My Neighbor, Darkness

Emperor Sutoku's power here is utilized like a spiritual scalpel.

2024 December  ◬  34.9999139, 135.7760251
We turn off a quiet, sunlit neighborhood street. I feel before I see it. A damp, heavy shadow. Even the architecture speaks in villain tones. The shape of the roof frowns at its own shadow. Towering and ominous against the gentleness around it. Sutoku rules this dirt as an on onryō. A highly malevolent, vengeful ghost. He's feared as one of the Three Great Onryō of Japan. I'm just learning this as we arrive, but the vibe fits. Thousands have come to ask for his help in severing ties. Which he grants. But he has no moral filter, and his favourite tool is the scalpel. Definitely more to learn here, for now I tread lightly. In the center of space is a massive stone. A hairy beast crouching in the damp air. Shivering under the weight of human grief. Folklore demands a grim sequence. Write the name, crawl through a hole carved in the stone. Thousands of attached notes appear as fur in the breeze. And this is just where it starts. Your request enters the spirit world.