Tanmoku Ki/Story

Tanmoku Ki's perspective and experiences in the Spiritpact series.

## Role in Spiritpact

Tanmoku Ki is searching for something as he unknowingly drives past Keika. He comments to himself that ‘it’ must be around here somewhere.

Later he pursues a demonic girl through the neighbourhood garbage disposal site and they engage in a fight. He gains the upper hand blasting her into debris using spherical orb magic he is revealed to possess. He tells the spirit girl she’s just unlucky before calmly telling her to pass away in peace.

He turns at the sound of someone shouting and asks whose there. He see’s another person and listens to his nervous talk before telling him that he must have some skill if he can see that woman and asks who he is. He hears his name is Keika You though looking and focusing on this new arrival allows the spirit to prepare a red burst of magic that she fires past Tanmoku and he moves to intervene and stop it reaching its target of Keika by using his hand to deflect it and rescue him.

He looks at him to tell him if that magic hit the soul of an ordinary person, it would shatter. Tanmoku instructs Keika to hurry up and get out of here. He clarifies his name, and says he’ll remember it. He notices that the evil spirit managed to escape but when asked his name he shares that he is Tanmoku Ki, a Youmeishi before abruptly leaving.

Tanmoku learns of Keika’s fatal accident and is present in the hospital room where his physical body lies covered. He waits with a drink before Keika's spirit awakens to see that he has been spiritually reincarnated into his younger form and Tanmoku explains to him what has occurred. His account of events is doubted by Keika who again refers to him as 'that Korean actor' thinking he is joking. Tanmoku replies this isn't the case, that Keika’s previous body was hit by a lorry. That, and his remains are in the hospital bed before them both and asks if he wants to check to be sure so he is believed.

He and Keika oversee the live news of Keika’s physical fate and watches Keika express anger at the transportation companies and people responsible for his physical death. He watches Keika nonchalantly and thinks to himself that there are several stages a person goes through when they die. 1) They do not know, 2) they cannot accept it and he closes his eyes as Keika full of wonder moves to admire himself on TV, thrilled at seeing himself on the screen. Tanmoku then notes the third stage is getting extremely exited and that Keika is awfully early for that stage when he see’s how pleased he is at seeing himself on TV.

He replies to Keika that any reparations for his death with probably go to the traffic relief fund before calmly observing Keika’s drastic extreme reactions to this news and the implications. Tanmoku attempts to remain calm as he notes the fourth, most frightening stage is coming up, that the deceased become infinitely confused.

He walks over to Keika breathing deeply on his back and asks him if he feels better now. He helps explain to Keika that when people die they assume the version of themselves when they were most happy and kneels down as he does so. Overlooking Keika as he reminisces about his happier times, Tanmoku finds his face held by Keika in a state of daydream. Tanmoku asks if he’s still delusional even in spirit form as he places Keika’s hands on the floor.

He then reveals to Keika why he is with him, and leans closer to tell the truth that he wants Keika to become his spirit shadow. He is aware that in Keika’s former life he was able to see the shadows of people who left some spiritual retention in this world. He tells him further that his spirit side can only stay in this world for seven days and at once offers his hand to Keika saying that if he doesn’t want to disappear then he should become his spirit shadow. He is at a loss for words when Keika refuses his offer with a slap away of his hand. He watches Keika punch the window before falling through though already knows he won’t die again. He watches Keika enjoy himself flying through the air and singing to himself, before sighing.

He asks how long Keika plans to spend facing the wall like that, seeing him with hands against it with his head partially through. He watches as Keika uses his behind to help him explain his plans. Tanmoku points out there is no point being sad that he can’t do anything about his current state but does enquire what Keika means by waiting for his chance. Even he does not know a way how Keika could be resurrected, and asks what he's going to do. Upon hearing of his plan to be resurrected via a pregnant woman, he simply pulls a protesting Keika by the scruff of his coat and pushes him against a wall. Arms on either side of him he tells him in all seriousness that he's not going to be able to stay like this forever and that after seven days he will disappear and become an evil spirit and should that occur he will be punished.

His warning is ignored by Keika who suddenly freaks out and pushes into him regarding a ghost he has seen on the other side of the wall. Tanmoku finds it interesting a spirit being afraid of another spirit and sees this other one is the same evil spirit girl from before that has entered the vicinity.

He defends Keika from the blast of energy that shatters multiple windows throughout the hospital but allows him to be blown out of harms way. Tanmoku is told by the spirit girl to surrender his powers to her but responds with conjuring his own electrical orb powers asking her if she really thinks he can be defeated by someone like her. When she charges he considers her obnoxious before proceeding to attack.

He is told by her that he should be more concerned about his ‘adorable companion’ as he notices that Keika has been trapped in the air by a red fog like substance that covers him and binds his limbs. He see’s him bound with red patches appearing across Keika and Tanmoku dauntingly realises that the spirit girl intends to possess Keika and turn him into an evil spirit as well. With his head turned looking at Keika, he avoids her sudden and well aimed physical attacks as she resumes the assault on him.

He acknowledges to himself that this is bad, with this turn of events he cannot focus on anything before looking to Keika as the mist spreads ever further. He ignores the evil spirit girl as she lands to prepare an attack for the mist that holds Keika but dissipates his orb as Keika is taken too far away, out of reach before disappearing with a small flash of red.

Tanmoku stares into the sky where Keika disappears and listens to the nearby evil spirit girls demands. He remains stoic as he hears her explain that she couldn’t win if he went all out, but if he wants Keika back, give her his spiritual powers or Keika will become an evil spirit by morning. He hears her parting words as she takes her leave that he will have consigned him to oblivion by his own hand if he doesn’t carry this out and that when he has made up his mind he is to come to Mount Ura.

He does indeed make his way to the mountain, bounding through the air and landing straight in front of Keika who he finds running through the woods. He kneels down to him and asks how he escaped, and replies that the spirit girl will not be fooled so easily. He also points out that Keika's time frame has been reduced from seven says to tomorrow morning and he will be turned into an evil spirit if he stays like this. The only thing that can save him now are spirit binding rings, and Tanmoku supplies a pair of shining golden rings linked by a thin chain. He offers them to Keika and tells him to make the pact and become his spirit shadow. When Keika again resists the offer, feeling he is just getting him to work for him, Tanmoku hunches down and glares that if that’s the case and Keika does turn into an evil spirit, he will erase him from this earth.

With that method having worked, he moves to place a ring on Keika’s outstretched hand, before revealing his open palm with a glimmering red symbol on it towards his target. Tanmoku attacks with such force that a shock wave cracks apart the very earth, though his target manages to evade it. He tells ‘Keika’, in reality the evil spirit girl who had disguised herself as Keika (to gain Tanmoku’s Youmeishi power through the irreversible binding band contract) if she thought he would be so easily fooled. With what he’s had to go on, Tanmoku is aware of Keika’s personality and that he would have asked about the risks hence how he knew about the spirit’s disguise. He concedes that he underestimated her as the real Keika is revealed as a hostage suspended in the air and multiple red spirits appear all around him. He then prepares for this assault as well when the spirit girl tells him she’ll have to take his power by force.

He uses light from his fingertips to slash apart evil red spirits that dive at him, and avoids their explosive impacts on the ground by running forwards to a captured Keika. Tanmoku overcomes and evades them and manages to throw the spirit binding bands at Keika and tells him to put them on and become his spirit shadow. Though Keika doesn’t want to be used, and the spirit girl agrees pointing out the pact can’t be revoked, Tanmoku tells him the pact is the only way he can remain in this world.

Whilst talking he notices a swirling mass of red energy building in size above him and wonders when did all the spirits appear. Using his hands to weather the attack that comes impacting down upon him, he tells Keika he doesn’t need some weakling spirit who can blown away by the wind worrying about him when he is called by him. Enduring the heavy attack, Tanmoku says if Keika really doesn’t want to make the pact then do what he wants and he will punish the evil spirits on this mountain including him.

Whilst repelling the force of the spiritual energy weighing down on him, he is targeted by the spirit girl herself. With her hands inches from his face, he is alleviated of the multiple threats by Keika managing to attach the binding bands and drive them all away in a large explosion of blue light.

Tanmoku approaches the now cowering girl, rid of the corrupted spirit side and with a light blue aura emanating from him he disregards her excuses and tells her its too late to beg for forgiveness. She is the one who chose the path of corruption and that she cannot turn back. In light of her pleadings he holds her but vows to accept her unfulfilled desires and watch over the world in her place.

He tells Keika who is troubled by the purifications resemblance to an execution that she is already dead before contemplating the moon in the night sky. He tells Keika to come here and places his fingers to Keika forehead to show him her true form and that she was a serial killer in her previous life. What Keika saw earlier, her as a young girl was the person in her most innocent form.

He turns to Keika who is deep in thought to ask if he's listening, that its an important point for Keika’s work in the future before answering his phone. He then says they’re going on their first job together which involves them travelling to the airport.