Ashiya Doman — The Man Who Walked the Path of Yin and Saw the End of Light 30

1. One Born from Darkness

I was born in the darkness. The light of the capital was far away, and the shadows of the mountains were my teachers. People called me a "strange being," but to me, darkness was not something to fear, but something to learn from.

"Darkness is a mirror that reflects the light."

Yin and Yang are not about good and evil, but simply a flow. I was one who read that flow.

2. Encounter with Seimei

I went up to the capital and met Abe no Seimei. Seimei was a man who had mastered the principles of light. I was one who walked the path of the principles of yin.

Though our principles differed, our roots were the same. It was just that Seimei looked to the heavens, while I looked to the earth.

"Those who read the heavens organize the principles, while those who read the earth disrupt the principles to organize them."

I did not hate Seimei; I merely felt envy for the strength of his light. And in doing so, I came to know the depth of my own darkness.

3. The End of Arts

I learned many arts, manipulated shikigami, read the stars, and saw the shadows in people's hearts.

However, arts are merely tools. If a person's heart is in turmoil, the arts will also be in turmoil.

"The arts are the shape of the heart."

What I truly sought was not the power of the arts, but the principles of the human heart.

4. Defeat and Enlightenment

The final confrontation with Seimei. I was defeated. Yet, within that defeat, I saw the truth of the principles.

"Victory is to surpass oneself. Defeat is to know oneself."

When Seimei's light burned me, for the first time, I saw light within the darkness.

5. Thoughts on the Night of Mizunoto-Mi

As I take up my brush, the ink flows quietly. It is like darkness, and it is also like water.

I will no longer use magic. I will only draw the principles with my brush. That is my final art.

Yin and Yang are the breath of the heart.

I remember Seimei's name. He kept looking at the heavens, while I kept looking at the earth. Where those two intersect, the principles of humanity reside.

Six, Conclusion

I walked through the darkness and saw the end of the light. That is enough. Darkness, too, is a part of the light.

I lived in the Yin, and Seimei lived in the Yang. Those two things support the world.

◆ The Story of Ashiya Doman's Youth

— The Fetal Movement of Yin, a Boy Walking Through Nameless Darkness —

One, Born as a Child of Shadow

From the moment he was born, Doman was called a "child of shadow." The reason was simple. His family lived in a mountain village far from the capital's Onmyoryo, and they were a clan that practiced the "shadow arts" that people feared.

However, Doman himself knew nothing of this yet. He simply was not afraid of the darkness of night. Rather, he could feel the "presence of something" within the darkness.

The darkness does not reject me.

That was his first "art."

Two, Meeting the Master

When Doman was ten years old, an old man appeared in the mountain village. His name was Ashiya Doma. The man who would later become Doman's master.

Doma looked into Doman's eyes and said quietly,

This child does not fear the darkness. One who does not fear the darkness will not be consumed by it.

From that day on, Doman began to learn from Doma.

Three, The Beginning of the Arts

Doma did not teach Doman magic. The first thing he taught him was how to "observe."

• The flow of the wind

• The swaying of the water

• The shadows in people's hearts

• The silence of the night

• The twinkling of the stars

As Doman observed these things, he came to know that the world is made of the "breath of light and darkness."

Light inhales, and darkness exhales. In between, people live.

This became the origin of Doman's view of Yin and Yang.

Four, The First Shikigami

On the night he turned fifteen, Doman summoned a shikigami for the first time.

In the darkness, a small shadow swayed, took form, and appeared before him.

It was not a refined figure like Seimei's shikigami, but merely a "clump of shadows."

However, looking at that shadow, Doman smiled quietly.

My shikigami is the shape of my own heart.

The shadow reflected Doman's loneliness, kindness, and fear.

Five, Longing for the Capital

Gradually, Doman began to want to know the capital. The place where those who study the principles of light gather. The place where people like Seimei are raised.

Doma said,

If you go to the capital, you will be burned by the light.

Doman replied.

Even if I am burned, I want to see how far the darkness reaches.

These words determined the course of Doman's life.

6. The Determination of Youth

Doman leaves his mountain village. Not fearing the darkness, not hating the light, but simply to understand his own truth.

The light of the capital was dazzling, people's hearts were complex, the arts were profound, and there stood Seimei, a genius of light.

Doman does not yet know that this journey will lead to a battle with Seimei, and that this battle will become the lesson of his life.

However, the young Doman thought quietly to himself:

Light and darkness do not exist to fight each other. They exist to know one another.

Those words would later come to fruition in his dialogues with Seimei.

◆ The Young Doman's Shikigami Chapter

— The night when darkness took form and became a 'friend' for the first time —

1. The Night the Shadows Swayed

Around the time Doman turned fifteen, the night in the mountain village was quieter than usual. It was a night where the wind stopped, the insects fell silent, and only the darkness seemed to be breathing.

Holding an old talisman given to him by his master, Doma, Doman headed alone to the mountain shrine.

A shikigami is not something you call. It is something that appears.

Doma's words remained in his heart.

2. What Lies at the Bottom of Darkness

In front of the shrine, Doman knelt, placed the talisman down, and quietly closed his eyes.

He felt a presence slowly rising from the depths of the darkness.

It is not fear. Rather, it is closer to nostalgia.

I do not fear the darkness.

Those words became the key to summoning a shikigami.

3. The Birth of the Shikigami

The darkness trembled. A black shadow rose from the ground and began to take shape.

It was not a refined figure like Seimei's shikigami, but merely a mass of shadows.

However, the shadow was trembling. As if a newborn child were trying to take a breath.

Doman reached out his hand gently.

The shadow touched his hand.

It was cold, soft, and somehow, warm.

My shikigami is the shape of my own heart.

The shadow reflected Doman's loneliness, kindness, fear, and hope.

4. The Name of the Shadow

The shadow had no words. It simply followed behind Doman.

Doman gave the shadow a name.

Oboro (Haze)

Something that has no fixed form, yet exists there, wavering.

Oboro was Doman's first shikigami, and his first friend.

5. The Power of Oboro

Oboro had no power to fight. It could not fly through the sky like Seimei's shikigami. It could only reflect the shadows of people's hearts.

• The shadow of a liar is murky

• The shadow of one who grieves wavers

• The shadow of one who is angry is sharp

• The shadow of a kind person glows softly

Oboro possessed the power to read people's hearts.

Doman used that power to quietly resolve the villagers' troubles.

“The art of sorcery exists to save the heart.”

These words became the foundation of Doman's Onmyodo.

6. Parting with Oboro

The night before heading to the capital, Oboro stood before Doman, swaying quietly.

The light of the capital is too strong. A shadow like Oboro would be burned away by the light.

Doman touched Oboro. The shadow trembled, and then, slowly faded away.

“Oboro. I am going into the light. But your shadow will remain in my heart.”

In the end, Oboro left a small warmth in Doman's chest.

That became Doman's 'core of Yin'.

◆ Dialogue Chapter: Seimei and Doman

— At the end of Yin and Yang, the two speak quietly —

1. Reunion

On the outskirts of the capital, in the grounds of an old shrine. As the twilight light dyed the stone pavement red, Seimei walked forward quietly.

Doman was there. A former enemy. But his back no longer carried the aura of battle.

Doman turned back and smiled faintly.

Seimei-dono. It is rare for you to visit me.

In that smile, Seimei saw not the sharpness of the past, but a somewhat soft shadow.

2. Looking Back on the Battle

The two sat side by side on the veranda of the shrine. The sound of cicadas echoed in the distance.

Seimei said.

That battle... I think now that I was not striking you down, but looking at your shadow.

Doman closed his eyes.

I was the same. I did not hate your light, Seimei-dono. It was just that the strength of your light made my own darkness waver.

The two were silent for a while. That silence was a deeper dialogue than any battle.

3. If We Had Walked Together

Seimei suddenly turned to face Doman.

If... we had joined forces, how do you think Onmyodo would have turned out?

Doman laughed. That smile was not that of a loser, but of one who had attained enlightenment.

Seimei-dono. If you, who read the heavens, and I, who read the earth, had joined forces, the principles of this land would have become deeper and more beautiful.

Seimei nodded quietly.

Where heaven and earth intersect, there lies the principle of humanity. If it were with you, perhaps I could have seen it.

Doman looked up at the sky. The twilight sky was a blend of light and shadow.

But Yin and Yang flow precisely because they are divided. I walk the Yin, and you walk the Yang. That distance is what supports this land.

Seimei felt a profound truth in those words.

4. Lessons of Life

Seimei said.

By contending with you, I have come to know the limits of light. Light alone cannot save the human heart.

Doman replied.

I am the same. Darkness alone cannot see the human heart. Because you were there, Seimei-dono, I came to know my own darkness.

The two looked at each other. Their gazes were not those of enemies, but of those walking the same path.

5. Parting

As twilight turned to night, Doman stood up.

Seimei-dono. I shall walk the path of Yin. You shall walk the path of Yang. That is as it should be.

Seimei also stood up.

Even if Yin and Yang do not intersect, they are mirrors reflecting one another. Because you were there, I was able to remain Seimei.

Doman turned his back and began to walk into the darkness.

Seimei began to walk into the light.

Their paths would not cross again. Yet, their hearts had surely, for one moment, deeply intertwined.