All the previous day's discussions resurfaced in her mind, and she felt as if the sky was falling. In front of the mirror in the corridor toilet, she noticed her black hair down to her knees, disheveled, her clothes all wrinkled, and yesterday's complimentary warm boots forgotten in the infirmary. Ashamed, she returned to the Chief's office barefoot.

  - Hello!" she shouts, suddenly opening the door.

  Two of the elders didn't deign to greet her and continued chatting with the Chief. They left, but she retorted with a grimace mimicking their contemptuous expression.

  - We don't approve of it, Haruo," exclaimed the old lady, stopping on the threshold. You should take her to an expert first. We don't need any more trouble right now. And you've got much better things to do than that.

  - I haven't made up my mind yet, so we'll see what the Warrant Officers I've selected have to say.

  - Sagi also confided in us that he wanted to take care of this wild woman. Do you know where this infatuation comes from? What's so special about her for the two of you?

  The Chief frowns, then waves them off.

  - Who are you fossils?" Tsukinoko confidently asked as they walked away.

  - Excuse me?" they ask in unison with an air of annoyance.

  They turned on their heels and left, annoyed by his behavior. The chief, seated at his desk, smiled, amused by his insolence. They were the Village Councillors, Shoji Fujita and Harue Kato.

  He sighed softly at her innocence, then opened a folder while she fiddled with all the documents on his desk, accustomed to snooping through her father's work. He hesitates, then curiously lets her read the register of village soldiers.

  - So what do I have to do? Who's going to do my papers? Am I going to be in the book too, with all the soldiers?

  - We'll start by completing your file," he exclaims. Then we'll go to the training room and you can show me what you can do. The teachers will decide whether it's best to enroll you in the Academy or whether you're already good enough to join a brigade. Come here.

  Tsukinoko steps curiously up beside him, hands behind her back, but he looks her up and down.

  - Sorry!" she panics. I'll get them after the boots! I tried to go back in but it was closed, and people were looking at me strangely, and I felt the lady but she was far away, at the hospital, and I was too lazy to go, so-.

  - Did you feel it?" he asks.

  - What?

  He squints but doesn't answer, finding her full of life even if her gaze betrayed his sorrow. He clears his throat and changes the subject. Together they fill in all the forms and Tsukinoko signs the agreed contract.

  In a downtown clothing store, the Chef gives the sales assistant an envelope containing a New Year's gift for Tsukinoko.

  Standing in front of the edssay booth mirror, naked as a worm, she fiddled with her belly, covered with a mark to which she was still unaccustomed. The dragon might have disappeared with water and time, but it was still there, as if inked into her skin, snaking from sternum to pubis.

  Tsukinoko emerged and twirled in front of him, awaiting his opinion on her new outfit. A white shirt with short pink sleeves and a little bow at the collar, a black skort, a pair of sandals on her feet and white mittens she'd put on with care. Without waiting for his approval, she clipped white barrettes into her hair

  In the Academy courtyard, high bleachers on either side, training puppets amassed at the back of the room. The Chief takes a few steps back to leave Tsukinoko in the middle and exclaims.

  - Show me what you can do to get started.

  Perhaps it was better to pretend ignorance and start afresh. Tsukinoko looked down at the summoning seal on her wrist. The idea of using it crossed her mind, but five years had passed. She didn't know what would happen next, and that worried her.

  She chose to rely on what she had mastered: pure chakra. She had this unique ability to shape it like clay, to make it vibrate around her like a cloak of energy. Added to this were her agility in close combat and her swordsmanship. Tough and fast, she had only developed one technique of her own. She adapted, improvised and forged her attacks according to the moment.

  Every day, she practiced. Alone or facing him. She had trained in tears, blood and sweat, while he remained cold, detached, pushing her away with a flick of his finger. When she projected her chakra, it took the form of chains sprouting from her arms, like eels of electricity. Her primary nature was lightning, but she also mastered fire - a rarity at her age, which her father considered insignificant.

  For him, nothing was ever enough. Each advance was only a prelude to a new difficulty, as if the mountain she was climbing had no summit. He had taught her to unleash her impulses, to ravage everything in her path, so that no adversary would ever dare stand before her.

  - What's up?" said the boss impatiently. Didn't your parents teach you anything?

  - Two fucking seconds! He's in a hurry, that one..." she mumbles under her breath as she comes to her senses.

  From her small stature, she already held a strong character, and he raised an eyebrow as whispers escaped from the hidden bleachers.

  - Who are they?" she suddenly wonders.

  - Your potential warrant officers. There are six of them, and one of them may or may not accept to take care of you, if you're up to it. Now it's your turn to show them what you can do. Start with the cloning technique.

  Her cheeks red with discomfort, she performs the incantations of sheep, snake and tiger. Two lightning clones appear, and the Chief squints as the onlookers are astonished in turn. Her high-level shadow clones, masquerading as clones of her, don't fool the experts. Then comes the metamorphosis. Her two clones metamorphose into the Chief, who nods in agreement.

  - Well, show us your fighting skills. Attack me.

  She looked at him, surprised, but hesitated no longer and signed the tiger incantation. A purplish aura emanates around her, formed by her concentrated chakra, under the watchful eyes of the combat experts. She stretches out her arms and two tentacles of chakra shoot straight at the leader, who easily avoids them.

  He had sensed her discomfort, but recognized that she was fast and agile, her techniques surprising him. She didn't move, so he sent two Warrant Officers down to measure her skills.

  - That's it. Behave as if they were your enemies, as if you were on a mission to protect civilians. Don't be afraid. You have two minutes for the first round.

  Tsukinoko hesitates for a second, but the two Adjutants approach slowly, and she questions the Chief again, who nods

  All her life, every single person had represented a threat to her family, one that had to be eliminated on the spot. Now that the Village was her family, she could demonstrate the fate that befell her opponents. Her chakra raced towards the two Adjutants, who not only dodged, but attacked in return.

  Running along the wall around them, like a predator circling its prey, she avoided their projectiles and kept her distance from their blows. She leaned on the wall to land behind them. As fast as lightning, her chakra enveloped one of the two Adjutants.

  - Lightning power - Aura surferlante!

  Her aura electrified and the powerful current paralyzed the adjutant, burning her skin as it ran down the inside of her body. She unravels and swings around to find herself crouched on the shoulders of the second-in-command who was helping his colleague.

  The aura clings to the warrant officer's shoulders, then descends onto his arms. He tries to shake it off as if pushing back thousands of ants climbing on himself, but soon finds himself unable to move, held tight by the dense chakra. He tried to resist, but Tsukinoko rose to her feet, standing on his shoulders, then closed her eyes, her hands clasped. Silence reigned in the room, eyes riveted on her.

  The adjutant holds her breath. She signs a series of incantations so quickly that astonishment can be heard in the stands. With a jerk, she spreads her hands, outstretched to face the adjacent walls where her prey's severed arms are flung to either side. Stunned, he begins to stammer before letting out a howl of pain. Falling to her knees, Tsukinoko placed the tip of a blade against the back of his neck, which she had snatched from him as he lay dying, her gaze as dark as the blood pooling at her feet

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  The stopwatch hanging from the bleachers rings the two-minute mark.

  The remaining adjutants jumped up to grab the weapon and hold Tsukinoko back, aghast. One of them at the first man's bedside, noting the extent of the damage, while the last tried to stop his colleague bleeding

  - You killed Ayame!" shouted the other to Tsukinoko, kneeling in the pool of his colleague's blood.

  - What kind of monster is this kid? I've never seen anything like it," said one of the two who were still holding her back. It's almost like the selection methods of the Shadow Soldiers.

  All eyes cursed her, filled with hatred and disgust, as if hell had delivered them an unscrupulous, soulless killer.

  - So what?! she panics. They had to defend themselves!

  - You... You've just taken one man's life, condemned another, and this is all it does to you?! You wish to join the ranks of the Village, yet you feel not an ounce of guilt? We'll never allow a demon like you to roam around here!

  - Easy," blows one of the experts with a ponytail.

  Rhetorical applause erupted from the stands, as if in approval, adding further tension to the situation and cutting short the discussion.

  Sagi, a man of the same age as the Chief, with thick black hair, a scar on his chin and wearing a dark blue tunic, had his eyes riveted on Tsukinoko. He was accompanied by two masked agents, standing behind him like puppets. Sagi was the head of the Colony's sub-branch, which he directed at the same time as the Chief. These mysterious entities worked in secret for the security of the Village, two armies masked and silent agents who left no clues behind.

  One of the officers saw that the electrocuted Warrant Officer was dead. Tsukinoko was still standing in the middle of the puddle of blood, not knowing what to do, while the other Warrant Officers had gone to the hospital with their one-armed colleague. The old man and the Chief were arguing at the other end of the yard.

  - It's out of the question!" growls the Chief.

  - And what are you going to do about the witnesses? This will come out tonight, and nothing can protect her. No one knows where the Five-Eyed Demon has gone, and I'm sure the rumors will start about her. You failed to take the necessary measures.

  The Chief came up behind Tsukinoko, knocked her down and dropped her at his feet. Sagi intends to approach, but he dissuades her with a look.

  - You're making a big mistake," he retorts.

  Sagi leaves with his agents who were carrying the corpse, dictating to them the scenario that will be given to the family to explain their loved one's disappearance. The Chief watches them leave, before laying eyes on Tsukinoko, lying at his feet.

  Perhaps he really had made a mistake.

  ?

  A week earlier, two months after the G?me attack, in hospital.

  Unknown to the census, Tsukinoko had been under Colony surveillance and placed in a coma. The hospital director was taking her temperature. Her blood analysis had revealed an important point.

  The Chief read the medical report, then widened his eyes.

  - How is this possible? The Anb? clan was extremely depleted after the war, and its members can now be counted on the fingers of one hand.

  - One of his parents comes from the pure line. I thought we had counted the few remaining old-timers in gerontology...

  - It's impossible," he asserted. And his other relative would be... Erase these tests," he ordered after reading the other result.

  - It's a wise decision," whispered Sagi on the threshold.

  The Chief's back remained to him, but Sagi approached Tsukinoko to take a long look at him.

  - I've checked the records of all the clans in the village, and there's no trace of her among them. It's possible, then, that the Karumin clan raised her in the greatest secrecy in order to use her for the Attack.

  The Karumin clan was not responsible for the demon's attack, but Sagi doubted it. Renowned for the Negin , which gave them the power to manipulate the most powerful minds such as those of the Guardians, one of whom was the five-eyed demon, G?me. He invited Sagi to leave, leaving the doctors with the Colony agents. The latter then destroyed all evidence and test results

  In front of the hospital, the two men glared at each other.

  - Until proven otherwise, this child is not responsible for the catastrophe. I've put her under surveillance, and I'll be sure to verify her claims when she wakes up.

  - She'll have to go to the Colony to be kept under surveillance. Who knows what a mixture of these clans has brought into the world, it's unprecedented.

  ?

  Tsukinoko woke up lying on large cushions. The room was spacious and simple. Pale yellow walls filled with bookcases, and a red dais topped by a green carpet on which she sat. Parchments were piled here and there. With his hat beside him, the chief continued his work.

  - Where are the others?" she wonders. Say Jījī, what's the matter? You told me that-

  - Quiet, please. I'm the one who didn't take the necessary precautions. We don't know where you came from. Given your unfailing ignorance, I can't afford any more mistakes.

  - But I... Wait, are you saying I'm stupid? But then, who's going to take care of me? They said I was a monster...

  - Do you really want to stay in Hanamaru?

  - Oh yes!

  - What are the reasons for this?

  She looks uncomfortable.

  - I... Mom said I had to come here, to protect Hanamaru, she's from here you know Jījī, she used to talk to me all the time about Hanamaru. And so did Dad, but he promised me he'd come back, that he'd come for me!

  The chief guesses that these are their last words before they disappear. He relit his pipe and stepped out onto the balcony, looking pensive. Standing in front of the ledge, he watched the sun set over Hanamaru. Tsukinoko watched the village and its busy inhabitants, children leaving the Academy, elderly people chatting on a bench in front of the park, families, couples, friends, a whole host of people she now had to look after.

  - Hey Jījī," she asks softly, resting her hands on the railing, "who's got priority?

  - Priority?" he repeats, taking a drag on his pipe.

  - If a big disaster happens again, I understand that everyone has to protect everyone, but we can't save everyone. Even if the villagers are counting on us. I just... I mean, how do we do it?

  He understands the meaning of his question through the awkward phrasing and takes a deep breath.

  - Well, who do you think are the most important people in the village?

  - Well, you're the boss... Aren't you? Then I'd say Fossils, then-

  - I'm not talking about hierarchy. If the village is ever in danger, who are you going to save first?

  - You..." she repeats. You're old too, you'll need help, and if you're gone, what am I supposed to do? You're the only one who doesn't look at me like a savage, as if I were a demon too... she says, scratching her belly.

  She shudders at the thought of being alone in the wild again.

  - Well, someone else will take care of you. That's how it works, we protect each other," he repeats solemnly. But you won't have to take care of me, I may be old but I'm supposed to be the strongest," he sneers. So I should be the last one to be helped, because my role is to protect you all. So who are you going to save?

  - Well... I'd go and help the villagers. I'd especially go and help the old ones like you, because they really can't defend themselves, and the children, because they'll be too scared. At least I think so... I was scared," she said shamefully.

  Tsukinoko had a real sense of duty, even if there was still some way to go, but it was this sense that the Chief wanted to shape to lead Hanamaru and look after the village as it should.

  - The children are Hanamaru's future," he continues. Before we know it, they'll be grown up and they'll be the lifeblood of the village. Like you, if you decide to stay. They're still innocent, full of willpower, and they'll need the elders to guide them. But that's why we're here, isn't it?

  - To protect them," she exclaims confidently.

  He bows his head and nods. Tsukinoko's eyes glisten in the warm light of sunset, and she turns to Hanamaru to admire the view, pondering these new words.

  Her father had always insisted that the real reason to fight was to protect those you love. And today, even though her family was gone, she wished to protect this village she considered her new home, her heritage. Even if she still denied the truth about their fate, she hoped with all her heart that they wouldn't resent her disobedience, even if she'd never forgive herself.

  The memories had returned after she'd woken up in hospital. G?me had indeed come to sow discord between them, through his own fault she judged. Even if the mystery of his arrival here remained, she couldn't help it.

  Tsukinoko had someone to rely on from now on and she wouldn't let him down, whether he wanted her or not, she wouldn't abandon him.

  Finally, she had grown attached to this village, where she had always wanted to live as a child. She would stay here and protect the Chief who had taken her in, without question. If her parents were to return one day, she would be where they had asked her to be.

  Tsukinoko releases all the pressure from her shoulders as she accepts her fate, and hot tears of relief roll down her cheeks. Saying goodbye to her parents with a heavy sigh. She felt safe here. Nothing could ever erase the wound left by their disappearance, but she was determined not to give up.

  Even if her welcome was hostile, she knew how to make herself respected and find her place, proving to them all her worth.

  A glint shone in the depths of her violet eyes. It wasn't sunlight, but something stronger, a will-filled flame.

  He looked at her for a moment, ready to pass judgment. Ready to give her a second chance, despite the accident, despite their unfortunate meeting, despite the many warnings from the Council. Filled with pride and relieved to see her mourning, he was ready to mop up the many tears and pick up the pieces that lay ahead for the next few years.

  Tsukinoko was sorely lacking in theoretical knowledge and culture, so the Chief decided to take charge of her military training for the first few months.

  - Huh?!" she exclaims. But you're so old! What are you going to do, watch me train while you take a nap?! she shouts again.

  She recoiled when he burst out laughing, his usual serious expression on his wrinkled face. His laughter was full of sincerity, as if he couldn't wait to get on with the busy day-to-day life he now enjoys.

  It was an honor for anyone in the country to be trained by the Chief, Hanamaru's full military sovereign. Once the contract recognizing the sponsorship had been signed, and a few instructions given, Tsukinoko was installed in an apartment. Every day, she would meet at five o'clock sharp in the afternoon to train.

  At the shopkeeper's who had chased her away earlier, Tsukinoko handed him her purse, lowering her head in suspicion. He felt the size of the pouch with his eyes, then let her enter his store.

  Packets of food packaged with photos, endless inscriptions, dozens of products that resemble each other, the effervescence of modernity made Tsukinoko lose her bearings.

  Where she once lived, everything was homemade and produced in the garden. With her wallet lightened and her arms full back in her apartment, she carefully studied the instructions on the back of the purchased meal packs.

  Not even a minute had passed when the gas stove caught fire, taking her lunch with it. Sitting in front of the smoke-blackened kitchen wall, she finally decided to return to the grocery store.

  That evening, lying on the old deckchair on the terrace watching the sky, Tsukinoko felt reassured to have a roof over her head and someone to look after her. Memories of her parents continued to fill her mind, but she was unable to give them up. One last time, she set out to find them. After that, it would be too late. This was her last chance, her last hope, and she knew who to call to help her

  Visual skills, appears in members of the Karumin clan.