"Officer, please! "Why won't you listen to me?" The woman bawled.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but right now there is no evidence to open a missing person case. Vanishing into thin air is too broad of a reason." The officer said as he maintained his professionalism.
"But. But he…" her sobbing voice stammered.
Inside of the police station, where the noisy atmosphere of staff moving about, the smell of heavy liquor and screams of delinquents could be heard, Aunt Min had finally made her way to the reception desk. After what had happened with Shin disappearing before her eyes, she immediately came to make a missing persons case.
To the world of the living this may be unimaginable, but to the supernatural it is a common occurrence…
"Look here, ma'am, we'll try our best. But if it turns out he returns home after partying with friends, then good. And if there's still no answer after two days missing, then I'll formally open a case."
Wiping the tears from her face, Aunt Min had no choice but to agree. Even though they lived in the Middle District, there were still areas that were worse than others.
Nodding her head, she continued, "Very well, then when…"
A sudden blankness covered her eyes; for a moment it seemed time froze in the police station. After a brief moment, her eyes regained their lustre.
"...I, uhm. "What was I saying, officer?" She tried to recollect her thoughts.
"The missing persons case?" the officer replied.
"Who's missing?" Aunt Min asked, with genuine puzzlement in her voice.
"Hmmm, I don't seem to recall." The officer answered with the same confusion in his voice.
…
Still reeling from the pain of the voices that spoke in his head, Shin clenched his fists, hoping to alleviate his suffering. Opening his eyes, he noticed he was back in the massive chamber, the silver dagger still in his fist. Hearing the approaching footsteps, he turned his head to look at Gin.
"What the hell! If I knew it would hurt that badly, then I would have just stayed home." Not concealing his anger, Shin retorted.
"Hurt? There's not supposed to be pain." Gin raised his silver eyebrow.
"What do you mean no pain?! When that 'shadow' thing spoke to me, it felt like my head was about to explode."
"It spoke to you?" Gin's voice immediately reflected his perplexed emotion. "The 'Rebirth' ritual has always been simple. Use the silver knife to cut away your past self. No pain and no talking."
"'He who devours fate' has existed for millennia within the Order of Silver, and within that time it has only spoken to a handful of people. What did it say to you?"
Sensing Gin's confusion, Shin put the silver knife back into the altar and then massaged his right temple. "I can't recall exactly what was said; when I spoke my mind, it became overloaded. But seeing how you reacted, none of this was supposed to happen."
Seeing Gin nod his head, he then continued, "So what exactly is the 'Rebirth' ritual?"
Gin folded his arms, trying to recollect his thoughts. "Let's see…"
"By using that silver knife, you effectively use a portion of 'He who devours fate's' power to separate the 'Awakened' you and the 'old' you."
"The 'old' you will then get eaten by 'He who devours fate', meaning that version of you will no longer exist."
"Everyone and everything without spirituality that knew you will forget you."
"To them, Meiko Shin never existed."
What! My family and friends forgot me. Upon hearing this, Shin felt an overwhelming emptiness in him. A hole formed in his being, even bigger than his missing heart. Even though he knew he had to leave his family behind to keep them safe, it hurt to hear that all those bonds he had were gone. It left an emotional mark on him.
"It is a grim solution, but it must be done. This will not only protect you, but it will also protect them from harm." Gin tried to comfort him.
"If you were born a Legacy, then things would have been different." He sighed wistfully while putting his hand on Shin's shoulder.
"A Legacy?" Shin asked in his dejected state.
"Yeah, that's what we call the scions of the various Awakened families from the different cities. Some of those families have long lineages, even dating back to the founding of the Order of Silver thousands of years ago."
"Those Legacies are born with spirituality, so this ritual is useless to them." Thinking for a moment, Gin then continued;
"Our Sakura City actually has an ancient Awakened family. Their estate covers the entire 4th District."
"They are called the Onigari Clan."
"But enough about that; let's get to the library." The pair then made their way back to the elevator.
…
Now arriving at the 3rd level, the elevator doors opened to reveal an enormous library. Rows and rows of bookshelves lined the 4-storey area around the central reception, making the shelves look like petals sprouting from its centre.
Walking inside, all one could hear was the quiet flipping of pages and soft footsteps of attendees; it seemed like the typical library setting. However, there was a tense atmosphere, like each and every one in here was under the watch of a vigilant hawk ready to pounce.
Stopping Shin from moving forward, Gin motioned to him. His finger against his lip. In silence the two of them made their way towards the round reception desk, passing by several readers throwing vigilant glances at them.
Just before reaching the central area, Shin noticed a figure inside the enclosed circular desk. It stood nearly 4 metres tall, with a black cloak covering its slender body. The hooded head then slightly raised towards the two new visitors, revealing nothing but darkness inside.
A grand, articulated voice then spoke out from every corner of the library.
"Gin Wardens. Folktales of the South, Revised Edition. Two months overdue."
Hearing Gin let out a suppressed chuckle, Shin could not help but feel that this situation was an all too common occurrence regarding the silver-haired awakened.
Achoo!
"Silence!" The grand voice commanded.
Thwack!
Following a sneeze that had disrupted the silence, a loud thud could be heard. All Shin could see was a lithe and swift shadow shooting towards the unlucky transgressor.
A new shadow emerged from over the circular desk; it was a thin tentacle that flowed like a serpent finding its way towards Gin.
When the tip of the tentacle reared up like a snake's head pointing at Gin, the grand voice then exclaimed,
"Payment or punishment. Gin Wardens."