1 Fujishima's Maiden 1: Rainy Night

In the deepest cold and stormy night that hits the land of the SunItsuki Kingdom, one of the huge estates was dealing very difficult labor of a maiden of the family of Fujishima. It was supposed to be just simple labor of giving birth to a new era of shrine maidens but the whole estate was alarmed when a scream of a laboring maiden suddenly activated the summoning ritual for a shrine maiden's familiar. It never happened before to the previous maiden of the Fujishima family aside from the first shrine maiden of their family. When it was happening, the head of the family already knew that it has something to do with a very powerful soul beast and also stated that the soul of the child was indeed great to be able to summon a high-rank soul beast during the labor of its mother.

'It can't be…'

'PROTECT THE WHOLE FAMILY AT ALL COST!!!!'

'Dad.'

'Go to your wife. We'll handle it from here.'

As that was being ordered by the family head, a sudden crashing sound echoed around the whole estate that made such a vibration that call upon a very dangerous and rare of all kind of fallen beast to be summoned or called on the spot of giving birth. Noises were everywhere like the roaring sound of the thunderstorm echoed above the heavens followed by the lightning strikes splitting the night sky. Above the earthly ground, the ruckus of men protecting the entire family against the deadly intruders mixed up with the scream of a maiden giving birth to a child; then followed by a roar of a huge beast that suddenly appeared at the roof of one part of the house which caught the attention of the head of the family.

'How is it possible?'

'Master, is that the soul beast?'

'Protect the others. I'll protect my family if it's indeed a soul beast; my youngest granddaughter is in danger.'

The soul beast looked like just a very huge fireball that contained five different colors that reflect over its power but since it's formless, they couldn't manage to directly hit it until it began to move into another connected house that contained a laboring maiden. The head of the Fujishima family came on rushing to where it was heading where his son's wife had just given birth to another maiden. As it went inside, a ruckus happened.

There was screaming of frightened children and groaning of fighting men to which he saw his granddaughters and grandsons were quivering in fear in the corner of the room while the other maidens protecting them. Some helpers died along with the knights of the family which only left his son standing and defending everyone in the room. The head of the family was about to jump to help his son when the wife did something none of the maidens did before. With one stumped the hand over the wooden flooring of the room, everything began to vibrate it such power and the rage of a maiden who had just given birth, calling all entities that she have a connection with.

'I call upon the heaven's sky and stars in all realms…'

When the maiden started calling all the entities that she made connections with, the soul beast caught its attention and was alarmed to the point of charging at the maiden but her husband was in the way. He was trying his best on fighting the fireball beast that was taking random forms while they fight head-on and the head of the family joined forces with his son.

'…Balancing the night and day,

With a rightful maiden,

Shall wield a soul beast before me

Binding them for all eternity as master and familiar

As no force shall break the bond that bestows in their hearts.'

As it was being stated, it might come from a weak voice but it was still firm and held the truth in those words. Her words were being heard by every entity dwelling in each realm that she made a connection. It was swirling like a dancing grateful wind around the child that's wrapped in clean clothing before it quickly and strongly transferred to where the soul beast was. While the soul beast was being preoccupied with the maiden's husband, it quickly senses the powers of the entities that the maiden just summoned. It became a more violent fireball and the five different colorful flames turned into a very raging multi-colored one and it was totally bigger than earlier. They were still fighting but with the strong forces from the entities that were being called by the maiden, the rage of the soul beast began to slowly die down a bit. The force that was wrapping around the soul beast was too powerful that push the soul beast to stand down but the soul beast was too strong to be pinned down without a fight. It seriously did not want to be prevented from what it was supposed to be doing. Yet, the strong gush of the swirling force around it tried to suppress the transformation that the soul beast was doing until a huge and deadly nail managed to sneak out to strike down the innocent child. Everyone was worried that the child might be killed but nothing happened – no harm happened to the child.

'You're just a child…'

When a very powerful voice echoed around the room that came directly from the soul beast made everything seems to stop. The child's tiny hand managed to touch the soul beast nail coming straight at her and it surprised everyone aside from the maiden itself. The mother of the child knew already that they were fated to be together even without her binding and nobody knows about it. Only a few shrine maidens could see the fate of someone they came across with. At the moment, it was the fate of the soul beast to be with her child and there was no turning back. The strong force that was swirling around the soul beast began to die down; it quickly turned into a floating glowing orb before it began on talking.

'Master of the household of Fujishima, when the maiden comes to her rightful age, let her come to me. Failure to comply; disaster will fall on the entire family. Do I have your words?'

'What will she become?'

'That'll be up to her. Your word.'

'Consider it done.'

'DAD!!!'

'Quiet. It's for the safety of everyone and your youngest daughter.'

'Be thankful to your wife, young lad. If she didn't do the binding between me and your daughter, none of you will survive my wrath.'

'To all Fujishima households, remember to tell a tale about tonight's event. Let it be a lesson for the new generation. Don't forget what the maiden did to save all of your family. Only her managed to do something none of you ever tried.'

As soon as it was heard throughout the whole estate of the Fujishima, the orb stopped speaking before it flew toward the maiden who had just given birth. Then its glow began to die down as well after being laid down beside the sleeping child. No one could even dare to say a single word as they all knew that now soul beast could shift into an orb and manage to speak unless it was an elite one.

'ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND, DAD?! YOU MADE A DEAL WITH A BEAST AND IT WAS MY DAUGHTER AND YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER! NOT TO MENTION SHE WAS JUST BORN AND A CHILD!'

'Do you think I didn't know that? It was a very powerful soul beast that I had never seen. No soul beast could ever speak like the way it did. And I just did what I have to do and protect the whole family and not just yours.'

'Are you telling me that I am being selfish when all I want is to protect my family?'

'Your family. If you still think that way, no wonder why you're still just an heir and not the family head.'

'DAD!'

'ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!'

'But Mom, Dad was being so…'

'Idiot. You're an idiot just like your father, honey. No offense, father.'

'None taken.'

'Honey, I am just trying to protect you, our family.'

'I know and the reason why your father was like because he was like you once. You need not just consider us; look around you, those servants, maids, knights, helpers, relatives, they're also your family and not just us. It's okay to think about our safety first but also remember that they are your family as well as we're all living under one roof and estate. And that soul beast even without my binding, they'll be together and I am not against it.'

'What do you mean?'

'You'll understand one day. But tonight rest.'

Ever since the night of the soul beast attack, things began to change in their family household. Everyone began to train harder to keep the family safe from any beasts' threats and every shrine maiden's powers were being polished until the right time came to hits its peak.

Mikage

"Lady Mikage, are you sure that you can handle it?" a very low and whispering voice of a lady asked her superior to what they were doing – sneaking into the warehouse where the very powerful soul beast was being locked down into its slumber for twenty-five years.

"Don't worry about it, tonight will be the time that I'll turn a full pledge shrine maiden, so a peek won't do any harm." Mikage was smirking as she was sneaking to take a peek at what the soul beast really looked like and not just by the stories that they were telling her.

Mikage Fujishima was a very strong and powerful shrine maiden ever since she was born but her strength was focused on exorcising any antique item that was being possessed by any evil energies or dangerous malice or entities. But she was still undergoing the process of being a pledge shrine maiden in her twenty-five that still acts like a kid whenever something caught her interest. She was a curious cat about the things that interest her but for a five feet tall with fair skin tone, semi-long black wavy hair, and orbs. Yet, even though she was childish at heart; she still could be very dead serious when it was totally needed.

"If that's what you think it is, then you better know why it was being locked there in the first place." Another voice suddenly made the sneaking ladies jolt from the sudden appearance of the elder sister of Mikage named Yumiko Fujishima. She looked like Mikage apart from the hazel eyes and the height of four-eleven feet tall.

"But sissy, it just peeked. Let me see the soul beast in the warehouse, pretty please." Mikage begged her sister who just shook her head and just released a sigh. Mikage always been doing this ever since she learns to understand the stories that she heard from everyone around her.

"Sorry, Mika but no. It's an absolute rule for you by our mother. You know how mad she could be when she learns that you're out here again." Yumiko shook her head and grabbed the back of the collar of her little sister before dragging her back to the training ground. Mikage was pouting like a child as she was being dragged away from the warehouse of their family.

But to Yumiko, she believed that her younger sister was being called by the soul beast once again to wake it up. It's been happening ever since her sister's birthday was coming or it was exactly on the day of her birthday. That's why she was in charge of checking around the warehouse every time her sister's birthday was coming by but lately, she noticed that the warehouse suddenly did not emits such malice that made everyone in the family to stayed away.

"Did it die from waiting? I don't think so." Yumiko wondered since she's been sensing nothing around the warehouse especially since the anointing of her sister was coming close already. But at the same time she knew that it did not die because if that happened, her mother will know since she was the one responsible for why it was connected to her younger sister.

But as they went back to the house, none of them realized that the silent orb of the soul beast that Yumiko doubted to be dead has faintly glowed like a beating heartbeat followed by a giggle.

'I'm coming and I will be meeting in person, my beautiful soul maiden.'