Lucy Caldwell suffered a disaster in her childhood - her house was burnt, which turned fatal for her parents. She grew up in a children's house together with other orphans. She could never forget the fire incident and was sure her parents were murde...
Many orphans lived in the children's house together with Lucy. She shared a room with her best friend, also an orphan, Sam, who was her only friend in the children's house, as others considered Lucy's personality too cold and locked-in, and Sam, with her bright and easy-going attitude, was the only one to penetrate through Lucy's wall she had built around herself. Even now, Lucy was alone in her room, sitting on her bed and fallen into thoughts, staring at a photo of her parents put on her bedside table. She loved this photo very much - she, still a baby, taken by her mother in her arms, and her father standing next to the mother, both of them smiling happily. It was so sad those happy times had gone forever... Tears came to her eyes as she recollected her joyful past which looked so bitter now.
"Lulu, you're here?"
She hastily raised her head and met the eyes of Sam - a blond-haired, light-blue-eyed beautiful twelve-year-old girl wearing a light blue dress. A brown, wooden bead-bracelet was beautifying her right arm. Her hair was tied in lower twin tails. She had a bright smile on her face as always.
"Hey, Sam! Yes, I'm here," Lucy put the family photo back on the bedside table and turned to her friend.
"Cool! I was searching for you. I heard from Mrs. Thompson that you graduated from school and have enrolled in a high school for the upcoming autumn. It's amazing! Congratulations, big sis!" Sam hugged her tightly.
"Oh..." Lucy hugged her back, "Yes, it's true, I graduated. Thank you..."
"Ohh, wait till I tell Sandy! She's going to be so happy about this!" Sam hastily put a hand on her wooden bracelet and cried: "Twinkle, Sandra Nutts!"
"Hey, wait, no need to_" Lucy got worked up, but it was too late - the bead-bracelet of Sam sparkled brightly and large yellow light emerged, and out of there, a tall woman appeared, but it was no ordinary woman. Brown colour dominated in her appearance - brown hair, brown eyes, brown-to-yellow dress... The most unusual, however, were her brown squirrel ears and even a fluffy squirrel tail on her back. She grinned once saw the two children, and waved a hand in a friendly manner:
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"Hello, girls!"
"Hello, Sandy," Lucy smiled at her.
"Hey, Sandy! Guess what!"
"What, tiny?" Sandy smilingly looked down at Sam.
"Lucy graduated from Intermediate Spirit School and enrolled in a Spirit High School for the upcoming autumn!"
Lucy blushed and shyly scratched her head - it was really too much fuss over such a simple thing... and then there was that amulet of the vile spirit, a not-so-pleasant remembrance.
"Wow, now that's some news! Congratulations, Lulu!"
"Hehe, thanks..."
"Come on! Who's the lucky spirit?" Sandy jumped in happiness, so joyful she was for her hostess' friend. "If you graduated it means you acquired one, right?"
"Is it a girl? Is it as beautiful as Sandy?" Sam's eyes sparkled with curiosity too, as she bent forward.
Lucy giggled:
"It's no big deal... It's not a girl, but a boy, and, he is rather handsome, to be honest..."
Sam and Sandy both grinned in a sly manner.
"Aww, someone's in love!" Sandy cackled in her squirrel voice.
"Wow, isn't it romantic? Fall in love with one's own spirit friend!"
Lucy flushed up with embarrassment:
"Huh? No! That's not it! I don't have affections towards him, rather..." she recalled the evil fox spirit's dreadful words of how he would devour her. Shivers ran down her spine. Sandy and Sam blinked in stupefaction as they noticed how she had gone pale.
"Lucy, dear, are you alright?" Sandy got concerned like a protective mother, "You seem rather terrified..."
"Oh, if you only knew..." Lucy couldn't hold it anymore - tears immediately gushed from her eyes, "I accidentally ran into a Skull Territory during the exam, and there I met such a monster..."
She told them everything that had happened to her and showed them the golden-chained Yin-and-Yang necklace, but hearing the spirit's name, 'Huli Yuehong', Sandy widened eyes in dread:
"Oh goodness, Huli Yuehong?! He's the vilest of all foxes of the Huli Clan. He is more than a thousand years old, and he is known for his bloodthirstiness and slyness... Oh, poor child! We must get rid of that necklace before he comes for you!"
"Oh, my! Is he truly that scary?" Sam shivered. Tears appeared in her eyes.
"Aww, don't worry, Sam, darling," Sandy embraced the tiny girl in her arms, "I will destroy that amulet and we'll get rid of that vile fox for good!"
"Huh? Is it possible to destroy the necklace?" Lucy blinked in a stupor, as she had heard of such a thing for the first time.
"Yes, if a fellow spirit hits it with large spiritual energy. And, to our luck, I am a spirit," Sandy prepared a light orb in her arms. "Lulu, take that necklace off and put it on the floor. I'll destroy it".
"Um, okay..." Lucy shrugged, took her necklet off, and put it on the floor as demanded. Then both she and Sam moved a little aside to free the place for Sandy.
The squirrel spirit prepared the light orb in her fist, then gave a battle cry, and shot it strongly at the amulet, but oh, my, there was not even a single scratch!
"Huh?" Sam and Lucy blinked - how come it turned out unharmed from such a strong energy hit?!
"No way..." Sandy went pale, "Its barrier is too strong..."
Suddenly, the amulet sparkled, and a tall light silhouette emerged, with five tails. It grew large claws and clutched Sandy's neck, suffocating her. Sandy yelled. She started cramping and gasping for air.
"Sandy!" Sam shrilled.
"Wh... What's happening?" Lucy got no less frightened.
The light began transforming and shape-shifted into the monstrous fox spirit from before. Lucy gasped - it was him...
