CHAPTER 6
Shinji
Shinji’s entire body was rigid, glued to the car seat, sweat trickling down his forehead and back. Each inhale seared his throat, and he snatched the water bottle, chugging it to get rid of the dryness in his mouth.
Four people whose reiryoku was extracted outside the Onmyōryō’s premises hadn’t even appeared on his list of possible supernatural causes of death.
Of course it hadn’t. That only happened in the detention center within the castle’s walls, which meant this wasn’t an Onmyōryō sanctioned extraction—the organization would’ve never left the bodies behind for the local police to find.
“Shinji?” Teruo’s voice sounded far away. “Are you all right?”
With a few slow blinks, Shinji came back to his senses and realized they were still parked at the medical center. Teruo and Keiko were staring at him in concern.
“I’m sorry,” Shinji muttered. He tugged on his tie with force until he pulled it off, throwing it on the backseat, then turned on the air con. “I’m suffocating… sorry…” he mumbled, the words coming out like he was talking with his mouth full.
“It’s okay,” Teruo said. “Keep it on as long as you need to.”
“We have to go to the crime scene.” Shinji prepared to put the car into gear, but Teruo placed a gentle hand over his and squeezed.
“Maybe I should drive,” he suggested in a soft tone.
A few more seconds passed as Shinji stared at Teruo, but barely even saw him. All he could think of was those remnants of spiritual energy clinging to the victims. They’d endured one of the most horrible deaths for supernaturals.
“Sure, yes…” Shinji climbed out and switched places with Teruo, settling onto the passenger seat.
Teruo drove them toward the main road. A stifling silence fell on them, and Keiko’s gaze pressed on Shinji from the back seat. He grabbed the water bottle again, and finished what was left, yet somehow his mouth was still a desert.
“It’s an extractor,” Shinji finally said.
Teruo glanced sideways. “Sorry?”
“The killer extracted their spiritual powers,” he explained.
“That’s how they died and that’s why they don’t have ghosts.
Supernaturals whose energy is extracted often lose their ghosts too because their souls leave along with their powers.
Those who survive—which is extremely rare—aren’t themselves anymore, and neither are their ghosts. ”
Keiko inhaled a sharp breath. “That’s terrifying. What about the scars on the victims? Are they related to the extraction? They looked like… you know…”
“Like mine?” Shinji said, flapping the fabric of his shirt to create a breeze. “No, they aren’t related to the extraction. It’s a commonly used combat technique to create a long thread of spiritual energy, similar to a whip, and attack.”
Teruo stopped at the traffic lights and he turned to Shinji, a dark shadow descending on his face. He was probably concerned about the topic since he knew very well this was what Shinji’s ex had done, back when they were still a couple.
Shinji reached for him and caressed his stubbled cheek.
“Don’t worry. I can talk about it. Besides—” Shinji pressed his lips in a thin line.
“—the scar is the least of my worries. Likely the killer’s way of pushing the victims away just enough to have time to focus since they took on four people at once.
Once the extraction started, none of them stood any chance of escape, anyway. ”
“So, have we stumbled over an Onmyōryō execution by accident?” Teruo asked.
Shinji shook his head. “They don’t do this outside the castle.”
“No exceptions?” Keiko asked.
“None that I know of. There’s something else going on here.” An icy shiver ran down Shinji’s spine. “I think this might be an extractor gone rogue.”
The lights changed and Teruo started driving. “How common is that?”
Shinji pondered, trying to remember if there were any precedents. “Never happened as far as I know. The extractors are under strict surveillance for a good reason: they have the power to take away everybody else’s power.”
“And yet here we are with an extractor roaming free and killing people,” Keiko said.
“Yeah…” Shinji breathed, adjusting the air con away from Teruo and right into his face. The coldness made his eyes watery, but it calmed his nerves.
“How sure are you it’s an extractor?” Teruo asked.
“A hundred percent,” Shinji stated, and Teruo stiffened in surprise before nodding. “Their reiryoku is unmistakable. You saw the aftermath on their lips because it leaves a greenish hue behind visible even to non-supernaturals.”
“You taught me that colors of reiryoku sometime overlap,” Keiko said. “Do extractors share energy color with anyone else? Maybe it’s not an extractor, after all.”
“The color overlaps with earth kitsune, but I assure you it was not an earth kitsune who did this. Their spiritual energy is different; lighter, unlike an extractor’s suffocating one.
Besides, shifters aren’t allowed to be extractors due to their extremely long lives.
An extractor’s contract is for life, so the Onmyōryō finds it to be a logistical nightmare to supervise shifters for so long.
Not to mention who would want to be stuck in a contract for several hundreds of years? ”
“Never mention such contracts to corporate employers,” Teruo said. “You’ll give them ideas.”
Shinji chuckled despite it all, then let out an exhausted sigh. “I really wish I was wrong. But I’m not.”
Keiko muttered unintelligible words under her breath that sounded like curses.
“These extractions kinda sound like a death penalty for supernaturals,” Teruo continued. “Is that what they are?”
“Yes. They’re reserved for any persons who have done severe crimes against both supernaturals and non-supernaturals as well as those who put the world of spirits in danger,” Shinji explained.
“Unless the criminals are killed during a field altercation, they’re usually brought to the Onmyōryō, a panel of three lay judges gather, along with one of the council members of the Onmyōryō and they read the list of accusations, then vote. ”
“Oh.” Teruo raised his brows. “So, both of Taniguchi and Ueda’s cases were voted on?”
“They did, but the proof against their crimes was indisputable, the votes were unanimously for the extraction. Overall, it’s a fast procedure.
The criminal is caught. An extraction team is prepared, usually by request issued from the one who made the arrest, and sometimes even on the same day of the arrest. The extraction team is made of two extractors—a spare in case the main extractor fails the procedure. ”
Keiko floated closer to Shinji, in between the car seats. “Does failing happen often?”
“Seldom. Extracting reiryoku is an exhausting process that necessitates a lot of focus, so the extractor can sometimes become overwhelmed, and the spare steps in. It depends on each extractor’s skill.”
Keiko nodded, her long hair swishing lightly along with her ghostly mist. Likely the situation brought out memories for her, too, since Ueda Atsuji was one of her killers.
“After everybody gathers, the criminal is brought inside the extraction room, hidden well within the Onmyōryō castle—underground and far from where the majority of supernaturals work. The councilor reads the paper listing the crimes; they ask for ‘everyone in favor of extraction’; the lay judges raise hands, and vote. The extractor then starts the process and the judges bear witness.”
“Who is this panel made up of?” Teruo inquired.
“Available supernaturals with a clean criminal record. It’s not mandatory, you can refuse to participate, but sometimes you’re forced to attend in an emergency if there’s no one else available. I was part of a voting panel too, once. I have made it my life’s mission to never do it again.”
Keiko tilted her head. “Why not?”
“Because it’s nauseating,” Shinji said in a low voice.
“The criminal is placed on a hospital-like bed. Their hands, legs, and waist are tied, but their face or mouth aren’t covered.
Then the extractor’s energy dives inside them and forcefully brings out their reiryoku.
The pressure it exerts on the body is so strong that it causes the veins to burst. Basically, what Dr. Suzuki mistook as poison is what the extractor’s reiryoku does to the body. ”
Teruo stared at him in shock. “That sounds horrifying.”
“Yes. It’s excruciatingly painful and their screams are…” Shinji’s hands shook and he clenched them against his thighs. “The panel of judges aren’t allowed to look away since we must bear witness until the end, so have to watch everything as it happens.”
He stopped, needing a moment to pull himself together.
He hadn’t been to the extraction when his ex was condemned.
He knew Ueda hadn’t survived, but refused to think about it or inquire further.
A frightening thought haunted him from time to time: What if he drew pleasure from the details?
Ueda’s death didn’t sadden him. How could it?
His ex had been his abuser. But Shinji was scared to find out that knowing intimate details of his Ueda’s execution would open a dark door inside his heart that would turn him into a monster who enjoyed the suffering Ueda went through. And then he couldn’t live with himself.
Teruo’s warm hand landed on his trembling one, and he gently caressed it before returning to the steering wheel. He’d never told Teruo any of this because he knew what his kindhearted boyfriend would say. You’re a good person, Shinji.
But he had his doubts and felt guilty for relishing Teruo’s encouraging words.
“Why not incarcerate them?” Teruo asked. “Feels extreme to do this.”
“Many years ago, for a very short while, that’s what the Onmyōryō did. They had very secure prisons. The best Onmyōji and shamans to put protective wards and seals. Despite this, a lot of criminals managed to escape.”
“How on earth?” Teruo and Keiko said at the same time.