Deep under the imperial capital, the Obsidian Chamber was packed.
The massive round table made of black volcanic glass sat at the center, surrounded by the most powerful people in the Golden Age. Gojo no Michizane lounged in his seat with his ten-year-old son Haruto on his lap. The boy's six eyes glowed faintly as he stared at the table, and his father couldn't stop showing him off.
"Look at my boy," Michizane said with a grin. "Haruto was born with the Six Eyes. Stronger than most of you at ten years old."
Zenin no Takumi slammed his fist on the table. "This is a council meeting, Michizane, not a nursery."
Michizane just laughed. "His eyes can already see things none of you can."
Kamo no Yasunori spoke up, voice cold and precise. "Two clans are gone. Higuruma first, then Sando. Both wiped out in weeks."
Fujiwara no Teika, the man who actually ran the council, leaned forward. "The Higuruma Clan executed their leader's daughter, Himiko. They said she was poisoning her father. True or not, the moment she died, something monstrous was born."
Abe no Hiroki narrowed his eyes. "It's a vengeful spirit — an onryo. Most of them are mindless, but this one kept pieces of who she was. It's made of cracked porcelain now, sitting on the Sando Clan's throne. Weak curses are gathering around it, and our scouts say it's started speaking."
Inumaki no Ren tapped the table. His translator spoke for him in a calm voice. "It rips black shards out of people's souls. One explosion triggers more shards, which trigger more explosions. It's getting stronger with every kill."
Kusakabe no Goro grunted. "The lower sorcerers have started calling it the Porcelain Onryo."
Yuki no Amaya shook her head. "This isn't a normal special grade. It was born from betrayal inside a respected clan. That kind of grudge doesn't fade."
The conversation quickly drifted into the usual mess — the growing tension between the Zenin and Gojo clans.
Zenin no Takumi leaned in, eyes hard. "Your people are getting too bold, Michizane. Your Limitless users treat the battlefield like it's theirs. My warriors train constantly and your lot still call them brutes."
Michizane smirked, still bouncing his son on his knee. "Brutes? My boy could take apart an entire Zenin squad without moving. The Six Eyes see everything — your techniques, your fear, all of it. That's why you're mad. You're scared of what you can't control."
Kamo no Yasunori cut in, voice icy. "Enough. We have our own problems. Rumors say some of our branches are experimenting with forbidden bindings. If we can't keep order between you two, how are we supposed to keep our own houses clean?"
Fujiwara no Teika raised a hand and the room quieted. "While you three argue over pride, the smaller clans on the northern borders are getting restless. They're refusing to send their young sorcerers because they think we only use them as fodder."
Abe no Hiroki nodded. "The stars show cursed energy growing unstable. More natural disasters, more curses spawning than ever. Even the capital isn't safe anymore."
The debate dragged on for a while — old grudges, smaller clans feeling used, worries about rogue sorcerers. Then young Haruto finally spoke, his voice soft but heavy.
"Father… the Porcelain Onryo is still the bigger threat. Its cursed energy feels… strange. Like it's learning faster than any spirit should."
The table went quiet.
Fujiwara no Teika looked around the room. "While we fight over old rivalries, that thing is getting stronger every day. It sits on the Sando throne and weak curses keep flocking to it. We can settle our differences later — but if we don't deal with this soon, there might not be a later."
Gojo no Michizane waved a hand lazily. "One angry porcelain doll isn't worth all this panic. The real problem is the rogue curse user they're calling the Hollow Blade. Three weeks ago he wiped out an entire Fujiwara outpost. Twenty-three sorcerers dead, bodies arranged in ritual circles. No footprints, no cursed energy trace. Our scouts can't even track him."
The room tensed immediately.
Fujiwara no Teika's face darkened. "We've lost two more scouts since then. He's phasing through barriers. If he keeps this up, he'll carve a path straight to the capital."
The argument grew louder. Some wanted to hunt the Hollow Blade first. Others said the Porcelain Onryo was the bigger threat. Plans were thrown around — observation teams, extermination squads, sharing techniques with smaller clans.
Then Haruto tugged on his father's sleeve and whispered something.
Michizane's smirk disappeared. He looked around the table and spoke quietly.
"My son says the recent surge in powerful curses — the Porcelain Onryo, the Hollow Blade, all of it — isn't random. Because he was born with the Six Eyes, the balance of cursed energy between humans and curses has tipped too far toward us. The world is pushing back. He thinks more powerful spirits are coming as the scale tries to correct itself."
The chamber went completely silent.
Every head turned toward the ten-year-old boy sitting on his father's lap.
Haruto's six eyes glowed softly. "It's not just her. More will come. Stronger ones. The Porcelain Onryo is only the first sign."
Fujiwara no Teika's face went pale. Zenin no Takumi's fist unclenched. Even Kamo no Yasunori looked unsettled.
A child had just told the most powerful people in the Heian era that the monster they feared wasn't an accident.
It was the start of something much bigger.
After a long, heavy silence, Fujiwara no Teika finally spoke.
"We cannot sit here arguing until dawn. A decision must be made tonight."
He looked around the table.
"We'll send a small observation team. Four people. One from each of the three great clans, plus one from the Abe Clan. Their only job is to watch the Sando Estate from a distance. No fighting. No approaching. Just gather information — how strong it is, how many curses are gathering, whether it's still growing."
Zenin no Takumi growled. "We're just going to let it sit there and get stronger?"
"Observation first," Teika said firmly. "If the boy is right, rushing in now will only make the next curse worse. We learn, then we strike properly."
Kamo no Yasunori nodded. "I'll send Kamo no Jiro. His blood techniques work well from range."
Gojo no Michizane smirked, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I'll send one of ours who can retreat instantly if needed."
Abe no Hiroki bowed slightly. "I'll provide an onmyoji who can track cursed energy without being noticed."
Teika exhaled slowly. "The team leaves at first light. They report back in seven days. Until then, we strengthen the borders and prepare the minor clans."
He paused, letting the weight settle.
"This meeting is adjourned."
Chairs scraped against stone as everyone stood. Tired voices murmured. Robes shifted. Weapons clinked.
Zenin no Takumi muttered under his breath as he left, "Seven days… we're giving that monster seven days to grow."
One by one they filed out until the heavy stone door groaned shut, plunging the Obsidian Chamber back into silence.
Only a single shaft of moonlight remained, cutting across the cracked black table like a cold blade.
The greatest powers of the Heian era had made their choice.
A small team would watch.
And the Porcelain Onryo would have seven more nights to grow her court in peace.