Council's Summons

The parchment was heavier in Emiko's hand than it should have been.

A summons by the Council.

A call she could not ignore.

Kaito and Saya stood beside her, their expressions unreadable. The air was thick with unspoken words.

Emiko took a deep breath, steeling herself. "What does it say?"

Saya crossed her arms. "It's short. They've summoned you to the Grand Temple."

Kaito's jaw firmed. "That's not good."

Emiko met his gaze. "Why?

Kaito exhaled deeply, his dark eyes gleaming silver. "The Council does not summon people lightly. If they have summoned you, then they've already made up their minds. And it is rarely to our benefit."

A chill ran down Emiko's spine.

They weren't summoning her to test her.

They were summoning her to judge her.

She clenched her fists. "Then I'll go confront them."

Saya's eyebrow rose. "That so sure of yourself?"

Emiko gazed back at her. "No. But I don't have a choice.".

Kaito sighed. "We'll go with you."

Emiko shook her head. "No. This is my fight."

Saya smiled. "And you think you'll let us just let you go in alone?"

Emiko hesitated.

Kaito put a hand on her shoulder. "You're tough, Emiko. But toughness isn't about fighting by yourself."

She glared back and forth at them, her chest constricting.

They were her friends.

No.

They were something more than that.

They were her family.

She took a deep breath, nodding. "Then let's go."

The Road to the Grand Temple

The trip was taut.

The Grand Temple perched on top of the tallest peak in the region, a place that few mortals ever set foot. The air grew heavier with every step nearer.

Emiko sensed something scratching against her chest as she ascended.

Being observed.

"Something is off," she whispered.

"They're expecting us," Kaito affirmed.

Saya popped her knuckles. "Good."

They finally arrived at the temple gates. There stood two armor-wearing shinigami blocking their way. Their silver masks sparkled with morning sun.

He stepped forward. "Emiko Sakanagi. The Council is waiting.".

Emiko breathed in deeply.

This was it.

She looked back once at Kaito and Saya, then stepped inside.

Judgment of the Council

The room was enormous.

Great stone pillars ringed the room, the ceiling a distant darkness. Lanterns suspended over the floor gave an icy, spectral light.

The six members of the Council sat on high thrones, their massive figures daunting.

Tsubaki stood to one side, arms crossed, eyes unforgiving as they looked at her.

Emiko stepped forward, her feet braced. She would not bend.

She would not kneel.

The woman with silver hair—the one who had first spoken—addressed her. "Emiko Sakanagi." Her tone was as smooth as ice. "Do you have any idea why you've been called before the Council?"

Emiko looked at her. "Because I've awakened."

There was a hum of disturbance from the Council.

The elder, hawk-eyed, leaned forward. "And do you know what that means?"

Emiko had her fists. "That you're afraid."

Silence.

And then the red man laughed. "Bold."

The eyes of the silver-haired woman did not light up. "It means you are a danger."

Tsubaki finally voiced his opinion. "She is still not trained."

The woman did not even glance in his direction. "That does not make a difference."

She once again turned to Emiko. "Do you understand why we are here?"

Emiko said nothing.

She went on. "We are the keepers of balance. The keepers of the order of nature.".

She gestured to Emiko. "And you… are an anomaly."

Emiko gasped.

"The power in you was never supposed to awaken. Not the way you've awakened now."

The hawk-eyed elder's voice was as cold and hard as stone. "You're a threat, child."

Emiko pushed the words back. "So what? You're going to kill me?"

A nervous hesitation.

Then—

"No."

Emiko was confused. "What?"

The silver-haired woman nodded abruptly to one side. "Not yet."

A seeping cold dread soured Emiko's stomach.

She was getting ready to die.

But this—this was worse.

"We will test you," said the woman. "And if you fail…"

She left the words unspoken in the air.

Emiko's fingers were bunched into fists.

"So that's it?" she said quietly. "You've already decided my fate?"

The man in red smiled. "That depends on you."

Tsubaki stepped forward. "The trial has begun."

Before Emiko could move a step, the floor beneath her gave way.

She fell.

Darkness closed around her completely.

When Emiko landed on the ground, agony ripped through her body.

She gasped, thrusting herself into a seated position.

She was not in the Council's room.

She was in a wasteland.

The sky was black, the ground cracked and parched. Sharp outcroppings of rock protruded like shattered ribs. A sharp wind screamed through the air.

A voice bellowed.

"Prove yourself."

Emiko's heart thudded against her ears.

Then she heard it.

A low, gnarled growl.

She turned—

And saw them.

Shinigami.

No—

Abandoned shinigami.

Distorted, ugly versions of who they used to be. Their forms covered in darkness, their empty eyes glowing with otherworldly light.

There were dozens.

And they were headed toward her.

Emiko clenched her teeth.

No weapon.

No friends.

Only her.

Her hand trembled. The ember in her mouth spat out coal.

Survive.

The first of the cursed shinigami struck.

Emiko acted.

She dodged the blow, spinning around on her heel, slamming the monster in its ribs with her elbow. It did nothing.

Too powerful.

She dodged back just in time as another lashed out at her. The air hissed as its claws brushed past her by inches.

Her head reeled. She couldn't fight them. Not like this.

She needed to wake up.

She closed her eyes—felt the ember burning inside her.

Come on. Come on!

The cursed shinigami charged at her again.

This time, Emiko didn't flinch.

She ran forward.

A jolt of energy coursed through her.

Her body lightened—accelerated.

The world coalesced.

The first beast charged—

Emiko dodged out of the way, her movement fluid, and punched her fist into its chest. A burst of power from the blow sent it crashing into the wall.

The second creature struck—

She fell low, destroying its legs, and gave a vicious kick across its face.

More came forward.

Her heart beat faster.

The ember glowed.

Incandescent flames around her.

Not fire exactly—something else. A deep, gold energy from the center of her body flowing out through her arms and legs.

For the first time ever, she felt alive.

And she would not be defeated.

Not here.

Not to them.

She breathed in—then hurled herself at her foe.

Her fight had only just started.