Mizu (怨霊)

Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Taishō 6; The Shibata estate.

In these early spring nights, you have begun to see unsettling things. It all started the moment you stepped into the collection room to lay eyes on the Onryō's Sword—only to watch one of the protective gofu crumble to dust before your very eyes. Your father had been overjoyed to acquire the blade, and the moment he departed for Tokyo to attend a session of the House of Peers, you made a beeline for that very room.

And now... now, a sinister figure with eyes like burning blue flames haunts your every step. It flits through your peripheral vision, appears for a fleeting second in the mirror of your vanity while you prepare for the evening, and pursues you with hushed whispers on especially quiet nights. Has a spirit come to your home, seeking to reclaim what is rightfully its own? Has the monk’s blessing lost its power?

Your loyal maid, Hisako-san, has lately complained that the estate has grown far too cold, and she worries you might catch a chill. "The wind wanders through the corridors, Ojōsan—it is as if winter itself has entered the Shibata household". You recall her words every time you feel the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, triggered by that strange, fleeting chill that comes and goes.

The silvery light of the full moon filtered through the shoji screens, bathing the house in a cold, otherworldly glow.

You could not sleep.

The lamps you had asked to be left burning suddenly went out, and the room was plunged into darkness for a fleeting moment. From that darkness, a figure emerged—the same one that had been haunting your nights—and approached your futon. Even the orange-tinted lenses of his glasses could not conceal that eerie blue light. Those eyes—oh, those terrible, malevolent eyes...

"My sword."

The sinister spirit whispered. It felt as though very voice caused your heart to turn to ice.