There were not many places a king could go to be alone; not truly, at least. The bedroom, perhaps, where he would spent many nights tossing and turning, praying for answers to the questions that were left open-ended for rulers to interpret for themselves. But for Henryk, who was trailed constantly by his bodyguards or members of the press, insistent to know what he was doing and when it would be accomplished, peace felt even rarer.

He knew he was being followed, trailed a respectable distance by two of his most trusted guards, but Henryk struggled to pay the bubble of security around him little mind as he wandered through the bookshop-turned-cafe attached to the hotel, his fingers skimming the spines of the novels as he passed through the different genres, eventually turning down the aisle dedicated to Memoirs and Biographical Works. He selected a text at random, flipping through its deckled pages and scanning the blurb on the back.

“You’ve heard of this, haven’t you?” Henryk asked, turning to where he thought his guard, Andras, must have been standing. “Or was it someone else who recommended it to me?”

In a way, the situation was oddly nostalgic.

The moment that the gigantic structure appeared in the sky above, Watanuki could feel the immense negativity oozing from it; from each terrible being it brought forth onto the island. In his palms, his chest and eyes, he could feel his power back once more; coursing through his veins for the first time since that other terrible incident he had been thrown into. Though his magic had been gifted back to him, that didn’t stop this place from almost taking his life; something that the shopkeeper vowed would not happen again, no matter what darkness made its way towards him this time.

But when he saw them-- creatures that used to try and make him their meal-- there was no denying just how surprised he truly was.

With the help of his returned companion at his side, Watanuki had been fortunate to disperse quite a few of the spirits already; crushed between the jaws of Mugetsu, as teeth bore into their frames and tore them to pieces. The nine tailed fox jumped back, finding his place next to Watanuki’s side again as the shopkeeper lowered his hand; gently smoothing it over the surface of his fur.

“.. I thought that when I saw you again, our reunion would be a happier one than this,” there was a smile on the young man’s lips, but the sadness in his eyes was prominent; echoed through Mugetsu by the quiet whine he let out as his head rubbed up against Watanuki’s fingers. “Thank you for helping me. I hope we get a moment to celebrate together before you return home.”

“.. they’re coming again, Mugetsu. We must not allow them to harm anyone in this world.”

With a growl, Mugetsu once more took off in the direction of the spirits; flames shooting from his jaws as he purified each creature in his way. With the shrieks of the ayakashi filling his ears, Watanuki willed himself forward to disperse a large group with his magic-- but was stopped, abruptly, when pain suddenly pierced him from behind.

As a gasp of air left his mouth, Watanuki quickly whipped his head around; catching sight of one that latched itself onto him. Sharp teeth had sunk into his flesh, through the clothes on his back; immediately feeling the warmth of blood pool against his skin. The spirit seemed to grow in size the longer it clinged to Watanuki; weighing him down further, and further, as the shopkeeper struggled to keep himself on his feet. Though he made effort to will his magic towards the creature, more began to gather on him; overwhelming the bright light of his magic and suffocating it with all their might. 

He could barely see through their miasma, could hardly make out the form of his companion as a hand reached out towards him-- struggling to make sound with his mouth, to call him to his side.