《Spirit of Hope》 New Life SPIRIT OF HOPE Chapter 1: New Life Two kids stand in a peaceful valley, where the tall grass reaches their hips and the sky shows a visible galaxy. The children, a boy is wearing black, while the girl is wearing white. They seem to be around the age of 7 or 8. Their faces are familiar yet unrecognizable; it''s like trying to remember someone from an old memory. The soft spoken boy speaks up and says ¡°Time has come for your story to begin, as we watch your story unfold, open your heart and let it guide you through hardships.¡± ¡°Your courage and selflessness will not go unnoticed, Your outcome has been decided,¡± The spot spoken girl says. ¡°seek forth for you have been chosen as a new guardian.¡± Little Boy said ¡°Your legacy will start soon. We wish you the utmost luck¡± Little Boy and Little Girl said. A teenage boy wakes up from his dream covered in sweat. He slowly gets out of bed, wiping off the sweat. ¡°The same dream again.¡± He mutters, turning to look at his alarm clock. CLOCK: 6:50 AM ¡°5 minutes early¡± He said, shaking his head. He turns off his alarm clock and sits on his light green bed staring at his cozy room. Be had a medium sized room, with walls painted a light tan. On his walls he has various posters of video games and anime. On the right of his bed is a small wooden night stand holding a lamp and his alarm clock. He slowly gets up, opening his window located next to his bed to let light in. Directly across from his window is a desk with a small monitor and gaming console. Accompanied with different comic books and studying materials. He finally gets out of bed and gets dressed. He exits the room and makes his way down the long hallway and to his bathroom door which gets stuck. He frowns intensely and grunts as he struggles to open it. Finally he busts in and makes his way into the bathroom. The dim light reflects his light brown skin tone accompanied with his dark brown eyes. He begins picking at his short hair, his curls slowly springing back into place. ¡°I hate curly hair sometimes¡± He said in a whiny tone, picking at his disheveled hair He freshens up and then makes his way down stairs, which arrives at the large living room with a medium sized tv on the wall with an L shaped beige sofa that is around a small light colored coffee that dominates the room. Underneath the tv is a cabinet that stores dvds and different games. ¡°Mom?¡± He calls out. He looks around and makes his way towards the kitchen, where he sees a note laying on the corner. ¡°Sorry Sohjin, I¡¯m going on a business trip for a few days. I miss you already sweetie, Love Mom¡± ¡°She couldn¡¯t have texted or called, '''' He mutters, putting it down and making his way around the large gradient countertop and towards the silver fridge. He turns on the TV and switches through the channels until a news channel catches his attention. It reads as follows, "Breaking News: SUBWAY ATTACKED EARLIER TODAY; BRIGADES SAVES LIVES.¡± ¡°Looks like I gotta take the long way.¡± Sohjin groaned. He cooks food then grabs his bag and leaves out the front door for school. Sohjin makes his way hastily to the school, which is about 42 minutes away. Halfway there Sohjin begins to hear a subtle ringing noise coming from an alleyway. Curious he slowly crept his way down the alley way. He nervously looked around and noticed nothing unusual. He kept looking but was unable to pinpoint the ringing noise. Sohjin shrugged it off and placed his hands on his backpack straps and went on with his day. He finally makes it to school and goes through periods 1-4 and in each class notices the same ringing sound from earlier. Sohjin thought nothing of it and continued on. During lunch, Sohjin puts his hands on the straps of his backpack looking for a place to eat. ¡°Ah man, all the good spots are taken.¡± He said, looking around at the filled tables. The large outdoor cafeteria buzzed with energy and the sound of people talking with their friends filled the area. ¡°Library it is.¡± Sohjin says, walking in the direction of the Library. ¡°Sophomore year blows, I didn''t think I would spend the majority of this year ALONE. Even at ho-¡° Sohjins train of thought is interrupted by a familiar voice. ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t Sohjin Teca, been a while, it¡¯s good to see you¡± His old friend called out. Walking towards him, Hamza, around the same age as Sohjin, has a warm brown complex and a confident demeanor. He has long wavy hair that covers his ears. He wore a gray sleeve sweatshirt and yellow shorts and had a friendly smile. He walks up and reaches his hand out to greet him. ¡°Likewise.¡± Sohjin replied, dabbing him up. ¡°What¡¯ve you been up to?¡± ¡°Nothing much, Just the usual, y¡¯know the family restaurant thing.¡± Hamza said ¡°Ahh I know how it feels, kinda. So how¡¯s business?¡± ¡°Well...at first it was slow but we¡¯ve certainly made a comeback after we won best local restaurant.¡± He smiled. ¡°Oh nice congrats.¡± Sohjin happily said. Hamza thanked him and the two stood in silence for a moment. They looked around and waited for one another to talk. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Sooo..down to hang, after school?¡± Sohjin asked ¡°Nah sorry gotta have to decline, I got..Family work stuff¡± Hamza says Sohjin looks away while rolling his eyes. ¡°Hey Hey look, maybe we can hang out, tomorrow¡± Hamza said ¡°I don¡¯t know man I think I got ¡®family work¡¯¡± ¡°I¡¯m free Saturday evening, Maybe we can even get Alex and Chase¡± ¡°Chase and Alex! You know for a fact they aren¡¯t going to make it. Chase is in Chinya, he isn¡¯t traveling 30 mins to Midnight City for us¡± Sohjin says laughing ¡°And Alex is well. He''s always busy with stuff.¡± Sohjin said ¡°I guess you''re right, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try,¡± Hamza says, slightly shrugging. ¡°Yeah, I guess you''re right, you better not bail at the last minute for ¡®family work¡¯.¡± Sohjin says, with a teasing grin. They both laugh, and Hamza feels his all black watch vibrating. He looks down at his watch and sees that it¡¯s flashing red ¡°Damn..I gotta bounce, it was nice catching up.¡± Hamza said. ¡°Right now, but it¡¯s lunch¡± Sohjin says look at the clock on his phone ¡°Yeah I know, I promised my friend something.¡± Hamza said, slowly turning around ¡°DON''T FORGET ABOUT SATURDAY¡± he yelled out, running away from Sohjin ¡°I COULD SAY THE SAME FOR YOU¡± Sohjin yells back. End of School, Sohjin walks home while looking at his phone and sees on the news that the Subway cleared up. He smiled and made his way. On the subway train, Sohjin looked out the window, a blur of the city flashing by. Below the people traffic crawled through the streets and people hurried home, coming from work or schoolzz He looked at his reflection, his light brown eyes staring back at him. He notices a strange figure standing behind. The figure was a purple humanoid with a white scarf, checkered abs that went up to its chest where the rest of the arms and chest were covered by a white and gray tight cloak paired with a gray samurai skirt. Shocked, he quickly turns around, only to be met with nothing. ¡°The hell!¡± Sohjin yells, louder than he had meant to be. His outburst startles the people around him. They all stare at him with a confused look. ¡°Sorry guys sorry¡± He says in embarrassment; noticing an empty seat and he makes his way to the empty seat. While making his way to the seat his head begins to throb in pain. The ringing sound becomes more pronounced, he sits down holding his head. Quickly the figure flashed across his mind, more clearer now.¡± ¡°Sohjin...We Shall meet soon. Your time will start soon¡± He holds his head and groans in pain. The train gets louder, drowning out any and all sound. As the pain slowly dies down, Sohjin pulls out his wired headphones and plays his music and closes his eyes. He wakes up from his nap, it felt like hours, almost like eternity. He slowly opened his eyes, his body felt heavy and sore. Something wasn¡¯t right. He sat up, his hands melted into the icy ground and realized he¡¯s not in the subway or in a city, but rather in a city in ruins, surrounded by snow. He hears a loud ringing noise coming from somewhere within the city. He walks around the area and explores, occasionally calling out for someone. He keeps walking until the ringing noise becomes deafening. He turns around to leave but a bright blue light creeps out from around an allyway, He steps in towards the alleyway and goes to investigate. ¡°HELLO¡± Sohjin shouts. ¡°Anyone there?¡± He slowly walks towards the bright blue light around the corner. He shakes with fear and drips with sweat. ¡°Shit¡­Why am I doing this?¡± He repeated to himself ¡°COME ON, you got this¡± He says, as he turns around the corner, he is met with a blue butterfly flying around. ¡°Woah¡± he says, in amazement. He inched his way forward, and reached out his hand to touch it. Before he could reach it. The butterfly reacts and flies around him creating a barrier preventing him from leaving. Wind slams against him, tears form in his eyes. ¡°THE HELL IS HAPPENING¡± He yells. The butterfly flies in front of him and creates an orb, then evaporates into energy, combining itself with the orb. The strong gust of wind finally stops and Sohjin slowly stands up. ¡°Your story¡± ¡°Happiness¡± ¡°Touch it¡± ¡°Anger¡± ¡°Reach out and touch it.¡± ¡°Tragedy¡± ¡°Rebirth¡± ¡°Reach out,¡± ¡°Do it touch me.¡± The orb continuously repeated these words in his ear. Sohjin feels a cold chill down his spine, he slowly reaches out shaking the closer he gets, sweat slowly falling down his cheek and his heart pounding. The orb whispers louder repeating the same words; chanting the same cryptic message. Sohjin, breathing heavily, finally touches the orb and a large gust of wind hits him violently. The orb begins to suck in his arm and pieces of it reach out and climb his arm. His heart pounded wildly as his eyes widened in horror. He yanked his arm with all his strength, but the orbs tendrils continued crawling up his arm like a cold, creeping vine sucking him in. ¡°STOP¡­THIS¡­THIS CAN''T BE HAPPENING!¡± He stammered, desperation surging through him as he struggled with each pull. The orb suddenly begins glowing and blinds him forcing him to shield his eyes. The orb then starts to hum and the humming and ringing become more persistent. ¡°Wha-¡± His words are cut off by an explosion and the force hits him like a bull and sends him flying and into the barrier. His body crumples to the ground and a large gust of wind blows on him. Shielding himself from the wind, the orb rises in the air and breaks apart with the energy surrounding him and going into him. Across from him, he spots the figure from the subway train. ¡°Together, we are one.¡± it says slowly making its way towards Sohjin. The figure reaches out towards him, Sohjin, unable to move, the figure pushes his forehead. Sohjin falls backwards and onto his bed. As he wakes up covered in sweat. Breathing heavily he quickly gets out of bed. ¡°What..Just¡­That had to be real!¡± He said, wiping the sweat off his face and reaching for his phone while shaking and his heart rate finally calming down. Saturday, April 16, 2016 10:30 am 1 missed messages from Hamza. 2 missed messages from Mom He puts his phone down and walks out of his room contemplating what happened. He makes his way to the bathroom. The door is once again stuck. ¡°Damn door. I thought I left you open¡± - Sohjin said, confused. He puts his body in the door getting ready to bust it open. He takes a deep breath in and out. ¡°Please don''t fight me today,¡± Sohjin said, annoyed. He gets ready and closes his eyes. Unbenounced to him, electricity swarms around his body. Finally, Sohjin bursts through, doing an electrical dash through the door and into the counter. Sohjin groans in pain and gets up from the destroyed counter. He stumbles over and looks at the mess he made. ¡°Did I just?¡± Sohjin said looking at his hands ¡°I have pow..? I HAVE POWERS!!¡± He squeaks. His body begins to light up with electricity sparking off him. He laughs and accidentally dashes into his room. He gets up and tries to control his dash but ends up tripping out of his room down the hall by his stairs. ¡°THIS IS AWESOME!¡± He yells. Sohjin gets up and dashes downstairs and dashes around the living room and kitchen. Suddenly he sees the same figure from earlier standing by the kitchen. ¡°The more you reject me, the less control you¡¯ll have¡± The Figure staring Sohjin. Sohjin¡¯s head starts to hurt, his vision goes blurry and comes to an abrupt stop from a crushing pressure that causes him to accidentally hit the trash can and lose control, falling face first on the ground. He groans in pain, slowly sitting up holding his sides and face. ¡°That thing from yesterday. Wasn''t it a dream? But how did I end up home?¡± Sohjin says ¡°I have¡­to..Someone who could help me..Alex, ALEX could help me, he would know and..and he could figure out what¡¯s going on, he¡¯s always been good with tech and a little nerdy for superheroes .¡± - Sohjin says, standing up. ¡°Alright buddy, hope you''re in the mood for company¡± Sohjin said, standing at his feet and sprinting up his stairs, static shocks him on his way up and into his room where he bursts into his dresser still getting shocked and rummages through old clothes. He pulls out an all black outfit with white dots all around it. The outfit was comfortable and stylish. He then pulls out a white mask, skiing glasses and black gloves with red that highlighted the knuckles and palm. ¡°Listen Sohjin you need to trust me, allow me in.¡± The figure appearing behind him. Sohjin turned with concern and met with nothing. He then quickly puts the outfit on and hastily makes his way out the front door and runs towards Alex¡¯s neighborhood. ¡°Don¡¯t remember where his house is, but I do remember his neighborhood, I hope.¡± He thought. As he¡¯s running he looks down and realizes that his feet are conducting electricity. Streaks of a vibrant combination of green, blue, and fiery red trailing behind him. The air crackles with energy and the ground begins to hum with each step. His body feels weightless and overcharged, his movements become faster and faster, almost too fast to keep up. The world around him becomes a blur and his heart pounds as he struggles to maintain control. He starts to stumble, his legs slowly start to give out, but instead of falling he surges forward and his body naturally performs an electrical dash, leaving a faint scorch mark where his feet once were. He comes to a stop and turns around looking at the streaks he made. Sohjin smiles uncontrollably and his body surges with energy, he then electrical dashes away and continues on his way. Next time on Spirit Of Hope, Chapter 2: New Threads New Threads SPIRIT OF HOPE Chapter 2: New Threads Sohjin stands atop a small house, getting ready to jump across to the next roof. Sohjin tugs at his mask and readjusts his skiing glasses. He bends down, getting in a running stance, getting ready to dash. ¡°I got this, if I was able to figure out I could dash up buildings without falling off I could do this.¡± He says. ¡°Come on Sohjin you got this, You got this. You got this!¡± He murmured to himself, as he propelled himself forward to the building. He makes the jump but nearly stumbles off. He curses under his breath and continues on. He hops from roof to roof making his way closer to Alex¡¯s house. He pauses on a two story house to catch his breath. ¡°I hope our distant friendship isn¡¯t totally broken.¡± Sohjin whispers ¡°this is all happening so fast and.. HAMZA! I completely forgot our meetup.¡± Sohjin hastily texts Hamza apologizing for bailing and continues searching. He soon makes it into Alex¡¯s gated neighborhood. ¡°Haven¡¯t been here in years. It was a small two story right?¡± He thought, perched on someone¡¯s house, scanning for Alex¡¯s house. ¡°Why am I here? I feel like a part of me is here to see him again.¡± Sohjin sighed. After some time Sohjin spots Alex¡¯s house. He perched on a house across the street from Alex¡¯s house contemplating on whether he should ask or not. ¡°He would know. Despite his academics, he sure had a passion for tinkering with gadgets and creating stuff.¡± Sohjin says, ¡°He''s gotta know, He¡¯s the only one.. I¡¯ve got,¡± Sohjin slowly stands up, the wind tugging on him towards Alex¡¯s house as if to signal to him to return to his old friend. He nervously jumps off the roof and onto the front street removing his mask and glasses and approaches the front door of memories. His heart flutters as he rings the doorbell and waits anxiously; shaking his leg. The figure earlier appears in the window reflection. ¡°You won¡¯t have the answers you''re looking for without me.¡± The figure says ¡°You, what do you want? What are you!?¡± Sohjin demanded, his voice mixed with fear and defiance. ¡°You¡¯ll have to accept me, you have to trust me.¡± The figure replies cryptically ¡°Trust you?¡± Sohjin scoffs ¡°All you¡¯ve done is given me bad migraines and been cryptic as hell ¡± He says angrily ¡°Because the more you resist, the harder it is fo-¡° The Figure starts but is interrupted. Alex opens the door, interrupting their exchange, his dark green eyes light up in surprise, standing tall and relaxed. His pale skin tone contrasts the colorful surroundings. A flicker of confusion and curiosity sparked as he looked at Sohjins attire, as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was looking at. Finally, Alex speaks up. ¡°Sohjin? What are you doing here? Who were you talking to?¡± Alex inquired Sohjin¡¯s eyes brighten up ¡°Alex?¡± He chocked out. ¡°He looks so different, but similar. He¡¯s slimmed down, and looks tired. All those classes must¡¯ve taken a toll on him. His hair is disheveled. How much have I missed?¡± He thought Sohjin quickly snaps out of it and changes the subject and steering the conversation towards his purpose for visiting ¡°Hey Alex, been a minute,¡± Sohjin says, waving his hand. ¡°Yeah¡­ it has. What are you wearing¡± Alex laughs ¡°Oh this, it¡¯s partially why I¡¯m here.¡± Sohjin says ¡°You need help with fashion? You came to the wrong person¡± Alex joked. ¡°Not really Fashion. Um..It¡¯s easier if I show you..Inside¡± Sohjin suggests Alex lets him in and they head upstairs. Sohjin glances at Alex¡¯s childhood photos on the wall. Once up stairs they take a right and arrive in the room. Alex opens the door with his hands in his pocket and invites Sohjin in to reveal his neatly cleaned room. The medium sized room had a soft neutral color to it. To the right of the entrance, Alex''s bed was folded to perfection with navy blue pillows and gray sheets. Above the bed were shelves with photos of Alex¡¯s childhood, each framed and neatly kept, different academic trophies and books that varied from classic literature to manga. At the foot of the bed was a small wooden desk with the surface ordered with small figures, a calendar marked with study schedules and test dates, a small lamp, and a pencil holder. ¡°Make this quick, I¡¯m studying for the AP Physics Exam,¡± Alex says, looking at his desk. Sohjin interrupts by getting into a runner''s stance. Alex stops talking and stares at him. ¡°Umm?¡± Alex says, confused. Sohjin dashes into Alex¡¯s closet and back out and zips around his room. Alex¡¯s eyes widen as he spins around his room trying to follow Sohjin, but can only see a blur. ¡°I¡­I..Don¡¯t even know where to start.¡± Alex stutters ¡°YOU HAVE POWERS¡± Alex yells ¡°Shh..isn¡¯t your dad here¡± Sohjin warns ¡°FORGET ABOUT HIM. YOU HAVE POWERS, CAN YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE? SHOOT FIRE, ICE OR ENERGY BEAMS? YOU COULD BE LIKE DARKWIRE OR LIGHTOWL ¡± Alex excitedly exclaims ¡°Well..¡± Sohjins eyes wander to Alex¡¯s aquarium and sees the figure. ¡°Tell him about me.¡± Figure says. Before Sohjin could respond, Alex grabs his shoulders and shakes him for an answer. ¡°ANYTHING ELSE?¡± Alex repeating himself ¡°I¡¯m not sure, that¡¯s why I came here. I kind of figured you would know about this kind of stuff.¡± Sohjin says ¡°Of course I do, first things first we should run tests to figure out the limits of your powers.¡± Alex happily says. Sohjin¡¯s eyes lit up with the endless possibilities. ¡°You think we could make a suit after!? Because I mean..I could be a superhero, no one would be able to land a finger on me!¡± He exclaims with excitement. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Alex steps back, calming himself down. ¡°A suit? I¡¯m not sure about that. We can definitely test powers though¡± Alex replied ¡°No suit? Not even if I say pretty please¡± Sohjin teases ¡°Haven¡¯t sewn or anything like that in years. And it would be funny to see you run around with that..Fine. I guess I¡¯ll make you a suit¡± Alex says giving in Alex takes Sohjin into his garage. The garage was spacious with various tools and materials. Metal tools lined up on the walls. A large workbench dominated the left side. To the right of the entrance was a table ping pong table, nearby there was a cluttered desk with threads and a box that contained a sewing machine. On the wall next to it were different skateboards clinged on the wall. The room smelt of oil and grease, Despite the mess Alex could find whatever he¡¯s looking for, in an instant. In the garage, they gather materials for the suit, and some Body Opponent Dummy¡¯s. Placing the materials on the workbench and the BOD next to it. ¡°Can you grab that box¡± Alex asks, pointing at the desk, ¡°I¡¯m glad our friendship is still intact. I do feel bad for making him do all this, when we haven¡¯t spoken in so long.¡± Sohjin thinks to himself while carrying the box ¡°If you don¡¯t wanna do it today, we can do it another time. Don¡¯t you have an exam to study for?¡± Sohjin said ¡°About that..I was just reading PPGR, been following it for a while¡± Alex admits, he looks down with his hand on his neck. ¡°Cool.¡± Sohjin quickly says ¡°Anyways..Why do you want to become a superhero?¡± Alex says seriously Sohjin resonates with this question. He stutters to get the word out. Sohjin proudly says ¡°I want to become a superhero because..I want to do it for fun and glory.¡± Alex shakes his head ¡°With that mentality, you¡¯ll get yourself killed for sure.¡± Alex says disappointed. ¡°Obvious answer for everyone your age. He¡¯s right, you know.¡± The figure comments, appearing behind Alex. ¡°It¡¯s whatever. Let¡¯s get started¡± Alex shrugged off. Alex writes down Sohjins powers in a notebook. So far he only has the electric dash super strength, and can occasionally use energy blasts with immense focus. They draw costume ideas and brainstorm on names. ¡°How about Myker¡± Sohjin suggests ¡°No¡± Alex replies ¡°Melo¡± Sohjin says trying again ¡°Definitely No¡± Alex says, looking at Sohjin worriedly. ¡°Utonium?¡± Sohjin asked. ¡°NO¡± Alex says ¡°Know what, We¡¯ll save the name for last¡± Sohjin looks away, disappointed. They then lay out different materials on the workbench to use for the costume. ¡°What type of material do you think you¡¯ll need?¡± Alex questioned. ¡°I need something that''s not hot, when I¡¯m dashing and doesn¡¯t warm up as fast whatever material this is.¡± Sohjin said, tugging at his outfit. ¡°but also something that¡¯s not too cold.¡± He added. ¡°Well in that case I was thinking Taffeta or Satin but I heard it heats up. So that¡¯s out¡± Alex said. ¡°How bout velvet or aged polyester?¡± Sohjin suggests ¡°Aged polyester itches down there¡± Alex pointed out. ¡°but velvet could work¡­.Actually let¡¯s use Spandex and cloth, that¡¯s perfect, not to hot and not too cold and really cheap.¡± Alex decides ¡°Sohjin, thought of a name yet?¡± Alex asked ¡°Nah not yet, I¡¯ve never been good at that kinda stuff.¡± Sohjin comments ¡°Yeah I''ve noticed,¡± Alex chuckles, ¡°anyways What about colors for the suit¡± ¡°How bout red and blue¡± Sohjin says Alex looks at him weirdly ¡°Yeah no, just leave it to me¡± ¡°Ahh man¡± Sohjin says, looking down in disappointment. ¡°You have some strange ideas¡± Alex said, shaking his head and laughing Alex and Sohjin begin creating his suit and further test his powers. ¡°I have an idea of a logo¡± Sohjin says, showing Alex his drawing. ¡°Yeah, this could work. And these colors they¡¯re hella clean. You sure you did this.¡± Alex laughs, putting the drawing away and gets out more materials. They both create the suit taking their time, sewing each piece carefully. Alex then teaches Sohjin the basics of boxing, which isn¡¯t much considering his knowledge comes from the internet. He teaches him how to punch but confuses Sohjin and himself with the difference between a jab and a cross. Some time passes, Sohjin and Alex stand over the costume, laying on the workbench. Sohjin walks over to the refrigerator and takes out a drink, as he closes the door he spots the figure in the reflection. ¡°Alex. There¡¯s one thing about my powers that I haven¡¯t told you¡± Sohjin says, stepping away from the fridge. ¡°Yeah what''s up?¡± Alex answered. ¡°Ever since.. I got my powers. I¡¯ve been seeing this weird figure. It''s been following me ever since, telling me to accept it. Like a ghost that¡¯s haunting me.¡± Sohjin says Alex looks at Sohjin puzzled and resonates with his statement. ¡°A strange figure is haunting you? What else do you know about it?¡± Alex questions ¡°Nothing much, it¡¯s been cryptic as hell¡± Sohjin ¡°Maybe it¡¯s linked to your powers. Let''s start with how you got it.¡± Alex says scratching his head ¡°Well¡­¡± His mind flashes to the subway and the ruined city. ¡°I was on the subway and I saw that thing briefly, I took a nap on the subway train and woke up in a snowy destroyed city, where I followed a ringing noise and saw a butterfly that blew up into an orb!¡± He said. ¡°Hmm. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s a ghost. It could be a phantom or a specter¡° Alex muses, holding his chin. A lightbulb suddenly goes off in Alex¡¯s head ¡°I¡¯ve got it. Your name. Your hero name could be SPECTRE.¡± ¡°Specter?¡± Sohjin repeated, in a confused tone ¡°It¡¯s a type of ghost. I think. But It¡¯s perfect. Spectre. Obviously we can change the spelling. What do you think?¡± Alex ¡°I..I like it. IM SPECTRE¡± Sohjin declares, doing a superhero pose ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s finish up the suit and get started.¡± Alex laughing A few hours pass and night falls. Sohjin and Alex finally finish the suit. Sohjin picks up the suit and admires it. ¡°You did pretty good.¡± Sohjin putting the suit into his bag ¡°Yeah.¡± Alex replies ¡°Now it¡¯s finally time to fight people¡± Sohjin says happily. ¡°Hold on, wait a minute. We need 1 important thing. In order for us to know where crime is happening. We need to know exactly where it is. Luckily we have step 1 done.¡± Alex says, pulling out a small usb device. ¡°This is a crime detector. Right now it¡¯s useless. Unlessss it''s plugged into the antenna on the main MCPD building. ¡± Alex exlains ¡°Wait, hold on. You want me to sneak onto the roof of the MCPD and¡­ PLUG THIS THING IN. The hell do we know this is gonna work.¡± Sohjin asks ¡°You have powers. remember? And anyways it¡¯s a gamble, might work, might not.¡± Alex says ¡°Right. got it.¡± Sohjin snared, snatching the device ¡°Oh and before you go take this.¡± Alex takes out an earpiece and gives one to Sohjin. ¡°This will keep us in contact.¡± Sohjin puts the earpiece in his ear and grabs the bag with his suit. He walks out the garage. ¡°Before I go. Why do you have all this?¡± Sohjin says, turning back at Alex. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it¡± Alex grinned Sohjin dashes from rooftop to rooftop before reaching a building, next to the MCPD building. He gets into his running stance ¡°Sure hope I can run up walls¡± Sohjin says, ¡°Alex can you hear me?¡± ¡°Loud and clear. Are you there yet?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Yeah, next to the MCPD.¡± Sohjin said. ¡°Once you''re there plug the MGI (stands for ¡°my greatest invention¡±) and boom crime should show on my end. Hopefully.¡± Alex said ¡°Roger¡± Sohjin said Sohjin¡¯s body fills with electricity, as he slowly lifts his foot off the ground his body becomes more charged. He then thrusts himself through the air and violently dashes off the building. His hoodie flies off his head, he swings his arms wildly through the air. His heart skips a beat, as he smacks into the building and slides off uncontrollably. ¡°OH SHIT!¡± He yelled, the glass screeches on his way to the building''s edge. Just as the streets become visible, he slams his right hand against the glass and in suspense, sticks onto the window. ¡°I CAN STICK TO WALLS!¡± Sohjin says excitedly. Sohjin looks at how high up he is; anxiously. ¡°Oh god. Don¡¯t look down. It¡¯ll be fine just don¡¯t look down¡± Sohjin lifts himself up and electrical dashes up to the roof. He dashes up onto the antenna and pulls out the MGI. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Sohjin says, while plugging in MGI He dashes off the antenna and turns his communicator ear bud on. ¡°Alex, just plugged in the MGI. How¡¯s everything looking on your end?¡± Alex¡¯s computer boots up, with all crime happening in the area. ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s looking good Sohjin.¡± Alex said, munching on a bag of chips ¡°Cool, any crime in the area.¡± Sohjin said ¡°Nooo¡­actually there is. According to this there¡¯s a high speed chase with a van. They¡¯re heading for the Save Bank. They just broke someone out of prison.¡± Alex says ¡°Seems like I need to step in¡± Sohjin says excitedly. Sohjin takes off his jacket and throws it off the building. Revealing his new suit, which is black with shades of purple with a white butterfly logo with sharp wings that extend to his pecs. He pulls out his mask that fully covers his face with large curved white eyes and puts it on. ¡°Why did you even bring a jacket?¡± Alex asked. ¡°It¡¯s cold and the suit isn¡¯t warm, liar¡± Sohjin said. ¡°I said once you GET moving. Anyways, how does the suit feel?¡± ¡°It feels amazing, Thank you.¡± Sohjin said. ¡°I know this is random but. You wanna hang out with Hamza..After this?¡± ¡°Hamza? that came outta nowhere¡± Alex chuckled. On Alex¡¯s computer, the crime scanner begins flashing red. Alex notices the van heading towards Sohjin. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, They¡¯re coming down your street.¡± Alex says Sohjin makes his way to the edge of the building and crouches down putting his left hand down and his right hand up, on watch for the van to come. The spotlights illuminate behind him. Suddenly the van and police cars race down the street, they fill the area with chaos. Sohjin springs into action for the first time out of thousand as SPECTRE. NEXT: CHAPTER 3: SPIRIT OF HOPE The First Encounter The First Encounter Spirit of Hope Chapter 3: The First Encounter On the roof of a random building, Sohjin is running across various rooftops trying to keep up with the van. Down below, the van''s back door flies open and two masked men with skulls as their masks, burst out. The thug on the right takes out a plasma pistol and opens fire at the police cars. The thug on the left attaches a gravity manipulator to his hand and flips one of the police cars slowing them down. The van takes a violent right turn, causing Sohjin to stop dead in his tracks. ¡°SHIT!¡± He shouted, breathless and frustrated. Sohjin runs to the back of the building getting ready to jump the large gap to the building across the street. His energy flows through him. He gets into a runner''s stance. His left foot slightly off the ground conducting electricity. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Sohjin said, feeling sweat run down his body. He sprints towards the edge of the building. The sound of footsteps beat off the ground, each quicker than the last. The air crackles around him and faint blue sparks flicker around him. He reaches the edge and in an instant he dashes off leaving a faint trail behind him, leaving the world behind him. Unfortunately this lasts for a brief moment as he comes crashing down towards the street. His costume flaps around as the wind howls around him as he gets into a diving formation. He closes his eyes for a moment, his body conducts electricity like before, and he dashes to the next building cutting through the air with a burst of speed. The ground rushes on him, but he narrowly grabs onto the ledge of the building. He pulls himself up and continues the chase. Sohjin spots the van and jumps from building to building trying to catch it. More police cars arrive at the scene, firing everything they got, filling the air with chaos. ¡°Sohjin, how does the suit feel?¡± Alex asked. ¡°feels¡­great but now¡¯s not the time, Marshy.¡± Sohjin replies, out of breath. Alex his voice mixed with surprise and nostalgia quickly says, ¡°HEY I THOUGHT YOU FORGOT ABOUT MY NICKNAME¡± Sohjin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he remembered, ¡°Marshmallow, it¡¯s what we used to call him back in the day. Good times¡± His past memories slowly fade bringing him back to the present, as the thug with the gravity manipulator pulls a large diesel in front of the police cars, causing the three cars to collide with each other. the rest of the officers to completely stop. ¡°I need to get down there fast. If I time this right I could land on the van.¡± Sohjin thinks ¡°If they''re going to Save Bank, I can use the construction to land on it.¡± Sohjin thought, imagining a map of where he needed to go and sprung into action. Sohjin dashes ahead of the van making his way to the upcoming construction. Once he arrives he hangs onto the frame of the small overpass. The sound of sirens drowns out any noise in the area. ¡°That¡¯s them,¡± Sohjin says, his voice anxious yet ready. The van swerves around the corner making its way towards Sohjin. The passengers in the van fire plasma weapons, and use the gravity manipulator device to wreak havoc across the city. The van zooms underneath Sohjin. ¡°I¡¯m gonna die.¡± He repeats to himself ¡°Here goes NOTHING.¡± he said, flipping off the overpass. Sohjin lands onto the roof of the van and almost slides off, before sticking to saving himself. He recovers and behind him he hears a police helicopter flying overhead to cover the action. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m famous¡± He says, turning around and smirking through his mask. As he slowly turns back around his mind starts to race, ¡°All this is so overwhelming, from the police cars, the van, and the helicopter. Why am I doing this? WHY WAS IT FOR HIM?¡± Panic claws at him, but he forces himself to breathe and remain calm. ¡°No stop, calm down and focus¡± His fist hovers over the roof of the van, his muscles tense as he prepares himself. But his mind flickers back to his previous thought, causing hesitation. Before he could act, a voice shouted. ¡°SOHJIN BEHIND YOU!¡± He quickly turns around and sees one of the thugs in the front passenger seat hanging out the window; about to fire a missile at the helicopter. ¡°NO YOU DONT!¡± Sohjin yells, dashing to the front seat. Sohjin flips down to the passenger door and with full force punches the thug, knocking him out. Sohjin looks at the driver ¡±WHOOPS, That¡¯s my bad I¡¯m still getting use-¡± Before he could finish he is cut off and is lifted up by the gravity manipulator. His voice becomes distorted and his body feels like it¡¯s being tugged at in every direction. ¡°WOAH THIS FEELS WEIRD!¡± His distorted voice blurted. He is violently jerked back. A thug kicks the back door open, sending both the door and Sohjin flying out of control. Sohjin grabs the door and places it on his back. Using it as a board he uses his feet to steer and guide him out of the way of the incoming police cars. With a burst of energy, kicks his feet on the road and dashes up on the police car closest to the van and climbs around to the driver''s side. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Sohj¡ªSpectre. I¡¯m here to help¡± Sohjin said. ¡°We¡¯ve noticed. And you''re our only option so far kid. I¡¯ll drive close enough and you use that dash thing of yours. And we¡¯ll leave the rest to you¡± The thick mustached officer said. ¡°Thank you,¡± Sohjin said. Sohjin climbs on top of the car, getting ready to spring into action. As the car gets closer, the thugs begin to shoot at them. Sohjin dodges the incoming blasts and leaps off the car. ¡°Ow..hot..HOT!¡± He yelled, knocking the blast away from the car. Sohjin retreats back to the police car. The officer leans out of the window. ¡°HEY KID, THIS IS THE BEST I CAN DO. GO GET EM.¡± He yelled Sohjin nods and dashes off the car, dodging the incoming plasma beams. He uses his momentum to drop kick into the on the thug firing the plasma beam, knocking him out, successfully sliding into the van. Inside the van, from the entrance to the left is a big criminal chained up and has a mask that is covering his face and only shows his eyes. To the right is a gun cache, and in front of him is a door that leads to the front seats. The thug on the left rushes towards the gun cache. Sohjin swiftly destroys the cache and engages in hand to hand combat with the thug. Sohjin throws a right jab, but the thug slips it and punches Sohjin in the liver. Sohjin recoils back, his insides feel like it¡¯s about to explode. He struggles to recover as the thug rushes him and beats him down. ¡°GET OFF ME.¡± Sohjin cried. Sohjin¡¯s hands begin to light up and electricity surges around him. The thug immediately retreats back in fear. ¡°RIGHT, I FORGOT ABOUT THIS¡± Sohjin thought, and pulled his arm back The thug braces for the attack and guards. Sohjin, with all his might fires an energy blast. The blast misses and fires through the roof of the van. He uses this distraction to dash behind the thug and knocks him toward the chained up man. The thug, realizing his situation, quickly uses the gravity manipulator to throw Sohjin through the roof of the van. Outside, Sohjin almost flies off the roof, but catches himself. He takes a moment to recover and catches his breath. Unexpectedly, Sohjin¡¯s head begins to throb in pain. Sohjin clutches his head ¡°THE HELL? NOT NOW, GO AWAY¡± He said to the figure. The figure appears behind Sohjin and crouches down placing her hand on him. ¡°That is not me, Sohjin Teca. It¡¯s what¡¯s inside the van.¡± Figure pointed. The pain slowly subsides and Sohjin stands up and jumps down into the van. ¡°Alright, ready for rou¡­.¡± Sohjin stops and sees the man who used to be chained stand up and break off the chains. The big man slowly takes off the mouth guard. To reveal his long scar on the left side of his face that extends from his lip to his left eye. His short jagged sharp hair blows in the little wind. He cracks his knuckles and winds up his punch. ¡°shit¡± Sohjin says. The big man uses all of his force to punch Sohjin through the door and into the front passenger seat.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He groans in pain and tries to get up, but before he could recover, he¡¯s pulled by the gravity manipulator and slammed down into the ground. The big man hovers over him getting ready to crush him. ¡°Before you die. You shall know my name as Aragon¡± he says, in a broken Russian accent. Before Aragon could act. Sohjin creates an energy blast, and fires it into the thug''s face. He hurriedly rolls over and blasts Aragon in the face, blinding him. ¡°I¡¯m outmatched, I need to get the hell outta here! Cops got it from here.¡± He says, picking himself up and attempts to leave but Aragon grabs his leg and slams him back down. He picks him up once more and strikes him into the front seat once again. The front driver leans back to view Aragon ¡°Sir, Save bank is up ahead.¡± The muffled masked thug says. Aragon orders the driver to climb to him. The driver complies and places a brick on the gas pedal. Aragon grabs the thugs and pulls them in towards him and uses his body to shield them. The van roared at top speeds and crashed through Save Bank. The impact throws Sohjin out of the shattered front window. He soars through the air and smashes into the bank teller counters with a bone rattling thud. Aragon and the two remaining thugs climb out of the wreckage and barricade the bank¡¯s entrance. ¡°Sohjin¡­Sohjin¡­..SOHJIN!¡± a faint voice yelled. Sohjin struggles to regain consciousness, his vision blurring in and out. ¡°DAMN IT, SOHJIN PLEASE ANSWER¡± Alex begs, watching the news. Alex quickly hacks into the Save Bank camera system to view the situation and quickly pulls out his phone and hovers over an unknown number. ¡°Please, Sohjin Don¡¯t make me do this,¡± Alex says, struggling to remain calm. Sohjin finally wakes up, and starts choking up blood. His suit is ripped revealing cuts and bruises throughout his body. His mask is torn with his hair sticking out and revealing his right bloody eye with hair hovering over his eyebrow. He hears his ear bud and quickly picks it up. ¡°Alex.¡± He says, weakly standing up and coughing up blood. ¡°THANK GOD!¡± Alex says ¡°What¡¯s happening in there?¡± Sohjin peaks over the counter getting a look at the situation. ¡°All hell''s breaking loose. I don¡¯t know what to do¡± Sohjin says ¡°I have to get out of her-¡±. ¡°HEY. THAT GUY IS STILL ALIVE!¡± One of the thug yells ¡°DAMN IT.¡± Sohjin yells, weakly jumping over the destroyed counter and gets into an inexperienced fighting stance. ¡°No. Let me fight the little man.¡± Aragon says ¡°you two focus on grabbing the cash.¡± ¡°Sohjin..SOHJIN GET OUT OF THERE!¡± Alex yells. ¡°I¡¯m trying, gotta go, talk later.¡± Sohjin said, holding his left side. Both of the thugs grab a duffle bag and split up, one goes upstairs and other goes down a corridor by the reception area. Sohjin gets into his runner stance and Aragon gets into his fighting stance. They stare each other down. They both dash at each other. Sohjin pulls his fist back and strikes his face with all his power. Aragon quickly backs up and shakes it off. Sohjin dashes to the ground and slides to the right of him. He then dashes towards Aragon and punches his liver. Aragon immediately parries him, grabbing his hand and slams him down into the ground bedside him. ¡°AAHHHH¡± Sohjin shrieked, The force bounces Sohjin off the ground allowing Aragon to grab his foot and arm and slam him into his knee. Sohjin fell limp on the ground. Aragon slowly walks over and picks him up by the throat and charges up his left fist. ¡°Waste of my TIME.¡± Aragon yells, pulling his hand back and gathers all of his energy. His hand glows a murky color and before his strike could connect, he releases all of his energy into Sohjins lower abdomen causing the energy to create a vapor cone around it. Sohjin coughs up blood and then launches off Aragon¡¯s first and crashes through 3 different rooms, before he finally slams into a wall and knocks the roof onto him. ¡°ALRIGHT BOYS IT¡¯S TIME TO GO!¡± Aragon yelled The two thugs run out together with filled duffle bags. Aragon slowly pulls out the van from the rubble and destroys the barricade blocking the entrance. Sohjin lies trapped beneath the rubble, barely conscious and his breaths are rough and ragged. He trembles as he reaches out with his bare hand through the rubble, his glove is mainly destroyed and is hanging on by a thread. ¡°He..ll..pp me.¡± He hopelessly whispers, his vision blurs, but he hears slow footsteps walking towards him. The footsteps stop and the figure bends down to the opening that reveals his bloody face. ¡°You''re struggling,¡± The figure says, her voice is calm, but holds power, like lighting ready to strike. ¡°But it¡¯s because you don¡¯t understand what you are. You can¡¯t do this without me.¡± Sohjin struggles to speak and coughs up blood, his body shakes with pain and exhaustion. ¡°Your power is growing uncontrollable. Everytime you push me away, you lose more control. Do you truly think this power is yours to control alone? You need me to unlock the potential hidden within you.¡± She extends her hand towards his, the air crackles with energy and power. ¡°Stop resisting me and let me show you a glimpse of what we can do TOGETHER!¡± Her energy reaches out towards him, forging into Sohjin. Sohjin''s heart rate begins to pick up. Thud¡­Thud..Thud Thud Thud Thud. His heart races, Sohjin¡¯s eyes lights up and quickly destroys the rubble on top of him. His revealed hair lifts through his mask from his aura surrounding him. Back at the bank, Aragon and the thugs clear out the last of the barricade, getting ready to leave. ¡°MOVE MOVE, COPS COULD BE HEAR ANY MI¡ª¡° Aragon yelled but was interrupted by a sensation in the air, the air became thin and a force was weighing down on them. ¡°HEYY. I''M NOT DONE YET.¡± Sohjin grunting and holding his injured side. Sohjin closes his eyes and his wounds slowly close up. As he reopens his eyes, he instantly appears in front of Aragon. Aragon quickly reacts and attempts to jab him, but Sohjin jumps over the punch and kicks off Aragon to boost to the hood of the van. ¡°HEY GET THIS FREAK OFF THE VAN!¡± The driver yells. Sohjin with intense focus imbues his fist with his dark blue colored energy and slams his fist into the engine. He climbs up the van and dashes towards Aragon and clashes fists. Sohjin quickly bounces off Aragon and dashes below Aragon and with all of his might he dashes up and uppercuts him. While in the air Sohjin dashes down and imbues his fists. ¡°HGGH¡± He grunted, slammed his clasped hands into his spine with everything he had. A sharp crack echoed through the air Aragon falls to his knees, pain flashed across his face. But it wasn¡¯t enough and slowly got back up, making his way towards Sohjin. He feinted a quick jab, baiting Sohjin to jump over him. Aragon quickly turns around and grabs his foot and slams it into the ground. The ground shook beneath them as he rushed over to Sohjin, grabbing his foot once more and violently swung him into the ground. Pain exploded throughout Sohjin¡¯s body, as he hit the ground. Aragon loomed over him with a sinister grin. He then kicks him onto his back and pressed his foot down on Sohjin, imbuing his murky brown energy into his foot. Sohjin grunted and his chest was burning as he struggled to lift his foot. His hands trembled, trying to push it off, but the pressure was too strong. Despite everything, Sohjin still pushed. He gritted his teeth and kept pushing. ¡°COME ON ¡­COME ON!!!!!!!¡± Sohjin yells with everything he has. Sohjin lets out a scream, lifting Aragon¡¯s foot off of him. His hands became imbued with all of his energy. ¡°NGGHHHHHHH¡± Sohjin screamed with all his might. Aragon¡¯s eyes widen as Sohjin throws his foot off him. Aragon jumps back, getting into his fighting stance. Sohjin slowly gets up from the cold floor, heavily breathing. ¡°TIME TO END THIS.¡± Sohjin declared. Sohjin and Aragon dash towards each other and punch each other in the jaw. They then bounce off each other and Aragon charges up his right hand and does a right hook. Sohjin slips the punch and strikes his fist into his stomach and then jumps up uppercutting him with his left fist. With each punch Sohjin punches harder and harder. Sohjin dashes forward, landing behind him. Aragon turns around and shouts, ¡°SAME MISTAKE KID, NOW YOUR DONE¡± Aragon slams his foot into the ground but Sohjin is ready and leaps in the air. The figure appears in the air with him, Sohjin glances over with confusion. ¡°Sohjin, don¡¯t question it and charge your Seishin, let your natural instincts take over.¡± Her voice echoed across his mind. He focused and closed his eyes. He felt a heat sensation deep within from his core. He allowed it to swell and with each passing moment the wind picked up around him and his blue aura surrounded him. He gracefully pulls his arm back and closes his eyes while he gathers his Seishin. He slowly floats back and opens his eyes. With all his built up Seishin he unleashes it and slammed into the ground, creating a shockwave around them. Electricity conducted around him, as he planted his foot down into the ground and he slowly began to run towards him, but was unable too and it felt like he was being held back by a cord pulling on him. Unexpectedly, he dashes violently off the ground and dashes in a zig zag, leaps in the air, and drops kicks Aragon.The kick send Aragon back like a ragdoll and Sohjin dashes in front of him, pulling back his fist and imbues his energy into his fist. His fist soars through the air, his energy slowly darkens turning into a mix black and white. ¡°RHGGGGG!¡± Sohjin roared, as he buried his fist into Aragon¡¯s chest. The wind blew in his face and his arm began to give out, but Sohjin kept pushing. And in a final attempt, he pulls his arm back, with Aragon being dragged along with it, and does one final push sending him flying into the van. Sohjin stands crouched down with his shaking arm in front of him for a moment. The black and white energy slowly dissolved into nothing. He opens his eyes and sees Aragon weakly standing. He grits his teeth trying to regain his composure but spouts up blood and falls to the ground, finally losing consciousness. Sohjin follows and falls to the ground, out of breath and spitting out blood. He turns on his earpiece and says, ¡°Alex, Call the cops.¡± ¡°Already did. How are you?¡± Alex says, concerned. ¡°I¡¯m..¡± Sohjin says, looking down at his bleeding stomach. ¡°Fine, the suit is destroyed.¡± Sohjin said, ripping off a piece of his shirt. ¡°I¡¯m..going home.¡± Sohjin tiredly said, he suddenly fell before catching himself. ¡°Ok. But I want to hear from you tomorrow. Promise.¡± Alex said. ¡°Go..t¡­it.¡± He replied. Sohjin weakly dashes out of the bank and onto an apartment complex nearby. He walks to a shed, his limbs strained and shaking. ¡°I¡¯m..So¡­tired.¡± Sohjin thought. Beside him the figure appears ¡°You did good today, your wounds will heal by tomorrow.¡± Sohjin looked at her and smiled, ¡°Thank you, I mean it. I..would¡¯ve been on the headlines without you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I understand.¡± ¡°I never got your name. What is it?¡± Sohjin questioned, reaching the shed and collapsing in front of it. ¡°Hmm must¡¯ve slipped my mind. My name is Ms. Magic, and I am your keeper, We have much to talk about.¡± She said, and looked down at Sohjin who was fast asleep with his destroyed mask on his lap. ¡°Which we will talk about tomorrow, I suppose. Good job kid.¡± Mrs Magic smiled, she started to fade away. Letting the wind carry her away. CHAPTER END SPIRIT OF HOPE Next Chapter 4: Trouble at School Trouble at School Spirit of Hope Chapter 4: School Days Two days have passed since Sohjin¡¯s battle with Aragon. Currently, Sohjin is fast asleep on a roof near Save Bank. His phone abruptly buzzes violently in his back pocket. The combination of the noise and vibration wakes him up. As Sohjin opens his eyes, the bright sun blinds him. ¡°Huh?¡± Sohjin mumbled, shielding himself from the sun. As he collects his thoughts, he rubs his eyes and picks it up. ¡°Hel-¡° He started, but was interrupted by a loud voice blaring in his ears. ¡°SOHJIN, ITS BREAK WHERE ARE YOU! DON''T TELL ME YOUR SKIPPING!¡± A familiar voice yelled. ¡°Huh? Alex, I don¡¯t understand.¡± Sohjin replied groggly ¡°UHH, HELLO SCHOOL!¡± Alex exclaims, ¡°WHY HAVEN''T YOU BEEN ANSWERING MY CALLS!? We have so much to talk about.¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll swing by your house right no- SCHOOL!!?¡± Sohjin yelled, his heart sinking. He unlocks his phone and his eyes darted to the date. Monday, April 18, 2016 10:43 am 99+ missed messages from Alex 2 missed messages from Mom 1 missed message from Hamza Sohjin''s facepalms himself while muttering cuss words. ¡°ARE YOU COMING OR NOT?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Ye..Yeah. I¡¯ll meet up with you at lunch." He said, scratching his head. "By the time I get there the break will be over and¡­Mr Clark. Already in deep trouble with him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you go then, see you soon.¡± Alex hung up. Sohjin stood up and paced around the rooftop with his hands on his head. ¡°What do I do?¡± He sighed, walking over to the shed where he left his damaged mask. He slips it on and turns around and without a second thought he leaps off the building. A cold rush of wind hits him as he descends closer to the ground. ¡°School shouldn¡¯t be that far. Can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been out for 2 days.¡± Sohjin thought, using the city as his makeshift obstacle course. ¡°Hey¡­Mrs Magic was it? Are you there?¡± Sohjin asks, running across the window of a large building. The windows beneath him reflect her image, catching Sohjin''s eye. He stops and looks at the window reflection of Mrs Magic in awe. ¡°Whoa.¡± Sohjin admired. ¡°Don¡¯t stop, keep going or you¡¯ll be in deeper trouble.¡± Her calm and firm voice says as she points at the school ¡°Right¡± Sohjin nods, as her image fades, his eyes are met with an older lady yelling at Sohjin for being a creep. ¡°Oh¡­So sorry ma''am.¡± He said, jumping off the building and making his way to the school. ¡°I have a lot of questions for you Ms Magic, starting with what are you.¡± Sohjin asked, safely landing on a nearby building continuing on his journey. In an instance, Ms Magic appears beside Sohjin traversing with him. ¡°I am a Keeper¡± She said. ¡°I am one of 8 of Earth''s Keepers tasked with the responsibility of protecting this planet. We grant people our strength to individuals who have potential to become Guardians.¡± ¡°Guardians?¡± Sohjin repeated, jumping to another rooftop. ¡°Yes, Guardians are those bonded with us Keepers. Through this bond, they gain extraordinary powers to defend this world.¡± ¡°Are there others like you?¡± Sohjin asked. Ms. Magic nodded ¡° Across this very galaxy exists keepers and guardians. Though our connection with those keepers is lost, I can still sense their presence through their Seishin.¡± ¡°Seishin? You mentioned that during my battle with Aragon.¡± Sohjin questions. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Seishin is the fundamental building block of everything in the universe. Every living creature is made up of Seishin. Seishin allows you to perform numerous superhuman feats, if you remember from your battle you gathered your Seishin and channeled it into that attack or when you blasted energy.¡± Sohjin glanced at his hands, ¡°Right I did, do that. But how come I¡¯ve never used it before in my day to day life?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something that can be awakened naturally for most. Using Seishin is an instinct that needs to be drawn out either through immense physical and mental training or a catalyst such as powers or keepers.¡± ¡°So, anyone can use it.¡± Sohjin asked eagerly. ¡°Not without training to use it safely. Without proper training, their Soul Force can overwhelm users potentially leading to their death. Sohjin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, so I¡¯ve been using something that could¡¯ve killed me!?¡± Ms Magic turned to face him fully, her voice was soft but serious. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it Sohjin, I¡¯ve been suppressing your power but even then you need training not only to understand your abilities but to learn the responsibility that comes with them. So in the meantime don¡¯t use your powers¡± ¡°Got it, thank you.¡± Sohjin said, flipping onto the office building, he pulled out his phone and checked the time. ¡°Good break is over, I have so many other questions, but I need to focus on this first.¡± He thought. Sohjin¡¯s school is a modern suburban school surrounded by nature''s beauty and the city''s buildings called Oakleaf High School. At the front of the outdoor school dominates the Library, next to it is the A building that connects to the front office. Towards the back of the school is the giant blacktop that is surrounded by the foreign language building. Near the blacktop is the large gym which is connected via stairs. Behind the gym is the large parking lot, which is where most accidents in the area happen. The gym is connected to the cafeteria by 2 bridges on different sides, the far right side of the bridge is identified by the ginormous oak tree that has stood for generations, and can be seen from the Library. The bridge on the far left leads up to the front office while the left side leads to the cafeteria and deeper into the school. The bridge allows students to pass over a large ditch that occasionally turns into a river depending on the season. ¡°10:57, 4th period, it¡¯s early enough that I could sneak in.¡± He said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see my favorite teacher.¡± He muttered sarcastically, as he dashed on to B building, which is parallel to the A building. ¡°Need to hurry and change. I forgot my bag and It''s too late to go home. Where am I gonna put my clothes? I don¡¯t even have extra.¡± A light bulb suddenly went off in his head. ¡°The Lost in found!¡± He happily said, heading towards the gym. He jumps onto the cafeteria building and dashes across the way and onto the oak tree. Nesting on the long tree branch, he crouches down getting into a mini runners pose. As he inconsistently gathers his Seishin, electricity conducts from his feet and sparks off the tree. ¡°Please don¡¯t set the tree on fire.¡± He murmured. He slowly stood up while maintaining his running pose and with all his built up Seishin, violently dashed off the tree and onto the roof of the gymnasium. He stands up, dusting himself off and climbs down to the locker room. His hands wrapped around firmly on the locker room doors and found the doors were locked. He looks around him and checks his surroundings and leans up against the doors. Electricity swarms around him as he knocks the door down.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Sohjin dashes around the locker room, finally arriving at the lost in find, he quickly changes his attire from his destroyed costume to a dirty beige polo shirt that is opened up to reveal a white shirt, accompanied with baggy dark brown pants and black and white Adidas paired with white socks. ¡°Not bad, although this shirt smells.¡± Sohjin said, while tugging at the neck of the white shirt. ¡°Now, what to do with you?¡± He said, holding his suit in his other hand. Sohjin scans the area and finds a trash can and shoves his suit in the trash. ¡°Alex is gonna be pissed when he finds this.¡± Sohjin chuckled, as he took a picture and sent it to Alex. He goes into the bathroom and checks himself out in the mirror, wiping off the dried blood and promptly leaves, marching to Mr Clark¡¯s classroom. ¡°Class is on the blacktop, not that far.¡± Sohjin said, slicking his hair back. ¡°Hey wait a minute, my wounds are healed up and mostly gone! I haven¡¯t noticed until now. ¡± He said, admiring his healed up arm. ¡°Ribs still hurt, Ms Magic, this is because of Seishin right?¡± He questions ¡°It¡¯s a combination of it. Healing your body is one of being guardians'' perks. It uses Seishin to heal.¡± Ms Magic says, walking beside him. Sohjin nodded and arrived at the door of his class. His right hand trembles in fear as he reaches out for the door handle. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared Sohjin, just sneak in and it¡¯ll be fine. Remember you fought Aragon.¡± Sohjin reassured, taking a deep breath out. ¡°I better not get a detention, Here goes everything.¡± He said, twisting the metal handle and letting himself in. He opens the door, and inside desks were unorganized due to group work, he stealthily sneaks inside and looks towards the direction of the teachers desk and notices he is gone. He gradually steps in looking around the classroom for the teacher. He stealthily makes his way towards the back of the class. Where he slips into an empty seat and grabs a Chromebook as he looks at the front board. ¡°WW2 in Europe¡± He turns to his left and asks a guy with a middle part, ¡°Hey, what site is tha-'''' ¡°Sohjin Teca,¡± a deep voice interrupted. Mr Clark has a demanding presence as he once served in the military. Standing tall with a confident smile and perfect posture. He keeps his thin brown hair with hints of gray, nicely trimmed and slicked back and accompanied with a well groomed beard. His sharp and understanding eyes never fail to miss any action in the classroom. Mr. Clark is a very complex person, who is a serious person that weaves his soft side into teaching. He¡¯s a one of a kind teacher that instills students'' love for learning and their confidence in their abilities. Mr Clark¡¯s deep voice opens up with, ¡°it¡¯s a pleasure to see you, nice of you to drop by. So tell me what brings you into my class so late. Were you skipping and couldn¡¯t resist my indubitable charm?¡± The class chuckles and settles back into their conversation. Sohjin looks into Mr Clark¡¯s eyes and is burned by his intense stare. He looks away and answers with, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, something came up.¡± ¡°This is the third time this week, one more time and it¡¯s a detention. Don¡¯t make this become a habit,¡± He said, ¡°what do I say everyday at the beginning of class?¡± ¡°The early bird gets the academic worm¡± The class reluctantly groaned in unison. Sohjin, embarrassed, slowly puts his head down and begins working. At the end of class, as Sohjin tries to leave, Mr Clark says, ¡°Sohjin, can you come here real quick?¡± Mr Clark sitting on a desk towards the back of the classroom, waving him over. As the class empty¡¯s for lunch, Mr Clark silently opens up with, ¡°Teca, I don¡¯t mean to pry or anything like that, but is everything alright at home?¡± Mr Clark finishes pointing at his left eye. Sohjin¡¯s heart skips a beat and his face turns red. ¡°Damn, bruises must¡¯ve not fully healed¡± Sohjin quickly thinks, while avoiding eye contact with Mr Clark. Mr Clark leans in, putting his hand on Sohjin. ¡°It¡¯s alright, you can tell me. This is a safe place. If someone is hurtin-¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, just got into a rough fight, nothing major.¡± Sohjin quickly barged in. ¡°Fight? With another student or random person?¡± Mr Clark persisted. ¡°He¡¯s relentless¡± Sohjin thought. Before Sohjin could answer, Mr Clark while adjusting his hair said, ¡°Look, I was a teenager once as well, and let me tell you, you don¡¯t wanna go down this path.¡± ¡°Path?¡± Sohjin questiond. Mr. Clark let out a long sigh ¡°Path of violence. It¡¯s dangerous and destructive. I¡¯ve been through it once and¡­.I just¡­can¡¯t see any of my students go through it.¡± Sohjin stays quiet while avoiding eye contact. ¡°If this is because of the accident, I understand. I went through something similar.¡± Sohjin¡¯s eyes quickly darted at Mr Clark. ¡°The accident..the day that changed my life forever¡± Sohjin sorrowfully thought. ¡°It¡¯s not easy, it took me years to ¡®get over¡¯ it¡­¡± Mr. Clark pauses. ¡°best thing to do is talk about it and live life at its fullest potential for them.¡± ¡°thank you, this means a lot.¡± Sohjin said, with a hint of sadness in his voice. Sohjin gets up and walks to the door, his mind cluttered with thoughts. ¡°Maybe I should tell him about my powers¡± Sohjin thinks, looking at his hand, as he reaches for the door. ¡°Hey, I mean it. Live life to the fullest man. Been teaching 26 years and been alive for 48.¡± He said, a slight smile formed across his face. ¡°Best advice I could give you is enjoy your teenage years and talk to as many girls as possible.¡± Sohjin replies with a smile and left. Making his way down a flight of stairs and out the R building. From the front entrance, he took two 2 right turns, which led to a miniature hallway with stairs at the end. Before he could make his way towards the stairs. A voice cried out his name. ¡°SOHJINNNNN¡± Alex¡¯s voice echoed as he sprinted towards him. ¡°Alex? What are you doing here?¡± Sohjin chuckled. ¡°first time I¡¯ve seen him run.¡± He thought. Alex stopped in front of Sohjin, leaning against the wall beside them, struggling to catch his breath. ¡°Holy, never¡­ ran like this¡­ in my life.¡± Alex wheezed. He slowly recovers and grabs his backpack, taking out Sohjin¡¯s destroyed suit. ¡°What did you do to this?¡± He laughed and poked at the shredded fabric. Alex hands the destroyed suit to Sohjin and pulls out another suit. ¡°Made this, on Saturday. Should be more comfortable and DURABLE. Here, trade.¡± As Sohjin received the suit his eyes brightened up. ¡°Woah, this looks great, better than the first one. Thank you.¡± Sohjin said gratefully. The costume remained the same, aside from the logo being more defined and detailed. ¡°Later today we need to improve your fighting skills, I was watching the security footage and you were probably the worst fighter I''ve ever seen,¡± Alex said, shaking his head. ¡°Did you forget everything I taught you? You had no rhythm or coordination¡± ¡°I wonder where I lear-¡± ¡°And, what did you do at the end of the fight?¡± Alex interrupted, holding up his index to shush him. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no simple way of putting this, but I gathered my Seishin and transferred it into my hand.¡± Sohjin said casually. ¡°Huh? Seishin?¡± Alex said, confused. ¡°Yeah, that''s what Ms. Magic said. I¡¯m still trying to grasp the concept. Apparently all living things have it.¡± Sohjin placed his hand on his chin. ¡°Who¡¯s Mrs Magic?¡± Alex asked, bewildered. ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s my Keeper, it''s that thing that kept appearing.¡± Sohjin explained, grabbing the back of his neck. ¡°I¡¯m even more confused.¡± Alex baffled at the concept. ¡°Seishin, I¡¯ve heard that before.¡± Alex says pacing around. ¡°All living things have it, huh.¡± Alex picks at his hair and looks at the birds soar through the sky. ¡°Yeah no worries I¡¯ll explain la-¡± Sohjin cuts off abruptly. A sudden wave of dizziness crashes over him, causing his vision to become blurry. His senses were distorted and felt like they were being pulled from every direction. He slowly falls to the ground, holding his head. ¡°Wha¡­Wh..AT is this feeling?¡± He murmurs weakly cowering down. ¡°Sohjin, why are you scr-¡± Alex''s eyes widened. He rushes forward with panic rising in his chest. ¡°WHAT''S WRONG¡± Alex yelled, looking around to see if anyone saw them. ¡°Not good, the worst time to happen is at school. Any minute someone turns that corner and it¡¯s wraps¡± Alex worriedly thought. Sohjin unable to form any words, besides basic grunts of pain. ¡°My head.¡± Sohjin finally chokes out, ¡° The..pain..it¡¯s like..I can feel something, with immense power.¡± He weakly clutches his head, trying to stand up. ¡°It''s going to be ok, what else can you feel or see?¡± Alex says, placing his hand on his back attempting to calm him down. ¡°I..can¡¯t explain it..it¡¯s like a headache¡­I can barely move¡­and breathe, this Soul Force. It feels like it¡¯s near the office. Whatever it is, it feels like Aragon but 50x stronger.¡± Sohjin said, slowly standing up with sweat falling down his face. ¡°Now that he mentions it, the air is thicker and it feels like something heavy is weighing me down.¡± Alex thinks. ¡°But why does it have such a negative effect on him and not me?¡± ¡°You need to check it out, as Spectre, if it¡¯s a bad guy then there¡¯s no time to waste. NOW GO¡± Alex said. ¡°I thought¡­. I told you, you idiot I can barely move.¡± Sohjin replied, As he finishes speaking Ms Magic forms behind Sohjin. Alex quickly backs up with his lip quivering. ¡°So..Sohjin! I¡­Uhh..¡± Alex said, stumbling over his words with a look of shock. Ms Magic briefly explains who she is to Alex. Once she finished, she bent down to Sohjin¡¯s side. ¡°Sohjin your correct, what you are feeling is immense Soul Force crushing you. Since the fight with Aragon, you have unlocked your Seishin in doing so you have also unlocked the ability to sense other Seishin levels. If you don¡¯t control it you will die due to the pressure.¡± Ms Magic teaches. ¡°Listen to me, you need to breathe and focus on their soul force. Drown out any other sensations you feel and only focus on theirs.¡± Ms Magic instructs. Sohjin slowly sits up fighting the pressure and gets on his knees. He slowly breathes in and out, closing his eyes while focusing on their energy. ¡°This doesn''t feel like one person, it feels like multiple different people.¡± Sohjin thought, drowning out the surrounding area''s Seishin. Sohjin isolates Seishin, and stands up. ¡°I got it, they''re coming from the bridge, by the cafeteria.¡± ¡°Excellent, I knew you could do it. Now suit up.¡± She says, pointing at the suit. ¡°But I thought you said¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, but you''re the only one with the power to stop them. The fact that your friend can feel their soul force can only mean one thing, trouble. You''re a guardian, your job is to protect people.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Sohjin nodded and took off running. He leaped up the stairs and hurriedly sprinted into the parking lot, putting on his gloves and ripping off his clothes and slowly putting on his suit. Finally he dashes towards the building struggling to put on his costume¡¯s pants. He then dashes onto the building, putting on his mask, making his way towards the Seishin source. He makes his way closer to the building, Sohjin reflects, ¡°There¡¯s definitely more than one person. Who could these bozos be?¡± Leaping from building to building coming closer towards the Soul Force, he becomes nervous and uneasy as his heart rate picks up. Pushing forward through the anxiety and nervousness, dashing from roof to roof, finally making it to the roof of the student council that oversees the bridge. He looks over the building edge to see the culprits. He instantly tenses up and falls to his knees. His hands shook in fear. ¡°5 of them. What do I do? I¡¯m out numbered and..and Damnit their soul force is making it hard to think, their seishin is on another level. I can¡¯t match that!.¡± He panicked feeling sweat fall down his cheek. ¡°I wanna run but¡­¡± His mind flashed to what Ms Magic said. ¡°You''re a guardian, your job is to protect people.¡± ¡°Why was I chosen? Why me? TO HELL WITH THIS. IF AM I GONNA DIE TODAY¡­I''M DOING IT WITH GLORY! I''M DOING THIS TO WIN!¡± He thought, standing up and getting ready to dash off the building. Before Sohjin could jump off, someone grabbed him and pulled back over the ledge. Sohjin, unable to react, is pinned to the ground. ¡°STOP, they¡¯ll hear us.¡± ¡°Huh? JUST WHO THE HELL AR-¡± Sohjin tries to speak but his mouth is covered. ¡°Sohjin, didn¡¯t I tell you to shut up!¡± The mysterious person said Sohjin¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as he stopped struggling. They slowly uncover his mouth and stand up, pulling off his all black mask with bright white eyes and white spots all over. ¡°This can¡¯t be. It¡¯s my friend¡­It¡¯s¡­.¡± He thought, ¡°Hamza!?¡± He choked out in surprise. To be continued, Spirit of Hope, Chapter 5: Breath of Danger Breath of Danger Spirit of Hope Chapter 5: Breath of Danger A few minutes ago, at the library. Two teens around the same age as Sohjin sit across from each other. The library located by the office is a monumental place for students. Many go there to study, hang out with friends, or as many times as they are told not to, play games on the computers. The front of the building has two doors, the right side is the entrance and the left is the exit. As soon as you enter the library, you are greeted with two detectors on both the entrance and exit side that detects expired books, whether this works or not is still up for discussion. The library is split into 3 parts. The first part is on the leftmost side of the building, which is filled with 3 rows of old windows computers that face the register. On the right most side there are two different parts. Parallel to the computers are bookshelves labeled according to genre. In between the bookshelves and computers are 5 tables used for studying. Perpendicular to the computers is the lounge area, where many students play various board games,study, hang out with friends, or sit alone. In the lounge area towards the back, Hamza and his friend sit across from each other. Hamza folds his hands on the brown wooden table, and quietly says ¡°Jack, not sure I feel comfortable waiting for these guys to attack.¡± Jack leans in, his brown eyes fixed on Hamza. He was neatly kept and had a few days worth of stubble. His pale skin tone matched the white shirt he was wearing, paired with blue baggy jeans and black and blue Jordan¡¯s. His muscles give him a menacing appearance, but in reality he¡¯s the nicest person you¡¯ll ever meet. He has a blond neatly cut buzz, in the past he used to have a middle part but lost a dare and was forced to buzz it. ¡°Look I don¡¯t like this plan as much as you, but the others said¡ª¡ª¡± Jack starts Hamza interrupts, quietly slamming his fists on the table. ¡°To hell what the others said, how can we be certain that it passed on to someone that fast? And if it has, how do we know it hasn¡¯t gone to the enemy?¡± Jack leans back and looks away pondering on the questions. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my outburst, but we¡¯ve waited too many months, too many rumors, and, speculations. We need to act as soon as possible.¡± Hamza calmly said, regaining his composure. ¡°I see, but how would we attack an invisible enemy?¡± Jack asked. ¡°We locate whoever this power has gone too, before they can reach them.¡± ¡°Ok, sounds like a plan, we should discuss this with the team tonight. Speaking of them, where did they go again?¡± ¡°They went to scope out a potential¡ª¡° Hamza stops, feeling an intense pressure forcing down on them. The air becomes thick and hard to breathe. ¡°You feel..that?¡± Hamza questions ¡°You think that..it could be them?¡± Jack said worriedly ¡°Dunno, but don¡¯t wanna risk it, let¡¯s go.¡± Hamza says, swiftly grabbing his bag and leaving. Hamza and Jack exit the Library and make their way towards the back parking lot. ¡°We¡¯ll put everything in the car and then check it out.¡± Hamza said. ¡°Hey, do you sense that soul force too?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Yeah, I''ve sensed it ever since we got to school, wonder if it¡¯s one of them.¡± Hamza said. ¡°I doubt it, whoever it is must be new, why would someone as experienced as them unsuppress their Soul Force so inconsistently.¡± Hamza and Jack make it to Hamza''s Red Honda, he opens the door and the two of them throw in their belongings and pull out their costumes. While they''re quickly putting their costumes on, they both sense someone''s soul force quickly closing in on their location. ¡°Crap¡± Hamza whispers, quickly hiding behind his car. Hamza peaks over to see who it is. He immediately freezes up and can only gasp in awe, ¡°No way, I can¡¯t, believe it. Sohjin!¡± He said undoubtedly. Hamza quickly flees from the car, puts on his mask and runs towards Sohjin. Jack quickly stands up putting on his mask, he shouts, ¡°HEY, WAIT UP.¡± Unbenounced to Sohjin, he keeps pushing forward dashing from roof to roof, finally making it to the roof of the student council that oversees the bridge. He looks over the building edge to see the culprits. Sohjin sees 5 people step out of a portal. As each of them slowly steps out of the portal, it closes behind them. All of them form a V shape. There was a large muscular man in the middle who appeared to be the leader. He wore an all black gi with strips of white around his gi. Sohjin is befuddled to see him wearing Tabi''s shoes. His face was unrecognizable, like a blurred memory or dream. There was no disguisable trait about them, beside their pale white color. On his back was a large 0. Behind the leader were two color deprived men who appeared to be gray. They both had man buns but in different styles. Behind the two men, was a strange figure that appears to be human; the body¡¯s flesh was replaced with bone-like structure. Behind the man on the right, is a person who was wearing a baggy black and white outfit. The arms of his shirt were torn off revealing his burnt arms. He wore a skull-like mask with different ports around his mask that covered his jaw. If there was one thing consistent with all of them was a number that was on they¡¯re clothes. The numbers were as follows: 0,1,3,4. The leader stops and the others follow, The leader in a calm and steady tone says, ¡°The intel was correct, they are here. The humanoid skeleton makes his way to the front and his viscous and inhuman like voice asks, ¡°Can¡¯t you pinpoint their exact location and get this over with?¡± ¡°Cypher, why are you in your harbinger form?¡± He says. As he slowly turns around, Cypher instantly falls to his knees unable to get up. Cypher coughs up blood and looks down. ¡°Please forgive me, Astren.¡± ¡°What How? There¡¯s no way! He made him fall to his knees without laying a finger on him.¡± Sohjin carefully examines in awe. "Allow me to put a veil over you, so you can revert back.¡± He says in a calm and gentle voice. He turns and extends his left arm towards him and opens his hand. ¡°Conceal,¡± Astren said. Cypher instantly turns invisible and smoke guards him. Astren quickly changes the topic to Cypher''s question, ¡°Besides their Seishin is inconsistent and hard to pinpoint an exact location.¡± He takes a deep breath out, ¡°I do wish Lord Parasite and the others.¡± Smoke clears and Cypher slowly stands up. His all black combat stealth armor catches Sohjin¡¯s eye. The number G1 is visible on his right peck. His helmet is armored with his eyes being white, with his eyeballs slightly visible. He has a sheathed katana on his back. Sohjin examines his outfit in awe and concern, as he retreats behind the corner. ¡°5 of them. What do I do? I¡¯m out numbered and..and Damnit their soul force is making it hard to think, their seishin is on another level. I can¡¯t match that!.¡± He panicked feeling sweat fall down his cheek. ¡°I wanna run but¡­TO HELL WITH THIS. IF AM I GONNA DIE TODAY¡­I''M DOING IT WITH GLORY! I''M DOING THIS TO WIN!¡± He thought standing up and getting ready to dash off the building. Before Sohjin could jump off, he is grabbed and pulled back over the ledge. Sohjin, unable to react, is pinned to the ground. ¡°STOP, they¡¯ll hear us.¡± ¡°Huh? JUST WHO THE HELL AR-¡° Sohjin tries to speak but his mouth is covered. ¡°Sohjin, didn¡¯t I tell you to shut up!¡± Hamza said Sohjin¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as he stopped struggling. Hamza slowly uncovers his mouth and stands up, pulling off his all black mask with bright white eyes and white spots all over. ¡°Hamza!?¡± He says in surprised Hamza slowly backs off of Sohjin, opening with, ¡°Hey, Sohjin¡­I¡¯m Apollo and I can manipulate light energy.¡± Hamza said, standing tall with an all white suit that is white up until the chest which is black all the way around including the arms and mask. His logo is a small bright white star that dominates the chest area. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not telling you sooner, but this was to keep you safe.¡± Hamza said, his voice laced in seriousness. Sohjin sat in silence staring off into space trying to comprehend what his friend of 6 years told him. ¡°All this time, he was a superhero. He''s been gone for 2 years. Fall of Freshman year, I¡¯ll never forget.¡± He thought, with various emotions clouding his mind. Finally, Sohjin snaps out of his confused state and says, ¡°don¡¯t worry about it, I guess I would¡¯ve done the same, maybe.¡± Hamza reached out his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t worry family restaurant is real and kicking.¡± Sohjin takes his hand and pulls himself up, chuckling. ¡°I had no doubt.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one that should be surprised, you''re a superhero?¡± ¡°Oh, right..this happened a few days ago, the day I saw you actually.¡± ¡°Wait, so that means the bank was all you!¡± ¡°Oh yeah, all me. Got my ass kicked but still.¡± They both laugh. Suddenly Sohjin feels someone¡¯s soul force closing in on them from behind. He quickly with immense focus prepares to fire a seishin blast. He turns around and sees a man wearing full dark blue spandex with long strips of white going down and around the sides of his body. His mask covers his eyes and only reveals his nose and lips. His mask is fully dark blue with small strips of white, his eyes are fully white. Before he could fire, the man immediately shields himself. Hamza rush¡¯s over and stops Sohjin. ¡°Hey, Hey he¡¯s with me.¡± Sohjin crushes the Seishin ball and briefly apologizes. ¡°Sheesh, gave me a scare back there.¡± Jack said, landing on the roof. ¡°This guy has a pretty fast reaction time.¡± Sohjin holds out his hand, ¡°Hey nice to meet you I¡¯m Sohjin.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Amp but my name is Jack.¡± Jack replied, shaking his hand. ¡°Oh, whoops forgot about superhero names. I¡¯m Spectre.¡± He chuckles, ¡°Still getting used to this whole gig.¡± ¡°No worries Sohjin it happens.¡± Jack says, happily. ¡°What¡¯s your powers?¡± Jack asks. ¡°Well I can..actually I¡¯m not really sure. All I know is that this weird figure called a kee-¡° Sohjin ¡°Sorry to break up the conversation but we need a plan fast. Civilians down low.¡± Hamza interrupted. Jack frowns at Sohjin questioning what he was about to say. ¡°Hmm, we could each take 1 and then gang in on the last two.¡± Sohjin suggested. ¡°Nah, too risky. Instead Jack and I can go in together and try to take some of them out. While you get people out of the school. ¡± Hamza adds. ¡°Or we could..¡± Jack said. ¡°Wait what, why can¡¯t I fight¡­.¡± Sohjin butts in. Unknowing to all of them, Cypher slowly files and hovers above them. His fists clenched with fury. Hamza secretly notices and grabs them, huddling them up and tells the others, ¡°Jack, Sohjjn. Battle is about to start. We can start by taking out the guy behind us.¡± Hamza says, signaling with his brows raised towards Cypher. ¡°SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN TO ME!¡± Sohjin shouts, quickly jumping in front of Hamza. He creates a small sphere of seishin. ¡°HRGGGHH¡± Sohjin growled, as hurled the Seishin ball with all his might at Cypher. The Seishin ball glides through the air like a paper airplane before slamming into Cypher. The impact causes smoke to surround him. ¡°I..I think I got him!¡± Sohjin squealed. Just then Cyphers fist quickly emerges from the smoke flying towards Sohjin at full speed. ¡°WATCH OUT!¡± Hamza yells, while pushing Sohjin away. Cypher immediately tackles Jack slamming, through the student council building. The force causes Sohjin and Hamza to go in different directions, with Sohjin flying into the air, falling off the building and into the grass with the enemies on his right. Hamza recovers and runs towards the edge of the building shouting, ¡°ARE YOU ALRIGHT.¡± ¡°I''M FINE,WHAT ABOUT JAC- I MEAN AMP.¡± Sohjin replied, his voice mixed with concern and anxiousness. Suddenly, Cypher and Amp burst through the student council fighting each other in the air. Amp throws a kick, Cypher counters, grabbing his leg, and spins him around before throwing him into the ground near Sohjin. ¡°Are they the ones?¡± Cypher asks, flying down next to Astren. ¡°¡ö ¡ö ¡ö ¡ö¡± He said, his voice unrecognizable. Sohjin looks confused, Astren''s words flow out distorted and unrecognizable. ¡°His words, I didn¡¯t hear a single thing.¡± ¡°Guys? Can yall understand him?¡± Sohjin questioned. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed. It''s recognizable but at the same time not.¡± Jack said, slowly standing up from his mini crater, stretching his arm. ¡°His words are more clear to me. Must have to do with Seishin levels.¡± Hamza added. ¡°They must be strong. Been awhile since I¡¯ve fought a strong opponent.¡± Amp smile ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this! I alerted the team, all we need to do is hold out until then.¡± Apollo said, flying down towards Amp. ¡°Spectre was it? You need to get out of here while you still have a chance. Amp and I will handle this on our own.¡± Apollo said, staring at Sohjin, with concern building up. ¡°What..No! I¡¯m staying to help.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll only get in our way. Don¡¯t want you to get hurt or worse. You can help by saving anyone hurt, NOW GO!¡± ¡°No, no one is going to get hurt. Our chances are better together, whether you like it or not I¡¯m staying!¡± Sohjin argues, getting in an amateur fighting pose. Apollo shakes his head and looks at the enemies ahead of them. Amp turns towards Apollo, playfully hitting his arm. ¡°It''s fine Hamza, besides school is evacuating, I let them know to silently leave.¡± Amp smirks and yells, ¡°HEY, WE¡¯VE BEEN RIDING HELLA RUMORS JUST TO CATCH YOU GUYS. SO JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS!¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Astren chuckles. ¡°We are the Rogues. That is the only bit of information that I¡¯m willing to give you.¡± Cypher flies in the air, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. ¡°Get ready you guys.¡± Apollo said. Everyone glared at each other anticipating their every move. Sohjin anxiously pans around at his foes and gets ready. He gets into his running stance, imbuing his fist in his Seishin energy. Sohjins electricity courses around his body, striking the ground underneath his feet. Cypher takes this as an act of defiance and charges at him. Apollo reacts by grabbing his fist before he could hit Sohjin and throwing him behind them. Sohjin dashes towards the bridge and jumps on the railing. He locks eyes with a skull- masked person. and dashes off the rail, kicking into him. The masked man quickly recovers and slashes the air yelling, ¡°MURO DE CENIZA¡±. Suddenly a wall of fire forms, hastily making its way towards Sohjin. Sohjin jumps backwards, flipping out of the way. Then a large fireball bursts through the fire wall. Sohjin quickly maneuvers out of the way, feeling the air rush by. ¡°You''re an interesting opponent.¡± He said, licking the blood off his lip. ¡°I guess it¡¯s rude not to introduce myself to the person I¡¯m going to kill. I¡¯m Volcon.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so cocky, I¡¯m Spectre and I will not lose to you!¡± Sohjin shouted, anger rising. He E-dashed to Volcon. Volcon quickly fires off a barrage of mini fireballs but Sohjin weaves through each one.. Sohjin then does one last final dash landing on the left side of him. He gathers his Seishin and charges in with all his force and punches Volcon as hard as possible. Volcon grabs his fist and pulls it away from him, yelling, ¡°AWAY WITH YOU, ASCENSO DEL FUEGO.¡± Creating a large fireball with his right hand and slammed it into Sohjins chest, lifting him into the air. ¡°WOAHHH!¡± Sohjin screamed. Volcon flies above Sohjin and clasps his hands, slamming him back onto the bridge. He descends and watches a dizzy Sohjin, slowly stand up and back away from Volcon. He regains his vision and continues the battle E-dashing towards Volcon. Volcon smirks and sprints towards Sohjin. Each of them cocked back their fist and slammed it into each. Sohjin launches a left hook, Volcon slips and strikes him square in his stomach. Volcon grabs Sohjin¡¯s left arm and twists his body, placing his right foot beside Sohjin¡¯s right and goes to slam Sohjin into the ground. Before Sohjin could hit the ground, he fires a Seishin Blast into Volcon¡¯s face and then e-dashes out of the way. ¡°He¡¯s so fast, I can hardly make out his movements.¡± Sohjin said, sweat pouring down his face. Volcon imbues his fist with fire and throws a left hook. Sohjin barely dodges it, leaping over his fist and landing behind him.. He then imbues his fist with his Seishin energy and prepares an attack of his own. But before he could attack, the middle of Volcon''s back becomes a crater and spouts out fire onto Sohjin. The fire burns his right hand, Sohjin jumps over him preparing to attack. Volcon snares and grabs his leg and slams him down in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m bored ....YOUR TURN, CRIMSON.¡± He yells, picking Sohjin by the neck and throwing him to the gray looking man who had nothing but baggy red pants and Kung Fu shoes. His pants had a large print on his right leg that said ¡°G3¡± Crimson lifts Sohjin up and slowly pulls out his sickle to corsets his cheek,¡°Your blood smel..¡± ¡°NO YOU DON¡¯T¡± Amp interrupted, jumping off the railing. Suddenly music begins to play around him and his bright green aura intensifies. Jack quickly fires a Seishin blast towards Crimson. Crimson immediately blocks by using Sohjin as a body shield. Sohjin¡¯s body slowly outlines into the color green, and his wounds begin to heal. ¡°Simple healing orb.¡± Crimson said, his voice twisted like nails on a chalkboard. ¡°I can''t believe you fell for that. Guess you are as stupid as you look.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Your blood smells so much richer than his. I can¡¯t wait to drink it from your CORPSE!¡± Crimson declared, ripping out his other sickle and sprinted towards Jack. Jack quickly imbues his hands and grabs the sickle with his right hand, he then uses the sickle to pull himself up and knees Crimson in the jaw. ¡°SPECTRE, NOW''S NOT THE TIME TO SLEEP.¡± ¡°My..bad¡­.¡± Sohjin replied, slowly standing up, his limbs shaking. His hair poked out through the tears of his mask and his suit had various rips on it, ranging from big to small. ¡°Viper¡­ mind dealing with this pest.¡± Crimson called to the man wearing the exact thing but in purple. He also had a number on his pants that read ¡°3¡± as well. ¡°Not a problem.¡± He said, unsheathing his sickle and spinning it towards Sohjin. Viper slashed diagonally at Sohjin, but Sohjin planted his foot down and swiftly twisted his body out of the way, the blade missing by mere inches. His right hand shot forward, traveling through the air eager to connect. Viper intercepted with his right arm, blocking the strike. Without hesitation, he violently swung his left sickle aiming to impale Sohjin¡¯s liver. Sohjin''s eyes narrowed as his blade came closer. Sohjin holds his breath, grabbing the sword before it could impale him. With his other sickle he swings forward aiming for Sohjin¡¯s eye. His heart sinks to his stomach as the air rushes towards him. Before it could go any farther, Sohjin catches it. Viper pressed his sickles closer, his right sickle hovered over Sohjin¡¯s eye, ready to strike. His grin widened, as Sohjin struggled against him, the cold steel of the bridges railing pressed up against his back. Across the battlefield Amp side steps out of the way of Crimson¡¯s relentless attacks and fires a Seishin blast towards Viper. ¡°BROTHER!¡± Crimson shouts. Viper quickly jumps out of the way, Sohjin¡¯s eyes brighten in surprise as the Seishin blast flies towards him. Electricity surged through his body, amplifying his reflexes. In a blur of motion, he barley dashes out of the way, hearing the seishin blast whistle by. ¡°WHOOPS. You know who I meant to hit.¡± Amp apologized. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Sohjin replied, dusting himself off. Crimson glares at Amp and charges toward. Amp holds his arm in the air and opens his palm. ¡°Harmonic Amplification.¡± Amp said, suddenly a bright red stereo appeared, hovering over his hand. Rock music played in the stereo, music notes fly off, surrounding Amp. Crimson swings his sickles at Amp. ¡°You truly are a fool.¡± Amp smirks. Amp points his finger at Crimson, making his hand into a gun. The music notes flying around him, immediately shoot off into Crimson. The music notes slice his left leg, right arm and slightly graze his cheek. Crimson places both his hands in front of him and slices through the remaining music notes. Amp eliminates the distance between them and punches Crimson in the face. Amp creates more music notes from the stereo and makes them hover over around his arms. Amp launches a jab into Crimson¡¯s face, the music notes fly off and slice around his face. With his other arm, he punches his stomach with the rest of the music notes slicing his chest. Crimson steps back, placing his sickles by his hips. The blood from his wounds flows down his arm and into his sickles, where they begin to charge up. ¡°BLOOD MANIPULATION: AKUI ARU-¡± Crimson started, his sickles becoming more unstable and filled with blood by the second. ¡°I don¡¯t like the look of this.¡± Amp commented. He snaps his fingers and his music switches from Rock to Classical music, his aura follows, shifting from red to white and black. ¡°¡ªZANGEKI¡± Crimson shouted, swinging his sickles. The built up blood flung off his sickles. The area fills with blood creating a storm of slashes that tear through the bridge¡¯s structure. Each slash left deep gashes across the bridge, the deadly barrage raced straight toward Amp. The slashes cut through Amp, slicing all around him from head to toe. Blood slowly drips from his wounds. The slashes pass through him and collapse onto each other, causing an explosion. ¡°You''re still standing, impressive.¡± Crimson said, clapping his hands. ¡°Of course I am, before your attack could hit. I switched my music to classical music and was able to focus on defense and healing minor injuries.¡± Amp replied, his wounds slowly closing up. Amp snaps his fingers, his music changes to hard metal and his aura blazes Red and Black. Suddenly, the sky erupted as Apollo and Cypher flew in the air. Cypher pulls out his sword and trails behind Apollo, aiming straight for him. In a blink of an eye, Apollo created a bright white blade and deflected Cypher¡¯s attack. Cypher spun mid air and attacked once more, but Apollo barely managed to parry the attack, knocking Cypher away. Apollo holds out his left arm and fires a red energy blast. Cypher scoffs as he cuts through it with ease. He lunged forward and in a blink of an eye, pierced through Apollo¡¯s left arm. Apollo leaps back, ¡°He got me good. I need to switch colors from white to orange. But I¡¯m afraid my body will give out.¡± He said, holding his left arm. ¡°So far I can only use Red, Blue, and White.¡± He widens his stance, placing both of his hands into front of him. His aura rose around him, ¡°Color Switch: Combine¡ª¡± Apollo said, his right arm began to glow red, with his left arm glowing blue. ¡°AND CONQUER¡± He yelled, smashing his hands together and cupping hands, firing a large purple beam that directly engulfed Cypher. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t have time to chant the attack, it still packs a punch.¡± Apollo said, out of breath. The smoke around Cypher settled, revealing his cracked visor which started at the center extending towards the right corner. ¡°Damn!¡± Apollo choked. Before Cypher could recover, Apollo flew in and struck Cypher. Simultaneously, Cypher thrusts his sword into Apollo¡¯s left shoulder. The force of Apollo¡¯s punch causes Cypher to fly back. Apollo grits his teeth as he ripped out Cypher¡¯s sword and threw it to the ground. He infused his hand in pure light and hovered over his wound, slowly closing it. ¡°That was close. Too close.¡± Apollo thought, his mind racing. Cypher and Apollo exchanged glares and with a burst of energy they flew into each other, grappling onto each other fiercely. Amid the chaos, Apollo glances at the chaos below. ¡°I need to get down there. I¡¯m stronger than all of them, below. THEY¡¯RE COUNTING ON ME!¡± Apollo thought. ¡°COLOR SWIT-¡± Apollo starts, but is quickly overpowered by Cypher, who throws him to the ground. Cypher flies down and gets on top of him and repeatedly punches Apollo with each punch shaking the ground. Fear struck Amp like a bullet. ¡°Spectre, go help Apollo, NOW!¡± He yelled. Sohjin nods, E-dashing towards Apollo. Volcon steps in front of him, with a sinister smile. ¡°MURO DE CENIZA¡± he yells, creating a wall of fire. The wall of fire stops Sohjin in his tracks. Behind him Viper sneaks up, grabbing Sohjin¡¯s leg and pulling him down. ¡°Get out of my WAY!¡± Sohjin snared, kicking out of Viper¡¯s grip. ¡°Make me.¡± Viper chuckles. Sohjin dashes towards Viper, his fist cocked back and ready to strike. In a blur, Viper¡¯s sickle flash in front of Sohjin, swifty piercing him through the stomach. Sohjin stumbles around, his vision blurring. ¡°The¡­hell¡­you do to me..¡± He weakly said. Viper wipes his face and replies with, ¡°Strong Poison, you¡¯ll be dead in a few minutes.¡± ¡°YOUR A FOOL..YOU SHOULD''VE RAN WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE.¡± Viper mocked, slashing Sohjin relentlessly. Sohjin falls to his knees, blood gushes out from his open wounds. His suit is damaged beyond repair, riddled with tears that exposed his skin. His right sleeve was completely gone, revealing deep gashes, while his left arm hung limp, destroyed from the wrist up. His mask revealed his bloodshot right eye, with tears mixed with blood running down his cheek. Multiple strands of hair stick out through his mask. ¡°I''VE GOT YOU SOHJIN.¡± Amp yells, punching Crimson, his eyes rolled back as he fell to his knees. Amp snaps his fingers, his music suddenly changes to intense music, his aura lights up around like a blazing fire turning bright fiery red. Sohjin lifted his head weakly, blood dripping into his eyes, blurring his vision. Through the haze, he could faintly make out a shadow moving behind Amp. His heart seized in fear, as threw his left arm towards Amp. ¡°Jack behind¡­ YO-¡± SLASH Pain rippled through him, as Viper severed Sohjin¡¯s left arm clean off. Sohjin collapses clutching his stump in agony, his screams lost in the chaos around him. ¡°SOHJIN NOOO!¡± Amp roared, before he could move a muscle, a sharp blade swiftly pierced through his chest. Crimson stood over him with a twisted grin. Amp weakly stumbles, his aura changes from red to a dim green before collapsing to the ground. Sohjin''s heart sinks as he fearfully looks around at his friends. His tears mix in with his blood. He looks down at his shaking arm, as the pain slowly kicks in, a slight burning sensation ignites from his wounds. ¡°No..no¡­.no.¡± He stammered, his voice cracking. ¡°what¡­is¡­happening¡­¡± He choked out, his heart beating in terror and disbelief. Viper loomed over him, slashing Sohjin across the face in a single motion. The force sent him into the ground where he lied weak and hopeless, as Viper repeatedly kicked against his battered body. Before Sohjin could gather his thoughts, flames erupted on him. Volcon¡¯s fire engulfed both him and Amp. Crimson jumps on the bridge''s railing, holding out his arms, and laughing like a maniac. ¡°I can¡¯t recover fast enough.¡± Amp thought, as his music switches to smooth jazz and his aura turns blue. ¡°H¡ö w d¡ö sa¡ö p¡ö in¡ö ing, it s¡ö e¡ö s no¡ö e of y¡ö u h¡ö d it.¡± Astren says. ¡°It¡¯s t¡ö ¡ö e to go, Ev¡ö ¡ö y¡ö ne.¡± He said, with his hand he tears through reality like peeling off a sticker, summoning a portal. ¡°so¡­this is it? Is this how I die?¡± Sohjin weakly whispers. Cypher stops punching Apollo, picking up his sword and silently departs. Crimson jumps off the railing, his eyes immediately shooting to Sohjin. ¡°SIR, THIS ONE IS ALIVE, LET ME FINISH HIM.¡± Crimson urged, walking towards Sohjin. ¡°No, yo ¡ö¡¯ve d¡ö ¡ö e e¡ö ¡ö ¡ö gh. He¡¯ll be d¡ö ad in a m¡ö ¡ö ter of m¡ö ¡ö utes.¡± Astren replies, heading towards the portal. ¡°BUT SI-¡± Crimson started. ¡°I said LEAVE him.¡± Astren shouted, his voice more clear, exerting all of his Soul Force onto Crimson who fell to his knees unable to stand. ¡°I apologize sir, please accept my apology.¡± Crimson responds, struggling to stand up. Astren glances at Crimson and releases his Soul Force off of him. ¡°Joseph, you idiot, my poison will kill him soon.¡± Viper taunted, passing by him and punching his shoulder. ¡°I sorry¡­I just¡­I JUST I LOVE KILLING, THE BLOOD, THE SCREAMS. IT MAKES MY HEART BEAT FASTER, JUST THINKING ABOUT IT!¡± Crimson screams. ¡°If you insist on them being dead, I¡¯ll cast a simple spell.¡± Astren reassures Crimson. Astren holds out his hand, slowly closing it. ¡°From the grave, where spirits rest, Rise, lost souls, from your prisoned shell. March as death, an unending end, Bring fourth chaos, and let terror fly, By my voice, Scatter: Army of The Dead.¡± Astren said, opening his hand, revealing dust which fell to the ground. Suddenly, the area in contact with the dust instantly turned into zombies. They¡¯re limbs twisted as they began to rise. The zombies shuffled forward, as their groans filled the air, slowly closing in on Sohjin, Amp, and Apollo Sohjin weakly crawled towards the end of the bridge, leaving a trail of blood. ¡°Mom? Momma, where are you?¡± Sohjin cried, his voice cracking and tears falling down his cheek. As he hopelessly drags himself with one arm towards the end of the bridge, leaving a trail of blood. His vision slowly fades to black, memories of his short life flashed before him. He weakly stops, allowing the darkness to fully take over his vision. With his final strength he reaches out, brushing his fingers against the cold metal of the bridge''s railing. Sohjin lays on the bridge hopelessly, as his heart pounds against his inevitable fate. ¡°Sohjin¡­Listen to me carefully.¡± Ms. Magic started, ¡°You¡¯ve always had the strength hidden within you. Acknowledge it..Acknowledge ME!¡± Sohjin¡¯s heart begins to pound irregularly and the sound of a ringing bell can be heard. ¡°I am the reflection of your strength, I am your guide and protector. You¡¯ve resisted and doubted me and pushed me aside and only let me in for answers.¡± She continued, appearing beside him. ¡°You can not continue your journey alone. We¡¯re bound together by fate. You must awaken. Awaken me within, accept me, together we have the power to overcome any obstacle.¡± The bell sound became louder and more violent, as if it was beside him. ¡°You have two choices, either accept me and live life protecting those who have no means of protecting themselves or I can grant you death now. You''ll die in peace, a painless death, knowing you¡¯ve accomplished nothing. The choice is your.¡± His keeper bends down, on the side of him. ¡°What is your choice?¡± Sohjin¡¯s body trembled as he struggled to open his eyes. His vision blurred as he faded between being conscious and being awake. He struggles to answer the question, they stare at each other for what feels like eternity. ¡°I wish¡­TO FIGHT..TO MAKE THEM PAY FOR WHAT THEY¡¯VE DONE!.¡± Sohjin declared, gritting his teeth, sparks of fire, sparking off him. ¡°THEN REPEAT WHAT I SAY.¡± Ms Magic commanded. ¡°Throughout the universe, I pledge that I will protect innocence no matter the cost.¡± Sohjin said, getting on his knees, his blue aura shifted to purple and slowly surrounded him. ¡°With courage and selflessness, I will uphold my duties as a Guardian.¡± Sohjin said, lifting himself up with his right hand. He slowly stands to his feet, turning around to face the Rogues. ¡°Those who are aligned with evil, WILL FACE OUR POWER!¡± Sohjin and Ms Magic declared in unison. ¡°NOW SPEAK MY NAME!¡± She shouted. ¡°MS MAGICC!!¡± Sohjin¡¯s aura exploded, a mix of purple and faint red aura immediately engulfed him, the wind violently picked up, and the tips of his hairs lifted through his mask. Sohjin¡¯s left arm suddenly began to heal itself. Instead of simply closing the wound, the damage reversed itself. Torn flesh mended, bone knitting back together, and blood flowed backwards into his veins. His arm, as if its unwinding itself through time, restored itself to its original condition. ¡°I''M NOT DONE YET!¡± Sohjin shouted. The Rogues stop, turning in his direction. Sohjin holds up his right arm and his aura flies up his arm making it to his hand and as it blows away a long sword appears in his hand. His sword is sleek and elegant with the blade being black, The cutting edge is gray. The blade is smooth and has no cracks or scratches. The blade is longer than the average katana. The grip is black and purple. At the base of the hilt has a sword blade with the keychain of a flame. Sohjin wields it with elegance and throws it on his shoulder. Crimson immediately steps up, spinning his sickles. Astren stares at Sohjin, slowly grinning. ¡°I AM SPECTRE, EARTH¡¯S GUARDIAN! AND FOR AS LONG AS I STAND, I''LL FIGHT TO THE VERY END!¡± Spectre roared, taking the sword off his shoulder. His suit slowly begins to repair itself. Rethreading itself back into its original condition. Apollo weakly glances over, smiling. ¡°Go..get em.¡± Amp weakly whispered. Spectre¡¯s aura gathers around him, electricity swarming his body as he dashes with all of his gathered Seishin towards The Army of the Undead. Jumping in the air, he slices in a downward direction. TO BE CONTINUED SPIRIT OF HOPE Next Chapter 6: Nothing Can Be Explained.