Eien no Chikai / 永遠の誓い

Sakura was approaching walking to the church, in front of her a small building, very far from the ostentatious and frightening size that they used to have in Europe, instead, this one was only a little bigger than a common house, in fact, this one in specific was a reconverted house, the only thing that had changed was an exterior facade of bricks and the installation of some big windows, that gave enough the song that they did not pray original to the design of the house. The doors were open, but as he entered he almost hit without complaining a woman who was leaving, she was dressed like a common office worker, but in her slightly tanned skin tone could be noticed that she was a foreigner, there was nothing out of the ordinary, it was not unusual for foreigners to visit more frequently this place than the Japanese themselves, especially when this was so close to the military base of Yokota.

Entering the interior did not reveal anything new either, a small altar, a couple of small statues, a couple of painted pictures, they seemed to be donated by some amateur painters of the neighborhood because they had serious errors, The most memorable place was another small altar near the entrance where there were several rows of lighted candles, on the nearest wall several photos and dog tags of several people, military personnel who had died during the battle of Okinawa, they were pilots mostly.

The priest of the church seemed to be busy trying to restore one of the statues by putting a new coat of paint over the previous worn layer. He was a rather tall man, but he seemed to be quite friendly, he was even grimacing with his face, indicating how concentrated he was trying to paint the statue without leaving any mistakes. Sakura approached him, she introduced herself as Samurai, the father raised an eyebrow when he saw her, but after seeing her for a few moments to confirm that she was who she claimed to be, he stopped his brush and placed it on the work table, took a towel and washed his hands and invited her to go to the back room. The girl followed him, the room was just a small storage room where they kept some extra things from the temple like the sound equipment or the special clothes for important events. He invited her to sit on a chair near a table, on the table there was some juice and cookies, it was clear that he had been waiting for the girl's arrival and was aware of her importance.

"Well, here I am, now what?" Sakura said

"Okay, if you want to get straight to the point"
"I was sent to try to put more order in the matter around here."
"You know, see that you are helping us and not just take the money and run away."
"Things that don't benefit anyone, especially your family and that nice school"
"...."
"Tell me, what do you know about the white kitsune?"

"Her again?"
"I have already told you everything I know"
"I have nothing more"

"Sakura, months have already passed"
"Are you really going to tell me that you have not done anything all this time?"

"Well, everything has been calm, what do you want me to tell them!?"
"Besides those two bitches are the ones that have more absences of the classroom."

"And you don't have anything else?"
"Are you gonna tell me you haven't tried to get closer to them?"

"Well, we're in the same club if that counts."
"It's the occult club, but nothing ever really happens."
"Both Haru and the kitsunes only use it as a dining hall or to play video games at school."

"Really?"
"And some occult?"
"Magic? Summoning?"
"Watching scary movies maybe?"

"Nothing at all"
"One time Haru mentioned something about how they once went to hunt a Meguro-ku ghost."
But since then they haven't done anything"

"....."
"Umm, interesting"
"....."
"Tell me, do you have experience with ghosts or demons?"

"Well, in that place I have fought against several strange things."
"They were pretty strong but after learning light magic I think I can finish them off consistently."

"Okay, that's good."
"It means I can do a couple of things to give your group consistent work."
"Put them to work as hunters and in that way help the Onmyoji keep this place safe."
"You should work with them to learn more about what they are capable of."
"Try to become friends if you can."

"Are you really going to do that?"
"All for a midget fox?"
"I still don't see why you would go to all that trouble just for her."

"Haven't you seen her titles?"
"Each one of them personally awarded by the angels for their achievements."
"But the most bizarre is her job, Last Emperor of Atlantis."
"...."
"Don't you know the legend?"

"Atlantis?"
"The story of the super-advanced civilization that fell by its own power?"

"Exactly, a story considered fictitious, false."
"A civilization submerged by the sea that was never found."
"No matter how hard the Vatican searched for proof, the only thing beyond that we found were a couple of mentions on Mesopotamian clay tablets."
"...."
"And yet suddenly appears the only creature with the specific job of Emperor of that civilization."
"Walking around freely shopping in a supermarket."
"...."
"On the side of a goddess known for trying to destroy an entire country"
"..."
"What do you think would happen, if say, by chance, I don't know, that little white fox was the one who destroyed that civilization and nothing was left of it?"
"Just think of the chaos that a creature of that level could unleash on the earth."

"I can take her on!"
"I have already defeated a demon lord! I have already saved a world!"
"I can take down something like her!"

"And yet you have no weapon"

"Well, that was because my stupid ultimate skill is so powerful that it always ends up destroying the weapon I use."
"My mithril sword was destroyed with the final blow that killed the demon lord."
"The biggest problem is that it depends on how powerful the weapon is to increase the power of my Limit Break ability"

"...."
"Speaking of which ....."
"...."
"Wait a minute"

The priest got up from his chair and went to a nearby closet, from it he took out a long briefcase, very modern, full of locks and security measures, you could even see the magic embedded in it. Alejandro put it on the table and began to open the different locks, when he opened it he could see its content, a beautiful katana worked in the finest possible details.

"For me! Excellent!"
"Finally a weapon I can use!"
"I promise to take care of it!"

"Sakura, this is not a gift, it's a lend"
"When the mission is over you must give it back."
"This katana here is known as AEXA-0001."
"It is a mysterious object, even for us."
"If our calculations are correct, this sword was created 15 billion years ago."
"Built even before the creation of our universe."
"And yet look at it, as pristine as the first day, no trace of corruption or change."
"It was here long before your parents were born, and it will be here even after your children die."
"At best it is a weapon created by angels."
"The important thing is that if it theoretically resisted the Big Bang, it should certainly be able to easily resist your power."
"Use it as a last resort, to defend yourself from the bad day."
"It is the best weapon we can give to the great warrior known as Samurai."

"This katana is amazing."
"I can handle it without any problem" Sakura murmured as she caressed the ornate handle.

The priest carefully closed the briefcase containing the ancestral katana and stared at Sakura with a serious expression on his age-wrinkled face. The atmosphere in the small cellar became tense as the weight of responsibility took hold of the young woman.

"Remember, Sakura."
"This katana is a one-of-a-kind relic."
"We are entrusting it to you because it is an unprecedented event."
"We don't fully know what its true nature is or how it might affect you."
"Use it only when there is no other choice."
"A trump card"
"Don't lose it for anything in the world."
"But above all, never underestimate the white kitsune."
"The fact that we know nothing about her is what makes her dangerous."
"A pandora's box ready to unleash her thousand tricks"

But Sakura didn't seem to listen. Her eyes were fixed on the flashing blade, and her heart was pounding with excitement, she couldn't help but wonder how powerful this weapon would be in her hands. The priest closed the briefcase carefully and pushed it towards the girl.

Sakura nodded and then stood up from the chair, holding the katana anxiously, in her mind, she had already decided that she would use the katana in the next opportunity that presented itself. She felt invulnerable as if nothing could stop her with that weapon in her hands. She felt powerful, Important superior, as she always liked.

She said goodbye to the priest and left the cellar. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon as she walked to the outside of the church. Sakura couldn't help but think about how she would test the katana in action. She wasn't willing to wait long. The katana was meant to be used, wasn't it, who better than a Samurai to be its rightful owner. She had faced demons and saved worlds before; surely, this katana would only make her invincible. This sword would be known to be Sakura's weapon when hunting the white fox effortlessly.

But unfortunately, the katana would not bring her victory or pride, and instead, the demise had already planted its seed.