Morning~The hair on Maks's neck stood. The body counts were starting to rise. And every day, he felt a sense of impending doom. He swallowed down a lump in his throat. Elvis was standing guard against spirits. He had been jumpy for days."Can you trace them?" Elvis looked at the house. He realized that Elvis was looking out for his family too. Sometimes he took the time roaming for some reason. Elvis could sense if there were spirits on his radar. He prepared himself for the academy and he glided to the PASS and he felt a kind of peace. He had always felt.The students were watching him now and talking. He smiled waving at them to throw them off. The ethereal girls were around too. He realized that they were Fenghuang."Maks. You are welcome once again." The consort by the dojo passed him a flyer. There was a celebration coming."To use Taiji in a fight, you have to forget everything you think you know about technique and form. A real fight is unexpected and you won't have enough
He checked the autopsy reports. There were none about purplish capillaries all over their bodies. Or their sudden deathly white skin. None about what could have caused it. He shuddered at that. The Yao could be anywhere. Anywhere with unrest... Anywhere that humans moved nonstop.He got a text message from Emily.....Xiu Yan, a classy lady with flowing brown hair, and green eyes. A smile that likened her to a petrified mannequin but she was alluring to the men regardless. No one would tell if she was a nui gui ( a succubus) or a Yao Guai in disguise. She was getting frustrated."When do I relinquish this filthy form? I am starving and exhausted." She purred helplessly as the humans passed mindlessly on the road. Busy their phones. They sat at a restaurant with a huge glass window. She could not remember the name. The crisp but clean air was revolting and her skin was starting to irritate her. The order of steak was stale to her distaste. She was like a mother hyena, forced to hid
Her eyes peeled open and she mumbled shaking her head when the web untangled like nylon rope and if snapped, she closed her eyes at the drop, Maks came in fast and caught the web. Maks landed on perched on the pinnacle of the building. He fetched the victims out from the side of the building, he groaned pulling the last body up on top and pushed them to safety. A claw grew out from his knuckles and he disposed of Arthur's deadweight body. He rolled off and down the great height. The victims huddled closer together and their eyes rounded at the monster. Shaking. They pulled back."Don't be upset. Okay, you should be but..." His face was cleverly disguised with owl-like features. yellow irises and black pupils, autumn red sideburns. He still had red feathers on his humanoid arms and he had claws for fingers.They panicked with muffled screams. He tore out the strong webs around Emily's wrists and she gazed at him in horror at last and she ran away.Maks was not quick to react before
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did you kill anyone?" He asked directly. "What did you do?""I did hurt a lot of people that's for sure." She brushed her blonde hair back. She was starting to get passionate again after recalling how she suffered through the events. "These are...pirates and black marketers whom I thought gave me the insurance that I would not suffer legal action, whatsoever, once I got the job done. One last go, they said just to get me out of The Rat Race and I was...I was hooked." Her eyes turned glassy. She turned around. "I stole merch, I stole game, and pricey artefacts, just to sell them off."He tried to remain in the observer's point of view. Even if he was deeply hurt. "So...""The law caught up to me, business shut down and I...screwed up." She raked her hair. "I passed through 15 years in jail for Grand Larceny." Emily wiped her eyeliner. "Without parole. I served 1 year in Baltimore before I got my proper release." She sniffed. "Now I'm here."Maks frow
"Artemis! What the hell?" Victor said while he steadied himself. Then he shakily checked on the lenses of his glasses for any cracks. He groaned inwardly."Sorry, Nosebleed. Did I hurt you?" Artemis said and took his hand. Artemis Kroner was 19, she possessed frizzly waist-length red hair, heterochromatic green eyes with inner golden irises around her pupils, a tall athletic figure and olive skin. She had a snide look on her face, her dark eyebrows were carved up mischievously with notches, and anyone with wits would look her twice over before getting involved. She wore a black hoodie, a white shirt, black tartan pants and black boots. She picked up her skateboard. Maks grimaced at her. 'Seriously?' He thought. "I told you. Come on, Vic, we're wasting our time. It's almost first period." He said taking his arm. "It's just 7:00 AM, Wombat. Nice to meet you, by the way, I'm Artemis." She said in a dry voice. "Kroner.""Likewise." He frowned. "You don't sound like it." She wiggled
Victor swallowed."None." Miss March noted on her clipboard. "You look fine. Don't shy away from Dodgeball. Alright everyone into your positions." Dom had black hair with spiky bangs, he had light brown eyes, a dark smile, and olive skin. He was big for his age. He looked like a human-sized Hulk now. His arms and calves twitched and the shortest boy fainted. Andrew the one with the nape-length blonde hair and a fang necklace grinned. He was Maks's nemesis from Summer School. He grinned like the dickens. "You scared to lose, Victor?" Andrew said drily and positioned himself. "Nope, I'm just scared that they'll break every bone in my body." Victor said gulping simply referring to the ghosts. In dreams and the astral plane as a matter of fact. He took a deep breath. [ I can do this. No, I can't ]The ghosts were still lurking. The game was about to start."Chill everyone," Maks said looking around. "It's not like we're not gonna last." He grinned."Easy for you to say." The shortest o
He pulled back a fist and Maks zigzagged around him before he punched the lockbox dead-on where his face was supposed to be. Dom grappled his fist hissing. His gap teeth were displayed. He hadn't seen the last of him. "You son of a_Grab him.""Listen!" Maks retorted with every atom of courage he could summon, "This is really_ getting out of hand. I_" He dodged his fist. "Look, you really need to stop!" He parried his hand and pushed him off. His friend crashed against a locker.He grinned darkly. "Who says I have to?" Someone attempted to punch him and he dived. Another kicked him down and he slid outside of the locker room, running away. Huff* Huff*He picked up speed."Get him!" Maks looked behind him at them coming and he ran along the hallways ahead of the horde coming. He slid past a man and jumped over a cleaner's bucket."Hey Hey!" He screamed with eyes the size of almonds. Maks could not lose his scholarship. Not today. If he ever tried to fight anyone or incite violence
"Maks...I'm still being trailed by a pack of spirits."Maks blinked. Victor glared at the phantoms lurking by the fence. They did not approach him. They simply watched him wide-eyed. He heard small hints of their voices calling him. Their desperation hung over them like a thick cloud. He swallowed."Why don't you...ask them for what they want?" Maks pointed out.Victor scoffed. "Would you have me assassinate a person I never even heard of? I'm a guy, not a hitman."Maks wanted to say something about using his powers but then he clamped up. "Bring back the Zhou Dynasty?" He continued with frustration. "I see why grandma never listened to them. They're maniacs!" He raised his hands."First, the Yuan Gui are haunting me in my dreams, my home, they're at my school! I can't take this anymore. I have to get rid of them." Maks stopped petting the foal. "Good for you."Victor saddened. He was fresh out of ideas. Maks felt the foal licking on his palm. "Ew..." He shook slobber off his hand.