Akahime, the red-haired priestess of the Harvesting Fox, wasn’t well-known. The Harvesting Fox she was bonded to wasn’t a particularly powerful spirit, possessing only the ability to make the land more fertile and thus ensuring a great harvest - an ability many spirits could grant their believers.

That was from a caster’s perspective. The caster association valued the combat power of their spirits and how well casters utilised their bonded spirits’ powers to defeat demons, curses, monsters, and other supernatural phenomena. They looked up to battle prowess, and Akahime’s major expertise didn’t lie in this area. She preferred land restoration and environmental conservation, which meant she usually handled the aftermath of battles, leaning more towards the research and healing side of things.

She could purify water, flatten holes and dents in the ground, and encourage grass and flowers to grow again. She had the ability to clear the atmosphere when dust and smoke became too dense. Anything that could make the land suitable for growth and lead to a bountiful harvest - these were the powers granted to her when she bonded with the Harvesting Fox and became its priestess.

The Harvesting Fox adored her as well. It often revealed itself from its invisible spiritual form, wrapped its long, fluffy tail around her neck, playing with her, and laughing alongside her. It was indeed a friendly and caring fox spirit, and she loved its red coat. That’s why she chose the code name Akahime (the red girl); with the red hair she gained from the spirit fox’s power, it suited her quite well.

In her public life, she worked as a freelance book translator, allowing her to continue her duties as a caster, secretly protecting the world whenever needed. Both her careers worked well, and she expected to continue her journey until she grew old and retired. She even thought she might take on some apprentices to pass down her knowledge if any younger generation was willing to learn from her. Never did she expected that she would die suddenly while cleaning up the aftermath of a battle, as usual.

It was a sunny day. The scene was chaotic, as always: holes and dents scarred the earth, broken branches and erupted cement littered the ground, bloodstains and shattered glass scattered everywhere. All found at a torn-up gas station and convenience store, sitting open in the middle of a highway where few people stopped unless it was festival season when everyone was traveling home for gatherings.

She wasn’t the only one there to clean up the scene. Another caster was present, along with a few teenagers who were obviously newbies, sent by their mentors or elders to gain some hands-on experience.

“Hi, senior, we’ve come to assist,” one of the young ones approached and said to her with a smile, “Just tell us how we can help, and we’ll get started right away!”

“Sure, let’s see...” Akahime looked around and suggested, “Why don’t we start by removing the sharp pieces? Melt the glass into coarse sand, break down the broken cement and tiles into pebbles, and check if the trees can be saved. If not, turn them into mulch and bury it. We don’t need to fully restore this place since the association will arrange for a renovation. Our job is to make sure the area is clear of any dangers that could harm the construction workers.”

“Got it,” the boy called out to his friends, “Okay, let’s get to work!”

Akahime was pleased to see the young ones taking initiative, though they were still a bit clumsy in using their powers. She then proceeded with fixing the broken sewer and purifying the air. This was supposed to be a routine clean-up; none of the casters present were particularly skilled in combat.

However, the Harvesting Fox sensed something amiss. The spirit’s unease affected Akahime, leading her to remain alert and keep a watchful eye on her surroundings, ready for any possible danger.

Just as she began to wonder if the threat might be something subtle, like radioactive residue, a menacing aura suddenly erupted from somewhere nearby, followed by a scream from one of the interns.

“Winds, heed my call!” She chanted, pulling all the interns to her side, including the one who had screamed. The terrified girl’s arm was injured, blood gradually staining her clothes, the cut so deep that her bones were visible.

“Great spirits of Earth, trap my foe!” The other caster chanted, and the ground responded with a rumble. A large pit suddenly opened, and bars of rock shot up from the earth, trying to trap the monster that had suddenly appeared.

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The creature was about the size of a fully-grown hound, with sharp teeth and razor-like arms that menaced Akahime and the others. Its claws and tentacles were armoured with tough scales that seemed hard to break, and now it began tearing through the obstacles between it and its prey.

“I can’t hold it much longer!” The other caster’s face turned red with strain as he pushed his will and power; the monster’s strength was far too great for him to restrain.

The interns shivered behind Akahime, who was the most experienced caster on the scene.

“Switch!” Akahime commanded as she cast a protective shield over the interns, “You take them away and contact the association - I’ll handle this.”

“But...”

“No buts!” Grasses and roots burst forth, forming ropes, while the winds carried Akahime to his side, “Now!”

The other caster had no choice but to relinquish his control, backing away to make room for Akahime, whose ropes of greenery and wind bound the monster’s limbs so tightly that it roared and howled in pain.

“Leave!” Akahime didn’t have time to glance if the interns and the other caster had left. Her senses told her they had, leaving her alone with the monster, and she was about to unleash her full power.

“Winds,” Akahime chanted, “press down!”

Air pressure applied at the monster increased. Parts of its body bulged as bloodshot veins became visible beneath its coarse skin.

“Vitality drain!” Invisible threads of life force began to flow out from the monster, as if being sucked by an unseen, vast force. This chant was seldom used as it went against the Harvesting Fox’s principles of fertility and harvest. It could extract the vitality of one being and transfer it to another, thus ruining one land to fertilise another - a cunning and despicable act that both the Harvesting Fox and Akahime despised.

However, this was one of the few assault skills Akahime possessed. She was never good in close combat, nor did she have other grand destructive skills. Even to defeat this monster, considered small in terms of size, she struggled and strained. She could feel her own vitality affected as she tried to control power beyond her capability.

The monster, still roaring and howling, directed its sound waves at her, booming in her eardrums until blood started to drip from her ears. She could even feel her internal organs being battered by the invisible waves. With just one slip, the monster broke free from its restraints and leapt toward her.

The force of the broken bonds sent a shock through her, flinging her backward until she crashed into a broken wall. Bloods dripped from the corner of her lips, yet she still called upon her power.

“Winds, Water, Grasses, to my command!”

A distorted blade formed by these elements appeared in her hand, which she thrust towards the incoming monster, striking it directly at its critical point.

The monster howled in agony, trying to retreat, but resilient ropes of winds and grass appeared, binding it in place. It couldn’t move, forced only forward as its core was pierced, while Akahime’s head remained under its jaws.

A fierce smile curled on Akahime’s lips, “You shall not escape. Die with me now!”

And that’s how Akahime met her end, dying alongside the monster, both pinned to the wall. Her body was torn apart by the creature, but the monster bore many scars, evidence of the great battle they had fought before their final breath.

The reinforcement team arrived just 20 minutes after the interns fled. Tears rolled down their faces, and Akahime’s name would forever be remembered on their monuments as one of the great casters.

*****

“And you actually expect me to believe that story?” Kyle regarded the girl he was about to adopt with a mixture of curiosity and scepticism.

They were alone in the orphanage director’s office. The seven-year-old girl had requested a “private chat” with her soon-to-be guardian, which Kyle had found amusing at first.

He hadn’t taken it too seriously. What could a seven-year-old possibly have to say? He’d assumed she might be curious or anxious about being adopted by a stranger, and he was more than willing to indulge her. After all, she had, in a way, saved his life.

“Well then, care to explain the jade pendant I gave you?” Scarlet Smith, or Akahime as she had been known in her previous life, asked with a casual air. “I don’t imagine there are many girls who could enchant a jade pendant for protection.”

Kyle’s brow furrowed as he processed her words, then his eyes widened in surprise, “You knew about the pendant...?”

“Of course I knew,” Scarlet nodded, her tone matter-of-fact, “I’m the one who enchanted it, after all. Naturally, I knew the protective spell would activate. I set it to trigger in the event of lethal danger...So, a car crash, was it?”

“No,” Kyle rubbed his chin, clearly intrigued. “It was a gunshot. And since you’ve been so forthcoming about your miraculous abilities, I suppose it’s only fair I share a few details of my own.”

This revelation caught Scarlet off guard. A gunshot? He wasn’t talking about a run-of-the-mill car accident or a freak accident with a falling object!

“Mafia business, rather complicated,” Kyle continued, studying the girl’s reaction. “Before I learn about your fascinating previous life, I intended to adopt you, providing you with a comfortable life until you came of age, as a way of repaying the debt for saving my life through the pendant I initially thought you gave me without knowing it’s power. But now, plans have changed. Would you like to discuss it, or would you prefer I leave you to your peaceful existence?”

Scarlet considered this for a moment. “Let’s discuss it. I need a better platform. I mean, I like the orphanage, the director and staff are lovely, but I’m rather stuck here.”

Kyle smirked, “Absolutely. It would be my pleasure.”