ã€ŠSpirit Hunter: Catalystã€‹


 CH 1 - Anything goes when everyone loves you

    {Monday, 26th September 2022}

    At 13:00PM, the day following the attacks, any and all television broadcasts across the entire country were suddenly interrupted. Alongside the interruption came a live stream across any and all major social media platforms. Eyes from all across the world watched together as Benjamin Steele, the head of the Spirit Hunter Association took to the stage. His speech went exactly as follows...

    Yesterday on Sunday, the twenty-fifth of September, an unprecedented and tragic incident occurred within our beloved City. First and foremost I would personally like to express our deepest and most sincere prayers to those who have lost their lives or remain in critical condition following the events. Despite our greatest effort to maximise security and mitigate any and all potential risks, we were still unprepared to deal with an attack of this magnitude. Considering that this was, and still is, our one and only job, I understand why your trust in us may have plummeted...

    Please, if you have any feelings of negativity regarding the circumstances, direct them at me. That is my cross to bear. Rest assured, we''re moving forward with plans to aid in the reconstruction of the city as swiftly as we possibly can. We will not rest until the capital is brought back to its former glory, and the perpetrators are brought to justice. It may be a bit much to ask, but I beg of you all...

    Please, put your faith in us once more.

    <hr>

    {Monday, 5th September 2022 - Three weeks earlier}

    ADRIAN HUNTER

    There was once a time when Adrian could make the dumbest spontaneous decisions and comfortably get away with little to no consequences, attributing them all to the simplest of reasons.

    "I''ll have all three tubs of ice cream in the freezer for myself!" The reason being that it was strawberry, and that was his favourite. Brain freeze, be damned, he would eat all three.

    ¡°I wanna climb that tree and jump into the paddle pool!¡± The reason for that one? Plain boredom. And because in video games he could survive any fall as long as he landed in water.

    At ten years old, the decisions he made hardly ever held any weight. That¡¯s why when it came to that decision, he once again approached it with the same spontaneous nature as everything else. He didn¡¯t know when, but somewhere along the four years spent trying to realise the goal brought upon by that decision, he stopped trying to use those simple reasons as excuses, and not once did he ever wish to go back to the way he was before. He felt it was for the best...

    On any other day, he wouldn''t be caught dead hiding away from any kind of lively atmosphere. On that particular morning, however, his usually quaint back yard had somehow become just that. Familiar cheery faces shuffled around in time with the rhythmic blaring of his dad¡¯s old rap playlist. The sweet aroma of a good barbeque was permeating the air too, beckoning him closer. Regardless, he remained hidden away in the corner of it all, sinking himself into the sturdiest plastic chair he could find. His desire to be alone was clear, but his neighbour, Mr Brown, still made it a point to come over and say hi anyway.

    "Ain''t this your party, kid?" He said, balancing a plate full of wings in each hand, "Get up and move a little before you go off to that fancy new school of yours!"

    "Uh, I''ll be up in a sec, Mr. B," Adrian groaned, "Feeling kinda tired right now." He instinctively started rubbing both his eyes, preparing himself for the inevitable earful he''d grown way too accustomed to over the years.

    "Ah, for real? Well, I just had a talk with your dad ''n'' he was telling me how proud he is of you for studying ''n'' training as hard as you have, Y''know? Everyone on planet earth knows that before he retired, your old man was the greatest spirit hunter on earth, so I said that with his genes, you''re set up to be a world-class spirit hunter pretty nicely, don''t you think?" He let out a laugh so hearty that Adrian would have felt bad if he didn''t laugh along, but all he could manage was a half-hearted chuckle.

    "Well, my dad''s the main reason I decided to leave for the academy in the first place!" The smile he displayed was nothing but plastic. In the past hour alone, some variation of those same words had left his mouth more times than he even wanted to count. He would never mean any offence to Mr. Brown, but holding this conversation for any longer just wasn''t on his agenda. He needed an escape, ASAP.

    He slyly looked around as the old man continued to ramble, peering through the gaps within the crowd for any hope of an excuse. After a short while, he managed to lock eyes with his cousin, Mira, sitting on a table by herself, and swiping away at her phone. He smiled at her, and she glared back at him, her eyes sharp and intense as always. No words could be said between them at that distance, but a conversation was, in fact, had.

    She rolled her eyes, picking up a small, colourful box that was beside her, and trudged her way through the crowd, coming face-to-face with him.

    "Yo, golden boy." she said, not even bothering to phone in any acting, "I''m bored. Do me a favour and come help light these up." She tossed him the box of sparklers she had picked up before quickly turning around.

    "On my way, ice queen," he said, mustering a smug look towards her. She darted a quick glance his way. Her way of telling him to wipe the smirk off his face, which he did immediately, before turning back to his neighbour. "Oh, uh, looks like I''m needed over there for a sec, Mr. B."

    Mr. Brown smiled and saw the two of them off. "You go off and do whatever you young folk do, kid. I just wanted you to know that our little Satum Town can¡¯t wait for that first success story. Go do us proud, alright?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t bring himself to reply with anything other than a quick nod.

    The crowd ahead of him was full of people who would have taken one second of eye contact as their opportunity to stop and remind him how big of a task he had ahead of him. His eyes remained glued to the grass as Mira led him back to her spot against the fence on the other side of the yard. "Thanks," he said, beginning to open the box of sparklers.

    She lightly punched him in the arm. "You owe me one whenever you come back from the big city." There was a serious look on her face, as if she didn¡¯t know getting a serious response out of him after any type of request was impossible.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Hey man, if I find any cool rocks, they''re all yours."

    "...Maybe I should punch you for real this time?" She jolted her fist towards his face to no reaction. His lips tightened, trying to hold in his laughter, but it wasn''t long before they were both giggling with their heads in their hands. "You''re so annoying, I swear."

    He handed her one of the sparklers as their laughter dissipated and held his index finger underneath it. From its tip, he emitted a small flame, bringing to life the sparkler''s glittering red shimmer.

    "I bet if I asked you to do this last year, it would have taken you like ten whole minutes," she said quietly.

    Adrian flinched slightly, not looking up to see what kind of face she was making. "Yeah, that''s ''cause there''s a certain, like, flow to it you have to get right. Using spirit abilities is actually more meticulous than you think. First, there''s the three-"

    He jerked his head up to continue defending himself, but stopped, seeing that the sharpness Mira''s eyes usually displayed had disappeared, leaving a vacant gaze in its place. Without a word, he leaned against the table next to her, knowing that this was one of the last moments they''d have together for a while. For all the times they spent bickering, it was the brief moments like these that had nested themselves the deepest within his memories. Something he¡¯d probably never say out loud.

    "You know you''ve technically gotta live up to both your parents, right?" She said, teasing him after a couple seconds of silence, "Your dad¡¯s stopped almost too many huge threats to different cities ¡®n¡¯ stuff. Your mom¡¯s still a pretty successful scientist for the association too."

    "Yup. Don''t even know if it''s possible to begin with. Might as well try anyways, though." He held out his hand and created a small flame above his palm; manipulating it further, it weaved gracefully in-between his fingers. "It''s probably my own pride playing a part here too, but, living up to everyone¡¯s expectations is pretty important to me too.¡±

    Mira remained still for a split second then got off the wall and stretched, replying to him with her familiar sarcasm, "Of course I¡¯d get an answer like that from you." He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I''m just playing¡­ You really are starting to grow up on me, huh?"

    ¡°We¡¯re both fourteen, stupid.¡±

    "But speaking of Uncle Will, where''s he at anyways?"

    Like clockwork, the sound of someone tapping a microphone started vibrating through the air. The bass of the music began to die down and everyone promptly turned their attention to the wooden patio where the speakers were. None other than Adrian''s own father stood there, phone in hand, and grinning from ear to ear. A pair of sunglasses covered his eyes, which would have been strange considering the clouds looming overhead, but Adrian was well aware of the things his dad found amusing by this point.

    "This just in!" he announced," A text from the Academy! Adrian''s getting picked up in less than two minutes! Two minutes, everyone!"

    Adrian awkwardly waved as the whole party directed a barrage of clapping and cheering towards him. As flustered as he felt, he also couldn''t help but feel warm inside seeing his dad getting so pumped up for him.

    He waved his microphone up and down to calm the crowd down, ready to continue. "I just wanna say before you leave," his dad started, "We all know you''re gonna go far, bud. You''re more talented than even you know. And even if you get knocked down, I know you''re not a quitter. That''s the part of you that inspires me the most... It''s also the part you do NOT get from me at ALL! That''s your mother''s side right there!"

    An involuntary smile spread itself across Adrian''s face. What the hell... He sneakily covered it up, pretending he had something in his eye, while everyone else ate that joke right up.

    ¡°That wasn''t funny,¡± Adrian said after composing himself.

    "I guess anything goes when everyone loves you like that," Mira whispered.

    "Hey, I got scared ''n'' retired a while ago!" His dad said, leaning against the speakers for support, "She''s the one still out there working!" His laughter turned to heavy breaths as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and the sweat from his brow. "In all seriousness though, I don''t think I need to say this, but go out there and kill it, bud. Go Show ''em why your last name''s Hunter!"

    It was the corniest possible way he could have been wished good luck, but he got a good laugh out of it, and right then, that was just what he needed. His dad always did have a knack for picking the correct words to motivate him at just the right times. His shoulders were just starting to relax when a beeping sound from the front of the house caught his, and everybody else''s, attention.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re here,¡± His dad said.

    That was Adrian¡¯s cue to start confidently walking out of the party. That¡¯s what he thought everyone else expected him to do, but a heavy lingering feeling was boiling up in his chest and both his feet remained planted on the ground. Knowing that this day would eventually come, and mentally preparing for it, didn''t make it seem any more real in his mind.

    Eventually, the sounds of everyone cheering him on from behind snapped him out of his daydream. He didn''t even realise that both Mira and his dad had already walked ahead of him into the house. Forcing his blank expression into one of determination, he waved everyone goodbye while taking his last steps through the kitchen''s sliding door. Slowing his walk down, he panned around, taking in everything like he was seeing it for the first time. Pictures of him and his family from a time long ago were hung up in the passageway leading to the front door. He didn¡¯t know when, but at some point he had stopped needing to strain his neck trying to look up at them.

    ¡°They¡¯re right in front of me, now¡­¡±

    Mira¡¯s calling turned his attention to the front door, where he could see a sleek jet black car sat out in the driveway. He laughed and ran out the front door to get a closer look. It was almost funny how out of place it looked, parked within such a normal neighbourhood. A stern-faced man dressed in a black suit and a chauffeur''s cap got out of the driver''s seat and walked around to the pavement. His face began to mellow out the closer he got to them.

    "Good morning," He said, scanning everyone''s faces, "I must say, it certainly is a pleasure to meet you." He walked up to Adrian¡¯s dad and greeted him with a firm handshake. ¡°It¡¯s not everyday you get to meet someone as high profile as you, sir.¡±

    ¡°No please, the pleasure is all mine.¡± He chuckled a bit then gently tapped Adrian¡¯s head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m leaving this one in your care.¡±

    The chauffeur opened up the car¡¯s back door and Adrian carefully climbed inside, being careful to not spoil its pristine white leather seats. He traced his fingers along them, almost feeling the expert craftsmanship that went into every subtle bump and crevice. It almost felt wrong to sit there, but he was. He¡¯d trained hard for four years, and earned the right to do so.

    Searching within himself for the words he wanted to say, he took one last look at his family, but was unable to find anything to convey exactly what he wanted to.

    "What, do you actually wanna stay here all of a sudden?¡± Mira said, ¡°Get lost.¡±

    He definitely would have had a more inspired and creative collection of words for her if his dad wasn''t there, but alas, he was forced to censor himself. "Shut up, Mira." Not the best he could have come up with, but It''d have to do until he returned.

    "We''ll be waiting to hear all about what you get up to, son."

    "...I''ll do my best!"

    Before he knew it, the town where he''d spent his entire life was nothing but a speck on the horizon behind him. And in front of him, his new school was a three hour drive away.

 CH 2 - Tralis West Branch Spirit Academy

    Being in the city always reminded Adrian what everyone back home meant when they said Satum was a "small town". Being given a front row seat to everything, he was able to take the chance to fully soak in the sheer scale of Tralis City''s vibrant bustling atmosphere and the high-rise buildings that towered over it all. Each and every building they passed, no matter what size, seemed to hold an entire world of things to do.

    ¡°Never been in the capital before?¡± The chauffeur asked.

    ¡°Only a few times when I was younger," Adrian responded, his eyes still glued to the outdoors.

    The car stopped at a traffic light in front of them, shining bright red. Adrian fixed his gaze towards a park where a large bronze statue stood on a stone platform right in the centre. People of different ages, races and paths of life gathered together, smiling, laughing and posing for pictures in front of the depiction of a man with his fist held high, as if he were declaring a grand victory to the world. It was a statue that was built in honour of his dad.

    ¡°Amazing isn¡¯t it?" The chauffeur called, "Even sixteen years after your father¡¯s retirement, this statue is one of the city¡¯s most popular landmarks.¡±

    Adrian had etched that view into his brain before, but that was on one of his visits before he started training. The statue¡¯s meaning had only become bigger now. To him, and so many others from the looks of it. He made sure to etch the view, and that meaning, into his memory again. The beeping traffic lights meant moving away from the scenery, and even though it wasn¡¯t in view anymore, he found his mind silently stuck on that statue for the rest of the journey, smiling and trembling at the same time.

    ¡°Last big turn now,¡± The chauffeur said after a while, ¡°Welcome to Tralis West Branch Spirit Academy. One of the City¡¯s two schools for aspiring spirit hunters such as yourself.¡± A large metal gate stood between them and the private land where the school¡¯s main building sat off in the distance. Driving up the path on the grounds themselves wasn¡¯t all that interesting. There wasn¡¯t much going on besides some flowers and other greenery. The school itself looked like any other normal one, but was considerably smaller in comparison, being only two floors tall. ¡°There¡¯s an intercom next to the door. Just go up there and tell the lady on the other end your name. She¡¯ll provide you with your next instructions.¡±

    ¡°Will do," Adrian said, climbing out of the car, "thanks for the ride!" He waved the chauffeur off as he drove away and at the same time, another car, this time pearly white, drove up the path towards him.

    Different colour. Is it not one of the school¡¯s?

    A hooded girl emerged from the front passenger seat. Her face was barely visible. The only thing he caught a glimpse of was some curly brown hair hanging out the front of her hood. He lifted his hand, intending to say hi, but before the first breath left his mouth, she had turned back to her car. She took some time to give a meek wave towards whoever was in the driver''s seat and started walking back, still covering her face slightly.

    "Is that one of the school¡¯s cars too?" Adrian asked. She just barely turned in his direction and quickly shook her head in response. "Oh¡­ It looked pretty sick. Does your family own it?" This time she nodded. He wondered if he was bothering her, perhaps.

    When you wanna continue the convo you normally look at the other person, right? Was I raised weird?

    It took a few seconds, but she eventually removed her hood and did just that. She had a small scar, running downwards underneath her right eye and was also trying super hard to make a face that Adrian was only sixty percent sure was meant to be a smile.

    "I, um... Do you wanna know more¡­ about cars?" She spoke with a shaky voice. As if she was being held at gunpoint to speak to him.

    ¡°Oh, uh, go ahead-¡±

    "They say that sixty million cars are produced... Every year I mean."

    Adrian somehow found himself genuinely waiting for the next fact after that, but no. She stood there twiddling her thumbs, waiting for his response. He was stunned that he even managed to get caught up in whatever was going on, but he knew the responsibility of shifting this interaction into one with any hint of normalcy now rested on him.

    "Well, damn. That''s kinda a lot¡­ Uh, anyways, you wanna go inside?"

    He started walking towards the school¡¯s sliding double doors, and muttering something under her breath, the girl followed him. "T-that didn''t work at all... Stupid Jessie..." Whatever it was, Adrian decided not to pry.

    A few seconds after pressing the button, some static could be heard and then a woman''s voice came through.

    "Welcome to the West Branch Spirit Academy! Could you give me your full name?"

    Adrian stated his full name and the girl froze for a second upon hearing it. Thinking she had realised who he was, he casually indicated towards the mic for her to say her name too. Having people figure out he was related to William Hunter wasn''t something he was worried about. It was more of an inevitability.

    She awkwardly leaned closer to the speaker and said her name. "I-Isabelle Ambers, ma''am."

    Adrian''s eyes widened. Ambers. In his studies before joining the academy, he''d come across that name before. There were two families within the spirit hunting world that were undisputedly the most powerful, both when it came to the strength of their members and their political influence. The Donovans and the Ambers. It was common knowledge that the head of the Ambers family had two daughters, but across all the articles he had read, not one picture of either had ever shown up. In and of itself, that wasn¡¯t too surprising to him. His parents had also decided to keep his face out of the media too. But still, next to him at that moment was someone a good few classes above him in the societal hierarchy but her weird first impression couldn''t have been any more misleading!

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Soon after, the lady on the intercom opened the door for them both and they walked through to the reception area, where her desk was. There was another door at the opposite end of the room. "Go on through and turn right," she said, "You''ll find seats labelled with your names on them in the small auditorium. It''s the last door in the hall to your left." They thanked her and began making their way through the school''s neatly decorated, beige coded hallway.

    "...So, you''re an Ambers?" Adrian asked after a while.

    "O-oh, yeah." She didn''t seem all too enthralled saying this but sprung back to life not even a second later, "And your dad is¡­ Oh, actually, do you mind? Like, when people bring attention to it?"

    A question he figured he''d probably be asked eventually. Of course, he had a few nerves about his whole "position" as the son of William Hunter, but he kept a nonchalant attitude in his response. "I mean, It''s not that deep," he said, turning to face her, "How about you? Do you mind the attention on your end?"

    She slowly turned back to the way they were walking. "Hmm... I''ve never really... I dunno."

    He wanted to ask more about her family, but based on her response, decided he probably shouldn''t. Instead, he scanned around the school''s interior. On the walls, photos of previous students were hung up from different year groups, some even dating back to the eighties. Above, almost every door was labelled with what he was sure were meant to be motivational quotes in bold writing.

    ¡°Get stronger!¡± one read.

    ¡°Hunt down your future!¡± read another.

    And finally above the auditorium door they were about to enter, ¡°Get amped!¡±

    Adrian squinted his eyes at the sign, unimpressed. ¡°Man, how old do they think we are? Their pen game is kinda iffy, don¡¯t you think?"

    Isabelle wasn¡¯t even looking at the sign. She had turned away and was covering her mouth while her shoulders bounced up and down. She quickly cleared her throat and composed herself. ¡°They aren¡¯t funny at all.¡±

    ¡°...Were you laughing at them or with them?¡±

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t.¡±

    He cracked a smile and shook his head, ¡°Whatever you say."

    Try as he might, he couldn¡¯t keep his calm persona on for much longer. Even as he placed his hands on the handles, his heart was almost pounding out of his chest with excitement. Opening the door itself, however, was a different story. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what to call the emotion he felt once he saw what was going on in there, but also wasn¡¯t sure he could have put a label on it if he tried.

    "I am NOT the one you wanna be getting physical with, you hear me!?" On the left side of the room, a girl in a blonde ponytail was towering over another girl who was on the floor, tightly clutching her head. Small sparks of flames were sporadically popping out from her fists, making sounds akin to that of a firecracker. There was also a shorter brunette girl hiding behind her, on the verge of tears.

    The girl on the floor slammed the ground and lifted herself up. "My business is with her!" She pointed at the short girl. "Keep. Out. Of. It!"

    There was a devilish smirk on the blonde girl¡¯s face as she said, ¡°Try touch her again, bitch. See what happens.¡±

    Everybody else was either calling for the conflict to stop, completely tuned out, or enjoying it a little too much. Nobody even noticed that Adrian and Isabelle had walked in. Looking around the rest of the room, he first took note of the sign on the wall behind the fight. "West Branch students," it read. The other side of the room had an almost identical one that read "East Branch students." Name tags were taped to the desks and after a bit of counting he determined that there were gonna be just six students in each school. His and Isabelle''s tags were on the west branch side, and luckily the furthest from the ongoing argument.

    Next to Isabelle''s name tag was a dishevelled looking boy with dead eyes, sitting sideways on his seat and flipping through pages in a notebook, acting as if two girls weren¡¯t screaming cuss words at each other. In fact, his thousand mile stare made it seem more probable that his brain just didn''t have the capacity to process anything at all. Closely followed by Isabelle, Adrian walked over and side-eyed the boy''s name tag before taking his own seat. Hope you get the rest you need soon, Alex, he thought to himself.

    The seats were almost unnaturally comfy, but the awkwardness of watching a fight he had zero stakes in kind of soiled that relaxing feeling. All there was now was the loud threats of physical violence bouncing off the walls. Any left over anxiety from that entire morning was completely gone by this point, but he definitely wasn''t expecting its comeback to be so soon.

    He sensed something slowly growing from the doorway. A quiet but undeniably strong presence that made his body tense up, and forced the immediate attention of his sixth sense. Turning back, he saw a tall man with a black eyepatch covering his left eye, assessing the situation and slowly shaking his head. Underneath his feet were two menacing-looking black clouds of spirit energy. The sources of the sudden atmosphere switch. They grew for a split second, and in the next instant, there was a loud whoosh sound, and the man vanished. A faint trail of black mist followed the path his jump took, melting into thin air not long after.

    Everyone began scrambling, trying to understand what none of them could have possibly seen. It had to have been less than two seconds. In that time alone, the man had gone from standing in the doorway to now holding the blonde girl''s fist in place, literal inches away from it making impact. She stumbled backwards and caught herself on the desk behind her, taken aback by his sudden appearance.

    "Please. It''s the first day," he said, helping the other girl to her feet, "Things are only going to get more difficult from here, so let''s all try our best to get along, alright?"

    He motioned his hand towards the seats and both the blonde and short brunette girl slowly moved to go sit down without a word. Adrian peered over to their name tags before they sat down. The blonde girl was called Melanie, and the short, crying girl, Lyla. The other girl scoffed before fixing her hair up and stomping back to the right side of the room. They each had expressions ranging from frustrated to relieved on their faces.

    "Y''know what?" Adrian whispered to Isabelle, "Somehow me and you might just be the most normal people here."

    "T-that doesn''t sound fun."

    They both took a long sigh and looked at the man as he jogged down the stairs to take his position at the front. "We''re a bit pressed for time, so I''ll make this brief," he said, "First off, my name is Wayne Harrows. I''m the teacher here at the west branch. It''s nice to finally get to meet you all.¡±

 CH 3 - Sixth sense

    Wayne Harrows. He was a fairly soft-spoken man which came as a surprise, considering what he had done moments prior, but there was the slightest tinge of unease in his voice too.

    "As I said, we''re pressed for time so let''s get through this quickly," he announced to the room, "First off, raise your hand if you''re familiar with the City''s famous annual festival."

    There wasn''t a single hand that remained down. The three day festival took place every year to celebrate the founding of Tralis City in...whatever year it was founded in. Adrian honestly forgot, but remembered the news reports of the festivals from previous years very well. Parades, rides and festival food galore. He was looking forward to actually being able to attend it himself this year.

    "The association has never had any part in anything official," Mr. Harrows continued, "But, as you''ll come to learn the longer who stay in this line of work...they''re obsessed with strength. And this year, they''ve insisted that they want to highlight the strength of you kids."

    Adrian leaned forward in his seat; his interest piqued. What''s this?

    "Arrangements have been made for both the west and east branch schools to compete against each other in a friendly competition on Sunday, the twenty-fifth of September, the final day of the festival. I apologise for springing this on you all so suddenly, but it was requested that I tell you this as soon as possible."

    That was all Adrian needed to hear. He leaned back in his chair, smiling at the mere idea of a competition. Competition meant a chance to prove himself, and a chance to prove himself meant he had to be more than ready. He wouldn''t let himself be anything less than perfect.

    The constant sounds of shuffling could be heard as everyone looked around gauging each other''s reactions. Some looked to be scared, others smug, and others a mix of anything and everything in between. Clapping his hands, Mr. Harrows brought the commotion to an end, ready to give them all his first instructions.

    "We''re going to get you out for some practice right off the bat," he said, "If you look on your row, you''ll see that you''re all sat with two other people. They will be your groups for your very first practical exam."

    "Already?" Adrian''s surprise of the exam was quickly taken over by a different, more worrying, feeling. Looking to the left, past Isabelle only confirmed it. Alex hadn''t moved an inch after any of Mr. Harrows'' words. His eyes were still fighting to stay open; glued to that damn book.

    "...Isabelle," he whispered, leaning back into his own chair, "It''s looking like we''re actually a group of two.

    She didn''t open her mouth, but he saw her nod her head with a painful looking smile on her face.

    <hr>

    Following the announcement of the exam, Mr Harrows had given each group a five hour time limit and small sheets of paper with vague clues written on them. They were supposed to lead each of them to different locations in the outskirts of the city. That way two groups couldn''t cheat and put their clues together to find what they were looking for faster. As he put it himself, "Finding the location of your exam is half the test. You can''t possibly hope to call yourself a spirit hunter if you can''t get past this one."

    In the tedious search for where their clues would lead them, Adrian, Isabelle and Alex had found themselves lost in a winding suburban neighbourhood. Looming far behind some of the houses, tall trees could be made out. A sign of the woods that were also nearby. Possibly a location they''d have to search soon? There was no way to tell for sure with an exam this cryptic.

    The only clue they had that made sense was that the location of their exam was "a quiet area to the north of the city". It could have been more northwest or more northeast for all they knew, so to save themselves the confusion, they decided to travel as perfectly north as they could.

    "Veiled in mystery, I lay forgotten. Once alive, now dead and rotten," Adrian said, squinting at the other clue, "Man, who the hell thought that riddles were a good idea?"

    "I''m stuck too," Isabelle said, "Um, Alex, do you have any ideas? We could use the help!"

    For the forty-five agonising minutes they had been walking, their third group member had been sluggishly dragging his feet behind them, eyes glued to his phone. He still looked half dead, so how he had kept his eyes on a bright screen for that long was truly a mystery. He didn''t even respond to Isabelle''s question, either. She waited a bit longer, but soon awkwardly scurried back to walk with Adrian. "I-i''m not good at talking," she whispered.

    Adrian patted her on the shoulder in solidarity. "Don''t push yourself too much. Let''s just try to figure out this stupid rid-"

    He was forced to take a slight step forwards to stabilise himself as his shoulder got bumped by Alex, who also dropped his phone in the process.

    "Oh, crap. Did it crack?" he asked. Adrian closed his eyes and took a long, sharp inhale.

    They''d been spending too much time walking past the same copy-pasted detached houses, making no actual progress on their VERY FIRST exam and one of their group members couldn''t be bothered to even try and help. He recognized that Isabelle was pushing past her social awkwardness to try and get them all to work together, so for her sake, and mostly his own, he decided to calm down and try too.

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    "...I''ll get your phone, man." He leaned down to pick it up and saw that it wasn''t cracked, but there was something interesting on the screen.

    A social media post from the thirty-first of August, five days ago. It was a bit blurry, but he could clearly make out a humanoid figure with unnatural skin of a deep purple complexion standing in a forest. It was draped in an oversized, dark blue jacket and had a head of shoulder length, unkempt black hair. Some of the smaller details were harder to see, but two things he couldn''t possibly miss were the horns sticking out of either side of its head and curling upwards.

    His mind raced as he tried to make sense of what he was looking at. A rogue spirit? Rogues that have the appearances of humans were becoming a more common occurrence after all. Could it have been an edited picture? It didn''t really look faked upon further inspection. There was always something uncanny about the idea of a spirit that looked way too much like a human that made Adrian''s skin crawl, even more than the ones that just looked like abstract monsters. Masking his discomfort with a straight face, he showed the picture to Isabelle to get her input.

    "The location tag says it''s near Grillber''s. That''s a diner that''s not too far from here, right?" she scratched her face and cracked a small smile. "M-maybe we can, like, get some extra credit if we take it out... A-after the exam, of course!"

    "...What?" In the short time he¡¯d known her, he''d learned that Isabelle had a weird sense of humour. That was no doubt her attempt at some kind of joke. A baffling one, but an attempt nonetheless. "Actually, never mind," he sighed.

    "Actually, can I just get my phone back?" Alex said, letting out a long yawn. Slightly embarrassed, Adrian handed him his phone back, part of him still curious about that picture. "Y''know, considering you were working together, I thought you would have figured out that riddle was mostly a bullshit diversion a while ago."

    Adrian''s eyebrows furrowed. "Huh?"

    "You forgot? Harrows said that if we can''t figure this out, we can forget about being spirit hunters. So obviously, we can¡¯t just go around using our eyes as they are to find whatever it is we¡¯re looking for. We have to look for it like a spirit hunter would." He tapped the side of his head and yawned again, mocking them both. "Since when was solving crappy riddles ever part of the job description?"

    The forty-five minutes they wasted walking around like idiots had been playing back in Adrian''s mind since Alex started talking. With his fist clenched, he took a single step forward. He probably would have done something regretful if it wasn''t for Isabelle, the saint that she was, swooping in at the last moment.

    "I-it''s our sixth sense, right?" She said quickly, "Whenever a spirit hunter''s trying to find something, they should use their sixth sense!"

    "Now you get it." Alex, eyebrows lowered, glanced at her then up at Adrian. "I took a look at your name tags before you got to the auditorium, so I pretty much knew who you probably were. We''ve got a girl from the Ambers family and William Hunter''s son. You don''t really live up to your titles though."

    Between Isabelle holding him back, and not wanting to disturb the neighbourhood, Adrian silently came to the decision that decking Alex like he wanted to wasn''t the right choice. Too much was riding on this exam for him to be Getting into it with someone like him. "...Don''t talk to me about a damn title."

    He turned back around and amplified his eyes using his spirit energy, activating his sixth sense and causing them to glow the same bright orange as his flames. The ability allowed him fully to perceive the spirit energy floating within the atmosphere as long as it was above a certain threshold of strength, and within his three-metre radius limit. Small orbs of energy, each one a different colours and size, danced around in the air. Their serene nature helped to calm him down a bit too, as he locked onto the the strongest source that was directly next to them. On the path they were walking was a faint trail of smoke-like dark spirit energy, floating amongst the orbs. It extended far off into the distance, making a right turn further down. More importantly, it gave off a familiar feeling. "This is...Mr. Harrows'' spirit energy. He left it here for us to follow?"

    "Seems like it," replied Alex, shrugging his shoulders.

    "...So why start having a hissy fit if we were on the path anyways?"

    "Why ask so many questions? I wouldn''t have stayed quiet for so long if we were going the wrong way. It''s not like I want to fail, either." He sighed in exasperation and casually walked right past the both of them. Leaving Adrian watching on, his eyes twitching in disbelief. Annoying as it was, he knew he could force himself to accept whatever else he might try to pull as long as he wasn''t trying to outright stop them from getting to their end goal. Moving forwards and keeping a close eye on the spirit energy trail was his only concern.

    ¡°S-sorry,¡± Isabelle whispered, as they followed behind him, ¡°I took the riddle too seriously.¡±

    ¡°We both did, don¡¯t sweat it. I¡¯m not losing to him next time.¡±

    They reached the point where the trail weaved to the right. Beyond a large wooden arch was a quaint-looking nature trail leading deeper into the woods. The calming aroma radiating from the lush and well-kept plants wasn''t one that Adrian wanted to spend too much time admiring. "Let''s get this done," he said, noticing the mean side eye Alex was giving him, "No more time wasting."

    They ventured into the sea of green, continuing to follow the spirit energy trail as it twisted and turned, even leading them off the main path entirely at times. Isabelle followed closely as Adrian marched through in silence, occasionally losing track of the trail''s direction in his haste. "W-we still have a few hours of our time limit left," she said, swiping away the leaves and twigs in her hair, "We don''t need to rush."

    "It''s better to do it quick," he replied.

    Peering through the gaps in the branches where the other side was visible, he forcefully broke through out into a large clearing where a lonely mansion lay. It''d clearly been long abandoned. Countless vines had wrapped themselves around its exterior. Bits of it had been chipping away, exposing the dull shades of grey and green underneath. Adrian followed the trail to the mansion''s front door and two larger sources of spirit energy, coming from within its decrepit walls, slowly became easier to sense. He turned back to the other two. "You guys sense that as well, right? There¡¯s two rogues in there."

    "A-alright. Go time."

    The human spirit is a limitless container for spirit energy. It''s main job is to hold one''s spirit energy within them and keep it flowing at a regular rate, similar to how the heart pumps blood around the body. It is not perfect, however. In times when strong emotions conflict with ones desire, the spirit weakens and allows spirit energy, the manifestation of ones desire, to escape the body. These spirit energy residuals float, unseen, through the atmosphere and, over time, accumulate like sediment and form a ¡®core¡¯. From that core, the tangible, monstrous entities known as ''rogue spirits'' are formed.

 CH 4 - Spirit arts (1)

    Adrian held his breath and carefully pried open the mansion''s front door. It was stuck due to old age and thin layers of wood peeled away at the slightest touch, leaving dusty marks on his fingertips. It also creaked way too loudly. He only felt comfortable opening it halfway. Any more didn''t seem worth the potential risk. Followed by the other two, he crouched down and took a peek inside.

    Besides the pitter-patter of a leaky pipe in the corner, it was completely silent. A wide double staircase, covered in the greenery hanging in from outside, wrapped around the walls on either end of the room. Faint streaks of light pierced through the broken windows, shining down on countless pieces of old furniture that had been ripped apart and littered around. Severe mould growth had coated them all in an unsightly green hue, and infested the air with a putrid stench.

    Doors on both the left and right led elsewhere, but a bit further down the spacious corridor in front of them, Adrian could make out the ugly shape of one of their targets in the shadows. A creature''s large, deformed purple foot slammed onto the ground. It created an agonising scraping noise as it got dragged back across the ceramic flooring.

    Covering his ears, Adrian noticed something strange about his hands. They were¡­shaking? Clasping and squeezing them together didn''t help like he somehow hoped it would so he shoved them into his pockets instead. What the hell are you scared for? he thought to himself, You signed up for this yourself.

    Beside him, Alex stood up and started rolling his sleeves. "Looks like it''s decently strong. I can sense the other one in the room to the right, so I''ll go after that one. You two get this one.¡±

    "You''re going alone?" Isabelle asked.

    "I work better that way.¡±

    "A-are you sure?"

    He looked at the both of them both and then groaned, ¡°Alright, fine. What are your elemental affinities?¡±

    People can be born with an affinity to one of eight different elements that work like any other genetic quality. It''s a coin flip between one of the affinities held by the child''s parents.

    Isabelle told him that her affinity was electricity; Adrian told him that his was fire. Alex¡¯s affinity? Water.

    "And there you go,¡± he said.

    ¡°Where what go?¡± Adrian asked

    He lifted his finger and leaned forwards, pointing it right between Adrian''s eyes. ¡°Me and you obviously don¡¯t mix. In more ways than one. I don¡¯t wanna waste my time trying to coordinate attacks so we don¡¯t mess each other up.¡± He walked off and started sliding through the doorway, looking down at them both before he was fully indoors. ¡°If you finish first, don¡¯t come over and interrupt me.¡±

    On the bright side, he didn''t seem as lifeless as he did before. Failing because he decided to take a nap was an option Adrian felt he could safely rule out. Still, he couldn''t miss the dissatisfaction written all over Isabelle''s face.

    "What he said has some truth to it," he told her with a smile, "At least our affinities aren''t total opposites, right? I¡¯m glad he¡¯s out of our hair, personally."

    "A-am I doing something wrong?" She didn''t look directly at him, but he could tell from the way she was fidgeting with her hands that she was upset with herself. "Growing up, I didn''t really get to make friends with anyone besides my older sister, and even now she''s¡­ I never thought talking to other people would be this difficult."

    Adrian took a second then moved around so he could look at her properly. ¡°Well, not everyone''s gonna react the way you want ''em to, I guess. But, at least you already made one friend today, right?" He took hold of her hand and helped her up. Her face slightly started to light up again, but her smile turned to a look of concern the longer she held on.

    "...You''re shaking." Without a word, Adrian pulled his hand away, embarrassed that he was still showing even a speck of weakness. Isabelle blinked and looked off to the side, then went back to her usually bubbly, but awkward self. "D-don''t worry! Fighting''s like, the only thing I''m good at thanks to all the training I did when I was a kid so, um, follow my lead!" She began awkwardly marching towards the door, but then stopped and doubled back. "Oh, but I''m sure you''ll be ok! ''Hunter'' is literally in your name after all!"

    "You sound like my dad," he chuckled. The thought that he might not be able to live up to his dad had haunted him before so finding his way through the maze of doubt, and back to his determination was a skill he''d managed to develop over the years. Like how animals evolved in response to new environments. It took a bit longer this time, but just like always, he managed to find his way the exit. Mentally resetting himself with a deep breath, he followed Isabelle inside.

    Being careful to not knock over any of the junk, he tiptoed in between shards of glass and other debris. He found that counting his steps was helping his ¡®hand-shaking¡¯ problem too, even if just a little bit. One, then two, then three, then four. Slowly, but surely, they were beginning to calm. Five, then six, then seven, then Isabelle¡¯s arm flew out in front of him and they both quickly scurried backwards.

    He held his breath and hid with her, the best he could, behind a dusty old cabinet. Deep grumblings from down the hall started to echo through his eardrums. The rogue was on the move. From the darkness emerged a large four-legged creature with slow, heavy footsteps, contorting its long, slender neck like a snake and scanning its surroundings. Thick purple blood trickled down from all four of the eyes littered across its face. Its head was huge, with a permanently gaping jaw that revealed an empty void where Adrian was sure he''d see a row of sharp teeth. Alas, the void was just that.

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    "...We should aim for Its head, " Isabelle whispered, "Or Its chest too. Its core should be in one of those two locations."

    Adrian silently marvelled at her shift in demeanour. She kept herself completely still, not averting her gaze from the rogue for even a fraction of a second. The girl who was awkwardly bumbling around a few minutes ago had disappeared right in front of him. He couldn¡¯t even pinpoint the exact moment it had happened, but decided to trust her, giving a quiet, affirmative sound. It was then that the sound of a powerful water blast boomed through the atmosphere, followed by an animalistic screech from the other room.

    The rogue¡¯s reaction was near instant, twisting its neck to the source of the noise. Isabelle didn''t waste any time either.

    Electricity surged across her entire body as she shot up onto her feet. Adrian''s jaw dropped, watching her gracefully leap above the rogue, her leg high above her head at the apex of her jump. The next thing he knew, she had swung it downwards, with a beautiful, picturesque axe kick. The rogue shook the room upon its collapse and sporadically jittered around, temporarily paralyzed by the sparks. Isabelle dashed backwards and slid across the floor to break her momentum.

    "One good hit!" She exclaimed.

    Adrian slumped his shoulders, feeling stupid for being as shocked as he was. Of course an Ambers family member was going to be amazing. As for himself, he was starting to realise that only having one person to compare his strength with his whole life came with some cons. He''d fought in countless sparring matches against his dad as part of his training but, of course, not once did he ever come close to winning, even though he was holding back. His own strength in relation to others that weren''t him was still relatively unknown. Was he gonna be able to keep up?

    ...I''ve gotta try anyway.

    He shuffled his feet apart, getting into the perfect fighting stance. If there was ever a time to put his years of training and studying to the test, that time was now.

    All the different applications of spirit energy are known as the spirit arts; the most basic of which being the three main principles. They each require the user to meticulously control the speed at which spirit energy flows within their bodies in order to perform.

    Adrian spread his fingers and pointed his hand towards the rogue, speeding up the flow of spirit energy leading to his palm. The amount of flammable objects around would have been a detriment if it weren''t for the room''s size. He had just enough space to fight as he pleased. With pinpoint accuracy, he shot a fire ball the size of his hand directly between the rogue''s eyes - the art of emission.

    Easy, but a rush of excitement came over him, nonetheless. The spirit frantically shook away the flames from its face. Bits of fleshy substance were flung around the room landing on the ground with nasty, cringe inducing squelching sounds. Both his and Isabelle''s elemental effects didn''t last for long. It completed its recovery and stood perfectly still, adjusting two of its eyes to look at Isabelle, while the other two remained laser-focused on him. He could feel his entire body heating up with the pressure.

    It¡¯s waiting for us to move. That was the first thing that popped into Adrian¡¯s mind, but using his sixth sense told him a different story. One where a sudden spike in the rogue¡¯s spirit energy and a powerful lunge, like a charging bull, would force him and Isabelle to take an immediate defensive position. In that short time window he copied Isabelle''s actions and widened his stance, with his arms stretched out in front of him. Slowing down the flow of spirit energy across his whole body below its default pace, like she did, caused a protective aura created from his flames to completely cover over him - the art of amplification.

    The rogue headbutted both of them, and for a second, the impact blinded him. He was sent hurtling backwards through the rubble, scraping his skin across the floor, and bouncing off the wall behind them. Even if amplification shielded them from a majority of the damage they''d have taken otherwise, he was still struck with a searing pain across his back and arms. He wanted so badly to scream, but he forced his mouth shut, in order to focus on reorienting himself within reality. Isabelle was already up, extending a helping hand towards him. Still gritting his teeth, he grabbed on, heaving himself upwards onto shaky legs.

    "Look at its head!" she said, clutching her shoulder.

    They had left a cloud of dust in their wake, but the silhouette of the rogue stumbling around in a daze was clear. A peculiar purple glow emanated from cracks which had begun to form where its head had collided with their spirit enhanced block. A distinct purple glow like that could only be the result of a core. Determination flashed across Adrian''s face, knowing now that a win was more than within the realm of possibility. "Then all we gotta do is wait...¡± For what he was sure would be the last time, he stretched and readied himself up again.

    Before it looked like the rogue had even recovered, it was already gearing for another charge. Blessed with the knowledge of the previous attack''s timing, Adrian and Isabelle lowered their bodies and reeled back their fists, amplifying them and causing lights of orange and yellow to fill the space. They stood their ground, even as the rogue closed in, giving it all to one last desperate lunge. Keeping his fist burning, Adrian launched his punch forwards in sync with Isabelle''s, cracking the surface of the rogue¡¯s head. A blood-curdling howl reverberated through the whole room as it staggered back, and tripped over itself, falling to the floor.

    Panting and Wiping the sweat from his face, Adrian stood, wide-eyed in astonishment at his own strength. This is what he was capable of. The idea that he could match and possibly surpass someone from the Ambers family ran rampant across his mind and cast a wide smile across his face. "I''m fucking crazy," he said aloud. And he froze right after, embarrassed that Isabelle had heard his egotistical self-affirmation. She was still, too, just as wide-eyed as him, but after a few awkward seconds of staring at him, broke into laughter. "O-of course you are! I told you didn''t I? There was no need to be worried!"

    He smiled and glanced down at his hands. There were still some young flames emanating off of them. A chuckle left his mouth and slowly turned into a genuine, teary-eyed laughter. All that time spent worrying about himself; it was all for nothing, and he still wasn''t done. Knowing that he could still go much further was exhilarating beyond belief.

    ¡°Are you, um, you ok?¡± Isabelle asked.

    ¡°Never better,¡± he said, wiping the tears from his eyes, ¡±But This thing''s body should have started dissolving by now, right?¡±

    He marched over and peered within the rogue''s head. Its core, a spherical mass of swirling spirit energy, lay within a bed of flesh, branded with a flickering flame and stray sparks of electricity.

    Amplifying his hand again, he eagerly stepped closer to finish it off properly, but had his attention stolen by the sounds of another water blast from the other room. Following it were sounds that were almost comparable to a car crash from the other room. Adrian looked Isabelle in her eyes, and she shot him a determined look right back. "I''ll finish this off, don''t worry! You should go check on Alex," she said, "I''ll catch up!"

    He nodded his head and turned around, making a mad dash to the other room, itching to test himself some more.

 CH 5 - Spirit arts (2)

    Barging through the doorway, Adrian wasted no time in ricocheting his vision across the whole room to find where he could put himself to use. The room was just as large and worn down as the other, with the same dingy smell too. Flipped upside down, and missing some of its legs, was a long, oval-shaped wooden dining table, surrounded by a heap of broken plates and rusty cutlery.

    On one side of it, and furthest from him, was Alex, hunched over in pain. A thick trail of Blood oozed down the side of his face, escaping from a cut on his forehead. Despite how bad it looked, keeping his amplification going steady seemed like his main priority.

    Around his fists, thin streams of water flowed at high pressure. The illusion of a still, translucent dome was created, but it was surely sharp enough to cut through skin. It took a few seconds, but he finally turned and noticed Adrian standing at the door. He looked like he was going to blow a fuse at any second and his mouth did start moving, but Adrian instinctively turned away before any of the words started to register. To him, finding a way to act rather than listening to Alex''s nagging was undoubtedly the better option.

    On the other side of the table was a rogue spirit identical to the one he and Isabelle had beaten, struggling to push itself off the ground. A frothy purple liquid dripped down to the ground from a disgusting flesh wound in its neck. Spirit energy materialised around it as strands of glowing, purple silk, weaving with graceful precision to repair the damage. Adrian lifted his left foot, shifting his weight backwards and set his sights on that critical spot. His arm was stretched out behind him, ready to swing. And in one swift movement, he did just that, slamming his foot back down and emitting a baseball sized ball of flame with considerable force at the last second. Unfortunately, that force was the only considerable thing about it. In his haste he¡¯d sent it slightly off course, much to his dismay.

    The rogue¡¯s expression morphed into one filled with vicious intent, locked on to Adrian as the flames blazed past its face. Its already gaping maw opened even more and a flicker of purple spirit energy flashed within its mouth. It was charging something. This new scenario, one that didn''t fit the expectations set by Adrian''s previous fight, sent an ice cold chill down his spine and caused him to take a quick and shallow inhale. His next action couldn''t fail. Still holding his breath, he pointed his finger towards the speeding fireball, bringing the flow of spirit energy in his hand to a complete standstill. Flicking his finger upwards caused the flames to follow the path he traced, bound by their spiritual connection to him - the art of manipulation.

    There was no time to think through what he was doing. With a wave of adrenaline coursing through his veins, he swung his arm again, sending the flames hurtling towards the weak spot. The instant they made contact, a powerful blast erupted from the rogue¡¯s mouth, ripping through the air towards him. Every muscle in his body tensed up. He lifted his arms up to defend himself, not even registering that the projectile had already whizzed past him, creating a huge hole in the mansion''s wall, and just barely missing his head.

    ¡­Holy shit.

    Being sure that the danger had left, Adrian took the chance to exhale the tension out of his body, all of his senses returning to him at once. A body of light from outdoors filled the room fully exposing the rogue''s lifeless figure laid out on the ground like a ragdoll. As it began to dissolve away, its dying screams faded into softer, pain-filled groans. It was almost pitiful, but once it had fully disappeared, he forgot about it entirely and walked over to Alex who was wiping away the blood from his injury with a sour look on his face.

    ¡°You good?¡± he asked.

    Alex placed his hand against the wall and heaved himself up, glaring at Adrian with disdain. ¡°I said not to help me. You''re way too reckless."

    "Well, you seem thankful."

    "Don''t start getting onto me after you almost got your head blown off. Rogues don''t operate within set elemental abilities like we do. It could have had any type of ability. Imagine it had something that could have guaranteed a hit on you even after it died. Then what, hotshot?"

    Adrian kissed his teeth. "Yeah, well you''re hurt, right? I didn''t have time to think about all that," he said, waving his hand, dismissively.

    "And I would have been fine on my own," Alex snapped back, "Or what, do you just think you''re that much better than me or something?"

    The giggle that Adrian let out after this was a genuine accident, but the ego behind it was something he couldn''t deny. He shamelessly covered his mouth to stop himself, and the thought of apologising briefly crossed his mind. Having already shown the way he really felt though, anything that involved him backing down would''ve been the same as admitting Alex really was better than him. It wasn''t in the cards.

    He then heard Isabelle''s worried voice behind him, but didn''t turn to look at her. "W-what''s going on? Why are you guys arguing?"

    Alex ignored her too, and reached into his pocket. He took out his phone and pointed the screen towards Adrian. "Why don''t you come put those flames where your mouth is?" On his screen was the social media post they had seen before. The one of that weird purple figure in the forest. Adrian smirked at him, attempting to call any potential bluffs, but soon turned it upside down, seeing that Alex was firmly standing his ground. "What? Don''t wanna go?"

    They stared at each other for a second longer, then Adrian rolled his eyes and asked Isabelle how much time they had left for the exam.

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    "Well, we have more than enough," she replied, "We could make it there in half an hour if we run, but are we¡­ Are we actually going? Because I was just joking about that extra credit, you know?"

    She smiled nervously and looked back and forth between the two of them, searching for some sort of solace that never came. Now with a deadpan expression on his face, Adrian placed his hand on her shoulder, knowing he couldn¡¯t deny Alex''s challenge.

    "Isabelle."

    "Hm?"

    "My bad."

    <hr>

    Adrian had dialled his focus all the way up to eleven. Beating Alex at his own challenge was an important stepping stone, after all. One that would give him more experience and get him closer to reaching the heights of his dad much faster. Why wait for more missions from the school when he could take the initiative for himself, right?

    The wind slapped his face and Branches snapped underneath his feet with every step he took while narrowly dodging the trees and bushes in his way. Turning around would cause him to slow down, but he assumed Alex and Isabelle were tailing closely behind him. He didn¡¯t have to worry about anything except keeping his eyes focused on the obstacle course of a forest in front of him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, however, a tiny, troubling thought was growing.

    What the hell are we even running to in the first place?

    He¡¯d only taken a brief look at that photo, but it was enough to convince him that it wasn¡¯t edited. Some human looking rogue really was out there. Wearing the clothes of what may have been one of its victims, no less. The more he stormed forward, the more he felt a knot begin to form in his stomach. Disturbing as the thought was, it wasn¡¯t enough to make him waver. That¡¯s what he wanted to believe.

    While he was deep in thought, the other two had finally managed to pass him slightly. Alex from the left, and Isabelle from the right. ¡°Getting tired?¡± Alex said, looking back at him smugly.

    He clenched his fists and kept pushing on, not allowing himself to waste time on a response. Each of his breaths were gradually getting thinner and more hoarse.

    Using spirit energy at a level acceptable for even basic combat requires considerable levels of physical strength in order to avoid self imposed injury. Even with his physically trained body, Adrian had been so tunnel visioned on getting to their location that the thought of pacing himself never even occurred to him, resulting in the fatigue his body was beginning to feel.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Isabelle periodically looking at him like she wanted to say something. ¡°I think we¡¯re getting closer to another clearing. If we don''t see something straight away can we go back to school? Please?"

    Adrian''s eyes shut for a split second as a ray of sunlight passed by. The amount of trees in their path was decreasing rapidly, confirming what Isabelle said. "Y-yeah. We''ll do that for sure,¡± he said.

    He heard the sound of flowing water from his left and turned to see Alex surfing on a small wave he had created with his emission. ¡°I¡¯ll go on ahead.¡± The wave quickly grew taller, then disappeared, having launched Alex into the air above the trees.

    Not wanting to be left behind, Adrian looked around for anything he could use to gain his lead back. Using his flames within the forest in a way that didn¡¯t burn anything was possible for him, but risky. In the end it was Isabelle who ended up being his saving grace. "I''m going to do something so we can catch up," she said.

    "Say less," He replied.

    She stammered a bit before speaking again. "Y-you might get weirded out, though..."

    He gave her a quick side eye, suspicious of what she may be planning, but ended up giving her the go-ahead. Her face flushed up for a second before she slowed down her pace so she was behind him. Adrian went silent and kept his eyes facing forward. He didn¡¯t even have enough time for the idea of regret to enter his mind because of how quickly he was swept into her arms like a princess. He thought for a second about how he¡¯d managed to find himself there, looking down at the ground whizzing past them, then back up at Isabelle. Her face was still coloured bright pink from embarrassment.

    ¡°I told you,¡± she said quietly.

    ¡°You did,¡± he said, ¡°I feel like princess Apricot, but if you have a plan, let¡¯s do it fast and promise to never talk about this again.¡±

    ¡°O-ok.¡±

    With just her legs amplified, she jumped forwards, landing with both of her feet on the side of a tree, then kicking off of it and launching to the next one. She continued, bouncing between them like a pinball to gain further momentum and altitude. Even with her speed, she controlled herself near perfectly so Adrian felt minimal recoil from any of the impacts.

    He covered his face and braced himself as she kicked one last time and launched them up above the forest¡¯s ceiling, leaves and branches scratching past them both. Frantically kicking his legs, he broke out of Isabelle¡¯s arms to regain some of his control while they flew through the air. Meanwhile, Alex was just ahead of them, keeping himself from falling by shooting out powerful streams of water from his feet whenever gravity started to do its thing. Adrian decided to do the same with his flames, wrapping his arms around Isabelle, who had no way to keep herself up there on her own. She held onto him tightly, as they finally managed to catch up.

    "Long time no see," Adrian said with a sneer.

    Alex didn''t turn to look at him at all. His attention was being taken by something else in front of them. "What the hell is that?" There was a tinge of confusion in his voice that Adrian had noticed. A confusion he''d come to understand when he looked down for himself.

    The rogue from the picture was there, a roughly fifteen minute sprint away from Grillber''s diner, more or less where they expected it would be. Seeing it casually crouching there was enough to make him shudder, but the thing floating next to it was the real cause of concern. A white spherical object that was giving off a faint, pulsating glow. Thin trails of spirit energy appeared magnetised to it, spinning around it like the rings on a planet. Adrian quickly discarded his initial thought that it might have been just a regular core. The differences were only slight, but they were just enough to make the hairs on his neck stand up. "Isabelle," he said, "Do you have any idea what that is?" He figured that if anyone would have any clue it''d be the one who grew up in a family known for all things spirit hunting, and his hunch proved to be correct.

    A whimper left her mouth, different from her usual nervous stutters. ¡°A-a cluster?¡± she said quietly, ¡°Something like that should have been reported and dealt with already¡­ T-that means it probably formed recently..." She took out her phone and navigated her contacts, calling somebody named Jessie. The phone rang, and rang, but the person never picked up. ¡°What did I expect?¡± she said, dejected, ¡°I¡¯ll text it instead.¡±

    Adrian looked up at Alex, and for the first time, they were both unified. Unified in the confusion that was written all over their faces.

    ¡°I don¡¯t fully get it, but that glowing thing is dangerous, right?¡± asked Alex, "What''s the plan then, Ambers? We turning back or...?¡±

    ¡°We should. I-if we go down there to fight that thing¡­ We¡¯ll probably die.¡±

 CH 6 - Desires & emotions (1)

    Adrian quickly learned that taking his eyes off of the rogue for even a second was a grave mistake. It was the reason he was taken so off guard when its arms extended all the way above the trees and grabbed both him and Alex by their throats. The speed at which it did so caused him to jolt backwards, and his grasp on Isabelle to slip. She yelped and used her quick wits to grab onto his arm before she fell, adding a great strain onto his shoulder while they were being held in mid air. At the same time, he was beginning to suffocate due to the increasing pressure, as the rogue dug its fingers into his neck. He tried to speak, but only managed to let out a feeble croak.

    ¡°W¡­when¡­did it-¡±

    He didn¡¯t even get to finish his sentence before the world started spinning. He saw the ground, then the sky, then the ground again, much closer than it had been before, and finally he saw bursts of light. The pressure on his neck was gone now. The rogue had probably let go after slamming them into the ground. For a second he lay there, frozen, but then his body tensed up as a sharp pain in his back finally caught up to him. Helplessly rolling side-to-side on the ground, he let out a horrific scream, and when it was interrupted by a raspy cough, clutched his chest as tight as he could. The bursts of light were starting to fizzle out now, allowing him to use his, now watery, eyes again.

    The grass underneath him had been stained by spurts of blood from his coughs. The sight made him wince so he turned to his right instead. Isabelle and Alex seemed to be going through the same thing he was, coughing heavily, and in the most pain they¡¯d probably ever experienced before. Adrian pushed himself onto his hands and knees. With his body still feeling like a poorly oiled machine, the strength to do anything more than that just wasn''t there. In front of him, the rogue¡¯s arms were still elongated, slowly wriggling through the grass like snakes, and making their way back to their original form.

    "This is the best day ever,¡± it said. Its voice and proportions weren¡¯t far off from any other girl that''d be around their age. A complete far cry from its monstrous strength and the wide-eyed, creepy grin plastered across its face. ¡°One, two, three humans. All for me? I just keep running into them today.¡±

    Its arms were fully back to normal by this point, but Adrian couldn¡¯t breathe yet. He watched in horror as the fabric on the arm of the rogue¡¯s jacket ripped apart, its arm deforming and bursting through the seams. Its veins pulsated faster and faster while It shrunk, grew, and finally rested into the form of a ridiculously long blade, still retaining the same skin-like texture as the rest of its body.

    Then it stood there, perfectly still.

    The three principles function differently for rogue spirits, mainly due to the fact that their bodies are entirely comprised of spirit energy. Despite overpowering them so easily, the rogue had used no unique abilities so far. It wasn''t even immediately clear whether it had one or not. The only thing it had used was simple manipulation to change it''s body''s shape.

    ¡°Take your time with trying to run away," it called, "I enjoy the waiting almost as much as the fighting and killing part.¡±

    Too much had happened in such a short amount of time and Adrian felt like his brain was going to fry at any second. Hearing Isabelle¡¯s voice managed to bring him back down to earth. ¡°W-we can¡¯t do anything,¡± she whispered, ¡°Our best bet is to run, but that thing won¡¯t let us.¡±

    Alex quickly chimed in. ¡°What about the glowing orb thing behind it?"

    ¡°T-the cluster,¡± she said, turning back to look at it, ¡°It¡¯s highly volatile. Not safe for humans to touch. We need to get-"

    ¡°Whispering?¡± the rogue said, butting in, ¡°But what about? Actually, maybe I don¡¯t wanna wait. Lemme come over ¡®n¡¯ find out for myself!¡±

    It began slowly marching towards them, dragging its blade through the soil. That maniacal smile remained, and with it, the fear of death that had hung over the atmosphere the second they landed.

    Adrian¡¯s breaths were becoming more rapid. His vision took a hit too, getting blurrier by the second. Even something as simple as supporting his own body weight became a chore because of the stress. Death was something he¡¯d never given serious thought to before. Nobody close to him had ever died, and he¡¯d never been remotely close to dying in his entire life. In that moment however, under the pressure of that rogue spirit¡¯s presence, he felt like he''d come dangerously close to understanding what the word truly meant. Death, and the all-encompassing dread that came with it, had him within range. Of all the emotions swelling within him, there was one that trumped all of them by a huge margin.

    Shame.

    I joined the Academy for a reason didn''t I? There are people back home who believe in me aren''t there? If I can''t do anything here, then what the hell were the last four years of training for?!

    Finding his way back to his determination, the skill he thought he''d mastered long ago, was being tested for the second time that day. The maze of doubt had a few more dead ends than usual this time, but there was a singular thought that kept him moving forward.

    Dad would be able to deal with this easily. I''m his son aren''t I?

    The enemy was better than him in every conceivable way. Would he even be able to keep up with it in a fight? He didn''t know. Still, he dared to raise his shaky hand off the ground and activate amplification.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    "W-what are you doing?" Isabelle whispered.

    "Buying time for you and Alex. If it''s occupied with me, you guys will be able to get out of here."

    "Don''t be dumb," Alex said, "Do you actually think you can win?"

    Adrian kept his eyes forward. They shone with a shaky determination as he responded, "...I''ve gotta try anyway."

    They probably tried to talk him out of it again, but he wouldn¡¯t have heard it anyways. He¡¯d already lunged forwards on a suicide run towards his target. He probably should have listened to them.

    On the way there he could barely feel a single thing. Not the wind that was rushing past his face or his own fingers digging into his palm from how hard he was clenching his fist. Everything was muted. When he was right up in front of the rogue and ready to punch however, something inside of him; something from the deepest depths of his mind screamed out a command.

    ¡°AMPLIFY YOUR BODY!¡±

    He obeyed, and coated himself with his flames in an attempt to protect his body. The next thing he knew tears had started streaming down his face as he fought against the powerful force of the rogue¡¯s blade, pressed right up against his neck. His flames roared in response to the pressure and bringing his arms up to try and push it back barely helped in the struggle.

    ¡°I knew you¡¯d be the first,¡± The rogue whispered to him, ¡°I could tell by that look on your face. You¡¯re the only one who would get emotional enough to do something this stupid.¡± Adrian grit his teeth as he felt himself being slowly pushed to the side. The grass was being pulled from the roots and gradually building up next to his feet. For now, his amplification was holding out, but it was only a matter of time. ¡°If you think you¡¯re being brave here then you¡¯re wrong¡­¡± In an instant, its manic expression dropped into a cold, hollow stare. ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen again. Next time I might cut you for real."

    It swiped its blade, sending him careening into one of the nearby trees. On pure instinct, he had weakened his amplification the second before he hit it so that his flames wouldn''t cause a forest fire. It hurt like hell, but he controlled his reaction, trying his hardest to get accustomed to that stinging feeling. ¡°M-my head,¡± he said, pinching and rubbing his face, ¡°It¡¯s still there¡­¡±

    He had a shallow cut under his chin where the blade had been, but it was nothing he couldn''t handle. The rogue obviously hadn''t been using its full strength. If it had though? He shook his head at the mere thought. In the short time that he had spent recuperating himself, it was already slashing away at Isabelle & Alex who were both on the defensive against its relentless attacks. Knowing he still had to fight, Adrian pushed himself up, and started making his way over with a slight limp in his step.

    An amplified kick from Isabelle managed to send the rogue sliding back a bit, but its laugh told everything they needed to know. It wasn''t damaged at all. Still, now the three of them were surrounding it, amplification at the ready. Even if they were all coated in cuts, this should have been a best case scenario.

    It should have been.

    The rogue spun towards Adrian, extending the length of its blade in the blink of an eye. Even before he himself could react, Alex emitted a mass of water that covered the rogue¡¯s upper body, holding it still with manipulation, and managing to restrict its movements.

    ¡°Hm?¡± The rogue said, trying to budge, ¡°You can change how permeable the water is?¡±

    The other two dashed forwards, with Isabelle was a little faster and slamming both of her hands against the rogue¡¯s face, emitting a surge of electricity through its entire body. While it was shrieking in pain, Adrian pulled his fist back, but before he launched it forwards, it stopped screaming and gave them both a cheeky wink. ¡°Just Kidding! It doesn''t hurt that much!¡± It morphed its arm again, this time going back to its regular hand, but enlarged to a ridiculous degree. With ease, it broke out of Alex¡¯s restraints and hurled a punch that caught them both. Isabelle made a terrifying sound in response. Something in between a scream and throwing up.

    Adrian had been quick to coat his entire body with his flames, but she was already using emission prior to the attack. There wasn¡¯t enough time for her to switch between the two arts. They both tumbled through the soil after being launched away. Isabelle was wide-eyed, dripping blood and saliva from her mouth while still trying to get onto her feet. ¡°H-hold on, you''re too messed up,¡± Adrian said, coming to her aid, ¡°...You¡¯ve realised it too, right?¡±

    She looked at him briefly, then slumped back down to the floor, wiping the liquids off of her chin. After a few deep breaths, she spoke. ¡°T-this is all just a game to that thing¡­If it wanted us dead, it would have slashed us just then instead of punching us.¡±

    ¡°And If it decides to stop playing, we¡¯re finished.¡±

    ¡°Yeah... I-I lost my composure.¡±

    After making sure that Isabelle was okay, Adrian looked back up to where the rogue was. Alex was in trouble, getting pushed back by its flurry of punches. Once again, he stood up without a word or moment of hesitation.

    ¡°...You¡¯re amazing,¡± Isabelle said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? I¡¯m terrified.¡± Adrian looked down at his shaking hands. ¡°I¡¯ve been terrified since we were back at the mansion. But now that I think about it, that¡¯s probably why I¡¯m fighting so desperately.¡± He locked his eyes onto the rogue and got into stance to rush forwards again. ¡°Stay here and recover for a bit, Isabelle. I¡¯m gonna go save Alex.¡±

    Emitting flames from under his feet to increase his speed, Adrian whizzed past the rogue and tackled Alex out of the way just before he was hit with another punch. He was barely conscious, with a busted lip and a lump on his forehead from where he was hit the hardest.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished with that!¡± the rogue exclaimed from behind, ¡°Give it back!¡±

    Adrian turned around to see the rogue giggling to itself with its enlarged hands raised above its head. He didn¡¯t know how many times he¡¯d done so already, but once again, he raised his arms and covered himself with his flames again. An dull thud could be heard the instant it made contact with the heaviest attack he¡¯d ever been hit with before. He felt his knees wobble underneath the pressure, but upped the fire power as much as he could, and managed to keep himself from getting crushed. It was like a tug of war, with Adrian getting pushed downwards, then fighting past his limits to return the favour and raise the rogue¡¯s fists even higher. Luckily for him, it still wasn¡¯t taking the fight seriously, laughing like a kid as it played with its food.

    Foolish confidence had turned to pure, unadulterated fear over the course of a few seconds. Every vein in his arms felt as if they could pop at any moment, and when he was hit with a sudden spike of pain in his arms out of nowhere, a terrifying reality began to manifest itself.

    Slowly, but surely, he was losing control of his spirit energy.

 CH 7 - Desires & emotions (2)

    No! No! No! Not now! I¡¯ll die! I don¡¯t wanna die! I can''t die! I won¡¯t die!

    The words played over in his head until tears were flowing down his face.

    Spirit energy escapes the body when strong emotion conflicts with ones desire. Pity at himself, fear, rage, it all coalesced within him, resulting in his current predicament. There was no way in hell he could allow these to be his final moments, but his agency regarding that decision was gradually slipping away.

    ¡°Time¡¯s ticking,¡± the rogue sang, ¡°Do you have a plan to get out?¡±

    Straining so hard had caused light-headedness and a horrible ringing in his ears. Everything felt like a blur. He didn¡¯t know when it had happened, but his knees must have given out already. He could feel himself getting closer to the ground. There was hardly any pain in his arms anymore; or anywhere else for that matter. Everything was numb, and the world around him was getting more and more¡­ slow?

    Yeah, that was it.

    Everything was blurry and moving in slow motion.

    Slower, slower.

    ¡­Slower.

    Out of the corner of his teary eyes, he managed to catch a quick glimpse of something moving against that slowness. Before he could even process it, he was yanked backwards, landing with a heavy thud. While he was attempting to reacclimate his brain with the situation, he heard the muffled sound of a water cannon blasting out in front of him. Shortly following it was an eerie mixture of screams and laughter, coming from the rogue spirit.

    ¡°Alex!¡± He called out, ¡°Get back! I¡¯ll handle it!¡±

    He tried to push himself onto his feet, but his arms were in a terrible bruised and swollen state. On his left palm, there was a nasty gash, exposing small bits of squishy pink and red underneath when he stretched his fingers. He took one glance at it, then winced and turned away; a queasy feeling churning up in his stomach. Luckily, the adrenaline rush he was under still hadn¡¯t worn off and the pain was just about bearable.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± he heard Alex say, in between heavy breaths, ¡°This thing recovers way too fast.¡±

    In front of them, the rogue was twitching and laughing to itself uncontrollably. There was a hole going right through the left side of its face, where its eye once was, repairing itself with spirit energy. Alex had clearly landed a pretty powerful hit, but Adrian wasn¡¯t sure of how much time it was truly going to buy them. Its imposing shadow loomed over them both as it stepped closer with a childish giggle. ¡°Can you still fight? Killing¡¯s no fun if you don¡¯t fight back, Y¡¯know?¡±

    Adrian and Alex stayed perfectly still, Stuck between the rogue and the tree behind them. They were far too injured to make any game changing moves. Every sign in the universe pointed towards this being checkmate, but their teammate had other ideas.

    A huge mass of electricity sparked up behind the rogue, almost reaching the heights of the forest¡¯s trees and at the centre of that mass was the Isabelle. Her stance was confident, with her hair standing up and wildly swaying around with the wild rhythm of her spirit energy. Unfazed, the rogue shook its head, chuckling to itself before turning to make its way towards her.

    Being saved didn''t mean anything. All it did was direct Adrian¡¯s anxiety towards her and the risk she was taking. ¡°She¡¯s using way too much spirit energy at once,¡± he whispered, with an astonished look on his face.

    ¡°Her body probably won''t be able to take it,¡± Alex said, carefully dabbing away the blood from his lips, ¡°But with how things are going right now...I can¡¯t blame her for risking it.¡±

    Adrian wouldn¡¯t allow her to do that. He tried to stand up again, but ended up with his face in the soil, his body still refusing to listen to him.

    ¡°What do you think you can even do in that state?¡± Alex asked, pulling him up.

    ¡°Isabelle''s strong,¡± Adrian snapped back, ¡°But that thing¡¯s different. We need more than one of us to fight if we wanna stand a chance.¡±

    Alex gave him a sharp look, but it soon mellowed out a bit as he glanced down at the injuries on his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll go. You wouldn''t be any help anyways.¡± He clutched his shaky left leg and tried his hardest to heave himself up, but fell back down instantly. After cursing himself under his breath, he tried again.

    Adrians eyes ran back and forth between Alex and the rogue, taking its sweet time walking up to Isabelle as she hesitantly geared herself to attack. Racking his brain for a solution was taking too long. He ended up blurting out the first thing that came to his mind.

    ¡°What if I-¡±

    ¡°What don¡¯t you get?!¡± Alex shouted, ¡°You¡¯re more injured than me. Are you still stuck on trying to prove you¡¯re better than me or something? This isn''t the time for messing around!¡±

    ¡°I''m not!¡± Adrian raised his voice without even intending to. He took a pause to calm himself down then continued speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the dumb game. If I don''t try to stand up now then what was even the point of me coming to the academy in the first place?!¡±

    Alex looked taken aback from Adrian''s sudden outburst. For a moment, he opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but whatever he wanted to say would have to wait.

    The rogue had inexplicably stopped walking and started flailing around on the floor, clawing and scratching at its face. When it turned towards him, Adrian got a good look at what was going on. A small beetle-looking creature had latched onto its head and was gnawing eating away at it''s flesh. Its efforts were useless. No matter how much it tried, the insect wouldn''t budge.

    Using his sixth sense, Adrian spotted a trail of dark spirit energy leading from the insect to the forest they had emerged from upon their arrival. In the next instant, there was a loud whoosh sound as a midnight black projectile blasted out from the trees, directly towards the rogue spirit. Its speed was ridiculous. Even though the rogue attempted to jump and dodge, the attack still made contact, blasting through one of its legs in the process. A severed leg wasn¡¯t enough to stop its next trick, however. It once again enlarged both of its hands, and extended them to grab both the cluster and Isabelle, which were behind it. Isabelle¡¯s amplification stood no chance, and was shut down near instantly.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Adrian watched the rogue fall to the ground, and as its severed leg began to dissolve into nothing, he heard a voice calling out to them. ¡°Adrian. Alexander. Can either of you move?¡± Almost all the pressure was swept off of his shoulders in an instant. Mr. Harrows emerged from the forest, keeping his eyes on the rogue, which was now regenerating. The smile on its face had vanished. All that remained was a spine-chilling rage, as it held the struggling Isabelle and the cluster in front of it like shields.

    ¡°We can''t move too well!¡± Alex called back. Adrian wanted to ask how Mr. Harrows had tracked them down, but that could be saved for later. The situation had become much more dire now that Isabelle¡¯s life was in danger, but he held on to the hope that all would be fine now that a professional was there. ¡°That beetle must be one of Mr. Harrow¡¯s other abilities. It¡¯s probably eating away at the rogue¡¯s spirit energy,¡± Alex said, applying pressure to his wounds, ¡°It still has to regenerate its leg too.¡±

    Adrian looked forward in anxious anticipation. ¡°Yeah, It¡¯s definitely on a timer. But it¡¯s got Isabelle too¡­¡±

    On Mr. Harrow¡¯s waist was a leather holster containing what looked to be a short sword. He held his hand on the weapon¡¯s handle for a second and took a cautious step forwards and in response, the Rogue began to squeeze the hand that was holding Isabelle. She struggled even harder, kicking her legs around to try and escape its deadly grasp. Adrian fought back against the urge to try and stand up again, placing all his trust in their teacher to save her.

    Mr. Harrows stopped walking and took his hands off of the sword. He then made a discreet movement with the same hand, while still keeping it at his waist, turning it so his palm was pointed towards the spirit. He took a slow step backwards and in the time that took, Adrian turned his attention to the rogue. For a split second, he saw the corners of its lips start to rise. It thought it had been let off, and instantly paid the price.

    A chain created from, and enveloped in Mr. Harrow¡¯s dark spirit energy burst out from his hand and shot through the rogue¡¯s chest, causing it to panic once again. Its scream pierced Adrian¡¯s ears, but because of his injuries he could barely even lift his hands to cover them. Even with the pain the rogue was in, its grasp on Isabelle and the cluster didn¡¯t loosen. The skin on its legs then started to ripple in preparation for its next move.

    ¡°Crap,¡± Adrian said, leaning backwards in fear. In the past few moments the light-headedness from earlier was slowly creeping back up on him. He was feeling more dreary by the second fighting just to keep his eyelids open.

    Alex¡¯s reaction was much calmer. ¡°It¡¯s good. Any moment now that beetle should¡­¡±

    The timer that had started moments prior finally reached its end. Chaos erupted as the rogue recoiled backwards out of nowhere, with a terrifying shriek. There was a disgusting hole in the side of its head dripping with purple blood where the beetle had crawled inside.

    ¡°It must¡­be doing some damage¡­in there,¡± Adrian said. His shoulders were dropping He knew his body wouldn''t last any longer.

    At long last the rogue¡¯s grasp on Isabelle loosened enough to the point where she was able to wriggle out and stumble her way to safety. It must have sacrificed its desire to kill her in order to focus more spirit energy in its other hand which remained clutched on to the cluster as tight as it could. In a last ditch effort to escape, the rogue pushed out whatever power it had left to snap the chain that Mr Harrows had attached to it and quickly scurry away from the fight.

    ¡°No!¡± Adrian exclaimed, scrambling to get to his feet, ¡°We have¡­to chase¡­¡± That was the moment his vision went dark. He couldn''t feel or move anything. He could hear though. Isabelle, Alex and Mr. Harrows were calling out to him. Their voices were close, at first, but were getting further away from him, the more he fought to reach back out to them.

    Further, further.

    ¡­Too far to reach.

    <hr>

    BRUCE

    There was once a time when Bruce had felt he had a place to belong. It was a time when he had two people in his life that he thought were the apex of what he should have been striving to be; the pinnacle of what it meant to be a ¡®good person¡¯. Neither of those people ever changed. It was Bruce himself who, after driving himself mad chasing their after-images for so long, came to the conclusion that the best path for him to walk may not be the one of a ¡®good person¡¯ after all. Fourteen years of trying to realise the goal brought about by that conclusion had led him here. A negotiation with humanity¡¯s greatest enemies, and simultaneously, their greatest assets.

    There was a quiet breeze blowing through the cave he had found himself within. Sitting on the hard cold floor was less than desirable, but complaining wouldn¡¯t do. It¡¯d be bad if his tone upset the rogue spirit sitting in front of him. In this situation, any wrong move could spell the end of his plan, or even worse, his life. He had to operate with the utmost care if he wanted to see this negotiation through.

    In the brief conversation he¡¯d had with the rogue, he¡¯d learned that it called itself Sharir. It was a humanoid one, and had the build of someone who¡¯d dedicated their whole life to working out and getting as muscular as possible. For the past hour or so, it had been sitting completely still, with its legs crossed and eyes closed like it was asleep. Bruce found it odd, seeing as rogue spirits don¡¯t require sleep to function like humans do.

    Next to it, there was a human girl wearing a blue football kit, lying unconscious on the ground. She was the reason Bruce had found himself there in the first place. ¡°...Is she going to wake up any time soon?¡± he asked.

    Sharir slowly opened its eyes in response to Bruce¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely that Tyran had any regard for that when it Struck her head. I cannot answer your question, human.¡± Its voice was unnaturally deep. The echo it created was powerful, despite the low volume it spoke at. Afterwards it fell silent again, not bothering to indulge in conversation with him.

    Bruce nodded his head and glanced over at the cave¡¯s entrance. The ¡°Tyran¡± that Sharir spoke of left them about an hour ago to retrieve the cluster that Bruce told them about. It was taking quite a while. If it took too long, there was always the chance that Sharir could grow bored and decide that Bruce wasn¡¯t worth his time. He¡¯d be forced into combat. He felt a drop of sweat drip down his forehead at the thought, but decided not to raise his head to wipe it. Even given the risks, however, his curiosity urged him to ask a question.

    ¡°Do you¡­ worry for Tyran by any chance?¡± Sharir¡¯s eyes shot up, looking directly at him. He couldn¡¯t tell whether the expression on its face was meant to be anger because it was the same expression it had worn the entire time he¡¯d been there. ¡°Ah, forgive me if I offend. I noticed earlier that your relationship-¡±

    ¡°Give and take.¡±

    Bruce blinked a few times, surprised at Sharir¡¯s sudden intrusion. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s merely a give and take relationship. Harbouring emotions for anything other than ourselves and our innate desires is something that rogue spirits aren¡¯t capable of, unlike humans. Thus, if Tyran does not return, I will simply dispose of you and this girl, then leave.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­Yes. Yes, of course.¡±

    Bruce knew that was always where things would have led, but hearing it was a different story. He felt a hard lump form in his throat. If something didn¡¯t happen soon...

    After that a new problem quickly made itself present, and the tension was raised by the sound of a girl¡¯s maniacal laughter from outside the cave.

 CH 8 - Desires & emotions (3)

    It wasn''t long until Bruce saw Tyran skipping into the cave, torn and tattered with battle injuries, but grinning and carrying the cluster in tow. There was a stream of dark spirit energy evaporating by its cheek.

    ¡°I must have finally got out of range of that guy''s ability!¡± It said, locking its eyes onto him, ¡°Man, that was a lot more fun than I expected¡­¡±

    It was now or never. Bruce had already established that Tyran was a loose cannon; unpredictable. The plan was always to find a way to prove his worth as fast as humanly possible, and the difficulty of that task was about to ramp up.

    Joanne and Terry have already begun work on that drug. It¡¯d be rather embarrassing if I were to die before completing my part of the plan.

    Without a single warning, Tyran got into a fighting stance, morphing its arm into a blade, and piercing the air right next to Bruce¡¯s neck. Its speed was outrageous, but he couldn¡¯t allow himself to waver in such a critical moment. Even as he felt his heart almost pounding out of his chest, he kept himself one-hundred percent still.

    ¡°It was fun,¡± the rogue said, ¡°But I didn''t get to kill anybody, you see.¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯s rather unfortunate,¡± Bruce responded.

    ¡°You probably know already, but I only insisted on going cuz I was bored. I don''t even care about whatever this thing is.¡± It waved the cluster around like it was a toy as it spoke. ¡°So in short, you¡¯re gonna have to let me end you. So I don¡¯t start having withdrawals later, y''know?¡±

    ¡°...What If I told you there was a way I could allow you to freely live out your innate desires all you liked, but the method is an ability that only humans can perform?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d lead you on to make you think I gave a fuck, then I¡¯d start a fight and kill you.¡± It pushed the blade further. A singular drop of blood started to trickle down, staining the collar of Bruce¡¯s shirt. ¡°What do you think a human could even contribute to what I want in the first place? You should know exactly why us rogues think you things are disgusting.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware. Rogue spirits are no different from the spirits that reside within us humans. The only difference is that you aren''t influenced by the heart. Not the organ, but the capacity to feel things like empathy. Oftentimes those emotions can create doubts within humans that, by nature, conflict with our spirits, which is where our purest desires are born. Spirit energy is the manifestation of that. People who are more in tune with their desires in any given moment are able to control the energy they have much more effectively and efficiently. ¡±

    ¡°And that emotion makes you weak,¡± It snapped back, ¡°We do what we want, even if we have to step on each other¡¯s toes. We never doubt our desires, and do anything possible to see them through. That¡¯s the best way to live.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± For the first time, Tyran didn¡¯t have an instant retort. It squinted its eyes, confused by Bruce''s words. Even Sharir perked its head up to listen in. ¡°The human heart is nothing but a hindrance,¡± Bruce said, stone-faced, ¡°That''s why I''ve been working to discard my own.¡±

    He maintained composure and eye contact for what felt like an eternity. The first one to crack was Tyran, giving him a smirk and retracting her arm back to its default state. ¡°You¡¯re not off the hook yet. Talk. But if I don''t like it then it''s curtains, buddy.¡±

    Thank God, Bruce thought to himself. He wiped the blood off of his neck and adjusted his collar. For the next few moments, he¡¯d be in the driver''s seat. He''d have to use the opportunity to the fullest. ¡°A rogue''s innate desire. The first thing they become aware of at the moment of their birth,¡± he said to Tyran, ¡°From what I''ve gathered it''s simply to¡­have fun, correct?¡±

    It nodded its head in response. ¡°By killing and fighting. I''d fight a rogue too, but humans are much more fun.¡±

    ¡°...And yours?¡± he asked Sharir.

    ¡°...A world where rogue spirits stand at the apex. Beings that allowed themselves to be swayed so easily have no right being the dominant race."

    A peculiar answer. The desires that rogues were born with originate from spirit energy that escape from humans after all. I suppose there are certain cults that worship rogues as deities, Bruce thought, though I''ve never come across one myself... No matter.

    ¡°Well," he continued, "Both of those things would benefit greatly from the destruction of the Spirit Hunter Association first and foremost. However, even with the immense strength you both possess, you''ll die if you try to take them on. That''s where the cluster, and this girl come in.¡±

    Tyran pointed towards the girl, who was still lying unconscious on the floor. ¡°You¡¯re telling me this thing is important?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Internally, Bruce was smiling to himself. Tyran¡¯s interest had been piqued. All he had to do was stick the landing. ¡°The amount of spirit energy that a person holds naturally increases with age, even without training. The ability to use it is sealed at birth to avoid self imposed injuries, but its natural growth cannot be stopped. Everybody''s growth rate is different.¡± Feeling confident in himself, Bruce stood up, and began pacing around the cave, finally alleviating himself of the discomfort of sitting on stones. ¡°For quite a while now, I''ve been searching for a human with both a low amount of spirit energy, and a low growth rate. I happened to stumble upon the girl here, but before I could make any moves of my own, I discovered she had already been kidnapped by someone else.¡± He turned to look at Tyran, who smirked back at him and started casually waving the cluster around again.

    ¡°I found it interesting. It was my first time seeing something with little to no spirit energy. But where exactly does it come into play, Mr. Talks-a-lot?¡±

    ¡°The cluster is two things. It''s a mass of highly volatile, constantly converging spirit energy. Only a being composed completely of spirit energy, such as yourselves can touch it without your hands disintegrating. It''s also an egg. The spirit that''ll be born from there will grow up just like a human baby, and when it''s fully developed, it will almost certainly be as powerful as both of you. That will take some time, but if it is given a developed body right from birth, it¡¯ll be able to adapt and learn much faster¡­¡±

    Him, Tyran and Sharir all turned their gaze towards the unconscious teenager on the ground. ¡°I''m beginning to understand,¡± Sharir said. There was the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

    ¡°I''m glad you''re beginning to see my vision. This is the test I''ve given myself to prove that I''m capable of discarding my heart,¡± Bruce responded, ¡°Can I take your expression as confirmation of a collaboration?¡±

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    <hr>

    ADRIAN HUNTER

    It was super quiet in that hospital room. The beeping of the various hospital equipment was the only thing preventing total silence. Adrian hadn¡¯t been hospitalised since his little incident with the tree and the paddle pool when he was six. He was sure he''d matured a bit since those days, but reflecting on the past few hours was starting to make him doubt that a bit.

    He¡¯d spent his time there laid on his back and staring at the ceiling with the blankest of blank expressions on his face. A lingering feeling of emptiness loomed within his chest. Both of his arms were bandaged up. He could still bend them to some degree, but anything excessive brought back not only physical pain, but the memories of his failure as well.

    Isabelle and Alex had their own beds in the same room. Alex was opposite Adrian and Isabelle was on the same side in the corner closest to the door. She¡¯d fallen fast asleep as soon as they got there. When Mr. Harrows dropped them off, the hospital staff informed them that they had a right to individual rooms, but the other two said they didn¡¯t mind staying together. Adrian¡¯s mind was blank at the time, and he couldn¡¯t remember if he even answered the question or not.

    ¡­I should probably get up and talk to Alex.

    That was the fifth time he''d told himself that. Him and Alex¡¯s argument was what got them into this mess to begin with, but when the idea of having to admit fault crossed his mind, he wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. In the end, it was Alex who ended up breaking the impenetrable silence between them.

    ¡°Yo.¡±

    Almost involuntarily, Adrian sat up to face him. ¡°Yo.¡±

    ¡°Your arms feeling any better?¡±

    ¡°Um, yeah. They¡¯re¡­they¡¯re getting there. How about your head?¡±

    ¡°It''s better.¡±

    That it was. One benefit of being able to use the spirit arts was the latent healing ability it granted. Nothing crazy. It just meant that Alex''s wounds were a little less severe looking than if he was a regular person. ¡°...Cool.¡±

    They sat in silence for a while. Adrian awkwardly shuffled around, looking for something else to say. It''s not like he hated silence. Back at home, he could sit with Mira or his dad without saying a word for hours on end. Now though? The only thing the silence brought along with it was a wave of guilt. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, but it was like some higher power really really didn''t want him to.

    ¡­Dad would be the bigger person in a situation like this, right?

    ¡°Hey, Alex-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he blurted out.

    Another weird silence. Adrian tried to search Alex¡¯s face for any hint of dishonesty, but couldn¡¯t find it. He was dead serious. ¡°Wait, why are you¡­Oh, actually, no. I remember.¡± The life-or-death situation they were just in actually made him forget how difficult Alex was being before the mission.

    ¡°I never wanted it to go that far," he said, guilt written all over his face.

    ¡°It''s¡­fine. It''s fine. I feel like I needed the reality check in hindsight. When I barged into your fight back at the mansion, I was seriously starting to think that spirit hunting was gonna be easier than it really is. I''ve got my head screwed on now, though.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Alex said, ¡°I lost sight of why I came here for a while there. Being the strongest or whatever, it''d be useful for sure, but... It''s not a necessity.¡±

    Adrian tilted his head to the side. ¡°Why did you join the Academy?¡±

    Pausing for a second, Alex took some time to look out the window before answering. ¡°You know the school pays us for doing missions, right? My family¡­My mom and two younger sisters. We''re not that well off, so I¡¯m planning on sending most of the money I earn to them. More missions equals more money to help them out.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I get you. What about your dad? Is he¡­?¡±

    ¡°Fuck knows where he is,¡± said Alex, tightly clasping his hands together, ¡°I don''t even know if he''s alive¡­¡±

    Adrian could sense that he probably should have kept that question to himself, but found that hearing Alex''s story made him appreciate his own upbringing much more than he already did.

    ¡°Anyways,¡± Alex said, relaxing his body, ¡°Just cuz I apologised doesn''t mean we¡¯re suddenly best friends. I have my reason to be here and that''s all I care about.¡±

    ¡°Respectable, I guess,¡± said Adrian, smiling and rolling his eyes.

    A knock at the door then caught his attention. Turning to look at it, he saw a nurse with a painful looking smile on her face. ¡°You three appear to have some guests,¡± she said through her teeth. Following close behind her were three other students that Adrian recognised from the entrance ceremony.

    Two of the girls who were involved in the argument that happened, Melanie and Lyla, and a stoic looking black-haired guy who''s name he didn''t know.

    ¡°Oh my God!¡± Melanie squealed in excitement. She was so loud and high pitched that it woke Isabelle up from her nap.

    She frantically looked around, with her curly hair all frizzed up and covering her eyes. ¡°Wha- W-who?¡±

    ¡°Hiii, what''s your name?!¡± Said Melanie hopping over to her.

    ¡°Uh¡­ Isabelle,¡± She replied, still trying to process what was going on.

    ¡°Izzy?! That''s such a pretty name!¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­?¡± She turned to look at the other girl, and was soon getting bombarded with a mountain of questions. Adrian missed the peace and quiet that was there before they¡¯d turned up, but couldn''t help but smile seeing Isabelle coming out of her shell a bit more.

    The other guy that walked in with them, walked up to his bedside, with no changes in his muted expression. ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± he said, giving Adrian a fist bump, ¡°Neil Donovan.¡±

    Adrian flinched for a second before answering. ¡°Adrian Hunter. That guy over there is Alex.¡± Alex nodded his head from across the room.

    Donovan, he thought, This guy''s from a big shot family, just like Isabelle. Neil didn''t carry himself in any significant way, and his nonchalant tone made it hard to read him for any specific emotions. Still, he seemed like an alright guy; Albeit, an unremarkable one.

    ¡°Alright, ladies,¡± Said a disgruntled voice from outside, ¡°Let''s try to keep the noise down. There are other residents here too.¡± It was Mr. Harrows. Adrian shuddered a bit seeing him walk in. He was certain that the little ''adventure'' they had been on would get them into trouble. The teacher rubbed his chin and looked around the room, focusing on the three of them for a few seconds each. ¡°I know you heal faster than regular people, but still... You''re all in much better shape than I expected...¡±

    Isabelle moved her arm around, testing what he''d said. ¡°O-oh, yeah you''re right. It does still hurt though.¡±

    ¡°Well, never mind that for now.¡± He opened a duffle bag he had brought along with him and took out three beefy looking white textbooks, and three black jackets, all branded with the letters ''S.H.A'' in the corner. ¡°You three are going to be staying here for a few more days, but I still want you studying. Start from page eight in the textbooks. That''s the content we¡¯ll be looking at for the next week or so.¡±

    Adrian''s eyes lit up as he clutched his uniform and took a look at the book''s cover. ¡°The young spirit hunter''s survival kit - All the essentials and more.¡± All the secrets he needed to get stronger were in there. All he had to do was open its pristinely printed pages to find them.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Mr Harrows said, ¡°I can''t spend too much time here. I¡¯ve got a meeting to attend to.¡±

    ¡°About us?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°About recent events.¡± He gave each of them a stern look before taking his leave. ¡°Make sure you read those books, you three.¡±

    Recent events? Adrian thought, What the hell? If we''re getting expelled then just say so.

 CH 9 - Backs against the wall

    WAYNE HARROWS

    One day. One day was all it took for things to fall into disarray. Of course, Wayne had anticipated that he¡¯d come across some hardships. The task of adjusting to a new job was sure to bring along with it all sorts of trials and tribulations, but for things to go so badly on the first day? It felt like the universe itself was against him. Mocking him for even daring to think that he had everything under control. No point in lamenting now; he had already driven to his destination. The Spirit Hunter Association¡¯s Institution of Science. It was a white monolith of a building that stood tall in the centre of the city. Sleek, modern, and completely spotless. It almost looked out of place, surrounded by every other regular old office building in its vicinity.

    Wayne was driving through the car park, looking around for a place to leave his car and his phone started to ring as he did. The call came through on his car¡¯s interface, so he just pressed the answer button without looking to see who was on the other line. ¡°Just wanted you to know that you look really silly right now,¡± said a familiar voice.

    ¡°Priscilla. Do you want to carry on being annoying or am I gonna get some help here?¡±

    His old friend laughed, responding, ¡°Turn around. There¡¯s an empty spot right here.¡±

    He did just that, turning his car around and finally spotting Priscilla next to the parking spot she was saving for him. The two shared a warm embrace once Wayne got out of his car. He hadn¡¯t seen her in a while, but she hadn¡¯t changed at all. The same piercing green eyes, The same blonde highlights in her short brown hair, and the same bubbly personality from when they were younger. She laughed a little as she let go of him.

    ¡°What?¡± he asked her, as they walked over to tap their ID cards.

    ¡°Just thinking,¡± she said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually went and became a teacher.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± he sighed, ¡°Everything¡¯s already going wrong, though. Maybe I¡¯m not cut out for this type of work.¡±

    ¡°You''ll figure it out, Wayne. I¡¯ve never known you to be a quitter.¡±

    They walked in silence through the institution¡¯s spotless empty hallways. Through the windows in the doors, scientists in lab coats meticulously observed their various experiments and studies, finetuning everything to an absurd level of perfection. The air had a lovely, clean smell, even with the amount of potent chemicals being handled everywhere.

    ¡°I want to make sure all of those kids feel like they''re worth something,¡± Wayne said, ¡°But as much as I''m teaching for the sake of the younger generation, it''s also meant to be for myself. Kinda like... Doing something I wasn''t able to in the past..."

    Priscilla stopped in her tracks, and Wayne turned back to look at her. He¡¯d never seen her make a face like this before. It was scary, almost. Her eyes had widened as soon as he had neared the end of his sentence, staring right through to the true meaning of his words. "Wayne. I''ve already told you before. You have nothing you need to atone for. Don¡¯t ever say things like that again. Please.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything in response, instead shaking his head and turning back around to walk to their destination. Priscilla quickly caught up to him to continue talking. ¡°It''s not the glamorous job we thought it¡¯d be when we were fourteen. I know that¡­ I always find myself wishing we could turn back time and change things, but-¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t.¡± he managed to muster a smile towards her.

    ¡°Right. And those kids are gonna keep making mistakes, so somebody¡¯s gotta be there to keep them in check, right? You can¡¯t ever doubt yourself, buddy. They¡¯ll be able to see right through you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah... Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±

    They were nearing the room that Wayne had booked for their meeting. Lab A148. Opening the door, they were greeted by two of the other people Wayne had invited to the meeting - Shima Laang, the quirky, afro-haired scientist in charge of the room, and an old friend of Priscilla''s. She was sitting backwards on a swivel chair as it slowly spun around. The other person was Nicholas Dyer, a spirit hunter contracted with the Ambers family, with a ''super serious, no nonsense'' reputation. Those rumours were a just a little blown out of proportion, however. There was someone else there who wasn¡¯t invited, however. A female student with curly brown hair, aloofly leaning against the desk in the centre of the lab, swiping away at her phone. Wayne thought she looked familiar, but before he could put his finger on it, Nicholas began talking to clear the confusion.

    ¡°She¡¯s a second year student. Isabelle¡¯s older sister, Jessie Ambers,¡± He said, adjusting the glasses on his face, ¡°I¡¯m due to take her on a mission soon, but the family head requested I come over here first to find out what¡¯s going on with Isabelle as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no problem,¡± Wayne replied, ¡°Oh, and thank you for forwarding Isabelle¡¯s text message to me. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it to those three in time.¡±

    ¡°Well, I was attending to a matter with their father when Jessie forwarded the message to me first. It''s her you should be thanking, really.¡±

    Wayne stuttered on his next words for a second. Isabelle¡¯s message had been forwarded twice before somebody actually went out there to help her? Why?

    Jessie could be excused from any blame. With a second year ID card, she was allowed to act without adult permission in times like these, but handing the mission off to someone with more experience was the right call. Nick was with their father when the message came through, so the only one who could have stopped him from leaving was him; the head of the Ambers family. What was going on?

    ¡°Don¡¯t think on it too hard, man,¡± Jessie said.

    Wayne fixed his facial expression, realising it was making him nothing but an open book. ¡°Well, You should still go visit her,¡± He said in a friendlier tone, "I¡¯m sure she¡¯d appreciate the company of a family member.¡±

    ¡°Is she dying?¡± she asked, folding her arms.

    ¡°No, she''ll be fine in a few days maximum.¡±

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t.¡±

    Wayne felt his hand twitch. "...You¡¯re talking about your sister-¡±

    She stood up taller, injecting more vitriol into her voice. ¡°It¡¯s family stuff, man. I told you not to think about it.¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Jessie,¡± Nicholas said, ¡°Let me remind you that you don''t have to be here.¡±

    The girl covered her ears and closed her eyes, as if everyone couldn''t see her if she couldn''t see them. Wayne squinted his eyes, unimpressed, but as long as she didn''t cause any other disturbances, he didn''t mind her being present.

    ¡°Can we get started?¡± Asked Shima, tapping her finger on the desk next to her, ¡°I''ve been waiting for something good like this for a while. Tell me more about that rogue, Wayne.¡±

    ¡°Right," he sighed, "No specific abilities to speak of. It was using manipulation to turn parts of its body into more suitable forms for combat. I''m honestly not sure I could''ve beaten it even if the kids weren¡¯t there. Even still, I had to prioritise their safety above all.¡±

    ¡°Hmm." The scientist''s curious gaze drifted off into the room''s corner, "...It may, or may not, still be growing. If you come across it again, I suggest you act with caution.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Wayne responded, ¡°Now, as for the cluster¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s actually what piqued my interest the most.¡± She reached into a drawer and pulled out a thin clipboard containing a few different pages. ¡°These reports all date back several years ago. From what we know, rogues aren''t even known to act differently around clusters, let alone be so protective over them. There''s not enough prior data to make any educated guesses here.¡±

    Nicholas lifted his hand intending to say something. "May I say, it is astonishing that those kids are still with us. Of course, in cases where the cluster may become a more significant threat, us professionals should be the ones to deal with it, but the potential of those students can¡¯t be understated.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a scientific reason for that potential, Y¡¯know?¡± said Shima. She kicked the ground and her chair slid off to the back of the lab, allowing her to rummage through even more drawers until she found what she was looking for. A thick red folder coated in an even thicker layer of dust. Wayne had to step back to avoid it when she blew it away. ¡°The spirit evolution theory,¡± she said, flipping to one of the files, ¡°Well, it¡¯s less of a theory and more of a phenomenon now. You guys are familiar, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Wayne. A small lump was beginning to form in his throat. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Priscilla giving him a concerned look, too. ¡°...It was my father who made the very first report discussing it, back when it was still just a theory. Every year, the average amount of spirit energy that a child¡¯s been born with has been increasing.¡±

    ¡°How does this generation fare against past ones?¡± asked Priscilla.

    ¡°Put it like this," Shima said, spinning her chair again, "All of those kids still had plenty spirit energy to spare after encountering a rogue that strong. That alone says a lot, no? Of course it''ll still be a while before their bodies are strong enough for them to use it all at once, but, judging purely from what Wayne told me, its not outlandish to say that they might be able to match up to the current second years pretty quickly."

    Only the humming of the ceiling fans could be heard, as everyone began to ponder. A scary thought was brewing in the back of Wayne¡¯s mind. He didn¡¯t want to say it, but he was sure that at least one other person there must have been thinking it as well.

    ¡°From what we know, it takes about two to three weeks for a cluster to hatch,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°That¡¯s awfully close to the time of the festival¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Nicholas groaned, ¡°And on top of that, the number of spirit hunters in the city at the moment is quite low. A lot of us are out for various missions. The percentage of the population that become spirit hunters to begin with is already low. Even if those two factors weren''t true, a considerable amount of our numbers are second and third years with mentors like Jessie here." He paused for a moment to adjust his suit jacket and glasses. "Well, that number is still less than half... In my opinion, we have two options.¡± Wayne perked his head up and listened close, knowing that whatever the options would be, both of them would be problematic to somebody. ¡°We can either assemble a small team to search for, and neutralise the cluster before the festival, or¡­We make a request of the head to talk with the city''s politicians and get the festival cancelled outright.¡±

    ¡°...Nicholas, that small team,¡± Wayne said, furrowing his eyebrows, ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of suggesting any of the first years are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m merely suggesting¡­that we shouldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of using them for smaller roles. By no means do I want any of them out on the front lines.¡±

    Wayne sighed and dropped his head down in disbelief. Still, he knew exactly where Nick was coming from. The head of the association was stubborn. Negotiations with him had, at minimum, a ninety percent chance of failure. Any team that wasn¡¯t composed of the first years with the most potential, would have to be made up of spirit hunters that were currently making preparations towards the festival. Everybody here already had jobs to do elsewhere, so it wasn¡¯t like any of them could step up and investigate to any useful degree either. With that, their backs were officially up against the wall.

    ¡°Yo, um, Wayne, was it?¡± asked Jessie. He¡¯d almost forgotten that she was there to begin with, and was even more surprised that she hadn¡¯t caused any problems so far. ¡°You¡¯ve seen Belle¡¯s injuries, right? How¡¯s she holding up? Like, in detail.¡±

    ¡°Ah, like I said, she¡¯s completely fine. No broken bones. Just a few bruises.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well lemme suggest something then. Everyone knows that the head is a weirdo. The way I see it, using the first years for some kind of small job is gonna happen eventually. If you¡¯re gonna use any of ¡®em though? Use the three of ''em that already proved themselves. They got a little bit of experience with a tough enemy, so you can¡¯t let all that go to waste and put ¡®em on the bench just yet. The fact that they¡¯re not dead means they''re some real prodigies, right? So, maybe, start giving them a taste of some real work so they can hone their skills more, or whatever.¡±

    A semi-reasonable suggestion from the most unexpected place. No matter how much Wayne wanted to refute it, he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to say a single word. Nobody could. Jessie looked around the room, as everyone kept their surprised gazes on her. ¡°Hey, what the heck do I know, though?¡± she said, putting her hands up, ¡°I¡¯m just the second year girl tagging along with Nick, right?¡±

    ¡°Nobody called you that,¡± Said Shima, ¡°I have another appointment coming up, so we should be wrapping this up soon.¡±

    ¡°Likewise,¡± Said Nicholas, tucking in his stool, ¡°There is just one final thing I¡¯d like to mention, however¡­ Fifty-five years ago...¡±

    Everyone had a general idea of what was coming next. Wayne had jerked his head up the second those words left Nick''s mouth.

    ¡°...Not to propagate rumours, but it is widely believed that the events that took place during those three days were the result of some sort of mutation within a cluster...¡± He cleared his throat and adjusted his spectacles again. "If an event on that scale is to happen again, absolutely no children should be involved.¡± He looked Wayne deep in his eyes as he spoke, and he mirrored the exact same gaze.

    ¡°They¡¯re my responsibility. I wouldn¡¯t allow them to fight if that were the case, Nick.¡±

    ¡°Alright. That¡¯s good,¡± he responded with a smile; the first smile Wayne had seen from him in a long while. The fact that Nick was putting his trust in him made him glad, but he was still troubled by Jessie¡¯s words long after the two of them left for their mission. Her suggestion was probably her backwards way of looking out for her sister without actually looking out for her, but to him it had created a deadly ultimatum.

    A long sigh filled and left his lungs as he leaned against the table. What was he meant to do? Allow the kids to fight and grow stronger at the risk of their safety, or keep them sheltered, and risk them not being ready for any sudden situations which could arise outside of their control?

    ¡°You can make any decision you want,¡± Priscilla said, resting her hand on his back, ¡°But, at the end of the day, It should be the kids¡¯ decisions as to whether or not they want to do anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem,¡± Wayne responded, ¡°I saw with my own eyes how far they went during that fight. I have a feeling they might be crazy enough to do anything.¡±

    "Well... Let''s figure it out together then."

 CH 10 - Phase one

    {Monday, 12th September 2022}

    ADRIAN HUNTER

    ¡°Happy one week anniversary to the time you almost died!¡± Melanie exclaimed. Her clapping and cheering garnered her the tired stares of everyone else in the classroom, but she could clearly care less. Mr. Harrows hadn''t arrived for their lesson yet, so she could be as loud as she wanted till then.

    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± said Adrian, with a yawn.

    ¡°Thank you, and shut up,¡± said Alex, who had his face buried in his books, ¡°Hey, how much have you guys actually read for this lesson anyways?¡±

    Everyone tried, and failed, to sneak looks at each other and gauge their reactions. Adrian knew him and Isabelle had nothing to worry about. They were studying together over breakfast just the other day. He hadn¡¯t gotten around to talking over any of the content with Neil yet, but he always looked deadpan, so his expression wouldn¡¯t have given anything away anyways. Melanie was¡­Melanie. The only person Adrian wasn''t sure about was Lyla.

    ¡°I''ll just go ahead and put my hands up," she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t understand a word on any of those pages. All that talk about¡­nests, and¡­links. Mel, did you read anything?¡±

    As expected, Melanie''s only response to the question was a smug chuckle.

    ¡°Yeah, that one was obvious,¡± Adrian said, kicking his feet up on his desk.

    "I''ll skim over it later," she said, with an air of pride in her voice, "Knowing me and my overwhelming talent it can''t be all that bad!"

    Lyla sighed and threw her face into her hands. ¡°Between this and the fight on the first day, I¡¯m convinced she might be insane.¡±

    ¡°Woah, woah, woah, that thing was different.¡± She hopped onto her feet and walked over to grab a ruler from Mr. Harrows¡¯ desk at the front of the room. ¡°I was defending you,¡± she said, pointing the ruler at Lyla. ¡°I heard that other brunette bitch talking shit to you, so naturally, I had to intervene, right?¡±

    ¡°I mean, you didn¡¯t have to,¡± said Lyla quietly, ¡°But thank you, I guess. You¡¯re still crazy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, sweetie!¡±

    Everyone froze after what happened next. It even had Alex lifting his head from his book. Neil laughed. And at one of Melanie¡¯s dumb antics, no less. It was more of an ''exhale through the nose'' than a laugh, but still!

    ¡°...What?¡± he said, as everyone turned to look at him.

    ¡°Y-you can emote?¡± Asked Isabelle.

    ¡°Yes? You barely talk half the time either.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­Oh, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Hey, actually, This is a perfect opportunity,¡± Melanie said, taking a seat on Mr. Harrows¡¯ desk, ¡±I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you two for a minute, but what¡¯s it actually like living for two of the richest families in the country?¡±

    Both of their faces froze for a second as they turned to look at Melanie, then shifted to solidarity as they turned back to each other.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that great,¡± Said Isabelle, unaware that Neil had started talking too.

    ¡°Could be better,¡± Neil said, repeating himself once the room was silent.

    ¡°Damn¡­Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have asked... Adrian, what about you? Your dad used to be a total superhero!¡±

    ¡°Me?" He asked, rocking back and forth on his chair, "Pretty normal for the most part. I don¡¯t live in a huge house or anything. I think dad wanted to get away from all that after he retired. He didn¡¯t even want me to be a spirit hunter at first. My cousin used to help me train in secret when I was a kid, and eventually it got to a point where dad pretty much couldn''t ignore how much progress I was making. My mom''s also a scientist for the association, if that''s important at all, but she''s overseas right now. I haven''t seen her in a while.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Melanie said, "Sounds like somebody was a bit of a problem child." Adrian didn¡¯t say a word back. He wanted to see if she¡¯d even noticed that she was sitting on the teacher¡¯s desk while calling him a problem child. Even as the knowing smile on his face grew, she didn¡¯t change her tune, or budge an inch. ¡°Problem child!¡±

    ¡°...Ok, man.¡±

    ¡°Oh, everyone,¡± said Lyla, peering out the door, ¡°He¡¯s on his way.¡±

    Melanie sprung into action, scrambling to get to her desk as fast as possible, and tripping in the process. ¡°Shit!¡±

    Not long after, Mr. Harrows entered the room, carrying a black folder along with him. His disinterested gaze was immediately directed towards the girl who had obviously just crawled back to her seat. ¡°...I''m choosing not to make a comment on whatever that was,¡± he said, walking to his desk, ¡°We¡¯ve got a different start to the lesson today.¡± Adrian turned to his friends to see they were all just as curious as he was. Mr. Harrows took a heavy breath before saying, ¡°All six of you are being given a choice. A choice to participate in the investigation of the cluster that was discovered last week.¡±

    Instantly, Adrian took his feet off the desk and came to attention. This could be a chance to settle the score with the rogue spirit that had put him in the hospital. How could he not jump at the opportunity? Everyone else was talking among themselves about the sudden announcement.

    ¡°Students on a mission like that?¡±

    ¡°It sounds like it could be fun though!¡±

    ¡°You just don''t understand the concept of danger, do you?"

    Isabelle tapped Adrian¡¯s shoulder and asked him, ¡°Are you gonna do it?¡±

    ¡°Hell yeah! All three of us should, right?¡± he asked, turning to Alex.

    ¡°As long as we get paid, I don¡¯t see why not.¡±

    ¡°Let me clarify,¡± said Mr. Harrows, ¡°We''re low on capable spirit hunters in the city right now. The choice you¡¯re being given is to help out in smaller roles, but there¡¯ll still be opportunities to grow stronger and help us out in the process. So, put your hand up if you¡¯d like to be-¡±

    Adrian''s hand shot into the air before Mr. Harrows even finished talking. Isabelle, Alex, and Melanie''s hands all went up shortly after, but Neil and Lyla opted to keep theirs down.

    ¡°Lyla, you don¡¯t wanna come with?¡± Asked Melanie.

    Lyla shrunk down into her chair while twirling her hair. ¡°No¡­I¡¯m not good enough. I¡¯d probably mess up somehow.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Neil?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­I don¡¯t have a reason to," He said dismissively. Adrian could tell there was more to his short answer, but knowing him, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to get him to elaborate.

    ¡°It¡¯s completely fine,¡± Mr. Harrows said, ¡°For now, you two and Melanie will be on stand-by. You can change your mind at any time.¡±

    ¡°Why am I on stand-by?!" Said Melanie, waving her arm around, "I put my hand up!¡±

    ¡°We already made the decision. No matter who decided to join, Adrian, Isabelle and Alex would be the first to be sent out.¡±

    Perfect, Adrian thought, his body trembling with excitement. All the stars were aligning for him perfectly. Meanwhile, Melanie had folded her arms and started pouting like a toddler.

    Finally, opening the black folder, Mr. Harrows called for everyone to gather around so he could give them further info about what had been discovered so far. Adrian¡¯s jaw dropped the second he saw what was on the first page. He spun his head to Alex and Isabelle who both wore the same expressions. It was a screenshot of the same picture they''d seen on Alex''s phone during the exam; the same picture that had led them to the rogue in the first place.

    Mr Harrows pointed to the date underneath the picture. ¡°This image was posted on the thirty-first of August by this sixteen year old girl, Kaya Winchester."

    On the next page was a selfie of a freckled girl in a blue basketball kit making a peace sign towards the camera. The caption underneath read, "Fit for the day!" with a bunch of emojis next to it. It was posted about two hours earlier than the other picture, on the exact same day.

    With his chest tightening, every implication based on these limited facts began to bounce around Adrian''s head. ¡°Mr. Harrows, what happened to her?¡±

    ¡°She and her two friends went missing on the same day. Their current status is unknown. Considering both of these pictures were posted around the same time, it''s extremely likely that the rogue you three came across is related to the disappearances.¡±

    ¡°...Crap,¡± He said under his breath.

    ¡°Her two friends are only children. The police weren''t able to get any useful info there, but Kaya has a younger brother. They decided to question him, but all the Info they managed to get was that they went to play basketball on that day. No specific location was given."

    ¡°How come?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°The report says Ray was clearly distressed; too distressed to answer any of the other questions. Apparently this isn¡¯t uncommon for him. He¡¯s eight years old, and his parents say that he has trouble warming up to new people. Especially adults.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so sad,¡± Lyla said.

    ¡°It''s a tough situation, I know. But that¡¯s where you kids come in. Try and be nice to him, and get him to open up a bit more so we can find out more about what happened."

    ¡°When do we roll out?¡± Asked Adrian, a flash of determination in his eyes.

    ¡°...This Thursday," Mr. Harrows said, hesitantly, "Based on any info you may get you can investigate further, but if you come across anything you know you can¡¯t handle do not engage in combat. Take a picture so we can add it to the database for the case, and deal with it ourselves, understood?¡±

    In response to the stern look he gave them, Adrian, Isabelle and Alex all said in unison, ¡°Understood.¡±

    ...I really shouldn''t lie like that, Adrian thought, walking back to his seat. But a family out there was missing their daughter after all. If it was his dad, he¡¯d definitely dive in head first to reunite them no matter what. It doesn''t matter how tough the challenge is. As long as I come out alive, I''ll try again as many times as it takes.

    Still, he wouldn¡¯t know what would be possible until Thursday came around. The next few days till then were going to be long.

    <hr>

    {Thursday, 15th September 2022}

    BRUCE

    Things had been going smoothly since Bruce started his alliance with Tyran and Sharir. Well, as smoothly as things could possibly go when working with rogue spirits, but it was nothing that would put the plan in jeopardy. He had moved them and Kaya out of the cave he found them in, and over to the location he and his human associates had been operating from. An old warehouse in an abandoned construction site outside the city. It¡¯d be much harder to get tracked down this way. The big doors out at the front were jammed shut. They could have forced them open using their spirit abilities, but decided against it, as to not draw too much attention in the case that someone was ever nearby. Luckily, the smaller door around the back was already ajar when they found it.

    It was eleven o¡¯clock in the morning and he was returning there after making some preparations for phase one of the operation. As soon as he walked in, he was hit by an intense stimulus overdose, but didn''t show it in his reaction. His practice at remaining stone cold was starting to pay dividends.

    There were two ongoing situations; both of which he knew he would have to attend to eventually. Beside some old metal cylinders to his left, Tyran was holding down Kaya, who had escaped from the ropes they had placed her in. A cloud of dust was picking up around them due to her flailing around as she tried to get away.

    In all honesty, Bruce was more than happy to leave her untied, but she had a sharp tongue, and far too many escape attempts for his liking. Usually it was Sharir¡¯s job to keep her in check, but it was currently out making preparations for their eventual phase two.

    ¡°Human! You¡¯d better get over here fast! This is her eleventh attempt Y''know?¡± Tyran said, squeezing her arms, ¡°I might really kill her this time!¡±

    ¡°Get the hell off me!¡± Kaya shouted. She was coughing profusely as tears flooded down from her blood shot eyes. She stared directly at Bruce, and he looked back at her, refusing to even let his face twitch, let alone for his expression to change.

    Thanks to the first ten attempts, he knew Tyran wouldn''t really kill her. It was far too interested in the fun that his plan would provide, so he could trust it to keep her here for now. From his coat pocket, he pulled out a sandwich he had stolen and tossed it on the floor next to them. ¡°Make sure to feed her,¡± he said. ¡°We need her to be healthy for the twenty-fifth so have your fun, but make sure you don¡¯t kill her.¡±

    Bruce ignored the various curses Kaya was spewing his way as he turned to his right. His human associates, Terry and Joanne were frantically wiping their clothes next to a makeshift table they had created out of a rusty metal sheet being held up by two crates.

    ¡°Bruce-y, darling.¡± Joanne said, tying up her brown hair into a ponytail, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know where we could find another lab rat, do you? We seem to have had a little accident with the old one.¡±

    Her face and clothes were covered with dust, and what looked to be streaks of blood, though it clearly wasn''t hers. If Bruce had any reason to believe she was a normal person before this, her calm, and somehow elegant demeanour, despite the circumstances, would have been unnerving, even for him.

    With a look of scepticism on his face, he turned to Terry; the gentle giant, and bundle of anxiety stood next to her. ¡°W-well, we thought we were getting closer to the finished product,¡± he said scratching his hands, ¡°After a few more tests we should have something ready for the twenty-fifth¡­¡±

    Still without a word, Bruce peered over their shoulders and took a look at the state of their experiment. Test tubes and syringes containing the remains of different coloured liquids were scattered around at random, and in the centre of all that mess was a cage containing the scattered fleshy remains of a lone rat, still twitching as the life left its body. ¡°Well, not every serum is going to be a winner,¡± he said calmly, ¡°Perhaps we could set some traps out for a new one tonight?¡±

    ¡°Remind me again why we can¡¯t run experiments on the girl?¡± asked Joanne, pointing at Kaya, ¡°That rogue is going to kill her anyways. We might as well get some use out of her before then, no?¡±

    They looked over at the two. The only things about the situation that had changed, were Kaya¡¯s attempts at wriggling out becoming less frequent, and Tyran¡¯s smile widening to an anatomically ridiculous degree. It was quite literally smiling from ear to ear.

    ¡°I have no doubts that Tyran will keep Kaya alive. It truly believes in, and follows, its desire as a rogue spirit.¡±

    Joanne stared him down for a second then sighed and turned away. ¡°Well, you know best, I suppose, sugar.¡±

    ¡°A-anyways, how were things on your end?¡± Asked Terry, eagerly.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Bruce responded, ¡°The nest went up without a hitch."

    Terry looked star-struck. If the comics he read as a child were real, Bruce was sure he¡¯d have seen a light shine from his eye, ¡°Amazing. The plan really is amazing, Bruce. I mean it!¡±

    Bruce considered the whole week to have been a fruitful one to say the least. A second negotiation with a third rogue spirit on top of Tyran and Sharir had given them more options and personally elated him beyond belief. It wasn''t that he was of little faith before, but this really proved it for him. That this hindrance known as the "human heart" was something he truly could discard. Making sure to keep his ego in check, however, he responded. "Well, it¡¯s only the natural course of action. Any information matters at the moment. If we¡¯re lucky, that bear may also bring back some spirit hunters¡¯ bodies as well.¡±

    ¡°The association losing a few of their pets is something I''m definitely not opposed to.,¡± Joanne said, lighting a cigarette, ¡°It''d be their own fault for torturing themselves by staying at a place like that."

    ¡°...I-I don¡¯t think the time we spent there should be something we hate,¡± Terry said, ¡°Cuz now we get to use all the things we learned to tear it all down, right Bruce?¡±

    ¡°Precisely... Being destroyed by the very product you created? I don''t know what else to call it but poetry.¡±

 CH 11 - Questioning

    ADRIAN HUNTER

    Go time. The day of the mission was here and Adrian couldn¡¯t possibly be any more ready. He was marching his way towards the address in the report Mr. Harrows gave them, with Isabelle and Alex lagging slightly behind him. It wasn¡¯t the city centre, so there weren''t many people around, but he noticed that the few people he did pass by always seemed to stop what they were doing to look at him briefly. Spirit hunters could be considered celebrities depending on who you asked, but he didn¡¯t truly realise just how recognisable a simple black jacket with the initials ¡°S.H.A¡± would be to others until he put it on for himself.

    Walking down the street some more, he noticed two younger kids, walking out of a corner store. The one wearing his cap sideways looked stunned and tapped his friend as he made eye contact with Adrian. ¡°Dude, go up to him!¡± he whispered loudly to his friend, ¡°Get his autograph or something!¡±

    ¡°You first!¡± His friend shoved him back.

    Adrian wanted to get to the Winchester family¡¯s house ASAP, but decided he could spare a few seconds to say something. Heroics and the like. It definitely wasn''t a big deal for him at all. ¡°Hey, you guys good? I don¡¯t have a pen for an autograph, sorry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, that¡¯s fine!¡± the sideways cap kid said, bouncing up and down, ¡°You guys are so cool, though!¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it!" Adrian chuckled, "Make sure you get home safe, alright?¡±

    ¡°For sure, for sure!¡±

    He watched as they ran off in laughter, even waving at the other two as they passed them. Isabelle was nice enough to wave back, but Alex seemed mostly disinterested. He was carrying a sword he got from the school¡¯s weapon shed in an unassuming black carrying case strapped over his shoulder. ¡°Yo, Adrian," he called, "You¡¯ve been ahead of us this whole time, what¡¯s the rush?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not rushing. You guys are just slow.¡±

    ¡°No, dumbass," he said sarcastically, "We¡¯re tired. Don''t you remember? There was some idiot making noise out in the training grounds at three in the morning."

    Adrian felt his face twitch and scrunch up. He was the idiot that did that. But for good reason. Just in case they¡¯d end up having to fight something today, he was warming himself up. He had an ugly screaming match with Alex when he opened his window to tell him to go back inside, but that was par for the course, like, every other day at this point.

    ¡°Well, maybe I wanted to-¡±

    ¡°Guys. Nuh uh. We¡¯re outdoors,¡± said Isabelle, casually stepping between them, ¡°How much longer till we get to the house?¡±

    Adrian pulled out his phone and quickly glanced at his maps app. ¡°Eight minutes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Okie dokie. Let¡¯s carry on walking, then. Civilised.¡±

    Adrian silently watched and followed as she took the lead. Just the week before, she might have done something once he and Alex started arguing, but it definitely wouldn¡¯t have been as assertive as she was just now. It was a small change, of course. She probably didn''t even notice it herself, but he did, and couldn¡¯t help but smile for her.

    Eight more minutes of walking brought them to their destination. The curtain on the front window was open slightly, allowing them to peek through to the dining room. Old cans and piles of dirty plates were piled up on the table. Adrian made a mental note of the poor condition before knocking on the door. It took a while, but someone eventually came to answer. There was a chain lock, so it didn''t open fully, but it was just enough for him to see the lady who was peeking out at them.

    ¡°You kids are¡­spirit hunters?¡± Her voice lacked any sort of energy, putting Adrian on edge.

    ¡°Um, yeah," he replied, "We''re here to talk to your son, Ray.¡±

    Without a word, she shut the door. The clanging of the lock being undone could be heard before it opened again. "You can come in,¡± she said, ushering them inside, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the state of the house.¡±

    ¡°D-don¡¯t worry,¡± Isabelle said, ¡°We understand the circumstances.¡±

    Mrs. Winchester had a pair of heavy looking bags hanging underneath her eyes, and a cardigan that was sloppily draped over her shoulders. There was a shakiness to each of her mannerisms too. Nothing too crazy, but enough to notice since Adrian was paying attention. He tried to smile at her when he walked past, but she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to look him in the eye, let alone return the smile. His chest tightened seeing the condition she was in. Even beginning to fathom how she must have felt, not knowing her daughter''s condition, felt like an impossible task.

    He made sure to take his shoes off and leave them by the door with all the others before stepping onto the carpet. Even though she apologised for it earlier, he didn¡¯t find the house to be all that messy. As she led them to the living room, she quickly kicked a few pieces of paper out of their way, but apart from that and the dining room, there was nothing else out of order. A testament to the quality that she must have usually held herself to.

    ¡°Adrian,¡± Alex whispered, pulling him back, ¡°You ask the kid the questions for the interview.¡±

    ¡°I was already gonna do that,¡± he whispered back, ¡°But why are you telling me?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s hanging by a thread,¡± He said, nodding towards Mrs. Winchester, ¡°I¡¯ve kind of had experience with this sort of thing before¡­ Kind of... I feel like the slightest trigger might set her off in the mental state she¡¯s in, so I¡¯ll keep an eye on her with Isabelle.¡±

    Adrian turned back to Mrs. Winchester as she stood outside the living room door. She was looking in their direction, sure, but her gaze was hollow. An integral piece of what made a person was missing. ¡°In here,¡± She said, ¡°Ray is sitting in here for the¡­questioning?¡± She chuckled a bit as she had to remind herself why they were there to begin with. ¡°Yes, the questioning¡­ My mistake.¡±

    After a row of awkward smiles, everyone entered the living room. Sat on the sofa and clutching a yellow teddy bear with a purple top hat, was Ray. His father, who was by his side, pointed towards the door with a smile as soon as everyone walked in.

    The moment Adrian met eyes with the kid, the melancholy mood of the room began to fade, ever so slightly. ¡°Spirit hunters,¡± he said in astonishment.

    ¡°There you are champ,¡± said his dad, playfully shaking him, ¡°You didn¡¯t know that spirit hunters were gonna be showing up, did ya?¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Alex lightly nudged Adrian, prompting him to start what they came here for. ¡°Hey buddy,¡± he said, kneeling down in front of Ray, ¡°Are you a big spirit hunter fan?¡±

    Ray clutched his teddy bear tighter and nodded his head. ¡°Super big.¡±

    ¡°Well, do you wanna know what the number one rule is for a spirit hunter? You¡¯ve always gotta be brave! No matter what!¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m not brave,¡± Ray said, ¡°I get freaked out a lot. That¡¯s why some of the kids at school make fun of me.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well, you agreed to have the interview today, even though it¡¯s hard for you, right? I think that¡¯s one of the bravest things in the world.¡± Ray didn¡¯t say anything in response, but the hint of a smile on his face was enough to let Adrian know that he was already feeling more comfortable. ¡°...I¡¯ve got a few questions to ask, okay? Do you think you can be brave and try answer them for me?¡±

    Ray looked up at his dad, and got a confident nod back in response, promoting him to turn back to Adrian with a reignited look in his eyes. ¡°''Kay. I¡¯ll try super hard.¡±

    After that, his mother came and sat down on the other side next to him. Out of the corner of his eye, Adrian saw Alex and Isabelle move a bit closer to the couch, discreetly keeping their eyes on her. Everything was set.

    ¡°Alrighty, Ray, first question. Can I get a brief description of what happened on the day?¡±

    ¡°...On the day.¡± He twiddled his thumbs and took a deep breath before answering. ¡°Kaya said that being inside too much is bad for me, so she took me to play basketball with her friends, Charlie and Ali. We were supposed to go to the park, but people were already using the courts, so we went to a different place instead.¡±

    ¡°A different place?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The parking lot outside Grilber¡¯s diner was empty, so we went there. We were dribbling the ball around for a while but there was a forest-y bit behind a wall, and Kaya accidentally threw the ball over. It went really far.¡± He stopped talking as his lips began to quiver. ¡°She climbed the wall, but¡­she didn¡¯t come back for ages. Then Charlie and Ali went too. I was all alone-¡±

    The waterworks had fully started. He was rubbing his eyes trying to get them to stop, but to no avail. ¡°Hey, hey,¡± Adrian said, placing his hand on Ray¡¯s arm, ¡°We¡¯ve gotta be brave, right?¡± He took some time to gather himself with the help of his father, but the situation next to him wasn¡¯t getting any better.

    Seeing her son¡¯s crying face, Mrs. Winchester had grown more agitated, her leg bouncing as she bit away at her nails. Adrian felt a drop of sweat fall down from his forehead. Her eyes, displaying no specific emotion that he could identify, locked on to him. ¡°Is there a need?¡± she asked.

    ¡°...Pardon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind. You shouldn¡¯t be here. You shouldn¡¯t be making my son cry.¡± Adrian tensed as she attempted to stand up, but her husband held onto her arm to stop her. Alex and Isabelle stepped forwards too, ready to help with whatever she was planning.

    ¡°Eliza,¡± Mr. Winchester said calmly, ¡°Ray hasn¡¯t said what he wants yet.¡±

    An uncomfortable silence filled the room. The only sounds filling the void were the ticking of the clock hung up on the wall, and Adrian¡¯s own heartbeat.

    Then, for the first time, the woman¡¯s eyes began to soften, a tiny hint of the light returning to them. She sat back down and held her son as a solitary tear trickled down her cheek. ¡°I... I¡¯m¡­,¡± She wiped her eyes and looked at Adrian, paining him with the desperation her face was reflecting. ¡°I-I lost my mother in a rogue spirit attack just last year," she said in between shaky breaths, "Ever since I got the news that this case was being handed off to the spirit hunter association, I¡¯ve been terrified. The thought that¡­ Kaya might have been taken from me in the same way¡­ That¡¯d be too much.¡±

    It was already a given that Adrian was going to help the family as much as he could, but now? It felt weirdly personal, even though they¡¯d only met a few minutes ago. He could see a similar concern in Isabelle and Alex¡¯s faces too.

    By this point, The tears flowing down Ray¡¯s face had stopped, but there was less of a fire in his eyes than before. For a moment, Adrian thought that Mrs. Winchester may have been right about making Ray recount this obviously traumatic experience, but the kid spoke up with his own opinion. ¡°I-i¡¯m ready to carry on now¡­¡±

    Subjecting Ray to more torture; it felt like torture for himself, but at the very least, he found solace in the fact that they only needed one other piece of info. "...Did you go into the forest, Ray? And if you did, was there anything weird or out of the ordinary you saw in there?¡±

    ¡°I waited for a bit before I went in. I-I was walking for a while and then... There was something there, but I didn¡¯t see it. I felt it.¡±

    ¡°You felt something?¡±

    Ray slowly nodded his head. ¡°Something strong. I don¡¯t know how else to describe it. After that all I remember... All I remember was running all the way back home.¡±

    He must have felt something¡¯s spirit energy in there, Adrian thought, If the source is strong enough, even people who still have their spirit abilities sealed can feel it to some degree. No sixth sense needed. But it was likely just a trail and not an actual spirit. If it were, then it would have concealed it''s presence on the approach... That''s likely how Kaya, Charlie and Ali got taken too.

    He looked up at Alex and Isabelle and nodded before getting up onto his feet. They both relaxed their shoulders a little, knowing that it was all over.

    ¡°Ah, is that everything you need?¡± Mr. Winchester asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Thanks for letting us be here.¡± Mrs. Winchester held her head down in dejection as Adrian spoke. He wanted to let her know that he had no hard feelings about her actions, but something inside of him told him to leave her be. ¡°Um, now¡­ Now we¡¯re-¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll investigate,¡± said Isabelle, abruptly, ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to find any new info.¡±

    Saved by Isabelle. A quick goodbye later, and they were out, her and Alex leading the way as Adrian followed suit. His mind lingered back there for a little while and didn¡¯t catch up to him until they were already outside and the cold morning air was slapping against his face.

    ¡°Hey,¡± said Isabelle, tugging his jacket, ¡°You¡¯ve been silent the whole time, are you ok?¡±

    Adrian smacked himself a few times and entered back into his usual frame. ¡°No problem.¡±

    ¡°S-sorry, I blurted out that we were gonna investigate, but didn''t even give you guys a say in it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fine,¡± Alex said, turning back to them, ¡°I will admit, I didn''t expect it from you though. You''re usually much quieter.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± she said, looking off into the distance, ¡°I just think that¡­family''s important, Y¡¯know? So naturally, I want to help them be happy in any way I can.¡±

    ¡°Same here,¡± said Adrian, rolling up his sleeves, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Grillber''s and get busy.¡±

    ¡°Don''t get too hasty though, Alex sighed, ¡°This all happened weeks ago. We''re probably not gonna find anything major.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Yo, take a wild guess at who was wrong,¡± Adrian said, ¡°His name starts with ¡®A¡¯ and ends with ¡®lex¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Shut the fuck up, man.¡±

    Grillber¡¯s diner was a popular food spot in Northern Tralis, just off one of the major roads. Its red and blue striped roof was more than iconic. Anyone who happened to drive by it on their way out of the city was almost guaranteed to stop and grab a bite. There was nobody inside today, though.

    Some people had already left, due to the uncertain nature of the situation, but the curious ones who stayed were gathered together in the parking lot next to a certain brick wall, with a peculiar and eerie purple mist seeping over from the forest situated behind it.

    From the crowd, a large, bearded man with a Grillber''s branded apron started running up to them as they approached. ¡°Spirit hunters!¡± He called, wheezing heavily, ¡°This all started suddenly, You''ve gotta do something! Business will get ruined if this misty stuff reaches the diner!¡±

    Alex and Isabelle began calling for everyone to clear the area while Adrian spoke to the anxious manager. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We had a class on these things on Monday, so we know how to deal with them kinda, sorta. It¡¯s called a nest.¡±

    ¡°Monday?" He replied, squinting his eyes, "That don¡¯t sound as reassuring as you think it does, kid. On second thought, shouldn¡¯t you call-¡±

    ¡°A-adrian!¡± Isabelle called, ¡°Are you coming?¡±

    He gave the man a quick, reassuring tap on the shoulder, before rushing off to catch up with his friends, mounting the wall with ease and staring into the deep purple void ahead of them.

    "Two objectives,¡± Alex said, sitting on top of the wall, ¡°Destroy the core of the nest, then collect info for the cluster case.¡±

    ¡°Let''s get it!"

 CH 12 - Spirit links & the nest (1)

    Having to trudge his way through a knee-deep, creepy purple mist wasn¡¯t how Adrian thought his day was gonna go. Luckily, the only time it could do any damage to humans was during the initial blast when it was first formed. The forest had seen the brunt of that one. The once lush plant life had been tainted, and become the same purple colour as the mist. If the tree¡¯s leaves weren¡¯t already on the ground, they were surely only a few seconds from falling to join the blanket of them that was laid out on the ground.

    The mist also had a subtle, but uncomfortable moist feeling to it. Like a slimy condensation. Despite that, he didn¡¯t complain. All he wanted to worry about was keeping an eye out for the nest¡¯s core, and destroying it so they could actually see what they were doing. Isabelle and Alex were right by his side, and doing the same.

    The area that the mist covered could best be described as a ¡®highly efficient, self-sustaining womb¡¯. Only rogue spirits on the brink of death were known to create them. The mere act of using their core to create a nest was one that would killed them, so it made sense to use as a final attack if all else failed, but even then the chances were relatively slim. It was a relatively new phenomenon with the earliest citation of one forming being only twelve years prior. Being a ''womb'', other rogues could form from it at ridiculous speeds, but at the moment, there didn¡¯t seem to be many around.

    ¡°Yo, how do we know which way the core is again?¡± Adrian asked.

    ¡°We just need to move where the mist is more concentrated,¡± Isabelle said, shaking some of the leaves out of her hair, ¡°We can barely see anything, but getting there will still be the easy part. Actually getting rid of the core itself...¡±

    The sound of something slicing through the air interrupted their conversation. Alex had taken his sword out of its sheath the second they entered, and was practising swinging it around in different ways as they walked.

    ¡°You got a handle on that thing yet?¡± Adrian asked.

    ¡°It feels natural to hold, but I need to test it on something tangible¡­ Something like that.¡± He pointed past Adrian where a section of the mist was beginning to swirl up into a mini tornado. It was close, and inching towards them, but not enough to be a threat just yet.

    Adrian was eager to let loose, but before he could even activate amplification, Alex had already sped past him, much to his annoyance. ¡°It was closer to me, you know?¡± Alex scoffed and kept his eyes in front of him, not bothering to humour the remark.

    The tornado didn''t grow in size, but it continued to howl louder and louder as it inched closer, picking up twigs and leaves from the surrounding area in its spin.

    Adrian watched Alex closely as a chain, surrounded by flowing water, wrapped itself around his wrist and the sword¡¯s handle, binding them together. As it began to fade from vision, a torrent of water erupted from the blade and completely enveloped it. Its force was so great that Alex had to strain a little bit in order to keep himself from wobbling around too much. He tussled with the sword before gaining back control and getting into a tall, wide stance, pulling it back in anticipation. And as soon as the tornado was within range, he swung. A powerful stream shot out from the back of the blade, propelling it forwards with even more speed. Adrian and Isabelle were forced to dodge so they weren''t hit too.

    ¡°Yo, you wanna work on your aim a little?¡±

    ¡°Work on not standing directly behind me a little, damn.¡±

    ¡°W-well you got better at spirit links at the very least,¡± Isabelle said, ¡°In a really short time too.¡±

    Better than me? Adrian thought, Can¡¯t have that.

    ¡°I practised, didn''t I? Anyways, come look at this. Use your sixth sense.¡± Alex pointed to the ground in front of him where his victim, a tiny, half-formed rogue spirit was disintegrating into the air. It hadn¡¯t taken any distinguishable shape yet. Just a lump of fleshy substance with parts of it that vaguely resembled a head and a pair of stubby legs.

    Using his sixth sense, Adrian saw a small trail of spirit energy being let off by the rogue, quickly moving towards their left in a weirdly orderly fashion. Usually, it would all dissipate into the air at random. Realising what was going on, the three of them instantly started following the trail through the maze of dead trees. Adrian kissed his teeth and kept his sixth sense on, not wanting to lose sight of it. ¡°Crap, I forgot. In a nest, the spirit energy all goes back to strengthen the core.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better not to fight anything before we get rid of it then,¡± Isabelle said, ¡°But there¡¯s gonna be loads of rogues by the core especially¡­ S-should we turn back?"

    Nobody said a word in response. Adrian pondered the possibility of needing to turn back for a second, but couldn¡¯t get the image of the dishevelled Winchester family out of his head. He¡¯d get other opportunities to help with the case, of course, but this opportunity was right in the palm of his hands. However insurmountable the wall would end up being, he decided pretty quickly that...

    "We have to at least see what we''re up against first, right?"

    "I had a feeling you''d say something like that," said Isabelle with a nervous chuckle.

    Keeping track of a spirit energy source so small and fast was difficult. It frequently faded in and out of view, making it even more tiring for Adrian¡¯s eyes. It would have been the only significant source of spirit energy, besides the mist, however. That at least made it stand out more. It should have been the only other source, that is. There was another one that, personally to him, took precedence. A familiar sensation of death made him stop in his tracks, and look to where it was emanating from. It was in the same direction they were already walking, but slightly to the right.

    ¡°What¡¯s your problem, man?¡± Alex called, ¡°Are we not walking-¡±

    Adrian pointed to the new trail of spirit energy without a word, and started slowly walking over to it, irritating memories of the week prior flooding his mind as he did. ¡°That shapeshifting bastard," he hissed, "There¡¯s no way I¡¯d forget.¡±

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Isabelle rushed to his side and inspected the trail for herself. ¡°I-it¡¯s the rogue from last week,¡± she said quietly, ¡°was it trying to lure people in? If I had to guess¡­ This was probably here even before we fought it on the first day.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s not here right now,¡± Alex said loudly so Adrian would hear, ¡°And even if it were, we weren¡¯t gonna fight it. Revenge can wait, man, we have stuff to do already.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it," he snapped back. A partial lie. Revenge was something Adrian wanted of course, but his mind was still on the mission at hand. ¡°That humanoid we fought had something to do with the disappearances. It was in the pictures Mr. Harrows showed us, and everything.¡±

    ¡°...And?¡±

    ¡°We might be able to find Kaya or, even her friends if we follow the trail, duh."

    Adrian turned to Isabelle for some back up in making his case. He didn¡¯t like the way she struggled to maintain eye contact with him. Her mouth was slightly ajar, like she couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. It gave him the faintest sense that she was pitying him somehow. ¡°...W-we would be able to ask but¡­ Adrian, do you think that they¡¯re¡­¡± She looked back at him briefly, before turning back to Alex.

    ¡°Do I think they¡¯re what?¡± he asked, frustrated. It was frustration born from understanding. Understanding, but refusing from the bottom of his heart to accept what the deepest depths of his mind were already beginning to put together. ¡°...I¡¯m going.¡±

    He clenched his fists and stormed off in the trail¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Cool it!¡± Called Alex, following him.

    ¡°I know what I''m doing! Trust me!¡± His mind was running a mile a minute, rationalising his actions.

    If they got caught in the blast when the nest formed, they¡¯re gonna be injured, but it shouldn''t be anything too crazy. We¡¯re still pretty far out from the core, I think¡­ Shit, but what if they were close to the blast, crawled this way, and THEN ran into the humanoid?

    ¡°A-Adrian!¡± Isabelle called, ¡°You¡¯re going in too deep!¡± He recklessly picked up his speed, stumbling over some stones in the ground as he did.

    I can worry about their injuries after I save them. If I find them now, we can get them out, and won''t have to stress about them when we come back in to deal with the nest. Yeah. That''s the best way to do it. All I gotta do is save them. Just gotta save them. Just gotta¡­ What the hell is that?

    The purple colour of the mist was much deeper now. Using his eyes without sixth sense was out of the question until they adjusted, so he was relying heavily on his other senses too. He first heard the rustling of leaves in front of him, and as he got closer, two new sources of spirit energy came into view. He halted abruptly and squinted his eyes. Two distorted, wolf-like silhouettes barely became more visible, still mostly obscured by the thickening mist. The rustling of the leaves stopped for a second, then they turned to him, snarling and frothing at the mouth, their yellow eyes glowing through the mist like headlights.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to move,¡± said Adrian, amplifying his fists. One of the rogues bared its ugly fangs and lunged at him. He met it in kind with a swift right hook while it was in mid air. A small shockwave was created thanks to the force of his impact, and the rogue went flying off to the side. The splat of its head making contact with a tree let him know it was dealt with, but while he was still reeling his fist back, the other one had already leaped at him, and managed to get its saliva dripping jaw around his leg. He amplified it immediately, thinking the rogue would back off due to the flames, but it relentlessly held on even as he grunted in pain and tried to shake it off.

    ¡°Turn this way!¡± screamed Isabelle from behind him.

    Adrian did as he was told and watched as a bolt of electricity whizzed right through the rogue¡¯s body. Its flesh began to rapidly contract and expand before finally exploding, scattering purple blood and guts everywhere.

    There didn''t seem to be any other rogues around so Adrian calmed himself down, shaking his leg and wiping away some of the blood. There were teeth shaped marks where the rogue had bit him, but they were only a small problem when he touched them directly. He could still stand just fine.

    ¡°This is why you don''t run off on your own,¡± Said Alex, rubbing his eyes in annoyance, ¡°Can you still fight?¡±

    ¡°If I can stand then I can fight,¡± Adrian said nonchalantly, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    He promptly turned back to where the rogues had been rummaging. Coupled with the leaves they scattered around were heaps of soil, all circled around a ditch in the ground. A putrid smell radiating from it forced the trio to all pinch their noses. It was foul and pungent, but also had a hint of sickening sweetness to it; a mass of opposing aromas that made Adrian''s head spin. Still, he took a step towards it.

    ¡°W-wait,¡± Isabelle said quietly.

    There were a wave of thoughts going through Adrian¡¯s head at the time. All of them, just as loud as each other, even before he peered into the ditch. Perhaps he already had a general idea of the horror he was going to see. Even if that was the case, nothing, not even his most depraved and darkest imaginations could have prepared him for that stomach churning sight.

    Legs, arms, torsos and heads were crammed together in that tight ditch. None of them connected to each other the way they should have been, all of them stained black with dry blood. Useless as it was, he searched for signs of life within those cold, colourless eyes, but their gaze was empty; staring right through him. They weren¡¯t all too visible because of the mist, but none of the basketball kits they were wearing were blue; he could tell that much. That alone confirmed them to be Charlie and Ali.

    His lips had gone dry, and his face numb from the shock, but he wouldn''t have called the way he was feeling as ''surprised''. A part of him expected that it¡¯d turn out this way, he just didn¡¯t want to accept it. That same part of him was now fighting with itself.

    If it was dad, he would have been able to stop this from happening.

    You weren''t even a spirit hunter when they were killed. Why are you trying to blame yourself?

    I wonder if things would have been different if I was here earlier?

    You''re talking crazy. That''s a stupid hypothetical. Stop being irrational.

    ¡°...We knew,¡± Alex said. His voice was just barely softer than it usually was, ¡°You knew. C¡¯mon, I know you¡¯re not actually stupid, man. the chances of finding them alive were slim from the start.¡±

    ¡°B-but even if you think you know...¡± Isabelle had started speaking, but her sentence petered off into a staggered sigh as she reached the end of her sentence.

    He looked up and saw that neither of his friends took a step toward him. Their voices were muffled, and in the background of the countless incongruous thoughts running amok in his own head. He then looked back at the ditch, as if to confirm that what he was looking at was real.

    His stunned condition was doing him no good. That¡¯s why he foolishly disregarded the fact that they were standing within a nest, and stayed still, taking time that he didn¡¯t have in order to fully readjust himself.

    It was a pessimistic way of thinking, but If he likened this experience to any of his other setbacks, getting through it became much easier. He breathed in and out rapidly, forcing himself to stay calm, and somehow finding a temporary serenity within that gross pessimistic mindset. Knowing that he was capable of such a thing was almost as sickening as the sight in front of him, but he still truly desired to continue with the mission. As dubious as he found it to be, simply pushing on was the correct choice, right?

    It had to be. If it wasn''t then he wouldn''t know how to feel about himself anymore.

    He took a step back, and the second he turned around, the consequence of his lapse in his emotional judgement had already swept him off his feet. His vision became blurry and flipped on its side in an instant. Isabelle and Alex¡¯s worried faces were only visible for a split second before the tornado swallowed him whole.

 CH 13 - Spirit links & the nest (2)

    Adrian spread his arms out, trying to grab hold of anything that could stop him from spinning within the tornado. The force alone made him feel like he was being crushed, and the violent winds drowned out his own screams. Soon enough though, even they got drowned out by an intimidating, low rumbling sound. Growing at a rapid rate, pulsating and spinning right next to him was a rogue spirit¡¯s core. It''s ominous glow, blinding him.

    He flailed his arms around like he was trying to swim, in order to get away from it. Thin tendrils of spirit energy started to wriggle their way out from its outer membrane, then weaved around each other and interlocked. The next thing he knew, the tendrils had sped up, and whatever they were forming, pounded him in the stomach at full force.

    He held in his scream and was launched out of the tornado, bracing himself with amplification. First contact with the ground was unfortunately granted to his face. He bounced off and managed to find his way to his feet, sliding across the ground to break his momentum.

    ¡°I-Isabelle, Alex! We gotta make a beeline for the core!¡± He wiped the mud from his face and looked around, confused, when he didn''t get a response. They weren''t next to him. His eyes darted right back to the tornado, as it raged on. At its peak, it was almost as tall as the trees, but as quickly as it had appeared, it died down. The debris it picked up, all fell to the ground, and in its place, it left behind the weirdest rogue spirit that he''d ever seen.

    No arms, and no legs. Just a freakishly large purple blob, with an eye that looked like it could pop out of its socket at any moment, and a devilish smile stretching across its face. Behind it, more tornadoes were starting to spring up, and the sound of fighting that followed sent Adrian into a panic, scrambling off the floor to get back to his friends.

    ¡°My bad, ugly,¡± he said, approaching the rogue, ¡°but I¡¯m gonna have to-¡±

    A sharp streak of wind whizzed by his face. He dug his feet into the ground, feeling his heart skip a beat. There was suddenly a thin, stinging cut running across his left cheek. The rouge¡¯s mouth was wide open, and a long, spirit energy infused tongue was quickly retracting backwards like a fleshy tape measure. Adrian took a step back, hoping to not still be in range of the attack, and got to racking his brain for a solution.

    Assuming the tongue attack was a unique ability and not just manipulation like the humanoid used last week, then it was likely that in exchange for the insane speed and strength of the tongue, the rogue itself was bound to remain stationary no matter what.

    Dodging wasn¡¯t an option. He hadn''t even been hit by the tongue itself. It was the wind created from the force of its swing. Regardless, the way to get past was simple, all he had to do was run around it from a safe distance to get to Alex and Isabelle. That much was obvious, but when he attempted to do so, he was met with yet another tornado. He swiftly turned back to run the other way, and another one sprung up in his path again. The core must have been closer to them than he thought. With that in mind, he activated amplification across his whole body, and took some deep breaths, fully resolved to brute force his way out.

    ¡°Adrian! Don''t do anything stupid, I swear to God!¡± Even through all the noise he could tell that was Alex¡¯s voice. More importantly though¡­

    ¡°Why¡¯d you think I was about to do something dumb?! I¡¯m not-¡±

    ¡°Me and Isabelle can just barely see the core from here! Turn around and run! Find a flank route and meet up with us there!¡±

    Out of the corner of his eye, Adrian noticed the ditch where Charlie and Ali''s bodies lay. A wave of doubts started to flow within him, but he couldn''t argue with Alex''s idea being logical. Still, If something were to happen to them while he was still finding his way, he knew he wouldn''t be able to forgive himself. There was no way in hell he could let it come to that, so he bit his tongue and ran.

    He ran like he''d never run before, stumbling over himself in his desperation as the howls of multiple tornadoes forming around him streaked past his ears. While he jumped over, and weaved his way in between them, Claws and fangs launched at him from all angles, trying to drag him inside. They scratched through his jacket, penetrating the skin in his arms and face. He clenched his fists and powered through the pain, but didn¡¯t turn to look at them, and didn¡¯t try to fight back.

    After running for a little longer, he had gotten far enough from the tornado maze, and made a sharp turn. He expected the core to, more or less, be a straight line from there. His body was covered in cuts, but his mind was set on that one goal. Even if that was the case, the path ahead couldn''t be any more antagonistic.

    Another rogue spirit stood in a clearing just in front of him. A bear with light purple fur, standing on its two hind legs. Patches of flesh where the fur wasn''t present puffed up like warts all across its body. It hadn''t noticed him yet, but the dying foliage of the forest was becoming more and more claustrophobic. Sneaking around it without making noise would be near impossible, so he slowed his run down into a speed walk and used sixth sense to see exactly what he was up against.

    The sensation he got from every other rogue born from the mist was the same. He couldn''t describe it in words. It was something much more intrinsic. Even if he encountered one of them outside of the nest afterwards, he was sure he''d be able to tell where they came from. That''s why it was instantly obvious to him that this bear was from somewhere else. He didn''t have time to speculate the implications. Furthermore, after seeing the amount of spirit energy it had, he wasn''t sure if he''d be able to kill it in a timely enough manner. If possible, he''d have liked to run straight past it.

    So again, he sped up, side-stepping through the branches, and keeping his eyes locked on to his target like a hawk. Oblivious to his presence, the rouge perused around the area with heavy footsteps, and the moment Adrian broke through into the clearing, its neck snapped one-hundred and eighty degrees to turn at him. With a delayed reaction, the rest of its body followed.

    Adrian kissed his teeth and tilted his head forwards as he dashed onwards. With each of his strides, he emitted a flame under his feet to propel himself faster and with that same tactic, threw up his leg and launched a roundhouse kick at the rogue¡¯s head. It blocked the kick with its arm and without a single sound or a delay, the other claw was already on a collision course towards his face. His senses were working overtime, though. Instinctually, he leaped backwards with two flames under his feet keeping him afloat for an opportunity to strategise.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    This thing''s a super huge and super fast melee fighter. I doubt I''m getting past it without killing it first, so at the very least, I should make it a ranged fight to take away its main form of attack.

    His plan was shut down. In the three seconds He was in the air, he watched with bated breath as the rogue fell onto all fours, baring its fangs at him with a crooked smile.

    Holding his breath, he lifted both of his hands into the air and sped up his descent with two flames erupting from both his hands. The rogue took its chance and lunged forwards to chomp him, but not before he¡¯d already hopped back into the air, tucking in his legs and narrowly dodging its bite. Prime position. Emitting two flames from hands, he utilised the momentum they granted him to flip in the air and send a burning hot axe kick down from above. The counter from the rogue was instant, rolling onto its back and lifting its leg to block the attack.

    ¡°You can''t be fucking serious,¡± He said, laughing to himself.

    It was clear at this point that all of his moves were gonna be matched with an uncomfortable amount of precision. The fight could go on forever without either of them landing any decisive blows, which was the last thing he wanted. If he ran then he¡¯d be caught within seconds¡­ Maybe he could use that somehow.

    The moment his feet were back on the ground, he took the gamble and sprinted off. It didn¡¯t even take three strides. The bear was already right behind him, lifting its claws in anticipation to slash him. After a short prayer in his mind, Adrian slowed down ever so slightly, relaxing every muscle in his upper body. There was a moment where it seemed like the rogue noticed the change and delayed its attack to catch him off guard, but his wide eyed focus was nothing to be played with.

    With a light jog, He looked back, and out of the corner of his eye, waited for the slightest indication that the rogue had taken the bait. Its claw jerked up before falling to the ground. He let go of the tension in his legs and dropped before it could catch him. Extending his hand to the side, and using much more of his flames than he had before, he shifted that falling momentum to the side. Keeping close to the ground, he slid through the dirt, and thanks to his meticulous aim, made his way behind the rogue in an instant.

    He clenched his fist with amplification, leaping into the air once more and pouring every ounce of strength into a heavy punch, connecting with the back of the rogue¡¯s head with an echoing thud. It slid forwards, clearly shaken, but still managed to stay standing, despite Adrian''s efforts.

    ¡°Not even that was enough? Shit.¡± His arms and legs started to numb with the fatigue catching up to him. He readied himself again as the rogue turned back around, but an attack never came. Instead he was met with a hearty, distorted laughter. A drop of sweat trickled down his face.

    ¡°Lovely,¡± the rogue said in a gargled voice, ¡°Your agility and quick thinking convey your love for combat magnificently.¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m not here to enjoy myself-¡±

    ¡°That sensation; that love. You humans are even capable of feeling it for one another. It''s something which I desire to understand for myself.¡±

    Adrian stepped back a little bit, but feigned confidence when he spoke. ¡°A rogue talking about love? This is some kind of trick, right?¡±

    ¡°A trick? If we had met in a different era, you may have been correct, but this is the desire I was born with in this era. I only came to understand it after hearing that man speak about how we rogues have evolved over the years.¡± A feeling of uneasiness hung over Adrian as the rogue¡¯s face morphed into a psychotic, disturbed stare. ¡°As an organic being, it should be natural to wish to understand these things, no? As beings born from humans, it''s only natural for rogues to evolve and wish to understand their creators, no?¡±

    ¡°...What man? Who are you talking-¡±

    He was suddenly cut off when the rogue dashed forwards. By the time the thought of lifting his arms to defend had crossed his mind, he was already being lifted into the air by his throat.

    ¡°I desire to understand. It''s said that a human''s final moments can bring out their true self, but these, so called, ''final moments'' won''t be the end for whatever lies in your heart. Find solace in the fact that I¡¯ll carry the knowledge I gain for as long as I live, and allow me to understand what the root of that emotion is.¡±

    Adrian clawed and kicked to escape its grasp, as an eerie hissing sound started to rise up all around him. His breaths were becoming thinner and more raspy by the second. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pink smoke emanating from the rogue¡¯s body. Survival instincts told him to avoid it, but by then he had already ingested it in his helpless struggle.

    Slowly, his very will began to leave him. Consciousness gradually faded out along with a splitting headache, and following that was the fall.

    He couldn¡¯t tell if he was truly falling, or whether the smoke had just evoked that same sensation somehow. It didn''t feel like the rogue¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t around his neck anymore, and even stranger, he felt no need to convulse into a fit of violent coughing now that his ability to breath had been granted back to him. Neither did he feel the pain from the headache. It was serene. Like he¡¯d never been grabbed in the first place. His attention wasn¡¯t focused there, however. It was on the swirling vortex of sounds and colours that he had been abruptly thrust into. Sometimes the colours formed shapes. Ones that he felt he recognised. Sometimes the sounds, muffled and playing over themselves, reminded him of his early childhood. Mira¡¯s constant nagging, the TV playing his favourite cartoons, and the eccentric, but comforting sound of his dad¡¯s voice.

    <hr>

    ¡°..rian¡­ Adri¡­¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Adrian!¡±

    He wanted to shoot his eyes open and answer the distant voice that was calling him, but he couldn''t even muster the energy to do that much. Somehow, he¡¯d found himself upright, stumbling around, and being attacked by the headache from earlier again. With one hand, he clutched his head, and with the other, reached out for something to keep himself upright.

    He landed on a smoother surface than he was expecting from a tree, and when he opened his eyes, he understood why. It wasn¡¯t a tree. It was the familiar creamy white walls of...someone¡¯s House? His vision was wildly impaired, and his whole body felt weak. Everything around him was doubled on top of itself, with the second image floating around and coated in a dreamlike, pinkish-purple haze. The real source of his panic, however, was the childlike size of his hand.

    He moved it away from his field of view for a second, afraid that if he looked at it even more, it¡¯d solidify it as the truth. He stood horrified in a cold sweat before looking again, shaking his head in disbelief as he analysed it.

    ¡°What the-¡±

    He slapped his mouth shut the second he heard his own voice¡¯s squeaky tone. Legs stiffened with dread, he stepped back and squinted at his surroundings more, fighting to combine the twin images he was seeing into one. To his right was the kitchen. Through the sliding door, he saw the back garden as it was when he was younger. The deflated pool sat where it always did, off in the corner, ready for when he¡¯d next want to use it. In the very passageway where he stood, pictures of him and his family hung on the walls. He had to strain his neck and get on his toes in order to see them properly, but there was no mistaking his suspicion now.

    ¡°This is my house¡­¡±

 CH 14 - Spirit links & the nest (3)

    ¡°Adrian, are you coming? This is what you¡¯ve been waiting for, right?¡±

    It was his dad''s voice. He was calling for him from the living room. To the best of his ability, Adrian weaved his way over, tripping and just barely catching himself on the doorframe. He''d have to catch his breath and readjust himself with this new hazy reality before entering the room proper.

    Peering around the corner, he watched his dad as he waited for him, but was met with a sight that he didn¡¯t even think was physically possible.

    The couch he was sitting on seemed to swallow him up. The glistening smile he usually displayed proudly for the world was gone. Left behind was a sombre, endless stare reflected in the TV¡¯s black void of a screen. His hands were clasped tightly together, shaking ever so slightly in his lap.

    Where was the bravado? The eccentricity? He looked¡­nervous. The greatest spirit hunter of all time, William Hunter, looked nervous.

    At first, Adrian wanted to reject the mere thought, but it wasn''t even a second later that he came to question why he felt that way. This was a memory. Plus, from the few words his dad had said so far, he knew exactly which memory it was too. Everything about this specific day in his life was important to him, but for a reason unknown even to him, this blip in his dad¡¯s usual character had completely erased itself from his mind.

    It wasn¡¯t long until he was noticed. His dad shuffled upwards on the couch until he resembled the image Adrian had expected to see.

    ¡°There you are, bud,¡± he said, ¡°You don¡¯t usually come over this fast. Trying to look more mature?¡±

    Adrian closed his eyes and took a long, painful exhale then slowly walked over, being careful not to trip on anything in his drowsy state. The possibility of getting jumped by the rogue was low. It did say it wanted to ''understand love'' after all. That coupled with him not wanting to ruin the sanctity of the memory led him to the decision that he¡¯d play along for now and see what would happen from there.

    His dad placed his hand on his shoulder when he was close enough and looked him in the eye. Even if Adrian knew what was coming next, he still held his breath.

    ¡°...Spirit hunting isn¡¯t a joke, son. Are you sure this is what you want-¡±

    ¡°I do!" He blurted out, "I trained with Mira everyday cuz I wanna be like you, dad. More than anything."

    The two looked at each other for a while longer, but it was his father that broke first, sighing and removing his hand off of his shoulder. Still, his comforting smile didn¡¯t leave his face for a second. ¡°Then¡­you can count on your old man to support you, bud."

    It was weird. Adrian expected to have to convince him a bit more. He remembered feeling the same way all those years ago too. He remembered the shock; the fuzzy feeling in his stomach, knowing his dream was about to come true. And he remembered all too well, his whole body tingling when his dad asked him that question.

    ¡°Well? You¡¯re a spirit hunter now, Adrian. How does it feel?¡±

    ¡­How did it feel?

    Back then, he probably said the first thing that popped into his mind, but this time, he thought on it for a little longer, allowing the living room¡¯s tranquil hum to fill the silence.

    The answer he came to this time was something he had failed to notice back when he was ten. Maybe he was able to see it more clearly now because he¡¯d grown up a bit. It was blatantly obvious. So much so that it hurt. He lamented the very thought of it, but...that wasn''t right. It would be unfair to his dad if he carried on thinking the way he had been. While nervously looking around and swinging his arms, he finally bit the bullet.

    ¡°...Honestly¡­ I¡¯m scared as hell, dad. I¡¯m scared of the fact that¡­you¡¯re not perfect.¡±

    Saying it out loud made him violently cringe. Squinting his eyes, he looked back up to see his dad frozen in place. The pink haze that coated everything else overlaid his body like static on a video. It startled him for a second, but he managed to make sense of what was going on pretty quickly.

    The rogue¡¯s ability is glitching out. I never said any of this back then, so dad has nothing to respond to and the memory can''t continue playing.

    He cracked a small smile, feeling silly, and knowing he was about to carry on talking to a hologram. "...I was never gonna flunk out, but I also thought that I could use you as an excuse if I failed. ¡®How could I live up to William Hunter? He''s not like us regular people.¡¯ But that''s exactly what you are, dad. A regular person.¡±

    A solitary tear started to trickle down his face, but he didn''t bother wiping it away. He felt his lips start to quiver the more he spoke. "It sounds crazy, right? Everyone¡¯s always expected me to be just like you, but by the time I first started doubting myself, it was already too late to just walk away or say that it''d be too hard. I would have felt so useless.¡±

    Slowly the dreamscape started to fizzle out. Glimpses of the forest grew larger and larger through every tear in reality. "I know what I¡¯ve gotta do,¡± he said, as the vision of his dad faded from sight, ¡°but I honestly don''t know if I''m someone who can to begin with...¡±

    Finally, his home had disappeared into the wind. He found himself staring into the mist of the nest as a cold breeze brushed past his stinging wounds.

    ¡°...But, I''ve gotta try anyway, dad. And if I mess up I won''t blame anyone but myself. Promise...¡±

    A familiar gargled laugh erupted from behind him. He remained still and didn''t turn to look at it, his tear dripping off his chin to the ground. ¡°There''s nothing here that I haven''t seen from others. You humans must all be the same,¡± the rogue said, ¡°Living for the sake of others. Risking your life for the sake of approval. Unlike us, a majority of you don''t seem to truly hold any desires of your own; things that you would crush anyone to achieve without discrimination.¡±

    Adrian took a deep breath, turning to face the rogue, and raising his fists. He activated amplification to fight once again, and the flames burned brighter than they ever had before.

    ¡°Love and pain fester within you, and their dominance is constantly fluctuating. From what I''ve learned, that contradiction creates something called ''doubt'',¡± It continued, while getting onto all fours, ¡°If you find yourself seeking a reason for your death, you can blame it on that. You''re a model example of a human.¡±

    Smart rebuttals weren''t something Adrian felt he could confidently make. Everything the rogue said was true.

    The flames were calmly burning brighter than they ever had before, but at the same time, his heart was wavering. However, pushing doubts like that to the side, and finding his way back to his determination was a skill he''d been honing for years.

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    ¡°Come at me."

    At an almost blinding speed, the rogue responded, closing the distance with its mouth open wide, ready to swallow him whole. Adrian was, of course, prepared to move, but chose to dig his feet into the ground instead of dodging.

    Ever since Mr. Harrows handed him that textbook back at the hospital, there was an ability he''d eagerly been waiting to try. Knowing that the rogue had a unique ability of its own made this the perfect time to use it.

    Pointing his hand forwards, he emitted a chain, completely enveloped in his flames. It burst out of his hand, phasing through the rogue''s chest and latching onto its core. It yelped out in pain and fell to the ground, before frantically backing up, and pulling Adrian along with it.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Straining to keep the chain attached, he tussled with the rogue, while dodging around its flurry of swinging claws. Circling around it, he climbed onto its back and yanked the chain back, determined to not let it go.

    The chain was an ability called a spirit link. An all purpose move that could be used on almost any target. Depending on the target, it would yield different effects for the user.

    Using a spirit link on a rogue spirit would allow him to absorb its core and grant him access to two functions. He¡¯d gain the ability to use the rogue¡¯s ability for himself, and on top of that, could summon the rogue as an avatar that would be fully subservient to him. That was, of course, if he could manage to complete the link in the first place.

    After struggling with the rogue for a while, it changed its tactic. He braced himself as best he could, as it stormed off at full speed, twisting and turning through the forest, and knocking entire trees out from their roots with sheer force alone.

    Debris collided with Adrian''s body and the wounds he''d suffered only deepened, but his flames still continued to burn brighter than they ever had before. He held on as tight as he could because he was afraid to let them die out. He held on because, despite all the pain they brought him, he knew he wouldn''t be able to live on without them.

    <hr>

    ALEXANDER CALLOWS

    There was nobody in the world that Alex loved as much as her. He''d overheard the conversations. The things her friends said wherever they came over. Whenever he remembered that some ungrateful bastard was unable to see that and played with her emotions, only to walk away without a care, a violent rage would always swell up within him. But naturally, just seeing her, and getting to spend time with her, was always enough to calm him down.

    He had her to thank for everything. Thanks to her, he and his sisters were always fed. Despite the litany of difficulties they faced, they were blessed with a roof over their heads. She would always tell him that things would get better; that one day they would leave that cramped apartment that was barely enough space for the four of them. The beaming smile she gave whenever she said that illuminated the whole room and, you would never guess it, but she was a person capable of tears.

    Alex never saw her cry with his own eyes. She was ridiculously good at hiding it, but the walls in the apartment were thin, and his rickety wooden frame bed was right against the wall. Every single night he would hear her muffled whimpers from the other room. Even if they were separated by a wall, and even if she didn''t want him to see her being weak, he never blocked his ears from the sound. Every single night, he would always quietly cry alongside her.

    It was because he secretly shared in her pain so many times that he understood all too well. His mother was trapped in a vicious, unrelenting cycle. Getting knocked down, then ignoring the wounds and standing up to fight again, only for everything to repeat itself again.

    If he thought of it like that, it wasn¡¯t all too different from the cycle he and Isabelle were trapped in right now...

    ¡°Alex,¡± Isabelle said, pushing herself onto her feet.

    ¡°...Yeah?¡± He was doused in blood, lying against a tree. Both his own, and from the countless rogue spirits he''d killed so far. At a certain point, he got too tired to try and wipe it away.

    ¡°T-there are more rogues coming our way...¡±

    ¡°...Yeah,¡± he sighed, clutching his sword.

    One wave of rogues defeated meant another one would spring up mere seconds later. They''d done the song and dance five times already. The nest¡¯s core was massive. Beating like a heart and taunting them with its violent glow as more of its offspring spawned to protect it.

    Alex remained on the ground, breathing heavily, as the rogues, all different grotesque shapes and sizes methodically circled around them. They sneered and cackled amongst themselves, inching closer to corner them.

    ¡°Any new ideas?¡± Alex asked.

    Isabelle didn''t say a word, instead extending her shaky hand out towards him. Alex could tell she wasn''t just trying to help him up. The intense, desperate look in her eyes communicated exactly what type of move she wanted to take.

    It wouldn''t work. Alex knew that all too well. Despite that, with the situation they were in, the only options he saw in front of him were simple. Die, or die trying to break the cycle.

    With the sounds of his mother''s tears ringing in his ears, he forced himself off the ground and extended his hand out towards Isabelle¡¯s, and after a firm nod, they both emitted their chains. Sparks of electricity and torrents of water erupted from the point where they interlocked.

    The mob of rogues stopped in their approach, remaining cautiously aware of the amount of spirit energy emanating from the light show.

    ¡°We¡¯ll make this work,¡± Isabelle said, shakily.

    Alex¡¯s chest tightened, wishing he could have matched her determination. It only tightened more as he stared into the endless depths of the rogue spirit crowd, planning his next move for when the link would inevitably break.

    A spirit link created between two humans has two main functions. One is negating the elemental factor of the users¡¯ attacks when used together. This allows for situations where even those with fire and water affinities can attack at the same time without any compromise to either of their unique elemental effects. In addition to this, any two elements across the board would have their damage increased when used in conjunction.

    The condition to these benefits, that Alex knew he and Isabelle couldn''t meet, was that the two users needed to be in near perfect mental sync for the link to stay active. The tiniest shift in emotions that weren''t fixed in a matter of seconds would break the link and deny the users of the benefits. A truly difficult ability to maintain.

    Isabelle¡¯s anxious, but enthusiastic nature was coupled with Alex¡¯s analytical thinking of the next logical step. He wasn''t surprised at all when the sound of the chains breaking began to echo throughout the forest. Afterwards, there was a terror inducing pause, as the rogue mob all turned towards one another before charging together as one.

    The desperation in Isabelle''s eyes never left and it was painfully reflected in her actions too. She was skilled. Definitely the most technically skilled out of the three of them. The second the link broke, however, the fear of death instantly took hold of her instantly. Bolts of electricity were violently flung around at random. Even the sound of her hyperventilating was audible among the snarl''s of the crowd.

    Alex¡¯s own madness came in a much quieter, but equally intense form. His ability to breath was completely stripped away from him, and with only blurred lights and vague jagged shapes being visible to him, his every instinct became laser focused on his final gamble.

    He created a spirit link with his sword, infusing it with as much spirit energy he could muster, fighting against the force of the torrent he manifested in order to keep balance. The intention was to launch the sword like a torpedo, with fragile hopes of ripping through the rogues and hitting the core, but as quickly as its light had been obscured, it gradually started to come back into view. The agonised shrieks of the rogue spirits followed along with it and so did an excited squeal coming from Isabelle.

    ¡°A-Alex, are you seeing this?!¡± she exclaimed.

    He shut his eyes tight as he tripped over himself, and when he opened them again, was finally given the opportunity to exhale all the fear out of his body.

    A certain idiot came crashing onto the scene, riding on the back of a rogue spirit that took the shape of a bear. It was clearly in a state of confusion, sprinting and slashing through the crowd indiscriminately. If the rogues weren''t already dead, then they were in the process of getting there, trying, and failing miserably to fight back, no longer focused on him and Isabelle.

    Leaning against the tree behind them, they watched the destruction while wiping away as much blood as they could from their clothes.

    ¡°...It should be over with this,¡± Isabelle said.

    ¡°Yeah. Never thought I¡¯d be thankful to see a rogue,¡± Alex sighed, ¡°And Adrian too, I guess.¡±

 CH 15 - Our own reasons (1)

    ADRIAN HUNTER

    The link finally broke, but not before the bear managed to slash and destroy the nest¡¯s core in its manic frenzy. Adrian was thrust off of its back into a pool of purple blood, and watched as it scampered off into the distance, leaving the scene of the dissolving mass of concentrated spirit energy behind.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± he exclaimed, gasping for breath.

    ¡°We¡¯re not chasing after it,¡± Alex said, tapping him with his foot.

    ¡°...Didn''t plan on it. My whole body hurts.¡±

    He took a long sigh as Alex and Isabelle pulled him up to his feet. All around them, the mist was dissipating, starting from where the core used to be. As more of the forest became visible, so did the true state of the destruction caused. There wasn''t a single tree that hadn''t been stripped of its leaves, and the overcast sky made the whole environment look like something out of a horror movie.

    ¡°What now?¡± Isabelle asked, ¡°What do we do, um¡­a-about the bodies?¡±

    Adrian looked at the ground, and bit his lip, remembering the gruesome scene he saw.

    ¡°Well,¡± Alex said, walking away, ¡°Let¡¯s tell Mr. Harrows for starters.¡±

    ¡°Actually, can we make a stop before heading to school?¡± Adrian asked.

    Turning back and giving him a sceptical look, Alex motioned his hands at his purple and red bloodstained clothes. ¡°You want us to take our time getting back while we look like this?¡±

    ¡°I just wanna go talk to the Winchesters before heading back," he pleaded, "Mr. Harrows won''t let us out again if we head back to school looking like this. Please.¡±

    Alex looked surprised for a second then turned away while scratching the back of his head.

    ¡°Most of the blood is on our jackets though!¡± said Isabelle, stepping forward. She took off hers as an example and used the inside as a rag to wipe her face and arms. ¡°See? Totally normal-ish looking.¡±

    ¡®Normal-ish¡¯ was the right word. It was still super obvious she''d been fighting thanks to the bruises and cuts on her arms. Adrian copied her and laughed with her at the minor scale of the improvement they''d made. They then turned to Alex and watched his expression shift from one of indifference to one of reluctant acceptance.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make it quick then.¡±

    <hr>

    ALEXANDER CALLOWS

    They made sure to call the police and get the area where the bodies lay in the forest sectioned off before heading over to the Winchester''s house. There wasn¡¯t much that they really had to tell the Winchesters in all honesty. Alex figured that reassurance was the main thing on Adrian¡¯s mind, simply because that was the kind of person he was. Always sticking his neck out for others no matter what. It was a flaw.

    He and Isabelle stood right behind him while he talked to Ray''s parents. Of all the events he carefully explained to them, he specifically left out the details regarding Charlie and Ali¡¯s bodies. Probably so he didn''t set Mrs. Winchester off again like what happened during the interview.

    ¡°...I see,¡± Mr. Winchester said, holding his arm around his wife, ¡°So what do you think the next steps are going to be?¡±

    ¡°Our teacher is probably gonna ask us to each write a report on what happened,¡± Adrian said, turning back to them, ¡°Um¡­ After that we¡¯ll probably be on more investigations like this one based on any new info we might get."

    The man gave a weak smile and nodded his head. His wife, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t said a word or moved at all the whole time Adrian was speaking. She still looked just as dishevelled as she did when they came here earlier in the day. Alex could tell he was waiting to hear something from her the most after her small outburst, but personally, wasn¡¯t counting on anything. Surprisingly though, she was the one to interject during the silence.

    ¡°I want to apologise for the way I acted,¡± she whimpered, brushing her hair away from her face, ¡°It¡¯s just been¡­ Um-¡±

    ¡°T-there¡¯s no need!¡± Isabelle blurted out, ¡°Like I said before, it''s all understandable."

    Mrs. Winchester gave them all a weak look and said, ¡°I got into an argument with Kaya before she left on that day, you know? She left her room in a complete mess. It was such a trivial thing to blow up about. Having that be my last conversation with her¡­ As her mother, especially, It¡¯d be too much.¡±

    As her mother, huh? Alex¡¯s body tensed up.

    She was about to continue but stopped and looked down to her side. Ray appeared, squeezing in between his parents with an earnest and desperate look in his eyes.

    ¡°Can you do it?¡± he asked, looking up at Adrian, ¡°Is there a way to find my sister?¡±

    Adrian kneeled down to Ray¡¯s eye level. Alex had a suspicion of what he would say, and was sure it¡¯d be the wrong thing. Something like, ¡°we¡¯ll see what we can do¡± is what he should have said. With the info they currently had, that was the only thing they could say. Anything else would run the risk of giving false hope, but he also knew that those things weren¡¯t on Adrian¡¯s mind. He was operating under the assumption that saving Kaya was a given.

    ¡°You have nothing to worry about!¡± he told Ray, ¡°I promise I''ll find her.¡±

    Ray''s eyes beamed with enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Alex was internally sighing after hearing Adrian''s declaration. They said their goodbyes to the Winchesters not long after, and were given warm waves as they continued on their journey back to school. Alex found himself distant the entire time.

    You''re probably gonna trap yourself making promises like that. I¡¯m sure even you know that, but...

    At the end of the day, It wasn''t really any of his none of his concern, was it?

    ¡°...Yo,¡± Adrian said, hesitantly, ¡°Can I ask you guys something?¡± Alex and Isabelle looked at each other, wondering what he had to say. ¡°Have you... ever seen a dead body before today? It feels like I had a totally different reaction to you two back there.¡±

    Isabelle¡¯s face dropped as she turned back to the path ahead of them. She awkwardly played with the sleeves of her jacket before saying, ¡°My dad started forcing me and my sister on some of his missions two years ago as part of training. One of the first ones we had was to stop this illegal trade that some bounty hunters organised.¡±

    ¡°A trade?¡± Alex asked.

    Isabelle nodded her head and took a deep breath. ¡°A-apparently things like that fly under the radar a lot, but somebody tipped off our family, and my dad took the case. I don''t know what they were trading, though¡­ We fought them. Well my dad did. I was too scared at the time and..."

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    Her eyes became more and more empty the more she recounted her memories. Her mouth was open slightly, trying to get the next words out, but choking each and every time.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Isabelle,¡± Adrian said, ¡°We get the gist.¡±

    ¡°...Yeah.¡±

    Her and Adrian then turned to Alex and waited for his answer.

    ¡°I was just being realistic,¡± he sighed, ¡°From the moment Ray told us about Kaya¡¯s friends, I kind of expected something like this.¡±

    The heavy atmosphere that followed his answer was almost palpable. He kept his eyes facing forward, and distracted his mind by listening to the cars whizzing by, not wanting to see what kind of expressions the other two were making. A slapping sound then caught his attention and he turned back to see Adrian hitting his face with both hands before composing himself.

    ¡°Kaya''s body wasn''t there,¡± he said, seemingly back to normal, ¡°That means she¡¯s still out there somewhere.¡± There were a million holes Alex could have poked in that statement, but when he tried to, he got cut off instantly. "I''m not tryna hear all that, not gonna lie. I made a promise to Ray, and I''m gonna keep it. That''s all I care about.¡±

    ¡°There''s only so much we can do right now,¡± Alex sighed.

    ¡°The thing to do is obvious.¡± He ran ahead slightly and started skipping backwards with a fat stupid grin on his face. ¡°The other three should still be training right now so I''m taking no breaks. Soon as we get back I''m joining ¡®em. Then later, I''ll get Isabelle to help me.¡±

    She had a bewildered look on her face as Adrian lifted her arm and shook her hand. ¡°...H-how about we move that to tomorrow, ¡®kay?¡±

    That was the point that Alex slumped his shoulders and gave up on whatever he was trying to say. The right answer he had in his mind was for him, and obviously wouldn''t make sense in Adrian''s head. That¡¯s just how fundamentally different they were.

    <hr>

    ADRIAN HUNTER

    Where to start, where to start?

    Adrian had talked up a big game about training but actually putting his words into practice was more nerve inducing than he thought. Especially after everything that''d happened.

    Gotta be more calm and collected, he thought, Fake it till I make it.

    After finishing up their written reports of the nest incident, Alex and Isabelle went to their rooms to rest up, while he wasted no time in getting to the training grounds to start training with the other three. He could hear the repeated sounds of explosions coming from outside, and discovered that Melanie was the source once he exited the door.

    She was dodging around the swings from Neil¡¯s training sword, using her explosions to zip around him and attack from his blindspots. Neil was keeping up with her trigger-happy performance with movements that were a lot more quiet and less bombastic than hers, but almost just as effective.The spirit energy in his blade was perpetually fluctuating, always spiking up slightly just before he blocked an incoming attack or when he sent out one of his own.

    They were complete opposites in terms of fighting styles, and even though Neil was on the defensive most of the time, his meticulous observational abilities were just as impressive to Adrian as Melanie¡¯s fast-paced, wild style of combat.

    Just next to the door, Lyla was sitting on a bench, and silently watching the fight. She seemed distant, twirling a strand of her hair while the rest of it got pushed around by the wind.

    ¡°Yo,¡± Adrian said, taking a seat next to her.

    ¡°Oh, you came back," she said, quickly switching to a more upbeat demeanour, "Did the mission go well?¡±

    ¡°It went somewhere for sure. Dunno if ¡®well¡¯ is the word I''d use¡­ How about training?¡±

    "Ah, well..." She laughed awkwardly and tried to keep the smile up for a little longer, but quickly gave up, turning to look at the ground. "I realised that I can''t keep up with them,¡± she said, slowly swinging her legs, ¡°So¡­ I came here to sit out.¡±

    Not really knowing how to respond, Adrian nodded his head and looked back to the ongoing fight that showed no signs of slowing down.

    Smoke from Melanie¡¯s explosions lifted up into the air, and an even darker smoke, thanks to his dark affinity, was eerily emanating from Neil''s training sword whenever he slashed at her. A thought then popped into Adrian''s head. Melanie had a flame affinity like him, but he had no idea how she was creating explosions like that in the first place. His flames always came out like a flamethrower, but hers were much more concentrated and potent, hence the explosions. If it was something that he could learn, then he wanted to do so, asap.

    ¡°Oh, before I forget," Lyla said, "Melanie wanted to ask you something."

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been fighting at full capacity for about twenty minutes now. Do you think you, Izzy or Alex could match that?¡±

    Adrian perked his head up at Lyla in astonishment. ¡°Hell no! Isabelle maybe, but¡­ How does she even have the spirit energy for that?¡±

    ¡°She really is crazy. In more ways than one.¡± Lyla looked down at her hands and started twiddling her thumbs. The tone in her voice also became shakier; frustrated perhaps. ¡°She has too much spirit energy for someone our age. The amount you''re born with is random, but she still manages to be an anomaly¡­ Neil most likely has the least out of all of us. But that still doesn¡¯t stop him...¡±

    Adrian looked back to Neil, remembering the fluctuations of spirit energy in his blade. "But he¡¯s super efficient with what he does have, right?¡±

    ¡°And above average physical strength, for a spirit hunter our age too.¡± She raised her head and looked ahead with a hollow smile. ¡°I can hardly even grasp the basics. Spirit links, especially, are completely alien to me... Maybe I should just...¡± She paused for a second then shook her head and stopped speaking.

    Adrian lingered on her pained expression for a second.

    ¡°Should what?¡±

    He wanted to ask, but for some reason couldn¡¯t bring the words to leave his mouth. A quick slap on the back of his head snapped him out it.

    ¡°Surprise!¡± Said Melanie, looking at him with a grin.

    Her and Neil stood in front of them after finishing their sparring match. Adrian would have snapped back at her for hitting him usually, but there was something more important on his agenda at the time. ¡°Melanie, how¡¯d you do that explosion thing? Teach me."

    "Teach...you?" She said, giggling, "You''re kinda crazy, though. I dunno if I should just teach you how to blow stuff up on command, man."

    "Crazy calling crazy, crazy." Neil said.

    "Yeah!" Adrian said, squinting at her, "Why try and act responsible now? We''re in the same boat."

    She groaned and gave him a guilty look then rolled up her sleeves, giving him a better look at the damage they¡¯d sustained. There were patches of skin that had peeled away, revealing a faint pink colour underneath. She clenched her fist hard, then started rubbing at the burns with her other hand. ¡°Owiee!¡±

    ''Disturbed'' couldn''t even hope to do justice to the way Adrian felt. He turned to Lyla, who had the same dumbfounded look on her face then back up at Melanie, who was now grinning like an idiot. ¡°Nevermind us being in the same boat. You''re worse.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t start getting on to me! I looked cool when I was zipping around, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Melanie,¡± sighed Lyla, ¡°You find a new way to make me question your sanity every day.¡±

    ¡°I told her not to,¡± Neil said, placing himself on the bench, ¡°But she still did. Because she¡¯s stupid.¡±

    ¡°Oh my God, our bodies are tougher than normal people¡¯s, right? It¡¯ll heal!¡± she groaned, ¡°It can get dangerous if I use it willy nilly, though.¡± She looked off to the side, with a hint of stress in her eyes then spun straight back. ¡°...And I don¡¯t wanna be responsible for anything so, again, I ain''t teaching shit! Figure it out on your own. That''s how I did it."

    Slumping back against the bench, Adrian closed his eyes and turned his head up to the sky. Not learning Melanie¡¯s crazy technique was probably for the best. It would just be another thing on top of spirit links that he had to learn before the festival on the twenty-fifth. A knot formed in his stomach the more he thought about how close it truly was.

    ¡°...Everyone seems kinda tense,¡± Melanie said, ¡°You guys good?¡±

    Nobody but Lyla said anything back, mumbling the word, ¡°Yeah,¡± under her breath.

    ¡°Well, that was a lie,¡± she snorted.

    Adrian''s eyes shot open as he felt Melanie slap his shoulder. She loomed over him and Lyla with a beaming grin on her face. ¡°Let¡¯s train then! You can take your mind off things that way!¡±

    ¡°I-I think I¡¯ll do some drills on my own-¡±

    She ignored him and turned her attention over to Neil.

    ¡°We just finished sparring,¡± he scoffed.

    ¡°But you¡¯re gonna stay anyway, because I told you to, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°...Too tired to walk away," he groaned, "But also too tired to argue.¡±

    "But never too tired to run!"

    "Shush."

    The jokes and commotion seemed to have no effect on Lyla, who was still staring blankly into nothing. Another tap on her shoulder from Melanie brought her back into the current moment. "Huh? Oh, training? I-I''ll try too then..."

 CH 16 - Our own reasons (2)

    LYLA ARC

    Lyla knew what the word ¡°change¡± meant.

    It isn''t something that can be magically granted to you. It¡¯s something that you can only obtain if you''re willing to seek it out for yourself.

    It was hopeless for someone like her. An overwhelming sense of frustration always took hold of her when she pondered on the subject for too long, and she wondered what the boiling point of that emotion would look like.

    Would it set her free, or sink her deeper into the depths of her own uselessness?

    When she was younger, physical training was something she¡¯d try everything in her power to skip out on, and unfortunately, it was the first thing on Melanie¡¯s agenda today. After dragging the three of them up to their feet, she led the charge as they all ran laps around the training grounds to warm up. Adrian and Neil tailed close behind her, and as Lyla expected, she was dead last.

    The muggy sensation of sweat was already creeping up on her and slowing her down as she strained herself to wipe the back of her neck. Her every stride was getting shorter and her breaths were the same, caused by a sickening dryness in her throat.

    Moments passed, and she didn¡¯t know how much time it had been exactly, but Melanie was no longer in her sight. As the gap between her, Adrian, and Neil grew, she shifted her pathetic attempt at a jog into a regular, less painful walk.

    ¡°There¡¯s¡­no point,¡± she gasped, ¡°I can''t¡­keep up-¡±

    ¡°Sure you can!¡±

    She spun around, startled by Melanie¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°Were you just about to lap me?¡±

    Feigning ignorance, she looked off to the side with a guilty look on her face, and that told Lyla all she needed to know. A solemn smile spread across her face as she turned her gaze towards the floor.

    ¡°...I''m tired, Melanie. Just let me go inside.¡±

    Before she could take even a single step, Melanie grabbed on to her hand and pulled her back.

    ¡°C''mon, you gotta push yourself. Let''s at least catch you up to the boys first.¡±

    Looking upon the unwavering enthusiasm reflected in Melanie''s smile, Lyla¡¯s whole body stiffened. It was bright. So bright that it almost hurt to look at, but at the same time, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of her, and couldn¡¯t help following after her. Somehow it made the jog a little more bearable.

    ¡°Lyla,¡± said Melanie after a while, ¡°You wanna know how I pick myself up whenever I''m feeling down?¡±

    Lyla turned to her in shock, but quickly wiped all traces of the emotion from her face. It was silly to think that Melanie never had days where she felt down. She was human after all. ¡°...How do you do it?¡±

    ¡°I remember.¡± She tapped the side of her head. ¡°I didn''t just come here on a whim. I don''t think this isn¡¯t the kind of place you can get into ¡®just because¡¯ to begin with. I have a reason for being here that¡¯s more important to me than anything.¡±

    Lyla had her reasons, of course, but hadn''t talked about them to anyone since joining the academy, for good reason. Imagining what Melanie''s reaction would be if she told her what kind of person she really was, she felt her whole body growing weaker.

    ¡°Keep up, c''mon! You¡¯re doing great, trust me.¡±

    The gap between the two girls had widened, due to her overthinking. Hyperventilating, and feeling like she could collapse at any second, Lyla pushed her body to what felt like its physical limit to reach Melanie¡¯s side again.

    Her limbs were practically creaking with every step, but the decision to open up to her after that was perhaps the most liberating choice she''d made in her whole life.

    ¡°...I¡¯m not a good person,¡± she said, shakily, ¡°At my old school, a lot of my classmates were always willing to do almost anything for me. Everyone just ''stuck their neck out for the pretty girl''... And I took advantage of that."

    Just speaking about the past made her physically sick. The sunlight was covered by a wall of clouds, but to her, it felt like the heat had suddenly been dialled up to eleven.

    ¡°You can carry on,¡± Melanie said. There was an almost motherly tone in her voice that helped to calm Lyla down, and instil within her the composure to tell the rest of her story.

    ¡°Written exams were hardly ever my own answers. People from other classes who did the same tests before would help me there. It was harder to cheat my way out of physical training, but I managed to scrape by with the bare minimum effort by having different people cover for me."

    ¡°...Damn.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...Remember that girl you fought at the entrance ceremony?¡±

    ¡°That brunette bitch?¡±

    ¡°Her name is Kyrie,¡± Lyla chuckled, ¡°Not everyone was cool with me. And she was one of the main ones. She hated me cuz I got all that attention for doing nothing while she was working hard and basically got nothing. She told me that right to my face." She felt her lips tremble, partly because of the pain her body was in and also due to the memories of those days resurfacing. The number one thing she hated in the world was herself from those days. "I-I actually thought I could call everyone that spoke to me back then a friend," she said, choking on her words, "but nobody ever called me out on the fact I was so lazy... I can''t consider people like that-"

    She winced in pain and tripped over herself. The soreness in her legs was becoming increasingly unbearable. Partially, she felt relieved that her body was giving up on its own. She believed that she had no intention of going against her natural stopping point.The second before she would have come to a standstill, however, Melanie, once more, yanked her upright.

    ¡°Melanie, what are you-¡±

    ¡°I''m being selfish,¡± she said, sternly, ¡°But never mind me. I get the gist of your reason. You wanna change don''t you?¡±

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Falling victim to Melanie¡¯s intense gaze, Lyla¡¯s legs, again, began moving on their own. ¡°This is my limit, though...¡±

    ¡°And if you don¡¯t go past that, then how are you ever gonna achieve anything?!¡±

    Lyla closed her eyes tightly in response. Melanie was right. Not once in her life had she considered herself capable of anything significant. Initially, her choice to become a spirit hunter was because of the chance to build a reputation as a "hero" if she marketed herself correctly. A life of lies like that was what she chose.

    When it came to the spirit arts, she could hardly even grasp the basics and spirit links, especially, were completely alien to her, but if there was ever a time to change herself, then that time was now.

    Adrian and Neil were just ahead of them. With her eyes blurred, and chest growing heavier by the second, she stormed onwards, prying herself free of Melanie''s grasp. All by herself. The sensation of the wind slapping against her face, and her hair flying behind her; each and every painful movement her body made was freedom incarnate.

    ¡°Adrian! Neil!¡±

    The boys turned around mere moments before Lyla, out of control and full of adrenaline, crashed into them both. All three of them tumbled to the ground, getting covered from head to toe in dust.

    ¡°What the hell,¡± Adrian groaned. He was clearly way too tired to say anything more, and Neil, feeling the same way, had already closed his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep.

    ¡°Good shit, everyone!¡± Melanie approached and stood over the three of them, wiping the tears from her eyes as she laughed. ¡°So, Ly, you still think you''re at your limit?¡±

    Lyla looked down at her hands. She had used them to break her fall so they were shaking and stinging in pain. Those marks were the proof of her effort...

    ¡°...I-I think I can get used to this!¡±

    <hr>

    The satisfaction Lyla felt having finished training was one she never would have expected from herself, especially considering the fact that she lost every sparring match that she had fought after they finished running.

    Her body was sore, and she even had a few cuts on her arms and legs, but for the first time, she didn''t feel like taking herself off to the side to avoid training. It was a clumsy first step, but just being able to take it in the first place was more than enough for her.

    Exhausted, the group had trudged their way back inside the building, and upstairs to relax. Adrian and Neil resigned themselves to their rooms, while Lyla and Melanie opted to get comfortable in the dorm¡¯s living room, dumping themselves onto one of the oversized bean bags laid on the floor.

    She wanted to close her eyes for a few minutes, but there was one thing that had been on her mind for a while.

    ¡°Hey, Melanie?¡±

    ¡°What''s up?"

    ¡°...Back when we were jogging, you said that you were being selfish. What exactly did you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Well, first I¡¯d have to tell you why I became a spirit hunter,¡± she replied, while stretching, ¡°And that reason is because I like to fight. So if you get stronger it''s good for me too, cuz I''ll have another good sparring partner."

    Lyla should have expected a simple answer like that. No matter how inspirational she was capable of being, Melanie was still Melanie. ¡°I¡¯ve said it too many times, and I''ll say it again. You are not a normal person. It''s actually concerning.¡±

    ¡°That''s the truth, though!¡± Melanie said, laughing, ¡°But...there¡¯s more to it than that, I guess.¡±

    Hearing her playful tone fade away, Lyla decided to turn off her ''anti-Melanie antics'' filter for a moment and listen to what she had to say.

    ¡°My big brother taught me how to fight,¡± she said, ¡°He was a semi-pro boxer.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± asked Lyla, sitting upwards.

    Melanie''s eyes lit up as she spoke. ¡°He was such a nerd about it too! It was all he ever spoke about, and his room was full of old posters ¡®n¡¯ stuff, but then¡­¡± There was a small shift in her expression, and the light in her eyes dimming ever so slightly. "...I guess he just fell out of love with it. We started training less, but I was already pretty skilled by then, so it wasn¡¯t too bad for me. Him though¡­ Boxing was his thing. He stopped talking about it as much, he wasn¡¯t watching as many matches anymore, and eventually he stopped fighting all together. After everything, he just seemed less happy y¡¯know? Do you know wanna know how that felt to watch?¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    She sat up and turned to face Lyla with an expression that she didn¡¯t even know she was capable of making. For that brief moment it was like she was an entirely different person.

    "Think about it this way. If the thing you spent your whole life shaping your identity around suddenly stopped making you happy, then who would you even be anymore? It might seem crazy, but I feel like if it were me in that situation, I would say that the version of me from before was dead.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s intense,¡± said Lyla, feeling goosebumps all across her arms.

    Melanie gave a light smile and rested her head back on the bean bag. ¡°Even if you find something else that you like doing just as much as the thing before, I don¡¯t really know if you can say that that¡¯s still¡­you..."

    The conversation had shifted into territories that Lyla was completely unprepared for. She decided to lighten the mood and add a more positive spin on Melanie¡¯s idea. ¡°Death is a tad bit final, though,¡± she muttered, ¡°I know it''s a metaphor, but if you can still find the same motivation for something else, then it''s a lot less like death and more like¡­evolution¡­?" A light bulb turned on in her head as she found the more suitable word. "It''s just a change," she chuckled.

    Melanie slowly shifted her eyes around the room, looking to seriously be considering what Lyla had said. ¡°That is one way to look at it¡­ But nope.¡± Lyla winced as her head was met with a swift karate chop. ¡°You definitely die. Blood and guts everywhere. It gets real messy!¡±

    Shielding herself from the onslaught of strikes aimed at her head, Lyla cried out for mercy. ¡°Ahh, I get it! I get it!¡± Their squeals and laughter faded into fleeting giggles, and after a while fell to silence. ¡°I think it''s fine to not agree one hundred percent. I get where you''re coming from at the very least."

    ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± Melanie responded, ¡°People like Adrian came here with noble goals ¡®n¡¯ stuff. I respect him, of course, but I could never put myself in that position. Too much responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don''t think you should ever change, Mel.¡±

    The living room door clicked open, and the girls both turned around to see Neil, now donning black pyjamas, walk in, yawning and rubbing the tears from his eyes.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gone to take a nap so early!¡± Melanie said, waving at him like a mad person, ¡°You missed out on a good convo.¡±

    ¡°I think I left my headphones in here,¡± he groaned.

    ¡°Forget about ¡®em for a sec. Tell us Mr. Neil. Why are you a spirit hunter?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, no particular reason,¡± he replied, searching under the couches, ¡°I¡¯m a Donovan, so I don¡¯t really have a say in all that.¡±

    Just the thought of being part of such a huge and influential family made Lyla shudder. She found it admirable that Neil and Isabelle were able to be so normal about it. ¡°But still,¡± she chimed in, ¡°Surely there¡¯s one specific thing that motivates you. It can''t all just be obligatory.¡±

    ¡°Motivation, huh? I guess I have something like that.¡±

    Melanie leaped up onto the couch he was searching under and peered over him from the side. ¡°Tell us, tell us!¡±

    ¡°Someone I look up to¡­ No, that''s not fully correct.¡± He started slowly pacing around the room and talking to himself. ¡°He got arrested one time. What crime did they get him for again? I think there were a few actually¡­ Well it¡¯s his mindset that I respect at the end of the day.¡±

    ¡°U-uh, maybe you should be careful with how you pick your role models.¡±

    ¡°What, no way!¡± Melanie exclaimed, ¡°This mystery guy sounds badass! Who is he?!¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. It¡¯s my uncle Sam.¡±

 CH 20 - Desires & logic (2)

    Following the death of Matthew Harrows, the esteemed scientific spirit researcher, in 2009, the Spirit Hunter Association was given the question of what to do with the overabundance of equipment and other miscellaneous items he had stashed away in his lab. In the end, they decided to leave most of the decision making process in the hands of his, at the time, fifteen year old son, Wayne Harrows. Whatever he didn¡¯t choose to keep as mementos of his father¡¯s legacy would be preserved by them.

    The following is an audio excerpt from a CD that Wayne decided to keep, containing an unaired interview with Dr. Harrows himself, recorded in 1985. The reasoning for its unaired status remains unknown¡­

    ¡°Before I get started, Dr. Harrows, I just have to say how incredible it is that you¡¯re doing what you¡¯re doing at such a¡­a relatively young age, for someone in your field, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Twenty-nine years old, sir, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Incredible, absolutely incredible stuff. Most people in your field don¡¯t make any significant breakthroughs until their¡­late thirties, if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Well, It¡¯s my passion that drives me the most. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything if I didn¡¯t love doing It.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic. So, you recently published a paper on¡­the relationship¡­¡±

    ¡°Between one''s emotional state and the spirit arts.¡±

    ¡°Right, right. Do you mind just giving me a quick history of how you came to develop the ideas in your paper?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely. Well, I do a lot of reading you see, and I came across an old unfinished philosophical paper that intrigued me. It was titled, ¡®Emotion, logic and Desire¡¯ by an anonymous author.¡±

    ¡°I see. What, um, what did they have to say in that unfinished paper?¡±

    ¡°Well, the idea is that these three components are what ultimately define who we are as individuals. Our desires, the things we want in any given moment; our emotions, how we feel in response to external or internal stimuli; and logic which encompasses a lot of elements on its own. I''ll simplify that one to mean how we rationalise how we interact with, and respond to the world and other people.¡±

    ¡°...Interesting.¡±

    ¡°They proposed that emotions, quite metaphorically, come from the ¡®heart¡¯. Not the organ itself. They used the term ¡®heart¡¯ to refer to the capacity we have as humans to feel emotions towards one another, or our current circumstances.¡±

    ¡°And what did they say of logic?¡±

    ¡°Logic, as I said, is complicated. The paper mentioned that It¡¯s not nearly as universal a language as emotions. You can see someone smiling and safely assume that they are happy, even if you don''t agree with or even know what they¡¯re happy about. People''s personal brands of logic, however, are capable of completely opposing one another."

    ¡°I see. Well, how about desire?¡±

    ¡°Now, this is why the paper is unfinished, you see. There¡¯s absolutely zero reference to the concept beyond the title of the paper. I''m not sure of the reason behind its unfinished status, but I decided to use it as a jumping off point for my own research.¡±

    ¡°And the conclusion you eventually came to, which you wrote in your own paper was¡­¡±

    ¡°That apart from the brain, the part of the body most closely linked to desire is the spirit. Someone who¡¯s more in tune with their desires in particular, will be able to use their spirit energy much more efficiently and effectively. We have the tests and data to support that.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ And the elemental affinities, do they link into any of this at all?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, no, no. There¡¯s still decades of research to be done on why those eight in particular are the ones that people are born with. But going back to those three components, I asked myself a lot of questions. The biggest being the question of what would happen if one of them were¡­ removed from the equation. Say for example¡­ What would happen if we entirely removed the concept of human emotion from the process of using the spirit arts?¡±

    ¡°...What would happen?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Dr. Harrows?¡±

    ¡°...I''d like to say first that I¡¯m not against the idea. But it¡¯s something that should only be done by someone who is strong-willed enough to stop themselves if things escalate beyond a certain level. Of all those three components, it''s my personal belief that emotions are the most important. Depending on the desire, someone who lives his life based only on that and logic alone can be extremely dangerous."

    <hr>

    WAYNE HARROWS

    Still in freefall through the warehouse. Dust, mixed with the dissipating remnants of Wayne¡¯s smoke and filled the air.

    His perspective of time; sluggish.

    He stared down in horror at the rogue¡¯s growing smile, Its disfigured mouth taking up more than fifty percent of its face.

    Its exposed core, convulsing in a sporadic nature, produced a high pitched ringing noise that reverberated and bounced off the walls.

    Activating amplification, Wayne began lifting his arms up to his face to block whatever would arise from the spirit on death¡¯s door. With its voice strained and distorted by all the damage it had taken, he heard it utter a condescending jeer.

    ¡°you tried real hard, eyepatch¡­¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Less than a second passed.

    It''s core extended, blitzing towards Wayne and hitting him right in the gut. The shockwave of excruciating pain shot up through each of his limbs then back to its point of origin in an instant.

    Up he flew, Stunned by an overwhelming sense of agony. His vision blurred as the warehouse got further and further away from him, and he was unable to even breath because of the impact he¡¯d suffered. Not a single limb in his body obeyed his pleas, so he was forced to bend to the whims of gravity.

    ¡°...But it was never gonna be enough! What you humans call the fear of death is nothing but a playground for a rogue like me, and you¡¯ve just given me a brand new toy! Even better, my core¡¯s already telling me all the info on how to use it!¡±

    A barrage of purple liquid projectiles pierced through the warehouse¡¯s roof. An omnidirectional attack that left no room for evasion. The stinging sensation they inflicted when they entered his open wounds forced his body to wake up again. He covered his face, leaving a gap just wide enough that he could see the crumbling roof he was about to land on.

    However much strength he could muster was built up before his feet made contact with the metal, and when they did, he launched himself to the side like a bullet entirely coated with amplification. He crashed through one of the adjacent warehouses and into a stack of metal crates and wooden boxes.

    A shallow breath was followed by a fit of coughing as he dragged himself over to the wall to collect himself. The stinging sensation from the rogue''s attacks had grown in a considerably short amount of time.

    The inability to use his secondary technique during the fight had handicapped him greatly. The bug rogue spirit he had a link with would be able to eat away at his target¡¯s spirit energy extremely fast and effectively. The cost of that effectiveness was the time it took to prepare. Eight seconds. He needed to hold emission for eight seconds before the shot that summoned the spirit would actually leave his hand. During such a high intensity battle, there just wouldn''t have been any time to do so.

    There was no point in dwelling on it now. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed the liquid out of a wound on his arm, which was numb to the touch. It was when a shower of sweat started to rapidly drip down his face that he realised he¡¯d been poisoned.

    It hadn¡¯t spread too far just yet, but naturally, Poison created from spirit energy could be fought off with more spirit energy. Activating his amplification, his own reserves would be gradually depleted, and his physical condition wasn¡¯t going to get any better, but it also wouldn¡¯t get worse either. He could manage this much until he took care of the rogue. He had to.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not finished yet!¡± The rogue¡¯s coughed up words rang through the air, and following them shortly after was a thud. Then silence.

    Wayne took a deep breath to gather his strength and peered around the wall to see the spirit laid out on the ground. Its torn up body was putting itself back together, but not nearly as fast as it once was. It was the perfect opportunity to strike, but there were two things preventing him from doing so.

    One was his own physical condition. Just getting up onto his feet was a battle in and of itself. The second reason was the multiple sources of spirit energy he could sense rapidly approaching his location. Even without using his sixth sense, the sinister feeling hanging over him was enough to make him freeze for a split second.

    It wasn''t long until he could put a visual to his fear. Near the two large silos on the perimeter of the construction site was the blurry silhouette of another humanoid rogue spirit, masked by dust. Its much burlier frame would have been Wayne''s main concern. If not for the army that tailed behind it.

    Tens, possibly even hundreds of rogue spirits. Their snarls and growls blended together into a twisted symphony, perfectly matching their wide array of monstrous appearances. Some small, some with limbs where they shouldn''t have been, some floating above the ground; none of that mattered. This level of cooperation between rogue spirits was unprecedented, but what needed to be done to them remained the same.

    Wayne crept backwards and slightly lowered the intensity of the amplification to stay out of view and watched on as the ongoing situation unfolded.

    The muscular rogue gently picked up its bloodied associate, and placed it on the back of one of the others from the army. There was a conversation going on, But Wayne could only make out a select few words.

    ¡°...Can¡¯t fight¡­¡±

    ¡°Go¡­ The city¡­¡±

    ¡°....Finally¡­ Phase two¡­¡±

    ¡°...Let me¡­ Useful info¡­¡±

    The shapeshifting rogue¡¯s weakened, disfigured arm looked like it was creaking as it slowly lifted, but when it finally stopped, Wayne found it was pointed directly at him. The muscular rogue spirit, turned to the building he was in, a calm intensity being reflected in it''s face. It commanded the rogue army away, surely in preparation to have Wayne for himself.

    Knowing he couldn''t afford to stay there for much longer, Wayne wiped what felt like a gallon of sweat from his brow.

    Two do or die situations back to back. He stumbled forwards into a weary fighting stance as the muscular rogue made its way over to him, with heavy steps and eyes full of malice. ¡°You¡¯re far too weakened,¡± it said with a booming, commanding voice, ¡°It¡¯d be wise of you to accept your death now, but I''m sure you''ll remain stubborn.¡±

    ¡°Stubborn?¡± Wayne chuckled.

    Perhaps a human opponent would have already been able to understand him. Obligation, duty. Those were the words that suited his actions much more than stubbornness. Somebody to guide and protect the next generation, that''s the type of person he desired to become. That desire had been radiating brighter through Wayne''s every move and now was the time to make sure he saw it through.

    Nothing else mattered.

    In a fight between highly skilled combatants attacks can sometimes seem like they come out of nowhere to the untrained eye, but this is never the case. For every single move taken, there will always be an indication beforehand, no matter how small.

    The rogue spirit¡¯s fist twitched ever so slightly, and in a pre-emptive response to its incoming punch, Wayne dashed backwards towards the boxes he''d crashed into on his way in. The spirit was clearly underestimating him. Even as it lunged towards him, the look on its face was one of sheer boredom and uninterest.

    Releasing the amplification from only his right arm, Wayne used the split second to create a spirit link with one of the boxes and hurled it at the rogue. An impromptu smoke bomb. It swung its arms wildly, searching for a stray hit within the smoke, but by that point Wayne had already escaped its range.

    ¡°A prolonged game of cat and mouse isn¡¯t a benefit to either of us, human!¡±

    No doubt, it was correct, but there was a certain internal condition that needed to be met before Wayne wanted to attack. With all his senses slowly losing their effectiveness, the process had been prolonged, but If all went well, it''d only take one punch.

    ---

    The indication for his next move was intentionally drawn out. He knelt down into a running start and let out a long exhale, with his eyes glued to his target. After fanning the rest of the smoke away, the rogue acknowledged the indication, and respected it, choosing to lift its arms to block instead of attacking again.

    It was pointless. Wayne lifted himself up and zipped towards the wall behind it, his real objective. After less than a second with his feet planted against its surface, he kicked off and made his way to the roof. From there to the floor, then to the other wall. Every sound had a slight delay due to his overwhelming speed and from the looks of the blurry purple blob in the centre of the warehouse, the rogue was desperately trying to track his movements, but to no avail. Thanks to that, his mind could be at ease.

    Slowly but surely his condition was being met.

    In actuality, a spirit hunter¡¯s attacks can never reach one hundred percent of their potential, at least under normal circumstances. The primary factor preventing them from doing so is their emotions. Feelings of doubt, and even excessive feelings that aren''t necessarily in conflict with one''s desire, like overconfidence; they all prove to disrupt the flow of spirit energy within the body. Suppressing those feelings, in other words, operating on only desires and logic, is how one reaches the state known as perfect flow.