《Soul Crown》


 Chapter 1 - Kaiser Kernarde

    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the finals of the 75th International Champions League! We¡¯ve been getting treat after treat this year. Including but not limited to the ones watching in the VIP lounge, Brian [Blackout] Faraday, Marko [Whiplash] Donaldson, Shimizu [Shadowstep] Rie, and Ray [Silverback] Kitch.¡±


    ¡°But tonight we¡¯re proud to present the fight of a lifetime between the 3 time ICL world champion, Basil [Bonecrusher] Mundo and the rising star that has disrupted the status quo, Kaiser [The Imp] Kernarde!¡±


    The crowd goes wild with the opening announcement. It didn¡¯t matter if they were poor, rich or middle class, good or evil. Everyone truly came together to watch the climax of Kaiser¡¯s journey. Some wished Him the best, some wished him the worst. The undeniable fact is that their eyes are glued to the scene.


    Basil walks out from the backstage. He¡¯s 193cm tall and 101 kg pure muscle in weight. Each step he took sent a small vibration in his vicinity. He took a step into the ring and he cracked his knuckle, waiting for his opponent.


    The tension was high in anticipation. Suddenly the spotlight moves towards the ceiling. Kaiser was standing on top of one of the beams. The spotlights followed him as he ran along the beams. Cheers of admiration and worry mixed together until he jumped from above and did a triple forward roll before landing on his hands and feet like a cat and played the crowd like it was his personal orchestra.


    ¡°You''re new in town. So let me give you a tip, flashy moves ain¡¯t gonna win you the fight, runt.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t all be tall, dark and brooding, can¡¯t we?¡±


    Neither could taunt the other and they went to their respective corners. From the seats behind Kaiser, they could see the huge difference in their build. To them, it was like he was facing a mountain.


    Kaiser is smaller yet faster and more nimble on his feet. His acrobatic moves have caught most of the competitors off guard.


    ¡°Kai, you gotta listen to me kid, this isn¡¯t like every other fight, you gotta wear him out. You can¡¯t go in on your instincts alone!¡± his coach was visibly worried and Basil took notice of that. He¡¯s not planning to make this a long fight. Unfortunately for Basil, Kaiser was thinking the same thing.


    The referee was ready in the middle and called them both to stand. Out of concern, the referee made sure and asked Kaiser, ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to back out?¡±


    ¡°Just start the fight, reff. I''m ready for him.¡± His grin grew wider and devilish in nature.


    The ref nodded and counted, ¡°3¡­..2¡­¡­1¡­¡­.FIGHT!¡±


    Basil immediately lunged forward with his full body strength, trying to grab on to Kaiser only for him to dodge backwards and run towards the ring¡¯s wall behind him. He used the wall as a pad to jump higher for a chance to hit Basil from above. Basil quickly lifted up his arms to guard against it. A second passed and there was no sensation of a hit. By the time Basil realized, it was too late. Kaiser has shifted his weight mid-air, falling down halfway through the arc and rolling forwards between Basil¡¯s feet, then extending his feet back to hit his knee. The move was successful, as Basil fell down on one knee. Kaiser tries to tackle but fails as Basil quickly shifts his center of gravity and gain balance enough to withstand it and shrugs Him easily.


    The Crowd¡¯s cheers grew louder for Kaiser and Basil. More and more people pushed their way towards the betting counter. The numbers of bets and the money at stake grew larger but still neck and neck until a man in white suit put 10 million Ruht on Kaiser. The gap increased by a large margin and that instigated more people to bet on Basil.


    Suddenly, a loud bang and vibration was sent throughout the stadium, bringing all attention back to the ring. Basil stomped his feet, causing Kaiser to be off balance for half a second due to him being the closest to the point of impact.


    ¡°That¡¯s a really annoying move¡­¡± Kaiser clenched his teeth as he stepped back to gain some distance.


    ¡°I have to take out those legs first,¡± He thought.


    Kaiser ran along the walls, gaining momentum and jumped towards a wall, using the same move as before but faster. Basil quickly covered his head and knelt down in case he tried the same trick again. Kaiser reached the top of his torso, but there was no connected hit again. There was no way for Kaiser to roll under His feet again. So where did he go? He used Basil as a jumping point, doing a summersault and landed behind Basil. He didn¡¯t go right into a tackle immediately. Kaiser is waiting for Basil to stand up. To find that split second moment where his center shifts. Basil knew what Kaiser was aiming for. What he needed to do was turn around and swipe Kaiser¡¯s feet, but he wasn¡¯t anywhere as nimble and quick as Kaiser. His only choice was to get up. That led to Kaiser taking advantage of that small window and pushing Basil down on the ground. Then he quickly got on top of Basil¡¯s back and put him in a headlock.


    ¡°Yield Basil!.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Basil tried for what seemed to be a long 10 seconds, but it was useless as the referee called the point for Kaiser. He coughed as his breath was still rugged.


    ¡°I underestimated you, runt. I won¡¯t make the same mistakes again!¡±


    ¡°Of course you won¡¯t. You¡¯ll just make a different set of mistakes.¡±


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    They went to their corners, taking a brief rest before the second round started.


    ¡°Damn kid, that was wild. How¡¯d you get him to fall like that?¡±


    ¡°I just timed when his balance was off center.¡±, He said it nonchalantly.


    ¡°Jeez, kid. You ain¡¯t normal. Well, I guess neither is your opponent.¡± Kaiser¡¯s coach looked and compared the two fighters.


    ¡°They should¡¯ve called this battle of the monsters. Just go on defense and dodge, kid. You got the speed. He''ll be desperate for a point since you have the lead.¡±


    ¡°Got it, old man.¡±


    The bell rings and calls the fighters to stand once more.


    ¡°That was a clean first round, guys, Ready? 3¡­¡­.2¡­¡­.1¡­¡­¡­FIGHT!¡±


    Kaiser quickly took a step back as Basil''s hand reached out for a jab. They continued the battle of attrition by dodging and jabbing. Meanwhile at the bar, the Man in white suit was nursing his margarita. A bigger fellow came and sat next to him. He was an older gentleman with gray hair and beard wearing a purple and white striped shirt and red formal vest with gold buttons.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d come,¡± adressing the man in white before ordering a pint of beer from the bartender.


    ¡°And miss the moment his dreams comes true? Not a chance, pops.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so sure he¡¯ll win?¡±


    ¡°How can I not, when his trainer is a demon like you?" Oliver give his dad the side eye.


    He knows very well how strict his father is. Old George was the 5 time champion from the 42nd to 46th ICL. After his retirement, he went into becoming a coach, but nobody could take his training regiment from start to finish. Not even his own son, Oliver. Kaiser was different. He had a drive to become better and stronger. He has a purpose and something to prove. Oliver didn¡¯t need to prove anything. His father loved him regardless and was still proud of him for fighting at his own pace.


    ¡°Do you think this will finally make a difference, pops?"


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I know for a fact that they won¡¯t be able to look the other way anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that, Cheers pops.¡±


    Basil¡¯s breathing had turned rugged and heavy. Kaiser had led him around while dodging all of his strikes. If the time runs out, it¡¯ll be a draw and Kaiser will be at 2 points while Basil is stuck with 1. The first to 5 points will take the trophy and win the 75th ICL. Basil wants to break the record of 5 straight wins from Old George. He needs to win this year and the next two years to do that. Yet, here stands the obstacle in his way. Kaiser kernarde, representing Old George as his student. It was like he wasn¡¯t allowed to win in the beginning. He felt it was truly unfair. Kaiser was just a rich kid turned fighter for hobby, he thought. Meanwhile Basil started with nothing and worked his way up from poverty. Lost in his thought, the 2nd round ends with a draw.


    The 3rd, 4th and 5th round was a complete win for Kaiser. Basil has ran out of stamina by the 3rd and His negative mindset had turn his moves frantic and sloppy. Kaiser took that opportunity. Kaiser¡¯s main strength was in his punches. The frantic Basil gave many openings and the accumulated strikes finally got to him in the 5th round. The refferee took Kaiser¡¯s hand and declared him the winner.


    [There it is folks, what a thrilling and exciting round of matches! Kaiser Kernarde is the world champion for this year! Despite Basil¡¯s aggresive moves, he has endured and risen to the top! Everyone give him a round of applause!]


    Despite an underwhelming performance, many had continued to cheer for booth. Kaiser gave his hand out for Basil to stand, but He just looked away and ignored it. Basil couldn¡¯t see how much his rejection had hurt Him. Kaiser truly respected Basil despite their banter.


    The betting counter was crowded with people who¡¯d won a fortune from from Kaiser and that included Oliver.


    ¡°You know insider trading is illegal right?¡± teased George


    ¡°Spare me, it could¡¯ve gone either way, Basil was as strong if not stronger than Kai..¡±, he stopped his sentence before looking towards the ring.


    ¡°It¡¯s just unfortunate that Kai has the stronger will.¡±


    ¡°¡­ya know, He''ll shove that trophy in your face forever.¡±


    ¡°Godamnit, don¡¯t remind me. The only thing that makes him a flawed human is that cockyness of his.¡±


    ¡°Yea, but that ain¡¯t gonna ever get Him a lover though, you won that point on him. What are you gonna do with the money?¡±


    ¡°For Wendell''s education, of course.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, bring Wendell around next time. His grandpa misses him dearly.¡±


    ¡°Then just visit home once in a while. He¡¯s still 8, I can¡¯t exactly bring him around all of this yet, otherwise Haley would kill me.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. Your mom would''ve done the same back then. I''ll think about it. Maybe we can visit her grave together soon.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure mom would love that.¡±


    Kaiser and His coach went out from the fighters locker towards the lounge where Oliver had been waiting. Kaiser¡¯s expression turned overjoyed as he was going to greet Him. Yet a few people came and cute in between, it was the aforementioned fighters that sat in the VIP lounge. Brian, Marko, Rie and Ray.


    ¡°That was some real shit, brother. How would you like to fight under Agerro Co. ?¡± Started Brian, offering their business card.


    ¡°I¡¯d pay double for you to be my personal sparring partner!¡± said Marko


    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal, I like you. wanna go on a date?¡± proposed Rie.


    Everyone fell silent at the sudden confession and jaws were dropped. Shimizu Rie was known to never be interested in any guy in the fighting scene. This was a blow to everyone that had a crush on her and those who idolized her. Oliver spat out his drink in disbelief that his old man was going to be proven wrong. Kaiser couldn¡¯t answer and tried to shift the conversation by looking at Ray.


    ¡°I just wanted an autograph, man. I don''t wanna give you anymore headache than you already have.¡±


    He signed the autograph and answered the other three.


    ¡°I''m not good at working under a company. Ask Old George, I''m more trouble than I seem. As for sparring, you don¡¯t need to pay me, dude. I''m okay with fighting anytime, just waive the transport fees. As for the date¡­.Look, I¡¯ve never had a romantic interest in anyone, so this is very sudden, but I won¡¯t say no to going on a date and trying it out.¡±, He nervously rubbed the back of his neck.


    ¡°Nice, give me your contact info, I¡¯ll text you when I come by Hollow¡¯s Edge.¡±, They input each other¡¯s phone number and Kai excused himself to see Oliver.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe what just happened¡±, Oliver had a look of disbelief and happiness for Kaiser.


    ¡°You say that as if that''s a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, but you¡¯re a musclehead! Do you know how many girls have been into you in the past and you just brushed it off? I guess it takes a confident woman to say it to your face for you to realize.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! I''m a disaster when it comes to romance.¡±


    When their car arrived, Rie blew a kiss towards Kaiser and he just waved and smiled awkwardly. The car took them to the port where Oliver¡¯s Private yacht was ready to depart. It was time to come back home to Hollow¡¯s Edge. For the Prodigal son, to return.

 Chapter 2 - Hollows Edge

    ¡°Bleeeergh¡±


    ¡°Well, there goes yesterday''s seafood special. This is why we tell you not to overeat, Coach Dansen.¡±


    ¡°What comes from the sea must go back to the sea. Such is the circle of life.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think that''s how that works, Kai.¡±


    ¡°Urgh, it''s okay boys. Master George compensates me for my seafaring travels.¡±, He proudly claimed while smiling and giving a thumbs up before puking again.


    ¡°Well at least we''ll be home soon. I can already see The Lighthouse from here.¡±


    They could hear the cheers of celebration coming from The South Edge Pier as the yacht slowly docks. Family, friends and workers from the Brennwick company came to congratulate Kai. He gave Ollie the Side eye as he was told specifically by Him not to throw a huge party. The South Edge Pier was an exclusive Pier for the use of Brennwick''s fishing company. It had a large warehouse area that they cleaned up for Kai''s celebration. Even though Old George was a fighter at heart, he was also a family man that gave a stable roof for his family and those who worked under Him as a fisherman.


    Everyone hugged and praised Kai while the coach and Oliver unloads all the baggage.. It had been a long 12 years of struggle for him. Oliver still remembers the night Kai was abandoned by his family. The storm was at its peak when Ollie, Kai and his sister Rin barely made it back to The South Edge Lighthouse. They had decided to go venturing into the forest earlier that day. Initially it was only Kai and Oliver, but Rin was so attached to her older brother to the point she snuck away. The heavy rainstorm caused a nearby landslide. When their mother came, everyone could see the difference in treatment. Despite having injury and bruises all over His body from saving Rin, Valerie Kernarde was only focused on her daughter and ignored the son. Everyone thought She was finally going to care for Kai when she walked towards him. Silence invaded the room when she slapped His face. George was the first to act, stepping in between the mother and son to berate her.


    ¡°What the hell did you just do, Val!?¡±


    ¡°I punished him for being a reckless brat that endangered MY daughter.¡±


    ¡°He''s also your son! And he''s injured!¡±


    ¡°And whose fault is it? Who told them to go into the forest like a couple of monkeys and get my daughter injured?¡±


    ¡°......Choose your words carefully, Val. One of them is my son.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should discipline your offspring better then.¡±


    ¡°That''s rich coming from you.¡±


    ¡°You know damn well how dangerous this city is, George.¡±


    Vera rolled her eyes, having lost interest in the conversation and held out her hand towards Rin.


    ¡°Come, dear. We should leave this trash heap soon¡±


    Rin loves her brother but she was more scared of Valerie. She took her mother''s hand and walked towards the car.


    ¡°Aren''t you forgetting about your son!?¡±


    ¡°He failed to protect the one thing that''s important. He''s a complete and utter failure.¡±


    Valerie walked away with Rin in hand and drove away. George couldn''t do anything but shielded Kai, but it was too late. The impact was set. Everyone thought Kai was going to break down. What they saw was the complete opposite. It was as if a fire was lit in his very soul and George could see it in his eyes when he spoke these words,


    ¡°Teach me how to be stronger, Uncle George!¡±


    It took him a while , but he finally made it to the finish line. Oliver thought proudly of His sworn brother. Yet, he wasn''t the only one. Sound of heels clacking against the concrete grew frequent and louder as the girl in pink sweater and white long skirt ran and wrapped her arms around Kai.


    ¡°Welcome home, big brother.¡±


    ¡°Rin!? What are you doing here? You didn''t run away from the house again, right? I was already planning to drop by the mansion later.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, they''ve been lenient ever since I went to college. I''m glad I can see you again, big brother.¡±


    ¡°I missed you too, Rin. I''m glad you''re safe.¡±, Kai hugged her back tight,


    Everyone was melting at the scene of a lovely reunion between siblings. That didn''t stop them from wanting to join in the hug and everyone ending up falling on the floor.


    ¡°While this is all very touching, did you get a place to stay?¡±


    ¡°Not really, i thought i would just crash at the Lighthouse or maybe your place, Ollie¡±


    ¡°You think Haley is gonna let you get past the front door?¡±


    ¡°Why does she hate me so much?¡±


    ¡°Uuuuh¡­¡± rubbing the back of his neck.


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    Oliver knows exactly why. Haley''s friend came to the house one day to cry about how she felt ignored and dejected by Kai''s lack of romantic awareness.


    ¡°Let''s just say you''re both natural enemies. Alright guys, break it up.¡±


    The workers got up and congratulated Kai once more. They head towards Ollie''s car with all of Kai''s bags in tow. Rin followed and let herself onto the backseat.


    Oliver turned up the music as they rode into the night side of the city. It all felt different to Kai and yet some things are still familiar.


    ¡°Oh wow, they still have the ramen shop at the corner of Cavanaugh street. We should go there again sometime.¡±


    ¡°They''ve actually opened up dozens of branches now, but nothing beats the original taste of Mrs. Ayase''s cooking. How about we go tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I agree, I love Mrs. Ayase''s cooking too.¡±


    Hollow''s Edge was a city built upon the backs of the seven families, including his own. The city has prospered in terms of economy. Unfortunately, the pillar of that prosperity is the sacrifice of many.


    The darkness that creeps behind the scenes, the crimes that transpire for the sake of that prosperity. While the cops aren''t entirely corrupt, some of them were orphans raised under the Hayashi foundation. So when a deal is made between the families, they look the other way per their orders.


    ¡°Tell it to me straight, Ollie. How bad is it?¡±


    Oliver gripped the steering wheel tighter and sighed.


    ¡°It''s been getting better for a while until recently. Do you remember Lady Katherine?


    ¡°From the Vestals? Yeah, why?¡±


    ¡°She basically looked out for the middle to lower class, and fought for them. For a time everything seemed fine.¡± He paused, making eye contact with Rin and nodded.


    ¡°Big brother, Lady Katherine died a year ago. I was there at the Hospital because I had volunteered in her program and gotten close with her. It didn''t take long for the vestals to prey on her assets and pick it apart. There was nothing left for the program.¡±


    ¡°Then there''s the Church of Deigsir¡­.¡±


    ¡°You mean like a youth group?¡±


    ¡°I mean like a cult. They want equality for all citizens, but at the cost of overthrowing the seven families.¡±


    ¡°Holy fuck, do they want to start a war!?¡±


    ¡°Most likely, everyone''s stocking up on personnel and ammo at this point. Alright we''re here. Rin, you want me to drive you back to your apartment as well?¡±


    ¡°It''s okay, brother Ollie, I want to talk to big brother first.¡± She gets out of the car with Kai and waves goodbye to Oliver.


    They walked inside the Hotel. Kai paid the bellhop and sent his bags up to his room then sat next to Rin at the main lobby.


    ¡°So, how is college? Met any guys I need to punch?¡±


    Her face showed concern but for the her suitors that would catch the famous Kai''s [Flying fist].


    ¡°Big brother, if you punch them outside the ring, they''ll definitely press charges.¡±


    ¡°Then I''ll just punch them some more, hahahahaha.¡±


    She smiled, ¡°i''m glad you''ve grown up happy, big brother¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s cause I can finally show Vera that she''s wrong. Your big bro is strong now, I can keep you safe from anything or anyone.¡±


    ¡°She''s not going to be happy that you call her by her name.¡±


    ¡°She was never happy with me to begin with.¡±


    ¡°How about you, big bro? Any lucky lady?¡±


    He quickly took out his phone and showed her the personal number of the famous Shimizu Rie. Her eyes sparkled at the possibility of having a sister in law.


    ¡°Did you text her yet?¡±


    ¡°No. I don''t know what to say, this is like the first time I''m aware of someone else''s feelings and I''m a bit nervous.¡± His expression showed how much he''s panicking and feeling flustered, a side that Rin had never seen.


    ¡°You should just say hi, a lady doesn''t like to be kept waiting.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­.i know that,¡± He quickly sends a text to Shimizu.


    _______________


    ¡°Hello Miss Shimizu, it''s Kai. I hope you''re well rested and got back safely after the ICL.¡±


    it didn''t take long for her to reply and caught Kai off guard.


    ¡°Hey, what''s with the formal way of talking? Are ya nervous or some shit? Just call me Rie, Hehehe. I''m good and back home in Velgaria, wanna say to your future in-laws? Maybe it will cheer you up ;)¡±


    ¡°Please spare me the teasing T^T¡­.I''ll stick with Shimizu for now. I''m glad you''re safe and please send my regards to your family too.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can tell them yourself when we get there. We plan on going to Hollow''s Edge for the holidays. I heard the sunset at the beach is wonderful and you can see the stars clearly at night, is it true?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you heard right. There''s also a really delicious ramen shop that I love to go to, I''ll take you there when you get here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that a date proposal I hear? How bold, Mr. Kernarde. Very well, I accept ^v^ Don''t blush too hard now. See you later, xoxo.¡±


    ¡°=/////=.......see ya.¡±


    _______________


    ¡°Oh my gosh, big bro, that was so cute!¡±


    As they continued to talk, a young man in black robes entered the hotel lobby and walked towards them. Kai became wary and stood up in front of Rin in case anything happens.


    ¡°Finally, I found you. Wow,  you are definitely better looking in person, Mr. Kaiser. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Neil Barrein and I''m a priest at the Church of Deigsir, could I have a moment of your time?¡±


    He had a wide grin full of warmth, yet eyes pitch black and  devoid of emotion as he extended his hand to greet them. What does he want with Kai?

 Chapter 3 - Church of Deigsir

    Kaiser stood his ground between Neil and Rin. His body shifted sideways, extending his left arm towards Rin and holding hers while his right arm moved slightly forward to counter any incoming strikes. Despite being a priest, Neil took notice of his stance and lowered his hand and bowed to apologize.


    ¡°I''m terribly sorry for the unnecessary worry with my sudden appearance. You must have a lot of questions as to why I''m here. Would you give me a chance to explain?¡±


    The nearby grandfather clock ticks and tocks away as Kai starts weighing his options. There¡¯s multiple exit routes in case anything goes south. The lobby door seems safe but there¡¯s no indication if the priest came alone or if his helpers are ready outside at a moment''s notice. There¡¯s an exit door not far to the right. Kai and Rin were closer to it than the priest. They could make a run for it, but it seemed too obvious. The last option is going to the basement parking lot via the elevator. The next steps would be to find the easiest car to hotwire and drive away. The clock chimes, indicating the time as 9 o¡¯clock at night, as he comes to a conclusion. He sat down next to Rin while still holding on to her hand, now even tighter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it then, your explanation.¡±


    ¡°Im glad we can have a conversation, I appreciate the opportunity.¡±


    The clock ticks again, Kai still waiting for the priest to continue explaining.


    ¡°As I said, my name is Neil Barrein. I know I might be around your age, but that''s only because I''ve been in the church for a few years now. We¡¯ve been keeping an eye on your progress for a while now and we¡¯re proud to openly invite you into our community.¡±


    ¡°And why would you think I would join your church?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see why you were cautious earlier, is it because of the rumor that we¡¯re against the seven families?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true then?¡± Kai narrowed his eyes to gauge Neil¡¯s answer.


    ¡°There is some truth to that. We openly oppose the manipulation of this city and its residents. Do you not feel the same? Is it not the reason you went away for years only to come back stronger? To fight back?¡±


    Kai couldn¡¯t answer those questions. Neil was absolutely right in his assumptions. It made sense that they knew if he was being truthful of Kai¡¯s surveillance. There were a dozen more questions that popped into his mind.


    ¡°It isn''t just me, isn''t it? I''ll assume you have surveillance on most people of interest connected to the seven families?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do. We try our best to collect as much intel to avoid unnecessary conflict.¡±


    ¡°Does that include Oliver Brennwick and his family?¡±


    ¡°I see your concern is in regards to his wife and child? Fret not. We''ve deemed them as non-threats, we respect their privacy in their own residence and only follow Mr. Brennwick in public spaces. That is not illegal, no? Just treat us as paparazzi.¡±


    ¡°Do you plan recruiting him too? Or just us?¡±


    ¡°We did, but the circumstances of his familial duties would be a hindrance to both parties. Any more questions you would like me to answer?


    The elevator started to move. Kai looked at the floor number on the indicator through his peripheral vision.


    ¡°Just one. What if we refuse?¡±


    The smile from Neil''s face suddenly went away, as if it was never there. What replaced it was an expression of anger and disgust.


    ¡°It''s in your best interest to not refuse, Mr. Kaiser.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess I''ll have to agree¡­..¡± the elevator bell rings, indicating it has reached the lobby.


    ¡°.....to disagree!¡± He flips the table and kicks it towards Neil, resulting in him falling back on his chair and trapped under the table while Kai and Rin takes the opportunity to run towards the elevator. When they reached the basement, Kai quickly took a glance at the cars available. He found the perfect getaway car, a 2999 Kiva Sunbird.


    ¡°Tell me if you see the elevator moving, Rin.¡± He quickly hotwired the car and took his sister inside. He tried to check for any ID for the car''s owner.


    ¡°Here it is, Gina Devereux. Promise we''ll pay you back.¡± vowed Kai, trying to be responsible despite knowing it''s an emergency.


    ¡°Big bro, i don''t think this is the time to-¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. I got the car going already, put your seatbelts on.¡±


    They strapped themselves in, before the tires screeched and the engines revving up. Trails of tire smoke accumulated as they drove away past the elevator, there were still no signs of the priest chasing. Did Kai go overboard and injure the priest? No, Kai''s instinct never failed him before. The only word that came to his mind when meeting the priest was ¡°Run¡±.


    They drove out from the basement but the streets were still busy with traffic.


    ¡°Rin, who''s the Hayashi family head now? Is it Mika?¡±


    ¡°No, she''s still a year away from succession. It''s still her mother, Noriko.¡±


    ¡°Ughh, she''s still a better choice than going to the Morrano''s.


    ¡°Why not go back to our mansion, big bro?


    ¡°Trust me, if they''re openly recruiting or approaching us like this, it''s gonna lead to an all out battle, we need to go to a place where there''s already enough firepower on standby first. When he mentioned Hayley and Wendell, he said they weren''t a threat but that doesn''t mean they wouldn''t be in danger. Use my phone to call Ollie.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t I just call through my phone?¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t usually open his phone much when it comes to other people, not even when it comes to Old George. But I set the ringtone for my calls as an annoying song that he hates, he''ll definitely pick it up.¡±


    As Rin took his phone and called Oliver, Kai saw the priest walk out of the hotel unscathed through the rearview mirror. He slowly waved his hands towards their general direction. Kai''s face went pale as white paint. He was right, there was something odd about the priest.


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    Kai shifted gears and drove past the traffic as best as he could. Sounds of cars honking grew increasingly frequent as they zig and zag between cars and reached an intersection. The lights just turned red but there was no choice. Kai chose to accelerate.


    ¡°Big bro, no!¡±


    They barely went past the cars and narrowly escaped an accident. Rin''s heart was racing faster than ever before. He saw her life flashing for a split second, but that was enough to scare her. At the same time, the call connects.


    ¡°You piece of shit! How dare you mess wkth my pho-¡±


    ¡°Big bro Ollie! Listen to me!¡±


    ¡°Rin? What''s wrong? Did Kai get drunk?¡±


    ¡°No. Listen, We''re all in danger! My big bro and I are driving away from a church priest. This is a serious, big brother''s expression¡­.he''s scared¡­just like back then during the landslide¡­he told me to tell you to go keep Haley and Wendell safe.¡±


    ¡°.........Put me on speaker.¡± She complied with Oliver''s request.


    ¡°Kai, head towards the Pier.¡±


    ¡°No, that''s too long of a drive, we''re already past Locran street, we''re going to the Hayashi''s.¡±


    ¡°Miss Noriko won''t let you-¡±


    ¡°There''s not much options, Ollie. Listen, the seven families need to work together on this. I think the church is worse than you think. The priest¡­.i saw the eyes of a killer¡­¡±


    ¡°...damnit..i''ll come to you.¡±


    ¡®No, i said keep Haley and wendell sa-¡±


    ¡°KAI? RIN? YOU THERE?........DAMNIT!¡±. Beep beep beep


    Kai opened his eyes slowly, his body was aching from the impact. The car had suddenly hit something hard in the middle of the road. When he fully opened his eyes, he saw the priest had stopped the car with his body. Yet again, he was unscathed. Kai looked towards Rin and saw that she was unconscious and blood was dripping from her head.


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, it''s not polite to run away from a conversation, Mr. Kaiser, I was emotionally hurt, you know?¡±


    Kai tried to talk back with a hoarse voice.


    ¡°I knew¡­it¡­you''re a..monster..¡±


    ¡°I prefer modified humanoid entities, but that''s all just semantics isn''t it? I am still me and that''s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°What''s¡­. Your.. real goal?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, being a little bit greedy aren''t we? Well, we usually give the answer for free for initiates, but since you rejected the offer, I''m sorry to say that''s highly classified.¡± He tilted his head and grinned from ear to ear.


    What happened next felt like it was taken from a fantasy book. The priest grew out a pair of shimmering golden wings and levitated himself off the ground while lifting the car with both Kai and Rin still inside and then he flew away. Kai fell unconscious once more.


    When Rin finally woke up, they were both tied up in the middle of a forest. She felt the pain in her head and the blood dripping on her face. She saw the car was wrecked beyond recognition. She wondered who or what could have made that happen, and then she saw it. The priest with golden wings and a grinning face of a demon near a campfire.


    ¡°Lovely! You''re awake! Time to wake up the older one then.¡± The priest walked towards the tied up Kai and kicked him in his abdomen, waking him up and causing him to vomit.


    ¡°Now then, you''re wondering why we''re in the middle of the forest right? It''s simple really.¡± He walked towards the fire and turned around for dramatic effect and points at both of them.


    ¡°You. Will. Die. Gyahahahahahah!¡±


    ¡°Uurrgh.¡± Kai gains the strength to get up.


    ¡°Oh my, what vigor! You really are a mighty fighter, Mr. Kaiser, I am truly impressed.¡± He claps cheerfully.


    ¡°I understand why you''re against the seven families¡­but this isn''t the way..¡±


    ¡°There is no other way, Mr. Kaiser. If there was, I would be there right by your side, fighting the good fight, but there is no ¡®good fight¡¯, it''s just a bunch of sewer rats trying to climb up just to survive, Just to breathe!¡±


    ¡°....you''re a victim of this city too¡­aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Everyone is a victim in this city, Mr. Kaiser, even the seven families themself, they just don''t know it yet.¡±


    ¡°Those wings¡­gene modification?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no¡­ Don''t worry, you''ll find out soon enough, Mr. Kaiser.¡±


    The priest held out his right arm towards the fire. The flames gathered and swirled, accumulating into a whirlpool of flames in mid air. The priest then walked towards Rin, picking her up and forcing her to stand, causing one of her shoe heels to break.


    ¡°Any last words?¡±


    ¡°I¡­i have a question¡­¡±, Rin steeled herself to ask despite shivering in fear.


    ¡°This better be good¡­¡±


    ¡°You said¡­you''ve been in the church for years¡­but it was officially recognized only a year ago¡­there were also no reports of the church in any archives. So what is the Church of Deigsir?¡±


    ¡°Gyahahahahaha! Now that is a good question. Unfortunately I can''t answer that right now. All will be revealed in due time, but I will give you a quick death for being smart¡±.


    Kai stood up and ran towards the priest, ¡°I won''t let you!¡±


    The priest blew back the approaching Kaiser with a flick of his wing, ¡°Calm down, Mr. Kaiser, you''ll get your turn.¡±


    Before Kai could stand up again, the priest had already stabbed Rin through her chest with his hand. Her sweater and skirt both drenched in red as her eyes lost their light.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!¡±


    The adrenaline rushes throughout his body, giving him strength to rip apart the rope that tied him and run towards the priest again. His body was holding its ground when the priest tried to blow him away once more. As the priest pulls back his hand, an ethereal version of Rin is formed.


    ¡°YOU BASTARD! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?!¡±


    ¡°I''m only acquiring her soul. If you wish to bring her back, then I suggest you follow me.¡± the priest walked and disappeared into the swirling fiery whirlpool along with Rin''s soul, leaving her lifeless body aside.


    Kai didn''t understand what just happened. He didn''t understand why it happened to Rin of all people. He didn''t understand how he still wasn''t strong enough to protect her after all these years. He kept punching the ground over and over and over again and didn''t even stop after his hands started to bleed.


    After what seemed like hours, he stopped punching the ground and crawled towards Rin''s body. He held his sister in her arms and cried hopelessly while kissing her forehead, continuously apologizing for failing to protect her.


    Rain started pouring heavily. Masking his tears away. The fire was still swirling in mid-air, unhindered by the heavy rain. Kai accepted that he couldn''t save his sister''s body. Right now, he needs to steel himself to follow after the priest and save Rin''s soul. He closed her eyes and let her body lay peacefully before he stood up in front of the fire and walked into it. His body went past the fire and fell forwards, lifeless like his sister''s.


    _________________


    In the morning, the police tracked and found the bodies of Kaiser amd Marina kernarde and officially pronounced them ¡°dead¡± on the 28th of Nolcress, 3207.

 Chapter 4 - A new world

    When Kai went through the spiraling flames, he immediately felt a sense of relief, as if his fatigue went away and his body became lighter. He noticed the trees around him. Their leaves were dyed blood red while their bark was pale as white snow. He knew the priest was something beyond human, that he came from a world beyond common sense, a world that¡¯s not Earth.


    It didn¡¯t take long for trouble to find its way towards Kai once more. He sensed something coming from far away. He didn¡¯t know what it was but it was approaching fast. He barely dodged by an inch of his hair. It was a silver katana that darted past and embedded itself onto the scarp face next to where the spiraling flame portal was.


    While he was distracted and looking towards the embedded katana, the owner had suddenly came and sneaked behind Kai and when he looked behind him, the owner had already reached the far away embedded katana and easily pulled it out. Before Kai moved again, the owner reached him in an instant, as if teleporting and positioned the blade in front of Kai¡¯s neck. His face gave away his emotions. The feeling of defeat once more, not long after he fought the priest. He Bit his lip in anger.


    ¡°Halt, Malefactor. Do not move an inch. You are currently under judgment of the High council for breaching the Orizen Peace Pact of Article 3 subsection A. Any and all usage of hollowpoints are forbidden. How do you plead?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­Not guilty!¡±


    A long deafening silence was only broken by the sound of birds chirping in the vicinity of the forest.


    "How long have you stepped foot onto this world?"


    "Only for a few minutes...."


    ¡°Mm..The blade senses the truth within your words. One door closes, a thousand opens.¡±


    He pulls back sheaths his katana, ¡°this discussion is not over, stay put."


    The katana owner walked slowly towards the flaming portal he calls ¡°hollowpoint¡±. He extended his arm and rotated his palm counterclockwise and soon the flames dissipated and disappeared. When he looked back towards Kai, he lifted up his hand and gestured with his fingers to come and Kai was instantly teleported in front of the katana owner.


    ¡°Now, we shall continue our discussion. I am Retsu Hayashi, a samurai guardian of the Orizen High Council. This blade is called ¡®Raidachi¡¯. He senses the truth and lies of everything through vibrations. You shall answer and we shall judge.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­Retsu Hayashi? As in the forefather of the Hayashi clan? You died nearly 500 years ago. So is this the afterlife? Then why do you look so young? Didn¡¯t you die of old age?¡±


    "One question at a time. When one steps into Orizen, a soul''s appearance is adjusted to their prime."


    "That''s cool, I guess I look the same cause im still in my prime."


    ¡°You know my name and history, correct? Then you are of earthly origins. What family do you hail from?¡±


    ¡°Kernarde, Kaiser Kernarde.¡±


    ¡°Listen well, young Kaiser. Yes, you could say this is the afterlife, but not entirely."


    Retsu drew two circles on the ground. He explained that the inner circle is where Earth resides and the outer circle is the world of Orizen. When beings pass away, their souls are supposed to leave the Earth realm and enter the soul stream. The very nature of Orizen itself acts like a fishnet and catches souls going through and towards the stream regardless of their origin. Kai¡¯s eyes grew wide in disbelief, but after everything he went through, it would be crazier if he didn¡¯t believe any of it. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.


    ¡°Then¡­am I dead? That can¡¯t be true right? I just walked through that hollowpoint thingy.¡±


    ¡°No mortal body can enter this world. When you walk through, only your soul passes, leaving your body behind as an empty shell. Even if you walk back into the portal, your soul cannot enter your body as your organs begin to fail to function due to the separation.¡±


    The Samurai was actually impressed by Kai. When a soul first walks into Orizen, it takes them a few days to solidify from an ethereal form. Yet from the first moment he saw Kai stepped in, he was already solidified. The samurai contemplates on taking him as his disciple.


    ¡°But¡­how am I supposed to save my sister¡¯s soul then?! That priest! When he walked in, he didn¡¯t leave a body. I thought we could just walk back.¡±


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    The Samueai''s ears perked up at the mention of a priest and his focus redirected towards that particular comment.


    ¡°Priest? What church did he say he was from?¡±


    ¡°Deigsir.¡±


    ¡°This is ominous. The Church of Deigsir has been an enemy in the past but they¡¯ve never resorted to using hollowpoints and capturing souls.¡±


    ¡°Then it''s even more urgent that i need to find her!¡± Kai tries to go but is pulled back by the Samurai.


    ¡°You cannot do anything even if you were to chase them down.¡±


    "Then teach me! You''re strong, you can teach me how to be strong as you!"


    He clenched his fist, unable to say anything more. Was he useless to the point of being a hindrance? He couldn¡¯t deny that. He couldn''t even follow the Samurai''s movements.


    He recognized that expression on Kai''s face. An expression he once had as a young student at his master''s Dojo. Sentimental things those do not often move his heart. He doesn''t understand why, but there seems to be something within Kaiser that compels the Samurai to help.


    ¡°What is your weapon of choice, young Kaiser?¡±


    ¡°My body?¡±


    ¡°While it is true that the body itself needs to be incorporated as a weapon, i am asking in a literal sense.¡±


    ¡°...My body¡­i''m a brawler, i use my flexibility and limbs to deliver blows to the enemies, so i use my legs but mainly my fists.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I may not be fully suited to teach you, but let me give you a lesson and following that, a demonstration.¡±


    Kai nodded as he paid full attention to his new teacher.


    ¡°Everything that exists, holds an energy within. We call it ¡®Ember¡¯,¡± The Samurai held a falling leaf in his palm and made it vanish in a blink of an eye.


    ¡°You can collect the Ember of your surroundings, if you focus. The amount you take is limited by the willpower of your soul. I shall give you a small taste for your Ember to manifest.¡±


    The Samurai extended his forefinger and emitted a visible flow of energy resembling a tiny yellow flame and placed it onto Kai''s chest. The flames quickly seeped into his very being and caused immense pain. Bright green flames began to engulf and caress every fiber of his being.


    ¡°Aaaaah! Is it supposed to hurt like this?¡±


    ¡°Remarkable, your Ember is constantly breaking and repairing itself at an incredible speed. One would mistake you for an old soul.¡±


    As the Samurai disengaged from contact, the green flames dissipated, while changing the color of his eyes from brown to bright green.


    ¡°Was that my Ember? Why is it a different color?¡±


    ¡°Every Ember is different in color for each person. The color itself does not hold meaning. What matters is the size and strength of your Ember. It seems like you hold a large amount of willpower. Do you feel it within you?


    Kai senses the burning Ember in his core. He lets the flames course through his arm and reached his fist, engulfing it with flames.


    ¡° I did it! This feels amazing!¡±


    He quickly went into a fighting stance and threw a punch at one of the trees. Not knowing his own strength, caused several trees to be blown away as well.


    ¡°Your body seems to grasp things faster than your mind. It seems like there is no need for me to give a demonstration.¡±


    ¡°Yea, all im ever good at is fighting, so this is normal."


    ¡°i do not doubt you, young Kaiser. Yet, Controlling your Ember takes time, one which we do not have the luxury to spare. I shall go alone, I fear the worst for your sister if we do not intercept tje priest fast enough. Please, trust in me. In the meantime, I need you to head northwest of here, there will be a village. Show this crest and ask a favor for them to guide you towards Halcion city''s Wanderers Guildmaster. Tell him the church is on the move and we need to take action. ¡± He hands over the crest to Kai.


    ¡°I understand. If this is all I can do for now, I''ll do what I can, i will trust in my benefactor.¡± His bright green eyes showed signs of resolve and immeasurable warmth, alleviating the Samurai''s heavy heart.


    The Samurai didn''t waste time and vanished, moving as fast as the wind and trying to catch up with the trail of the Priest. Meanwhile, Kai headed towards the village, trying to replicate his teacher''s movement, only to fail and hit a tree.


    Kai continously practiced his movement technique during his way towards the village. He moved one last time and accidentally hit and older woman inside of the village. Every able bodied guard in the village went on alert and surrounded Kai.


    "Halt, Malefactor! You are to be judged by the Grant Elders!"


    Kai nerveously sweats and held up his arms, "Not again......."

 Chapter 5 - The Grant Village

    "Halt, Malefactor! You are to be judged by the Grant Elders!"


    Kai nervously sweats and holds up his arms, "Not again......."


    Several guards quickly surrounded Kai. One of them was a woman with feline features. Her Ember manifested cuffs that tied Kai''s arms behind his back. He was distracted by the technique and curious if he could replicate it. While they brought him in a cage into the courthouse from the entrance of the village, he was preoccupied with his own thoughts.


    ¡°Elder Eyfos, as the Guard captain, I have to insist we judge him right now for his reckless endangerment of the village!¡±


    ¡°Greyson, he is currently held in bondage, there is time to listen to what he has to say, doesn''t everyone have that right?


    ¡°Katja, I understand your sense of justice, but he is an outsider! We need to protect ourselves! He might be a scout and the attacking party isn''t far behind?


    A guard rattled the cage and woke Kai from being drowned in his own thoughts, ¡°Answer the elder when you are asked!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''m sorry, I was just wondering how to copy and make these cuffs.¡±


    ¡°Surely you jest! Katja''s Spark isn''t something anyone can merely replicate. Her Spark is as durable as a million mountains!¡±


    ¡°Spark? Is that what manifesting Ember is called? It''s a cool name. I''ll agree it''s kinda hard to copy, the flow changes way too much. The very reason why I disagree about its durability.¡±


    His arms Sparked green flames and instantly broke the cuffs, turning it into dust. Everyone in the court was surprised and wary as he continued breaking free and destroying the cage. The murmurs of the people inside the court grew louder and deafening.


    The insulting guard brandished his sabre towards kai, ¡°Stop where you stand, mongrel, or I will cut you down.¡±


    ¡° Look, this is all a misunderstanding. I''m not an intruder, I was sent here by sir Retsu Hayashi , he gave me a crest to give to the Guildmaster in Halcyon city, he told me your people could guide me there. I tried to replicate his movement technique to get here faster. You can check along the trees outside the village, you''ll see my face marks all over them.¡±


    ¡°Silence mongrel, don''t spout lies and stain sir Hayashi''s name with your mouth! Its probably a fake anyway.¡±


    ¡°Guard Greyson, cease your insults! We shall let him prove his words, show us the crest.¡±


    Shock was expressed on the guard''s face. He felt a clear disdain for Kai but couldn''t talk back towards the elder he respects.


    He grabbed the crest from his pocket and gave it to the Elder.


    ¡°Hmm, it is an authentic provisional crest from the high council. He has proven himself innocent. What is your name, young proxy?


    ¡°Kaiser.¡±


    ¡° Katja, Release Kaiser from bondage and prepare lodging for our guest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elder Eyfos.¡± She went towards her underlings to relay the order. ¡°Rast, Qwen, prepare a safehouse for our guest and be discreet. Follow me, Kaiser. Unless you want to stay with Greyson instead?¡±


    He walks alongside Katja, going out from the courthouse and heading towards the plaza.


    ¡°So how can I make those cuffs like you did?¡±


    ¡°You can''t. From what I saw, you''re a Driver type while I''m a Visionary.¡±


    ¡°And Drivers can''t do what Visionary does?¡±


    ¡°If it makes you feel better, its the same the other way around. Each type has its uniqueness to them. Drivers increase their physicality, Linkers can affect the people around them, Shifters play with the elements and Visionaries can conjure up anything they want, the limit is their imagination.¡± She conjured knives from her smokey white Spark and made them fly and danced around.


    Reaching the plaza, Kai saw a peaceful village full of children and species of various races. The scene felt so warm and welcoming. It reminded him of home.


    ¡°There''s so many diverse people here. How is everything so harmonious?


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    ¡°Diverse? What do you mean?


    ¡°I mean like that lizardman over there by the fountain, he walks so proudly and tall and no one is bullying him or calling him names.¡±


    ¡°Why would we bully our own kin? We are of the same species.¡±


    Kai looks at Katja''s feline features and compares them against the lizardman, ¡°now I''m confused.¡±


    ¡°We are all the same species, we are Grants. Unlike other people who are born from a womb, we Grants are born from the imagination of our owners, a byproduct of Visionaries.¡±


    He looked down and thought back to the earlier incident. He was lucky that he didn''t cause the old woman to break into dust. He understands why the guards were on alert and why Greyson hated him.


    ¡°Can I meet the lady that I ran into?¡±


    The worry on Kaiser''s face left an impression on Katja. She understood what he wanted to do and that very nature of his soul. They walked to where the elderly lady were and approached her. Her demeanor seemed calm and undisturbed as she continued to drink her cup of tea in front of the tea shop.


    He bowed, ¡°Hello, my name is Kaiser. I''m sorry for what I did earlier today. I''m not used to my new powers yet and i didnt know how much damage i could have caused. I''ll accept any punishment you wish to give me, madam.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear me. Come, sit down and have tea with me. Simian, be a dear and grab two more cups for the youngsters.¡± The shop worker nodded and did just what the lady asked.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Lady Eleanor.¡±


    Good afternoon to you as well, Katja. Is your owner doing well these days?¡±


    ¡°She is¡­..a fighter. She wants to thank you for the gift basket, she especially likes the Equitart and the Karchag Pie.¡±


    ¡°How lovely, hopefully the foraging squad comes back with a fresh batch of Karchag then. Now as for you, young man. You dont need to beat yourself up over what''s happened. As you see, I am fine, just a minor wound on my ankle. And you didn''t cause any trouble with the guards. In my eyes, you are a gentleman that takes responsibility. Please give yourself more credit.¡±


    He knelt down and looked at Lady Eleanor''s ankle. There was a scraped cut from falling. Her wound leaked blue fluid. Kai suspected that it was her Ember leaking out. He clenched his hand as hard as he could until it bled. His assumptions were right. The blood he used to have is now changed to Green, the color of his Ember.


    He held her ankle in his hands. There was a loud thump coming from Kaiser''s very core. As he held in his tears, he continuously wished he could make things better.


    The thump grows louder.


    Kaiser''s Spark began to flare, the green flames streamed toward his palm and flashed blindingly bright. When it stopped, Kaiser lifted up his hands. The wound on Lady Eleanor''s ankle was gone and healed. While everyone started crowding them die to the amazing scene, Kai thought, ¡°Thank god¡­¡± and suddenly lost consciousness and fell to the floor.


    ¡°Kai-¡±


    [Thump]


    .


    .


    .


    Hours later¡­.


    Kai woke up in a room and bed, still feeling tired and confused. The last thing her remembered was meeting Lady Eleanor and looking at her wound. He rose up in panic


    ¡°The wound!¡±


    Katja hit his head and forced him to lay back on the bad.


    ¡°Shut up and rest. That was stupid of you!¡±


    ¡°But i¡­.i healed her wound.¡±


    ¡°And you almost went into ¡®Zero State¡¯ because of it! Don''t you know that your soul will disappear if you do that!? Your soul wont be able to go into the soulstream, you''ll disappear and become nothing. Don''t you ever do something so stupid and reckless again! Do you hear me!?¡±


    ¡°I hear you, but why are you mad?¡±


    ¡°Promise me! Promise you won''t do it ever again!¡±


    ¡°I¡­. I promise, Katja.¡±


    ¡°Good, I''m going to get Lady Eleanor, she''s been worried for you too. Just rest and gather some Ember.¡±


    Katja walks out of the room and closes the door. She walks away crying, tears drenching her face. Kaiser didn''t know the reason for Katja''s outburst. Yet for every Grant living with their owner, each one of them knew the pain. The existence of the Grants themselves is a curse to their owners. The connection turns parasitic by nature and drains their owners Ember until they reach Zero State. The only way for them to live is to kill their Grants. Most if not all owners won''t do it and they''ll even stop the ir Grants from killing themselves. And so, the Grants live a life of suffering as they watch their owner die slowly, unable to do anything. Katja was especially triggered by the scene because she has to accept it sooner or later, her owner is nearly reaching Zero State.


    Meanwhile, the Foraging squad was at the village gate unloading their harvest. A tall figure stepped out of the carriage. His skin was red as wine with a horn as sharp as blade, silver white hair and golden eyes that glowed radiantly in the night.


    ¡°Brother Salazar, I, Greyson, welcome you back and give thanks for the harvest.¡±


    The demon-like man however was preoccupied with something else, ¡°There seems to be less people crowding the carriage than usual. Did something happen while we were gone?¡±


    Greyson explained to Salazar what has transpired while Kaiser goes back to sleep to gather his strength. Little did he know that he would need every bit of it.

 Chapter 6 - Hunting Monsters

    Kai changed his clothes and went to greet everyone downstairs. Lady Eleanor was talking with Katja and Simian while Rast and Qwen were sitting near the door.


    ¡°Hey-¡±


    Katja stood up and lifted Kai off the ground, ¡°Who the fuck told you to stop resting, huh!?¡± Her intimidating nature turns her cat-like face into a tigress.


    ¡°I''m already rested enough. If I stay in bed any longer, I''d feel my body getting rusty.¡±


    ¡°I can definitely relate to that, let the man move his muscles,¡± added Rast.


    Katja threw a loaf of bread at Rast''s face, ¡°No one asked you!¡±


    ¡°A maiden''s heart is truly a fickle thing,¡± Qwem chimed in before getting thrown a bread on his face too.


    Kai looks at the scene between the three of them. It reminded him of Oliver and Rin. He wishes they were there with him.


    ¡°Come sit down, young man. You didn¡¯t get to drink your tea earlier. And here, I made some Karchag pie for you.¡±


    Kai sat down and tried eating the pie. It was spicy yet sweet. The honey helped break down the meat as it melts into his mouth. Before he knew it, he had finished the pie. He went and grabbed the tea. It was aromatic and smelled of herbal undertones but tasted slightly citrus and tangy.


    ¡°Thank you for the tea, Simian.¡±


    Simian shrugged, ¡°don''t thank me, it was Ms Eleanor''s plants that made it great.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Eleanor.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, it''s the least I could do. Not only did you heal my wound, but also replenished my Ember as well, as if my body became younger. I could never repay you enough, young man.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, how did you do that?  Drivers aren''t supposed to have healing powers. What you did was basically breaking the law of nature,¡± Katja wonders after beating up Rast and Qwen with bread.


    ¡°I don''t know, it was the same thing with your cuffs, I could just sense the flow of Ember, and then when I held Lady Eleanor''s ankle, I saw it, the broken flow. After that all I could remember was a feeling of wanting to fix it.¡±


    ¡°This makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°Maybe going into an almost zero state was a consequence of breaking the law of nature.¡± Qwen chimed in.


    ¡°Aaaaah! Whatever, as long as you''re fine now. Get your stuff ready, we''ll be going soon. The foraging squad just got back so we can use one of the carriage to travel to Halcyon. We''ll wait for you at the plaza.¡±


    Katja, Rast and Qwen grabbed their gear and went out first towards the plaza.


    ¡°Lady Eleanor ... .I understand that a Zero State is death to a soul, but do you know why Katja hates it so much?¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, everyone knows. But I think it''s better to ask her yourself if you want a personal answer from her.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    At the Plaza¡­


    When Kai reached the plaza, there seemed to be a commotion. Everyone was gathering near the fountain. In the middle was Katja and Greyson arguing again. There was someone new he didnt¡¯ recognize in between them. A demon-like person standing in between them with his arms crossed.


    ¡°You''re going against Elder Eyfos? Are you crazy Greyson?!¡±


    ¡°Elder Eyfos didn''t account for the lack of Karchag if we lose one carriage!¡±


    ¡°This is beyond us and Elder Eyfos! He has the provisional crest, this is a High council matter!¡±


    ¡°The High council''s main concern doesn¡¯t usually align with the souls below their status. Our village needs to be self-sustained.¡± Added the demon.


    Kai felt a sting in his core from those words. The sentiment was similar to what the church of deigsir felt, a disdain for those above and those in power. If he follows the path as it is now, it will most likely end up causing a rift between two factions in the village. He needs to avoid causing anyone to be aligned with the church or worse, a faction similar to it. He walked forward to the center where the three of them were talking.


    ¡°I agree. I propose a counter offer. If I can help you harvest more Karchag, will you lend me one of the carriages?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you must be the proxy. I am Salazar, the foraging squad captain. Greyson has told me much about you.¡±  He walked towards Kai and paced around him.


    ¡°Nothing good, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°Heh, sharp one aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t take a genius to see hatred in a man''s eyes, yours is different though.¡±


    ¡°And what do you see from my eyes?¡±


    ¡°.....sorrow of losing someone.¡±


    Salazar stopped moving, his expression  grew cold and blank, staring down at Kai.


    ¡°And what would you know about loss?¡±


    ¡°You tell me, what do my eyes say?¡±


    Salazar tries to peek into the emotions in his eyes. Everything around them was engulfed in darkness. Thunder and lightning hit the ground as water starts rising and whirlpools around his feet, dragging him deep underwater where almost no light could touch. From afar he sees a pair of green lights quickly approaching. As it drew near, he saw a  giant monster with green eyes that ate him whole. The scene shifted back into reality as Salazar was now on his knees and breathing heavily while drenched in his cold sweat.


    ¡°....a monster..¡±


    ¡°Wait what? I thought you were gonna say ¡®sorrow of losing someone¡¯ too. But ¡®monster¡¯? Isn''t that rude to say to someone you just met?¡±


    ¡°I don''t care, all I see is a giant monster.¡± Looks away with an annoyed expression.


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    ¡°Then what do you see Katja as?¡±


    ¡°House kitten.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, what!?¡± She hisses at both of them.


    ¡°Then I must seem like a heroic golem, right brother Salazar?¡±


    ¡°....A twig.¡±


    ¡­¡­..


    Everyone bursts into laughter at his comment while Salazar was focused on analyzing Kai. When he peeked into him again, all he could see now was a calming starry sky. Salazar didn''t know what to make of it. His [Demon''s eye] could see into the very nature of a soul and their intent. The fact that two things exist within him is a mystery. The very existence of Kai started to intrigue him.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll accept your offer to hunt Karchag. We will set out after sunset. Katja, Greyson, you''ll both join as well. I want to get this done quickly,¡± both nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Why sunset?¡±


    ¡°The Karchags are nocturnal because they have sensitive eyes. The sunlight blinds them.¡± Katja explained to the unknowing Kai.


    ¡°Sounds like they have a hard life.¡±


    ¡°Well, they breed and multiply faster than we can kill them. It''s fortunate that they''re meat is delicious, otherwise we wouldn''t know what to do with their corpses. As for the rest of its parts, we usually sell them at Halcyon for a high price.¡±


    ¡°Can''t you just turn them into Ember?¡±


    ¡°No. The ember quantity within them is barely enough for half a day of Ember usage. There are things that are useful for more than just their Ember. Anyway, are you gonna be okay?¡±


    Yeah, why''d you ask?¡±


    ¡°No, cause¡­catching Karchag is harder than it seems¡­it took 2 weeks just for the foraging squad alone.¡±


    Kai suddenly realized he was being played by both Salazar and Greyson, ¡°I seriously wanna beat them up.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t forget to invite me when that happens.¡±


    Katja, Kai, Salazar and the rest went their separate ways for the night. By morning, everyone was geared up and ready. They took two carriages and arrived in 2 days at the nearby hunting ground.


    ¡°Alright, we''ll set up camp here. Katja, set the traps. Greyson, standby for when I give the signal, the newbie and I will go scout ahead.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡± They said in unison.


    Salazar leads the way with Kai following in the back. They walk slowly and silently until they reach a cave and He gestured to Kai to stop.Salazar used his [Demon''s Eye] and to see better in the night. He counted seven Karchags.


    ¡°Listen well, Karchag''s Ember capacity is low, it''s their survival mechanism. Any Ember spike in a 5 Kilometer radius will alert them.¡±


    ¡°But didn''t you just use a Spark?¡±


    ¡°My [Demon''s eye] doesn''t use much Ember. Otherwise it would be an ineffective skill. Head back towards the camp, I''ll lure them towards the traps.¡±


    Without them realizing, a third party of enemies was approaching. It was a ¡°Hagrefir¡±. They are a dangerous species that hunts alone. The reason it hunts alone is because their power is on par with a dozen packs of Karchag. Its movements had alerted not only the Karchag pack within the cave but also the foraging squad as well. Its towering height and harrowing screech is a sign of their hunting call. Lightning came out from its horns and struck the area near the cave.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡±


    ¡°It''s a Hagrefir! This is bad. We can''t let the Karchag run away and we can''t let it get to them first. Follow me, at this point Katja and Greyson would already realized it''s a Hagrefir. Heard the Karchag towards the traps! I''ll distract the Hagrefir!¡±


    ¡°Heard them? You mean like sheeps?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what that is, but sure, like sheeps. Now go!¡±


    Salazar went straight for the Hagrefir and kicked the back of its head, ¡°Eyes on me, ugly!¡±


    Kai ran alongside the pack of Karchag, ¡°Okay, now what? I didn''t really read a manual for Karchag herding when I got here.¡±


    He tried to steer their head towards the traps but was unsuccessful, ¡°Okay, plan ¡®A¡¯ didn''t exactly work. There has to be something. I wish it wasn''t so dark. Not everyone has night vision abilities, guys!¡±


    Kai lit up his hand in bright flames and the Karchag immediately looked away and changed their course.


    ¡°Oh shit, wait, what was it that Katja said? Their eyes are sensitive to light! Alright! This could work.¡±


    Kai ran ahead and lit up the bushes and trees on fire. The Karchags avoided them and ran towards the only path that wasn''t burning and it led them towards the traps and incapacitating them. By the time Kai joined back with the base camp, he had already absorbed the flames again, avoiding a wildfire. Greyson unsheathed his sabre and used his spark to kill their prey.


    [SIlent Slice] , His green Ember accumulates within his sword and cleanly cuts their necks with the unseen power of the winds.


    ¡°Whoa, I didn''t know we had the same color. That''s cool!¡±


    ¡°It is appalling. Your usage is crude, like a blind man swinging at air. You defy the flow of nature while I use it elegantly and with its consent.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I had to ask for permission.¡± He clasped his hands as if begging the world for forgiveness.


    ¡°Empty gestures, but I guess that''s a start. Where is Brother Salazar?¡±


    ¡°He was distracting a Hagrefir i think?¡±


    ¡°Fool! No one can fight a Hagrefir alone!¡±


    [Wind Tunnel]


    Greyson boosted his way towards Salazar''s Ember signature.


    ¡°Don''t take it the wrong way, he just cares for the captain that much.¡±


    [Tri-Star Cage]


    Katja summons the cage that once held Kai and forms it around the dead Karchag.


    ¡°This way, no one can get to our spoils. Well, no one except you, that is.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, i''m truly sorry for my actions.¡±


    ¡°Let''s follow Greyson, he''s right that nobody can fight the Hagrefir alone.¡±


    They head towards the fight, but unlike Greyson, Katja doesn''t have any movement Sparks and Kai''s is still unreliable. Their speed is significantly slower than Greyson.


    ¡°Kai, try using your movement Spark again.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know how to control it, I still can''t copy Sir Retsu''s movements perfectly.¡±


    ¡°You mean you tried to copy his movement? Kai, each person has their own movement spark. What sir Retsu used may not be compatible with you. Try and think about what your own movement is, otherwise we can''t get to them in time.¡±


    Kai was lost in thought. What would be his own movement spark that''s compatible with him? He thought about the ICL and what he did to be agile in fights. He''s reminded of the fight with Basil. He had used the ring''s cage as a platform to jump up and propel him forwards. He can take it to the next level, he thought.


    ¡°Katja, get on my back and hold on tight.¡±


    She did as he said,¡±I''m guessing you found it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I''m not sure you''re going to like it.¡±


    He jumped towards one of the trees and angled his trajectory towards another tree. As his feet reached the bark, he quickly accumulated flames on his feet to combust and fling them forwards like a pinball, using the trees to bounce.


    [Inferno Steps]


    They darted from tree to tree whil Katja was unable to keep her face straight.


    ¡°I HATE THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!¡±

 Chapter 7 - Dynamic Teamwork

    Streaks of lightning came from the Hagrefir''s horns and chased Salazar everywhere he went as he dodged left and right. The terrifying brute could not seem to do any significant damage to him, but neither can he damage it back. The thick lush fur and solid metal-like skin made the impact of his kicks inert. The balanced ballad of trading empty blows was disrupted by a sudden attack from behind the Hagrefir. Greyson had arrived in the midst of the battle using [Wind Tunnel] and was still in time to help Salazar.


    ¡°I''m here to help, captain. I''m sure Katja and the buffoon are on their way as well.¡±


    They had never encountered a Hagrefir before. All they knew were from nursery rhymes and vague raid reports that didn''t add up much due to the survivor''s PTSD. The best anyone could do is survive long enough for a special subjugation squad to cage and lock them up.


    Salazar''s [Demon''s Eye] can discern the weakness of everything it encounters. The glowing golden eyes peered into the monster''s inner Ember, revealing more than what he wanted. It has been twice now that he saw a giant monster with no weakness. The Hagrefir and¡­. Kaiser. Salazar snapped his fingers, using his Spark, [Hell''s Entourage] to split his Ember into six perfect clones.


    ¡°Greyson, stay far in the rear. It has a long reach due to its limbs and lightning attacks.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain.¡±


    They coordinate their attacks by using the clones as a distraction while Greyson aims for the joints using [Silent Slice]. Greyson gritted his teeth as his attacks barely did any damage.The strategy wasn''t effective for a prolonged fight. Greyson was struggling to maintain his composure due to the constant usage of his Ember and Salazar divided his strength by using [Hell''s Entourage].


    Many of the surrounding trees were already cut down due to the Hagrefir''s soon rampage. The debris was everywhere and limiting the space for movement, cornering them into predictable patterns that the Hargefir could counter or defend against.


    Suddenly, a rustling sound from far left grew louder and an explosive flash of green flames went past, causing the Hagrefir to be startled. Katja came out from the same direction. Her hair and fur looked messy and her clothes disheveled, while being covered in leaves.


    ¡°What took you so long? I thought you guys were behind me? And where''s the mongrel?¡±


    ¡°I''m right here!¡±, Kai came back around and sent a high speed kick to the Hagrefir''s face.


    The kick had enough power to force the monster down on its knees but not strong enough to keep it down for long as it stood up and shrieked once more.


    ¡°Damn, that''s one tough bastard. My leg is kinda numb after that. So what''s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Stay alive.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping for something more, but I guess beggars can''t be choosers.¡±


    Salazar went ahead and disrupted the incoming attack with a kick to the same area where Kai struck, yet the monster was still unaffected. Salazar''s hunch was disproven. He had hoped Kai''s attack would be of use.


    ¡°Guys, I have an idea. Katja, can you make some chains?¡±


    ¡°I could, but I don''t think it''s gonna be durable enough to hold it for long.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay, we just need a few seconds. Captain Demon, we need your clones to chain its limbs so that it won''t move. Is it possible?¡±


    ¡°It''s worth a try.¡±


    ¡°Grumpson, can you aim your [Wind Tunnel] at the monster?¡±


    ¡°My name is Greyson!¡±


    ¡°Yea yea, everyone knows the game plan now. We''ll hold down the beast using chains and we''ll use [Wind Tunnel] as an accelerator and use the trees as ammo.¡±


    ¡°A high velocity impact, it might work. Let''s try this plan out.¡±


    Katja conjured up her [Tri-Star Chains] and gave it to the clones while Kai broke the fallen trees into several pieces. Salazar and his clones encircled the Hagrefir, confusing the beast and wrapping it up using the chains.


    ¡°Quick, use your spark!¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to tell me twice, mongrel!¡±


    Kai threw the cut up trees into the [Wind Tunnel], making it accelerate and quickly impacting the beast. But it wasn''t enough. The dozens of debris being thrown towards it wasn''t enough damage to pierce through its skin.


    Annoyed by their attack, the Hagrefir became frantic and broke free from the chains then proceeded to throw the surrounding debris at the four combatants. Salazar elegantly dodged left and right while holding his hand behind his back. Greyson Sparked [Silent Slice] at the ones approaching him and Katja uses her feline reflexes to dodge. Meanwhile Kai was flipping around and using the recoil from [Inferno Steps] to blast away the debris. Shrapnels of white bark flew everywhere and annoyed the other three.


    ¡°Hey, watch it! I''ll scratch your face if you end up giving me a splinter!¡±


    ¡°Stupid mongrel!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, well, that''s certainly one way of thinking on your feet.¡±


    The plan was a failure but none of them were injured, so Salazar thought it was an acceptable outcome. Kai shrugged their remarks as he is only utilizing the techniques he knows.He understands this isn''t a time for experimenting Sparks. However, Salazar thought differently.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Newbie, can you adjust your blast?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure, you mean make it into a gentle tap?¡±


    ¡°I mean condense the blast into a pinpoint strike.¡±


    ¡°Kinda risky, but I''ll try.¡±


    ¡°Good, Greyson, prepare cover for him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    Greyson Sparked [Silent Slice] to draw the beast''s attention while Kai used [Inferno Steps] to circle around the Hagrefir and send a kick to the back of its neck. Then he adjusted the blast at the point of impact, imagining the blast and turning it into a gunshot. The kick and blast connects and burns the fur but only grazes the skin. The attack had more drawbacks than advantages. Kai''s leg had begun to feel numb from the recoil.


    ¡°Is there no way to beat this thing?¡±


    ¡°Sorry to say, no one''s able to.¡±


    ¡°Then why are we fighting here, captain? Shouldn''t we head to Halcyon for reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°It''s too far from here, dumbass. We don''t have enough stamina or rations to safely get there!¡± Katja hissed at Greyson''s stupidity.


    Kai took a few seconds to catch his breath,¡±we could take turns leading the beast towards Halcyon, but that''s still risky. We would have to stay focused for days.¡±


    Salazar nodded in agreement. He came to the same conclusion as Kai when the battle started,¡±we have to find a way through its thick skin somehow.¡±


    ¡°If physical blows don''t work, could we try poisoning it?¡± Katja added while dodging the Hagrefir''s attacks.


    ¡°Futile option. No ordinary poison works on a Hagrefir.¡±


    ¡°So the only option is to hit it from the inside out with physical blows right? Dynamites sure would come in handy.¡± Kai had an epiphany as soon as he said those words and looked at Katja with wide eyes and sly grin.


    ¡°Yo, Captain Demon and Sir Grumps-a-lot, can you two aggro it? I''ve got an idea, but we need some time.¡±


    ¡°I fucking said my name is Grey-¡±


    ¡°Understood, just try to be quick about it. Let''s go Greyson. ¡±Salazar interrupted Greyson before he could finish his sentence and went ahead with his clones. He didn''t like following Kai''s orders but he respects Salazar way too much to care and followed his lead.


    ¡°Kat, do you guys have explosives in this world? Something that would cause a similar blast like my Spark.¡±


    ¡°I''ve heard of mines, TNT and C4 before, but I don''t know what they look like.¡±


    ¡°Okay i''ll draw it out, we''ll go with a simple timer bomb.¡±


    Kaiser drew a schematic of a simple timer bomb on the ground. Katja tried and failed to conjure up the explosive at the first few tries but finally succeeded in time. Three of six clones were obliterated by the Hagrefir and Greyson was starting to get low on Ember.


    ¡°Captain, Greyson, move back!¡±


    Kai went past them in a green flash , dodging around the Hagrefir''s attacks and trying to get close near its mouth. The Hagrefir used lightning from his horns. Unable to dodge fast enough, Kai was struck and caught mid air but Salazar''s clones striked its arms, freeing Kai from its grasps but he was a half second too late. Kai was in pain, a few of his ribs seemed to be broken, but there was no time to recover.


    He quickly used [Inferno Steps] once more and went around and along its back, then shoved the tiny bomb inside its mouth and started the timer.


    ¡°Have a taste of this, you big lump of anger management issues!¡±


    5¡­¡­ The Hagrefir frantically tried to hit Kai who was on top of him. 4¡­. Kai took the blows while making sure it didn''t spit out the bomb until the last second. 3¡­. Kai gritted his teeth and held on tight as the Hagrefir struck him again with lightning. 2¡­¡­It was time. He quickly jumped off and took distance. 1¡­. The Hagrefir had no time to think. 0¡­it tried to scream, but got cut off mid way by the bomb''s blast, exploding its head from the inside out. It''s blood splattered .


    The tall body of the monster went and fell to its knees before slumping and falling down altogether. The blood from its head flowed out like a gentle stream.


    Salazar quickly sat down after confirming the Hagrefir''s death. He couldn''t believe they managed to beat a Hagrefir, let alone with the help of a newbie soul. Kai laid not far from the corpse with some of the blood splattered on his clothes and body. Katja came over and tended to the worn out Greyson, taking out and sharing a precious Ember Flask from her waist pouch.


    ¡°No, Katja! You need to keep that!¡±


    ¡°I''m just giving you a bit, I don''t want you to go into Zero state after we just survived hell.¡±


    ¡°Fine! But i''m paying it back once we get to Halcyon¡±


    ¡°Sure sure, now open your goddamn mouth before i have to choke and open it for you¡±


    Salazar went to check on Kai and if he needed medical attention. It was a surprise to see that he was already recovering by intaking the Ember from Hagrefir''s corpse directly. The burnt wounds from the lightning strikes have begun to clear up and his skin began to heal by itself.


    ¡°Trying to understand you makes me more confused every time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I''m just a simple man that''s only good at fighting.¡±


    ¡°Indeed you are.¡±


    ¡°Are they always bickering like that?¡± Kai looks at Katja and Greyson messing around.


    ¡°They''ve always been like that. They came to the village near the same time with their owners. After Greyson lost his owner, Katja''s been looking out for him like an older sister.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Definitely sounds like her. I''m sure she''s gonna nag at me too after this.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, sadly I can''t help you with that one.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least help me up. We gotta get this corpse back to the village. I''m sure we can get good materials from it, right Foraging Squad Captain Salazar?¡± Kai gave a sly smirk.


    Salazar sighed as he accepted Kai''s teasing. Kai saw through his intentions to gain the Hagrefir corpse as a bargaining chip to increase the economy and reputation of the village. He realized that Kai was no mere newbie at all.


    Salazar sighs and helps Kai to stand up, ¡°Right.¡±


    After they recovered enough from the fight, they took all the corpses back towards the village. When they arrived, everyone gathered around them at the front gate and saw their worned out appearance.


    ¡°Captain, are you injured? Did the newbie get in the way and caused this?!¡±


    ¡°Calm down. The newbie did nothing wrong. If anything, he was a big help. He even helped us defeat a Hagrefir.¡± Salazar uncovered the cargo to reveal the corpses. Several Karchag and a Hagrefir.


    The villagers and a few Squad members'' jaws dropped at the sight. Despite the proof they couldn''t believe that Kai killed a Hagrefir.¡±


    ¡°We will gain glory and fame as we claim the kill and report it to Halcyon, and it''s all thanks to Kai!¡± Salazar grabbed Kai''s arm and held it up high. Everyone started cheering after they realized what it could mean for them in the future.


    ¡°I can''t take credit for this alone!¡± Kai went and grabbed Katja''s and Greyson''s hands and held them up.


    ¡°We all played a part in it! The Captain, Me, Katja and Greyson!¡±


    The cheers grew louder. Katja blushed as her tail wagged gently. Greyson felt unsure of the praise but accepted it as he looked at Kai in a new light. Meanwhile, Salazar watched from the side with a smirk that everything went according to his plan. The Village morale was at an all-time high. They gained a new strong ally in Kai as he is not only a strong fighter but a proxy of Lord Hayashi Retsu of the High Council.


    The day ended with a feast, celebrating the abundant harvest and their potential future.

 Chapter 8 - Looking back

    The bright warm sun shone through the gaps between the curtains and landed on Katja''s face, blinding her through her eyelids and waking her up.


    She slowly sat up on the edge of the bed and was reminded of the terrifying scene of yesterday''s fight. She could only stand still in fear and kept her distance. She pinched her cheeks, still in disbelief of the result.


    ¡°I''m still alive¡­.¡±


    She quickly got up and took a long shower. She didn''t get to clean herself from all the dirt and blood when she got back home. She took a Nir-pop from the medicine from the medicine cabinet. Niir-pop is part of the outer shell or scales of a Piniir. A Pinnir is a harmless semi-aquatic monster that defends itself by discharging its scales that produces bubbles that blind and damage their eyesight once it is popped. However, if used moderately, it becomes a useful soap and shampoo.


    She thoroughly cleaned every part of her body, down to each fur. After showering, she decided to wear a blue sundress with white stripes and trim. She rarely ever goes out in a dress, but after surviving yesterday she was feeling blessed and grateful. The sundress was a gift from Vanessa, her Granter.


    It was shortly after they, including Greyson and his Granter, Ashley had arrived at the Village. Vanessa got a job working as a tailor''s apprentice, and the sundress was completed as her first product and gift for Katja.


    Katja wanted to give a gift for Vanessa as well, to appreciate all the love and care that she gave throughout the years. She wanted to make Vanessa''s favorite dish, a strawberry pie. She looked forward to her mother''s strawberry pie every weekend when they were still alive on Earth. Unfortunately, Orizen doesn''t have the same ingredients available so Katja has to make everything from scratch with the ingredients within Orizen. She went around the market and bought all the necessary ingredients.


    _______________________


    A box full of wrytberry. The taste of a wrytberry is similar to a strawberry, yet it has an added spiciness to it.


    One Araskgua gland. The Araskgua are a deep sea monster that lives near the underwater volcano in the Ruht kingdom territory. Their glands contain a freezing agent that allows them to breathe and live near the volcano. Only the Ruht kingdom has the means to hunt them down safely.


    A jar of finely grounded Nibel tooth. Nibel are tiny harmless monsters that have a sweeth tooth. They are easily tamed by using the Ny''Lanter herb. Their teeth absorb the sweetness of the herbs and separates the rest of the minerals and nutrients into shiny pearls. Of course, due to domestication, they have evolved their teeth to regenerate to avoid permanent damage.


    A kilogram of Kinsu starch. Taken from the Kinsu plant that grows on the island of Gelsrig, where the Centaurs reside.


    A kilogram of Safrita flour. A genetically altered flour that is made to resemble Earth''s flour made by one of the genius geneticists at Crystal Empire, Safrita Asmara.


    A jar of vegetable shortening. Made from vegetable oils such as Kinsu seeds, Oltura leaves and malbeans.


    And a bottle of stastil milk. Stastil are herbivores who can survive almost anything. Its body adapts to the environment and negates any attacks from predators. The milk produced from a stastil adopts the state of adaptability. When heated, it becomes solid like a block of butter, when frozen, the form becomes similar to whipped cream.


    _______________________


    As she grabbed the last ingredient, Lady Eleanor came and greeted her at the stall.


    ¡°I see you''re already up and about. Are you sure you''re well rested, dear?¡±


    ¡°Oh, good morning, Lady Eleanor. I''ve slept long enough. You know how I''m not the type to stay idle for long.¡±


    Lady Eleanor looks over at Katja''s basket,¡±I see you''re planning on making something special since  Is it for your Granter?¡±


    Katja nodded and smiled,¡±Yes, I want to make something special for her.¡±


    ¡°Then we should make it merrier. I''ll let Simian know to bring tea and cookies. Maybe invite Greyson and the squad captain, and don''t forget young Kaiser.¡±


    ¡°I think Miss Vanessa would love that. Although, I doubt the captain would join in.¡±


    ¡°That is a shame, but I understand his choice given his history. Regardless, let¡¯s make this a memorable day for her.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take my leave first then, Lady Eleanor.¡±


    She nods as Katja leaves the market to see Greyson.


    Meanwhile in the squad training ground, Salazar and Kaiser were sparring in front of the entire squad members.


    [Devastation Heel]


    The purple Embers gathered around Salazar''s right foot. He jumped high into a summersault and kicked from above using the heel. While it isn''t a fast attack, the accumulated Ember increases the strength, density while multiplying the gravity depending on how high the jump is. Kai tries to block it by channeling most of the Ember into his arms and withstanding the blow. There was no foreseeable damage, yet the impact was received in full and caused his arm to vibrate and his muscle spasmed for a few seconds.


    ¡°Damn, you never missed leg day haven''t you?¡±


    ¡°It''s usually not that strong, I''ve adjusted it after seeing your moves yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should steal your moves and make clones as well.¡±


    ¡°I would say it''s unlikely, but you''ve proven to be an anomaly.¡±


    ¡°Heh, right back at you, buddy.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t the slightest clue on what you''re talking about,¡±Salazar gives Kai a smirk and feigns ignorance.


    ¡°such a humble guy.¡± Sarcastically remarked Kai. ¡°Up for round three?¡±, he added.


    ¡°I was waiting for you to recover your stamina.¡±


    ¡°Heh, show-off.¡±


    The two went to spar once more as the squad continued to watch on the side. A couple of members were talking to Greyson regarding Kaiser.


    ¡°I can''t believe the new kid''s going toe to toe with the captain. I''m usually tired after one spar session, yet they''re going for three.¡±


    ¡°The runt still got nothing on the Captain. He''ll tire himself out eventually.¡±


    ¡°I forgot you''re such a big fanboy of the Cap''n, Greyson.¡±


    ¡°Watch it. I may be a fan of the Captain, but it''s all based on respect and not just some blind devotion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, fanboy, we get it.¡±


    At the same time, Katja arrives at the training ground and walks over towards Greyson and the other members while also looking at Kaiser and Salazar''s intense spar session.


    ¡°Are they trying to kill each other? I''ve never seen Captain Salazar so focused before. Well, except for yesterday''s fight.¡±


    ¡°Hey Katja, you seem more unbiased than Greyson. Who do you think is stronger?¡±


    ¡°Of course it''s the Captain!¡±


    ¡°We''re asking Katja, not you.¡±


    She looks intently at the two fighters. Her tail curls as she thinks deeply about the matter, determining every factor and variables.


    ¡°For now, the Captain has the advantage. Seeing as he''s a new soul, Kaiser''s usage of his Ember is still unrefined. Greyson also picked up on that yesterday.¡±


    ¡°See! Even Katja agrees with me!¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t finished. I said ¡®for now¡¯ because seeing his progress in real time is no joke. I only gave him a hint on how to utilize his Ember and he immediately got it on the first try. He even adjusted it instantly after the Captain asked if he could, like it wasn''t even a problem.¡±


    ¡°So what? It''s not like any of us haven''t had those moments as well.¡±


    ¡°The difference is, Kaiser is constantly doing it non-stop. I''m pretty sure he''s thinking of new attack patterns and Sparkspells along with the adjustments mid spar. It''s honestly inspiring¡­¡­. and scary at the same time.¡±


    Greyson''s expression turned sour. He doesn''t want to admit it, but he agrees with Katja after seeing Kaiser fight the Hagrefir. Katja notices his expression and tries to cheer him up by talking about the dinner invite.


    ¡°Anyways, i was on my way here to invite you guys to a dinner party at my place tonight, i''ll even cook your favorite as well, Greyson. A bowl of ¡°Feyndari Frostbites¡±.


    Greyson''s eyes grew wide as he turned his gaze towards Katja,¡±Really? You will? I love Feyndari Frostbites! Especially if it''s your cooking!¡±


    Katja''s smile grew, knowing Greyson''s mood is better. Then a loud crashing sound startled them. All the squad members winced at the scene of Kaiser being thrown towards the weapon''s rack. Katja went over and helped Kaiser to stand up.


    ¡°Damn, that such a cheat move, you didn''t tell me you could use illusions too.¡±


    ¡°What''s the point in revealing your cards to the opponent?¡± Salazar said with a smirk.


    ¡°Heh... So unfair, I''ll beat you next ti-...¡±Kaiser fell unconscious while Katja tried to hold him up and support him.


    ¡°I''ll look forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? How am I going to invite him to the dinner party now?! Wake up, idiot!¡±


    ¡°Dinner party? Is there a celebratory occasion?¡± Salazar tilts his head while thinking if he missed something.


    ¡°No Captain, nothing too special. I just wanted to celebrate the fact that we''re still alive. I''m making some strawberry pie for my owner and feyndari frostbites for Greyson. I know you don''t exactly like parties, but do you wanna join as well?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I guess it is worth celebrating. You don''t have to worry about me, I''ll enjoy some frostbites as well.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Alright then. Now, what to do with him?¡±Katja looked at the unconscious Kaiser with annoyance.


    ¡°Just bring him to your place. I''m sure he''ll be happy to wake up to a delicious meal.¡±


    Katja wanted to disagree since the only room available with a bed is hers. but she knows that since he came to the village, he hasn''t had the time to get a place to stay of his own.


    ¡°Fine, but you gotta help pick him up, Captain. I already have my hands full with groceries.¡±


    The sun had set by the time Kai was awake. He got up and remembered that Salazar had beaten him using an illusion as a feint, baiting Kai into charging forwards while Salazar circled around and landed a sudden blow from the rear.


    With all the constant fighting and sparring, Kai was surprised that his body felt no fatigue or pain. Subconsciously, his Ember had begun to heal his body during his slumber. Coincidentally, he also felt that his body had undergone several changes.


    He lost a bit of muscle mass all over his body, but it didn''t feel like he lost any strength. He tried to do a jab and ended up causing a shockwave that blew away the surroundings within the room. Then he started to wonder, ¡°Whose room is this?¡± before looking towards the vanity table and seeing a framed picture of a younger Katja and a young woman in her 20''s. Their smiles in the picture captured so much happiness. He realized that she must be Katja''s owner. Before he wanders off to inspect anything else, he hears chatter from outside the room on the first floor. He walked out the room and down the stairs to see that everyone''s already in her house.


    Rast, Qwen and Greyson were setting up the dining table. Salazar was lounging on the couch with Lady Eleanor while drinking a cup of melodium tea, while Simian was helping Katja clean up the kitchen before serving the food and beverages.


    Kai just stood there, confused as to why everyone was at Katja''s home.


    ¡°Hey sleepyhead, welcome to the party. Go grab a seat.¡± said Katja with a warm smile.


    Kai sat on one of the dining chairs, still not knowing what the dinner party was for. But, he is not one to pass up free food.


    ¡°Alright everyone, food is done. Take your seats.¡± She takes a tray full of various foods while Simian holds the drinks. Katja then hung up her apron to go upstairs.


    ¡°Where are you going? You''re not eating with us?¡±


    ¡°I will, I just have to bring one more person.¡± She went up to the other room where her Granter, Vanessa was sleeping in. Her hair was already gray and her body weak and frail.


    ¡°Hey kitten, why the long face?¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing, I just wanted to give you a surprise, hehehe .¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Katja didn''t give her an answer and lifted Vanessa up in her arms. She slowly walked down the stairs and eventually sat her down on the chair next to her. Without a moment to spare, Kai did the courteous thing and introduced himself first.


    ¡°Good evening madam, I''m Kaiser. You must be Katja''s Granter. She''s been kind enough to let me rest in this house and I''m grateful to you both.¡±


    ¡°Please, call me Vanessa.¡±


    ¡±Of course, Miss Vanessa.¡±


    ¡°Such a gentle young man, you are.¡± Greyson rolled his eyes at Vanessa''s remark towards Kai. She then looks around the table to see all the delicious food


    ¡°Did you make all this, Kitten?¡±


    ¡°I had some help from Simian, he''s got quite delicate hands despite his large size.¡±


    Simian puffed his chest out to show that he accepts the compliment and is proud of his delicate side.


    Greyson hadn''t eaten anything since morning and hwe was reluctant to say anything for the sake of being polite. But, he was excited for Katja''s cooking and was holding back from taking any of the delicious food in front of him. Unfortunately, his stomach ultimately betrayed him and let out a long and loud grumble. To save him from further embarrassment, Katja began to break bread.


    The rest of the night filled with joy and laughter as they exchanged stories regarding their life with their granters before they came to the village. Rast and Qwen displayed their scars proudly. Their granters were lifelong friends who were very fond of fighting video games. Rast and Qwen were born to be their respective champions. Throughout years of battle, they also became friends like their owners and promised to live and die together just like them.


    Meanwhile, Lady Eleanor struggles to remember most of the days with her owner, but she fondly remembers a time where they dressed up as princesses for her granter''s 18th birthday. Her smile was wide and bright as she recounted the day. Vanessa and Katja also reminisced their early days together and how they were both shy towards each other but grew closer through the days that they survived together.


    At the end of the table, Kai was smiling and filled with joy as he listened to their stories. Yet, the smile began to fade slowly as his mind wandered to the situation with his own family. The dark scenes of his childhood quickly came to his mind. A particular rainy night engulfed by raging winds and accompanied by the deafening drum beats of thunder and lightning. His younger self walked out of his room while gripping his blanket tightly. He went towards his parents bedroom. Before he could knock, a loud crash came from within and startled him. What follows was a conversation that has haunted him throughout his life.


    ¡°Why?! How could you do this David!? And with the head maid!? Do you know how mortifying that is for me!?¡±


    ¡°There you go again! It''s always about you isn''t it? I tried my best, Val! I''ve tried for years. You''ve been distant ever since Kaiser was born, why is that?¡±


    ¡°....You don''t understand.¡±


    ¡°How could i? You never want to talk about it, and everytime i ask, you get frustrated and just ignore me! I want my wife back! I''ve been wanting you back for years! I''m tired of being unwanted, Val!¡±


    ¡°...It''s¡­not you¡­¡±


    ¡°Then tell me¡­..if it''s not me then what?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter anymore, David. You broke our vow.¡±


    ¡°....I know. I caused this pain, I''m sorry. but I was hurting too. I know it sounds like an excuse. But my feelings matter too, Valerie.¡±


    ¡°...Godamnit. I try my best to avoid ending up like him, yet I''m doing the same goddamn thing.¡±


    ¡°Like who? Who are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Who else but my bastard father?¡­.He did the same thing, started distancing himself from me and my mother and ended up neglecting us. At some point he never came back and I just gave up on hoping. One night, I snapped at my mother for picking him as her husband and she slapped me across my face. I was frustrated, I hated him¡­I hate how he was a horrible dad, a horrible husband, but most of all I hate that he made my mother fall for his stupid lies.¡±


    ¡°But you weren''t like this when we started dating. You were so loving and attentive. What changed?¡±


    Valerie started crying louder. She wiped her tears while trying to give him an answer.


    ¡°Please don''t make me say it.¡±


    ¡°Would you rather we go to couples counseling?¡±


    ¡°No! Dear God, please, no couples counseling. I don''t want this recorded anywhere, let alone a shrink''s notes.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me. I won''t judge you, Val.¡±


    ¡°It''s because of our son¡­¡±


    ¡°Kai? Was it the baby blues?¡±


    ¡°No, I love him! He''s our firstborn child. But I can''t control it, David. He looks exactly like my father. Everytime i see him, every resentment I have for my father just bursts out. I don''t know what to do!¡±


    Before they finished talking, Kai had left. Hearing those words come out from his own mother''s lips affected Kaiser more than he thought. He tried to understand it as much as he could, but he never had a chance to meet his grandfather. He empathized with his own mother yet embraced his own resentment towards the situation.


    The night continued smoothly as they finished all the food without leaving any bits or crumbs behind.


    Rast and Qwen were the first ones to leave since they had an early shift in the morning. Lady Eleanor and Simian were also preparing to leave after helping out with the dishes. Before they left, Lady Eleanor pulled Katja to the side.


    ¡°I''m sure I wasn''t the only one that noticed young Kaiser''s expression midway through the conversation.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I saw it too. But it seemed like something he doesn''t want to talk about.¡±


    ¡°How would you know?¡±


    ¡°Call it a feline''s instinct, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Maybe just be there for him? I''m only saying this because you seemed the one closest to him.¡±


    ¡°I think it was only because we talked so much about firearms and weapons during the ride back yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Whichever it may be, you should do what you can.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Lady Eleanor and Simian were the next ones to leave, holding on to their empty food baskets that were full of food when they came. Kai, Greyson and Salazar waved them goodnight.


    ¡°Are you going home, Captain?¡±


    ¡°No, Mautir asked me to switch with him for the nightwatch shift. He said the Elders had an assignment for him.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, I rarely see them do that. You think it''s related to yesterday''s incident, Captain?¡±


    ¡°It''s still too early to tell, but it is worrisome. Newbie, I think you have to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°People fear the unknown. You''ve displayed abilities beyond a normal fighter or guard in this village. Safe to say there may be hurdles soon.¡±


    ¡°You''re just trying to scare me right?¡±


    ¡°You should heed Captain''s words seriously. I don''t entirely like you, but even I wish you harm.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I''ll be cautious.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, I''ll be in the barracks if you need me, Captain. I don''t feel much like staying home alone tonight.¡±


    Greyson walked into the darkness of night towards the barracks and Salazarexcused himself and went towards the south tower. Katja then came outside after bringing Vanessa back upstairs and accompanied Kai who was still outside the door..


    ¡°You want to stay at our place for the night?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I think I''ve overstayed my welcome and had enough sleep to last a week.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself. Wanna go for a walk then?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    They both walked towards the middle of the plaza where the fountain is. Katja then acrobatically did a somersault and landed on the edge of the fountain gracefully.


    ¡°Doom and gloom don''t suit your style, Kai.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?


    ¡°I mean your expression midway through dinner. All of us could tell there was something on your mind. Really poor acting skills if i do say so myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? And what do you know about acting?¡±


    ¡°Just so you know, i''ve studied all the plaus that Vanessa was in back when she was young. I learned from one of the greats!¡±


    ¡°Was she? I don''t recognize her though.¡±


    ¡°Of course you wouldn''t. She wanted to make a name for herself, so she used a stage name, Joy Anne.¡±


    ¡°Wait really? Your Vanessa is Joy Anne? But.. Katja, sh-¡±


    Katja put her finger on his lips before he could finish the sentence.


    ¡°I know, im her Grant remember? I know every moment of her life, right up intil the end¡­and then some. I appreciate your feelings, but she is happy now. I''m happy. WE are happy.¡±


    ¡°I see, I''m glad then. She deserves to be happy.¡±


    ¡°All of us do, including you, dummy.¡±


    He nervously laughed at the thought. His main sense of happiness, his sister was taken away from him.


    ¡°Somehow I doubt that.¡±


    ¡°Is that part of why you''re so gloomy?¡±


    ¡°I- yeah, you could say that.¡±


    He sat at the edge of the fountain and Katja followed, laying her hand on top of his.


    ¡°It''s okay to be scared. I won''t judge you.¡±


    His mind flashes back to the words his father used to comfort his mother. At this moment he had a decision to make. Either follow her mother''s footsteps and let himself be vulnerable as a result or be worse than her and distance himself from a potentially blooming friendship? Neither choice was ideal, but Kai had decided to take a chance.


    ¡°I didn''t arrive on Orizen alone. My sister¡­ she was ta-¡±


    Before he could even begin to explain his story, a division of guardsmen had hastily arrived at the fountain and surrounded both of them. The group was led by Mautir, the one whom Salazar had mentioned  and asked him for a shift change.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°By the order of the Elders, I am to escort sir Kaiser towards the Village Courtall.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Mautir, what is this all about? Its the middle of the night, for fucks sake.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry Ma''am, I''m just doing my job. They didn''t inform me of the contents.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, Kat. Salazar kinda warned me earlier, so I knew this was coming. I just didn''t know it would be this soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but if he''s going, then so am i.¡±


    Mautir gestured his hand for them to move and follow the guards in front of them. The tension in the air is high. Each guard seemed to be on edge and full of anxiousness. Kai''s mood had worsened and his emotion had begun to manifest a stinging sensation in each and everyone''s chest. Unfortunately, he wasn''t aware that it had affected Katja as well, as she is having a hard time breathing. Yet, she continued walking by his side. Because she is the only one that realizes that Kai is hurting the most.

 CHapter 9 - Moving forward

    The Courthall was filled up and crowded with more villagers trying to get inside and listen in on the meeting. The Village Elders sat down in their respective chairs as Kai stood in the middle. Elder Eyfos looked pensively at Kai and towards Katja who was sitting nearby.


    ¡°We are here tonight to address the current situation regarding the young Kaiser''s request as a proxy of the Orizen Highguard Council, Hayashi Retsu.¡±


    Kaiser''s demeanor was calm. If it''s regarding the request, then it could have been done in the morning. There was something missing that Kai didn''t anticipate. Another Elder stepped up. He had a long blue mane that reaches to the ground.


    ¡°As previously stated, Elder Eyfos had used his right as a leader to vote and agree with the request of Sir Retsu''s proxy. Upon reviewing the reports of nearby danger such as  the harrowing monsters like the Hagrefir, the rest of the Elders of the Grant Village have voted to rescind the original decision.¡±


    Kai''s expression turned grim as he stood silent. Katja wanted to say something but was too scared to speak up against the Elders. She only knew of one person with such gall, and that was Salazar. So she went out of the courthall and quickly went towards the south tower to ask for his backup.


    Kai lifted his head and calmly asked the Elder.


    ¡°I understand the concerns of the Elders. Is there a way we can comprimise? A guide is all I need to reach Halcyon.¡±


    ¡°You have displayed your capability of survival against such monsters, but what of the guide on his way back? Would you leave him to fend for himself?¡± Asked a Lady Elder beside Elder Eyfos.


    ¡°It is already more than courteous enough of us to even consider the matter again.¡± said the blue maned Elder


    ¡°Please, this is important to me. I need to reach Halcyon as soon as possible.¡±


    Kai looked left and right to see if any of the Elders would sympathize with his plight. Yet, none of them did. Even Elder Eyfos looked down in defeat. He was the only one that was on Kai''s side, but once the others have voted, he has no power.


    Elder Eyfos wonders and spoke his mind, ¡°Why are you pleading so adamantly,


    young Kaiser? While you are the proxy of sir Retsu, I am sure he will understand our predicament.¡±


    ¡°I hold a promise. One that benefits me more than him. I have to do what I can to uphold my end of the bargain.¡±


    Elder Eyfos seems puzzled by his statement.


    ¡°A promise? To whom? Sir Retsu?¡±, the Lady Elder


    ¡°A promise between a proxy and his master does not concern the Village and its safety!¡±


    At that moment, something within Kai snapped. No one was fast enough to react. Kaiser left a tiny explosion where he stood and charged forward to where the foulmouthed Elder was seated, holding their robe in his hands and slightly lifting them. Suddenly, Greyson came running from outside the Courthall and jumped next to him, pointing his blade at Kaiser''s neck followed by Mautir and several guards that were present..


    ¡°Stand down, runt!¡±, said Greyson.


    ¡°Greyson, don''t !¡±, yelled Katja who came running after him.


    Salazar walked into the courthall after her and held her back from doing anything stupid. He frowned as he looked at the less than ideal nature of the situation. Before he could think up of a way to de-escalate the situation, the blue haired Elder spoke up and gave him an order.


    ¡°Captain Salazar! You are abandoning your post at the south tower! Your insubordination will be overlooked once you apprehend this fool!¡±


    Salazar''s mood wasn''t any better than Kai''s. Everything regarding this situation was all too convenient. Mautir was as loyal to the village as Greyson, while Salazar himself wasn''t too attached despite being a Captain. If Salazar were the one to be given the order, Kai would not have been here. The sudden meeting in the night was also convenient to avoid the eyes of the public as they would have been opposed to this due to their liking of Kaiser after yesterday''s incident. All of this could lead to making Kaiser an enemy. Something that Salazar wishes to never happen.


    ¡°Elders, I ask you, why does this need to be announced in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°This is a pressing matter of our own survival and prosperity, of course it should be prioritized immediately!¡± Said the Lady Elder.


    ¡°As the one that made the report, I have specifically stated that there were no signs of any other Hagrefir or dangerous monsters nearby. I also added in another report of additional scouting earlier in the day that suggests no immediate danger.¡±


    ¡°We have received yesterday''s report, but have not seen any additional ones.¡± Said Elder Eyfos.


    ¡°I''ve handed it personally to the Elder in charge of security, Elder Paronte.¡±


    Salazar looked at the blue haired Elder named Paronte. Eyfos, the Lady Elder Kimari and several others followed and looked at Paronte. His expression grew into one of exaggerated  anger.


    ¡°No immediate danger does not mean there are none! We have barely enough resources for ourselves. And we should lend our village''s assets for what? A High Council member and his stupid proxy?! Listen to me well, fellow Grant Elders. Where was the High Council when we needed them? When the Eastern kingdoms drove us towards the west like an unwanted disease!?¡±


    Kaiser looked at Greyson and back towards the Elders. He opened his mouth and his tone was wildly different from before, there was no kindness or playfulness to it. There was only deep and calm rage. He let go of Paronte''s robe and stood back down as the guards sheathed their weapons as well.


    ¡°I see there''s no difference which world I am in, there will always be people like you. You''re no better than the Eastern Kingdoms you speak of, or that scummy priest of Deigsir.¡±


    The other Elders gasped in fear of what came out of Kai''s mouth. Elder Eyfos immediately asked him several questions.


    ¡°Young Kaiser. Please answer with a yes or no. Is Sir Retsu''s request connected with the Deigsir church?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Sir Retsu should have gone to Halcyon himself. Is he perhaps engaged in something that limits his actions?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are we in immediate danger? Is the church moving towards us?¡±


    ¡°I don''t have an answer for that. Sir Retsu was following the tracks of a priest that I previously encountered. He took someone from me. I happened to meet Sir Retsu when I first got into Orizen. He promised to chase the priest down and give them back to me. In return I should ask for a ride from this village towards Halcyon, to alert the Wanderers Guildmaster.¡±


    ¡°Fancy lies does not sway us to your plight! The church has not been seen or existed since the last war!¡± Yelled Elder Paronte.


    ¡°I''ll quote your words then, ¡®no immediate danger doesn''t mean there are none.¡¯ Maybe they''re hiding in Orizen. But I sure as hell know that they''ve been active on Earth.¡±


    Elder Eyfos stood up to address the other Elders.


    ¡°Friends, this has gone far beyond the scope and jurisdiction of the Village. Please reconsider and allow aid for the young Kaiser''s journey.¡±


    ¡°Eyfos, you are far too soft on this matter. If anything, we should refocus and prepare our village for the worst.¡± Said the Elder Kimari who was full of fear.


    ¡°I agree with Eyfos, this could be a chance to send an envoy to ask for an alliance with Halcyon,¡± Said Elder Trombal calmly.


    ¡°Fools! The Halcians will not agree on an alliance with us unless they benefit from it!¡± Elder Paronte refuted with condescension.


    ¡°We should listen to reason and logic. Paronte''s words makes sense! They''re a city of Wanderers!¡± Elder Druk yelled loudly with frustration.


    ¡­.


    The delibiration continued for almost half an hour. Finally they reached a verdict on the matter of helping Kaiser. Six agreed, while the other Seven disagreed. Kai saw amd recognized Elder Eyfos''s face. The face of a fighter that had lost a battle.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I''m so sorry, young Kaiser.¡±


    Kaiser''s rage was valid. He was given approval to use a carriage only to jump through hoops, doing the foraging squads work and suddenly defending the village from a possible attack from a nearly unkillable monster, only for that approval to be retracted due to the selfish fears of the ones who are in power. But, looking at Katja, Greyson and Salazar, he felt guilt. Like he was in the wrong. He knew they wanted to help, but there were too many risks for them to consider. Kai turned around and walked away, feeling defeated.


    ¡°Cowards. I''ll do it myself then.¡±


    Rage swelled up within Elder Paronte due to Kai''s insult, ¡°Guards! Quickly arrest this ruffian!¡±


    His orders were met with silence.


    ¡°Why are you all just standing there! Do your job or I will have you removed from your positions!¡±


    ¡±Enough, Paronte! Please read the room.¡± Elder Eyfos snapped and slammed his fist on the desk.


    The foul-mouthed Elder took a look around the room. Salazar looked down at the ground. He was angry at the Elders for causing them to lose a strong ally and instead made him into a terrifying enemy. Everyone made way for Kaiser to walk out. Katja fell to her knees and silently cried. Greyson ran to the side and puked as he was disgusted at his own actions that didn''t align with his principle.


    Kai had taken a few of the equipment from the weapons storage. He equipped himself with leather karchag armor, steel vambrace and greaves. Before he arrived at the gates, Katja, Salazar and Greyson were already waiting there for him. Katja spoke out first.


    ¡°Are you planning on going by yourself?¡±


    ¡°There''s not much of a choice. I''d love it if you guys could join, but I know that is not gonna happen.¡±


    ¡°What makes you so sure, runt? You think you know everything? That you can do everything?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me, Greyson?¡±


    Kai rushes towards Greyson, grabbing his chainmail and lifts him up against the wall near the gate.


    ¡°I know I was out of line, but your first instinct was to point your blade at my neck! And you''re mad at me for expecting you to be anything but loyal to your cowardly leaders!?¡±


    Kai threw him to the ground and wanted to pounce on him and throw a few punches at his face but Salazar cut him off and extended his hand, holding Kai back.


    ¡°Cool your head, Newbie. We just want to talk.¡±


    Kai took a deep breath and quickly brushed his hand away, before throwing a jab at Salazar and knocking him back a few steps, knowing his guard was down.


    ¡°Damnit, Newbie!¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing to talk about and I have a name. So knock it off with the Newbie shit or I''ll knock you out, asshole.¡±


    ¡°Kai, stop!¡±


    Katja grabbed onto Kai''s arm and tried to pull him back while trying to hold back her own tears. Kai sighed as he couldn''t bring himself to fight Katja. She remninded him of Rin. He raised his arms in surrender.


    ¡°Fine, I give.¡±


    Moments later, they all sat down near the gate. Katja gave a wide smile to Kai, giving them a chance.


    ¡°I''ll ask the elephant in the room then. Is your sister the person that the priest took?¡±


    Kai gave a loud sigh and nods, giving confirmation to the first of many questions.


    ¡°I assume you''ll wait at Halcyon to rendezvous with Sir Retsu and your Sister?¡± asked Salazar.


    ¡°That''s the plan.¡±


    ¡°You think he can save your sister? I''m not saying he can''t, he''s a High Guard. But let''s assume that the church has been hiding, they wouldn''t have been idle all this time. I can''t imagine how much strength they must''ve stacked up.¡±


    Everyone looked at Greyson and judged his remark, wondering who''s side he was on.


    ¡°I honestly can''t tell. The priest was scary, scarier than the Hagrefir. But I''ve known Sir Retsu''s character from a local legend. Meeting him the first time and seeing his skill, I could tell. The legends didn''t do him enough justice.


    ¡°And what will you do once you reunite with her? You probably can''t go back to Earth.¡±


    ¡°I know that. I''ve already accepted it. There''s probably a chance to save her in time before mine and her body decomposes on Earth. I''d just be happy if I can keep her soul safe and away from his dirty decrepit demonic fingers.¡±


    Along with the last few words, the calm rage from within Kai seeped through once again.


    ¡°Alright, that settles it then. Wait here.¡±


    The two Guards stood up and each walked away in a different direction, leaving the Captain alone with Kai.


    ¡°Do I want to ask what''s going on?¡±


    ¡°You are selfishly choosing your own path, and we are choosing ours. In conclusion, we''re going with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh hell no, I will not be responsible for causing you guys to lose your jobs!¡±


    ¡°You''re not. This is our choice.¡±


    ¡°And I''m choosing to ignore it.¡±


    Kai stood up and walked away towards the gate. His tracks were halted by several summoned clones  by Salazar.


    ¡°They''re not illusions, aren''t they?¡±


    ¡°You''re the smartest Newbie I''ve ever met.¡±


    ¡°Asshole.¡±


    Moments later, Katja came back with Lady Eleanor and Simian, bringing travel bags and food while Greyson came back with four Rodaspins, one for each of them to travel on. What they came back to was  a fight scene between Kai and Salazar. They''re shocked that neither cared enough to stop and see that they have ruined their surroundings, including the Village gate. Katja was the most furious out of everyone there.


    ¡°What the hell are you guys doing!?¡±


    They both stopped fighting, but not before Kai landed a last Salazar''s head. Kai then got of him and tried to clean himself up. Salazar also stood up and did the same.


    ¡°Who started it!?¡±


    Both were being childish and pointed to each other. Lady Eleanor can''t help but laugh at the situation. Kai''s expression seemed better than he was earlier today, which made her feel relieved. But she also noticed the change he caused in the others. Katja has been more assertive in her actions, Greyson has gained respect for an outsider and Salazar has finally found a rival that he can go all out with. Meanwhile Greyson was calmly attaching the travel bags onto each Rodaspin''s underbelly.


    Without giving them a beat to prepare, a loud bell suddenly rang three times, indicating an emergency in the village. Guards, villagers and Elders came running. Rast and Qwen were there first.


    ¡°Boss? What''s happening? Was there an attack?¡± Asked Qwen


    Before Katja could answer, Elder Paronte came with the guards fueled with fury when he saw the scene.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?! Explain yourselfs!¡±


    ¡°Fuck this. Lady Eleanor, move back!¡±


    Kai ignited his Ember and collected the green flames around his right foot. Once Lady Eleanor stepped back, he proceeded to do a roundhouse kick and threw the fire from his fit to the ground, drawing a line between the villagers and his new travel group. Salazar quickly got on to his Rodaspin, mounting the side shield that''s equipped with a specific saddle. Greyson gave everyone riding goggles before he and Katja mounted their own Rodaspin.


    ¡°Like I said, smart for a Newbie.¡±


    ¡°Yea well, no looking back now.¡±


    ¡°I seriously regret this.¡±


    Kai followed their actions and saddled onto his Rodaspin.


    ¡°Do you know how to ride it?¡± asked Katja, worried for his safety.


    ¡°Just go! I''ll learn as I follow!¡±


    Katja nods and looks forward. She taps on the Rodaspin''s back twice and braces herself as it rolls forward into a wheel while the saddle stays in place with her position. The Rodaspin then rolls forward with incredible speed and leaves clouds of dirt in its track. The other two did the same and held on to their own rides as they rode away. Kai looks back at Lady Eleanor once more and said his goodbyes before joining them, riding into the sunset


    ¡°Thank you for everything, milady!¡±


    Meanwhile near the gate.


    ¡°Lady Eleanor, did you aid them?¡± Asked the furious Elder Paronte.


    ¡°Yes, I did, Elder. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.¡±


    ¡°Stand down, Paronte.¡±


    Elder Eyfos finally came to the scene, walking slowly with his cane.


    ¡°They would have gone on the journey, with or without our consent.¡±


    ¡°We lost four Rodaspins and a few of our finest guards, how dare you take this lightly!¡±


    ¡°Sir, we received reports from the storage. They took several armors and the Hagrefir materials with them.¡± said one of the guards.


    Damnit! Guards! Mount up and chase them down!¡±


    ¡°They will do no such thing, Paronte.¡±


    ¡°Stand down, Eyfos, or I will be forced to hold you in prison for obstruction of justice.¡±


    Paronte gave the signal and several guards unsheathed their weapons, pointing towards Eyfos. Paronte smirks as this was finally his chance to usurp Eyfos and take control as the new Leading Elder. However, he could''ve not anticipated what will transpire in the coming moments. The ground started to shake as several dozen roots came out, forming into multiple golems. More roots formed around the village walls and gate, reinforcing them and summoning giant man-eating plants. The golems moved to surround and protect Eyfos.


    ¡°Elder Paronte. I have increased the defense and security of the village. This is more than enough to compensate for the loss, is it not?¡±


    ¡°What is this? How are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°Let''s just say, it was a parting gift from the outsider you despised oh so much.¡±


    ¡°You can''t get away with this, you old fool! You''ll run out of Ember and Zero out soon enough.¡±


    A bright shine suddenly engulfs Lady Eleanor, changing her looks into her younger gorgeous form. To Paronte''s dismay, she has barely used much of her Ember. Without anyone elses knowledge, Kai had evolved the Ember within her to a monstrous degree. Paronte was the one to be imprisoned soon after.

 Chapter 10 - The chase

    Rin fell on her knees as she got off the boat and on to the sands of the desert plains. She gathered her strength and tried to run away towards the sea. Before she could even dip her toes into the water, Neil caught her and pulled her back.


    ¡°I swear to Deigsir, you are one difficult hostage. It was cute the first few attempts but now it''s just getting annoying.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad I could annoy you then, maybe you could just let me go and save yourself the hassle?¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahahahaha! I see a little bit of sir Kaiser''s sass rubbed off on you. Unfortunately for you, there''s nowhere to go even if I let you go. You can''t get across the channel behind us without renting a boat and the desert in front of you is full of monsters. Your only choice is to stay with me.¡± He gave a wide wicked grin towards Rin.


    Rin understands that she has no power to fight back against him but she also knows he can''t harm her soul. Everytime she asked about the church''s intention, Neil seemed to have ignored her and kept his mouth shut. However, his patience wore thin. He decided to tie her up and save time. He needed to meet the other church leaders at the rendezvous soon.


    [Chains of Despair]


    The barbed chains wraps around her body, causing immense pain and psychological torture. Whatever insecurities and fear she has was dialed up to eleven. She starts hearing the voice of her mother''s criticism


    ¡°You have to be presentable! You''re the Heiress of our legacy now! You won''t find a suitable partner if you slouch like that! Sit up straight and smile more!¡±


    Then silhouettes of random strangers start talking louder.


    ¡°So she''s the new heir? She looks plain.¡±


    ¡°I heard the eldest lost his position as Heir because he''s a brute? Maybe she''s the same.¡±


    ¡°I pity the girl, i heard she was conceived to cover up her father''s scandal.¡±


    Rin began to hyperventilate and screamed in agony as her vision became blurry  falling on the ground unconscious.


    ¡°Sheesh. That''s Hollow''s Edge trauma for you. Cuts in real deep. If you weren''t a mission target, I''d offer a bit of mercy. But alas, this is how things are.¡±


    He pulled her up and over his shoulder as if she was light as a feather.


    Neil took out 10 crystals, each one infused with a month''s worth of Ember and gave it to the ferryman as payment for their travels and to keep quiet about his arrival on the Jhi¡¯Gu Desert.


    ¡°5 Thakral as promised, and 5 more to keep your mouth shut.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your generosity, Sir priest.¡±


    ¡°Glad we''re on the same page. Otherwise you would be my next target.¡± He said a wide wicked grin towards the ferryman.


    [Vengeance Plumage]


    Ember extends from within him, forming his pure white wings and taking flight towards the sky. The Jhi''Gu desert is a dangerous mind field full of dangerous monsters and constant sandstorms that hinder one''s sight, making it increasingly difficult to pass with each hour that passes by. The only logical means was to fly above it.


    As the ferryman was getting ready to set sail once more, he saw a tiny speck in the distance that grew larger and larger by the second. Without realizing, the speck had run past him and arrived at the dessert''s shore.


    His samurai armor and his worned out but elegantly designed katana was well known throughout Orizen as statues were made in his image, alongside his fellow High Guard members. The man that arrived was none other than Hayashi Retsu.


    He had ran from the western edge to the eastern shore of Acrilon island , across the White sea to reach the Jhi''Gu dessert. He looked behind towards the ferryman and asked,


    ¡°Did you happen to travel with a priest and a girl?¡±


    The ferryman was silent as his expression turned pale. There was no right answer. It was clear that the High Guard Samurai were chasing down the priest. Regardless of the answer, he had illegally sailed across the White sea, which was the jurisdiction of the Ruht Kingdom. In the end, he will be imprisoned and judged for his crimes.


    ¡°Will I be jailed?.¡±


    ¡°I can advocate for a light sentence if you are willing to cooperate.¡±


    The ferryman contemplated for a few seconds and decided his next course of action.


    ¡°Yes, the person you are looking for flew above the desert. It seems like he''s headed for the Eastern Kingdoms.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Sir Retsu rests his left hand on the ferryman''s shoulder, taking a sliver of his Ember and infusing it into a small tube and installing it into a device. The screen of said device presents the information of the ferryman himself.


    =========


    Name : Juu-Ran


    Soul age : 113


    Gender : Male


    Status : Married


    Offspring : 3


    Occupation : Fisherman


    Prior crime : None


    ==========


    ¡°Since this is your first offense, that will also be considered in your plea. An officer will be dispatched for you in a week''s time, I suggest you spend it with your family.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sir Retsu.¡±


    ¡°Go on now.¡±


    The Samurai walked steadily into the desert sandstorm. With a few steps forward Juu-Ran saw his silhouette engulfed by the thick and heavy sands.


    Within the sandstorm, the samurai had walked alone for an hour with his eyes closed and suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere.


    ¡°I envy those without fear.¡±


    The ground shakes rhythmically, vibrating the sand beneath his feet. Then came silence. Yet, not long enough to give a resting beat. Several Ghessalodon jumped from beneath the sands and pounced on the Samurai. Sir Retsu gracefully dodges half a step as two of them clashed against each other and unsheathed his sword to parry the third. He twisted his blade mid-way and cleanly sliced its head off.


    Green blood splattered everywhere. Only then, did they feel fear. This tiny being had decapitated one of their own. The bloody smell of their kind had alerted their survival sense. It was either run or die, and they choose to run away, burrowing down with their head sharp like claws, and wriggle forwards with their tentacles.


    Sir Retsu''s attention was fixed elsewhere as he pondered what to do with the remains. Ghessalodons aren''t an endangered species, but their subjugation count was low enough for it to be rare and sought-after materials. He had no other choice. His Ember glowed golden yellow and wrapped around his inner robe. A string engulfed in his Ember extends outwards and slowly ties the body and severed head of the Ghessalodon together and drags it with him across the desert.


    At the same time, the wicked priest landed near the other edge of the desert with Rin still unconscious.


    ¡°It never gets better every time.¡±


    The Jhi''Gu desert was once vast and never ending. That was until a boy granted life to the midnight maze, cutting the eastern continent in half. One side stayed the same, while the other half became a lush forest, with mountains and meadows. In the middle was a maze that has caught many souls that dare pass through it. Those that do, end up scarred for their undying lives.


    The priest landed in front of the entrance. Flying up was not an option. The maze would drag down any flying creature trying to cheat its way through.


    There were only three ways to go past it. The first two options were to go through either side of the sea. Unfortunately, the White sea to the south is under the jurisdiction of the Ruht Kingdom, while Orizen''s central sea is dark and murky due to shadowkin beasts that inhabit it.


    Before he could even walk into the maze, a robed figure came out from behind a nearby boulder. It was another priest of Deigsir. He pulled down his hood, revealing a grey haired young man with a blindfold. No one knew of his real name, all the other priests called him ¡°Watcher¡±. Neil never liked what he couldn''t understand, so he never liked Watcher.


    ¡°Don''t you have anything else better to do than to babysit?¡±


    ¡°I''m humbled that you would think I''d stoop low enough to stalk you, Reaver.¡±


    ¡°Are we finally using our code names now? I was kinda sick of using my dead name. Anyways, I still have to finish my mission.¡±


    ¡°That''s the issue, plans have changed. ¡®Hecatoncheires¡¯ wants a meeting to discuss it further.¡±


    ¡°I left for one minute and everything went to shit, jeez.¡±


    ¡°I think it''s EXACTLY because you left, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Fuck. Fine, at least help me out with this bitch, won''t you?¡±


    ¡°No can do, I''m just a projection. I don''t like sand. It''s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.¡±


    The projection of Watcher dissipates into the wind as Reaver is left with bringing Rin along with him towards their secret rendezvous. Unbeknownst to them, Rin had woken up mid conversation and was eavesdropping.


    [Vengeance Plumage]


    Reaver took flight and flew once more towards their secret rendezvous.


    Mid-flight, he noticed something moving within the sandstorm. He thought it was just the desert heat playing tricks on him until he saw a shine flash through. He was barely fast enough to react and dodge the flying katana that nicked his face.


    ¡°What he actual fuuuu-¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Sir Retsu fell down from where the blade was thrown and kicked Reaver''s down to the desert ground and grabbed Rin from his clutches and quickly ran away, disregarding his previous cargo.


    ¡°Fucking fuck fuck fuuuuuck! It''s one fucking bitch after another. Goddamn ¡®Visage¡¯ better pay up for making me fucking work overtime!¡±


    Reaver spreads his wings once more and dived forward towards the Samurai. His pink Ember coated the wings. Hardening it as solid and as sharp as a steel blade. He then proceeded to twirl in a spiral movement.


    [Wicked Wings of Babylon]


    Sir Retsu threw Rin upwards and dodged to the side, but the bladed wings shredded through the outer part of his armor. He fell down on his knees but quickly parried Reaver''s next attack. The wicked priest thought he had the upper hand, but Sir Retsu was gathering his Ember for a killing blow.


    [Raining Sword Dance]


    The golden Ember engulfed his katana as he pushed back Reaver and slashed the air, sending out the golden Ember like a wave. Reaver immediately shielded himself with his wings and the Ember dissipated. Thinking that he successfully blocked his attack, Reaver spreads his wings once more, readying himself to retaliate. As the dust clears, the golden Ember emerges around Reaver into several dozen katanas floating in the air. Sir Retsu lifted two of his fingers upwards and pointed them down, signaling the swords to fall down and strike at Reaver. There was no time for him to react.


    ¡°Ah, fucking he-¡±


    As more swords rain down on him, the sand blows everywhere and causes Reaver to drown in sand and swords. By the time the dust settles, both Sir Retsu and Rin have gone away.