The White Fox Temple was much larger than Serena had initially realized.
After leaving her room, she followed one of the long wooden corridors that connected the residential quarters to the central buildings. At first, she had assumed the temple would be straightforward to navigate. The main structure looked orderly from the outside, with its tiled roofs, wooden walkways, and carefully maintained gardens, but the deeper Serena ventured into the complex, the more she realized how misleading that first impression had been.
Every corridor seemed to lead somewhere different.
Some passages opened into quiet courtyards surrounded by moss-covered stones and carefully arranged stone lanterns. Others narrowed before turning around buildings and disappearing behind rows of ancient cedar trees. There were smaller shrines tucked into secluded corners of the grounds, their entrances marked by weathered torii gates and faded prayer charms that swayed gently in the mountain breeze.
Serena had intended to find Tamayo immediately.
Instead, she had become completely lost.
She stopped at an intersection where two wooden corridors crossed and stared down each passage with increasing uncertainty. The warm light of the afternoon sun filtered through the trees, casting long shadows across the polished floorboards.
Serena frowned.
"Which way did she go?"
Stud floated beside her, his small body drifting lazily through the air as though he had absolutely no concern about their current predicament.
"You could always ask somebody."
Serena glanced sideways at him.
"I know."
"Then why aren't you?"
"Because I don't want to look like I don't know where I'm going."
Stud stared at her for several seconds.
"You're lost."
"I'm not lost."
"You've walked past the same shrine twice."
Serena's expression tightened.
"I was checking something."
Stud tilted his head.
"What?"
"...The shrine."
"You checked it for twenty minutes."
"I was being thorough."
Stud released a long, exaggerated sigh.
"My dear miss, if pride could be converted into a sense of direction, you'd be the greatest navigator alive."
Serena's eyebrow twitched.
"Keep talking and I'll throw you into the nearest pond."
Stud immediately looked toward the gardens.
"There are ponds?"
"Stud."
"Right. Silence."
Serena resumed walking, leaving Stud hovering beside her.
Despite her annoyance, she couldn't deny that the temple was overwhelming.
She had grown up hearing stories about the White Fox Temple. She had heard countless descriptions from her family about its history, its traditions, and the generations of Geists who had trained within its grounds. Yet stories were different from actually standing inside the place.
The temple carried an atmosphere Serena couldn't quite describe.
It wasn't frightening.
If anything, it was peaceful.
But beneath that peace was something much older.
Ancient.
The wooden beams above her had clearly been repaired and replaced countless times over the generations, their newer sections blending carefully with the older timber. Yet the overall structure remained largely unchanged, as though every generation had been determined to preserve the temple exactly as their ancestors had known it.
Small protective charms hung beneath the eaves. Their paper strips fluttered whenever the mountain wind slipped through the open corridors. Wind chimes suspended beneath the roof moved gently in the breeze, producing delicate notes that echoed between the buildings.
Somewhere in the distance, a temple bell rang.
The deep sound rolled across the entire complex before gradually fading into the forest below.
Serena slowed down.
For a moment, she simply listened.
There was something strangely calming about it.
The distant rustling of cedar branches, the faint chime of the wind ornaments, and the muted sounds of people moving somewhere beyond the walls all blended into a quiet atmosphere that felt completely different from the city she was accustomed to.
Then Stud ruined it.
"So, when do you think we're getting food?"
Serena sighed.
"You think about food too much."
"I've spent most of my existence living on the streets. Food is important."
"You don't even eat normally."
"I have spiritual needs."
Serena gave him a skeptical look.
"You watch television for twelve hours a day."
"Television is also a spiritual need."
Serena shook her head.
"You really are impossible."
Stud smiled proudly.
"Thank you."
"I wasn't complimenting you."
"I choose to interpret it positively."
Serena opened her mouth to respond.
Then she stopped.
Something had changed.
She felt it before she heard it.
The sensation was subtle at first, almost too faint to recognize. A strange pressure seemed to settle over the corridor, causing the hairs along the back of Serena's neck to rise.
Her body reacted before her thoughts could catch up.
She stopped walking.
The amusement disappeared from her expression.
"Stud."
"Hm?"
"Stay close."
Stud blinked.
"What?"
Serena didn't answer.
Her eyes moved slowly across the corridor.
Nothing appeared out of place.
The wooden walkway remained empty. No footsteps approached from either direction. The trees beyond the open side of the corridor continued swaying gently in the wind, and the charms hanging from the roof moved as peacefully as before.
There was no visible threat.
Yet Serena's instincts refused to settle.
Something was wrong.
She took another careful breath, trying to identify the source of the strange sensation.
Then—
A sharp sound tore through the building.
SHRAAAK!
Stud screamed.
An invisible force ripped across the wall beside him.
There had been nothing there a moment earlier.
Now a deep, perfectly straight cut ran through the wooden structure. The impact shattered several sections of the wall, sending splinters and fragments of timber flying across the corridor.
Stud barely managed to move.
The attack passed within inches of his body.
"AAAAAAAH!"
He shot upward so quickly that he nearly struck the ceiling.
"What was THAT?!"
Serena spun around.
Her hand immediately moved toward her weapon as she searched the corridor.
"What happened?!"
"Something tried to kill me!"
Serena's eyes narrowed.
"From where?"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
Stud's entire body was shaking.
His tentacles had curled tightly around himself as he frantically looked in every direction.
"I didn't even see it!"
Serena ignored his panic long enough to examine the damaged wall.
There was no attacker.
No weapon.
No person hiding behind the shattered section.
There wasn't even an obvious spiritual residue that could tell her where the attack had originated.
There was only the cut.
A perfectly straight slash that had carved through the wooden structure as though the wall had been made of paper.
Serena's expression became serious.
"An invisible slash..."
Stud floated closer to her.
"That's what I was trying to tell you!"
"You've been attacked by invisible things before."
"Not by something that almost turned me into spiritual confetti!"
Serena looked around again.
Her instincts continued screaming at her.
Something had attacked Stud.
But there was another detail that bothered her even more.
She examined the damaged wall from several angles.
There was almost no damage outside the slash itself.
The attack had been extremely precise.
It hadn't struck randomly.
It hadn't simply torn through the corridor.
It had traveled directly toward Stud.
Someone had deliberately aimed at him.
Serena's eyes narrowed.
"Who did that?"
Stud immediately pointed his tentacles in several different directions.
"I don't know!"
"You didn't see anything?"
"Nothing!"
Serena's fingers tightened around her weapon.
"Then whoever attacked you is still nearby."
Stud's voice became noticeably smaller.
"...Can we leave?"
Serena ignored him.
She turned slowly, studying every entrance and shadow around them.
The peaceful atmosphere of the temple suddenly felt different.
The wind continued moving through the trees, but Serena could no longer find comfort in the sound.
There was a faint spiritual pressure lingering around the corridor.
She couldn't identify its source.
She couldn't tell whether it was coming from the walls, the surrounding forest, or somewhere directly behind her.
Then—
A calm voice came from behind them.
"Looking for me?"
Serena froze.
Stud froze even harder.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Serena slowly turned around.
At the opposite end of the corridor stood Tamayo.
Her older sister was leaning casually against the wooden railing, one hand resting against the polished timber. Her posture was relaxed, and her expression carried the faintest hint of amusement.
She wasn't holding a weapon.
She didn't appear to have moved from where she was standing.
Yet Serena immediately understood.
Tamayo had been the one who attacked.
"Tamayo..."
Tamayo's eyes shifted away from Serena.
They settled on Stud.
The tiny Poltergeist was still trembling.
His eyes widened as he slowly drifted backward until Serena was standing between him and Tamayo.
Tamayo raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
Stud cautiously peeked around Serena's shoulder.
"...Hello."
Tamayo didn't respond immediately.
She simply stared at him.
Stud swallowed nervously.
Serena took a small step forward, deliberately placing herself between her sister and Stud.
"Why did you attack him?"
Tamayo glanced toward the damaged wall.
Then she looked at Stud.
Finally, her attention returned to Serena.
"I wanted to see something."
"What?"
Tamayo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"How fast he could react."
Stud's expression became horrified.
"You almost cut me in half!"
Tamayo shrugged.
"I missed."
Stud stared at her in disbelief.
"You call THAT missing?!"
"I wasn't aiming to hit you."
"That doesn't make me feel better!"
Serena looked at Tamayo with disbelief.
"You could have warned us."
"I could have."
"Then why didn't you?"
Tamayo smiled.
"Because then it wouldn't have been a test."
Stud's tentacles trembled.
"A test?!"
He floated forward slightly, his fear temporarily being replaced by indignation.
"I am not a training dummy!"
Tamayo looked at him with an unreadable expression.
"No."
She paused.
"You're something much more interesting."
Stud immediately retreated behind Serena.
"I don't like the way she said that."
Serena sighed.
"Tamayo, what exactly are you testing?"
Tamayo's playful expression finally disappeared.
"Your awareness."
She pointed toward Serena.
"Not yours."
Then she pointed toward Stud.
"His."
Stud blinked.
"Mine?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Tamayo folded her arms.
"Because you're going to be staying here."
Stud's expression changed.
"...Wait."
Tamayo continued before he could ask anything else.
"And if you're going to remain around my sister..."
Her gaze sharpened.
"...I need to know whether you can survive in a place filled with people who know how to kill Poltergeists."
Stud went completely silent.
For once, there was no joke waiting behind his expression.
Serena's expression softened slightly.
That explanation made sense.
The White Fox Temple wasn't an ordinary residence. It was a sacred site belonging to one of the most powerful Geist bloodlines in existence. The people living here weren't ordinary civilians who happened to know about Poltergeists. They were trained Geists, practitioners, and members of a family that had spent generations learning how to identify, track, and eliminate supernatural threats.
Stud had been allowed to stay because he was different from the other Poltergeists Serena had encountered.
He was capable of communicating with humans. He had formed relationships with them. He wasn't actively trying to harm anyone.
But none of those things guaranteed that everyone within the temple would trust him.
Tamayo looked directly at him.
"You survived because you noticed the attack."
Stud's expression remained nervous.
"I barely noticed it."
"That still counts."
Tamayo turned toward Serena.
"Your reaction was slower."
Serena blinked.
"What?"
"You heard the attack."
Tamayo gestured toward the damaged wall.
"But Stud reacted before you did."
Serena's eyes shifted toward Stud.
The little Poltergeist stared back at her.
For once, he didn't make a joke.
Tamayo continued.
"That's something you need to understand."
Her voice carried a seriousness that immediately captured Serena's attention.
"Being a Geist isn't simply about strength."
She looked toward the slash in the wall.
"It's about awareness."
She paused, allowing the lesson to settle.
"An opponent doesn't need to announce itself before attacking."
Serena looked toward the invisible slash.
The clean cut through the wall served as a perfect reminder.
Tamayo's attack hadn't made a sound until the moment it struck.
If this had been a genuine enemy, Serena might not have had enough time to react.
Tamayo slowly walked closer.
"You'll learn that during your training."
Serena straightened.
"I understand."
Stud cautiously raised one tentacle.
"Do I get training too?"
Tamayo looked at him.
"No."
Stud immediately relaxed.
"Excellent."
Tamayo continued.
"You're getting tested."
Stud froze.
"...That's worse."
Tamayo smiled.
"Much worse."
Stud's expression completely collapsed.
Serena couldn't help herself.
A small laugh escaped her.
"You deserve it."
Stud turned toward her in betrayal.
"Traitor."
Tamayo walked past them toward the damaged section of the wall.
Her footsteps were quiet against the wooden floorboards.
When she reached the slash, she raised one hand and placed her fingers against the severed timber.
The wood had been cut with extraordinary precision.
Serena followed her gaze.
The damage was unlike anything she had seen from an ordinary Geist weapon.
There were no scorch marks.
No splintered impact point.
No visible blade.
No obvious trail indicating how the attack had traveled.
There was simply a clean separation through the wooden wall.
Tamayo studied it for several seconds before speaking.
"Do you know what you just witnessed?"
Serena shook her head.
"No."
Tamayo smiled.
"Good."
She turned toward her sister.
"Because that is something you'll learn much later."
Serena frowned.
"What technique was that?"
Tamayo's eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Something that comes after understanding Haikirin."
Serena's curiosity immediately intensified.
"Then what was it?"
Tamayo began walking away.
"You'll find out."
Serena stared after her.
"Tamayo!"
Her sister glanced back over her shoulder.
"Yes?"
"You can't just show me something like that and then refuse to explain it!"
Tamayo laughed softly.
"Of course I can."
Stud floated beside Serena.
"I support her."
Serena turned toward him.
"You were just screaming."
"I can be scared and intellectually curious at the same time."
Tamayo continued down the corridor without waiting for either of them.
"Come."
Serena hesitated only briefly before following.
Stud remained where he was for another few seconds.
He looked back at the enormous slash carved into the wall.
Then he looked toward Tamayo.
Then toward Serena.
His expression suggested that every instinct he possessed was telling him to remain exactly where he was.
Unfortunately, neither Serena nor Tamayo seemed interested in giving him that option.
Finally, he released a long sigh.
"Why do I always end up involved in these things?"
He followed them.
The three figures gradually disappeared deeper into the temple, their footsteps fading beneath the soft sounds of the mountain wind.
Behind them, the damaged wall remained untouched.
The clean slash through the ancient timber was more than simple property damage. It was a warning, a lesson, and a glimpse into the level of skill possessed by the people who called the White Fox Temple home.
Serena had come looking for Tamayo.
Instead, she had received her first lesson.
Not every attack could be seen.
Not every enemy would reveal itself.
And sometimes, the most dangerous thing in front of you was the thing you didn't know was there.
At the White Fox Temple, Serena's training had only just begun.