It all happened too quickly for Suzuka as the cloak of supernatural mist enveloped her. A strange feeling had invaded her and then in barely two seconds, the fog had dissipated, taking her to a completely different place. The cold outside and the darkness of the night greeted Suzuka, who recognized the place where she had been taken. It was the hidden shrine with the stone fox statues, in the small park, and where she had found the talisman. Suzuka was still dressed in that weird lolita warrior outfit and holding the katana in her hand, but didn't care for now.

Falling to her knees on the damp tiles that made up the floor, Suzuka panted, still in shock from the terrible tragedy that had just occurred in her home. Her grandmother was... she refused to believe it because it was so painful, but yet it had happened right before her eyes.

_"Grandma..." Suzuka moaned in tears, on her knees and devastated.

The young girl broke down and let out a cry of pain and sadness, before becoming silent again, her head bowed, her grandmother's katana on the ground right in front of her.

_"There is nothing you could do for her." then said this same ethereal masculine and non-human voice. "You weren't strong enough."

Suzuka raised her head to see the little white fox with multiple tails, a few meters away from her. He was the one who brought her here before the burning house collapsed on them or those abominations attacked her. However, in addition to sadness, Su displayed an accusatory look towards the creature.

_"You..." she moaned with contempt. "It's all your fault! If you hadn't tried to give me this cursed talisman..."

_"It wouldn't have changed anything, what was supposed to happen happened and without the talisman, you would be dead by now." interrupted the fox. "Your grandmother did what was necessary for you to live. For now we are safe. This sanctuary has powerful protections, here we are invisible, but we cannot stay hidden forever."

Suzuka remained silent at first, watching him come and go to the four corners of the shrine, as if he were watching the surroundings and making sure that no one had followed them.

_"I... I don't understand anything." Suzuka whispered, still reeling from losing her grandmother but also totally confused with all the abnormal things that were happening. "What's going on?! Who are you?!"

_"Your confusion is more than legitimate." replied the fox, turning towards her. "It is never easy for a new Guardian to have to accept the truth about their true origins."

Guardian? Suzuka had heard that before but still didn't understand what it meant and how it concerned her.

_"Most mortals imagine living in a universe consisting of only one dimension, but the reality is much more complex." the fox then explained. "Around the human world exist a multitude of different planes of reality, all invisible to each other, superimposed on each other like an endless stack of sheets of paper. Some of its planes of existence do not know the concept of time and space. You humans call it parallel worlds. And you, Suzuka Nakamoto, were born to become one of the new guardians of metal, the ancestral protectors of the worlds."

Suzuka stood up, even more confused than before but above all refusing to recognize that everything this creature said could be true, despite all the abnormal things she had witnessed before.

_"But... no, it's... it's impossible. I'm not a guardian, I'm not a protector. I'm just... me, an ordinary human." stammered the young girl.

_"All signs prove the opposite and the talisman is never wrong." affirmed the fox. "Dream-like visions right after the fifteenth birthday and your innate ability to see and talk with the dimensional manifestations like me. The blood of the ancient metal gods flows within you, young Suzuka. You have been chosen to be the new incarnation of the First Guardian, the one who will lead the continued defense of the worlds against the spawn of darkness. Your grandmother knew the prophecy and during your life she did everything to protect you, to keep you away from the spiritual world and its dangers. Unfortunately, her love for you was so strong that she gave up preparing you for the day of your ascension as Guardian, but one cannot defy fate."

Suzuka had to sit on the steps of the shrine so her brain could process all of these improbable revelations. So her grandmother knew about all this from the start and hid it from her to protect her? This revelation gave rise to a mixture of anger and pain in Su. She wanted so badly to wake up, to believe that this was all just a damn nightmare that had lasted too long. She felt the urge to go to the police, explain to them everything that had just happened, but deep down, she knew that no one would believe her. She was truly alone in all this mess.

The fox remained looking at her, patient and most serious. Suzuka didn't want to believe what he was saying but a feeling deep in her being told her that he was sincere. She, the reincarnation of a sort of ancestral guardian? It was completely crazy, but in a way, it could explain the fact that throughout her life, Suzuka had always felt outside the world, sometimes even like she didn't feel like herself and several times she had having dreams of places or people whose faces reminded her of absolutely nothing, but yet she was sure and certain that she knew them or had known them. So many things were racing through the poor young girl's head, to the point of giving her a headache.

_"But... what about these monsters who attacked the house?" Su asked.

_"Yokais. Demons." explained the white fox. "Entities driven by blood, pain and violence. They live only to satisfy their insatiable hunger for chaos. They are the servants of the Vulture God."

_"Who?" Suzuka asked, feeling an unpleasant shiver run down her spine, as if a memory was causing her being to react without even knowing why.

_"He is the avatar of darkness, the very origin of evil." replied the fox darkly. "All evil entities and creatures are loyal to him. You have encountered him before, at least your former incarnations. The last time was 200 years ago. We thought we had succeeded in banishing him forever, but he always seems to find a way to return. In any case, he now knows who the reincarnation of the first guardian is, and it will not take long for him to locate where the second and third are."

_"What do you mean? You mean there are others like me?" Su then said to make sure she heard correctly.

_"Indeed. There are three of you, you always have been and you always will be." affirmed the fox. "It is imperative to find them before the Yokais, otherwise I do not dare imagine the fate that the Vulture will reserve for them. Fortunately, you can locate them, young Suzuka."

_"Me? But how?" said the young girl.

_"The first three guardians were sisters." explained the fox. "Even after their death, the blood bond that united them remained alive, linking the reincarnations over the generations, like spiritual sisters. The closer you are to them, the more you will feel the bond that unites you to them. Your talisman can help you."

Suzuka then saw the said talisman gently float out of her chest, making the Lolita warrior outfit disappear, which evaporated to give way to normal civilian clothes. The talisman then came to place itself delicately in Su's palm, who continued to feel this heat emanating from the object but which no longer burned her this time. Although it was no longer in her body, she continued to feel this warm and reassuring flame within her, as if the talisman had awakened something in her that had always been dormant. Everything was racing through her head, but her instinct assured her of at least one thing.

_"I can't go back, can I?" Su then asked even though she knew the answer in advance.

_"No." the fox confirmed bluntly.

Suzuka gave a little nervous smile, not even feeling angry anymore, as if she was resigned to accepting this new reality because she couldn't do anything about it. What else could she do? Go to the police who will think she's crazy? Return to your house reduced to ashes, at the risk of meeting those damn demons again? Looking at the talisman in her hand, Suzuka remained thoughtful for a few moments, then, closing her hand on the object and putting it in her pocket, having made her decision. If two other girls were in the same situation as her, she couldn't let them get killed by these things.

_"Let's go." Suzuka simply said darkly but determined.

The white fox nodded neutrally. Suzuka returned to the center of the shrine and bent down to pick up the scabbard that held her grandmother's katana. Looking at the object for a moment, Suzuka hung it behind her back using the strap. Then she came and stood for a moment before the small altar, clasping her hands and closing her eyes to pray.

_"Farewell, grandma... I love you." whispered Suzuka softly after the prayer, a tear still beading from her eye but which she wiped away with her sleeve.

Once this prayer was said for her grandmother in order to show her a last gesture of love, Suzuka began to head towards the exit of the sanctuary, accompanied by the white fox and thus beginning her new life in this new reality where she would have to learn to live. Not wanting to move on foot, the white fox then began to levitate in the air, moving much faster. Suzuka saw him do it, not even being surprised anymore after everything she had already seen.

_"You didn't answer one of my questions." Suzuka then pointed out. "Who are you?"

_"This is just one of my many spiritual manifestations." replied the white fox, pointing to himself. "You already know me, like all humans know me without knowing that I have existed since the very beginning. I am the Fox God. Once, me and the Vulture God fought an endless war but faced with his legions of demons, I decided to create my own force to protect the worlds: the priestess guardians of metal."

The god of light, creator of the world as well as the concept of life and death. Suzuka was taken aback but not that surprised deep down, having almost guessed it deep down even before he responded.

_"Why metal? Is it because I'm a fan of this music?" Su then asked.

_"Not only." said the god. "You see, metal is not just music, it is a way of life, a blend of strentgh and beauty, that inspires communities to come together and stand together against adversity. Unity is what darkness fears above all else and the Vulture will not take the risk of seeing the new guardians come together and awaken the ancestral power of metal against him."

Suzuka felt great emotion upon hearing this and indeed, it fit the description of metal music well. A force capable of bringing together entire communities, regardless of their ethnic or religious origins, in order to loudly proclaim the passion and love they feel for this music. A music yet so demonized, so despised by the ignorant people but which had never weakened.

All this was still cloudy in Su's mind but she would take the time to collect all the possible answers in order to discover who she really is. The revelation of the existence of supernatural beings like the Yokais or even this Vulture God could have terrorized more than one, but deep down, Suzuka felt invested with great determination, pushing her to go to before, as if she had already experienced this kind of situation before without even remembering it. For the moment, only the present mattered. Her grandmother's sacrifice would not be in vain, she would make her proud, she made the oath.