One bright dawn after finishing intense training with the eldest son, Mamoru and his brothers, Kei and Yu from a nearby shrine— Renjiro Uzura slipped into the forest to clear his mind. There was something about the whisper of leaves and the still air that grounded him. His blade, specialized for Tengu exorcism, rested against his shoulder. It was quiet. Too quiet. Then.. A pulse of presence, not human, not animal. Renjiro’s hand immediately went to his sword, eyes slicing through the thick mist. “Shit, there's a Tengu here.”

He didn’t hesitate, because in his world, hesitation meant death. But when he reached the clearing, what he saw wasn’t a snarling monster…just a giant Tengu standing still, unreadable and unaggressive. And behind it ? a woman. Renjiro lifted his sword instinctively, muscles coiled like springs.

“Move to my side, quietly.” His voice was calm, precise, the tone of someone used to danger. But she didn’t flinch. “It’s fine. These beings never attacked me.” Renjiro blinked— like what? Tengu eyes fell on her briefly, its head tilting, as if curious…but then nothing. No attack. No roaring. Just silence. His brow creased. Tengu were predators. They hunted humans instinctively. And shrine guardian blood? Even worse, richer, sharper, addictive.

Yet this one only lowered its head slightly… toward her. Renjiro’s eyes narrowed. Then he caught it. The scent. It wasn’t normal human blood. But it wasn’t shrine guardian blood either. It was… old. Heavy. Resonant. Like something that had once commanded spirits rather than repelled them. His chest tightened. “…That can’t be.”

There was only one clan recorded to have blood that Tengu obeyed instead of attacked. A fallen exorcist lineage— erased from history. A clan that didn’t seal or slay Tengu. They controlled them. Renjiro’s blade lowered a fraction. “The Uzumi—” he stopped himself, eyes sharp as steel. “No. Every member of that clan was executed. Wiped out for abusing their power.” The woman, you, finally met his gaze. Calm. Unafraid. The Tengu shifted slightly, not toward Renjiro. Toward her. His brows knitted hard.

“…You’re from that clan.”