#Episode 4: Twin Eyes of Fate
#Scent -- Abandoned Temple Under the Red Moon
The moon was red. Moonlight poured through the broken roof of the old temple, staining the floorboards the color of blood. Red light leaked in through every cracked tile. Whenever the wind blew, the smell of rotten wood rose from deeper inside the temple. And beneath it -- something unseen was present.
Shion stood at the end of the corridor, holding her breath. Purple eyes pierced the darkness. A color no human eyes should have. At night, her nails grew longer, wounds healed far too quickly, and she saw what people could not see. Tonight was worse. Under the red moon, the other thing in her blood reacted more strongly.
Heavy breathing came from inside the main hall. It was not an animal. Something more alien -- a presence like several beasts mixed together. The sharpness of a monkey, the coldness of a snake, and the heavy musk of a tanuki tangled into one scent. Shion's blood told her what it was. The other thing within her sensed that presence.
"Three beasts' energies are mixed together."
Seika's voice came from behind her. Abe Seika. An onmyoji. Talismans hung over her white ritual robes, and she held nothing in her hands. She was someone who did not need a weapon.
"One in the main hall. And from the stone chamber beneath the main hall -- Spirit Realm energy is leaking out."
Shion nodded. The stone chamber. That was why this temple had been abandoned. A place where the boundary between the Spirit Realm and the human world had grown thin. A rift. The thing that crawled out of that rift had nested in the main hall.
Seika drew out a talisman and tossed it into the air. The talisman spun, light condensed around it, and a paper doll appeared. A shikigami. When Seika's fingers traced a seal, the shikigami flew deeper into the temple. It was scouting.
After a short while, the shikigami returned. Seika's eyes closed for a moment -- the instant she received what the shikigami had seen.
"It is crouched in the middle of the main hall. Its tail is a snake, and its forelegs are a monkey's. Its size is -- larger than a horse."
Shion took hold of her kodachi's hilt. A short blade. A hanyo's blade. She did not use a long sword. A long sword demanded large movements, and large movements made it too easy to wake the other thing inside her.
"I'll enter the main hall from the front," Shion said. "Seika, please support me from here with your shikigami."
Seika looked at Shion's back. It was a small back. Fifteen, perhaps sixteen. A build like a human child. But the aura rising from that back was not human. Seika was not afraid of it. An onmyoji is someone who understands what cannot be seen. To fear it is the opposite.
"I am going with you," Seika said.
Shion turned back. Purple eyes looked at Seika.
"It is dangerous for an onmyoji to stand in front."
"I am not standing in front. I am standing beside you."
Shion was silent for a moment. Then she gave a small smile. It was a child's smile.
Shion pushed open the main hall door. Old wood creaked. Moonlight poured through the collapsed roof and lit the inside of the hall.
It was there. In the middle of the main hall. The crouched form unfolded. A monkey's forelegs, a snake's tail, a tanuki's torso. Three beasts tangled into one being. Golden eyes looked at Shion. Its cry shook the temple -- a sound like bird, beast, and snake all crying at once.
Shion drew her kodachi. The blade caught the moonlight and flashed once.
The other thing within her began to wake. Her blood boiled. Her nails lengthened. Gold spread through her purple eyes. It was always like this when an enemy stood before her. Her instincts wanted to fight. Not human will -- the other thing in her blood.
Shion clenched her teeth and leapt in.
The kodachi split the darkness. Its point aimed for the creature's foreleg. The monkey claws scraped the floor as it dodged. Fast. It twisted aside just before Shion's blade reached it -- not a beast's instinct, but a warrior's reaction. This was not a lesser yoma.
Shion did not stop. She turned the blade back and cut again. This time, the point reached -- it grazed the edge of a foreleg. Blood sprayed. At that moment, Shion's eyes turned completely gold. The instant she saw enemy blood, the other thing within her howled. Joy. The joy of battle. An emotion that was not human.
Shion stopped walking. She steadied her breath and forced the gold down. It took three breaths before her eyes returned to purple.
I am human.
She gripped the kodachi again. She was not trembling.
Then the snake tail came from the side. What Shion saw was the mouth at the tip of the tail -- a snake head with venom fangs spread wide. Venom dripped from it. She could have dodged. Her instincts reacted. She raised the kodachi and blocked the tail -- the snake's teeth struck the blade, scattering sparks.
But the moment she blocked, the monkey claws came down from the front. A simultaneous attack from both sides. Shion tried to turn aside and avoid the claws -- but she was one step late.
Seika's shikigami slipped between Shion and the claws. The paper doll took the claws in her place. A tearing sound. The shikigami scattered into a handful of paper scraps.
"Now!"
Shion reacted to Seika's voice. In the instant the shikigami blocked the claws -- Shion's kodachi drove into the creature's flank. Deep. A strike made with purple eyes, not gold -- with human will.
It roared. A cry of pain. It twisted and threw Shion away. Shion rolled across the floor and hit the wall. She did not let go of the kodachi.
Seika threw a talisman and summoned a second shikigami. The shikigami circled around the creature's head and drew its attention. It swung claws at the shikigami -- cutting through empty air. The paper doll slipped away lightly, as if it had no substance.
In that gap, Shion stood. And ran again.
The kodachi shone. No -- both of Shion's eyes shone the same color. Neither purple nor gold, but a light mixed from both. The hand holding the blade did not tremble. Not fear, not joy, but quiet focus. The instant human will and yoma power pointed in the same direction.
The kodachi aimed between the creature's neck and torso. On exactly the same path, at exactly the same angle -- as if the world were converging on a single point. Just before the point touched, time seemed to stop. What Shion saw and what Seika saw were the same -- the two of them saw the same thing. The instant fate crossed.
The blade sank in. Deep. The creature's cry broke off. It collapsed onto the floor. The snake tail twitched once -- and stopped.
Shion sank to one knee. Bracing herself with the blade, she gasped for breath. Her nails were shortening. Her eyes had returned to purple. The other thing within her was growing quiet. It had not fallen asleep. It had withdrawn. Shion had made it withdraw.
Seika sat beside Shion. She drew out a talisman and placed it on Shion's shoulder. Warm energy seeped in.
"Did you see it?" Shion asked.
"Yes." Seika nodded. "I saw the same thing."
Shion looked down at her hand. A human hand. Small and covered with wounds, but a human hand.
"I -- wanted to use it again. When I cut the enemy. When I saw blood. It felt as if that power was calling me."
Seika took Shion's hand. It was cold. Seika's hand was warm.
"You were able to stop," Seika said. "Three times. You stopped three times. Each time you wanted to use it, you breathed and came back."
Tears spread in Shion's eyes. Moonlight lit them. The red moon seemed to have grown a little brighter.
"Will I be able to come back next time too?"
"Come back," Seika said with a smile. "Because I will be here."
The red moon shone over the temple. Beneath it, a hanyo girl and an onmyoji woman sat side by side. The rift below the stone chamber had not yet closed -- but this night was over.
#Law -- Session Actual Play
Kuro (GM) / Hana (Shion) / Mei (Seika)
Kuro: Episode 4. This episode's core is doubles, Fate Intervention, and Three Ways and Six Hearts. Until now, we handled basic combat rules, but this time we handle rules that intervene in the dice's fate itself. Let's start with the battlefield.
[Battlefield Zones]
Front Zone: temple main hall (nue waiting)
Core Zone: stone chamber under the main hall (Spirit Realm rift)
Flank Zone: corridorKuro: The Core Zone rift has no gimmick this time. We will handle it in earnest in Episode 13. Let's see the character sheets.
[Allies]
Shion (hanyo 1st dan): Fate +1, Courage +1, Finesse +2, Energy 12, Wounds 3.
Yoma Blood: during lull, Wounds +1 regeneration, yoma detection, Core Zone free.
Cost: squad Cohesion -1 (not applied because this scenario has no squad).
Kodachi: Continuous Slash 1 Energy, Slip Inside 1 Energy(Defense -3).
Seika (onmyoji 1st dan): Wisdom +2, Presence +1, Fate +0, Energy 10, Wounds 2(3+Physique-1).
Shikigami Service: 1 shikigami, Wounds 1, Defense 12. Wisdom +2, so summon 2 times per combat.
Talisman (not a weapon).
[Enemy]
Nue (Elite, Wounds 4): Defense 14, Energy 10, Courage +2, Finesse +1, Physique +3.
Poison Tail(1 Energy, 1 Wound+poison), Composite Claws(3 Energy, 2 Wounds, 1 time per breath),
Chimera Defense(reservation 2/improvised 3, snake-tail counter+poison).
Roar: during lull, all zones' squad Cohesion -1.Mei: If Seika has Wounds 2, two hits end her.
Kuro: Right. Onmyoji is a class that must never go to the front. Let's look at Fate Intervention.
[Fate Intervention]
- Immediately after rolling 2d10, adjust the value of one d10 by +-1.
- Uses per combat: as many times as the Fate modifier, minimum 1 time.
- Shion: Fate +1 → 1 time/combat.
- Seika: Fate +0 → 1 time/combat.
- Keep d10 range 1~10. Use only on your own roll.Hana: Fate +1 means exactly 1 time per combat. Expensive.
Kuro: Precious. Let's also confirm the double rules.
[Double]
- In 2d10, both dice showing the same face = double. Chance 10%.
- Double + check success = Critical Hit. Reduce 2 Wounds or apply a special effect.
- Double + check failure = Fumble. Defenseless, weapon breakage, etc.
- 10-10(total 20) + success = Heavenly Mandate. d100 decisive moment table.
- 1-1(total 2) + failure = Karmic Retribution. d100 fatal mistake table.Mei: What happens if a shikigami fumbles?
Kuro: A shikigami is the summoner's double. If it fumbles, the backlash flows back and attacks the summoner. It is rare, but dramatic when it happens.
Hana: Summarize the Three Ways and Six Hearts shift trigger too.
Kuro: The hanyo's Three Ways and Six Hearts:
[Three Ways and Six Hearts — Shion]
Current: 眞 (bright heart of the Way of Mystery). "The will to become one with the world."
Danger: 魔 (dark heart of the Way of Mystery). "Follow instinct."
Truth→Demon shift trigger:
"When you voluntarily use a yoma technique/power."
Accumulate 3 times → GM may propose Heart Shift(心轉).
Accumulation check this combat:
□ 1st use of yoma power
□ 2nd use of yoma power
□ 3rd use of yoma power → GM proposal possibleMei: Does Fate Intervention count in the accumulation?
Kuro: No. Fate Intervention is the Fate attribute, not yoma power. Accumulation checks are things like half-transformation, active use of Yoma Blood, or RP where you do not resist joy during a Critical Hit. At 1st dan, it is RP-based.
Hana: Let's start the round.
Kuro: Count order.
Shion: Energy 12 (Finesse +2)
Nue: Energy 10 (Finesse +1)
Seika: Energy 10 (Finesse +0, tied allies act first)Kuro: Count 12. Shion.
Hana: Walk 2 Energy. Move from Flank Zone(corridor) to Front Zone(main hall). Kodachi Continuous Slash, 1 Energy. At the nue. Energy 12 → 9.
Kuro: Check. 2d10 + Courage(+1) >= Defense 14.
Hana: 2d10... 4, 4. Total 8.
Kuro: 4-4. That's a double!
Hana: Add +1 for total 9. Misses Defense 14. Double + failure = Fumble!
Kuro: Fumble. Inflict Defenseless -- if you get hit next, damage +1 Wound. If it is Composite Claws, 2+1 = 3 Wounds. Shion has Wounds 3, so that is instant death.
Hana: I use Fate Intervention. Turn the 4 into a 5. 4-5. Break the double and avoid the Fumble. Still a miss, though.
Kuro: Fate Intervention used 1 time. Since you only have 1 time per combat, that is it. From now on, you have to accept every die as it falls.
Hana: That was costly... but it avoided instant death.
Kuro: Shion, additional action?
Hana: Continuous Slash one more time. 1 Energy. Energy 9 → 8. 2d10... 7, 9 = 16. +1 = 17. Hit!
Kuro: 17 is a solid hit. Kodachi deals 1 Wound. Nue Wounds 4 → 3.
Hana: Reserve Cross Defense, 1 Energy. Energy 8 → 7.
Kuro: Count 10. Nue. Composite Claws. 2d10 + Physique(+3) = 16. Hit!
Hana: Cross Defense activates! Reserved 0 Energy. 2d10... 14. +2 = 16. Just succeeds!
Kuro: Barely blocked. Nue's second action -- Poison Tail. 2d10 + Courage(+2) = 14. Hit!
Hana: The reservation is spent, so impromptu defense. 2 Energy. Energy 7 → 5. 2d10... 8. +2 = 10. Failure.
Kuro: Poison Tail hits. 1 Wound + poison(1 Wound each lull, Physique>=13 to remove). Shion Wounds 3 → 2.
Hana: And poison too.
Mei: Seika action. Shikigami Service, 2 Energy. Place it between Shion and the nue. Energy 10 → 8. "Now!"
Kuro: Count 8. Shion's second breath.
Hana: Slip Inside, 1 Energy. From Defense 14, -3 = target 11. Energy 5 → 4.
Hana: 2d10... 7, 7. Total 14. Double!
Kuro: 7-7! Another double! This time?
Hana: 14+1 = 15 >= 11. Great success. Double + success = Critical Hit! The kodachi pierces the nue's opening!
Kuro: Critical Hit! 2 Wounds. Nue Wounds 3 → 1! The double that was a Fumble earlier is now a Critical Hit.
Kuro: Three Ways and Six Hearts check here. Shion, what did you feel at the moment of the Critical Hit?
Hana: ...Yoma joy. The pleasure of piercing an enemy. Her eyes turned gold.
Kuro: Check 1st accumulation. Still not dangerous. Shion, additional action?
Hana: Continuous Slash, 1 Energy. Energy 4 → 3. 2d10... 5, 8 = 13. +1 = 14 >= 14. Hit! 1 Wound. Nue Wounds 1 → 0!
Kuro: Nue Wounds 0 -- defeated! Composite beings do not revive. Confirmed!
Hana: Shion has Energy 3 remaining, Wounds 2. Poisoned. That was close.
[End of Combat Summary]
- Nue defeated (Shion Critical Hit + additional attack).
- Shion: remaining Energy 3, Wounds 2. Has poison(remove at lull? → Physique>=13 required).
Shion Physique +0. 2d10+0 >= 13... 2d10 = 10. Failure. Poison persists.
Lull Wounds +1(Yoma Blood): Wounds 2 → 3. Poison -1 Wound: 3 → 2.
Result: Wounds 2.
- Seika: remaining Energy 8, Wounds 2. 1 shikigami remains.
- Shikigami: Wounds 1 (unused).Mei: Regeneration and poison cancel out.
Kuro: Right. Regeneration +1, poison -1. No net change. Let's summarize Three Ways and Six Hearts.
[Three Ways and Six Hearts Accumulation]
□ 1st time: yoma joy during Critical Hit (RP)
□ 2nd time: none (consciously suppressed -- in the Scent part, "stopped three times")
□ 3rd time: not reached
→ Accumulation 1 time. Shift proposal impossible. Shion maintains 眞.Kuro: Because Hana did suppression RP every time, the accumulation stayed at 1 time. If she had done RP of "letting the power loose" 3 times, the GM could have proposed a shift to 魔. And using Fate Intervention 1 time to avoid the Fumble was the combat's branching point. Without it, Shion would have died instantly to Defenseless Composite Claws.
Mei: The shikigami only took a hit once and drew attention once, but without that, Shion could not have won alone.
Kuro: That is both the limit and value of a 1st-dan onmyoji. There is no direct attack, but without that "everything," the party does not function.
Kuro: Rule summary.
[Episode 4 Confirmed Rules]
1. Double (10%): both d10 show the same face. Success→Critical Hit(2 Wounds), failure→Fumble(Defenseless, etc.).
2. Fate Intervention: one d10 +-1. Uses per combat equal to Fate modifier, minimum 1 time. Own rolls only.
3. Fate Intervention uses: cancel Fumble(double→non-double), adjust hit, induce Critical Hit.
4. Three Ways and Six Hearts shift: using yoma power and similar RP accumulates 3 times → GM may propose shift.
5. Three Ways and Six Hearts is not automatic: 3 times is the threshold. Narrative persuasiveness required.
6. Shikigami Service: 2 Energy. Uses per combat equal to Wisdom modifier, minimum 1 time. Takes hits instead, Domination +1.
7. Shikigami Fumble: shikigami-related double+failure → shikigami backlash(summoner damage).
8. Nue: Poison Tail(1 Wound+poison)+Composite Claws(2 Wounds)+Chimera Defense. Composite being.
9. Hanyo Yoma Blood: during lull, Wounds +1, yoma detection, Core Zone free. Cost Cohesion -1.
10. Poison: 1 Wound each lull. Physique>=13 to remove.Hana: I did not expect 1 Fate Intervention to be that heavy.
Kuro: That is the design intent. It is not "luck"; it is "decision." For reference, Seika also has Fate +0, but the minimum guarantee gives her 1 time. She simply had no timing to use it this time.
Mei: I'll use it in Episode 13. I'll remember.
Kuro: Shion and Seika next appear in Episode 13, the Gate of the Spirit Realm. Three Ways and Six Hearts deepens there. That's it for today.
"They saw the same thing. When two eyes shone on the same moment -- fate splits, or becomes one."