Necromancer

Necromancer (邪霊師, jareishi) is a term introduced in Fatal Frame: Shadow Priestess.

Background

In general, necromancers are people who can sense the suffering of the dead, and are cursed to take it on themselves. Contacting the dead through channels like ouija boards is one practice that makes one vulnerable to possible possession by evil spirits. It is also common for necromancers to have had traumatic experiences early in life, such as witnessing the suicide or violent death of a loved one. Already susceptible to the influence of angry spirits, they "renounce goodness and take evil into their heart". In the modern day they have started to spread their beliefs and practices as a kind of cult religion.

Fatal Frame: Shadow Priestess

In the manga, Beniko Shirasagi is a necromancer, though apparently unaware of it. At some point, she unwittingly fell under the influence of evil spirits. When Sara Washizuki and the Modern Architecture Group arrived at Karasawa Shrine, Sara's Grandmother sensed the evil presence, trailing a spiritual miasma, but was unable to tell to whom it belonged. Beniko continued to blend in with the group and act normally, and joined forces with the vengeful spirit Suzume Umishima at Karasawa Elementary. Suzume used her to summon evil spirits from Mount Kegare and create a Dark Seal to trap everyone inside the school. She also created illusions to trick people, leading them into greater danger or causing them to harm themselves, and later turned Reiji Hotei into a familiar, a living being under her control.

Sara believes the necromancer has been possessed by the darkness created by all the ghosts who have been haunting the school for years. As well as searching for a way to break the Dark Seal, she attempts to uncover the identity of the necromancer and find out what they want. She initially suspects Tousei Ryuuzaki, but realises the truth when she notices that Beniko does not appear on film. As a test, she asks Beniko to drink holy water. Beniko refuses, and reveals her true nature. All the spirits inside her manifest out of her body.

Sara purifies Beniko and exorcises the spirits possessing her, including Suzume Umishima. At this point Beniko returns to her normal self. In the final chapter, she is shown returning to college with Sara and the others, suggesting that people with the potential to be necromancers can still live ordinary lives.