Deep in his abyssal dimension which was his prison for infinite times, the unspeakable and monstrous Vulture God brooded over the failure of his creatures to capture and bring him the young girl who had revealed herself to be the first new guardian. The intervention of the little white fox only reinforced the frustration of the Vulture, who had easily guessed the true nature of this animal spirit.

_"I see that you still take your role to heart, dear brother..." growled the dark divinity, its metal beak grinding atrociously and its claws rubbing against each other. "You think you can protect your new little chosen ones? None have been able to eliminate me and these ones will be no exception!"

Around the entity, the abyss seemed to move, like slow, undulating waves, emanating from its own body and becoming one with it. Despite his powers, however, he was no longer able to detect or see Suzuka's presence. She must certainly be in a sacred sanctuary. But the Vulture God did not appear annoyed, because he knew deep down that the young girl could not remain hidden indefinitely. He had managed to locate and identify the other two guardians and why settle for two victims when he can let the third go find them and then destroy them all at once? But this time, he wouldn't just send simple yokais to confront them.

Raising its clawed and armored hand, the entity began to invoke a much darker power around him, the abyss beginning to produce veritable inverted whirlpools from which emanations of sulphurous darkness escaped as well as inhuman and fleshless screams resonating in the infinite darkness.

_"Wake up, apostle of the abyss! I have a task for you!" monstrously proclaimed the Vulture God.

***********

Suzuka quickly opened her eyes and sat up, sitting on the mattress and noting with relief that she was still in the small room lent by Ibuki. She felt bad, waking up as if from a nightmare and feeling her heart still beating. She had felt as if overcome by a strange and uneasy thrill, and as if... something was trying to spy on her and grab her from the darkness... a feeling of intense fear had overwhelmed her from that moment and had woken her from her sleep.

Exhaling a little, running her hands over her face and emptying her mind of this uneasiness, Suzuka saw that it was morning, the light of day filtering through the curtains and revealing thin threads of dust floating in the air. Despite this nightmare, she had managed to sleep a little and regain her strength, which she would really need given the task that awaited her. In total silence, she dressed in the civilian clothes she wore the day before and went to the small bathroom across the hall to comb her long black hair. While combing her hair, Su faced her own reflection in the mirror. She almost had the impression of seeing another person in front of her, her gaze had become more assertive, less shy. Was it due to the discovery of her true nature? She couldn't say it.

After getting ready, as she descended the stairs to reach the ground floor, Suzuka felt a pleasant smell of breakfast flatter her nostrils. Recognizing that she was a little hungry, she headed to the kitchen where Ibuki was there, preparing the food and having already set the table. The little white fox was there too, levitating in the corner and neutrally observing what was happening. His attention was focused on Su, who also looked back at him but nothing more.

_"Um... Good morning." the teenager announced in a reserved but nevertheless polite manner.

_"Good morning." Ibuki then replied, turning towards her, displaying large dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he had slept little or not at all that night. "Come sit down and eat a little. You're going to need to be in great shape, you'll have a big day ahead of you."

Still a little hesitant despite Ibuki's more than helpful nature, Suzuka came to sit at the table, recognizing that the smell of food appealed to her. Ibuki then came and placed in front of her a bowl of hot, steaming rice with a poached egg on it, another bowl containing Miso soup, a few small and thin slices of grilled fish on a wooden board and a cup of homemade green tea. Faced with such a feast, Suzuka felt a little ashamed to take advantage of the hospitality but saw that it was offered with a good heart and could not refuse.

_"Thank you very much." she said, bowing slightly to show her sincerity in her words.

_"As they say in France : Bon appétit." Ibuki replied with a kind smile.

The man then left the room to let Su eat quietly, which she did by taking the bowl and swallowing a small sip of the Miso soup which turned out to be delicious and whose heat was welcome. It also reminded Su of the very good soups that her grandmother prepared for her, a memory that was both sad and happy now but which Su tried to keep mostly positive.

But while Su was eating, the white fox came to talk to her.

_"I have good news: Ibuki's ritual worked. He managed to identify and locate the other two guardians."

_"But the bad news is that if we were able to locate them, so were the Yokais, right?" Suzuka guessed, which was confirmed by a nod from the spirit.

_"But there is still a chance to save them." Ibuki added, returning to the kitchen. "I was able to draw their portraits thanks to the visions. Here they are."

The man placed two sheets of paper on the table, each bearing the drawn portrait of a young girl. Suzuka's expression immediately changed when she saw the two of them, clearly showing her surprise.

_"But... they are... Moa Kikuchi and Yui Mizuno!" Su gasped.

_"Wait, do you know them?" Ibuki asked.

_"Yes, they are also at Gakuin middle school, in another class." Su explained. "I saw them a few times. I also know that... we were also in the same elementary school... We never really spoke but we were always in the same place."

_"This is the bond that unites the three chosen ones, a bond as powerful as that of blood." said the white fox. "You are like sisters and although sleeping deep within each of you, this bond always made sure to bring you together sooner or later."

Suzuka remained silent, too focused on drawing the portraits of Moa and Yui. Although she knew them very little, she could actually feel this strange but strong sensation in her blood, like a powerful desire to protect them, like a big sister towards her little sisters. They were innocent, she couldn't let them die at the hands of these abominations. Not even finishing her meal, Su stood up from her chair with determination.

_"I have to go save them." she said.

_"Wait, I have what you need. I'll be right back." Ibuki said as he rushed to the back of his house.

He returned a few moments later with his arms full of several things. First, a Tanto, a Japanese dagger once used by samurai, stored in a black and red leather sheath. He also brought a small canvas bag.

_"As your katana has not been blessed, it will be of no use against demons." Ibuki said. "The blade of this Tanto dagger has been purified and blessed. And in this little bag, you will find charms for protection and defense. Ideal for burning those bastards."

Wanting to put all the chances on his side, Su accepted these weapons and entrusted her grandmother's katana to Ibuki, who promised to keep it carefully. Suzuka prepared herself, hanging the Tanto and the small bag on her belt. Accompanied by the white fox, the young guardian was ready for her very first mission.

************

At the college Gakuin, everyone, students and teachers alike, knew of the tragedy that had occurred: Asuka Nakamoto, Su's grandmother, had died in the fire that had ravaged her house and the causes of which had not been determined. As for Suzuka, her disappearance did not go unnoticed and the police launched a search across the city to find the young girl.

In the halls of the school, theories spread like wildfire among the students, with some believing that Su may have died in the fire, and others, much more sinister, claiming that she was perhaps responsible for the fire, and that she had fled to avoid being caught by the police.

In one of the corridors on the second floor, a 13-year-old girl was coming out of her classroom after eating her lunch. She was dressed in the school's regular uniform: white shirt, blue-black jacket, dark red bow tie, dark red skirt, long black socks and black shoes. Her black hair was worn in a long ponytail behind her neck and held in place by a small red lace bow. Her name was Yui Mizuno.

Like everyone else, she had heard about what had happened but deep down, refused to believe that a girl like Suzuka had been capable of committing such an atrocity, even if she only knew her very little. Yui had witnessed Su being bullied during recess recently and felt sorry for her, as she wished she could do something. While passing by other students discussing in the hallway, Yui heard some rather cruel mockery towards Su, which disturbed her. How could anyone be so petty after such horror? As she took it upon herself, Yui headed to the bathroom before lunch break was over and afternoon classes began.

But as she entered the girls' bathroom, Yui thought she heard something and listened more carefully. Indeed, a sound seemed to come from one of the closed cabinets. The sound was... moaning, like crying that someone tried to cover, and Yui recognized the person's voice. She approached the door and knocked gently.

_"Moa, is that you? It's me, Yui." she said softly, concerned.

There was no response, except for tears and moans of sadness.

_"Moa, please open the door." Yui insisted, not abruptly, but eager to see why her friend was crying, to help her.

A few moments passed and finally, the sound of the cabinet door being unlocked was heard. Yui opened it slowly, to see the facts: her friend Moa Kikuchi, also 13 years old, wearing the same school uniform and black hair styled in two pigtails, was sitting on the floor, curled up next to the toilet seat. Cheeks wet from tears beading in her eyes, Moa could not hide the drops of ink that had been sprinkled on her face as well as on the top of her white shirt. Yui gasped when she saw this and immediately rushed to her friend and knelt down beside her.

_"Moa, what happened? Who did this to you?" Yui asked.

_"It's... it's Ritsu and her group of friends..." Moa moaned in sadness. "I heard them making fun of Suzuka, they said she killed her grandmother and burned their house. They said she is crazy and a murderer, that she will go to jail. I told them to stop saying those horrible things, that they didn't know what they were talking about... They laughed at me and with their pens, they..."

She couldn't even finish her sentence and cried, cuddling up to Yui who hugged her and comforted her as best she could. That damned Ritsu and her idiots who served as her friends... Yui felt the urge to go and tell them her way of thinking, but she wouldn't waste time with these idiots and preferred to stay with her friend. She and Moa had known each other since kindergarten and had become immediate friends, almost like twin sisters. Of the two, Moa had always been the gentler, the more sensitive, and Yui had always defended her against the little bullies who tried to persecute her.

_"I can't believe Suzuka did that. She didn't do that, did she, Yui?" asked Moa in tears.

_"Of course not." Yui replied comforting her. "Don't listen to what those idiots say. I'm sure she's innocent and that they will get the real culprit soon. So don't cry anymore, okay? I prefer it when you smile."

Faced with Yui's reassuring words and the kindness she showed, Moa, despite the sadness, managed to smile a little and hold back her tears. She thanked Yui for always being there for her.

_"Thank you, Yui... If only I was as strong as you." said Moa, remaining snuggled up against her.

_"But what are you saying?" Yui chuckled kindly to her friend. "You are strong, Moa, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You may perceive your sensitivity and your compassion as weaknesses, but they are great strengths, yours, which make you who you are. And for nothing in the world, I don't want you to change."

Such words mixed with such wisdom from her friend touched Moa in the heart and managed to cheer her up. Happy to see Moa smile again, Yui accompanied her out of the office and they both went to the sinks in front of the mirrors.

_"Come on, I'll help you remove this ink before classes start again." Yui suggested as she turned on the faucet. "You look like a little panda like that."

Moa couldn't hold back a small laugh at the gentle mockery of her friend who compared her to a panda. Yui shared the laugh with her friend as she took a towel which she dipped in water and began trying to clean the ink marks from Moa's face.

But what the two young schoolgirls didn't know was that they were being observed. From his lair in the infernal abyss, the Vulture God had managed to locate them, spying on them through a translucent, floating orb he was holding between his metallic glaws.

_"How touching and adorable..." commented the dark entity cynically as he watched them laugh together. "Laugh while you can, little mortals, for soon I will delight in your screams of terror and the vitality of your souls."

Around him, from the depths of the misty darkness, a dozen pairs of glowing, evil eyes opened, revealing a legion of dark, inhuman shapes rising up.