The Vanguard Oath: SkyVault Heroes!

[OPENING SCENE — NIGHT, SKYVAULT CITY, WIND BLOWS THROUGH THE ALLEYS]

Soft petals dance in the wind along a narrow rooftop. Suki Hanami, a.k.a. Petalblade, sits alone beneath a digital lantern. The skyline glows with neon, and the hum of distant drones fills the air.

Suki (whispering to herself):

"They said I'd be safe here... I thought I was."

A sudden silence. Then—the sound of a blade unsheathing.

From the shadows, a figure steps out: cloaked in obsidian cloth, wearing a mask shaped like a fox with glowing crimson eyes.

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"You left your clan, Suki. You know the cost."

Suki (eyes wide):

"Kageru...?!"

[SCENE — VAN HQ WAR ROOM]

Kael and Yuna analyze energy readings on a projection table.

Kael: "We picked up an unknown heat spike in Sector 6. Not Null. Something faster."

Echo-7:

"It moved like it was... hunting."

Irion:

"Suki's patrol route passed through Sector 6."

Tari:

"Then we're already late."

They grab gear. Veya loads her pistols. Jax cracks his knuckles.

Jax:

"Who messes with cherry blossoms on our watch?"

[SCENE — ROOFTOP SHOWDOWN]

Suki backflips from a throwing star, barely dodging. Kageru follows her like smoke, his movements sharp and deadly. His twin katanas hum with dark energy.

Kageru:

"You were chosen, Hanami. Your blood flows with our code. Yet you fled to dance with toys."

Suki (dodging, petals spinning):

"I made a choice. I'm not yours anymore!"

She launches a flurry of petal shuriken. Kageru slices through them, but a hidden mine explodes. He vanishes in smoke, only to reappear behind her.

Suki blocks with Bloom Guard but the force sends her crashing through a neon billboard. She groans, injured.

Kageru (approaching slowly):

"You've grown soft. You forget what it means to survive."

Suki struggles to rise, breathing heavily. Her petals flicker, power waning. Just as Kageru raises his blade—

Yuna (off-screen):

"Not another step."

A massive wall of psychic vines slams between them. Yuna descends from above, her eyes glowing lavender.

Yuna:

"Touch her again and you'll forget your own name."

Kageru hisses and charges. The rooftop erupts into chaos.

[BATTLE SEQUENCE: YUNA & SUKI VS. KAGERU]

Kageru spins, teleporting mid-strike. Yuna counters with a blossom whip, catching his wrist mid-air.

Suki regains balance, hurling a Sakura Flux burst. Kageru is caught but escapes with a shadow step.

Kageru and Yuna clash mentally—he disrupts her bloom, sending psychic noise flooding into her mind. She gasps, staggered.

Suki uses Petal Phase Step, intercepting Kageru before he strikes Yuna again.

Suki:

"You're not going to take away my family again!"

Kageru stumbles from the combo attack, but spins and slashes Suki across the arm. Blood and petals fly.

Yuna (gritting her teeth):

"He's stronger than he looks. We have to end this. Together."

[CLIMAX — PSYCHIC BINDING STRIKE]

Yuna nods. She channels her full power into a glowing flower crest on the rooftop, while Suki spirals around her in a storm of petals. The combo creates a psychic-laced petal storm.

Both (in unison):

"BLOOM SEVERANCE!"

The impact shatters the tiles beneath them. Kageru is launched backward, smoking from wounds. He growls, slams a smoke bomb to the ground, and vanishes into the night.

Suki (panting, tears in her eyes):

"He won't stop... he'll keep coming."

Yuna (placing a hand on her shoulder):

"Then we'll keep standing. No matter how many times he tries."

[FINAL SCENE — BACK AT HQ INFIRMARY]

Suki lays in bed, her wounds wrapped. The rest of the team visits.

Jax:

"Told you cherry blossoms were dangerous."

Echo-7:

"Threat level: 10. Sass detected."

Tari:

"You held your own. That's what matters."

Yuna sits nearby, brushing a petal from Suki's hair.

Yuna:

"You're not alone, Suki. Not anymore."

Suki smiles tiredly, eyes glassy.

Suki (softly):

"Thanks, big sis."

[TO BE CONTINUED…]