Prelude RYUU “You planning on picking yourself up? For the seventeenth time today?” he said, while I laid writhing on the floor. “Come on now, get up. We don’t have all d—” “Shut Up!” I replied, wobbling to my feet, more tired than pissed. “Oh?” he tilted his head in shock. “This was supposed to be a sparring lesson. You’re supposed to be helping me.” My breaths were beginning to get louder. “Instead, you’ve been tossing and throwing me around for the past hour. You’re trying to—” *WHOOSH* Without warning, he sprinted towards me with the most devilish expression on his face. His arm swung so far back, he left no opening to dodge or duck underneath it. Only thing I could do, was brace for impact. *POWW* *THUD* “Watch that loud little mouth of yours now” his 6’3 frame towered over me while I winced on the ground. “We’re not mates.” “You’re twenty-four, shamelessly whooping a nineteen-year-old’s ass. You want an award for th—” *SQUASH* He planted his foot right on my bruis

Chapter 2 RYUU “Take it easy n—” “Get back” I said without thinking. “How did you do that? How… How are you alive?” I turned from Jared to Jennifer. Nothing made sense. “Oh?” “This is new” Jennifer said with a smile. “Something funny?” I turned my attention to her. “You might want to calm down Ryuu. We don’t have the time for all this. We’ve got to go—” “And what about the people who just died? Huh? Jennifer? They’re your ‘weirdo’s’ right?” “Wow. He’s all sentimental too” she annoyingly beamed an even harder smile. “Thought you said this one was gonna be different. He’s even worse than the rest of them. Remind me never to pair up with you on a mission again.” Mission? “Well the feeling is very much mut—” *CLATT* I picked a piece of ‘fusiform’ wood from the broken counter, and stood poised at both characters. “Someone better explain to me how your deep cut just healed up, and how a goddamn—” “Put that down before you hurt yourself.” “What’s going on Jared?” “Put the woo

Chapter 4 FLASHBACK: TWO YEARS AGO RYUU For the past ten minutes, all he’d been saying was floating into one ear and leaking out the other. Adachi would never give me a break during training. But I’d take a proper beat down over his annoyingly long three-hour lectures any day. “Are you listen—” “Yes, yes. I’m listening” I grumbled, crossing my legs underneath me. “Really? Then what was the last—” “The Jinzhen’s! One of the strongest paranormal forces in the universe. You were about to explain the way their power works.” I lifted my gaze off the floor of our training facility, and emotionlessly glared at him. “…right?” He sighed in response. Yup, I was right. “I actually said the Jinzhen’s are one of the most overrated paranormals in the universe” he crossed his arms in front of him. “You weren’t listening, were you?” “Just explain what you were gonna explain anyway.” He stared at me for a while, but eventually got going. “Most people would believe that the Jinzhen’s are a

Chapter 6 KENJI “Gabby, didn’t know you were joining in. I would’ve made arrangements” I smiled. “Oh, you should see your face. You look so cute when you’re angry.” “I’m gonna—” “Kill me?” I gripped my knife a little harder. “Yeah, like I haven’t heard that a million times. Come on now, make this a little interesting. Come up with some new material. Hit me with something I haven’t seen already. Indulge me, Gabby.” *CRASH* I looked up and noticed that the clear afternoon sky had become riddled with thunderclouds. How did? Of course. Ittetsu was no longer wincing on the floor. Should’ve killed that pest the second I saw him. “What’s the matter? Can’t handle a little rain?” “I see you little protectors still have that annoying habit of avoiding one-on-one’s. Somethings never change right?” “Only reason I didn’t kill you four years ago was because Adachi didn’t see it as a befitting end. Congratulations on making me regret that decision" “Give it a rest, would ya. It's been four

Chapter 8 RYUU I could feel it The warm wind slowly whooshing around me. I could hear it The rustling figs of barley and wheat gently smacking against themselves in the steady wind. Was I bare-foot? It’s almost like the sand between my toes completed the ethereal feel of wherever I was right now. When my eyelids lifted open, I could see it too. My surrounding had this sort of western touch to it. Like the type of place a Wild Wild West Movie would be— *THWATTTTTTT* My eyelids had barely batted open when a powerful force smacked me so hard across the face, I travelled a couple meters through the freshly trimmed barely. “The hell?” “Mind waking up a little quicker? We haven’t got all day” an unfamiliar voice piped up. The blurry figure of an old-looking man appeared to be the only reasonable threat around me. Great. “Do I get no rest?” I muttered, picking myself up. “And who are you supposed to be?” No response. “Hello? Am I speaking to myse—” *POWWWWWW* “Argh” A th