“I need you to tell me exactly what happened.” “We were on the road here, it was dark and we could not see anything. We lost track of anything and now, we are here.” The aged man glances at the other man behind him. He nods to him and the man nods back. “We have been expecting you.” Kakashi and Jiro exchanged glances. “What do you mean?” Jiro asked the man. “Your name is Kakashi,” he looks down to Jiro, “And you are Jiro Shoei. You lost your brother when you went to a mountain, and you also lost your friend some months after. Life hasn’t been the best for your loved ones. Neither has it,” the man turns in Kakashi’s direction. “…been for you.”“It is not a coincidence that you were both on the mountain the day Lord Zodiac escaped the trapped jar. Every day has worked with the prophecy. Your father, your mother.” He turned to face Kakashi. “Your parents. It’s all going with the prophecy.” “How many prophecies are there? Because I don’t understand the prophecy you speak of.” Kakashi

The gates banged. No sound forthcoming sent him into a fit. Sweat covered his face. He glanced over his shoulders, scanning behind him to be sure he was alone. His breath quickened. The gate crashed with his fist banging again and again. It gave way, and Master Ji's face peered through the opening."Where have you been? Everyone is worried about you and… where is John?" Master Ji stretched over Yonda to check behind him. "Where is John?" Yonda whimpered. "I said where is John?!""He is—he is," Yonda stuttered, pointing in the direction of the woods."He is where? In the woods?" Yonda nodded in affirmation. "I've told you many times never to go there alone!" Master Ji's voice trailed. Restless, he goes back and forth. "What happened to him?" He appeared with his belt.Yonda stared intensely at the belt around the master's waist. "Wha—what is that for?""It is an emergency. Now tell me where John is, and with whom!""He is in the woods. There are raiders there. They caught him." His voi

“There is nothing more I can say, John. You two are going to be great men.” Master Ji drew them into himself in an embrace. “Great men that will be part of the stories of the new world. You do not have to worry about the unseen. You have each other. You have a week, prepare your minds.” Master Ji dropped his hands, taking his time to climb the stairs back up. “What do you think this is?” John marched towards Yonda. “Is he trying to send us away?” “This is not something any of us possess an understanding of. It is certainly a mystery. But he has been training us for a long time—” Yonda’s words were interrupted. “Never have been trained to go on a mission. Never.” John jumped in. “Never, I agree with you. That makes this mission even more important now. There is something hidden within that we might not understand now. But I do disagree with you. The master loves us too much to ever want us out of his sight. He came for you without blinking. Alone. The master wants to see something i

The gates opened and the people left their mouths ajar.“How is he alive?” “What is he doing here?” “What are those with him?” Yonda rode into the place he once called home. It looked bigger and better. There were new structures scattered on widened grounds. He looked at the place he once lived; embers of fire heat underneath the huge smoke that went up to the sky from there. Huge men vacated there with black dust covering their bodies. Yonda continued deep into where their leader stayed. “Hi. Where is Master Ji?” Yonda asked the boy from the top of his vehicle. “I don’t know who that is.” The boy said and then ran away. Oh, okay. “Yonda?” The musical voice that called behind him sounded familiar. He turned around to see Maika beneath a hoodie. His eyes sparked, the memory of their last time time together filling him up with joy. “Maika.”“I thought you died.” Maika whispered. “Why would you think that?” Yonda asked. “Um, my brother said you were taken by raiders and there was no

Suke tumbled as Jiro dived straight through him. Suke picked himself up. He swept all the corners of his mouth with his tongue. He raised his head halfway, his eyes hid below his lashes, a veil of darkness covering his gaze. He spat out blood, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Last chance dear friend. Bring. Him. To. Me.” Something sinister chorused in his words. His tone was like a sweet lullaby in the dark. Only this time, you are alone. Master Yonda dug his hand into the sheath hung by his hip. His sword glittered in the light. “You will have to go through me first,” he assumed a defensive stance. “What the hell is happening?” Daichi’s breath quickened. His voice cracked with a mixture of curiosity and fear. Zoa stared intensely at Kakashi. “Don’t worry Dai, I will not be like my father. This will be over soon.” Her eyes darkened. Daichi’s gaze spun towards Zoa. Words hid under his tongue, but his face communicated his feelings. A quizzical look like a detective thro