The road ahead was treacherous, winding through mist-laden valleys and jagged cliffs where unseen creatures howled in the distance. Aiko, Ryou, and Mei traveled under the cover of darkness, avoiding main roads where the Onibane's spies prowled. The weight of their mission pressed heavier with each passing day, and Aiko's dreams became more vivid—glimpses of a past she could not yet grasp.
One evening, as they camped near the ruins of an ancient shrine, Mei finished carving a protective sigil into the earth, her voice low as she whispered an incantation. When she stood, her violet eyes gleamed with warning.
"We are being followed," she said, her voice hushed yet resolute.
Ryou's hand found the hilt of his sword. "How close?"
Mei turned her gaze toward the darkness beyond the trees. "Too close. And they are not mere spies. Something else stirs in the shadows."
Aiko shivered. The air felt charged, heavy with unseen energy. That night, she barely slept, her ears drawn to the whispering wind and the rustling of unseen figures in the distance. She knew the Onibane were drawing nearer.
By dawn, the threat revealed itself. As they traversed a dense bamboo forest, shadows moved among the trees. A sudden whistle cut through the air—an arrow. Ryou reacted first, deflecting it with a sharp clang of his blade. Then came the ambush.
Bandits, their faces obscured by dark cloth, descended upon them, blades gleaming. These weren't mere thieves. Their coordinated attacks, the precision of their movements—mercenaries, hired by the Onibane.
Ryou met them head-on, steel clashing against steel. Mei wove between them, her magic turning the air into shifting illusions, disorienting their foes. But Aiko—Aiko felt the fire stir. It answered her fear, her anger, her desperation.
Blue foxfire erupted from her palms, a wave of searing energy that sent the bandits reeling. They fled in terror, vanishing into the woods. But as the last flickers of fire died in her hands, Aiko's breath caught. The power had come too easily, burned too brightly. It was growing.
And she wasn't sure she could control it.