Aunt Haruno was the sort of woman who made every stranger feel at home—a warm-hearted soul in her early thirties, always ready with a smile and a basket of fresh ingredients. When Tenra and Akeno first arrived in the little town, she'd looked after them, making sure they never went hungry.
But Tenra and Akeno were wanderers by nature. They never settled for long. So, with their packs ready, they returned to Aunt Haruno's house the next morning to say their goodbyes and thank her for her kindness.
Aunt Haruno seemed genuinely saddened by their decision. To her, Tenra and Akeno were just two lost kids in need of a home. She offered, once again, to take them in. They declined, gently but firmly.
They were about to leave when something caught their attention. Tenra and Akeno exchanged a look—something in the air felt wrong.
"Aunt Haruno, is there anyone else at home besides you?"
Akeno's tone was serious, her eyes sharp.
"Just me and Ichiro. Why?"
Aunt Haruno blinked, a little confused by the question, but she answered honestly.
"There's a dark energy in your house," Akeno said quietly. "If we're right, someone here has been possessed by an evil spirit."
Aunt Haruno's face went white.
Everyone in this world knew about monsters and evil spirits. Even ordinary people believed in them, especially in remote towns like this. Evil spirits sometimes latched onto the living, draining their vitality until nothing was left.
Aunt Haruno didn't question Akeno's words. She'd noticed Ichiro acting strangely—lethargic, unresponsive, sleeping through the day. That morning, she hadn't been able to wake him at all.
"What should I do? What do I do…"
She wrung her hands, panic rising. There were no exorcists in a place like this.
"Aunt Haruno, Akeno and I know a few exorcism techniques," Tenra said. "If you trust us, let us try."
She hesitated, torn between hope and disbelief. Tenra and Akeno weren't much older than her own son—how could they possibly deal with a spirit? But she had no other choice.
Finally, she nodded. "Please… just be careful."
She led them upstairs to Ichiro's room.
Ichiro was her only child, a boy of eight or nine, fast asleep when they entered. At least, that's how it looked to Aunt Haruno.
But Tenra and Akeno saw the truth: a shadowy spirit wrapped around the boy's neck, draining his life force as he struggled, silent and unseen.
"Aunt Haruno, wait outside," Tenra said, voice grim. "No matter what you hear, don't come in."
Aunt Haruno nodded, lips pressed tight, and closed the door behind her.
"Akeno, stay sharp."
"You too, Tenra."
Tenra drew his sword; Akeno summoned her tiny familiars—little spirits she'd befriended during her travels. They weren't strong, but they were clever and loyal.
At Akeno's signal, the little spirits charged the evil entity, shrieking and darting around its head. The spirit hissed, jaws snapping, but the familiars scattered and regrouped at Akeno's side before it could catch them.
Enraged, the spirit released Ichiro and lunged at Tenra and Akeno.
"Just what I was hoping for," Tenra muttered, eyes flashing.
He met the spirit head-on, channeling spiritual energy into his blade. Ordinary steel couldn't touch an evil spirit—but a sword infused with qi could cut it down.
He struck. Silver light flashed. The spirit was sliced clean in half, its scream echoing off the walls.
The two halves twisted, writhing, then lunged at Tenra in a final, desperate attack.
"Lightning!"
Akeno's voice rang out. She pointed, and a bolt of electricity arced from her fingertip, blasting the spirit into ash.
Silence fell.
—
Downstairs, mother and son clung to each other, sobbing with relief.
"Mama, I was so scared—so scared!"
"My Ichiro, you nearly gave me a heart attack…"
Tenra and Akeno stood aside, letting the family have their moment. It felt good to help, even if it was just a small thing.
When the tears finally subsided, Tenra knelt beside Ichiro.
"Can you tell us what happened? Why did the spirit possess you?"
"Yes, Ichiro, tell Mama what happened," Aunt Haruno urged.
Ichiro hesitated, eyes darting, but under his mother's gentle insistence, the truth tumbled out.
A few days ago, while playing outside, he'd been handed a flyer by a stranger. On it was a strange magic circle. The man told him that if he sincerely called out to the circle, a demon lord would appear. Demon lords could grant any wish—for a price.
Curiosity got the better of him. He brought the flyer home and, after much deliberation, tried the summoning ritual. To his shock, it worked.
The demon lord wasn't scary—in fact, he seemed kind. Ichiro relaxed, peppering him with questions. In the end, Ichiro traded his favorite toy for the ability to speak with ghosts, just for a little while.
At first, it was amazing—he could see and talk to all sorts of spirits, even play with them. But then he met one wreathed in black mist. It wouldn't answer when he spoke. When he invited it to play, it attacked, choking him and draining his strength. The rest, everyone knew.
Aunt Haruno was stunned speechless. Tenra and Akeno, though, simply nodded. Demons making contracts with humans was nothing new in this world.
Tenra asked gently, "Do you remember the demon's name?"
Ichiro shook his head. The demon had only said he was a servant of a great devil in the Underworld.
But when Ichiro mentioned the devil's family name, even Tenra's eyes widened.
Gremory.
One of the legendary 72 Pillars.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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