In the cool October breeze, Tsukinoko leapt from the balcony below to return home. A pig-masked agent stopped at the same level on the building opposite, followed her with his eyes, then crouched down to prepare for an all-night vigil.

  In the middle of the night, he looked up as the kitchen light came on. He saw Tsukinoko standing at the sink, swigging a glass of cool water as she half-slept. Silhouettes passed unnoticed before the agent's eyes, but before he rested his gaze on Tsukinoko the kitchen was empty, the light off.

  On the roof, he saw two violet eyes carefully following the movements away from him.

  - Go back to sleep, please... he mumbles. Just this once.

  All the lights in the village were out, with only the thin crescent moon bringing light to the night. The silhouettes had stopped on the adjacent building.

  Four men dressed in black with large bags on their backs, and white porcelain masks on their heads painted with grotesque animal figures. One of them sneaked into an apartment, then emerged with his hands full of valuable jewels and trinkets. He stuffed his booty into his bag, and the group set off again.

  The agent paid no heed to their actions, her eyes fixed on Tsukinoko, until she sighed in annoyance when she disappeared to follow the crooks. Running barefoot across the tiles, she snatched up a changing rope as she went and stuffed the clips still clinging to it into her pocket. Before the crooks reach the next building, she stops them dead in their tracks, sending them tumbling into the void. Their heads a few centimetres off the ground, held by the rope attached to the roof antenna. The contents of their bags spill out onto the floor, and Tsukinoko picks up some of the jewelry.

  - Aren't Colony agents supposed to be orderly vigilantes?" she squints.

  - And aren't you supposed to be asleep, you little brat! Shut up and let us go now that you're here!

  Her cackle stops them in their tracks, then they look up to discover a girl with a devilish grin.

  Their faces tense as she raises her arm. Clothespins loaded with Lightning between her fingers, like sharp claws, Tsukinoko takes off but someone grabs her wrist.

  - I'm tired of chasing you," grumbled the officer in the pig mask, "night is for sleeping! What about the police to stop this kind of guy? Your job is to be good!

  She grimaces with disdain as two more officers arrive on the scene in turn, followed by three policemen. He lets her go to meet them.

  A mutiny had broken out at the prison, and Sagi's secret agents were on the case. But the roles were mixed up with the policemen who had come to arrest the thieves, prisoners in disguise.

  - If you all did your jobs better, you wouldn't complicate mine," rages the agent.

  The tension in their eyes could be felt through their masks and uniforms. The Police officers left with the thieves, while Sagi's officer questioned his colleague about Tsukinoko.

  - She's the Chief's disciple. Frankly, that one..." he snaps. Go home, I'm done with you for the night," he says. The relief must have arrived by now, so you'd better get a move on.

  - Aren't you going to take her home? Sagi's agent scornfully asks.

  - She knows what she's up against if she messes up again, doesn't she?" he sneers at Tsukinoko.

  The latter glared at her, then finally returned with a frustrated step. The Police were no match for the Colony and Sagi's agents, who often stepped on each other's toes, as they had that evening.

  Hanamaru's police force was made up of soldiers from the Karumin clan, appointed to this role to give them a semblance of power within the village and to calm their ardor, at the expense of their requests to integrate into the village.

  The gray-haired agent in charge of relief was settled at his post, leaning against a fireplace to read quietly. He looked up as his predecessor joined him. The latter, not trusting Tsukinoko, wanted to make sure she had obeyed. But the relief agent had seen no one

  The agent in the pig mask remains silent for a second, then turns his head towards the terrace.

  - You should have run into her, she was out playing vigilante. Did you check to see if she was in bed?

  - Weren't you with her until she got back?

  - That's not the point," he grumbles. Come on.

  They infiltrated the apartment, searching every room, but Tsukinoko was nowhere to be found. On the terrace, the gray-haired agent peered through the bay window into the living room in search of clues, until he noticed marks on the glass. Drops of blood and fingerprints, followed by a trail down to the window frame. He wiped one of the drops with his finger and noticed that the blood was fresh, still warm.

  - It's her blood. You said she was out playing vigilante, right?

  His colleague explains the situation to him earlier, but the grey-haired officer recoils in surprise. Without waiting, they rush to wake up the Chief to warn him.

  Tsukinoko had come to her senses, lying on the floor. The prison was gloomy and guarded like a fortress. Sagi's agents were bringing in other prisoners captured at the back of the courtyard. An agent came up behind Tsukinoko, one of the two we'd met earlier, to drag her by the arm so hard it pinched her skin. He knelt in front of Sagi, who had just arrived, then threw Tsukinoko at his feet. After explaining how they'd come upon her, he stands up.

  - I thought this was an opportunity for you, Master Sagi.

  - You thought right, Mizunoe.

  - Why am I here?" vociferates Tsukinoko.

  - Well, you specialize in espionage and assassination, the qualities required to work under me.

  - Murder?" she mumbles. I'm in research, not espionage!

  - These terms are used to soften reality.

  - But- get the fuck off me!" she snarls, pushing the agent away. What do you want, Sagi?

  Sagi opened one eye at her adolescent insolence, as she scowled at him, barefoot in her pyjamas. Anxious and dissipated, she kept glancing around.

  Just as Sagi was about to retaliate, Tsukinoko suddenly lifted her head and pulled him to throw him at the agent behind her.

  A prisoner had emerged from upstairs, falling heavily where Sagi stood, tanto in hand. An agent's head, still adorned with his mask, dangled from his fingertips, like a toy a child would carry around with him.

  The prisoner was gigantic, built like a wall, his face hardened by countless years in this fortress. Tsukinoko, her head tilted back to observe him, stood motionless in front of him.

  - Snot. You're embarrassing me. Get out.

  Sagi and her agents were prostrate against the courtyard walls, under the shade of the balconies. Unsure whether she could intervene again after her supervisors' reprimands, Tsukinoko turned on her heels to join Sagi. But the prisoner grabbed her by the hair before she could get away from him, leaving the agent's decapitated head rolling in the middle of the courtyard. She tried to struggle, but the man didn't budge an inch.

  - I've never seen eyes that color before, and I need your head for my collection!" he exclaims suddenly. Purple like Mum's flowers!

  Just in time, Tsukinoko had grabbed his hairy hands to swing around and block his elbow with her foot before he in turn decapitated her. With her other leg, she pushed back his wrist to direct the tant?'s blade at him. Slowly, despite her resistance, the tant? landed on the prisoner's neck.

  But Sagi reminded her that the prisoner had to be judged, not killed, and reminded her of the risks she ran if she disobeyed again.

  The prisoner took advantage of her lack of concentration to throw her brutally to the ground, without letting go of her hair. Breathless, she opened her eyes as the tanto came down on her. With her arm in front of her face, the blade sank into the flesh that stood in the way of her survival.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Her own blood trickles down her face, burning her eyes. She screams in pain as the blade forces against the exposed bone. Her purplish aura engulfs them both, before the prisoner is hurled across the courtyard

  Throat knotted with adrenalin, there was no escape for Tsukinoko. Sagi's agents surrounded them, blocking all exits.

  The unhealthy atmosphere of the place twisted the guts, and the prisoner regained his senses as she backed away slowly with small steps, holding her arm which was dripping onto the tiled floor. In his frenzy, he lunged at Tsukinoko to cut her to pieces, but his tant? was only stirring air at full speed. Like a lion thrown into the pit, Tsukinoko avoided every blow as the agents looked on in amusement. She was seeing red, against those damned agents, against those stupid prisoners, against that damned counselor who was watching her like a circus animal.

  - Stop fidgeting!" snarls the madman.

  Tsukinoko deflected his last salvo by bending his arm to bring the blade back to face him, driving the tanto into his shoulder with one blow from her still-healthy hand. The prisoner had swiped soldier's pouches, probably from the slain guards, and Tsukinoko's expression darkened further.

  In one swift movement, she grabbed two kunais as he fell to his knees. At the same level, the eyes of one glared cursingly at his fellow man, the others brimming with hatred. The blades are planted in the prisoner's pupils, before being yanked out, taking the sclerotic globes with them.

  The prisoner's groans of pain echo through the courtyard. A kick to the temple stunned him and calm returned, over the iron smell that filled the air. The eyeballs had cushioned the fall of the kunai, left behind by Tsukinoko as she advanced towards Sagi.

  The agents leapt to their feet and positioned themselves around him, but he pushed them aside to join her with a confident stride, satisfied with his exploits. Some of Sagi's agents had captured the rest of the escaped prisoners in the meantime.

  Despite their rough-and-tumble attitude, their skills were no less impressive in the perplexing system that was the Colony. Working in the shadows, not bothering anyone and never claiming her due, Tsukinoko knew she'd have the guts for the job.

  About to call Sagi to account, Tsukinoko wobbles against her legs, staining her kimono.

  - That's quite a wound you've got there," he says, glaring at her. You should take care of it before you bleed to death.

  The tattered bottom of her pyjama pants was used to bandage her arm. He watched attentively as she didn't flinch, despite her spasms of pain.

  - Just so you understand the situation," he said calmly, "the guards were the victims of a mutiny last night. We weren't able to detect the prisoners' agitation in time, because there aren't enough sensory limbs in Hanamaru. Just like you.

  - And what's that got to do with my being here? What's your problem?" she asks dryly.

  Sagi takes a step back and topples over backwards. Forced to remain calm under the tense atmosphere with the agents silently observing, she slowly gets to her feet.

  - Address your superiors correctly. The Chief has been too soft on you, and that's why you're so undisciplined today. Under my orders, you'll become irreproachable.

  - You?" she asks.

  - You," he continues. When you speak to a superior, you use the formal form of address.

  - I'm sorry, I didn't know," she bellows in astonishment. Why did you bring me here, to finally get rid of me? I know very well that you fossils don't like me!

  - You're a threat, yes, but I've been watching you a lot, Tsukinoko. You've piqued my curiosity, now all you have to do is earn my trust. Didn't you want to be a special agent? To really protect Hanamaru, whatever it takes? I'm going to take care of you personally. I should have taken you in from the start. You would have belonged here. My organization takes in soldiers without masters or homes. If you want to blossom with me, you'll have to prove to me that you're capable.

  - Capable of what?" she murmured.

  - You're not allowed to use your techniques unsupervised, are you? Agents are assigned to watch you every time you make a wrong move, and after all your secrecy you're on probation until the end of the year. Do you think the Chief really trusts you? With me, if you prove your worth, you'll never have to hold back again. You were just a malleable lump of earth, molded by the Chef for his own pleasure. His work is flawed and unfinished. If you're worthy of joining Sagi, you'll be treated with the respect and trust you deserve.

  - But... How do I do it then?

  - Stop lying.

  She couldn't stop lying. Her mother would never be betrayed, she would never put herself in danger, she would never reveal her true identity. Protecting Hanamaru, her homeland, was the most dignified thing a soldier could do. And each was master of his own destiny. To choose their path, whatever that might be. Tsukinoko hesitated for a second, then shrugged.

  -First of all, you didn't come to report to me after the mission I entrusted you with, following Hebimaru's desertion. I'm asking you what happened. Kinoe told me he'd never seen you. If you wish to join the Special Forces, Tsukinoko, I must have absolute confidence in you.

  - So first, explain to me why your agent was there to help Hebimaru? When you told me he had to kill him," she says without hesitation.

  Sagi had stopped in a clearing far from the village, followed by Tsukinoko who was waiting for the promised explanations. Confident in front of her, his calm demeanor surprised her

  - I thought I could trust you, Tsukinoko, but it seems you've taken a dim view of me. You've always been a threat to Hanamaru. You stick your nose where it doesn't belong, and I thought you'd be able to carry out a mission by staying in your place, but I was wrong.

  Violent blows rained down on her as soon as she finished her sentence, swelling her skin. Her bloodied hands protected her face in the rush

  Tsukinoko looks up, believing she perceives a gesture of calm coming from Sagi, his hand stretched out above her. He came to caress the top of her head before hoisting her into the air by a tuft of hair caught between his fingers, like a vulgar kitten held by the nape of her neck. She whimpered in pain, but he swung her into the middle of the clearing.

  His agents come out of the woodwork and rush at her with blows that rip open her skin and trample her heart.

  - You're too weak, you little brat.

  - You're worthless!

  - You should have stayed in your mountain, you louse!

  - Or die in hospital, that would have saved us a lot of trouble!

  Out of her mind, their words hurt her black anger. Ankylosed and overflowing with pain, the agents poured out their hatred. She resisted, tried to stand up, to push away this weight, to be more than the secrets that held her hostage

  With a wave of his hand, Sagi called his men back. The night's damp grass had ended up trampled into a ruddy pool, sticking to Tsukinoko's skin. Blood-drenched coughs disturbed the eerie silence, sanding the trachea. Reddish mucus drooled down Tsukinoko's cheek, her eyes half-open.

  - Is that all you can do?" he raises his voice. Is that all you know how to do? Curl up like a puppy in distress, feel sorry for yourself? You're weak, Tsukinoko, weak!

  << Weakness disgusts me >>

  << Only the weak rot in the pits that inhabit the land after the war. The victors never fall >>

  << You're disgusting, lying on the ground like that. >>

  With her lungs on fire, her brain throbbing beneath her swollen skull, her ribs fractured and her arm in shreds, the envenomed words excavated from the depths of Tsukinoko's memory came to crush her last fragments of reason.

  Pain exults from deep within. The forest was suddenly awakened as the birds fled, screaming, the grass bristling and the animals' hooves scurrying away as fast as they could. A powerful energy blew across the clearing and cleared the nearest trees.

  Menacingly, Tsukinoko's purplish aura swirled around her and some agents took a step backwards

  - I'm... not... weak!" she shrieks.

  Sagi barely blinks as electricity crackles behind his back, at his ankles, at the nape of his neck, before he sees two piercing violet eyes glued to his own. Nets of Lightning had wrapped around him and he swapped at the last moment with one of his agents. The latter exploded under the compression of the lightning and its charred entrails littered the grass.

  - I'm not weak!

  His howls of revolt echoed through the clearing. One by one, men collapsed as soon as the purplish glow touched them.

  Sagi is now surrounded by a masterful silence, with only the light of the full moon to help him find his way around

  - You're tougher than I thought," he murmurs. I can't let you go back. You'll die tonight and disappear from Hanamaru.

  One predatory step after another, as agile as a wild beast, she approached her prey. Her aura danced around her, swirling with electricity. Her body freed from pain by the numbness of the electrostatic charge, Tsukinoko blinked at breakneck speed as she tried to concentrate, throbbing

  Sagi retaliates to stop her, but she shields herself from the wind attacks with her aura, moving slowly towards him. Closer and closer, he puts one foot back without losing face.

  She'll stop at nothing, ready to kill him, anyone who gets in her way, anyone who underestimates her and insults her parents' teaching

  Sagi drew a kunai, but she caught his weapon in her hand, which was cutting into her palm, without taking her eyes off him. She was about to finish it off, but her aura dissipated, having consumed her last reserves of chakra

  He finally managed to push her away and pierced her from both sides, like whistling ammunition. He caught his breath after his attack, but found himself in awe before this kid, still standing on her feet even though her body was staggering. His gaze no longer followed her movements. One last attack would be enough to get her.

  A wall of earth sprang up from the ground just in front of Tsukinoko. Calm returned as the Chief stood between the wall and Sagi, straightening his hat after observing the lifeless agents on the ground, and turned his dark gaze on Sagi.

  - How dare you lay a hand on my disciple?

  The two men glared at each other, the Chief angrier than ever. Sagi took a step forward, but the two Colony Agents in the red and pig masks stepped in. After a glance, they disappeared with her.

  - This child has succeeded in weakening your heart and clouding your ability to reason," adds Sagi. As a Chief, that uniform is a stain on your shoulders as you defend this abomination.

  - What did she know, that was so despicable, that you suddenly felt the need to get rid of her?" he said, readjusting his haori. What did she know that I don't already know, Sagi? Did you know that the porcelain masks of the Colonial Agents are stored at the Residence? In fact, it was reported last month that a mask had been stolen.

  Sagi just stared at him, waiting for him to continue on his own.

  - Without knowing it, my disciple has confirmed what I didn't dare believe. This blank mask, which I had neglected to paint, has proved you wrong. If you or any of your agents ever lay a hand on her again, this time I won't wear my uniform. You're right, it would be a shame to stain it.

  Sagi frowns before disappearing, under the Chief's ultimate clemency.

  At sunrise, Tsukinoko was resting in her bed, while the Chef thanked Sh?d? for looking after her. Standing at the stove, he finished grilling slices of ham as a hand clutched his kimono. Awake and terribly slimy, she was slowly coming to her senses, bandaged from head to toe. Despite her cheerful welcome, she murmured a shameful apology

  - You're too nice to me," she said in a small voice, "Jījī. I'm not going to get any stronger by doing paperwork at the Academy. The old man's right... Sagi. I know you don't believe me, but he's no good, and I can protect Hanamaru for him! I want to be at the Colony, but with you. You, Sir," she snapped. I'm not afraid, Jījī. Then...?

  He is astonished but remains silent. Sitting cross-legged on a chair in the kitchen to think, he places a bowl of rice in front of her with grilled ham. Sagi, Hebimaru, all those vipers prowling around Hanamaru, how could one find appetite among them.