Assault of the Yōkai

The fog came without warning.

One second, the sea was dark but calm. The next, a thick white veil swallowed the ship whole.

Visibility dropped to nothing.

“…What’s going on?!”

The deck lurched violently.

Metal groaned.

Glasses shattered somewhere inside the hall.

An alarm screamed.

Rei grabbed the railing as the ground tilted under his feet. His heart jumped straight into his throat.

“What ...?”

Shouts exploded around him.

“Fog’s too dense!”

“Positions!”

“Protect the civilians!”

Then the shadows moved.

Long shapes crawled out of the fog, twisted and wrong. Limbs bent the wrong way. Eyes glowed faintly, like dying embers.

Yōkai.

Rei’s breath hitched.

They felt different. The demons had faces, shapes, almost like people.

These… these were something else. Twisted, unnatural. Alive in ways Rei had only seen in fantasy stories.

A yōkai lunged from the fog. Fire roared past Rei’s face, burning the creature away before it could reach them.

The young magician flinched.

His hands were shaking.

Akira moved at the same time, positioning himself at Rei’s side, sword already drawn. His posture was sharp, steady. Trained.

Behind them, Itsuki stayed a step back. He didn’t panic, simply staying quiet and observant.

Steel rang as guards rushed forward. Spells ignited the fog in brief bursts of light.

Everything happened fast.

Too fast.

Rei tightened his fists.

I have to do something.

Enshin’s hand pushed him back.

“Stay close,” he said calmly. “Let the professionals handle it.”

Their eyes met.

The message was clear.

Don’t fight. Don’t show anything. Trust us.

“Your master is right,” Itsuki said softly, a small smile on his lips.

“Using your power now would be a waste. Better save it for the tournament, right?”

Rei’s jaw tightened.

“That’s not …”

He stopped.

How could he explain?

He wasn’t holding back. He just didn’t have magic.

He couldn’t fight… not without revealing himself.

Then a scream cut through the air.

Rei turned his head.

And that’s when he saw her.

A child.

Frozen near the stairs, eyes wide, breath stuck in her chest.

Above her, a yōkai rose slowly.

“Rei , don’t … ” Enshin shouted, but it was already too late.

The young magician threw himself between the creature and the girl.

Then it hit him.

What am I doing?

His hands were empty.

No gadget. No plan. Nothing

If the yōkai struck now … I’m dead.

Rei’s eyes squeezed shut.

He pressed the girl against his chest, locking her in his arms.

Ready to take the blow. Ready to fall.

A scream cut through the fog.

He opened his eyes.

Flames ripped through the mist. The yōkai’s body twisted, burning.

Akira moved. Sword flashed. A clean strike. The creature’s head toppled.

Itsuki’s red barrier bloomed around them. Diamond-shaped. Pulsing. Alive.

Rei’s chest heaved. Heart racing.

“I… I’m alive?!” he gasped, voice trembling.

His hands shook as he loosened his grip on the girl.

The barrier flickered, then faded

The girl was pulled away by a guard, still shaking.

Itsuki stepped forward, calm. Right hand extended, steady, offering help.

In his other hand, a card glimmered faintly, the Ace of Diamonds. A thin line of blood traced down his index finger.

Rei’s eyes widened. “Are you… hurt?”

Itsuki’s lips curved into a small, calm smile. “It’s fine. This is how my power works.”

A small ring caught the light. For a brief second, Rei saw the hidden needle retract.

“Th-thank you,” Rei whispered

Then he looked down at his own hands.

I didn’t do anything.

A hand grabbed his shoulder.

“I told you to stay close,” Enshin said, worried.

“I-I’m sorry,” Rei replied. “I didn’t think. My body just ...”

Enshin sighed, rubbing his temple.

“What a troublesome kid.”

Itsuki tilted his head, lips curling slightly.

“Such a heroic magician”.

Then Enshin and Akira were already moving, flames and steel cutting through the fog without hesitation.

While they fought, Rei felt heavy.

Useless.

Do I even belong here?

Then the fog thickened again. More shapes moved inside it.

The deck had turned into a maze of shadows and screams.

The captain stood near the center of the ship, jaw tight, eyes scanning the white wall around them.

“Shit … We can’t see anything”

Rei watched the guards move.

They spoke into small devices at their ears.

Orders shot out in short bursts. Commands flew fast.

But without vision, even the best coordination was blind.

Then an idea sparked.

Finally… I can do something!

He grabbed his hat and called into it.

“Kaitsuki! Come out!”

“Rei, don’t…” Enshin shouted, but it was already too late.

A small white figure popped out from the hat.

Long ears. Round eyes. Tiny wings flapping .

“Master, how can I help you?”

Enshin stared at Rei like he had lost his mind.

“You summoned him now?” he snapped. “Do you have any idea how stupid that is?!”

Rei frowned. He had no clue.

Itsuki leaned closer, smiling thinly.

“Calling this creature in the middle of a Yōkai fight?” , he paused, “They’ll kill him.”

Kaitsuki trembled, spinning in the air.

“Kill me? No, I-I don’t want to die! Master! ”

Realizing his mistake, Rei grabbed the white rabbit and held him close, hugging him as tightly as he could.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t think. I really didn’t.”

Itsuki raised an eyebrow.

“So ... why call him? You must have had some idea.”

Rei adjusted his grip .

“Oh… right,” he said. “Kaitsuki can fly around the ship, detect the yōkai, tell us how many there are and where.”

The captain’s eyes widened.

“He can do all of that?”

Rei nodded, his voice shaky. “Yes. But… please, don’t let anyone attack him.”

The captain didn’t hesitate.

“I’ll handle that. Follow me.”

They all moved, except Akira, who stayed behind to continue protecting the passengers.

Itsuki raised his card, and a red barrier bloomed around Rei and Kaitsuki.

Yōkai slammed against it, screeching, unable to reach them.

Meanwhile, the captain and Enshin cut down the yōkai blocking their path, moving with deadly precision.

They reached a reinforced room at the heart of the ship.

The tactical room.

The captain spoke into the ship’s system, voice calm but commanding.

“Attention. New order. Do not attack the white rabbit with a blue mark. I repeat. Do not attack the white rabbit. He is an ally.”

“You can send him now” the captain said.

Rei swallowed, anxious.

“Go, Kaitsuki! But be careful… and come back safe!”

Kaitsuki chirped eagerly.

“Yes, master!”

Then he flew straight into the fog.

Rei put his earpieces in.

“I can see them,” Kaitsuki’s voice echoed softly. “So many…”

Rei relayed the positions, point by point.

The captain moved fast, placing markers on a map.

Red for the enemies. Blue for allies.

The chaos began to take shape.

For the first time since the attack started, the fog felt… thinner.

Rei stood still, listening. Watching.

I’m not fighting. But I’m finally useful.

Then the captain frowned.

“Tch … they’re moving too fast” he muttered.

Too fast. Too chaotic.

Red markers shifted on the map, then vanished, then reappeared elsewhere.

“I can’t keep up,” the captain muttered.

Orders overlapped. Exorcists hesitated. Somewhere on the deck, someone screamed.

Rei swallowed. He could help more.

One hand moved toward his bag, mouth opening, but Enshin cut him off before a word escaped.

“Don’t worry Captain. I know you’ll handle the situation.”

Then his eyes flicked to Rei.

No words, but the message was clear.

If I reveal too much… they’ll see Kaitsuki isn’t a Yōkai but a robot. I could be disqualified… or worse.

Rei’s jaw tightened. His fingers curled into fists.

Another report came through the comms.

“Two exorcists injured on the lower deck!”

Rei’s fingers hovered over the tablet.

Enshin, I’m sorry.

He stepped forward.

“I can project the map live on my tablet.” Rei’s voice wavered.

“Real-time tracking.”

Silence.

The captain stared at him.

“…Why didn’t you say that sooner?”

Rei opened his mouth. Nothing came out.

Itsuki spoke instead. Calm voice. Cold eyes.

“He is telling you now.”

Enshin’s eyes flicked to Rei, sharp. He exhaled quickly,, offering a quick excuse.

“It drains a lot of energy. If we push too far, Kaitsuki could collapse. So… if we do this ...”

He glanced at the captain.

“We need to finish quickly.”

The captain hesitated. Then nodded.

“Do it.”

Rei’s hands shook as he activated the tablet.

“Kaitsuki,” he ordered, “Infrared map.”

The screen lit up.

A detailed map spread across the tactical display.

Red dots. Dozens of them. Moving. Hunting.

“This is incredible,” the captain muttered under his breath.

“What kind of magic is this? How is the yōkai sending this info to the tablet?”

Rei froze , unable to offer a credible explanation.

Enshin frowned. “Do you really have time to worry about these details?”

The captain shook his head. “Right… focus on the orders.”

The commands rang out.

Kaitsuki’s reports guided every strike.

Enemies fell fast. One. Two. Three. And the last one.

The fog thinned. Then disappeared.

Sunlight broke through the clouds.

Cheers erupted across the deck.

“We did it!”

The captain turned to Rei.

“Thank you, kid. You were really helpful out there.”

Rei shook his head and looked down.

“Thanks… but it was Kaitsuki who did most of the work.”

The captain raised an eyebrow.

“You’re the master, isn’t that the same thing?”

Itsuki clicked his tongue.

“That doesn’t change the fact that Kaitsuki was the one saving everyone, does it?”

The captain stiffened.

“Right …My apologies.”

He crouched slightly, facing the small white rabbit.

“Thank you.”

Kaitsuki puffed his chest proudly.

Rei smiled, then noticed.

Enshin wasn’t.

“What’s wrong?” Rei asked quietly.

The fire exorcist didn’t answer right away.

“We won,” he said slowly “…a little too easily.”

The captain’s expression darkened.

“You think something’s wrong?”

Enshin nodded slightly.

“That fog,” he said. “It came too perfectly. Like it was meant to hide something… or someone.”

“A diversion,” Capitain Tenshin murmured. “While everyone was focused on the yōkai…”

“Exactly,” Enshin replied. “If they wanted to slip aboard unnoticed, this was the best moment.”

Silence fell between them.

Waves slapped against the hull.

The ship kept moving forward.

The captain straightened.

“Then we stay alert.”

Enshin’s eyes narrowed toward the distant island.

“Be careful when we land,” he said. “Whoever planned this isn’t finished.”

The fog thinned completely.

But the unease remained.