Chushinmaru Karasumori

Chushinmaru Karasumori (烏森宙心丸, Karasumori Chushinmaru) is an ancient, powerful, childlike being that was sealed in a castle under the land that bore his family name by Tokimori Hazama. He is the son of Hazama and Princess Tsukikage of the Karasumori Clan, as well as the clan's only surviving member.

Appearance
Shortly after Chushinmaru was born, his body was almost entirely hidden by the dark aura that surrounded him. Once this was suppressed, he was shown to have dark hair. As a result of Tokimori's spell, his body remains in childhood, and both his skin and hair are extremely pale.

Personality
Chushinmaru is aware of his status as the current (and final) lord of the Karasumori Clan, and often acts like a spoiled prince: demanding to be entertained, or ordering people around only seconds after meeting them. He finds Ayakashi, battles, and large displays of power to be especially interesting. Because of his centuries of isolation, Chushinmaru longs to see the world outside of his castle. He also wishes to become a good man that will bring honor to the name of Karasumori.

History
Over 400 years ago, Tokimori Hazama was called to the Karasumori Clan's castle to rid them of the Ayakashi that constantly visited them. Most important among his duties was the protection of the Emperor's daughter, Princess Tsukikage, who appeared to be the target of the Ayakashi. Tokimori discovered that the princess had summoned the Ayakashi because she was interested in them. Motivated by both Tsukikage's desire and his own arrogance, Tokimori captured a Ayakashi and ordered it to bring another each night, so as to increase his payment. But the longer Hazama "protected" the castle from Ayakashi, the more fascinated he became with Tsukikage, and they become lovers. When the Emperor discovered their relationship, he fired Hazama and threw him out of the castle. Seeking revenge, Hazama devised a plan to use a nearby Shinyuuchi to grant his unborn child, already future heir of the clan, even more power.

However, when Tsukikage's ghost appeared before Hazama and led him back to the castle, he found all of the inhabitants dead, save for his son, Chushinmaru, surrounded by an overwhelming aura of darkness. He realized that the child's power had drained the lives of the entire clan, including Tsukikage, and that only he could touch his son safely. Tsukikage's final wish before passing on was for Hazama to raise their child. Tokimori removed his son from the castle, which was soon destroyed by Ayakashi drawn to the child's power.

Tokimori tried to contain his son's power with numerous sealing charms, which suppressed the dark aura around him. However, this did not contain his power to drain lives, making it necessary to isolate him from all human contact. For a time, Chushinmaru was nursed by a lamia Ayakashi named Mio, until, tainted by his power, she flew into a rage, startling Chushinmaru to the point where he poured too much power into her and caused her to explode. Hazama never told Chushinmaru that they were father and son, claiming instead to be his servant. He also never made Chushinmaru aware of his own power, saying that the many seals Chushinmaru had to wear were because he was a noble. But as Chushinmaru grew, so did his power, and Hazama finally "stopped his time, erased his body, and tangled him up in a Kekkai," though this did not stop the growth of his power, only preventing him from aging. Hazama decided to seal his son away, and repeatedly requested the use of a forest Shinyuuchi under Lord Uro's control.

Hazama created a castle within a Shinkai, placing it underground to seal Chushinmaru away, but his power was at its limit, and the attempt was unsuccessful. Instead of ending the curse, this only localized it: Chushinmaru's power continued to draw Ayakashi to the site, and remained a source of strange happenings at Karasumori Academy, which was built directly over the castle. Hazama, having reached the limits of his power, created the false legend of Karasumori, omitting Chushinmaru's existence entirely and training several successors (including Yukimura and Sumimura ancestors) to be the land's guardians, which they have done as Kekkaishi for centuries.

Chushinmaru's immortality seems to be inherent, but his childish appearance and personality is the result of a technique used long ago by Hazama himself, which stopped the boy from aging. It was thought that Chushinmaru was so powerful that, should he be allowed to grow into an adult, he would be corrupted by his power and become evil. Additionally, Chushinmaru is a spirit reservoir owner, essentially making him immortal, and Hazama wanted to spare him from a painful existence of growing old and dying, only to be reborn in another body and repeating the process.

A Plea from Below
While Fumiya Somegi and Ito Orihara attempt to remove an enemy marking spell from Karasumori, Yoshimori hears a scream in his head that no one else seems to. As the removal grows more intense, his feelings of unease increase, and Karasumori itself begins to react, releasing visible power. Fumiya realizes that the spell is less of a marker and more of a collar, and that removing it forcibly would be disastrous. But when he tries to replace it, Karasumori's power interferes, trying to force the collar away. Yoshimori begs Karasumori to stop, and is shocked when it begins to speak to him. The voice of Karasumori reveals that it is tired of being made to stay there, and that it wants to leave. Yoshimori promises to show it a more interesting place, and Karasumori eventually agrees, withdrawing its power.

Karasumori's Young Lord
Chushinmaru's castle, which is buried under Karasumori Academy, is filled with young playmates, though a few dying or undead men also roam the corridors. Tokine, Yoshimori and Sumiko Sumimura raise the castle to retrieve the young lord, and it is Yoshimori who realizes the lord of Karasumori's true, childlike nature, and also he who discovers the lord's hiding place. Sumiko and Yoshimori convince Chushinmaru to confine himself to a black orb, so that he can be safely moved from the castle, which ceases to exist without his presence. Likewise, once Chushinmaru's orb is beyond the school's boundary, the building collapses, cut off from Karasumori's power. Sumiko and Yoshimori transport Chushinmaru's orb to a new site, taking Madaro (also in orb form) with them.

Reunion with Tokimori
The new site is an old house, where Yoshimori learns to transfer Chushinmaru's soul to a new orb, as the lord is so powerful that a single orb can only contain him for about a day. Yoshimori is also tasked with protecting Chushinmaru, because ayakashi are still drawn to his enormous power. They are joined by Tokimori Hazama and his ayakashi companion Kumon, so that Hazama can take over Yoshimori's training. Sumiko gives Yoshimori a cloth bag to wear around his neck, so that he can carry Chushinmaru's orb with him everywhere. While Hazama is away at Arashizaki Shrine, Chushinmaru emerges, despite his soul being properly transferred to a new orb. Sumiko believes it to be a phenomenon similar to Madarao's state, though Hazama is concerned it may mean they are running out of time. Chushinmaru entertains himself by roughhousing with a very reluctant Kumon. Hazama announces that the goal of Yoshimori's training is for him to master Shinkai, so that he can build a new castle for Chushinmaru.

Chushinmaru accompanies Yoshimori to Arashizaki Shrine. In order to produce a shinkai that covers the entire mountain and frees everyone it touches of the Commander's mind control, Yoshimori enters the blank state and taps into Chushinmaru's power, notably resulting in one of the times where he is clearly fatigued.

Chushinmaru innocently admits that he trusts Yoshimori will build his castle, because unlike Hazama, Yoshimori doesn't lie. Unable to stand the guilt, Yoshimori decides to be honest with Chushinmaru, and tells him that his power hurts everything around him.

A Final Home in Hakuma
Chushinmaru and Yoshimori, along with Shigemori Sumimura and Tokiko Yukimura, ride Kokuyou to Hakuma. They are reunited with Tokine. Tokiko sees "Mahora" and assumes, just as Tokine did, that it is Hakuma's god. Tokine asks "Mahora" to do something about Chushinmaru's power. "Mahora" seems insulted by the very idea of being asked to clean up a mess that humans made. Yoshimori explains that Chushinmaru's power isn't his fault, and that he isolates himself to protect others, but he really does want to be a normal child. "Mahora" replies that even if Chushinmaru's power were taken from him, he would continue to drain the lives of others, and that the only way to erase his power would be to consume him, effectively ending his life. Chushinmaru rejects this idea at once, because he is determined to become a great man that brings honor to his family name, for the sake of his parents. Yoshimori asks that Hakuma be handed over to them, and to Tokine's surprise, "Mahora" agrees to talk to the land's master, the true Mahora. Mahora emerges from Hakuma's trees, and the false Mahora identifies itself as "The Gazer" who observes the world as it changes. Shigemori and Tokiko offer to escort Mahora to a new home. Mahora seems to agree with The Gazer's suggestion to leave without protest, and is transported to Arashizaki Shrine to become its new god.

With Hakuma left to them, Yoshimori creates a massive castle for Chushinmaru, along with a sprawling town. He adds plenty of residents, including copies of virtually every person, ayakashi, and being he met during his adventures, and even a copy of himself. The black orb containing Chushinmaru's power breaks, and the power flows back into Chushinmaru. Yoshimori is concerned, but Sumiko says it's fine: Chushinmaru has no real body there, so he can live happily until he disappears. Chushinmaru is very happy and thanks Yoshimori for creating the best world ever. Sumiko successfully seals the shinkai from within, effectively ending the threat that Chushinmaru's power poses to the world. This also removes the Houin from the kekkaishi Legitimate Successors, as their duties to Chushinmaru are also at an end.

Powers & Abilities
Spirit Reservoir Owner: Chushinmaru is a rare person with access to a spirit reservoir, which essentially makes him immortal and provides him with a near unlimited amount of energy.
 * Life Consumption: Chushinmaru unwillingly drains the lives of those around him. Only Kekkaishi and certain beings have any protection from this.
 * Power Sharing: Chushinmaru can freely bestow his power on others, though too much of this can cause their bodies to explode. He has a unique rapport with Yoshimori Sumimura where this is not a concern. Instead, Yoshimori alone is capable of releasing massive amounts of Chushinmaru's power safely, with only some occasional fatigue as a side effect. This connection is based on Chushinmaru's personal preference, rather than a person's power.

Eternal Youth: Tokimori Hazama somehow erased Chushinmaru's original body, stopped the boy's time, and bound him with a kekkai, all in order to prevent Chushinmaru from aging, realizing his true power, and becoming corrupted. If Chushinmaru ever chose to take on a human form, he would begin to age again.

Yoshimori Sumimura
Chushinmaru and Yoshimori shared a special bond far beyond the usual connection that Chushinmaru established with Legitimate Successors from the surviving Kekkaishi clans. Even before Yoshimori realized that Karasumori was a person, he never feared it or considered it dangerous. Chushinmaru regularly shared his power with Ayakashi for his own entertainment, but Yoshimori was the only person to receive the same treatment, causing others (as well as Yoshimori himself) to wonder if he had merely imagined it. Several times Yoshimori appeared able to understand Karasumori on an instinctive level, and when Chushinmaru finally spoke, Yoshimori was the only person able to hear his voice. Shimano once referred to Yoshimori as the "best sympathizer" and the person who would become Karasumori's partner, someone he had been waiting over 400 years for. Indeed, no one appeared capable of understanding Chushinmaru the way Yoshimori did, and of all Chushinmaru's "servants" Yoshimori appeared to be the favorite by far.

Tokimori Hazama
In order to keep Chushinmaru from becoming corrupted by his own enormous power, Tokimori Hazama hid many aspects of the boy's true life from him, including the fact that he himself was the young lord's father. Instead, Hazama introduced himself as a devoted servant, which allowed him to remain close to his son. Chushinmaru considered Hazama his most reliable servant and was very fond of him, but had no idea that Hazama was actually his only remaining parent. Yoshimori, however, was able to guess their true relationship just by watching them.