Night deepens.
The castle was so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained.
The day's training had exhausted the three children. Inuyasha had barely eaten a few bites of dinner before collapsing onto the bed, and now he lay sprawled out in every direction, snoring steadily.
Sakura was also fast asleep, still gripping the hilt of her short sword, as if she were practicing even in her dreams.
Only Saku was not asleep.
She hugged her stuffed doll and curled up in the innermost part of the bed, her eyes wide open in the darkness.
She did not know why she could not sleep.
The daytime training had been exhausting. Big Sister Abihime had taught her how to distinguish the strength and types of different demonic energies, making her sense everything within several li around the castle.
Though it had been very difficult, and though her head had hurt so badly afterward it felt as if it would split open, she had done it.
She could feel the wind in the mountains several li away. She could feel the flow of the river. She could feel the heartbeats of the small animals in the forest.
And also...
Saku's pupils suddenly shrank.
She had felt it.
Far away, deep in the mountains north of the castle, several demonic energies were rapidly approaching.
They were not ordinary demons.
Those demonic energies were very strong...
And very cold.
So cold they were like icy water in winter, chilling her from the soles of her feet all the way to the top of her head.
Saku's body began to tremble, and the stuffed doll slipped from her hands.
She wanted to wake her sister, but her throat felt as if something had clamped around it, and she could not make a sound.