[UPDATE IN PROGRESS] Onmyou-Pocketville: Fallen Dusk

Prologue

Cold, muggy air flew through a dark and dreary swamp, making the taupe-barked trees move like if they were tall, bony figures ready to grab any creature in their paths. Even though the sky was completely covered in rolling grey clouds, one could tell it was dawn; the early morning.

Not a single animal was seen scurrying amongst the grounds or even in the scraggly trees that make up the swamp. All was very quiet.

There was a clearing in the swamp, with a large lake near the centre, its waters very filthy and murky. At the shore of the lake, there was what appeared to be a ring drawn in the sand as well as an arrangement of certain grey herbs. There must've been some sort of ritual going on.

Just then, a suspicious feline yokai with a black and white splotched pelt; a long pitch black mane all unkempt and possibly with tangled, and an orange spiked collar stepped closer to the ring and gazed at the very middle of it, which would be the area where the entity would be summoned. A black bird with an absurdly long tail; a tengu grackle, flew above the feline and swooped over to witness the ritual as well. The grackle looked a lot like Krakia, except that it was a male, and that Krakia was not a grackle herself, but a tengu crow.

The cat gave a cold look at the bird. "Greetings, Yami. Are you prepared for this? We are to summon what needs to be summoned."

"Ready as I'll ever be!" squawked Yami. "Wait...why are we summoning the spirits?"

"I told you already, we're going to experiment with this dark magic first! Didn't you know that the last Friendship Ceremony failed, meaning that there's something going to arrive?" snapped Noroi. "Or do you have more of those long feathers in place of your brain?"

"Oh, right." Yami nodded.

Suddenly, a huge gale flew through the swamp, startling Yami a little. However, it didn't frighten Noroi, as she kept a determined but sinister expression. Then, the flames on each of the long stakes used in the ritual turned from a normal amber to a strong blood red, which was not natural at all unlike the sudden gale. Even the sudden colour change did not frighten Noroi at all, though Yami was a bit frazzled.

"We need to retreat immediately," said Noroi. "To the uplands we go."

"But...why?"

"To proceed to step two," replied Noroi, who gave a stern look at the long-tailed bird. "You don't want to mess up on this, do you?! Do you want karma to follow us around?!"

"No, Noroi. Why would I?"

"I told you already, you simpleton," growled the splotched cat. "Call me Noroi-sama. Don't make me get to you!"

"S-sorry, Noroi-sama." Yami nodded.

"Thank you," Noroi still kept her unamused expression, but she was indeed calm. "Now we need to get going."

"Aye aye, Noroi-sama!" squawked the parrot.

Noroi was running away from the ritual setup, from the area Onmyoujin know as the Valley of No One. Her paw pads became grimy with mud as she continued making her move. Thankfully she didn't step foot into quicksand, which was often found in the swamp. Yami flew through the strong winds as he followed.

"We need to get to the uplands!" squawked Yami.

"Do not remind me," growled Noroi.

"Sorry, Noroi-sama." Yami repeated a phrase he said earlier.

Noroi only replied to her grackle confidante with a single word. "Okay."

Both creatures ran out from the clearing and into the area with more vegetation, which made up the rest of the swamp. Within twenty seconds, they started to feel an unusual presence on their tails, but they had no choice but to ignore it and keep running. They ran so fast that the forested environment surrounding the path that they stepped upon became nothing but a grey tunnel. Before they knew it, they saw a group of scattered buildings, all in a traditional Japanese style, ahead of them.

Noroi pointed a paw in front of herself. "There's the outskirts of Onmyou-Kyou. We need to remain within the backroads so we will not get caught."

"If you say so," Yami squawked as he continued to follow Noroi into the now-cobblestone pathway of the emptier areas of the city. Not a single yokai, be it inugami, bakeneko, or any other critter, spotted them both.

——

In another dimension, in a rustic but regal retreat in Scotland called Balmoral Castle, Malorie and her grandmother Queen Lilie were playing a game of chess whilst Tia, a small inugami resembling a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, took a nap in a nearby pillow. Both had eyes of pure determination and focus.

"Remember that the Miko only moves diagonally!" Lilie says as she moves a chess piece across the board.

Malorie simply nodded in reply as she kept her eyes on all the chess pieces on her side whilst she and the Queen continued on with the game. She then looks at all the pieces she captured from Lilie.
"Are you trying to let me win?"

"Maybe," Lilie winked at her granddaughter.
After a couple minutes of progressing through the game, Malorie managed to checkmate Lilie. Then suddenly, a portal opened near where Tia napped, which leads to a magical realm. This caused Tia to wake up in alarm.

"What...was...that?"

Lilie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Indeed, Tia. It appears to be the opening of another dimension..." She lowered her voice. "And it looks very familiar..."
Tia kept her gaze on the portal. "Looks like the Magic Fountain. I think they're calling for us."
Lilie glanced at Tia, then at Malorie. "Are you sure you can handle going to this other dimension?"

"Of course," Malorie nodded. "After all, I have Tia with me. She'll protect me from any danger while we're over there in..." She turned to Tia. "What's the name of the city again?"

"Onmyou-Kyou," Tia replied.

I had visions of Onmyou... thought Lilie. And the Oath...it must be real! Good gracious!
"I'm going to ask you again, sweetheart." the Queen continued. "Are you positively sure you can handle being there?"

Once again, Malorie nodded. "Yes, Grandmama. Tia can protect me, even though she's a short little corgi."

While Malorie and Tia were about to enter the portal, they suddenly stopped. Malorie turned around.

"One more thing."

Malorie approaches Lilie and gives her a hug to show that she loves and cares about her grandmother.
"I'll be alright. Make sure Hana doesn't worry so much about me, okay?"

"Yes, my dear." the Queen replied with a soft voice.
"Come on, Mal." Tia said. "I'll get to show you my old home!"

"I'm coming," Malorie nodded.

Both Malorie and her corgi jump into the portal leading to the capital of Eastern Onmyou, and everything turned a bright white.

Queen Lilie sat back down on her chair. She shut her eyes and tilted her snout upwards a little, as she began to recite a prayer in Japanese.

"Kami-sama, Marorii o momotte kudasai..."