In the late Heian period, the capital's nights shimmered with both splendor and silence.

During the day, noble carriages passed through wide roads, and the scent of silk and incense filled the streets. The sounds of discussing poetry, songs, flowers, and the moon echoed through every court. However, when the sun set, the city revealed a different face. The sound of chanting leaked through closed doors, and warding talismans were pasted in every alley. People believed that nameless things walked in the darkness.

It was said that grudges are born from the human heart, and curses spread through the blood. Ancient resentments and desires took form to wander the night streets, and there were those who stopped them. Onmyōji. Those who read the principles of heaven and the energy of the earth to repel calamity.

That year, ominous rumors began to circulate in the villages outside the capital. Well water turned black, and ripening rice withered overnight. Children muttered unknown names in their sleep, and dogs bared their teeth at something invisible.

And around that time, a young Onmyōji was descending the mountain path.

His name was Ren (蓮).

Eighteen years old. A man with long black hair and eyes that were excessively calm. He was a disciple of Sakito, a renowned Onmyōji of the time, but the world knew the rumors before his name.

Bad luck follows where he stays.

Having grown up with such words since childhood, Ren learned how not to stay near people for long. He was a man of few words and a stoic expression, but beneath that silence hid a stubbornness like an ember that wouldn't easily go out.

In his possession were forty talismans received from his master.

And on the night the red moon rose, Ren stepped into the shadows of the capital for the first time.

...