Kira immediately tried to scale the wooden gate but all this had resulted in were scratch marks and a splinter which she was currently nursing with the help of Hana. I took a more structured approach. There were three of us, clearly the solution would require us to work together. It took me a moment of thought but I finally snapped my fingers. I had figured it out!

“I’ve got it girls! But… it's gonna be tough!”

***

I regretted my choice as soon we got into position. Kira, of course, was on board and Hana was game to try but I would be the one bearing the brunt of the figurative and literal weight here.

Somehow, Kira ended up on top. I guessed this was because Hana did not trust her to be lower than her and holding her up without getting distracted by any number of shiny objects or thoughts. I winced as Hana’s feet dug into my shoulders.

We had formed a human ladder. I was on the bottom, Hana was in the middle, and Kira was on top. Surprisingly it was working.

“I can see it master! I can see the other side!” She cried out loudly and excitedly. I heard Hana splutter as Kira’s tail, which had come free, whipped her face.

“Quickly! Kira! You have to get on top of the fence first and help Hana up next!” I yelled, trying to speed the process along.

“Yes I can do it! No problem!” The cat girl called out confidently, and to her credit with grace and athleticism that surprised me, she launched herself upwards and over the fence. I heard her land on the other side, then the patter of her feet. Then nothing.

“Kira!? Kira!”

Hana looked down at me. And then jumped off my shoulders. She cracked her neck then shot me a wry glance:

“Well, any other ideas boss? Looks like we are stuck on the wrong side of this gate.”

***

I told her to stand back, that it was time to try something a little more difficult. I hadn’t wanted to use my powers until I absolutely had to but it seemed it was now or never.

It had been a while since I’d entered into my full guardian state, and even longer since I’d done so with anyone watching. Usually it was just Fenra and I practicing in private. I felt a pang of guilt at the memory of the fox spirit. Instead of dwelling in the negative I used the memory of her to motivate me. I went deeper into my breath.

It’s a misconception one needs to sit in a certain position to meditate or to find spiritual balance. One must just focus on the breath, focus on the energy that flows in and out of the body. I did so. I used all my training. I felt a familiar warmth spread through me. I felt my powers materialize in the form of a breeze that swirled and surrounded me.I opened my eyes. I was now robed in black, at my side was the long glittering sword of my grandfather. I was ready. Power flowed through me. The breeze began a strong wind that whipped around.

I heard Hana gasp in surprise and shock. I realized that she had rarely seen me in this state, the last time was when we had fought the demons together. And that was not a pleasant memory at all. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that again.

“Stand back, Hana,” I said, in a voice that did not feel quite my own.

“Y-yes… Ryo.” She said, then stepped back.

“Is anyone watching?” I asked. It was important for this next part that we had the street to ourselves. It could get loud.

A pause. “No. The coast is clear. It’s gotten a little late and dark outside. People have all gone home.”

I did not reach for the sword at my side, slashing at the thick wood would likely be a messy and timely affair. I had another plan for how to get through the door. I cupped my hands together and formed an open palmed strike.

I willed the energy from my breaths into the palms, taking in from the world and gathering power. The warmth in my belly left me and spread to my hands where I gathered it, bit by bit, until it was a rolling raging torrent. I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my forehead.

“Kira, if you are on the other side… stand back!” I yelled. Then, I released, thrusting my hands forward with a cry. The energy erupted outwards in the form of a spiraling horizontal column of violent wind. The door creaked and groaned then sprung open, splinters flying up to the heavens as it not only opened wide but had a large circular hole bored into it where its knockers and locking mechanism had previously been.

“It’s… done..” I said, through ragged breaths.

Hana put a hand on my shoulder. “Good work. You know, it's pretty sexy when you use your spirit powers.” With that she sauntered forward and I watched the leopard print stretch over her lithe form as she entered the shrine. I gripped my knees and then straightened my back, following her after only a moment’s rest.

She’s dangerous, my Hana. Just about as dangerous as anything we may find inside.

***

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The shrine consisted of a simple square courtyard with cobblestones and a few manicured patches of grass. Set in the center of the courtyard was a small building which was the inner shrine. It had thin paper walls with wooden frames and a sliding door at the center which was open. Its roof was traditional tile and under the entranceway hung a wooden board with the name in red kanji. I entered. There was, eerily, no sign of kira but the lamps hanging from the walls on all sides were lit. At the center of the shrine, like in my own, was a buddha statue. This statute, however, was much smaller. Still the sight of it reminded me of home. Instinctively I knelt, though I had no incense to offer, and I clasped my hands together and bowed three times.

In my head I thought of Fenra. Keep her safe. Please.

My prayer was interrupted as I heard Hana’s footsteps behind me.

“There’s no sign of Kira, or anyone else. This place gives me the creeps.” Her voice sounded oddly quiet, as if the walls of the shrine itself were swallowing up the sound.

I nodded as I rose. There was something wrong here, a deep heaviness that settled about the place. I squinted as I looked at the buddha. Something was wrong there too. Something off. What was it? His head! in his head there was a hole. Something was missing! Stolen! I looked into his eyes, and for a moment I felt as though they were weeping. I saw a flash of what had been before. A beautiful jewel.

Gone.

I heard a loud BANG and a screeching meow outside. “KIra!”

The door behind us slid shut, of its own accord, then one by one the lamps winked out.

***

They were just shadows at first, dancing across the floor of the temple in the moonlight, until they were more. They materialized, solidified, and rose from the ground, forming into faceless, colorless bodies of black. Such a deep and dark black it seemed to hurt the eyes to look at. A queasiness struck me.

This is not normal. This is something from the beyond.

At first one, then two, then more of them than I cared to count began to take solid shape. They cracked limbs and heads and necks, all without features, all pure black. They made no sounds.

Hana couldn’t help it; she let out a shriek of alarm and they turned, in unison to her. She had her hands over her ears and was trembling.

“C-c-can you hear them? They are screaming, yelling, crying! So much… at once… its too….”

Hana fell to her knees, tears in her eyes. One of the pack stepped forward. In the center of its forehead a blue light shone and then an eye appeared.

“Yessss…” It hissed, the eyeball swiveling and capturing me in its gaze. “She hears us, human! She is a speaker. A listener. She knows our pain .Now… you will too!”

Then it charged.

It did not so much as run as it seemed to glide rapidly towards me. I looked over to Hana, she was still kneeling, clutching her ears.

A speaker, a listener. That’s right… her spirit power was the ability to hear demons. It seems like they are attacking her with their voices even though I can't hear them.

I would have to deal with this myself. Fuck. I had no time, none at all. I closed my eyes, my hands formed the mudras. Grandfather, great grandfather, give me strength! I took a deep breath, I tried to ignore the chills that were washing over me, the strange hissing, the shadow advancing. Breathe. In and out. Suddenly it all clicked, a power and relief washed over me. I felt the wind wreathe me once more. I opened my eyes and unsheathed my sword.

The shadow was nearly upon me:

“Guuuuardiaaan!” It cried.

That’s right fucker. Guardian.

I leveled my sword and went into my striking stance, one hand forward, the sword behind me. As it advanced I stabbed straight for its blue eye. It was a direct hit. The shadow halted but did not react at first. As the sword pierced it I felt a cold run up the blade and my arm, I froze. Then the creature screamed. A scream I could hear. A piercing wail. All of its companions behind joined the cry. But it advanced, step by step, forward. With each step forward it slid deeper onto my blade.

Pain lanced through my ears and the cold went deep into my bones, rooting me to the spot. I tried to move but couldn’t. I gritted my teeth, I tried to summon more wind energy but nothing happened. The mental anguish of the wails was preventing me from focusing or accessing any of my powers. The shadow was getting closer and closer, its hands nearly able to grasp me as it forced itself towards me despite the pain of being impaled. I managed to wiggle the sword slightly but this only sent it into further fits of rage which created even more wails and screams. My ears felt like they would burst

It did not stop advancing.

Then I heard it, a long pure note, a cry, a plea, it was like pure white light itself… beautiful and terrible. I found the chill in me dissipated and the wails were drowned out. I saw all the creatures freeze, all attention turned to the source of this new sound. It was Hana. She had her hands gripped in fists, her head was thrown back, her long pink hair free of its braids and floating behind her as her body was lifted above the ground. Her eyes were closed and, with her head thrown back, her mouth was open.

Wow, she is doing this.. all by herself!? She has more power than any of us ever knew!

Then suddenly the sound stopped and her eyes opened. Hana’s mouth closed. She looked at me with confusion and surprise. Then she fell back, collapsing onto the ground.

Shit.

The shadows, silenced by her powerful voice, were momentarily stunned. They were slowly shaking off the effects. But it was too late, Hana had given me my chance. Her song had not only stopped the wailing but also its effect in blocking my powers. The cold in my bones dissipated. I gripped the blade with both hands and sent all of my energy and all of my focus into it. Wind shot along the length of it, whirling rapidly and sharply and creating a serration and chainsaw effect. The eye of the attacker turned red then began to smoke. I twisted and turned the blade as it howled. Its long hands clutching the sides of its head as it tried to back away. I pressed forward, not easing up and digging the blade even deeper, going up and down as I did so to maximize the effect of the chain-wind blade. The creature trembled and cried out but could not escape. Finally the light of its large eye extinguished and its body went limp. I pulled the blade free. Eerily, it had no trace of ichor. Only lingering cold in the handle.

The shadow form slunk to the floor and then disappeared entirely.

I wiped my brow. “Fuck, that was close.”

One by one, each of the shadows in front of me had their own forehead lights wink on. A sea of blue eyes awakening where before there had been only black. Then hisses. Like a den of snakes.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”