"Yoshi, I don't think this is a good idea"
Under the nightshade, Akari trying to look around whispered to Yoshi, both of them walking in the corridor of their school. Akari cannot see anything in the darkness, there is not even a single light in the school at night. She held on to Yoshi's hand, she said she could see perfectly fine. Believing in her, Akari followed Yoshi but in the dark corridor, it is scary. Especially knowing curses are lurking around, she cannot see in the dark but Akari can sense their cursed energy.
"I'm with you, right? I'm strong. So, don't worry. There are only 6 cursed spirits here and we can exorcise them all if they are annoying"
"I only learned how to sense cursed energy and barely control it. I don't even have a shikigami with me now"
"Don't worry, even I never exorcised any curses except the one in your house"
Akari froze, forcing Yoshi to stop.
"You never exorcised curses? Why didn't you tell me!!" She yelled, momentarily losing control over cursed energy and releasing it, as soon the curses noticed Akari, they sensed Yoshi's presence beside her, causing them to run away.
"Hey! They are running away!" Yoshi sped up leaving Akari behind. Akari quickly caught up to her by following her cursed energy and stopped Yoshi.
"Yoshi, Why are you running now? They can't leave this place, right?"
Yoshi stopped running, she giggled "Ehehe~, I forgot~"
"Seriously, You act like you know it all most of the time but even you forget some things huh" Akari bickered with Yoshi.
Cursed spirits linger around their point of origin. So, even if they want to run away, at most they could run to the playground but would not leave the school premises.
"I am just curious. Grandma said she would teach me how to get a shikigami if only I bring a Grade 4 cursed spirit to her"
"And I thought my teacher was strict but how do we catch the curse without exorcising though?"
*Shriekkk!!*
"Tada~, With this, A cursed tool that works like a Pokeball. We just have to open the top of the lamp like this*Shriekl*"
Akari closed her ears with her hands hearing the shrieking noises caused by the rusted part of the lamp moving when Yoshi was opening and closing it. She can sense the shape of the object by its cursed energy flow, even if it's not visible.
"Urgh! Don't open it. It's painful to hear. Besides, why do you need me for this?"
" I want to teach you a non-innate technique created by me. Come on, there they are!"
Yoshi left the school building soon followed by Akari. On the outside, there are 6 cursed spirits all looking at the duo with fear and hostility.
Each of them looked ugly at least better than the cursed spirits, Yoshi and Akari encountered at their house. Without wasting any time, Yoshi pointed the lamp at them and opened the lid.
The cursed spirits were sucked into it leaving one on the outside.
"I forgot to ask the limit to how many curses this lamp can contain," Yoshi said out loud. Normally, Akari would have screamed but
'Her cursed energy is nothing like I ever seen. Even my teacher said the sorcerers from clans are stronger than civilian sorcerers. So, it should be fine besides it's just a Grade 4 curse'
"Okay, Akari. It's your turn to exorcise the curse"
"What? Me? "
"Yep, don't worry. Just follow me, you know what binding vows are right?"
"Yes, my teacher told me not to form one at all until I joined the jujutsu high"
"Ugh! Did you make such a binding vow?"
"Not really but I genuinely don't want to do it"
"Well, Binding vows won't work if they are forced. Okay then, this is my technique. concentrating the release of cursed energy through the fingers, kanji formed by cursed energy on your finger, and finally with the power of words 'exorcise'. You should make a binding vow that, you will release your cured energy while the Kanji is written on your finger only in this way. This will increase your output to exceptional heights as long as the symbol is on your finger"
Yoshi demonstrated the technique and instantly the cursed spirit is erased from existence.
"Wow! Is that how you exorcised the cursed spirit in our house?"
"Yes, but you have to keep it a secret. My grandma asked me not to teach it to anyone"
"Don't worry, I will keep it secret but Yoshi..You changed a lot"
"Huh? How?"
"Your vocabulary is really good. I can't even understand some words you speak but I am sure, I heard them from my parents too. At first, you barely used to speak but now, you are like a grown-up"
Yoshi proudly proclaimed "Of course, I'm an heir to my clan, I have to be better than everyone else"
They returned to Yoshi's Mansion. Kairi reprimanded Yoshi for taking Akari as it was dangerous for her but quickly dismissed the topic. The next day, after returning from school, Yoshi's lessons continued.
"Talismans and Shikigami, we will cover this topic today. First, Shikigami. The concept of shikigami is introduced in Onmyodo. They are most of the times conjured beings but, sometimes you can tame cursed spirits by scaring them and sealing them in talismans"
"Like the Ten Shadows technique of the Zenin clan?"
"That's an entirely different case. That is Zenin's clan inherited cursed technique that uses shadows to conjure and summon shikigami, only those who have inherited the Ten Shadows technique can use it. Some innate cursed techniques come with a shikigami but that's an even rarer case. What I'm teaching you is a non-innate technique any sorcerer can use."
Kairi took a talisman and channeled her cursed energy through it. A shikigami that looked like a 5-foot bull with three horns and human feet all over its body.
"In technical terms, A shikigami is a familiar incarnated by our cursed energy. Like how humans create cursed spirits by unconsciously releasing cursed energy. We consciously create it through an intermediary like a Talisman, however as you can see"
"This shikigami is so...weak" Yoshi commented. It's stronger than an average Grade 3 cursed spirit but that's it.
"Yes, That's the problem with shikigami summoning, making this technique obscure these days. The conjured shikigami are only as strong as the conjurer's cursed energy. In a combat situation, they are merely meat shields. So, Auxiliary managers or sometimes solo sorcerers conjure shikigami to scout the areas where curses are present or to test the strength of cursed spirits. Though, from even ancient days, sorcerers who do not possess enough intrinsic talent for their own innate technique summon simple shikigami"
"However, there is a way to overcome this weakness. We can make seal cursed spirits in intermediaries like Talismans or objects making them submit to us. However, from that moment, they will cease to grow in power and if left unchecked, they might even attack us. Unlike conjured shikigami, these types of shikigami are not to be trusted too much. Always treat them like a slave"
Kairi opened the lamp and extracted a cursed spirit. Placing a Talisman on the cursed spirit, she did a chant and sealed the cursed spirit inside the Talisman.
"Stronger cursed spirits will rebel as their instinct to haunt and curse humans is even stronger than these weak spirits. So, be careful if you ever want them as shikigami. Though I don't think you will use them as your innate technique is far superior "
"Grandma, Can I create one now?"
"You must, though don't be disheartened if it looks pathetic. The shikigami you can summon gets stronger in the future as your cursed energy gets stronger with cumulative negative feelings"
Yoshi channeled her cursed energy through the Talisman, imagining the first cursed spirit she encountered in her life.
A creature with elongated tentacles spouting from a red eye curiously looking around dropped to the ground from the Talisman. It stood nearly as tall as Yoshi.
"Impressive, It is better than my first time conjuring a shikigami. I think it's because of your cursed energy"
Even if the conjured shikigami wasn't exactly what she imagined a new sensation surprised Yoshi.
"Grandma, I can hear its thoughts and even see where it sees!"
Yoshi felt weird having extra sight but the extra sight is inferior to her actual sight. However, it felt good to have an extension. She didn't listen to what her grandma said, she played with the slippery tentacles of the shikigami that latched onto her hand.
"That's how you scout the surroundings. Now, release the technique. You will be learning how to make talismans now. It's a complex technique compared to shikigami summoning"
Yoshi cancelled the technique and Kairi explained about Talismans.
Talismans are paper tags that can be imbued with cursed energy and cursed techniques. They are high-utility items in sorcery that are used by sorcerers for various purposes. Even non-sorcerers can make use of them. Talismans can serve as an intermediary for shikigami, sealing material for cursed objects, or aid in constructing specialized barriers, among other uses.
"Grandma, how can non-sorcerers use them?"
"by the power of words or hand sign. They just need to say the chant/hand sign the creator of the talisman established. The technique inside the Talisman activates"
"There are different ways to create the Talismans. Like using paper, cloth even wood will suffice but paper is the most used raw material. Then, you use Kotodama and cursed energy to create the Talisman. Of course, what I'm saying is the simplified version. So, it will take a few days for you to master the process"
Yoshi understanding the mechanism of the talismans found something odd.
"Grandma, if the power of words can store techniques inside them. Then, can't we use the cursed energy to write a word and seal our technique in it and remotely activate it whenever we want?"
"Yes, it's how some cursed spirits curse humans. They mark humans and can curse them without leaving their point of origin. Sorcerers can do it too"
Kairi wrote a kanji symbol on the ground. She snapped her fingers and a glass pyramid rose from that spot.
(A.N Kenjaku uses it in S2 E 23)
"You don't have your innate cursed technique right now. So, I didn't mention it. Even if you did, I'm not sure it will be useful though. This extension technique is more like a party trick, In my opinion. Most sorcerers would rather just directly exorcise curses and get done with it"
For the next few days, Yoshi is taught how to create talismans and master the process.