《Inquisitors》


 First Strings

    The date didn''t matter. The time too, and as for the place, well, you''d know soon enough. Klaus didn''t really think much of that day. Nor had he really bothered to care. He had only come to report the events that had transpired in his mission, whilst his mind dwelt on the mission that his older brother, Keith Alderwolf, would soon be entrusted with.


    Besides, standing in front of Jahn Vu was scary enough. He may not be a part of the great families, but his brown hair with white sideburns, the piercing and intimidating brown eyes, his bulky build, along with the red coat with yellow embroideries that hang from his shoulders told you everything you needed to know. He was the boss.


    As he finished his report, Jahn Vu only nodded. As scared as he was, Klaus was confused. Jahn Vu only nodded? Jahn Vu always liked to hear about new encounters with daemon. He was a battle freak, as was his aide, Edgar. So to think he was not interested was very concerning. Klaus made a low bow and turned to leave. His gaze then unintentionally landed on the woman that sat in front of Jahn Vu. Her white long hair, her red eyes that glowed, matching her red lipstick. Along with her feline figure which was well captured by the black bodysuit she wore underneath the white coat with the black anchor on its back. One could say he was enchanted by her beauty, but that wasn''t the case. What made Klaus stop in his tracks was fear, as he stared in horror at the sheer amount of energy emanating from her body. Regaining his composure he excused himself, apologizing before exiting the room.


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    Who knew that such an encounter would reshape the entire course of history, not just for Klaus, and not just for the inquisition, but all sides of the millennium long war between humanity and daemons

 The White

    It was a beautiful day, a perfect day for a holiday some would say, while others would have argued that it could be used to take a nice stroll in the park. Some could also argue that they''d prefer to take dive at the beach, or any safe waterbody deep enough to relax in.


    A weather like this was the time when you''d see people in shorts and t-shirts, and giving that it was a holiday, kids and teens added to the crowd of people roaming the streets of Boston. Of course there were those workaholics who never had a day off, always on the move, as if the world would come to a standstill if they didn''t stop working.


    And then there was the guy with the spear in hand on the sidewalk, who actually had to work every day to stop the world from coming to a standstill. He wore a white t-shirt underneath a black jacket which he had folded the sleeves. The black tight trousers he wore completed the uniform he wore. He''d have been seen as a weirdo, if it were not for the red x on his shoulder


    His name was Barry O''Neil, an inquisitor. He was in his early thirties. His red short hair and blue eyes, the alluring kind of look. He could pass for a model if it weren''t for the uniform he wore. The traffic light turned red, indicating for them to cross the street. He stepped into the sun, the rays showing the black blood that had dried up on the blade of his spear. He didn''t seem bothered by it, and neither were the people around. It was normal, unless of course you lived under a rock.


    He walked straight, taking a few turns to the outskirts of town. He bought a cone from an ice cream guy, letting him keep the change. He walked quite a distance before reaching a stop in front of an old mansion. The broken windows, the peeling paint, with the Xs painted all over the wall, the overgrown weeds, heck the only thing new to him was the kid standing in front of it. Everything else was the same. But it was where he called home.


    "Hey kid." He said with a smile. "Bit of a letdown right?"


    "Yeah," the boy said, "I''m surprised you guys still use this place."


    "Heh." He laughed, "Well, it is inconspicuous as we are."


    The boy turned to him. Though he wore a hoodie, he could still see the tuffs of white hair poking out. The scarlet eyes of his stood out though. The hoodie was blue and black, on top of black jeans and some cool red kicks. He was no third class citizen for sure.


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    "Are you looking for someone?" Barry asked.


    "No." He said, "I want to join."


    Barry stared at him. Join? Well, that was surprising. Not many people joined on their own accord. They just came in for the money, or to run from their past. Or sometimes they were forced. But willingly? Well there was another recruit that had joined willingly, but he didn''t look that young.


    Barry approached the boy, stopping directly in front of him.


    "You''re too young kid. Go home."


    "Age is just a number."


    "You''re sixteen by the looks of it. The Inquisitors employment age is 18. Strictly. We have enough problems as it is to get new ones."


    "The lowest age allowed to work is 16. 14 by FLSA standards."


    "You did your research."


    "I really want to join."


    Without warning, Barry raised the spear at the young boy, the tip of the blade directly pointed at him. The boy, however stood unfazed, not even watching the blade, but his were directly at Barry''s arm, waiting for his next move. Barry smiled. If given a chance, he''d either wait for his next move, or strike first. The answer was uncertain. The boy''s expression was too blank to read.


    He was no ordinary boy. Not in status, no that was just a plus. He was trained, skilled. Someone that could handle the mass energy that emanated from his body.


    "What''s your name, kid?" Barry asked him.


    The boy removed his hood, revealing his pure white hair. "Blake. Blake Summers."


    The interior of the building were no different from the exterior. The dust that lay on everything, from the floor to the banister. The tiles were also cracked, some were not even there to begin with. The only thing that identified it as a base of operations was a red X that had been sprayed on the ceiling. Who sprayed it, how he or she had done it, it was only to be imagined. The room was large with a staircase that led upstairs, splitting into two different paths. There were no visible chandeliers, and the pillars were cracked as well.


    Sitting on the stairs was a dark skinned man. He was tall, having faded haircut and spotting a goatee. He had heterochromia, with his left eye glowing a bright yellow color while his right, a dull brown. He wore the same outfit as Barry, with an added hoodie and fingerless gloves.


    "You took your time to get here." Kyler said, yawning. "You know I hate to wait."


    "Cut the crap," Barry said, "We all know you''d prefer it that way."


    "Yeah, whatever." He said, looking over Barry''s shoulder. "Who''s the magnet?"


    "Magnet?" Blake asked.


    "Yeah you. Magnet. Your licht energy alone could attract all the daemon in Boston."


    "My name''s Blake. Blake Summers."


    Kyler looked at him. For a moment he was surprised, but then his expression changed to his old bored self. "Kyler Tason. Guessing you want to join, huh?"


    "He''s too young."


    "Yeah. But age is just a number."


    The voice belonged to Martha Hill. She wore the same outfit, but actually bothered to zip the attire all the way up. She had long blue hair and black eyes. She stood at the top of the stairs, her eyes piercing into that of Blake and Barry.


    "Hello, Blake." She said with a smile. "It''s been a while."

 What Lurks Beneath

    Even if it was a holiday, it didn''t mean that it was meant for everyone. Especially the Inquisitors.


    The monstrosity was almost the size of a minivan. It had four round yellow eyes, two on each side of its head and no mouth. Its arms; three in number, the third being on its back, were long, with sharp claws at its fingertips. Its hind legs were bigger, giving some incredible boost to propel its body through the air.


    And you''d think that should be enough to scare anybody.


    The guy with blond hair and the dual red swords charged. He was an inquisitor. He slid underneath it, avoiding the third arm that tried to swipe at his head, slashing the monsters belly. The monster howled in pain, throwing a tantrum, ramming its fists haphazardly into the ground. It received a slash to the face by a hollow disk that had been thrown. The disk belonged to a younger inquisitor. He rolled as he caught the projectile, throwing it at the monster again. The other inquisitor charged from behind, but was kicked back by the monsters hind leg, blocking the attack with his two dual blades. The monster charged at younger inquisitor, screeching as it did. The boy dashed at it, throwing his halo. He jumped as the halo missed the daemon by a fraction. But it had distracted it long enough. The younger boy pulled his arm back and immediately a halo formed in it. The boy threw it with all his might at the daemons neck. The halo connected, spinning and spinning until finally, it slashed off the head completely. The younger inquisitor landed, losing balance as he lay on the ground.


    Those who had been steaming the entire fight were cut between amazement and boredom, but the two inquisitors didn''t care. The blond one, Jake Hill helped the younger one up, an Asian in his early twenties or even late teens. He had long grey hair that covered his eyes and a piercing on his right ear. His name was Shino Madarame.


    The corpse slowly began to dissipate into smoke, until there was nothing left, not even the black blood it had spilled during the course of the fight.


    The monster was called a Daemon. No one knew were they came from, or how they appeared, only that they had been around as long as humanity. They fed on licht energy, which was the energy of all living matter on earth, in order to survive. So, in order to fight them, humanity learnt how to harness their licht energy, developing techniques and discovering abilities to combat the daemon.


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    "Good work today, Shino," Jake praised him. Shino said nothing. He only took a halo on the ground, which shattered in his hand.


    A man appeared from the crowd. He wore a black tank top underneath a blue and black jacket and black baggy pants. The jacket had an eagle symbol on the left pocket. The man had black hair and green eyes, with side burns that were now starting to show up.


    "The two of you do know that this was Shield territory, right?" The man asked, a stern look on his face. Behind him was a woman his age, with the same outfit as his, minus the jacket.


    "You could get in a lot of trouble because of this," The man said with a grin.


    Jake looked at him, annoyed. He did not have the time for this. "The daemon suddenly appeared, and we just happened to be in the area."


    "Protocol demands that if an area is being handled by Shield, your job is to..."


    "Wait for you guys? Until what? It kills a dozen people." Jake walked past the man, "We''re inquisitors. We don''t take orders from you guys."


    Shino looked at the Shield soldier and followed suite. The man only watched the two go.


    "Well I guess you might as well handle clean up then," he muttered.


    ''


    Underneath the same area, a figure moved silently through the sewer. It had heard all the commotion that had gone above; the screams of the daemon, the constant pounding and finally, its final screech as it passed on. It however did not care. It had its own battle to fight.


    The figure slumped itself against the wall, holding itself tightly as if something within it wanted to burst out. Its long claws pierced its flesh, leaking out a deeper shade of blood.


    "Get out of my head!" It screamed, banging its head on the wall, over and over again. Each time it did that, the impact became weaker and weaker. It slumped to the ground, shaking violently clawing at the ground. It suddenly rose, slowly moving through the dirty sewer, its steps resounding in the dark underground. Its eyes searched seeing in the dark the roaches, rats and lizards that wandered about in their abode, feeding on whatever there was to feed on.


    "I am not going up there." the figure said, "Never. You...and I... we will die here." The figure laid its head against the wall, closing its visible eye.


    [That I cannot allow.] A voice resounded in its head [I want to go up]


    "So that what? You''ll kill more innocents? Over my dead body!"


    [Innocents. Yet here you are, because of those innocents.]


    The figure didn''t reply to him. The voice continued to haunt him. [Thanks to these ''innocents'' you can''t even see the sun. How long has it been? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Do you even know when you left? You''re lost. A little walk won''t ...]


    "ENOUGH!" The figure screamed. But that scream sounded like the roar of a monster, sending chills down his spine. Curling into a ball, he cried, or at least tried to. There were no tears from the eyes of a monster.

 Welcome to the Inquisition

    "How do you know who I am?" Blake asked Martha as she led him up the stairs.


    "Oh, I''ve known you for a long time. I met you as a kid, you just don''t remember."


    Blake tried to recall everyone he had met as kid, but his head hurt just trying to. Besides, he couldn''t possibly remember every single detail of his life, could he? The woman led him in front of a door. She opened, revealing a nicely furnished room. There was a shelf on the right side of the room and a little table with some sweets on the left. In front of Blake was a big brown desk. On it was a scattered array of files and paperwork, with a man in red lying down.


    The woman walked to him, hitting him on the head.


    "I walk out of this room for three seconds and you use it to sleep?"


    The man woke up, stretching. He scratched his brown hair, opening his green eyes, peering lazily at Martha.


    "Oh. You''re back." He said, not happy to see her. "I was just getting some shut eye."


    "And the files?"


    "They can wait."


    "Really?"


    The man turned his attention to Blake with a smile. He stood up walking around the table and sitting in front of the table.


    "Hey, Blake right."


    "Yeah. Seems like everybody knows me all too well."


    "Your family isn''t the type to stay out of the sight of the media."


    Blake sighed. "I came here to join the Inquisitors."


    "Why?" He asked. "You have everything, you have riches, power, comfort, and you want to risk it all for a job like this?" The man shook his head. He took a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his pocket. He then took a lighter on his table and was about to light only to realize that the cigarette wasn''t in his mouth anymore. He looked down to see that it had been flicked out of his mouth.


    "C''mon Martha."


    "No smoking." She said.


    The man sighed, turning to Blake. "Look, Blake, in this work we do, there is a lot of death. You could lose a lot of your friends, your own life or you could lose your sanity. In the worst case, you could come out of this with some many injuries that you wouldn''t be able to recognize yourself. Are you still up for this?"


    "Noblesse Oblige." Blake said


    "That''s one of the stupidest reason I''ve heard." The man said, walking towards Blake. "Those who have must give back to society. It doesn''t apply here, kid. This is your life. This is your choice. We do it to protect others, but then when you die, that''s it. No one will be concerned."


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    Blake looked at the man.


    "And what if I want to put my life on the line for others?"


    "Our job is to kill daemon, not save lives, kid."


    "Then I''d kill daemon."


    The man looked at him. Blake continued. "In truth, Noblesse Oblige doesn''t apply here. It''s only an excuse for me to be a part of this. I don''t care much about others to begin with, heck I can only care about the people I have in my circle. I came here to kill daemon. And if saving others is the end result then so be it."


    The man looked at Blake for a while, smiling. "Then that''s good enough for me as well."


    "Yes sir."


    "Call me Diego." He said. "I am the one in charge for now. Martha will fill you in with the details." The man went back to sit down.


    Martha and Blake exited the room, closing the door behind him.


    "So," She said, "Welcome to the Inquisition, Blake. From this moment on, you''re an inquisitor. Congratulations."


    "Thanks. Doesn''t feel like it."


    "What did you expect, some parade or something?" Martha laughed. "Well the best you''d get is a pat on the back so get used to it."


    The two descended the stairs, walking into a small room. The room had a large table with a large touch screen showing the map of both North and South America. The map showcased multiple red dots scattered all over the two continents.


    "So, let''s get to the basics. As it stands now, you are a recruit. There are four positions; Greenhorns, Sentry, Aides and Primes. But most of the time, it''s just the Primes and the rest so don''t think too hard about it. Once you''ve undergone some training, which you already have if I''m not wrong, you''ll be assigned with a group. The group will then be assigned to a part of this map to search for daemon in and around that area. Once you''re more experienced, you''ll be doing missions solo."


    "What about the rest of the world?"


    "There are two other branches; one in Russia which is in charge of Europe and Asia and the other is for Africa and Australia, so you don''t need to worry about them."


    "Ok."


    "Do you know how to use licht energy?"


    "Yes."


    "Do you have a licht technique?"


    "Um... I''m not allowed to use it."


    "I thought...oh I forgot. Never mind, forget I asked. But then using your fist isn''t going to cut it you know that, right."


    So she was just going to gloss over the fact that she knew more about him than he thought. And no one was supposed to know about him. Blake sighed.


    "Do you have any licht weapon?"


    "No. I thought the Inquisitors had some."


    "Ah...those aren''t licht weapons."


    Martha moved to the far end of the room, opening a door, motioning for him to follow. Blake obeyed, being led into a magazine.


    "These are Reis."


    "What is a ''reis''?"


    "A ''rei'' is more or less like an old powerful weapon. It is more parasitic in nature as it feeds on the user''s licht energy. If the licht energy is not enough, it''ll switch to the users life force. In exchange it gives the user massive abilities."


    "That sucks."


    "Yeah, but these things are crazy powerful. Because if its nature, they are normally not utilized to a hundred percent, but if they ever are, then the user could be overpowered."


    "What about that?" Blake asked, pointing at a weapon. It was a pitch black dagger. No fascinating features, just pitch black.


    "That...is a vessel."


    "Vessel?"


    Martha sighed. "Ok. There are three ways of killing daemon. One is by using licht energy and anything that''s been imbued with it. That includes licht weapons. The second one is by using reis. The last one, however, is using a hollow. We don''t know much about what those are, but they aren''t really supposed to be used."


    "But you called it a vessel." Blake said, examining the dagger.


    "Vessels trap Hollows. They make them more susceptible to be used." She said, "Hollows are sentient. Alive. And illegal to use. Nobody has seen one before, and whoever uses it is to be imprisoned, unless he or she uses it for daemon extermination."


    "So... can I use it?" Blake asked her, turning to face her. Martha looked at him.


    "There''s nothing in it."


    "But you said anything that has been imbued with licht energy, right?"


    "Yeah."


    "So all I need to do is imbue it with licht energy."


    "That''s just making it a temporary licht weapon. You understand that. And using one requires concentration."


    Blake smiled. "Then I guess it''s mine then."

 Test

    The black haired guy fell to the ground, groaning. The spear was pointed at his neck again.


    "Failed." Barry said, pinning the spear to the ground and helping the guy up.


    "C''mon!" Brandon cried out in frustration, "this is, what the tenth time?"


    "Actually, twelve."


    "Damn it!"


    "Calm down kid," Barry said. "Trying to rush things isn''t going to be good."


    "Then when will I get to be like you? You did say that I''ll inherit your arsenal when you retire."


    "Yeah, but I didn''t always use this arsenal, Brandon. I took it from my master just like you''ll soon take it from me. Now, go and do a hundred pushups and 50 laps around the field."


    "What!"


    Barry smiled walking away from the boy. A short distance away from him, a young girl was


    Doing same. She had dark skin and short black hair. She wore a tight black round neck crop shirt and black shorts. The sweat run down her body as she sped round the field. She had a lot of stamina that was for sure.


    Her name was Rachel Okyere. A prodigy among the recruits. Unlike the girl who trailed behind her. Her name was Sarah Stone. She had been there long before Rachel had, but wasn''t as skilled as her. But she had determination and will.


    It wasn''t enough, he should know that. Determination and will wasn''t something that saved you on the battle against daemon, it was your skill and cunning, your abilities and power. He had seen so many people who were much more determined than others and yet they had died. Or rather massacred. You needed some form of determination, but that wasn''t going to be your savior in the end.


    The two girls walked towards him, both panting and sweating, or more like Rachel was sweating and Sarah was just panting.


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    "We''re done!" Rachel said, "Is that all? Or do you have something better to ''teach'' us."


    "Who said I was teaching you anything."


    "I''m sorry, what?"


    Barry smiled, "I was just testing your stamina. You have excellent stamina, while Sarah, you have terrible stamina. A big problem. But then, depending on the rei that you get, you might not need it."


    "Um... hello, if you have anything else to say, say it fast. We need you to train us, not to test our stamina."


    "Oh, yes. Right."


    Barry was about to say something, but stopped. He saw Martha and Blake approaching them.


    "Hello," She said, "How''s training?"


    "Great," Barry said, "Absolutely..."


    "Useless." Rachel interjected.


    "Well, that''s another way to put it."


    "Well, whatever. You have a new recruit." Martha said, "Since you two have already met."


    "Yeah the kid, isn''t he too young?" Barry asked.


    "You are really keen on not wanting me to join, aren''t you?" Blake asked.


    "Yes I am."


    Barry sighed, looking at him, and back at Martha. "Um... Martha, a word."


    "If it''s about the kid, yes, he is staying."


    "Seems alright to me." Rachel said, "His licht energy and form are perfect, as if he''s trained to fight."


    "He''s young."


    "And?" Blake asked.


    "Okay, why don''t you test it out then?"


    Barry smiled. He pinned his spear to the ground, walking towards the center of the field. Blake followed suite, zipping up his hoodie.


    "Are knives allowed?" Blake asked.


    "Hell no. See me with a spear."


    "Won''t it be best to...?" The spear removed itself from the ground and charged at the unsuspecting Blake. Blake ducked as low as he could, avoiding the projectile. The spear came to Barry''s hand.


    "That''s pretty unhanded." Blake said. The veteran charged at Blake, stabbing at him. Blake blocked the spear with a dagger, taking a step forward and swiping at Barry''s head. Barry dodged, raising his spear. He span it round and made another stab at him. Blake dodged as well, but was grazed by his spear.


    Blake was confused. He was certain that he had dodged that attack. Barry smiled, pointing his spear at him. He held it with both hands and took a stance. With increased speed, he charged at Blake, almost pinning him down, had Blake not avoided it at the last second.


    "Nice reflexes."


    "Thanks."


    "But you''re still too slow." Barry said, digging his spear into the ground. "He''s good," He said to Martha, "A little sloppy around the edges but good. I''m still not up for this though."


    "Yeah, but it was never your choice to make in the first place," Martha said. "His name is Blake Summers. He''ll be joining you as of today. Blake these are Rachel Okyere and Sarah Stone."


    "Who is the guy running over there?" Blake asked.


    "He''s Brandon O''Neil. Another recruit." Rachel said, "He won''t last long though so don''t mind him."


    "He''s been running this... never mind."

 Schemes

    The shield agent from before walked into the building, their temporary base of operations. He greeted by two other shield agents. They both saluted, but the man only passed by.


    He barged into the office of his superior officer.


    "Is it not courtesy to knock before entering?" the man behind the office asked.


    "Those damn inquisitors are at it again. Taking out the daemon before we do."


    "Sergeant Ross, it''s their job."


    "And so is it ours!" Ross said, sitting down and putting his dirty boots on the table. "We told them that we have territories marked out for daemon extermination. Yet, here they are, going round, doing as they please, killing every daemon without giving us a fair chance."


    The man sighed. "First off, get your shoes of my desk. Secondly, it''s their job to kill daemon, not complain about it. And besides, if they are killing the daemon before your men are, then it means that you guys are not doing your jobs well enough."


    "We can''t be at two places at once sir."


    "Well, apparently they can. So unless you want to appear as incompetent as you are beginning to sound, then you better get back out there."


    "I''m not incompetent."


    "Then don''t tell me."


    Ross looked at his superior and left in a fit of rage. The man Captain Reynolds, shook his head, putting his hands over his face. A beeping sound brought him back to reality. Looking at it, he pressed a button. A holographic screen appeared before him, revealing the face of a blond woman his age.


    "Good evening, Captain Reynolds." She said, her British accent strong. "I hope all things are well."


    "Everything is going smoothly, ma''am."


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    "Good. I''m here to ask about the report."


    "We still haven''t sighted it, ma''am. Not from us, and not from the inquisitors. My men still think it''s a daemon in its white phase, should I warn them about it or..."


    "Leave them in the dark for now." The blond woman said, "Panic is the last thing we need from them."


    "But, ma''am, with all due respect, they need to be made aware."


    "That is an order, Captain Reynolds. And besides, we ourselves don''t even know much about them in the first place. All we know is that someone intentionally released it into the city. As to why, we are yet to find out. Keep me posted on any and every information."


    The holographic image disappeared, leaving Captain Reynolds in a more downed mood.


    Captain Elizabeth Lionharte, The High Captain of the Shield and daughter of the Lionharte family. A fierce, mighty and powerful woman. Especially, since she was from one of the Great families.


    The Great families were the families that run the world alongside the UN. They had greater influence on the world than the UN itself, and any decision they made was treated as absolute, although they never made decisions. Currently, there were only five Great families left; The Alderwolves, the Vlazerncroft, The Ororo, The Niflheim and the Lionharte, with the Lionharte family being the most powerful amongst them all.


    Reynolds sighed, pouring himself a glass of beer. He really needed it, considering his nagging headache.


    "Still no news," Elizabeth said, "Gosh, I am surrounded by a bunch of incompetent bloody fools."


    "I''m offended." The man seated across her said with a smile. He wore a lab coat, with a blue button shirt underneath tacked into a black trousers. He had brown hair, with glasses over his brown eyes. "A bit, but still offended."


    "Oh please," She said, "You know I wasn''t referring to you." She took a deep breath.


    "If we don''t find this daemon, we''ll be in for some trouble. Who knows what the Shield would go through?"


    "I cannot imagine."


    "Neither can I." Elizabeth said, "I can only hope that the inquisitors kill it accidentally and we just claim the corpse."


    "Not advisable, Ms. Lionharte." The man said, "If they find it, they''d send it to their labs in Russia. And then release the information. They''re not concerned about the Shield, as they see it as more of a hindrance than help."


    "Which is why I sent for you."


    The man smiled. "Indeed."


    "I need you to aid me in covering up this whole mess. So far only one of the Half-breeds have been released into the public. The remaining four are still in their cages, but it''s only a matter of time before the bloody fool who released the first one will release the next one."


    "So basically, find out whoever is behind this. You do know that I am a scientist, right?"


    "You''re also a man that can stand up to a Captain of the Shield,"


    The man smiled, "Indeed.

 Daemon

    The two inquisitors walked through the front door, tired from their hunt. Jake sat on the cracked concrete, whereas Shino walked straight to one of the rooms, to cleanse himself from the filth. "What a long day." Jake said with a sigh.


    "Another run in with the Shield?" Kyler asked.


    "Yep. Talking about territory and stuff like that."


    "Great. So we have territories now. Soon we''ll need permits just to kill daemon."


    "And we''ll have to report our findings."


    "We already do that."


    "Not to them."


    The back door opened, revealing the four recruits, followed by Martha and Barry. "Ah Jake," Martha said, "You''re back."


    "Yeah, we run into a daemon on the way but it was ok."


    "Any word from Aaron?" Barry asked.


    "Yeah," Shino said, coming out of the room wearing his suit trousers and a towel over his head, "Said something about wanting to see the beach."


    "Everybody has to have a break once in a while." Kyler muttered under his breath. "Okay. Take a break, Martha and I will go on patrol now."


    "Me?" Martha asked, "Why me?"


    "''Have you killed daemon in a while?"


    "Have you?"


    Kyler looked at her and smiled. Rachel and Sarah headed for the showers.


    "Hi," Brandon said to Blake, "I''m Brandon. Brandon Pratt."


    "Blake Summers."


    "So... I guess you''re new to the whole action I guess?"


    "Yeah, you can say that."


    "Well, I can show you the ropes. Kyler and Jake are in charge of the theories, while Barry and Aaron are in charge of the more...rigorous training."


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    "Nothing I can''t handle."


    "Are you sure about that?" Kyler asked, interrupting the conversation between the two recruits. "Are you sure you can handle everything that''s going to come at you?"


    "Yeah," Blake replied Kyler, "I mean it''s just about killing daemon, right."


    Kyler smiled, approaching Blake. He stopped when he was directly in front of the boy, looming over him.


    "Then answer this question, Blake. What is a daemon?"


    Blake stared at him, confused. What is a daemon? What kind of question was that in the first place? Was it a test? Or was he trying to guess his response? Blake took a deep breath.


    "Daemon are monsters. That''s simple enough."


    Kyler let out a small laugh, leaning forward, "Congratulations, Blake Summers. You would have died."


    "What? What are you talking about?" Blake asked, confused. He turned to look at Brandon but even he didn''t seem to know. He was as clueless as he was.


    "What do you mean by ''I would have died''?"


    "I mean that you would have died. Because by your judgement of seeing daemon as nothing more than just monsters, you''ve just limited your viewpoint."


    "But aren''t they monsters at heart?" Blake asked, "They do kill humans."


    "Yeah," Brandon agreed.


    "But then, that restricts you to only think that daemon act on pure instinct alone. Which is a lie. The daemon have more intelligence than the ordinary person thinks off. We classify them as monsters, because they look like monsters. They are monsters in appearance alone. Mentally, they are smart, cunning, and hence much, much dangerous than we give them credit for."


    "But they are still no different from monsters. They feed on us." Brandon said.


    "For survival."


    "They''ve killed hundreds of humans."


    "Hasn''t humankind done the same thing to itself?"


    "Yeah, but..."


    Blake understood the direction Kyler was heading towards. Daemons were monsters, true. But they were as monstrous as human beings themselves. The only difference between a human and a daemon was that they never killed their own kind. Humans and daemon killed each other for the survival of their own race.


    "So," Blake sighed, "Daemon are what, an intelligent race of aliens?"


    "Never said that."


    "Um... I kind of disagree." Brandon said. "You can''t tell me that after all they''ve done, they can''t possibly be monsters."


    "From your standpoint, they are monsters, no two ways about it. But then, you have to keep in mind, they don''t think like monsters. That''s all I want to say." Kyler walked away after saying that, exiting the building.


    "Yeah, that''s Kyler Tason for you." Brandon said, annoyance on his face, "Always saying stuff like that."


    "You don''t like daemon?" Blake asked


    "Do you like daemon? Like does anyone like daemon?"


    "You''d be surprised."


    Brandon looked at Blake for a while and let out a small laugh. He sighed. "I lost a relative to one."


    "Ouch."


    "I didn''t really know him that well, but whenever I see that guy''s son, well, I kinda get this feeling, this anger, and this hate towards them. If it were my dad that I lost to the daemon. That''s why I became one."


    "So it''s more or less, revenge."


    "You can say that. Why did you join the Inquisitors?"


    "Just wanted to join. That''s all." Blake said, "Where''re the rooms?"


    Brandon was dumbfounded, staring wide eyed at Blake. This guy was truly not normal.

 Birds of the Same Feather

    The creature lay still in the pool of sewage water, not moving, not breathing, just emotionless. It could hear the sounds of cars moving back and forth, the sounds of people talking, laughing, shouting and crying, a turmoil of different emotions. It could hear the sounds of the rats as they squeaked and munched on carcasses and excrements. And the sound of rushing water, that moved slowly to its final destination. And finally, it could hear the silence of the two daemon that stood on either side of him, observing him, like a man who had discovered something new.


    The two daemon circled him, touching him at the exposed skin of his. One poked, revealing red blood. The creature backed away, confused. The creature growled at them, surprising both the daemon.


    [This is... a unique one?] The first one said. It had a massive upper body and a horn in the middle of its face, separating its eyes.


    [Unique? It''s a disaster] said the other daemon. It was much leaner than its friend and it had four arms; two on its back. It also had three eyes, the third being on its palm, which was staring intently as it had it raised.


    [An achievement? A major breakthrough?]


    [A disaster]


    [Perhaps it''s a new style]


    [A disaster]


    [Should we ask him ourselves?]


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    "I can hear you...How?" the creature spoke. The two daemon stared at each other in confusion.


    [It speaks]


    [Like a human]


    [It can hear us]


    "If you are going to kill me, do it now." The creature said, "I''d rather die than to be like you. I won''t kill anyone innocent human. But know this, I''ll take you alon with me."


    The daemon stared at it for a while. [Its feisty. Interesting.]


    [Oh Shut up.]


    Swiftly, the creature charged at them, attempting to claw the slimmer daemon, but his hands stopped midway. The slimmer daemon had also barely flinched, as if it had anticipated the action.


    "I...will kill....aaarrrggh[hhhh!]"


    [It changed]


    The creature fell to its knees, sinking into the water. The two daemon stared intently at it for a while. The creature slowly rose, standing on one foot, then the other.


    "[At last. Victory]" the creature said


    [Uh huh. After a lot of struggling with a weak human. His licht energy is like a child''s.] the slim daemon said.


    [But you are fascinating.]


    "[There are more like me. I think.]"


    [More Abominations?]


    [More spectacular ones?]


    "[Whatever you want to] Let me out! [Call it. Sorry, the human is a stubborn one]"


    [I don''t care. We need to feed. We haven''t done so in forever.]


    [The inquisitors are really bothersome. We''ll need to draw them away. But what can we use to do so?]


    "[More daemon]"


    [More daemon?]


    "[Yes. Like an Oubreak.]"


    [That, is not for you to decide.]


    "[Of course it isn''t. We just need a few dozen daemon. That''s all]


    [The idea is not bad.] The muscular daemon said. [We could communicate with the ones close by. But I''m slow. This is a job for you]


    [Me? Why me?]


    "[Obviously the inquisitors are looking for me. And he is slow.]


    [You just met him]


    "[I know.]"


    The slim daemon turned to leave, escaping the dirty sewage water and disappearing into the dark. The other one did same. The creature however remained in the water, waiting. He closed his three eyes, to rest. Waiting for its daemon counterpart.

 Test 2

    The four rookies jogged round the dark field, sweat pouring down their bodies in the cold night, under the gaze of their instructor. In the lead was Rachel, followed by Brandon, with Blake a few steps in front of him. Sarah was at the back, struggling as always, but never the less pressing on. Their instructor blew his whistle indicating a sign of closure. The four recruits stopped, with Brandon and Sarah collapsing on the ground in exhaustion. Blake bent down panting. Rachel let out a sigh, looking back at them and putting a grin on her face.


    "Okay!" Barry said, "That''s all for today. You guys have good stamina. Sarah... not bad. Its improved, but still, you''d need more training on the stamina session."


    Sarah grunted.


    "Now what?" Rachel asked, "Is that all you have to teach? Damn I wish Aaron was here."


    "I said, that''s all for today. On stamina."


    "What!" Brandon exclaimed. "C''mon. Its 9pm."


    "Daemon can attack at 11:59, Brandon." Barry replied.


    "You have got to be kidding me." Sarah cried. "I can''t go on."


    "Yeah, that''s why you are still on stamina training." Barry said with a wink. Sarah grumbled, burying her head in the dirt.


    "What could you possibly show me?" Rachel said, proudly, "More stamina sessions?"


    "Ha," Barry laughed. He raised Sarah to her feet without a sweat and carried her off. "Your training begins in an hour."


    The three remained there, watching as their instructor walked off.


    "So," Rachel said, turning to Blake, "Where did you get your training from?"


    "My dad. He''s an inquisitor."


    "Wow." Brandon exclaimed, "Guess you can say that it runs in the family, huh?"


    "...More or less."


    "Well, I hope you can keep up with us." Rachel said, "Inquisitors coming back in body bags is not something that is new to us. And it could be the very people you know."


    "What about you?" Blake asked.


    "Me?"


    "Yeah, you say it like you have been through it a lot."


    "I''ve been here longest."


    From the building, a grey haired guy walked out of the back yard, dressed in black joggers and a black t-shirt. He stretched, watching them from where he stood.


    "Who''s that?" Blake asked.


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    "Oh, that''s Shino." Brandon said, "He''s another inquisitor. A bit older than us but he''s kinda cool. Cold at times, but you''ll get used to him."


    A red streak of light zipped across the field, from the direction Barry had disappeared in. The three recruits looked in that direction, confused.


    "What was that?" Brandon asked, getting up. Blake rose to his feet as well. Rachel looked at the forest, and back at the two guys.


    "He''s probably testing us. That lousy guy. Always..."


    An ominous feeling suddenly loomed over them, striking them with fear. Blake turned to see a daemon dash out of the forest, its claws ready to strike Rachel down. Brandon quickly rushed to her, pushing her down.


    The daemon crashed to the ground, turning to face its next victim, Blake. Blake drew out his dagger, waiting for the daemon to attack first. The daemon spider-like legs with two arms, one of which was hanging on a loose thread. Its eyes had also suffered, having only one single eye. Or was it two. It was hard to tell, Blake hadn''t really seen a daemon that was alive before. So he couldn''t tell that all the nine yellow things on its face were eyes, and that what he thought were eyes were nothing but hollowed out structures.


    A sudden pain in his side brought him back to reality. He turned to see Shino charging at him again, striking him in the shoulder. The daemon swatted him away like a fly with its torn arm. The daemon snarled at Blake, who lay on the ground, groaning.


    "What the hell, Shino!?" Brandon cried, confused. Shino looked at Brandon with a bland expression on his face.


    "It''s called training Pratt!" Barry called out from afar. "Fight both of them, and if possible, kill that daemon."


    "This is your version of combat training?" Rachel said in annoyance. "Fighting an inquisitor?"


    Blake rolled out of the way as one of the spider legs of the daemon tried to kill him. Barry jumped to his feet, charging at Shino. Shino blocked fist that Blake threw and kicked him on the side. Blake fell on one knee and kicked at Shino''s legs, but the inquisitor stepped back, jumping a few meters away.


    "Inquisitors don''t just fight daemon, Rachel!" Barry said, "We fight people too."


    Rachel dodged the flailing arm of the daemon. Her boots caught fire as she bent down and with rapid speed, breakdanced, breaking off two of the daemons legs. Brandon charged at the daemon, charged his fist with licht energy and landing a hit on its side, then jumping back.


    "Since when did we do that?" Rachel asked.


    "C''mon. Look at Barry''s dagger. A hollow. An illegal weapon." Barry smiled, "We did have to take it away from. someone didn''t we?"


    Shino nodded. Blake took a stance again, waiting for Shino to make a move. Rachel and Brandon circled the daemon, which was watching both of them with all its eyes. It spun round twice, unsure of which of the two to attack. It finally made it choice, attacking the weaker of the two. It jumped high up into the air, taking Brandon by surprise. It landed, spreading dust all around him. The daemon struck at Brandon, thrusting its useful arm at his chest.


    It would have been fatal, had it not been for the halo that sliced its arm of cleanly. The daemon screamed in pain staggering backwards. Shino turned only to be smacked in the face, followed by a quick succession of blows to the stomach and finally a kick to the chest. The young teen fell to the ground only to have a pitch black dagger shoved to his face.


    "Fine," Shino said, "I yield."


    Blake still pointed his dagger at him. Rachel jumped up, landing a kick on the daemon''s shoulder. She rolled back onto the ground, swiping at the daemon''s leg again. The daemon was now down to four legs.


    The daemon tried to retreat back into the woods only for a red streak to pierce directly through their chest. The daemon dissolved onto black smoke.


    "What the...?"


    "How?"


    Using this opportunity, Shino recalled the halo. The halo zipped past Blake face. Shino kicked Blake, causing him to stagger backwards. The man jumped up to his feet, kicking him on the side and punching him in the face. Blake however, responded quickly, performing an upper kick to Shino''s face and sending a blow to his groin, finishing it up with a jump kick to the face. Shino fell back to the ground, to immobile with pain to move.


    "Ok! That''s enough!" Barry said, "Training is over."


    Rachel looked at him in anger. "I hate him, I really do."


    "The feeling," Brandon said with a smile, "is actually not mutual."

 Calm

    The daemon dissipated as the blade got pulled out of its chest, shattering its core. Martha leaned the bloody sword on her shoulder, wiping the black blood of her face with her other free hand.


    "Sweet."


    "Shut up, Kyler, you didn''t help."


    "Sure I did."


    "Wasn''t enough. Let''s wrap things up and leave."


    "Three daemon in one night. That''s weird."


    "Daemon sightings are starting to increase globally. Heck, Phantoms are showing up in Iraq."


    "Yeah tell me about." Kyler stood to his feet, stretching. He patted the dust of him and walked over to Martha, the latter who sat on a stone. The two watched the river together in silence.


    "Have you ever thought of leaving the inquisition?" Martha asked. Kyler looked at her surprised.


    "Why would I want to leave?"


    "You know what, forget I asked."


    Kyler looked at her and grinned. She was fuming. Guess she was expecting a different answer. Seeing this side of her was quite amusing, considering that she rarely, rarely showed it to anyone.


    "Well, if its with you, I would."


    Martha turned to Kyler with a bland expression on her face. "Really? Wow, I am so flattered."


    "Didn''t expect you to be."


    "Seriously, I''d like to hear your personal reasons. Take it that I was out of the equation."


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    "I wouldn''t be here." Kyler said, "I joined because of you."


    "No, you joined because Klaus said you should."


    "Actually, no." Kyler corrected. "I was just passing by that day. Then I saw you."


    "Haha." Martha said, "That kind of flattery doesn''t work on me you know."


    "It has before."


    "Yesterday is gone,"


    Barry lay down on the grass, watching the sky. It was a usual habit of his, it helped him cool down, helped him clear his thoughts to focus on more important matters. His spear was right beside him, as it always was, never leaving his side not even for a minute. It would have been hard to believe that some years back it had actually disgusted him once, considering the way it had been given to him. Ah, the past. Ever the drawback it always was.


    "Another stargazer I see and I will puke." Diego said, standing over Barry.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "I have rights, I am your superior and I have had 20 hours of sleep."


    "Yeah, right, perks of being a Prime, you never have to do anything. But why 20 hours? Isn''t your usual 22 hours?"


    "Yeah, I got a call. I have to go to Syria."


    "The Phantoms?"


    "Yeah."


    "Thought Alderwolf could handle it."


    "He can, but not simultaneously dealing with a white daemon."


    "Huh?"


    "Yeah, somebody thought it was a good idea to feed prisoners of war to a daemon, thinking that he could hypnotize the thing with his licht technique."


    "Didn''t work huh?"


    "Yeah the guy''s a corpse now, mate, and we have to deal with it."


    "And the Shield."


    "Still think they should deal with the civil war."


    "What exactly is their deal?"


    "Don''t know mate, they think they''ve got everything under control. Don''t know that they are only making things worse for themselves."


    "Yeah," Barry said, "So you''re saying your goodbyes then,"


    "Yep."


    "Great. Have fun."


    Diego turned to leave.


    "Oh and one more thing. That training strategy you gave me, wasn''t that a bit too far?" Barry asked. "They''re kids."


    "The Second Daemon Incident. Remember that,"


    "It''s been 12 years,"


    "I remember it well, I was a doctor then, and I saw firsthand what daemon could do. And so did you. So did Martha, Aaron, Rebecca, and Sakura. And everyone else. You guys were powerless. Heck if it wasn''t for the current Prime Inquisitor and a few others, you''d all be dead. They''re kids. But they brought this on themselves. If they want out, the door is always open."


    "But Blake..."


    "Yeah, the new rookie. Daring. But brave."


    "He''s not of age."


    "No he isn''t. But he wants to. So he will. Did you not see firsthand what he could do?"


    "I did."


    "Good. Then he''s capable. Keep on throwing more obstacles like that their way and it will achieve the best results."


    "Ok."

 Calm 2

    Brandon threw himself unto the hard bed, letting out a sigh of relief. He stretched a few times before sitting back up.


    "Nothing like a good night rest. At least this time I could really get the full eight hours of sleep."


    "It''s ten o''clock," Blake said.


    "Dammit."


    Blake removed the hoodie he wore, revealing the white t-shirt he wore. He sat on the bed opposite to Brandon.


    "I guess this is mine then," Blake said.


    "Actually, the bed doesn''t have owners. Inquisitors roam the entire world so whenever the drop by, they can relax."


    "Then you meet a lot of new faces."


    "Yeah, I once met a Russian girl. She was nice, just that she wasn''t into me."


    Blake stared at him, "Really."


    "What? Worth a shot. It''s not like you''ve had a girl before have you?"


    "No. It''s not a pressing matter at the moment."


    "See. At least I tried to have one."


    "Oh for crying out loud," Rachel said, bursting into the room. "Still talking about that Vladmir girl, huh?"


    "Her name is Petra Vladmir, and say it with respect, she was a very good inquisitor."


    "Was?" Blake asked.


    "Yeah, she recently retired." Rachel said.


    "She sounds too young to retire."


    "Retirement in the inquisitors is another word for quitting." Shiro said, walking in the room, holding some ice to his forehead, "It makes it sound more pleasant, considering how the nature if our work is crude.


    "I can see that," Blake said, referring to the daemon they had fought earlier.


    "How did you learn to fight like that?" Rachel asked Blake, "It''s not like some random casual fighting. This one seems unique. Special."


    "I leant it from my dad."


    "This dad of yours seems really good. I haven''t heard of a Summers before though." Brandon said.


    "He probably goes by another alias." Shiro said, "But most aliases are given to Primes."


    "Just primes?" Blake asked. Shiro nodded his head.


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    "They are the best of the best after all, it''s only fitting that they give them a form of recognition."


    "What is Prime Diego''s alias then?" Brandon asked.


    "The Kismet." Sarah said, entering the room.


    "Kismet?" Brandon asked looking at Blake, "What does that mean?"


    "I''m as lost as you are." Blake replied.


    "It means destiny. Fate." Sarah said, "He was given that name because of the rei he uses. But if you ask me, it''s just a deception."


    "Sarah." Shiro said, "You don''t need to tell them of his rei''s ability."


    "C''mon, Shiro, You can trust us."


    "We have a newbie here," Shiro said, "Until we know everything about you, I can''t really trust you. Sorry."


    "I understand. A bit." Blake said.


    "Ok then what of Klaus Alderwolf''s alias." Brandon asked, "I bet it''s something cool,"


    "Prince of Blood?" Blake asked.


    "No. That was for his elder brother, Keith Alderwolf, who is genuinely retired." Shiro said, "Klaus doesn''t like it but his alias is Blutiges Massaker"


    "Huh?" Brandon raised his brow. "What does that mean?"


    "Do you know anything?" Rachel asked him.


    "I know somethings."


    "I''m actually surprised you have the gall to say that."


    "Ok. What does it mean, that blut... whatever he said?"


    "How am I supposed to know?" Rachel asked, "I don''t speak German."


    "Wow, so much for being the all-knowing girl in the room."


    "Yeah, at least I''m not dumb like you."


    "It means ''bloody massacre''." Blake said, interrupting the two. All eyes turned to him. Blake looked at him confused. "What? Did I say something wrong?"


    "His alias is bloody massacre?" Sarah asked.


    "You speak German?" Brandon and Rachel exclaimed.


    "Yeah, I am part German after all." Blake said, "But why would they call him that?"


    "I don''t know." Shiro said, "I guess that answer can only be gotten from those who were around at the time. Way before he became a Prime."


    "Prime Diego?" Brandon asked.


    "No," Sarah said, "Diego wasn''t until recently. The primes who were there around the time have either died or retired."


    "But there must have been someone around." Rachel said, "Like an inquisitor, or someone."


    "Yeah." Shiro said, "That would be the All-Knowing Prime and the current Prime Inquisitor. The Mad Prime."


    "I''m lost." Blake said.


    "Uhhh." Shiro groaned. "There are currently 7 primes; The Kismet, Blutiges Massaker, The Dark, The All-Knowing, The Warden, The Prober and the Mad Prime. The Kismet and the Blutiges Massaker manage this side. The Warden, The Dark and the Prober Manage Europe. The last section is managed by the Mad Prime and the All-Knowing. Do you understand?"


    "Yeah."


    "Okay." Shiro went to a bed beside Brandon''s and closed his eyes.


    "But why do they call him the bloody massacre?" Blake asked.


    "Dunno. Ask him when you meet him." Shiro said, though muffled by the pillow.


    "Yeah, I also have to sleep," Sarah said. "This training is going to make me lose weight."


    "Um...how come you know so much about the primes?"


    "Oh...Shiro and I grew up here."


    "Huh?"


    "Yeah," Rachel said, "We all came to meet her here."


    "Yeah. With Lukas."


    "Until he left."


    "I am only here because my sister was an inquisitor. And since neither of us had any other place to go, we grew up here." Sarah said, leaving the room.


    Rachel followed suite, leaving the boys alone.


    "Oh well," Brandon said, "I guess there''s a lot more I don''t know than I thought I didn''t know."


    "Yeah."


    "I''m going to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be hell, now that the stamina session is over. Oh and before I forget, you have got to teach me German one of these days. I here that Germany has some of the prettiest girls."


    "Who told you that?"


    "Dunno. Just a feeling." Brandon said slowly falling into the loving arms of slumber. Soon he was long gone. But whatever arms had caught Brandon had decide to skip Blake because he lay awake for a long time.


    Blutiges Massaker. Why that name. Was it because he had killed so many daemon that he had earned himself that name? Or was it something else? Either way, he''d find out, one way or the other.


    It was an hour past 12 before the white haired boy fell asleep.

 Gathering Clouds

    "Hello!" The muscular man boomed, kicking the door open. "Anybody home!?"


    He wore a sleeveless black top and joggers, and he had metal gloves on. He had a scar over his eye, and a bright smile on his face. Behind him was a woman, with the same outfit, but rather than joggers, it was black trousers. She also had a black long coat over her tank top and bandages wrapped around her arms.


    Jake popped out of his room, yawning. He scratched his head, looking at the muscular man.


    "Oh, Aaron. Long time no see."


    "Really?" Aaron said, "It''s only been, what? A month?"


    "Two months two days." The woman said from behind him. Another guy appeared from behind him. He wore a black turtle neck and his green hair had been cut in a mohawk.


    "Ah, you know how it is all the time. We had to follow some daemon, then this daemon showed up, then another daemon popped up."


    "Then we got lost." The guy with the green mohawk cut in.


    "You don''t have to include that, Pop." Aaron said under his breath. Then continued, "So where was I? Ah, yes. We killed a ton of daemon on our way here, then finally, here we are."


    "Wait, hold on a minute," Jake said.


    "Oh we have a lot of minutes to hold onto." The woman, Leticia, said.


    "A ton of daemon? Where exactly?" Jake asked.


    "I''d say close to Boston, I think. A few got away but then, we got most of them."


    "You know that isn''t allowed, right?" Martha said, coming down the stairs. She walked up to the three, arms akimbo, "We don''t allow daemons to go, Aaron. We kill them. All of them."


    "C''mon, Martha," Aaron said, "it was only one daemon. And we were pretty stretched out thin."


    "I''ll allow it. But if that daemon kills anyone else, that''s on you."


    "Yeah, yeah, I get it." Aaron groaned. She hadn''t changed. So strict on others, even herself. He sometimes wondered what Kyler saw in her sometimes. She was pretty, but then cold.


    "Um, Martha?" Leticia said, "I would like a word with you. Privately."


    "Okay, let''s discuss it upstairs."


    The two walked up the stairs, followed by Pop. Aaron walked to the backdoor leading to the grassy field, bumping into Shino on the way, the latter who was munching on a piece of bread.


    "Aaron." He said, not bothering to look at him.


    "What''s up kid," Aaron said with a smile, patting him on the back. The young lad coughed, choking on his food.


    "Hey!" Shino cried, "Careful, this bread doesn''t come cheap."


    "Are the newbies prepping up?"


    "Yeah, Barry is going all out on them."


    "As expected," Aaron said, walking into the light.


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    "You also have a replacement for Lukas. A very skilled kid."


    "Really?"


    Aaron looked at the wide grass field, seeing the recruits. Sarah was doing her laps round the field; it was an improvement from the last time he had met her. Rachel was engaged in combat with Barry, her blazing boots were no match for the veteran however, but she was holding her own against him. Brandon on the other hand was getting his ass kicked by a white haired boy in a white t-shirt. As usual.


    They were in good hands. It was a good idea to trust them to Barry. He was thinking of Kyler at first, but then, Kyler wasn''t the patient kind of guy. Ricardo would have been perfect, but he was away, also the fact of his past anger issues was a bother to Aaron. Martha was too strict and Jake couldn''t even control Shino, let alone someone as proud as Rachel, as clumsy as Sarah or as ignorant and weak as Brandon. Or Lukas, who was cowardly and tearful.


    "Howdy!" Aaron called out to Barry. Barry turned to him, surprised. Rachel, seeing an opening, charged at him, increasing the intensity of her blazing boots. She jumped in the air was prepared to perform a downward kick aimed straight at Barry''s face. Barry, however, saw the kick coming, catching her leg and spinning her round. Rachel fell to the ground, crying out in pain.


    "Dammit," Rachel cried, slamming her fist on the ground. Barry looked at her with a smile on his face, before turning to Aaron.


    "Just got back huh?" He asked, "How was it?"


    "Swell, but what can I say?" The two men hugged each other, patting themselves on the back.


    "Aaron," Brandon exclaimed, running towards the guy, stopping a few meters beside him. "You''re finally back."


    "What''s up kid?" Aaron asked, fist bumping him.


    "Well, all the same. But I''m improving."


    "Yeah, by light-years." Rachel said sarcastically.


    "Hey," Brandon whined.


    "Finally. We can now have some more organized training schedules, unlike some haphazard training from someone." Rachel said, eyeing Barry.


    "AARON!" Sarah cried hugging him from behind. Blake stood his distance, his eyes on the forest.


    "Heya Sarah!" Aaron said patting her on the head with his big hands, "How''s it going."


    "Still hanging in there. Any word from Rebecca?"


    "No. But trust me. That girl is a tough one. She''s probably lazing around somewhere, like some guy did a few years back."


    "Hey," Barry said, "It was a long time ago. I was...dealing with some stuff."


    "So he says." Aaron said. He looked over to Blake in astonishment. "That the new guy?"


    "Yeah," Barry said, "Has the skills and everything. Not much to do about him, save that he doesn''t have actual battle experience."


    "So yesterday doesn''t count?" Brandon asked.


    "What happened yesterday?" Aaron asked.


    "Mr. O''Neil mad e them fight a daemon. And Shino." Sarah replied.


    "You what?!" Aaron exclaimed, turning to Barry. Barry looked away.


    "Training is training." He said, "And yes it doesn''t count."


    "What?!" Rachel and Brandon exclaimed. Even Blake turned sharply to look at Barry.


    "Fighting a critically injured daemon does not count, kids. It''s like eating leftovers."


    "Come on!" Brandon whined.


    "Okay recruits, go run around the field, now!" Aaron ordered. All four recruits obeyed. Aaron sighed, turning to Barry.


    "They weren''t ready." Aaron said.


    "I know. But it was Diego''s orders."


    "That lazy ass?"


    "Yeah, that lazy ass. Still our superior no matter what we do."


    "I don''t know...if we rush them..."


    "Aaron. How many daemon did you fight before you got here?"


    "Fought 10 between Monday and Wednesday."


    "Yesterday I met three." The two turned to each other.


    "That can''t be right. You don''t mean to say..."


    "It''s a possibility we must consider."


    "We should tell Diego. Or Klaus."


    "Well both of them are in Syria as we speak. Phantoms."


    A Phantom. Aaron shook at the thought of it. They were amalgamations of daemon that grew to be taller than skyscrapers. They could destroy entire cities with the stomp of their foot and could fire vest?rers at will, a trait only common with daemon that had entered their white phase.


    "How many exactly?"


    "He didn''t say. Just don''t expect them back for a long while."


    "Yeah."


    "Diego is gone?" Leticia exclaimed.


    "Prime Diego, Leticia, and yes he''s gone. Didn''t even meet the guy."


    "Guess I could postpone asking for a raise for a while."


    "You aren''t even from the American branch."


    "Martha, try asking the Mad Prime for a raise. Or the All-Knowing prime. Those two don''t tolerate anyone. Heck I can''t even look them in the eye without getting shivers down my spine."


    "Good luck, Leticia. Good luck"


    "Good Morning!" Kyler cried, barging into the office. "Anyone one miss...oh"


    "Urgh..." Pop groaned, "It''s you again."


    "Hello Pop," Kyler said with a wink, "It''s been a while."


    "You owe me." Leticia said, "Big time."


    "Later." Kyler said, "I owe so many people, and I would like to settle my bigger debts first before I move onto the little ones."


    "My debt is little? What the hell did you use $1000 for?"


    "Stuff."

 Gathering Clouds 2

    "No, no, NO!" the shield agent shouted. "We''re going to do this again."


    "No, let them get a breather, before they continue," Bree said, "We can''t keep pushing them."


    The shield agent nodded.


    The four recruits all let out sighs of relief as the daemon holograms dissipated.


    "Ekaterina, you okay?" Felicity asked the grey haired girl who had sat down. Ekaterina nodded, not bothering to look at Felicity as she drank some water.


    "He seems to be doing fine." Ekaterina said, pointing at the guy who was doing some small stretches to pass the time.


    "Why wouldn''t he?" a guy, Shawn, said from behind Felicity, taking a long drag at his water, letting out a satisfied ahh. The man was in his late twenties, much older than the rest of the three teen recruits. "Heard he was part of the Inquisitors before he came here."


    "Him?" Felicity exclaimed, taking off her glasses, cleaning them, " Isn''t he too young?"


    " Yeah, " Shawn said, "Thought so too. Apparently he left them shortly after he joined. As to why he came to us, well, I have no idea."


    "Must have had it rough over there." Ekaterina said


    "You think? "


    "I really don''t care. As long as he knows which side he''s on." Felicity said.


    "We aren''t at war with them, you know, " Shawn said, "We are just, not on equal terms."


    " Yeah. Same thing." Felicity said. "I just feel sorry for the guys at the Inquisitors."


    The doors to the training area opened. In walked a man in a lab coat, wearing dark shades. He was escorted by Captain Reynolds, who had an unsure expression on his face. Behind them was a young guy. He had red hair, faded on the sides leaving the part in the middle to dangle in front of his face, almost covering an eye. He wore a sleeveless white shirt with black jeans and white boots. The gloves he wore were fingerless, revealing his uncut fingernails. He had a grin on his face, like he was looking for the next fight.


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    "Privates, Attention!" Reynolds ordered. The four recruits immediately got in a straight file.


    "Privates, this is Dr. Victor Vott and his protege, Spen Nikoli. As of today, he, Spen Nikoli would be joining you. You are to show him the ropes around here, Felicity."


    "Yessir!" She said with a salute.


    "Dismissed." Reynolds said, leaving the room with the man.


    "Hello." Felicity said, "My name is Felicity Jones, the grey haired..."


    "... it''s silver." Ekaterina corrected.


    "The silver haired girl is Ekaterina Alinoshka. The guy with the sideburns is Shawn Hands and the brown hair stretching over there is Lukas."


    "Spen. " The guy said with a smile. "I won''t be staying for long, but please what the hell is wrong with all the formalities?"


    " Oh... that. You''ll get used to it. " Shawn said.


    " I hope not. "


    Reynolds and Victor made it past the various Shield agents who were busy on the computers, monitoring the holo globe in the centre of the room. They climbed the stairs to where Ross stood. Ross saluted them, before excusing himself, after a signal from Reynolds.


    "Nice place." Victor said, "I would love a full tour of the place next time."


    "Highly doubt it, Mr. Vott. "


    "Dr. Vott. Leave that title to my late brother."


    "Ah... Sorry."


    "So, much what have you been doing about this... ''special'' daemon."


    "We''ve increased scans on all areas, monitoring the streets twenty four seven. Still no signs though. The Inquisitors haven''t seen them as well. "


    "They don''t know what they''re dealing with. "


    "Yes."


    "And do you know what we''re dealing with?"


    "Only that it''s a half-breed. You aren''t permitted to tell me the details. Orders from above."


    "And those above are not here. "


    The two men stared at each other for a while.


    "For starters, I''ll tell you all I know, in exchange, you''ll keep this as hidden as possible. Especially from the Inquisitors."


    "That''s not a problem. And besides, even if they do find out, they really wouldn''t be too concerned. It''s a couple of half-breeds we are talking about, they''re just prisoners on death row... "


    "That''s true for the one that is on the streets currently. And I was referring to the ones in custody. The ones that aren''t released yet."


    "Why?"


    Dr. Vott stopped smiling, a serious expression on his face. "Captain Reynolds. Inquisitors go off radar all the time."

 Gathered Clouds

    The creature looked up, through the holes of the sewer cover. He could hear the noise from above. The vibrant chatters and the car honks. Deep within him, his humanity yearned to be a part of his race. Yes he had done a lot of things in his past, questionable things, things one could say, would not be done on a normal day basis. But at that moment, he didn''t care. Heck he''d do anything, even if he spent it in a prison cell.


    Now, he had to spend the rest of his life in a body like this. Sharing with a monster. In a company of monsters. He turned around looking at the dark corridor of the sewer. The yellow eyes of the daemon glowing in the dark was both frightening and at the same time it was compelling to him.


    The slim daemon, the one it had talked to the last time, came and stood in front of him.


    [This is all.]


    [All?]


    [Duh. What did you want? Phantoms?]


    [No.]


    [Besides, I am not really into the idea of a half being in charge, so I''m in charge]


    [Noted. Besides, we all want one thing, isn''t that right?]


    The human in him tried to speak, but then, as hard as he tried to, he just couldn''t. He screamed and screamed, but it was just all to no avail. He curled up into a ball, with nothing to do. Nothing to try.


    Just wait till the monster took everything.


    The creature moved away from the other daemon, standing alone.


    [Still hesitant]


    "Hesitant?" the human within said, "If I had full control of this body I swear I will slaughter every last one of these daemon. Even if it kills me."


    [And do you think that after that you''ll get a pat on the back from the humans? Because you killed a mere number of daemon]


    "At least I would have taken a few of them before I myself am killed."


    [You are a fool]


    "Oh you got that right."


    [We share the same mind. I can read your past memories. They wanted you dead before they even used you.]


    "Don''t. You. Dare!"


    [It seems like you killed your own kind. For money? Such vain and useless goals. No wonder you always die.]


    "SHUT UP!!"


    [Just take a back seat, Jahn. Take a seat, and watch as I kill your kind. Just like you used to]


    "So it wasn''t just my imagination, then." Latifa said.


    "Nope." Kyler replied. "It''s something we''ve all wanted to ignore for the longest of time. But daemon activity has of late been spiking in Boston. And the world."


    "Do you think...?"


    "Uh-uh. I know what you are going to say. I didn''t say that." Kyler cut Martha short before she could finish her statement. "All we need to do is to call for more backup."


    "Backup?" Latifa laughed. "From where? New York? New Jersey? Russia? Ghana? South Africa? They are all stretched thin. Inquisitors have been going of radar one by one. Tell me where Rebecca and Sakura are?"


    "Don''t even start Latifa." Kyler said. "Those two women are the best and have no reason to quit. And it was because of Sakura that Barry is still with us."


    "Chillax, man. I must have struck a nerve."


    "Yeah."


    "But then what about the Shield?" Martha asked, "But couldn''t we ask for their help?"


    "We could." Kyler said. "But beside Captain Reynolds, I honestly do not see anyone else who has better experience-and personality-to do their job. Those guys are only looking for attention. The government is slowly losing the people''s trust so they sent them."


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    "Not helping."


    "It is...to an extent. But not enough. But then thanks to the recent daemon incident, the people also have a hop in them as well."


    "While losing their trust in us."


    "Latifa," Kyler said, "We kill daemon because it''s our duty. Not for something as undefined as trust. Trust isn''t going to guarantee your protection."


    "Yeah, but sometimes a little trust is kind assuring."


    "Now isn''t the time, guys," Martha said. "What we need to do is to discuss how we are going to deal with this oncoming threat. Where is Aaron?"


    "Took the recruits out." Kyler said, "Jake and Pop too have gone out as well."


    "Shino?"


    "He''s meeting up with another inquisitor. The guy''s from HQ."


    "Good. Inquisitors shouldn''t be alone now. Those days are long gone."


    Martha turned, looking out the window of Prime Diego''s office. "Just pray it doesn''t get any worse than this."


    "Catch." Aaron said, tossing the uniform to Blake. Blake caught it, shaking it out to examine it.


    "A hoodie?"


    "Yeah. You don''t like it?"


    "I do actually. Thanks. But I thought than it''d be as standard as the others."


    "Every inquisitor has his own taste, kid. They wear what they wear based on the fighting style, or sense of fashion. I mean, look at Brandon."


    Brandon wore a small jacket over a black long sleeves, with black shorts to match. In his hand was a pair of nun chucks, and he had a cap over his head.


    "Interesting." Blake said, putting on the hoodie. Rachel and Sarah joined them shortly.


    "Ok rookies!" Aaron said, "We''re going out in the open. No messing around, and no jumpiness. You know your training, and you know how far you can go before you drop. Don''t screw up!"


    The five walked through the streets of Boston, checking through alleyways and abandoned buildings. Brandon yawned a couple of times, and Sarah whined about how they had walked for hours. But they still pressed on. The midday sun scorching them through their black attires.


    "Can we rest sir?" Brandon asked, "We are tired. I feel like I could make a whole lake with my sweat alone."


    "Yeah, me too." Sarah said, "And I''m starting to tan."


    "Is that bad?" Aaron asked. "A little sun bathing won''t hurt. Besides, those to seem okay."


    "I''m not okay." Rachel said, "I''m just keeping it in, that''s all. What about you, Blake?"


    Blake''s attention, however was not on them. Rather it was on the Shield vehicle that had parked a few meters away from where they stood. The agents had all alighted, excluding the driver and one of them was starting to approach them.


    "Um..." Blake began, "they are coming towards us. Is it bad or..."


    "No it''s not bad. It''s annoying." Aaron said. The man halted in front of them, a grin on his face. He took the cigarette out of his mouth throwing it into a nearby bin. The piece missed the bin, but Ross did not care.


    "Well, well, well." He said with a laugh. "If it isn''t Aaron?"


    "Ross."


    "What brings you here?"


    "Its field training. Not breaching any territories, am I?"


    "As a matter of fact, this area was just designated as ours today."


    "Bull..."


    "I see that you brought your recruits." Ross said, looking at Blake and the others, "They seem young, why have you forgotten the rules?"


    "They''re all above 18."


    "We are all 18." Rachel corrected. Aaron smiled.


    "Funny," Ross said, "We brought ours too."


    "I can see that." Aaron said, looking over at the Shield vehicle. Two guys and two girls. A third guy stepped out of the vehicle, much to the shock of Aaron, Brandon and Rachel.


    "Lukas?!" Brandon and Rachel exclaimed. Sarah turned as well, shocked.


    "Why the surprise, kids. The Shield is better after all. And besides, it''s not like some Shield agents have not defected to the Inquisitors before, am I right, Aaron."


    Aaron didn''t utter a word, only stared at Lukas. He sighed, realizing that it was the guy''s choice. And besides, even if he did reveal important data on the inquisitors, it wouldn''t matter. The shield recruits began to approach them.


    "So." One of the Shield girls said, as she stopped in front of Rachel, "Seem less intimidating than I expected.


    "What were you expecting, a muscle head?" Rachel retorted.


    "Ah, well, I guess I shouldn''t have expected much in the first place."


    "Enough," The bigger guy said, pulling the shield girl back. "Sorry, she''s not really like that."


    "Whatever," Rachel said, walking away. The bigger guy turned to Aaron and saluted.


    "Sir," he said, "The name''s Shawn Hands. Private under the command of Captain Reynolds."


    "Ok. I don''t do salutes anymore."


    Brandon walked towards Lukas, the latter who grinned at him.


    "Seems like you''ve been doing well." Lukas said, "I should be proud. But then again, I faired a lot better on this side."


    "So you just left because you wanted to join the Shield?"


    "Yeah. Shield has the upper hand, Pratt. Unlike you guys who are just going around like ants. Heck you aren''t even recognized sometimes by the UN."


    "Well I joined to protect my family, not for recognition."


    "Well so did I, Pratt. But then I wanted to do it the legal way. And you?" Lukas said, turning to Blake. "Are you going to let them corrupt you?"


    "I''m not one to be easily moved, Lukas," Blake said, "I do what I want to do. And what I wanted to was to join the inquisitors."


    "Really," Lukas said, "For what? Revenge? To protect your family?"


    "No. Because I felt like it."


    Lukas looked at him, shocked by his answer. Confused even, one might say "Huh?"


    "Yeah," Brandon said, "Got me too."


    "What are you crazy?" Lukas said, "Joining for the hell of it."


    "Actually, that''s kind of cool."


    The three guys turned to see who it was. It was one of the shield recruits. He wasn''t wearing the shield uniform, but a white sleeveless top.


    "Sup." The guy said, extending an arm to shake Blake, "The name''s Spen Nikoli." Blake shook the hand, not sure who it was. But he could tell that this guy was too dangerous. He had an aura about him, but there was something dark mixed with it. Something that made his dagger rattle.


    "Blake Summers."


    Spen smiled, "Let''s do well to work together."

 First Storms

    Barry stared at the billboard, his spear leaning against the wall. Apparently a shop nearby was looking for new people to recruit, with an added bonus. He sighed, walking away, brushing shoulders with a man who had his ears covered by headphones. Most people wouldn''t apply for that job anyway, and Barry knew it all too well. The pay was good, no two ways about it. But of late, Boston had become a breeding ground, a base for daemon to pick their meals and go. It was like applying to become an inquisitor.


    Then again, being employed in a shop wasn''t bad. One could meet so many faces, have a normal life, away from all the constant fears of death. Sure, you deal with weird personalities once or twice but then, at least those personalities were not trying to kill you.


    Barry stopped abruptly. There was this something ominous in the air. A daemon. He looked around him, looking for clues. Sure enough he wasn''t the only feeling it. There were other people in the crowd that felt the same way, but they were unsure of what it was.


    Barry crossed the street, a spear in one hand and a cup of warm coffee in the other. He went straight ahead, not looking back, his senses concentrated straight ahead. He could sense a daemon close by. Very close. Like too close to be possibly hidden. The sewers didn''t reach beyond this point of the town, so where could it possibly be?


    Barry sighed. Hide and seek, huh? He couldn''t help but smile. A daemon trying to bait him away from the street, so that its friends could feast on the poor innocents around. What a bother. Barry leaned against the wall of the building, looking straight down, sipping his coffee. Three minutes passed, without a sign of anything unusual. Five minutes, ten minutes. Thirty minutes.


    "Bingo." Barry said with a smile. He drank the last of his coffee before tossing it in a nearby bin. Pointing his spear straight ahead, straight in the direction of the yellow eyes that peered from the dark alley. The people around him began to back away, aware of what his current demeanor meant, began to move away in a hurry, a few brave ones took out their phones to take videos of it to show off to the world.


    Instantly, Barry sped towards the daemon, stabbing it. The daemon, foreseeing this moved its hand in the way to lessen the impact. To its horror, the blade never impaled him, rather performing an upward slash, slicing its arm clean of while leaving a long scar across its face. The daemon staggered backwards, trying to flee, only to have a red aura spear flung into its chest, missing its core by a few inches and pinning him to the ground. Barry walked up to the daemon, putting one foot on its chest, his spear pointing at the daemon''s core. The aura spear dissipated into thin air.


    [Trickery, huh?]


    "I can''t understand a word you''re saying." Barry said, stabbing the daemon straight into its chest. The daemon cried out before dying, dissipating a few seconds later. Barry sighed, looking at the black blood on his spear. He walked out of the alley, ignoring the streamers who filmed him. Just when he expected today to be a normal day. He crossed the road but stopped midway.


    "That''s odd." Barry said under his breath, bending down. A car stopped abruptly in front of him.


    "Hey!" The driver cried, stepping out of the vehicle. "You crazy or what?"


    "Sorry, checking something over here." Barry said, pinning the spear into the ground. He removed the sewer cover, examining its surface.


    "Dude, I''ve got a job to hurry up to."


    "And I''m doing mine." Barry said, "You can always drive around me."


    Barry looked at the claw marks on the cover''s surface. Daemon only clawed the surrounding areas to find their way around. To indicate that they''ve been there or to group with other daemon. These marks showed that they were trying to get in.


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    "Hey," Barry called to the man. "Got a flash light?"


    "Yeah?" The man said, going through his car and handing him an old flashlight. Barry took it and shone it into the dark sewer.


    "Shit!" Barry exclaimed.


    "What is it?" The man asked. Barry stood up and grabbed his spear.


    "Daemons are under the city."


    Barry jumped in, landing in the dirty water, disgusted by what was around him. He however could not afford to be disgusted right now.


    The daemon aura was stronger down here. It was residual, but it was strong. They had been gathering, waiting in the dark. Patiently. And that fact alone was scary enough. The fact that they had intentionally starved themselves for a bumper harvest was weird. They''d only do that if a White daemon was in charge. Deep down he didn''t want to admit it. If that was the case, then it was Martha''s field now.


    He took out a small device and pressed the black button on it. The button glowed green for a while then turned red. Good, Barry thought to himself, the signal had been sent. This way surrounding daemon will be alerted to his location.


    In the dark waterway ahead, he could see the yellow eyes. Three pairs of them all watching. One was bad enough but three? It was like the very laws of nature were against him. Didn''t help that they were fighting in a narrow enclosure with water that would slow his movements. But Barry smiled, in fact he laughed. He struck the water, splashing it in their faces. When the water finally settled, he was no more there. He was above them. He boosted himself downward, spinning round and beheading them. The third daemon tried to flail its long tentacles at him but Barry saw it coming. He went down to water struck at the tentacle daemon. Or so it seemed. The spear was rather driven through the chest of the second daemon, shattering its core while an aura spear embedded itself in the former. As for the first one, it had time to regenerate its head, only to be cut in half vertically, destroying its core. Barry sighed as he wiped the blood of his face, watching as the daemon dissipated.


    A sudden cry made Barry look up. Then it dawned on Barry.


    "Shit!" Barry cried, racing towards the entrance of the sewer. But the daemon were faster. Three of the zipped through the entrance in a flash just as Barry pinned one of them to wall with his spear. He produced two more daemon and drove them into another two daemon. Just as he was about to jump out, a daemon slammed him against the wall. Barry kicked it away only for it to be caught by two more of its brethren.


    "Damnit." Barry said, as the daemon approached him, and as more of them escaped through the opening. He could already hear the screams of people above, and their screams were rage in him. Barry stretched out his hand, recalling his spear back into his hand, taking out one daemon and injuring another in the process. He rushed as he grabbed the spear, conjuring a red spear and throwing it at one of them. He snapped his fingers and immediately red sphere appeared all around him . The immediately formed into spear and shot up, breaking through the ground. Barry emerged from the rubble and threw his spear into the chest of a big daemon that had caught hold of a man. The spear pinned it to the wall and Barry rushed over to it, crushing its core with his elbow. He wiped the sweat and blood of his forehead and grinned.


    "Now," He said, pulling the spear out of its chest, "Onto the next batch."


    "So," Rachel said, "Enjoying your time at the Shield, Lukas."


    "Yeah, you can say that."


    "Yeah. Enjoy your time there."


    "Enough." Aaron said. "Focus on patrolling the area. Your past is irrelevant." Aaron turned to Ross. By the way, we should split up. Being crowded will only limit our search."


    "Agreed." Ross said, "But to make it interesting, let''s split our guys up, shall we?"


    Aaron turned to him. "Huh?"


    "There are four of our guys, and four of yours. Two of my guys will be with you and two of yours will be me. Deal."


    "Fine. But don''t even try to recruit them. They won''t budge."


    "Yeah, but I get to choose." Ross said, pointing at Sarah and Blake. Aaron sighed, but nodded. "Whichever of your guys want to follow me, let them come. I don''t really mind."


    Felicity and Spen stepped forward. Spen turned to Blake with a gin, before leaving with Aaron, Brandon and Rachel. Blake looked at him in confusion but kept his thoughts to himself.


    "Ah!" Ross said, "Just the four of us then."


    "Hi," The silver haired girl said to Blake, "I''m Ekaterina. Look forward to working with you."


    Blake nodded, shaking her outstretched hand. She shook Sarah''s hand as well, before walking over to Ross'' side. Shawn stepped forward.


    "Shawn Hands." He said, "And you guys are..."


    "I''m Sarah Stone and he''s Blake Summers."


    "Right, look forward to our little and brief collaboration."


    Blake only nodded. But his mind and senses were not on them they were on the ominous feeling that seemed to lurk around them. It was very minute, like it was hidden too well. Blake sighed. This was going to be a tiresome scouting mission. But then again, considering all the stories he''d heard from his father and uncle, he was getting a far better end of the deal.


    "Ok. Onwards." Ross bellowed.

 First Storms 2

    "Ahh!" Pop sighed, placing down the glass of coffee. He gave a wink to the maid who refilled his cup, the latter who gave him the cold shoulder. Shino muttered under his breath but said nothing. Pop''s demeanor was something he had learnt to ignore. He just didn''t understand why he had to be paired with him.


    "So, who''s paying for this meal?" Pop asked, staring outside.


    "Who else."


    "C''mon Shi. Don''t do that to your old pal."


    "My old pal wasn''t a pervert."


    "My old Shi wasn''t a shut in."


    "Shut-in?"


    "When was the last time you ever had a girl of your own, huh?"


    Shino looked at him. "There are much more important things right now. Girls can wait."


    "I''m just saying. A guy has to have some company once in a while, you know, away from all the guys who are busy getting blood sprayed on them almost every day of the week."


    "There are girls in the inquisitors."


    "Heck Shino, I''m not into girls who can crush skulls with their bare hands."


    "There are a few who can''t."


    "The few who can''t have this vibe to them, Shi. It''s scary no matter which angle you look at it from."


    Shino shrugged, still stirring the black coffee he held in both of his hands. The subject of girls always annoyed him. Mainly because it was one of the few things that his sister had always insisted on. Shino knew deep down that his sister had only wanted him to quit the Inquisitors altogether, to at least give herself one thing less to worry about. But Shino had seen enough. Enough to burn his resolve till he died.


    A silent beeping sound made him jump. It was an Inquisitor distress signal. Pop got the same signal. The two stared at each other before taking out their devices.


    "I''m reading this wrong, right?"


    "You''re not, Shi. Its Barry''s signal."


    "That guys in trouble?"


    "Better hurry with that cup of coffee. Or should I finish it for you?"


    The two quickly dashed out of the bar with tremendous speed, leaving the onlookers in awe and curiosity. Pop however came back to the counter and dropped a couple of notes before rushing back out, giving the maid a wink.


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    Aaron stared at the beeping signal in shock. Barry? Calling for help. This couldn''t end well. He glanced at Brandon and Rachel and at the other two Shield agents and sighed.


    "Guys. Scouting''s over. You guys need to go back."


    "What? We barely just started." Brandon whined.


    "Yeah, I don''t want to go back to Barry''s crude training sessions. The guy''s a demon." Rachel added.


    "Well, I''ve got an emergency to take care of, and I can''t do it while babysitting the rest of you guys."


    "So that''s what this is about." Spen said, looking at Aaron. Aaron looked at him and remembered that there were five Shield recruits. Funny enough, Ross had actually forgotten this as well, and he could see why. Aaron would forget someone if he wasn''t in standard uniform as well.


    "What?"


    "That button thingy you looked at." Spen said, "It''s a distress signal."


    "An emergency from an inquisitor?" Felicity said, "Then we should all go."


    "No." Aaron said, "You are all inexperienced."


    "How are we supposed to be experienced if we don''t ever get the chance to shine?" Lukas asked.


    "Yeah, and although I don''t like Lukas, I agree. We can''t move forward if you keep on holding us back." Rachel said, "Lets come along."


    "Yeah." Brandon said.


    "No!" Aaron bellowed "And that''s an order. Return to the HQ. You three Shield recruits should go back to yours and alert them. I''d send the coordinates if I can but I am not taken you guys along."


    "Why?"


    "Haven''t you figured it out?" Spen asked with a grin on his face. "The person sending out the signal is a higher classed inquisitor, right."


    Aaron refused to answer, only walking away. "Do as I say."


    "C''mon." Rachel groaned, "I hate this undermining..."


    Rachel stooped her sentence short as she saw something crawl out from the sewer from the corner of her eye. It was a daemon, one with Sharp thorns on its back and saber tooth teeth. Aaron saw it and stood in front of the five recruits.


    "Go!"


    "I don''t think that''s possible." Spen said, as a scream rang out, followed by the panic of individuals. Two more daemon had appeared, all unique, staring at them with their bright yellow eyes.


    "Dammit!" Aaron said, activating his rei. The metal gloves he wore glowed red, as if burning with aura. He rushed at the one in front of him, punching it squarely in the chest, sending it flying all the way to a truck. He spun round only to see that the five recruits had begun their assault. Brandon charged with his nunchaku at the first one. He broke the chains of his weapon and, using them as batons, slammed its head into the ground, followed by a burning upward kick performed by Rachel. Felicity finished it off with rapid stabs to its core with a needle dagger. Rachel smiled turning to Aaron, who only stood there, watching in shock. But he wasn''t shocked at them, and Rachel soon realized why. The second daemon was crushed by a giant black hand, belonging to Spen. He held it up, crushing and crushing on till its core burst. He stopped when it dissipated and turned to the others with a smile.


    "You''re right, Rachel," Spen grinned, "We should come along."


    Aaron stared at them and smiled. "Still, no"


    Kyler looked down at the city, with Martha right beside him. In the far distance, they could see the smoke rising from where the signal had come from, and the sounds of daemon and humans screaming.


    "Should we go to him?" Kyler asked.


    "No," Martha said, "The daemon aren''t just there with Barry, they are all over Boston. Let Shino and Pop go there."


    "And Aaron?"


    "Aaron knows best to send the recruits away. Let''s just pray that the recruits will obey him. Are there other Inquisitors around, Latifa?"


    "Pop and Shino have responded. Jake is leaving HQ. Ricardo is responding. Queens is responding. Um...one...two...minus the three of us and Aaron, seven inquisitors have responded."


    "And Shield?"


    "They''re on site, helping with the evacuation."


    Martha sighed. "Then, let''s move."

 First Storms 3

    "Where the hell did these many daemon come from?" Sarah cried out in fright. The four recruits and Ross stood in a circular manner as the three daemon surrounded them.


    "Beside Shawn, who here has experience with daemon?" Ross asked, taking out his sword.


    "None of us!" Sarah cried.


    "We''re screwed!" Ekaterina cried out. Blake drew out his dagger, pointing it at the one facing him.


    "Can you handle it?" Ross asked him, "The one on my side seems stronger."


    "Yeah." Blake said. Shawn also nodded. Sarah, though shaken, drew out her Sais.


    "On my mark...three..."


    The daemon closed in. The one facing Blake licked its lips, possibly thinking of the satisfaction he''d gain from devouring Blake.


    "...two..."


    Shawn gulped.


    "NOW!"


    Blake rushed at the daemon, slashing at its eyes. Shawn rammed his with his shield, stunning it momentarily. Ross slashed of one of its arms, kicking it back.


    Just before the stunned daemon could rise, Blake stabbed it straight in the shoulder. Then he swiftly drove his charged hand through its chest, ripping out its core. Shawn pinned one of its arms down with the end of his shield while Sarah took care of the other. Blake crushed the core, then spun round and threw his dagger straight into the blinded daemon''s mouth. Ross finished it off with a stab to its core after finishing off his own.


    "Those are some nice moves." Ross complimented Blake. Blake only nodded, taking his dagger from where the daemon had fallen.


    "There are more screams far ahead." Shawn said, "Daemon and human."


    "We can''t possibly be going there, right?" Ekaterina asked, "These are daemon. Daemon in the flesh. Not some holograms."


    "You guys use holograms to train?" Sarah asked.


    "You guys don''t?" Shawn asked back in surprise.


    "We don''t have time for this. Blake, Sarah and Ekaterina, you guys help the civilians. Shawn, with me."


    "This daemon is annoying!" Pop cried out, clutching his bleeding leg. They were almost at Barry''s position when a daemon just broke out from the ground. It had a hanging jaw and an exoskeleton, making it harder for their attacks to go through. It had one arm though, and although that would have been a plus for them, the blade on its left was not something that they''d like to see on daily basis. Not even mentioning that the daemon had no legs, making it movements much faster.


    Shino rolled out of the way, avoiding the blade that came down with swift speed. He jumped onto a car and threw one of his halos at it only for it to bounce off it.


    "POP!" Shino shouted.


    Pop, grumbled, still protecting the two guys from falling debris. He raised his hand and instantly blue bubbles formed near Shino. Shino jumped onto one and then to another, using them as stepping stones until he got directly in front of him. He jumped over the daemon and slashed at its neck. The daemon responded by swatting Shino away. Shino however was caught midway by a bigger blue bubble.


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    "You''re welcome!" Pop said, as he did same for the civilians around. The daemon, seeing him, charged at Pop, its sword raised. Pop brought up a shield, but the sheer force brought him to one knee. Pop grunted, struggling to maintain the energy field. Shino threw two more rings at the daemon''s back, one hitting its hard back and the other embedding itself in its skin.


    "Bingo." Shino said. He clasped both of his hands together, and the halo began to spin rapidly, rending flesh and growing bigger, until finally, it ripped of its shoulder. The daemon cried out, turning round to face him. It charged with full speed at him, only to be stopped by a crushing blow to the face, cracking open its skull. The culprit landed and landed another blow to its chest, causing it to the ground. With the core exposed, Shino rushed at it and with a bigger halo, slashed its core in two.


    "Nice moves kid," the inquisitor said with a smile.


    "Yeah, nice moves. You forget that I helped too!" Pop called out, still clutching his wounded leg.


    "It''s been a while, Ricardo." Shino said. "Thought you wouldn''t come back."


    "Yeah," Ricardo said, "I thought so too."


    "That''s the last of them, I guess," Kyler said, "What now?"


    "Leave the rest to them," Martha said, pointing at the Bree and the three other shield agents, "Latifa should stay."


    "What?"


    "No time, let''s hurry over to Barry''s side ASAP."


    "Right," Kyler said, as the two of them rushed to Barry''s location.


    Aaron looked at the daemon dissipating around them. He sighed. Maybe they were right. They could handle it. He watched as Brandon and Rachel stood together conversing. Felicity and Lukas were sitting down on the sidewalk while Spen stood alone. The civilians had long been evacuated, and in the far distance, the sound of Shield sirens could be heard. They''d be here any minute and Aaron would just need to take the recruits back to the base. As for Barry''s distress signal, he was sure the other inquisitors had handled it.


    "I admit, you guys did well," Lukas said, walking over to Brandon and Rachel.


    "So he finally admits it. Jealous already?" Rachel taunted.


    "Why the hell would I be jealous? I''m just sad. So much potential, wasted in the inquisitors."


    "Watch it," Brandon said


    "Heh," Lukas giggled, "In a few years'' time, the Shield will take over, you just watch."


    "And he isn''t joking." Felicity supported.


    "Doesn''t matter." Brandon said walking backwards and leaning on the wall. "Once an inquisitor always an inquisitor."


    "That statement is so wrong." Spen said from where he stood. "There have been tons of inquisitors that have run away from duty. And others like your Lukas friend, also joined other factions."


    "...Point still stands, I''m not quitting,"


    "Suit yourself." Lukas said, walking back to where he had been sitting.


    "Yeah..."


    "BRANDON MOVE!" Aaron shouted as he rushed towards him. All the recruits turned to were Brandon was standing to see a daemon right behind him. Brandon turned in horror, frozen with fear. Aaron reached Brandon, pushing him out of the way. However, he was unable to move out of the way as the daemon arm penetrated through his torso. It came into full view raising the inquisitor up and letting out an ear-piercing scream.


    "No!" Rachel screamed in horror. Brandon was stricken with fear and so were the other two shield agents. Spen rushed at the daemon. The daemon, however was much faster. It dropped Aaron and swatted him away. Which was part of the young teens plan.


    An inquisitor quickly rushed at the daemon, slashing of one of its arms. The daemons shrieked and retreated. The inquisitor was about to go after it, but then he recognized the fallen inquisitor and rushed to his side.


    "AARON!!" The inquisitor cried out, unsure of what to do. The recruits gathered round him in fear.


    "No, no." Rachel cried, tears streaming down her face. Brandon couldn''t say a word, only on his knees as guilt overwhelmed. The Shield vans arrived and swiftly Spen instructed them of the situation. Two of them quickly rushed off to find the daemon.


    "Come on... you can make it!" The inquisitor said,


    "Come on!" Rachel cried, "Please!"


    "...Bran...." Aaron barely managed to say. Brandon drew closer.


    "Aaron... I...It''s my fault."


    "...not...fault..." Aaron said, but the words faded away as his body grew limp.


    "Aaron?" Brandon called out. But there was no response. "AARON!"

 First Storms 4

    Blake helped the last of the civilians out of the rubble of a toy store before resting on the sidewalk. He sighed deeply, looking around at the Shield vans that had parked. Ross and Shawn were talking to a guy who seemed to be their superior.


    "Thirsty?" Sarah asked, handing him a bottle of water. Blake took it and drank all of it.


    "Thanks."


    "No problem." Sarah said, "Guess this is a first for you, huh?"


    "Of this scale? Yeah." Blake said, "The last time I saw a daemon attack, I was younger. It was just one though."


    "I was in the Daemon incident."


    Blake looked at her. "That bad, huh?"


    "Not really. Shino and I were younger then, so we weren''t in the center of the conflicts. We did see a lot of daemons, though."


    "What about those who were in the center of the attack?"


    "There were no survivors."


    Blake looked away. He thought this was bad. But at least they were able to save civilians. "So if you saw all that, why did you stay?"


    Sarah looked at him and smiled.


    "I''m waiting for my sister."


    "Was she the Rebecca you mentioned earlier?"


    "Yeah. Her. She was good. Sometimes annoying and lazy, but she was a very good sister. She went on a mission a year back and she rarely sent back messages."


    "Is that bad."


    "No. She''s like that." Sarah said, "But I do miss her."


    "So if she comes back, would you leave?"


    "Depends on her." She said.


    Blake smiled. But then a sharp ringing went through his head. His eyes opened wide open and closed them.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Oh...its nothing." Blake said, looking away, biting his lip. "Nothing at all."


    Barry looked round at the deserted street. The overturned cars, the torn down wires, Diego was going to have a headache with the press. He walked off, limping, and clutching his right arm. He looked down at the bodies of a family and sighed. Bending down, he closed their eyes. "Rest well." He said, before getting up. Though he had rushed quickly to the surface, he had already been too late. At least ten people had died.


    "You can come out now," Barry said, to the individual in the dark. But there was no response. He smiled and turned away. The person was possibly scared.


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    "Don''t worry, I''ll just have to check around, okay?" Barry said, walking away. He reached a light pole and leaned on it. He was dead tired. He hadn''t killed this many daemon since the daemon incident. He smiled. This wasn''t one, though, but still... it reminded him of...


    Barry spun around quickly, barely dodging the blow to his chest. The daemon had left a deep wound across his chest. He grunted and staggered backwards as blood spilled. "Dammit!" Barry cried out. The wound had reached his shoulder, making his spear feel heavy in his hands, He snapped his fingers and threes spheres formed behind him, firing at will at the daemon. But the daemon didn''t even flinch, as the aura spears bounced off him.


    "Show off," Barry grunted. He pointed his spear at it, slowly going back. The daemon tilted its head and grunted. It opened it arms, which for some reason resembled flesh, and immediately a red energy beam began to form


    "A vest?rer?" Barry cried out in shock. This daemon was no ordinary daemon. It was entering its white stage. He had to kill it off, even if it meant taken it with him. Barry rushed at it just as the daemon fired at him. Barry dodged, only to be rammed by its tail. Before he could even hit the wall, the daemon rushed towards him and with a crushing blow, rammed him into the ground. Barry coughed out blood, struggling to get up. His spear had been knocked out of his hand.


    Barry felt the pain, he just couldn''t register it till he was in the air. He couldn''t even cry out. The daemon''s tail ripped through him, rending some of his organs on the way out. Barry dropped to his knees, his hands over his bloody belly. He dropped to the ground face first, unable to move.


    The daemon stood over him, looking down at him, as if considering whether to leave him to die or to devour him fully. It was then he got a full glimpse of it. It had two eyes with a third above its left eye. It had one horn on the right side of his face. Its body resembled that of a human, minus the tail that is. And the black scales all over its body. But there were patches of human flesh all over it. It''s left hand, its leg, part of it face. But then he couldn''t sense anything. Not a single thing.


    Barry crawled away, with difficulty. He could feel his life slipping away, but he wasn''t going to let go that easily. He had already left the Inquisitors once, and he wasn''t going to do so, even if it was permanently. He managed to back himself against a wall, watching the daemon. The daemon shook violently for a moment, but soon approached him.


    Out of nowhere a long slash appeared across the daemon''s chest. The daemon quickly turned to see two other inquisitors rushing towards it. It grunted, before breaking into the sewers and running off.


    Martha and Kyler stopped immediately in front of Barry.


    "Barry!" Martha exclaimed, "Talk to me Barry,"


    "Is it that bad?" Barry asked.


    "We''ll get you to a hospital. Don''t worry."


    "It''s that bad, huh." Barry asked. Martha couldn''t say a word. Kyler nodded, bending down. "Don''t worry, we''ll get you to a hospital.


    But Barry already knew. And they knew it too. Even if an ambulance got to him, he''d die on the way. If he remained there, he''d die. This was the end of the road for him. Tears streamed down his face.


    "So this is it, huh?" Barry cried out, "dammit."


    "No, don''t give up just yet, "Martha cried out, "You can still make it."


    "It''s over for me." Barry said. "It''s my time."


    "No! I''m not losing you too."


    "Kyler, you...you''d be there for her, right?"


    "Yeah, pal." Kyler said, grabbing Barry''s arm, "That''s a promise."


    Barry managed to smile, looking at his closest friend. Was this really it? All the time he had spent with them? All the shared suffering, shared moments, all too just be another memory to them. There was so much he wanted to do, wanted to say, to correct. He reached into jacket and removed a necklace out of it with a crescent moon, given it to Martha.


    "Give this to..."


    Barry couldn''t finish the line. He really wanted to, but then he couldn''t. There was just not enough strength left. He only went limp as the darkness took hold of him. Leaving his two closest friends to mourn over his lifeless body.


    Kyler closed his eyes, holding back his tears, as Martha cried in his arms. Barry O''Neil. His one and only best friend. Gone.

 Guide to Licht Energy ~By Professor Gerald Tason

    Gerald: Good evening ladies and gentlemen, by name is Gerald Tason, former head researcher for the World Licht Research and professor at the Harvard university in the department of Psychology and Licht Energy. I am also one of the head researchers of the Shield Science Division, as well some other smaller yet significant organizations in the world including the WHO, the Inquisition Science Division(Which, in my opinion needs more researchers) and the Department of the Study of Daemonology.


    @: and I am Pencilmark...the author.


    Gerald: Today I will be taking you through the complexities of licht energy, the ups and downs as well as little details.


    @: And I''m here to ensure that he doesn''t reveal any spoilers.


    Gerald: ...Right. Ok. Shall we begin. When we talk about licht energy, there are many theories. A gift from God, an evolution trait we picked along the way. They are not wrong, just not right either. Licht energy is the basis of all life. Every living thing on Earth possesses it; from the smallest of bacteria to the mightiest of beast. Even the air we breath contains residual licht energy. Plants too possess it but theirs is much...purer.


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    @: Interesting.


    Gerald: Yes it is. However, it is mankind that has learnt to harness it. We don''t know how or when, or whether it was intentional or accidental, but we learnt how to harness licht energy in so many ways, creating what we call licht techniques. Licht techniques are seen as powers beyond humanity, but I still stand by my belief that it is an evolutionary trait. Taking into example people like Jahn Vu...


    @: Ahem...


    Gerald: Ah...sorry, my bad.


    @: How about discussing licht weapons.


    Gerald: Licht weapons is normally used to refer to weapons used to kill daemon but that is a grave misconception. In fact a gamepad could be a licht weapon. Any object can temporarily be imbued with one''s licht weapon. However there are exceptions to these as well. There are some licht weapons which already have licht weapons of their own, even having their own licht techniques as well. But that would be a topic for another day.


    @: I guess that''s it huh?


    Gerald: Should I continue?


    @: Nay.

 Revelations

    The figure wore a red long sleeveless coat, revealing a black sleeveless top and black trousers with fingerless gloves and boots He had pure black hair and crimson eyes and a scar run across his left eye. The white x on his back indicated his position as Prime.


    "Martha." He said, as the figure approached him. Martha was about to kneel but he shook his head, indicating his disapproval.


    "Give me a full report."


    Martha nodded. "On the 3rd of June, there was a wave of daemon believed to have been headed by a daemon nearing its white stage. All daemon were exterminated, with the exception of three daemons, one of which was the daemon nearing its white stage. Civilian casualties were in the low with 16 deaths and 23 injured." Martha swallowed hard before continuing, "Also, we lost two inquisitors; Aaron Cage and Barry O''Neil, all killed in action by daemon with special properties."


    The prime nodded and sighed. "That''s all I need to hear."


    "Sir, will you remain here."


    "No." He said. "You might be in charge for a while. I need to head to Washington right now."


    "May I ask why sir."


    "Sightings of a White."


    "I can go sir."


    "The only reason you want to fight a white, other than your fueled rage of losing a friend, is to avoid having to face your ''debt'' to the Shield because of your family history. But that''s exactly why you need to stay."


    The Prime patted her on her shoulder and walked away. Martha sighed, wiping the tear from her face before leaving shortly after.


    "You shouldn''t enter right now!" Ross said to Victor, "He''s not in a good mood."


    "And clearly I don''t care." He said, "I have a job to do, and if I don''t do it, then I might as well be on my way." Victor brushed past Ross and opened the door.


    "I said I don''t want any visitors!" Reynolds shouted.


    "I can see why." Victor said, looking around him. The overturned table, the scattered files and documents were enough to tell that he was in a bad mood. Reynolds looked at him and took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes.


    "Sorry, I had a bad day."


    "So I heard. But you didn''t lose any of your guys. From what I heard, the inquisitors lost one of their guys."


    "It was two." Reynolds said, slumping back in his chair. "Barry O''Neil."


    Victor looked at him in shock. "Oh my."


    "Yeah, I know. Heck I almost shot someone because of that." Reynolds clenched his fist. He picked up a file and after taking a long look at it, let it drop to the floor. "That guy saved my life some years ago. I wouldn''t be here if it wasn''t for him. Heck he wasn''t even in active duty then." He looked back up at Victor. "Sorry, my emotions got the best of me. Dr. Vott, what did you want to talk about?"


    The doctor sighed. "I''ve got bad news for you, am afraid."


    Kyler stood in front of the gravestone, in front of the grave of his friend, Barry. Beside it was Aaron''s as well. Thinking back, the two of them had never settled that score of who''d be the first to become aide. Of course it was Martha who became aide in the end but then they still pressed on.


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    "Guess it''s just me then, huh?"


    Kyler put down the white flower on the grave, bending down and touching the stone.


    Gone. Just like that.


    It wasn''t the first time he had seen someone die in front of him. Or was it the first time he had seen someone close to him die. But then, it was completely different life he had been living then. He had changed a lot since then, so this loss seemed so¡­painful.


    "Took you long enough." Kyler said to the figure behind him. The figure wore a long white robe and a hood which covered his head. In his right hand, which was scarred with burns, were a bunch of white flowers.


    "And Barry prefers Camellia. Not tulips."


    "Hey," The figure said, "I tried."


    He came to stand beside Kyler, removing his hood. He had the same dark blue hair as Martha with black eyes. He had a mask that covered the lower part of his face.


    "Still remember the time I saw him. He wanted to quit."


    "Yeah. He mentioned."


    "Guess, all things do have their time."


    "Yeah."


    The stranger touched the graves of both Barry and Aaron. After a moment of silence, he turned to go.


    "Not waiting to say hi to Martha?" Kyler asked.


    "No." the man said, putting his hood back on. "Those guys are waiting for me. And this won''t be the last time we will meet."


    "Yeah. Looking forward to it."


    "Oh, and Kyler?" The man said, "Take care of my sister."


    Brandon fell to the ground, exhausted. He looked up at the cloudy sky, not concentrating on anything in particular. The birds flew high in the sky, going to their homes with the food they had gathered. To their families.


    Aaron and Barry were¡­ gone. Which left Kyler and Jake in charge of the training, both physical and theoretical. But neither of them were in the mood at the moment, so he had to take it upon himself to train. It was the only thing he could do to get stronger.


    Aaron''s death was still his fault, no matter how he looked at it. But it even broke him more when he heard of Barry''s passing. Barry was his mentor, someone he respected more than anyone else in the Inquisition. His cool headed and appealing character, his bravado and courage, his spearmanship. He was supposed to inherit his rei when he was ready.


    Heck, he didn''t know whether or not he could inherit his rei. He didn''t think he could, after what had transpired. Nevertheless, he wouldn''t give up now. He''d do his very best to become strong. For Aaron. For Barry.


    He got up from the ground, wiping the dirt of him and resumed his jogging around the field.


    Rachel sat alone at the balcony of the top floor of the base, watching Brandon. She had lost the will to do anything. To train, to exercise, even to eat. The vivid scene replayed in her mind over and over, trying to run through all the scenarios, seeing if there could have been a way to have saved Aaron. But then it was no use, and she knew damn well. Aaron Cage was dead.


    She replayed the events that followed after unwillingly, right after Aaron had died. She could remember herself crying, wailing to be more precise. She still remembered the expression on Brandon''s face, the horror, fright and confusion, not even registering the inquisitor that had come for him. She remembered Lukas'' and Felicity''s expressions as well. Jake then arrived to the scene, anger and sorrow intertwined in one expression. The call that he received and how Jake had fallen to his knees. That Barry O''Neil was dead.


    Rachel shook her head. Wiping the tears off her eyes. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry for the rest of her life. Aaron and Barry didn''t deserve any of this. Not one bit. Yet they were now six feet below the earth, left to the maggots and worms to feast on, like that was what they had been their entire life.


    Rachel turned to leave, going down the stairs and into her dorm. She just wanted to block out everything for the mean time. She lay on her bed, letting out the tears as she covered herself with a blanket.


    "So what now?" Ricardo asked the other six inquisitors gathered in the room. "What is our next move?"


    "Next move?" Queens asked, staring at him, "Hell, who put you in charge?"


    "Um¡­no one, duh?" Ricardo said, "But clearly the moods already depressing enough. Martha and Kyler aren''t here, and Prime Diego is on an assignment, so I really don''t see why I shouldn''t be in charge."


    "Yeah, I agree. Anyone but you." Queens retorted, "If it''s anyone amongst us, it should be Latifa."


    "Me?" Latifa asked, surprised.


    "Yeah." Pop said, "I agree."


    Latifa sighed. "Well, I guess we should concentrate on finding the other daemon that escaped."


    "That''s obvious." Zhao Fan, one of the inquisitors, said, "I mean, we always do that, right?"


    "Yeah, but these ones are different. They are advanced, smarter and stronger."


    "Not to mention not noticeable." Pop said, "I asked all Brandon and Rachel. Heck I asked the Shield recruits too. The daemon that killed Aaron wasn''t given of any aura. Like it wasn''t even daemon."


    "That''s impossible." Ricardo said.


    "Yeah." Queens said, "But then, there''s more."

 Those who Cry Not

    The entire mansion of the Inquisitor was silent, too silent. Even if it was night, there would have at least one noise or another. The eerie silence was just too maddening for Sarah. She sat outside in casual phones, going through it, in an attempt to not remember all the pain.


    It was a fact that two inquisitors had died, and not just anyone but Aaron and Barry. Two of the people she had grown up with. She had literally been raised by them, alongside Shino; although he was a bit older than her back then. But she couldn''t cry. She didn''t want to. Death was a normal thing in this place. It always followed, always waited, waiting for its next prey.


    Besides, she had grown used to it. Or so she tried to convince herself. Her hands couldn''t stop shaking. She sighed, looking up at the starry sky. She was getting frustrated.


    "Can''t sleep?"


    Sarah looked up to see Shino. "Yeah, kinda."


    "Yeah, me too." Shino said, "Ever since, you know, that, I just go out on patrols more often with Jake, trying to forget."


    "Can''t forget, huh."


    "I guess." Shino sighed.


    "It''s just that this thing makes me scared. What if¡­"


    "Our siblings are dead? Yeah, that question was in my head all day. But I just trust that they would be alive, no matter what."


    "And if they aren''t?"


    "Then," Shino sighed, "Well, only time can tell."


    The two turned to go back inside. Shino and Sarah had literally grown up together. Both of their elder sisters had become inquisitors in order to take care of themselves; the silent yet kind Sakura Madarame and the happy go lucky Rebecca Stone. After the second daemon incident, the two had gone on separate missions and had not reported in a long while. Although Rebecca reported frequently, Sakura had completely disappeared of the grid. Sometimes, Sarah wondered how Shino felt deep inside, not knowing the fate of his only family.


    "Where''s Jake?"


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    "Probably patrolling."


    "Still?"


    "Yeah. Heck when you''re more skilled enough you''ll be doing stuff like this."


    "Great. I look forward to it


    Blake sat in the empty dorm, reading an old book. It apparently was a diary belonging to an old inquisitor. He couldn''t tell whose, the name had been scratched off, but it was an interesting book. He had read it twice over, enjoying every moment of it. Unfortunately, the author never finished; the leftover pages were proof of that.


    Blake placed the book where he had found it, and went back to his bed. The entire mood had driven him back to the safety of his room. Honestly, he didn''t mind. But everyone was just too serious now. As he expected it to be.


    Someone came in, but he didn''t mind the person. He probably just came in to take a nap or something so why bother. Besides, he wasn''t really in the mood for conversation.


    However, the person was in the mood.


    "That book belonged to one cool guy." Kyler said, leaning on one of the beds closer to Blake. Blake sat up, looking at him.


    "Who was it?"


    "Oh, he was an old inquisitor. Quite skilled from what I hear."


    "You don''t know him?"


    "Nah. Apparently he died around the time I joined so...yeah. He was Barry''s master though."


    "...I see." Blake sighed.


    "But enough about the past." Kyler said, sitting down beside him. "I can tell you''re pretty down. Wanna talk about it?"


    Blake shrugged. "I don''t really know. This is pretty awkward for me."


    "Why? Two guys you just met died and your new friends are sad. But you can''t relate with them nor console them because you just arrived."


    "Y...yeah. How did you know?"


    "Same thing happened to me. Same thing happens to a lot of guys here. The trick is to not let it get to you and continue to do your job. Or quit if the going gets tough."


    "Yeah. I guess."


    "But killing daemon doesn''t suit a guy like you."


    "The same could be said for Brandon."


    "Haha. Nah, I don''t mean it that way. Just...the way I remember it, you seemed like the kind of guy that would have wanted to be an engineer or something."


    "Funny, my dad told that I said that a lot as a kid."


    "Guess your dad''s right then."


    "Do you know my dad? The same way that Ms. Martha does."


    "Well...if we were to get technical, then no. But still I''m quite surprised that you don''t remember me."


    "Should I?"


    A phone rang in Kyler''s pocket. Kyler sighed, taking it out and answering it.


    "Hello?...Yeah, I''ll be there in a sec...Now? Really...Fine, fine." Kyler hang up, getting up to his feet. "Sorry, duty calls."


    "Another daemon?"


    "No, just a little discussion that''s all. See ya soon." Kyler said as he left. Blake nodded. In two days he''d seen so much than he''d imagined it take. It was quite difficult to grasp. But for some odd reason, Blake wasn''t let down by it. He was motivated.


    Still though, how did Kyler and Martha know about him? Blake laid back on the bed, reading the book, while the question still floated around his head. After some time, Blake finished the book, reaching the last 12 pages of it which were all blank. back of the book had a single name, Garm.


    Blake closed the book and went back to sleep.

 Shadow Warfare

    Martha barged into the office of Diego, a fiery expression on her face. In the office was Kyler, Latifa, Ricardo, Pop and Queens, all standing around a table with a case on it. She looked round the room, scanning their faces, before staring at the case.


    "So, what''s this about? It better be important ''cus I had some things to take care of." She asked finally, breaking the silence.


    Queens was the first to speak. "We believe that the daemon that attacked Aaron was not a full daemon."


    Martha turned to him, confused. "I''m sorry, what?"


    "Yeah." Kyler stepped, "Samples for the hand that Queens cut off show traces of human tissue and blood. We took the test in a nearby lab and confirmed it."


    "Also, the fact that the hand in question is rotting is proof." Ricardo asked.


    Martha opened the case slowly, revealing a slim hand. Ricardo was right. The hand was rotting. Like a human. There was no way that it could be daemon because daemon flesh dissipated on death. Also, the daemon flesh was still latched onto the human carcass.


    "So what? We have a daemon half-breed on the loose?"


    "Not just one." Kyler said, "Two."


    "Huh?" All eyes turned to Kyler. Kyler took a deep breath before explaining.


    "I went back to where Barry had been attacked. Just before that daemon had tried to end him, I slashed him with my rei. But there was human blood traces when I went back there. First I thought it was Barry''s but just like the other Half-breed, I can''t find an identity to whoever it is. I checked the sewers and I found this." Kyler removed a metal device from his pocket. It was old and rusted, with wires sticking out of it.


    "What is that?" Pop asked.


    "A tracking device. Military stuff. Used to track daemon that they set loose on enemy territory."


    "Wait, the military use daemon?" Latifa asked.


    "Yes." Kyler replied. "Although most of the times the other side have people with reis and licht techniques as well, but they use it to gather their attention, then move in quick to do whatever the mission entails."


    "So they were on a mission here, using a half daemon," Martha said, her fists clenched.


    "No," Kyler said. "The daemon does belong to the military, but they would never set it loose on their own soil. To risky. Innocents."


    "Maybe it could have belonged to another terrorist group." Pop said,


    "I agree. If the US have done this before, someone else would just steal the idea." Leticia added


    Stolen novel; please report.


    "Yeah, but that tracking device belongs to the US military." Kyler said.


    "So it''s a stolen military daemon?" Ricardo asked.


    "Yes." Kyler replied


    "I''ve been in the army, they never applied this before."


    "Yeah. But the two of us didn''t fight in the same wars, Ricardo." Kyler replied. "This is shadow warfare."


    "No kidding." Ricardo exclaimed.


    "Um¡­ Hello? Non-militants in the building?" Queens said


    "Shadow warfare is when you back other countries engaged in warfare. They don''t participate in the war, just aid it."


    Martha stopped pacing around the room, staring at Kyler with horror.


    "It can''t be¡­"


    Kyler nodded. "These daemon were intended to be used by the US to control the outcome of the war. They send in a daemon, a powerful one at that, then when the daemon becomes too difficult to handle, they send in a unit to handle it."


    "But then they can''t just send in any military unit¡­" Martha added,


    "¡­So they send in Shield."


    "The hell." Pop spat out.


    "Yeah." Kyler said, "Shield takes care of the threat, unaware of the whole operation and get the praise. Only this time, someone caught onto that and decided to release in in Boston. The only unfortunate thing was that we got in the way. We weren''t the target. The Shield was."


    "But they couldn''t have possibly known that the Shield would come."


    "What they couldn''t have foreseen that other daemon would sprout out of nowhere. But then why was it that on the same day they sent out five of their recruits was the day that the half-breed attacked."


    "They''ve got an insider in the Shield." Latifa answered.


    "We need to head to the Shield right now!" Pop said.


    "No." Martha said.


    "No?"


    "No." Martha said. "Our job is to kill daemon, not to be involved in terrorism."


    "But, two of our guys were¡­" Latifa stated


    "I know, Latifa." Martha said, "But this is from Prime Klaus."


    "And where the hell is he?" Ricardo asked.


    "On a mission." Martha said bluntly, "And I have missions for you too. You are to investigate spikes in daemon activity all over the Americas.


    "Really?" Pop exclaimed. "Now?"


    "Yes," Martha replied, "Now. By evening, you should be on your way. The recruits would be deployed as well."


    "They aren''t ready." Queens said


    "And they never will be if they don''t see some real action. These are your groupings. Kyler, you''re going solo to Minnesota. Ricardo, you and your ''gang'' are assigned to Vermont. You''re assigned with the recruit Blake Summers. Pop, Latifa, Mexico''s yours. Queens, Brazil. The islands have been taking care of so don''t worry. The rest of the inquisitors would be assigned theirs."


    "Who stays here?" Ricardo asked.


    "Me. And Sarah Stone."


    "Of course."


    "Alright, you can leave. And take the case with you."


    They all left the office grumbling, save Kyler, who held onto the case. Martha took her seat, reading through some files and sorting the rest. After a goo twelve minutes, Martha finally sighed


    "Okay, fine. What is it?"


    "You''re just going to drop this? The fact that they created something as disgusting as a half-breed."


    "Yes, Kyler, I will. It''s not our jurisdiction."


    "But they were our friends."


    "We are inquisitors, Kyler. It''s our job to kill daemon, do you think I don''t want to find out the shitbag that put two of my best friends six feet under because of his or her stupid vendetta?"


    "Then let''s do that."


    "No is no! End of conversation."


    Kyler looked at her in silence as she rummaged through the papers. He let out a laugh under his breath. Time had really changed them. The Martha he knew would have been saying what he had just said.


    "Also, about Blake."


    "Yeah, what about it?"


    "Leaving him with Ricardo?"


    "Yeah?"


    "I mean, its Ricardo. Why not me?"


    "I got a message from Diego saying you might ask that. You''re too close to him, and I don''t know what he meant by that but apparently you do. I''m holding back on asking about how you know Blake, but he stays with Ricardo."


    "If I''m close to him then I could get along with him well. Besides, Jacquez is there. You know, the ex-mercenary."


    "And I don''t see a problem with that, mercenary,"


    Kyler smiled at her before leaving the room.


    "Oh and Kyler?"


    "Yeah?"


    "Be careful."

 Down To Business

    For most people who didn''t know Elizabeth Lionharte personally, they''d always assume that she was the kind hearted and all peace kind of lady. Being affectionate in all she did while strictly commanding the Shield on its assault against the Shield.


    For those like Reynolds, well, it was a different story. Even if it was a mere hologram, he could feel the pressure from her gaze. She was cross.


    "So you''re telling me that another Half-breed has been let loose."


    "Yes ma''am."


    "And that it''s quite possible that the inquisitors may suspect what it is."


    "Yes ma''am." Reynolds gulped, "To make matters worse they''ve decided to come out of the shadows. At a crime scene they left us a message. It was a symbol of a pillar."


    Elizabeth looked at the symbol intently from her end, scrutinizing it thoroughly before looking at Reynolds.


    "It is a terrorist group called the Foundation."


    "I''m sorry, ma''am, you know who they are?"


    "Yeah. Just started off as rioters, mere scum backed by someone with money. We caught them, but never found their supporter. Seems like he''s hired some new friends. More experienced ones. Your men should be prepared. If they were able to get this much daemon together, then who knows what other intentions they may have."


    "What about the inquisitors?"


    "The inquisitors won''t interfere."


    "Are you certain ma''am? They did lose two of their best and promising men."


    "True, they did. But they won''t. Not with Martha in charge. She won''t dare."


    "Ma''am, these were close friends of Martha Hill."


    Elizabeth looked up at him, lost in thought. Reynolds shifted his weight from one leg to the other, still nervous. He could see Dr. Vott in the back from the corner of his eye, reading his book while watching whatever was going on, a broad smile on his face.


    "Actually, I''m going to let her engage. She might come in handy. Elizabeth, out."


    Reynolds took a deep breath as the hologram faded away. He stood still for a while before turning back to look at Dr. Vott.


    "Back to work I guess." Dr. Vott said


    "You can say that again. Tracking down two half-breeds."


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    "Don''t even know where to start from."


    "The sewers."


    "Yeah, like that would make it easier."


    "It narrows it down. At least for the first one. The second one popped out of nowhere and killed an inquisitor. Then it just disappeared."


    "I heard. Spen told me."


    "How''s your guy doing, seeing all this?"


    "Spen is no amateur Captain. He has seen a lot before he even began killing daemon, you should be more worried about your guys. They were traumatized."


    "Yeah, especially Lukas. Aaron literally trained the guy. But they''ll cope."


    "Or leave."


    "Meh¡­ same thing."


    The two reached the control room where to three men saluted him.


    "All of you, come with me."


    Bree saluted following Vott and Reynolds down the hall.


    "I need you to get footage of all security cameras in the area where the second daemon was. We need to find out its pattern."


    "Yes sir."


    "Vander, take a unit down the sewers and track down the daemon. Deploy drones if necessary but do not engage the target. If it''s strong enough to take out Barry, then I''m sorry to say that you guys won''t last long."


    "Yes sir."


    "Harrison. Inform all the elite members that they are needed in the screening room the very second."


    "Yes sir."


    "Damn, literally telling your own soldiers that they won''t last. That''s harsh."


    "Yeah. But its facts. Now shall we get down to business?


    The Elite squad was a special unit that every Shield Captain was assigned to. They were the best of the best, with the Captain being the overall team leader. All of these men had military training, and a fairly rigorous one at that.


    Princess was the first one to arrive, having already been in the base. She sat in front, waiting diligently. Shasha arrived next with Timothy, both preferring the back seat. Next came in Margaret, a shy and clumsy girl who tripped on the door. They all looked at her momentarily before looking away, knowing that her shyness was just a ruse. Dr. Vott and Captain Reynolds stepped in the room, accompanied by Spen Nikoli.


    "Good evening soldiers," Reynolds began. As you are already aware, the attack two days ago was in relation to our current case of hybrid daemon. We now have more information concerning this issue."


    Shasha raised her hand.


    "Already?"


    "Yeah, sir, who the hell is the kid?" She asked, a wide grin on her face.


    "Yeah," Princess added, "Was he not part of the recruits?"


    "Yes. Yes he is. However he is not a member of the Shield, rather a body guard of Dr. Victor Vott. Satisfied?"


    "Yes sir."


    "A bit."


    "Good, now what we know is the there are a total of five half-breeds, two of which were cited in Boston. We believe that the terrorist organization responsible for letting them loose is still at large and still has hold of the other three."


    "Sir, can''t we just scan for daemon presence?" Timothy asked.


    "Yes, but unfortunately, them being half-breeds masks out their daemon presence."


    "How is that even possible?" Shasha asked.


    "We still don''t know." Reynolds sighed. "Which means approaching them will be dangerous. The terrorist group this time is the Foundation, started off as mere rioters until they decided to screw that and go bigger. We''ve given you full details of your assignments. You are to, however ensure that the inquisitors or the general public do not find out about this operation."


    "I understand the general public but why the inquisitors?" Timothy asked.


    "Because¡­"


    "Orders from above." Reynolds cut Dr. Vott short. "Any questions?"


    The silence from the four elites meant consent.


    "Good. Dismissed." The four recruits immediately left the screening room, leaving the three men behind.


    "Are you still going to conceal it from them?"


    "Orders are orders. Unlike you, I don''t have the liberty to say such secretive things."


    "Like I said¡­"


    "You don''t need to remind me, Dr. Vott. I didn''t even want to know. But its best if no one does."


    "Its best. But it''s not right."


    "I know."

 Teams

    "So, what you are saying is that we are going to be scattered across the Americas?" Rachel asked, a shocked expression on her face.


    "Yep." Jake said.


    "That sounds kinda rushed." Brandon stated, "I mean, with everything that has happened so far, wouldn''t it be wise if, you know, we got some days off?"


    "Well, no." Jake said bluntly. "No days off for us. That''s our job."


    "Great." Rachel groaned. "So, right after we lose our teachers, we''re being sent elsewhere to die."


    "Yep. I don''t call the shots. And that''s how its been for a long time."


    "But..." Rachel was about to say, but then was cut short by Sarah.


    "So, where are we being assigned to?" She asked from where she stood.


    "Depends on who you''re being assigned to." Jake said, "For Brandon, you''ve been assigned to me. Rachel, you''ve been assigned to Queens. Sarah, you''ve been assigned to Martha, so you won''t have to go anywhere. You''ll remain here to finish up your training."


    "Glad that one of us is lucky." Rachel said sarcastically.


    "... and Blake," Jake continued. "You''ve been assigned to Ricardo."


    "So," Brandon said, jumping to his feet, "What day do we leave?"


    "Today."


    "Huh?"


    "Yeah, today." Jake said, "Your assigned inquisitor should be waiting here for a while but they have till evening to leave to their assigned areas. As for where they are going, that depends on where they were assigned to."


    "And where am I going?" Brandon asked.


    "Alaska."


    "Huh?"


    "Good luck guys," Jake said, forcing a smile as he left the recruits on the field.


    Blake stood still, staring at the clear sky of the new day. This was not what he was expecting when he woke up this morning. But then again, as his father had said, expect the unexpected.


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    "So," Blake began, turning to the others, "Anyone know who Ricardo is?"


    "No idea." Brandon said. Rachel shook her head.


    "Ricardo is an inquisitor, about the same age as Martha. He''s pretty ok, but the rest of his guys are...well unconventional." Sarah said


    "Unconventional in what way?" Brandon and Blake asked.


    Sarah sighed, as if not wanting to say.


    "From what I heard, Two of them used to be mercenaries. They''ve killed quite a number of people."


    "Ok. Then I''ll just stick to Ricardo" Blake asked.


    "Ricardo''s also been to prison before. Apparently it was a serious crime. He also killed someone."


    "Damn," Brandon said under his breath.


    "Be careful, Blake," Sarah said walking away.


    "Yeah, ''be careful''" Rachel spat in disgust, "Its not like she gets to be taking far away from here."


    "Come on, Rachel."


    "I''m not going to turn a blind eye to this, Brandon. She''s always treated like some princess while we have the dirty work. I''m not having that." Rachel said, storming off.


    "She''s in a whole new mood." Blake said.


    "Y...yeah." Brandon agreed. "She''s on edge a bit, but she''ll snap right back to a her usual self in no time."


    "I hope so."


    Brandon sighed. "I''ll head inside. Since the place I''m headed is a long way ahead anyway."


    "Okay. Good luck."


    "Yeah. You too."


    Blake watched as Brandon walked off. Alaska, huh? Well, that was a far place off, even for him. He on the other hand didn''t even know where he was going. Hell, he could get Mexico for all he knew. Or Greenland.


    He walked over to the edge of the field, grabbing one of the mu ren zhuang from the pile. He drove it into the ground and began to train.


    His thoughts shifted to the recent events. Barry and Aaron''s deaths. As much as he tried to clear it from his head, they came back. Sure, it wasn''t like he was sad or anything, and sure, it wasn''t like his uncle hadn''t filled him in on those details from the start. But experience was the best teacher.


    "Hey."


    Blake turned swiftly to see who it was, only to see a fist ram into his face.


    Brandon stepped into the mansion, a ray of hope in his heart. Going to Alaska was fun and all, but that wasn''t the point. It was just the fact that he could finally get in on the big action. He walked into Shino, the latter who spilled his cup of chocolate drink.


    "Hey."


    "Sorry man," Brandon apologized scratching his head, "my bad."


    "Oh. Its you," Shino said, "Heard you''ve been teamed with Jake."


    "Yeah," Brandon exclaimed, "Finally getting in on the action,"


    "Yeah, just don''t bring that attitude with us."


    "''Us?''"


    "Yes, ''us''." Shino replied. "I am part of Jake squad."


    "Since when where we put into squads?"


    "We''re always put in squads, Brandon. Always. Inquisitors are put into teams of four. There''s another girl, but we''ll pick her up on the way."


    "But why were you originally just two?"


    "Well, I''ll let you guess that one yourself," Shino said, walking away, "You owe me a cup of hot Choco."


    "Yeah."


    Brandon smiled, walking into the arsenal. He looked at the numerous weapons scattered about the room, his eyes resting on a pair of knuckles. He rummaged through the pile until he found his nunchucks. He span them around for a while before heading off. He stopped at the door, looking at the spear leaned in the far corner. Apparently it was called the Spearhead, a name given to it by the owner that used it before the late Barry. He picked it up, examining its blade. A pity for it to end up here, gathering dust.

 The Foundation

    Kyler watched as the daemon was brutally torn into by the woman in the black tank top. She had short brown hair and dark green eyes, with a well-built physique, which added to her figure. She crushed the core of the daemon and threw its carcass away, turning to Kyler with a smile.


    "Is it your usual character to let others kill the daemon for you." She asked him.


    "Work smart, not hard."


    "That''s not a nice thing to say. I''m a lady, you know."


    "Well," Kyler looked at the dissolving daemon, "tell that to him,"


    Sharon Eagon, one of Kyler''s closest accomplices. She was way older than him, probably in her early forties, which made her one of the oldest inquisitors as well. She was a walking powerhouse, having had many years to control her licht energy. Plus her licht technique was not one to be looked down on.


    "What brings you to USA?" Kyler asked her, "Shouldn''t you be with Damien or Ernst. Or back at HQ training more recruits??"


    "I''m not some baby sitter, Kyler. I just wanted a break."


    "You take breaks in the Netherlands."


    "I had a change of heart."


    She was trying to get away. Kyler knew that all too well. In her case, it wasn''t permanent, more like a day or two away from all the gore and depression before stepping back into action. At least, she wasn''t like the others, who left and never came back, gone off to live their own lives.


    Cowards.


    "Anyway... I heard about Barry and Aaron."


    "Yeah, don''t sweat it. Happens all the time."


    "Doesn''t make it any better."


    "Sharon. You know me. I can handle it."


    "If you say so," She said, stretching. She let out a sigh of relief before turning to him. "I''m going back home. If you need me, which you don''t, you know my number."


    "Can''t I come with you?"


    "Hell no. I don''t want my perfect hiding spot to be ruined."


    Elsewhere, someplace in Boston, a van came to a halt in front of an old warehouse. A man with an unkempt beard and worn out clothes stepped out, muttering to himself about some guy who had annoyed him on his way. Gosh he was getting to old for this. He walked up to side door and opened it, looking at the stuff inside. He turned to the warehouse, spotting tthe right guy he was looking for.


    "Oi, Jeff, get your ass here."


    "Old man Hands." Jeff said, getting up from the barrel he sat on, "Sup."


    "Sup my ass. Help me with the boxes."


    "How many of them?"


    "Just two."


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere."Damn," The two men grunted as they lifted up one of them, then dropped it in front of the warehouse, doing the same with the other.


    "By the time I''m done with this business, I''ll be fit to get in the ring."


    "The only ring you''ll be getting in is jail."


    "Haha...you wish." Jeff closed the side door and the two men walked side by side to the gate. Opening it, they pushed the boxes inside, before closing it.


    The warehouse wasn''t as abandoned as the general public was made to believe. A few men sat around, armed with guns, talking amongst themselves. Most of them were from the streets, with nowhere to go and nothing to lose, doing anything they could do for the next day''s meal. Others were mercenaries from afar. But to the eyes of the public, they were all the same. Scum.


    The woman at the far end however was dressed in that manner. With a slick office dress that captured her feline features, she was star of all the guys in the room, and the envy of all the women. She wasn''t all that pretty, with her black hair and brown eyes, but they were still captivating. The aura around her too was one that portrayed her unwavering loyalty to the man beside her.


    "Hands, welcome back." Grace said, as she turned to look at him, "i hope all things went well."


    "Well? Well well isn''t what I''d say. But lets put that in the well for now."


    The man beside her giggled a little. The woman rolled her eyes turned back to the screen.


    The screen displayed the image of a sewer with six canister all wired up to something beyond the feed of the CCTV cameras. Two of them were empty.


    "So," Jeff began, "When is the next stage?"


    "The next stage?" The man beside the woman turned to Jeff, "Dude, we haven''t even done the first stage yet."


    "Huh?"


    "Thought the whole thing we did days back was the first stage." Hands stated.


    "Yes," the woman replied, "But the inquisitors got in the way. Plus the daemon rushing in was not the plan. We were targeting the Shield recruits, not the inquisitors."


    "Well congratulations," Jeff said, "Now we have dead inquisitors on our heads."


    "Yeah." The man said coldly, "That is their job after all."


    "So, what now?" Hands asked.


    "Our informants have told us that the half-breed added the effect we hoped for. They are now red alert as we speak. We have their attention."


    "So that''s good, when is the next move?"


    "Patience, Jeff," The man said, "All in good time." The man looked at the screen with a smile, "All in good time

 Bad Batch

    It was a dream. A dream of a lovely woman dressed in white robes, not as white as her hair though. She turned to him and smiled, before disappearing into a deep darkness.


    Blake woke up swiftly, jumping up to his feet. He turned around, realizing that he''d been knocked out while training.


    "You know, I was really hoping for a prodigy of some sorts," the figure said, "I am kinda disappointed."


    "Who are you?" Blake asked.


    "Me? I''m Ricardo Helms, the guy you''ve been assigned to."


    Blake remained alert, his gaze still fixed on him.


    "Relax."


    "You attacked me for no reason."


    "Thought you''d dodge. Didn''t know you weren''t concentrating on me. But that''s all in the past. You can let your guard down now."


    "No."


    Ricardo raised a brow. "I do like a good fight, so don''t tempt me kid, it could get ugly. "


    "Who are they?"


    Ricardo''s eyes opened wide and let out a short laugh. He turned around and called out.


    "Yo. You can come out now. He caught you."


    Instantly two figures emerged from the darkness, a woman in a short Chinese dress and a man with target lens as pupils.


    "Wow, so much for hiding guys." Ricardo stated.


    "Shut up, Ric. We did our best. And that''s a lot since its us in particular." the girl said, pouting.


    "You overestimate yourself sometimes." Ricardo said, "These are my other crew members. The girl''s Zhao Fan and the guy''s Jacques Ives."


    "Blake Summers." Blake said, calming down.


    Instantly, Jacques rushed in front of the young boy, his index finger releasing a ball of licht energy. Blake swiftly moved out of the way, avoiding the beam that Jacques fired and placing his palm on Jacques. Jacques jumped backwards, grunting.


    "Here we go again." Zhao Fan said.


    "Yeah, sure," Ricardo said sarcastically, "try and kill the guy on our first meeting."


    Jacques looked at Blake suspiciously, confusing Blake. Why was he being suspicious. He had tried to kill him, not the other way round.


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    "What''s your licht technique, boy." Jacques asked.


    "Why would I talk to someone who tried to kill me?"


    Jacques eyed him for a while.


    "I don''t trust him. "


    "Oh really." Ricardo said. "Wow... who do you trust?"


    "There''s a daemon in the city as we speak, find it before midnight and kill it."


    "Hey." Ricardo tried to interject.


    "Why should I listen to you?" Blake asked.


    "Consider this as a test. Proof that you can work well with us. We aren''t like the other units, kid, We do big stuff."


    "Jacques! "


    "If you fail, you aren''t fit to be a member of this crew. If you win, then Zhao Fan gives you a hug."


    "What?" Blake exclaimed.


    "Sorry, I don''t have a better reward."


    " Personally he''s my kind of guy I prefer. " Zhao Fan giggled.


    " You''re in on this!?" Ricardo cried


    Blake said nothing walking out of the building. Ricardo turned to Jacques.


    "I''m in charge Ives."


    "Technically, I am, but let''s not dwell on that."


    " Why would you do that."


    "A kid with that kind of licht energy, isnt fit to be an Inquisitor if he can''t use it. Besides, his licht technique... I kinda suspicious of it. Plus why he''s in this team in the first place."


    "A change of pace I guess." Ricardo said.


    "Ricardo, everyone in this crew is a murderer or a criminal. We aren''t the bad batch for nothing. I don''t know what Diego is thinking of but he better make this right"


    "Leti, we need to talk." Pop said, handing the ice cream cone to Leticia.


    "If it''s about where we are going then no. No choice that matter."


    "Oh no. Not that." Pop said. Around them, people filed in to board the train, some stood by chatting with their friends, while others had their eyes glued to their phones.


    "What do you think of the half daemon, half human?"


    Leticia looked at him, confused. "Where''s this question coming from? "


    "Just wanted to hear your thoughts on this, nothing more, nothing less."


    "Thought I was the dumb , stupid girl that always was lost in her wildest imaginations."


    "If you think that I''m going to apologize about that, then no. It''s because of your wild imaginations that I''m asking you this."


    "Heh... Well, I don''t really have much to say about it. It is half daemon, so we have to deal with it, but it''s also half human. We don''t know who''s in charge of the body, the human or the daemon. I guess that''s why Martha doesn''t want us involved."


    "But then what about Aaron? Or Barry? What if they go after other Inquisitors."


    "Are you insinuating that Martha was wrong to send as away rather than let us hunt for it?"


    " That''s exactly what I''m saying."


    "Yeah. They are daemon. But get yourself involved, and the government will drag us through the mud because of it."


    "It''s our duty."


    "Thought you hated this life."


    Pop froze for awhile then grit his teeth. " Shut up."


    Leticia looked at him and smiled. " Thought so."


    "[AAAAAAAAAAARGH]" the half breed screamed in rage. " [Those damned men in black. They ruined it! They ruined it all! I could have evolved. If it wasn''t for them. It was so close.SO CLOSE!!]" The daemon began thrashing it''s powerful tail around, splashing dirty water about and destroying the walls of the sewer.


    "[I''ll kill them. I''ll kill them all. I''ll kill them, I''ll kill them, I''LL KILL THEM!]"


    "You killed all those people and that wasn''t enough?"


    " [No! I need more. More, more, more, MORE!]"


    " I''ll never allow you."


    The half breed stopped momentarily, shaking violently as black foam began to ooze out of its mouth. It was, however, only momentarily. The half breed fell to it''s knees, letting out a laugh that resounded through the sewers.


    "[I admire your strength, Juno, but I''ve become much stronger, stronger than before.]"


    There was silence in its mind. The human had fallen unconscious. Smiling, it walked away, satisfied. But still boiling with rage.

 Debt

    Jacquez was right. There were daemon in the city. Why the guy hadn''t dealt with it himself was a wonder. Like he didn''t care. Blake grunted. Talk about attitude. The building was used to store steel pipes before they were shipped elsewhere. Thankfully, most of the guys had left already and the few that had stayed gladly listened to him to leave.


    That left him alone to deal with the daemon. Two of them.


    Blake always wondered why the came the way they did. So deformed and not symmetric like humans. Ah well, it was not his job to question. Drawing out his dagger, Blake jumped down on one of the daemon''s back, stabbing it in the head over and over again. The daemon cried in agony, trying to pry him of his back. The second one charged at him, roaring at him. Blake jumped back onto the wall behind him and propelled himself at the daemon, ready to strike.


    A third daemon emerged from behind the row of pipes, slamming Blake against the wall. Blake grunted as he got up to his feet. Two two daemon approached him, their claws ready. Blake smiled.


    "Bring it on then."


    "This was a terrible idea, Ives." Ricardo said.


    "Yeah, it''s almost midnight. He could be dead, you know." Zhao added.


    "If he''s dead, then he''s weak. And we don''t need the weak on our team, do we?"


    "No. But still..." Ricardo looked at Jacques for a while shaking his head. Once Ives had made up his mind, there was no turning back from it.


    "Two minutes left," Zhao said, "We better start going to look for the guy."


    "I agree... "


    "Wait." Ives said, his eyes still on the door. The room was silent for a while. Then the door squeaked open. Blake Summers walked into the room, limping on one leg, stopping right in front of Ives, much to the shock of Zhao and Ricardo. He raised his right hand, revealing three daemon cores. Then he crushed them to pieces. Blake grit his teeth as he fell back into the arms of Zhao Fan, falling unconscious.


    Ives smiled. "Yeah. He''s in."


    "Oh you don''t say, huh." Ricardo barked in annoyance.


    "Still no sign of the target," the shield agent said on his coms. "What now, Vander?"


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    "Continue the search." Vander said, "We can''t go back without at least a clue."


    "But, sir, these are daemon, we should let the Inquisitors handle it." Another shield agent said, "That''s what they do best after all."


    "Agreed sir."


    "Orders are orders, Bernard. Quit whining and continue searching.


    " Yes sir. " The two shield agents said. Vander continued to move through the mucky waters of the sewer. It was just a quick routine check but it seemed like the special daemon hadn''t passed through this area. Ironic, since this was the farthest away from where it had entered from.


    "Um... sir?"


    "What Ronny?"


    "There''s something you''ve got see. There are cannisters here with more daemon."


    "What? How many? "


    "Three..."


    "Stay there, I''ll be right with you. Bernard get to my location. "


    No response. Vander made a right turn, tracking both Bernard and Ronny. Bernard was close, but he wasn''t responding.


    "Bernard, respond."


    Still no response.


    "BERNARD?!"


    Vander stopped dead in the water, looking at the bloody remains of Bernard. He puked.


    He looked up at the tracker to see that Ronny was gone. "Ronny, do you copy."


    No response.


    "Dammit!"


    Vander slowly walked backwards, unaware of the figure that was looming over him...


    "Again." Martha said to Sarah, who grunted again. Closing her eyes, she began to channel her licht energy through her body, from the very strand of hair to the tip of her toes.


    "Again."


    She was getting tired of this. She had been doing this since yesterday. Brandon and Rachel had already left, not even saying goodbye. Blake was gone already, or was abducted by Ricardo, as she had seen the poor guy being dragged away. Leaving her to continue her training with Martha Hill.


    "Again."


    Martha was much stricter than Kyler in her opinion. She was barely even looking at her, her eyes buried in the pile of papers she was working on-loads of records of daemon executed of which Diego had refused to take care of.


    Come to think of it, she barely knew Martha. She had been born in this very mansion and grew up with her sister and Shino, a much older kid by then. Martha walked in one day, with an angry expression on her face, then the daemon incident hit and then she was rescued by her. And that was the most she remembered.


    "Again."


    "Come-on !" Sarah stood up in anger, "What did I do wrong, huh."


    "You''re so lost in your thoughts that you can''t even tell, huh?"


    Sarah muttered under her breath.


    "Your licht energy is breaking up, the more you lose concentration. It''s like you''re not even here to begin with."


    "S... sor..."


    The doors burst open, revealing three shield agents. Sarah turned, confused. The three shield agents shoved her out of the way, as if she was a nuisance


    "Hey!" Martha bellowed, her voice filled with anger and malice, something that shook even Sarah, "Have the courtesy to treat my recruits with respect.


    "We have orders." one of them said.


    "Orders. Orders to shove people around? Or orders to barge in the office of a prime Inquisitor?"


    "Well he''s not here." A voice said, belonging to Special officer of the Shield.


    "Shasha." Martha spat out in disgust.


    "Hey girl, how''s it been?"


    "What the hell do you want?"


    "What? Can''t I just have a friendly chat with my dear Martha Dark."


    Dark? Sarah was confused. Martha''s surname was Hill. Not Dark. Why was...


    The truth dawned on her from deep within her imaginations. That angered expression she''d seen years ago, it had been because of this exact reason.


    "Martha of the fallen Great Family of Dark," Shasha said, "Colonel Elizabeth Lionharte says you have a debt to pay. "

 Debt 2

    Blake continued to stare at Ives, a frown on his face. Ives didn''t stare back, enjoying the french fries laid before him.


    "Give up," Zhao said, "This is how he''s always been."


    "Sending newbies to their deaths?"


    "Mmmm... sort of."


    "Nevermind that," Ives said, "How did you find them, the daemon."


    "Searched the entire city."


    "In a couple of hours."


    "I''m fast."


    "Hmm." Ives sat back, taking a bite of his chicken nugget. "Interesting."


    "On the more serious note, good job, kid." Ricardo said, rejoining them.


    "Thanks." Blake said, "Couldn''t have done it without Mr. Ives''s instructions."


    "Glad to extend a helping hand." Ives replied with a smile.


    "Chill out guys," Zhao said. "We''re a crew, gotta stick together."


    "Yeah, right." Ives said, "Can''t trust the guy who''s technique I don''t know."


    "Come on. It''s not a problem." Zhao defended.


    " Actually it is. " Ricardo said." So let''s do the introductions again. I''m Ricardo Helms. My licht technique is Delay, allowing me to deal a double impact any time it channel it into my fists. Zhao."


    "Do I? I kinda love secrets."


    "I didn''t say reveal everything. Just your name and what you can do. "


    "Ugh. Zhao Fan. I use a licht weapon composed of a blade and a chain. Happy?"


    "Good. Ives?"


    "Let the kid go first." Ives said with a smile. Blake rolled his eyes.


    "Blake Summers. I can manipulate the soul."


    All eyes turned to Blake, including the eavesdroppers on the next table.


    "What? "


    "I''m sorry.... what?" Ricardo exclaimed.


    "I can manipulate the soul. "


    "In what way?" Zhao Fan asked.


    "Well, I can eject my soul out of my body in a form that is intangible and invisible. I can also manipulate and attack anything with a soul."


    "Except daemon." Ives said.


    "Yes."


    "Wait, so you can literally hit everyone here at once?" Ricardo asked.


    "Yes. "


    "Damn, that''s so cool. " Zhao complimented.


    "Doesn''t work on daemon." Ives said.


    " We know! " Ricardo, Zhao and Blake said.


    "By the way," Ives began, "Is your name Summers or Ald...?"


    "Um ... Ives, explain your licht technique." Ricardo reminded.


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    "Its Summers." Blake explained.


    "You sure about that?."


    "Hello, Ives, explain your technique."


    "Do you know a Miranda Summers, then?"


    "This is beginning to sound more like an interrogation now." Blake said,


    "Ives."


    "Give up, Ricardo." Zhao Fan said.


    "Just curious, that''s all." Ives answered. "Oh and I would like you to send a message to Kl..."


    " Ives, would you please explain your licht technique. "


    Ives stared at Ricardo and smiled. "I can zoom in on anything I have within my sights, even if it was in the corner of my eye."


    "Good, now."


    The eavesdropper sighed, shaking his head. These days licht techniques were becoming much crazier by the second. He even heard of a guy that could see through objects. Things did not end well when that guy revealed it to his female friends.


    The doors to the restaurant opened, revealing two shield agents, one of the was a special officer.


    "Good morning," The first agent said, "My name is Timothy, and I''ve been asked to bring you in."


    All eyes turned to Blake.


    "Did you do anything wrong last night Blake!?" Zhao asked.


    "No. Well, I did leave my body next to an old homeless guy to watch over before ejecting my soul out but nothing to them."


    "Beat it, we don''t take orders from you."


    " This command comes from Colonel Elizabeth Lionharte." The Shield agent said with a smile, "And Martha Dark herself. "


    "Tch." Ives spat. "This again, huh?"


    The recruits watched as the vehicle came to a halt, and as Martha Hill, or Martha Dark was escorted by Shasha and two other shield agents. Sarah alighted as well, being directed to the other recruits.


    " Ah, If it isn''t Sarah." Shawn called, "How''s it been?"


    "Swell." She replied.


    "Welcome to the Shield Boston Base." Ekaterina said, shaking her hand as well. "Feel at home."


    "This is a Shield base, not a hotel." Lukas said, "She better be on edge."


    "Glad to see you haven''t changed." Sarah replied.


    "Hey, It''s not too late to join us you know." Felicity said, "Ekaterina says your quite good."


    "Don''t try it," Lukas said, "Sarah''s been an Inquisitor since the day she was born. She''s not going to budge."


    "Blah. blah. blah. Good lord, you guys sure are chummy and all." Spen said as he walked up to her. "Where''s Blake Summers?"


    The Dark family. One of the great families that was removed years before the 2nd daemon incident. The head of the family was imprisoned in Tartarus before being executed while their children were sentenced to life serving the Inquisitors. However, the eldest of the two was killed before he could even start the punishment, leaving Martha alone.


    Martha stood with her hands akimbo in front of the metal door, impatient. She took no notice of the eyes that watched her, the eyes filled with envy and hate. Save two pairs of eyes that is.


    "Ms Martha." The first man said, "Captain Reynolds. This man is Dr. Victor Vott."


    Martha shook both their hands. "May I know why the bitch wants to see me."


    "Um..."


    "She hasn''t disclosed that to us." Dr. Vott said, saving his comrade.


    "Great.,"


    The metal doors opened and three went inside, seeing the holographic image of Elizabeth Lionharte.


    "Good evening, Miss Dark." Elizabeth Lionharte said


    "What do you want now, Lionharte."


    "Oh, nothing difficult. Nothing that you can''t handle that is."


    "Hurry up with it."


    "Ah... impatient as always." She smiled, "Your men didn''t finish the job, Barry and Aaron that is."


    The two men shuddered as Martha''s licht energy rose, flaring up and bursting into blue flames.


    "The hell did you say?!"


    "The truth, isn''t it?" Elizabeth said coldly, "They failed to kill those daemons and now it''s running amok the city sewers. Reynolds over there had already lost three of his men, and we can''t have more dead because of your mistake."


    "My mistake?" Martha yelled, "It was not your men that died. And second of all, those daemons were not our problem. They were yours. Your Half-breeds."


    Victor looked at the bewildered Reynolds with a smile on his face. Elizabeth smiled.


    "They are half-breeds. But they still are daemon as well. So that makes them half of your problem"


    "I refuse."


    "Hmmm. Right. Refusal is always an option. But still, I didn''t call you here to go on a mission. Even I can''t command the personal aide of a prime. Its interesting, really. Even despite your debt to us, you still managed to find a loophole. I called you here to oversee your Inquisitors."


    "I sent them all away."


    "And as smart as your plan was, some didn''t make it out of the city. What were their names again, ah yes, Ives Jacques, Ricardo Helms, Zhao Fan and... Blake Summers... "


    Martha''s fist smashed into the machine, cutting the feed. She grit her teeth in disgust.


    "Captain Reynolds. Barry O''Neil spoke highly of you, but if anything happens to them, if anything happens to Blake Summers, I will personally drag you down." Martha said as she stormed off. Reynolds stood there, scared. Victor sighed.


    "This is going to be interesting."


    "Colonel Elizabeth''s taking this too far. She knows that the Inquisitors will finish the job quickly." Reynolds said.


    "She just doesn''t know what they''d do..." Dr. Vott said, "When they find out about the rest of the Half-breeds.


    The Shield agent watched as Martha exited the room, her blue flames still on her. He had heard everything, his licht technique Echo, was the reason. He walked over to the balcony, waving at a few ''friends'' before leaving. Making sure he was alone, he took out her cell phone.


    "This is Mole to Foundation. I''ve got bad news. The Shield just got the Inquisition involved. I repeat, the Inquisitors are now working with the Shield."

 The Bright

    "This really is Alaska, huh?" Brandon said, "Kinda chilly.


    " We need a place to stay first. " Jake said, "Shiro what are our options?"


    "Under a bridge, an abandoned car, a rundown warehouse... a trash bin?"


    "What?!" Brandon exclaimed, "A motel is what you''re supposed to say."


    "Um... what money are we paying with?" Shiro asked.


    "I thought Inquisitors don''t pay anything?"


    "We don''t." Jake said, "Everything we use I''d handled by the great families, however not everyone approves of it. So still, the abandoned car is as comfortable as it gets."


    "Besides we came to kill daemon, not go on a joy ride."


    "Yeah." Brandon groaned, "You''ve been saying over and over again."


    "Oh, by the way," Jake said as the exited the airport. "Why did you bring the spear?"


    Brandon examined the spear. "Why not?"


    "Don''t you already have a rei?"


    "I was hoping I could try and use it, you know when we''re not fighting daemon."


    Shiro looked at Brandon from behind.


    Brandon Pratt. He was the kind of guy that was always determined. He joined the Inquisitors because he wanted to save as many people as he could from daemon attacks. To be fair, that was a reason that Jake had given as well, but Jake had the strength to do so. Brandon did not. One glance at him and it was like looking at the average person. Average licht energy, although his channeling was quite on point. Aside the fact that he was compatible with a rei, there was nothing much to him


    But Shiro knew what he was up to. It wasn''t going to end well, especially given that Brandon, despite his calm demeanor was not in the right state of mind.


    The trio hopped into a taxi.


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    "Where too?" the taxi driver asked.


    "Honestly..." Jake began.


    "... we have no idea."


    "New Inquisitors, huh?" the taxi driver asked.


    "The young one is," Jake answered , "The two of us haven''t been assigned here before."


    "No wonder." the woman sighed, "I hear that there''s a rogue somewhere in the next town, I''ll take you to him, but you better pay up before you leave."


    "Sure, thanks."


    "Um... What''s a rogue?" Brandon asked.


    "They are daemon hunters." Shiro said, "They''re self proclaimed daemon hunters."


    "Well it isn''t a bad thing, is it?" The taxi driver said, "You guys don''t go everywhere. Not to touch a nerve."


    "Don''t worry." Shiro said, turning back to Brandon "Rogues take the weapons of fallen Inquisitors and use them to fight daemon. They''re normally in places that Inquisitors don''t go to, or have no Inquisitors to go there."


    " And the Shield? "


    "the Shield?" the taxi driver laughed, "Listen kid, the Shield only wants attention, not to do their actual job."


    The cab hit a stone, causing the passengers to jump up. The spearhead tore a hole through the car''s roof. Shiro and Jake looked at Brandon and back at the taxi driver.


    "Oh I''m not worried about it." The taxi driver said with a smile, "You''re paying for that too."


    The taxi arrived at the small town. The three alighted and Shiro began to take a couple of notes from his pocket.


    "Hey look who has cash on hand." Jake said with a smile.


    "Well because of someone''s spear, we aren''t going to use it."


    "Aww shucks." Brandon said.


    A sudden boom caused them all to turn. The trio all run in the direction of the explosion, leaving the taxi driver.


    Shiro arrived there first. The daemon was 7 ft tall with wings on it''s back. It''s right arm was white.


    "Damnit." Shiro cried, activating his rei, a halo: Rings of Saturn. Levitating it between his hands he began to spin it rapidly. The halo then duplicated into 7 other halos, attacking the daemon from random directions. The daemon swatted them away flying high up into the sky. The daemon then came charging down with rapid speed at Shiro, too fast for the rings to hit him.


    Brandon came into view, thrusting the spear into it''s chest. The daemon tried to charge up a vest?rer in its white arm only to have it sliced of by Jake. Brandon drove it deeper, twisting the blade. The blade then transformed , broadening up, widening up the wound. The daemon shrieked, grabbing Brandon and throwing him down. The daemon tried to fly away only for a sapphire ray of energy to slice it in half, falling to the ground.


    The culprit came into view, a young man in black jeans and an orange jacket. He had a scythe in one hand.


    "Color me blind." He said, "It''s the Inquisitors. We don''t see you around here."


    "Well..." Jake didn''t finished his line but stopped. He looked at the weapon in the hand of the rogue in utter disbelief. Before Jake could say another word, Shiro charged right at the rogue, pinning him to the ground, conjuring a halo and pointing it at the man''s face.


    "Dude, what the hell?!"


    "Where did you get that scythe?"


    "What?! Its mine."


    Brandon came to Jake''s side, confused. He looked at Jake for some answers but didn''t get any. Jake only looked on with concern.


    "That scythe doesn''t belong to you! It belongs to Sakura! WHERE IS SHE!!"

 The Bright: Spurn

    The rogue sat on top of the rubble, massaging the place that his head had hit. Shiro stood still, leaning on a torn down wall, his eyes on the horizon.


    "Good," Jake said, "Now that you''ve all calmed down, let''s start the introductions again."


    "I''m Brandon Pratt."


    " And I don''t care." The rogue said, "You guys should leave. We don''t need your help."


    "Look, we''ve been assigned here," Jake said, "We can''t leave until another Inquisitor comes and replaces us. "


    "That''s why I''m here." the rogue said."What? You think I''m not good enough. This rei chose me. I am compatible."


    "Yeah," a man said, approaching the four daemon hunters. "Vincent''s all we need. Not some Inquisitors who barely shows up."


    "Sorry, but we aren''t leaving until we''ve been called back." Jake said. "It isn''t our decision."


    "Ow!" Brandon cried as a stone hit him on the head. He stood up to see a small girl, staring at him angrily.


    "Get out of this town, daemon hunters." A woman said, "We don''t need you here."


    "We will," Shiro said, "But not without that scythe."


    "The scythe is mine." Vincent said.


    "Yeah. Just because your Inquisitors, doesn''t mean that its yours." the man said, "Its what protects us around here, when you guys don''t."


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    "Get lost."The little girl said. Brandon looked at her and sighed sadly. Weren''t Inquisitors supposed to be welcomed? Why the hate from them.


    "Not without the scythe." Shiro insisted


    "Then your going to have to... " Vincent''s words were barely out of his mouth when Shiro grabbed his face and drove it to the ground, knocking the scythe out of his hand. Shiro grabbed the scythe and pointed it at the rogue.


    "Damn you!" The man cried, charging at Shiro.


    "Stand back Mr. Winston. " Vincent said firmly. "Go on then, kill me."


    Shiro stared at Vincent and grunted, driving his scythe into the ground. He got down from the house, walking away, his hands in his pocket.


    "Shiro wait!" Brandon cried, about to go after him. Jake stopped him, shaking his head. He walked up to Vincent and outstretched his hand.


    "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot. My name is..."


    "I don''t care." Vincent said, slapping Jake''s hand away. "As far as I''m concerned, we don''t need you here. We''ve been doing fine on our own."


    "Its not like the last of your guys didn''t make matters any better over here." Another man said, "Go back to wherever you came from."


    The crowd became more and more angry, some throwing stones at them. It was clear that they didn''t want anything to do with them. Jake sighed, nodding to Brandon to follow him. Brandon sighed, looking back at the crowd. Jake patted him on the back.


    "That''s right." Someone in the crowd said, "Get out of here!"


    "Yeah!"


    The two walked up to where Shiro was, who was waiting patiently beside a pole. He glanced at them and looked away.


    "So are we just going to leave?" Brandon asked, his head bent.


    "No, we''ll stick around. But not in the town."


    "The forest, huh?" Shiro sighed. "Can I patrol alone?"


    Jake sighed. "Yeah. But don''t do anything reckless. If anything contact me immediately."


    "Sure thing." Shiro said, walking off.


    "What do we do now?" Brandon asked.


    "Well, the forest is big after all. So we go and patrol the rest of it."


    *Achhooo!*


    Kyler sneezed, rubbing his nose in his sleeve, "Sorry about that," Kyler said, what were you saying again?"


    " I need you back in Boston." Martha said, "It''s the Shield again. They''re trying to get us mixed up in their mess."


    "Thought they''d do that. And here I was thinking you missed me."


    "Yeah, right, I''ll see you then."


    "Bye." Kyler hanged up. "Well, Sharon, I leave the daemon here to you. Happy hunting."


    "Its my day off." Sharon whined.


    "I know."

 Bad Batch 2

    The vehicle came to a halt and the six individuals alighted. The streets had been cleared, with a crowd of people standing behind a blue line, a barrier of the shield one might say. The police were making sure that the citizens didn''t cross the line, as there were a few eager journalist that were waiting for the chance to jump over and interrogate them. The journalist became even more excited on seeing the Inquisitors, taking more and more pictures.


    "Ah," Zhao Fan said, "We''re going to be more famous than we already are."


    "Cut it out, Zhao." Ricardo said, "Let''s get this over with and be on our way. "


    "Agreed." Blake and Ives said in unison.


    "Would you look at that," Ricardo smirked, "The two of you do get along, huh?"


    "Hell no." Blake said.


    "Indeed." Ives added.


    "If you''re done with your bickering, then please come this way." Timothy said, "We don''t have all day."


    "Ugh... my head hurts having to work with them." Zhao said.


    "Not like we have an option." Ricardo said.


    The four entered a big van were a large table was set with a familiar, but crackled image was showing. Immediately, Zhao Fan, Ives Jacques and Ricardo stood clear of the feeds sight, leaving only Blake.


    "What the ¡­? " Timothy stuttered in confusion, "We don''t have all day you know."


    "She''s pissed." Zhao said, "Not good for us."


    "Especially us." Ricardo added.


    "And him?" Timothy said, pointing at Blake, still confused.


    "He''ll do fine. He''s new. " Ives said.


    Blake stared at them and back at the feed.


    "Um... they don''t want to speak to you." Blake said


    "I heard. " Martha said, "You guys should have left Boston a long time ago. But here we all are."


    "Sorry. "


    " Not your fault, kid. But I should warn you, this is the Shield, they don''t care about Inquisitors so be careful. Stick with the others at all times."


    "Yes ma''am. "


    "Good" Martha paused before continuing, "Dr. Vott will now brief you on the mission."


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    A young man with neatly combed hair and glasses came into view.


    "Good day." The man greeted. "I am Dr. Victor Vott."


    "Blake Summers."


    "Summers... ah nevermind." The man said, "Anyway, you''ve been assigned to take care of the two daemon that escaped. Note that these daemon are special types and should be treated as such. They are dangerous, using the sewers to their advantage. So be very careful."


    "Special. You mean Half..."


    "I''m going to have to stop you right there, dear Inquisitor." Dr. Vott said, cutting Ricardo short. "While I do think its unwise to hide it from you, I am ordered to remain silent."


    "Ah... at least there are still honest people in the shield."


    "I wish you good luck on your mission, Inquisitors. " Dr. Vott said, turning of the comms."


    Ricardo looked at Blake, then at his other crew members, then at the sewer.


    "Guess there''s no other out of this, huh?"


    "Yeah."


    The four headed towards the sewer cover, with two other Shield agents who met them.


    "This is Shasha." Timothy said, "She''s going to be part of this operation.


    "Nice to meet you." She said with a smile. "I look forward to working with you."


    "Let''s split up in three groups." Ives said, ignoring the greeting. "Ricardo and I will be the first. Zhao, you go with the guy."


    "But he''s not my type." Zhao Fan whined.


    Timothy flinched, a vein popping on his face.


    "Exactly." Ives said, "Kid, you go with her."


    "Ms. Martha said we should work together." Blake replied.


    "Yeah, but it''ll cover more ground." Ricardo said, walking away with Ricardo, who was still wondering his place in the crew.


    "Besides, it being you, I doubt she''d pull something stupid." Jacquez said with a smile


    "Don''t worry," Shasha said, "You have my word."


    "I wasn''t talking to you." Jacquez said.


    "Come on," Timothy said, walking after them. Blake stood still for a while.


    "Don''t worry kid, I don''t bite." Shasha said.


    "Not worried about that." Blake said. He himself couldn''t tell what it was but it was just this feeling. A feeling of dread. Like something ominous was down there."


    The Shield agent mole observed them, hands in pockets. This was a problem. Four Inquisitors at the same time was not something they could handle on their own. They had the men, yes, but getting them to the canisters was going to be a hassle. He couldn''t blow his cover as well. The spy passed by Bree, who was examining the bodies of Vander and his two agents. Honestly speaking, the half-breeds were really thorough but viscous at the same time. When he had seen the bodies, he had puked.


    But then again, it was their fault to begin with. This was all for the Foundation. For the Foundation.


    Sarah looked on at the whole events taking place in Boston. She was surprised to see Blake, thinking that Ricardo had already left. But then again, it was them. The Bad Batch.


    "Heard they sent those murderers to take care of the specialised daemon." she heard a Shield agent say.


    "Yeah. Perfect. Killer kills killer."


    "If they had that punk Kyler Tason, that team would be complete."


    "I know, right?"


    Sarah glared at them, indicating that she had heard what they had said. The two shield agents walked away. She sighed, shaking her head. Even if they were murderers, Zhao Fan was still her closest friend. Nobody spoke ill of her friends.


    "Sad, isn''t it." A man said, handing her a cup of warm Choco. "The way people view the Inquisitors."


    "Y... yeah. Thanks."


    "Oh, no worries. My name is Dr. Victor Vott. I''ve been asked to help on the case."


    "You''re one of them?" Sarah asked.


    "The Shield? Oh no, a temporary arrangement nothing more."


    "No, one of the members of the Ragnarok Society?"


    Dr. Vott smiled. "Interesting. You seemed young, so I assumed that you wouldn''t know of us."


    "My sister spoke of you guys once. Said she had a run in with them."


    "Did she say what happened."


    "Yeah, she made a bet with them and won. Then she made them buy her lunch."


    "Really?" Dr Vott exclaimed, curious. "Your sister sure is an interesting one. What was your sister''s name? I''d love to find out who it was she go the upperhand off."


    "Rebecca. Rebecca Stone."

 Weight

    A White. A daemon that had evolved.


    A daemon started of as smudge. Black goo without form nor shape. Then it slowly began to gain its core from the minute licht energy in the air, gaining its shape as well before targeting bigger prey. As it devoured more, white veins began to show on its body, before its black skin began to slowly flake off, until it had reached its full white stage with the ability to fire a vestorer that devoured anything in its path.


    And that was the same kind daemon of daemon that Rachel was staring in the face right now.


    Fear had gripped her a while ago. Her legs couldn''t move, shaking where she stood. Her eyes were wide open.


    She was going to die.


    Behind her Queens was unconscious, bleeding on his side. The daemon had barely miss his organs, but a blow to the head was a blow to the head. Nothing could change that.


    [Hehehe] the daemon laughed. [Afraid?]


    Afraid? Of course she was. The very fact that the daemon could speak was entirely new to her. Since when. She didn''t know the Whites could speak, as absorbing licht energy was them basically taking on the properties of humans.


    Her strength returned as she slowly backed away. Should she ran away? Hide? Call for help? Should she use Queens as bait? Would that even work?


    Questions ran through her mind, as tears rolled down her cheeks. There was no way she was going to die here. Absolutely no way.


    In a blink of an eye, the daemon was right in front of her, holding her chin.


    [Pretty thing] It said, [With pretty licht energy. Perfect as a light lunch]


    Rachel looked down to see the daemon''s other hand at her stomach, charging up a vest?rer. Was this it? Rachel closed her eyes. She wished she could do something, anything.


    "Queens!" She shouted. The guy, however, was still unconscious. "QUEENS!!"


    [So his name is Queens?] The daemon asked, [Interesting.] The daemon stopped the charge. Rachel fell to the ground. The daemon smiled. [I''ll give you a choice... no I won''t... Hahaha.] the daemon laughed until it could laugh no more. [Sorry, its just that it feels so good to be evolved. So much power!]


    "You monster!" Rachel managed to say.


    [Meh... something had to be.] the daemon said nonchalantly, bending down in front of her.[Monsters are the reason for change after all, whether it''s a good or bad one.] The daemon stood up and began pacing. Rachel watched him and looked back at Queens. He was losing too much blood. She slowly crawled to his side, her eyes still on the daemon.


    [ Ah, yes, perfect.] the daemon said, [ Ever heard of that game that goes like ini-mini-tiger something.]


    Rachel stared at it in shock. The daemon smiled, [So you have. Perfect. I heard it myself from a couple of kids some days ago. Well, they aren''t around anymore... Anyway, let''s play...]


    Rachel stared straight at the daemon, knowing that this time she was going to make it.


    [Ini.. mini...]


    BOOM!


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    Rachel looked away as the daemon''s head exploded. The daemon''s body fell backwards not a sound from it.


    A woman came into view, wearing a long black Inquisitor coat. She had cyan hair and brown eyes and her right arm was replaced with a smoking hot cannon.


    "Sup."


    "The name''s Kanon." She said, handing Rachel the cup of hot coffee. "It''s not my real name, but you don''t need to know what that is."


    "How... How did you take it out..."


    "In one shot? Ha. I wouldn''t be the aide of a prime if I didn''t know how."


    Rachel looked back at the building. The police were taking out the numerous bodies of the victims of the daemon. They were ten in number, all decayed, only a few that were fresh. They were three children, and the rest were adults. Apparently, none of them were from this town.


    "Will Queens ... be alright?"


    "Hopefully." Kanon said. "He lost a lot of blood so, we can only pray."


    Rachel grit her teeth.


    "Hurts, doesn''t it. Staring in the face of a daemon and unable to do shit. I know. But trust me, happens to all of us. Even the best of us."


    "How can you be so calm? "


    "Because I am. "


    Rachel stood up angry. "There are people who have just died and you are not even sad? Queens could have died, I could have died and yet... "


    "I''m acting like its just a normal day of the week."


    Kanon stood up. "If you aren''t up for this, just quit, girl. The Inquisition has no place for the weak."


    "Like hell I would."


    "Then stop whining and grow up."


    "I already have."


    " When you were in that building, when you saw that daemon, were you focused on killing it, or surviving. "


    Rachel didn''t answer.


    " I thought so. Because at the end of the day, its about living to see the next day huh? "


    Kanon grabbed Rachel and pulled her up to her feet.


    "Listen up, girl, I am really nice, I really really am. In fact I could say that I am the nicest amongst all of the other aides of the primes but I find your weakness disgusting. If you feel that you''re not up for the challenge, leave now.There''s a reason why the Inquisitors have open doors for both entry and exit. Just because you have some flashy licht technique doesn''t mean you have what it takes. There are more people out there much more capable that you are who decided to live a normal life. But once you join the Inquisitors, you fight with your LIFE ON THE LINE!"


    She let go of Rachel.


    "So you''re saying that I should have been able to defeat a white," Rachel asked.


    "I''m saying that you should have tried."


    "Whites are the elite of the daemon?"


    Kanon laughed out loud. "Elite? A daemon that you can tell became a white recently and you call that elite. Hahaha." She shook her head. "Then what would you call the monstrosity we call Phantoms? Or whites that have been around for decades. Or Sins?"


    She began to walk away.


    "If you want to mourn, go ahead, but I''ve got daemon to kill. So you stay there with all that weight on your shoulders or you could follow me, and let me teach you what it means to be an Inquisitor. "


    Rachel stood up, with boiling blood.


    "Queens?"


    "Don''t worry about Queens," Kanon said," If he dies, then he dies an Inquisitor. The question is... are you going to be a crybaby or are you going to bury your dead, and follow me?"


    The West Branch was the same as always. Never really changed much. But it being empty was absurd.


    "Bloody hell, " The Inquisitor sighed, walking up the stairs. She had come here for an assignment, only realize that she had been a little late. A flight delay.


    The actual reason was that she had been on a date. But then, who would ever find out. Certainly not Owen, who minded his on business at all times. Besides, even if he knew, he wouldn''t say. He was from the Tartarus Branch in Russia. Which meant he was not supposed to be here.


    "Ah... alone in an empty mansion." She said, "I could have my nails done, get a new makeover."


    "Sleep."


    "Sorry, but the two of us have different ideals."


    "Well that''s obvious. But aren''t the barracks downstairs. "


    "You mean the beds. "


    "Same thing."


    " Who would want to sleep in those hard disgusting beds."


    It was pointless. Reasoning with Claire Bridges was pointless.


    "But first, let''s check out Prime Diego''s office."


    "Hell no. "


    "Oh yes." Claire said, running into the office only to stop dead in her tracks.


    "Bloody..." She exclaimed.


    "Bloody?" The man said, staring at her, "That''s a nice unintended pun.


    " Y... you''re...Klaus Alderwolf."


    "Yes." Klaus said, looking at the scattered papers. The door had been wide open, something which had caught his attention since Martha always kept the doors closed. And the disorganization meant something had pissed her off. And the only thing that pissed her off was the Shield shenanigans.


    "By the way, Claire," Klaus began, "Weren''t you to be assigned with Jake and Shiro."


    "Ah yes... about that."


    "I don''t want to hear it. You, go back to Tartarus, and Claire, go to Alaska. I on the other hand have some business to attend to." Klaus said, walking out of the room.

 Bad Batch 3

    "Urgggghhh!" Ricardo groaned. "Look at all this filth. Shit and all."


    "Yeah. Get used to this." Jacques said, "This mission isn''t going to end soon."


    "You got that right."


    "And it doesn''t seem like the daemon even passed this way."


    "No." Ives said. "But it did take a turn ahead."


    Ricardo sighed. Jacques Ives''s licht technique was more than just zooming in and out. It also allowed him to see in the dark.


    "Didn''t mention that to Blake, did you, your night vision."


    "Oui. But he didn''t mention his as well."


    " He said his was soul. "


    " And you expect me to know what the hell that is."


    " Ah... "


    " He''s hiding a lot from us."


    " So are we."


    " No. We just don''t want to say. He on the other hand is actively hiding a lot from us. Like intentionally. "


    " That why you don''t like him? And what was that thing about his mother?"


    Ives looked at him. "So you do listen."


    "Huh?" Ricardo exclaimed, irritated.


    "I thought that entire conversation was just between the kid and I, since Zhao Fan cared less and you were trying to ask who was in charge. "


    " I''m not dumb. "


    " WOULD THE TWO OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP AND CONCENTRATE ON THE MISSION. " Martha said over the comms.


    " Forget comms existed for a second. " Ricardo said.


    "Yeah me too." Ives added, "My ears hurt."


    "The target is a half-breed, not some normal daemon. Be absolutely careful. "


    "Roger Roger." Ricardo said.


    "We always are. Just worry about the kid. "


    " Apparently where Zhao Fan and Blake are can''t be reached. So we can only monitor the heartbeat."


    " I don''t trust these Shield agents. "


    "They said they were part of Captain Reynolds'' elite."


    "Doesn''t make it safer. " Ricardo said


    "Yeah, not at all." Ives agreed.


    "Then trust me." The voice belonged to Captain Reynolds.


    "Well, " Ives said, "I don''t trust you to begin with. "


    "Hurry up already." Timothy called out, "We don''t have all day."


    "All night, you mean." Zhao replied.


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    " Whatever. "


    Zhao Fan smiled. " You don''t like me, do you. "


    " No. And I don''t like your squad."


    " May ask why? "


    " Why? "Timothy grit his teeth, turning to face her. "Jacques Ives. Former mercenary and assassin, taking out some of the most prominent men in the shield and the Inquisition. Ricardo Helms. Murdered three people in a gang fight over drugs. And you, " Timothy paused, getting closer to her, "Zhao Fan. Assassin. You have poisoned more people than a virus has killed at the mere age of just ten."


    Zhao Fan smiled. "Fall."


    "What the ... " Timothy exclaimed as he fell into the dirt water.


    " Hehehe, so lame." Zhao Fan giggled. " For one it was only ten people I poisoned."


    "Depends on who the ten people were."


    " So you''re saying if they were random people you wouldn''t care? And besides, to be fair, all the people who worked there didn''t make it out so... both rich and poor are dead. What''s the problem."


    " The problem is that... " Timothy stood up only to fall back into the dirty water. "The hell?"


    Zhao giggled.


    "Ah, so nice to bully people like you."


    "You''re a monster."


    "Um... the daemon are monsters. Not me."


    "Oh yeah. Talking about murder like it''s a game."


    "So are you afraid of me?"


    Timothy grunted. "While the hell should I be... "


    The blade was already at his neck. The cold hand of fear patted Timothy on the shoulder at that moment, as blood trickled down his cheek.


    "Wow. So much for bravery."


    "Damn you "


    "Damn me indeed. A girl just trying to make up for a mistake she was forced into. But hey, it''s not your fault. It''s just the records on me after all."


    " The Inquisition should have never picked you. "


    Zhao Fan rose up to her feet and began to play with her hair as she walked away.


    " Yeah. But they did. But who cares what we have to say! We killed people the world liked. As if you''re any different. You kill when they tell you to. We''re both murderers, but I guess the only difference between you and I is that I was an assassin, and you''re a soldier so its acceptable, huh?"


    "I''m nothing like you."


    "Suit yourself."


    Timothy tried to get up only to fall right back down


    "HEY!"


    "Hehehe."


    Of all the people, why her? Blake asked. She had literally began talking about weird stuff, about how she supported the movement of people that said that the earth was flat and how she loved crepes. He was dead bored. Heck so much had happened in the span of time he had joined that he just wanted to sleep.


    "... so, what about you?" Shasha said.


    "Me?"


    "Yeah, duh? Who else?"


    "Um ... what am I supposed to say."


    "All I know is that you''re some kid called Blake Summers and that you''re a newbie. Nothing more."


    "Well,... my dad''s an Inquisitor."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah."


    "What''s his name?"


    "I won''t say."


    "Come on... a hint."


    "Um... he doesn''t look like me."


    "Well that helps. So, why did you join the Inquisitors?"


    "I just felt like it. "


    "Really?"


    " Why does everyone respond that way. Is it a problem to do what you feel like. "


    " Well as long as it''s the right thing, yeah. But the Inquisition... that seems like a choice that requires a lot of thinking. Those your dad know. "


    "Um... no."


    "No?"


    "Yeah, no. Don''t tell my dad. "


    Shasha smiled. " I promise. But, in exchange, you have got to tell me a few a few things about you. "


    "There''s nothing to me."


    "Come on. Your obviously hiding something."


    "Everyone hides something. Everyone."


    "True. But you hide a lot more."


    Blake scratcher his head. "I guess that''s the way I am."


    Blake stopped. Turning to the tunnel on his left. Something was there. Something ominous.


    "What is it?"


    "There''s someone there. I think." Blake said. "Three people."


    "Could be some homeless guys."


    "With daemon in the sewer?"


    "Ah..."


    Blake skipped over the water, walking carefully through the dark. Shasha walked behind it. Looking at him, she could tell he was no ordinary kid. His aura was way of the charts. What kind of person had licht energy that made his hair glow? It was fascinating and at the same time terrifying. Imagine if a daemon got his hands on him.


    Blake reached the light, and was shocked by his discovery.


    Six canisters, three empty, three filled with daemon. "Oh..." Blake could only say.


    "Yeah, tell me about it." Shasha said, staring at them in awe.


    "The humans are still alive. It''s like..." Blake said, "It''s like they''re trapped."


    He turned to her. "We have to help them. They are still alive."


    "The comms are jammed."


    "Then we''ll just have to take them out of here." Blake said, "Let''s go call for..."


    There was a sharp eerie sound in his ear which caused him to freeze. And then he heard the gun fire once. The bullet it him below the rib. Blake fell backwards, grunting.


    Shasha sighed, putting the gun back in her holster. "Damnit." She said, "If only you just couldn''t sense them maybe I wouldn''t have to do this."


    "Why."


    "Well, a lot of reasons. Oh and don''t try channeling your licht energy. If you noticed, the bullets negate licht energy."


    "Bul... bullets?"


    "Yeah, bullets. I shot you thrice."


    Huh? Blake''s eyes widened. Thrice?


    "I really didn''t want to do this, I really didn''t. You seem like a nice kid. But then again, I have a job to do."


    " Wait, " Blake called, but Shasha was already gone, leaving him to bleed out on the floor.

 The Bright: Unworthy

    Shiro kicked the daemon to the ground, slicing off its neck. He threw another halo at a daemon on a tree, killing it instantly. Looking down, he grabbed a ball of snow and threw it at a tree. Shiro continued to do this over and over again.


    That scythe. That damned scythe. What was it doing all the way here? In this town that they barely knew about.


    Shiro shook his head. Now wasn''t the time. They were here on a mission. But, since the town already had a rogue, their presence was clearly not needed. They just needed to see if he could handle the situation well before going someplace else. It wasn''t like there weren''t other inquisitors in Alaska anyway.


    "So few daemon here." Brandon sighed, "I guess that''s why they really depended on a guy like that."


    "You don''t like him?" Jake asked with a small laugh


    "No...Its just that..."Brandon sighed again, "Why didn''t they like us? We haven''t even done anything to them."


    "Well, could be that the inquisitors that came here the last time were more demanding than they had in mind."


    "Not all inquisitors follow their duty, huh?"


    "Yeah, you''d be surprised." Jake said, kicking at the snow on the ground. "But, hey. Everyone has their priorities."


    "But we aren''t them!" Brandon exclaimed. "We are different. They didn''t even give us a chance to explain ourselves."


    "Well Shiro did assault their protector. So yeah, of course they''d be angry with us. But I get what you mean, kid."


    "So what now?"


    "Now? We just make sure that the rogue is capable. If he is, we skedaddle. If not, we have no choice but to either train him or relieve him."


    "That sucks, especially after they made it clear that they don''t like us."


    "Brandon, people always judge based on collectiveness. As long as the people who hurt them were inquisitors, that hate will always be towards other inquisitors, no matter how kind they may be. Its the same way a man would hate all daemon despite the fact that it was one specific one that killed his wife."


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    Brandon nodded.


    "But enough about that. If there are no daemon around, lets continue your training."


    "Sure thing." Brandon said, picking up Spearhead.


    "Um..., no not with that rei."


    "What?!"


    "I want you to fight me with your rei. Not Spearhead."


    "But how will I ever be compatible if I don''t try to use it?"


    "Why would you try to be compatible." Jake asked, drawing out two red blades, I don''t see the necessity. Do you?"


    "Yeah."


    Without warning, Jake charged at Brandon. Brandon barely had a chance to block the attack with the spear.


    "Your instincts are good. I''d give you that. But put that spear away. It isn''t yours."


    "Make me."


    Jake grinned. "Sure thing." Charging at Brandon, Jake thrust his blade at him. Brandon moved to the left to dodge, thrusting the spear at Jake, who took a step back to dodge. Brando twisted the blade''s handle, and the spear''s blade transformed, shrinking into a smaller but longer blade, forcing Jake to bend lower. Brandon charged in, kicking Jake in the stomach and sending him into a tree.


    "I win." Brandon said.


    "Rule number one kid." Jake said, "Never claim victory if your opponent is still on his feet."


    "Dude, we aren''t trying to kill each other."


    "Good point." Jake said, standing up straight. "But I never said that we have to beat each other up badly either."


    Before Brandon could react, Jake had slashed at him, cutting his uniform were his heart was. Jumping up, Jake landed on the spear as Brandon thrust it at him, pointing his other blade at him.


    "Checkmate kid."


    Jake backflipped off the spear, patting Brandon on the back.


    "Still doesn''t change anything. I''ll still use it." Brandon said.


    "Why though?"


    "I''m already compatible, duh?"


    "You mean the function to change the blade type? No, that''s not its ability. Spearhead could create an arsenal of spears. What you just did was something even I could do."


    "What?"


    "Yeah, I know."


    Brandon stood still for a while. "Then how am I going to ever be compatible. How am I going to be like Barry O''Neil."


    Jake looked at Brandon, bewildered. "So all this time you wanted to be like him because what, he''s cool? You''ve gotta be kidding me?"


    "Is there anything wrong with that? I liked him Jake. He was a good teacher, better than anyone else." Brandon cried. "I''m not going to let his legacy be in vain. Not now not EVER!"


    A silence settled around them as the sky grew darker. Night was falling. The two inquisitors stood facing each other.


    "Brandon." Jake sighed, "A lot of people admired Barry, not just you. A lot of people wanted to be like him. Just that, we all have different paths. This isn''t some fairy tail were things would go the way we want them to. You can never be compatible to Spearhead no matter how hard you try, but that doesn''t mean you can''t still imitate his footsteps. Pave your own path in his kid. In the meantime, I''m starving."

 Trust

    "Let go of her, Martha." Captain Reynolds ordered, holding. Martha''s hand which grasped the throat of Shasha like her life depended on it.


    Shasha gasped for air, trying to remove her hand, but it was to no avail, Martha Dark was not letting go, and the entire shield unit which was already armed to the teeth to stop her were no match for this kind of strength.


    "Martha Dark!" Dr. Vott steeped in, "If you kill her, you''ll be soiling your already hard earned reputation."


    "Does it look like I give a damn, man" Martha said, "I will snap her neck like a broomstick if I want to!"


    "She was ambushed by the daemon, you can see that shes badly injured."


    "I DON''T GIVE A DAMN, REYNOLDS. As for as I''m concerned Blake Summers is still down there. Give me two reasons why I should trust your word again?"


    A hand touched Martha''s side. Martha turned to see Margaret, one of the Elites of Shield. Looking at her in the eye, she grunted, letting Shasha drop to the ground.


    "Ives, Ricardo, do you read me."


    "Yeah... do... The sign..... r. "


    "Dammit!" Martha said, smashing the door of the van. She stormed out of it only to run into Sarah.


    "Ms Martha," She called, "Is there a problem?"


    Martha glared at her, momentarily sending shivers down her spine. Then Martha recognized her.


    "Ah... sorry." Martha said, her aura dying down, "I''m a bit pissed, that''s all."


    "Is there anything I can do to help?"


    "I don''t know," Martha said, "I just need some space alone, could you make sure no one comes looking for me?"


    "Yes."


    "Thanks."


    Shasha was rushed to the infirmary after passing out, leaving Captain Reynolds and a few other Shield agents.


    "So that''s the monster they call Martha Dark." Lieutenant Revana said, "Damn. To think we just watched her humiliate us. "


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    "Nothing we could do." Bree said, "I mean, it is our fault. After all, he was a rookie to begin with and a prodigy at that."


    "Yeah..." Reynolds said, "We''ve lost their trust."


    "We didn''t have it to begin with." Sergeant Hughes said.


    "We had a little bit." Dr. Vott said, chipping in from outside.


    "Didn''t ask you." Hughes replied.


    "Ah don''t mind me."


    "Bree, send a task force to look for the guy." Reynolds ordered


    "Already done sir."


    "Good."


    "But why did she stop when she saw Margaret?" Dr. Vott asked .


    "So she shouldn''t have?" Hughes asked


    "No, no, I''m just curious."


    Reynolds sighed. "Even if the entire Inquisition doesn''t trust us, they will trust Margaret, no matter how wrong she may be."


    "Why, she got some serious dirt on them?" Revana asked


    "No. During the 2nd Daemon Incident, she proved her worth to them. She alongside a few others."


    "She doesn''t look that old. "


    "Yeah. Exactly. She was raised by the Shield. " Reynolds said," She is one of the first Shield agents. "


    The crowd had only heard the outburst of Martha and of her storming out. But it was still heard. Now they were more excited than ever.


    " Ugh... the press." Felicity said, "Shawn, go deal with them."


    "in your dreams. You fo there and they''d find out your entire life history."


    "You can say that again." Ekaterina said.


    " Still though," Felicity said, looking at the busted door of the van. Must have been something serious. "


    "Yeah." Lukas agreed.


    "Yo doc." Spen called the doctor.


    " Hey! " Felicity cried, "You can''t just call a shield agent like that." Spen brushed her aside, walking up to Dr. Vott.


    " What''s up. "


    "The boy with the white hair is most likely dead." Dr. Vott said, "apparently it was an ambush."


    "What?" Sarah said, overhearing Dr. Vott, "No that can''t be."


    "I said most likely.". Dr. Vott said.


    "Hope they find him." Lukas said, "He was pretty powerful."


    "Yeah." Shawn said, "that licht energy of his was no little energy, I tell you."


    Dr. Vott turned to leave but stopped.


    "Spen, what are your thoughts?"


    Spen sighed. "He won''t die, not without a fight. And... " Spen hesitated before continuing, "Shasha must be lying."


    "What.? Felicity and Shawn exclaimed.


    "How dare you..." Ekaterina said, grabbing Spen by the collar.


    Dr. Vott smiled, "I see that you now do a lot more thinking these days."


    "Yeah, yeah." Spen said as he removed Ekaterina''s hand.


    "And you, Ms Stone? What do you think?"


    "Blake is alive. He''s tougher than he looks."


    "Very well. Then we shall have to wait and see what the results of the search are. "


    Blake looked at the blood. His blood. He was slowly losing consciousness, something which was a first for him.


    Aside the three Half-breeds, there was no one else around. He couldn''t tell. The bullets had negated his licht technique so till they were removed, he was useless. He sighed, looking at the camera. He did a small wave at it, out of boredom.


    Blake knew he wasn''t going to die. For some reason he knew. He thought so. For no reason at all. It was the feeling he got when asked about the reason for joining the Inquisitors. He just wanted too. He just felt that his place was here. Like his destiny, although he didn''t believe in stuff like that. But it was in a way, frightening. He was slowly losing his sense of touch. He was dying.


    But he couldn''t fall unconscious. If he did, then who knew what monster could try and kill him. He had to stay wide awake. He had to...


    He was already unconscious by the time he realized. Unaware of the figure that loomed over him.

 Blood

    Ives and Ricardo stared at the Shield agent in front of them, Ricardo vexed and Ives annoyed.


    "What?" Ricardo asked.


    "One of your men was ambushed. The one with the white hair, I think."


    "So much for trust huh?"


    "Wasn''t our fault that he got attacked. Maybe he was just weak."


    No sooner had he said this sentence than Ricardo''s hand outstretched and grabbed him by the hair. The man struggled to free himself but it was no use .


    "What did you say?"


    The commotion had caused the surrounding Shield agents to get involved, trying to free him.The journalists at the back began to stir, taking shots for their news.


    "Your guys are at it again." Felicity said to Sarah. Sarah looked at the people involved and turned her attention to her phone.


    " You''re not bothered? "


    " Why should I be? " Sarah asked, "If Ricardo is pissed, then it''s because he''s been offended. And nobody wants to against him when he''s pissed."


    " Really, is he that strong? " Shawn asked.


    " Yeah. "


    Ricardo finally let go of him, distracted by the arrival of Timothy and Zhao Fan.


    " Whats all this? " Zhao Fan asked. " Looks fun to me. "


    " Thought you''d be stronger than that, " the shield agent said.


    " Arrogant Inquisitors. "Another spat."


    "Hey!" Timothy bellowed. "Calm down all of you."


    "You have balls to say that, coming from a guy who can''t do his own job." Ricardo retorted.


    "Shut up!"


    "Hehehe." Zhao Fan giggled.


    The shield agent rushed at Ricardo on for his hand to be caught by Reynolds.


    "What is the meaning of this?"


    "Sir... I...."


    "A kid is trapped down there with at least one daemon and you guys have the time to argue? Get your areas back to work."


    The Shield agents dispersed, a few grumbling. The one who had tried to punch Ricardo grunted, eyeing Ricardo one last time.


    "Sorry about that."


    "Yeah," Ricardo said walking away. " You better be."


    Ricardo walked up to one of the buildings, sitting on the sidewalk. He hated the Shield. People as arrogant as them and he was expected to trust them. Well, look were that led to. Blake was dead.


    "Starting fights again."


    "Ah ... Sarah," Ricardo said, "How''ve you been."


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    "Okay, to say the least."


    "Nice. Glad to see that you''re cool with this."


    "Blake isn''t dead." She said boldly. "He''ll live. You should believe in him."


    "Believe, huh?" Ricardo smirked, "Yeah. I stopped doing that a long time ago."


    "Start now."


    The two looked up at Martha. "Trust the kid, Ric. He has the fight in him, that''s for sure."


    "Heh. Sure." Ricardo said, "That''s what we thought of Hope Tiedoll as well."


    A shield agent ran to them. "We have news, ma''am."


    "Have the search team returned?" Sarah asked, standing up.


    "Yes, but they didn''t find him.


    Sarah became horrified. Ricardo turned to Martha, the latter who was burning with rage.


    "And you have the gall to come here and report..."


    "N.. no. It wasn''t the reason I came." The shield agent said, "A prime has arrived. "


    Reynolds and the other officers sat facing the prime, Dr. Vott standing behind him. Of all the things to happen today, why this? The officers all thought.


    Klaus Alderwolf. The Bloody Massacre. He sat with one hand on his chin, patiently waiting, the scar on his left eye making him intimidating. Klaus was the type that never spoke unless he needed to and was the one prime that most people rarely saw. But he was a prime and a member of the Alderwolf family. He was one person that no one dared to mess with.


    Martha and Sarah arrived only to freeze upon seeing him.


    "Prime Klaus," Martha said, "I thought..."


    "That I wouldn''t be here?" He ended her line, "So did i. Not until I heard a rumor about a certain new recruit that you allowed to join without my permission."


    "Prime Klaus, the Inquisition is an open door,"


    "Not to those underage. And more importantly, why are you here anyway?"


    "She was aiding to look for daemon in the sewers."


    All eyes turned to the speaker, Dr. Vott. Dr. Vott looked back at the eyes and shrugged. Klaus looked at him and sighed


    " Ignoring the fact that the shield had to get help from the Inquisitors, I thought the House of Ragnarok was more into being secretive than working with others?"


    Dr Vott smiled, "We have a mutual understanding."


    Klaus sighed, turning back to Martha. "Where''s the kid?"


    "He isn''t here, sir." She replied.


    "And where is he?"


    "Alaska, with Jake."


    Was Klaus referring to Brandon? Sarah thought to herself. But he was a normal guy, he had nothing to do with Prime Klaus. Unless....


    "Mr Alderwolf, if you need help, we can offer you assistance." Revana said. Klaus didn''t say a word, only staring at Martha with a serious expression. Martha stared back.


    "When he gets back, have him sent back to Germany." Klaus said as he rose, leaving the van.


    "Yessir."


    "Oh, whatever case you''re handling here, do it quick and leave. You have other duties."


    "Yessir. "


    Almost immediately, a call came through on the large already smashed table. Reynolds pressed a button, revealing the image of Elizabeth Lionharte.


    "Have you found the daemon? "


    " No, ma''am." Reynolds replied, "We run into a bit of a complication."


    "If it isn''t Elizabeth Lionharte. " Klaus said. Elizabeth turned to see him and frowned. "My, my. Klaus Alderwolf. I heard you weren''t even in America."


    "I wasn''t. Arrived only sometime ago. I see you are it again, using my own Inquisitors to do your work."


    " Well, it''s your job after all. "


    " Yeah, as it is yours."


    " Look Klaus, I don''t have time. If you like you could even handle this by yourself. After all, you''re a prime. "


    The more Martha heard her voice, the more it aggravated her. Trying to get others to do her work by using the dirt she had on them. It was just so vile.


    "I could, true. But I won''t, " Klaus said, much to the shock of the officers in the room.


    " Ha. I thought so. Ever the proud man you are."


    "Pride? That word suits you and your brother, but even he knows how to get his hands dirty."


    "Why you..."


    "Elizabeth Lionharte. As I speak every single prime has been assigned all across the world. Your brother is killing whites in Egypt. Zola is in France. Donna and Klaus are investigating the disapperances in Greenland. Oz is in the poles. Even Diego, the one prime you have little regard for, is currently fending off phantoms in Iraq. We have no time for your little problems. Neither do the rest of the Inquisitors."


    Elizabeth glared at him before logging off.


    Martha watched as Klaus walked away. He walked past Ives without even taking notice of him. Or they both noticed each other and didn''t bother to say anything.


    Martha turned back to the officers.


    " You have 24 hours to find Blake, or I will drag your name through the mud. "


    " Calm down," Reynolds said, "Daemons leave a carcass when the attack. If we can''t find a body it means he''s still alive. "


    " Yeah, " Hughes said, "And besides, we already sent one squad. He''s just one kid...."


    " I don''t think so. " Dr. Vott interjected.


    " Oh yeah? "


    " Ms. Dark, why did you lie to him? " Dr. Vott asked.


    Martha looked at Dr. Vott. "Blake Summers is Klaus Alderwolf''s son. So I suggest you increase your search or you''re as good as dead."


    Her words pierced the officers like the cold wind.


    "Ah ..." Dr. Vott said, "We''re screwed."

 The Foundation 2

    Grace stared at the monitor. That had been a close call. If the Inquisitors had found out, who knows the kind of damage it would have done olto their plans. Everyone''s hearts were racing when that guy had just waltzed in that section of the sewer.


    "You okay?" Jeff asked her, leaning on the table.


    "Y... Yeah. I will be." She replied.


    "Relax. Shasha did well."


    "I hope she didn''t kill him."


    "She would have if he was a shield agent. But he''s an Inquisitor."


    "But how did he find them? Their half-breeds. They can''t be detected unlike normal daemon."


    "Yeah. I''m shocked as well." The boss said, walking out of his office. "An Inquisitor that could detect them, makes you wonder what kind of other guys that they have stacked away."


    Grace just nodded. Two muscular guys walked in carrying boxes. They dropped them on the table, nodding at the boss before leaving.


    "More guns?" Grace asked, concerned.


    "Yeah. Which means more guys."


    "I thought we were just letting the daemon''s loose."


    "Yes we are. But the Inquisitors have already gotten in the way once."


    "They didn''t kill the half-breeds."


    "But the half-breeds killed two of theirs. One of them was Barry. It''s going to be a full out retaliation on their part, they won''t care of its half-breeds, trust me on that. They won''t harm people though."


    "Oh."


    The doors opened, revealing the grumbling Hands carrying the Inquisitor in his hand. He walked briskly, laying him on another wider table. Grace and the boss walked over to him, while Jeff rushed into the office.


    "Are his injuries fatal?" Grace asked.


    "No." Hands said, "But He''s lost a lot of blood.


    Jeff returned with a middle aged man. The man pushed Hands aside, examining the injury.


    "Three shots, really?" the man, Dr. McCoy said, turning to the others.


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    " Can you save him. "


    " Of course. What do you take me for. "


    Grace and the boss walked away, with Jeff trailing behind them, leaving Hands and the doctor alone. "So," Grace started, "What''s the plan?"


    "Well, originally I was going to let the other three loose tomorrow near the Shield base. But I''ve got a change of plans."


    "What would that be? " Grace asked.


    The boss smiled, "The other two daemon. We still have their location. "


    " So? " Grace asked, confused even more. She got more confused when she saw Jeff smiling.


    " If we can track them, it means that the device used to control them is still active." Jeff said "Luckily, we have just the device. "


    Grace looked at the two men.


    "How much did it really cost you?"


    "Heh!" The boss smirked. "You don''t need to know. Tomorrow, we strike at three points in the city. Our militia will forcefully evacuate the citizens. That way we can focus on the Shield. "


    " And the Inquisitors? "


    " Already handled. " Jeff said, looking in the direction of Blake Summers. "By the way isn''t his hair glowing? "


    "Side effect of too much licht energy, especially if the user isn''t consciously controlling it. Happens a lot more than you think it should. "


    " Ah. "


    " But aren''t you guys forgetting something?" Grace asked.


    " No. " They both said. Grace sighed. Really?


    " The first half-breed. "


    The two men looked at her for a while, not understanding what she meant. Until they did. There were five half-breeds. They could only control four. The half-breed had managed to escape, tearing out its device in the process. Which meant they had no control over it.


    "We know where it is. It''s in the sewers. We just can''t control it."


    "But we can lead the shield to them, right?" Grace suggested.


    The boss looked at her and smiled.


    "That''s even better. If we can''t lead them to the half-breed in the sewers then we can lead to the other four. Either way, it''s a win win for us."


    "Looks like we have an agreement. " Jeff said, "Now what exactly do we do about the kid? How exactly are we going to use him to lure the Inquisitors."


    "They don''t leave their own behind." the boss said, "they aren''t heartless. "


    "No. They aren''t." Jeff said, "But I doubt that they''d go save their own when a daemon is terrorising the city. "


    "They''ve got just two Inquisitors."


    " Wrong." Hands said, "They''ve got six, plus this kid. "


    " Huh? "


    "Our Intel reported this a while back. "


    The boss banged his fist on the table and lowered his head. He remained silent for a while, before turning to the kid and Dr. McCoy.


    " All the bullets are out. " the doctor said, removing his gloves and washing his tools "Wounds closed as well he just needs a rest..."


    A weird and eerie sound, like the sound of water could be heard from the boy. All eyes turned to him to see the boys blood emerge from the stitched wound and instantly glow. The blood reentered, healing him completely.


    The boss rushed to him to see for himself wat had just happened.


    "Well?" Grace asked.


    The boss stood silent for a while.


    "Haha." He laughed, "I think we just hit the jackpot."


    Klaus turned all over a sudden, his red eyes glowing.


    "Is there a problem, Prime Klaus?" the voice on the phone asked him asked.


    That was impossible. Klaus thought to himself. He had just felt Blake''s blood somewhere. It wasn''t close, but it was still near him. In the city. Had Martha lied to him? Ah well, he was okay. He''ll just have to see him later.


    "It was nothing." Klaus said, "What were you saying again, Damien?"


    As much as he didn''t want his son to be involved in this conflict, he couldn''t ignore his duties. Killing daemon was far too important.

 Lost Girl

    Sarah sat on the sidewalk by herself, pondering over the recent events. The revelation of Martha''s identity, The half-breed, and finally the disappearance of Blake. Those things went in and out of her mind like a rollercoaster.


    She felt kinda sick.


    The crowd had began to disperse. One of the Shield agents who had gone down there, Timothy, or so she thought was his name was, was addressing the paparazzi. Martha was pacing up and down, still pissed off. Klaus was nowhere in sight. And the bad batch had gone to look for Blake, or what was left of him, with the exception of Zhao Fan, who has fallen asleep beside her, her head resting on Sarah''s lap, while drooling. It was funny, noone would ever suspect that she had killed over 30 people in a single night at the mere age of 10. She was her age but still a killer was a killer. But talking with her in the past had made her forget that. Zhao was just someone who loved to have fun and fool around, as well as being a very skilled Inquisitor. She and Rebecca.


    Rebecca Stone. She had joined around the same time as Barry and Jake. They had literally been inseparable alongside Sarah, who had also been with Rebecca the entire time. She and her sister had lost their parents to daemon, and had literally become orphans, taking in by the former Prime Ishaan Pavithra.


    Then more and more guys joined, Sakura and Shino, Aaron and Leticia, Martha and Jacques, and then finally, Kyler. But all that was in the past.


    Rebecca was not here. She was on a mission. But the more the days went by, the more she began to doubt that, that her sister was really alive and well. Could she be dead? Buried in an unknown place by an unknown person? It wasn''t right to think about such things, but then she couldn''t help it.


    "Focus, Sarah," she told herself. "Focus." Thinking about such things wouldn''t help her in anyway. It would only hinder her. Having to many thoughts during a period like this was not something an Inquisitor did.


    But right now, she could only wait. There was nothing to do bit wait. Besides, the man, Dr. Vott recognized her. Maybe he knew something. Sarah shook her head. She needed to occupy herself with something. Anything. Training.


    Well that was also out of the equation, thanks to the sleeping Zhao Fan.


    "Hello," a voice in font of her made her turn. She looked up to see the man in front of her.


    "Ah..." She said, "You must be..."


    "Dr. Vott." He said with a smile, "May I sit beside you, Miss Stone."


    "S... Sure."


    Dr. Vott sat beside her and sighed.


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    "A lot of events happening all at once, makes my head ache just thinking about it."


    "Yeah, " she said, "Far too many. "


    "But you seem calm about the whole ordeal."


    " Well, I have seen a lot of action in my life, so you could say that I''m kinda expecting it all the time."


    "Really?" Dr Vott exclaimed, "That means that you''ve been in the Inquisition for a long time."


    "I grew up in the Inquisition."


    "Fascinating. But that means you saw all the events of the 2nd Daemon Incident."


    "Well... No, not really. I was taking away from most of the stuff, so I didn''t really see much. "


    " Ah... "


    The two sat in silence for awhile, allowing Sarah to analyze the man beside her. He was in his early thirties and he seemed well informed as well as intellectual. His eyes seemed as though they wanted to see everything in the world. And then there was the symbol that was stamped on the back of his coat. An Anchor with a skull at it''s base. Weird. She had never seen them before. Some kind of secretive organisation of some sort. But Klaus had mentioned them, which meant that the Inquisition knew about them.


    "Um..." She began, "Did you know Rebecca Stone. My sister."


    "Ah... Well, I can''t say I know her, it''s just that I''ve seen her around before. I never forget an Inquisitor''s face."


    "Never.?"


    " Never. You guys do an amazing job, if I do say so myself. It amazing how you can risk so much and not feel a thing about it."


    "We do." Sarah said, "But we just have to concentrate on the reason that we fight. "


    " And what if that reason was a lie, or does not exist anymore? "


    Sarah looked at him in the eyes and smiled.


    "Then I guess we''ll just have to find another reason."


    Dr. Vott looked at her and smiled back. "I guess so." He looked up for awhile, lost in thought, before turning back to her.


    " By the way, you do know that your licht energy is unproportional, right? "


    " Huh? "


    " It''s not channeling properly. Do you experience exhaustion after fighting. "


    " Well yeah. But I''ve worked on my stamina to make up for it. "


    " Impressive. But that wouldn''t be enough. "


    " Didn''t really get time to train. And I bet a lot of guys have that same problem. "


    "On the contrary, they don''t. Most standard licht energy users control their licht energy flow unconsciously. Out of habit. You do it consciously."


    " Wait, what?" Sarah exclaimed, almost jumping up. "You mean everyone else just use a licht energy like it''s a walk in the park? "


    " Precisely. "


    " How do I do that then?"


    " Try breathing in and out...."


    " Just that.... "


    "....while channeling your energy. And let your mind be blank. Think of nothing but breathing in and out. " Dr. Vott said as he stood to leave, "You''ll get the hang of it in no time."


    Dr. Vott approached Spen, the latter who was crouched on the ground, writing on the sand. An old habit of his.


    "Still reminiscing of the past I see. "


    "Still not minding your own business. " Spen retorted.


    "C''mon. If it annoys you about that you can... "


    "I''m talking about the girl, Sarah."


    "Ah." Dr. Vott scartched his head. "Well, what can is say, she is connected to the half-breeds after all."


    "Which is why we can''t tell her. "


    "She deserves to know. Besides, if there is a way to save the half-breeds, are we not entitled to give her hope?"


    "And if we can''t? "


    "Then... " Dr. Vott paused and continued, "Then she is entitled to at least, say goodbye. That, at least, is the one best thing she can do, boy."


    Spen grit his teeth, turning to him.


    "You know, you''re too kind, right? So kind that it hurts."


    "Yeah, I know. It''s the one thing about me that I can''t seem to let go." Dr. Vott said as he walked away.


    "Yeah." Spen said, "Which makes you kinda boring"

 Foundation 3

    Blake woke up in the dark room, still remembering the dream he had, of a woman with white hair and a long white coat. The dreams were beginning to become longer,he thought to himself. But a dream was a dream, nothing more, nothing less.


    Dazed, he tried to stand only to fall to his knees, noticing the two armlets that were on his hands. There was also a collar around his neck. These were Licht Restrictors, although very crude, they were as effective as the original. The room he was in was large, with crates and boxes in corners. The only light he could see was the flickering light at the corner of the room. He could see the image of a man and woman around a table, discussing something, while also watching the tv screen.


    Wasn''t that the sewers? Blake thought, shocked. He walked towards the screen, ignoring the two people and looking at it. It was indeed the sewers. The place that he had been shot at , where the half-breeds were.


    "Looks like someone''s awake." The woman said. Blake turned to her, a bit annoyed.


    "I''m guessing that you guys are the ones behind the half-breeds." Blake asked.


    "Haha." The man laughed. "Oh no. We are just the ones who... rescued them from the Shield."


    Blake stared back at the screen.


    "I am so sorry that Shasha shot you. She had no other option than to do so."


    "Yeah. That''s great. Can I go now?" Blake asked, uninterested.


    " Unfortunately, no." The woman said. "My name is Grace, and this is the Foundation. We are an anti-shield group that seeks to reveal all their secrets. Including the half-breeds. "


    "Ok. What does that have to do with me?" Blake asked.


    Grace and the man looked at each other before she replied.


    "You found out their hideout, which is bad for our plans and also a real shocker. We can''t let you reveal their location to the Shield."


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    "You can''t keep me hear forever, you know."


    "We know." The man said, "That''s why we''re going to use you to draw out the Inquisitors."


    Blake rolled his eyes. They were really starting to annoy him. He just wanted to leave this instant.


    "Look I don''t care about your plans. If you want to take down the Shield, go ahead. I want to kill daemon."


    "Exactly." The man said, "and we respect that. But it will hinder us if you kill the half breed. So for now, stay put here. We could brong you a couple of snacks..."


    "Those aren''t daemon." Blake said, pointing at the screen. "Those are humans."


    "They''re half-breeds..."


    "With human properties. Their licht energy seems to cross out the daemon aura, or at least that''s what I think, but they are human."


    "Unfortunately, the human side of them is dead."


    " No. " Blake said. "I was standing right in front of them. They are alive as any regular human being. And they are pissed. "


    The man and the woman looked at each other, shocked. Alive? The human side was alive?


    The woman walked towards the wall, placing her head on it, as if he had hit a roadblock in his plans. The man placed his hands on his face. Blake sighed, staring at the collars. Honestly, these handcuffs were crude. Too crude for his liking.


    "Why do you think so?" The woman asked.


    "Just let me go." Blake said, "I''m not comfortable at all, and ..." Blake felt the needle at the side of his neck, before falling to the ground, falling unconscious. The woman turned to see Hands.


    "What was that for?" Grace asked.


    "What does it look like?" Hands asked. "I''m doing my job."


    "I was going to ask an important question!"


    " I don''t care." Hands said. "We have work to do. The guys are getting a bit antsy. As usual. And how long are we going to keep our spies in the Shield waiting?"


    "He''s right." The man said, "We have work on our hands. Tomorrow, we strike, and we''ve only got one chance at this."


    "So we are just going to ignore the fact that the humans are still alive inside those half-breeds?" Grace asked


    "What?" Hands exclaimed.


    "Yes. We are. Heck I doubt the Shield knows that... "


    "Or cares."


    " Grace, to the Shield, its just old garbage. Of course they wouldn''t care."


    "Them let''s make them care! We have to replan and strike harder, " Grace said, "And I''m certain that this kid is the way to do it. "


    "Grace! We stick to the plan, that''s all!"


    Grace looked at the man and stormed off, exiting the building. The man sighed and shook his head.


    "Damn," The man cried, banging his fist on the table. "Shouldn''t she be at least more considerate of how far we''ve come?"


    Hands picked up Blake from the floor and laid him down on the couch.


    "Graham," Hands said, "it might seem as just a job to you, but it is personal to some of us. You aren''t the one whose friend got turned to that kind of monster.


    "I know, I know."


    "No, you don''t. And don''t even try to sympathize, it''s pitiful. Focus on the job at hand. And be nice to the young lady."


    Graham only nodded.

 Backup

    "Morning already, huh?" Ives said, nudging the sleeping Ricardo. The two had spent the entire night looking for Blake and had fallen asleep on a bench, smelling worse than the sewer they had entered.


    "Mmmm. Mm. Yeah." Ricardo managed to say, waking up. He stretched and yawned, sighing as he sat back down.


    "Hey, get up."


    "Give me a few more minutes." Ricardo said, "I need some time to get myself together."


    "We have a kid to find."


    "Isn''t he dead?"


    "No corpse, no dead."


    "Yeah, yeah." Ricardo sighed, forcing himself to his feet. He and Ives walked down the streets, passed the Shield agents who idly chatted amongst themselves. The morning sun hadn''t come out, but it''s early rays were starting to peak out in the horizon. Ives and Ricardo stopped, letting a car pass before crossing to the other side.


    "Hey, Ives," Ricardo began, "I know this isn''t our job, but isn''t this kinda fishy?"


    "What."


    "The half-breeds, they just popping up and everything."


    "It is, Ricardo. It is fishy. Someone wants to teach the Shield a lesson. Unfortunately, he or she isn''t afraid to drag the Inquisitors into this mess."


    "They already have." Ricardo said, "wouldn''t that be a mistake?"


    "Why?"


    "I mean , c''mon. We''re Inquisitors. I know there are capable guys in the Shield, but then, we are more powerful than they are, right."


    "True." Ives said. Ricardo had a point. Why drag the Inquisitors into a mess like this. Maybe it wasn''t their intention. Or was it. Then again, it depended on who was calling the shots.


    "Wow, Ricardo actually thinks?"


    Ives groaned deep within.


    "Hey, Kyler ma man!" Ricardo exclaimed, giving Kyler a fist bump.


    "Sup, Ric. You guys smell like crap."


    "Yeah, literally." Ives said, annoyed.


    The three arrived at the Shield base, meeting Zhao Fan and Sarah outside. Sarah was asleep, on Zhao''s back.


    "Martha''s inside." Zhao said.


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    "Do I have to go in?" Kyler asked.


    "Yeah!" Ives exclaimed, patting Kyler on the back. "It would be amazing."


    "Yeah," Ricardo said with a grin. "The three of us have already recieved our fair share of angry glares. Go get your dose as well."


    Kyler sighed walking in, giving the guards a wink.


    "WHAT''S UP EVERYBODY?!" Kyler greeted. All eyes turned to Kyler in annoyance and gave him a cold silence. Martha, who was with Captain Reynolds slapped a face in embarrassment.


    "Kyler, get your ass over here." She called over to him. Kyler obeyed, walking over to her, while giving everyone he passed by a wink.


    "Goodness, I can''t believe I''m dating a guy like you." Martha said.


    "Well, there were no other options." Kyler said before turning to Captain Reynolds.


    "Hi, I''m Kyler."


    "Isn''t your real name...?"


    "Don''t use that name anymore. So what are the status of our half-breeds."


    "Ah. It seems that you are already well informed." Dr. Vott said, appearing from behind with Spen.


    "Yep." Kyler said, shaking Dr. Vott''s hand. "Shall we then."


    "So," Reynolds said, "what do you know about them that we don''t?"


    "Not much." Kyler said, "but i do know who took them."


    "The Foundation." Revana said, "We know that."


    " Yes. But I was referring to the actual person what has them. A man named David Graham. A mercenary. "


    "Makes sense. An old friend? " Hughes asked Kyler with a grin. Kyler only smiled back.


    "Oh we go way back. But he''s been hired to get back at the Shield. With your Half-breeds. Basically, they ant to drag your name in the mud."


    "Great." Reynolds grumbled. "How does this help."


    "Actually, there''s something Kyler''s trying to point out." Revana said. "As much as we want to deny it, these half-breeds are Shield property. How did they get access to Shield property. And hide it in Boston without us finding it?"


    All eyes widened at that moment, with the exception of Kyler, who grinned. "The foundation has spies in the Shield."


    "But that''s impossible!" Hughes said, "How do they put spies in our ranks? We thoroughly screen our members?"


    "Oh, they don''t need to put men in your ranks, Mr Hughes," Kyler said, "they just need to put the ones in the Shield under new management. That''s all."


    "So you''re saying that someone bought over our own men. That''s insane. "


    "It''s the same way you buy Inquisitors to spy on us. After all, isn''t that how you were able to find the locations of each and every Inquisitor in America?" Kyler asked, still grinning.


    Dr. Vott couldn''t help but smile. Indeed the Inquisitors weren''t just some empty-headed fighters as the Shield thought of them as.


    Spen rolled his eyes and grunted. Trust Dr. Vott to enjoy these kind of matters. Spen only taught of challenging Blake to a fight. He better be alive. Come to think of it...


    "What about Blake?" Spen blurted out. All eyes turned to him.


    "What about him?" Kyler asked.


    "Umm... Blake is missing. He went to the sewers and was attacked. But his body wasn''t found." Martha said.


    "Blake is missing."


    "Yeah."


    "Blake?"


    "Yeah."


    "Blake Alderwolf is missing?"


    "Yeah."


    "And you are calm about it?"


    "Kyler, I am not calm. Not calm at all."


    "He''s alive for sure." Spen said, "Shouldn''t we still be searching for him? "


    "Unfortunately," Hughes said, " we have the half-breeds to worry about."


    "Did you send him alone?" Kyler asked.


    "No. But that isn''t... "


    "He went with one of the Elites, Shasha." Martha said. "She was injured badly, and I kind of almost ... Killed her?"


    "Great. " Kyler sighed. He took a deep breath. Going after Blake right now would be pointless, but...


    "We need to find him."


    "We have priorities, Kyler."


    "No. Blake Alderwolf can find the half-breeds." Kyler said. "Why the hell would he still be alive if he couldn''t. The half-breeds aren''t daemon walking around... "


    "... they''re daemon and human walking around." Dr. Vott said.


    "Wait, what?!" Revana and Reynolds exclaimed.


    "SIR!! " Bree barged into the room.


    "This is an important meeting, Bree. " Hughes reprimanded.


    "There''s an important message on the line, it''s from the Foundation! "

 The Bright: Broken

    Sunrise came faster than Shiro expected, with the early rays seeping into his eyes, refreshing his tired body. Shiro couldn''t recall when he fell asleep, or how he did it, only that he''d woken up, with Brandon right in front of him.


    "Rise and shine, boy." Brandon smirked. "You should really see your face when you sleep, you look adorable."


    "Shut up." Shiro said, getting up with Brandon''s help. "Where''s Jake?"


    "Doing some rounds, I guess. Didn''t want to wake you up."


    "Oh. How nice of him. Guess we have to wait for him then."


    "I''m hungry."


    "Yeah, me too." Shiro said, "Want some fries?"


    "Sure thing."


    "Go buy some then." Shiro snickered."


    "Haha, very funny." Brandon said, sitting down on a tree stamp. He looked far off into the distance and sighed.


    "Hey, Shiro? Do you think its okay to pave your own path?"


    "Yeah, why?"


    "Well, you know, I used to be Barry''s student and all, but now, he''s gone. I thought I could be like him so I tried to synchronize with Spearhead..."


    "And it didn''t work."


    "Yeah."


    "Never was going to. Never heard of someone use two reis before. That thought alone is suicide."


    "Right..." Brandon sighed again. "But then there''s nothing to me then."


    "What do you mean."


    "C''mon, Shiro. Look at Blake and Sarah, they''ve got some wild amounts of licht energy. Rachel''s also unique with her licht weapon and all. But me, I''m just some average guy who waltzed into the Inquisition."


    "That you are."


    "Not going to try huh?"


    "Yep,"


    "Thanks."


    "You''re not the first guy to walk into inquisition with that kind of licht energy, kid."


    "Kid."


    "In the inquisition, its not a competition. Its just a fight between us and daemon. Nothing more, nothing less. We''re not trying to grow stronger to catch up with others, or be like others, we''re doing it to kill daemon faster and better. In the words of Kyler, we''re inventing new ways to kill daemon."


    "So I should just give up on the ''O''Neil'' legacy."


    "You''re not the first to try and be like him. First time I saw him he was also a recruit. Right after the 2nd daemon incident. Still remember his bravado and all. I adored the guy."


    "Adored?"


    "Yeah. Past tense. I woke up one day and Barry was gone. He just packed up and left without saying a word to anyone. That''s when I realized, Barry was just another guy in the inquisition. Another soldier in the army, trying to pave a path for himself just as I was trying to do to mine. Sure he did come back, but I had grown by then. Then a few years and you and Rachel joined."


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Oh yeah, I spilled your coffee."


    ''Yes. I remember that too. "


    A twig snapping made both inquisitors turn. It was a man armed with a rifle aimed at them. Behind him was the rogue.


    "Oh great." The man said, "What are you guys still doing here?"


    "Well..."


    "As we told you yesterday, we don''t need you here." Vincent said, "So pack up and leave. This doesn''t have to get ugly."


    "Or what, you''ll fight us?"


    "If we have to." the man said. "Don''t try us."


    "Fine then." Shiro said, standing up to face them. "We''ll leave. But not without that scythe."


    "Hell no!"


    "Shiro, we don''t need to take the scythe," Brandon said, "They need it more than we do."


    "You guys insist on not wanting anything to do with the inquisition, then you guys don''t need our weapons in the first place." Shiro said, ignoring Brandon.


    "There something wrong with your friend, kid." Vincent asked Brandon. "Tell him that I will die before I let go of this scythe."


    "Sorry, but he''s my superior." Brandon explained. The man raised the gun at Brandon, who was shocked, taking a step back, "Whoa, put the gun down."


    "Leave now then, cus I ain''t dropping this gun till you lot are out of this town."


    "Calm down sheriff." Vincent said, taking out the scythe, and showing it to Shiro. "Let''s see what this dunce has."


    "Shiro, calm down." Brandon said. He turned to the man and slowly approached them, his hands in the air.


    "Look, we don''t want to hurt you guys. We aren''t like the other inquisitors who came here. We''ll be on our way. Inquisition protocol states that if there is a rogue daemon hunter in the area, we can assess his abilities and let him maintain his duties. We can let it be that way."


    "So what, because you guys are so high and mighty you get to decide the rules, you think you can assess me? Screw you all!"


    "Ok, I''ve had enough of this!" Jake cried, The man instinctively fired at Jake, catching Jake off guard. Brandon reacted quickly though, taking out his nunchunks and deflecting the bullet downward. Jake stood still for a second before sighing.


    "Thanks, kid."


    "No problem, now would you put the gun down before someone really gets hurt?"


    "Mr...whatever your name is, rogue. We are going to leave right now, without assessing your abilities. Whatever happens to this place is on you, if that''s what you want."


    "Finally, a guy that listens." Vincent said. "Yes that works well with us."


    "Shiro, lets go." Jake said.


    "No."


    "That''s an order, Shiro." Jake said, "Lets go."


    Shiro rushed at the rogue, conjuring a halo in his left hand, The rogue pointed his scythe at him and immediately, a shield cut him off. Shiro jumped back, standing up straight and sighing. He turned to Jake, pain in his eyes.


    "Do we have to leave it."


    "He''s already synchronized with it, Shiro.


    Vincent rushed at Shiro, slashing downward but Shiro dodged it, kicking him in the knee. "We''re even now."


    "Nah, you can''t just attack and leave like nothing happened." Vincent said, "So much for not being like the other inquisitors."


    "That scythe belonged to his sister, kid." Jake said, "Sakura Madarame, I''m sure she said her name didn''t she."


    The man remained unfazed but the look on Vincent''s face confirmed it. "But...that can''t be right, she wasn''t an inquisitor."


    "Yeah, you and your damned lies." The man said..


    "Sakura Madarame. She was tall with silver hair covering one eye and green eyes like mine. Had a scar on her lip." Shiro said, looking at Vincent. "She dropped the scythe and left, right?"


    Vincent looked at him, not knowing what to do. "She taught me how to use this scythe and left. She might be dead though. Sorry."


    "Yeah, yeah." Shiro said as he walked away, "I don''t need an apology."


    "Wait up, Shiro!" Brandon called after. Jake sighed, shrugging.


    "So what now, huh?" Vincent asked, "I give him the scythe just because his sister was the owner. He already has a weapon. If I don''t have the scythe then I''m nothing. Then you guys would come and terrorize this town again."


    "Your rei and his are two sides of the same coin. He''s already giving you his approval to use it so don''t worry." Jake said.


    Vincent sighed. "Then I guess there''s nothing left to say."


    "Just one thing though."


    "What''s that?" The man asked.


    "If you think that Garnet and Harriet are the worst inquisitors you''ve met, then think again." Jake said, "Because honestly, I''d say that my unit is the nicest as compared to the rest of them."


    "You know about Harriet and Garnet?!" Vincent asked angrily.


    Jake nodded.


    "And what do you mean by you guys are the nicest. The only nice one is just a kid and you to some extent."


    Jake smiled. "Yeah. That''s the point. All the nice inquisitors are dead, mate. Its just left with the terrifying ones."

 Demand and Choice

    The Shield agents had set up everything as the Shield commanders and inquisitors gathered in the room to see the screen. Reynolds nodded at Bree, to which the shield agent pressed a button. The black and white screen reconfigured, showing a scenery of an old warehouse. A boy with white hair in a black t-shirt and inquisitor uniform trousers could be seen, with two armed men in black and orange military uniform and gasmasks. A figure walked into the frame, wearing the same attire with an added beret on his head.


    "Good morning,"'' he said in a deep voice. "We are the Foundation, and we are here to destroy the Shield."


    Sarah let out a sigh of relief, glad that Blake was alive. But she was still worried. Would he be alright? But it had been a bit loud, as one of the Shield agents beside her had heard it and grunted.


    "This is Captain Reynolds of the Shield Corps," Reynolds began, "And i believe that you are terrorist."


    "Call us whatever makes you happy. The Shield has committed enough crimes to make us puke, and it is about damn time someone did anything about it."


    "And that someone is you?" Reynolds laughed, "Someone who hides behind a mask."


    The militant let out a short laugh. He shook his head, getting out of the way for them to clearly see Blake.


    "This boy here, he''s pretty powerful."


    "The boy is irrelevant to the Shield." Revana said. Martha looked at her but said nothing. Kyler had calmed her down with a touch on the shoulder.


    "Using him as leverage is pointless."


    "Oh, he wasn''t for you." The militant said with a laugh, "He''s for the Inquisitors."


    "Excuse me?" Martha looked at the screen.


    "Why the surprise?" The militant asked, "Our enemies are not the Inquisition. We don''t go around killing inquisitors."


    "Tell that to Aaron and Barry." Kyler said.


    "That is...on us. But, while we were responsible for their deaths, the blame still goes to the creators of these monstrosities. However, we came to strike a deal."


    "A deal my ass," Ricardo said, "As if killing two of our guys and apologizing won''t cut it, you go out of your way to capture one of our own."


    "We do not want any interference from the Inquisition. This is between us and the Shield. However, if you do try and get in our way, we will have no other choice but to strike. This is our demand. We will hand over the kid at the given location, in exchange, there should be no interference from any of the inquisitors, no matter what happens."


    "And if we don''t comply?" Martha asked


    "Well..." The militant looked at his other two companions and nodded. Immediately, one of them dragged Blake away, while the other one went in the opposite direction. "I''ll guess I''ll leave that to your imagination."


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The connection cut. Hughes looked over at the Shield agents, but they shook their head. They couldn''t track their location.


    "Dammit!" Hughes cried, "Now, what?"


    "Now?" Revana replied, "Now we get ready."


    "The Foundation has something planned. However, they need the Inquisition out of the way to do it." Reynolds said, folding his arms.


    "Geez, do they really think that low of us?" Revana asked.


    "No, not necessarily." Kyler said. All eyes turned to him. Kyler continued. "They have spies in your organization already. Hence they know your abilities. Unlike the Inquisition. Besides, they don''t want to deal with us because it is of no concern to us in the first place. They just happened to stumble on Blake. That''s why they are using him to draw us away from the conflict."


    "But we have gifted individuals. Even Rei users." Revana said. "We can fight a couple of militants."


    "So do they." Jacquez and Zhao Fan both said. Revana looked at them.


    "Why, old friends of yours?" Hughes asked, "Why am i not..."


    "These militants," Jacquez cut Hughes short, "Are trained to hunt down inquisitors. Sure you have a few average citizens thrown into the mix, but then majority of them are going to be trained."


    "Great." Reynolds groaned.


    "We don''t know their plans though." Ricardo noticed.


    "We do." Kyler said, "The half-breeds. Let them loose in the city."


    "Yeah. I get that." Ricardo said, "But are you sure all the half-breeds are under their control?"


    "Of course they are." Revana said, "If not how could they decide when to attack and when not to."


    "The daemon attacks were not random, miss." Ricardo said, "They couldn''t have been."


    He was right, Kyler thought. The daemon attack at the same time the emergence of the half-breed was purely not random. The attacks happened simultaneously. But then it didn''t make sense. How, and why, would they let loose half-breeds without a way to control them if they were not targeting innocents?


    "We are going to get Blake." Martha said, "And then we would standby."


    "That''s literally listening to the terrorists, Ms. D...Hill." Revana said, catching the glint in Martha''s eyes before she had made her error, "Not to remind you, but..."


    "To hell with what Ms. Lionharte has to say. This is a Shield matter. We will remain on standby until further notice."


    "Okay, then lets roll." Zhao Fan said. The inquisitors walked away, all following Martha''s lead. Kyler turned to Reynolds.


    "Oh and one more thing... Graham''s gift is Impulse."


    "Yeah, and what does it do?" Reynolds asked.


    "Confusion. Don''t listen to anything the guy says. Trust me."


    "Thanks."


    Sarah followed behind the group, a bit nervous. This could end up getting bloody, as these were the same guys who had caused Aaron and Barry''s deaths. Even she felt a slight hatred for them. Slight. She herself couldn''t tell how much she hated them.


    Going with them was not necessary. She knew her strengths and weaknesses. She knew her limit and though she had improved a bit thanks to that scientist guy, she still knew that it was not enough. However, it was going to deter her. This was for Blake. Blake was her friend, and if there was anything that she knew, it was that they never left friends behind. No matter what.


    "Oi."


    Sarah turned to see Spen. He had bags under his eyes, most likely because he''d been watching a football match with Lukas and Shawn all night. Lucky them. But then, unlike before, there was this air of seriousness about him.


    "My old man wants to see you."


    Huh? His old man? She turned to face him completely and stared at him in confusion.


    "I''m sorry...what?!"


    "My old man wants to see you."


    "Why would I need to see your old man? I don''t even know him."


    "Maldita sea...Dr. Vott, the scientist guy."


    "Ohhhhh...that guy. You had me scared for a moment. Sorry but i have to go.."


    Spen grabbed her wrist and drew her closer to him


    "Sorry, but...he wasn''t asking."


    "Let me..."


    "Rebecca Stone. Know her?"


    "Duh? She''s my sister, let me go dammit." Spen did, shaking his head as he walked away.


    "If you want to know about your sister, follow me. If not, you can go find Blake. Personally i''d take the later, but... your choice."


    Sarah stood still, confused. Her sister? Blake? What was this guy saying all of a sudden?

 Lost Girl 2

    Dr. Vott sat behind the monitor, his hand on his chin, a serious expression on his face. The data was scrolling down the screen slowly, relaying a short and uncomplete list of names. He sighed deeply, setting down his glasses on the table and rubbing his eyes.


    The light flickered for a while, catching Dr Vott''s attention, and bringing back to reality. He took a deep breath, putting on his glasses and waited. He did not need to wait for long.


    Spen stumbled into the small room, almost tripping, must have been expecting the door to have been locked. He grunted, muttering under his breath. He was followed by Sarah Stone, who had an irritated expression on her face. He couldn''t blame her. They barely knew each other and yet he was demanding her presence. But then again, this was her concern. It was a pity he was going to be the one to break it to her.


    "Ah...Ms. Sarah." Dr. Vott said, standing up with a smile. Sarah hesitated before shaking his hand.


    "You wanted to see me? It must be really important." Sarah said, still irritated.


    "Indeed it is. It is actually two matters in fact. Please, sit down." Dr. Vott said, pointing at the chair behind her.


    "I''m good. Thanks." Sarah said.


    "Okay." Dr. Vott replied, sitting back on his chair. "Now, the reason why i called you was actually because of two reasons. One concerns me. The other concerns you."


    "Concerns me how?" Sarah asked, confused. Spen closed the door, leaning on it with an annoyed expression on his face, like he wanted to be anywhere but here.


    "Well, I''ll start with my concern first..."


    "Ughhh!" Spen groaned. Sarah looked at him briefly.


    "Is he ok?" Sarah asked


    "Spen is what you''d call a battle maniac. He loves to fight rather than standing around idly doing nothing."


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Ah... so he''s one of those."


    "Yeah. But he''s just a shy guy underneath."


    "Could we get over with this already? Or do I have to this. Geez!" Spen snapped. Dr. Vott grinned, before clearing his throat.


    "Well, Ms. Stone, I need your help concerning a certain individual."


    "Me?"


    "Yes. You. I understand that you''re one of the oldest recruits in the Inquisition, am i right."


    "Ouch. But yeah."


    "Ah. I apologize. I didn''t mean..."


    "She mean it as a joke." Spen said.


    "Anyway," Dr. Vott continued, "I am looking for someone in the inquisition, and I require your aid in this."


    "Why me?"


    "Well, since you''ve been around for a long time, you might have met with a lot of inquisitors as compared to the others, considering that you always stayed in the base."


    "Why not ask Ms. Martha or any other older inquisitor. They would gladly help."


    "Yes, but at the moment, they are quite busy, especially with this dilemma with the Foundation, the half-breeds and your friend Blake Alderwolf."


    "Yeah. So was I."


    "They wouldn''t have let you partake in it."


    "I''m an inquisitor."


    "Yet none of them questioned the fact that Spen took you away." Dr. Vott said bluntly. Sarah clenched her fist.


    "You aren''t as strong as they are."


    "I''m well skilled. Its just my licht energy that''s under the wraps, that''s all. Besides, I have a licht weapon.


    "Which is exactly the problem, Ms. Stone. If you notice, all inquisitors with licht weapons have licht techniques as well. Martha Dark, Ricardo Helms, Zhao Fan, all have licht techniques."


    "Jake doesn''t have one."


    "Which is why he is never sent alone on missions." Dr. Vott pointed out. "Besides, it''s not like you don''t have a licht technique, you just don''t know how to channel your licht energy in the first place, thoughtless of using it."


    Sarah''s eyes widened. She had a licht technique? Since when? Sarah scratched her head. It was obvious that no-one but Dr. Vott knew about it. Then maybe...


    "What if you taught me how to use it? My licht technique?" Sarah asked him.


    "I''m not quite confident in my skills..."


    "I can get you the data." Sarah said, "The inquisitors have a record of every inquisitor who has joined, dead or alive, active or inactive. It''s on the Prime''s laptop, but then, he wouldn''t mind me using and accessing it."


    "Good. I guess that settles it." Dr. Vott said.


    "Okay, now I''ll be going now." Sarah said, turning to leave.


    "Um... we haven''t discussed the second matter."


    "The second concern?" Sarah stopped, confused, "I thought my licht technique was the second concern?"


    "No, no, no. This matter is far too... delicate to be used as leverage."


    "So... what is it?"


    Dr. Vott took a deep breath, looking at Spen. Spen had looked away, intentionally. Trust Spen to always do that.


    "Well, Ms. Stone...its about your sister..."


    Sara''s face paled.

 The Bright: Acceptance

    "Hey, wait up!" Brandon called. He fell on all fours panting, getting back up to follow Shiro. Shiro couldn''t hear his calls. He couldn''t hear anything to be more exact. He was lost, lost to his own thoughts. He felt that he couldn''t breathe, that the entire world was an ocean and he was all the way at the bottom.


    "Shiro!" Brandon cried, catching up to him and grabbing him by the shoulder. Instinctively, Shiro swatted the hand away, throwing a punch at Brandon''s face.


    "Ow, the hell..." Brandon cried, staggering back as he held his bleeding nose. Shiro realised what he had done, rushing to him.


    "You alright."


    "No, duh." Brandon said, "What'' wrong, man? You didn''t have to attack Vincent and all."


    Shiro took a deep breath, sitting back down on the snow and sighing. He wrote on the snow down near his feet.


    "My sister...is dead."


    Brandon''s eyes widened. "Wh...what? But how? He just has his rei."


    "That''s the thing, Brandon. A rei won''t desynchronize with its users side unless he or she is dead. Reis are like parasites. They need a host to survive. Once the host dies, the rei becomes like Spearhead, without an owner. Just a piece of junk until someone else is compatible and then it moves on."


    Brandon remained silent, unable to say anything to comfort him. Shiro continued.


    "I should have known. All this time I waited in the Inquisition. I waited for days, until they became weeks, then months, then YEARS!!" Shiro punched the ground in a fit of rage. "I should have known all this time. I just didn''t want to accept it."


    Shiro covered his face as tears streamed down his face. He tried to suppress his cry, but it came through in the end.


    "Most people don''t know this, but she never wanted me to be an inquisitor. She wanted me to live normal, have some friends, all that stuff. Haha." Shiro laughed. "That''s why I kinda envied you."


    "Me?"


    "Out of everyone in the inquisition, even amongst the recruits, you''re the most normal, Brandon. No bad history, no burdens, haven''t been through any trauma, haven''t seen someone die, haven''t even killed anyone. Just another average guy who happened to walk into hell on his own. Like Blake did."


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    Brandon stared at Shiro bewildered. After a few minutes, Brandon burst into laughter, much to Shiro''s surprise. Brandon stopped laughing before speaking.


    "Yeah, I guess I knew that all along." Brandon said, "I knew that I was normal right from the start. But then I wasn''t going to let that stop me."


    Brandon paused.


    "When my uncle died, to be honest I didn''t really know him. Never met him before, never even heard his name from my dad. But at the funeral, I realized that that body in that grave could have been anyone, whether I knew the person or not. So that''s why I joined."


    Brandon stood to his feet. "I may not be able to choose my own path but as you said, I''m just another average guy who walked into hell. I chose to walk into hell, just like your sister did. And just like you did."


    Shiro looked at him for awhile, unsure if it was the same na?ve Brandon he was talking to. He smiled and got up to his feet.


    "By the way, where''s Jake?"


    "Right here.


    "Hey Jake, where have you been?" Brandon asked Jake. Jake approached the two inquisitors, a wry smile on his face.


    "Why the long face?" Shiro asked.


    "More importantly what''s with the mark? Did you get tackled by a daemon?"


    "You could say that." Jake said, putting his arms around the two of them. "C''mon, lets go. We have to get something to eat."


    The three reached the empty road, with no car in sight.


    "Well that''s a bummer." Jake said.


    "A bummer indeed." A familiar voice said. The three turned to see a the taxi driver. "Heard you needed a ride...of course, you still have to pay."


    Earlier


    Jake watched as Vincent and the man walked away, both talking to themselves about time wasted. Frankly, Jake didn''t care. He was happy to not have to deal with rogues anymore. He stopped, turning swiftly. Something was off. Someone else was here.


    And he was right as a figure emerged from the bushes and grabbed his face, slamming him into the snow. He struggled to free himself, grabbing the figure''s arm and pulling it close to his, headbutting the figure. He jumped to his feet to face the figure only to be shocked by who it was.


    "It can''t be..."


    "Why," Sakura said, "Have you seen a ghost?"


    The Sakura now and the Sakura then were two completely different people now. The long silver hair was cut short and the green eyes were now dulled. She now had one arm, with more scars on her body than Frank.


    "That''s impossible. Your rei."


    "A parasite has no use for a host who is on deaths bed, Jake." Sakura said, "And as you can see, this place is protected. Garnet and Harriet caused quite a ruckus but I dealt with it so leave."


    "Shiro is here..."


    "Don''t you dare play games with me, Jake." Sakura said, menacingly. "I know who you are, I know what you''ve done and I know what you''re still doing. Talking about being the nicest inquisitors. You disgust me." Sakura turned to leave. "What Garnet and Harriet did, playing with these people''s lives were despicable, but at least they were still inquisitors. They never faltered from their duty. Even Jacques realizes the wrongs he''s done and tries his best to make up for them. You? You''re the..."


    "Look Sakura, Shiro is..."


    "Leave my son out of this." Sakura said.


    Jake looked at her confused. Son?


    "One day, your crimes will come out. Trust me. That day is much closer than you think." And with that, Sakura disappeared, leaving Jake alone

 Street Fight- Prelude

    Reynolds loaded the gun before placing it in his holster. He put on the armored vest and helmet and stepped out of the armory, Bree following him as he exited. All around the base, the atmosphere was charged, with Shield agents suiting up, moving up and down the hall. Reynolds entered the control room, meeting up with Revana and Hughes.


    "What is the status?" Reynolds asked.


    "As we speak, Shield agents are evacuating the citizens out as we speak." Revana replied, "The press still wants answers though."


    "Screw them. If they die, its not our problem. I want every single personnel we have on the streets right now."


    "If their aim is to release the half-breeds, why the hell are we taking guns then?" Revana asked.


    "Kyler said Graham''s licht technique was Impulse. He wouldn''t tell us that if the Foundation was just trying to interfere as well. Cause enough panic in the streets."


    "That would put them in a bad light." Hughes said.


    "Not as bad as merging the daemon with humans."


    "Revana and I will lead the assault. Hughes, stay here and hold the fort with a squad. You can handle that, right?"


    "Of course," Hughes said.


    "Good. Lets move."


    Revana and Reynolds exited the control room accompanied by Bree and another soldier, Gerald. The two officers run into the elite squad; Princess, Timothy and Margaret.


    "The three of you should each lead your units. Princess, your unit should scout the western side. Timothy the eastern. Margaret, lead your unit to the centre of the city. You guys will be the bait for their attack. Any questions."


    "No sir!"


    "Good. Move out!"


    The armored vehicles rolled out of the Shield base, going in every possible direction. Hughes gave out orders to the remaining unit in the building, not seeing the shield agent who stood still. The individual looked around, and when he was sure noone was looking, slipped into the medical bay. He nodded at the nurse and walked up to Shasha.


    Shasha opened her eyes the moment he came into view, sighing.


    "Good. You aren''t dead."


    "Shut up Hudson,"


    "Ha!"


    "What''s going on, are they moving out?"


    "Yes. Took the bait as planned. And thanks to your little mess, we now have a way to distract the inquisitors."


    "For a while."


    "For a while. But it should be enough."


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    "I doubt it." Shasha said. "Even a mere kid was able to find an untraceable daemon. How much more the rest of them."


    "He is the son of Alderwolf."


    "HUH?!" Shasha exclaimed


    "Keep your voice down." Hudson hushed her. "Yes, he is. Klaus Alderwolf passed through here himself just look for him. Apparently the boy came here on his own accord and Martha was keeping an eye on him or something like that."


    "Shit."


    "I know. That''s why if Grace and Graham play their cards well, they could keep the inquisitors out of it for a very long while."


    Shasha smiled. "Did you..."


    "Of course." Hudson said as he walked away. "Who do you take me for?"


    "What are we going to do when we get there by the way?" Zhao Fan asked.


    "We''ll know when we get there." Kyler said.


    "Wait, so you guys haven''t thought this through?" Zhao asked.


    "They have one of ours, Zhao." Ricardo said, "And a son of Alderwolf at that. We can''t wait for a moment,"


    "Yeah, yeah. But why leave lil'' Sarah?"


    "Could be dangerous." Kyler said, "I was just glad that I didn''t have to tell her."


    "And leave her with the Shield."


    "She wasn''t taken by the Shield." Martha said, "That red haired guy is with a secret organization called the House of Ragnarok?"


    "Thought it was the Ragnarok Society?" Kyler said.


    "Potato, potato." Martha said. "Either way. She''s out of this. That leaves Blake."


    "What''s the big deal?" Ricardo asked, "We go in, we beat them up, we leave. How''s this a problem?"


    "It is a problem cus these guys are mercenaries. Ex-Shield, heck even ex-inquisitors. Some have Licht techniques, licht weapons and even reis."


    "So, it''s like fighting another inquisitor." Jacques said.


    "Sure. Not like it is going to be a problem for you guys anyway, is it?"


    "Nope." Jacques and Zhao Fan said in unison.


    "Could say we''re the best guys to deal with this, giving our history." Ricardo said.


    "We''re almost there." Kyler said, "Stay alert guys. Remember, Blake is not just any target but Klaus Alderwolf''s son. They might try and use this against us, so go with caution. Understood."


    "The kid should have mentioned that from the beginning." Zhao Fan said.


    "Sure. He should." Ricardo said, "Then again, what''s your licht technique again?"


    "Tch."


    "Guys! Focus! Geez!"


    Hands hang up as he approached Graham. "I bring some news. Good and somewhat good."


    "Come on, you''re not the kind of guy to keep us in suspense, are you?" Jeff snickered.


    "The Shield agents have been deployed across the city. Currently only one of their officers remains at their base of operation."


    "And the somewhat good?" Grace asked.


    "The inquisitors are almost here. Also, the value of the bait has just increased. Apparently he happens to be the son of Klaus Alderwolf himself."


    "The hell!!!" Jeff exclaimed. Graham''s eyes widened. Grace let out a small laugh. The mercenaries around them looked at each other in shock.


    "Wow. We fished and caught a big one." Graham said, "Shasha''s getting a raise, I tell you." Graham walked towards the boy who was guarded by two mercenaries. Blake looked right up at Graham, not saying anything, just silent, as he had been the whole time.


    "I hear the Blutiges Massaker is your dad." Graham said with a smile. "That true."


    "Why do they call him that?" Blake asked back. "Never got an answer when I asked."


    "Heh." Graham grinned, ignoring Blake''s question. "You know, your dad passed through here a like yesterday, I think. Too bad he didn''t know you were here."


    "Yeah, I guess." Blake said, "I did not tell him I left home to come here so I definitely doubt he''d be looking for me."


    Graham laughed. "You''re a weird one, kiddo. I''d love to chat more. But unfortunately, I''ve got pressing things to deal with."


    "Those three half-breeds are alive." Blake said, "We can save them!"


    "I highly doubt that, kid. Don''t get caught up in a fantasy." Grace said.


    "Yeah," Graham agreed. "And you''re wrong on one thing. There aren''t three half-breeds, kid."


    "Huh?" Blake said in horror.


    "There are five half-breeds."


    Somewhere in the city, in its darkest corners, the half-breed began to stir. The city was rich with the smell of strong licht energy. And besides, he could sense the presence of four other half-breeds. Three of them which seemed to be awakening.


    "[Well, well]" The half-breed said, looking at the two daemons behind him, one of which had white veins on the black skin of its body.


    "[I did say that today would be a feast, didn''t i?]" The half breed said with a smile.

 Street Fight-Start

    The Shield vehicle came to a halt in front of the abandoned warehouse. The inquisitors did not need to be told this was the place, the mercenaries all over the place were enough.


    Martha and the inquisitors approached the warehouse, only to be stopped by the two mercenaries who guarded the entrance.


    "Only she is allowed in." The mercenary said, pointing at Martha. "The rest stay outside."


    "I''m sorry, but we''re all entering." Martha said, "Even if we have to fight our way in."


    "Um..., Martha, lets do as he says." Kyler said.


    "But..."


    "Two. She and I. That acceptable?"


    The mercenary stared coldly at Kyler. "Fine."


    "Good."


    "Um...why Kyler though?" Zhao Fan asked.


    "Experience." Jacques said as the two of them entered. Kyler winked at Jacques, the latter who pretended not to see.


    "Then why not you?" Ricardo said, "I mean, no offense, but you were once a mercenary."


    Jacques remained silent for a while before replying.


    "Experience."


    The large warehouse was almost empty, save the four mercenaries guarding Blake Summers, who was tied to a chair and the woman who seemed to be out of place in all this. Dozens upon dozens of empty boxes layed scattered around the room.


    "Guns." Kyler whispered to Martha, the latter who nodded, clenching her fists. A man came out of a door from the back, walking past the tv which showed an image of three chambers in the sewer.


    "Ah!" The man exclaimed with a smile, "Our guests have arrived. Weren''t you supposed to be six?"


    "Your guys only let us in. Plus, the last one is a recruit." Martha said.


    "Ah. That adds up." the man said.


    "Seems like your spies are doing their work well, Graham." Kyler complimented. "I''m impressed."


    "Sure are. Very widespread to. From their recruits to their top brass."


    "Interesting." Kyler said.


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    "Anyway, enough about the Foundation, let''s move on to you, Kyler Tason, or should I say, Joseph Avenyor."


    Martha looked at Kyler, confused.


    "Oh, he hasn''t told you, huh? Joseph Avenyor, the Midnight Child, slayed a 100 mercs in one night. A true murderer."


    Kyler smiled. "Yo, Blake, you alright?"


    "Yeah, I''m good. Just mildly inconvenienced."


    "Ok. So back to the topic, at hand, she already knows. She just didn''t know my real name. That''s all. Its not some secret or anything."


    "I suppose."


    "Well, now could you uphold to the terms we agreed upon and let Blake go?" Martha said.


    "Sure." Graham said, signaling to one of the guards. The guards cut Blake loose. Blake stood up, watching all the faces around him before walking over to Martha''s side.


    "You okay, kid?"


    "Y...yeah." Blake said, "But um...there are half-breeds out there."


    "Yeah, we know." Kyler said, "The Shield will handle this."


    "No, you don''t get it. They are alive. The humans used are still alive."


    Kyler and Martha stared at him.


    "You''re kidding," Martha stated. "They can''t be. Their actions so far have been a clear indication that they were daemon pepetrated."


    "Ah, that again." Graham said, "Listen kid, even if we do take into consideration that they were alive, I am not going to allow you guys to interfere with our operation."


    "Besides, Mr. Tason said so himself," The woman said. "The Shield will handle it."


    "Those people are alive," Blake insisted.


    "There is no clear proof. If they were, we would know." The woman said.


    "Actually," Kyler said, scratching his head and turning to Blake, "He might be right."


    "What?!" Martha turned to Kyler. Kyler continued.


    "Blake, are you certain that the half-breeds still have human conscience?"


    "Yes."


    "Then why the hell would they be attacking." Martha asked.


    "The daemon instinct, most likely." Kyler said.


    "Okay, okay. But you know, none of this concerns me, you know." Graham said. "And let''s not forget, you''re not to go anywhere. You guys are to stay here."


    "Until all this is over," Grace added.


    "I didn''t agree to that, did I?" Blake asked.


    "No, but your leaders did." Graham replied.


    "Then I''ll go on my own."


    "Unfortunately, you can''t." Graham said, removing his gun. Blake glanced at him, but continued to walk away.


    "Um, won''t you stop your guy?" Graham asked Martha. Martha shrugged.


    "Nope. I can''t. Blake may be an inquisitor, but he still is an memeber of the Alderwolf family. He''s more powerful than I am."


    "Tch," Graham said. He fired the gun, missing Blake intentionally.


    "That''s a warning, kid."


    "Mind you," Kyler said, "A hair falls from his head and the deals off."


    "Tell him to stop them."


    "And as Martha said, he''s higher than us position wise, so we can''t stop him..."


    "Kyler." Blake said, stopping, "You''re a mercenary, right?"


    Kyler looked at him for a while before responding, as if having a deja vu. "Yes I am, why?"


    Blake smiled, turning to him.


    "I can hire you then, right?"


    The Shield agents set up the roadblocks all around the town, armed to the teeth. Reynolds took out his licht weapon, leaning it on his shoulder as he checked to see if everything was in order. Bree stood beside him as usual.


    "Any word from the other commanders?" Reynolds asked a shield agent.


    "No sir," The shield agent said, "All units have not encountered the half-breed or the Foundation.


    "This thing is getting fishier by the minute." Reynolds said, walking away. "Dammit!"


    Reynolds wiped the sweat of his forehead. Thankfully, Elizabeth Lionharte had handled the press so no one will be trying to strangle his neck, which also meant fewer people to protect. The only ones to protect was themselves; both from gunfire and being eaten alive.


    "This is Revana to Reynolds, I repeat, this is Revana to Reynolds. We''re under attack!"


    Reynolds took the comms from the Shield officer. "This is Reynolds, copy. Is it the Foundation or the Half-breeds..."


    "We''re facing daemon, dammit! WE''RE FACING DAMNED DAEMON IN ENTERING THEIR WHITE PHASE!!"

 Street Fight-Confrontation

    The first thing that Princess felt was the blood that splattered on her pretty face, soaking into her blond hair. It was then she noticed the soldier that had been standing in front of her was on the ground, his head partially cleared. By the time she could get a grasp of the entire situation, militants were everywhere.


    "TAKE COVER!" Princess commanded, ducking behind one of the vans. Three others joined her while five others ducked into an alley. Most of the others were downed by gunfire. Princess nodded at one of her men. He slowly scanned the area, and sighed.


    "Three mercs. Two are armed with machine guns. The thirds seems to be a licht user."


    "Great," Princess sighed, drawing out her saber. "There''s most likely a sniper out there. Dennis, Jenna, you two take out the machine gunners. Lyle, with me."


    The soldiers nodded reluctantly. Princess looked at the other five, signaling to them to cover them. One of them nodded, readying his gun and informing the others.


    Princess paused for a while, wiping the blood and sweat off her face. She counted up to three and then rushed out. The militants immediately began to fire at her, but she began to weave her way around them. The machine gunners were taking out, prompting Lyle to follow after her. The gifted militant took out two blades and rushed at her. She immediately thrust her saber at him, only for the militant to leap high in the air. The militant came down with a powerful force, forcing Princess to her knees.


    Princess grunted, stepping back. Lyle immediately rushed in with his dagger. He slashed at the militant, who dodged with ease. Lyle whipped out his gun and fired twice at him, but he dodged both of them, being mildly grazed by the second bullet. He grunted, charged at Lyle. Lyle charged as well.


    "Lyle, WAIT!!"


    Lyle stopped dead in his tracks as the bullet embedded itself in his thigh. He screamed out in pain but was interrupted by the militant who slammed him onto the ground. Princess tried to go in only to be stopped by the sniper, forcing her to retreat. Her men fired at where they thought the sniper was but it was pointless.


    The militant stabbed Lyle in the other thigh, snickering as the young man screamed in pain.


    "Our boss said to make sure that you guys felt the pain." He said as he placed his leg of his chest. "Nice and slow pain,"


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    He immediately stepped on Lyle''s chest, making the lad scream out in agony as he could feel the way crushing his ribs. The militant''s ''fun'' was stopped however, when a saber tore through his right shoulder, causing him to lose balance. Lyle then took the gun and shot him in the head. Princess rushed to his side, helping him up.


    "COVERING FIRE!" Dennis ordered as he and the other Shield agents got into position to fend off the incoming militants.


    The gifted individuals were no threat to him, nor were the militants or mercs combined. But the half-breed was a problem.


    Timothy ducked, avoiding its tentacles that flung itself round haphazardly, destroying every and anything in its path. The sound of screams could be heard from both the Shield and the Foundations'' men as the Half-breed mowed down on them all, not even sparing a single one of them.


    "ANY WORD FROM REYNOLDS?!"


    "NO SIR!" the agent beside him replied, his head in his hands. The half-breed jumped over the car which they had been hiding behind, turning to face them, its bloody mouth in the form of a grin. It roared, bits of flesh, blood and saliva splashing all over. Timothy and the shield agent rolled out of the way, avoiding the tentacle that came down with full force. Timothy took out his gun and fired three shots at it, gaining its attention. He rolled to safety avoiding its tentacles. The other shield agent shot at it as well, causing the half-breed to turning. The Shield agent ducked under a car as the half-breed thrust its tentacle right at him, embedding itself in the car. The tentacle retracted as the half-breed removed the car door from it. It growled turning its attention to Timothy.


    The shockwave from an explosion under the half-breed''s feet threw Timothy off. Timothy grunted as he got up on his feet, clutching his side. One of the militants was busily firing at the half-breed while screaming at the top of his voice. He ducked as the half-breed span round, hiding behind some debris. The half-breed turned to the running Timothy and thrust two of his tentacles at him. Timothy avoided them all only to be hit by a third, throwing him into a building. Timothy groaned as the half-breed approached him.


    Just then, a shield agent rammed into the half-breed with his shield. The half-breed fell backwards, somewhat stunned. It turned to the attacker only to see one of the militants charged at him with a spiked gloves. The militant drove his licht weapon into its side, pinning it to the ground. Shawn, the shield agent with the shield, jumped into the air and slammed into the half-breed''s chest with the edge of his shield. Timothy and the other shield agent drew out their licht weapons and began to attack the half-breed, slashing off its tentacles one by one. The half-breed cried out in agony, struggling to break free. The final blow was dealt to its head by the shield agent, with Shawn crushing the core. The half-breed shook violently for a while before dying.


    "Whoa!" The shield agent exclaimed, collapsing on the floor. Timothy joined him, a smile on his face. Shawn slid down the half-breed, too tired to even think. As for the militant, he walked away in silence, obviously to find a new job before his current one killed him

 Street Fight- Retaliation

    Revana had never understood anything about daemon. Who could blame her? She trained to be a soldier, the only daemons she had killed had all been in their first stages. Barely got a taste of licht energy. That didn''t mean she didn''t respect the inquisitors. She actually held them in high esteem. She just didn''t like some of their decisions.


    Well, as of today, her respect for them had grown drastically.


    Revana looked at her left leg which was barely attached to her body. She was bleeding. The intel was wrong. This wasn''t just half-breeds. This was true daemons; daemons entering their white phase. Or at least two of them were. The other one was just strong.


    Her entire unit had been wiped out. She was quite possibly the only one left. And she was only alive because she had been flung around like piece of paper before being tossed into a nearby van. She could still feel the glass shards on her skin.


    A figure came into view, wearing a familiar uniform.


    "Over here! Captain Reynolds!" The shield agent shouted. Captain Reynolds came into view after a few seconds. He shouted some orders and in no time, a few other men came to carry her broken body. She could barely speak. Only look up at the sky with tears in her eyes. Tears of joy. And of pain and despair.


    Captain Reynolds covered his face with his hands, gritting his teeth. The stench of blood was sickening, with a few men even vomiting. Could he blame them. He wanted to as well, but, unfortunately, he''d seen worse. Far worse to be sickened.


    "Are there anymore survivors?" Reynolds asked.


    "Only three, sir. Two of them are in critical condition. One of which is a recruit."


    "Which one?" Reynolds asked.


    "A girl, sir. She has silver hair."


    Ekaterina. Damn. Reynolds could only pray she survived. Prodigies like her were hard to come by.


    "You mustn''t! You''re hurt." Reynolds overheard a shield agent say. He turned to see Revana literally on her feet. She fell to the ground, crawling towards him. Reynolds rushed to her, helping her back onto her stretcher.


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    "We''ll take it from..."


    With surprising strength, Revana grabbed Reynolds by the collar.


    "D...d...daemon!" She said, before collapsing.


    "She losing her pulse!"


    "Hurry up!"


    Reynolds was however frozen on the spot. Daemon? Not half-breeds? Not the Foundation? The massacre finally made sense, but how? This was just like the last attack with the Half-breed. Daemon came with them. But why?


    "Yvette, give me a status report of every unit in the area."


    "Timothy''s unit has taken down one half-breed. Princess and Margaret''s units are still facing the foundation, with..."


    "Lookout!" A shield agent screamed as car exploded. Reynolds drew out his gun only to see a slender like daemon in front of him.


    "Daemon!" Yvette screamed, falling backwards.


    "No, half-breed." Reynolds said, drawing out his sword.


    The militant was shaking violently by the time Margaret had got to where he had fallen. He was scared. They had barely made it there and they had been wiped out. Not by the entire unit, but by just one Shield agent. Margaret Greyfield.


    No wonder the intel on her was so scanty. The moment she entered the battlefield, every single one of them had turned to stone. Heck even the half-breed they had sent was no much, downed under thirty seconds. Well, they were new, not having much to feed on anyway.


    "What is your name, terrorist?" She asked coldly.


    "What?"


    "Your name. What is it?" Her eyes began to glow a bright orange.


    "IT''S PAUL. PAUL PAUL! Paul Koomson!"


    "I''m guessing the inquisitors are still at your base of operations, right?"


    "Ye...ye...yes." He said, "Please don''t kill me."


    "First question." She said, ignoring his pleas. "How many half-breeds are there?"


    "Three...AAAAAAARGHH! Four. There are four!"


    "Next question. Who is your boss."


    "Gr...Graham."


    "Wrong answer. Who is your boss. Graham is nothing but a mercenary just like you. It might not even be his real name so who is your boss?"


    "I don''t know! Please don''t kill me, I beg you."


    Margaret sighed. She turned to one of her men. "Send word to Captain Reynolds. Tell him that there are four half-breeds in the town as we speak."


    "Yes ma''am."


    She stood up and looked up ahead, at the empty street as the man turned to stone.


    Margaret Greyfield. Her licht technique, Medusa, turned her enemies to stone with just a glance. Stone that only she could break with her long hair. But even when shattered, her enemies still remained alive. A horrifying fate.


    The shield agent she had ordered gulped as he listened to the receiver. He turned, taking a deep breath.


    "We have a problem, ma''am."


    "What?"


    "According to Captain Reynolds, there are daemons in the city. He said we should treat it as a priority until we can reach the inquisitors."


    "You mean the same inquisitors who are currently not here." Margaret shook her head. What a long day this was.


    Bree looked at the corpse of the half-breed that lay dead in front of him. He had killed daemon before, and had seen them being killed by the best. But never had he seen one killed this way. And by a hollow user at that. The Foundation militants had also been taken out by the same red haired punk. The same punk who sat on the corpse with a wicked grin on his face, waiting for his next prey.

 Street Fight- Retaliation 2

    Graham grunted in annoyance. He had forgotten completely about the fact that Blake was an Alderwolf. This was going to be a problem. Graham raised his gun again, this time at Kyler.


    "Stand down, Joseph," He said. "We don''t have to go down this path. Our enemies are the Shield."


    "No, her enemy is the Shield." Kyler said, looking at Grace, "You''re just a gunfire."


    "I go where money is. Now move!" Graham said. He was clearly irritated.


    Blake rushed at him, landing a hit on his chest. Graham staggered back, receiving a kick to the face from the young inquisitor. Graham spat out blood.


    "Oh, great. Look at that." Graham said.


    "Are you ok?" Grace asked.


    "Yeah, yeah." Graham said. Swiftly he shot at Martha. But the bullet never reached her. It melted before it reached her.


    "Its over." Kyler said.


    "Nah, it''s only getting started." Graham said. Immediately, the other militants started to fire, forcing the three inquisitors to take cover. Out of nowhere, a militant stood in front of Blake. Blake moved out of the way as the militant thrust a dagger at his face. Blake turned to face him only to see that he was not there.


    "Behind you Blake!" Kyler shouted. Blake turned to see the militant slash at him, cutting his arm. Blake jumped back into the open. The militants began to reload. Blake grunted. At most he''d have 2 minutes, not forgetting this gifted militant with his insane speed.


    Blake charged at the militant, his fist clenched. The militant braced himself, not expecting the young inquisitor to jump and kick him in the chest. The blow sent him flying across the warehouse. Standing in the sight of the militants, Blake, opened up his thumb and index finger gathering licht energy between them.


    Using his other hand, he pulled back the licht energy and fired. The shot split into three, hitting all the other militants. The shot went through them, causing them to fall to the ground, falling unconscious.


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    Graham stood momentarily in confusion. Snapping out of it, he and Grace moved out of the way as Blake shot at them.


    "I thought your licht technique would be blood?" Graham asked, reloading his gun, "Your father is Klaus Alderwolf, right?"


    Blake ignored this walking away. Kyler and Martha followed right after.


    "Yeah, that''s right. Walk away. As all you inquisitors do. Walk awya from a fight." Graham said as he came to view, pointing his gun at them. "That''s why everybody hates you guys. You hide behind your duty to kill daemon, ignoring the real fight that is in front of you."


    "Its funny." Kyler said, stopping. "I thought you said that you had no fight with us, but the Shield."


    Out of nowhere, a militant appeared in front of her, ready to strike her down. Instantly, Martha conjured a blue flame and shot him down. Graham fired as well, causing the three inquisitors to move out of the way. Graham, using this as a chance, escaped.


    "Damn that guy!" Martha said, "I could have killed him."


    "Don''t worry. He''s not even here."


    "Huh?" Martha exclaimed, looking at the militant. Truly he had disappeared.


    "Well, now what?" Martha asked.


    "We have to find the half-breeds before the Shield kills them." Blake said, "We could at least save them."


    "Or try." Kyler said.


    The door opened in front of them, with Jacques, Ricardo and Zhao Fan, poking their heads in.


    "Ah. You guys are done." Zhao Fan said with a smile. "So are we."


    "Did you have fun?" Kyler asked.


    "Yes!" Zhao Fan exclaimed.


    "No." Ricardo and Jacquez exclaim.


    "Good. We''re going to look for some half-breeds."


    "I advise against that idea." Jacquez said, "That''s a risk we''re not ready to take."


    "Why?" Blake asked.


    "Because, we can''t even tell if we''re near one. It''s like literally going out into the dark."


    "According to Blake however, the humans inside them are still alive."


    Ricardo and Jacquez looked at each other. Ricardo sighed, muttering under his breath. Jacquez looked down at the ground for a while before speaking.


    "So, what now? We go hunting for some half-breeds?"


    "Yep." Kyler said, "Start the car, we are leaving right now."


    Martha and rest entered the car. Just as Blake was about to join, Kyler touched his shoulder.


    "Blake," Kyler said, softly, "The half-breeds that you saw. You saw...no, you felt their pain."


    Blake turned to Kyler.


    "How did..."


    "How did I know? Well, lets just say, I''ve known you for a while." Kyler said, walking towards the car, "You still have that feeling in your eyes."


    Blake looked at him and followed without a word.


    Over the streets of Boston, a helicopter passed over. It belonged to one of the news stations, doing their best to report the situation to the outside world. Militants were scattered, in groups of three, some engaged in combat with the shield. They, however, failed to see the inquisitor who walked through the street.


    Sarah didn''t bother looking back, her eyes forward. She looked at the device, which appeared to be a handmade gps, monitoring the location of something. With her sais ready, she moved onward.

 Street Fight- Truth

    "That was a close one." Graham said to himself, huffing and panting. He checked his pockets for more ammo only to be disappointed. He banged his fists on the floor.


    "Graham do you copy."


    It was Jeff''s voice. Graham ignored it for a while, looking out into the far distance.


    "Graham, do you copy."


    "Yeah yeah. What is it." Graham said, picking up the radio.


    "What happened?"


    "As expected, the inquisitors did not play nice. We had to leave before we got our asses kicked."


    "Are you ok? What about Grace? Is she fine?"


    "Grace is fine. She was taken by Surprise."


    "Wait, what?!"


    "Surprise! Surprise! Ted Daveson!"


    "Oh, right. Should have said so."


    "How''s the situation there?"


    "Well, all three new half-breeds are dead. Killed by the Shield. All that remains are the other two. The ones that are already out there."


    "Do you know where they are?"


    "We know where one is. The Shield doesn''t even know about it. Its the other one that we don''t know. From what I heard, it brought some of friends for the ride. Its also entering its white phase."


    "Not our problem."


    "We did not think this through,"


    "Boss hasn''t complained yet, has he."


    "But still..."


    "Look, if you want to bail out, its a little too late for that. Make sure that the Shield kill that one before the inquisitors. From the boss, that one is the shining jewel of this whole parade."


    Captain Reynolds stopped as the car came to a halt in front of them. The inquisitors alighted and Kyler approached him.


    "See you''ve been busy."


    "Yeah, so have you."


    "Are the half-breeds dead?" Blake asked him. Reynolds turned to him. It was the first time meeting a child of one of the great families and one this young, but he was powerful. His aura was like an ocean.


    "Yes. Yes they are."


    Blake clenched his fist. Looking down the road, he could see the body of one of the half-breeds being packed into a cargo truck.


    "You shouldn''t have. They were alive."


    "Yes. I''m aware." Reynolds said.


    Blake turned to him shocked.


    "Wait." Martha said in disbelief, "You knew that the minds of the humans were alive all this time and still gave them the order to kill them."


    "Correction, I killed that one personally. And also I''ve been given orders. I cannot disobey."


    "Doesn''t mean you should become a heartless killer." Blake said.


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    "Yes." Reynolds said, almost inaudible. "I know. But right now all three of them are dead, all that remains is the one that killed Barry O''Neil."


    "Actually, there are five." Kyler said.


    "Huh?" Reynolds turned sharply. "That''s impossible. That wasn''t in the intel. There were four half-breeds that were stolen. One escaped."


    "We heard this from Graham. Graham won''t lie." Kyler said, "He''s not been ordered to."


    Reynolds shook his head. That couldn''t be possible. The intel that Colonel Lionharte provided was of four criminals that had been used for the half-breed project. Was there a fifth? If there was, why hadn''t he been informed. It could be a ruse, but then again, if he took Kyler by his word, then this must have been much deeper than he thought.


    Bree arrived with the rest of his unit and Spen, the latter who seemed bored. Bree saluted Reynolds but he was too lost in thought to notice him.


    "Is there a way to find this fifth one?"


    "Yes!" Zhao Fan exclaimed.


    "The kid can find it." Kyler said, "But if it was purposely hidden, then its going to be heavily guarded. We''d need your help."


    "We have bigger issues as well. Apparently the other half-breed has some daemon with it."


    "Easy then. We''d split our forces. Three on the fourth one, three on the fifth."


    "Yay!" Kyler said, rubbing Blake''s head, "We get to go on a mission together."


    "Good let''s go then..."


    "Um...you can''t go." Spen said, nonchalantly. All eyes turned to him.


    "Why is that?" Blake said. "We need to find this half-breed."


    "Even if you can''t save it?"


    The voice belonged to Dr. Vott, who appeared out of nowhere. The young scientist bowed as a form of greeting.


    "Great, more time to sleep." Jacquez said to Ricardo.


    "Forgive my manners. But I have to ask, what are you going to do, if you can''t bring back the human consciousness?"


    "I can." Blake said, "I''ll use my technique."


    "Which is."


    "Blake can manipulate the soul." Kyler said in response. Dr. Vott stared in surprise.


    "Fascinating. But it won''t work."


    "It can."


    "Look if you have something to say, get on with it." Martha said, "Lives are at stake."


    "Dr. Vott," Reynolds said, "What is it?"


    Dr. Vott sighed. "The reason why I was hired by Colonel Lionharte was because I am the apprentice of the scientist who brought up the theory in the first place. Professor Gerald Tason."


    "Kyler''s dad?" Zhao Fan asked.


    "Hell nah!" Kyler exclaimed, "I only met him once."


    "Well, though he brought that theory, he didn''t bring it to fruition because of the risks. However, Shield scientist decided to work on the project and...succeeded, hence all this chaos today."


    "Yes, how is this relevant?" Blake asked.


    Dr. Vott turned to Captain Reynolds. "Captain Reynolds, remember the first day we met, what did I say?"


    "How the hell am I supposed to know?"


    "I said that inquisitors always go off radar."


    There was silence in the air as soon as Dr. Vott said that line. Jacquez was the first to react, sitting up straight. Kyler too. Then Martha, who covered her face with her palms. Zhao Fan and Ricardo stared at each other, but said nothing.


    Blake took a deep breath, looking at Dr. Vott. "The fifith one is an inquisitor."


    "You''ve encountered it before. Aaron Cage was taken out by her."


    Kyler clenched his fist, pulling Martha close to him. Blake closed his eyes before asking the question on everyone''s mind.


    "What was her name?"


    Dr. Vott took a deep breath. "Rebecca Stone."


    Martha felt her whole world crashing down. Rebecca, It couldn''t be. Zhao, on the other hand almost fell backwards, with Ricardo supporting her. Jacquez said nothing. As did Blake. But Kyler did the unexpected, grabbing Dr. Vott by the collar...


    Or at least he tried to as his hand bounced right back.


    "Ah, sorry. My hollow activated on its own."


    "You knew!" Kyler yelled at him "You knew that it was her sister. That''s why you took her when she was coming with us. It wasn''t to make sure she wasn''t a hindrance. It was to tell her..."


    "The truth." Dr. Vott finished. "Yes. I told her."


    "And you told her where to find her sister." Blake realized. With hisfist clenched, he walked away, heading north.


    "As I asked before, boy. What are you going to do, if you can''t save her?" Dr. Vott asked. "Will you cage her again? Or will you end her life."


    "Dr. Vott, that''s enough!" Reynolds said.


    "The question must be asked, no matter how painful it is. Will he be able to do it or not."


    Kyler nodded at Martha, patting her on the head before following Blake.


    "We''ll figure it out when we get there." Kyler said, as the two entered a vehicle. Dr. Vott sighed, scratching his head. Martha looked up, wiping her face.


    "Jacquez, did you pinpoint the location of the daemon."


    "Long time ago." He said.


    "Good." She said, "Zhao Fan, go with Blake and Kyler."


    Zhao Fan obeyed without a word, getting into the car with Kyler and Blake.


    "Okay people! Move out, Bree you go with Martha. I''ll go with Kyler. I want six men on me, Lets GOO!"


    The Shield agents moved swiftly into position.


    "Spen," Dr. Vott said, "Go with Blake."


    "There''s more fun with the other team." Spen said.


    "I''m not asking." Dr. Vott said. "We all know how this is going to end. Even Blake knows this, deep down. But the question is, who is going to give him that push?"


    Spen grunted, standing up straight. "Will I get to fight the guy?"


    "That isn''t the point."


    "But it will go down that path, right."


    Dr. Vott looked, "Be gentle, Spen."


    Spen grinned madly, "I''ll try."

 Street Fight- Treachery

    The half-breed was pissed. The thick fog was in the way of him reaching his meal. He could literally taste it a moment ago. But now, it was slowly fading. His meal was escaping.


    [So much for a feast.] One daemon said.


    [Indeed]


    "[Silence!] the half-breed shouted, "[If it wasn''t for me, the two of you will still be in that cargo crate of yours, waiting for one person to pass by.]"


    [There he goes again.] the first daemon said, turning to the fog. [We have to kill the fog user. Let me do the honors.]


    [No.] the other daemon said. [I will. The two of you are almost in your white phases.]


    [Barely]


    [I am yet to reach that state of evolution]


    The first daemon and the half-breed looked at each other and said nothing as their fellow daemon walked into the thick fog.


    Lukas didn''t know how long he had to hold onto his technique. The Shield agents were slowly evacuating from the back, but it seemed to take forever. The fog allowed only he to see in it, but he wished that wasn''t the case. The three menacing daemon in front of him was not something to be proud of.


    A hand touched his shoulder. It was Ross''. "Is everyone out yet?"


    "Yes. Just left with Hughes and a few others. You and I inclusive."


    "You didn''t mention his title."


    "Screw that."


    "Ha."


    "Once I come back and touch your shoulder, increase the intensity of your fog. You give the sight of vision to the two people who touch you then withdraw."


    "How long is that going to take, sir? One daemon is approaching."


    "Dunno. Lets hope it doesn''t take long."


    Lukas heard Sgt Ross leave. He was alone now. Alone with three daemon. Was this what inquisitors faced on a daily basis? This...fear? This unbearable fear? A fear that made them want to turn tail and run? To throw up everything that happened to be in their belly? Was this what Brandon, Rachel and Sarah wanted to go through for the rest of their lives? Lukas closed his eyes. His whole body was shaking. He was a coward. No doubt. He''d joined the Shield because it was safer. But if this was safe, then...


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    Hands touched his shoulders, signalling the end of his trial. He didn''t need to see who was going to attack the daemon. He only needed to obey and fall back.


    Lukas returned to the back, where Hughes, Ross and a few others were, armed. The agents could hear the sound of the dameon screeching and snapping, with a few grunts from the others. It took a few minutes, but they felled the daemon.


    Lukas let out a sigh of relief as he sat down. He took out a vial, injecting himself with it. That made three. He was already starting to feel drowsy. But he had to hold on. The vials were replenishing his burnt out licht energy. Too much of it would be poisonous. But to hell with that. From the corner of his eye, he could see Felicity with her needle dagger. She was sitting against the wall as well, a bandage wrapped around her left arm. She had fared better than the others.


    The attack had taken them all by surprise. No one had detected the presence of the daemon, not even their radars. All they knew was that vestorers had been fired rapidly at the building.


    All this in the name of terrorism. Lukas thought. They had gone too far. The two shield agents had returned, one of which was bleeding profusely from his stomach. The medic got to work immediately. Hughes still tried to call for help, but it was no use.


    "Dammit," Hughes cried. "And none of you have a phone, huh?"


    The Shield agents shook their heads. Hughes cursed under his breath. This was bad. Very bad. To think they''d be taken by surprise like this. Without help from the outside they were screwed. Hughes looked over at the Shield agents. The only ones with licht techniques were Lukas and Terry. But Lukas was already at his limit. Was he using a fourth vial? He could be subject to poisoning anytime soon. And Terry''s licht technique was kind of useless. Or rather, did not fit the circumstances they were in. Last he checked, slime didn''t do well with fire. And the others? Ross? Shasha? Felicity? Heck his best guys were spent already, one bleeding out.


    It was at that moment that flipped.


    Noone heard the guy sneak up on Lukas and stab until Lukas'' licht technique faded away. Nobody also expected the militants to also flood the place where they were hiding. Nor where they expecting Shasha to stand up, pointing her gun at Hughes. Hughes looked up at her, deep into her eyes, shocked at her sudden change of heart.


    "Why?" He managed to say.


    Shasha smiled. "Its all in the job."


    Timothy and the rest of the shield agents began their clean up, the cargo truck having been waiting all along. The driver smoked his cigar, happy that he didn''t have to go through this hell.


    Timothy sat down, tired. He looked at the streets, were the dead had been gathered. 17 in all. Both Shield agents and Foundation militants alike. His mind slowly shifted to Zhao Fan. Was this what she fancied? A massacre like this. How did it feel for her when she killed all those people. Was she happy? Guilty? Nonchalant?


    Her words slowly filled her mind, like a sword stabbing his heart. We''re both murderers.


    She was kind of right. Moments before the half-breed had arrived, he had been firing his gun at those militants. Most likely killed one or two, heck he himself didn''t even know. And yet he''d called her a murderer. Someone who had owned up for her mistakes rather than reject it. He was truly a hypocrite.


    The cold steel against his head was something he''d never felt before, which also brought a new kind of fear. One that made him instinctively stand to his feet.


    "That''s right. On your knees!" The militant said. He obeyed, seeing his other men being put through the same ordeal.


    "Take their weapons boy." The militant behind him said. It was then the horror filled his face as he saw the person he had ordered. Shawn slowly walked towards Timothy without a word, taken the Shield agents licht weapon.


    "How could you?" Timothy could only say. Shawn didn''t reply, turning to take the other weapons of the shield agents.

 Street Fight- Distractions

    Sarah looked at the GPS one last time, making sure it wasn''t messing around. It wasn''t. Behind the iron gates was the half-breed. She took a deep breath, extending her hand towards the gate. She withdrew it, clearly hesitant. She took a deep breath, dropping the GPS and opening the gate.


    It was a dark room, the light from the outside being the only thing illuminating the room. But it was enough. The half-breed was exactly as Dr. Vott had described it. Two pairs of eyes with one long right hand and long spiky tendrils for its left hand. It had a feminine like body, kneeling on one leg. It turned swiftly at the sound of Sarah''s intrusion. Sarah looked at her sister and called out her name, tears rolling down her face on their own.


    "Re...Rebecca?"


    Blake didn''t want to think about it, but the thought still came all the same. What would he do if wasn''t able to separate the mind of Rebecca Stone? He didn''t want to think that it would be impossible, but the thought came all the same. What would he do?


    Kyler and Zhao Fan were silent as well. Blake understood why. Rebecca was their friend. A friend that he never knew. Situations like this weren''t his specialty anyway.


    The car came to a sudden halt, forcing them to snap back to reality.


    "As expected." Kyler said. "They''re here."


    The inquisitors and Captain Reynolds stepped down, facing the militants. Graham came to the front, armed with a machine gun this time.


    "This isn''t your fight, inquisitors." Graham said, "Leave now!"


    "Sorry." Blake said impatiently, "But it is now."


    "You engage in this conflict, you''ll avail yourself to the UN." Graham said, "You''ll break the promises you made."


    "You seem knowledgeable." Kyler complimented.


    "I read wide." Graham replied.


    "I don''t have time for this. Move now!" Blake said.


    "And why should I? You''re an Alderwolf who can''t even use blood manipulation. Why should I be scared?"


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    "Should I kill them?" Zhao Fan asked.


    "No!" Reynolds said, "We can''t unless they force our hand."


    "Tch!"


    "And what is that to you?" Blake asked, stepping forward. "Whether I can or cannot use blood manipulation is of no concern to you. Secondly, the Alderwolf family doen''t use blood manipulation. They use Chapters of Blood. Of course, an illiterate like you wouldn''t know this."


    Graham raised his gun slowly. He could tell that Blake was getting annoyed more and more. His licht technique was working. Just a little more.


    "And thirdly," Blake continued. "I''m adopted."


    Instantly, Blake''s body fell backwards. But Graham didn''t get time to react to this. He felt a sharp pain inside of him. But it wasn''t a pain in his body. It was like something punched the very core of his being. His ¡­


    "Soul." Graham muttered in disbelief.


    Blake, or his soul swiftly moved back, charging at the others. Blake''s Soul technique allowed him to use his licht technique to attack the soul of others, hurting their very conscious. Whether it was channeling his licht energy or taking his soul out of his body, his technique worked best on humans. And humans alone.


    Blake knocked out the two closest to him, knocking the third by kicking him in the face. The other militants were confused, firing haphazardly. Blake moved up to one, kicking him in the face, then jumping up and taking another two down. His soul immediately returned to his body. Blake turned to Kyler.


    "Can you..."


    "Take care of the rest? Sure." Kyler winked. Blake nodded at him.


    "Bring them back safely," Zhao Fan said. Blake nodded and dashed ahead. The militants tried to fire at him only to be slashed with an invisible blade. He slid under one of them and knocked out another, being backed by Zhao Fan. Zhao Fan span her weapon round, slashing three of the militants. Using her weapon''s chain, she tripped three of them, using a needle to stab their thighs and throwing it at another one. The invisible blades continued to slash the other militants around, including the one''s on top of the buildings. Reynolds only stood there in horror, unable to believe what was going on. Just three inquisitors were doing this much work. No wonder they wanted them out of the way.


    Blake stopped at the end of the road. Closing the eyes, he began to look for Sarah. He needed to stop her first before she reached the half-breed. He touched the ground, beginning his search.


    The Soul. Every human had one. Most people perceived it to be some mystical force in every human. But the soul was just the entirety of the human consciousness. It defined who they were. Every soul was unique and it was that same uniqueness that Blake saw. From the moment Blake met a person, he saw the person''s soul; its form, its size, its chaos and its tranquility.


    Blake opened his eyes. Not good. He said as he dashed ahead. He was running out of breath. He needed to hurry. Sarah was close to the half-breed. He needed to hurry before he was too late. Before...


    Blake drew out his dagger, parrying the black claw that came his way. Instantly, he felt a surge from the blade, it had come into contact with something it liked. Blake turned glaring at his attacker.


    "Why the long face, Blake Alderwolf," Spen said, a grin on his face. "Can''t two guys spar with each other for a short while?"


    "I don''t have time for this." Blake said. "MOVE!"


    "Pah. Make time. Besides," Spen said, as a black aura covered his hands. His hands became bigger, with a black coat of armor with claws. "We both know what''s going to happen, don''t we?"

 Street Fight-Pride of the Shield

    The shield agents were carried to the back of the shield base, guns pointed aimed at their heads as they were taken through a mucky alley. Hughes and the others were then brought down on their knees forcibly. Shasha spoke in her comms given orders to her men around before returning her attention to the captives.


    Hudson dropped Lukas on the ground, the latter who groaned as he clutched his wound. A medic rushed to him only to be whacked in the head with the butt of a gun.


    "Let him." Hudson said. The militants stood back as the medic made his way to Lukas, working on the wound.


    "So far all three of the new half-breeds are dead." Shasha said to Hughes. "How does it feel to know that innocent lives have been killed to cover up your mistakes?"


    "They were criminals." Hughes said. "Nothing more, nothing less."


    Shasha hit him in the face with her gun.


    "Some of who were our friends. Sure they killed people. But how different are they from you? Your organization literally turned them into monsters to kill others. But no worries. We''ll just show the world of your true colors."


    "It...it won''t change a thing." Hughes said, "Expose the shield, and some other terrorist group will do the same thing. If we didn''t do it, someone else will."


    Another blow to the head, this time more powerful than the first one. Hughes was on the ground, groaning in pain. Shasha placed the gun at Ross'' forehead, her veins popped up.


    "STOP!" Hughes cried, "Kill me instead!"


    "Oh you''ll get your turn, you just sit there and wait." Shasha said. "Do you have the tape rolling?"


    "Since we brought them here." One militant said.


    "Good."


    Ross spat on the ground, looking at her with a dead serious face.


    "All this for a crime we didn''t even know about."


    "Execution is the best way to get the message across to the UN. The Foundation means business." Shasha said.


    "Even if we deserved this, what did the inquisitors have to do with this."


    "We warned them to stay away."


    "You didn''t warn them the first time, did ya? That was on you! Aaron Cage and Barry O''Neil are dead BECAUSE OF YOU!"


    The gun fired once, echoing across the entire street. Ross'' body shook once before falling to the ground. Lukas screamed out, breaking free from the medic''s grasp and charging at Shasha head on, pinning her to the ground. Shasha kicked him off of her, annoyed. Two militants grabbed the boy and the one on the left jab him in his wound, causing the boy to shriek in agony.


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    "ENOUGH!" Hughes said, standing up. "KILL ME AND LET THE OTHERS GO! I KNEW! THEY DIDN''T!"


    "Haha!" Shasha laughed, " and here I thought you were the strong hearted one. A real shame indeed. Hughes Clifford, Lieutenant of the Shield, begging to die. You won''t get it easy until you see every single one of your men dead so GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES!!!"


    The moment she said did the saber zip past her face, cutting her on the cheek. It planted itself in the thigh of a militant on guard. The militant screamed, clutching her stabbed leg.


    From the side, Jenna and Dennis began to open fire on the militants. The militants immediately took cover. Shasha on the other hand grabbed Lukas and pointed her gun at him, causing the two Shield agents to stop.


    "That''s right. I thought so." She laughed, "Now STEP THIS WAY OR HE GETS IT!!"


    But Jenna didn''t move. Shasha did, as the blew to the face sent her flying. Princess landed on top of her, armed with a rapier which she drove into her biceps. Shasha grit her teeth. She was about to call for the militants when she noticed all of them had been taken out. She closed her eyes and forced her grin.


    "Hello Princess," She said, "You look like crap."


    "As do you." Princess said coldly, forcing her to her feet.


    "More of them are coming." Reynolds said, firing at incoming cars.


    "We can hear, you know!" Kyler said. Reynolds had tried to figre out what Kyler was doing. All he could see was that the militants were being slashed by an invisible blade one by one. It wasn''t fatal, but still.


    No time to worry about that. Reynolds said, as reached into the vehicle, removing a sheathed sword. He drew out the blade.


    "That Arondight?" Kyler asked.


    "Yes." Reynolds said, "I''ll take care of the ones at the back. You and the other girl take care of your front."


    "We can take them all out, you know." Kyler said.


    "I owe Barry a favor." Reynolds said. "When I was in a difficult situation, he helped us get out alive, even though he had quit the inquisition."


    Kyler turned to him, surprised. "Never told me about it."


    "I understand you are his friend. And I understand that it is because of my organization''s mistakes that he is dead. So, please, let me do this. For my pride."


    "I see no such thing in you," Kyler said,


    "Come on. Just let me say something cool for once."


    "Ha."


    Reynolds jumped on the car, thrusting the sword into the air. The sword released a blinding light, stunning the militants. Immediately, Reynolds dashed forward, swiftly striking down the four militants in front of him. He slammed another to the ground and kicked another in the face. Charging forward, he slashed the gun of a militant and, grabbing him by the collar, threw him on the ground. The militants had all recovered now, staring at him. Two were gunners while the third wielded a dagger. The one with the dagger suddenly appeared in front of him, forcing Reynolds to step back. The gunners began to fire immediately, forcing Reynolds to move back, losing balance. The militant with the dagger popped up behind him, grabbing him. The militants raised their guns ready to fire.


    Reynolds moved quickly. Using his right leg, he kicked the leg of the militant who held on to him. Then, with his strength, bent forward, throwing the militant over his back, just at the same time the militants fired, hitting their comrades back. Without a moment to waste, he quickly took them out with one single strike.


    "That took quite some effort." Kyler said, with a smile on his face. He and Zhao Fan had finished a long time ago, watching him.


    "You could have helped."


    "Oh? I''m sorry, didn''t you say something about pride."


    "Haha." Reynolds laughed.


    "Lets catch up with Blake." Kyler said as the two made their way on foot.


    "Are you sure about this?" Bree asked, "This is just absurd!!"


    In front of them were two daemons. One of them had white veins all over its body and the other was flaking, parts of its skin turning white as the black skin peeled off.


    "Want to run, be my guest." Martha said, setting her arms on fire. Bree looked at the two daemon and back at the shield building and sighed, pulling out his shield.


    "Jacques, take the rear. Ricardo and I will take the front. Shield agent, defend Jacquez." Martha ordered


    "The name''s Bree." Bree said.


    "I do not care. Move out!"

 Street Fight- Medusa

    "Good one, boy." Hands said, patting Shawn on the shoulder. Shawn only nodded. The Shield agents were gathered in the middle of the damaged road, arranged in a straight line.


    "Now." Hands said, "What to do with you guys," He said, pointing his gun at Timothy. Timothy did not budge, staring at the barrel of the gun.


    "Go on." Timothy said, "Do it, make yourself a cold blooded murderer."


    "Sure, I''m not afraid. Unlike you guys."


    "You have no idea what the Shield have been through." One shield agent said.


    "Should I shoot him, now?" A young militant who was standing beside Hands. Hands said nothing, bending down close to the young shield agent.


    "And how is that relevant to me?" Hands asked, "I''m just a simple merc in your eyes. Nothing is going to change that, is it? Just like nothing isn''t going to change the fact that someone like Jacquez Ives or Zhao Fan will always be murderers to you, no matter how much of your wrongs you cover. " Hands stood up and sighed, "Ah...now I''m pissed. Jeff, kill them."


    "With pleasure." Jeff said, "Yo, Mandy, got the camera rolling?"


    "On it."


    "Hurry up."


    "Hey, don''t rush me."


    Jeff groaned, muttering under his breath. Hands sat down, smoking his cigarette in silence. "While we wait, let''s talk, shield agent."


    "Huh?"


    "Let''s talk." Hands said.


    "And why would I want to do that?" Timothy asked, "Considering that you''d end my life anyway."


    "Just wanted to pass the time that''s all." Hands said, "Or is that to much to ask."


    Timothy looked over at Shawn and looked back at Hands.


    "He your son?"


    "Who? Shawn?" Hands smiled, "Nah. He''s my nephew. Took care of him ever since his dad died in a war."


    "His dad was an honorable Shield agent."


    "Yes." Hands said, "But his honor got him killed. By me,"


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    Timothy stared at him in shock. He turned swiftly to Shawn, the latter who still remained silent.


    "What?"


    "Oh, surprised? Yeah, he knows. But a job was a job. He just happened to be there, that''s all to it."


    "You monster."


    Hands smiled, puffing his cig. "I''m guessing that you haven''t been in much of a frontline before, have you? You''re so quick to judge. My brother was simply there because he was ordered to be there, as was I. The only thing that changes is that we were all ordered...by the same person."


    "Lies." A shield agent said.


    "Suit yourself." Hands said. "Jeff, is the camera ready..."


    Hands and Shawn turned to see a horrifying sight. All the militants including Jeff and Mandy had been turned to complete stone. Hands immediately walked up to Timothy, grabbing him by the hair and pointing his gun at him. Shawn scanned the perimeter.


    "Oh. So he was part of you," the cold voice said, "I was wondering why he was the Shield agent not tied up. This makes things easy."


    The moment Margaret had said than Shawn began to turn to stone. Hands could only watch on helplessly. Grunting, he took out another gun from his pocket and pointed it at her.


    "Its pointless you know." Margaret said. "You are already surrounded."


    "Wouldn''t be wrong if I didn''t try, right?" Hands said with a grin.


    "Well, it is allowed, but it is still pointless."


    Hands smiled, dropping the guns on the ground. Two shield agents immediately seized his guns and kicked him to his knees, while the other agents freed their comrades.


    "Don''t worry," Margaret said, "Your ''friends'' are still alive."


    "Well that''s so kind of you." Hands said, "Could I get a soda as well."


    His comment prompted one of the Shield agents to hit him with the end of his gun. He grunted, still keeping his smile.


    "Well that helps a lot."


    "Your ''parade'' is over. Graham has been taken down."


    "Not by you though." Hands said.


    "And?"


    ''Oh, nothing, just wondering when the shield is ever going to deal with their own problems themselves."


    Another hit to the head.


    "That''s enough," Margaret said, "I actually enjoy his comments. Keeps me more entertained than the rest of you guys,"


    "I''m...flattered."


    "The pleasure''s mine."


    "If I may ask, what becomes of us."


    Margaret looked at him and smiled, "Life imprisonment. If you''re not lucky, Tartarus."


    "Damn."


    Margaret shrugged.


    "Margaret, let''s not entertain him," Timothy said, "We''ve already lost too many men to them. It''s sickening just looking at him."


    "Sucks being you." She said with a shrug, "I''m just as happy as a lark."


    The shot resounded once, echoing through the empty street. The shield agent close to Hands dropped dead, allowing Hands to break free. He elbowed the other shield agent, and dashed away. Margaret was about to petrify him when, out of nowhere, a shield agent drew out a broad mirror. Margaret looked at her reflection and fell to the ground. A red car pulled up opening the door for Hands to jump in. The car sped away, as it was shot at my countless shield agents. Timothy banged his foot on the ground. The traitor was handcuffed away by Timothy, the former who had a wide grin on his face.


    A shield agent helped Margaret up to her feet. The girl looked around her completely bewildered, like she didn''t know where she was. Timothy sighed, handing the traitor to another soldier. Walking over to Margaret, he patted her on the shoulder. It was going to be a long talk.


    The one problem was Margaret was her split personality. One, which knew of her licht technique was cold and heartless, and the other was quiet, shy and clumsy. A look at herself in any reflection would swap them. To think they''d actually know about this.

 Street Fight-False Hope

    Time was not on his side. Sarah was close to the half-breed, which could or could not be her sister. And this guy was in his way. Blake grit his teeth in annoyance.


    Blake jumped backwards as Spen pounced at him, landing where Blake had originally stood with a crash. Sprouting a black tail, he whipped at Blake, sending him flying and ramming into a car. Blake rolled out of the way, defending against Spen''s black paws.


    "C''mon Alderwolf!" Spen taunted, "That all you got?"


    Blake kicked him back, rolling to his. Channeling licht energy through his body, he propelled himself at Spen, ramming him against a wall. He punched Spen in the face twice and kicked him. Spen coughed amidst laughter.


    "Not enough, Alderwolf!" Spen said as he grabbed Blake with his tail and threw him across the street. Blake tumbled, gaining his composure and getting on his knees. He could see that Spen was preparing a black paw. He was going to charge. Blake braced himself, ready to take him down.


    He was wrong.


    Spen''s black claw extended towards Blake slamming and pinning him to the ground. Blake groaned, wincing as Spen jumped high in the air and, with another readied claw covering his hand, landed a punch on Blake. The claws dissipated as Spen stepped back, watching the weakened Blake stand to his feet.


    "Nice expression you got there." Spen said, complimenting Blake''s glare, "Now you ready to take me seriously."


    "You asked for it," Blake said. He dashed at Spen, moving to the side as Spen thrust his claw''s at him. He jumped up in the and prepared to land a downward kick on Spen. The latter braced himself only to realize that Blake landed behind him. Blake swiped at Spen''s legs, forcing him to his knees Spen barely projected his claw, blocking the stab that Blake had thrust at him.


    The hollow within Spen began to lash out uncontrollably. Spen kicked Blake off him and rolled backwards.


    What was that? The hollow had never done that before. He looked at Blake''s dagger and grunted. Not all hollows lived within their host. Some could dwell in tools called vessels. The big loophole was that artificial vessels could take hollows from biological vessels.


    Blake had just tried that.


    "Not ready play fair I see." Spen said with a grin, "That''s nasty."


    "Get out of my way?"


    "Or what? You''ll kill me? Cause it seems..." Spen instinctively jumped back, his eyes wide open. Blake had tried tried to do something. He could feel it...no, his hollow had felt it. There wasn''t one person he was facing, but two. Or that was what he thought at least. Thinking wasn''t his thing. It was strategy that was.


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    Spen laughed as he made a head on attack on Blake. Projecting claws over his hands, he slashed downwards, missing Blake by a hair''s breath. Blake slashed at Spen but missed, getting rewarded with an upper kick to the face. Spen spun round and dealt a deadly blow with his projected claws to Blake''s chest. Blake staggered backwards, blocking a kick directed to his face. He tried retaliating but Spen was too nibble for him. Blake scanned the area and grew even more anguished. Sarah was too close to it. More like she was in front of it. She was alive but...


    He had to end this. Blake charged at Spen, channeling his energy through the blade. He struck the ground twice, causing the ground to spark as astral spears fired at Spen. Much to Blake''s shock, He dodged both of them. Standing his ground, Spen began to charge a black ball of energy in his claw.


    "This is called a null." Spen explained.


    "I don''t care." Blake said as he continued to charge onward. Spen smiled as he fired the energy at him. Blake, however, had planned for this. Jumping in the air, he dipped his dagger into the ray of energy. Spinning sideways, he fired a black crescent shot at Spen, countering the ray and causing an explosion, sending both of them in opposite directions.


    Blake got up, limping. He looked at where he thought Spen was but he was nowhere to be sight. Not like he cared. He broke into a jog, going through the empty street. Please let him not be too late, please, please, please. He broke out in a run, ignoring the pain. He couldn''t let her die, by the hands of her own sister. He couldn''t. He had to do everything in his power, no matter the cost.


    He was almost there. Almost there. He could see the building in sight. He could see their souls through the building, one in sorrow, one in tremendous pain, just like the other half-breeds. He could make it. He would make it.


    The bullets buried themselves deep in Blake''s flesh, one in his shoulder, the other in his thigh. Blake stumbled to the ground, unable to grasp the full situation. He heard the sound of car stop abruptly and the sound of two people walking towards him, a man and a woman. He knew who they were. The woman bent down in front of him, a small smile on her face.


    "Hello, Blake." Grace said, "Its been a while."


    Sarah cautiously approached the half-breed, one step at a time, one hand outstretched. She couldn''t see it''s form but it looked like any other daemon. But Dr. Vott had not lied. The evidence he had shown her was legit. This was the half-breed.


    This was her sister.


    Her sister. Rebecca Stone. Becca, as other inquisitors called her. How long had it been? How many days, weeks, months had they been apart. Only to meet like this?


    "H...h...hi." Sarah said, "It''s me, sis. Your little sister, Sarah, you still remember, right?"


    The half-breed stared at her, not moving not flinching. Just staring at her.


    "You used to call me your little star, though I did tell you to stop. I wa...was always a crybaby back then. I''d cry and cry whenever you went out on missions and it''ll be Martha that will comfort me until you came back. And you''d always come back with gifts and swe...sweets...and we''d play a little game or two...ple.. you remember, right?"


    She now stood in front of the half-breed. Face to face. She could feel the cold aura of the daemon, like licht energy that had been twisted and thrown into a pool of toxic waste. But twisted or not, she could still feel her sister in it. She could. She stretched out her hand to touch her sister''s face...

 Street Fight- Strategic Exit

    [Shouldn''t we avenge him?] the daemon asked.


    [Do you want to avenge him?] the half-breed asked back


    [No]


    [Good. Because we''ve got bigger fish to fry.]


    Martha and Ricardo both punched the daemon in the chest, followed by a projectile which tore through its side. The half breed moved out of the way of his fallen comrade. The daemon shook his head, grunting as it stood up on its feet.


    "Two daemon entering their white phases." Ricardo spat, "Just our day."


    "Kill them fast." Martha said. "As always."


    "Couldn''t agree more."


    Ricardo pulled his arm back and struck the air with a clenched fist. It was followed immediately by a force that pushed the daemon a few meters back. Martha moved close up and uppercut the daemon, kicking the half-breed away. Jacquez snapped his fingers, causing three yellow spheres to appear in front of him. The spheres fired in random directions, ricocheting of the places it landed. The daemon managed to avoid all but one, which shaved it shoulder clean off. Before the daemon could react, Martha landed on its back, locking its arms with a legs while elbowing the daemons head. She jumped off it, somersaulting in the air to avoid all its attempts to swipe at her. Ricardo landed a hit squarely on the daemons chest, which was followed by a second impact that tore a hole straight through its body, crushing its core. The daemon fell to the ground.


    A barrier formed immediately as the half-breeds fist tried to slam into Ricardo. The half-breed left back and made a dash for it.


    "Come back here!"


    "Stop!" Martha said, "Its mine."


    "You sure?" Ricardo asked. Martha glanced at him as blue flames sprouted from her body.


    "Watch me!" She said. With tremendous energy, she dashed at the half-breed. The half-breed, noticing her, began to throw cars at her, maintaining its speed. Martha stopped abruptly, sidestepping out of the way of the first car and ducking to the next. Martha jumped up, using her flames to melt through the third car, rolling on the ground and resuming her chase.


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    "Damn..." Bree stood in awe.


    "Yeah." Ricardo said, "I know, right?"


    The half-breed grit its teeth in annoyance. Standing its ground, it began to charge up a vestorer in both of its open palms. It flung them at her, the two projectiles sailing through the air like boomerangs. Martha dodged the first vestorer as it zipped past her, exploding in a building. She caught the second vestorer and clasped her fist, destroying it.


    The half-breed dashed at her, catching her off-guard. The half-breed hit her across the street with its tail firing a vestorer right after. Seeing the attack, Ricardo rushed over to a car, ripping of its doors. He flung one of them at Martha, who caught it and landed a few meters away from her other team mates. The vestorer hit the car door, pushing Martha backwards. Just as the half-breed was about to land a hit on her, Ricardo countered its fist with his own, sending a double impact through it hand, cracking it. The half-breed howled, staggered backwards. Immediately, a valley of beams rammed through the half-breed. The half breed fell to its knees, defeated. Martha moved forward, checking its status.


    "Is...is it dead?" Bree asked.


    "Wait for her to find out." Jacquez said, "Daemon entering their white phase don''t always have their cores in their chest."


    "Oh...okay."


    "Stay on guard."


    "Its blood..." Ricardo noticed, "Its red."


    Martha saw it to but said nothing. She walk past the two inquisitors, grabbing the phone off of Bree.


    "This is Martha speaking, we have captured a half-breed. Requesting pick up in front of the Shield base. Over and out." She handed the phone back to Bree and sat down on the truck.


    "Now we wait." Martha said.


    The half-breed groaned on the ground. These inquisitors were powerful, too powerful, especially the girl. If he moved a muscle, that would be the end of his puny existence. Patience was the key, but it would be his downfall if he waited for too long as well. What to do....what to do....what to do indeed. One false move and he''d be dead. The man with the lens eyes was watching the slightest of his movements.


    An idea came to mind. It was dangerous, but it was worth a try. Swiftly, it zoomed past Martha, aiming for the Shield agent. As expected, The one called Jacquez was already aiming at him. The woman was coming up from behind. Charging up a vestorer in its left hand, it thrust the hand at Bree, ready to incinerate him.


    Only it didn''t.


    The half-breed''s left arm went down, slamming into the ground, sending a massive shockwave sending the four humans back. The half-breed repeated the attack, slithering through the cracks and into the sewer.

 Street Fight- Despair

    "W...why?"


    "Why?" Grace laughed, "Why not. A kid like you who grew up with a silver spoon won''t understand, would he? How some of us are treated like the lowest of the Earth, having to fend for ourselves. But I do find it admirable that you''d join the inquisition. In fact, I''m actually glad. I wouldn''t have to put a bullet through your head."


    "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Hands said, stepping on Blake as the boy tried to crawl towards the house. "Sorry, but, can let you go."


    "That half-breed will be used to foretell the true horrors of the crimes the Shield have committed."


    "That half-breed is an inquisitor. You have to let me save her!" Blake cried.


    "Yeah. We know."


    "Huh?"


    "Or at least I do. Don''t know about Graham, but I read all their personal info. So, I know. But I don''t care. The Shield''s crimes must be revealed!"


    Blake looked at the house. Sarah was in front of the half-breed. Not as close as she was before but that was good. For now. He just needed to take care of Grace and Hands.


    "One of the half-breeds...you knew them, didn''t you?"


    Grace flinched. Blake couldn''t help but smile. It made sense now. Why someone like her who looked like she was living a luxurious life was here in the middle of a battlefield. The shield took someone she loved and turned him or her into a monster.


    "I''m sorry. But I can save them. There are still two half-breeds alive, one of them could be..."


    "So na?ve." Grace said, "Makes me only have hope that I lost a long time ago. I could almost cry." She stood up and walked towards the car.


    "Hands, do we have anymore men?"


    "Just a handful on standby."


    "Bring them here now. Tell them to hurry, we''ve already lost a lot today."


    "Yes ma''am." Hands said, as he stepped away from Blake. Seizing the chance, Blake rolled on his back and jumped to his feet. He knocked out the gun from Hands and used his licht technique on him, knocking him out. He turned to Grace only to get shot in the stomach.


    "Licht Energy restraining bullets. If I recall, Shasha shot you with three of these, right?"


    Blake clutched his stomach as blood oozed out. He staggered backwards but stood his ground. Grace sighed.


    "Just stay out of the way and you''ll be fine. That is all I''m asking. Why, why won''t you just listen, Why?!"


    A swift movement behind Grace caused her to turn. Spen landed a sharp blow to her stomach before she could react, the gun sliding on the floor.


    "Go on." Spen said to Blake, "I won''t stop you."


    Blake looked at him and nodded, limping towards the house.


    Sarah had been close to death once. That was when she was a child as she was escaping from a daemon. She never expected another one though. She had barely managed to avoid the attack, a deep cut on her cheek. The half-breed began to approach, stepping out of the shadows. It was on all fours, with its tails a bundle of tentacles. Its two glowing eyes stood vertically on the left side of its face, the right side was a large mouth with sharp incisors.


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    She stepped back, her sai in her hand albeit shaking.


    "Its me, Becca, your little sister, Sarah. I know you''re still in there. Please...recognise me."


    The half-breed continued to approach.


    "You remember the times we used to play in the base? When you''d force everyone to tag along...you remember right? Or the times I used to cry myself to sleep until you arrived back from killing daemon, right...please tell me you remember. You can''t forget me...you can''t leave me alone, you PROMISED!"


    White circles suddenly formed around the half-breed, stopping it from moving forward. Sarah stared, confused, slowly turning around.


    "I....I made it." Blake managed to say. His left arm was outstretched with a circle formed over it, as he approached it. He slowly limped towards the half-breed, some a few feet in front of Sarah as he dropped to his knees.


    "I can save...her. I can." Blake said, lifting up his other hand with much difficulty. "I ... I can save her."


    The circle on Blake split in to as he placed his palms on them, as if trying to pry them apart. The half-breed began to let out an ear-piercing scream as it writhed in pain.


    Sarah watched Blake in silence and relief. Hold on sister, she said to herself, We can save you. Just hold on for a while.


    The cicles around the half-breed suddenly shattered. Blake closed his fist, causing the cicle to reappear. This time with an extra circle. But the circle was weak and partially broken.


    "What...what''s happening?" Sarah asked, helping Blake up.


    "Guys'' at his limit. Probably."


    Sarah turned. The voice belonged to Spen.


    "He''s been fighting non stop. Guess it is also kinda my fault. Hahaha! To think he''d still try to save a monster"


    Sarah walked up to him and tried to slap him, but he caught her hand.


    "That isn''t very ladylike."


    "Don''t call her a monster!"


    "Ah...my bad. What do I call her? A half-breed? Because you do know that if you do save her that''s what she is going to live as for the rest of her life."


    "Shut up!!"


    "I don''t need to." Spen said, drawing closer to Sarah, "Deep down, you''re not even concerned about the number of bullets in the guy''s body, only your own sister."


    "SHUT UP!"


    Spen smiled, turning to Blake. Blake was now on his knees again, trying to seperate the circles. But it kept on shattering. He did it multiple times but the result was the same each time.


    "It ain''t working, is it?" Spen asked, "Why?"


    Blake remained silent, watching the half-breed. And for a moment, there was silence in the building as tears streamed down Blake''s face. He struggled to stand up, walking towards the half-breed slowly.


    "B...Blake?" Sarah called. But Blake did not reply. He did not turn back, just stopping in front of the half-breed, which was now on its feet. Reaching out, he touched the half-breed''s face. Then he turned to Sarah and it was then that she knew what was going to happen.


    "I''m sorry, Sarah."


    Sarah rushed to Blake in order to stop him. She slammed into an invisible wall, falling to the ground. She stood up immediately and continued to bang on the wall, screaming and wailing for Blake to stop.


    "There''s just no other way." Blake said softly. Drawing out his dagger, he pointed the blade at the half-breed''s head. The half-breed stood still, as if accepting its fate.


    "BLAKE NO!!"


    At the tip of the blade, a black ball of energy began to form, spiralling until it became the size of a large fist.


    "NO!!!"


    Blake bit his lip as his hands continued to shake. Holding the blade with blade with both hands, he fired.


    "NOOOOO!!!"


    The ray of energy zipped through the half-breeds body, leaving a gapping hole that run straight through the half-breed. It shuddered and fell to its side, dissipating into black smoke. Blake bent his head as he walked away. He stopped right in front of Sarah.


    Sarah could no longer stand, as her world came crashing down. She crumbled to the ground as tears flowed down her face. Her sister, gone. Dead. Without even a chance to say goodbye.


    Blake said nothing, only, making a deep bow in front of her, unable to look her in the eye.


    "I''m ...I''m ...sorry."


    "Sorry? Sorry?" Sarah said, her eyes clouded with grief and rage. "MY SISTER IS DEAD AND YOU KILLED HER!! HOW IS SORRY GOING TO FIX THIS!! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT!!!"


    Blake raised his head. He walked away, in silence, not looking at Spen.


    "I hate you."


    Blake stopped briefly. He turned to look at her from the corner of his eye. Without a word, he walked away, letting her words sink in.

 Street Fight-Fin

    The first thing that Kyler noticed was the two people who laid unconscious outside, then he heard the silent sobbing. He quickly rushed inside the building, Zhao Fan right behind him. He stopped as soon as he got there, petrified to the spot. One look was all he needed to see the situation. Just one look.


    Zhao Fan walked over to Sarah, the latter who was crying by herself. Bending down, she picked her up, carrying her away. Not one word was said between her and Kyler. Kyler approached the corpse of the half-breed, or to be more specific, the corpse of their Rebecca Stone. He looked on at it, saying nothing, just watching.


    "I guess this is goodbye, huh?" Kyler muttered, "Just like that."


    He turned to leave only for his foot to kick something. He looked down to see the Blake''s dagger. Slowly, he picked it up. He looked at the blade silently, biting his lower lip.


    "Kid, with the red hair," Kyler said, "You know where Blake went?"


    "He walked out without a word." Spen replied.


    "Okay. Could you go back to the shield base to report to them about what happened here?"


    "Yeah, whatever."


    "Oh and kid," Kyler called. Spen turned to him "Yeah?"


    "Thanks for watching over her."


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever."


    Martha emptied the contents of the bottle, throwing the bottle away.


    "Ow." Ricardo cried.


    "Yeah, serves you right." Martha said, "You let the half-breed get away."


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    "No, we let the half-breed get away." Ricardo said.


    "Same thing."


    The Shield agents rounded up the last of the militants to be sent to the prisons. The dead were lined up, covered with white sheets to be taken away. The injured were being catered for. And as for the press, well, Bree was handling them.


    "We really appreciate your help. If it wasn''t for you, we''d be french toast." Hughes said, as he approached them.


    "Not like we weren''t forced into this or anything." Martha replied. "Besides, we just did our jobs, nothing more, nothing less."


    Hughes smiled. Even if they stopped the militants, they were inquisitors. Breaking the code of attacking anyone outside of hollow- users or rogue inquisitors still stood. So officially, they only killed the daemon.


    "Still, you have my thanks."


    "What now?" Jacquez asked.


    "Well, we have to wait for Captain Reynolds to get here. The comms aren''t working so, its going to take a while."


    "Ever heard of a phone?" Ricardo asked.


    "He doesn''t have it on him."


    "He went with Kyler, right?" Martha said, "Jacquez, try calling Kyler."


    "Unfortunately, he gave it to me." Jacquez said, showing her the phone. Martha rolled her eyes. Well that was convenient. They now had to sit down and wait. Hopefully, Kyler''s plan would work and Blake would be able to save Rebecca. She couldn''t wait to see her. They also needed to report this to Klaus Alderwolf. Someone had been experimenting with her family, and she needed to know who was behind it.


    "Martha," Ricardo said, "Please, calm down. You are on fire."


    Martha turned to Ricardo, calming down. She sighed. "Sorry, I was just pissed, that''s all."


    "Yeah. We all are. But we''ve gotta keep it down sometimes."


    "This advice is coming from someone who almost beat up a shield agent yesterday." Jacquez reminded Ricardo.


    "Hey, he had it coming."


    "Yeah, sure." Jacquez shrugged.


    The noise from the crowd made Martha turn. Martha shook her head, thinking of the press. At the end of the day, the news they''d report would be altered. The Shield would cover it up, no matter what they recorded. But it wasn''t to bad to try.


    It was then she saw why. Shield agents were clearing the path for an inquisitor. Martha rose and walked to meet her halfway. The inquisitor seemed to be carrying someone, a girl with cyan blue hair...Sarah!


    Martha rushed to her, taking the sleeping Sarah off Zhao Fan and passing her to Ricardo. She looked behind her, expecting to see Rebecca, the girl who loved to smile and laugh all the time, or at least what she had been turned into. But she wasn''t there. Martha''s eyes shifted to Zhao to see her shaking visibly. The girl leaned on Martha, wailing out loud as Martha hugged her, forcing herself to hold back her own tears. Ricardo walked past Jacquez, nodding at him as continued to drop off Sarah. Jacquez said nothing, staring up at the sky.


    Rebecca was dead. There was no denying that now.

 Just a Random Daemon Attack

    The half-breed corpses had been locked away, ready to be shipped to Shield HQ. Tents had been set up all around the debris of the Shield base, getting every and any data they could salvage. A few containers were placed, guarded by Shield agents, were the prisoners were being held.


    Martha walked into the tent, alerting the other inquisitors. Zhao Fan stood up and walked up to her.


    "Is she okay?" Zhao Fan asked.


    "No. Had to force feed her. She''s not talking to." Martha replied.


    "So what now?"


    "Now?" Martha sat down on an empty crate, "Its up to her to decide. It will be highly likely that she would leave."


    "Won''t be surprised." Ricardo said, "Though she grew up with us this is her first experience after all."


    "But we are her family!" Zhao cried.


    "I know." Martha replied. "But it''d be her choice."


    "Then if she leaves, I''ll leave as well. Someone does have to take care of her."


    "Noble." Jacquez said, "But she''s already an adult by law. Besides, you can''t take care of her. You are in the inquisitors because of your crimes. You won''t be allowed to leave, as you''d be endangering her as well."


    "But we have to do something!"


    "Calm down Zhao." Martha said, "Let her take some time off. Then she will decide."


    Zhao looked at Martha and sighed. She was frantic, but she had to lay it down for now. The four remained silent. Right now the shield was wrapping everything up. All the dead half-breed were being sent to Shield HQ as evidence. The ringleaders of the Foundation, Grace and Graham, were being interrogated, with their goons arrested.


    Kyler walked into the tent, and one look at his face answered it all.


    "I couldn''t find him." He said, sitting beside Martha. "No trace of him anywhere."


    "At least he''s safe, right?" Martha said.


    "Safe, true." Ricardo said, "But he is not okay. He just killed someone, Martha. Someone he intended to save. And a sister of a friend for that matter."


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    "We won''t hold it against him." Zhao said.


    "You won''t." Jacquez said, "But she will. And the very fact that she will, will eat at Blake everyday he wakes up."


    A Shield agent rushed in, diverting their attention.


    "Sorry to interrupt, but you have a message from Colonel Elizabeth Lionharte. She requests for your presence, Miss Hill."


    Martha grunted as she stood to leave. "Zhao, please go to Sarah''s side. Kyler, with me. Ricardo, Jacques, find Blake."


    "Good luck." Kyler said.


    "Funny," Jacquez said, "Every single member of the Bad batch has now killed someone before."


    Kyler stopped, turning to Jacquez. He looked at him and sighed. "I guess you''re right."


    "I''m sorry, I''m not sure that I heard what you just said. Are you saying that we should let this incident slide as a daemon attack orchestrated by militants and not by half-breeds?" Martha asked, veins popped up on her head.


    "That is exactly what I said." Elizabeth said, "While I cannot overlook the fact that one of your own members was used as an experiment, the Shield represents a new hope for the people in these dire times. Crushing that hope now is not an ideal solution."


    "Over my dead body if you think I can just overlook this."


    "Sarah Stone''s family will be compensated..."


    "WE ARE HER FAMILY LIZ!!!" Martha shouted, "WE ARE! I will not stand down while you continue to destroy the lives of my men and get away with this."


    "As grave as this situation is, Martha, revealing it would be disastrous. How an inquisitor was able to go off radar and not be monitored only to be experimented on without your knowledge is a point that will be hammered on. And giving that your organization thrives on that, it will be used to control you in the end."


    "Damn you."


    "Now as this is just a random daemon attack and, by the information reaching me, one of them still remains. I understand that this particular one has appeared before. We will still need your assistance to..."


    Martha passed he hand over the holo communicator, melting it swiftly. She stormed out of the building in a fit of rage, Kyler following right after her. Reynolds and Hughes stared at each other but said nothing. What was there to say anyway. Another comm was placed and after a quick setup, Elizabeth reappeared.


    "Ah, where was I?"


    "Colonel," Reynolds saluted. "Martha Hill has left."


    "Splendid." She said, "Currently I am on my way here to check things out, to make sure nothing is overlooked. Anything from the prisoners?"


    "No, colonel, still silent."


    "I am tempted to use crude methods, but one is a merc and the other is a renowned citizen. Her lawyers have already started contacting us. Keep your ears to the ground as well."


    "Yes, colonel."


    "Oh, and I''d like to speak to Dr. Vott alone."


    The two Shield agents saluted and left the tent, leaving Dr. Vott, who had been standing in the corner the entire time."


    "Your operation was a success. Congrats." Dr. Vott said.


    "Why did you inform Sarah Stone about her sister?"


    "She deserved to know. As did Grace. I mean, this wouldn''t have happened if we didn''t inform her, right?"


    "True. But..."


    "Not to worry. This has already planted the necessary seeds for the bigger picture. The one controlling the Shield from the shadows will be revealed in due time."


    "In due time. But for now, this was just a random daemon attack."


    "Yes," Dr. Vott said with a smile, "Random."

 Pointless

    "Still nothing?" Reynolds asked Bree and Timothy as they stepped out of the crate. Bree shook his head.


    "I can''t believe she has the gall to lawyer up when everything is against time."


    "She''s stalling. That''s for sure." Hughes said, pissed. "At this rate, we''ll never get anything."


    "Well, we have everything we need from her already. Funds moving from her bank account to a name. Green Joel."


    "I wouldn''t even name my dog that."


    "I know. Must be a name used by the mercs. But without solid proof, this is a dead end. She might even walk free."


    "After injuring half of my men and burying the rest." Reynolds clenched his fist. "No way."


    "Not to mention two inquisitors." Kyler said as he approached them. "Tough luck, huh?"


    Reynolds nodded. "Still haven''t found the kid, huh?"


    Kyler shook his head. "Don''t blame him though. Doubt he sighed up for something like this, all to just reveal something that was covered up as a daemon attack."


    Bree and Timothy looked at each other in shock, but said nothing. Hughes took out a joint and lit it, letting out a puff of smoke.


    "Thought you stopped smoking." Reynolds said.


    "Yeah. Thought I did to. Didn''t expect to deal with a whole level of tragedy today."


    "Captain," Bree began, "What becomes of the traitors?"


    "They''d be stripped of duty and tried. Imprisoned, most likely for life. Or servitude in the Inquisition, no offence."


    "None taken." Kyler said.


    Bree turned to the other container. Inside it was Shasha, Hudson and Shawn. All traitors. Their friends. For how long, he did not know, but it was enough to make him puke. He never wanted to see them again. The deaths of their friends could not be forgiven so easily.


    "Um..., sir, what''s up with her?" Timothy asked Reynolds. Reynolds, Hughes, Bree and Kyler turned to see Sarah standing right close to them. None of them could feel her presence.


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    "Sarah, don''t." Reynolds said, knowing all too well what was going to happen next. Sarah did not answer. She slowly walked towards them until she was toe to toe with Kyler.


    "Why?" She asked, softly but coldly. "Why Rebecca?"


    "Sarah, I need you to calm down." Reynolds said as he approached her. Zhao Fan came into view, but stopped a few meters away, uncertain of what to do.


    "Why?"


    "What answer do you want to hear?" Kyler asked her.


    "She deserved better."


    "That is true." Kyler said, "But now she is dead."


    "Kyler Tason, that''s enough!" Zhao said as she approached them.


    "She was kidnapped, turned into the one thing she despised, the one thing she hated in the world and only to be killed by the very people she called family, and the only person with the answers is a woman sitting down behind those doors."


    "Kyler!"


    Sarah walked past them all. Bree and Timothy tried to stop her, but she reacted quickly. She grabbed Bree''s hand and flung him over shoulder, spinning round to kick Timothy in the chest. She made her way to the room. Grace looked up from where she sat and smiled.


    "Another visitor. Changing up things won''t do. Be it inquisitor or Shield agent, hell bring a Great family head over here, I won''t say a word without a lawyer."


    Sarah rushed to her, reaching for her throat, only for to stop dead in her tracks as an invisible blade slashed the ground between the two.


    "STAY OUT OF THIS!" Sarah cried.


    "And allow you to kill her?" Kyler said, "Just like Blake killed your sister?"


    "SHUT UP!" Sarah cried, "She doesn''t deserve to live! If only she had just left her alone, maybe...maybe...." Sarah fell to the ground as tears streamed from her eyes.


    "Your anger is misplaced, Sarah." Kyler said. Zhao Fan rushed to her side and helped her to her feet taken her away. She glared at Kyler but said nothing.


    "Oh, I see." Grace said, "That last half-breed was an inquisitor. And her sister for that matter. Haha. Yet you still side with the Shield after learning about this."


    "Yeah, right. As if you were any better." Kyler said, "How''s your brother."


    Grace glared at Kyler.


    "The Shield will fall. Eventually the truth will come to light." Grace said.


    Kyler shook his head. "You''re so blinded by your want for revenge that you can''t even see the bigger picture."


    "What''s more to it?"


    "What''s more to it? For starters, how not only did you make kill shield agents, but inquisitors and civilians as well. You''ve caused destruction to the city and wasted good time and resources that could have used for better things. And to top it all off, you failed."


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "The Shield has already treated this as a daemon attack which coincidentally happened at the same time as a terrorist attack. Everything you''ve done has all been scrapped. You failed, Grace."


    "But no side won."


    Kyler grabbed her the throat much to the shock of Reynolds as well as Grace.


    "I could slice you in the pieces right here, right now but I won''t. Instead, I''ll let you live." Kyler let go of her throat and walked away, "Live with the fact that Barry, Aaron, as well as everyone who died today, that their blood will be on your head."


    Kyler left the room, leaving Grace shaking with anger. Reynolds glanced at her before leaving.


    "You edged Sarah on just to say that one line to her, didn''t you?" He asked Kyler. Kyler smiled.


    "Yeah,"


    "I get it man. You just have to say the things on your mind. Helps to ease the pain."


    "Yeah. But this time, it was pointless." Kyler said. "Barry, Aaron, Rebecca. Dead. We just gotta move on. No matter how long it takes."

 Arrival

    "Home sweet home!!!" Rachel squealed, falling face flat on the floor in excitement. Kanon smiled as she stepped into the Inquisitor base.


    "This place sure is empty. Where did everyone go?" She asked, looking around.


    "I remember Ms. Martha sending them on their own seperate missions, but she herslef stayed. Along with Sarah."


    "Oh. Seems like they''re out to."


    "If it isn''t Kanon." A voice said, startling Rachel. Kanon turned to face Owen Shaw, the latter who was sitting in the dark, a bag of chips in hand.


    "A long way from home ain''t ya?" Kanon grinned.


    "What can I say? I needed a break." Owen smiled


    "Bet ya didn''t tell Alyssa."


    "Nay."


    Rachel turned on the lights, getting a good look at him. She didn''t recognise him from anywhere. She wasn''t Sarah, who had lived here her entire life, hence knew almost all the inquisitors of the western branch. But she knew a few of the ones that came to stay. He wasn''t one of them. And, listening to his talk with Kanon just now, it was obvious they knew each other.


    "Who turned on the lights?! I''m trying to sleep!!" A female voice cried. A woman came into view, her hair in a mess. She stopped when she saw Kanon and Rachel.


    "Oh. Right. Its you." She sighed. "Please, do me a favor and turn off the lights, I want to have the best sleep of my life."


    "No can do," Kanon said, "I love to sleep with the lights on."


    "Ughhh."


    "Wait, I thought you were with Mr. Hill and Shino?" Rachel asked.


    "Didn''t make it and its too far." Claire responded. "Besides, they''ll be fine without me."


    "Where''s Martha?" Kanon asked. Owen shrugged. Claire sighed. She really did not want anything to do with someone she barely knew. She was tired. Owen and she had managed to fool Klaus, or rather, the prime was too busy to notice them slip away. Now this?


    "Heard they got tangled up with the Shield or something, I don''t know, not my business."


    "Great." Kanon groaned, "This again."


    "What?" Rachel asked.


    "Oh, its nothing." Kanon said, "Let''s just go."


    A walk through the streets and Rachel could tell that an intense battle had gone on. Bloodstains being washed off, cars being lifted, whichever which way Rachel looked, there was clear evidence that a war had been fought. They finally arrived at the Shield base...or what was left of it. The entire structure was in tatters, with tents and containers laid all around. She searched the crowd of shield agents until she saw a familiar face.


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    "Hey," She said, waving her hand. Kyler looked at her, confused for a second before smiling.


    "Back home, huh?" Kyler said, "And what brings the Kanon here?"


    "Just enjoying the breeze." Kanon said confidently, "Unlike you. You look like crap by the way. Someone die?"


    "...Yes."


    "Oh. That explains it." Kanon said. Rachel looked around, hoping to see Sarah, but she was lost in sight. As was Martha.


    "Where''s your girlfriend?" Kanon asked, "Its been a while since I last saw her."


    "She''s in one of the containers. Don''t know which one though. She should either be with Sarah or Zhao Fan."


    "I don''t know either of them."


    "Oh. Just ask any of the high ranking shield agents. They''ll guide you."


    "You really look like crap, lighten up."


    "Don''t worry. I''ll be alright." Kyler said with a small smile. Kanon walked away with Rachel, who reluctantly followed.


    "I''ve never seen Kyler like that before." Rachel said, "Even when Barry and Aaron died."


    "Neither have I. Which means there''s more to this than we think."


    "R...right. But what more could happen than a daemon invasion?"


    Kanon remained silent.


    The two finally found Martha, who was standing in front of a tent. She stood still, her hands folded as she was lost in thought. Zhao Fan, much to Rachel''s shock, was silent as well, squatting next to Martha while playing on the sand with her finger.


    "Yo!" Kanon called out to Martha, rushing to her and given her a big hug. Martha was taken by surprise, shocked to see Kanon.


    "Wh....where....?"


    "Oh, don''t mind the minor details, girl. I''m here! That''s what matters, right?"


    "I guess." Martha said, scratching her head.


    "Yeah, and by the way, you guys look awful. Yikes, what the hell happened."


    "Well, its a long story...one you might not enjoy."


    "That bad, huh?"


    "Yeah." Martha''s attention turned to Rachel, "I thought you were with Queens?"


    "Well, we kinda run into a strong daemon. Queens got incapacitated and I was saved by Kanon," Rachel explained


    "And now she''s my personal student." Kanon said, putting her arm around Rachel. Martha smiled. Trust Kanon to do things that were always unconventional.


    "No worries, just treat her well."


    "Oh I always treat people well, don''t I Rachel?"


    "Well..."


    Rachel stopped as two inquisitors came into view. Ricardo slumped on the ground while Jacquez leaned on a nearby pole.


    "No luck, huh?" Martha asked.


    Jacquez shook his head, "Not even a grain of dirt. And you''d think because of his large pool of licht energy he''d be easy to find."


    "No kidding." Ricardo added.


    "Well, well, well, if it isn''t the underdogs." Kanon smirked, "How nice to finally meet you guys. Your reputation preceeds you."


    "Yeah, whatever." Jacquez replied.


    "Um... who are you guys looking for?" Rachel asked.


    "Blake Alderwolf." Ricardo said.


    "Blake? His surname is Summers."


    "Well, here''s the update. He lied." Jacquez said, "He''s Klaus Alderwolf''s son. And he''s somewhere in the city doing whatever he wants."


    "Huh?!" Rachel exclaimed.


    "Let me guess," Kanon said, "He saw someone die and now he''s having an existential crisis or whatever they call it."


    "He killed someone." Jacquez said. Kanon''s eyes widened.


    "Oh my." She said, "Does this have to do with why two of the toughest people I know are mopping like guys at the therapist?"


    "Yes." Ricardo replied, "Cus someone merged an inquisitor with a daemon and now the Shield is trying to..."


    "Ricardo." Martha said coldly. Ricardo sighed, scratching his head. Kanon grunted. Now everything had become crystal clear. It disgusted her though, making her want to puke. Rachel, however was lost. Blake was an Alderwolf? Merged daemon and humans? What the hell was going on? She could, however, not dwell on this, thanks to Kanon''s ever moving motion.


    "Well, get your butts up right now then. Come on! We have an inquisitor to find!!" Kanon exclaimed, grabbing Jacquez and Ricardo off their feet.


    "We just got back." Ricardo whined,


    "I don''t give a damn!" Kanon exclaimed gleefully, "One, Two, Three lets go!!!"

 Choices

    Blake sat alone in the park, the cold night air not bothering him. His injuries hurt like hell, his stomach cried out louder than the crickets. But that was not his concern.


    He didn''t know how far he had gone. Or where he had gone. He had just kept walking. Walking to nowhere in particular. He had hoped that it would have eased the pain, but the more he tried to move away, the more he was reminded of the life he had taken


    I hate you.


    He looked up at the night sky, the dark night sky. Was there anything he could not have done? Was there anything he could have done? Had he missed something? Or was he just lacking in his abilities. He wanted to find out badly the answers to these questions, but truly, he wanted to not know the answers. Deep down, he already knew what he needed to know. He had known ever since he sensed the half-breed on the day they went on that outdoor training session.


    The phone in his pocket rang. It couldn''t be Martha or Kyler or any of his teammates for that matter. He hadn''t giving them his number yet. Was it his uncle? Most likely. He picked it up and sighed deeply, his stomach turning. It was his dad, Klaus Alderwolf.


    He must have found out already. He''d have to answer, but then he wasn''t in the mood for a pep talk or anything like that. Hesitantly, he picked the call.


    "D...dad?"


    "You know, I thought I was quite clear when I said no, wasn''t I?"


    "I know, I know." Blake responded, rolling his eyes.


    "And to top it all up, you lied to Keith and your grandmother telling them you were going to live at your aunts place."


    "I know, dad."


    There was an awkward silence for a full minute. Was he busy? Was he off killing daemon. It was hard to tell. Even he couldn''t predict his own father''s mindset.


    "You sound pissed." He finally said.


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    The phrase took Blake by surprise. "I''m...I''m fine."


    "No. You''re not." Klaus said, "You already know that I know. Spill it out."


    Blake sighed. Of course he''d know. His blood was in his veins after all. He sighed deeply before hesitantly saying what he had wanted of his mind.


    "I...I killed someone."


    "So...basically, an inquisitor was turned into a half-breed and you tried to revert, but you failed, so you had no choice but to kill her."


    "Y...yeah."


    Klaus sighed. "Wasn''t your fault, kid."


    "Doesn''t feel like it. I wanted to save her, i was so sure that I could but..."


    "But..."


    Blake sighed, saying nothing.


    "You knew that you couldn''t. Or rather, that they didn''t want that." Klaus said.


    "But I could have saved them, dad."


    "And made them spend the rest of their lives as living monsters? Yeah, some would still want that. You only live once."


    "But she didn''t want that. Why? I thought living mattered more than anything?"


    "It does. It always has mattered. But Rebecca was different. Like most people, she despised daemon. Probably the very thought of spending the rest of her life as one disgusted her and that''s why she refused to be saved."


    "She could have been with her sister."


    "True, no arguing with that logic. However, it would have been a weight to Sarah as well. Already I''m guessing that this whole affair was caused by the Shield. I doubt that they''d allow a half-breed to wander free. She could have done it for the sake of her sister."


    "I still don''t get it."


    "You aren''t to, Blake. That''s what love is about. You''re cannot understand its complexities. More importantly, what are you going to do now?"


    "Me? What do you mean?" Blake asked.


    "Now that you''ve been through something like this, what are you going to do? Will you stay or would you leave?"


    Blake remained silent, hesitant to answer. Klaus continued. "Although this instance is an irregularity in our job, a lot more difficult choices are going to sprout up just like this one. Sometimes they could even involve the lives of thousands. Are you sure that a kid like you could handle it?"


    Blake still remained silent. Could he indeed. He hadn''t given it much thought but if more decisions involving the lives of others came up, would he be able to handle them? Or would he mess up? An interference from the other end of the phone made Blake pull the phone away from his ear.


    "Sorry, a bit busy where I am. I have to go. Stay safe kid."


    "O...Okay. Bye."


    The call ended, leaving Blake alone again, a question to ponder on. Making difficult choices was a thing he tried to avoid, and now to think it would catch up to him here.


    "Well, look who it is!" A voice exclaimed. Blake rolled his eyes. Of all people to show up, why him? Blake turned around, facing the speaker


    "What do you want, Spen?"


    Spen grinned, "We''ve got some unfinished business, you know."

 Ambush

    "Remind me why I''m following you again?" Blake asked.


    "Well, we had a fight which ended abruptly, thanks to there being much higher stakes, so I wanna fight for real this time." Spen said.


    "So this is irrelevant, right?"


    "Of course not. Every fight has got its meaning you know."


    "You''ve been meaning to fight me since the day I met you."


    "Yep."


    "Why."


    "Because, I like to fight. Besides, hearing that you''re the son of an Alderwolf makes it even better. More stuff to learn."


    Blake didn''t reply. He wanted to be left alone so badly. In the first place, besides his name, he didn''t know anything about him. He wasn''t a part of the Shield, that was for sure. To make things worse he was a hollow user. Another red flag. Not to mention he was also one reason why he hadn''t reached Rebecca Stone in time. But he acted like this wasn''t his problem. It wasn''t but then...


    "Why did you try to stop me back then?" Blake asked.


    "It was pointless. Duh." Spen replied, "You going to ''save'' a half-breed was all laughable in the first place. Not to mention that you were only doing it on a guess, while some have had years to try and separate them only to fail."


    "It could have worked."


    "But it didn''t, did it?" Spen said, glancing at Blake. "I''m not that much of an expert, but you have a vast pool of licht energy and you barely use it. But you were losing most of it back there just trying to revert her and there was still nothing. Why, you pissed?"


    "Y...yeah."


    "Good. Welcome to this side of the world. It ain''t fair. Never is."


    "Is this the place?" Blake asked.


    "Yes." Spen said, opening the door. "Why, you hate it?"


    "I was kidnapped and brought here."


    "Perfect then."


    The two walked into the spacious room. Everything seemed to have been cleaned up by the mercenaries. The Shield was probably delaying coming here till everything else was sorted out.


    "Shall we then?" Spen said, bringing out his black claw.


    Blake sighed as he took position.


    "Hold on, where''s your dagger?" Spen asked, his black claw dissipating.


    "I dropped it."


    "Seriously?!"


    "What?"


    "Come on! Idiota! Why would you do that?!"


    "In my defense, I was not in the right state of mind."


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    "You''re an Inquisitor for crying out loud!"


    "Don''t need to remind me. I know that much."


    Spen began to pace up and down, covering his face with his hands. "Fine then. We''ll use our fists."


    "Tch!"


    "Oh, I see." Spen teased, "Just cus one guy is inconvenienced doesn''t mean I''m going to lay off his back."


    "Whatever, just don''t go crying when I beat you."


    "Ha. We''ll see."


    The two took their stances, their auras flairing up.


    "[What do we have here?!]"


    Blake and Spen stood frozen where they stood. They slowly turned to see a tall black and white figure towering over them.


    "[A banquet and a side dish]" The half-breed said, "[This would be my lucky day]"


    It was colder than usual today. Even the usual cigarette that kept his body warm, while killing him slowly, was useless here. The man scratched his beard, pulling the cap on his head down. What a cruel job.


    Unlike most countries, Russia wasn''t a part of the United Nations, although their great family still was part of their decision making. Which meant that the Shield had no jurisdiction here. Unfortunately, that didn''t mean that they couldn''t come here, especially when that Shield agent in particular was also a member of the great families.


    Godfrey Niflheim, one of the four majors of the Shield and a member of the house of Niflheim. He was tall and lanky, with pale blue hair and cyan eyes. The cold winds of the Artic didn''t seem to bother him, which was to no surprise.


    He stood further away from the man, with a few Shield agents examining the corpse of a white daemon which had been taking out by the man and his comrades. He stood still, not even flinching at the sight of the frozen blood splattered all over, or the torn bodies.


    "When did this happen?"


    "As I already informed your guys, it was this morning." He responded, irritated. "We can handle this ourselves."


    "So can we."


    "We have jurisdiction in these parts. I do not care if your from the Lionhart family or whatever."


    "Well you will just have to watch then."


    "I have a name. Its Evsei Ivankov."


    "And I do not care." Godfrey said. "Lets wrap this all up. This operation is now a Shield operation by the order of the Niflheim family."


    "§ß§Ñ§Õ §ß§Ñ§ê§Ú§Þ§Ú §ä§â§å§á§Ñ§Þ§Ú! (Over our dead bodies}" A man close to Evsei shouted. Evsei, however stopped him.


    "Let them. But no pictures of the bodies of our comrades."


    "They are evidence."


    "They are our comrades."


    Godfrey groaned. "I don''t care."


    "You should though." A female voice said from behind him, "It''ll help a lot."


    The woman was as tall as he was, having short gray hair and brown eyes. She wore a long red coat with a white x on the side, escorted by two other inquisitors, who wore the same attire, only black. Her name was Alyssa Zola; the All-Knowing Prime.


    "This is their jurisdiction after all." She said.


    "This isn''t yours though." Godfrey replied, clearly agitated. "You may leave. We have this under control."


    "Really? Well, Edgar Lionharte also gave us permission to be here, that as well as this." She said, as she showed a disc to Godfrey and then to Evsei. Evsei nodded his head, telling his other comrades something. Godfrey grunted.


    The symbol was a backward N with a slanted a z in its center, the symbol for the Vlazerncroft house. With this, the inquisition could do as they pleased. Alyssa beamed at Godfrey and walked past him, moving towards the fallen daemon. She avoided the corpese of the men which were being wrapped up by the russian soldiers.


    "What''s the carbon dating on the daemon?" Alyssa asked the shield agents.


    "We don''t take orders from you." The Shield agent replied.


    Alyssa shook her head. "Regina."


    One of the inquisitors immediately rushed to her side, taking out a small black box. She took two plugs from it and plunged it into the hard skin of the daemon. She waited as she looked at the screen of the black box.


    "Wow." She exclaimed in horror. "This daemon is old, like 14th century old."


    "Huh?" The shield agent cried in shock.


    "Thought daemon like that were all killed." Godfrey said.


    "An assumption in theory alone." Alyssa replied. "We''re done here. Lets go."


    Regina packed up the box and began to walk away. So did the other inquisitor.


    "That''s it huh? As expected, you really do only do the bare minimum." Godfrey said.


    "Well, at least my bare minimum makes you look like an imbecile."


    "Tch."


    As soon as Alyssa began to walk away, the daemon''s hand reached out and grabbed her leg. Alyssa stopped, turning to see that the daemon was alive.


    [The march has began. The march of Sins.] It said. It immediately collapsed again, dead.


    Alyssa stood rooted to the spot, shocked.


    "What did it mean by that." Godfrey asked, stepping closer.


    Alyssa closed her eyes.


    "Just another war going to happen all over again."

 Heartache

    Lukas sat by himself, next to the bed of Felicity. She still hadn''t woken up, her injuries much severe. Ekaterina was nowhere in sight. She said something along the lines of ''helping the others.'' In reality, she was just trying to take her mind off the recent events.


    Ross was dead. When he first heard the news he had denied it. Ross? That big guy? He was one of the strongest guys out there. The only other guy he had heard of that was a match to him in the Shield was Aaron. As if that wasn''t enough, the betrayal of Shawn and Shasha, and the fact that Shasha had killed Ross had quite literally snapped something in him.


    He could feel the cold steel of the gun on his skin.


    He took a deep breath, looking at the other patients in the tent, all with varying injuries from slight scratches to bullet holes and torn limbs. He even heard that Revana might not be able to walk anymore. Well, at least she was still alive.


    Slowly, Lukas stood up, exiting the camp. He paid no heed to the nurse, who was too lost in thought to pay any attention to him. Lukas walked into the chaos that ensued outside, people running up and down, some of them journalists looking for a good story, others were Shield agents. He overheard one talk about them looking for the last ''special'' daemon. He really didn''t care. That daemon could rot in hell for all he cared. The real villains were locked up in a crate. They deserved to die, and he was sure a lot of the other shield agents felt the same way.


    "...Lukas!"


    "Whoa!" Lukas exclaimed, spinning round to see an annoyed Rachel. "Wh...What are you doing here?"


    "Passing through, duh." Rachel said, "Geez, still haven''t fixed your habit of getting lost in thought have you?"


    Lukas forced a smile. "You could say that."


    Rachel looked at him and rolled his eyes. He looked as pathetic as he always did, but this time, it was different. This wasn''t the usual Lukas who fumed whenever he lost a fight. This looked serious.


    "Lot of things happened here huh?" Rachel said.


    "Well...yeah." Lukas said with a sigh. "Can I ask you something?"


    "Go ahead."


    "Since Aaron died, how have you been faring?"


    Rachel thought for a moment. "Honestly, I never did."


    "Really?"


    Rachel nodded. "How would I? Aaron, Barry, they were our teachers for crying out loud. One day they were with us and the next, six feet under. But, at the end of the day, they were just doing their jobs. Its all part of the wwork."


    "But in this case, it wasn''t." Lukas replied, turning around. "Ross was killed by someone he trusted, not while in the line of duty."


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    "I''m sorry...Ross is dead?!"


    "Yeah."


    Rachel bit her lower lip. "Sorry."


    "Don''t be." Lukas said. "I guess in the end, there was no way to avoid death, huh?"


    "So you were looking for the easy way out."


    "Of course I was, Rachel. Unlike you, Sarah and Brandon and that weirdo Blake Alderwolf, I don''t have the guts to be an inquisitor. I joined to get a decent job and stuff, peacekeeping or whatever..."


    "You should have joined the police."


    "...I just wanted to have a good job without having the lives of my teammates on the line." Lukas signed. "You no what, forget it. I just need to get away from all this mess."


    Lukas walked away from Rachel leaving to only he knew where. She still didn''t know what happened here but judging from Lukas'' mood and the other inquisitors and shield agents alike, it wasn''t a good one. Ah well, everyone and their hell. She turned to leave, wondering where Sarah was.


    The train station was crowded today, apparently there was a delay in the trains or something like that. However, that was not a good enough reason for the hundreds of people who had become impatient. Babies crying, people pacing up and down, most of the others were on their phones. Hours had passed and still no sign of the train.


    Brandon, Shino and Jake were no different, the three of them having been exhausted by the trip. Apparently there was an emergency hunt for a daemon and the trio had rushed to the scene. Only to get there to see that the situation had already been handled.


    "Is it here yet?" Brandon asked.


    "For the last time. No." Shino replied.


    "Ughhh. Then lets take a cab then."


    "After the last one drained us dry? No, not happening bro." Jake replied. "Besides, you guys get to rest here."


    "On the hard floor. With tons of angry people?" Brandon said, "Yeah, maybe next time."


    "Get used to it then." Jake said, "Some places have no real access routes. Walking on foot is the only option."


    "Doesn''t the Inquisition have a bunch of helicopters?"


    "We do." Shino replied, "But we only use them in emergencies."


    "And besides, the problem of airspace and stuff like that. Some countries downright refuse inquisition aid."


    The sound of a train arriving was music to Brandon''s ears as he stood upright. As did a ton of people who rushed to the edge. Sure enough, a train came to a stop. However, just as the people could enter the train, a large object tore through the train, causing a large panic as people scattered, screaming. The object uncurled itself, revealing itself to be a daemon, with tentacle like legs and two small arms. Its face looked like a praying mantis, with some kind of fresh injury that had split its face in two.


    "Oh c''mon!" Brandon groaned, taking out his nunchunks. Shino activated his rings, immediately throwing them in the air. Using one of the nearby pillars, Brandon propelled himself into the air, jumping from one ring to the other, avoiding all the people down below. Reaching the last ring, Brandon leaped as high as he could, breaking the chain between the two batons. Landing in front of the daemon, he slammed the two sticks into the daemon, shooting it back into the train. Just as he was about to ram it again, a pair of black hands grabbed the daemon and dragged it away. Brandon stood speechless, shocked. He slowly turned, looking past the individuals who were cowering at the edges of the train. The man in question was quite old, with one side of his face burnt He wore a long black coat with a faded x mark on his shoulder. Beside him was a large black coffin with blue markings all over it, the torso of the daemon next to it.


    "Ugh, you done?" A voice called from behind him. She had short red hair with piercings on her nose and lip. She wore a more ragged attire with torn sleeveless jacket and ripped black jeans, and what appeared to be cymbals strapped to her hands. She turned to look at Brandon.


    "Oh look, another one of us." She groaned. "Lets be on our way, Frank..."


    [The march has began,] The daemon said [The march .... of sins.]


    "Not my business." The man, Frank, said as, with full force, squashed the daemons face. "Not my business at all.

 Last Breaths

    The inquisitor made his way to the end of the street, stepping into a pool of black blood. He continued his way, nodding at the other inquisitor who looked a bit sick. He stopped abruptly, closing the book he had open in his left hand, looking up at the pile of white daemon corpses. At top the pile sat a figure. He wore a long red coat, the white x on his back stained with blood, as was the rest of his clothes. His golden hair, however was left untouched. He red eyes glowing, making him all the more menacing.


    "Prime Inquisitor Edgar Lionharte," Damien Hunter said, bowing down.


    "Ah...Damien. Forget about you for a second."


    "You usually do." Damien replied sarcastically.


    "So, what''s up."


    "Prime Alyssa Zola has made her report, confirming our suspicions."


    "Ho." Edgar said with a smile, "Good." Edgar stood up, stretching a little. Two other inquisitors appeared, waiting for Edgar''s command.


    "Shall we then?"


    A Half-breed. Right in front of them. As much as Spen loved to fight, he knew this wasn''t a fight he wanted to be involved in. Sure he had defeated white daemons before, but this was just to much. Blake on the other hand was disadvantaged. No dagger meant no way to harm the half-breed. Which also meant no access to the hollow.


    The half-breed charged at them, punching the ground, throwing the two back with a powerful shockwave. It whipped round, hitting Blake back with its tail. Spen tried to get up only to be shot with a vestorer. Had he not blocked it with his hollow, he''d have had a hole in his body.


    [Haven''t had a good meal in a looong time. The only good one was that inquisitor with the spear. And to think that my next meal will just drop itself in front of me. YEESSSS!!!]


    Blake staggered to his feet, his body shaking from the attack. He could feel his bones rattling. Spen, stood up as well, black claws on both hands. He charged forward, striking at the half-breed''s leg. The half-breed stepped out of the way but was unable to stop the second attack from Spen''s left hand. Spen jumped back and lashed at the half-breed with his black tail, jumping to Blake''s side.


    "C''mon, don''t just stand there!" Spen cried.


    "What the hell should I do?! Kill him?"


    "Him? How the hell do you..." Spen stopped as he blocked the attack from the half-breed''s tail. He staggered back as the half-breed made a lunge for Spen. Blake intercepted the attack, hitting it on the back and, with great force, kicked the half-breed out of the building. Blake took a deep breath, stepping back.


    "You can see the human inside?" Spen asked.


    "Its not like the others. Its faint but he''s still there."


    "Then lets kill him, then." Spen said as he got up.


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    "NOOO!" Blake said, holding Spen by the collar. "We can''t, we have to at least try and save him."


    "This again?" Spen groaned. "Look I get that you think that you can save them but you can''t. You already tried that before."


    "And if I succeed?"


    "He''s stays a half-breed. Gets sent to a lab to be dissected and then they make more. The cycle will not end. Let him die."


    "And live with the fact that I didn''t save someone when I had the chance!"


    "You can''t save everyone!" Spen said, grabbing Blake''s shirt. "Besides, you''re an inquisitor, it isn''t your job to save people. Your job is to kill daemon."


    "And he is BOTH!"


    The half-breed charged in swiftly thrusting its fist at them. A barrier however formed between them and pushed the half-breed back.


    Spen grunted and let go of Blake. "I don''t have time to argue with you. But if you really want to save him," Spen raised his hands, "then try stopping me. Right here, right now!"


    "What?!" Blake said in confusion.


    "I''m going to kill that half-breed over there. If you really want to stop me, then put me down, right here, right now!"


    "We don''t have time for that!" Blake cried.


    "Oh hell we do!" Spen replied, a twisted smile on his face. "I don''t give a damn whether he lives or dies, but you do. So if you want to stop me, you''re going to have to put me down. But then if you put me down, you''ll have your chances of capturing him reduced. Not to mention that it might kill other people around. So what are you going to do?"


    "Damn you!"


    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO DO, BLAKE ALDERWOLF!!"


    Blake zipped past Spen as the half breed lunged at the latter. Blake kicked it in the face, sending it flying backwards. The half breed fire a blast of energy at Spen, which Spen rolled out of the way. He charged up a black energy ball and fired it at the half breed, causing it to black it with its arm. The half breed grunted as Blake landed a few hits on its abdomen. It staggered back, flailing its tail in a haphazard manner, preventing either of the two from approaching it and breaking the ground as well. Through the dust, it fired another vestorer, which Blake blocked with his barrier. The half breed rushed to Blake''s side to take a big bite at Blake only to be countered by Spen


    "We make a great team!" Spen exclaimed.


    "Would you shut up!" Blake said


    "He ain''t relenting though. Plus he''s almost full white."


    "I know that." Blake said.


    "Do you know what happens when they become full white?"


    "What? They become stronger?"


    "Twice as much."


    "No kidding?"


    [Better hurry then, my dear dishes." The half-breed said, [I can feel the energy rising in my veins!!]


    "Their voices always gets me, you know." Spen said.


    "I''ll cover you. Go!" Blake ordered. Spen charged full speed, his arms and legs covered in black claws. He began to pound the half-breed with a barrage of fists, some being countered by the half-breed. The half breed swiped at him only for Spen to dodge, followed by a surprise upper kick to the face by Blake, who then, with his aura, punched the half breed squarely in the jaw, landing at its feet. He stepped back for Spen who performed another barrage. The half-breed slammed Spen out of the way, firing small burst of vestorers at Blake who run around the building, evading every single one of them. Out of frustration, the half breed rushed at the boy, stumbling as he crashed into some of the pillars in an attempt to get to Blake. Blake, rushed at the wall and run up, jumping over the half-breed, with a ball of white licht energy in his right hand.


    "Soul: Cross glaive." Blake said as he fired the shot at the half-breed. The shot diffused into the half-breeds body and then suddenly burst out out of it, four white spikes poking out of it. The half-breed fell to its knees.


    "Is it...?"


    "No," Blake replied. "I won''t kill it."


    "Whatever you say, my liege. But point still stands, we make a great team." Spen said, shoving his fist at Blake. Blake ignored him.


    "You''ve got a phone?"


    "Nah."


    "Great. I''m going to look around. We need backup..."


    [Too...late]


    Blake and Spen both froze as the half-breed stood on its feet. I began to laugh as red energy could be seen passing through its body. Its horns were now fully grown, its eyes bright yellow and spikes began to protrude from its back. Its daemon aura could now be felt, a horrible feeling of despair and dread.


    It had evolved to a full daemon.

 Last Breaths 2

    The white half breed approached them, still laughing.


    [Shouldn''t have held back boy] It said with a cackle. [Shouldn''t have held back one bit.]


    Blake took one step only to realize that he was already in the grasp of the half breed as he was thrown back against the wall. The half breed stepped on his chest and cackled.


    [I can imagine the pain the human feels. Or maybe he can''t anymore. Pity. But thanks to him, I''ve been able to transcend to new heights. The Supreme One will be honored.]


    The pain in Blake''s chest began to increase as the weight of the half breed pushed more. Spen was about to rush in only to stop dead in his tracks, staring into the large red ball of vestorer. He knew that he wouldn''t be able to dodge. Blocking would be pointless as well, as it would tear through his hollow. A vestorer from a pure white was not to be trifled with, even if it was a new one. It wasn''t just about power when dealing with daemon. The longer the daemon had been around, the more smarter it was. And the more dangerous it became. Not to mention it was also relying on its human side.


    [Good. Now, time for my treat.] the half breed said. It turned to Blake only to see the boy pointing his index finger at him.


    "Jacquez is going to get pissed." Blake said. A tiny ball of licht energy formed at the tip of his index finger, which shot straight into the eye of the half breed. The half-breed staggered backwards, howling in pain as it clutched its left eye, its vestorer cancelled. Seizing the opportunity, Spen used his tail to whip the half breed on its back, while blasting it with a null. Blake drove his fist into the half-breed''s jaw as it stumbled forward, sending it back, followed by Spen''s black claw which scratched its back. Blake leapt into the air and, clasping both hands, slammed the half-breed down, bringing it to its knees. Spen appeared in front of it and fired a null, but it was intercepted by its arm. It grunted as the smoke cleared only to see Blake charging at him. He could sense the large pool of licht energy that swirled in his right hand.


    Being half-breed, his life and that of his human was intertwined. If his core was destroyed, he''d die. If the human''s heart was destroyed, they''d both die. He could do without the brain, but the soul? No way! He had come to far to be killed. He wouldn''t fall. Not like his fellow half-breeds. Not like his fellow daemon. Between his horns he began to charge a vestorer. The vestorer grew larger and larger until it was as big as a wrecking ball. He fired, being pushed back by the recoil.


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    His soul was faint, but since they were intertwined, it would still work. To be precise, his hit would be more than enough to take him out. The vestorer span towards Blake, devouring any matter in his way. It would reach him in four seconds max. He could barely see Spen running towards his direction to shield him from it but it would be pointless. He already factored it into his plan.


    Blake acted immediately. He projected his astral form out of his body and, forming strings, attached them to his main body. "Soul: Marionette."


    He immediately pulled his body out of harms way, just in time for the vestorer to zip past him. Returning to his body, he charged straight at the half-breed, leaping into the air, ready to take the half-breed down. Ready to...


    *I hate you*


    In that instant, Blake hesitated. It was another half-breed. If he killed it, he''d have more blood on his hands. He wouldn''t be able to save the human within. He had to at least try.


    It was this hesitation that led to Blake''s downfall as the half-breed, seeing the hesitance, immediately preyed on it. Grabbing Blake, and flicking the confused Spen away with his tail, he slammed Blake into the wall. He drew closer to his face, licking it.


    [Poor child.] It said, [The problem with you is that you are too compassionate. Too kind for a world that is too cruel. Just as naive as the human within me. Always trying to do good when there''s no other choice but to make the cruel choices.] The half-breed brought Blake''s bleeding face closer to his. [I honestly do not care, but...it disgust me...]


    Blake raised his left hand, though with much difficulty, pointing his index finger at him. He fired once, before dropping his arm. The licht shot did nothing but dent it''s skin.


    [Wow. Admirable.] the half-breed said sarcastically. "[But you''d have to do more than that to kill me]"


    "I agree." A voice said.


    Before the half-breed could turn around to see the speaker, he saw blood spraying out from his chest. More pain was felt as a new wound was opened out of nowhere. The half-breed dropped to its knees once again, letting go of Blake. It finally turned to look at the face of its killer.


    "[Do I know you?]" The half- breed asked.


    "Hell would I know." Diego said, touching the half-breed shoulder, "I just wanted to get some shut eye."

 Last Words

    It was black. Just black. As it had always been inside this daemon. But today was different. Today, two eyes stared back. It was the daemon.


    [Finally getting what you wanted, eh?]


    The human smiled, "Yeah! I''m finally FREEE!"


    [Yeah, and dead.]


    "I don''t care. As long as I don''t have to put up with you anymore."


    [Ha. Whatever.]


    "Its not like you''re dying anyway. You''re a daemon. You''ll revive, or something. I''ve seen your memories."


    The daemon eyes disappeared for a brief moment. [No. All things die. But it was fun while it lasted. At least, in the end, I still won.]


    "Fool." The human said, "Nobody won."


    [Whatever] the daemon said. And then there was nothing but silence. The human sighed, his surroundings changing to that over a crystal clear sky and a mirrored floor. Turning to the young boy on the floor, he smiled.


    "Thanks for caring for me. But this is it." The man said, "But...I know this is a little harsh, but if you meet a Grace Renfield anywhere...well...tell her Juno said he''s sorry"


    "Oi...Earth to Blake." Diego said, shining the flashlight in Blake''s eyes. Blake woke up, sitting up right. He looked around him, a bit confused.


    "Someone''s lost." Diego said with a sigh, "Ah well, my work is done."


    "Yeah, whatever." Spen said, his arm and ribs bandaged. "Don''t expect us to thank you."


    "Yes. Right. But you look awfully familiar."


    "Never met you in my life."


    "Hmm...Fine by me, then."


    "Did you...kill him." Blake asked, looking in the direction of the corpse of the half breed. Spen rolled his eyes.


    "Odd. Referring a daemon by ''he''. Well, yes."


    Blake closed his eyes.


    "If you''re annoyed by the fact that you couldn''t save the human''s life, then excuse me to say, but that''s a waste of time." Diego said. "To them, they died the moment they found out about their current predicament. Now, if you''ll excuse me, I would like to sleep, so lets go."


    Blake stood still for a while. So his name was Jay Renfield, huh. Blake bowed low and turned to leave. He won''t forget this. Not one bit."


    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN A VESTORER WAS SEEN?!!!" Hughes exclaimed. "We barely have enough men to spare and the few we have are looking for a damned half-breed!"


    "What about the Inquisitors in the area?" One shield agent said, "Its their job after all."


    "Are you going to ask Martha Dark or Jos....Kyler Tason to do that? After what happened this morning?"


    "A few more are already on field."


    "We''re actually much closer to the site than they are."


    "For now we''ve managed to evacuate surrounding civilians." Bree said as he got off the comms, "But we don''t know how long before the daemon decides to come out."


    "SIRR!!" A shield agent rushed in, "Good news."


    When talking of the primes, Diego was considered the weakest. His lackadaisical attitude towards everything didn''t help and he was barely seen fighting any daemon. Some claimed he got the position from bribery, others claimed he was a spy for the Shield. Either way, Diego didn''t care.


    "So, guess this wraps about everything, right?" Diego said to Reynolds.


    "Yes. Yes it does." Reynolds said, as the cargo truck pulled over, coming to a stop a few metres from where they stood. "We thank you for your service."


    "Please. You don''t pay me, so forget it. Just treat the two boys. They''ve been through hell fighting off that white."


    "With pleasure."


    "Now, Martha...You look like crap."


    "Don''t even dare." Martha replied, "I thought you were..."


    "Busy? I decided to run away. For the sake of my sanity."


    "And sleep?"


    "Yeah. That too."


    "Great to see that you''re alive though." Kyler said, "And in one piece."


    "Meh, could have been worse. But Edgar took my place, so I''m more than thrilled." Diego said, turning to Dr. Vott, "Oh, and thank you, as well. Heard you were a great help back here."


    "I was only offering the little help that I could. Besides you did help me some years back so that makes us even."


    "Ah... I knew I''ve met you before. Wanna stay for some drinks?"


    "While I would like to, my time here has expired. With all the half-breed exterminated, Spen and I will have to return to or old functions. But I will stop by sometime, if I get the chance."


    "Please do." Diego said as he shook Victor Vott. Spen stood up and walked to Dr. Vott''s side.


    "Don''t you forget, Blake." Spen said, "This isn''t over."


    Blake looked at Spen with a blank expression on his face. "Whatever."


    "We''ll meet again." Spen said as he turned to leave. Dr. Vott turned to Kyler and Martha and bowed.


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    "Don''t sweat it. We will meet again." Kyler said with a smile. Dr. Vott smiled back. He shook Reynolds hand and walked away with Spen.


    "I''m gonna miss him. Not gonna lie." Reynolds said.


    "Not me though." Kyler said, "We might end up meeting a lot more of them around."


    "Yeah no kidding." Martha said.


    "Are we done now?" Diego asked, "I am missing minutes of valuable rest, y''know."


    "Nobody cares." Martha said. "But now that this is over, we can actually go, right?"


    "Yeah, I guess." Reynolds said, "We can handle the rest."


    From a distance, Kanon could be seen with Jacquez and Ricardo. The two guys looked stressed out, as anyone who had met the overenergetic persona of Kanon would be. On seeing Diego, she froze, confused at the sight of a prime.


    "Oh...um...hi...." Kanon said shyly, darting her eyes somewhere else. Diego looked at her briefly before ignoring her, his attention on Zhao Fan who was carrying the sleeping Sarah with Rachel by her side. Rachel looked at Blake but said nothing.


    "Off we go then!" Diego said, a bit impatiently. He walked a few steps ahead and stopped, turning to Martha. Martha looked at him, confused at the serious expression he wore on his face. Realising that he was not looking at her, he turned to see what he was looking at it.


    There was a literal crack in space a few metres away from them. The crack began to widen and widen, revealing light. Several Shield agents assembled, their guns and licht weapons aimed at the spot. A figure emerged from the crack, straightening up with a stretch. He was an inquisitor, wearing the niform, but with a white coat on top of his black uniform. He had a book in his left hand, which he closed, his brown eyes resting on the Diego.


    "Prime Diego, Good Evening." He said with a low bow. Diego groaned. Reynolds signaled to his men to lower their weapons


    "Come on." He whined. "What is it this time, Damien Hunter?"


    "The Grand Prime, Edgar Lionharte has asked for your presence at HQ."


    "I''ll be there tomorrow."


    "Currently all primes are there. You are the only one not in attendance. You and Donna."


    Diego groaned again. Martha turned to Kyler confused but Kyler just shrugged his shoulders.


    "Fine, fine." Diego replied, "But you better serve me with that tea of yours."


    "As you wish. Also, Aides Martha Dark, Kyler Tason and Kanon should also follow."


    Kanon rolled her eyes in annoyance. Martha sighed.


    "I think Kyler should stay behind." Diego said, "Taking all the high ranking officials would be troublesome. This isn''t like HQ or Tartarus."


    "As you wish." Damien said, retreating back into the crack. Diego sighed, nodding at Kyler before walking through. Kanon followed, patting Rachel on the shoulder.


    "We have a lot to discuss, ''Joseph''" Martha said, pinching Kyler in the arm before walking through. The crack sealed itself shut with a sizzling sound.


    "Ah well, that was it for the day, lets wrap this up and go home!" Kyler said.


    "Any chance of pizza tonight?" Rachel asked.


    "At 2am?" Zhao Fan asked


    "Anyone by chance have a good movie?" Kyler exclaimed, "I''m exhausted."


    A hand rested on Blake''s shoulder. It was Jacquez.


    "An Alderwolf, huh?" Jacquez teased.


    "I''m guessing you already knew that." Blake replied with a smile.


    "Yeah, kinda easy to figure out."


    "Why am I not surprised?"


    "I wonder why myself."


    Blake sighed. It was already dawn and there was barely anyone around. The few that were around looked at them in confusion, obviously at the fact that to there were a bunch of inquisitors walking around. Most of them stood their distance, afraid to be caught up in their mess.


    "Would I...ever be forgiven for what I did?" Blake asked. Jacquez looked at him.


    "Trying to seek someone else''s forgiveness is futile, kid. She might never forgive you."


    Blake sighed.


    "So just forgive yourself." Jacquez said, "Own what you did and move on. That''s what I did at least. It worked for me."


    Ricardo caught up with Kyler.


    "Hey, um...aren''t you worried?" He asked him.


    "Worried about what?" Kyler asked without looking at Ricardo.


    "You know, the whole Damien showing up thing? Primes meeting? Duh? Those guys never meet and never get along, right."


    "Actually they do get along..."


    "Why now?"


    "Ricardo." Kyler said with a serious tone, "Be prepared for the worst. A storm is coming. A big one at that"

 The Boy Who Cried Wolf

    The inquisitor jumped down from the corpse of the dead daemon, cleaning the black blood off his face. He looked back at the corpse as it dissipated, a smile on his face.


    "Good." He said to himself, walking away, "This was easy."


    He looked around, noticing the boy in the old clothes. He had short red hair and brown eyes, and a glare like expression on his face, like he had wronged him. He had been there the entire time, from start to finish, not saying a word, just staring. The inquisitor waved at him and walked away.


    The inquisitor greeted some of the townsfolk, some thanking him for his bravery. The inquisitor only smiled, saying it was his duty. He approached a small hut, settling into one of the wooden chairs at the corner.


    "Hey! If it isn''t my old friend Miguel!" A man in an apron exclaimed. Miguel stood up, shaking the man''s hand.


    "How''s business, Jose?"


    "Business is business as usual. I hear you, on the other hand made another kill today."


    "Ah, its nothing. Just doing my job."


    "Hahaha!" Jose laughed, "Still humble I see. Same order?"


    "Always." Miguel said, sitting down as Jose walked towards the counter.


    "Now... what do I do about you?" Miguel said, turning to the boy from earlier. The boy shrugged.


    "I came to eat."


    "Yeah, I can see that. Its been the third time."


    "I''m hungry."


    "So am I."


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    "You don''t pay."


    "Indeed."


    The two stared at each other in silence. A girl came with his order, placing it in from of him. Miguel thanked the maid, the latter who blushed and walked away. Miguel turned only to see half of his food gone, and the boy staring at him with the same bland expression on his face.


    "Oi..."


    "I did leave you some. Not like last time." The boy said.


    "Yeah, but... you know what, never mind."


    "Bye." The kid said, scurrying off. Miguel watched him go, shaking his head. Another day, huh?


    "Thinking about that kid?" Jose said, sitting next to him.


    "Who is he?" Miguel asked, "Ever since I came here, he''s been worrying the hell outta me."


    "Hahaha. That''s just like him. Just this time around he does it without a smile on his face."


    "Something bad happen?"


    "Lost his mom."


    "Damn..."


    "Oh, don''t be sorry. That happened a year ago. Nothing you could have done."


    "Was there an inquisitor to fight."


    "She died trying to fight the damn thing. Apparently its been a thing. Pops up, kills an inquisitor and a bunch of others and disappears. Has been doing this for a long time."


    "Wait, the same daemon?"


    "Well, it''s the only daemon I''ve seen that looks like a full grown Siamese twin. A few guys tried to hunt it down but...well, if I told you the story, you''d lose your appetite."


    "Oh please Jose. I just killed a daemon and here I am."


    "Oh I''m not worried about you. I''m worried about the other guys eating here." Jose said as he got up. "I''d suggest that you don''t face it alone."


    "Relax, Jose. Don''t think low of me."


    "Ok. Don''t say I didn''t warn you."


    "By the way, what''s the kid''s name?" Miguel asked.


    "Spen. Spen Nikolai."


    Spen flipped the bottle, grunnting as the half filled bottle landed on its side. He did it again, but it still landed on its side. Sighing, he looked up at the sky. The daemon had completely dissipated, leaving nothing in place. A few others had come to salvage some stuff from the rubble, anything useful. The people who lived here were new in town. They''d try and find another place somewhere else. Somewhere safe. Meanwhile people like him still had to protect themselves from the daemon, Diablos. Spen threw the bottle at a flock of birds. What a pity.


    "My, my. What do we have here?"


    Spen turned around, confused to see a man standing there. He hadn''t heard him approach.


    "Hola, como estas...I believe I got that right?"


    "I can speak english," Spen said.


    "Ah, good. Hello. How are you?"


    "I understood the first sentence."


    The man had brown hair and eyes and seemed very young. He wore a white lab coat and black trousers. His glasses had a purple hue to it.


    "My name is Dr. Victor Vott." He said with a smile. "Who might you be?"

 The Boy Who Cried Wolf 2

    Miguel didn''t like the him. Dr. Vott could tell that much. More specifically, he didn''t trust him. Why would he? Why should he? If he had trusted him that easily, Dr. Vott would have started to question the inquisition''s members.


    As to why he was here, well, The First of the Ragnarok Society had ordered him to investigate a certain appearance. Details of it were unknown but it was most likely a hollow they were looking for. He was to confirm whether it was true that it was in the hands of an inquisitor, as that was what the scanty information had given.


    Then there was the matter of the threat of a daemon, the daemon that only hunted inquisitors; and to mark its victory, ate any surrounding humans. Quite an intriguing matter, considering that most inquisitors themselves, at least from his experience, were not all that powerful. In fact, in most cases, the normal people were the ones with the most licht energy. All he knew was that Gerald Tason had warned him to run when he saw it.


    But who was he to judge a daemon''s eating habits. He was just a beginner in the world of science. Nothing more, nothing less.


    "Ah...sorry," Dr Vott said, turning his attention back to the boy in front of him, "I got lost in thought."


    "Huh?" Miguel said, "Really?"


    "Happens from time to time." Dr. Vott said, "So back to your question... what was it again?"


    "Which faction are you from?" Miguel asked, his hands in his pocket.


    "Ah, yes. I am part of the Ragnarok Society, secret society that has also made its mission to hunt and kill daemon."


    "Not so secret after all, considering that you''re here."


    "Yet you haven''t heard of us till today." Dr. Vott said. "I''ll be hanging around the town, so we will be seeing each other from time to time."


    "Yeah, sure. I''d love to." Miguel said sarcastically. Dr. Vott smiled and waved; not at Miguel, but at Spen.


    Another problem had reared its ugly head for Miguel. He could just smell it in the air that he was no good. But what could he say. He was right on one thing. He had never heard of them in his entire life. All more of a reason to not get involved with them.


    "Better stay away from him, kid." Miguel said to him. But the boy was nowhere to be found, neither was the food on his plate Miguel looked around, but he was gone. Sighing, he walked away.


    "See you around," Dr. Vott said. Miguel ignored him


    "Ah! Mr. Inquisitor!" Dr. Vott called out. Miguel groaned. Not him again. He didn''t wake up this morning just to deal with him. Groaning, and cursing under his breath, he walked over to him, sitting down in the other chair.


    "My, my, Mr. Inquisitor, this food is amazing." Dr. Vott said, "10 out of 10."


    "What do you want?" Miguel asked, annoyed.


    "Me? Nothing. Just wanted to chat, that''s all." Dr. Vott said, "Just a chat between me and an inquisitor."


    "Wow. I am going to enjoy this." Miguel said sarcastically.


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    "So am I, Mr. Inquisitor."


    "Its Miguel. Miguel Serra."


    "See! We''re getting somewhere. By the way, I thought you''d be in your uniform?"


    "Wear a black jacket in the hot sun for 24 hours and find out what happens. Besides, I have my rei with me."


    "A rei user, I see." Dr. Vott sighed, "But from what I heard, your uniform is reinforced with licht energy to protect the wearer."


    "Not really. Its like wearing a bullet proof vest in a war zone. You are still bound to get hit."


    "My my. We do learn every day."


    "What do you want, Mr. Ragnarok dude."


    "Its actually Dr. Victor Vott. Emphasis on the doctor and I am just here to investigate."


    "Investigate what?"


    "Unfortunately I can''t tell you what it is." Dr. Vott said, "Secret society, secret business."


    "Better not involve experimenting with people. I can smell the hollow you have. You know I am authorized to take you down."


    The maid placed Miguel''s order in front of him and walked away. Miguel thanked her as he dug into his meal. Dr. Vott smiled. He had underestimated him big time. To think his hollow would be detected that easily. Ah well, it was just as his senior, Dr. Gerald Tason said; never underestimate an inquisitor, no matter how they may seem.


    "A regular customer I see."


    "Yep." Miguel said looking up at the doctor.


    "Must be nice. The people here see you as a hero."


    "Nah. Its just cause I do my job well. Nothing more, nothing less."


    "Well, one must have a level of humility in the job he does." Dr. Vott said. "But, I do have a question, though."


    "Don''t we all." Miguel said, not hiding his disinterest.


    "Can''t your symbol be forged? I mean, it is just a red x, right? I could just Print one and wear a jacket."


    "Cases like that sure have happened. That''s why inquisitors uniform have their red x''s injected with their prime''s licht energy."


    "Interesting. Okay, then my second question is..."


    "Look, Mr. Vott."


    "Dr. Vott,"


    "Whatever. I just came here to do my job as an inquisitor and have my half eaten meal. That''s all. I don''t want to be interrogated by some secretive doctor with a hollow who expects me to turn a blind eye to whatever his business is."


    "Actually, I don''t expect you turn a blind eye, and...my oh my, i didn''t think you''d be so quick to eat your food. You really are quick. I didn''t even blink and half is already gone"


    "Its the kid. Not me."


    "You have it rough."


    "Shut up." Miguel said, continuing his meal.


    "Ah...yes, onto my second question..."


    "Oh my goodness!" Miguel exclaimed, "You love to hear yourself speak, do you."


    "Hmm...Now that I think about it, I really do. No wonder Luke was really annoyed. Anyway, I am kinda of intrigued in your profession, why do you guys find it so easy to throw away your lives?"


    "Why do you guys find it so easy to not?"


    "Doesn''t it strike you that every inquisitor finds it easy to die fighting daemon than to fight to live another day."


    "What are you, a reporter?"


    "I actually once admired that position."


    "Ughhh!" Miguel groaned. This guy had a reply for everything. He wanted to leave so badly."


    "Look, Mr. Vott."


    "Dr. Vott."


    "We just do the job to the very end. That''s all. Now leave me alone and let me enjoy my meal in silence."


    "Ever heard of The Wolf of Shadows?"


    "El loba de la sombre?" Jose said from where he stood. Dr. Vott and Miguel turned to him.


    "El what?" Dr. Vott asked.


    "El Loba de la sombre." Jose said, drawing closer to them. "It was the weapon of the inquisitor who died last year. It defended us from the diablos."


    "A Diablos?"


    "An inquisitor used it?"


    "Promise on my future grave." Jose said, "A giant black wolf with eyes as white as the moon. It wasn''t able to defeat the Diablos, but then it sure gave it a run for its money. It was a shame she died though. She was a good fighter and mother."


    "Damn."


    Wolf? Dr. Vott pondered on it. By the man''s description, it sounded more like a rei than a hollow. All hollows stemmed from one source. And that source was the Hollow King. Nothing to do with wolves. Also Diablos...


    "I''m lost." Dr. Vott said, raising his hand. "Why do they call it Diablos?"


    "Hell would I know. Some say it has two faces, others say it had horns."


    "Okay."


    "Who''s your new friend, Miguel."


    "He''s new in town. Some kind of researcher."


    "What is researching? Abejas?" Jose said with a laugh. Miguel laughed as well.


    "I have to go. See ya around."


    "Sure."


    "What was that about?" Dr. Vott asked.


    "I don''t know." Miguel said, standing up. "Just tell me what you find on your bees okay?"


    Dr Vott sat there in silence. Bees? Him? What was that about? He sat there and continued to enjoy his meal alone. Only to realize later on that he had only eaten half of it. Where had the other half gone, no one knew, and no one would ever tell him.

 The Boy Who Cried Wolf 3

    Every night, Spen had the same dream. The same damned dream. Or nightmare. Whatever. Spen couldn''t tell.


    Ever since that day, when Diablos killed his mother, he had the same recurring dream. The dream of a black wolf. A pitch black wolf with white eyes. He didn''t even know how he knew it was a wolf. Or how he knew it was looking at him. But he just knew.


    Then, he''d wake up the same way. Hungry. Insanely hungry. The orphanage bread and milk didn''t nothing to solve this, just made it worse. Hence his bothering the inquisitor. It was actually kind of fun to do as well, especially the expression of his face right after he did it. He couldn''t help but laugh behind the restaurant.


    Then the was that doctor guy. A weirdo. He felt like the guy was always watching him. Like he was following him around the town all the town. He was friendly. Too friendly. He made some of the neighbors laugh when he was passing by with his terrible Espanola. Heck even he was better at English than the doctor was in Espanola.


    But then there was this feeling. A feeling of familiarity that Spen got from him. Anytime he was close, any time he was near the doctor. He always felt it. Like a child who was near his mother.


    This feeling of familiarity was, however, accompanied by a weird, minute, yet menacing hostility. A feeling to rip him to shreds. The urge was always too great. Too overwhelming sometimes. Anytime he felt it, he had to leave immediately, or who knows what he might do to him.


    So he always run away from him. Day, night, afternoon, evening, he run. And not just from him, but he felt the same way towards the inquisitor as well. Towards him, it wasn''t that hostile, more of a nuisance than a threat. It still didn''t change anything, though.


    But no matter how far you run, you''ll always stop eventually.


    Spen was at his usual place, near the broken fountain. The water had dried up a long time ago, it had almost been a year, but many people still came here to relax, mostly the aged and the young lovers. He sat with his legs dangling, listening to the song being played by the old man''s radio. A song about soldiers at war. Or at least, that''s what he heard.


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    "Ah, there you are, boy."


    Spen span round in fight, almost falling over. Dr. Vott smiled, sitting down beside him.


    "Sorry to intrude, boy." Dr. Vott said, "I admire your taste in comfort. A nice quiet place, with a perfect view of the rising moon. Nice."


    "Rising moon?"


    "Yes. You didn''t know?" Dr. Vott asked. "The place you''ve always been sitting at, consecutively without fail, faces the rising moon. I thought you just liked the moon that''s all."


    "What are you, a pedophile?"


    "No, no, Nana Gisele asked me to find you. She pointed me to this place. Make sure nothing bad happens to you. She really does care for you."


    "Yeah, whatever. I can take care of myself, so just go bother the red guy."


    "You mean Miguel? He''s gone to scout the other towns, looking for some daemon to kill."


    The feeling of hostility was rising by the second. He clenched his fist. Surely there had to be something that could make this guy go away.


    "Look, I''m fine. I can go home by myself. I always do." Spen said, "I am not a kid anymore."


    "You''re only what? Eight?"


    "Yeah, so?"


    "Seems to early to say that you''ve grown. But who am I to judge, I''m just a lowly scientist."


    "Blah, blah blah. I don''t care." Spen said as he got down from the fountain. "I''m going somewhere else. Leave me alone."


    "Okay, sure. But then, don''t blame me if that black figure in your dreams comes for you."


    Spen stopped. Figure? Black? Was he talking about the wolf? Spen looked at the doctor, the latter who smiled, fixing his glasses.


    "Ah, my hypothesis was right. You do have a hollow. And to think you''ve hidden it even from the inquisitor when I couldn''t even hide mine. Fascinating."


    "You see that Black wolf? With the white eyes?"


    "Yes I do...wait, wolf?"


    Spen nodded. Dr. Vott stared at him confused. All hollow users had the same dream when they acquired their hollows. They found themselves in a black room with a black figure in front of them; a black figure like that of a very tall man with pure white circle eyes. Sometimes it smiled. Or at least, that was happened in a few instances. But a wolf?


    "Or you certain it was a wolf?"


    "Duh. I''m an orphan, not dumb."


    "I know," Dr. Vott said, "But a wolf...this is very fascinating indeed."


    Spen didn''t know what was fascinating about this. The fact that his was not a person but or wolf or the fact that they both had hollows. Either way, he didn''t care. The hostility was rising and he could feel the wolf wanting to take over. He left the doctor alone.


    Dr. Vott didn''t notice, or rather he did but was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice Spen leave. A wolf? Was this why The First had sent him? Because the hollow this time was different. Was it because...no it couldn''t be. But it was possible...No...no way. Not even Gerald Tason had thought of this...no. He had. But that was...impossible.


    Dr. Vott shook his head and laughed. "Fascinating."

 The Boy Who Cried Wolf 4

    1 Year Later


    "Yo Spen!" The muscular boy said, kicking the bottle in front of him. Spen ignored him, just looking up ahead at the rising moon. His hair was cut in a mohawk and he had donned on a black torn sleeveless jacket and ripped jeans.


    "Spen."


    "What?"


    "I was looking for ya all over the place. Why''d you always come here?"


    "Can''t I have some privacy?"


    "Well...it''s about the festival. You said you''d help me... you know,"


    Spen stared at him and broke into laughing, almost falling into the pool.


    "It ain''t funny Spen!"


    "You should look at yourself in the mirror, Hugh. You''re blushing like a girl in love. Oh, I forgot. You are in love."


    "Are you gonna help me or not?"


    "I will, I will. Just don''t go squealing like the last time."


    "Hey!"


    Spen laughed out loud.


    "Speaking of which, who are you going with."


    "You, duh?"


    "I mean, Alberta and I would meet, so..."


    "Really don''t mind going alone, y''know."


    "Heh. Knowing you, you''ve already got someone you''re going out with. I''ll see you around."


    Spen said nothing. The festival was the annual Carnival of Brazil. To Spen, it was a day he didn''t want to be seen. Last year he''d gone with his mom. This year...well, she wasn''t around.


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    "If it isn''t Spen."


    "Oh. Miguel." Spen said, fist bumping the inquisitor. Miguel had changed to over time. He''d lost an eye, with a long scar running along the side of his face. To add on to that, his left arm was failing him. Only Spen and a few others were privy to this, but who could stop him. He was the only inquisitor they had. Apparently there was a shortage of inquisitors globally or something like that.


    "Another scouting?"


    "Si." Miguel said, "Not much though. A lot of new ones, thats all."


    "That''s cool. Guess that means that tomorrow''s gonna be a free day, huh?"


    "Hopefully." Miguel said.


    "That means you''re going out with her, huh?"


    "Yeah... wait hold on, what?!"


    "Oh please. Who in this town doesn''t know about you and Jose''s daughter. The sweet and elegant damsel Annabeth who nurses the mighty Miguel."


    "I''d say your imagination''s running wild."


    "Oh yeah. Lie to yourself. Let tomorrow come and we''ll see."


    "Heh. Good night, Spen."


    Spen nodded, watching the inquisitor go. He sighed, returning his gaze to the moon.


    His dreams hadn''t stopped. They had become bearable. He no longer feared the wolf. It was more or less like they were on mutual agreement. But it left him with more questions. And when he tried to ask...


    <You wouldn''t understand.>


    That was the reply he got. He wouldn''t understand. Hell then make him understand. He was haunting him every night for crying out loud. That was the least he could do. And the creepiest and most annoying thing was it''s smile. Like a crescent moon.


    "Good evening, mi hijo."


    Spen rolled his eyes, turning swiftly to face Dr. Vott. He hadn''t changed much, growing a little taller and replacing his purple hued glasses with a casual pair (and getting a haircut.)


    "What do you want?"


    "Me, nothing. Nothing at all."


    "Thought Miguel told you to leave."


    "He didn''t say when." Dr Vott said, sitting down beside the boy. "Besides, I still haven''t heard your answer."


    "And I still don''t trust creepy scientists."


    "Ouch. That really hurts."


    "Look. I get that I have a hollow or whatever its called. And I get that its alive. But I''m happier here. I''ve got new friends and new family. I''m not going to lose that. Not again."


    "I understand." Dr. Vott said. "But is it truly what you want, or is it to honor the will of the dead."


    The black claw was already at Dr. Vott''s neck. But Dr. Vott didn''t flinch. Just smiled.


    "Bingo," Dr. Vott said. Spen withdrew his hand, the black claw slowly fading away.


    "No matter how hard you try to appease her, how much you do to appease her, she died. Let the dead deal with their problems, and focus on your own."


    "You know nothing about my mom to say that! Nothing."


    "True. She might have been amazing. But that does change anything, does it?" Dr. Vott said as he strolled away. "Good night, mi hijo."


    Spen glared at him as he walked away. Talking to him about honoring the dead. Nonsense. Looks like he''d stay here for a little while. To let go of his pent up anger, lest he lash out on Hugh again.

 The Boy Wolfs Cry

    The day had finally arrived. The festivity filled the air, as was the aroma of food and the amazing dance of the pretty damsels throughout the street. Men and women walked in pairs, boys and girls played out in the open. A joyous celebration.


    Spen was alone though, his friend having fallen prey to Cupid''s stray arrows. Miguel had been caught up in one as well, as he and Annabeth danced to the music, much to the cheer and joy of the crowd. Spen also spotted Dr. Vott. He had waved at him but Spen didn''t wave back. Not out of anger, but out of shock. The doctor''s famous white coat was gone, replaced with a colorful coat. His glasses was gone as well, making him appear much handsome than before, attracting the eyes of many who had wondered what he''d look like without it.


    Spen wished he had a phone. There was just to much he needed to show afterwards. The look of embarrassment that would be on their faces.


    Spen continued to nimble on the cotton candy, walking through the street. He could see Jose laughing among some of his colleagues, bottles of half empty beer in front of them. Even the so called gangster had come to the celebration, dancing and singing; or at least trying to sing. They were terrible singers, adding their own words to the songs. Thankfully no one could hear them that much.


    The fountain was much lively than it was on a normal day. More couples than the previous day, a few older guys who had decided to meet the and discuss their old days. For Spen this was his spot. Whether people gathered there or not, it was his.


    Someone had fixed the fountain as there was water in it now. It had also been cleaned up, giving a clear color than reflected the sky. Flowers floated on its surface.


    "Here as usual?" Dr. Vott said.


    "I see someone is having fun." Spen said.


    "Yeah. Haven''t had some in a long while. Feels nice though."


    "Ha. I can tell. You lost the white coat."


    "Indeed."


    Spen continued to nimble on the cotton candy.


    "Why this fountain?" Dr. Vott asked. "You always come here, whether angry, sad or happy. You always come here. Besides the moon that is."


    Spen turned to him, a bit surprised that he had asked that question. "Why do you want to know?"


    "Just curious."


    Spen sighed looking up at the sky. "When I was little my parents used to bring me here. Or that what I heard from my mom. Then my mom to used to bring me here. Then...my mom was killed by a daemon here."


    "Ah...sorry."


    "She died trying to protect me. Well, that''s how most of us got orphaned anyway. Killed by Diablos."Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "So you come here everyday to pay your respects, right?"


    Spen nodded. "Least I can do."


    "That''s actually kind of nice." Dr. Vott said, "Visiting this place to honor her. I haven''t visited my brothers grave in years."


    "You? A brother? I thought you were an only child."


    "Why does everyone think that? Do I look like an only child?"


    "Yeah."


    "Wow." Dr. Vott sighed. "Yes I had a brother. A business man to be more accurate. Nice guy making a decent living. Then during a daemon attack he was trying to escape with his wife. He never made it."


    "Damn."


    "His wife did though, so at least, his sacrifice wasn''t in vain."


    "So the times that you leave you go see his grave?"


    "Actually no."


    "No? Why? He''s your brother."


    "He is indeed." Dr. Vott said. "And he will always be my brother. That''s why I won''t let a gravestone replace that."


    A loud shout made everyone turn. From the direction of the school, a large crowd of people seemed to be running in the opposite direction, looks of terror written on their faces. They were close enough to finally make out a few words that they were saying.


    "Diablos esta aqui!"


    Spen froze. His heart racing, his body stricken with fear. He could feel Dr. Vott shaking him and see his mouth move but he couldn''t make out what he was saying. Diablos. Here? Today? It was over for everyone.


    "Nikolai!" Dr Vott shouted, finally reaching Spen.


    "Y...y...yeah."


    "Rush to Miguel and tell him about the Diablos. Hurry. I''ll hold it off."


    "Y...you can''t."


    "!VE AHORA!" Dr. Vott commanded, removing his fancy coat. revealing his white buttoned shirt. A smooth black coat of scales began to coat his arms. "I''ll hold him off as long as I can!"


    Spen moved his body, reluctantly running away. Dashing and weaving through the crowd, he made it to the front, moving way ahead. He looked far ahead, to see a much larger crowd in confusion, wondering what was going on. Spen grunted. He jumped onto a car, and made his way across them. A few followed his path, not matching up to his speed, though. He stopped abruptly, scanning through the crowd. No sight of Miguel anywhere. Miguel closed his eyes. He just needed to sniff him out.


    Foods, clothing, drugs, gunpowder, alcohol, grass, trees, paint, more alcohol, Jose, Annabeth...Annabeth...Spen opened his eyes. He found him. But he was far. The town square was already in a riot. He needed something that was sure to gain his attention. It needed to be big. And loud as well.


    Spen didn''t like the idea. For years he''d kept it secret from everyone. Well except Dr. Vott, that is. It wasn''t much of a secret, just that no one knew he had it. Spen, with tremendous speed and strength, leapt into the air, his aim the market center. Concentrating hard, he began to channel the hollow within him out. He could see it. He could touch it. He could...


    Miguel had seen the commotion far ahead. He just couldn''t hear a word that they were saying.


    "Annabeth, get inside." Miguel said, "I''ll find out what''s up."


    "But..."


    "Please." Miguel said, kissing her on the cheek. He nodded at Jose who nodded back, grabbing his daughter''s hand. Miguel made his way through the crowd. It was agonizing almost falling twice. He had to stop to help a man up before he was crushed by the thousands of pairs of feet.


    "!Mirar! El loba de la sombra!"


    The crowd had stopped panicking, and everyone turned. Sure enough there was a giant shadow like wolf. Miguel looked at it surprised. He had heard the story of it. A large shadow wolf that fought for them before falling at the hands of the Diablos. Belonging to an inquisitor. At first he thought it was a rei. But a hollow? That was weird.


    The shadow wolf made a howl before dispersing, like it was imploding in on itself. It got sucked into the chest of a young boy who fell to the ground. Miguel quickly made his way through the crowd to his side, checking who it was. It was Spen.


    "Spen!" Miguel called to him. Spen got up, not minding his bruised knee.


    "Diablos!" He cried. "The doctor is fighting diablos! Alone!"

 The Boy Wolfs Cry 2

    The person who gave the daemon the name Diablos really knew what he was saying.


    The once pitch black daemon had evolved, It had white veins all over its body, an indication that it was entering its first steps into the white. The two horns on its head, its four eyes in the shape of a star that was rooted in the center of its face, its huge tail with the pike at its end, it two arms, one shaped like a spear, the other a cannon, its hind legs like that of a wolf. A real diablos.


    Dr. Vott hid behind the broken down wall, bleeding from his forehead. The daemon continued to fire around randomly, looking for him. It really did come around to feast on only inquisitors. But did it know know he wasn''t one?


    Once a daemon started entering its white phase, it could fire a vestorer. All it needed was one white vein and that was all. Just one vein.


    Dr. Vott shook his head. Now wasn''t the time. Probably that rock that had hit his head earlier had made him light headed.


    The daemon turned. Good. Slowly, Dr. Vott came out of his hiding place. The daemon started to fire around. quickly, Dr. Vott charged a black energy ball in his palm. He fired it at the daemon. The daemon turned swiftly, transforming its spear into a shield.


    "F...Fascinating." Dr. Vott said, dodging out of the way as the daemon fired at him. A daemon that had sharp instincts. Indeed, a formidable opponent. Nevertheless, this was a null he fired. Nothing could withstand a null besides another hollow.


    Dr. Vott quickly glanced at it. The shield had been tattered apart, not blown off like he had expected. Had it really withstood it? Most likely it had gotten used to it. But that was impossible unless...not to mention that it was flaking. Flaking into White. Whatever this thing''s food source was, it must be really reliable. The daemon continued to fire. Guess he had no choice but to be more direct.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Dr. Vott came into view, rushing at the daemon. Encasing himself in total black armor, he rushed at the daemon. The daemon suddenly transformed its tattered shield into an arm. It reached out into its gun and pulled a black and white-veined covered tube out. it pointed its new advanced weapon at him and blasted. Crossing his arms over his chest, he braced for impact, being shot way back by the blast. He landed in a pile of rubble, wincing. He stood up only to fall back down. The daemon, without warning, jumped in the air, spinning round as he slammed Dr. Vott with his tail. Immediately, the daemon was shot back with the same amount of impact.


    Dr. Vott smiled as the armor broke of. Blood began to drip from his mouth and nose. He had more than a concussion. He was going to die at this rate.


    "Vott!" Miguel called out rushing to his side. "Vott, you alright?"


    "Sure, sure, I feel splendid!" Vott said sarcastically.


    "You''ve done enough, Vott. Thank you. I''ll take care of this."


    "You''ll die." Dr. Vott said, "Die in more ways than one. That isn''t a daemon. That''s a phantom."


    Phantoms. Amalgamations of several daemon that had willingly blended together to form one single daemon. They were bigger, stronger and feasted more to evolve, which explained its appetite for only inquisitors. They were a rarity, only faced by primes and primes alone; or anyone at their level.


    "I''ll bet you''ll die in six minutes."


    "Make that seven." Miguel said with a smile, removing a kunai from his pockets.


    "Oh my....why are you inquisitors always the same? Running into the jaws of death like a mad man. Don''t you know when to give up?"


    Miguel smiled. "Its our duty. To the very end."


    Dr. Vott looked at him and closed his eyes. It reminded him of his brother. His dear late brother, running into a building to kill a daemon when all he had to do was ignore it. That was all he had to do.


    He shook his head. Forcing himself to his feet.


    "Looks like someone is motivated."


    "Shut up." Dr. Vott said with a smile. He touched Miguel shoulder, coating him with the black armor. "This hollow is the <Thorns>. Any damage done to you will be shot back right at it. It is weak to piercing damage though so be careful."


    "You''ll be alright, right?"


    "Hell would I know?" Dr. Vott said.

 The Boy Wolfs Cry 3

    Spen looked on as the two daemon hunters fought Diablos. Was this really it? Would they finally be able to defeat it? Or just die like always. Like how his mom died two years ago. Spen swallowed hard.


    Miguel fired more kunai at the back of the phantom, landing behind it. He rolled out of the way as the daemon slashed at him with his hand, while simultaneously shot at the evading Dr. Vott. Dr. Vott slid down a nearby slope blasting a null at the phantom The phantom deflected swiftly with its roaring arm.


    "WE NEED TO KILL IT NOW!" Miguel shouted, "IT''S FLAKING!"


    "I CAN SEE THAT!" Dr. Vott said, firing more nulls at the phantom. The phantom jumped in the air, transforming it''s arm in to a hammer. Dr. Vott parried the attack with his arm cloaked in armor and null energy, make a double impact on the phantom. The phantom was thrown of into the air, landing on its back. Miguel seized this opportunity, throwing more kunais at the chest of the phantom. Landing in front of it, he snapped his fingers, causing the kunais to twist and spin into the phantom''s black and white skin. The phantom screamed in agony, standing to its feet. It stood on its feet, drawing its hand back. Miguel jumped back, kunais readied, not expecting it hand to transform into a mass of whips and strike Miguel. Miguel was thrown away, tumbling down the debris next to Dr. Vott.


    "Please tell me that you''re not dead."


    "Y...you wish." Miguel said with a bloody smile. "Your hollow''s actually pretty good."


    "Its cracked." Dr. Vott said. Sure enough, it was. "I''ve never tried sharing it so don''t go in thinking you''re immortal.


    "Relax, look at its hand."


    The phantom''s hand was hanging on to it like a thread.


    "See?"


    "It was it''s black space." Dr. Vott said. The arm began to reattach to the phantom. Its cannon had now become full white. So where the horns on its head.


    "How many daemon do you think that is?" Miguel asked.


    "Three. Four. Don''t know, this is my first." Dr. Vott said turning to Miguel, "Can you go on?"


    "Yeah."


    "You go left. I''ll go right."


    The two moved. The phantom continued to watch them both with its four eyes. Getting agitated. Or was it enjoying this rather. The two charged in. Miguel took a deep breath and blow, throwing a large gust of sand at the phantom, blocking it view. Dr. Vott seized the chance and jumped up close to the phantom''s face, firing a null right at it. The Phantom screamed in pain, staggering backwards. Miguel shot more kunais at all it joints. Sliding under the phantom, he snapped his fingers, watching as the kunais dug into its flesh. Then jumped backwards, he clasped his hands together.


    "Raijin!" Miguel shouted. The phantom roared as the lightening began to go through his body from the inside. Miguel took out a ninja star, clasping it in his hand.


    "Raikou!"


    Lightening spurted out from the ninja star as he thrust it at the phantom. The ninja star spun rapidly gathering more lightening and slicing through the phantoms chest, leaving a gapping hole. The phantom choked and fell to the ground. Miguel heaved a sigh of relief as the hollow on him faded.


    "Color me surprised. Who knew you were a big shot." Dr. Vott said, helping Miguel up.


    "Sure...right." Miguel breathed out, panting. "Diablos is...dead."


    Spen came running to the two of them. Dr. Vott looked at him and smiled. "Hola, mi hijo."


    Spen looked at him and smiled. "You guys look like shit."


    "We know." Miguel said with a smile. "I''m going to get a drink now. Some beer."


    "Yeah, sure. I don''t like drinking but today''s an exception."Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Spen looked at the phantom one last time. The Diablos. Dead. Gone. The terror of inquisitors. Dead. Spen couldn''t help but smile as he turned to leave.


    [W...wol...wolf!]


    Huh? Wolf. Who had said that? Must be in his head.


    [Wolf.]


    Spen caught up with the two daemon hunters who were barely able to walk on their own. In the far distance, they could see Jose and other guys running up to them to help them.


    [Wolf. Wolf. Wolf.]


    Dr. Vott stopped and turned swiftly. The corpse of the phantom began to move. Then it dawned on him. An amalgamation of several willing daemon.


    It wasn''t dead till they were all dead.


    [WOLFF!] The Phantom screamed as it slowly broke out from its white shell. It began to change form, its gun breaking up until it became it''s eye, it arms transforming into long whips and its tail splitting into two. It still kept its horns though.


    "!CORRER!" Dr. Vott shouted at Jose. Miguel turned swiftly, pulling Spen backwards as its whip hit were he had been standing. Spen looked at him in shock. His right hand slowly began to metamorphisis into electricity, as was the right side of his face.


    "Kamowakeikazuchi-no-kami!" Miguel said, landing a hit on the phantom''s face. The shockwave was devastating, throwing everyone back.


    Spen got up from the rubble, dazed. he looked around, seeing himself surrounded by the aura of the black wolf which for some reason stared at Dr. Vott. Dr. Vott smiled as he moved his black coated hand from Spen''s chest.


    "That worked pretty well." he said as he collapsed.


    "Doctor!" Spen called, shaking him. But he wouldn''t budge. looked at where the phantom was only to see that it was still alive, deforming again to a new form and visage. In its new formed hand was Miguel, who right hand was...gone.


    "NOO!!" Spen shouted, running towards it. He was stopped immediately by a vestorer shot from it''s chest.


    [Wait...for...your turn.] It said. Its face split open vertically, revealing a set of teeth, ready to gobble up Miguel


    "NOOO!" Spen shouted running. He form a black wolf paw around his hands and struck the phantoms leg.


    [Tch.] The phantom grumbled, kicking Spen down, pinning him down with his foot. It formed another arm and pulled out its long horn. Shaping it into a long spear, it stabbed Spen in the thigh. Spen cried out in pain, unable to bear the pain as tears streamed down his face.


    [Now, time for...]


    The phantom stopped as it felt a sharp pain. It began to scream out agony as something began to drill behind his back. It roared as it felt it getting bigger and bigger.


    "Rai...Ra...Raikou." Miguel said, losing consciousness as the phantom was split into two.


    Spen woke up to pain. He tried to stand but the gentle hand pushed him down.


    "Stay down, kid, " The voice siad, "Just rest."


    "Mo...Ma?"


    "Me, Ma? Hahaha. Must be really out of it, huh?" the kind voice said. Spen''s view cleared to see a young woman in a black long dress, with an red x on her shoulder. She had long purple hair with a bang that covered one of her eyes, and lazy green eyes that sparkled. A real beauty, even with the burn mark that her hair tried to cover.


    "Where...what..." Spen said, standing up.


    "Hey kid, you have to stay..." Her voice trailed off as Spen''s wounds slowly began to heal. "Or do that."


    "Where''s Miguel? Where''s Dr. Vott?" He asked, looking round at the damaged scenery. Seeing someone in a white coat, he rushed to him.


    "Dr. Vott!" He shouted. The man turned only for him to realize that it wasn''t him, but an inquisitor. He wore a white coat over his black uniform with a red x on the shoulder of it. He had a bored expression on his face as he stared at him. His other counterpart seemed to be treating a someone on the floor.


    "Looks like someone''s awake." He said.


    "Where''s Dr. Vott? Where''s Miguel?"


    "Right here." The inquisitor said, pointing at the body. Spen looked down, horrified. Miguel''s face was badly damaged, his right hand was gone and what remained of it up to the side of his face was burnt up.


    "Another lost cause." The inquisitor said with a sigh, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. Anger welled up in Spen as he drew back his right hand and activated his hollow, attacking the man. The man moved back, managing to get only a scratch under his lip.


    "Miguel risked his life! AND YOU CALLED IT A LOST CAUSE?! HOW DARE YOU!!!" Spen was going to attack again when a hand touched his shoulder. It was Dr. Vott, bandaged up and in his cracked glasses.


    "Doctor..."


    "Hola, mi hijo." He said with a smile, which seemed to hurt. "Don''t worry about it. He just seems, tired."


    "As a matter of fact, I am." The man said. "Really am. Also, tell the boy to clean the blood under his lip. He''s got a cut there."


    Spen checked. Indeed he was cut. But how?


    "His name''s Miguel, huh? He''ll live. Just, he can''t be an inquisitor, anymore." The man said, taking a shuriken from Miguel''s pocket.


    "He''s been here for a while. Let him live his fullest life. Get married have some kids. Grow old. Blah, blah blah. Lucky bugger."


    The man stood up. "Donna! Lets go."


    "Come on, Can''t we go explore some more?"


    "Hell nah. We''ve got a mission, remember? The two phantoms...duh?"


    "Two...phantoms?!" Dr. Vott said in shock.


    "Yes." The other inquisitor said, "Some idiots decided to put daemon together in a military base. The result was a phantom. Stupid idiot even decided to add some humans to the mix. Don''t know what the idiot was thinking though, whether they''d merge or what. Now we idiots have to kill."


    "Yep." The bored inquisitor said.


    "I am not an idiot, Miz." Donna said, almost tripping. Dr. Vott wondered why she was wearing high heels but kept it to himself.


    "Okay, okay. We''re done here." The bored man said, "Au revoir, adios, sayonara, good day mate."


    "Um..." Dr. Vott called.


    "Yeah?"


    "What''s...Who are you?"


    "Me. Just an idiot in the sky." Donna hit him on the head. The man sighed, "My name''s Diego. Diego Thompson."


    The three inquisitors walked away, their murmurs fading with them. Dr. Vott and Spen looked at themselves as more townspeople came to treat their wounds.

 The Boy Wolf

    7 Years Later


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    Miguel sighed, taking his eyes of his work. "Estare ahi!" He called as he walked to the door. The knock came again and he sighed. "I''ll be right there. Have a little patience, would ya?"


    Miguel opened the door, seeing a tall hooded figure. He had something like a mask on shaped, with a visor that a had a purple hue.


    "Miguel Serra, right?" The figure asked with a mechanical monotone voice.


    Miguel stood still for a while in shock. "Sorry, Halloween ended last year. Come back in four months."


    "Miguel Serra, right?" It asked again.


    "Depends. Who''s asking."


    "I am." another voice said.


    Miguel closed his eyes as he smiled, recognizing the voice. Dr. Vott came from behind the tall figure, a bright smile on his face. Spen came from the side of the door, dressed in a sleeveless white top and black jeans.


    "Look who it is! Viictor and Spen! Come on in." Miguel said, stepping aside as the two stepped in. The third figure followed suite, bending down just to enter.


    "Thought you guys will be somewhere else, exploring."


    "We had time, so we decided to drop by." Spen said. "See how you were doing."


    "Taxes." Victor said, examining the notes on the table. "Ha! Something I don''t need to worry about."


    "You''d be surprised. Its a lot harder than I thought it would be."


    "Where is Annabeth anyway?" Dr. Vott asked. "Last I recall, the two of you were celebrating your first born son."


    "They both went out." Miguel said.


    "I''m sure Mr. Jose''s happy that she''s in safe hands." Spen said with a grin.


    "Hand, you mean." Victor said, and the two burst into laughter.


    "Yeah. Haha, very funny. But this things got more quirks than you think."


    "Actually, that''s why we came here." Spen said, "Figured that one armed Bart needed a new pair."


    "What did you do? Rob the spare parts bank? Find my other arm?"


    Dr. Vott smiled, "How much do you know about technology?"


    Miguel looked at Dr Vott long and hard. "Are you really mocking me?"


    "What? I had to ask. I figured you were living under rock all this time, that''s all. Besides, this isn''t your regular run off the mill technology. This is top secret technology."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Wow, I''m shivering in my boots." Miguel said, "Tell me more."


    Dr. Vott smiled. "Xenon. Show him."


    The tall figure, Xenon, removed his hood, showing a his full body.


    "Oh shit!" Miguel exclaimed, standing up. Xenon walked up to him, removing a small device from his wrist. The device floated towards him and scanned his right shoulder.


    "Choose your options."


    "Op...options?" Miguel asked in confusion.


    "Yes. Normal immovable, nanotech, extendable, even liquid."


    "What are you, the king of technology?" Miguel asked.


    "Well," Xenon said, you could say that. I don''t know myself. Just fulfilling my purpose."


    "Yeah," Dr. Vott said, "And he just lied to you."


    Xenon tuned to Dr. Vott. "Shut up."


    "Ok."


    Xenon turned back to Miguel. "Well? I can also install a combat feature, considering your former service as an inquisitor and analyzing your fighting style, if your willing to give a demonstration that is. Or I can just look at your stance and take a rough guess...looks like you fought like a ninja. Anyway...what would you prefer?"


    Miguel turned to Spen. Spen shrugged.


    "Don''t look at me, I didn''t understand a word he said." Spen said. "I was just admiring the baby pictures of little of Graciela."


    Miguel looked at Dr. Vott, who was busy admiring the taxes. "Fascinating." He said, "To think you''d actually pay for all of this. Just...fascinating."


    Miguel sighed. "A normal movable arm. Maybe a little blade on the arm. Can you also make it shoot lasers from the palm or something."


    "Sure." Xenon said. His chest began to open up revealing a series of machinations. Within minutes, the arm was complete. Xenon took out the arm.


    "Arm for Miguel complete." Xenon said, "Now to begin reattachment process. Could you kindly remove your shirt. And also...this would hurt."


    Miguel obeyed. "Don''t worry. What could be more painful than losing an...SON OF A....Dammit!!!"


    "Reattachment complete! Congratulations. You now have a new arm with a two year warranty. How would you rate my services? Bad or Superb." Xenon said, looming over Miguel.


    "Su...superb!" Miguel said.


    "Good." Xenon said with a smile.


    The door opened, revealing a beautiful Annabeth and a young girl. Annabeth froze, seeing the tall figure of Xenon, who waved.


    "Hola!" Xenon said.


    Annabeth would have run out had she seen Spen.


    "Hello Mrs. Serra," Spen said.


    "Ah... Spen!" Annabeth exclaimed, regaining her composure as she hugged him. "I didn''t know you were coming over."


    "It was a surprise visit." Dr. Vott said, "Honestly these taxes are fascinating. I thought the taxes entailed everything."


    Miguel walked over to his wife, carrying his daughter.


    "Mama, papa got arm."


    "Yes. Its...wonderful." Annabeth said, giving him an estranged look. Miguel smiled.


    "Indeed."


    Spen sat at the fountain, looking out into the horizon. The moon was gone. Just the evening sky that covered the Earth. A few people passed by, greeting him. He heard some good news and bad news. Hugh had become a trader in a neighbouring town, Jose''s restaurant had boomed, Nana Giselle had passed away.


    "Back here, huh?" Dr. Vott said as he approached him.


    "Guess so." Spen said, "Old habits die hard."


    "They sure do." Dr. Vott said, sitting down beside him. He let out a sigh of relief, looking in the direction of the school were they had fought the phantom.


    "Its been 9 years, Spen. Have you finally let go?"


    Spen looked at Dr. Vott and back at the moon. 9 years. 9 years since his mother''s death, the destruction of his home, being taking in by Nana Gisele, meeting Hugh, meeting Miguel and Dr. Vott, all their talks, all their fights, all their laughs, their fight with the phantom.


    "Yeah." Spen said, "I really have."


    "Good." Dr. Vott said with a smile. "Cause if you didn''t we''d be here all night and Annabeth''s food will grow cold trying to get you to move on."


    "Really?" Spen said, "Do you really think you could stop me from doing that?"


    "Ha, you have no idea how persuasive I can be." Dr. Vott said, "No idea."


    "I doubt that old man." Spen said, "Do you really think you could best me?"


    "Best you. Ha. I can beat you hands down. And I already have. 5 times."


    "It was 4. The last one didn''t count."


    "Oh. Hahaha."


    "Oi! You two, you coming or what?" Miguel asked "Or should I just eat your share?"


    "Oh game on!" Spen exclaimed.


    "You wouldn''t dare!" Dr. Vott said.


    "Oh but I can!" Miguel said, "And I''m gonna eat half of it!"

 Tartarus Branch

    The prisoners remained silent as the helicopter carried them off to their next home. Two guards both with armed guns stood on each end with one more at the entrance to the cockpit, a spear strapped to his back. One of the prisoners looked outside through the small window, seeing nothing but snow and ice.


    "Welcome to your new home, prisoners," One of the guards snickered, "Hope you enjoy it."


    As the Helicopter began to settle, some of the prisoners became more anxious, while a few didn''t care. The doors opened and the prisoners were ushered out.


    All around them was ice and snow, with were the stood being the only thing that wasn''t natural. Even that, it was ominous. A large metal platform for the helicopter with a wide pathway which led to a large circle sealed shut by reinforced steel. A small platform on which the prisoners were put on sent them down into the deep pits of Tartarus. Currently, it also served as the branch for inquisitors


    Tartarus. One of the prisoners swallowed. He had only heard about it but never had he imagined being there himself. It was rumored to be one of the most secure prisons on the face of the Earth, with thousands and thousands of cells waiting to accommodate all who committed the most unspeakable of crimes. The prisons origins were unknown, only that the Vlazerncroft family run it. As the wardens.


    The elevater came to a halt, connecting to a corridor. Two inquisitors stood there patiently, one had darkskin and wore a headcap and long black sleeves and joggers, while the other wore a black and white coat with a white x on the shoulder rather than a red x. His skin was pale, almost as white as snow, with his light blue hair and yellow eyes. The guard looked confused.


    "Where is Oz Vlazerncroft?" He asked impatiently.


    "Busy," The inquisitor in the coat replied, without looking at the guard. "I am Jhin Voskov. His aide."


    "Inquisitors have no business in the affairs of the UN." The guard said, "Bring Oz here."


    "As I said, he''s busy. In fact he''s not even here. And do well to use the appropriate titles when speaking of Prime Sir Oz Vlazerncroft. Whether he is here or not, his power still stands."


    Another guard whispered to the guard speaking to Jhin. He grunted and sighed. "My apologies. I didn''t realize who you were. But still, regardless of whether or not O...Prime Sir Oz is here, still show the respect and look me in the face at least."


    "My apologies, but I am blind." Jhin said.


    "Ahh..."The guard said, feeling a built guilty. "I didn''t mean to."


    "Don''t worry. I get that a lot."


    One of the prisoners grit his teeth. This was the guy who was going to be watching over them? A kid no older than 16 who was blind? There was no way he was staying here. He was getting away, and he could do it with ease. Slowly, he moved forward, one step at a time. The other prisoners moved aside for him. No-one dared not to stop him. Who would? He was the biggest and strongest amongst them.


    He reached the front of the line of prisoners, glancing from the guards to the inquisitor. The guards were busy watching the blind kid while the other inquisitor was looking down, into the abyss of whatever lay below Tartarus. The prisoner took a deep breath.


    Rushing forward, he grabbed the gun of one of the guards, then pushing the other guard aside, he grabbed Jhin, pointing the gun at his head.


    "Nobody move!!" He warned. The guards became more alert, taking out their weapons, the disarmed one taking out a baton. The prisoner wrapped his cuff around Jhin''s neck with gun still aimed at Jhin.


    "One step and I blow his brains out." He cried, "Just one step, I dare ya."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The other inquisitor merely sighed, glancing at him. "What a dickhead." He said.


    "Huh?!" The prisoner cried, veins popping on his head, "I don''t care if you think you''re an inquisitor. You could be Jahn Vu himself, I don''t care!! You will lead me to the helicopter outside or its game over for blindy over..."


    The prisoner realised too late that his hostage was not in his hands. He looked up at the guards and the prisoners only to realise that their attention wasn''t on him. The inquisitor was also not looking his way, but rather behind him. Before he could turn, he felt the cold steel rip into flesh, blood splattering about as he fell to his knees. Jhin walked out from behind him, standing directly in front of him, his eyes not looking his way.


    "Welcome to Tartarus." Jhin said, "Whether you are aware or not, the rules still apply. And trying to escape is a serious offence. Your cell has been changed from D to S. And let this be a warning to you as well, prisoners."


    Two people arrived, a man and a woman both dressed in long black and white coats. They bowed to Jhin.


    "Take the prisoners to their respective cells." Jhin said. "And also heal this prisoner." The two nodded, immediately setting off to do their duties.


    "I believe your work here is done." Jhin said to the guards.


    "Indeed."


    "Good. Safe travels on your way back."


    The guards nodded, turning to leave. The disarmed guard took his gun from the floor, glaring at the prisoner before joining his comrades.


    "Phew." The other inquisitor said, "Thank God, now I can go relax."


    "You should have heard your heartbeat, Miles." Jhin teased, "I really wanted to burst out laughing."


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You make it seem casual but they are prisoners. Who knows what crimes they''ve committed."


    "Meh."


    Miles Myers rolled his eyes. Jhin Voskov. The blind young butler of Prime Oz Vlazerncroft. From what he had heard, a long time ago, the Voskov family had dedicated their lives to the Vlazerncroft family. So, every member of the Voskov family would serve every member of the Vlazerncroft family. It seemed farfetched, but it didn''t seem harmful to the Voskov family. To be honest, they enjoyed their servitude under the Vlazerncroft. Jhin was no different, serving under Oz Vlazerncroft himself. His silent demeaner and eloquent steps made him admirable to all who saw him, hiding the true monster that he was when facing daemon. All members of the Voskov family were born blind, with the unique licht technique Blindspot giving to them. Jhin, however wasn''t born with such an ability. But it didn''t define him in anyway. With his rei the Red Hilt, he was a person to be feared.


    Miles didn''t know how he got to be friends with Jhin, all he knew was that it just sort of happened. He had told him everything about himself, although Miles had not returned the favor, but there was a mutual trust they shared.


    "Oh so you guys are done, huh?" A guy called over. Miles looked over at him and smiled. "Back from your mission, Heinrich?"


    "Yeah," Heinrich replied, "Those daemon don''t stand a chance."


    "Overconfidence, huh?" Another inquisitor said from behind him, "It''ll get you killed one day."


    "Shut up Mize." Heinrich Krahe said, "You didn''t even do anything this time."


    "Yeah, right." Mize Price said, "Not like you gave me a chance. But for the record, I did find the daemon. It was Susan that sat back and watched, right Susan?"


    The white haired girl with bangs covering her eyes looked away with a smile. "A true gentlemen doesn''t let a lady fight."


    "Lady my foot. Just because Prime Donna says that doesn''t mean you have any right to go along that path." Mize said.


    "Speaking of primes, where are Prime Oz and Prime Donna?" Heinrich asked.


    "Meeting with the Grand Prime." Jhin replied.


    "Really?" Heinrich replied, "That''s interesting."


    "I bet you Prime Kael didn''t go." Susan said, "That guy''s just...ugghh!"


    "Actually, he did." Jhin said.


    "Huh?!!" Heinrisch and Susan exclaimed.


    "Really?" Mize asked. Jhin nodded, walking ahead of Miles.


    "Why didn''t you go then? If its that serious for Prime Kael to go, then wouldn''t aides be required to go?"


    "Yes, but someone has to watch over Tartarus. Also I''m not the only aide that didn''t go. Kyler Tason didn''t go as well. Apparently some mishaps in the West branch."


    Jhin reached Susan only for her to grab his arm.


    "Be honest. How bad are the daemon attacks for them to meet?" She asked him. Miles and the others stood silently, as she had asked the one question on their minds. Jhin sighed.


    "Just know that the occurrence of a daemon incident is highly likely."


    The expressions on their faces didn''t change but it was clear in their eyes as to what would happen next.


    "Also, is that drink a cocoa?" Jhin asked Susan.


    Susan looked at Jhin and back at the drink in her hand. "Dude, no. I really, really am starving."


    Miles shook his head with a smile. For a guy who couldn''t see, he was really aware of his surroundings.


    "To think another one would happen in less than 10 years." A voice said from behind Miles. Miles didn''t need to know who it was. He already knew.


    "This is the job we sighed for after all." Miles said. The inquisitor shook her head.


    "That''s the difference between you and me. You haven''t seen a Daemon incident. I have." The inquisitor, Agatha, said, "Burn this image into your skull kid. It might be the last time you get to see it."

 Reunion of the Primes

    Diego sighed as he stood in front of the large metal door. He hadn''t been here in like...forever. The last time he was here was...six years ago? By then he was a mere aide. Now he was a prime, entering this office. Hurray.


    He opened the doors, quite disappointed that what he imagined was not what he saw. He calmly walked to a seat and laid his head on the large cold table.


    "Sleeping, as usual." A soft voice called over. A vein popped on his head on hearing that voice. Diego lifted his head to look up to the person seated in front of him. She had long purple hair with a bang that covered one eye, and long lashes over her lazy green eyes. Her eloquent figure was captured well in the long red dress she wore, matched with the white gloves she had on. A true beauty, and a thorn to Diego side.


    Donna Lopez. The Dark. Prime of the Tartarus branch. The only part timer. When she wasn''t killing daemon, she was busy modelling, participating in talk shows, acting, directing...the whole glamour stuff. Yes, she did receive a lot of criticism, some even went as far to say that she used her beauty to seduce the Grand Prime. But of course, as she once said to a reporter, if you want to find out, then you know where to find her. And indeed mercenaries tried, and died.


    "Sleeping all day isn''t healthy you know," Donna said, "You should be more active. I might have a role for you in one of my latest movies."


    "Oh sure, I''d love to be a part of this blockbuster of yours."


    "You never know the chances. Don''t you agree, Oz?"


    Oz merely glanced at her but said nothing, just giving a shrug as he kept his eyes on his book. Oz Vlazerncroft. The Warden. Eldest child of the Vlazerncroft family and also a prime of the Tartarus branch. Rose to the position in less than a month of joining the Inquisition. He rarely spoke, except to Edgar. He heard that the two of them were close friends.


    "Always looking for favor from others, huh?" Diego said.


    "Well, favor is given to those who are deserving of it, unlike some of us who are downright lazy."


    "Better to have a goodnight rest than be up all week. When was the last time you slept for on a bed rather than a pool of shadows?"


    "Anyway," Donna said, changing the subject, "I heard a rumor, about some half breeds in the West branch."


    "Half-breeds? Tell me more, Diego." The cold hand rested on Diego''s shoulder, causing him to shiver. Diego slowly turned to look at the smiling face of Kael.


    Kael Sannin. The mad scientist. Most people called him the prober, but it wasn''t a fitting nickname to a man like Kael. Kael was cold and cunning, selfish in everything he did (except if his little brother was involved.) He only did things for others if he was sure to gain in it. But despite his unadmirable characteristics, he was not to be joked with. He came out of nowhere during the 2nd Dameon Incident, but he exterminated a sin on his own, a feat only accomplished by Jahn Vu Jor and Keith Alderwolf, Klaus''s older brother.


    "Um...well...I wasn''t even around to see it so..."


    "Ah...pity." Kael said with a sigh. "But I''m guessing your aide was present."


    "Y...yeah."


    "Good!" Kael said, patting him on the shoulder. "Then I guess I''ll ask her myself."


    Good luck Martha, Diego said to himself. He looked ay Donna, the latter who winked at him.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"Donna!!!" A child voice rang through the hall, startling Diego. The voice belonged to Kaien Sannin, younger brother of Kael Sannin and...well, that was all he knew about him. Why he was prime, he didn''t know. He first thought Kael pulled some strings, but unfortunately, the former primes weren''t people who could be swayed by just anyone. Whatever be the case, he was here. Great.


    "Hello, dear," Donna said lovingly, a bright smile on her face which horrified Diego, "How have you been."


    "I''ve been great!" Kaien squealed, "Look what I made!!" It was a red origami of a flower. Donna took it from him and placed it in her hair.


    "Cool," Donna said, "You really are creative!"


    "Yeah!"


    Diego feigned a cough. Donna poked at him from under the table. Interesting, considering they were 2 to 4 meters away.


    Klaus entered, taking a seat beside Diego. "Good evening."


    "Where have you been?" Diego asked.


    "Around. Literally." Klaus sighed.


    "We can tell," Donna said, "You look like worse than Diego."


    "Oh, yeah...thanks." Diego said.


    "Had a meeting with the UN. Still trying to merge the Shield and the Inquisition."


    "That again?" Oz asked.


    "Yeah. This time, the issue is that the Lionharte family has caved into the idea."


    "Edgar?" Donna asked.


    "The Lionharte family. Not Edgar." Klaus said, "Which is the only thing saving as now."


    "Mr. Blood!" Kaien said, rushing over to Klaus'' side, "Look what I made." The origami this time was that of a bird made with black paper. Klaus, using his nail, cut his finger, squeezing a drop of blood on it. The bird began to fly around, with the young Sannin dashing after it joyfully.


    "Our backers right now are the Vlazerncroft, Alderwolf and the Blitzkonig. But the Blitzkonig family is wavering. And the Vlazerncroft."


    "Yeah." Oz said, "Of course. That old man only thinks of himself in the end."


    "Can''t the government use their veto power? Especially with the Lionharte family backing them."


    "No. Though the Lionharte family has their back, it forbids them from using their power over the inquisition. That''s why their trying to use devious means."


    "The half-breed incident," Diego said. Klaus nodded.


    Before Donna could say anything, The doors opened. A tall woman with short silver hair walked in, wearing a sleeveless prime uniform. She greeted them all, almost running into Kaien.  She took her seat beside Oz.


    "The Half-breed incident might just have been a little nudge though." Kael said, "Revealing an experiment such as that would be kind of demeaning to their reputation."


    "True," Klaus said, "Which means they have ulterior intentions, or something else."


    "Most likely," Oz said.


    "I see that you are all gathered here, nice."


    The Grand Prime. Edgar Lionharte. The Mad Prime. Slaughterer of thousands and thousands of daemon, all with a smile on his face. Diego hadn''t seen him enter the room. He had only heard him speak, because currently he was seated in the head chair, smiling. With his blond hair, and red eyes, and the huge sword beside him. And Kaien was sitting on his shoulders. This was becoming a lot to take in for Diego. Better not think so much on it.


    "So," Edgar began, "If everyone is here, shall we begin?"

 Reunion of Primes 2

    "So..." Edgar rubbed his hands together, "Where do we start."


    "Phantoms." Both Klaus and Diego said.


    "Decade old daemon." Alyssa said, "And that daemon corpses all over the world all saying the same thing. March of Sins."


    "Clearly its an invasion." Oz said.


    "But to announce it like that? If they wanted to they could easily wipe us out." Kael said, "Why a proclamation?"


    "Confidence. Pride. Either way, makes no difference." Klaus said, "We''ve already got a large influx of daemon in the last few months. And strong ones too. Who knows what else they have in store."


    "More phantoms maybe."


    "And the sins." Oz said, "We did kill all of them the last time, right."


    The Sins. The highest rank of a daemon. Said to have lived for centuries, having accumulated enough power to create a new one.


    "Nope." Edgar said, "We''ve killed only four. I think. Pride, Lust, Gluttony and Envy. Sloth and Wrath still haven''t appeared."


    "Would they appear this time, then." Oz said, "To me that''s the only way that they''d openly announce their attack."


    "I agree." Donna said.


    Edgar sighed. "When a sin is killed, a new one is put in place. Sure they might not be powerful enough to face a prime or an aide, but any other inquisitor would face challenges, regardless of how powerful they are."


    "So we are back to seven, huh?" Oz asked.


    "Yep. However..." Edgar said glancing at Klaus and Diego. The two looked at each other confused. Edgar continued.


    "Ever heard of the White city?"


    The White City. Belgrade, Serbia. It was used to refer to an incident in the past. An incident which led to the fall of the Dark family. Diego looked at Edgar confused, but Klaus understood what he meant.


    "You can''t be serious." Klaus said.


    Edgar nodded his head.


    "That''s not possible."


    "Unfortunately, it is." Kael said, "My team and I went to investigate, and although faint, we do believe that the entire city is a phantom."


    "The hell?!" Diego and Donna exclaimed. Oz shook his head in disbelief. Alyssa sat back, sighing. Edgar continued.


    "Its also most likely a sin, giving how long that city has been around."


    "Then shouldn''t it be left alone?" Diego asked. "If its dormant then there''s no need to wake it up. We''re talking about something that has been around for what? Five centuries?"This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Since 5700BC." Kael said.


    "Hell no!" Diego said, not realising that he was standing up.


    "Unfortunately, Diego," Edgar said, "The only reason we were able to detect it was because it started to stir. It will wake up."


    "Then it would require all of our efforts to take it down." Donna said. Diego sat back down, rubbing his head."


    "But that would be a dick move too." Kael said, "Focusing on one sin and leaving the other six. Plus..."


    All eyes turned to Kael. Kael took a deep breath and took out a small metal disc and slid it to the center of the table. A hologram appeared showing a location.


    "Where is that?" Diego asked.


    "That''s between North and South America." Kael said, "Also known as the Bermuda Triangle."


    "That the place where the planes and ships have been going missing?" Donna asked. Kael nodded.


    "We found a spatial disruption in the Bermuda''s Triangle a


    "English." Donna said.


    "He found a portal." Klaus explained.


    "A portal?" Oz exclaimed, looking at Edgar. Edgar nodded.


    "A portal that leads to the Daemon dimension." Edgar said, "The exact same on that Jahn Vu and two other primes went through..."


    "...And never came back." Alyssa ended.


    "We also found a similar one in an area known as the Great Blue of Belize." Kael said, "Its quite unnoticable though, almost escaped my scanners."


    "We''re going to have to split up." Edgar said, "Be on standby. However, for those portals, Alyssa and I would go and attend to them."


    "And the White City?" Diego asked. Edgar looked at him and smiled.


    "I''ll let you and Donna handle it."


    "Excuse me?" Donna exclaimed. "Us?"


    "We''ll be dead before we start." Diego said, "Or...unless you have other plans."


    "Indeed," Edgar said, "All the aides can join in on said operation."


    "That''s absurd, Edgar. With all due respect, they''d all die."


    "I don''t see any way out of this, Diego." Edgar said, "With our forces already in minimal numbers, announcing this will already cause panic."


    "Can''t we ask for help then?" Donna asked.


    "From who? The Shield?" Edgar laughed, "That''s equivalent to making a deal with the devil, Donna. Noo way."


    "No. I meant the Ragnarok Society." Donna said. Silence settled in the room.


    The Ragnarok society. Though the Inquisition had run into them several times, their intentions were never made clear. Whether it was to control the world from the shadows or it was the same as the Inquisition, nobody seemed to know.


    "The problem is contacting them," Klaus said, "I don''t think any of us have come into contact with a high ranking official of theirs before. Just their own men wandering around."


    "They also never did have a way to contact them." Alyssa said, "They just showed up wherever they pleased."


    "And the only inquisitor who was able to get close enough was Barry O''Neil." Klaus said.


    "Great, then we''ll just talk to him then." Donna said.


    "He died recently." Diego said, "Talk about bad timing."


    "Ughh." Kael groaned.


    "There is no need for them to come." Edgar said, "Whether they come or not, we still have a duty to perform. Alyssa and I will handle the portals. Donna and Diego will lead the White City operation. As for the rest of you...Klaus, Oz and Kael, you''ll be on stand by. I want each of you to stand on watch as the other inquisitors are deployed to different locations. Once there is an appearance of a sin, you guys step in."


    "Um...There are six sins and three of us." Oz said, "Isn''t that a little overkill?"


    "Daemon are using the portals to get into this world. Which means that they can''t teleport to this world as we originally thought they could. This means that the portals have to be guarded. They''d know that we''d figure it out. So there''s definitely going to be a sin guarding them."


    "Are you certain?" Oz asked.


    "98%" Edgar replied.


    "Great. But what''s in it for me?" Kael asked. Donna rolled her eyes.


    "Well, nothing. Not this time." Edgar replied. Kael looked at him with shock.


    "Do you expect me to work from the good stored in my heart, do you?"


    "Nah! Of course not." Edgar said, "But...I do have my own...ways to tie you down."


    Kael looked at Edgar. Then the realization hit him as to what Edgar meant. Kael couldn''t help but smile as he sat back in defeat. "You monster." Kael laughed. "You never disappoint."


    Edgar smiled, "Well then, I guess this concludes our meet."

 Reunion of Primes 3

    "You sure this is a good idea?" Oz said.


    "Yeah." Edgar said, "I''m a hundred percent sure."


    "Going to a portal and destroying it is out of the question. We are talking about a literal tear in space."


    "So." Edgar smiled, "It is possible, right?"


    "You only want to go there just to kill more daemon, don''t you?"


    "Yes."


    "I knew it." Oz said, rolling his eyes. "This is serious, Edgar, the literal fate of the world is depending on our shoulders and here you are wanting to charge into enemy lines without any knowledge of whatever the hell could be there."


    "Eventually we will have to go there, right."


    "Yeah, eventually. But not right now." Oz said, "When we are stronger."


    "''Stronger'' huh?" Edgar smiled, "That day will come, Oz, when we are above the world. But without a little push, we''d just be stagnated."


    Oz stood silent for a while. Then he widened his eyes.


    "That''s why...!"


    "Lower your voice, geez!" Edgar said.


    "That''s why you''re sending Donna and Diego to deal with the White City!"


    Edgar nodded, standing up from his seat. The two exited through a door to the corridor which overlooked the ocean.


    "So, you really are going, huh?" Donna asked as Kael stood to go, "I thought you''d put up more of a fight."


    "I thought you would." Kael said, "You are going to a suicide mission."Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "I''ll find a way around it."


    "Ha. Good luck."


    "What exactly does Prime Edgar have on you?" Donna asked, "You never do anything for free."


    "Kaien."


    "...Huh?!" Donna jumped to her feet. "Now that''s just cruel."


    "Cruel would be nice, But I''m more worried for him than Kaien."


    "Why?"


    Kael only smiled. He snapped his fingers and Kaien immediately bolted to his side.


    "Big bro could you buy me some ice cream, please."


    "Don''t worry, I''ll buy you all the ice cream you want. Ben and Jerry''s?"


    "Yeah!!"


    Donna looked at them confused, sitting back in her chair, looking back at Diego, who was fast asleep. She sighed, taking out her phone and going through her media.


    "So, how''s Blake?" Alyssa asked, sipping a glass of orange juice.


    "He''s alright, I guess." Klaus replied.


    "You seem more upset the last time you heard he had enrolled as an inquisitor."


    "Guess after sometime, you can''t force your kid into something he doesn''t like, no matter how hard you try."


    "Yeah, tell me about it." Alyssa said, "They are going to make a lot of mistakes, even some of the same ones you made, but they will eventually come back."


    "Hmmm..."


    "And good luck in this...daemon incident."


    "I should be the one to tell you that. You are literally going to another dimension."


    "I''ll be fine." Alyssa said. "Jahn Vu has put me through worse."


    "Never sent us to another dimension."


    "He did put us in the midst of a swarm of daemon and we had to fight for our lives. Ah, those good old times. Anyway I recon it''ll be the exact same feeling."


    "Or worse."


    "Or worse. Yes. I know. But don''t sweat it. I am one of the most powerful primes here."


    True. Despite her not being affiliated with any family, Alyssa Zola was one of the most powerful people in the world, not even talking about her licht technique, of which she had only disclosed to Klaus and Edgar.


    "Then till we meet again." Klaus said, standing to leave.


    "Want to toast to it?"


    "Nah. I''ll drink my own blood."


    "Suit yourself."


    Klaus nodded at Donna, who nodded back without taking her eyes of his phone. He grabbed Diego and brought him up to his feet. Diego was dazed for a second and took a while to realize that Klaus was standing in front of him.


    "Oh. You, right."


    "Next time my kid comes to you, tell me."


    "Haha. Right."


    Donna watched the two leave the room before getting up to leave.


    "Good luck, Donna. Do make us proud."


    "Tell me, Alyssa." Donna began, "You do have a way to destroy the portals, right?"


    "And why would you ask that."


    "The Alyssa I know won''t go through something without a plan unless it was a matter of urgency and although this is a matter of urgency, the threat is not immediate."


    "So you do know me. Its nice that my training was not wasted."


    "Don''t mention it. See ya."


    "Bye."