When Seiho let go of him a chill ran down his spine at the sudden loss of warmth.
“Shall we get under the duvet?” Seiho proposed. “I can tell you my story, if you’re interested to hear it.”
“I’d like that.”
Nagisa settled on thefuton, dragging the duvet over him as Seiho made sure the sunken hearth continued to burn. Then he lay down, rolling on his side and caressing Nagisa’s cheek with his thumb.
“I haven’t spoken about this with anyone. It’s been so long, that I… my memories are…”
“Take your time. I’m not in a hurry.”
Seiho nodded and chewed on his lip. “I was born a long time ago—perhaps hundreds of years. I lost count, to be honest. I had inclinations toward the supernatural since I was very young. I could see and speak to spirits, and I could cast spells to keep malevolent ghosts at bay. So I started serving at the court of the jikininki—back then he was a small lord in this area.”
“Was the castle right here on Mount Osore?”
“No, it was in a village nearby. I placed it here. I’ll get to why in a bit.” He stared up at the wall behind Nagisa for a second, then drew in a breath and continued, “I was only fourteen, with no family and I became part of his household and lived under his roof.” He made a circle in the air with his finger. “This is my room exactly how it was many years ago.”
“How come it’s not ruined like the rest of the castle?”
“There are protection spells on the wall and thanks to them, the jikininki’s curse can’t reach this area.”
Nagisa’s eyes widened. “That’s why the lanterns’ light isn’t visible from the hallway.”
Seiho nodded and continued, “My job was to keep evil spirits away from the lord’s house. I’d put out protection spells and I’d be on the lookout for any ghosts that caused problems in the village.”
“Was that a usual thing back then? I’ve never seen any ghosts in my life—besides the jikininki.”
Seiho scratched his chin, contemplating. “I think you don’t have the gift of seeing them. You can see the jikininki because he’s more monster than a plain ghost. And because old ghosts are sometimes visible even to those without the gift of seeing—though it’s a very rare occurrence.”
“Oh, makes sense. How was the lord, during his time as a human?”
“The lord was a sadistic and vengeful man,” Seiho continued, laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. “He thought everyone was out to get him and frequently got into conflicts with the villagers and even with other lords of the area. He had this sick habit of collecting the bones of his enemies after their bodies decomposed and keeping them in the back yard.”
“That’s disgusting.” Nagisa exclaimed.
“The villagers started calling his house Hone-jo—Bone Castle.”
Nagisa shivered pulling the duvet higher over him.
“Did the lord ever do something bad to you?”
“Not at first. The lord always watched me from the shadows, but I thought he was just supervising. Only when I turned nineteen I realized he was in love with me. He showed me all the pictures he painted and asked me to be his lover.”
“Did you accept?”
Seiho shook his head. “No. I didn’t feel anything for him and I already had a lover. We both had powers and he was serving another lord, so whenever we were free we’d learn together or hide and have fun.” He smiled and Nagisa grinned, too.
“He was your first boyfriend, wasn’t he?”
“My first and only one,” Seiho answered, the joy disappearing once more. “The lord didn’t like him and out of jealousy, he forbade him from seeing me. Of course, that didn’t stop us and I still sneaked out. One night, the lord sent his men after me. They dragged me back to his house and he locked me inside, trying to force himself onto me.”
“Did he—”
“No. My lover tore apart the doors, grabbed me, and told me to run away to our secret hideout. I trusted him, so I ran and he stayed behind. When he returned he told me he killed the lord, but that something wasn’t right…”
Nagisa frowned. “He became a ghost, didn’t he?”
“Yes,” Seiho answered. “The entire castle and yard lay in ruin and the curse of the jikininki spread like a plague, destroying all the green grass around it. The monster itself came out of the castle and lashed right at us. We fought it and we tried to force it to cross over to the other side through one of the gates, but it didn’t work. My lover got injured in the fight and in a moment of panic, I placed a new spell over the castle, trapping myself inside with the monster. Then I moved the Castle of Bones and its lord on Mount Osore, through the veil and into the world of spirits.”