or for a ritual cleansing?

No, I'm not here to see you today.

I'm here to see Seimei.

Seimei?

My student?

You're here again, eh.

You're always here.

What do you want?

You have a visitor.

Who, me?

Lord Hiromasa, Palace Superintendent, from the Ministry of the Center.

And as such, our direct superior.

He's a Minamoto now, but he was born as first grandson of the last emperor.

Foremost and unsurpassed specialist in court music.

He's even allowed to appear in casual clothes before the emperor.

Be careful, be very careful, not to offend him in any way.

Whatever it is he wants, refuse.

It's not for a simple student to talk to someone like him.

You may be a doctor all you like, but you have no right to tell me who to talk to.

But either way,

I have no intention of stealing your precious client.

So relax.

Lord Abe-no Seimei?

I came here today with a request.

I decline the request.

Goodbye.

Wait!

How rude!

Rude?

Who's the rude one here?

You're the one pulling people's hakama.

I hate your kind, decked out with your dumb flower, and looking down on people.

I don't like people with no manners like you, either!

Perfect, then.

Go beg some proper onmyouji, not the students.

Why do you refuse?

I'm not interested.

It's about some weird noises at home or something, right?

People think monsters are to blame for the sounds,

but it's actually the drying wood.

You hear them on days with big changes in temperature. Most commonly, in winter.

Such things are 90% of an onmyouji's work. That's why I'm not interested.

Then what was that, with the frog?

Frog?

You killed one in master Kancho's temple!

Aah.

That one.

That was…

a spell.

A spell?

Yes. You write it as "curse" and read it as "spell."

So you used magic?

No.

It's not what you think.

What is it then?

For example, this.

Catch, a mouse.

What's with all the mice here!?

Take a better look.

Take a better look!

Huh?

And that's it.

It works especially well when incense with hallucinogenic properties burns nearby.

One such burned in that temple, too.

But I was sure it was a mouse…

I guide people through words.

If I use a spell,

all I need is one simple leaf…

I could kill.

And reinforce the words through the other senses.

But the essence of the spell is in the person.

The one who falls under it, that is.

What does that mean?

Do you know the difference between reality and truth?

Reality means things, such as they are.

Truth is the conclusion you draw based on your own perceptions.

In other words, it changes according to each individual's perception…

and there's your spell.

There are as many truths as people in the world.

You mean…

it's all in our imagination?

Of course. And the dumber you are, the easier you fall for it.

"Dumber!?"

Are you... calling me an idiot?

Am I not right?

What the...

So, goodbye.

But it's about Princess Yoshiko!

I'm not the one in trouble.

And Princess Yoshiko is not an idiot like me!

The last high priestess of the Ise shrine?

That's right.

She has served the gods.

I see.

I see. Now, that's fun.

Alright. Let's go.

Huh?

Come on, let's go.

It was this koto.

Apparently, it plays by itself every night.

The strings break, but I replace them.

How long has this been going on?

If a string breaks tonight, all of them will have broken.

Lord Seimei.

Are you clairvoyant?

Clairvoyant?

A person who can see demons, ghosts, and other things that other people can't.

Do you see them?

Sometimes…

I think I do.

When the strings broke,

I think I saw a dragon.

A dragon?

Is something bad going to happen?

Dates, chestnuts and sweets, my lords.

If you'll excuse me.

What do you think of Lady Yoshiko?

Worried that another man came close to your beloved?

Huh!?

What are you talking about!

What, so you haven't even held her hand, yet?

No! There's no such thing! And I wouldn't dare anyway…

Our social status is too different! I'm not allowed to touch her.

Your "status?"

You're no fun.

Why are you drinking sake?

You're here on business!

It doesn't matter if I've drunk.

What's meant to happen will happen, and what's not, won't.

Lame excuses.

Excuses?

It's not excuses, it's reality.

Don't you like sake?

It's pretty tasty.

No, I'm not drinking.

Under no circumstances will I drink!

Lord Hiromasa…

Drunk as a lord, huh.

Naah!

I'm fineee.

Here we go.

Don't touch it.

So it's not the strings, eh.

What do you mean?

Don't you feel them?

What?

The tremble.

Uhm…

Ah, is the ground shaking?

Noo, I think that's just the sake.

The koto strings are resonating with something.

Resonating?

Do you see something?

Hiromasa.

Bring me something with a lid.

With a lid? How big?

Doesn't matter.

Right away.

Lord Hiromasa!

Lord Seimei is working on it!

Lady Yoshiko, hide in your room!

Lady Yoshiko!

Stay away!

The dragon!

Lady Yoshiko!

Hiromasa! Run!

Lady Yoshiko!

What was that!?

You put Lady Yoshiko in danger…

All got resolved, it's alright.

It's not right!

So? How did it feel to hold your beloved in your arms for the first time?

Well, it was…

she was soft and…

and smelled good…

Forget that now!

Better tell me, what's with the bottle?

You caught something in it?

Do you want to see?

Yes.

Where is Lord Hiromasa?

He already left.

And Seimei? What happened?

He said you shouldn't be hearing any more sounds.

Really…?

What happened in the garden?

You suddenly fainted.

Didn't he tell you?

It was true.

A golden dragon appeared.

And Seimei caught it.

Nothing's there.

So you don't see it?

What a shame.

What do you mean?

Well, whatever.

Mistress!

Master Yasuie is…!

Mistress! Something terrible happened!!

Yasuie!

Mistress! Hold on!

Killed by a curse?

This was found in his home.

Nonsense.

That's not what happened.

It was suicide.

Suicide?

How so?

He was very worried about… his grades.

Hah!

He had nothing to worry about there.

An honors student of the Bureau of Onmyou

cannot be

killed by a curse.

If such a thing were to get out,

our reputation would be in shambles.

Then, that's what we'll report to the higher-ups.

To them - that's one thing.

But we must find out who cursed and killed one of our honors students and why.

By the way… who are we going to appoint as honors student next?

I nominate Abe-no Seimei.

Seimei?

That lazybum?

But his abilities are second to none.

You sing your protege’s praises too fervently.

Even for such a dearly beloved student.

Then, are you saying that anyone has greater abilities than Seimei?

Then…

how about this?

You were gathered here today for a reason.

I think you have all heard by now, but still.

This morning,

our honors student, Yasuie, died.

What was the cause of his death?

Officially - suicide.

But actually, he was killed by a person unknown.

This doll with a curse on it was found in Yasuie's home.

So let's say…

that the killer's motive was…

to take his place as honors student…

then all of you here have a motive.

So?

Is the perpetrator one of you?

Who is the next honors student?

We have decided that the exam for the position of honors student…

will be to find out who killed Yasuie and why.

Whoever finds the killer will be the next honors student.

What a favor he did us!

The fact that a curse killed him is to be kept secret.

Are we clear?

Where are you going?

I'm not interested in being a honors student, so…

Why?

What would I do with such a post?

The Doctor of Onmyou, Lord Tadayuki, recommended you for it. Did you know?

Because he's his personal student? This is unfair favoritism!

Calm down. I said I'm not interested.

You don't mind betraying his trust?

I don't.

Is that so?

Then we'll remove you from the list of candidates.

But an exam is an exam.

While you are a student here, you have to take your exams.

Is this an order? - That's right.

The deadline is in five days, in the Hour of the Horse.

Silence!

This is the first step to becoming a state onmyouji.

Do your utmost.

Seimei.

Do you really have no wish to become an onmyouji?

And as such, you could try to become the emperor's personal onmyouji.

For that, you must first become a honors student.

You…

you took me in when I was orphaned and raised me. I thank you for that.

And for the food, and the roof over my head, and for my education.

Without you, I would have been long dead.

I kept my promise and entered the Bureau of Onmyou.

But…

Earning a living from fanning the fear of "demons" that don't even exist?

From shady divinations and rituals that only reinforce people's fears?

From selling illusions as if they were real?

I have absolutely no interest in the profession of the so-called onmyouji.

As long as I'm alive,

one day I'll find the man who killed my parents.

That's all I want.

Don't worry.

I will take the exam.

I was ordered to, anyway.

And I'll find the killer first.

Wait a minute!

See what Nobusada's divination shows! - Who was Nobusada?

Hey!

I got it! From the civil ministry!

What is Yasuie's birthday!?

Look this way, there it is!

Let's use the Twelve Heavenly Generals! Genbu is 1-st, North Star is in the center.

How exactly did Lord Yasuie die?

None of your business! Come on, get out of here, go!

Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Your kind has no business here!

But...! - Shoo!

I said shoo! Go away!

I am Sadafumi, a student.

What is it?

I want to see the handwriting of all students.

I, uh. I just…

How have you been, after that incident?

Fine.

Thanks to Seimei, the sounds stopped.

But…

What is it?

Lord Hiromasa?

Do you remember?

My time in Ise.

How I wanted to go home so badly that I cried.

Yes.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

It must have been terribly lonely for you,

serving the deities, alone, away from your parents.

Back then…

you were by my side, Lord Hiromasa,

and that gave me so much strength.

I never imagined

that even after I return to the capital,

you would still teach me the koto, like this.

But…

But?

Somehow… I still feel…

lonely.

It's like…

I'm missing something.

I feel… unfulfilled.

Lady Yoshiko.

I… would do anything, anything, for you.

Oh?

Lady Yoshiko…

You and I are first cousins, despite the age difference.

But unlike you, I am no longer part of the imperial family.

I am but a simple civil servant.

Lord Hiromasa…

But… if by some incredible stroke of luck…

no matter how impossible it may be,

if you loved...

Lord Seimei!

Uh? Seimei?

Hiromasa! I heard you were here.

I need your help.

M-mine?

Not more students from the Bureau of Onmyou!

I already told you to get lost!

Why are you following me?

Thanks to whom did they let you in, hm?

They did. So, I don't need you anymore.

Would it kill you to say thanks?

This way, gentlemen.

So this is where he fell from.

Lord Hiromasa!

How kind of you to come all the way here for my Yasuie's sake.

Ah! Uh, no problem.

My Yasuie… he would never kill himself!

Was it suicide?

All his life, nothing tormented him!

An accident, then?

I can't believe it…

He wouldn't go to the well in the middle of the night…

He did go, and he was in a big hurry.

He threw the lid aside.

He tried to get water to drink.

And then, he was pushed into the well.

What? - How?

Look. There are someone else's footprints here.

What!?

Was my Yasuie… murdered!?

So someone with a grudge against Yasuie.

Does someone come to mind?

He really was such a good boy!

He wouldn't incur anyone's grudge! He wasn't that kind of boy!

Then…

who was it!?

Who killed him?

Lord Hiromasa, please find him!

Find out who killed my Yasuie!

Uh? What?

Who, me?

I'm begging you!

Seimei?

I want to pray for Lord Yasuie's soul.

Where are his remains?

Weren't you going to pray!?

I'm on it, don't you see?

Why are you doing such a thing!?

What thing?

You're an onmyouji, just… divine it? Find the killer with fortune telling!

A divination is a spell, too.

Fortune-telling is just statistics, but the result depends on the listener.

People see and hear only what they want to see and hear.

Fine, but do you have to desecrate graves!?

You'll get cursed!

A cursed onmyouji is an oxymoron.

But you're still a student, aren't you? A simple student.

You're the one to talk. Your entire lineage got cursed by Sugawara-no Michizane.

What did you say!?

Well, a curse is a kind of spell, too.

People with a very guilty conscience just convince themselves of it.

Not that I expect your kind to understand.

Why do you treat everyone like idiots!

Why not call them as I see them?

I only see the reality, not whatever it is you want me to see.

You will never have friends with this attitude!

Even the concept of "friends" is also a spell.

People just convince themselves of it.

I will never need such a thing as friends.

Poison.

Obviously not a curse.

What?

So… he was killed twice?

First with poison,

and then in the well?

No.

The poison may have been to lure him there. Some poisons cause extreme thirst.

Lure him to the well?

But why?

Some ritual, perhaps?

Say... is the story of the flying plum tree true?

The flying plum tree?

The one in front of the palace's Shishinden that flew to Lord Michizane in Kyushu.

Ah! Telling stories about Lord Michizane is inauspicious.

What if he throws lightning on our roof, too?

It loved him that much, didn't it?

That plum tree.

If it were a human, it would be a woman, wouldn't it?

Imagine flying to be with the one you love.

Where is this coming from? Has some gentleman stirred your heart?

You're not very sharp, are you?

Just like a certain someone I know.

Is there no way?

We only have two days left!

I will never give up!

There was such a commotion at his house!

Really?

No way idiots like them have discovered anything.

What are you doing?

Seiryou-den, the home of the emperor

Wonderful!

What beautiful melody!

How well played!

Hiromasa.

Yes?

Do you know one Abe-no Seimei?

Yes?

He's a student at the Bureau of Onmyou.

I heard that he banished an entire dragon that was harassing Princess Yoshiko.

You were there too, weren't you?

Yes.

Is it true that he is the son of a fox?

It might be true.

I've never met a human as ill-mannered as him.

Ill-mannered?

Yes.

Head of the Bureau of Onmyou! What do you say?

He's not a fox! He's a human.

It's just that…

his parents were killed in front of his eyes when he was a child,

and now he's a bit broken as a human being, that's all.

He's just a simple student, nothing more.

He's not worth wasting your invaluable time and attention on him.

But… why is the Bureau of Onmyou keeping such a person?

How scary! - Really scary!

I hear he sees demons and spirits and whatnot

and turns them into his shikigami and sends them to kill those he doesn't like!

Ooh, well then,

the death of that honors student in the Bureau of Onmyou

must also be Seimei's doing!

For sure! - Oh, yes!

Such a cold man would kill in the blink of an eye, wouldn't he!

He must have killed him! - Yes, yes!

And do you remember the shonagon's curse? - It must have been his doing!

Oh, how scary!

Nonsense!

Seimei is not that kind of person.

He's a little weird, and doesn't understand people's feelings,

and he may not be very emotional,

but he wouldn't do such horrible things!

And he's not cold.

He just desperately wants to stay level-headed and look only at reality!

I see.

You also lost your father as a child and so you understand Seimei's feelings, right?

I apologize for raising my voice.

This was indeed unusual for Lord Hiromasa.

Right? - Yes!

I'm sorry.

But however that may be, Hiromasa.

I want you to deliver a letter.

A love letter?

That's right.

Am I suitable for this honor?

I think you are more suitable than anyone else.

Oh!

Thank you for your trust.

I will deliver it without fail.

Yes.

But to whom?

To Princess Yoshiko.

Eh?

Seimei.

How old are you?

I'm not asking for your birthday so I can curse you. Don't bristle like that.

27.

I am 45.

My family is not noble.

Do you know? The population of this country is 6 million.

Of these, 12,506 are civil servants.

There are 30 ranks from Senior First to Junior Lower Ninth.

The true aristocracy, from the fifth rank upwards, comprises only 150 people.

In other words, these 150 people rule this country.

Even the head of the Bureau of Onmyou, who has the highest rank here,

is Junior Fifth Rank, and the high aristocracy thinks him a shady plebeian.

He makes his living as a parasite on high aristocrats like your Minamoto-no Hiromasa.

Such is the job of an onmyouji.

And what, then, remains for us simple students, so far below him?

We don't even count as human.

But I still want to try.

To surpass the head of our Bureau.

To become the emperor's onmyouji?

That's right.

Do you know how much a commoner earns?

I want to be a civil servant for the sake of my mother, back in her village.

But for that, first I must become a honors student.

I must become a human.

I never got married, I have no children.

And I'm 45.

I don't have all that much time left.

And what do I have to do with this?

I studied the handwriting of all students here.

Here's your handwriting.

It's the same as that on the wooden doll with the curse.

You are Yasuie's killer.

Me?

That's all I have to say.

This incense will help you relax.

Thank you.

Lord Hiromasa is here to see you.

Lord Hiromasa?

Did you kill the honors student?

I didn't.

I have no reason to kill him.

He said he didn't want to become a honors student in order to hide his motive!

But in reality, you wanted his place, yes?

If that's the motive, all of you here have it.

Smartass!

Why were you in the archive?

I was researching poisons.

Poisons?

Yes, because someone poisoned Yasuie.

"Poisoned?"

How could you know that?

Because I detected it in Yasuie's corpse.

Kegare!! Abominable!!

You know because you killed him.

His handwriting here is proof.

Anyone can forge my handwriting.

Who do you claim forged it?

For example…

you, Sadafumi.

Me?

Wasn't it you who killed him?

For your career's sake. You don't have all that much time left.

You killed him, and now you want me to take the blame.

After my investigation, I found the killer.

Make me a honors student.

Lock him up while we investigate.

Take him away.

Come here.

Seimei!

Seimei!!

Princess Yoshiko was kidnapped!

Move.

Haul him up. - Alright.

Don't let him escape!

Seimei!

Hiromasa!

Ride ahead!

After him!

Catch him and you'll be a honors student!

Close the gates!

Catch Seimei!

Hiromasa!

After him!

I'll be the honors student!

So he really was the son of a fox!

After him.

What happened?

But our koto lesson is tomorrow…?

Lady Yoshiko…

Today…

I brought a letter for you.

A letter?

From you, Lord Hiromasa?

The Emperor…

already has Lady Yasuko who recently gave birth to a princess,

and Lady Nobuko who only passed away last year!

He would like you

to go live with him in the palace.

Why?

Why did you bring me this letter?

It was a personal request from the emperor.

I…

I can't possibly refuse!

Once I've read it,

I can't refuse either, don't you understand!

Why…

Why does everyone always decide everything for me?

When I was 10 and I was sent all alone to Ise…

I didn't want to go then either!

I wanted to be with my mother.

And because I was sent to Ise,

I couldn't even be by her side when she passed away!

Why did you bring me this letter, Hiromasa?

I wanted…

I wanted a letter from you, Hiromasa!

Why!?

I'm sorry.

I…

I just…

I hate you Hiromasa! I hate you!

I can't take this anymore.

I want out of here!!

Hiroma…

Lady Yoshiko!

Lady Yoshiko!

What should I have done!?

Let us find Lady Yoshiko first.

Seimei?

Where did he go!?

Did we lose him? Damn it.

Not yet. This way.

Lady Yoshiko.

Lady Yoshiko!

Didn't we pass through here before?

Hiromasa.

With this dance I curse you,

may the subconscious absorb you all,

give in to your passions and kill each other.

Why are we here?

We're looking for Seimei, remember?

And why are we looking for him in the first place?

Because Sadafumi is looking for him.

Sadafumi, huh?

Is he, really?

What do you mean?

Is he telling the truth?

And not to mention...

even if we capture Seimei,

wouldn't that mean victory for Sadafumi?

Now that you mention it, that's true.

Wouldn't we be better off without Sadafumi?

Yes…

The same thing just… occurred to me.

Hiromasa?

Hiromasa!

The place from my dream…

Let your hatred become a weapon.

You thought you could play me?

I was the one playing you.

What?

A disgusting peasant like you

can never become the top onmyouji.

Neither can a talentless hack like you.

Take that back.

You're the same!

It's mine.

The honors student post is mine!

The emperor's personal onmyouji…

will be me!

Everything will be mine.

Eeeeverything will be mine!

And nobody will take it from me!

Let the fire of hatred burn you all

Father…

Mother…

That's right.

I was the one who killed your parents.

Open your eyes!

Didn't you want to see only the reality!?

Seimei?

What's wrong?

Did you remember something sad?

Why did you play your flute?

"Why?"

I play my flute all the time.

When I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm afraid.

And when I do, my heart calms down.

And I stop caring about all the little things.

And then, all becomes well with my world.

Your flute saved me.

Thank you.

Eh?

You said "thank you"!?

You said it!!

Say it again!

The sincerity will wear off if I repeat it.

No, there's no such thing!

I'll be happy to hear it every single time.

I want you to do it often. Over and over.

More importantly, Hiromasa, we won't find Lady Yoshiko, search as we might.

Why not?

The more we look for her, the less we'll find her.

I thought this was a real place,

but it's not.

What does that mean?

We're in the subconscious.

This place is…

the world of the unconscious, deep in the collective human heart.

Huh?

Whatever you harbor in your heart manifests here, amplified.

If you give in to your passions,

this world will swallow you up and you'll never return.

How did we even get here?

We fell under a spell.

Something like a hypnosis.

When?

Most likely, back then…

Lady Yoshiko!

I…

I don't understand a thing anymore.

Then…

where is Lady Yoshiko?

How can we save her?

In the depths of their consciousness, all people are connected.

That's why you and I are here now.

We need some kind of thread, to lead us to her consciousness.

Thread?

Ryuuteki, aka "dragon flute."

Play it. Play some melody you played with Lady Yoshiko.

Lady Yoshiko?

Lady Yoshiko.

Hiromasa…

Yes?

Why did you bring me that letter, Hiromasa?

Because…

Because the emperor... - You lie!

You delivered it because you hate me!

Always, always, always, always…

everyone treats me the same!

Everyone ignores my feelings!

Everyone decides everything for me!

Everyone, always, ignores me!

Is that how much…

is that how much you detest me?

That's why you delivered it, right?

No…

it's the opposite, the exact opposite!

I loved you so much

that I couldn't say anything.

You're lying.

It's the truth.

Then you should have eloped with me!

You should have lost that letter and told me how you felt!

Lady Yoshiko…

I'm…

I'm good for nothing.

I'm a broken human being who's only happy when I play my flute.

I'm hopeless at anything but music.

I don't know if I have any future at all.

I might lose my rank and become homeless.

I couldn't care less!!

Lady Yoshiko.

If he wasn't the emperor, I might…

I might have gathered just a tiny little bit more courage, and…

I might have really run away with you, somewhere far from here.

But…

I'm convinced that…

the emperor is worthy of you.

I would have been happier with you, not the emperor!

Lady Yoshiko.

So far, how much time have you spent with the emperor?

The future may hold happiness that you don't know yet.

And…

you won't lose what has made you happy so far.

When I play my flute, I'm happy even when I'm alone.

Aren't you the same way?

Please, remember.

When you play the koto, you…

you're happy even if you're alone, aren't you?

Besides...

my love for you…

it will never change.

No matter

who you're with,

my feelings will stay the same.

Lady Yoshiko…

I…

was always…

so lonely.

I thought father and mother had abandoned me

and I always…

thought I was all alone.

But…

when I came here

I realized something.

I…

was never

alone.

Thank you.

Hiromasa.

Now I'm really…

truly…

happy.

Lady Yoshiko.

Lady Yoshiko!

Hiromasa!

Something is coming.

Hiromasa, run.

What's that thing!? What do we do!?

Shut it! I'm considering it! We must escape this world!

Seimei, do something!

You can manipulate consciousness, right!? This is the subconscious, so do something!

That's right. You're right.

Eh!?

The water element defeats the fire element. We need lots of water…

Let's go!

Run!

Seimei!

Seimei!

Hiromasa!

Hiromasa!

Hiromasa!

My hands.

My hands…

My hands!

It's all over!

It's all over! My hands…

I can't play anymore with these hands!

Hiromasa, listen to me!

You won't die.

I will not let you die.

I don't care!

If I can't play, I'm better off dead!

Hiromasa!

Believe in me.

Trust me.

I swear.

I swear you will play again.

I can't believe in you when you don't believe in anyone.

I believe in your flute.

I believe in your music.

If I believe you…

will I be able to play again?

Yes.

Do you promise?

I swear.

So believe in me.

Alright.

I believe you.

I won't forgive you this.

I'll wipe you off the face of the earth.

Everything is mine! Mine!

Everything is mine!

Everything is mine!

Everything is mine!

Mine!

Everything is mine!

Water dragon, sleeping beneath the capital!

Everything is mine!

Abe-no Masuki's son,

Abe-no Seimei commands you.

Find the source of this spell…

and crush it!

What the…!?

Impossible!

There's no such thing in the real world!

Lord Hiromasa.

We're back in our own world.

Lord Hiromasa.

Where's Seimei!?

If we are here, then he too must be alive and well.

So we're safe…

Yes.

Lady Yoshiko…

Please forgive my rudeness.

Lord Hiromasa.

There's an invisible place

where you and I

will always be connected.

I understood this while I was in that mysterious place.

Lord Hiromasa.

I have decided.

I am going to live with the emperor.

Lady Yoshiko.

Congratulations.

I finally regained my lost memories.

It was you, wasn't it?

You killed my parents.

And not only that.

You used the Doctor of Astronomy, Korekuni,

to cast a spell over the students.

You, Head of the Bureau of Onmyou.

Why?

You think I'll tell you?

I do.

People love to talk about themselves.

No matter if it's about their wins or their losses.

Then I'd tell you the same thing that Sadafumi did.

Sadafumi was 45.

I am 70.

That's the only difference.

It'll soon be two years since your enthronement.

Isn't it time to appoint your personal onmyouji?

If no one else has caught your attention,

I think that the Head of the Bureau of Onmyou here is suitable.

Head of the Bureau of Onmyou.

Yes?

If you deign to consider me suitable…

I will devote myself entirely,

body and spirit,

in service of Your Esteemed Royal Majesty.

Do you know an Abe-no Seimei?

Apparently, he exorcised a dragon from Yoshiko's home.

The Doctor of Astronomy, Korekuni, was in on it too, right?

It was laughably easy to make him an accomplice.

You want me to be…

the next Head of the Bureau of Onmyou?

He helped me so much.

He forged your handwriting on the wooden doll with the curse.

And then…

he prepared the ground by planting suggestions in the minds of the students.

Kaneshige was so certain that this was a red-hot poker,

that his belief affected his body.

This is called a suggestion. Or also known as hypnosis.

Suggestions can also be planted in the minds of entire groups of people.

Why did you drag Princess Yoshiko into this?

Unlike the other students, you're immune to my suggestions, aren't you?

So instead,

I used the power that Princess Yoshiko possesses.

This is lotus leaf incense.

It will certainly help Lady Yoshiko.

I did it because I thought that she would be a good catalyst

to take you even deeper into the subconscious world.

The divination reveals that

the outcome will be most favorable if you entrust Lord Hiromasa with the letter.

I knew you'd try to find her and so you'd follow her there.

Hiromasa!

In other words, she was the bait, sinking deeper and deeper.

You turned the students of the entire Bureau of Onmyou into kodoku ingredients.

That's right, Seimei.

That's exactly what I did.

I locked them in the crucible of the subconscious, made them fight each other,

knowing that the last one standing will be you.

And thus, your power would become mine.

Every year,

I divine the fortunes of each member of the bureau.

I do it in order to eliminate those who stand in my way.

Did you also kill my parents because of this divination?

Didn't you want to see only the reality!?

That's right.

Your father was a truly capable onmyouji.

And he stood in my way.

What do you think?

My divination skills are superb, aren't they!

If they were so great, you'd have foreseen this outcome as well.

I did.

You would destroy me.

And eventually, you would become the emperor's personal onmyouji.

But this is nothing but a divination.

If I thought the future was set in stone, I'd be the same as those fools.

There are endless chances to change the final outcome.

I haven't lost yet.

I still have a chance.

I still have a chance to become the emperor's personal onmyouji!

And it is…

now!

Do you remember it?

This is the doll you buried together with my parents.

No, it isn't.

That one has long rotted away!

I brought it back from the world of consciousness.

Turning consciousness into matter is the heart of magic.

That's impossible.

People can't do that!

They can.

At least I can.

But this is a secret from everyone.

I summon the late Right Minister, Tenman Daijizai Tenjin Sugawara-no Michizane.

Impossible!

Lord Michizane!

I give you the highest possible honor, as Head of the Bureau of Onmyou.

Don't you agree that he is the most fitting judge for you?

This is impossible!

It cannot be real!

Abe-no Masuki's son,

Abe-no Seimei commands you.

Give the Head of the Bureau of Onmyou

the most just punishment.

So you were…

the real deal…

Yes.

Unlike all of you.

What a beautiful moon.

Yes.

Seimei?

What?

I still don't quite understand.

What exactly happened there?

Where do you mean?

Well, that... Were we really in the world of consciousness?

Yes.

So… all this happened only in our minds.

In the real world, none of this happened?

That's right.

Not the dragon and not that fight?

Everything happened in our hearts.

This world remains peace personified.

Unbelievable.

To me, everything that happened in the world of the consciousness was real,

just like the fact we're here now is a reality.

Are you saying that to you, reality and truth are the same thing?

Well, yes. And to you?

But isn't this normal?

It is normal, I guess.

If you die in your heart, you die in reality, too.

The students who died in the world of consciousness were also dead in ours.

And I didn't die because...

I believed in you!

You saved me!

Not true, Hiromasa.

You saved yourself.

I did?

Reality and truth, the subjective and the objective:

when I'm with you, suddenly none of it matters.

After all, we have nothing but the moment we are experiencing now.

That's right! Now, we're drinking sake.

That's all I got.

And…

There's an invisible place

where you and I will always be connected.

Hiromasa.

You're such a good man.

Who do you think is best suited to be my personal onmyouji?

Now that they have lost their Head of the Bureau and their Doctor of Astronomy,

next in line of seniority is the Doctor of Onmyou.

I think Lord Kamo-no Tadayuki is the most suitable.

I see.

What do you say, Tadayuki?

Will you be my onmyouji?

What's wrong?

It's just…

he just very recently became a honors student, but…

I would like

to recommend Abe-no Seimei.

Seimei?

I see!

Seimei, huh?

I see…

so the fire dragon was an embodiment of envy,

and the water one - of the lake under the capital.

But, then what was Lady Yoshiko's golden dragon?

Do you want to know?

I do.

It was…

an embodiment of her love for you.

What?

Her feelings were also what made the koto strings break.

That's what was going on there.

Is that what it was.

Hiromasa.

Would you play your flute for me?

Why now?

I just realized there's nothing wrong with being in this mood, sometimes.

Translation: mizunoiro Proofreader: randomprojects