introduction letter.

It was 7 am, the sun rose timidly through the cherry trees in the park and together with the scattered clouds painted an orange sky with shades of blue, reflected in the more than 100 skyscrapers that made up the urban centre of Tokyo, perfectly visible from the outskirts of the 8th district, even in the typical dry morning mist.

Footsteps could be heard on the rooftop of the white three-storey flat where Haru and Akira lived with their aunt and uncle. A pale-skinned man with whitish hair, brown eyes and a golden kimono was pacing between rusty ventilation ducts.

The man took a small leap and hovered in the air half a metre above the ground for a few seconds, crossing his legs almost as if he were about to meditate. He then dropped down and rested lightly on an old air conditioner, made a hand signal by raising his index finger, then joined the middle finger and thumb of both hands in a triangle and spoke a few words in an ancient language.

"-Rin Zai'Zen." He said in a low voice, while continuing to make very precise gestures using all his fingers. A small portal of light opened in front of him and the image of a very young looking boy appeared, long white hair, white kimono with pink lotus flower pattern.

"-Everything is going according to plan Mr. Okkami, I have located the boys. It's been difficult, it's almost like their aura is everywhere and nowhere at once." -Said the man in gold.

"-Good job, Okuchi. Proceed. We'll see you at 12 o'clock." -The young man replied, with a smile on his face.

"-Yes, sir."

7:45 am

The alarm clock went off at 6:20 and Haru was sleeping so soundly that he hadn't been able to hear it. Akira came into the room slamming the door and woke him up screaming.

"-What are you doing sleeping at this hour, you idiot? It's finals day. Have you forgotten? We have one last review to do." Akira shouted.

"-Aki, haha, good morning. How are you? As energetic as ever." -said Haru. Who had just woken up and still wasn't in the mood. He had spent a very special night, full of all kinds of dreams, one stranger than the previous one. But that nightmare, those death eyes and his sister's prayer, had marked him, and although he had gone to sleep peacefully after a while remembering his parents, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Akira noticed from the way her brother answered her that there was something strange. She thought he was hiding something, but she didn't say anything.

"-Get up now, I need you to help me with some maths exercises for the exam. I really don't have a clue." -Akira said with a serious tone.

"Yes yes, give me a few minutes." -replied Haru, who was worried and found it hard to hide it.

What would Aki think if I told her about that elf-like being, or that kind of mantra she kept repeating over and over again? She's very superstitious, I can't tell her or she'd get nervous, besides, it's probably just another silly nightmare. -Haru was absorbed in his own thoughts and ignored his sister, who was staring at him, more and more desperate.

Akira interrupted him. "-Okay, weirdo, I'll expect you in the classroom before 8:30, please." -After saying this, she left the room, closing the door, this time carefully. their aunt and uncle were already awake and she didn't want to get yelled at in the morning for banging on doors all day.

Haru and Akira went over all the subjects they would see that day. From mathematics to Japanese history and social sciences.

Today's exams were especially tricky. The siblings, just turned 18 in March, were now in the third trimester of their senior year and the finals that day would determine much of their GPA and cut-off score for college.

Akira was a very studious girl with several short- and long-term goals. Her main dream from a very young age was to become a writer and she was determined to study philology at the prestigious Metropolitan University, so she was always aiming for the best grades possible.

Haru, on the other hand, had not yet decided what he wanted to do with his life, but he was a typical student who passed everything with as little effort as possible. He had a prodigious memory and grades almost as good as his sister's without putting in much effort.

His grandmother said he had inherited this from his father, who, she said, was an avid reader capable of memorising piles of books in a matter of days and also spoke 6 languages, although here among us, he never specified which ones they were.

Between revision and homework it was 11:30. Their exams had to be taken at Keizai University in central Tokyo, more than an hour away by public transport. They had to be on time and be there by 1:30 pm.

Akira saw the wall clock hanging just above the living room table and exclaimed, "It's time, let's go!

"-Yes, I don't want to know anything more about history or social studies, for God's sake."-Haru replied.

The siblings said goodbye to their aunt and grandmother, who were on the sofa watching the news. Uncle Eiji, who worked in a construction company, had already left hours before.

"-Good luck, kids! Grandma and I will manifest good grades for you and all your classmates." -Said Aunt Amaya, a woman of about 41, who looked much younger than she really was. She had dark hair and brown eyes and a big smile on her face as she said goodbye to her nephews and nieces.

Grandmother Kurosawa, about 85 years old, had grey hair and a face still full of life as she blessed them.

The brothers walked out the front door after saying goodbye and down the stairs to the car park, where they grabbed their bikes and set off for the train station, a few blocks from the flat.

It was supposed to be 12 o'clock rush hour, all the students at their high school, no, all the students in Japan, were supposed to have their final exams that day, and on top of that, the streets were supposed to be bustling with people going to or coming from work temporarily during their lunch break. Despite this, there didn't seem to be a soul in town. The avenue was empty, the shops and restaurants closed. They had not seen a single person walking on the pavement since they left home, nor had they seen a single car driving or parked.

They both noticed this only five minutes into their journey. They wondered if maybe that day was a holiday and for some reason the ministry of education had decided that it was the best day to test students, but they immediately dismissed that idea.

Akira was about to ask his brother if he hadn't noticed how strange this was. Even though everything was deserted, he couldn't help but feel a presence, as if someone had been watching them the whole way.

"-Hey, Haru, don't you notice something..."

Before the girl could finish the sentence, a comet-like halo of light streaked across the sky and split a cluster of clouds just above them.

Someone's presence grew stronger and stronger and a column of wind began to surround the siblings, bringing them to a screeching halt. Haru fell off his bike and hurt his hand a little, when he got up he watched in amazement as his wound healed instantly. Akira, who was next to him, was petrified and immediately blurted out. "-Haru, look!"

A man appeared in front of them, crossing through the wind column. He was pale, with long white hair, two pointed ears similar to the elves in the stories the brothers had heard as children, wearing a shimmering golden kimono, a red ribbon with inscriptions in ancient Japanese, and a katana slung around his waist.

"-Good morning, brothers. My name is Amaterasu, how do you do? In your culture I am known as the sun god, though in truth I have always found the star unworthy of my name. Forgive my pitiful introduction. I didn't know how to make this more subtle. I have taken the trouble to heal the scratch on your hand since it was my fault, I hope you will return the favour later." -Said the man as Haru and Akira looked at him in disbelief.

"-Oh, by the way, did you like the light effects? They were my idea, of course. Mr. Inari mentioned that it was over the top, good thing I didn't listen to him." -Continued the god. The brothers just gawked at him, unable to move a muscle.

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