Supernatural Investigation 101: Chronicles Of Nakashima Wakana

A pungent scent assaults her nose. On closer look, she realizes that his skin has little cracks. The rims of his eyes are bloody red. She wrinkles her nose, pursing her lips. Did he ever hear of mouth wash? She shifts her face away from him. "Um… I am not an interesting person." 

"I don't believe that." Matsuda Yuji raises her chin. The disgust in her eyes is amusing and thrilling to him at the same time. He's been moving from one body to another body for a long time. However, everything comes with a price. 

He doesn't even remember his birth name. His gifts have grown powerful; however, he's sensing that something is wrong with him. He leans closer until he's only a few centimetres away from her skin. Taking a whiff of her scent, he mumbles to her, "Nakashima Wakana, what is it about you? If your scent is this alluring, I can't help but wonder about the taste of your soul."

A soul eater? She widens her eyes. Why does she keep meeting creatures like him? There's been no rest since she went to the bas.e.m.e.nt. "Are you going to eat my soul?"

"No." Not yet. He takes a step away from her. "Nakashima Wakana, I don't plan to hurt you yet." Eating souls is rather harmful to him. Should he take over her body? Till now, he had always possessed males. 

Wakana squints her eyes, not believing him. "Then, why did you bring me here? You told me about your plans for my sister. I don't believe that you brought me here only because you were interested in me."

He doesn't make any effort to charm her. Making her bend in front of him won't take long. 

"To be honest, your ability to see ghosts or demons is not rare in the hidden world. I have seen many humans with such gifts. But I have never seen anyone who smells and shines like you. There's something about you that stands out. When you called me to you, I went to you before I realized what I was doing. Do you know what it means?"

Judging by her confused expression, he deduces that she's not aware of it. Finding out about one's gifts takes time for some people. Didn't it take several lifetimes to find out about this space? Matsuda Yuji continues, "You can summon a soul to you, Nakashima Wakana. It reminds me of soul summoners I met years ago. They were quite a bother. There was this particular summoner who kept calling me to do his bidding. He used me to kill an emperor and take over the throne. I don't remember the name."

Just how old he is? Nevermind! Wakana purses her lips. She doesn't want more abilities. 

"That man knew my real name." Matsuda Yuji crosses his arms and c.o.c.ks his head, studying her with his dark eyes. "I don't remember my real name because of him. He's already dead."

An ominous feeling fills her. Does she have a weapon? She presses her palms on her pockets. There are her phone and wallet. Why did she not keep a pocket knife? Then, the pocket knife might be useless against him. If she fights him, what are her chances of survival? 

If something happens to him, how would she get out of this freaky place?

"You are not a soul summoner. They went extinct a long time ago. Actually, he was the last of his kind." Matsuda Yuji contemplates, "You can't be. For inexplicable reasons, gifts and magical abilities can't coexist inside human bodies. Gifted humans can't cultivate either, but we can carry our gifts even after our deaths. Just like, I still have it. Gifts are soul-based while magic and cultivation abilities depend on physical aspects."

Wakana isn't listening to his blabberings. She's discreetly looking around to find an escape. Since there's no escape, only this man can take her out of this place. 

Her eye movements aren't unnoticed by him, but he can't care less about it. Matsuda Yuji chortles, clasping his hands behind him. "So, you must show me your uses if you don't want me to kill you."

"M-My uses?" Wakana stutters. "I can only see ghosts and invite ghosts. I don't have any other ability. I mean it. I am pretty useless."

"Do you know that it gives me a good reason to kill you right now?" Matsuda Yuji gives a look over. He smirks at her. "After having some fun with you."

Not again! She curses her luck in her mind. She blurts out, "My abilities aren't awakened yet."

Matsuda Yuji blinks his eyes. How is she able to summon him when her abilities aren't awakened yet? She doesn't even know his real name, but she was able to summon him over a call. His rank is certainly higher than hers. How did she summon him without his birth name? Was it the intent? "His name is Sen Yorihiro."

"Who?" She wrinkles her brows. 

"The man who made me forget my birth name," He replies in a beat. "Summon him here."

"You want me to invite him?" She questions him.

"Don't test my patience." He lets out an exasperated sigh. Does he have to tell her everything? She's dumber than Nakashima Sayuri. But simple women have their own charms. "Invite Sen Yorihiro here. If you don't do it, I will kill you with p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e."

Wakana doesn't say a word to him. He seems crazy enough. Maybe Sen Yorihiro can help her leave this place. If a ghost and a human can come here... Can she invite a human? She closes her eyes and whispers, "Sen Yorihiro, please come to me."

When nothing happens, she mumbles it a few times. However, no ghost appears in the white space. 

"He must have been reborn." Matsuda Yuji grumbles, "Or is it not working because you are here? That's not true. He could summon souls in this place too."

"Erm… I am not a soul summoner." Wakana points out, "In addition to that when I invited you, you were on a call with me. I am sure that it only works if the ghost can hear my voice."

That is not the case. Her abilities are faint and yet, she's been able to pull him out of his space. A lower-ranked gift can do some damage to a higher-ranked gift, but it can't control the other in this way. Her voice does work whether the soul is in this dimension or not. 

He looks into her amber eyes, wondering about her abilities. Finding Sen Yorihiro is important to him. "A soul summoning gift… Can you summon a soul out of a living person if your gifts are awakened?"

He couldn't be thinking of that. Wakana fists her hands. She doesn't want her abilities to be awakened like that. She won't be able to touch anyone. "No, I think that I wasn't trying hard. I can try calling Sen Yorihiro again. Tell me more about him."

Is someone even looking for her? Surely, Sei and her sisters would look for her. But they can't find her in this alternate space. 

Choi Minho?

No, she doesn't want to think about him.

"Fine." Matsuda Yuji steps back, making some space between him and her. She's clearly anxious around him. "It was around four hundred years ago. He was the last soul summoner. I don't know much about him, but he hated the royal family. He had never married. He died after the royal bloodline ended by my hands. Before he died, he didn't forget to command me to forget my birth name." 

He gnashes his teeth. His dark eyes narrow coldly. "If I find him, I will make him forget about his entire existence."

Four hundred years is a long time to hold a grudge. But he's a parasite. He kicks out other souls and takes over the bodies. "Is knowing your name important?"

"How could it not be important?" He barks at her. "Can't you sense the state of my soul? He did something to me. I can't stay inside a person for a long time. The body becomes sick or rots. Though my gifts are becoming stronger, my soul is on the verge of collapse. If I die, I will receive a permanent death."

Is that bad? Permanent death sounds good to her. In fact, she prefers that he does a gruesome death. "So, finding your name can help you?"

"I will be able to enter the reincarnation cycle." His eyes twinkle with delight. "I will be reborn with my memories and gifts. My soul will heal. Then, I can switch easily." All he has to do is avoid the reapers. That won't be hard.